The Long Road Home

by The Midnight Stalker

The First Leg

She didn't know who he was or even why he was out there. All she knew was he was there and she needed help, but she couldn't be sure that he would help her. She was lost and didn't know how to get back to town.

She had gotten separated from her friends while out looking for something to salvage. They had traveled for a few days before they finding a suitable area to search and set up camp. She'd seen something gleaming off in the distance and went to investigate on her own. It turned out to be an old aluminum cart, half buried in the sand. It was too heavy to move by herself, so she went back to get help. It could at least help them haul some things home. But when she got back her friends were gone. Surely she hadn't gone that long? Then she noticed how the ground was disturbed and that they had left their supplies behind. She knew they wouldn't do that, so something must have happened.
She'd immediately gathered what she could and set out, heading back to town for help.

That was a few days ago, and now she was running low on food and water. Oh, she hoped that he would help her. Still, he might not. He didn't look like a raider, but that rifle he'd been lugging around couldn't have been just for looks. The guy had probably killed a few folks, and he might even have been a mercenary. If she ever got a chance to approach him, she'd have to be careful.

Then there was the problem of where he was headed. Since she had no clue where she was, she may not be anywhere near town. She thought she may have been going south, but didn't know for sure. They were scavenging north of town so she should have found it by now. Maybe she had walked by it in the night. It had happened a few times. She'd seen the bodies of those who didn't find town in time. A few were less than thirty minutes away. Right now it'd be best not to think like that, though, and focus on what she had to do.

Since she thought she'd been going south, she was sure he was going north. And if she really managed to miss the town, then that's where she needs to go! She made up her mind. She was going to go talk to the stranger and find out where he was going.

Taking a deep breath, she got to her hooves and started to approach her best hope of getting home, trying to be as quiet as possible until she had a better idea of how dangerous he might be. Unfortunately, her hoof caught a small stone, sending it bouncing noisily against a larger one.

She quietly cursed and flattened her body against the sandy ground. "Shit... I hope he didn't hear that."

The pony in front of her stirs, sitting up, and she groans.

"Dammit."

He woke with a start. Something had disturbed his sleep. It really didn't take much. He was a light sleeper. It was just one of many habits and skills honed to perfection by the wasteland. If you didn't react quickly you might wind up dead.
He got up, looking around around for anything that looked off. Nothing seemed unusual, but he knew better. He never woke up like that without a reason. But since nothing immediately seemed odd, he brushed it off for now, He needed to get moving anyway. It would be day soon and that would mean heat. As tough as he was, the desert heat would still get to him if he was out in it for too long.

So he started to gather up his few things. First, he rolled up his tent. He was glad he didn't have to use it, it made him feel restricted, and that wasn't something he enjoyed. As he packed it away he occasionally glanced up to see if anypony was there. He felt like he was being watched, so he knew they had to be there, but he still didn't see them. He wasn't worried though. They'd show themselves soon enough. He'd deal with them then like he always did.

Soon he was ready to go. After he had packed the tent, all he had to do was get his bedroll and his bags. Then, after dispersing the ashes from his fire, he set off again. This time, well before the heat of the day began to set in. He felt he would make good progress today, especially since he got up fairly early. Whoever was watching him, he was going to thank them for that before he dealt with them. He hoped that whoever it was wasn't looking for trouble. He didn't like to kill unless it was necessary... Or he was just pissed off. Whichever. Thankfully for the residents of the wasteland, it was normally the former rather than the latter.

She had decided to wait for him to get everything packed up before she walked up and asked him if she could come along, but now she felt something was wrong. From the way he acted it was like he knew she was watching him. She couldn't fathom how, but the fact was that now she could not ask him like she wanted to.

Resigned to this she decided to simply follow him. At least then she would figure out where he's going. She really wanted to talk to him, though. It wasn't that she had taken a particular liking to him, she just needed to talk to somepony, anypony. After all, a full two days in the desert by yourself would drive almost anypony crazy. How did he do it? It didn't matter. She didn't have to be happy with her situation, she just had to make the best of it that she could.

It had been several hours since he had packed up and headed out. Getting up early had been a good idea, just like he knew it would be. He had already covered almost the same distance he had yesterday and still had quite a few hours left to go. That was good. It meant he might get to his destination a bit quicker. With that he picked up the pace a bit, his stride lengthening into an easy trot, one he would be able to keep up for a good long time instead of the patient walk he'd been moving at so far.

He knew it also meant whoever was following him could keep up as well. He still didn't know who it was, but earlier he'd gotten a quick look at them. He or she thought they were clever for following him like they did, but they didn't know that he could easily lose them. He didn't want to, though, not just yet. He wanted to know who was following him and why.
The few things he did know didn't tell him much. The pony had clearly been out here before, but didn't seem too
experienced. So, they had to be young. They were fast and nimble, with a small silhouette, and that meant either a small male or a female. he didn't know which, and he wasn't gonna make a call on that one. He wasn't sexist like some ponies were.

All of that told him whoever it was wouldn't be much of a threat, and that was a good thing. He hoped he could simply scare them off. He really didn't want to harm them, especially if it was a foal or a mare. He knew they could be as dangerous as any stallion, but that doesn't meant he liked killing them. Maybe they'd come up when he stopped to rest and eat. They had to be hungry. As far out as they were, it was more than likely they were either out of food or running low, and any opportunity to learn more about his pursuer was welcome.

He slowed over the course of several minutes, before coming to a stop and pulling out an old timepiece he'd had for years. It was a rarity, one that predated even the war. He could probably sell it for quite a few bits if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. It was given to him a long time ago, and you didn't simply get rid of a gift like that. Somehow, despite the centuries, it stayed true. Probably some kind of unicorn magic. He didn't know or care, as long as it worked, and right now it was telling him it was a quarter past two. About time to stop and rest. With that in mind, he stretched his legs and started to get out his lunch. Some cram, a few crackers and some fruit that could at least pass for edible. Not the best meal, but it was food.

It seemed like he would go on forever. Maybe that was his plan, exhaust her and then kill her. She was sure he knew she was there. He had caught a glance at her a while back, and that wasn't good. He'd probably already planned out what he's gonna do to her. Or not... She flattened herself and crept up behind a large boulder, peeking out from behind it.

He'd just stopped, sitting down and going through his bags. Probably getting something to eat, she thought jealously. She'd eaten the last of her food last night and now she was really hungry. Just thinking about food made her stomach growl even louder. She had some water left, but not much. Even after she had taken her friends stuff she still hadn't had enough to make it home. Well, she would've had enough if she hadn't missed town all together. She hoped that her friends were okay. She felt bad about taking their supplies, but she didn't know where they went and she needed it.

Soon, she figured he must be about done with his food, and that they'd probably be moving again. She hoped not. She needed to rest a bit. Maybe he wasn't a bad pony after all. Maybe she was simply paranoid after her friends had vanished like that. She sat there, conflicted, for a moment. On one hoof she was hungry and he had food. On the other, he might simply kill her. Still she may die out here anyway. It would be a slow death, too. At least being killed by him would be quicker than starvation, or dying of thirst.

She made up her mind to approach him and hope for the best. Maybe he was really a kind guy who just fell on hard times, or he just looked tough to scare off other ponies. If either was the case this might not be so bad. She slowly got out from behind her cover and made her way towards the stranger, creeping along, ready to run if he started shooting. The entire time, doubts about him plagued her mind, but she willed herself to go on. Soon she was less than 10 feet away from him. If he had noticed her approach at all, he didn't show it.

Now that she was closer she could see that he almost definitely wasn't a Raider. That was a good sign. Other than that she couldn't really see much. He was covered in some sort of black barding from head to hoof, or he would be if his helmet wasn't currently off. His coat was hard to see at this angle but she could see his mane. It was a dark blue or maybe an odd shade of dark purple. She didn't know. She could never tell dark blues and purples apart, black gave her some trouble as well. He seemed to be relaxed right now, so it was probably the best possible time to get his attention.
She crept closer and spoke up.

"Um.. Hello?" She didn't see any movement. Maybe he sleep? Some ponies can sleep sitting up, can't they?
"Hello!" She called out again, this time a bit louder.

"Took you long enough. Been wondering when you'd show up. you really need to work on your stealth if you're going to make this into a profession."

She almost jumped when he spoke. So, he was awake. And he'd been waiting for her? Well, that was a good sign... maybe.

He spoke again

"Cat got your tongue? Hope not. Saw that happen once. Poor guy can't talk anymore. So, who are you? And why did you follow me?"

It took her a second to get her nerve up enough to talk again.

"Well... I'm lost" Her voice was shaky. She was a bit scared now. "I was out with some friends when I got separated from them. I've been out here almost a week now."

"Figures. So, where are you headed. I only know of two towns around here and I came from one of them."

"I think it's north of here. It's named after some old ruins, called Whispering Sands."

Since all she could see was his back, she couldn't be sure, but it looked like he tensed up. Then he quickly stood and turned around. Next thing she knew, she was staring into a pair of cold blue-grey eyes. Her mane stood on end and she did her best not to just turn and run. The stallion was a little... intense.

"Did you say ruins?"

"Um, yeah! There's this big ruined city near my town, a couple weeks north of it. My friends and I have only been there once, and we found some really cool stuff, but it was really creepy. They say the whole place is haunted. Why?"

"Lets say I'm interested in them. That's why I'm going to...Whispering Sands, did you say?" She nodded her head at that. This was going better than she had hoped. "Is that the name of the ruins, as well as the town?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Well, I'll let you tag along with me, but only on one condition: you tell me all you can about both the town and the ruins."

"S-sure. Um... Can I have something to eat? I haven't eaten all day, since I kinda... ran out of food yesterday..."

"Sure. All I have is some cram and crackers. Is that ok?"

"Yeah. I've eaten worse. I'm Cinnamon by the way. What's your name?"

His eyes hardened and he frowned, becoming much more serious all of a sudden. "Don't ask questions, please." She nodded her head. "But if you really need a name, you can call me... Lonesome."

"Okay."

Lonesome now had some information. It wasn't much, but it was more than he had when he woke up. The least he could do for this mare was feed her and get her home. After all, he wasn't a mean guy. Hell, he probably would've helped her anyway. After all ,she did seem like a nice pony. if a bit naive.

They started moving again as soon as she was done eating. They still had plenty of daylight left. Why waste it?

Note: My editor did an AWESOME job on this chapter. I can't thank him enough. His Name is Cascadejackel check out his stuff here.