Chapter ten
Getting tired

Author's notes: to all my loyal readers. I'm so sorry for the huge delay. I was having some family issues and then I had to go and break both my arms. Again I'm sorry but hopefully this will be good and I have not forgotten about the story.
Lightning had insisted that he stand guard for another night since he had been sleeping for most of the day. But he wasn't alone and he knew. After some minutes of walking back and forth scanning the area for any sign of mutated life he sat down and called out.

"You can come out green bolt!"

Green bolt stepped out from a bush and blushed as she was found out, "How'd you know it was me?" she asked rubbing her leg with her hoof.

"Who else would be up this late to just watch me?"

"I can think of some." she said walking over to him.

"Oh? Then pray tell who else would be."

"What about that electrical engineer?" green bolt asked pointing to a sleeping star charmer.

"Star charmer!? She's just a friend! Besides, I've seen the little love sparks between her and wonderbread." lightning chuckled at the last part.

Green bolt leaned behind lightning to look at star Charmer and then over at wonderbread,"I guess they do in fact make a cute couple."

"Green bolt?" lightning asked looking up at the stars.

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure if I've said this before, but I think you're a great mare and I think I might be in love with you." lightning said.

Green bolt blushed a bit before saying, "And I think you're a great stallion lightning runner and ever since you helped me with my problems I've been in love with you."

Lightning looked down from his gazing at the stars and softly smiled at green bolt, "I just never th-mff!" he was cut off as green bolt pressed her lips against his. Lightning's eyes shot open but slowly closed as he returned the love.

Over near the single fire the group had built bass laid awake watching the two show their affections for each other, "That's my boy." he chuckled and rolled over to try and catch some sleep.

Lightning awoke to green bolt stirring next to him. She had a hoof wrapped around him. Lightning smiled as he yawned and quietly moved her hoof off him and walked over to the fire that was now orange coals.

He took some berries out of a saddlebag that laid near him. He stared at the berries in his hoof and sighed.

"I'm sick of these things" he grumbled and ate them. Lightning looked around the camp and to his surprise almost all of the ponies that consisted of the surviving group were still asleep...except for Luna.

Lightning looked around for the princess of the night but couldn't see her anywhere in the clearing which they occupied. He stood up and carefully navigated through the sleeping ponies and headed for the tree line.

He searched the surrounding trees for any sign of Luna, when he was about to give up he saw a blue starry mane fluttering as the wind picked it up. He walked carefully over to the place where he saw the mane. In a small clearing Luna stood levitating wild daisies into her saddlebag.

"Princess?" lightning asked walking up to her.

"Hm? Oh, good morning lightning runner. Sleep well?" she asked packing some daisies into her saddlebag.

"Well considering I slept on the ground, not that well. But if you don't mind me asking princess, what are you doing out here?"

"Why I'm picking daisies! I figured that you lot would get sick of eating all those berries." Luna smiled at him, "I'm also reliving memories."

"Memories?"

"my sister and I would always pick daisies together when we were but young fillies." Luna sighed, "But those days are long gone."

"If it means anything princess I could help you." lightning afforded his services.

"Why thank you kindly lightning, I would like that." she smiled softly at him.

Lightning smiled back and picked some daisies and dropped them in Luna's saddlebag. He was going to go for a second pick when he eyes caught movement up against the far side of the clearing. He slowly brought his head to see what was moving.

On the other side of the clearing was a mutated pony who was stumbling through the wild daisies. It stop a few feet from the tree line and bowed its head to take a sniff of the daisies. It then proceeded to take a bite but soon gagged it up as its taste for flesh over took the taste of the flower. Then another mutated pony stumbled into the clearing followed by another, another, and another until there was about a group of fifteen mutated ponies in the clearing.

"Um princess." lightning said backing up for he had left his sword with the others.

"I see them." Luna said dryly.

The two of them slowly backed up to their side of the clearing. But the mutated ponies apparently smelled or saw them for they began making their way towards lightning and Luna.

Luna released a bolt of magic from her horn that turned the two closest ponies into a pile of steaming ashes. Lightning and Luna then turned around and ran back to where they had camped at.

Lightning ran over to bass and shook him awake," bass! Wake up!"

Bass jolted awake," what!? What!?" he yelled while looking around trying to gather his surroundings.

" we have to leave now!" lightning yelled and ran over to green bolt and shook her awake while Luna busied herself with waking the others.

Bass packed the few bits of food and his weapons then ran over to lighting as he was gathering up his belongings next to green bolt.

"lightning what's going on!?" bass demanded.

"they're co-" lightning was interrupted by star charmer's scream. All heads then turned towards star charmer and everypony saw that star was laying on the ground trying to push off a mutated pony who was attempting to bite her neck.

"help!" star screamed the word out.

"star charmer!" wonderbread yelled out as he raced over to her drawing his sword. He then plunged the tip of the sword into the mutant's side and yanked the sword to the side creating a gash in the side of the body. The mutant's rotten organs spilled out landing on star's side.

"get them off! They're fucking touching my leg!" she yelled as she crawled away from the falling mutant body and as the guts tangled around her hoof.

Wonderbread trotted over to star after he dropped the bloodied sword to the ground and proceeded to untangled the rotten organs. His eyes sparkled slightly as he took some pleasure in touching star's hoof.

Star charmer saw the sparkle in his eyes," knock it off wonderbread! This is grooossss!"

Wonderbread only chuckled. Lightning ran over to star," star!? You okay?"

"just extremely grossed out!"

"why? You use to be covered in oil and gunk back at the power plant." green bolt asked while smiling.

That earned green bolt a piece of intestine on the snout that star threw at her.

Green bolt screamed," get it off!"

Star stood up and laughed at green bolt as lightning help the panicking green bolt remove the intestine from atop her snout.

"what's the matter green bolt?" star said through chuckles.

" I'd really hate to break up the laughing and gut throwing but if one mutant knows where we are then the rest of them can't be far away." frost coat said as he walked up with his saddlebags packed.

"I have to agree with frost on this one y'all" applejack said walking up beside him.

Frost nodded towards applejack as rough rider stood up and groaned under the weight of his saddlebags," for Luna's sake! Pardon princess. But I'm tired of running! Why can't we just hunker down and keeps our heads down?"

"because where ever we go they follow!" twilight made her entry into the conversation.

"look rider, we have to keep moving. Now stop complaining and move!" lightning said leaving green bolt rubbing her snout trying to get the smell off.

"come on y'all let's get going." apple jack said and then started walking forward. Rough rider sighed and followed suit as well as everypony else. After about two hours and seeing some skeletons missing their flesh and bleached by the sun the group of ponies came to a creek where they agreed to take a rest.

Green bolt quickly dived into the creek and washed her snout grumbling curses at star charmer.

Twilight and rough rider sat near a toppled tree and used the stump as a table for a map.

"this creek leads all the way to equestria's border." rider said .

" then I'm guessing the only choice we have is to follow the creek." twilight summed it up.

"hey AJ? Do you think clouds dale is still up there?" rainbow asked while she sat next to applejack.

"well sure I do!" applejack replied back with a smile.

Rainbow looked at the floor and sighed," I hope your right."

Green bolt finished washing her snout and walked out drenched, her wings folded tightly against her and dripped heavily.

"how was your wash?" star snickered.

Green bolt shook her body making water fly everywhere and drenching star charmer, "it was really nice." she said then walked off to go be at lightning's side.

Star grumbled and walked off over to wonderbread. They all took turns washing in the creek while the others gathered wood and whatever food they found laying near their makeshift camp.

As they all fell slowly asleep green bolt crawled over to lightning and curled up against him. Lightning then kissed her forehead," you feel better after your revenge on star?"

"yes." green bolt said with a smile.

Lightning lifted his head and looked over at wonderbread and star charmer sleeping side by side peacefully," you two are almost like sisters."

Green bolt gagged," don't make me think about that!"

Lightning shrugged and laid his head down and stretched his wings," you think we'll ever be safe again?" green bolt asked.

" I doubt it..." lightning answered and then looked off in the distance as he heard painful cries and howls.

Author notes: I will continue and please remember to leave a review and to take in consideration I'm working with two broken arms here. Skull out (for now. I promise I'm back!)