CHAPTER 2

“Catacombs”

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I had always wondered what darkness was. Was it the absence of light? Or was it a separate entity, that can't exist in the presence of light?

I guess it's stuff like this that shows up and creeps you the hell out when you are in near pitch black darkness, that and whether or not Ghosts and monsters exist.

After several minutes of darkness I managed to finally get 2 chemlights out and snap them until they glowed.

We could see a vaguely for roughly 2 metres before our weak source of light faded into the darkness.

“Dark as hell down here” Fable said stating the obvious

I rolled my eyes and looked around.

These sewers were not your typical sewers, they were for the most part very spacious and to my pleasant surprise, didn’t smell as bad as I thought it would.

I figured it was time to get moving, I took a step toward the darkness, then another, and another.

Before I knew it I was walking.

Fable kept close looking around more curious than terrified.

The tunnel continued in a straight line for what felt like hours, but there was no timekeeping down there obviously so for all I know it could have been 10 minutes.

Of course another side effect of being stuck in a dark and featureless hallway, sensory deprivation.

There was simply nothing to hear, nothing to see, nothing at all and it's probably because of that, that I started seeing things, hearing things.

The wind whispered to me, as it lightly brushed my ears.

“fires“

I pricked my ears up and searched for the voice I swear I heard echoing in my ears”

“even she can’t stop them”

My heart pumped faster and faster, my eyes scanning furiously for anything that could be causing me to hear voices.

“she is powerless”

My mouth grew as dry as a bone, I breathed heavily and sweated furiously in fear.

“repeat”

I coughed in order to hide a whimper of fear, a ghostly image appeared from the corner of the darkness, a Zebra, with long hair stripped like her coat, several rings around her neck. she smiled at me caringly

“repeat”

My limbs trembled as the ghost’s eyes turned into black voids.

“REPEAT”

I stomped my foot at the Zebra “SHUT UP!” I screamed as loud as I could. The ghost disappeared and the voices stopped.

Fable looked at me like I was insane “What in Equestria is wrong with you?!” she yelled.

I panted and choked as I held back tears of fear.

“Nothing Fable, just haven’t gotten much sleep lately” I said trying not to to frighten my sibling

She looked at me like I just said we were on the surface of the moon.

“Seriously? My ass that was nothing!” yelled as she stared into my eyes.

I looked at her angrily “I’m...hearing things Fable, I need to get outside before I go insane!” I said forcing myself from her gaze and continuing on our walk.

My sister sighed and continued remaining silent for a majority of our walk.

* * * * * *

We reached a fork, and had to stop dead, there was a guard patrol in the tunnel with the Freedom Stripes flag in it.

The group milled around as they waited for orders from a tall and slender Pegasus stallion who stared intently at a map in his hooves.

This particular stallion had a brilliant white coat and the shortest and most well looked after burgundy mane I have ever seen.

He has sapphire blue eyes that held an ocean of calm strength and bravery to them, framed by a set of small black square reading glasses.

Unlike the normal black and dark orange combat armor that his squad wore, he wore a set of nearly pristine charcoal black combat armor that had elegant golden trims decorating the edges.

A short black cape was draped over his right shoulder. Everything about this pony breathed authority, and I was genuinely intimidated by his mere presence

After a few moments of staring I finally recognised him.

Commander Coal

He was the son of Lady Sky Spring, the board member for the pegasai.

Allow me to explain.

Our government is made up of 3 representatives who govern the entire nation from what is known as ‘The Boardroom’

The unicorn representative is one Sir Prairie Dog, he is in charge of the economy and trading.

The Earth Pony Representative is Lord Hunter, he runs the actual government part, laws and rules

Finally there is Lady Sky Spring, the representative of the Pegasai, She is in charge of the military, she was apparently a Commodore in the Enclave, according to Whiskey Shot, she was in pretty much every single skirmish of the Enclave War, from Friendship City to The Battle of Fillydelphia, she was there commanding troops and ships, apparently she was damn good and if it weren’t for the Enclave being brutalised into submission she was set to become the Admiral of the entire Enclave Fleet when the current one retired.

I could only imagine her son holds the same irrefutable talent for strategy as she does, bloodlines tend to work that way.

We had no other choice but to take the other tunnel, it appeared to run alongside the one we were supposed to take which leads me to believe it will relink with it again.

I theory...

I hope.

We carefully snuck around the tunnel and walked down the other, slowly making our way around them in order to remain hidden from view.

After we slowly continued a safe enough distance up the tunnel before I considered walking fast again.

But again, nothing is allowed to go as planned in my world.

2 troopers came around the corner, the two mares seemed more interested in talking than actually looking for us.

But still if we didn't get out of their way, they would see us, easy, and of course, raise the alarm.

The only place was a small hole in the wall to our right.

I told Fable to get in and I would follow after once she had done so.

We crawled into the space. It actually just kept going, like a tunnel had been dug by something that was attempting to gain access to these sewers.

We decided to keep going further and further down the cramped and dark shaft until it took us whoever it was headed.

At the entrance to our place of hiding the sound of the two guards walking by echoed down our hole.

Luckily we weren't found and after a hefty sigh we continued scooting slowly down this seemingly endless shaft.

We were getting really far off the beaten trail, I hoped we could navigate our way back to the hole once those guards go away.

Eventually (and finally) the shaft ended abruptly with a very wide and very tall tunnel crafted with masoned stones and forged flagstones.

There was no way this tunnel was built recently. This artwork suggest hundreds of years ago, maybe even hundreds of years before the war.

We walked for a minute down the dark and musty hallways, awe inspired by the depictions of art, carved into the walls, artwork of ponies celebrating, ponies fighting dragons and monsters, even griffins and winning, defending their homes from the world.

Then the next wall, it had the same world carved in the one before but now it looked like snow was on the buildings and the ponies, dead bodies and sorrow.

The next wall, the ponies are driving apart by the snow in separate corners of a triangle, looking upon each opposing corner with ire and angst, pegasai on top, the unicorns on the left and the Earth ponies on the right.

Then the next wall, a scene of a gruesome battle, swords flug high, lances of magic piercing from the sky and punching into the ground, carving the earth into glass, pegasus shooting fiery arrows from extravagant bows and they fly over their targets.

It was war, ponies killing other ponies, after looking closely the snow was even more intense here, I had to put the pieces together in my head, there was happiness, then the snow, and then the war.

Why had the snow started a war? There’s snow everywhere in Northern Equestria.

I moved back to the pane with the sad ponies and the snow, I looked carefully, I saw farms that laid bare as their farmers cried.

The snow had killed the food, the ponies began to starve and with the need to survive pushing the boundaries of desperation, the three races went to war to survive.

I sat quietly and remembered the small history I had been given, how The Great War started.

Ponies needed coal to feed the ever expanding society they had built around the resource, in exchange they traded with the Zebra’s trading the abundance of gems Equestria had for the abundance of coal the Zebra’s had, the Zebra’s building their entire society around magical gems.

A flawless machine of trade.

Then greed, somepony wanted more for less, a wrench in the gears and the machine grinds to a halt. Embargoes and tariffs, societal unrest as resources run dry.

Aggravation.

Desperation.

War.

The Great War was a repeat of the war on this wall here, had that been what the ghost was talking about?

Warning me us that another war was approaching and not even the princesses could stop it?

Creepy.

“What the hell is this place?” Fable questioned as she poked around at the various walls with her hoof, examining them by touch.

That was a fair question, I moved to the next wall and saw another pane of carved stone.

Upon this wall was ponies retreating into the underground, from a ruined world, as they hid from the snow, building homes and warmth in catacombs and networks of tunnels, not just 1 race, all races retreating from the snow, into the bowels of the earth.

What did this mean?

“Oh my gosh...Nimbus, come and look at this”

I raised my brow and followed my sister who had wandered further ahead to a platform that hung over a large cavern.

Standing beside her, I saw what she wanted me to see.

Nothing less then a city, laid before us.

Buildings as much as 5 stories high, made of stone, brick and wood scattered around a massive cavern.

“This...this is a” Fable whispered

“Stable, an ancient Stable, to escape the winter” I replied

It was huge, it must have been bustling with ponies in its hay day, now it just laid dust covered and abandoned.

“The winter destroyed the surface, so they ran and built a life beneath the earth until the winter ended, this is incredible” I said admiring the tallest building in the cavern, a large almost castle like structure.

“How many of these things were built do you think?” Fable asked

“This may be the only one, but who knows maybe there is more?”

I noticed a large and wide ramp leading straight upwards, I decided that was our best bet.

I waved my sister to me as I continued down this platforms ramp and into the Somber city beneath us.

All around the buildings surrounded us, abandoned, left behind once the warmth returned to Equestria and its citizens left for the surface.

Small masoned bowls were placed strategically along the streets, within them all was pieces of charcoal, still remaining from the last time the fires within them burned, to offer warmth and light was my only theory.

It was unsettling, I can only say that, nothing else would do it justice, it was just...haunting.

“This looks like a general store” Fable noted as she pressed her face to the glass window that amazingly remained intact after all these years of neglect.

I walked to her side and joined her as she inspected the contents within the store.

Baskets that once contained what I can only assume was fruit and vegetables, but now contained nothing but a strange mass of mould and moss laid along several counters and tables.

Something caught my attention, 2 glimmering length of steel sat on a rack at the back.

Tempted by my own curiosity I opened the cold rotting door and stepped in. The store smelled like dust and mould, a building long neglected by its owner.

I approached the lengths of cold steel, upon closer inspection I realised they were in fact multiple layers of steel.

I brought one of the two steel objects to my level and fiddled with it in my hooves.

The layers unfolded mechanically yet remained linked at their bases folding out like a V. I noticed the main piece was edged like a blade, the dull razor sharp edge looked painfully sharp to just look at.

I shrugged to myself and folded the layers up and placed them in the tight gap between my body and my vest, they sat snugly.

I had no idea what the damn things were but i figured they could be sold for a tidy sum, pure metal is worth a lot more than that recycled junk.

My sister was admiring the faded and nearly worn away paintings, after tapping her shoulder she followed me out the door and back onto the street as we continued to the large ramp that I assumed was an exit.

More and more stores and homes passed us as we walked slowly down the flagstone street.

“Nimbus, look over here!” Fable called as she ran to another store.

I rolled my eyes and followed my energetic sibling, it warmed my heart to see her running enthusiastically, I felt pride for myself for saving her life.

I stood beside my sister, it was a clothing store, many items on the manikins were nothing but black scraps of material but one particular dress was still waiting peacefully on a manikin nearly untouched by the years, I couldn’t even imagine the level of craftsmanship to create something that would last thousands of years with nearly no decomposure.

“That dress, it’s beautiful!” she squeaked, nearly on cue she burst through the door to recover her find.

I followed her in smiling as she undressed the mankien and got changed from her usual tunic into the beautiful green dress.

It was a mossy green and frilly dress that was actually surprisingly short, more so like a skirt than a dress.

I rolled my eyes when she smiled at me as she flaunted her figure playfully clearly happy her new item of clothing.

“Remember when you called me a ‘typical colt’ when I got excited by that squadron of fighter pegasi that flew over the city?” I laughed as I looked around the store at the other items of clothing still in decent condition.

“Now its my turn, I have never seen a mare so excited by a dress, you are such a typical filly!” I said in a high pitched nagging voice.

Fable laughed at me “Whatever, you’re just jealous because you wished you looked this good in a dress”

she said purposely swishing the dress left and right whilst she admired it.

“Come on, I really don’t want to stay in these caverns for too long I need some fresh air”

Fable nodded as we left the store.

Once again we returned to the flagstone street of this curious underground city.

This place probably had a considerable amount of loot still left within its boundaries, maybe I’ll sell its location to somepony in Trotsvok and buy me and Fable a nice home.

The ramp was now right before us and we slowly climbed the incline.

The air was getting thicker, filling with smoke and becoming increasingly difficult to breathe in, something was polluting the air in this next room.

We reached the top of the incline, before me was a magnificent, yet somber sight.

A room, a perfect dome stretched before us, perhaps just as large as the underground city.

In the dim light I could just make out the outline of a leviathan mural drawn on the roof.

I could barely see it, but i could just make out the shapes of 6 symbols each within its own orb, above it was a drawing of the sun and beside the sun was the moon. below was a large green expanse with ponies and cities, trees, animals and plants All living together in harmony.

The room was a memorial room, to remind the ponies of this underground city of the world they had left behind and that they hoped they would return to.

Something rumbled, the room shook lightly, dust flickering from the roof.

A shape, a huge shape shifted its position in the centre of the room.

I couldn't see it, but it was massive red mound.

“What in Celestia’s will is that!” Fable said as she squinted at the object.

Part of me wished she had said that quieter.

Two glowing topaz eyes fluttered open.

Good goddess the eyes were nearly twice my size.

The creature stretched out, unfolding its massive self and stretching out as it stood on two legs.

A fucking dragon.

It’s crimson serpentine head frilled by green scales looked down confusingly at us.

Don’t think I explained it good enough, this thing was enormous, It looked like it could touch the roof.

The creature lowered down to four legs and stretched its head toward us, the beasts head stopping a mere metre away from us.

Its head was the size of a damn building!

The leviathan opened its maw, I expected to be eaten but instead of a horrific chomping death all I heard was it say “Ponies?”

The Dragon’s voice was deep and old yet contained and educated, like his tone had a certain wise charm to it.

The beast sounded astonished “I have not seen your kind in in a very long time”

“You’re not going to eat us are you?” my sister asked calmly a hint of fear behind her voice

The thing chuckled “Please, look at you two, do you really think you would be able to sustain me? I would most likely burn more calories digesting you both then I would gain from you”

That was a relief.

The dragon pulled its head back slightly “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Melancholy, and who may you two be?”

My sister clearly exhibiting more courage than me spoke up “I am Fable and this is my brother Nimbus”

“I see, where do you two hail from little ones, your accent says...northern Equestria?” He asked his colossal body reclining as his neck and head remained motionless.

“New Stalliongrad, actually not far from you, pretty much right above this place” I perked up.

Melancholy raised his brow “New...Stalliongrad? What happened to the old one?”

Now It was my turn to look confused. “It was...destroyed” I said confusingly

“My goodness, by what?” He asked

I looked at him deadpan “The bombs?” I replied

“The what? what in Equestria are you talking about?”

It was nearly tragic, this seemingly wise old Dragon was completely unaware of the war, the exchange.

“What’s the last thing about the surface you remember?” Fable asked quietly

“Well the last thing I remember was being kicked out of my nice cosy mountain cave by six  mares, they all tried getting me out,  one even kicked me in the jaw nearly broke it, of course when I go out to confront them this little yellow one yells at me like it’s my  fault, so then I flew here found this tunnel and settled down in it”

I tapped my chin and sighed “It’s a long story but the short version is that there was a war, a pretty big one between Equestria and the Zebra’s, the fighting was really intense and the entire planet was destroyed when we figured out how to make weapons that could destroy entire cities”

Melancholy looked very distressed “My goodness this is terrible, how can I help fix things?” He cried as he shuffled his enormous feet.

“Melancholy...?” Fable said quietly.

The dragon stopped his movement and looked down at my sister hints of sorrow in his large topaz eyes.

“The...war...ended over two hundred years ago” she continued quietly

Melancholy’s lip trembled I even saw a tear before he wiped his eyes with his hand.

I am probably the only pony in history that has seen a full grown dragon cry.

Fable touched and stroked his scaly face “I’m so sorry Melancholy, did you have family before the war?”

Melancholy smiled at Fable’s act of kindness before frowning once more “Yes, I had a son and a mate, I went out hoarding for a year so I could return to my family with a bountiful sum of gems and gold, but I guess I overslept, huh?”  He chuckled lightly. Not from humor, from uncomfort and loss.

It was breaking my heart seeing this, I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to wake up one day and have two random strangers tell you that your family is dead and the world you once knew is gone forever.

We waited in silence for a few moments as Melancholy composed himself and thought about something.

“I have to get outside, get a look at this new world I...can’t stay here, I need to know how I can help ponies and fix things, but first I must see this new world” The dragon said sorrow still evident in his voice.

“Nimbus, Fable? You have come this far and helped me, maybe you are willing to go a little further?”  He said sternly

Fable nodded “Anything we can do to help Melancholy”

The dragon pointed back toward the ramp we had climbed to get into this room “Back in the city area of these catacombs is my hoard, I’ve collect a great sum of treasures for my hoard through the many years when I used to be small enough to loot the buildings”  

He sighed “In the stash is a gem, that is very special to me, it was a gift from my son when he was just a chick, it’s an emerald about the size of your head, it’s shaped sort of like a water droplet, I would go get it myself but I am afraid I can no longer fit through those tunnels at my age”  He laughed lightly

“If you get me it you can take as much as you can carry from my hoard, just as long as I get to keep the emerald”  He looked at us sadly

“Of course we will get it for you Melancholy, you can count on us” Fable said caringly.

Melancholy let out a small smile “Thank you both...so much I can’t even begin to tell you how much that emerald means to me”  he sighed quietly “The hoard is in a courtyard just behind that big building that looks like a castle”

Fable nodded at me sternly and turned back to Melancholy “We will be right back, with your emerald Melancholy”

My sister slowly walked back down the ramp and after a nod to Melancholy I followed after her.

* * * * * *

We once again emerged from the ramp back into the streets of the city.

I looked left and right until I saw a castle on the other side of the damn cavern.

We trotted carefully toward the location of the hoard, through the twisting and abandoned streets.

The upside was an excuse to loot the buildings again, however I seriously doubted we'd luck out anymore than a shiny set of metal blades and a dress.

I still looked left and right at the various stores anyway for the off chance we find something useful. We lucked out, I saw an alchemist, several potions still glowed from the window.

I pushed the stiff wooden door open and stepped inside, the store, picking through the ancient potions, looking for healing potions.

My only guess were the ones with the heart drawn on them.

I collected the three marked with hearts and stuffed them between my vest and body.

I really needed to find a saddlebag when we finally got aboveground.  

We stepped outside once more and looked around for more stores to loot.

There wasn't really a lot to choose from, there was a jewelers, but we thought it would get pretty redundant if we were headed to a courtyard filled with jewels.

The castle was now only a few blocks away, you could practically see into the windows.

Once we trotted around the corner a large ravine separated us and the courtyard, and a few other various things.

A few ponies, at least 4, they were dirty and covered in patchwork armor, crossed back and forth on a makeshift bridge over the ravine, they carried large baskets that were tied to their back, filled with gold and gems.

“Those are...raiders” Fable whispered

I nodded in agreement.

There was no way I was putting my younger in the risk of raiders, not a chance.

“Fable, it’s too dangerous for you, go back to Melancholy, I’ll get the gem” I whispered holding her shoulders and looking her in the eye.

“No way, we’re in this together Nimbus” she said to me sternly.

“Like hell you are, Fable, you have heard the same stuff as me about raiders, you know what they are capable of, and there is no way in hell I’m putting you in that kind of danger”

Fable opened her mouth to object before closing it and nodding “Please be careful”

I hugged my sister tightly “I will, now please, wait with Melancholy, I'll be there soon”

She nodded and began to walk back to the ramp to get back into the memorial room.

I pulled the 9mm from the box and slammed a magazine into place, flicking off the safety.

Time to learn how to shoot.

* * * * * *

I snuck closer to the bridge, trying my best to remain quiet and stay hidden as I did so, I finally got within Earshot of the biggest one there, a large Unicorn mare, she looked like she was in charge.

The next largest one ‘an earth pony buck’ walked back clutching his back and gritting his teeth.

“Goddess damn Carpenter, my back aches like a bitch, remind me why we can’t go buy some slaves to do this for us?” the buck groaned as he rubbed his back.

‘Carpenter’ backhanded the buck across the face “Because, you stupid wretch, it’s hard enough for Rusty

to move these carts of gold out of the area without the patrols noticing. Having a bunch of whiny slaves with them would just increase the likelihood of them being caught, we can’t risk being caught, you know just as well as I do how they treat Raiders in this fucked up country” Carpenter snorted to the buck.

She was right to be afraid, being caught raiding in the NSS was just about the worst thing that could happen to you.

They chained you up marched you into the city and through the streets right to the fort, in front of everyone, the guards were supposed to keep you alive until your real punishment but more often than not they turned a blind eye and let the public do as they please, you were berated, insulted and shunned on your long walk to the fort.

When you got to the fort the commanding officer ‘usually Commander Coal as he is the highest rank next his mother being the General’ decided your punishment.

Depending on the level of raiding your group is guilty of you were punished usually more to humiliate you rather than imprison or execute, if you were just highway raiders you were put in the stocks and publicly humiliated, again the guards had to make sure it didn’t get too serious but like I said more often than not they turned a blind eye and let a rock be thrown once in awhile.

If you were a much more notorious gang, you were punished much worse.

It could range anywhere from being shaved to having limbs removed, if you were really unlucky you were given the ‘Lazy Sunday’ Punishment.

If you were a stallion, you were nudiered in public, no anesthesia, only the medicine to keep you awake and alive.

If you were a mare you were chained to a wall in the male bathhouses and left there as the bucks did as they pleased.

I know it sounds cruel, but you have to understand, Raiders have been pillaging, attacking and terrorising the wastes for two hundred years, ponies really didn’t like raiders and now that innocent ponies had the upper hoof they struck back at the raiders really hard and these kinds of punishments were considered acceptable.

The bucks who did go to the bath houses weren’t frowned upon, it was socially acceptable, as normal as going down to the pub to get a drink. Except instead of popping off to the pub with your mates after work or class you went to the bathhouses.

I had once nearly been tempted to join in with a bunch of other workers at one of my random jobs. They invited me to join them on a ‘Trip to the Bathhouse to meet the new mares’ as a way to celebrate one of the worker’s birthday, they nearly convinced me too but I was exhausted so I declined and went home to bed. I couldn’t have been any older than 14 at the time.

Despite how awful it was, it worked.

Raiding was nearly extinct within the borders of the NSS, give or take the few stubborn groups such as this one who still remained.

It was groups like this, who thought they could gallop under the radars and beat the system that made the act of ‘Meeting the new mares’ possible.

“Ah, I ‘spose thats a good reason, but still one more load and I’m getting a beer”

Carpenter sighed “Fine, but not for too long Rusty’ll have me head if we don’t get enough of these loads out tonight”

The buck walked off and Carpenter was left alone.

Carpenter kicked back on a wooden chair and hummed for a little as she rested her eyes. I took the time to get even closer, I could see the hoard, it was huge!

It was probably just as big as Melancholy, and enormous pile of shimmering gold and silver with the occasional flicker of a gem within it. I couldn’t see the Emerald though, just before I was about to give up and go back Carpenter spoke again.

“Oh yeah, you big beautiful rock, you’re gonna buy ol’ Carpenter a brand new Anti Material Rifle”

Of course, I mean what else was I expecting?

Carpenter held the large droplet shaped emerald in her hooves smiling devilishly, the look of pride for finding something like that was in her eyes.

“Fuck, fuck fuck...” I said under my breath complaining about this turn of events to the god who was probably too busy playing chess with the damn lightbringer to hear me.

I was offered a small window of opportunity to get pretty much right behind her, whilst Carpenter was busy looking at the other raiders struggling to get a larger piece of gold out from the pile.

“This is crazy, this is crazy, this, is, crazy” I launched out of my cover and ran as quietly behind Carpenter’s chair.

The Emerald was right there, just sitting in her saddlebag, I could grab it and run before she even looked back.

I slowly reached my wing out to grasp it but just as I could feel it’s cool glassy surface brush my wingtip, Carpenter reached down and grabbed her bags and walked toward a building that looked like it had been converted into their camp.

I swore under my breath and quietly followed the mare toward their residence, making sure I kept quiet as I did so.

I stuck behind her, as soon as she opened the door and stepped in I leapt through the door in an act of agility that surprised even me.

I was inside the invitingly warm building, despite its cosy atmosphere, crude and vulgar graffiti violated the ancient walls, I won't go into detail but they involved Celestia or The Lightbringer, and a lot of stallions.

Okay that was too much, now I need to bleach my eyes.

I tore my eyes from the walls long enough to see Carpenter, drop her bag and walk into what I assumed was some sort of latrine.

My heart jumped nearly as fast as I did as I quietly jumped for the emerald.

I snared it in my hooves and placed it on my back clamping it down with my wings.

I sighed and made a rush for the door, flinging it wide open and rushing away toward the ramp.

"What the fuck? You stop before I pump your ass full of lead!"

Shit, now I really had to run, my only hope was that when these raiders see a dragon the size of a city block they will back off.

A gun cracked and a bullet whizzed by my ear.

I heard a door slam and a mare roar "You thieving piece of shit! Gimme back my Emerald!"

I yelped and forced my legs to move faster, it was like a cane was striking my lungs repeatedly but somehow I ignored it and kept running.

I screamed in agony when I felt a bullet slam into my flank, sending jolts of teeth shattering pain through my body.

It felt like somepony had a length of white hot barbed wire and was slowly feeding it through my wound each time my hoof touched the ground.

Yet I kept running.

I galloped onto the main street, the ramp increasing in length as I slowly made my way to it.

More bullets whizzed by my head as I kept running, each whistle that buzzed past my ear was a reminder of what was behind me.

I bounded my way onto the ramp and in a final burst of energy forced myself to run the whole time up it's incline.

I screamed once more as another bullet impacted with my body, this time in my upper back leg.

I finally reached the top, Melancholy and Fable looked at me horrifyingly as they saw my wounds.

"Get back from the ramp" I shouted to my sister.

I ran to the the point that I was feet away from Melancholy's huge body.

The dragon growled as he looked toward the door.

The raiders came roaring over the top and nearly froze completely silent as they eyes the huge beast before them.

"You ponies got a lot of guts rummaging through my hoard without my permission” Melancholy growled as he snaked his neck and head toward the group before growling again.

The Dragon opened its huge mouth and shot a huge plume of fire from its maw.

The 4 raiders screamed as they were nearly instantly killed by the intense heat.

It was horrifying, yet I couldn’t look away. I just stood there awestruck by witnessing 4 ponies being cooked alive.

I sighed and fell back on my haunches in relief, that was not fun and I do not want that to happen again.

"Nimbus! You've been shot, what the hell happened out there?" Fable yelled as she ran to my side.

I waved my hoof to calm her "It's okay, I was just hit a few times, we have potions don't worry"

"Now Melancholy, I have what you requested"

I yanked the emerald from under my wings and held it in my hooves as the dragon smiled warmly and grasped the emerald (which he was massive compared to) and just looked at it.

"You know...I wasn't always this big, I was actually quite small for my age back when my son was born, but dragons don't stop growing, especially if I am apparently over 300 years old..."

He laughed uncomfortably.

“The exit is up that tunnel, I would join you but I have a few...personal things to attend to first, In private...” Melancholy murmured quietly. Well as quietly as a dragon can.

I nodded and lead Fable out of the room, she reluctantly agreeing to do so.

As I walked up the tunnel to our freedom, I heard Melancholy call.

“Nimbus?”

I poked my head back in to face him.

“I owe you a favor, anytime you need something, find me, and I’ll help you out, no matter what it is” Melancholy said as he stared at the emerald flicking between his talons.

“Thank you Melancholy, I trust this will not be our last meeting?”

   “Not a chance my friend, we’ll meet again someday, perhaps soon but now I must prepare for what I may see up there, thank you again”

I nodded and followed my sister up the ramp, slowly making our way toward the faint light that beckoned us at the end of the tunnel.

* * * * * * *

We exited the catacombs in an interesting area, behind a waterfall that had frozen over and locked us in the small gap behind it.

“Well, now what?” Fable questioned as she tapped the waterfall to test its strength.

I shrugged, rolling my shoulder as I prepared to slam my hoof into the icy wall before us.

I slammed my foreleg as hard as I could against its surface, the wall of ice shuddered and cracked before coming down in an avalanche of ice and ice cold water.

After shrugging to my sister I dived into the (really) cold river and swam out into the physical stream and floated for a moment before wading my way the the shore.

I sat quietly shivering as I waited for Fable to jump into the stream and meet me out here.

I slid one of the potions out and sculled the whole flask into my mouth.

My lungs felt like they were being squeezed, and in one single agonising moment I coughed so violently blood came trickling out of my mouth.

When I regained composure I looked at my wounds, they had healed. I guess potions weren’t as subtle or as clean back then.

I saw the cream yellow shape of Fable rear its head from the water and squeak as she crawled to the side of the river, her new dress flopping like a wet rag as she shivered up the riverbank to my side.

“This sucks, when we get to Rhinestone’s place, you’re doing the ironing” she said shaking furiously in an attempt to dry off.

It was just barely morning out here, just enough to make out shapes and features, not enough to see anything closer than a few metre’s

It was cold too, to be fair that probably had a lot to do with the fact that we were soaked to the bone.

I started walking, Fable following quietly behind, my destination was a road, a house heck a sign that could tell me where the hell I was would have been helpful.

We climbed through the forests and bushlands, coming out on a snow covered dirt road.

“So, which way to Trotsvok” Fable asked yawning quietly as she looked down both ends of the road.

I shrugged and thought about it for a moment “I don’t know, it’s West I think, didn’t you say you knew compass points from the...”

“NIMBUS LOOK OUT!”

A heavy wooden object struck my face with great force sending me sprawling across the ground and knocking me unconscious.

And this, is of course when my story really began.

LEVEL UP: WELCOME TO LEVEL 2!

PERK ADDED: Hidden from the sky.

You have spent a considerable amount of time beneath the ground and because of such you get +1 Perception when you are in an enclosed area.

ABILITY GAINED: Melancholy’s Favor.

The enormous dragon Melancholy has promised you a favor!

“ THANKS a bunch for coming back and continuing to read my story! Please stay tuned for the next installment!

DARCYSUPREMEST.