The sun rose up over the horizon as the night finally gave way to morning. I took a deep breath of morning air and stretched, listening to my bones crackle and pop back into place. After loosening my stiff joints, I hopped down off of the cart and looked off into the distance. New Appleoosa was where we had been headed. It was where I was heading.

I turned and looked at the cart; the fruits of Discount’s labor. Deciding to look through it for anything I could use, I began rummaging further through the contents. I found an empty set of light saddlebags which I’d filled with a few foodstuffs and ammunition for my guns and strapped them to my sides. I’d also procured an old worn cloak which I donned to shield myself from the elements.

I took a few steps away from the cart before stopping in my tracks. I couldn’t just leave it. It wasn’t right. Stepping back to the cart, I hitched myself up to it and continued on, pulling the merchant cart and its contents along with me. The sun crawled further into the sky as I walked on in silence. The rolling of the wheels and the occasional gust of wind were the only other noises that permeated the silence aside from my hoofsteps.

New Appleoosa was getting closer with each step, and I was wondering what sort of settlement would await me. The immediate surroundings were nothing more than dilapidated buildings and rubble. Rail lines were visible here and there, leading me to wonder if there was an established railway system in this Equestrian Wasteland.

As I continued on, more and more rail lines seemed to appear, leading to what looked like a bunch of old train boxcars stacked atop one another to make a wall. As I approached, I noticed ponies scattered along the top of the wall, which I could now see stretched around in what I only assumed was a circular barricade.

“Trader!” One of the ponies atop the boxcars yelled over his shoulder upon seeing me approach. “Open the gates!” I stopped as I heard metal screeching. Two large sheets of scrap metal parted slowly to reveal what looked like a small town made up of reworked railway cars and scrap metal. “Alright, head on through,” one of the ponies from up on the wall called down to me. I took a tentative step forward, opting not to verbally respond but to just continue on.

“Welcome to New Appleoosa!” An enthusiastic caramel colored pony in a leather vest stepped forward to greet me. “Haven’t seen you before, pardner. Y’all a friend o’ Ditzy’s?” The pony looked around to eye the cart I was toting, then back to me. “Got some goods to trade?”

I stared at the oddly friendly pony as my brain processed what was going on. I had just entered New Appleoosa, met an overly enthusiastic pony, and been mistaken for somepony’s acquaintance. The stallion grinned at me silently, probably waiting for a response. I held out my hoof. “Aye,” I finally spoke. The stallion raised his hoof to meet mine and shook it.

“Oh, I forgot ta introduce myself,” the caramel pony apologized. “Name’s Spark.”

“...Night,” I responded reluctantly. Spark turned and pointed his hoof off towards a building marked with a sign that read ‘Absolutely Everything’. The building sat on a raised platform with a small metal ramp leading up to the entrance.

“Well Night,” Spark continued without skipping a beat. “Y’all can find Ditzy in her shop over yonder,” the stallion motioned toward the aforementioned establishment. I nodded in appreciation and pulled the cart along as I began to move toward Absolutely Everything. Looking over my shoulder, I watched Spark wave and walk off in the opposite direction.

Pulling the cart up the ramp, I stopped in front of the entrance. I hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door with my hoof. After a short pause, a feminine voice from inside beckoned me to come in. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside. Upon seeing the pony behind the counter, I stopped. My eyes went wide as I took in the sight of what seemed to be a decomposing corpse.

“Hello,” the corpse greeted. “Welcome to Absolutely Everything,” the pony waved her hooves around in a sweeping motion as if to show off the room. I blinked a few times and shook my head. Looking back towards the counter, my eyes landed on the same sight; a gray mare with patches of blonde mane and a set of misaligned eyes. This was not a corpse but by some cruel means a living breathing pony. The mare tilted her head to the side as if she were sizing me up. “It’s rare to see other ghouls around here. Where are you from?”

“Eh, uh,” I stammered. The mare eyed the cart behind me and smiled.

“Oh, you’re here to trade goods? Why didn’t you say so?” The pony hopped down from her seat behind the counter and stepped around it. I could see her more clearly now, and I noted that she was a pegasus, or used to be. Seeing the state of decay her body was in paired with the fact that she still seemed alive and well made my skin crawl. The mare seemed to notice my discomfort. “Ooh, I forgot to introduce myself,” the mare held out her hoof. “I’m Ditzy Doo.”

“...Night,” I hesitated before taking her hoof and shaking it. I reasoned that if this pony was in charge of a trading post regardless of her appearance, her appearance mustn’t be considered strange. I had a lot to learn about this new Equestria.

“Good to meet you, Night. Now what have you got to trade?” I unhitched myself from the cart and took a few steps away from it.

“Everything,” I said flatly, waving my hoof across the cart.

“Everything?” Ditzy eyed the cart and me at the same time. “The cart, too?” I nodded.

“It’s no use t’ me,” I explained. Ditzy’s expression changed from surprise to contemplation. She lifted the cover and eyed the contents of the trading cart.

“Alright,” the mare lowered the cover and hitched herself to the cart before pulling it into another room. I took a moment to look around the shop, eying some guns and other weapons lining the walls. Along the shelves were books and magazines and other miscellaneous oddities like scraps of metal and sturdy-looking clipboards.

My attention was drawn away from the walls as Ditzy returned from the other room with a leather pouch in her teeth. She sat the pouch down on the counter with a metallic jingle. She smiled and motioned for me to take it. Taking a step toward the counter, I opened the pouch and found it stuffed with bottle caps. It took me a moment to remember that bottle caps were the new form of currency.

“This is how much I can offer for your things,” Ditzy explained. “Does nineteen-hundred caps sound reasonable?” I stared silently at the pouch for a while before taking a deep breath.

“One-fifty,” I stated flatly. Ditzy’s ears perked as her expression changed again to one of confusion.

“What?” The mare looked at me with her crooked eyes as if I were crazy. I hoofed some caps into my saddlebags and left the rest in the pouch on the counter.

“One-hundred an’ fifty caps,” I repeated. “Two days o’ caravan duty, paid in full.”

“B-But,” Ditzy’s gaze flew back and forth between the pouch and I. “What about the rest?”

“Keep it,” I flipped my saddlebags closed. “It innae mine to take.” The mare gave an exasperated sigh before looking back at me.

“Fine,” she huffed before prodding me with her hoof. “But if you ever need anything, anything at all, you come right back here. Okay?” I couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“Hey,” I started. “Is there a bar here?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Stepping through the door into the bar, I was greeted by the scent of mediocre food and cheap alcohol. There were ponies scattered about the room sitting at booths and tables making idle chatter. Despite the dozen or so patrons, the bar felt staggeringly empty.

“Take a seat, pal,” a pony behind the counter hollered over at me. The stallion in question was cleaning out a glass with a towel that looked like it had seen better days. Behind the barkeep were shelves lined with bottles of alcoholic drinks ranging from cider to bottles marked ‘paint-thinner’.

I took a seat at the bar next to a blue earth pony with a dirty blonde mane. Glancing at him for a moment, I noticed he wore a tattered leather coat and donned a set of interesting looking saddlebags. The barkeep approached and drew my attention away from the stranger.

“What’ll it be?” The stallion leaned on the counter and glared at me patiently. I scanned the contents of the shelves once more and pointed a hoof at a bottle that caught my eye.

“Whatever’s in that green bottle up there,” I motioned. The stallion turned and pulled the drink from the shelf, pouring the contents into a tall glass and sliding it to me.

“Eight caps,” he stated flatly. I reached into my saddlebags and tossed the adequate amount onto the counter. Sweeping the caps into his hoof, the barkeep turned to the stallion seated next to me. “You want anything else, bud?” The earth pony only shook his head. With a grunt, the barkeep left us. “Enjoy.”

I sniffed at the contents of my glass; a sickly green liquid that smelled sour and rotten. Lifting the glass in my hooves, I took a small sip. The liquid had no sooner reached my throat before I began coughing. Setting the glass down on the counter and reeling, I continued to cough and gag. A noise from my right drew my attention through the haze of disgust. The stallion seated next to me was laughing almost as hard as I was coughing.

“Ooh,” the pony patted me on the back with his hoof, trying to stifle his laughter. “You gotta shotgun it.” I glared at the stranger for a moment before taking my glass and tossing my head back, pouring the offending drink down my throat quickly. Surprisingly enough, the coughing fit never came; only the bitter aftertaste of the drink. Setting the empty glass down on the counter, I turned to get a good look at this stranger.

His eyes were a matching blue to his coat, and despite his young appearance the stallion looked wise beyond his years. He caught me staring and waved a hoof in front of my face.

“You okay there?” The stallion asked. “Did that drink knock something loose in that ghoul head of yours?” I shook my head and turned away, looking down at the empty glass in front of me.

“Ah’m fine,” I retorted. “Ah’ve jus’ had a long day is all,” my voice trailed off. The stallion patted me on the back again and laughed.

“Haven’t we all? Hey, Stills,” the stallion called to the barkeep. “Another couple of drinks here for me and my friend.” The barkeep, Stills, nodded and prepared a set of drinks before sliding them down the bar toward the noisy stallion and myself. “Name’s Finn, by the way,” the pony introduced himself. “Drink up, uh…”

“Nightwatch,” I filled in the blank for him and took a generous sip of the drink in front of me. The taste was much less insulting than the previous drink, and I welcomed it.

“Where you coming from, Night?” Finn nudged my side. “You with a caravan or something?”

“I was,” I took another drink from my glass.

“Was? Something happen?” Finn prodded. The silence that followed seemed to be enough of an answer for him. “Oh, I see.” The stallion stared at his own drink. “I’m sorry.” A longer silence ensued.

“The wasteland is a tough place,” Finn started. There was a tone to his voice that caught my attention. My ears perked up as he continued. “Ponies out there in the wastes will kill you for the caps in your saddlebags. A bunch of them will kill you for less than that, and some of them will kill you just because they feel like it,” Finn turned and stared at me. The look in his eyes told me he’d seen many a ruthless thing out there in the wastes. “But not everypony is out to get you. There are good ponies out there who only want to do the right thing. Ponies with virtue,” Finn added. “There are too many ponies out there who just want to watch the world burn,” Finn turned back to his glass and stared off into nothingness. “Don’t become a pony like that, Nightwatch.” Taking his glass, Finn downed the remainder of his drink.

“What are ye trying to say?” At my question, Finn turned to me again.

“Ponies like us have an obligation to make Equestria better for the ponies that will come after us,” Finn explained. His tone seemed a bit guilty. Setting a few bottlecaps on the counter, Finn got up from his seat and staggered just a bit. “Sorry for ranting, Night. I think I’ve had enough to drink. It was nice meeting you,” the stallion took a few steps before stopping. Turning his head, Finn looked back at me and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. The words never came as the stallion turned again and left the bar.

As Finn disappeared beyond the door, I was left alone with my thoughts again. I downed the rest of my drink and began thinking about what he had said. The time seemed to fly by as I replayed the events of the past few days over and over again in my head. I thought about Discount, Odds and Ends. I thought about the raider ponies that attacked. I thought about my life before the war. I thought about my parents and how they only wished the best for me. I thought about what I was going to do the next day.

Hopping down from my seat, I left a few bottle caps on the counter and exited the bar, stepping out into the cool night air. I trotted through New Appleoosa up towards the familiar building. The sign was lit by a few dim bulbs that illuminated the sign adequately enough. Making my way up the ramp again towards the door, I knocked a few times before stepping inside.

“Welcome to Abs- Oh,” Ditzy waved happily as I stepped through the doorway. “Back again, Night? Did you need something else?”

“Ah could use a little help with a few things,” I answered. Stepping toward the counter, I began digging through my saddlebags. Pulling the rifle and revolver from my bags, I set them both on the counter. Ditzy looked them over curiously.

“Do they need repairs?” the mare asked. I shook my head.

“No. Ah’d like t’ modify them a bit.” Ditzy looked at the guns and I carefully.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” I started. “The rifle kicks a bit too much an’ I’d like it to be silenced if it innae too much trouble.” Ditzy only nodded. “As for the revolver,” I continued. “I think it could use a bit more kick.”

“Sounds easy enough,” the mare beamed. “I’ll have it done by morning. I have all the parts I need in the back, so you can just come by tomorrow and pick them up, okay?” Ditzy pulled my weapons off of the counter and trotted into the back room before returning.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” I piped up. The mare tilted her head. “How much will it cost?” Ditzy grinned and waved her hoof.

“For you, nothing.” I was about to object, but catching the glare Ditzy gave me, decided against it. “Oh, and Night? Do you have a place to stay?” I shook my head. “You can spend the night in the common house, if you’d like. It’s not the best, but it’s a bed and a roof over your head,” Ditzy offered.

“Aye then,” I nodded and turned to leave. “I’ll be around in the morning.” Ditzy waved as I exited her store and stepped out into the night again. After a brief stroll around the town, I came across the common house and stepped inside. The interior of the building was what I’d expected; sheet metal walls and flooring, complete with dim lighting. The beds were in pretty bad shape; most of them simply stained mattresses matted to the floor while others were raised up on rusted frames. Earth ponies and unicorns dressed in rags were scattered about on the mattresses, content with their sleeping conditions. Deciding to accept this myself, I picked a bed at random and claimed it for the night. Setting my bags underneath the bed frame, I crawled onto the worn mattress and curled up, using my overcoat as a makeshift blanket. Within minutes I was asleep.

- - - - -

The dreamless night ended as I awoke the next morning. Rolling myself off of the worn mattress, I planted my hooves down on the cold metal floor and stretched. My joints popped and crackled as my wings uncomfortably failed to outstretch underneath my overcoat. I pulled my saddlebags out from beneath the bed and settled them across my back before heading toward the door and out into the New Appleoosan morning.

Initially blinded by the sunlight, I waited for my eyes to adjust before making my way down to Absolutely Everything to retrieve my gear. Passing by various townsponies, I responded to ‘hello’s and ‘good morning’s in kind as I approached my destination. I rapped my hoof against the metal door of Absolutely Everything before pushing it open and stepping inside.

As the door closed behind me and my eyes adjusted to the change in light once more, I spotted Ditzy Doo at the counter with her face down. Scattered around her were various weapon modifications and parts. I approached the counter slowly and quietly so as not to wake the mare. Once I was a mere few inches from Ditzy’s sleeping face, I cleared my throat, startling the ghoul from her slumber.

“Wha?” Ditzy’s head shot up quickly and her hooves swept across the countertop, knocking parts aside. Her good eye focused on me and her demeanor changed from one of shock to annoyance. “Oh, haha,” Ditzy mock laughed and began tidying up the parts on the counter. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt a lady’s beauty rest?”

“My apologies,” I grinned and bowed my head to hide my amusement. “How’re my things?” I raised my head and scanned the countertop.

“Right,” Ditzy disappeared beneath the counter and reappeared with what resembled Lily, my revolver, and hoofed it across the countertop to me. My eyes scanned the weapon thoroughly. The barrel was slightly longer and a scope was fastened to the side. Picking Lily up, I noticed the handle had been modified, both to offset the weight of the barrel and to allow for a better grip. Tilting my head, I pointed the revolver at a barren wall and looked down the sight. I pressed down on the bit to test its sensitivity and was pleased to find it gave little resistance.

“You like it?” Ditzy leaned over the counter and smiled at me. I turned back to the counter and set Lily down before nodding my approval. “Your rifle’s in the back,” Ditzy scooted back off of her stool and stepped into another room. “I think you’re really going to like it,” her voice echoed around the corner. Within a few moments, Ditzy returned with my rifle, Angelica. With practiced ease, Ditzy hoisted the rifle onto the countertop and slid it toward me.

The first difference I noticed about Angelica was the color. What had been a dark grey akin to my coat was now an earthly yellow, as if the rifle was made of golden sand. The next modification that caught my attention was a suppressor attached to the end of what looked like a newer, longer barrel. Angelica was fitted with a larger scope as well as what appeared to be a larger magazine.Wrapping my hooves around the gun and lifting it from the counter, I was surprised to find that the weight hadn’t increased much.

“I used carbon fibre parts,” Ditzy explained as if she were reading my mind. “I figured it would be too heavy for you, otherwise. I fiddled with the stock a bit so it wouldn’t kick as much, too.” I smiled and strapped Angelica to my side before hoofing Lily into my saddlebags.

“Much obliged,” I thanked the mare wholeheartedly. I raised my hoof across the counter. Ditzy returned the gesture and placed her hoof in mine as we shook.

“Are you heading out now?” Ditzy settled back into her seat. I just nodded. “If it’s not too much to ask, where are you headed?”

“Cannae say,” I answered. “Ah just plan t’ pick a direction and wander.” Ditzy frowned and leaned forward a bit.

“Steer clear of Ponyville to the east and, under no circumstances should you go south as far as Old Olneigh and Maripony,” Ditzy glared at me. “Ponyville’s been a raider base and Old Olneigh is just a hive of radiation and mutants.”

“Ah’ll be careful,” I promised Ditzy as I turned to leave.

“You’d better be,” Ditzy warned, flailing her hoof over the counter at me in mock anger. “And you come right back here if you need anything, okay? Food, supplies, ammunition, I’ve got,” Ditzy paused for a moment, waving her hoof along the shelves behind her. “Absolutely Everything.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I stepped out into New Appleoosa again. I told myself I would have to take Ditzy up on her offer.

I stepped out into the New Appleoosan air and hoofed it toward the main gates. As I approached, the guardponies opened the large metal doors. Beyond the gates, I spotted a familiar looking unicorn speaking with what looked to be a trader outside. Upon closer inspection, I realized the pony in question was Finn.

Finn was dressed in a light brown overcoat and was hitched to a large covered wagon. I watched curiously as he hoofed the trader some bottle caps in exchange for some bottled water. As Finn turned to store the water in the saddlebags across his back, he caught sight of me and motioned me toward him.

“Hey Night, you heading out?” Finn asked as I approached. I nodded in response. “You heading anywhere in particular?” I shook my head. “Great,” Finn grinned. “I’ve got some work for you if you’re interested.”

“What’s the job?” I asked quizzically, tilting my head.

“I’ve got some business in Appleossa and I could use somepony with a gun,” Finn answered. I cocked an eyebrow. “I mean as a guard, it’s a three day trek and another pony would make the trip a lot easier,” Finn explained. I tossed the idea around in my head for a moment.

“How much?” Finn smiled and his horn lit, levitating a sum of bottle caps from his saddlebags and magicking them to me.

“Two-hundred caps sound good?” Thinking of little else to do, I accepted the offer and stashed the caps away in my saddlebags. “Alright, let’s go,” Finn started off toward where the sun was rising into the firmament. I followed behind the wagon as we made our way east toward Appleoosa.