I woke up earlier than everyone else, actually, I woke up 30 minutes after I slept. Sensing that I won't get another wink of sleep, I headed to the cafeteria. The empty bottles were still on top of the table me and the other 2 used. I could really go for apple cider.

I should really clean up that table, I thought. I sat down and stared at the bottles, nothing else to do.

An idea popped up into my mind, but it seemed stupid at best. Right now, I wanted another beer bottle. I was about to get out of the seat to grab one when I noticed it. That sweet apple cider bottle sitting on top of the table. I don't know why I feel attracted to it.

Whoa, where did this come from?

I looked at the cider bottle with confusion. It wasn't there before. Or maybe it just blended with the beer bottle since both bottle look alike, save for the apple mark on the cider one.

"It won't hurt to drink one stray apple cider," I thought out loud. I grabbed it, popped the cap, and drank it slowly, savoring each sip of the cider.

K-Lik!

I was interrupted by a sound. I looked around, carefully examining the scene. When I found out it was all clear, I shrugged and continued drinking.

K-Lik! K-Lak!

I nearly dropped my half-empty bottle in surprise. That sound was starting to freak me out. I surveyed my surroundings once again. After seeing that there was no threat once more, I decided to check one more possibility. I looked at my PipBuck and felt annoyed. Scared! I was scared by my own PipBuck! That technology can make a quite a weird sound.

I checked the amber-colored screen and noticed something strange. It seemed to have the same interface, or something like that, of my...old one. If I remember well, Apple Scotch changed my Pip to another version and modified the new one with some of the useful parts of the old one. On the screen, I found 2 messages once more.

Protocol 35-A

How I'm getting these messages I do not know, but it seems that I'm receiving them anyways. I tapped the screen twice and watched as the PipBuck rebooted. Wierded out, I just waited. Shortly, a familiar-looking logo was shown for a second before the screen turned green and started working like a normal Pip. I tapped it twice to check if something will happen again but no reaction.

"Why is everything getting weirder every single day?" I muttered. I checked the features of the device to see if there was any changes. Inventory, body health, Geiger counter, radio, recorder, map, nothing new actually. I was a bit disappointed.

When I saw that the device could record and play stuff, (and since I had nothing else better to do) I decided to do what I was thinking about doing. I tapped on the record button and started.

"I decided to do this for reasons. Just in case, just in case. I'll make this recording an audio,uhm...."

I paused, thinking what to call it. I just chose the laziest idea that popped up in my mind.

"Book of all the friendlies, hostiles, and neutrals I met on my journey. I will update this audio book as frequently as possible. If anyone hears this recording, then you're pretty much looking at my dead body."

Another pause. What I just said made me chuckle. Oh, what was I thinking? Will I seriously even try to continue this idea? Only one way to find out. I continued.

"Project 35 is an unknown creature -most likely a pony- that seemed to possess multiple personalities and a strange power. Recordings I found told me that if it was a pony, it was likely an Earth Pony.

“Project 18 is another unknown entity. Not much is known. I bet it could still be found on the clinic in the town called Ghost town. Could be hostile.

“Dark Eclipse is believed to be a lost faction but somepony told me otherwise. Not much is known, best to leave them alone.

“Ghoul, a type of creature that resembles a dead pony. Alignment depends whether if it was still sane or is now feral. Most of the time, neutral."

I press pause, trying to think what else I could put on the recording. I press record again. Honestly, I barely encountered that much creatures in the wastes.

"Feral Ghoul, a type of ghoul that lost its mind. Resembles a zombie pony, best to leave it alone.

“Hostile Raiders are ponies that lives in the wasteland. They will raid, plunder, kill others to obtain items, hence their name, Hostile.

“Slavers are ponies that enslave others, hence their name. I advise you to stay away from them. Usually hostile.

“Mercenaries. I don't know much about them, so far, all I saw were griffins. Best to keep away from them, you don't know who they might be looking for. Alignment depends on who their current boss is.

“Steel Ranger is another faction. Could be neutral. Now I'm done talking about the usual stuff in the wastes, let's start with the friendlies I met so far,"

I smiled and took another sip of cider. It was a ridiculous thing to do, but it gave me something to work on. It could even help other inhabitants of the wastes if I could find a way to convert this recordings into a tape or something like that.

"Apple Scotch, a ghoul from Stable 05. A friendly guy and very helpful too. Shot in the head when he went feral.

“ Jewel, a hot-headed unicorn mare. White coat with blood-red colored mane and tail, a pretty scary attitude, and a green cross and a syringe as a cutie mark. Don't judge her wrongly, her punch is as strong as rock...hitting you at a high speed. Main weapon, if she still has it, is a double-barreled shotgun.

“ Autumn, a pegasus that has decent leadership skills. Wears a trenchcoat and a cowboy hat. Mane and tail color is black, I'm guessing his coat is color brown. Main weapon is a laser rifle.

“Sweetie Bot, or SB-07 I think, is a robotic unicorn filly. Actually acts like one too. Her mane and tail is color purple and her coat painted white. Don't be fooled by her appearance and seemingly innocent attitude though. When hostiles are around, she can pick them off in a jiffy. Main weapon is a machine-gun.

“Then there's Raindrops, a unicorn filly. Mane and tail color is pink while her coat color is yellow. Is pretty nice when you get to know her. Her age, I'm not sure but she still has no cutie mark. Can actually act a bit more mature for her age. Parents are both dead. Another stallion is currently taking care of her."

I ended the recording. That was all I know for now but I'll try to add more info if possible. I later checked for any frequencies my Pip-buck is currently detecting, radio or just some random transmission from the waste. There was 3 so far, and the third one seems familiar. I switched to that frequency.

"Ah, good morning to all of you survivors! Or maybe it's good evening? Nevermind the time, that stuff is not important. DJ Larynx is back with new stuffs about the wastes! And if I'm lucky, then even that mare from tenpony never heard of it yet, since she's busy with the so-called 'Stable Dweller'.

“After some scavenging for some great information, I struck gold! I'm not sure if it's related to that mysterious stallion from before but it's a possibility. Anyways, it's another stallion 'cept this one seems to be wearing what a stable dweller wears. The numbers '05' are printed on his outfit and I think I've heard of a Stable with the same numbers.

“How did I know this? Well, a bunch of ponies were telling stories about the weird stallion, saying that his stare can paralyze anypony and the way he appears out of nowhere was terrifying. They were also saying that it could be the same stallion that I spoke of before, since 05 seems to appear out of the blue like the other stallion. What a bunch of crazy ponies, eh?

“Now I'm done with that, time for other news. An increase of raiders was reported around the boundaries of land 35. Also, a lot of mercenaries were seen along with them. I recommend every survivors to arm themselves with decent firepower and avoid the dangerous groups if possible. We might be facing a war with Iron Fist. That's all for now and I hope you can listen to me again. All of you stay safe out there, and stay in groups with ponies you trust. The wasteland is not a place to fool around. Larynx out!"

Then static. I was actually glad to listen to the reports for once, it was sometime since I've heard what's happening. But the number 35 makes me wonder. Land 35, Project 35, Protocol 35. It can't be a coincidence, right?

I finished the cider and kept the bottles to where they're supposed to be. I placed the caps on a small bag on my foreleg, they are the currencies of the wastes after all. The others aren't awake yet so I decided to visit that one earth stallion. I made my way to the medic bay.

"Rise and shine!" I yelled out as soon as I entered the medic bay. Sweetie, who seemed to be sleeping a while ago, jumped a bit in surprise. The stallion just pulled the blanket over his head. By the way, his armor is in the corner of the room.

"Good morning Mister!" Sweetie greeted me.

"Good morning Sweetie," I greeted her back. "How's the stallion?"

"Oh, he's fine!" Sweetie replied. "Boy, did he shout a lot."

"Oh really? What did he shout?" I asked, looking at the sleeping stallion.

"He shouted that he will serve your head in a silver platter to his boss." Sweetie answered.

I simply nodded and shrugged. Where will he get a silver platter anyways?

"Ok Sweetie, you did a great job," I told her. "Maybe you can make breakfast for all of us?"

"Including the stallion?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yes, including the stallion."

Sweetie immediately went out if the room to make breakfast. Finally, I can ask some questions about the mysterious pony. I walked towards his bed and harshly removed his blanket.

"I said rise and shine!" I yelled at his face. He quickly opened his eyes and nearly fell of from his bed in surprise.

"Finally, you're awake." I said, looking at him.

"What do you want?!" He yelled back. "No wait, forget it! I'm not going to tell you anything!"

"Do you really want this meeting to end up badly?" I asked him, annoyed.

"I'd rather die than to tell you anything!" He shouted again.

"How do you even know that I'll even ask you questions in the first place?" I said. This guy was really quick in assuming things.

"I-I said I won't tell you anything!" His bravado was starting to disappear. Do I really look threatening?

"Whoa, just calm down." I tried saying.

"NO!" He shouted again. I slapped him, he was getting too loud.

"I said cut it out!" I said in annoyance.

"No! I don't want to die!" He covered his face. "Somepony help me!"

I stared at the sobbing stallion. It was really, really pathetic. I expected him to be a hard nut to crack but I guess you can't really just judge a book by its cover. I purposely tipped over a cup that was on top of a nearby table to see his reaction. When the cup broke, he flinched and curled up into a ball.

"You know, I can quicken this meeting a bit," I said, slowly reaching for the knife. "If you don't act like a stallion."

"Quicken?" He said, one eye looking at me.

"Eeyup," I answered. "Now keep yourself together or I'll have to cut this meeting short."

He looked at me questioningly before he saw the knife. He quickly regained his composure and got out of bed, though the rope that was tied around his leg stopped him from going too far off from the bed.

"Knight Dusty Armor at your service sir!" He said, saluting me with his free foreleg.

"Dusty? Huh, explains your coat," I said as I looked at his coat. It was really, really dusty.

"Sir, I was born with a dusty-looking coat, sir!" He answered. I’m beginning to like him a little.

"Alright then, soldier. What are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I was sent here to investigate, sir!" He answered readily.

"What are you investigating here?" I pushed on.

"Something, sir," This time, he seemed unsure. "I was just sent here to investigate. Maybe because we can find something useful for our group, sir."

"And what is the name of your group?"

"The Steel Rangers, sir!"

I simply nodded. He answered my questions, that was enough to satisfy me.

"Alright, I guess you can put your hoof down," I said as I noticed he was still saluting me.

"Uhm, yes sir!" He said as he lowered his hoof, a bit embarrassed.

"And don't call me sir, I have a name you know," I told him. "Call me...Eclipse, for now."

"Yes si-Eclipse!"

I smiled a bit and grabbed my knife. Dusty looked at me questioningly and a bit frightened. I gestured him to stretch the rope, since I might as well set him free. I was about to cut the rope when…

"Eclipse?!"

I turned around to see Autumn.

"What in Equestria are you doing?"

I quickly cut the rope before I kept the knife. Dusty shrank a bit when he looked at Autumn in the eyes.

"He's free to go, Autumn," I answered.

"What?! Are you sure he's safe?" Autumn asked me.

"As safe as one can be in the wasteland," I answered. Autumn stared at me with a look before sighing.

"I trust your decision, Eclipse," He finally said. "But if he pulls even just one, small, dirty trick..."

I nodded. I don't blame Autumn for not trusting Dusty. I don't trust him either but so far, he shows no threat to us. But who am I to judge?

"Go tell Jewel about this," I told Autumn. "If she's going to see him eating with us without knowing what happened, expect a dead body."

I heard Dusty gulped as Autumn nodded. Then Autumn left, leaving me and Dusty alone once more.

"Wear your armor but don't include your helmet," I ordered Dusty.

"Y-Yes sir!" He then went towards the place where his armor is currently. I waited for him by the door, just watching him wear his armor. If he walks around the place without me, or Sweetie maybe, he's a dead horse.

"Alright, just follow me and don't do anything stupid," I warned him as soon as he's done suiting up. He nodded and we both went towards the cafeteria. Hopefully, everypony there is ready for a nice chat over a good meal.

Everbody is in the cafeteria? Check. Good Meal? Check, well, half a check. A nice chat? Needs improvement.

"Well he said he was safe!" Autumn insisted, pointing a hoof at me.

"Ah' thought he was a Steel Ranger?!" Jewel yelled. "Ya' know we can't trust them!"

"Don't blame me!" Autumn shouted back. "Eclipse is the one with the idea."

Dusty just ate his food, looking a bit downcast. Raindrops, thankfully, was already done eating and playing with Sweetie in her sleeping quarters. I was not having a good breakfast, my head was throbbing with every word they speak.

"Alright," Jewel looked at me. Sure, she acted and look the same from the first time I met her but her words aren't that filled with her usual fiery temper.

"We can trust him," I said, not even bothering to look back at her.

"Are ya sure?" Jewel asked.

"Yes."

With that, Jewel stopped talking. It was that short, our conversation barely lasted a minute.

"That's it? No shouting, no yelling, no punching, nothing?!" Autumn said in disbelief. "I get all the blame and he gets a quick talk with no arguments?!"

"Enough Autumn, I'll get the punches later," I told him. He just groaned and slumped on his chair. Jewel rolled her eyes and continued eating.

Ugh. Luna, can't you just tell me how to bring her back to her usual red-head personality and attitude? I thought. No reply from the princess.

Since I won't be expecting any hint from Luna and Jewel's attitude towards me is not the same, I guess I'm going to talk about something very personal to her. I don't want to be on her bad side but if she's going to start getting dependent on me, which was happening slowly, who knows what will happen to her when I'm gone? I need her to be back to her independent self.

"Dusty, mind if you go check on the fillies?” I asked the Ranger. He looked up at me with confusion before nodding. He stood up and told me something before he left.

“Sir, if you feel like it, maybe you should check the Overmare’s or Overstallion’s place. I think it’s just around the corner of the Cafeteria,” He told me. I nodded and he left.

Now Autumn and Jewel looked at me, they were obviously expecting something. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Jewel?"

"Yes?" She answered, confused.

"We all know I'm not your real brother, right?" I asked her. "Because Autumn here thinks we are...And I don't know how he came up with that conclusion."

"Yeah," She said, raising an eyebrow at Autumn. "Anything else?"

I looked at Autumn and he looked back at me. By the way he’s looking at me, I'm guessing he knows where this is going or he's completely annoyed at me. Could be both.

"So, let's talk about you real brother." I said slowly.

"...My...brother?"

"Yes. Tell us what happened to him?" I asked her. She looked away from me, biting her lower lip.

"I don't...want to talk about it..." She finally said, accent gone.

"Please, let's talk about him," I insisted. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" She slammed her hooves on top of the table. She looked at me angrily but with a hint of sadness.

I need to ask her gently and slowly. If I rush it, then it could end disastrously.

"Jewel," I said. "I know it hurts that you got seperated from your bro-"

"You don't know anything!" She interrupted me. "You don't know how it feels. Hell, I bet you never experienced it!"

I shut my mouth, this was going badly. I need to choose my words correctly. I looked at Autumn, who looked back at me and shook his head.

"Ok," I said. "I may not have experienced such thing..."

"Then I can end this conversation then," Jewel said bluntly.

"Wait, can you just tell us what happened to him?" I begged her. "If possible, then we can do something about it."

Jewel seemed to be in deep thought and sighed.

"His name is...Peridot," Jewel finally answered. "He's a unicorn like me but better than me in magic combat. His mane is dark gray and his coat is light gray. His cutie mark is a gear because he's a great inventor."

"So what happened to him?" I asked her one more time.

"We were travelling, trying to find equipment or even some treasure," She said. "Then a bunch of raiders attacked us. We tried to run away but my brother got hit in the leg and fell down. I tried to help him but he insisted I go on without him since the raiders were closing in."

"Oh...so what happened next?" Autumn asked, finally speaking.

"I still tried to help him, since I'm a nurse back in our place, but then the raiders are already shooting at us. With no choice, I ran away," She continued. "When I was in a safe distance and looked back to where I left him, the raiders took him with them as a prisoner. That's the last time I saw him."

"Then he could still be alive then," Autumn said
.

"But that was a long time ago," Jewel said, looking down. "He could be dead now..."

"No, I don't think so," Autumn insisted. "I remember encountering a pony that fits the description of your brother before I went back to look for Eclipse."

"H-How sure are you?" Jewel asked, looking back at him.

"Cutie marks can't always be the same, and so does one's mane and coat color." Autumn answered.

Her eyes widened as she heard him said those words.

"See? If what Autumn said is true, then we can look for him," I said. Jewel slowly nodded and looked down.

I wondered if that did anything at all. Jewel continued to stay silent while Autumn and I just looked at each other, trying to send telepathic messages but we all know how that turned out. Then we heard the door open and the sound of hoofsteps of 3 ponies were heard.

"Uhm, Sir!" Dusty called out. I turned to face him and noticed Sweetie and Raindrops on either sides of him.

"Ah, I see you came back with the two fillies," I said.

"Sir, well, they insisted on coming back with me and I can't say no to their faces," He explained, scratching his head and smiling a bit.

"Daddy!" Raindrops greeted me, rushing to hug me.

"Oof!" I managed to say as she hugged me tightly.

"Sir, is she your daughter?" Dusty asked me.

"Maybe," I said as I gently removed Raindrops of me. Surprisingly, her grip was pretty strong.

"Sir, how about this robot?" Dusty asked once more as he tapped on Sweeties metallic body.

"Hey! I'm not just any robot!" Sweetie yelled at him. Dusty immediately withdrew his hoof from her.

"She's one of my companions," I replied. "And also a dictionary, and a bag."

"That's right!" Sweetie said with triumph. "I'm his number one assistant!"

"Whoa, easy now Sweetie," I shook my head and smiled. What a group I am in.

"Seems there's like...six of us now," Autumn said.

"Including Dusty?" Jewel asked.

"Yep, seems his staying with us if Eclipse is going to be nice," Autumn answered.

"Hey, if he's going to stay with us, then it's time for all of you to know him a bit," I suggested. Autumn nodded and gestured towards a sit.

"While you guys are talking, I'll take Raindrops with me back to bed," I said, standing up.

"I'll talk to her too. Sweetie, maybe you can also talk with them, you know, be acquainted with them at least"

Sweetie nodded and took a sit alongside with Dusty and the others while me and Raindrops walked out of the cafeteria.

"Did I do something wrong?" Raindrops asked me while we were walking down one of the hallways.

"What? Oh no, no." I assured her. "What makes you say that?"

"Well...I just thought..." She said. "Since you told me to come with you...and we'll be alone..."

"No no, I just want to show you something," I explained.

"Oh, what is it?" She asked me eagerly.

"You'll have to wait and see."

"What is it? What is it? What is it?" Raindrops repeatedly asked as soon as we entered the Sleeping Quarters.

"You're really eager to know, huh?" I asked her, trying to not bump into her as she bounced around the room.

"You said you're going to show me something!" She said.

"First, where is that pink statuette I gave you?" I asked her. She quickly dived under one of the beds and reappeared later with the statuette.

"Here it is!" She said, floating Pinkie in front of me. It was a bit dusty but I don't mind.

"Ah, great!" I said as I grabbed the statuette. Then I pointed towards the bed. "Now sit there and keep still, ok?"

"Ok!" She quickly jumped on the bed and waited for me. I just laughed and followed her.

"So, how do you like Pinkie?" I asked her as I sat beside her.

"It's a pretty toy, it also makes me feel more awake when it's with me!" She answered, grabbing the statuette and toyed with it.

"Well, you're sorta right," I watched her play with it a bit before clearing my throat to get her attention.

"So, what are you going to show me?" Raindrops asked one more time.

I pointed to my necklace, "Do you see this?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty necklace!" She remarked.

"Well, would you like to wear it?" I offered her, removing my necklace.

"R-Really?" She asked in disbelief, eyeing the precious moonstone

"Sure, if you like," I answered her. She nodded eagerly and I placed the necklace around her neck.

"Do you like it?" I asked her as she looked at the necklace.

"I love it!" She squealed with delight, hugging me tightly. "Thanks daddy."

I hugged her back, "It's nothing."

"Where did you get it?" She asked me once she finally stopped hugging me.

"Now that's interesting question," I forgot that the necklace was how I communicated with Luna. But so far, she rarely talks to me anyways, when I'm awake that is.

"Did somepony give it to you?" She asked me again.

"Yeah, I guess," I answered, patting her head.

"Ooh, who?" She asked me, eyes looking at me intensely.

"You'll find that out soon enough," I told her, smiling a bit. Though her reaction when Luna starts talking could be...surprising to say the least.

It was quite calm and peaceful, and I'm impressed that I did not hear any shoutings from the others. Raindrops continued to look and play with her necklace a bit. It was a good day...or so I thought.

GROOAAAGH!!

The ground shook beneath us as whatever caused that sound continued to howl. Raindrops gasped in surprise and fear, dropping the Pinkie statuette she was playing with a while ago. Telling the scared filly to jump on to my back and to hold tight, I ran back towards the cafeteria. Everyone in the cafeteria was as confused as I was.

"You heard that?" I asked them.

"And felt it we did," Autumn replied. "What was that?"

"I have no idea," I placed Raindrops down and checked my Pip-Buck. Why? It was instinctive, like something told me to check it. The screen was already set to what looked like a map of the Stable, with a sonar constantly updating it.

"That tech looks familiar," Dusty said, walking towards me to get a closer look if my Pip-Buck. "It does look familiar! It's a Pip-Buck!"

"You only noticed it now?" I asked him.

"I don't always fully inspect how a pony looks, unless that pony looks threatening," Dusty admitted.

"What's that red dot?" Raindrops joined in, pointing at the said dot. It was very faint, like you could barely see it. The weird thing about it is that it seems to be expanding very slowly.

"I also have no idea," I answered. I examined the screen to see what other colors of dots that I could see on the screen. There was 1 green, which I think represented me, and 5 blue dots, which I guess is my friends.

GROOAAGH!!

The ground shook once more and I noticed the red dot become a bit redder. Then I saw a warning sign at the corner of the screen. There was a number on the middle of the sign but it was too small for me to read.

GREEEAAGH!

Whatever was making that noise howled again. The dot became even redder. And then it hit me, it took 3 screams before I recognized it.

"We need to get out of here now!" I yelled.

"What, why?" Jewel asked me. "Do you know what is making that sound."

I nodded, "And it's not a nice one either. Let's move!"

The door of the Stable wasn't that far and we could easily escape it. We started running towards the door when it howled again. I looked back and saw the cafeteria covered in darkness. I don't know what's happening but I don't plan on finding out.

"Quick, open the door!" I ordered Dusty once we reach the huge gear-shaped door.

Alarms blared as the door slowly opened. I turned around and my eyes widened in fear. The hallways were now shrouded in darkness, despite the lights trying to push it away.

"Come on, let's go!" Autumn yelled out as soon as the door opened. Jewel ushered the fillies out first before following them. Autumn and Dusty turned to look at the hallways along me, the darkness stopping at just the last light of the hallway.

"It stopped moving," I muttered. I checked my Pip-Buck one more time. The red dot was really red now and consuming most of the map except the entrance.

"Then let's go," Autumn said. "While it's still...there..."

I nodded and they walked towards the exit, with me following behind. As soon as they are out of the Stable though and when I was about to touch the wasteland one more time, it roared again. That damn thing roared.

"Eclipse, look out!" Autumn warned me. At the edge of my vision I could see the darkness crawl forward. I quickly broke into a run but something grabbed my leg.

I looked back to see that a dark tendril has wrapped around my hind leg, prohibiting me from going any further as the darkness continued to slowly move forward.

"Hold on!"

I looked back to the main group to see Sweetie armed and aiming at the tendril. Before she could fire at it, the darkness growled.

"SHOOT! SHOOT!" I was panicking. The darkness has stopped it's invasion for some
reason. The tendril though continued to tighten its grip on me.

Sweetie hesitated which made Autumn shoot instead. The laser hit the tendril and burned it into ashes.

"Go!" Autumn yelled. I quickly ran once more and I was about to reach them until…

"No! You'll not get away this time, heheh."

The ground started shaking for a short while, causing me to nearly lose my balance. When it stopped, I looked at Raindrops. She looked at me with worried eyes and tried to go back in for me but Jewel stopped her. Something tells me that they see something that I can't. I ignored their looks and continued my escape until something stopped me. An invisible wall.

"What the?" I banged at the wall, trying to break it. No luck. I looked behind me to see the darkness still not moving.

"Eclipse! Can you hear us?" Autumn asked worriedly.

"Yeah," I replied. "What's stopping me?"

"Some sort of wall made out of...shadows," Then he aimed his weapon at this so-called wall. "Hold on, me and Sweetie will try break it."

They started shooting, laser and bullets stopping in mid-air as soon as they reach the open entrance. They continued shooting until they've exhausted themselves.

"That wall is stronger than I thought...or maybe because shadows...," Autumn said. They were too focused on how to free me that they failed to notice the threat approaching them.

"Autumn, raiders behind! Raiders be-" The darkness howled one more time and the gear-shaped door quickly sealed the Stable, trapping me inside.

"Daddy!" Those were the last words I heard before the door shut. I pounded on the metal surface and shouted, trying to get another response from them. All I heard from the other side were muffled gunshots and screams.

"I told you. You won't get away from me again,"A voice spoke out.

"What do you want from me?!" I was terrified. I looked back at the darkness, expecting something to happen.

"What I want from you? Many things, hehe."

"Like what?!"

"Your soul, your mind, your body...In other words, your full cooperation."

"What...Why...?"

"It's simple. You have something that I don't have. And with it, I can take over Equestria."

"And what is this thing?!"

"Eheheh, you think I'll tell you? It's fun to toy around with your mind, drop in a few mysteries here and there now. Besides, if I would tell you, then you'd use it against me," I heard a chuckle. "Just joking, I want your body. It's special...no one else could understand. Not even you."

"That's ridiculous, what's so special about me?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Not you, your body...Idiot,"Replied the voice with the same annoyed tone. "And don't expect me to explain why I want your body and what I'll do with it. That's stupid, it'll ruin the surprise for everybody."

I gritted my teeth, eyes staring intensely into the void. I swear I could make out a very faint reddish glow.

"..."

"Stopped talking? Hehe, as expected..."

The darkness quickly seized what was left, engulfing me and leaving me in the dark. Even the light from my Pip can't beat it.

"Let me go!"

"Tsk Tsk Tsk. Didn't you heard what I just said? I'll not let you go again..."

"Then why did you just appear now? There were many times you could have shown yourself but you chose this moment?!"

"Ah, you're so naive. I pity you. You see, I can't get to you because I was locked in that place. And when you accessed it, I sensed your power. Before you escaped me, I managed to attach a bit of myself into you therefore allowing me to leave that cursed place."

"Attached?"

"Yes, attached. I bet you never noticed that tiny black speck on your mane."

Then there was a very dim red glow that illuminated my surroundings faintly. I then noticed something move at the edge of the darkness.

"That doesn't explain why you only chose this moment."

"Ah, yes. I'm afraid you're right, hehe."

A hand appeared out if the darkness. It was as black as the night.

“What I’m going to show you can be a bit confusing for a stupid mortal like you to understand. So just enjoy the presentation…”

The hand opened, and in the middle of it was a familiar-looking necklace.

"This is what stopped me. The necklace that damn princess created."

"How did you get that...I swear it was with-?"

"Now now, let's not get carried away." The necklace disappeared and it wagged its finger at me. "Not everything is real. Ever heard of illusions.?"

I stayed quiet.

"Ah, I see. You want me to get to the point. This necklace was created so that whoever wears it would be safe from certain nightmares. And I'm one of those nightmares, hehe. It would ignore small ones, as this has no effect to the wearer, and that's why I could only attach a little of myself to you."

"So when I removed my necklace..."

"Yes! I came after you. It was stupid of you to give this thing to a filly. Though she would be protected from me, along with everypony else around her, you're mine to take. I mean, wouldn’t it be fun to go around, just you and me, against the world?"

Something clicked within me.

"No...NO!"

"Yes! Yes! And there's nothing you could do about it, even your friends are powerless to help you,"Another laughter. "But it'll be fun watching them try...

It laughed and laughed as it slowly changed its appearance into a menacing-looking pegasus. I was now mad, pissed off at this entity.

"No, I will not be trap here with you!" I drew my revolver at him. “And I will NOT let you take me.”

He looked surprise for a moment before smirking. Something in his eyes told me that he found me even more interesting now.

"Don't be so ridiculous. You can't kill me, nothing can."

“Watch me. Nothing...NOT EVEN A GODDESS CAN LIVE FOREVER!You...YOU are just another being that claims to be immortal. I WILL PROVE YOU WRONG!”

I was shaking now, suddenly feeling hesitant. The look he’s giving me is telling me that he wants me to shoot him.

"Feeling brave now are you, eh?" He scoffed. “You don’t have the guts to pull the trigger. You’re too scared to do it...a shame, really. And here I thought you will really try to prove your point. You know, maybe you could just drop the revolver and-”

BANG!

I shot him at that point. He was getting too annoying. I holstered my weapon as he fell down to the ground and slowly faded away. It was finally over, or so I thought.

I walked towards the control box for the door. I was about to open the door when dark flames suddenly surround the box and it exploded, sending me flying across the room. I hit the wall hard and fell down on the floor. With what's left of my strength, I looked up to see him once more. He walked up towards me and I could hear him laugh. I was a fool. I should have known that he was just playing with me. I realized “killing” him was too easy, way easier than killing a raider.

"It's such a shame that you had to die this way."

He grabbed the knife that fell off from me when I hit the wall. He looked at it and smirked.

"Many uses, great potential. Imagine if you didn't try to shot me.

A black tendril rose up from the ground and wrapped itself around my neck, tight enough that I could still breath but I can't escape its grip.

"I mean, you could be so powerful...worshiped like a god..."

The tendril lifted me up and slammed me against the wall. My body reacted badly to the pain, twitching here and there as pain clouded my mind.

"Feared throughout the wasteland..."

It continued slamming me against the wall, though the impact was getting weaker and weaker every hit. I could now taste blood in my mouth and my vision was distorted. I was even sure that my bones were broken.

"But...you had to shoot me, huh?

One last strike against the wall and it kept me there.

Though I still want to use you...Knowing that you could actually oppose me could mean it would be hard for me to control you. And also...I must never...ever let anyone else know who I truly am,"He laughed again. "Oh, who am I kidding? I never even told you my name, heheh."

I took deep breaths, trying to hold on to life. I was desperate to get out of this situation.

"That filly though, she might have some uses for me. She seems to have at least a little bit of your 'specialty'. Even if she has that necklace, I can still find a way to remove it. Too bad you can't do anything about that."

I was tired. I wanted to sleep, close my eyes and never wake up. I would if he could just shut up and just stay away from her.

"Any last words?"

I looked at him weakly in the eyes. I wanted to punch him, strangle him, kill him, anything I can think of that can hurt him.

"I will kill you...even if it means if I...will have to deal with this pain again..." I took a shaky breath. “Gaah...Shit…”

He laughed.

The tendril tightened its grip on me, making it a bit difficult to breath.

"Aww, I almost feel sorry for you. Look at you, so weak and covered in your own blood. I truly want to help you so I’m giving you another chance. Join me or…” He grabbed and looked at the knife. “Suffer…”

I began to think one last time before answering. Join him? Over my…

“I’m waiting…”

“Never,” I spat at him.

“Suit yourself, I don’t even intend in working with someone who has no matters,” He growled, wiping his face. “Say goodnight, Esigaxeni."

And he plunged the knife into my neck.

End of Volume 1: A Quick Introduction