Lilith had taken a liking to her adopted child. It was no contest picking between her salvation and her inevitable death. But it didn't matter to her. Because when somepony survived thorough, childhood trauma, they deserved to move forward. A supple, whispering breeze kissed her hair, shielding her shivering filly from the wastes. Why was she shivering? She was suffering from an anemic condition most likely. And a protien deficiency. The last of her bowel movements also showed severe malnutrition was already in effect. Featherlite did the flying and scout work, while Lilith marched onward beneath her. What little supplies they had took a toll on all three. Footsteps were stumbling at times and sometimes the ache in their stomachs felt like being eaten alive. The environment was outlined by a vignette of blurriness. It might've discouraged anyone else, but Featherlite and Lilith were determined to find safe quarter for a lost child.

Everything, as far as the eye could see, was blanketed in white and grey. A slate of salted ash seemed to engulf the wasteland in sleep. For miles and miles they found nothing but freeway and silence. The clouds were a trademark gloom and hung over them like a perpetually suspended guillotine. After the longest mile, which they'd all lost count of after the tenth, the trio happened upon a makeshift settlement on the nearest trail to the Twin Cities.

'Saurkaut' it was called, evidenced by the welcome sign erected on soft, brown soil. Beneath the upturned snow and radioactive winter was healthy dirt. They were amazed to find beauty in their travels. Row after row of eldritch vegetables and fruits stuck out the ground and into their sights. A long, green crop stayed on high stalks rising to the sky. And below that were strings of elongated bean pods. Featherlite took to landing and stalked into the town with the rest of her party. Her eyes never stayed static. They never clung to anything mundane.

"Do you suppose this is a safe place to be. It's so quiet. And nopony seems to be around." The pegasus whispered, staying perpetually crouched with her boots never raising or landing, but shuffling.

Lilith answered when she struck a match and lit herself a cigarette. Because if they were being ambushed, her nerves were sort of important.

"When do we ever see more than four people at a time." Lilith chuckled, low and grainy in her caution.

A misplaced mass of something made its way over the horizon. And then, another, crashing wave of shapeless blobs chased after it. The weird and non-uniform nature of the sight made Lilith speed toward cover, keeping her filly tight against her thick dress-shirt. She'd rolled the sleeves to half and used the clips to keep them in-place. She and Featherlite leaned against opposing corners of a narrow shack structure. The scrap metal stench rubbed tetanus against their backs as they kept watch. One at a time, they peaked around the edge of their cover.

A rush of what was comparable to thunder struck their ears. It was a stampede of sorts. But of what. Lilith poked her head out only to find an even more jarring sight than a filly sex dungeon.

A two-headed winterfang was being hunted by a band of maybe thirty to fourty tribals. The tribals were armed with long, oak spears and cactus barb clubs. It was evident by their improvised scraps of armor, from wolf skins to woodcraft pieces and even stone slabs, they were a flock of nature ponies. At the front were the spearmares. And spearmares were all it took to overwhelm the beast. Javelin after partisan punctured it's coat before it slowed altogether. And when the beast was done, it growled till blood spurted out it's neck and the tribals kept distance.

A warm, timid unicorn snuck out to the front of her hunting party. Their eyes were gold and their mane was lush, grass green. Her beige coat was adorned with bone charms and wooden plate. She approached her dying prey and soothed it to the great beyond.

"Oh great spirit. Give us the bounty of your flesh. We are humble beings. Children of the earth. We hunt for our own children so one day they too can tend your soil... just as you've tended us."

The hunt was over and the most capable ponies carried the carcass. A simple stretcher of dried leather and tropical vine took it to rest.

Before Lilith or Featherlite could ever try and reveal themselves, an understated 'achoo' echoed out their position. It was Phoenix Heart, the sickly filly. They were in trouble. Soon the hunting party was closing in with their spears right up. Lilith and Featherlite agreed to transport Phoenix Heart somewhere safe. Somewhere high. That was why a rain of spears and followed their ascent skyward. It wasn't high enough to force Phoenix Heart into shock or a lack of oxygen. Just enough to avoid spear tosses and bolts of forest green, pink-laced magic. Before anypony landed a javelin near Phoenix Heart, Lilith thought it was time to do or die. In one, swift movement, she sprung out from cover and faced them head-on.

"Submit yourselves therefore to Void! Resist me, and I will burn your forest to the ground!"

The many wasted spears served as improvised weapons. She used enough before to know why it was good to keep one. At all times, six enemies were on her. All tribals. All warriors far more capable and skilled than she could ever hope to be with melee weapons and sheer athleticism. One after the other, they swiped and jabbed at her in all directions. Nick after cut and laceration after puncture tore at her skin. The clothes she wore were torn and nicked away in the chaos. Cherry red and deep sanguine spilled from every mark the tribals left. And for every mark, she added a body to the pile. Lilith bobbed and weaved to the deadly dance of battle. When she reached the eighth tribal, entranced in the awareness of her enemy but only springing forward to meet them, she ran out of disposable weapons. Each and every survivor stuck at least an oar's length between them. The heat of battle left her in tattooed of cold sweat and warm, thin blood oozing out her wounds. Lilith stood her ground, surrounded by enemies that had pierced her flesh more times than she could count. One of them spoke their mothers tongue and included the word 'ghost.'

Another came out to the entrance of the circle and barked nervously.

"Chindi! Chindi naohncum ak'éítra?!" He blurted out, his eyes wide with desperation and confusion.

The kind mare from before slipped out the crowd and imparted her mercy. The eyes she flickered once between Lilith and once between the lead tribal melted the tension away. It was quiet and they didn't need to fight after she raised her hoof and walked between them. She found her brother tribal and soothed him, tipping his spear down till it left his shaken hooves.

"Fratersilí... yiizexit paceja ita yiizexit paceja yifacturo." Said the peacemaker, before turning to speak to the evil spirit.

"Spirit. Please don't hurt my people. They know not what they do. You and the other yadilum populo are great ancestors. Should you not be tending your Earth as we do yours...?"

She planted seeds into her palm and left a cluster of apple seeds with rich soil. It forced the heated scowl from Lilith's face and left unintended innocence in her cold, glowing eyes. Touching her peaceful hooves left a mark between them. Blood from her rugged, lacerated palms stained the peacemare. And she was stained with kindness. Their unexpected love for her, the enemy and their definition of a great spirit, unwinded her coiled musculature.

"I am no spirit of your tribe. But I am a spirit. I came to bring gods back to Equestria. And I need you to help me and my wife and child. If you do, I'll make sure to grow your crops even better. And your weapons even sharper. I promise I'll bring back the other people in the sky." Lilith hushed, grainy and low in her adrenaline-soaked throat.

Her friend's eyes widened, enamored with awe and wonder. And that's when she told her people the good news and spread the good word. They would hold a welcoming event for the sky people and remember The One Who Becomes Red spoke sister tongue.

At the end of every day after that, she would always be... tribe. Next Chapter: Ash Estimated time remaining: 8 Minutes