It was impossible for Coalburst to contain her squeals when the swamp came into view across yet another rolling hill. As she hopped along she grinned unfalteringly; her turquoise eyes glimmered in the dim light. Though she licked her chapped lips every few seconds, she managed to keep up with—and, on frequent occasions, overtake—the two unhindered ponies who accompanied her.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake, Coalburst!" RipEar snapped as the little filly skipped around him for what must have been the umpteenth time. "You're getting under my hooves again—stop it already!"

The filly skidded to a halt momentarily and looked back at the stallion. She giggled before she then pranced off. She only trotted a little way ahead before she turned back and circled the pair, looking so very alive and happy; it was hard to imagine her as the kind of filly who could survive Plague-Equestria alone.

"Hey, hey!" Blue, who had finally come around about an hour ago, spread out her wing quickly and blocked the filly's path when she tried to zip past.  She then yelped at the pain which shot up her own spine and she hunched her body up; a moment later, a weak smile appeared on her muzzle as she watched the little black foal who now sat—stunned—on the dirt floor. She laughed and rolled her eyes before she lowered a hoof to help Coalburst up. "You'll sprain your back leg if you keep going like that, and I don't think Rip's gonna carry you. Right?" Blue turned to the stallion and waited for a few seconds before she gave a small sigh. She then bucked out gently with her left rear hoof and received an infuriated scowl in response. When the mare repeated herself, his displeasure only heightened as he stuck his nose up in the air. He snorted and looked away before he walked a little faster.

The way his body moved when he stormed off: the sway of his hips; the softly flowing tan fur of his coat; the thick blue tail which he carried high, as if he were an Arabian stallion...  Blue could hardly contain the small moan which tore from her throat at the sight of him, her mind suddenly intoxicated.  So enamoured with the sight of him, her hooves intwined with each other when she attempted to walk onwards. She stumbled a little and then began to fall down to the ground; she caught herself but landed heavily on her right fore hoof. Pain sparked in her shoulder and she gasped; her posture stiffened as she shot her head high up into the air, the distress unexpected and enough to shock her from her summery musings.

"But I'm so hungry!" the little filly whined; clearly she had not noticed the mare's momentary display, her eyes large as she looked up at her. "I just wanna get some food already, and RipEar said it was the best grass this side of Equestria!"

As she shook herself from the self-induced stupor, Blue rolled her eyes and laughed. "He's not being serious, Coal. It won't be the best ever, just pretty nice."

"I wouldn't know though!" Coalburst frowned and she galloped forwards a few paces before she then waited for Blue to catch up once again. "Mum never showed me this swamp... Before she died, I mean. Uh, obviously."

Blue winced at the impersonal sound of the little filly's voice whilst she made that statement. She trotted forwards a little, determined not to reveal her pain, and draped her wing across Coalburst's back. "You... You don't sound all that sad."

The filly shrugged as a sudden gust of wind roared up and blew her two-toned mane and tail all around her, ruffling her fur. She lowered her head and pushed onwards as she fought against the onslaught. "Well, sure, I guess it's not nice when somepony dies," she bit out through gritted teeth. She squinted through the tears which shone in her eyes, the harsh wind smashing against them, "but it's not like I'm not used to it."

Blue cringed and her tail clamped; to say her previous desires had dissipated was an understatement. "Is the world really that bad?"

Coalburst shrugged once again and she let out a breath once the rush of wind had passed. "I dunno, you tell me," she said as she looked over to RipEar and let her ears droop. "It's all I've ever known."

"Me too, I suppose." Blue's eyes dulled and she glanced down at her hooves. Her wings unfolded slightly so that they just began to drape across the floor. The feathers themselves burned whilst she did so, as if her body wasn't in enough discomfort as it was; no doubt the painkiller was already wearing off. "Not that I can remember anything, but still—you'd imagine I would've lived out here, in this crazy place. I doubt I'd be lucky enough to live anywhere safe."

"Yeah, maybe. But you got into a facility, and that's pretty good, 'cos they never normally take anyone except for those who've literally only just been infected. When they're in the coma stage and all that, so you're lucky you had RipEar to help you out." Coalburst gave a small squeal as the swamp drew ever nearer, now little more than fifty metres away. She flicked her tail eagerly and then looked back at Blue before a blush rose on her cheeks. She hid her head very slightly. "Oh, ah, RipEar was telling me about this village he's heard of. D'you know anything about it?"

Blue hid a small smile as she shook her head, ears pricking forwards. "I didn't even know I was coming out here before last night. He must've planned all this a while back. But he's not told me anything."

"Oh."

Coalburst trailed off for a minute before she returned her attention to the swamp—with every second it drew teasingly closer—and began to dance about on the spot. Then, after a few moments, her resolve snapped; as her stomach rumbled with thunderous growls she leapt forwards. She bounded towards the increasingly pungent lake and threw her head about eagerly with a little buck every other step. She then let loose a full-blown whinny that even an opera singer might have been proud of and raced the last ten metres up to the edge of the swampy area.

Skidding to a stop, Coalburst looked about sharply before she trod forwards, her gaze focused on the thinly spread green leaves which grew around the water's edge. They swayed and writhed about wildly, as if blown by the wind but, after the previous bombardment of air, there was little more than a breeze now. The filly, however, hardly batted an eyelid; she sniffed a few times and shuddered with her tongue lolling out. Saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth.

Coalburst stepped even closer to the swaying plants and inspected each and every one, eyes narrowed scrutinously. She then hesitated and lowered her head ever so slowly, inch by inch, until her mouth rested right near the base of the leaves.

In a blink of an eye, she struck. As she clamped her jaws around one particularly swollen plant's base she jerked backwards and effectively snapped it from its roots. It writhed even more dangerously when it fell to the ground with a fairly heavy thud; the little filly dragged it backwards, as would a leopard hauling its prey, and it did not once cease to convulse. Its shoot swayed the wildest as it struck out in all directions. At one point, it even managed to get a grip on her rear leg and sent her crashing to the ground muzzle first.

Blue watched on in horror as the plant fought with the little filly, but Coalburst was in no panic; before the pegasus even had a chance to run forwards to help, she'd gotten the situation under control, scrambling back up and snapping off the shoot with her teeth. Once more the leaf writhed, striking her again around her midsection and coiling tightly, now resembling a constricting snake. And, once again, the filly seemed to not be too disturbed by the situation—though she did admittedly seem slightly more erratic in her actions. Nevertheless, with a few well placed bites and blows, the plant fell to the ground in pieces.

Blue glanced over to RipEar warily, her face a frown as she walked hunched-up, her back arched and her neck holding her head high. Her eyes darted between the stallion and the foal, both of whom seemed at ease—or as calm as one could be in this place. She then relaxed slowly when she took a few deep breaths and looked around. There was almost nothing of significance in her immediate surroundings; the world composed solely of rocks, dirt and a few decomposing trees here and there. Certainly, despite the peculiarity of the plant life, the world didn't seem that dangerous—and so she smiled a little more confidently when her own stomach growled gently. Her eyes shone and she crept forwards slightly quicker, wincing slightly less as excitement rose in her chest.

Though the plants looked as far from grass as was equinely possible, the delectable aroma which reached her nose was irresistible. Admittedly, the urge for some more crackers and cheese was stronger, but RipEar had not yet offered her any. Besides, if this plant was still palatable, surely it made more sense to eat it now and save the good stuff?

Coalburst smiled when she saw the mare approaching faster and waved a little before she took another bite. As she drew back she munched happily and pale green liquid dripped from the edges of her muzzle; quickly licking it away before it fell on the dirt and was wasted, she then dove in for a second helping. Blue couldn't help but giggle at the sight before turning her attention to the variants of the filly's plants which stood before her. Much shorter and less juicy, they were not nearly as delectable—but at the end of the day, they were much less active too.

The mare could not resist the urge to throw herself into the pile. Ignoring RipEar's quiet cry of, "Blue!", she gave a gleeful whoop, leaping into the air and landing atop the small cluster of only-slightly-writhing plants. Squealing as they tickled at her sides, she soon began to squirm, even succeeding in snapping at the few which moved too close. Collecting the sweet tasting, jelly-like matter in her cheeks like a little hamster, she hadn't felt so free in a long time. Ever, perhaps.

The taste, though not nearly as good as the facility's provisions, was still incredible, somewhat resembling grass but on a whole new level. Still, it did not last long; something sharp brushed against her hoof and she yelped, inadvertently choking down a few mouthfuls as she shot into the air and sped backwards, screaming.

Landing on the ground a few metres back and skidding to a stop, her hooves cried out as the rocky terrain bit at them. Wings flaring, her mane and tail flying all about her frame, she could have appeared a force to be reckoned with—if only she wasn't such a quivering mess.

In truth, she had every right to be nervous. The moment she landed, the towers of grass parted slowly to reveal the beast which they had otherwise concealed. It was not overly tall; it stood no higher than Blue herself. Nevertheless, it was an imposing presence with a body of monumental girth and of impressive, undeniable strength, all topped off by the razor sharp bayonets which protruded from its feculent maw. Rather than skin and flesh, its limbs were roughly sculpted of some crag-like matter. At the joins to each individual rock, a thick russet-brown liquid oozed out, dripping on the ground as the creature hauled itself from the stale water; it was hard to tell if it was clay or blood which coloured the substance.

"Oh, Cobdamnit, Blue!" RipEar hissed, ears flattening as he dove backwards. Baring his teeth, he then jerked his dagger from his saddlebags. He hovered it close to his side and watched the creature unblinkingly. "Of all creatures, you had to call up a cragodile!"

Blue winced and her breath caught in her throat. "A what?

RipEar didn't answer her, instead stepping forwards ever so slowly as the repulsive beast gave a low growl. It then began to stalk forwards without the slightest fear, its eyes the boldest shade of red, flooded with blood. RipEar was quick to react, however; he immediately slammed the handle of the small knife into her mouth. The force alone was enough to make her yelp.

With her teeth gritted around the wooden handle Blue recoiled quickly, her heart pounding in her chest as she fought not to look away from the beast. Though her legs trembled she tried not to look as terrified as she felt and stood unsteadily with her wings still flared out. Her tail clamped tighter with each inch that the cragodile stalked closer but, with much concentration, she kept her nerve and brandished the knife in her mouth. Then she jumped forwards with a whimper and swiped at the creature's cheek with the blade; when her strike missed she was flung back by the cragodile's powerful blow, the claws raking her skin, and she could no longer keep up the act. She leapt behind the stallion at that moment, then trembling.

RipEar hissed at the mare's reaction, bucking her gently and startling her to her hooves. Then slamming the handle of the small knife into her mouth, he strained to keep her standing as her legs began to buckle again.

"Fight it, Blue!" he yelled, slashing the dagger through the air. It was, in truth, a small and inconsequential weapon really; it would surely do little more than tickle the impenetrable hide of the cragodile. Still, any protection was better than none.

"I can't!" Blue moaned back, but she gritted her teeth anyway and focused on the creature. Then taking a slow breath, she threw her head backwards and hurled the knife towards the beast. It bumped into its skin with a small thud and then fell to the floor, doing no damage at all.

Blue yelped at the sight, her legs buckling the second her attack made no difference. "Holy cow! It... It didn't even flinch!" Feeling her shoulder beginning to burn up she moaned, almost immediately noting the slow trickle of tears on the fur of her cheek. Then glancing back at the creature, she took a sharp intake of breath blood oozed from the corners of its eyes. Then looking down at herself, she yelped and began to shudder violently. "Oh, sweet Celestia! There's just blood everywhere! It's on my fur, my hooves, my muzzle! It's all over me!"

"No it's not!" the stallion yelled down at her before snapping his gaze away. Now aware that its skin was impenetrable, he jumping forwards and thrust the dagger into one of the beast's many crevices. Twisting it with his magic, his eyes thinned as a small yell sounded in the nape of his throat, the action impossibly laborious; the cragodile, too, gave a bellow of a roar, struggling to escape the blade which now impaled it. "They're just little cuts, Blue!"

"No!" The mare's cry was tormented as she writhed on the ground, her eyes seeing nothing but red. "No, they're massive! I can feel it, RipEar! The blood—it's all over me! I'm bleeding; I'm dying!"

"Oh, shut it!" RipEar  took a few steps backwards, his nostrils flaring as rose a hoof quickly, then smashing it back against the ground. The quivering mare, whose muzzle was now just a few inches away, flinched visibly and recoiled. "Relatively speaking, you're not that hurt!"

The mare only whimpered on the floor, shuddering and rolling into a tighter ball. The second her hoof came to rest against her chest, however, she screamed, her pupils dilating as she stared down at her hooves. She could make no sense of the world; she was too frantic to even tell the difference between the soft fur on her body and the sticky blood which she could swear now coated her.

RipEar, only snarling at the mare's reaction, jumped forwards as he dug the blade into the creature's side deeper. Then heaving it out in one clean sweep, he winced at the cragodile’s almighty roar. Backing up a few steps as it began to charge, its side spewing thick torrents of blood, he quickly felt his previous bravado shattering. Lunging forwards desperately with his dagger once more, he hissed as the beast's skin repelled the blow and yelled out loudly, "Oi! Coalburst! A hoof'd be nice, y'know!"

"What?" The weak reply hardly seemed to belong the same foal who had very nearly attacked Blue earlier on. "The thing's made of rocks! Fire doesn't melt rock, and that's pretty much all I can do!"

RipEar groaned, shooting the foal an embittered glare as he lurched away from the beast's teeth. The fangs grazed his shoulder and he winced before he then yelled, "Rock's don't bleed! It's an animal, for Celestia's sake!"

Coalburst, who had been hiding quietly to the side, straightened up. Within a few seconds, confidence suddenly roared into life in her eyes, her entire posture slackening. "Oh, right!" she chirped, then bounding forwards with her head lowered. Scrunching up her eyes, she began to mutter to herself as she charged, her horn sparking very faintly after a few seconds. Then, as the cragodile snapped its gaze away from the stallion and towards the filly, her magic burst into being. With it glowing fairly brightly, Coalburst grinned as she prepared to raise her head—but suddenly, with a sickening squelch and an ear-shattering scream from the cragodile, she found herself stuck, her horn impaled deep in the space between the rocks of skin.

The creature spun, bellowing, stomping its feet as it struck out. Its teeth grazed Coalburst's flank while she was dragged along, screaming at the pain which shot through her neck. Then, with a massive cry, her eyes shot open wide, her horn flaring into life once more inside the beast's body before blasting her backwards.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, as the cragodile's massive mouth opened in a bellow, flames burst from all of its orifices. It fell to the ground with an earth-shuddering crash, writhing for only a second before falling still in amidst the shower of flames.

The smell of cooked meat quickly filled the air, making RipEar cringe and gag. Sparing a quick glance at the monstrosity before him and gasping for breath, he then wrapped his magic around the still mumbling mare and inched forwards, dragging her along. His eyes were wide as he circled away from the downed cragodile, his movements stiff and uncoordinated. As he came to rest at the filly's side, he couldn't help but admire her strength not to have passed out yet.

"C-come on," he whispered, careening away briskly and then pausing. Turning back to Coalburst, seeing her rising tiredly with a strained expression, he then sighed and backtracked. Shakily reaching under her belly and hauling her up onto his back, he gave her a quick—though weak—grin, for once genuine. Sparing one last glance at the cragodile, he shivered and began forwards, hauling the mare along just slightly off of the ground. Trembling a little, it was all he could manage.

Frankly, the filly deserved to sit on his back more than Blue did.