I don't know why I am alive anymore, though perhaps it is to rid pony kind of evil... I really don't know anymore. -Tempest Knight

Lightning and I landed smack in the middle of the run down town, graffiti surrounded us along with enough blood to make my stomach churn. I looked to my right as Lightning smiled down upon a dead raider but then frowned at seeing his entire right side eaten away.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked waving a hoof in front of his nose.

I remained silent as I sniffed the air, a familiar scent filling my nostrils. I grimaced as I remembered my first quest when I became a Knight, but I suppressed the memory as that threat was dealt with long ago.

"Probably just cannibalism that's all." I replied shaking off a memory that still gives me nightmares.

Lightning shivered as he took off, "I'll keep an over watch, the raiders are probably watching us right now anyways."

"Got it." I replied as I strolled down the street, stopping at another consumed pony, her fearful eyes staring at me as her half eaten body twitched.

I eyed the dead mare before checking my new EFS, it was still full of hostiles though I could see none. The mare then jumped at me with ungodly speed, I quickly stuck a armored hoof through her head and moved as she crumpled to the ground. Turning around I could see the dead stallion getting up as well, charging him I unleashed a torrent of flames and turned him into a pile of ash where he stood. I was then rammed in the side by another half consumed pony as a .50 cal round impacted her head blowing it up and covering me in guts. Looking up I could see Lightning standing the side of a building crouched with his rifle targeting everypony but me, his rifle almost drowning out the groans of the attacking ponies.

Getting back to my hooves I bucked a bucks head clean off before unleashing more flames and taking to the skies, hovering next to Lightning.

"This a normal occurrence in the wasteland?" I asked with a hint of worry.

"Could be ghouls from after the bombs hit." he replied cutting another shot off dropping two more targets.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, don't let them bite you." I said as I tucked my wings in and plummeted down, using one of the ghouls as a landing pad.

Lightning continued to fire when he could get multiple of the meat sacks with one shot while I charged through them breathing fire and occasionally giving one a buck to the head. As we fought on I had noticed how a few of these ghouls were raiders like the ones from earlier, and how others were stable ponies, now that memory was coming back...

It was when I was twelve, I had just finished my squire training and been given my armor, my mother and adopted pony father were so happy. A few days later while I was talking to my step sister about how she should court somepony aside from the backer since I had seen him kissing another mare who was younger than her I heard several screams. Rushing to the edge of town I saw many living corpses pouncing on the ponies of my village and consuming them on the spot. If said ponies did manage to get away they quickly puked up their guts and turned into one of the attackers.

While fighting these so called ghouls I couldn't help but think something not right, then another pony in similar armor but missing the helmet and a a leg piece charged me while roaring. I noticed his eyes glowing orange as I jumped to the side barely dodging the ravenous monster.

"Lightning they aren't ghouls!" I yelled as a bullet ripped the head clean off of the knight who just kept coming towards me.

Out of the corner of my vision I could see lightning turn his head in confusion and line up another shot. Firing his plasma guns the knight turned into pink dust just before jumping towards me with no head. I nodded towards Lightning as he flew from his perch as the wall exploded with the attacking monstrosities, he came to the ground next to me.

"Okay, not ghouls." he said sounding a bit more worried now.

"Follow me and I'll explain once we are safe!" I exclaimed before doing an about and charging through a wooden door that had been barricaded shut only to receive buck shot to my chest which bounced harmlessly off.

"Get down another one of the armored freaks!" I heard a mares voice cry as I stopped running towards them and turned around.

Dark Lightning didn't even care to stop until he was well far behind me as I let lose about fifty rounds from my cannons buying us a little time to take in our surroundings as the hoard was either shredded or blasted away. I grabbed the cabinet that I rammed away and set it back in place using my hooves as I didn't want to use my gemstone since it needed time to charge its magic, only reason I haven't drawn my swords.

"Wait we aren't hostile!" the mare who screamed when I charged in yelled since Lightning poked her face with the muzzle of his gun.

"Lightning!" I said with disappointment in my voice as he moved the rifle out of her face.

"We were just trying to hide from those things, I'm sorry I shot you." She said nervously.

"No harm done, personally I don't blame you, fighting a zombie knight isn't the best way to start a ponies morning." I replied darkly as I hear the hoard outside trying to push away the barricade composed of anything that wasn't nailed down.

"Your not mad?" she asked, her deep blue eyes darting between me and the barricade.

"Only with whoever set these things free, not the ponies who are suffering from it." I said noticing that she was a raider and that I shouldn't be letting her live.

"Daisy Chain, what are gonna do?" a much younger mare around the age of fifteen asked looking to the first mare.

"I'll tell ya what we are gonna do, we are gonna rip these so..." the stallion in the far corner of the room started to say as he was grabbed through a wall by one of the undead ponies and ripped through it as more of the buggers entered the room.

"Run!" I said charging the new hostiles as I snorted flames, the said foes screeching an ungodly response and charging me in return.

"Where?" the first mare asked as the barricade failed and more rushed in to be cut down by Lightnings 20mm cannon.

"Lightning I'll grab one, you get the other!" I yelled over his weapon as I buck one in the chest and sent it into the others behind it.

"Fine but you get to carry the pregnant one." He said obviously not happy with saving raiders.

"As you wish friend." I replied as I quickly grabbed the first mare and took off through the roof with Lightning and the younger mare right behind us.

I barreled through the roof and looked down, the entire building was surrounded by zombies and as we flew off the began to follow on the ground. Checking to see if he was still behind me Lightning was struggling to hold the mare under him since they were about the same size.

"I'm going to drop Daisy here off at the edge of the minefield and come back for those zombies!" I said as I began to descend rapidly.

"Are you crazy?" Lightning replied as he dropped even faster.

"If they get out its over, Equestria barely survived before, it won't survive it again, especially in the shape its in now." I said letting him know that I knew what I was facing.

"Well you aint doing it alone pal." he replied as he dropped his passenger and landed near her.

"Yes, yes I am." I retorted gently coming to a stop and setting Daisy Chains down before landing next to her.

"What, oh no, I aint helping raiders even if one is looking to pop any day and the other is a teen!" Lightning yelled as I heard a mine go off.

"You will as I must now go!" I said and turned around to see the two mares mouth the words thank you, "And if you fail me, well lets just say you won't be a very happy pony for long." I added snorting flames as I took off towards the town to keep the hoard way from the mines.

I looked back and saw Lightning sake his head before waving a hoof to the mares as the three of them walked towards Canterlot where I had said that if we got split up we would meet up at the base of the mountain.

Author's Notes:

A foe from Tempest's past as the duo fights for their lives.