Chapter 4: Fluttershy Cottage

It was still raining outside and the rain once again soaked me to the skin. I was freezing as blood washed from my coat into the water on the ground which was carried away by the small streams of water on the ground.

I had just left the raider compound, in all I had rescued four ponies, but that was wiped away from my mind as I trudged through the heavy cold rain by the images of the ponies I killed.

My tears returned as I began to cry. I am a murderer. I killed those ponies and no matter how evil they may be I have committed not one but eight of the greatest sin. The only reason I could stand to live with myself is that I did it out of necessity and self-defence but that still did not make the fact that I just killed eight ponies any easier.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

From the raider compound, I had looted the few medical supplies they had. I found a few bandages and two healing potions. I also found food, as I only had one apple left. The raiders had meat in the fridge which I did not want to touch (I don’t eat meat). I also found some cans of corn.

I also found some ammo for the rifle that was now in my saddlebags as well as some smaller ammo that might fit the pistol. I would only use my guns if my life was threatened. I would not kill somepony unless I absolutely had to. I do not want any more blood on my hooves.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I was still trudging in an easterly direction and was still horribly wet and shivering. The wind was blowing quite violently and could almost hear a distinct howl through the air, the trees had lost all their leaves that they had making them look like wet brown skeletons looming from the greyness of the rain, light seemed to be fading.

I turned my pipbuck light on when my pipbuck let out a long beep. My pipbuck was now telling me that my body temperature was dropping. Ignoring this information for now I looked on as it began to get dark causing the water on the ground and the trees to reflect the light from my pipbuck.

I wanted to find some shelter but my visibility was so poor that I could not see much more than forty feet ahead and the only hope of finding shelter was if I walked headlong into it. I was tired from physical and mental exertion, hungry, cold, windblown and wanted a place to lie down. I also needed to clean myself; my coat was still a reddish pink colour and still red-maroon under my barding. I stopped and sniffed myself causing me to gag. I smelt horrible.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Darkness closed around me leaving everything black, the only sound filling my ears was of water hitting the ground, the slushing sound of my hooves and the howl of the wind causing my mane to be horribly knotty as it continuously blew into my eyes.

My ears perked. I could hear rain on metal faintly and turned towards the sound hoping for shelter. The sound was getting louder as I got closer and proceeded with caution being as stealthy as I could.

Looming into view was an old cottage; the yellow paint was heavily faded on the walls and the steel roof was quite rusty. I could only just make out the symbol of three pink butterflies painted on a rusted steel sign with heavily faded lettering. All I could make out of this sign was; ‘Fl t  r hy wh t  ti wo d ani  l shelt r.’ A large water tank stood next to the cottage.

The cottage had a wooden picket fence that was heavily decayed built around the back yard. Dead tree stumps were poking through the ground inside the fence. Judging from the old bird houses and cages that were lying around, it looked like an animal shelter or farm of some sorts.

I navigated to the front door and reached out to turn the door knob with my magic but it was locked. I looked through the grimy but intact window, my breath fog causing the window to fog slightly. It was dark inside and it did not look like somepony was living here. I pulled out my screw driver and attempted to pick the lock.

The lock did not want to give in and I struggled to get the tumblers into place. Every time I got close, one would snap back down again.

After struggling with the lock for about five minutes the door budged open. The door felt extremely stiff and heavy. I walked into the cottage, puffs of dust appearing with each hoofstep with lots of cobwebs on the ceiling. It didn't look like anypony has stepped a hoof in here since the war. Everything was still intact and unbroken but covered in a mat of dust.

First things first I really wanted to wash and prayed to the princesses that the shower was still working. I pulled out my soaps and shampoo and stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water of the shower. The shower groaned and shuddered before water began to pour out the showerhead. I took off my saddlebags and my bloody stable barding which was now quite damaged from when I was shot and stood into the cold shower which was as cold as the rain outside. My pipbuck clicked softly telling me that the water was slightly radioactive.

I washed myself thoroughly with the soap I had, taking full advantage of being a unicorn. The water hitting the shower floor was crimson with the blood that was coming out of my coat.

Once my coat was clean I moved onto washing my mane and tail which were quite filthy as well.

When I was squeaky clean and only had absorbed a small amount of radiation I looked into the cracked mirror to check I did not miss anything. My wet coat was gleaming white everywhere and my mane and tail were sleek black and dripping so I could not actually tell I got my whole mane and tail. I gave my mane and tail and small whiff and smelt the apple scented shampoo. I never realised how much of a luxury cleanliness was until I got that filthy. I smiled. I hadn't felt this good since I was back at the stable.

I dried myself off with the towel, amazed that my saddlebags had managed to keep dry and brushed all the knots out that were in my mane and tail.

Nice and freshly clean and dry I made myself at home by eating my final apple and drinking one of the sparkle cola’s I had found in the refrigerator.

After finishing my apple and the carroty drink I felt very woozy. Stomach satisfied, thirst quenched and finally clean I stumbled upstairs into the bedroom and collapsed onto the soft mattress that smelt a little of mothballs and fell asleep instantly.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I awoke the next morning still tired. I slept well enough despite the disturbing dreams of the raider compound.

I shifted out of the musty bed realising it was very quiet. I trotted over to the grimy window and discovered the source of the stillness. It had stopped raining however it was still very wet outside.

I sighed, turning away from the window and proceeded down the stairs. What I would give for a civilised conversation with somepony right now. Just for the company even if it was my mother. Realising this as a sign of boredom I decided to try and find something to do.

Decision made I checked around the cottage to see if I could find anything of value or anything that may assist me. I started with the terminal on a desk. Pulling out my hacking tool I set to work getting into the terminal.

The terminal was not hard to break into (Password was dragon)

<>Good Morning Fluttershy

It has been 197 years, 6 months, 15 days and 18 hours since you last logged in. What would you like to do today?<>

The terminal mostly had tabs of animals that were looked after in the animal shelter, these ranged from manticores to rabbits.

One file I noticed was an audio file.

I played it.

The voice that came from the file seemed strained with tiredness but nonetheless excited.

Entry 56:

“Hey Fluttershy its Twilight

“I know your busy caring for your animals at the moment and did not wish to disturb your break but I really need to ask you a favour?

“The M.A.S and M.W.T has just finished a new project on manipulating stealth cloaks that the Zebras have been using and turning it into a spell that can be used on the battle field.

“We call them a stealthbuck and they are completely pipbuck compatible and can be used by anypony and not just unicorns.

“They are just prototypes at the moment however we need to run a live test on them and what’s better than running them with the Ministry of Peace. These Stealthbucks render the user completely invisible for a few minutes allowing stealth work to be played out. They have been tested in a controlled environment and are completely safe

Please consider this Fluttershy, with these stealthbucks we can get help on the battlefield while completely invisible so your medics will not worry about being shot while tending to the injured.

The only other audio log was corrupted and could not be played.

I have never heard of these stealthbucks before and have never used one or seen one.

Using the terminal I unlocked the safe having no desire to attempt to pick the lock.

With a click I pulled open the safe door telekinetically and found a small variety of items. The first item I saw was a strange looking device that could slide into my pipbuck. I let my pipbuck check what it was and simply came back as

StealthBuck prototype

Spell Duration: 2 minutes

Ohhh so that is what Twilight had discovered. She must have sent one to Fluttershy as an example. Still 2 minutes wasn't very long on a battlefield I thought.

I then put the stealthbuck in my saddlebags and continued to search the safe.

Other items I found were some pre-war coins, a memory orb, some documents that were heavily faded and not eligible as well as heavily faded photos of ponies and a white rabbit.

The final item inside was a small figurine at the back of the safe.

I levitated it out and held it in front of my face. It was a figurine of the very same pony on the poster I had in my saddlebags, except in the figurine she was a lot younger and was roughly my age.

She stood with her wings outstretched with some butterflies hovering around her head and a white rabbit that looked awfully similar to the photo in the safe. She looked positively cute.

She was in perfect condition and had not a speck of dust on her. In gold lettering at the base read “Be Pleasant”.

I smiled at her and slid her into my saddlebags as a mere keepsake, as I did so I felt a rush energy. I felt as the insignia said, more pleasant.

I moved on from the terminal and safe and rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found some more bandages which if I don’t start using will have enough to mummify myself. All the other medicine was for animals and could not and will not use animal medicine. In the kitchen I found two cans of corn and a can of beans, they were two hundred years old but as I was now out of food I had no choice but to put them in my saddlebags. I will only eat these if I find no other food.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I wandered into the patched grassy back yard of the cottage which was littered with skeletons of long dead animals to a large shed that was out the back. The door was unlocked and the inside was filled with all sorts of cages that housed all kinds of animals.

Most bore a skeleton inside the cage. I assumed that once the war was over the owner (Which from the terminal I was guessing to be Fluttershy) must not have been able to return. I thought sadly that she was more than likely killed.

I looked around the shed however found nothing of interest as everything seemed to have already been looted.

I trudged back to the cottage and decided to wash my still bloody stable barding. I was still going to wear it despite the holes that it had, it offered little protection as it was just thick cloth but it was still better than nothing at all. The raiders back at the compound had some good armour plating but I for one could not loot a corpse of its clothing or armour. Also the only armour that would fit me was so gross and dripping in blood that I would have vomited my organs out of my mouth just attempting to put it on.

I fetched my bloody and very smelly stable barding and filled the sink in the kitchen with soapy water. I then levitated it and began to clean it telekinetically until the water turned a sickly red colour.

Once it was clean and rinsed I wrung it and put it on the dusty bench to dry.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I decided to use the time to wait for my barding to dry by taking out the memory orb I found in the safe. Remembering the study we did back when I was a filly in school I set the orb down in front of myself and wrapped it in magic. I felt the world tip away.

                                         ========OooO…OooO========

The world righted itself and found myself in a very pristine building with a heavily polished stone floor and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I could make out streamers floating from the ceiling as though enchanted.

The first thing I realised was that I couldn’t move at all, I quickly became claustrophobic within my host, but this quickly receded when I felt her move. I decided it would be best to just ride my host, do what she did, and feel what she felt.

The room was full of all kinds of ponies of many different colours. I could see a white unicorn mare who appeared to be the DJ behind some turntables, her blue streaked hair in a very eccentric hairstyle and she was bobbing her head in time with the beat from the music.

Tables adorned the entire room with all sorts of food I could only dream of. Ponies gathered around the tables to get something to eat, other ponies were dancing, and others were standing around talking to each other.

My host moved up to an elderly yellow Pegasus who looked very familiar. She seemed to be avoiding everypony else and she looked a little out of place. It took a second for me to remember where I had seen her, if I had control of my host I would have clopped myself over my head. She was the very same mare I had the statuette as well as the poster.

I felt my Host open her muzzle as she addressed the yellow pegasus. “Hello Fluttershy”.

She gave a small jump before replying “oh umm hi Twilight” she smiled at my host.

I felt my muzzle open again as Twilight began the conversation. “How are things going in your ministry? I hear you have been busy.”

Fluttershy considered for a moment before replying in a quiet and scared tone “Umm well, yes. Our unicorns are developing some sort of new magic. I cannot really discuss it he- here in public but well umm. I think it may, I mean might end the war.” She stopped looking uncomfortable before adding “at least that’s what I hope”

I felt my host sigh “that’s what we all hope to achieve”.

If I was in my own body I would have jumped about ten feet in the air as a pink pony with an even pinker but grey streaked curly mane appeared two inches in front of my hosts muzzle so quickly and swiftly it would have defied physics. However my host did not even twitch as she said in an almost icy tone “Hello Pinkie.”

“Hello Twilight, Hello Fluttershy” she said rather quickly in a really high pitched and rather annoying tone. She went on “It’s almost time to bring out Gummy’s cake.” She pointed a hoof at an Alligator at least 3 meters in length wearing a party hat and no fewer than twenty balloons tied to him.

If I was in my own body I would have hit the floor laughing at the sight. Not far away from Gummy was a massive pink and white birthday cake made with absolute precession, adorning it was some twenty plus candles.

My host suddenly snapped her head at the pink pony as she drew out a tin with a Zebra on the front. I could not read the writing on it as the pink pony was too quick to draw and open the tin.

I felt my host clench her jaw and scowl at the pink pony as she pulled out a mint and put it into her mouth before saying even more brightly “gotta prepare for Gummy” before trotting over to the toothless alligator and a cyan coated, rainbow maned pegasus who stood nearby.

My host growled through clenched teeth towards Fluttershy “She is still taking them, I’ve told her so many times to stop and she stands in front of me so casually taking those, those things as if they were nothing more than candy. I don’t even know why I bother”.

Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilights shoulder “You bother because Pinkie Pie is our and your friend. You care for her so much so that you do not want to see her hurt. She has a problem yes, but remember though she is different, she is still the same pony you care and love on the inside”.

I felt my host hang her head and she closed her eyes tears beginning to form and burning the corners of our eyes before saying in a strained voice “I miss the old pinkie pie, the funny fun Pinkie Pie.” She choked before adding “not this obnoxious version of Pinkie Pie”.

Twilight opened her eyes and propped her head up looking at Fluttershy who looked at my host looking rather sad.

She moved up to my host and wrapped her forehooves around my host. I felt Twilight lean into the hug as Fluttershy said softly into her ear “you work to much Twilight, you need to get more sleep and you need to worry less”.

I felt my host nod slightly tears leaking down her cheeks.

Fluttershy and my host broke the hug and looked up to where the Pink pony was as she begun “Listen up everypony its time for Gummy to have his cake” sang Pinkie Pie. She was standing on a table next to the monolithic and gorgeous cake. She began the happy birthday song as everypony sang happy birthday for Pinkie’s Alligator.

When the song ended she pulled out a knife and cut the cake so quickly and expertly I was literally shocked. She then pulled out a plate and set the cake on it before placing it in front of the Toothless alligator.

To my surprise gummy ate the slice of cake in one move of his gigantic maw at which point Pinkie Pie pulled out a large cannon and pulled the string on the cannon with her teeth causing enchanted confetti to blow out of the end with a loud BANG.

Everypony clapped there hooves and as they did so the sides of my vision blurred and went blank as the scene dissolved.

========OooO…OooO========

I found myself on the dusty floor with the memory orb right in front of me. I got up my head reeling with what I just saw. Poor Twilight I thought sadly, she obviously loved Pinkie Pie as a dear friend and she seemed torn with Pinkie. The relationship was obviously strained and it seemed to have something to do with that tin of mints, at least that’s how it was put across in the memory.

I tried to think of what those mints were and why it seemed Pinkie was dependant on them and could not come back with anything. They looked harmless enough and looked like nothing more than mints that I would have back in the stable. I sighed as I walked over to my saddlebags checking to make sure they were all packed.

I rummaged through the items on my pipbuck to check everything when the statuette came up. I pulled her back out and looked at her again. So this is Fluttershy, the mare who owned and possibly ran this cottage and animal shelter.

She looked so sweet and innocent; she had comforted Twilight in such a compassionate manner in the memory when she was upset about Pinkie Pie. I could understand the insignia “be pleasant.” Fluttershy seemed certainly a very pleasant and very kind pony. I wanted to be a pony like Fluttershy, but I lacked the compassion and kindness that Fluttershy had.

I remembered my savage thoughts at my mother when I left the stable and bitterness towards my peers when I was a filly. A pony from the back of my mind whispered to me “They deserved it, they were not nice or compassionate towards you. Those ponies did not deserve kindness and compassion”, I tried to push that voice out of my head that was bad thinking and told myself. “I am a good pony” I said out aloud.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Saddlebags packed, barding cleaned and dried and all ready to continue, I stepped out of Fluttershy’s Animal Shelter into the cold air outside.

The ground was a little mushy from all the rain but today’s visibility was good and hoped to come across somepony who did not want to shoot my brains onto the ground.

Breathing in deeply taking in the dank and dusty air I set off in an easterly direction once again.

The trees in this area I noticed were a lot thicker here, all the trees had no leaves on them however; shrubs and sickly plants grew along the muddy ground clearly not doing so well in this harsh landscape.

I was still just wandering and still had no idea where I was or what I was doing.

The only ponies I had come across wanted nothing more than to use me as a toy before gutting me and stringing me up. I had not seen one civilised anything whether it be a pony, zebra, griffin or any animal.

My ears perked as I heard some music to my left. I looked and amongst the trees was a robotic ball thing with four wings, a grill on the front and an antenna.

I had never seen anything like it before. My EFS came up with “friendly” but I did not want to trust that notion just yet. It was playing a song that was heavy on the tuba, harmonica and drums. I crouched low and stealthily moved as quickly as I could to get away from the robotic device should it pop up red on my EFS and melt my face off.

The music stopped and I casually but cautiously kept moving in my original direction.

I heard a pop then “Hi there.”

I almost jumped out of my skin, I turned extremely quickly to find myself face to face with the winged robotic ball

“Gah” I screamed, “what the? Who the? What in Luna’s name are you?” I asked in a rather rusty voice from lack of talking for the past few days. I heard the whisper in my head “are you really a kind pony?” I changed tact “uhh sorry. I mean, who are you?” I asked attempting to sound like I had not just jumped fifty feet into the air.

A small tinny and neutral robotic voice sounded from the grille of the machine “Sorry I startled you, my name is Watcher. I can see that you are not used to the presence of sprite bots, I did not mean to frighten you”.

I was a little taken aback so I asked “So you are a spritebot?”

“No” he replied “I am Watcher and I can see and look through these spritebots. These are merely machines that I can take control of”.

“Oh I see now” I felt a little embarrassed for being so rude “I’m sorry I was so rude I did not know”.

“I can see that you are from a stable,” he stated. You are forgiven”.

Trying to be more polite I let him know who I was, so I said to him “My name is Amethyst and my home is Stable Eighty Six”.

He seemed to consider me a moment due to his silence before he spoke “Well Amethyst what brings you out into the wastes? This is a very dangerous place and the few stables that are still in operation remain locked up and likely not to open anytime soon.”

I digested this bit of information he gave to me but pushed that to the back of my mind for later. I hesitated then said “My stable has a damaged water talisman. I broke out to get a new one.”

Watcher remained silent as I told him my story. “As you can probably guess I am lost, I've been out here for three days, I have no food except for three cans of two hundred year old food, and I am almost out of fresh water”.

I took a deep breath before continuing unable to stop talking “Just yesterday I was caught by raiders and thrown in a cage” my eyes began to swim as I continued “I got away by killing them and saving the ponies inside.” I could feel tears run down my face as my voice began to break “I got out and an-” I choked as I burst into tears “ I killed eight ponies, I had no choice they were going t-to r-rape me an-and kill me, I am a bad pony I am not like Fluttershy, I am a murderer.”

Watcher waited for me to get a grip on myself before telling me in his mechanical voice “You are not a bad pony, what I can tell you is that you are a very lucky pony”. He paused then went on “If you did indeed come across raiders and became their prisoner then I am nothing short of shocked that you are still alive. “The ponies you killed deserved it, somepony has to stand up to these monsters and you showed them that when your life is put at risk, that you will do what it takes to survive.”

I stuttered before half choking the words “I don’t want to kill, I don’t want to maim. I’m not that kind of pony” I said sadly.

Watcher let off a faint pop and the spoke again “If you are to survive out here. You will have to learn that sometimes it will be necessary to kill or maim”.

Before I could reply Watcher quickly added “As for you to be like Fluttershy, I’m not sure how you came to know Fluttershy but I can assure you that she is an incredible pony. Possibly the kindest pony to ever live, you would be hard pushed to find anypony who has lived since the war that could match the kind heart of Fluttershy”.

I pulled out my statuette and showed it to Watcher. I then asked “This is Fluttershy isn’t it? I saw this pony in a memory orb but she was a lot older.”

Watchers tinny voice broke out once more “Yes, that is Fluttershy. That is quite a statuette you got there, do you mind if I ask where you found that?”

I stammered slightly before saying “I found it in a safe along with the memory orb in an old animal shelter a few kilometres to the west” even as I said it I couldn’t help but think I had not found it and that I had actually stolen it.

“Ahh right” replied Watcher in that same monotone robotic voice. He gave another pause before continuing “well I don’t normally give directions to wanderers but I can tell you to continue to go east. There is a town on the mountain range there.” He gave another small pause as he added “Now I want you to do me a favour.”

I nodded thanking the goddesses that he gave me a direction for a town and would most certainly do Watcher a favour. “Make some friends.”

I did a double take and gasped “Me? Make friends?” I tried not to laugh at him for suggesting something so stupid. “That’s rather daunting” I finally said unable to gather the right words.

“Well,” he said. “You will find that you will get so much farther in your adventure if you made some friends, unless of course you think you can gather such a rare and valuable item on your own without getting killed. I can assure you that those raiders are not the most frighting things in the wasteland, especially with winter beginning in a few weeks’ time.”

I couldn’t find anything to say to that. I knew I could not do this on my own.

Watcher finally added, “And for peek sake get yourself some armour. I’m surprised you managed to get this far wearing that torn cloth barding.”

“Uhh, well you see,” I began .

But Watcher seemed to think our conversation had come to an end as he cut me off saying “Well I have to go. Take care of yourself Amethyst.”

With a pop and the sound of heavy orchestra music the sprite bot drifted away leaving me standing stunned in the forest of dead trees.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I set off continuing east as Watcher advised. I could not yet see mountains as there were too many trees blocking my view of the horizon. I thought about what Watcher said earlier. Apparently only a few stables remained while most of them had… What? Well I didn’t know what happened to the other stables, maybe the residents moved out? Or maybe the stables failed or something bad happened?

Then there was the issue on making friends. Assuming of course that there were friendly ponies out here, I would be hard pushed to make friends out here when I could not make friends in my own stable amongst the same ponies I had spent my entire life with. I sighed and as I did so my stomach gave a small rumble, “Uh, I’m hungry” I mumbled to myself. I had not eaten today.

“There we go,” I said aloud, “First sign of going insane. Now I’m talking to myself.”

I walked up to a tree and sat on my haunches and pulled up my pipbuck automatic inventory spell and found one of the tins of corn.  I floated it out and pulled the O-Ring on the top of the can revealing the contents. I looked inside and it looked like corn. I gave it a small sniff and it smelt like corn. I then gave it a taste and it tasted like corn albeit a bit stale but nonetheless it would satisfy my hunger. I ate the whole can feeling very content and perhaps a little tired.

I didn't however rest as I knew I would have to continue and hope my luck would hold out and find another building to shelter in. I really did not want to sleep under a tree in the open. I got back up and continued, happy for the food that was in my stomach.

My happiness did not look like it was going to last as I heard a rustle in the tall dead grass not too far from where I am walking. My EFS popped up with a single hostile, the grass moved suddenly and a huge scorpion broke out of the grass and made its way right to me with amazing speed.

I barely had time to pull out my rifle when it bowled me over causing me to loose grip on the rifle as it struck out with its poisonous stinger which I only just managed to avoid. I levitated the rifle and slipped into SATS and aimed at what I could assume to be its head. My shot hit the creature in the head on target but it did not keel over and die as I expected.

I let off a shot unassisted by SATS and missed my target, instead hitting the monster in the tail taking out a chuck and causing the tail to hang limp. The scorpion thing rushed at me once again and before I could slip back into SATS it was on top of me crushing me into the ground. I thanked the goddesses that my rifle had a short barrel as I pointed the tip at the soft underbelly of the monster and pulled the trigger as many times as I could.

BANG

BANG

BANG

Click

Click

Click

I felt ichor and blood seep onto my clean body, barding and matting in my tail. I felt the creature go limp as it emptied its internal juices over my body. I attempted to push it off but couldn’t and almost facehoofed as wrapped my field of telekinesis around its body and lifted it easily.

I got back up and looked at myself, once again absolutely filthy dripping in blood and ichor the smell making me gag. I attempted to shake off some of the gunk which in part was successful, except for what was still left in my coat It was stained a gross reddish/yellow colour.

Other than the mess and a few scrapes and bumps I was otherwise unharmed. I put my rifle back in my saddlebags and continued as if nothing had happened albeit a little pissed off that I was dirty again.

I pulled out my canteen and tipped it into my mouth and felt the last little bit drain from it. I was officially out of water and I would need to find some more that could be consumed safely.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

It was late afternoon and had been travelling the entire day, feeling quite thirsty. The sound of a running river nearby had not made my bid for clean or even semi clean water any easier. The river water that I had checked a while ago looked undrinkable. It was muddy and gross.

This time I cracked and was now in a pissed off mood. I was all sticky from dried ichor, blood and my mouth dry from thirst. I galloped over to the river wanting to throw myself into it. I looked into the water and it was still as frothy and looked quite unpleasant to drink.

I want to wash the stickiness off me so I pulled off my saddlebags and I jumped into the water causing my pipbuck to click quite rapidly. I knew this was a mistake the moment I hit the water. It was like ice and was freezing my very nerves and my muscles. I could feel the freezing ice water touch my very heart. I jumped out with lightning speed as if I had fallen into lava shaking uncontrollably from the cold. That was the stupidest thing I had ever done.

I was now soaking wet, night was about to set in and the air was cold enough for my breath to fog slightly.

Attempting to get a grip on myself I stepped out of my barding so I would dry quicker and was now completely un-armoured with nothing but my own hide to protect me.

I pulled out my towel and dried my body off the best I could without causing the towel to become drenched. I would need it still. I wrapped my mane and tail in my telekinetic sheath and wrung it leaving it cold and damp but not dripping.

I floated my canteen and filled it with the foaming water. My pipbuck was clicking at its mere presence. I held my breath and drank it, the taste making me gag as my mouth was filled with the taste of muddy silt and decay. My Pipbuck gave a quick series of clicks then alerted me that I was drinking poison. I looked at it and what I saw was not going to make my night any easier, I had minor radiation poisoning and could already feel a horrible headache coming on.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I decided to camp the night near the river hoping for its protection on one side. My headache now raging I laid down on the bare ground crossing my forelegs next to some bushes hoping to shield me from sight. I pulled the damp towel over as much of my body as I could, hoping it would at least limit the wind shear from freezing me.  I set my head between my forelegs praying to Luna to get me through this night and praying to Celestia that I would make it until morning.

I put a hoof to my forehead, biting back pain from the biggest headache. I was shivering from the cold watching my breath mist in front of me. Night closed around me like a big black blanket that obscured everything. I could barely see and I did not dare turn on my pipbuck light, I did not want to attract any unwanted attention. The towel also covered my cutie marks which glowed too much in this dense darkness to not be noticeable.

So I laid on the ground listening to the night, rustling of grass, the freezing wind, the insects buzzing through the night air making my ears ring. I wanted to cry but couldn't, I want to sleep but I couldn't.

After a few hours of laying there, my pipbuck gave a soft warning beep. I lifted my left foreleg, my pipbuck told me that I was slipping into hypothermia. I dropped my head into my forehooves, my numb face feeling cold against them. I could feel ice building in my mane as the moisture froze. I closed my eyes seeing images flash past since my first day out here; Watchers tinny voice entered my head “I am nothing short of shocked that you are still alive”. I moaned and finally felt warm tears leaking down my cold face as I pushed my face harder into my forehooves causing stars to pop in my vision as cool darkness overwhelmed me.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I opened my eyes after drifting off and could see light in the grey swirling clouds on the horizon “thank Celestia” I murmured. I was going to get away early and with luck make it much farther than yesterday. With a push I got to my hooves and as I did so did the realisation of how far I was hoping to get crashed around me. I felt a sudden illness take hold of me. I retched, nothing but a breath of mist came out. My headache was burning my numb cold forehead as I levitated my still damp barding and put it on, It felt like it was made out of ice.

I strapped my saddlebags back on and turned to leave as a little joy from all this did come out. I survived the night albeit freezing, sick, without shelter and out of clean water. I didn't feel like eating at that moment. My stomach was twisting with nausea so I set off into the still semi dark as morning began to set in. I let out a sigh filling the air in front of me with fog from my breath before setting off once again.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I hung my head, I moving slowly due to sickness, fatigue and now once again thirst. I could see a small mound of earth on a clearing and immediately set for it hoping for a vantage point to try and spot this “town on the mountain range.” I stepped onto the slippery, strange and slightly soft earth and trotted carefully to the top. I could only just see over the trees and almost bowing to vertigo as my head swam, I saw a mountain range in the distance at least another days trot away.

The earth underneath me began to move and before I could move off the mound I was thrown to the ground and hit the earth face first. I got up feeling warm sticky blood beginning to run out of my now bruised nose and looked at the mound of… of…

I could not scream at the sight I was taking in. Where the mound was just a second ago stood a behemoth pony-thing, except it was almost twenty feet tall, the moulted and scabbed skin gave it a look that it decayed in water, its eyes were glowing green with green ooze leaking from the things mouth.

My ears tilted back as adrenaline washed through my body removing all feeling of cold, thirst and sickness. I just stood there and before I could react it looked at me then gave a massive

RRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR

I cringed as my pipbuck let out very quick click sounds. I pulled out my rifle and slipped into SATS knowing that this gun was useless against a 20 foot monster thing.

Click

“Aww damn” I cried. I forgot to reload the gun. Instead I threw it into the beast’s mouth and ran for my life firing the little pistol I had blindly behind me, I could feel the earth shake as the beast pursued me the roars and snaps of its jaw following.

I tripped as something grabbed hold of my hind leg and turned to see the beast had wrapped one of its five tongues around my left hind leg as another shot out and wrapped around my right foreleg. I began to scream kicking and a flailing to get it off me as another wrapped around my right hind leg.

I tried to activate my shield but all it did was flicker and die. I tried shooting the tongues with the pistol but I may as well have been shooting at the stable eighty six door as the bullets glanced off the tongues.

The beast applied pressure to the three of my legs and I began to scream in pain, I felt another tongue wrap around my body. The beast then squeezed me as it gave another roar sending my pipbuck into rapid clicking.

I felt a little faint as the pain peaked and in one quick movement the beast pulled hard and I screamed as hard as I possibly could as I felt three of my legs break all at once letting off a loud CRACK that echoed almost as loudly as the beasts roars.

Tears were steaming in my eyes as I saw a black figure move above. I thought I could hear gunfire unless that was the sound of my body breaking as the beast squeezed me around the middle. I couldn’t scream anymore, I could not breathe. I felt my ribs break as I heard an explosion and blinding light obscuring my vision.

I felt the bands on my body release as I dropped from the tongues that lifted me into the air and hit the ground with an excruciating thud. I felt something or someone put something in my mouth which dissolved inside. The arms that wrapped around me carefully must have been that of death. Before I could do anything my vision swirled as I blacked out.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I woke up in my room back at the stable, It took me a moment to realise I was in my room at my mother’s residence. I moaned and got out of bed thanking the goddesses that this was all but just a dream, a very realistic dream.

I wandered over to the mirror and looked into it. I was a filly again. I had no cutie mark. I gasped and clopped my head. It hurt; well this must be real then. Maybe my whole life was a dream?

I began to get ready for school. Mother was once again out at the earliest hour she could get away with.

Once I was ready I headed to the atrium. I clenched my teeth as Glenda called out from a table nearby “Hey blank flank, you want me to draw your cutie mark on? It’s the only one you will ever get.”

I tried to ignore her as I made my way past.

She wasn’t going to give up that easily “Blank Flank Amy,” she sang out in a mocking sing song voice.

I felt heat rise around my neck as anger began to set in.

“Talentless nerd can’t even levitate a pencil yet,” she said loudly to her friends.

I didn’t even know what made me do it. All I knew was that I was on top of her beating her face up with my forehooves. Unable to perform any magic I threw myself into a melee with the larger filly. She pulled me up by my hindhoof with a glow of her horn as her friends laughed at me, I struggling to break away from her magic, a bruise to my immense satisfaction rising on her left eye. I hung there upside down feeling the blood rush to my head feeling waves of anger crash over me.

She giggled at me saying “Daww, wittle filly blank flank Amy can’t even perform simple magwik,” she said in a baby tone.

“FUCK YOU” I screamed at her “Fuck you and your friends.”

“AMETHEYST DAYS.”

I was dropped to the ground.

I got up looking at my mother with contempt. From the look on her face and the use of my last name I could tell that I was in big trouble.

She looked at Glenda “Why did you have her strung up like that?”

“She hit me” she replied pointing a hoof at me then to her bruise.

“But-“I began

“No buts,” my mother snapped picking me up in her telekinetic sheath and dragging me away.

I gave Glenda a look of pure venom as I was floated away back to our room.

Once back in my room my mother kept me floating in the air like she always did when I was disciplined.

“Explain” she said dangerously.

So I explained what happened, “she called me a blank flank and told me I am skill-less and have no magic.”

“So you hit her?” my mother said in that dangerous tone. “You lost your temper and you resorted to a melee because, she called you a blank flank?” She looked at the height of pissed off “Even I thought you were more decent than that Amethyst. You are so difficult sometimes.” She seemed to inflate a little more as she said in a very icy tone “May I ask where you got such foul language from as well? This is not how I brought you up.”

“No” I murmured without thinking “I’ve had to bring myself up,” and rolled my eyes.

“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” She asked her eyes flashing dangerously.

Oh damn. “Nothing,” I said quickly

“No T.V and no radio for a week,”

I gasped “What Mum no,” I said desperately unable to beg while floating.

Her eyes narrowed “Don’t make me take your books.”

I shut up feeling really angry as my mother dropped me to the floor.

“Now get to school and for the love of the goddesses, could you stay out of trouble for just one day?”

Clenching my jaw I followed the familiar path to school.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I suddenly screamed in pain and all I could see was light, I felt a prick on my forehoof and everything fell back into place.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I fell back and found myself in the atrium and this time I felt different. I looked at myself. I was an adolescent. I had my cutie mark and I was sitting at a familiar bench eating apple and hay happily by myself when a pretty peach coloured mare walked passed. She was a little older than myself and I looked at her flanks and quickly looked away heat rising from my neck.

“PFFhahaha.” knowing that laugh, I turned around to see Glenda on the table pointing a hoof at me.

I felt my face burn.

Glenda shrieked at the top of her lungs “Hey, Everypony. Amethyst is checking out Lily, you should have seen her face, she was getting so HOT over her.”

My face was burning with embarrassment as Lily turned around and looked at me with a disgusted look on her face. I could feel tears developing before they began to run down my cheeks warm and sticky.

She then shouted “Amethyst the egghead is hawt for mares, we have a FILLYFOOLER.”

Most of the atrium laughed at me as I attempted to dash out the atrium. Glenda telekinetically tripped me causing me to skid three yards along the metal floor.

I got back to my hooves, still flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Berry came up to me and gave me a helping hoof as she glared at Glenda. I looked at her, crying silently as she guided me through the doors and into the corridor as I broke into sobs.

Berry hugged me telling me quietly “don’t listen to her, you are who you are and don’t let her get you down like that.”

I nodded, tears still tracking down my face as she smiled to me.

“It matters not if you are attracted to mares or stallions. All that matters is the pony you are. Don’t listen to Gilda. She is a bitch who thinks she is above everypony else.”

I nodded again before gasping “I am not a good pony. Mother Keeps telling me I’m no good, Glenda certainly keeps reminding me I’m no good, everypony hates me,” I sobbed.

“Now that’s not true” she said softly. “I don't hate you, your my friend, you are a kind and sweet pony and you have been through a lot. Take it from me. I don't like to see you hurt.”

She hugged me and this time I fell into the hug breathing in her sweet flower scent making my mind swirl.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

My vision faded as I found myself in a dark room under a spotlight chained to a chair. A skeletal winged, unicorn pony walked up to me through the darkness wearing a heavy black hooded robe floating out a huge scythe. He looked at me before saying in a deep reverberating voice. He looked as big as Princess Celestia but far more scary. He pointed a hoof at my chest jabbing it. “I will have you next time. Take this as a second chance.”

The scene vanished.

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk: Fluttershy’s Aura -- Unlocks unique dialogue in unique situations where you can use Flutterhys kindness to persuade certain ponies.