(Flash Drive's POV)

I had woken up and returned to walking a little while ago, and thankfully the pain in my legs almost unnoticeable at this point. The additional weight of the pack on my back felt natural now, like it was my normal weight, and without my backpack I was someone else. Feeling naked even. I shrugged off the random thought and kept walking.

I slowly spun around a while later, taking in the views.

'They sure don't have this back home, that's the truth.' I thought, looking at the vast array of mountains and forests stretching out to the horizon.

Surviving was about sticking with what worked, not taking risks. If I was going to make it out of here, I needed to stick to this railway.

"Okay, these mountains are here, and Ponyville is here, that puts me about… here!" I triangulated my location.

I had walked roughly 14 miles in a single day! I was beside myself in happiness. But I had a better idea, even though it kind of spat in the face of the "stick with what you know" rule. I wasn't tired, why stop?

So without bothering for a break, I pushed on, braving the dangers of the night just this once.

(Ranger Trail's POV)

The corner of my mouth had swollen a bit, and I was still bothered by it.

The pain? No, I could put that aside. Where the punch came from however, the anger behind it. That hurt more than any blow I'd ever taken. To turn one of the kindest ponies into… that, now it's serious.

"God DAMMIT!" I cursed myself, angry at the whole scenario.

There was a knock at the door. I pushed myself off my bed and walked over to open it. I was about to undo the lock when I realized… I couldn't.

"Oh FUCK. Perfect timing for stumps!" I groaned.

My hands, much like a few weeks ago, were gone. I tried to undo the lock with the flat of my hooves and after a few seconds of struggling trying to pin the rebellious piece of metal, got it loose. The door swung open slightly and I was face to face with Rainbow Dash.

"Umm, is Jordan here?" she asked in her normal tomboyish voice , peering around my shoulder.

I sighed. "The body swap thing is happened again."

Dash cocked an eyebrow. "Say what? You're changy thingy doesn't happen regularly like it did for everyone else?"

I shrugged "No, that's why I've been human for the past few weeks. I can't figure out how to change between human and unicorn yet, if possible. I still want to know how it works."

"Hmm. That kinda makes sense. Anyway I came to check on you." she blushed slightly and looked away.

"Why would you check on me?" I argued.

"It's just that you're the second pony I've ever heard about her hitting. Ever." she continued.

I nodded, "Makes sense… her losing something so important to her. So she's normally laid back?" I guessed.

"Well more or less. Ever since Flash showed up he's brought out another side of her." she looked back towards me "Do you want me to find Twilight? This changing thing has only happened a couple of times, and it may not happen again."

I shook my head. "No, I've done enough for one day. I don't want to put more on Twilight's plate.

Dash just shrugged "Whatever floats your boat. But if you need anything don't be shy to ask, I'm willing to help any of my friends."

After she left the room, I was left to my pony hands, or hooves I would guess.

Not even a minute had passed before she cracked the door slightly and poked her head in.

"You sure you're alright? You seem like a good guy, but…" she began softly.

"How the whole incident with Flash went down. I get it. I'd be wary too." I replied.

I sat there on my bed, letting the feeling build until I couldn't take it anymore. I smashed my hoof into the headboard of the bed, making Dash jump in the doorway.

"DAMMIT!" I yelled, more to myself than her. "I shouldn't have told the freaking train to leave! I should have at least helped Flash cut down some of the sprinters. Maybe... he's on his way back. God I hope so..."

Rainbow Dash came back over and sat down next to me. "Are you sure you're okay dude? I'll help you if ya want." She said with a reassuring smile.

I glanced at her. She was... blushing?

I don't know. It couldn't hurt to talk to someone, or somepony, for now.

(Flash Drive's POV)

I could only wonder what Derpy was thinking.

"She's probably been told I'm dead.." I shook my head.

"Ouch, she took that hard." I said to no one, visualizing the scenario in my mind.

"Well, the quicker I get back, the sooner she stops feeling down." I smiled, looking on the flip side of the coin.

I looked up towards the Canterlot castle, the city becoming faintly visible in the mountains so far ahead. I shook my head.

"I could always fly there... but no. If I only fly halfway there, I'm stuck without food or supplies. I doubt I could cover that distance in any less than three days by flight, and even then that'd be hard."

I shook my head about pushing myself. "Last time I went for more than two days eating and walking... oof. I nearly passed out from exhaustion. I was lucky, that rabbit wasn't the worst thing I'd had in my life."

My thoughts were interrupted when a tree branch scraped past my injured leg, causing me to wince.

I exhaled deeply, again diverting my brain from anything regarding my burns.

It didn't last.

I turned around and looked. I gulped. The flesh hadn't been burned away, so it was nowhere in the 3rd degree range. But first and second were definitely there. All the burnt area no longer had my blue coat over it, most likely immediately burned away. Most of the area was a very dull red, sticking out against my fur's color.

What bothered me most was at the center of the pain. Small blisters had begun to form, evidence of second degree burns.

At this I set down my pack. Through the night it felt like I'd hiked a gazillion miles, and the sun beginning to rise was all the break motivation I needed. Leaning my backpack against a tree, I searched for some sort of ointment. There had to be some somewhere.

I hadn't opened the zipper more than a few inches when I was tackled to the side.

I was startled, but not disoriented. Adrenaline began to pump through my veins as I fell into the dive, letting my attacker's momentum take over. Upon hitting the ground, I gave a hard thrust with my wings, sliding out of whoever-tackled-me's grasp. I pushed myself up and unholstered my good Eagle. When I glanced back at my attacker the name clicked.

Stalker.

It made sense. The long, slender legs. The silence it had, to the point where I didn't hear it, let alone see it.

I had thought long enough, as the stalker pony began to regain composure. I shot the only place I should, with the only sounds being the crack of it's skull, the dull splat of blood on dirt, and the soft clang of shell casing hitting the floor.

As my adrenaline died down, I found the burn ointment in the inside BACK pocket, not the front one where I thought I put it. I applied it and tossed it back inside, zipping up carefully.

"I'll need to get back sooner than I originally planned. If they're are stalkers and runners, that means we can expect... yeesh."

I pulled myself away from the thought. My eyes wavered down and there was a small pool of blood, no bigger than a quarter. A drop fell from my face and fell into the tiny pool.

It was then I felt like something had cut me over my right temple. I looked right slowly, and saw my broken Eagle. It was suspended in a blue magical aura and pressed against the side of my head.

Well shit.

Guess who's back. Back again. TDL's back. Tell a friend.

AAAAY SURVIVORS! WHAT'S HAPPENING?

I got out of school on Friday and honestly felt like doing nothing all weekend. But then I thought of this so...

Yeah.

Anyway it's good to be back! Publishing will slow incredibly due to the story both actually having a plot-line to run on and school.

R&R, and don't forget to leave some sauce.

Till next sunrise,

-TDL