Chapter one : The End of Pain.

The parents were fighting again, for the same reason too. I always just sit there...feeling no emotion, just knowing how it will end.

"I-I'm sorry dear..I D-didn't mean to burn the f-" His black hoof flew across her white coat, the crimson liquid flying out of her already beaten mouth.

My father just stood there, an obvious scowl worn across his face. He was a tall charcoal earth pony, his mane the same shade of darkness, his eyes were in a glare, a pair of light gray circles of no emotion.

"You know how many caps I have to spend to shoot these damned creatures?! just so you can burn the caps away, turning our food into charcoal?!".

My mothers eyes were a light blue, but reddened on the edges, tears streaming down her white cheeks, her bright and normally heart warming red mane, was a mess. "I told you dear...I am VERY sorry!". Another hoof flew... Another sprout of crimson splattered across the wall, my temper was getting shorter and shorter...I couldn't take this anymore.

I ran outside of our shack of a house, tuning out the screaming and the crying, I trotted up to a small radioactive puddle.

In the reflection I saw a tall slender black coated unicorn, his mane black with red ends, his eyes were a dull gray...and at his age...still a blank flank.

"Hey! Why so depressed shadow?" A familiar mares voice called. I turned and saw my one and only friend... Ember Heart. She was a bright yellow pegasus, her mane a fiery mess, her eyes a pair of

burning orange fire balls, and her cutie mark...a burning heart.

"You staring at my flank again, Shadow Swipe?" She said, shaking her plot a bit. I could feel my cheeks heat up and I shook my head. "Aw, It's ok if you look, it only flatters me even more!" She joked like this everyday, but I was somewhat used to it. I cleared my throat "I was just trying to get away from the parents is all..." Blam. I did it again.

Ember wasn't the kind to show her emotions, but reminding her how I had parents... Reminded her of how she didn't. I quickly saw her eyes alter, but they changed back as quick as a flame moved.

"Well, your father seems like a big asshole...if I were you I would make him stop beating your mother!" I knew she was right... I shrugged. "I wish I could...". I saw that spark in her eyes I was all too used to...she had a plan. "Well I did manage to find something on my usual scavenge!" She giggled once again and brought out her metal box...normally it was filled with matches or lighters, maybe even flint and steel, but this time she opened it and inside was a dagger. "What is that?" I asked curiously, it looked weirder than any dagger I ever saw.

"Its a zebra dagger! I found it snooping in a local raiders camp! Rumors say that back during the war, zebras enchanted everyweapon they had! Imagine what kind of enchantment this one has!"

I wasn't sure if to believe her... "Did you try it yet?" I asked making sure it wasn't enchanted to blow me up. "Nah, I just grabbed it and wanted you to try it out! it is more your style~"

She winked and gave her plot another small shake. She was itching to see what it was, or atleast see me use it. "But you know I cant use knives anymore, parents said."

She just frowned and put her puppy dog eyes, pushing the metal box towards me. "Fine..."

I picked up the dagger with my teeth, now noticing the symbols sketched out on the blade. I could feel a quick wind flow through me, but nothing else happened. "Theee? Nuffin." I murmured throught the blades handle. She raised an eyebrow smiling and motioned to my shack. "So..." Her eyes narrowed and a wicked smile grew across her face. "When do we kill him?".

A weight dropped on my shoulder...I knew I would at some point kill him...but I wasn't sure if I could. "You spill his blood and I'll burn the corpse, no evidence!" This side of Ember always scared me.

I couldn't do anything but nod, placing the dagger in the box again. "I will do it when we go hunting together..." I sighed, she smiled.

I went to bed that night thinking things through...what if my mother hated me for doing so? For killing him? Was i really capable of doing that? I guess i had to be... I could hear her crying in the other room. that's when I knew... I had to do it, and I know I can.

The next morning was the usual once again, wake up to my parents yelling, try to swallow down the burnt rad roach meat, and wait till father was ready to go hunting. I felt like I should tell mother, I trotted up to her and motioned her into the other room. "Dear you're all dirty..." She sniffed and wiped my cheek, I smiled sadly and just let her do her thing, always wanting to groom me, she was more of a beauty kind of mare, not really into cooking, but my father never understood that, her cutie mark was a sewing needle with a bright red thread. I didn't know how to drop it on her. "Mom?" she smiled

through her teary eyes "Yes my little Shadow Swipe?". I sighed heavily "I'm gonna kill dad." Her face quickly changed, she took on a blank stare...but quickly tears streamed down her bruised cheeks.

"Hey! get your ass out here!" I could hear my father yelling outside, I kissed my mother cheek and made my way out. There he stood, that bastard I hated with all my heart... But i quickly waved off the wave of hatred, I trotted up to where Ember had told me she was gonna leave the dagger, and picked it up, placing it somewhere in my mane, in a sheath covered in the same symbols the dagger had been.

Good thing Ember bothered bringing the sheath with the blade as well. "What are you doing over there? get your ass over here!" I glared at him, but nodded.

I made sure we were very far from home, I saw my father carrying the hunting rifle on a simple battle saddle, the trigger wired up to fire when ever he bit down hard enough. I counted everyshot, 8 rounds. He reloaded, took him a few seconds to manually reload it. He brought nineteen rounds, plus the 8 in the mag, and the other 8 in his saddle. I had to calculate when to strike... 7 shots fired, one left. I readied the dagger, sneaking up to him, waitting for him to shoot down the last radscorpion, time was ticking, he would reload and ask me to pass him the rounds, I had to do it now.

"Hey Shad' pass me the next few roun-" he turned as soon as I pounced, he glared and quickly turned to buck me. His hind legs whacking me hard on the chest, I could hear a few ribs cracking and I landed on my back. I rolled over in pain, clutching at my possibly broken ribs, groaning, I turned back to my father.

"You bastard, Ya planned on killin' me didn'cha?" His voice was deep and had a small rasp to it. He was old. He aimed his hunting rifle at me. "Well don'cha worry child, I'll kill ye instead!" I shut my eyes tight, waitting for the damned bullet to end my life in this wasteland. I jumped when I heard the rifles gunshot ring through the air. I opened my eyes and saw Ember had knocked him to the ground, she quickly pulled me up with one of her wings. "Thanks." I quickly replied before picking up the dagger, turning back to my father, who had quickly gotten up, taking aim again.

I grinned, and slowly trotted up to him.

click. click click click.

No more rounds in the mag...I thrusted the dagger deep into his throat, the gurgling sound of his screams being drowned by his own blood, I pulled the dagger out and threw another swipe at him, across the chest.

I wanted him to feel pain. I continued to hack and slash all across his body till he was nothing but a pin cushion. I couldnt help but smile at his pain, taking one last stab into his skull.

As we walked back, with his saddle and hunting rifle ready, Ember looked at me, she was covered in scorch marks from burning the remains of my father to ash. her specialty, she giggled "You're covered in blood~".

I stopped and padded myself with my hoof, feeling the sticky warm blood on my coat...everywhere. "I could lick it up if you'd like~"she joked, making my cheeks warm up. "I wouldn't mind a bath if that's what you mean" She rolled her eyes and just flapped her wings a bit, they were normally clean but this time her feathers were out of place. "Hey, if I clean out your wings for ya, you wouldn't mind helping me clean out my coat?"

She smiled and stuck out her tongue. "That's a fair trade~" I rolled my eyes and nodded, sticking out my tongue with her. It was a thing we did, we just stick out our tongues at eachother, making a promise...kinda weird.

After I cleaned out her wings, she spread them and jumped in place, she quickly stared at me, still covered in blood. "You could come to my place, I have some non radioactive water you could use, oh and I could help you bath~"

I sighed and nodded, I followed her towards her home.

Her home was pretty much an old fire station on the outskirts of a town. You could tell it was her home just by looking at all the burned down objects and fire places. I could already see the water source, it was an old hose connected to old lead tubes, leading outside, possibly to a water tunnel.

I sat in the old bath tub, enjoying how Ember scrubbed my back, I was used to having either her or my mother help me bathe. I herd a gasp and just hoped i wasn't enjoying it TOO much. "Shadow! look!" I quickly turned to see what she was freaking out about. "What is it?" I asked flatly. "You got your cutie mark!" She said, pointing at my flank.

I instantly felt cold... My special talent was murdering ponies... I had a dagger stained with blood in mid swipe as a sign on my flank. I sighed. Not the best cutie mark, but now I have one.

After my bath and a happy Ember, We decided to make our way home, the sun was setting and it was dangerous to roam the wasteland at night...well, more dangerous.

I saw a bright orange flare in the distance... What could it be? I had to find out, mom could be in danger...Fuck.

I didn't care how dangerous it was, I made my way inside the burning inferno that was currently my house, looking through the bright flames for my mother. "Mom! If you can hear me, follow my voice!". No response... I could feel my eye start to waterm but now wasn't the time to cry, I continued looking, room by room, dodging whatever flames I could, and the few that I couldn't, I would just run through them.

It was until Ember had to pull me out that I realised my mother wasn't there, the fire continued to burn down the remains of my home, the wall giving out and collapsing.

"Shadow I know who did this..." Ember said sadly. I looked up at her, I was sure I was crying, but I couldn't help it. "Who? Please tell me..." I begged her, cursing her a bit for not just saying it already.

"Slavers..." My heart jolted in pain.

In order to get her back I would have to go slave camp to slave camp... "Let's get going..."

To be continued...