When we got back downstairs we Sharpshot told Stitch and Flame Dancer about what happened. He tried his best to describe the creature we had encountered with minimal details but ultimately failed. Both Stitch and Flame Dancer were disgusted by the thing Sharpshot had described to them. White Light had to step in and told them about how they knew where to head from the apartment.

We all agreed that it was best to leave as soon as the storm stopped, Sharpshot especially was happy with the idea. He said he would take guard with White Light while the rest of us sleep a little. Not that I could really get any sleep after seeing whatever that thing was. What exactly was Sharpshot trying to tell me when he mentioned that dead ponies broken waist and pelvis. I didn’t get it, and honestly I didn’t want to. The main problem was that it was the only thing going through my mind right now.

Well that and the fact I would probably be a ghoul in a few days. The entire idea was crazy I will admit but Sharpshot was doing this to protect me. White Light must have told him what was going on before we left, was he the pony that was following us. Probably not, White Light would have gotten pretty mad if he showed up with the job of keeping us safe. It must have been somepony else, but Zoey would have to stay with Dead Hooves while she recovered, if Dead Hooves wasn’t heading after us already.

It felt very uncomforting being this far from her side. Up to this point she’s always been right there next to me, but now I was with ponies I didn’t know I could trust. Part of me believed that Sharpshot would turn a blind eye for the right price, and I didn’t have any clue what to think of Flame Dancer. While Stitch has backed off a bit in terms of aggression, I could tell that she still was keeping a close eye on me. As for White Light, I merely didn’t trust her that much because of her background with Dread.

Then again, they were the only hope I had of getting to Ponyville, which they probably believed was safer the Las Pegasus. That was debatable, but if that Twister pony was here and searching for me then he obviously wanted me dead at the raider camp. The question is, how did he know I was here, and why did Dread want White Light to take me with her. I was never important enough to him to let someone risk their life for me.

“Sounds like things have been crazy for you all,” I look behind me to see Flame Dancer talking to Stitch. “You guys really killed a dragon,”

“Well, with some help of course from the Angel Hunters,” Stitch said. “That’s a hard story to explain, but if you want to ask anyone when you are able to walk Sharpshot could tell you most of what happened. Besides, I don’t want to relive that moment,”

“Oh okay,” Flame Dancer said, “I guess that bragging isn’t exactly right when you didn’t kill it. Still, that must have been thrilling fighting a dragon. I don’t think I could do it but that would still be amazing,”

She didn’t truly get why Stitch didn’t want to talk about that moment. She wasn’t there like the rest of us when Mud Swirl died, thinking of it still brought chills. I had seen what actually happened, just like Bleak said he pushed Zoey out of the dragon's reach so she wouldn’t be squashed with him. I remember the look of horror on his face the very second that claw crushed him, it was painful even to me. I had seen ponies die, but never in such a gruesome and horrible way. He didn’t deserve to die like that, no one does.

“So where is it we are heading again?” Flame Dancer asked. “Sorry, my mind is still trying to make sense of everything. I can’t get the weird dream out of my head, whatever it means,”

“Ponyville,” Stitch answered. “It was the home of the ministers before the war. I heard that a lot of raider and slavers go through the area,”

“If it’s so dangerous why are we even heading there?’ Flame asked in confusion. “No doubt there are safer places out here then that right?”

“Don’t you think we have already thought of all our options,” Sharpshot said as he turned to the Alicorn. “We didn’t go to Ponyville before because a pony named Twister is hunting near it, and everyone else here fucking hates Canterlot. The safest thing is taking the train to the outskirts of Ponyville and waiting there for the others,”

Getting up Stitch walked over to Sharpshot and slapped him across the face with her hoof. I stared in shock at what Stitch had just done, not long ago she was so against hurting anypony. Sharpshot was obviously thinking the same thing, his eyes wide with surprise. A small amount of blood dripped from where she had hit him. He felt the spot with his left hoof and blink. His head turned to Stitch who was looking at him with anger, her teeth clenched.

“Give her a break,” Stitch said in an unusually harsh tone. “She doesn’t know where she is, what her real name was, or even what brought her here and you go ahead and act like a smartass. Speak that way again and I will rip those goggles out of your head and beat you with them,” We had all taken a few steps back as we heard the words Stitch was saying. Sharpshot however just sat there as she look at him angry. “Insufferable bitch,”

Finishing her short lecture she turned around and walked over to a makeshift bed that was made out of some pillows White Light had decided to bring back from our short trip around the building earlier. Note to self: don’t ever push Stitch to far. I didn’t want to know what would happen if Sharpshot had done something worse. White Light on the other hand, recovered from initial shock, let out a small fit of laughter.

“Sometimes I think you like being called in Insufferable bitch,” She joked, managing to control her laughing fit. “Or is it that you like be slapped in the face,” Sharpshot didn’t reply staring away at the stairs. “Hey, how did you know we were here?”

“Got lucky I guess,” Sharpshot shrugged as he replied. “I was hoping to catch up with you when you reach the train station. The only reason I stopped here was because of Flame Dancer. It was only chance that we ended up in the same building. I wish it wasn’t though,”

“What was that thing?” White Light asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Was that the thing that killed the pony on the second floor?”

“Definitely,” Sharpshot answered with a nod. “Those things are mutated ponies, no doubt the results of taint. Usually you only see them in hospitals and very rarely you’ll see them out in the heart of the Wasteland. How the hell did they get ahold of taint though, and why is it even here in Las Pegasus?”

My mind was brought back to the holotape I had found on the second floor. That Amythest pony did mention something about a pony giving it to them, but who? What exactly did they have to gain through this? Maybe it had something to do with Flame Dancer, who was an anomaly all by herself. I was aware of how most Alicorns were close to completely barbaric, but the fact that she seemed almost unaffected by it… why? I found myself staring uncomfortably at the Alicorn, who had fallen asleep.

Who are you Flame Dancer? You showed up in the middle of Las Pegasus and claims not to know who she once was. Her words were true, but I felt as if there was something bigger about her. She was different from the other Alicorns, she wasn’t made by the goddess like so many others were. She didn’t have any urge to kill us and rip us apart like I have seen so many times before. What, or who exactly are you?

“Hey,” I looked up to see Sharpshot talking to me. He was holding the rad resistant suit in his hooves. “If you are coming with you’ll need this,” I tossed the suit carelessly to me. “The radiation is going to be pretty heavy in there, and while it can only isolate so much it should keep you of dying from radiation poisoning. I’m not that hard headed to realize you aren’t like me,”

I put a smile on as he turns around and heads back to White Light’s side. Looking at the suit, I decide to immediately put it on, even if it wasn’t needed right now. It was pretty big on me, the only part of it that even felt right was the neckwarmer and mask that cover my face. Thankfully it wasn’t loose enough where it would feel like I’m dragging it or that it was going to fall off me. I felt so isolated inside of it, like the world around me was miles away.

“What?” I heard Sharpshot suddenly say.

“Awe, your burning up,” I heard White Light giggle as she spoke. “Don’t even think you can hide it, you think she’s cute don’t you,”

I felt my cheeks suddenly starting to burn red as I heard White Light speak. Sharpshot thought I was cute? No, that couldn’t be right. He must have been talking about Stitch… no, she was definitely talking about me. Wait, this was Sharpshot she was saying this to, he thought I was cute? My face was practically melting it was so warm, I couldn’t believe it at all. Please say it wasn’t true, please say it wasn’t true.

“S-so?” Sharpshot stammered. “Why does it matter?” I looked to see Sharpshot’s eyes darting between me and White Light. Sweet Celestia, he actually liked me! “Just because I think she’s cute doesn’t mean I would date her,”

I watched as White Light intensified her gaze, just like she had with Stitch earlier. I could see the sweat starting to roll down Sharpshot’s face. How was she doing it, how did she manage to make Sharpshot of all ponies even flinch. If had been Dead Hooves red eyes it would have made more sense but as far as I could tell she had normal light blue eyes.

“Okay fine I like her a little,” Sharpshot said with a pout. “But that doesn’t mean she likes me back and you know that. Besides, I still hold everything I had said about Dead Hooves and have no reason to make a move. She hates me and I know it,”

He wasn’t wrong about any of that, I really did hate him. Sure, he may have saved our asses not once but twice now, but his words differed from his actions. What he said about Dead Hooves father faking everything he had told her, Sharpshot knew he was getting started on the wrong hoof with Dead and he honestly didn’t care. If he thought he had any fucking chance at me then he was obviously more retarded then he made himself off to be.

That really was the thing, he was a big smartass who didn’t watch his words and expected everypony to just go along with whatever he said. The fact that he even had friends surprised me, White Light was admittedly a little like him but at least she showed sympathy for others. Hell, the fact that he even had the trust of the Angel Hunters surprised me.

We were caught off guard by the sound of a sudden explosion outside. “The hell?” Without a White Light ran upstairs to find the source of it.

Me and Sharpshot followed after her as she went to the second floor and through a door we hadn’t gone through before. Racing down to a window on the other side we looked outside to see pillars of smoke rising in the distance. I narrowed my eyes to try and tell exactly where they were coming from. My eyes widen once I caught an eye of where it had come from, fear filling my heart. It was coming from the Angel Hunter’s base!

“no,” White Light said as she realized where it was coming from. “We gotta get back there now,”

“You won’t have to worry about that,”

Both me and White Light looked to Sharpshot with surprise. “What the fuck are you saying?” White Light asked furious, “Dead Hooves was back there, and so is Bleak and everypony else. They're going to die if we don’t do anything about it,”

“I said you don’t have to worry,” Sharpshot yelled at her. “Besides, Zoey knew this was coming no matter what happened,”

Author's Notes:

I am SO happy to finally have this chapter done, I swear this is harder the anything I'v writer so far. However, considering we are at least closing in at the 1/5 mark in terms of the story that shouldn't be surprising. Anyways, please like, comment, follow, and check out my other stories. With that I will see you in the next episodes.