- Chapter 2 -

It was quiet and the only sound came from the repetative creaking of a door slightly open and swinging as a gentle wind blew.

A mare tied up and hanging in the center of the room from a beam above slowly opened her eyes with a tired moan and shook her head.
She was even more dissoriented once she realized she was hanging upside down and strugled to move. Her wings were tied to her body and her hooves were as well.
" W-wha-... Ngh... What in Equestria..? " She mumbled, looking around. Her eyes windedned when she saw the fresh corpse of a pony in the corner of the room she was in. It was somone's home at some point, but it looked like it had been long abandoned and left to rot. Except for the all too fresh body of the poor soul in the corner of the room.

The pony was torn to pieces. Insides torn out and spilling from it's stomach and flesh ripped apart in some places.
She gagged and it didn't help when the scent of a dead body hit her nose once her senses returned.

She looked around and saw shards of a glass table top shattered on the ground and levitated one to her, using it to cut herself down.
She grunted when she hit the ground with a thud and banged her head slightly on the hard, wooden floor.
She sat up and cut her hooves free from the rope and next, her wings, streatching them, relieved to be free. " What is happening here..? " She mumbled, looking around the room, trying to trying to ignore the body.
She saw something else in another corner of the room and trotted up to it slowly, careful not to make too much noise by stepping on broken glass from the shattered table and other broken decor inside the house.
She didn't like what she saw once she got close. " Oh-... Celestia... "

It was another body but this one was far too small...
She backed up and turned towards the door and froze. Her blood ran cold and a feeling of dread fell over her as she stared at a monster standing in the doorway.

It resembled a pony except horribly mutated. Its body was contorted in ways it shouldn't have been and it stared at her with empty, black eyes.
" Who are yo- " She began to ask and let out a terrified scream as she jumped out of the way. The monster had lunged at her with an unhinged jaw filled with needle-like teeth.
The mare spread her wings and darted for the door as quickly as she could, galloping out of the house and ready to take to the skies when the monster tackled her to the ground, biting her wing and making her cry in pain. She blasted it with a burst of magic and threw it off her, getting to her hooves and galloping as quickly as she could.

---

After what seemed like forever, she stopped, trying to catch her breath. She layed down and grunted in pain when she tried to streach her wing. " Okay... Flying's out of the question... " She groaned, looking around. Nothing but dirt and dead trees. The abandoned town she escaped from was in the distance and she had no plans of returning there.

She quickly got to her hooves and whiped around, her horn glowing as she glared at a stallion, snarling and ready to blast him with a burst of magic.
" D-don't attack! " The stallion called, sounding scared and tired. " We're not one of those-... things... " He mumbled nervously.
" We? " The alicorn asked.
The stallion turned and she saw a wounded pony slung over his back. He was just a colt, and the older stallion was covered in his blood.
" Who are you..? " She asked cautiously, no longer threatening him with her magic.
" GrayShade... And who are you? " He asked.
" Alexla... What about him..? Did you do that to him? " She asked, letting-

him get closer.
" He's my son. " GrayShade said, sounding defensive. " And he's hurt... Something attacked him and I had to run away with him... I don't know what's going on... " He said, laying down down and slowly sliding the young pony off his back.
Alexla trotted up to them, standing over the two ponies. " What's his name..? " She asked, a much more gentle tone in her voice once she saw him.
He was fighting to stay alive and she could tell.
" BlueBird... Look, we'll leave you alone, we just need time to rest... He's h-hurt and I can't run anymore... We'll be out of your mane by the morn-... m-... Ngh... " GrayShade collapsed and Alexla galloped over to him with a concerned look on her face. " GrayShade!? " She looked over at BlueBird and saw him struggling to breath. A large wound on his side was still bleeding badly and was no doubt on its way to getting infected.

---

GrayShade slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by the sound of a crackling fire in the dark of the night. Alexla stared the fire, her wounded wing sagging down on the ground as she faught the urge to fall asleep. He looked over and saw BlueBird asleep, curled up with bandages wraped around him and a small blanket thrown over him. He stood up and trotted towards Alexla tiredly. " Y-you helped us..? "
" Yes... I found some old saddlebags and filled them with a few things I found in town... You'll be set to leave in the morning. " She answered plainly, not looking over at him.
" You scavenged the town..? ... Why help us..? " GrayShade sat next to her and she let out a sigh.

" I'm willing to help you two... I don't know what's going on but when I was in the town, everypony was either dead or turned into some sort of monster... I'm not one to trust a random pony but I'm not an idiot either. We should stick together until we find your husband. " Alexla said.
GrayShade looked up at her surprised and she giggled. " BlueBird woke up when I was wraping him up... Kept mumbling about you and DarkSage... We'll find him... " She said, seeing the concerned look on GrayShade's face.

Everything was happening so suddenly, GrayShade was having a hard time taking it in. Everyone was.
" Thank you Alexla... " He said.
Alexla nodded, smiling slightly. " Get some sleep. We'll get away from town in the morning... "

- End Chapter -

Oooooo can't wait for the next one!!

O my gosh! I am loving all this! Mooooore!

This is really amazing! I love it so far!

Re:
Can't wait!!!

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It's a girl, but, thanks anyway!!!