A/N: Okay, so maybe I got a little tied up over the summer, as summer is now officially over... Oops. But, to make up for that, I can promise some seasonal elements later on. Since I completely forgot about the summer chapters, autumn and winter will take its place until next time! I hate that I kept you all waiting for as long as I did, but now I'm back, and ready to write. Brace yourselves, 'cause here comes Arc Two!

Merry Christmas, by the way! :D

- Ikaros

It had seemingly been forever since the group of equines wound up in such a crazy world.

Summer seemed to go by in a blur, as if it didn't even occur.

Each of the seasons blended together in a harsh cocktail of hot and cold, time nearly melting out of existence.

Life changed for everybody. Each and every day was full of battles, and when they weren't battling the undead, they were training to fight against them.

Today was one of those days.

A splash of magenta flew into the sky, meeting a surge of blue.

Bits of each laced together like a child's hands in prayer, producing a struggling, glow.

As the light intensified, the colours swallowed one another, dispersing in a hurry.

A sigh could be heard as they did so.

"Gosh darnit! We'll never get this spell right."

Downtrodden, Twilight Sparkle kicked her hoof at the ground beneath her. Rarity, her training partner, also shared her low spirit. The pair had been developing a battle technique over the course of the previous season, one using heavy amounts of magic.

"I just find it absolutely amazing that one pony can levitate an object and another pony can grab the object out of their magical grasp, yet the two auras can never mix! I'm still more than confused about that, I must admit." The pristine unicorn raised a hoof to her chin in thought. "Is there anything in particular we can do about that?"

"I'm not too sure right this minute. We could always discuss after dinner." Twilight absentmindedly swung her hoof about as she spoke. "Anyhow, I hope you've rested up. It's our night to be on guard duty." Rarity nodded in understanding, trotting off beside her friend.

The only thing good to come from all of the bad is the temporary shelter the group discovered during their wandering travels. It was a townhouse of an acceptable size, with two main floors, an attic, and a basement.

Upon their initial arrival, they were reasonably skeptical of its safety.

So, they decided to send a "sacrificial volunteer" of sorts indoors. After a short discussion, they chose Rainbow Dash. Her teammates waited outside for a good thirty minutes for her to return, out in the open like an exposed nerve.

At the end of the security check, not a single member of the undead was found. The group only pulled three bodies out of the basement, all of which were related, from the looks of the facial features. "Looks like they weren't up for fighting." Takashi commented. "Looks like." Trixie nodded, examining the bodies. A literal family of corpses lay in the corner, the arms of one wrapped tightly around the other two. It was a mother and two children, all of which died at the woman's hand. Trixie gently floated their bodies up into the air and swaddled them in a nearby blanket before bringing them outdoors to dispose of.

In the present, Rarity and Twilight were making their way indoors, as nighttime began rolling in. Twilight opened the door up for her friend, sealing it shut with her magic immediately after they made it inside. As usual, they were greeted by the openness of the first floor, which was almost all carpet and no furniture. Over to the girls' right was a large wall, which was the back of their supply closet, and straight ahead were two staircases, one short and one long. The shorter one led downstairs to the basement level bedrooms and bathrooms, and the longer one led up to the larger rooms on the second floor.

"I'm gonna go check on Octavia and the others." Twilight said, walking toward the shorter of the two staircases. "Alright. If any major changes in her health have occurred, do not hesitate to inform me. I'm worried about her." "I understand. I'll let her know you asked about her." Twilight said with a smile, descending onto Octavia's floor. Rarity walked around the first floor on her own for a moment, taking the time to decide between doing housework and sleeping. The sounds and smells of a meal-in-progress caught her attention, bringing her into the kitchen.

She took a spot beside Rei and threw her front hooves atop the counter, eyeing the stew on the stovetop. "Need any help, darling?" She asked, watching the spoon in the pot stir around a bit. "Mind tasting this for me? I'm not sure if it tastes right or not." Rei asked, taking the big spoon out and tapping it against the side of the pot. A shimmering blue aura opened up the drawer of cutlery beneath the microwave on the other side of the kitchen. One of the smaller spoons floated out of the drawer and into the pot before making its way to Rarity's lips. "Hmm. A small dash of paprika should do the trick. There should be some in the cabinet." Another cloud of blue floated a small jar of the spice over the stew, popped it open and shook a few dashes of the red powder into the dish. Rarity helped herself to another taste. "There. Now just add in a few carrots and it's finished."

"Thanks! Y'know, I think Takashi could use your help loading some of the guns for later." Rei told her, nodding her head over towards the long staircase. Rarity nodded in understanding and placed all of her hooves back on the ground. "Let me know if you need anything else." Rarity called, trotting on UP the steps. Her ears were greeted by the sound of a struggling Takashi, who was drowning in a sea of bullets. The sight of him struggling took her aback as she poked her head through the door.

"Sweet Celestia! Darling, how did you manage to get yourself caught in this?" She asked, floating the various bullets into the air for organization. "I was trying to get all of the guns loaded at once so we wouldn't have to rush if a hoard of those things came by. I guess I got all scrambled up." He explained, blushing a bit at his own awkwardness. "We all make mistakes, Takashi." She floated a long, pointed bullet within his view. "What gun does this go to?" "One of the assault rifles, I think. I'm not quite sure, though. Khota should be able to tell us. I'll go fetch him." Takashi offered, patting Rarity on the head before he went downstairs. Rarity didn't know what it was about being in the world she was in now, but the affection she felt here was just as strong as what she felt in Equestria. Here, even in all of the peril and danger, she felt loved. She continued to sort out the bullets in Takashi's absence. "Be back soon."