"We're almost there." Luna said to the group. They had been traveling for about two hours straight since they left.

"Good. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo need to rest. They're exhausted." Rainbow Dash said.

"How's Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"She's still unconscious, but she's alive." Luna replied.

"Will the guards be there when we get there?" Fluttershy asked.

"One of them will be. We can't stay long for both of them to arrive. They know that if we are not there that they need to move to Canterlot. They need as many guards there as they can." she replied.

"How far from Canterlot are we Princess?" Rarity asked, carrying a tired Sweeite Belle.

"About 50 miles. We'll take refuge at our next stop and gather our strength. We'll need it." she said.

"Where are we exactly? Ah've never seen this place before." Applejack said.

"We're in the Unicorn Range. We came out at the base of the mountain. If I'm correct, the castle is just on the opposite side of this mountain." Luna said.

"Why don't you fly up to the castle with Twilight? It would be easier for you and she could help save Equestria." Rainbow Dash said.

"Do you really think Twilight would be happy if I left you here with an injured friend and two little fillies?" Luna said. "I know that Applejack can hold her own, but it still doesn't change the fact that with an injured ankle she can't fight as well."

"She'd understand though." Applejack said. "She knows that she has to stop this nano whatever to save us all."

"Just because she knows what she has to do, doesn't mean that she will. She's already lost one friend, and I'm not going to make her lose another." Luna said. They stayed quiet after that as they remembered Pinkie. "There's a shortcut through this cave. It leads us right under the city. It's how Chrysalis was able to sneak in when she tried to take over." she said, motioning over to a small cave in the distance.

"That seems like a bad design flaw." Rainbow said.

"After my sister had defeated me and banished me to the moon, she had Canterlot built. She was constantly being protected and watched over to protect her from others who tried to take over as I had." she said. "She had a close friend of hers create the tunnel, so she could sneak out undetected and have some time to think."

"How do you know all of this?" Fluttershy asked.

"She showed me around the city when I returned. She knew that the guards would want to keep a close eye on me, but she told me of a secret tunnel she had built in my chambers a few years before my escape from the moon. This way, she knew that I could have time to think to myself."

"Isn't it guarded though?" Rarity asked.

"No. Remember, it was meant as a way for us to leave the city undetected. Only a few guards know about it, and they are the most trusted ones. And it's how we planned to get back in the city." Luna said.

"Will we be able to rest a little bit?" Sweetie Belle asked, exhausted.

"Yes, little one. We're almost there." Luna said. They walked into the cave and placed their saddle bags down.

"Oh man, Ah can't wait to relax a little bit." Applejack said, leaning against the wall.

Luna examined the cave and was disgruntled that the guards weren't here yet. "Let's make sure the place is clear first. Don't want there to be any surprises while we rest." Luna said, placing Twilight with her head on a saddle bag for support. "Fluttershy, keep an eye on the kids. Spike, if Twilight awakens, call for us."

They searched the cave but didn't find anything suspicious. They returned to the cave entrance and found one of the guards nursing a wound on his leg. "Flint? What happened?" Luna asked, worried that he might have been bitten.

"A rock fell on my leg and cut it open while I was trying to get out. Don't worry, I swear it's not a bite, your highness." he said.

"Let me look at it." she said. He showed her the wound and she gave a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. I just had to be sure. The mission is way to important and we're so close."

"I understand. If it had been a bite, you wouldn't have seen me here. I would've either fought till I was overrun, or killed myself." he said.

Luna hesitated before asking her next question. "How many did we lose?"

"About 4/5. Those closest to the exit made it out easily, but those that were farther away didn't stand a chance. The ones in between were trampled by those behind them in the frenzy to escape." he said, lowering his head. "I don't want to know how many were children..."

"I'm sorry..." she said, quietly.

"Reck didn't make it. He was one of the first to go. He told me to go to the exit and make sure that everypony could escape. He was going to hold them off for as long as he could." Flint said. "Not two minutes later and I heard him scream in pain over the sound of the crowd. That started the frenzy that killed most of the ponies in there."

Luna felt like her heart had stopped. Both Flint and Reck had been her personal guards around Canterlot. The three of them formed a close friendship and Luna couldn't believe that one of them was gone. She felt tears start to form, but quickly pushed them back. "We'll mourn them all later. We need to get a shield up to protect us in case they try to surprise us." Luna said.

"Yes Princess." Flint said. She stood up and walked over towards the entrance. The first spell she cast would alert her to the presence of anything from the outside. If anything crossed it, she would know. She stepped back a few feet and cast the shielding spell. It wasn't a complex spell, but a simple shield. It could easily withstand multiple hits from the zombies, and with the alarm, they would be well away from them by the time they broke through the shield.

She walked back to the group who had already started laying out their beddings. "Get some sleep. We're going to need our energy. And this may be one of the few times we get a chance to rest." she said.

"We should take turns on watch. Y'know, just as an extra safety precaution." Applejack said.

"I'll take first watch. I need to bandage this up some more anyway." Flint said.

"We'll trade off every hour. It's almost dark, so we'll leave in the morning." Luna said. She knew that her sister could handle the raising of the sun and moon, but felt awkward knowing that her duty was no longer hers.

"When the hour is over, wake me up." Rainbow said, laying next to Fluttershy.

Flint nodded his head and took a seat that was close to the entrance. Luna walked over to Spike and Sweetie Belle who were sitting next to Twilight. "You two think you can keep an eye on her?" she asked. They both nodded. "Okay. If she stirs, wake me up. I want to make sure she knows where we are at and what our plan is."

She walked back to the other side of the wall and curled up on the ground. She knew that with an alarm, a shield, and somepony on watch every hour, that they would be safe. But she couldn't help the feel of dread wash over her as she tried to fall asleep. She lost one of her closest friends and knew that Flint was going to take it harder than she was. She tried to push him out of her mind, but as she fell asleep, thoughts of the three of them snuck into her dreams.

Rainbow Dash hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Scootaloo had cuddled up next to her and Fluttershy and had been shaking and groaning in her sleep. Rainbow knew it was nightmares, but she hated not being able to sleep. She stood up, being careful not to wake them up, and walked over to Flint.

He had stayed on guard wide awake throughout the entire watch. "Hey." she said, taking a seat next to him.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked.

"I can't. Scoots is having nightmares and is keeping me awake." she said. "I can take over. I'm not going to sleep anytime soon and I need something to do."

"Okay. But just realize that you're going to have to still be awake for your hour." he said.

"I know. But it's better than being still and not doing anything." she said. "And I think you could use some company." He stayed quiet. "So, what was it like being in the royal guard? You know, before everything happened?" she asked.

"Early mornings, constant alertness, never having a true good nights sleep, but it's all worth it." he said.

"Sounds rough." she replied.

"It's not too bad. Nice living quarters, free food, and having the duty of protecting the Princesses makes everything worth it."

"Do you think I'd be able to make it into the guard?" Rainbow asked.

"Depends. How alert are you?" he asked.

She thought about it. "Pretty alert. When you're as fast as a flier as me you have to know your surroundings."

"Humility is something you would have to learn. Bragging is not something looked high on in the guard. Without your partner, you can't succeed. You're a team." he said.

"Sounds like the Wonderbolts." she said.

"They're trained at the same level as we are. They use our training for the discipline that they require for their stunts." he explained.

"Oh." Rainbow said.

"Well, since you're awake, I might as well get some sleep. I only had about 15 minutes left anyways before you were supposed to take over." Flint said, walking over to a cleared spot.

"Can I ask you something before you go?" she asked, turning to look at the guard.

"Sure."

She let out a heavy breath. "Is it really as hard as Twilight says it is? To kill them?"

He lowered his head. "Depends on who they are. And it's different for each pony. Some can't do it because they still view them as ponies and not as...well." he said. "Some find it easy. They take all their old hate and use it to fight and kill them. Others, like myself, can't do it unless they turn. I wasn't able to kill someone before they turned because they were still ponies. But when they turned, I was able to finish them."

Rainbow lowered her head. "But the short answer, it depends." he said.

"Okay." she said, turning back to the entrance.

"And sometimes, when you are forced to kill, you may find a hidden part of you that you wish you never found." he said, laying down.

Rainbow Dash thought about what he said. She knew that things were different from what her and Spike used to think of, but now that she actually lived it, it finally hit her. She didn't know what she would do if she had to kill any of her friends, let alone Fluttershy or Scootaloo.

She quickly pushed the thought out of her head. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. she thought. She filled her head with fantasies about the Wonderbolts and how she would fly in formation with them. She imagined the wind flowing through her mane and wings with the sky above and below her.

She immersed herself in this world she made, quickly passing the hour and then some. The only reason she was shaken out of her fantasy was because a loud thud came from the other end of the cave. "It was probably just a rock falling." she said to herself. She walked over to Rarity and woke her.

"Up and at 'em Rarity. It's your turn to take watch." she said with a yawn.

"It can't possibly be my turn already." Rarity said, trying to avoid waking up.

"It is. I even watched through part of your turn, so don't be so against it." Rainbow said.

Rarity groaned as she stood up and stretched her legs. Rainbow walked back to Fluttershy and Scootaloo and laid down next to Fluttershy, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Well at least it's a clear and beautiful night. Might give me some inspiration for my next designs." she said, taking a seat next to the shield, beginning her watch.