Five years, seven months after meteor...

The barn door groaned loudly as the pony slid it open. Rusted wheels carved grooves in the mud, made worse by the constant rain. Shy found the exercise liberating; a moment of strength in an otherwise boring existence. Little light pierced the clouds overhead to illuminate the inside of the barn. It was, however, enough for the pony.

Fluttershy was already inside. Pink tail swished back and forth in agitation. Blue eyes stared intently at the pony entering the building, the one who controlled her body by her own wishes. “You don’t need it,” she told the other in a calm tone.

The snort emitted from the other revealed how much she believed the statement. “I’ve done my research. On my own, mind you, since you blocked out those memories.” Shy trotted into the barn without hesitation, rainwater dripping from her mane. Run down machinery, gutted for parts, lay about in heaps on all sides. She sat and lifted her front hooves to sift through the piles.

A yellow hoof gently pressed down on Shy’s forehoof, stopping her search. “This idea isn’t good… we don’t need armor… ” Fluttershy’s voice was soft, though she needn’t have spoken aloud at all for her voice to be heard. Though Shy’s eyes stayed downward she could feel the other pony’s pleading gaze.

The smile on her lips betrayed her true emotions. Shy swatted Fluttershy’s hoof away. “You’re scared. I’m not. That beast can rip us apart in moments. Armor will delay that inevitability by a few seconds at least.” The pony in the real body continued her search.

“And then what?” an increasingly hysterical Fluttershy pressed. The idea was having an obvious negative effect on the pony. “There are other ways of dealing with it. We could scare it off, or get the townsponies to-”

Shy could take no more of her. She snapped, “What’s the point of explaining it to you when you already know what I know?!” Hooves lifted a rusted piece of metal and hurled it at the nagging pony. It appeared to be on target, but missed at the last moment. “You’ve used anything of value in this dead town for your own selfish whims! All I have is your ridiculous strength!” To prove her point, Shy wrapped her front hooves around a large metal cylinder and lifted. Her muscles strained and ached but nevertheless complied. After a holding it aloft a moment, Shy bent her knees and tossed the piece across the barn. The resulting crash of machinery hurt her ears.

Wide eyed, Fluttershy became calm once again. “I already know you are strong enough to deal with the monster.” She fell back and sat on the ground. “You don’t need anything else.”

“Really? So this never happened then?” Shy turned her back to Fluttershy. Bandages still covered the spot where her wing used to be. “It didn’t rip our wing off like paper?” Fluttershy cringed and looked away. “LOOK AT IT!” Shy screamed. “It could have killed you!”

Tears rose within her big blue eyes as Fluttershy stared at Shy’s back. Her own wings rustled at the sight. “I’m sorry…”

Snorting, “Don’t be sorry for me, you idiot,” Shy turned back around. “Pretend all you want, but this body is yours, not mine.” Though that will change when I kill that monster, she thought. The pony went back to rummaging through the piles around her.

She’d made a mental list of all the materials she would require to make and enchant some armor pieces for herself. Though she did not have a unicorn’s magic, she did have a library’s worth of knowledge and an earth pony’s strength. She couldn’t imagine it would be difficult for her to create a few sets of armor to experiment enchantments on before she got it right. Fluttershy, however, seemed hell-bent on getting in her way.

After searching for a time, Shy threw her front hooves into the air in exasperation. “Just tell me where in the hells the anvil is already!” she yelled at the yellow pony watching her.

“If you find the anvil, you’ll want the metal.” Fluttershy brought her tail around and hugged it to herself. The motion gave Shy pause. It was a gesture the increasingly bold pony no longer performed.

It was then that it hit her. “There’s no metal here anymore, is there? You used it all?” Fluttershy nodded slowly. But if you knew that, why didn’t you just… Shy’s eyes went wide with understanding. “There’s more outside Ponyville somewhere, isn’t there?”

The other pony quietly spoke a single word as she buried her face in her tail. “Canterlot.”

“That’s… of course!” Shy nearly hopped with sudden excitement. The royal guard would already have armor! And even if that was all gone, they would have tools and materials! “I have to go to Canterlot!”

“No!” came the obvious response from Fluttershy. “What if there is something worse up there?”

“Then I’ll turn around and come back!” yelled back Shy. “I’m not you, Fluttershy. I’m not going to roll over and die.” She turned and started for the door. Hopping a pile of parts, Fluttershy trotted beside her. It made Shy uncomfortable having the other pony so close yet not really there at all.

“I’m sure we can find what you need here, in Ponyville.” The rain had no effect on Fluttershy whatsoever as the two ponies walked outside. Just another reason on Shy’s list why she hated her.

Meanwhile, it chilled Shy to the bone as she walked through what was left of Sweet Apple Acres. “If there were any materials left, here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” She stepped down hard on a puddle in an attempt to splash Fluttershy. The water just went right through her.

“So you’re just going to walk to Canterlot? That could take weeks!” Fluttershy avoided a tree as she struggled to stay beside Shy, who was actively moving the other pony off the beaten path.

With an exaggerated sigh, Shy stopped and turned to Fluttershy. “Why don’t you save us both the trouble of arguing about this for the next few days and just tell me what I need to know?” Fluttershy bit her lower lip. Leaning in close, Shy said darkly, “I’m starting to think you never want to see your Pinkie Pie ever again…”

That brought fire back to the pony’s blue eyes. “Pinkie Pie is not my possession! She is her own pony and I love her!” Her pristine hair seemed to brush against Shy’s own as she too leaned in.

“I want my freedom, and you want… her back. I’m risking both our lives. The least you could do is help!” Shy ended by pushing forward into the other pony. Fluttershy, of course, simply seemed to shift out of the way. Never there to begin with, Shy knew.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fire was still in them when she opened them again. “There is a hoofcar I never disassembled at the train station. It can take you to Canterlot and back in just a few days. You should be able to hook up one of the small carts to it too.”

Shy gave an exaggerated bow. “Oh, thank you, princess of secrets! I know how hard it is for you to-”

Rainwater stung her eye as soon as she woke. Mud stuck to the side of her face from where she had fallen over. Shy didn’t bother trying to wipe it off with her already muddy hoof. She understood the threat Fluttershy would never say to her directly: Don’t try to run.

A quiet nagging had Shy running around Ponyville making sure the many different places Fluttershy had started re-growing crops indoors were still functioning. Every electrical device providing artificial sunlight to the crops was run off waterwheels that would sometimes break down. Shy was starting to realize Fluttershy’s nervousness about the trip stemmed from more than just the fact she would be away from her friends. If she spent too much time away from the town, it would more-than-likely become uninhabitable. Well, she thought, more uninhabitable.

While she was tending the still-growing crops, Shy gathered food from the caches Fluttershy had stored before winter. Nothing appeared very appealing to her; many of the stores had decayed beyond edibility. There was enough, she thought, for a few days of strenuous activity.

After all of that was done, the pony arrived at the train station with time to spare before the sun rose. She used a flashlight to find where the hoofcar was stored. It was such a simple contraption that Fluttershy had passed over it when scavenging for parts. Luckily it had been stored inside a warehouse beside the station, out of the rain. Still, some rust had accumulated here and there. Dropping her saddlebags, Shy spent some time cleaning the exposed metal.

Beside the hoofcar was an even older mine cart. There was little Shy could do for the rust on that one, so she checked the warehouse over for another. It took longer than she wanted, but eventually she found one that didn’t look like it would buckle under weight. She used a tarp she found in a janitors closet nearby to cover the top of the mine cart. No use letting it fill with rainwater the entire trip. Oil nearby ensured they would roll smoothly the entire way, as well.

The two carts secured together easily once she got them on the same track in front of the station. The tracks themselves were enchanted to last a lifetime, even through a disaster.

“If only ponies could be so enchanted,” commented Fluttershy from the platform beside the rails.

Shy hadn’t noticed her appear till just then. “Come to see me off?” The saddlebags of food were in the mine cart under the tarp. Shy herself wore a green raincoat in preparation for the days in the rain ahead. Her question had been in jest; she fully believed Fluttershy would come with her.

But the other pony didn’t budge. “I can’t leave my friends. You’ll have to go without me.”

There was a moment of shared silence between them. Shy broke it by asking, “Is there anything in Canterlot I should know about?”

“I haven’t been since before the meteor…” Fluttershy replied. “I have no idea what’s there.”

Or what isn’t.

Shy frowned at Fluttershy’s thoughts invading her own. “I’ll be back in a few days and we’ll both get what we want.” Without waiting for a response, Shy slipped her front hooves into the hoofcar’s handle-straps and began pumping. It started forward, picking up speed slowly.

Sunlight shot rays through cracks in the clouds overhead. Though she was leaving her own personal hell, Shy felt no happiness as she heard Fluttershy behind her.

“I’ll see you soon!”

It had never before crossed Shy’s mind to question where the meteor had initially exploded. It had been high up in the air, of course. That had been the plan to deal with it after all. Since all she had to go on was Fluttershy’s limited imagination, Shy had been content not to dwell on what she couldn’t possibly know.

Dead trees stood tall on both sides of her as she worked the hoofcar away from Ponyville. The track to Canterlot would take her through the mountain, up a winding trail, until finally returning to the outside. Equestria’s west half would be laid out before her.

It made Shy uneasy.

What if Zecora had lied? How far was the destruction? What if the meteor had laid waste to everything?

Though her limited knowledge allowed her some speculation, until she saw exactly how destructive the meteor had been Shy’s nervousness would remain.

As she tried to steer her mind from those thoughts, other more pressing concerns made themselves present. Canterlot had always been visible from Ponyville. There were many days when Fluttershy had stared at the far-off city. Though it was far too distant to make much out, it was clear that something had changed there. Buildings that had stood tall had disappeared, colorful blobs now gone. The city no longer appeared as Fluttershy had remembered it.

Shy imagined the city had burned as Ponyville had, only much worse, being closer to the explosion. Everypony would have died instantly unless spirited away deep into the mountain.

The sound beneath her changed for a few minutes as she crossed the river surrounding Ponyville. She was officially outside the town at that moment, yet little changed. Rain continued to pour, and dead trees that had halted for the river resumed on the opposite side.

One thing slowed Shy’s line of reasoning concerning Canterlot, however. Zecora had implied that many ponies had survived the blast and headed south. If that were true then Canterlot couldn’t have burned down, she deduced. Something must have protected it.

Still, even if Canterlot had been spared the meteor’s wrath, she knew that it had changed. Perhaps the ponies revolted after Princess Celestia’s death.

“Whose death?”

Shy nearly fell off the hoofcar in surprise. Skadi lay atop the mine cart behind the shocked pony. The alicorn’s wide smile and diamond eyes would have unnerved any other pony. Shy found them strangely comforting.

“Where in the darkness have you been?” the pony asked with more than a little bitterness. “Do you see what’s been happening out here? The stupid bitch got her wing ripped off!”

“You know, the mine cart should go in front of the hoofcar.” Though Shy couldn’t turn around to look at Skadi, she found she could still see the alicorn’s expression and motions. “That way if the cart is too heavy and is pulling you down a track you can disconnect it.”

“What wonderful information that I could have used yesterday!” Though somewhat happy to have her old conversation partner back, Shy quickly felt angry at the alicorn. “Answer my question!”

Skadi rolled onto her back, still atop the tarp on the mine cart. She seemed to have no weight and the rain went right through her. “Which question was it, again?” her legs wiggled as she asked sweetly.

Shy’s anger boiled over. “I swear I’ll stop this car and-”

“And do what?” Skadi’s sweet tone turned to stone. “Beat me like you beat that poor zebra?”

“Poor?!” Shy blurted out. Her lungs were straining to yell as she pumped so she switched to thinking her venom at the alicorn. When Zecora wasn’t lying to my face she was fawning over me!

Skadi just looked bored. “And you think hitting her repeatedly will do what?” Though Shy was clearly getting angrier by the second, Skadi did not relent. “If you showed her a bit more compassion-”

I have no compassion! Her pink mane fell over her face. The pony’s personal hygiene had declined since Shy had been put in charge. She hadn’t cared about her appearance but now her hair was starting to annoy her along with the alicorn’s badgering.

“That’s right; you left all your compassion back at the station.”

Back at… Shy blinked several times. She’s not here…

“Of course she isn’t.” Skadi reached out and ‘booped’ Shy on the nose with her hoof. “She said she was going to watch over Ponyville and that’s exactly what she is doing.”

The pony swatted at the alicorn’s hoof. I still feel… something… She isn’t completely gone.

Sighing, Skadi explained, “Of course she isn’t. She wouldn’t leave you to do whatever you wanted.” Leaning precariously over the side of the mine cart, she pointed around Shy in the direction they were traveling. “We’ll be at the mountain by sundown at this rate.”

We? While they were only thoughts, Shy still made them venomous. You’re going to stick around this time?

“Oh get over it, you filly!” Skadi laid back on the mine cart and stared up at the sky. “Fluttershy chained me and tucked me away before I could stop her. You think I wanted to just sit there and do nothing?”

“It wouldn’t have been the first time… ” Shy said aloud as she stopped working the handle. She turned and saw the mountain was as Skadi said: getting closer by the second. The hoofcar continued without her powering it, though it began losing speed.

When the pony turned back towards her, Skadi was leaning far forward from the mine cart with her nose nearly touching Shy’s. “Do you blame me for her and Pinkie Pie?” she asked neutrally. Her multi-faceted eyes stared into Shy’s with little emotion visible within them.

It took Shy a few deep breaths to bring her heart rate back down, all the while staring back at Skadi. When she could, she answered. “I don’t know what to blame you for. I’m still not sure what you are.” The linked together cars came to a smooth stop and Shy stepped down from the hoofcar. Though difficult to judge the time of day with the way the clouds blocked sunlight, Shy figured it was around noon. “Time to feed this lazy buck’s body.” The pony moved to the mine cart and waved Skadi off. “Shoo!”

Laughing, Skadi crawled off the cart to the ground. Shy was forced to reach into the mine cart awkwardly in order to get her food out without letting water in. Her head came out with a head of cabbage that had seen better days. “You should make a fire and boil that,” Skadi commented.

Not bothering to respond, Shy sat with her back against the mine cart and began devouring the vegetable. A few birds chirped as they flew overhead. Shy gazed at them, chewing slower as her hunger ebbed. To fly away… Pain enough to make her double over shot through her as she unconsciously flexed her wings. The wound from her taken-away appendage had yet to heal. “Not… my wing… ”

“It will be when she lets you go.” Skadi stretched her legs. “Is this really the best place to stop? What if another one of those things appears? Or something worse?” She appeared to scan the dead trees around them but Shy knew it was just a ruse.

“If it does then there isn’t much I could do about it, so why worry?” She put the last piece of cabbage in her mouth and swallowed it whole. “Besides, I need to pace myself or I’ll never make it to Canterlot.” Her eyes turned to the mountain again. The tracks entered and began a spiral ascent up the interior until finally exiting to the city. Without a doubt that will be the hardest part of the trip.

“I can do it for you, if you like?” Skadi asked with a sweet smile.

“Give you control? No thanks.” Shy stood back up and stretched. “Maybe you could just teach me magic and I can teleport there?” she asked sarcastically.

“Or,” Skadi teased, “I could teach you how to make another wing out of snow and you could fly there?” She splashed a puddle at Shy playfully.

The water hit Shy’s leg. Startled, the pony looked from her leg back to Skadi, but the alicorn was gone. How… She shook her head. Impossible, I must be hungrier than I thought. Forcibly turning her mind away from what just happened, Shy reached into the mine cart and produced more produce.

Far-off clouds broke as the sun set, allowing it to cast orange under the thick clouds over Shy. It disoriented her for a moment as she stared up through the rain to the lava-patterned sky. Did ponies find that beautiful once?

Thinking of the emotion she couldn’t feel was pointless, she found. Her attention returned to the mountain entrance before her. Not surprisingly, no lights burned within and the entire passage seemed like a great maw to the abyss. Darkness leading to more darkness.

And she had brought no light.

Shy had always considered herself a being of darkness made from the negative thoughts Fluttershy cast out so that she may remain “pure”. Even though she didn’t know if she was right, she still felt a pull to darkness in general. Bringing a light of any kind had never crossed her mind while packing. She would have to trek into the mountain the next day completely blind.

“At least there’s only one track…” With a little extra effort she brought the handcar to a rest within the tunnel entrance. A small amount of rainwater had managed to push up into the tunnel but couldn’t continue up the slope. Shy lay on her stomach within the tunnel and stared outside as the sun shone its last few rays.

She felt no fear, though she never had. Fear was something Fluttershy had in abundance, but not her. She was nothing but anger.

Sleep came easy to the tired pony.

When Shy opened her eyes again to the day, the sun was already rushing toward its peak. She cursed and stretched. Her limbs ached somewhat. I’ll be aching a lot more when this is over. Giving as little thought to her next move as possible, Shy boarded the hoofcar and plunged into the darkness.

It consumed her instantly. The tunnel entrance grew more and more distant until it became indistinguishable from the rest of the darkness. Or perhaps I’ve started turning. She felt the extra strain as the track sloped upwards. While difficult, it was not impossible to handle.

But time dragged on and still she drove upwards. The tunnel would sometimes open up to larger caverns that would echo loudly around her. A few bats screeched at her as she passed their perches. Shy recalled there being many more of them when Fluttershy had traveled this route in the past.

As she thought, the darkness did not bother her. However, hours passed and still she climbed. Shy had no way of knowing how long she had traveled or how much longer she had to go. It was maddening.

Skadi, she called out mentally. There was no response. You’re going to leave me again, Shy goaded. Still, though, Skadi remained silent.

Gritting her teeth, Shy fought the pain in her legs and the strain in her mind. She began to tell herself a simple lie: the end would come soon. The tracks would level out and exit the mountain and she would be in Canterlot. The trip down the mountain would be leagues easier than the trip up. And she was almost there.

A blinding light engulfed her and her eyes slammed shut. Shy screamed out in rage, cursing every living being on the planet for her terrible luck. “What now?!” she cried out, coughing as her lungs begged for air.

Nothing immediately assaulted her. The smell of pine drifted past her nose. A bird chirped in the distance. Slowly, Shy opened her eyes.

The south-western portion of Equestria greeted her in all its glory. The sight, mixed with her own relief, nearly killed her as she slumped sideways on the hoofcar. One look down had her wrapping her hooves back around the handle. The cliff to her right ran straight down for miles. She would have no reprieve until she reached Canterlot proper.

Still… the moment of truth is here…

When her breathing returned to normal, Shy looked up from the hoofcar and gazed at what remained of Equestria. The clouds had temporarily stopped their downpour and parted somewhat. Fluttershy’s memory of the scene before her came to mind and blocked what truly existed. With a shake of her head Shy cast away the past and saw the present.

Ponyville was below her but she overlooked it, already knowing the extent of the destruction there. The Unicorn Range to the north west seemed to dampen the meteor’s effect on the fields beyond it, but they appeared barren regardless. Dead trees extended out for as far as the eye could see; only returning to life near Smokey Mountain. Cloudsdale, of course, was missing from the scene. Appleloosa appeared to be somewhat rebuilt, but from that distance Shy could tell little. Los Pegasus was blocked by mountains covered in dead trees.

Shy examined the destruction closer, even turning to observe the mountain behind her. The mountainside was charred black in places, but was already chipping from the never-ending weather changes. Ponyville had not been blackened, only burnt… the meteor must have exploded right beside Canterlot, over Ponyville. So how did ponies from Canterlot survive?

She started pumping the hoofcar again. Canterlot was around a bend and through a tunnel, out of her sight. Though hunger was starting to slow her down, she was eager to see how a city closer to the initial blast had survived when one farther away had not.

The clouds began to close overhead to cast the world back into gloom. It’ll be dark soon; I’m running behind schedule… though she didn’t mind. Her body ached terribly. Shy hoped there’d be at least one bed not in a terrible state of disrepair.

Darkness overcame her and sound echoed again. The tunnel lasted only a few moments before she exited and began the final stretch towards Canterlot: the bridge. Made from the same magically-enhanced materials the rails were, the bridge had withstood the meteor’s blast completely.

A strange sound greeted her when she was halfway over the bridge. It sounded to her like the distant sound of rocks falling. A vision of the bridge’s miles of supports cracking under the sudden weight of her two carts bloomed in her mind.

Shy pumped the car as fast as she could. So focused was Shy on getting back to solid ground again that she did not notice the walls of Canterlot until she was within them. The wall could hardly be called such. It stood two ponies high and merely served as a railing of sorts against the cliff edging one side of the city.

All thoughts beyond survival faded away as Shy rolled into the Canterlot station. Her tired body fell from the hoofcar before it even came to a stop. Need to eat… need to get dry… Dragging herself up, Shy reached into the mine cart. She scooped up some food into her mouth along with a matchbox. Resisting the urge to swallow it all, she stumbled into the train station.

Toppled furnishings lay within. Overturned benches, upended plants, and broken glass around the ticket booths told of panicking ponies in a rush to escape. Shy wiggled out of her raincoat as fast as she could. It had done little to prevent her from becoming soaked, and her exertion getting up the mountain left her sweating. If she didn’t get dry soon she would likely freeze in the night.

After taking off her coat, Shy spat out the matchbox and started chewing the food she had. A quick glance told her the wooden benches would burn nicely. Her will to move was depleting fast so she hurried to drag an overturned bench to the center of the room. Next, she used the broken pottery that had once housed the plants to encircle the bench as best she could. Lastly she got the matchbox.

I hope the floor is fireproof…

Shy opened the box, took a match with her teeth, lit it, and tossed it onto the bench. The bench proved flammable and the floor protected. Exhausted, Shy crumpled to the floor outside the ring of pottery. Her last moments of consciousness were used to consume the remaining food in her mouth.

A screeching tore through the station. Shy kicked out and rolled into the burning ashes beside her. She screamed as they licked her skin. Half asleep, she bolted from the ashes into a bench and toppled tail over head.

The screeching slowly whined down till it stopped altogether. The pony slowly crawled away from the bench but couldn’t find the strength to rise. A red light high up on the wall slowly faded on and off. The sign beside it was labeled “fire alarm”.

Shy passed out once again.

The sound of birds chirping woke her. The station was lit around her from what the morning sun could squeeze through the cloud cover. It appeared in the same disarray as it had last night, with an added trail of ash leading from the center of the room to her. She recalled the fire alarm waking her in the middle of the night. It never went off before…

Shy shook her head and truly took a look around. Nothing within the station was burnt. In fact, beyond the chaotic mess around her, it appeared as if nothing had happened to warrant it. Her legs felt terrible but she fought through the pain and exited the station towards her hoofcar. The outer walls of the station were pristine. Not even a single crack ran through the glass.

The pony got more food while she considered this. She recalled that Ponyville had been founded and built by earth ponies while Canterlot by unicorns. It was not a stretch for her to consider the buildings in Canterlot magic-imbued, then, and so much sturdier against the elements. The meteor would have just washed over the city like so much rain… anypony inside would have been spared… Ponyville had been doomed by their natural ways. Even ponies inside had died when the windows shattered and the fire came for them.

But Canterlot had been saved by its hubris; its greed. The need for every unicorn to best one another had everypony no doubt scrambling at one point to magically fortify their homes. Shy could imagine such a contest happening long before the meteor showed up.

She turned from the station towards Canterlot and was proved right. Nearly every building she saw stood strong. A few were nothing more than rubble, however. Not everypony was privileged enough, it seems.

Blackness seeped into her vision. Shy shook her head and steadied herself. Her legs screamed at her to rest. “I can’t, not yet,” she said to no one. “Get the metal and tools and then we can leave.”

The constant pain in her legs slowly faded to a dull ache. Confused, Shy shook her head once more to make sure she wasn’t simply ill. A gentle touch in her mind reminded her that she wasn’t alone. Fluttershy had shouldered some of the pain. Shy just grunted her acknowledgment.

With another grunt she hopped onto the hoofcar. Her raincoat was had been muddied from her fall and practically useless anyway, so she left it inside. The tracks led deeper into Canterlot, all the way to the castle. There she hoped to find the supplies she needed to make her armor.

Another pain presented itself as Shy neared the castle. The stinging ashes had left small burns on her side where they touched. Contact with the rainwater began to hurt wherever the burns were.

“If it’s not one thing,” she huffed, “It’s a fucking other.”

Situated outside the castle gates, the castle station looked even better than the Canterlot station somehow. More money, more protection, Shy figured. She brought the hoofcar to a rest under the station’s awning. The pony slumped over the handle a moment to catch her breath.

“Do not move!”

Shy tensed up. The voice was the first male voice she had heard in years. It took her precious seconds to process that fact, and the owner of the voice took them. Light disappeared as a sack was thrown over her head. What felt like hands roughly removed her from the hoofcar and to her knees beside it.

Surprisingly, Shy felt calm. She felt something cold press against her neck. Death had come she decided. The death she had wanted had finally come. Though closing her eyes did nothing with the sack on her head, she felt it appropriate.

But death did not come. Hot breath washed over her cheek. “Are there others with you?” a gravelly voice asked.

The memories of long ago resurfaced within Shy. “Diamond dogs?” she said aloud.

Two male beings, one behind her holding the sack and the other in front of her, chuckled. “No, little pony. Though I’m sure you’ll wish we were.” The being in front of her moved away. Shy was hauled up by the sack. “She’s alone. Steel will interrogate her.” She felt a second hand grab the sack and pull. “Come, pony.”

The other hand holding her pulled the opposite direction. “Wait. What about the tower?” asked the second voice.

“What about it? This one is an earth pony. She can’t open it.”

“We’re right here, we should try it anyway. If we bring back something of value as well as the pony, Steel will be pleased.”

There were a few moments of silence as the first voice thought it over. “Alright.” Shy felt a hand leave the sack and the cold object at her neck move away. She was pulled in a direction and forced to walk.

Nothing the two had said made any sense to her. Instead of trying to interpret meaning, Shy focused on counting her steps. Fluttershy’s memory of the castle grounds was shaky as she had only been there on a few occasions before the meteor.

The station is to the south of the gate… we’re going into the castle, but there was no gate… ok, now we’re in the castle… now… back outside? Where are they taking me…? Back inside again-

Shy tripped as stairs were suddenly in front of her. One of the beings laughed and mocked her, “Watch your hooves!” They nearly dragged her up before she got her footing, the sack tightening around her neck painfully. She began to have second thoughts about dying just yet.

Not until I have a little payback…

The stairs wound up and up. Shy recalled that they had spoken of a tower. This must be it.

Her legs felt like jelly when they reached the top. Shy felt relief as the sack was taken off her head. The only light came from the window behind her. A massive door, one fit for an alicorn, was fixed into the wall. It depicted the cycles of the moon in a circle around its perimeter. In the center was an alicorn, but it was too dark within tower to make out any details. “Moons… Luna…”

One of the beings behind her grabbed a fistful of her mane and shook her head. Shy bit down the urge to cry out. “That’s right, little pony. This used to be Luna’s chambers before second sun day.” He yanked her head in the door’s direction. “Open it, now!”

Shy started to look behind her to get a look at her captures. The second one smacked her in the back of the head. “Eyes front or we’ll see if a dead pony can open it!”

Seething but powerless, Shy looked the door over. The handle had fallen off long ago. “There’s no handle. How am I supposed to open this?”

“Push it, foal,” replied one being.

“Why don’t you, dog?” she snapped back.

In a flash the cold metal was against her neck again. The being holding it leaned in close and breathed into her ear. “You’re getting on my nerves, pony. Open the door.”

But again, death didn’t scare her. Shy turned her head slowly and looked into the knife wielder’s face. It was as she thought: a diamond dog. But it wasn’t like the ones she had met with Rarity. There was no slack jaw, no dull look in his eyes, and his speech had almost none of the roughness of a diamond dog. Instead, he was almost handsome, his features more refined. He wore a dark red strip of cloth around his head, tied in the back, with a few black lines on it.

His eyes, however, held murder in them. He had killed before, of that Shy was certain.

What he saw in her eyes as she stared back must have told him she wasn’t afraid. He slowly moved the knife away. “Open it,” he said slowly, “and you can have a share of what’s inside.” The other dog started to protest and got a glare that quieted him. He turned back to Shy, “Now you get something, too.”

Shy snorted loudly. “How in the night am I supposed to open a door with no handle?” She lifted her front hooves and slammed them into the door.

And fell face first into the floor as the door opened easily. The not-diamond-dogs whooped and rushed past her into the room. Shy swore as she rose. “No, I’m fine, you bitches.” Her legs wobbled and she fell again. Great, she complained internally, I’m going to die without getting my revenge.

The inside of Luna’s chamber wasn’t as vast as Shy thought it would be. Two large windows on either side of the room let in the only light. A large purple and black pillow-bed made up the center of the room. Dressers and mirrors and other furniture a mare would want lined one wall. Star chart posters covered much of the wallpaper, some drawn on with red marker. Overhead, the celestial bodies turned, attached to a large mobile.

Though it looked more like a lair than a princess’s room, it left even Shy in awe. The dogs cared little for it, however, and were tearing through the furnishings in search of treasures. It was also the first time she got a good look at them as well. They wore some sort of thin, greenish-gray scale armor everywhere but their joints. Their heads were the only part of them uncovered. Knives were sheathed on their legs and some other, larger object was holstered at their hip. On their other hip were a few buttoned pouches.

Shy saw one pick up a large, pink object set in a necklace. The dog pulled out a small crystal and ran it over the jewel. Nothing happened. The dog grimaced and tossed the jewel over his shoulder towards where Shy lay.

The Element of Kindness landed a few hooves away from her nose.

A multitude of feelings welled up inside of Shy as Fluttershy realized what she saw. The other pony nearly took control and pounced on the element. At the last moment she retreated, choosing to keep up the current delusion over expanding it. Shy shook all over as her body came fully under her control again. Not… not my body… she reminded herself. As if I needed a reminder…

Still… Shy reached out with her front hooves. The element should have been cold like everything else there but the metal was oddly warm. She pushed it closer to her. Warmth seemed to expand from it and envelop her gently. Her muscles felt less tired and her mind sharper.

Shy clipped the jewelry on in one smooth motion. Regardless of which one of them was in control, the Element of Kindness responded. Its rejuvenating powers increased. Everything about her just seemed better, faster. For the first in a long time Shy felt well both inside and out. She felt Fluttershy calm down inside her mind as the element’s power washed over her as well.

Renewed strength allowed her to stand once again. The handsome dog noticed her movement. He pointed to the element. “You fancy that one? Take it. It’s worthless.” With his other hand he pulled what looked like a tube attached to a trigger out from a holster and aimed it at her. “But don’t think about going anywhere just yet.”

Memories surged. Shy flipped through every book Fluttershy had read. “A gun?”

The dog actually looked shocked. “I’m surprised you know what this is, little pony. Now, come over here where I can keep an eye on you.”

Shy stood her ground. Blue eyes began taking in every detail of the room around her.

“Come on, filly,” the dog said again. Annoyance crawled into his voice. “You want us to get rough again?”

“What do you need me for?” Not that I care… She was trying to buy time while looking for some sort of distraction.

“There are other doors locked with magic.” He pulled something back on the gun as he spoke. “And something under the throne seeping lots of magic. You’re going to get us it.” The second dog pulled his own gun but didn’t aim it.

Shy grit her teeth. “No.”

The dog aiming at her sighed. “That’s really a shame, little pony. But at least you got us in here.”

The ground started to shake, slow and steady. Everyone in the room froze. An increasingly louder sound came from outside. The dog not aiming at Shy went to the window. “I don’t see anything!”

From where she stood, Shy could somewhat see outside the same window. Suddenly, white blocked out the window. They all came to the same, instant conclusion.

Canterlot was situated far down from the peak of the mountain. And the mountaintop had gotten considerably more snow than it ever had before. Shy actually wondered why it hadn’t happened before now.

The mass of snow hit the city several hundred hooves from the castle grounds and kept rolling. Its journey caused the castle to quake harder and harder. Cracks spider-webbed along the floor and up the walls.

Glass flew into the face of the dog nearest the window as it shattered. He screamed out in confusion that distracted the other dog, giving Shy the moment she needed. She pushed herself backwards out the door in one hop. The dog instantly turned back to her and readjusted but with her second hop Shy was bursting down the stairs.

She could hear that outside the snow was getting closer and closer. If it hits the tower with me inside… Her legs pumped faster, sending her almost tumbling down the stairs. The sound of the dogs yelling behind her was long gone.

Before she knew it she was outside again. The snow was nearly to her. Shy took off inside in the direction she hoped she had come from. The dogs had taken her deep into the castle to get to the royal chamber. Once she was at the entrance hall she used her memories to take her back towards the gates. A loud crashing sound erupted behind her.

Outside again, Shy turned back the way she came. The tower was in the process of falling as the snow came to a stop. Rubble rained down into the powder, Luna’s belongings among them. Shy had no idea if the dogs had made it out in time.

But when the snow settled, not a soul could be seen.

“Steel really is the dumbest thing to make a door out of,” Shy groaned as she pushed open the royal blacksmith’s door. She had rushed to the armory first after her close encounter with the dogs but found it lacking in materials. It also seemed as if every piece of armor was missing save a few random pieces she tossed into the mine cart. It was her hope that the blacksmiths would have what she required.

The smith’s workshop had no windows or other light sources within. Shy cursed and opened the door as far as she could. There was just enough light for her to find what she wanted. “Metal, tools, formers, rivets… perfect… ”

She made several speedy trips to the mine car and back with her treasure. It’s a shame I can’t make the armor here, she lamented. Inside she knew Ponyville required her care, and she the food it supplied, too much for her to stay in Canterlot. And I don’t want to run into anymore cursed dogs.

Surprisingly, the Element of Kindness never once got in her way as she carried the materials. It felt like a piece of her, her body instinctively adjusting to it like an extra appendage. She wondered if Fluttershy had a hand in it but the other mare was quiet; small.

The ropes holding the tarp to the mine cart were coming loose as she stuffed the cart with more materials. Shy knelt down in the mud and tied it tighter. Cursing, she stood and looked to the side.

A shadow bolted around a house far down from the station.

Cursing louder, Shy double-checked the mine cart. “God damn dogs!” she yelled and kicked the metal switch on the hoofcar that controlled which direction it would move in. “You want me? Come get me!” She scrambled onto the hoofcar and pumped.

Something whizzed past her ear and rang off the mine cart as it hit it. “Try harder!” she taunted. Her taunt was answered with more bullets. They flew past her, colliding with the mine cart, signs, and other objects around her but never hitting her. The element kept feeding her strength even while she expended it moving the much heavier mine cart. It allowed her to travel through Canterlot in half the time it had taken previously.

The bridge was just ahead. Shy couldn’t stop laughing. The sound of the tracks changed, the ground under them turning from gravel to stone. Her laughter almost made her miss a voice yelling behind her, “Not at the bridge, you idiot!”

An explosion rocked her forward over the hoofcar’s handle. Both mine cart and hoofcar lifted up and slammed back down onto the tracks. The hoofcar’s handle rammed into Shy’s midsection, knocking the breath from her. She coughed and tried to refill her lungs with air.

There was more yelling behind her. I don’t have time for this! Lungs half ready, Shy tried to keep her momentum going by restarting her pumping. The tunnel between Canterlot and the mountain entrance loomed ahead.

Before she entered it, Shy glanced behind her. Some kind of weapon had blown up a section of the bridge. A small group of the diamond dog look-a-likes stood arguing on the opposite side. One stood at the very edge looking right at her.

The carts and pony rolled into the dark tunnel and were gone.

The tunnel ran just long enough to obscure the pony from his sight. Steel raised his paw to pick a piece of meat from his teeth. They need to cook the bat longer next time, he thought. The piece of meat became unstuck, his tongue navigating around his small fang to scoop it up so he could eat it.

The iron dog turned from the broken bridge to his iron dog subordinates. The four of them stood around the disarmed guard dog. His diamond launcher had been taken by one of the others. Steel beckoned him over with the paw he had used to pick his teeth. Eyes down, the guard dog complied.

Guard dogs were selected because of their size and strength, and this one was no exception. He stood almost a head taller than Steel and was given nothing but a helmet and spear. Iron dogs, however, were selected because of their sharp minds. The guard dog had been given heavy iron dog weaponry to carry while outside the mountain.

And he had used it without permission.

Steel reached out, grabbed the guard dog by the scruff of his neck, and leaned him over the edge of the destroyed bridge. The gap was too far for the guard dog to reach so his arms pin-wheeled useless in the air. Steel shook the other dog till he stilled, then leaned in close. “You destroyed our only means out of this city. I should kill you for that.”

Tears ran down the guard dog’s face. “Please, ‘ir, I did’t-”

“What you didn’t do was listen to my orders,” Steel said calmly. The guard dog continued to plead for his life, Steel’s grip the only thing stopping him from toppling to his death. Finally Steel pulled the other dog back. He fell onto his backside and quieted, breathing heavily.

Steel bent his knees and looked into the guard dog’s eyes. “You’re no longer a guard dog. From now on you are a build dog. Your new goal in life is to repair this bridge. Do you understand?” The dog started to nod but Steel grabbed his helmet. The iron dog tossed the symbol of the other dog’s previous office off the side of the bridge. “We’ll find you a helmet more fitting of your new status.”

Rain dripped down from Steel’s black headband in front of his eyes. He sighed as he rose. I hate this place. “Hold him down.” The two closest iron dogs pounced and held the now-build-dog’s body flat to the ground, face down. Steel reached into one of his pouches and pulled out two long crystals. A good portion of them were red but one end was enclosed in a metal. Steel took a crystal in each hand, gripping the metal portions. “Did you know that in pony society you get a mark on your hind that tells you what you’re going to do with your life?”

The build dog struggled. “Please! I build! I build all life!”

“Yes, you will.” Steel knelt and slashed at the ground with the crystals. The red sections burst into flames. “Because that is your new purpose in life.” He brought the crystals down parallel to one another and pressed them into one of the build dog’s hind cheek. The dog screamed. His gray fur and skin beneath singed to black. Steel moved the crystals away and drew four lines through one to the other. “Train tracks.”

All the build dog could do was shake in pain. He sobbed into the muddied track.

Steel slashed the crystals against the ground again and the fire went out. They were smaller than before. He stashed them back where he produced them from. He leaned down to the build dog’s ear. “Now you’ll always remember what you’re supposed to do.”

Shy watched the scene from the darkness of the tunnel entrance. The dog with the black headband was followed by the ones with the red headbands back into Canterlot. The one they had marked laid still on the ground.

What if another one of those things appears? Or something worse?

At least there’s only one track.

Slowly, Shy backed away from the entrance to the tunnel into the deeper darkness. She had found something worse than the monster.

And she would have to face it eventually.

The mine cart grew heavier ahead of her. The element is weakening; she knew but didn’t know why. Maybe it only lasts so long. Sunset forced the rain clouds orange. Shy took a last look at a fourth of Equestria while she could.

As the mountain entrance approached, Shy slowed her working of the hoofcar and allowed herself to coast in. Her plan to get down the mountain had been simple: do nothing. The mine cart would gain momentum and pull her along all the way home if she was lucky.

Things went so smoothly Shy almost fell asleep. There was still some sunlight in the sky by the time she barreled out of the mountain.

By nightfall she saw the outskirts of Ponyville. An hour later she was stumbling into the town’s train station, the Element of Kindness’s rejuvenating power completely gone. Fluttershy tried to talk to her but Shy found her world fading to black.

Good thing all the fire alarms here are broken…