(For future chapters, if you see the symbol " ~ " anywhere during the chapter(s) that means to play the song attached. Thank you guys!

sau•da•de

noun

1. A feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia that is supposedly characteristic of the Portuguese or Brazilian temperament.

2. (in Portuguese folk culture) a deep emotional state of melancholic longing for a person or thing that is absent.

"Her songs are based on love poems and evoke a melancholy known to the Portuguese as saudade."

Synonyms: yearning(s)

Applejack shoved open the steel trapdoor with ease, sending dead branches, broken twigs, and a pile of leaves to rocket through the atmosphere. A flock of crows flew away, startled by the sudden commotion. Applejack eyed the area thoroughly for a moment before cautiously pulling herself out and touching the surface. I followed after, grabbing tightly onto the metal ladder with my bare and calloused hands. After hoisting myself up, I carefully shut the trapdoor shut behind me to avoid any noise. The trapdoor itself from the exterior was camouflaged with all sorts of vegetation super glued onto the steel material - something Applejack made sure to do when we first arrived at my bunker.

The air was dry... Humid. The smell of petrichor was strong. Morning dew decorated the wildlife around us beautifully, almost making it seem like the plants were sparkling with life. Some sunlight penetrated the thick walls of the forest, casting a few rays of light onto the clearing where we stood together. The area was thick with silence, the only exception belonging to a cicada nearby.



"I reckon we try heading west this time around," Applejack said to me in a hushed tone. I nodded my head in agreement. We took off with a slow start, making sure to keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious around us. Again, only silence accompanied by the singing cicadas. I clutched onto the crossbow with both hands tightly and continued onward. Applejack constantly eyed her surroundings until she let out a small sigh and turned to face me. My eyes looked up at her since she was an inch taller than I was. She had a confused and concerned look on her freckled face.

"Do ya think that the others have... Developed anymore abilities?" She asked me, never looking away from me. I exhaled slowly and tore my eyes away from her emerald irises. I simply looked straight ahead and eyed the grassy path in front of us.

"I... I don't know." I replied truthfully. I didn't know. As far as we knew, I was the only one who developed a new power after the events of the attack. Thinking about it only made me worry. How was Fluttershy doing? Had she gotten a new power? What about the others? Was I the only one? I shrugged the thoughts off, and faintly smiled, "... But it makes me wonder if Pinkie's gonna be able to control them."

Applejack chuckled lightly, "After that darn sprinkle bombing, I have a feelin' her abilities are gonna be a little more... Wacky."

"Heh... Yeah..." I looked down at my feet and sighed quietly. I felt Applejack's eyes burning straight through me, but I ignored it. Truth is, I was actually... too afraid to even think about leaving the bunker. I was scared half to death after witnessing Death taking its victims. There was so much fire, and screaming, and despair. I came up with so many excuses to remain in my shelter with Applejack, and this time it was no use.

I lifted up my gaze and we soon found ourselves standing at the edge of a large cliff. Across from where we were standing was a pile of rubble that once used to be a large castle thousands of years ago. The ruins. What were we doing over here? Applejack cursed loudly and I heard her beginning to walk away.

"We went the wrong way... Any further than that, and we'll end up in Dodge City and the swamp," She replied agitatedly.

"I mean... Aren't we supposed to be searching for any human life? There could be people looking for help over there -"

"No." Applejack said abruptly, cutting me off. She balled her fists and exhaled slowly. "No... I know you might not believe me, Dash, but I just... There's something telling me to go the other way. The last time the tracker worked, we saw Twi and the others in the western part of Equestria. I'm not sure where, but that's the last place we saw them before that tracker got destroyed when we were fighting those guys..."

"I understand," I said to her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look... its been a while since that thing last worked... I'm not saying your hunch is wrong, it's just... They could have all separated and wound up some place else. We'll go that direction. We'll search all over, if that's what it'll take. I'm not leaving your side."

"Thanks, Dash..." She replied, feeling slightly happier than before. We continued our walk through the Everfree Forest for what seemed like hours. The sunlight grew brighter with each minute we spent inside the woods. For a while, we said nothing to each other until...

"Hey... Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you show me that thing again?"

After what seemed like an eternity, we found ourselves nearing Los Pegasus. The sun was already beginning to set to our surprise. It must have been caused by the large hike through Ghastly Gorge. Applejack was beginning to slow down behind me. The exhaustion was written on her face, and I knew we had to seek shelter quick. I was now flying - well, hovering - alongside Applejack as she walked. I considered picking her up to help, but I usually only did that with Fluttershy.

"Dash, mind if ya help me find a place that we can use for shelter?" Applejack said with a tired tone. I nodded, and felt myself picking up some speed as I flew through the sky, several hundred feet in the air. A ghostly set of blue wings flapped gracefully in the wind from my back. I glided down the atmosphere, eyeing our surroundings. All I was able to really see was a long stretch of nothing but a couple mountain ranges from the distance. The railroad tracks where we were walking from stretched infinitely. The only thing I saw that I knew might provide a bit of a hiding space was a massive cluster of boulders not far from where Applejack stood.

I dove down toward Applejack and gently landed back onto the tracks. Just like that, the set of wings faded from sight.

"There's not much, but I found a place we can hide out in," I said to Applejack. She yawned but nodded her head in agreement. I knew getting there would take some time, and I noticed how tired AJ already was. I hopped in front of her and pulled her arms over my shoulders. Applejack jumped onto my back easily. I was now carrying her on my back. When I steadied us both, I took off running toward the boulder cluster.

Everything around us turned into a quick blur, and real soon, we wound up at our destination. Still carrying Applejack on my back, I walked around the rocks to locate any space to slip through. Eventually, I found a crawlspace only big enough for one person to squeeze through. I set Applejack back down on the floor and took her backpack.

"I'll keep watch in case something comes up. Go rest," I said to her. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees and crawled into the opening. She reached her arm out and pulled her backpack inside with her. When I looked inside, there she was, curled up in a ball using her backpack as a pillow. Small snores already began to penetrate the silence around us both. I chuckled. "Classic AJ..."

I shrugged off my hiking bag and let it hit the floor with a small thud. A small cloud of orange dirt formed and soon settled back onto the ground. Slowly, I sat down and leaned my weight against the smooth, but cold boulder. I reached over to the side of my right leather boot and pulled out a black switchblade. I twirled it around my fingers and went faster each time it went around my hand.

Boredom and loneliness soon became my only friends at this point, with Applejack's snoring being the background noise. I sighed through my nose and looked up at the now night sky. Millions of stars were now painted delicately on the dark blue canvas-like sky. I spotted a few shooting stars, and instead of wishing, I buried my head in my hands and remembered...

July 12, 2018 ~~~~

We were giggling like little schoolgirls at a playground. She had just finished telling me about her day and described something funny that happened over at the animal shelter she was volunteering at. She sat up on the large beach towel that was spread out on the sand and fixed herself so she was now able to see me properly. Thank God, she did...

Her wavy pastel pink hair was up in a messy ponytail that reached down mid-waist. She was wearing her green two-piece bikini beneath a long and flowy robe that was silky to the touch. The moon cast a beautiful ray of light on her figure, and I felt my breath catch itself in my throat. She was simply beautiful. Her teal eyes looked over at me, catching me staring at her. My cheeks heated up instantly.

"What?" She giggled at me and laid down on the blanket beside me, closer than how she was previously. She rested her head on my shoulder and laid her leg over mine gently. I planted a small kiss on the side of her head. With her free hand, she twirled my shoulder length rainbow hair in her fingers.

"I... Just think you're the beautiful person I have ever met..." I said to her in a hush, but at the same time rather tensely. I swallowed hard. Lucky for me, she didn't notice and only giggled at my response. I looked up at the night sky and stared in awe at the spectacular view above us. There were many stars - too many that almost overwhelmed me. But at the same time, it was breath-taking. Fluttershy gasped beside me.

"Oh my..." When my eyes looked over, I saw her gaping at the sky. I sat up and followed her gaze... Only to find myself staring at a meteor shower. Fluttershy held onto my hand tightly and leaned herself against me. I happily wrapped my arm around her waist and didn't dare tear my eyes away from the beauty sitting in front of me.

The way her eyes lit up made my heart flutter, and my stomach do cartwheels. I felt myself growing nauseous, but I pushed the sickening feeling away.

Cool it, Dash... You're just nervous.

"I... I, uh..." I stammered out suddenly. Fluttershy looked over at me in confusion. Oh great.

"What's wrong, Dashie?" She questioned me, her focus now on me. My face went red at the nickname and I soon found myself unable to suppress my feelings any longer.

"I love you." I said, my eyes closed shut, afraid to see her reaction. My heart froze. I didn't get a reaction. Not even an action. Only the waves of the ocean crashing against the rocks were heard along with the breeze of the crisp air. I felt my heart beginning to ache, in fear of rejection. But what did I expect? She's out of my league, and I'm too reckless and impulsive and -

"I love you too," she said, voice breaking slightly. I opened one of my eyes, and saw Fluttershy tearing up, her hands held against her mouth. I was speechless, but the sight of seeing her cry was too much for me to handle. I instantly wrapped my arms around her and crashed my lips against hers. I felt her tremble slightly, more tears escaping her eyes. When our lips parted, she rested her forehead against mine, "I love you, Dashie."

Present Day

I was back in reality and I had broken down crying. I balled my fists tightly and wrapped my own arms around myself, where my lover should be. I pulled at my hair and felt myself lay down on the cold and uncomfortable ground.

"Dash? Y-You okay there, sugarcube?" I heard Applejack question me quietly, almost cautiously. I sat up quickly and viciously wiped away my tears and suppressed my sobs. I nodded my head and clenched my jaw. I heard small footsteps advancing toward me and soon a familiar pair of arms wrapped themselves around me.

I had reached my breaking point and begun crying all over again. Applejack ran one hand down my hair continuously, and the other was wrapped around my shoulder tightly.

"It's all right... We're going to find her," Applejack said to me softly.

I'll find you, Flutters... I promise.