I had spent the remainder of my week with Rose training with my new throwing knives and sword. I had gotten to be decent enough with the sword, but the throwing knives were tricky for me to use.

I tried to throw one of them forward into the target dummy. I succeeded in hitting a dead tree for the twentieth time today. I ripped the knife out of the tree and stabbed it into the neck of my target.

I trotted away from the target cutting off it’s head with my sword. “Rose why are the blades so hard to throw?” I sat down next to Rose.

Rose offered me a glass of water and shrugged. Rose stood up and grabbed one of my knives. She stood before the target and hurled the blade from her mouth hitting the target between the eyes.

I stared at Rose in amazement. “How did you do that?” I got up and trotted over to her.

Rose shrugged and wrapped a hoof around me. After a minute or so Rose trotted forward and pulled the knife out of the dummies skull. She hoofed me the knife and then went and sat down next to the house.

I put the knife back in place and thought for a few seconds how I had been throwing these before. I readjusted my body and threw the next knife off of my wing at the target. To my surprise I hit the dummy in the chest with the knife.

Rose clapped behind me. I flipped my wing forward again sending another knife into the target’s chest. I took aim one more time and threw the knife directly at the dummy's head. This time the knife struck the target in the throat.

I trotted up to the target and pulled the knives out one by one sliding them back into my wing. After I was done with the practice dummy I trotted back over to Rose who was fiddling with the radio. After the last time Amethyst had been here it had broken. Rose had been trying her best to fix the little radio.

I sat down next to her and looked at the radio myself. I noticed that the back of it was open revealing a spot where batteries should be. I picked up the small batteries next to Rose and slid them into place. I closed the back of the radio and tried turning it on.

“Hello my wasteland ponies.” DJ-PON3 was on. “I have some news for you today.” Rose set the radio down. “To those of you living down near Las Pegasus I’ve got reports of a large group of raiders making a mess of the surrounding area. So if you live within gunshot range of Las Pegasus be on the lookout and always have your gun ready. That’s it for now and now for some music.”

The music started and it was a fast paced song that I hadn’t heard before. I listened for a while before I realized that something was wrong. I looked around to see raiders surrounding us. My instincts kicked in and I put a shield up over Rose and I.

One of the stallions stepped forward. “Kid you’re just delaying the inevitable. How about you just drop the shield and become one of us? Then we won’t have to kill you.” The stallion smiled and extended a hoof towards me.

I flared my wings and stood tall. “I will not join you in your evil ways. You can forget about it you piss brained moron.” I pulled one of the guns off of him.

His smile turned into a frown. “Well I did say I would give the kid a chance to join us.” The stallion reached for his gun. “What the shit?” He turned to his right and was staring his own gun down.

I pulled the trigger. “Now I don’t want to kill anymore of you but I will.” I dropped the raiders gun onto the ground.

The rest of the raiders started laughing. “Kid you got lucky with that one. I could kill you with a hoof tied behind my back.” The stallion stuck his hoof back as far as he could.

I took my opportunity and grabbed the stallion’s hoof and rammed it into his guts. “Why are you hitting yourself? Didn’t anypony ever tell you that hurt?” I grabbed ahold of my sword.

The stallion stayed on the ground clutching at his stomach and taking very shallow breaths. A few of the raiders were dumb enough to fire their guns at my shield. The bullets bounced off with a few coming close to hitting the other raiders.

I drew my sword out of its scabbard and waited. The music was building behind me and I was getting ready to strike.

The first lyrics I had heard in the song sounded. “Drop it.” And with that I lunged forward at the raiders.

The first few raiders had no time to react and I cut them in two with the Knights Bane. I made sure to keep the shield up over Rose as I dived at the raiders. The next raider almost had his gun up when I rolled underneath him slicing open his guts with my wing. I stabbed him in the head just to make sure he died.

The music coming from the radio started to lull as I pulled a shield over myself. The raiders had enough time to get their guns up and actually ready to fire. I stood my ground analyzing the situation at hoof. All of the raiders were focused on me leaving Rose wide open. I smiled and shifted the shield over with her to the closest raider. I dropped the shield long enough for Rose to kill the mare and take her shotgun.

The music started to pick up again and I trotted closer to a group of raiders. I stretched my left wing out and prepared to throw a knife into them. The bass dropped on the music and I dropped my shield sending the knife into the group of raiders.

I had put some anger behind the throw and I watched as the knife sailed through the air glowing a bright red. The knife hit the raider in the center and light him on fire immediately. The group around him didn’t react very quickly and were light on fire themselves. It was quite funny to see them run around in circles as their tails burned.

I heard gunshots and turned around to see Rose unloading the shotgun she had upon the remaining raiders. I had dropped the shield around her without even realizing.

I looked over to the see the burning corpses of the raiders who I had light on fire. I was a slight bit sick to my stomach seeing them like this. I averted my gazes back to Rose just in time to see her get hit by a bullet.

I lost control of my body. I put a shield up over Rose and charged at the raider who had shot her. I prepared the Knights bane and lept into the air. I landed on top of the raider and swung my sword releasing the raiders head from her shoulders.

I jumped off of the mare and landed on the next raider. He turned around and I smashed a hoof into his face. I kicked off of him and slashed for his midsection with the sword. The sword found a soft spot in the raiders stomach and slid through him.

Two raiders remained and they were both aiming their guns directly at me. The haze over the world made it incredibly difficult to determine what I was dealing with. I jumped into the air throwing a shield over myself.

I landed next to one raider and slammed my rear hooves into her side. I could hear and feel the ribs I had bucked break. I took my sword and slammed it into the mare’s side pinning her to the ground with it.

The final raider stood there stunned at the destruction I had caused. He dropped his weapon and dropped down to his knees. “Please don’t kill me. I never wanted this to be my life. They made me do it or else they were going to kill me.” The stallion broke down and sobbed.

The red haze over my eyes lifted temporarily until I saw Rose patching up the gunshot wound she had. The haze returned and blocked my sight completely. I have no idea what I did to the raider but I know it wasn’t pretty from the sounds I heard. Before the haze disappeared I lifted the bodies of the raiders into a pile and light them on fire.

The music on the radio finally came to an end as I returned back to normal. I shook my head. “I really need to do something about that. I probably shouldn’t ever lose control of my own body to my rage.” I trotted over to see how Rose was doing.

Rose had a bandage over where the bullet had gone through. She was trying to open a healing potion. I opened the potion and helped her to drink it.

Rose waited for a few seconds before returning to her hooves. The bullet wound was healing quickly. Rose was a bit shaky on her hooves but waved me off when I offered to support her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? That gunshot wound looked pretty bad.” I stayed close to Rose’s side.

Rose nodded and started for the backdoor to the house. I took one last look at the pile of burning raiders before heading inside with Rose.

It donned upon me as I closed the door that I had just killed somepony. Many ponies in fact. I opened the door back up and stared at the burning heap of corpses. When I let my rage control me I was capable of killing most anything that tried to harm me. My brain was sending me so many mixed signals on what to feel about this that I could do nothing but just stand there and stare.

The haze over my eyes was truly gone but I wondered if it was still there ready to come forth at anytime and unleash itself upon those who were before me as enemies.

I looked over to the mare who I had left my sword in. She was coughing up blood and trying to pry my sword out of her. I pulled the sword out of her and cut off her head. I pulled my blade back to me putting the mare into the pile of burning corpses.

As my sword came back to me I looked at the blade to see that not a single drop of blood stood on it’s blade. Even after killing all of these ponies with it not a single drop of blood stained the blade red. I slid the sword back into its sheath and closed the door.

I didn’t notice Amethyst trying to get my attention as I walked back into the livingroom. I trotted along until my knees decided it was time to give out and send me to the floor. I went down to my knees and just sat there not hearing anything that was being said.

It took a small smack across my face to bring me back to reality. After the smack came a kiss on my cheek. I finally realized that Amethyst was by my side.

“Silver please talk to me.” I watched a tear roll down her cheek.

I didn’t speak but instead kissed her on the lips and didn’t let her go. After a minute or so I finally dropped the kiss and smiled at Amethyst.

“Glad to see you’re back. Now tell me what happened outside.” Amethyst smiled at me.

I looked at her confused as to what she was talking about. I didn’t remember anything happening outside that I should have been aware of.

Amethyst tilted her head to the side. “You know with all the loud noises and that giant heap of death.” Amethyst waited a few seconds as she pointed to the door. “You don’t remember.”

It all came back to me as I stared at the door. I could see it vividly like I was still staring at it. I watched on as the raiders all burned and my sword returned to me unstained by the bloody battle I had just survived.

“I..” I couldn’t continue and put my head down in my hooves. I struggled but finally managed to say what I knew to be true. “I killed them. I killed them all.” I started crying.

Amethyst and Rose both sat down next to me and tried to comfort me as I sat there sobbing. I remembered the stallion kneeling at my hooves begging me not to kill him. That only made my feelings of hate towards myself grow stronger. I refused to pick my head up and just sat there shaking uncontrollably.

Rose tapped on my shoulder and laid down next to me. I looked at her through my tears. Her face was filled with compassion for me even though she had just witnessed me commit the worst atrocity that I had ever committed.

I couldn’t look at her anymore and stuffed my muzzle back down into my hooves. I sat there for a few minutes before even daring to look at Amethyst. She was sitting next to me with one of her hooves wrapped around me.

“Why? Why do you act like I didn’t just do something terrible? I just killed ponies. One of them begged me not to kill him and I shredded him to pieces and forgot about him. Why do you both sit here and act like I did nothing wrong?” I buried my muzzle back down into my hooves.

Amethyst spoke with the sweet tone of voice that I loved to hear. “Silver I don’t know much of this world, but what little I do know says that you’re actions were justified. You killed those ponies to protect yourself and the ones you love. I don’t blame you for that. Silver are you listening to me?” Amethyst shook me a few times.

I got my crying under control to speak. “I. I wasn’t in control of that. My body took over and I let it run wild and kill all of those ponies. I don’t deserve such a loving mare by my side.” I pushed Amethyst away.

Amethyst didn’t return to my side but went and laid down in front of me. She stared at where my eyes would be if I looked up at her. Rose was on my left writing something on a piece of paper.

Rose slid the note in front of me and waited for me to read it. “Amethyst is right Silver. I know you aren't happy with yourself for letting things get that out of hoof but you’ve got to understand that you did what you had to do to survive. And sometimes that’s what it takes out here in the wasteland. I just want you to know that Amethyst and I are here for you. You just need to let us help you.” Amethyst had read the note for me.

I waited for a few seconds. “I need some time. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for this but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to let you try to help me.” I dared a look at Amethyst.

Amethyst was staring at me with those loving eyes she had. I looked for a few seconds before smiling. A few tears rolled down my cheeks as Amethyst returned to my side.

Amethyst laid down next to me and put a hoof over me. “Let it all out Silver. I don’t know what it is your feeling right now but I’m here to help you get through this.” She kissed my cheek and laid her head down next to me.

I spent the next fifteen minutes trying to pull myself back together. I wasn’t able to and eventually just gave up and let myself cry. I eventually stopped and felt a slight bit better.

Rose picked me up and put me on her back. She trotted over to my room and laid me down in my bed.

“Rose can I sit up there with him? I think he still needs me to be by his side.” Amethyst had her front hooves up on my bed.

I didn’t watch Rose but I knew she nodded when Amethyst jumped up onto my bed and laid down next to me. I lifted up my wing and let Amethyst cuddle up next to me.

“It’s good to see you. I’m sorry you had to see all of that.” I closed my eyes.

“Silver don’t beat yourself up. I don’t hate you for killing them. I understand what it is you did and I forgive you for it. You need to forgive yourself and move forward.” Amethyst’s voice was sweet.

I thought for a few seconds before letting go of the pain I felt. “I just need some time and I’ll be over it. Anything happen back in the other world?” I pushed the bad thoughts out of my mind.

“Well I did clean up the house a little bit and did some redecorating so that it isn’t so bland. That and I got my cutie mark.” Amethyst bumped me with her flank.

I didn’t want to pick my head up. “What is it of?” I kept my eyes closed.

Amethyst looked back just to make sure. “It’s of a rose. One petal is falling off of it.” Amethyst laid her head down close to mine.

“It sounds beautiful.” I said nothing more.

Amethyst kissed me. “I thought you would say that.”

I slipped out of the waking world into the dream world. With Amethyst by my side I had no nightmares that night.