Promises. A promise is something that one says they will do in order to maintain and retain a trusting relationship with another. Promises are supposed to be steel-clad, proving that the pony is trustworthy.

Promises are hardly that strong. In truth, promises are fragile and easily broken. I should know. I've broken more promises than I'd care to admit. I promised my friends that I would take care of them, and I managed to let Patch's unborn foals be nearly killed by radiation. I broke my promise to Violet, allowing my... addiction to memory orbs to consume me in Duskhoof.

I often think back to the past, to the world of yesterday, and the promises made by the Ministry Mares to the citizens of Equestria. They too, broke their promises, despite their best efforts to keep them.

How many more promises would I have to break before I would learn to keep them? How much death would I need to see before I could look away, and witness life?

I stood over the pile of junk, sweat pouring from my brow as my horn moved pieces of trash and rubble about. It had been a day since Dry Rot had given Patch the news I'd been wanting to hear since she had told me she was pregnant. It was like some great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Still, I felt like I needed to do something to just think. Mindless labor made for great thinking.

I grunted, picking up a pile of steel and setting it in the 'to use' pile. The courtyard in the middle of the hospital provided for some excellent scrap, given that several skywagons had crashed in the middle of it. Most of them were utterly unusable, but the parts themselves were just right for what I was attempting to build.

The stress, the pain, the hurt of the last week alone all fell into line with my tiring work. Even with my pool of magic, I was still exhausted from lifting piece after piece of metal and rock. My mind overworked itself with the prospect of new life, of Patch's foals, and of the death that I had seen. I thought about what Silmetra had said, of finding my role in the world. What was my purpose? Was all I ever intended for was to bring death to those around me?

That couldn't be right. Somewhere, deep down inside, I knew that it couldn't. I had a purpose, after all. I had to find Spark. To end whatever her plans were for the Wasteland. Discord had given me an edge by hiding the shard, whatever it was. I still had no idea. As I worked, I thought about everything that I had done and still planned to do in the world. I was floundering, getting drawn into conflict after conflict like I was some Celestia-forsaken Wasteland heroine. Everything ended in death, in heartache.

And yet... out of the heartache there was good. Times shared with friends. Love and warmth with Violet. Violet... I knew deep down I'd done her wrong, breaking my promise to her over my use of the memory orb. I wasn't honestly sure how she was going to react to it. I loved her, so very much that it hurt me deeply to realize that she was right. That I was addicted to memory orbs, and couldn't even keep a simple promise.

Regardless, I knew that in the end, Dusk Blue wasn't truly my fault. Lilith was right, I was attempting to shoulder too much burden on myself, without thinking about how my actions impacted everything else. I was giving myself too much blame, too much credit. I didn't cause the NCR to attack the Twilight Society. I knew that, somewhere. Part of me still tugged, still wanted me to blame myself, but I knew I couldn't act like that.

I had to be better, much like I had told Red Death. I had to do better. It was time to stop running from my problems, and start facing them. To stop blaming myself for every little piece of Wasteland that tugged at my soul. In my solace, I knew that I could do it. I could push past the blame, past the self-hate, past everything. I could do it, because I had my friends to show me the path.

I had to be ready to take that first step, and that step began with a very simple task. I was building a wagon.

I grunted again, igniting my horn and lifting a massive metal wheel. It was heavily rusted, but it would still work for what I was wanting it for. I managed to get lucky enough to find another one of similar size and shape. I took several pieces of steel, using my magic to weld them together in a rough approximation of an open box. I panted, pulling up two large bars off of some of the skywagon carcasses to serve as axles. This can work, I thought, grinning. This will work!

I glanced around, searching for any small pieces of metal that could serve as pins to lock the wheels into the back of the makeshift wagon. A quick shuffling of my piles revealed a few tiny cylinders of steel. I grinned, carrying the metal pieces over to where I had set the wheels. My horn flared, lifting both the wheels and the pins up to the frame on the bottom of the craft. I grimaced as I inserted the first pin. It started in smoothly, and I smiled.

Then it fucking broke. The pin snapped off like it was a piece of bone. I growled under my breath, igniting my horn and forcing the broken pin out of the wheel. I picked up another pin and started to force it in, trying my best to insert it as carefully as I could. Everything was going well, until that one also broke, in the same place no less. I snarled loudly, flaring my horn and trying another pin. The third one held, and I welded it in place with a brush of magic. The pin slid easily into place on the other side, and the cart hung in my magic as I gently set it down..

The cart sat, gleaming gently in the glimmer of my magic. I doused my horn, and the cart settled under it’s own weight.

And promptly collapsed as the wheels broke. The box bounced apart as the frame hit the ground, I roared. Everything I had collected, including the ruined wagon, came up in the grip of my magic. I repeatedly smashed it into the ground in front of me. The pieces of metal transformed from something recognizable into something completely unrecognizable. That was when I heard a cough coming from behind me. I turned my head, my manic eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and overwork, seeing Steeljack standing there. Hitched to him was a simple two-wheeled cart, from where Patch sat within its confines. She was smiling.

“Where... where did you get that?” I managed to breathe.

“Found it,” Steeljack said. “Intact, too. What were you trying to do?”

I looked down at the slag beneath my hooves.

“Uhh... nothing. It's not important,” I said, deciding that I didn't really need to explain what my goal had been. An engineer I was not, apparently. Regardless, some form of transportation had been acquired for Patch. That was all that mattered. “Patch, how are you doing?”

“Feeling a little better,” the green mare said. “After everything that's happened, I'm still finding it a bit hard to believe that I'm having more than one foal. I'm... not even sure if I'm ready for it.”

I smiled softly. “You will be a fine mother, Patch,” I said. “Of that I have no doubts. You are a good friend, and your foals will learn that from you. Did Dry Rot give you a timeframe on when we can leave?”

“He said tomorrow,” Patch replied. “He wants to watch me for another night, make sure that everything is working properly. He also wants to make sure I eat a proper meal.”

“Seems like you really like him,” I said.

“He's a great doctor. I won't deny that,” she said with a grin.

“We can use this to take Patch and any supplies back to Tenpony with us,” Steeljack said, motioning at the cart. “Also, Silmetra had a runner sent there to let Violet and Nixis know when we'd be back.”

I flinched at Violet's name. Regardless of whatever epiphany I'd worked out on my lonesome, it was still not going to spare me from admitting my transgression to my lover. Apparently my twitch had been a little more visible, because I caught Patch's attention.

“Something wrong, Star?” she said.

I sighed. No more running, I thought. No more hiding. Time to start laying it all on the line.

“I... I messed up, you two. You of all ponies deserve to know. I... I broke my promise to Violet, over the memory orbs, while Dry Rot was looking at you, Patch,” I said, hanging my head. “I... I tried to justify it, tried to tell myself that it was necessary, but there it is.”

The green mare smiled softly, pulling herself out of the cart and trotting over to me. She put a hoof on my shoulder and spoke.

“Star... It's going to be alright,” she said.

“I... What if Violet doesn't forgive me?” I said, looking down at my friend.

Patch snorted in derision. “Violet not forgive you? Sweetie, Violet is yours. She always will be. You'll work past this,” she said. “Trust me. Everything will be just fine. Just be honest with her.”

I nodded. A shadow appeared overhead and I glanced up. It was Silmetra. He was coming in fast. The bat ghoul landed in the courtyard and began galloping over to us.

“Star, thank the Goddess I found you,” he said. His voice was frantic.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

Silmetra's gaze narrowed as he motioned back towards the hospital. Something was not right at all.

“We've got a problem. You three need to come with me. I only pray we're not too late,” he said.

I grimaced, nodding and trotting after the bat ghoul as Steeljack and Patch hooked up to follow as well. The closer we got back to Duskhoof, I began to hear shouting coming from the market area. The entire town of ghouls appeared to be present, surrounding some sort of spectacle. I heard Dry Rot's voice, and Ichor Sludge. Silmetra looked pensive as we pushed our way through the crowd.

Ichor Sludge stood at the center of it all, with two unicorn ghoul guards standing across from him. In their hooves was none other than Red Death. The pegasus ghoul looked down at his hooves, saying nothing. Dry Rot stood across from the earth pony ghoul, glaring at him.

“Let him go, Ichor!” Dry Rot roared. “He's of no threat to you.”

“I'm in charge here, Doctor. Not you,” Ichor said. “We cannot afford to let this... madpony go free. He's an abomination!” Half of the crowd roared in response to their mayor's call.

“What in the world is going on here?” I said, making my presence known. The crowd grew quiet as I stepped into the center of it. On the other side, Lilith and Sunshine watched carefully. “What have you done, Mayor Sludge?”

“I've done what was necessary to protect my ponies here, Ministry Mare. It's none of your concern,” Ichor replied. “Now I would appreciate it if you would take your things and leave. I will take care of this... this monster.”

“Red Death is not a monster,” I said harshly. “He's trying to save you all. Don't you see that?”

Ichor snarled. “He's building an army!” he seethed, baring his teeth at me. “I'm the mayor. It's my job to protect this town, and what good would I be doing if I let some... some thing build a fucking army of ferals right under my nose? Huh?”

I grimaced, lifting a hoof to my forehead.

“Luna, give me strength...” I said before glaring at the earth pony ghoul again. “Are you really so short-sighted? Did you not see the research that he was doing? He was trying to cure ghoulism!”

“Of course they didn't see it,” Dry Rot said. “They burned it when they captured him.”

“What?” I said. “How did they even get to him?”

“Because I fucked up,” the old unicorn ghoul replied. “I led them back to Red. His defenses were down. It's my fault they got him.”

“Yes... we greatly appreciate your... assistance, Doctor,” Ichor said. “Now then, all of you! Go back to your homes. We will take care of the traitorous beast you see before you!” The crowd didn't move a single inch. They were too focused on me, on what I was going to say next.

“Idiot!” I shouted. “You burned the only chance that you had at keeping yourselves from going feral! Of saving those who have already gone! You... I just can't fucking believe it!”

“I can,” Dry Rot said. “You never did think too highly of Red, did you Sludge?”

“He killed Faith! And not to mention the research he's been doing. Do you really believe he's trying to cure ghouls?” Ichor Sludge said angrily

I grimaced. I had to do something to defuse this whole situation. I carefully nodded across the room at Sunshine and Lilith. They glanced over at Ichor, and nodded in return as they began to move into place.

“Yes I do! I saw it, Sludge! He was close to finishing something that would have made feralism a thing of the past!” Dry Rot snarled.

“More like a way to control his feral army,” Ichor replied. “Now... unless you are planning on stopping me, I have business to attend to. Gentlecolts, take the traitor to the jail.”

He turned towards the two guards holding the pegasus ghoul. The guards had their hooves up, the massive barrel of the Bitch keeping their attention while a thorny green tangle of vines held them rooted to the ground. Sunshine had a sharp grin on her face as her horn flared, releasing Red Death from his bonds. The pegasus ghoul fell to his hooves, rubbing his sides from where the guards had held him. Still, he remained silent. Ichor Sludge growled, stepping forward.

“I'm sorry dear mayor, but I'm afraid I cannot let you do this,” a voice said as Silmetra landed behind the earth pony ghoul, grabbing a hold of him. The bat ghoul looked at me, smiling.

“Let me go! I will have your head for this, Silmetra!” Ichor roared.

I stepped forward into his line of sight. “No. You won't,” I said. “I agree with Dry Rot. You've made a big mistake here, Sludge. You may have just single-hoofedly stopped medical progress that could have saved ghouls all across the Wasteland. Your hate has blinded you.”

“I'm protecting the welfare of the ghouls under my care!” Ichor replied, struggling against Silmetra's hold. “You're all insane!”

“You're pursuing insanity, Ichor!” Dry Rot said.

“Stop, Rot,” Red Death said suddenly. “It's... it's over.”

The unicorn ghoul grimaced as he turned towards his friend. “No, old friend. You deserve to be treated better than this,” he said, returning his attention to Ichor Sludge and Silmetra. “Silmetra, what do you plan to do with him?”

“Lock him up,” I interjected. “Nopony should have to die for this. Let Ichor Sludge ponder what he's done.”

The others nodded. The crowd around us was deathly silent as they watched. It was almost as if they were unsure who they should be rooting for.

“I agree with Star,” Silmetra said. “Ichor Sludge, you are hereby placed under arrest. May Luna show you her grace and mercy.”

He moved to push the other ghoul forward, when Ichor Sludge growled and bucked Silmetra, breaking his hold. The earth pony ghoul kicked back, knocking Silmetra to the ground. Time seemed to slow down as we moved to intercept Ichor, the ghoul reaching into his pockets and pulling out an ancient looking pistol with his teeth. He took aim and fired.

*BLAM BLAM BLAM*

My eyes widened as I stopped cold in my tracks. Red Death had jumped in the way, taking the full force of the bullets. The pegasus ghoul went soaring through the air, sliding across the ground as his wet and slimy lifeblood spilled out upon it. The crowd parted as he lay there, unmoving. I turned back, growling as Silmetra regained his hoofing. Ichor Sludge wildly pointed the gun around, but was too slow to avoid Silmetra's hoof striking him against his neck. The earth pony ghoul fell to the ground, the pistol clattering away from his grip. Immediately the crowd erupted into a frenzy, with the ghouls shouting loudly for blood.

“Red?!” Dry Rot yelled, shoving his way through the others as he made his way to his friend. He dropped to his haunches, placing a hoof on the pegasus ghoul's shoulders.

I grimaced and looked over Silmetra, who stood over Ichor Sludge.

“You have this under control?” I said.

The bat ghoul nodded, turning to address the crowd.

“All of you! Disperse! There is nothing to see here! Return to your homes, and I promise once this is all sorted out, that we will continue forward! I will see to it! Now, go!” he shouted.

The crowd, unsure at first of what to do about the bat pony's challenge, quickly decided to heed his words. Soon we were left alone in the lobby. I trotted over to Dry Rot.

“Is he...?” I asked hesitantly.

Dry Rot shook his head. “He's... barely there. C'mon, Red... talk to me. Let me know you're alright,” he said, shaking his friend.

The pegasus groaned loudly and looked up at the old unicorn. His eyes spoke truer than his words. He was done for. There was nothing to be done.

“Sorry... I had to do it... I couldn't stand watching this tear apart our town,” he managed to choke out. “I'm... I'm truly sorry old friend.” His head lolled to the side and he moved no more.

I sighed, placing a hoof on Dry Rot's shoulder. He shrugged it off and stood.

“Damn Ichor...” he said. He turned to Silmetra. “Silmetra, move out of the way. That fucker doesn't deserve to live.”

I grimaced, putting myself in between the two. “No,” I said. “My advice still stands, Dry Rot. Ichor Sludge should be imprisoned for the things he has done. If we allow ourselves to fall to his level... to murder him, we would be just as horrible, just as short-sighted. We must do better.”

Dry Rot snarled and lifted his hoof, but stopped and sighed.

“You're right. You're right,” he said. “I want with all of my black heart to kill him right now...”

“You're a doctor,” I said. “You're here to preserve life, not take it away.” Dry Rot nodded. I looked over at Silmetra. “Do you have somewhere safe for him?” The bat ghoul nodded silently as he began to work on binding the former mayor. “I don't suppose you hold elections here for who gets to be the next mayor?”

“I will do it,” Silmetra said softly as he finished the bindings. He slung the unconscious ghoul over his back. “I will shoulder the burden. After all, if I had not been strong enough, then Red would still be alive.”

“Silmetra...” I said quietly, trotting over to him. “This isn't your fault. It happened. I get that now. I know why I felt like everything was my fault. It was because I took too much of the burden, and lost my purpose. Maybe your purpose now is to lead this community, not because you have to, but because you can.”

The bat ghoul nodded, pondering my thoughts for a brief moment. He was about to say something when a rumbling noise caught our attention. I glanced around. None of the others had noticed it yet.

“You hear that?” Silmetra said.

I nodded, a stray thought filling my mind. “Umm... guys? If Red is dead, then who's controlling the ghouls he was studying?” I said aloud.

Dry Rot’s eyes widened.

“Oh, fuck,” he said.

I turned my head towards the old ghoul, narrowing my gaze at him. I did not like to hear that.

“What do you mean, ‘oh fuck’?” I asked.

“I mean, Red’s tech… it works a lot like a sonic emitter. Lulls the ferals into a bit of a haze. The remote control was… it was on him…” Rot replied, searching over the pegasus ghoul’s body. He lifted something square shaped out of Red’s front pocket and lifted it up. It was a remote control device, and it was destroyed, a bullet hole dead center in the hoofmade face of the unit. My eyes widened.

“Everypony, fall back!” I shouted.

The others didn't have a chance to respond before a slobbering feral ghoul burst through the main lobby doors leading into the hospital tunnels. The collar around his neck was blinking. Howling in mindless rage, the ghoul charged into the center of the room right at Steeljack and Patch.

“Oh, no you don't,” Steeljack said, his visor sliding down. The armor-clad earth pony disconnected himself from the cart and wheeled about, delivering a buck to the skull of the ghoul that crushed its head in a second. The ghoul fell to the ground in a heap. I grimaced. Stargazer and most of our gear was back in our room. The only ones that could really fight was Lilith, Sunshine, and Steeljack. I glanced over at the armored stallion.

“Steeljack, get Patch out of here. Take Dry Rot with you. We'll try and barricade these doors from here,” I said.

Steeljack nodded, hooking back up to the tiny cart. Patch gave me a look, but nodded in understanding. I knew deep down that she knew the score.

“Hop on, Doc!” Patch called out.

The grizzled old unicorn ghoul grimaced, but jumped on anyways as Steeljack tore out of the lobby to safety. Rasping and sucking sounds from the hall beyond indicated that we were about to have a whole lot of party guests, and I didn’t have any cake.

“Sunshine, see what you can do about these doors,” I said.

Sunshine nodded, her horn igniting brilliantly as a mess of vines appeared, slithering up the doors and covering them completely. She panted as she let the spell drop.

“That should --” she started to say, before the ghouls on the other side of our barricade crashed into it. Limbs and snarls found their way through the cracks of the vines, but nothing managed to get through.

“That isn't going to hold them for very long,” Lilith said. “They are royally pissed at us, and they won't stop for nothing.”

“The collars,” Silmetra said. “They're going haywire. Without a signal from Red Death’s remote control device, they're causing the ferals pain. There’s gotta be some sort of failsafe shutdown.”

I glanced down at the body of Red Death, sighing. “Alright, so what do we need to do then?” I said.

Silmetra plopped down next to Red's body, searching through the bags and clothes he had been wearing. Nothing other than the damaged remote control that Dry Rot had found.

“Well, unless there's some sort of backup remote control or a failsafe device... we're pretty fucked,” he said. A groan came from the room as we realized that Ichor Sludge was starting to wake up. The former mayor glared daggers up at me and the others. Silmetra stood, trotting over to him. “Ichor. When you captured Red, was there any other devices that he had in his office? Something that could have been used to reset the collars?”

“Fuck you,” Ichor spat. “You took away everything. You wanted that... that monster to finish building his army? You're all fucking crazy!”

“Ichor, listen to him,” I said. “The failsafe device. Where is it? When you killed Red, the feral ghouls started in a frenzy. We need to stop them.”

“Tough shit,” Ichor replied, laughing. “You all turned on me... so it only seems fair.”

I sighed, looking over at Silmetra. “Looks like we're not getting much out of him,” I said. “Any ideas.”

“Just one... I could... I could use my screech to disable the collars themselves,” the bat ghoul said. “By applying it directly to their collars, it would act as an E.M.P. pulse.”

“But that would mean... You can't, Silmetra!” I cried.

The bat ghoul's bright blue eyes flared. “It's our only option. We have to protect the town,” he said. “You hold the fort here. I'll disable the collars. Hopefully, it will leave the ferals in a fresh state of ignorance. If we’re lucky, they’ll leave us alone.” The bat ghoul strode past me towards the vines blocking the doors. The ghouls behind were still snapping and snarling, but no longer trying to force their way through. “Sunshine, give me an opening.” The pink mare looked up at me for guidance, and I reluctantly nodded. Sunshine's horn flared and the vines dissipated, revealing a very confused hallway of ghouls. Silmetra yawned and grinned.

“Come on then,” he challenged as he flapped his wings and soared into the hallway. My hooves went to my ears immediately as the bat ghoul landed next to his first target, screeching wildly. The collar around the feral's neck began to blink faster before going dark and falling off to the ground. The feral fell back into the crowd, where it was ripped apart by its own army. I blinked, my mind making the connections that were playing out in front of me.

“Silmetra! They're only attacking targets that don’t emit the signal from the collars!” I shouted.

The bat ghoul nodded, turning to screech loudly at two more ghouls. The force of the screech tore the collars from their necks as the other ghouls tore into them. Silmetra grimaced as he ducked underneath a slash from a nearby feral.

“There's too many!” he shouted back. “I'm going to have to lead them away from the town! Even if I manage to hit them all, they'll still attack you!”

I stomped a hoof angrily. “You dummy! I can't let you do that!” I called.

“Don't worry. I can handle myself,” Silmetra said with a grin. “Just seal up the doorway. I'll be right back.”

I sighed, nodding at Sunshine again. The pink mare's horn lit up again and the vines began to cover the doorway. I shook my head, groaning.

“Dammit... I'm gonna regret this,” I muttered as I looked up and charged past the vines before the others could say a thing. The closing vines licked at my tail, but I made it past them and continued forward into the fray. Silmetra's eyes widened.

“Star, what are you...?” he started to say.

I waved a hoof. “No time. Fly!” I cried out as I spread my wings, taking off like a rocket past the bat ghoul.

Silmetra leaped into the air and followed suit, the feral ghouls following behind us like a train. We twisted and turned through the hospital's dead halls, the rasping and sucking sounds getting louder and louder. I grimaced. We couldn't keep this up for very long. The ghouls would eventually get tired of us and go towards easier prey. An idea flittered through my mind. I tucked in, landing on my hooves and screeching to a halt. Silmetra stopped next to me and perked his ears.

“I'd say we got their attention,” he said. “Now what?”

“We need to get them all into one place. The courtyard,” I said, pointing out the window nearest to us. The courtyard I'd spent all morning in was clearly visible through the dirty smudges of the glass.

“What are you planning?” Silmetra said.

“What goes up, must come down,” I said, nudging at the window. It refused to open, so I used my lockpick. The window, frame, and a large chunk of wall fell outside. “Hurry, you go. I'll get them to follow me.”

The bat ghoul grimaced, but nodded and dove down towards the courtyard, which in reality was only a floor below us. The ghouls rounded the corner, filling every available amount of space in the tiny hallway.

I waved my hooves and jumped up and down. “Hey uglies! Come and get me!”

I leaped out through the window, hoping the ruse would work. Sure enough, moments after I spread my wings and glided down to meet Silmetra, the first feral jumped out of the window after me, hitting the ground with a sickening *splat*. More ghouls poured forth from the opening, hissing and snarling as they each hit the ground.

“What goes up, must come down, eh?” Silmetra said, rolling his eyes. “You come up with that all by yourself?”

“I thought it was kind of funny,” I said with a giggle, narrowing my gaze at the bat ghoul. “I'm... I'm sorry that this had to happen though. I wish they could have been saved, like Red wanted.”

“Unfortunately, without his research or a way to control them, we had no choice, Star,” Silmetra replied. “Believe me... I bear no ill will in this decision.”

The last of the ghouls dropped out of the window, growling until it hit the ground hard, it's brains spilling out onto the pavement. I sighed.

“Let's get back to the others,” I said. “We have some cleaning up to do.”

The aftermath of the ghoul attack had left many of the residents of the town scared. Silmetra had done his best to calm the populace, but was meeting resistance from a few very vocal ghouls who believed that Ichor Sludge was right and should be set free. Times were going to be rough for the small town, but I believed that with Doctor Rot at his side, the bat ghoul could make it work and they would survive. Sunshine gave the two some names of ponies to talk to at Tenpony, to see if the Tower would be interested in trade of medicine and the like, while Patch provided Doctor Rot with some contacts in the NCR to help provide protection to the city if they so desired it.

After spending one more evening with the ghouls of Duskhoof, it was time to say good bye. We all knew it was time to leave, and so on the morning after we collected our things and made our way to the entrance of the hospital, escorted by Dry Rot and Silmetra.

“I regret what happened here, Ministry Mare,” Dry Rot said. The old unicorn ghoul had escorted us along with Silmetra to Duskhoof's entrance. “Ichor Sludge will rot for the damage his actions have caused.”

“I do too,” I said softly, looking away for a moment. “I do too.”

Dry Rot cracked a grin, his rotted teeth showing through his mottled skin.

“Chin up there,” he said. “You got no need to cry for old ghouls like me.”

“You're right about that, I suppose,” I said. “Still... for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to Red.”

“Thank you,” the old ghoul replied. He stepped up to Steeljack and Patch, who were standing just to my side. “Little lady, you take care of those foals now. And take care of yourself. Eat right, and take that medicine I gave you, and you should be right as rain.”

“I will... thank you again, Doctor,” Patch said.

Steeljack nodded silently, causing Dry Rot to chuckle a bit. The ghoul placed his hoof on Steeljack's shoulder.

“And you... take good care of her, and make sure she does all the things I told her to do. I'm counting on you,” he said.

Steeljack smiled. “Sure,” he said.

I glanced over at Silmetra. The bat ghoul nodded slightly.

“Thank you, again... Ministry Mare,” he said. “Without your assistance, we wouldn't have Doctor Rot back.”

“You're welcome, Silmetra,” I said. “You stay safe, alright?”

“Trying times are ahead of us all,” Silmetra replied softly. “The supporters of Ichor Sludge’s decision have quieted down for now, but I do not think they will stay that way. They will try something rash.”

“Well… take a page out of my book, then. Do something rash right back,” I said, grinning. “Seriously… you will be fine, ‘Mayor’.” The bat ghoul smiled and I looked at the others. “On that note, I think it's time we got going. We have someplace we need to be.”

“Fair winds and safe travels then, to all of you,” Silmetra said.

I smiled as we started back into the Manehattan Wasteland. The dreary gray landscape greeted us like old friends as we moved along at a brisk pace. Sunshine took point, the pink mare keeping a close eye on our surroundings as I picked up the rear. Steeljack pulled Patch's wagon forward while Lilith flew overhead.

Within several hours, the spire of Tenpony Tower came into view, without any issues to show for the journey. A mere hour later, we had made our way up onto the Luna line. We trotted down the line, waving to the bored looking guards. They grumbled as they motioned for us to pass. I chuckled.

We entered the guard station, checking our weaponry with the even more bored looking guards there and trotted into Tenpony Tower proper. The main lobby was filled with the normal hustle and bustle of the hoity toity Wasteland elite, but new and different was the presence of off duty NCR soldiers. I smiled softly, scanning the crowd for the only mare that I truly cared about. A flash of green caught my eye and I grinned widely as I focused on Violet. She was at the far end of the main lobby, her horn alit. I noticed she was in the makeshift hospital that the NCR had set up. I trotted along, finding my way to her side. I tapped her slightly on the side.

“Hey beautiful,” I said.

Violet turned, her eyes widening. Her horn's glow dissipated, dropping the case she had been holding with her magic. My horn flared in an instant, grabbing a hold of it and setting it gently onto the ground.

“Don't go dropping stuff on my account,” I said.

“Star!!!” my love cried out, jumping at me and wrapping her forelegs around my neck.

I leaned into her embrace, smiling softly. It was so, so good to see her again.

“I missed you,” I said.

Violet pulled back, tears formed in her eyes. “I missed you too,” she said. “Is... is Patch alright?”

“See for yourself,” I replied, motioning to the ponies behind me.

Violet's gaze went past me, latching onto the other green mare, who waved.

“Patch!!!” she shouted, pushing me to the side and rushing over to the wagon-ridden earth pony. I grumbled, but turned and smiled nonetheless. “You're alright!!”

Patch grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I'm doing good,” she said. “Clean bill of health, actually.”

Violet cocked her head in confusion.

“What about... you know... the foal?” she asked.

“Foals,” Patch said with a grin. “I'm gonna have two foals, Violet.”

Violet's eyes widened as she reached out and grabbed the mare into a spine crushing hug.

“That's... that's amazing!” she exclaimed.

Patch smiled in return and patted her friend on her back. Violet broke the embrace and looked back at me.

“See, I told you that I'd see that she was okay,” I said. I glanced about the entrance to the makeshift hospital. “So... what have you been up to since we left?”

“Nixis and I have been helping out wherever we can. The hospital needed some extra help, and since I know some healing spells, I figured it would be the best place for me,” Violet said.

I nodded, feeling nothing but proud of my marefriend. I cringed at the fact that I was going to have to tell her about the memory orb, but I was resolved to be honest with her about it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little orange pony told me I was doing good.

“Where is Nixis, anyways? I'd have figured he'd be with you,” Steeljack said.

“I've been watching, and waiting,” a lumbering voice said from behind us. Nixis appeared out of nowhere, grinning toothily. His yellow eyes flashed in the light. “It is good to see you all again, and I am pleased to see you well, Patch.”

“Thanks, Nixis. It's good to be here,” Patch replied. “But... we're not here for long, right?”

All eyes turned onto me. I chuckled hesitantly. I had nearly forgotten for a second that I was the go-to leader of our little group.

“Patch is correct. We have a date with a certain alicorn,” I said. “We may have averted disaster here, but if we don't stop Spark, then we'll have bigger problems on our hooves.”

“If I may, Star... I may be able to offer assistance there. We shouldn't be traveling into Everfree unprepared,” Nixis said. “We should make for my hometown, Ponyville. The hellhounds there can provide us with supplies to be able to make the journey.”

“Are you certain that we would be welcome there?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“While most hellhounds are still hesitant to interact with ponies, there are more of my kind that feel the only way we are to survive is to coexist,” Nixis replied. “While I am with you, I will promise you that no harm will come to you.”

“It's decided then,” I said, nodding. “We will stay in Tenpony one more evening, and then make our way towards Ponyville in the morning.” Violet raised a hoof. “Yes, dear?”

“I know this is... somewhat insensitive to ask, but what about Patch?” she said, looking over the green mare. “No offense, but you should be staying off your hooves.”

Before I could say anything, Patch chimed in herself. “And you'd probably be right. But I can't let you guys do this on your own. I'll be fine. I'm only pregnant after all, and despite what Dry Rot said I should be more than a few months off,” she said. “So long as I eat well and take my medication, I should be able to pull my own.”

“Alright,” Violet said. “I just wanted to make sure. It's not like we're going to be surrounded by doctors in the middle of the Everfree Forest.”

“Well, if it's all the same to you all, I'd like to get some rest,” I said. “The rest of you, take the night off. We've got a long journey ahead of us.”

I turned, heading towards the elevator, feeling the familiar comfort of my lover bounding after me. We made our way to our room, finding it just as dirty and decrepit as we had left it. Plopping down upon the bedroll, I took a deep breath as I set my bags off to the side. Violet rested next to me. I sighed, glancing over at her. I had to tell her, now rather than later.

“Violet?” I said softly. My love glanced up at me. I bit my lip. “I have something that I need to tell you...”

“What is it, sweetie?” Violet asked, looking very concerned.

“I...” I started to say. I considered delaying, trying to push it off like it was nothing, but I knew that I couldn't do that. I had to own up to my mistakes. To do better. “I messed up, Violet. I made a stupid, stupid mistake...”

“Whatever you did, honey, it's alright,” she replied softly.

I closed my eyes. No more hiding, no more secrets.

“I watched the memory orb, Violet. I... I broke my promise,” I said. I kept my eyes closed, not daring to open them for one second.

I heard Violet shift next to me. I was scared, scared that I had really messed thing up, but elated to have finally gotten it off my chest. Violet was silent, deathly silent. I wished, I prayed for something to end the silence.

Then I suddenly felt a pair of legs wrap themselves around my neck. My eyes flew open, and I looked down to see Violet, eyes closed and nuzzling my neck. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

“V-V-V-Violet?” I stuttered.

“Star...” Violet choked out. “It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay...”

“But... But I...” I tried to say.

Violet tightened her embrace, before pulling back and looking me in the eyes. Her brilliant green eyes were tinged with red from her tears. She smiled at me softly.

“Sweetheart... it's alright. Did you really think I'd be mad at you?” she said. I nodded mutely in response. Violet chuckled. “Star, you're so silly. I kind of expected you to view it while you were away.”

“You... you did?” I said.

“Star... addiction is a difficult thing to deal with. I'm not expecting you to get over it immediately,” my love said. “And to be honest... most addictions are to chems, not things like memory orbs. I honestly have no idea how to treat this.”

“I... I don't know what to say, Violet. I'm so messed up, I don't know what to do with myself,” I said. “But I think I know how to start. I have to stop blaming myself for everything, Violet.”

“Wise choice,” Violet said, resting her head against my neck. “Star... you know I love you very much. And I will always, always be there for you.”

“I... I know. And I love you so, so much,” I said softly. “I've gotta make things right again, and I'm going to do my best to keep this under control. But... I can't promise that I won't fall back into the same habits.”

Violet smiled, kissing me on the neck. “Sweetie, you won't be alone in this. We're all here for you. And we'll all be there for you,” she said. “Everything will be alright.”

“Once we find Spark... I'm moving to someplace warm and sunny, and never leaving,” I deadpanned, sighing. “But thank you, Violet.”

“You're welcome, sweetie. Now get some sleep. Like you said, we have a long journey ahead of us,” Violet said.

I nodded, lowering my head next to hers. Sleep came easy, and soon I drifted off to dreamland.

I looked up and groaned. It was the library, yet again. I didn't want to be here, not right now. Deciding that I didn't really have much of a choice but to go in, I stood and pushed open the door. Trotting inside, I noticed that the library was fairly bare. Empty shelves stood thick with dust, and books lay under fluffy pillows of age. Standing at the far end of the library's main floor was Twilight. She was looking out the window, her wings bristling with anticipation. She turned, her gaze boring into my very soul.

“Hello Star,” she said curtly. “Why don't you take a seat?” She motioned at the floor.

I looked down, seeing the image of a very familiar cutie mark burned into the wood. I slipped down to my haunches, while Twilight stood above me.

“So... what is it now, Twilight? Here to tell me about some grand scheme that you messed up? Or about how I'm not doing my job to find Spark?” I said, snorting. Twilight said nothing. I glanced up at her, her gaze not leaving me as she paced back and forth. “What? What did I do?”

“What did you do? You did something incredibly stupid, Star. That little stunt you pulled with Dusk Blue? Do you remember that?” she said.

I blinked, my mind running back to what I had done to trick the lunatic unicorn. I narrowed my gaze at Twilight.

“I do remember that,” I said. “Why?”

“Do you remember what you felt at the end of your little 'trick'?” Twilight snarled. I grimaced, nodding. I remembered the feeling of being watched. Of something waking up. “Good. Because now that you've woken them up, you're going to have to put them back to sleep.”

“Wait... who am I putting back to sleep?” I said. “What exactly happened?”

“You used a magic that is very raw and unbridled, and you used it as a carnival trick,” Twilight said. “You used Friendship, Star. Your little stunt may have cost us everything. Waking up the other Elements was the last thing I wanted to have happen.”

“I woke up the other Elements? How the hell did I do that?” I asked.

Twilight grimaced. “Your connection to Spark. To me. It's what called them. So when you used your connection to your friends to create some splashy display, it woke them. That's the magic they respond to. And thanks to the imprint that Spark left on you, it was like ringing a dinner bell in their ears,” she said. “This changes everything.”

“So... what do we do now? I mean... we're going to be heading to find Spark. Discord hid your shard, so we have time,” I said.

Twilight growled under her breath. “That... monster hid the one weapon that would seal Spark away for good. That shard is necessary, you will need it before you face her,” she said. “You already have one half of it.”

“I do...?” I said, blinking and feeling more and more confused by the second.

“The memory orb that was with the others from Tenpony Tower. The one where we first met, or rather when you first met the other me,” she said.

“I don't remember that, and what do you mean 'other me'?” I said. “Speak Equestrian, filly!”

Twilight's gaze narrowed at me. I could tell she was getting upset with me.

“Of course, I'd have set a memory wipe spell on that. Do you remember when you first met Pride?” she said. I nodded. “It was at that time we first met. The Twilight you met was a facet of my connection to you, another me so to speak. The shard is embedded in the memory orb, you see. That's why it was able to break Spark when she took over your body.”

“I see,” I said simply. “Go on.”

“Finding the other half of the shard is imperative,” Twilight said. “Without it, we won't be able to seal Spark away.”

“But how the heck am I supposed to find it? Discord hid it, remember? He isn't going to tell me where it is,” I said. Twilight grinned.

“Discord will have most likely hid the shard in plain sight right in the Everfree Forest, where Spark could not find it, but would be easy for us to find if we looked hard enough. Thankfully, I have just the means to provide the tools to find it,” she said. “I can enchant the existing half to seek out the other. It will grow warm and blink in proximity to the shard. Once you've joined the two together then you can seal Spark with it.”

“What about the other Elements? You said that they changed things,” I said.

Twilight grimaced again. “In the physical realm, the other Elements will try to stop you. Spark will seek to reunite with them. But without the shard, Spark will not be able to transcend her form and put her plans into play, even with the additional strength of the other Elements,” she said. “In short, we remove Spark from the equation and it will send the other Elements back to sleep like they should be.”

“Do you mean to say that the Elements... they'll have mortal forms?” I said, blinking.

“They're not perfect, but they will have physical bodies. They're more or less golems filled with the minds and memories of their avatars,” Twilight said with a nod. “I would expect them to be dangerous and powerful.”

I blinked again. Golems filled with the powers of the Elements of Harmony? Did that make Lucky the golem with the power of Magic? If that was the case... what did that make me? I raised an eyebrow, looking up at Twilight.

“Twilight?” I said. The mare glanced back at me, a soft smile emerging on her face. “There's... there's something I want to ask if you know.”

“Go on,” Twilight said.

I took a deep breath before continuing with this line of questioning.

“Twilight... you were part of her. The Goddess. I have... I have to know,” I said, trying to organize my thoughts to ask this question. “What was I? Before her. Before Unity. What was I like? I don't remember... This connection, it's eclipsed any memories I thought I had. I just... I need to know.”

“I... I see,” Twilight said shakily, taking a few moments to think before she replied. “I'm sorry, Star. I wish I had an answer for you, but I just don't know the answer to that.” She smirked curiously.

I narrowed my gaze at her. She knows something, I thought. Otherwise why would she be so hesitant to answer? It doesn't make any sense.

“Oh... I just assumed, you know...” I said. “Sorry. Again. For the Elements.”

“Don't worry Star. This will all be over soon. Once Spark is dealt with, this can end,” she said, smiling widely.

“So let me get this straight,” Lilith said as we trotted down the Luna line. “The spirits of the other Elements of Harmony have awoken from their centuries old slumber, taken physical form, and are going to try and kill us? Do you have any idea how ridiculous that sounds?”

“I do,” I replied. “But I also know that if Twilight is right, and she has been so far, then they pose a very real threat.”

We passed by the two bored looking guards down at the station, smiling at them. They snapped to attention, making me chuckle slightly. After putting our affairs in order with Tenpony Tower, we had left the hoity toity elite of the Wasteland and the Twilight Society for what I hoped was the last time. I certainly didn't desire to return here, not after what the Society had put us all through in the past week.

“I agree,” Violet said. “We need to be prepared for anything to happen.”

I smiled softly at my marefriend, nodding. The night before had been mentally exhausting for me, laying all my fears at Violet's hooves. I felt better than I ever had before, though. I felt... ready to move forward. I was better, and I was going to be a better mare in the long run for it. Deep in the back of my mind, however, my question to Twilight still tugged at me. Was I just another golem, filled with the spirit of the Element of Magic? If that was the case, how did I ever have my own mind, my own thoughts, my own feelings? I didn't know. I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

After what felt like ages, we finally reached the edge of Manehattan. I glanced back and grimaced. So much had happened while we were there, and yet it felt like we had gained much more than we had expected. Sunshine had joined our motley crew of Wastelanders, Discord had been freed to work his madness upon the world, and the NCR and Twilight Society were making steps toward a stronger future together.

“Star? You coming?” I heard Violet say.

I nodded, trotting after the others and smiling. Steeljack was still pulling Patch with that cart they had found. I grimaced every time I looked at, remembering my own failed attempts at building such a device to carry our friend. Still, they looked happy. Patch was busy regaling Nixis with tales of her examinations from Dry Rot. Nixis loped along with rapt attention to the green mare, chuckling at the jokes the old unicorn ghoul had told her. Lilith flew overhead, keeping an eye on the skies above and the landscape before us, while Sunshine and Violet trotted on either side of the cart, remaining vigilant against any possible threats. The rolling gray hills of the Equestrian Wasteland seemed to go on forever, making for a very boring march across them.

We broke later that night for camp, making our final stop in an abandoned way station. My PipBuck indicated that we still had two to three days to go until we were close to Ponyville. I sighed, sitting up against the back wall of the station's main office while the others set up a fire to cook with. Deciding to get some fresh air, I stood and made my way to the roof of the tiny one room shack. The moon had just begun to roll up into the sky, making for a rather peaceful night, if one could call any night in the Wasteland peaceful.

With the moon in sight, I closed my eyes, imagining that I could see still its wonder in my mind's eye. I took a deep breath, attempting to reconnect with the skills that Envy had tried to teach me. I had fallen out of practice in the last week, thanks to the mental state I was in, and I honestly didn't expect to get anywhere with my meditation. I had failed in my efforts to reach any sort of enlightened state before, and I wasn't sure I would ever be able to do so. Still, it gave me something to think about, something to focus on.

I struggled to clear my mind, but every time I managed to get rid of any mental baggage about Spark, about Twilight, about myself, kept creeping up. How did Envy do this? Life was tough, and I had no idea how anypony could let go of their thoughts so easily. I sighed as I sat there for what felt like hours. A quick peek at my PipBuck revealed it had only been five minutes. I groaned loudly.

“I'm never going to get this,” I said aloud.

“Never going to get what?” I heard a voice from behind me. I turned my head, seeing Patch standing there. I smiled, motioning for her to join me. The green mare trotted up and sat next to me.

“Meditating,” I said. “I'm terrible at it. I've tried hard to learn, but it seems like every time I sit down to do it, I can't.” Patch nodded in reply. “What are you doing up here?”

“I wanted to look at the moon,” she said softly. “It's a beautiful night out. Sometimes I think we just don't take enough time to realize that there is still beauty in this world.”

“Yeah...” I said, looking up with her at the silvery orb in the sky. “Even after two hundred years without being tended to by an immortal princess, the night sky still tends to be pretty amazing.”

“Star?” Patch said.

I glanced over at her, smiling. “Yes, Patch?” I replied.

“I wanted to ask you something...” she started to say. “Will... will you be the godmother of my foals?”

I blinked, my eyes wide. “You... you want me to be their... what...?” I said.

“Godmother,” Patch said. “You'd be like their Auntie. It's just... I've been thinking a lot about this since we found out from Dry Rot... and there's nopony else that I'd rather have than you. You've done so much for Steeljack and I, after all.”

I looked down at my hooves and took a deep breath.

“Whoo boy,” I said, panting before putting on a smile for my friend. “I... I think I would like that, Patch. I would be honored to accept that role.”

Patch lit up, jumping up and grabbing me in a fierce hug. I chuckled.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” she said. “I just know that they'll love you to death. I have a very good feeling about it.”

“Do you, now?” I said, smirking.

“Doctor Rot said that I might feel some... things from the unicorn. Something to do with magic,” she said before going deathly quiet. When she spoke next it was in a whisper. “Don't say anything to Steely, but I'm still a little scared about all of this. I've never been a mom before. I don't know the first thing to do, but I know that I won't let them grow up in this world alone. They're going to need friends, and who better than the friends I already have, right?”

“A wise statement indeed, Patch,” I said, closing my eyes. “I think perhaps though, an even wiser statement is to 'get some rest', as it were.”

“Yeah, you're right. Sleep sounds pretty good,” she said, standing. “You coming?”

“In a minute or two. I want to try again,” I said. “Meditation, remember?”

“Alright, alright. See you inside then,” she said with a grin, disappearing from view.

I turned back to the moon, thinking about what had just happened. Patch wanted me to be her foal's godmother! I smiled softly and closed my eyes. Instead of trying to empty my mind, I instead filled it with the images and thoughts of my friends. Images of Violet, of Steeljack and Patch, of Lilith, Nixis, and even Sunshine flowed through me. I sighed, breathing deeply and drinking of my friends and the love I held for each and every one of them.

My mind filled to the brim, overflowing with every memory I ever had of the ones closest to me, and I realized that this... this was what I needed most. I realized that Envy was wrong. Zebras connected to the natural forces of the universe, but ponies... ponies connected to each other. The underlying force of the universe wasn't nature, but friendship. It made sense to me now... why I couldn't meditate like a zebra. It wasn't natural for me. I almost mourned the fact that I'd never be good at it, but I realized I didn't care. I smiled amidst my meditation, feeling... happy. I had friends, friends who cared for me and would do anything to help me.

I opened my eyes and stood, gazing at the moon once more. It shone in the sky like a diamond, gleaming in a virtual sea of blue. I turned back to the stairs heading down into the station and trotted down, rejoining my friends. I smiled brightly, letting their words heal me, letting their emotions fill me. I flopped down next to Violet and fell asleep easier that night, easier than I ever had in my entire life.

The next morning we got back out onto the road, the Wasteland greeting our hoof steps like we were old friends. The rolling hills grew even more monotonous than before, and soon I found myself wishing for something, anything to change. I decided that rather than continue to be bored, I'd flick on my radio and catch some news or maybe some music. The soft, lovely tones of Velvet Remedy echoed across our tiny group, giving us the drive to keep moving forward.

After Velvet's song finished, the radio cut to the brusque voice of DJ-PON3.

“Helloooo Wasteland kiddies! This is your master of ceremonies, DJ-PON3! It's time for some news!

I've got reports of raider activity on the roads up north of New Appaloosa. Remember kiddies, when the raiders come calling, there ain't no shame in locking up your doors and hiding under your covers. Raiders don't want nothin' to do with negotiations, they just wanna rip your fucking heads off and use them for sick decorative schemes. No lies, my little ponies!

I've also got good news from Manehattan. After a good long week of negotiations the NCR and the Twilight Society are working together. Tenpony's doors are open to off duty NCR soldiers looking for a good time, but they're still not open to the ghoulies.

Speaking of the ghoulies, I've also got reports that the town of Duskhoof has had a change in management after a friendly little visit from our good old friend the Ministry Mare. Apparently the mayor there was a real dunderhead. Did the Ministry Mare take him out? No! The Mare tried to help the small town with a problem related to the feral ghouls, and the mayor made it worse. The new mayor, a bat pony of all the things, told one of our correspondents all about it.

Good for you, Ministry Mare! Fighting the good fight and helping ponies everywhere!

And now, back to our music kiddies. So here's some Sweetie Belle, an old standby two hundred years in the making!”

I snorted as the DJ's voice disappeared, replaced by the soft dulcet tones of Sweetie's song. Violet raised an eyebrow.

“Something wrong?” she said.

“I just think it's hilarious,” I said with a shrug. “Every time she mentions my name, I get more and more praise that I really didn't deserve. I didn't really do anything at Duskhoof!”

“You found Dry Rot,” Patch said. “That counts for something.”

“Yeah, but they don't even mention you guys ever,” I said. “Kind of feels like you all get cast off to the side.”

“Ponies need heroes, Star,” Nixis said as he loped past. “A name to hold onto is like a candle in darkness. It gives light to those who need it. Rest assured, we know how much you appreciate our contributions.”

“Thanks,” I said, glancing down at my PipBuck. I groaned. “Jeez, just how far is Ponyville anyways?”

“It's fairly out of the way,” the hellhound replied. “From Manehattan at least. We'll know we are close when we make our way into the valley proper.”

“I see... tell me about, Nixis? What was your home like?” I said, looking over at the canine.

Nixis chuckled. “My home was... decrepit when we first came to it. But over time, the sins of the place's past ownership were washed away, replaced by the care of my kind. We've never truly had a home to call our own since the end of the Great War,” he explained. “But we cared for it just the same.”

“Ponyville was where the Ministry Mares were from,” I said blankly. “That and its proximity to the Everfree Forest... makes me wonder what kind of dark and terrible secrets are still held under its exterior.”

Nixis nodded again, and silence fell over us again as we continued forward. My mind took hold of one particular Ministry Mare. Canterlot may have been where Twilight Sparkle had been born, but Ponyville was her home. It was where she met the other Elements of Harmony, where once the only real disaster was worrying about who got an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala.

How I longed for such a day to come, where my only worries were small and insignificant. As long as Spark and Twilight fought for dominance, there were no small worries. I knew that I needed to see this through to the very end.

Hours upon hours passed, and we finally made our first break over the main ridge that looked down into the valley that Ponyville rested in. The sun blazed brilliantly over our heads, but its brilliance could not touch the wild and untamed lands that lay before us. The Everfree Forest loomed in the distance, looking larger and more threatening with every passing hoof step. The path gently began to slope downwards the more we walked forward. Eventually, the road was so rough and rocky that I had to float the cart carrying Patch until we could set it back down on an even surface.

“Nixis?” I said, getting the hellhound's attention. “Have you ever been there?” I pointed at the Everfree in the distance.

“I have not, but many of my kind have ventured into the wild forest for food and supplies,” he said. “The stories however... there are things in that forest that have… festered unchecked over the course of centuries.”

I grimaced. And somewhere out there... is Spark and Lucky. Is Lucky alright? I certainly hope so, I thought as I trudged forward.

Within the hour, we found ourselves stepping off the final sloping hill and onto somewhat level ground. The soil had turned to muck, and we were surrounded by bubbling pools of brownish water. I looked up at the sky, seeing that it was being partially obscured by the dying willow trees that sprouted up all around us. It was like we'd passed into another world.

“Anypony else finding this place just a bit creepy?” Patch said, pulling Para Bellum out and holding it close to her chest. We still couldn't lower the cart for fear of it sinking on us.

“You and me both, sister,” Lilith said as she landed next to us. “Too much foliage to fly. I hate these kinds of places.”

I chuckled nervously. I agreed with her there.

“Give me a second, guys,” Sunshine said, kneeling next to one of the trees. “I'm going to see if I can figure out a way out of this place.” Her horn lit, connecting a line of green energy at the tree. After several minutes of silence, she gasped softly and broke the connection.

“What is it, Sunshine?” I said, stepping up next to her.

“This place... it's a lot bigger than it looks,” she said. “And it’s hungry… If we keep moving forward... we should get out, but everypony needs to stick together. It's too easy to get lost, or worse.”

“Alright, you heard her folks,” I said. “Pair up with somepony who has a PipBuck. If we get separated, use the tagging feature to lock onto another group.”

The others nodded, moving into pairs. As expected, Steeljack stayed close to Patch, while Lilith formed up next to me. Violet moved over to Sunshine, leaving only Nixis. I grimaced, but the hellhound lifted a paw and waved it off.

“Even in this environment, I can smell all of you quite clearly,” he said. “Do not worry for me.”

I sighed, nodding. “Alright then, let's keep moving. I don't think we'd want to be here after dark,” I said, my eyes moving to the sky above and trying to keep in mind where the sun was.

I couldn't quite tell with the haze that seemed to permeate this entire place. Regardless, we moved forward, keeping an eye on our surroundings as we made our way deeper into the swampy area. The buzz of tiny insects filled the very air, and more than once or twice I thought I saw something shadowy zip in and out of the dead trees. It got darker and darker the further we journeyed, making me wonder if we would end up out here at night after all.

Something roared in the distance, jolting me out of my thoughts. Not only was this place dark and possibly dangerous, but something was out there. I shifted, lifting Stargazer out of its harness.

“You hear that too?” Lilith said quietly from next to me. I nodded in reply. “What do you think it is?”

“I don't know, but I don't like it,” I said, turning back to look at Violet. When I did... she was gone. Violet and the others, they were gone! Lilith grimaced. “Violet? Steeljack? Nixis?! Where are they?”

“They... they were just here a second ago,” she said. “They wouldn't have let us wander off by ourselves, right?”

“Violet wouldn't have, neither would Steeljack,” I said, circling around. I looked in all directions, seeing nothing but swampland and dead willow trees. “Violet!!” I called into the darkness. I got a roar in the void as a reply.

“Might want to keep it down, Star,” Lilith said. “Remember, the tagging feature on your PipBuck? Let's toss Violet's tag in and see where she's at!”

I nodded, lifting my leg to look at my PipBuck. The screen was fuzzy and blinking in and out.

“Umm... that's odd,” I said. “These things are supposed to be built to last. Why's it going on the fritz?” I checked my E.F.S., which appeared to be working normally, other than the fact that it showed a very large red dot directly behind us. A rumbling sound started underneath our hooves. My eyes widened. “Run. Run!” My feet started to move as Lilith galloped next to me, her expression frantic.

“What are we running from?” she asked.

I didn't get a chance to answer before the rumbling sound got close enough that it became the sound of trees cracking and falling over. I chanced a glance back, seeing a massive indistinct form charging through the bog. Several sets of green eyes hovered above the form.

“That!” I shouted as the form broke through the final line of trees that allowed us to finally see what was chasing us.

The creature was large and scaled with two powerfully built hind legs and a spiked tail that whipped back and forth in a frenzy. It had no arms, but it didn't need them, as it's entire body turned into five very long necks, each one topped with a scaled draconic head. Each head bore a set of green eyes that glowed unnaturally in the dim light of the bog, and each one's mouth frothed with green radioactive sludge.

“Shit, what the hell is that thing?!” Lilith cried out as we made a mad turn to the right to try and throw off the scaled beast.

I racked my brain, trying to remember what it was. I knew I had seen it somewhere in one of the books at Fort Knowledge. The beast roared again, spitting some of its frothing sludge our way. It struck the ground behind us, sizzling as it sank into the muddy ground. I realized just what this beast was as it got closer and closer to catching up with us.

“It's a hydra!” I called back to my pegasus friend. “We need to lose it somehow!”

“What if we separate?!” Lilith shouted.

I grimaced as my hooves continued to carry me forward. One of the hydra's heads reached down and snapped, nearly catching my tail in its jaws.

“Too risky!” I exclaimed. “We must have walked right into its territory! If we can tire it out, then it'll stop chasing us!” I sort of hoped that I was right about that last part. The book I remember seeing the hydra in was a little vague, and didn't really have any pointers on fighting this thing.

“Uhh, Star? I don't think that's going to help us!” Lilith said.

I could feel the hot breath of the creature already. Lilith snarled, flaring her wings and taking to the sky. Two of the hydra's heads shot up immediately to snap at her, a slash of the mare's wicked wingblades leaving them with bloody snouts for their efforts. Despite the injury, however, they simply roared in response. The body began to slow down, its attentions split between the target in the sky and the one on the ground. I found that I was gaining ground as Lilith soared in between the trees to escape the attacks from the monster.

I finally stopped and turned about, lifting Stargazer up and aiming it at one of the remaining three heads. I accessed E.S.A.T.S., the spell firing up and then dropping almost like it wasn't working either. I grimaced as I leaped back to avoid more sludge that came out of the monster's mouths.

“Lilith! I can't use my targeting spell!” I called up to the airborne mare. “I'm gonna try something else. You keep it occupied if you can!”

Lilith saluted and zoomed straight at one of the heads of the beast. She extended her wing blades, slashing at its neck fiercely. Green blood spurted from where she struck, but again her attack didn't seem to slow down the creature. I roared, flaring my horn and accessing my magic to cast a shield spell around myself right as another of the heads slammed into it.

The hydra shook the head, blinking. I lifted Stargazer and pulled the trigger manually, unleashing a spurt of fire directly into the dazed head. The bullets pummeled the head into a bloody pulp, causing it to shriek in pain. It recoiled, lifting the head away as I finished firing. The head that I had shot waved about limply, causing the other four heads to glare directly at me.

“Umm... shit,” I said as all four heads lunged down at my location. I leaped back, spraying away wildly with Stargazer. Only a few shots managed to land, forcing the heads to recoil. The hydra's heads collectively growled as the head that I had blown to bits fell forward, striking the ground with a momentous *crash*. I cheered loudly. “That's right! Lilith, hit it!”

“On it!” Lilith shouted, circling about as the Bitch unwound itself from her power armor. The missile launcher whined loudly as a missile cycled into its launcher bay. The powerful projectile surged forth, seeking along until it slammed home right into the monster's back. It exploded, showering the immediate area with gore and pieces of hydra. The beast lay, unmoving. I groaned, using my magic to peel a bit of what I thought might have been intestine off my head.

“That was... gross,” I said as Lilith landed next to me.

“You alright?” she said.

“A little... soaked, but otherwise I'm okay,” I said. “I only hope the others haven't run into anything similar out there.” I glanced at my PipBuck again. It was still flickering in and out. “And with this thing still acting up, I'm not sure where the hell we're going.”

“I'll try and fly up and see if I can see anything,” Lilith said.

I put up a hoof, stopping her. “No. If we get separated too, we'll be in greater danger,” I said. “No... we need to keep moving forward.” I looked about all around us. “Whichever way that is...”

“You know... that seemed a little too easy,” Lilith said with a grimace. “That thing, the hydra or whatever you called it.”

“Yeah... you're right about that,” I replied. “I mean... from what I read on them, hydras are pretty tough beasts to kill. They have a tough set of scales, and many of them show extreme regenerative properties.” I blinked at the last statement, my eyes drifting back to the form of the creature behind us. A crackling green energy arced across the body of the monster, its blood creeping back into the creature as one of the heads that we'd destroyed started to twitch.

“Umm... so... regenerative properties?” Lilith said.

I gulped loudly. That was not the one piece of information I was supposed to forget!

“Run,” I said. “Run!”

We started galloping away from the monster as one of its heads awoke. It glanced over at us and roared loudly. Its body, however, was still trying to manage the other four heads which hadn't reanimated yet. Within several moments we managed to lose sight of the monster, charging through the bog like mad ponies on a mission. We found ourselves in a small clearing, an open space in the center of a mucky empire. We heard the hydra roar in the distance, but it was far off. Either we'd managed to outrun it, or it had decided that coming after us again wasn't worth the effort. I sighed.

“I think we lost it,” I said, glancing about the clearing. “Where are we? It seems like this bog just goes on forever.”

“It looks like some sort of break in the trees... but in the middle of the swamp? It doesn't make any sense,” Lilith said, grimacing. She started to move forward, but stopped cold in her tracks. Her ears perked up.

“What is it?” I asked quietly.

“Something... something's not right,” she said. “Something's --” She never got a chance to finish. A blur shot across the clearing, catching Lilith and slamming hard into her. Lilith shot back into the treeline, disappearing into nothingness.

“Lilith!!!” I shouted.

“She isn't going to interfere with us now,” a voice said.

I turned towards the center of the clearing. Standing there was an alicorn, but it wasn't like any other alicorn I'd ever seen. The mare had a fierce yellow coat with a bright pink flowing mane and tail. Her body looked unnatural, smooth and glossy like a child’s toy. A bright pink gem sat in her chest. Her wings spread out aggressively as she regarded me with flat pink eyes.

“Who are you?” I asked. “And what did you do with Lilith?”

The alicorn closed her eyes for a moment. The sound of crashing and roaring sounded from behind her. My eyes widened as the hydra came rushing out into the clearing. It stomped towards the alicorn, snarling and snapping. The alicorn lifted a hoof, turning about and stopping the hydra cold in its tracks. The alicorn said nothing, her horn glowing. The hydra's body imploded, spraying gore all over the clearing. A sharp grin covered the yellow alicorn's face as gore rolled off of her, leaving no trace on her shiny surface.

“I am the Element of Kindness,” she said. My eyes went wide. An Element? I thought. “Although you may call me by my true name... Cruelty.” Her grin turned into a frown. “As for your friend... I merely sent her to join the rest of your little troupe. I'm not sure how she escaped me the first time, but I remedied that mistake.”

“Where are they?” I said.

Cruelty chuckled. “They are beyond this clearing, outside of the pocket dimension I created for us,” she said, glancing back at the ruined body of the hydra. “I had so hoped that my little pet would have been able to kill you, but you are just too crafty aren't you?”

“You sent the hydra?” I said, glaring at the alicorn. “What do you want with me?”

“You woke us up, Radiant Star. The Elements,” Cruelty said. “Spark knew that you did it. She sought us out after the Chaos Spirit hid her shard. We belong to her now. We follow her will.”

“So... what, you want to kill me? Is that it?” I challenged. “Sorry, sister. I've got a date with Magic, and I'm a bit late as it stands. So, how's about you turn away and leave before I give you a reason to?”

Cruelty grinned widely, her soulless eyes trained on me.

“I see now why Spark wanted your body so badly. You are a spirited host,” she said. “You know... I once opposed her. Her scheme to be immortal, but now I can see that she was right. Ponies... they created this... this filthy wasteland. They made a grave for everyone, pony and zebra alike. Spark's plans for a new world order will stop all of it. Kindness will rule the world again. For that, I will gladly be cruel. So yes... Radiant Star... I am here to kill you.”

I grimaced. I knew that this mare had a strength beyond any concept of normal. I had just watched her kill a hydra without any remorse and with a mere burst of her horn. How in the hell was I expected to beat such a powerful being? I thought back to what Twilight had said about the Elements. In retrospect, I probably should have trained my magic a little better on the road.

“I’m not planning on just laying down and dying,” I said, igniting my horn and lifting Stargazer out of its harness. “You’ll find I’m very hard to kill.”

“We shall see,” Cruelty said calmly, flaring her wings. Magic flowed from her horn, seeping into the ground around us. Vines sprouted from the mucky earth, complete with spiny protrusions covering them. They waved in the air as Cruelty grinned evilly. “If I were you, I'd run.” One of the vines turned about in the air and flew at me, intent on piercing me with its thorns. I yelped, leaping to the side as the appendage struck the ground, leaving a gaping hole the size of my leg in the earth.

“Shit!” I shouted frantically, jumping back as another vine lashed out. I threw up my alicorn shield, hoping that it would hold. The vine smacked into it fiercely, enough that it actually forced me back more. I grimaced.

Cruelty merely stood there, unmoving. She doesn't need to move, I thought. She's got her own little army of vines. There's no opening. How in the hell do I beat somepony who doesn't have an opening? I needed my friends, but based on what the corrupt Element had said, she had managed to separate all of us. I sighed, making my decision. I needed to run. I flared my wings, turning tail and heading towards the edge of the clearing.

“Oh, finally going to run? That won't do you any good,” Cruelty scoffed. Her horn flared, teleporting her across the clearing in front of me.

I roared, ready to use Stargazer as a bludgeon to beat the ever-living snot out of her before I stopped dead. Cruelty lifted her head and widened her eyes, those soulless eyes, and stared at me. I realized that my hooves, my wings, my neck... they all wouldn't move. Stargazer fell out of the air and hit the ground, landing hard next to me. My magic wouldn't function. I could do nothing but stare back into the mare's dead eyes.

“What... what did you...?” I tried to say, before my mouth clammed up too.

Cruelty grinned, keeping her stare trained on me. “Tsk, tsk. Such a poor defenseless little pony. She has no friends, nopony... nopony who truly loves her. She's nothing more than a shell, a shell that will house the Element of Magic,” she said calmly, stepping towards me.

What in the hell is she talking about?! I thought. I thought she wanted to kill me!

As if she had read my mind, Cruelty gave a little smirk. “Oh... I am going to kill you, Radiant Star. I am going to rend your very soul from your body. You will not even exist when I am done with you... if you ever existed in the first place.”

I couldn't move, could barely breathe through my nose. My eyes would not move from her stony gaze. Cruelty stepped closer and closer. I couldn't do a single thing to stop her.

Then a black blur appeared out of nowhere, slamming hard into Cruelty's body and sending her reeling across the clearing. I blinked, finding myself able to move again. I quickly picked up Stargazer and spun about. Lilith appeared on the other side of the fallen alicorn, huffing and panting. The vines hung limply, almost as if they had no life without their mistress controlling them.

“You messed with the wrong bitch, BITCH!!!” she roared, opening her wings and flaring her blades. Cruelty pushed herself off the ground. I noticed that she was oozing some sort of viscous liquid from her neck where Lilith had struck.

“I thought I was rid of you,” the alicorn said calmly. “I shall have to work harder this time.” Her horn glowed fiercely, the magic in the air turning its attention to her wounds. Within mere seconds they sealed up.

“Lilith!” I shouted. “Don't look into her eyes! She can paralyze you with them!”

Lilith grimaced, lowering the visor on her power armor. She charged forward, using her wings to propel herself at amazing speeds. Cruelty merely grinned, lifting a hoof.

My eyes widened. “No!!!”

Cruelty looked over at me and smirked as she let her horn loose, sending a bolt of yellow magic at my pegasus friend. It struck, sending Lilith crumpling to the ground. The black mare groaned loudly as she tried to get up.

“It is inevitable,” she said. “I am the master of pain. You shall feel pain like you have never felt before for interfering.”

“No!” I shouted, speeding across the clearing as I brought Stargazer across the mare's face, knocking her back. “You will not harm her!”

Cruelty stared as I dropped my eyes to her hooves. “Ah, you are learning,” she said. “Yes... look at my hooves, pathetic wretch that you are. I am a Goddess of Harmony, and you will learn your place.”

“You're not a Goddess,” I snarled.

Cruelty's ears perked up. “What was that?” she asked.

“I said... you're not a Goddess,” I retorted, lifting my eyes and meeting her gaze. I felt the stare take hold again, but not for long. I muscled through it with images of my friends, of Nixis and Steeljack playing chess, of Patch smiling radiantly under a glowing moon, with Violet’s lovely eyes. Cruelty’s paralyzing stare crumbled under the force of friendship. I had to, for Lilith. “You're nothing but an idea! You're Kindness, for Luna's sake! Your powers lie in being kind to ponies, not cruel. Don't you see that!”

“Ah... but ponies are not kind, Radiant Star. They are cruel, vicious little beasts who must be tended as such,” Cruelty replied. “They will serve us. They will all serve us. We will rebuild this world in our glorious image, and the ponies of the Wasteland will know the true peace of servitude.”

“No... I won't let you,” I struggled to say. “I will stop you. I will stop Spark and I will show you how good ponykind can be.”

“You? You jest,” Cruelty said, grinning viciously. “You will die, and your body will be repurposed for a new role. The role of queen, of empress, of Goddess.”

My attention turned to Stargazer, and I smiled, sending a beautiful jolt of magic towards it.

“No,” I said simply. “I will not.” I aimed Stargazer and brought up Shining Armor's shield spell. The purple barrier encased me, and only me. I needed to hope that I was correct in my assumption. I accessed E.S.A.T.S. as soon as the shield went up, sending time spiraling to a crawl. Queueing up as many shots as I could, I aimed not for the mare's body or head, but for the gem sitting on her chest. When E.S.A.T.S. fell, I felt Stargazer whip around and begin firing, every bullet striking its target with unerring accuracy.

Cruelty fell back under the blow of the blast of gunfire, the gem sparking and arcing with energy with each new bullet that hit it. Finally, the shard could no longer handle the force and exploded, sending both myself and Cruelty flying away from each other. I landed with a *thud* on the mucky ground, groaning as I pushed myself up. A sharp pain lanced through my back leg. I glanced back, seeing a bit of bone sticking out.

“Fuck,” I said, trying to stand. It was hard on three legs, but I managed. Floating out a healing potion, I quickly downed it and trudged over to where Lilith was lying.

The pegasus had sat up on her own, her power armor helmet retracting. “What the hell was that?” she said.

I looked past her to where Cruelty had been blasted. Her body was gone, completely. Nothing remained in its place except for a pink gem shard. After a few moments, the shard turned from pink to purple and something in my saddlebag began to get really hot. I pulled it open, revealing a brightly shining memory orb. Twilight's orb from the original six was blazing, a line of energy arcing out from it to connect to the shard on the ground. The shard floated in the air before speeding across the clearing and reuniting with the other. The Twilight orb went dark and cool immediately. I blinked.

“I... I have no idea,” I said. “But I'm guessing that shard was... powering her body, somehow.”

“If that's the case... where is she? Where's her body?” Lilith said.

“I don't know, but I have a feeling that she isn't done with me yet,” I said.

A rustling in the leaves caught our attention. I turned about on my bad leg and grimaced with pain as I brought up Stargazer. At the end of the clearing appeared several ponies and a hellhound, ponies I thought I'd never see again. They were down one cart, with Patch walking next to Steeljack.

“They're over here!” I heard Violet shout. “Lilith! Star!” My love galloped full force up to us, her eyes catching my back leg. “Star, you're hurt! Sit down right this instant!”

I gulped, complying with my marefriend-turned nurse. Within moments she was casting her healing spell, using it to try and ease my pain. She began to work figurative magic along with her literal magic, using a combination of her spell and bandages to wrap the break. She jabbed my rump with a syringe of Med-X, dulling the pain instantly.

“Are you guys alright?” Patch said as she sat down with us.

I nodded silently. I still wasn’t exactly sure what had happened.

“What happened to you guys?” Lilith said. “We got separated somehow.”

“We got separated from the others, too,” Patch said. “And then my stupid cart got stuck in the mud, and we couldn't move it.”

“We couldn't even use our PipBucks to communicate or tag,” Steeljack said. “We were lucky enough that Nixis ended up with us.”

“It didn't help that I couldn't smell any of the others,” Nixis chimed in.

“We're still not sure how, but our PipBucks wouldn't work at all until just a few moments ago, “ Violet said.

“It was Cruelty,” I said softly.

Violet cocked her head. “Cruelty?” she said.

“The corrupted Element of Kindness,” I explained.

I told the others about the hydra, about meeting the alicorn who had attacked us, and how we managed to defeat her. Violet looked dazed when I was done.

“Star... that's... that's insane,” she said. “I don't even know what to say.”

“If the corrupted Elements are this strong, we should seek to avoid them at all costs,” Nixis said as he returned to the circle. “Thankfully, just outside of this clearing is the path we seek. We have a few hours to go to make it to Ponyville.”

“Oh, no. We're camping right here until the morning,” Violet said firmly. “Star's in no condition to move right now, and we're all pretty tired. Besides, this is an open clearing. We can set up some defenses in case anything comes in the night, and we'll each take a watch.”

“I'm with Violet,” I said, wincing as I shuffled to lay down. “This still hurts like a mother.”

“I'll take first watch,” Steeljack said. I groaned, resting my head against Violet while the others made some semblance of a camp. Steeljack sat by himself off to the side, keeping an eye on the bog.

“Oh, you big baby,” Violet said, chuckling. “It's not that bad. I gave you some Med-X.”

“But it really hurts!” I whined, batting my eyes at my marefriend.

She gave me a dead stare. I winked, giving her a little smile.

“Okay, I lied. It's not that bad. I should be right as rain by tomorrow,” I said.

“Good,” she replied, giving me a kiss on my muzzle. “Cuz you're not getting anything fun, not tonight. We're too dirty.”

“Ooh, I know you're dirty,” I quipped before breaking out into chuckles. “Sorry, that was bad.”

“It's alright. I think the Med-X is making you a little loopy, is all,” Violet said. “But we really are pretty dirty. It's muddy out here.”

I glanced down at my coat. It was icky, muddy, and matted against my skin. I sighed.

“Yeah... alright. I could really use a shower... or a hosing off,” I said. “I guess we should get some sleep.”

“Good night, Star.”

I awoke feeling better than I had the previous night, pushing myself up to four sound hooves. The first thing I noticed was that Violet was already up, having taken her watch last. I looked back at my leg, noting that it looked a gazillion times better. Everypony else was working on packing up camp. I latched up Stargazer to its harness and pulled on my bags.

“Ready to go?” Violet said.

“Let's go,” I said. “I don't wanna spend anymore time in this place than I have to.”

We started back into the bog, passing out of the clearing and forward. Nixis was right about one thing. Within a half hour we exited out of the bog and back into the valley proper. A gentle fog had settled into the valley, drifting off from the swamplands behind us. Another twenty minutes passed, and we found ourselves on a ridge overlooking the hamlet of Ponyville.

“Home,” Nixis said as he looked down the ridge at the tiny town. The hellhound smiled toothily.

I trotted up next to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Are you ready for this?” I said. Nixis nodded. I smiled softly. “Good. Let's go, then.”

I moved to turn around, hearing a series of snarls surrounding us. Several large hulking forms appeared in the trees, yellow eyes piercing the forest. One of them jumped out, growling. It was another hellhound. I grimaced, lifting out Stargazer as the beast lunged forward. It stopped short of me, brandishing its deadly claws. Three more hellhounds appeared on the ridge, snapping and howling. Violet huddled next to me, while Steeljack sat next to Patch protectively. Lilith flared her wings, getting ready to fight while Sunshine's horn started to glow.

“Stop!!!” Nixis shouted.

The other hellhounds stopped cold in their tracks. One of them grunted, his yellow eyes scanning the other canine. He sniffed the air, grinning widely.

“Nixis?” the hellhound said. “Is that you?”

“Spot,” Nixis said softly. “You're looking well.”

“We... we thought you were dead,” the burly canine replied.

Nixis grinned. “I had a little help,” he said, motioning to me and the others. “Spot, these are my friends.”

“Ponies,” Spot said. “You're friends with ponies. Hellhounds don't make friends with ponies. Ponies attack hellhounds.”

“I've never attacked a hellhound,” I said.

Spot snarled, cutting me off. He returned his attention to Nixis.

“Spot, they are friends. Trust me,” Nixis said. “Star here helped me escape from some very nasty minotaur slavers.”

Spot glared at me. “This is true?” he snorted. I nodded in reply. “Pony saved Nixis?”

“I did. Nixis has been a good friend of ours,” I said softly. “Believe me, we mean you no harm. We're only looking for a place to stay and some supplies and then we'll be out of your hair.”

Spot looked back at his hellhounds and grunted a few words to them I couldn't understand. They turned back and nodded in unison.

“If Nixis says that pony is good, then pony is good. Nixis is smart hound, knows many things,” Spot said. “Spot warns you, pony. Village not so nice to pony. We take you to see Elder.”

I smiled, nodding. Spot lifted a paw and motioned for us to follow him and and his entourage. We started down the ridge, coming ever closer to the town of Ponyville.

As we passed across the bridge into the tiny hamlet, I noticed that there was no lack of life in this corner of the Wasteland. The hellhounds had turned Ponyville into their own village, the canine creatures milling about like a pony might on a good day. There were several guards posted on the outer reaches of the town, letting us through with a snarl. The shops lining the main square had been turned mostly into places of weapon-making and smithing. Hellhounds worked grimly at carved anvils and forges, piecing together and maintaining various armaments. They gave our group dirty looks as we walked by, followed by surprise at seeing Nixis.

“Lovely place you got here,” I said quietly as we passed by what looked like the old Ponyville school. A few young hellhounds played on the playground outside of it, watched over by an elderly female canine. She glared at us.

“It is home,” Nixis said. “A home I have not seen in a very long time.”

“Home is not the same since you left,” Spot said. “Ponies not trusted. Ponies attack us. Bad ponies.”

“Bad ponies?” I asked. “What kind of bad ponies?”

“Ponies with guns, numbers. Think they own town,” Spot replied. Nixis grunted a few words in a language I'd never heard him speak before. Spot responded in the same guttural, choppy tongue. Nixis looked to me and sighed.

“Raiders,” he said. “They've been attacking the village recently. It has not left the others with any trust in ponykind.”

“I wish we could help, Spot, I truly do,” I said. “But we're not going to be staying here long enough. We just need some supplies and then we'll be gone.”

We found ourselves on a path leading towards a very familiar place, at least to me. The Books and Branches Library towered over the rest of the town, despite the fact that it was mostly dead and burnt. Many of the treehouse's branches were broken off or otherwise shriveled and black. I gasped softly.

“Elder inside,” Spot said. “She will see you, pony. Only big pony with pointy horn. Others stay.”

I glanced over at the hellhound. “Only me?” I asked.

Spot nodded. I looked at Nixis. He merely nodded as well, motioning for me to go up to the old library. I trotted up to the door, like I had so many times in my visits to Twilight's place. I was amazed at how eerily similar the two were. I pushed open the door and entered. The inside of the Books and Branches was no better than the outside. Burnt ash and dried blood stained the hardwood flooring in the center of the building. Bookshelves that had once stood proudly in rows leaned against each other, the books they held now all gone.

“Hello?” I called out. There was nopony… nobody around. I looked down at the bookshelves, grimacing. There had once been a place of knowledge here. Now... nothing.

A scratching noise caught my attention, and my ears perked up. Standing at the top of the stairs was an old, white female hellhound. She narrowed her yellow eyes at me before smiling toothily.

“Well, what do we have here?” she said softly. “A pony. Not every day one of your kind is allowed in our village.” She loped down the stairs, stopping in front of me. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, pony?”

“My name is Radiant Star,” I said. “My friends and I... we're on a journey and passing through. We could use some supplies and some directions, if you would be so kind.”

“So eloquent you are, pony,” the older hellhound said. “So much more eloquent than those swine that have attacked us recently.”

“Thank you, I owe that to a mutual friend of ours,” I said.

The female raised an eyebrow. “Mutual friend?” she said.

“Yes... a hellhound by the name of Nixis,” I replied.

“Nixis is here?” she said, her eyes wide. I nodded. “That's... that's incredible news. I had feared he was long dead. I am Avira, the new mayor of this town. Nixis was a close friend of mine. Wherever did you find him?”

“Chicacolt,” I said. “He was a slave to a group called the Cult of Iron Will. He is a close friend of mine as well. He has helped me through numerous hard times.”

“You... you saved him then. That makes you a friend to the hounds, Miss Star,” Avira said. “You said you needed supplies, yes? And a place to stay, directions? Where do you plan on going?”

I narrowed my gaze at the elderly hellhound, glancing past her out the window at the place beyond. The forest loomed over all of Ponyville, an unnatural darkness covering every inch of the damned place. I grimaced, meeting Avira’s eyes once more.

“The Everfree Forest.”

Author's Notes:

Chapter 30 is down and out! And what a chapter it is! This one was a lot of good fun, despite the fact that it is essentially a “traveling” chapter in getting the group from Manehattan to Ponyville.

So now, with 30 down, we're now only 6 chapters away from the very end of Starlight as we know it. Personally, I'm a mixture of scared and excited. I hope you guys are too!

My fic plug for this chapter is a very interesting fic called “Fallout Equestria: Natural Selection” by Zedrei. It's a definitely interesting setup, and fairly fun to read. Go check it out!

Some thanks, big thanks to McMessser, Heartshine, and Wirepony for all that they do, and continue to do. You guys rock!!

And again, thanks to Kkat for creating this little universe! It's been fun playing in the sandbox.