//------------------------------// // Second Leg and Arrival // Story: The Long Road Home // by The Midnight Stalker //------------------------------// The Long Road Home By The Midnight Stalker (Remember I'm Watching You) This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend. The light was failing and soon it would be dark. Lonesome was glad that they would have to stop soon. He was exhausted after today. It normally wouldn't have been that bad, but now he had to keep his new companion in line. She wasn't bad, he just wasn't used to travelling with others. He's always been a loner. She had been silent for a while now which was odd. She had been talking almost nonstop the entire day. He had always been so focused on his thoughts he hadn't notice the silence... until now. He's gotten used to it, but now that she's here he realizes how much he's missed talking to another pony on these trips. As nice as it is, though, he knows the weaknesses that traveling with others brings. Distractions are one of them. Listening to others can keep you from seeing or hearing subtle clues that something is amiss. He's seen the remains of groups taken out by the smallest things. One time he saw a couple of unicorns get into an argument over some water and get slaughtered by a mutant manticore they didn't see coming until it was too late. But he was more observant then they were, so he should be able to keep her safe. At least until they get to town; after that she's back on her own. That may seem mean or callous, but he really didn't need anypony traveling with him. He'd more than likely get them killed, so it was best that she stayed in her own town. True, she still might die soon, but at least then it wouldn't be on his hooves. They had walked quite a bit today and now it was time to stop for the night. He looked over to Cinnamon and saw how exuasted she was. She was clearly use to taking frequent breaks. It didn't matter, though. He'll probably never see her after he leaves this town. He looks over to her. "Alright, time to stop for the night. It's gonna get dark soon." "About time. I thought my legs were about to fall off. I've never walked that far ever in one day." "Whatever. I really don't care. We just need to get some sleep tonight. We're getting up before dawn. We should reach town tomorrow about noon that way. I'd likely get there sooner alone, but I've got you to keep up with." "Sorry if I'm slow, I'm just not used to walking like that, how do you do it?" "I just do. No more questions. Help me get this tent out. It's where you're sleeping tonight." She went over to Lonesome and helped him get out his tent. It didn't take all that long really, it simply popped into place. Then Lonesome got out his mat and set it down before getting comfortable on it. He noticed Cinnamon looking at him a bit funny when he sat down outside the tent. "I prefer to sleep outdoors. I don't like tents much. I have it just in case I need it, or if it rains." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Her curiosity sated for now she turned to the tent and went in to look at it. She saw it was an old war time tent. Probably military issue, but she didn't know. She really didn't care about stuff like that. She just needed to know what was valuable and what wasn't. She was sure this tent could probably bring in a few caps, but things like this weren't her expertise. All she knew was her craft and that was it. That, and a bit about scavenging. That made her think of her friends. She was worried about them and had been for the last few days. Hopefully they were okay, but she knew, realistically, that they were more probably dead. If they weren't, she knew that she hadn't made things any easier for them by taking their food and water. She knew she should get over that, but still it felt wrong. Then, a thought occurred to her, Maybe she could talk to Lonesome about it. Surely he's had to make a few hard choices! But then again she got the feeling he doesn't travel with others often, so maybe he doesn't care what happens to others. No... if that was the case he'd have left her to die! And he did say not to ask questions... That meant he was hiding something or hiding from somepony. Either way it was probably best not to ask. ------------------------------------------------------------------- He assumed she had already gone to sleep. That was a good thing, as he wouldn't have to deal with her until morning. That left him to his own thoughts, though. Most nights he would simply fall sleep almost immediately, but not tonight. His head was abuzz with thoughts of how he was going to handle things when he got to town tomorrow. He really didn't have any idea. Normally he didn't plan things out, he just improvised as he went. This time, that might not fly. Then there was the issue of The Boss' visitor. While he hadn't heard the entire conversation, he had heard enough to tell The Boss was trying to get information on him. That had left him a bit puzzled. Why had The Boss betrayed the agreement like that? They both had agreed not to pry. No that wasn't right. They had agreed not to ask questions. So, that meant The Boss hadn't violated the letter of the agreement, but he had still broken it in spirit. While that had Lonesome mad, there wasn't anything he could do. Even if there was something could do he wouldn't do it. He had invested too much time into looking for this thing. He wanted to see it, even if The Boss decided he didn't. Not like that was likely. It still troubled him, though. He didn't want anypony digging into his past. It was bad enough he had to relive it every day of his life, he didn't need ponies asking him questions. He simply didn't have the answers. With his mind in turmoil he thought he'd never get to sleep, but time proved him wrong.... She was still debating asking him, but soon realized it was too late when she heard him start snoring. Oh well. She was way too confused to think much more anyhow. Things would probably be less confusing in the morning... At least, she hoped so. _______________________________________________________________________________ He got up early. Really early. Things had to be done before they set out again. First thing he did was poke his head into the tent and wake Cinnamon. Predictably, she didn't want to wake up. "Wake up. We need to get ready to leave. It will be dawn in a few hours. I want to be gone well before then" She groaned and tried to roll away from him, but he grabbed her by her hoof and started to drag her out of the tent. "Fine! I'll get up. I'm just not use to getting up this early. Give me a second okay?" "Fine, but i'm putting up this tent whether or not you're in it. And don't try me on that. I will find a way." He glared at her to drive home his point. She got up and crawled out of the tent quickly. She really didn't want to see if he was telling the truth. After he saw her get out he proceeded to put up the tent. Afterwards he decided that it would be a good idea to eat some breakfast, he went over and got some Cram and crackers out of his saddle bags. He looked over to Cinnamon, who was still half asleep. "Come get something to eat. You'll need it." He said to her. "Fine. What do you have?" "Cram." "UHHGGGG!!! Not that stuff again! Why do you have so much of it?" "It's preserved. And it's not that bad if you eat it long enough." "Fine give me some. I swear, I wish this stuff didn't exist. " She continued to grumble as she went over to get some Cram. She grabbed a can of the dreaded mystery food, plopped down on her rear and started to eat it. Lonesome continued to eat his as well, but he was chuckling on the inside at her reaction to it. Yesterday she had been just fine with it. Probably because of how hungry she was. He smirked at the thought. He had a feeling she was used to getting what she wanted. Likely she had decided to go scavaging to try and prove she wasn't just a spoiled brat. He felt she wasn't a brat of any kind though. She probably just got a lot shit about who she's related to or something, but wasn't above using her influence if she needed to. At least that was his theory. Maybe he should ask, in case her connections could help out once they got to Whispering Sands. After quickly finishing his Cram he got back up. He looked around to make sure that they had everything. Then he hollered to get Cinnamon's attention. It appeared that she had fallen back asleep. "well, that just won't work," he thought. So, he decided to wake her up in a rather abrupt manner. He went over to her, grabbed her rear legs and hoisted her up into the air. "What the hay?!" She flailed around as she woke up. "Why am I upside down?!" "'Cuz I picked you up." "Why? Put me down now!" She instantly regretted her words when he let go and she fell to the ground with a thud. "Ow! Why did you do that?!" "You told me to put you down, so I did." "No, Why did you pick me up?" "You fell asleep and I had to wake you up." "Whatever..." She grumbled. "I guess it's time to go. That's the only reason I can think of to make you wake me up like that." "Yup, now get going. We need to be in town before noon." She sighed. "Alright." Then they took off toward town. If he was right they ought to be there well before noon, but he didn't want her to know that. He knew she might be a problem to get up so he had her get up really early just in case. Turns out he got to have a bit of fun as well; he didn't get to do that very often. This was a good morning. For him anyways. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Today was like yesterday and the day before, oddly unexciting. His luck had been good so far and that was starting to worry him. Something should've happened by now. Maybe it was because he was in the middle of a damn desert? Probably, but still... He decided he had to think about something else, like how he was going to find the Widget once he got there. About then, Cinnamon spoke up. "Hey, um... Lonesome... how long till we get to town? I really need to get there soon. I need to tell my mom that I'm alright, otherwise she'll have the whole town out looking for me." "And she hasn't yet, why?" "Well I used to run away a lot when I was younger. Most of the time I'd just go to a friends house. Nine times out of ten their folks would tell her that I was with them, so she wouldn't worry. Then within a few days I'd get homesick and go home. So, since then if I go missing she doesn't really worry about me, but it's been a couple of weeks now, and I'd say she's worried." "And your friends?" "They probably either made it home or everyone figures the're dead. Likely me, too. The search would really just be to find our bodies." "Makes sense. How would your mother get the town to look for you anyway? A small search party, sure. The whole town? I doubt it." "Well, it would help that she's the mayor. That, and I'm a pretty good cook. My Cutie Mark is a swirl of cinnamon after all. " Lonesome just glared at her. "What did you think my Cutie Mark was? A dust storm? Because that's the only other thing I can think of that it looks like." He just continued to stare at her for a moment. It really freaked her out for a second. "Well, I think I just solved a huge problem of mine, and it's all because I found you. " "Um... okay... How did I help? I thought I was just slowing you down." "Yes, you are, but you're a bit more important now. You se,e I need to find something and until now I had no way of getting help..." "And you think my mom will help you for saving me, right?" He nodded his head yes and gave her a big grin. "Thought so. Well, if you want the truth she probably will... But she wont be happy about it. So if I were you I'd stay clear of her and the town once your business is done and you get whatever it is you're after." "Well I don't think I'll listen to that last bit of advice. I need to stick around town for a bit until it's found. Like I said, it's in those old ruins. No telling how hard it's gonna be to find somepony to go in there. You said yourself that all you locals think the place is haunted. I already knew that, but still..." "Whatever... I'm sure with all the dumbasses in town you'll find somepony to do it. If not, then I'm sure some daredevil will come through. They come by all them time and head into the ruins. They come out alright, as long as they don't head in too deep. A few tried for the center near the tall building and never came back. And for your information, the place is haunted. I know because I went there once myself. All sorts of freaky stuff happened... Creeped me out so bad I didn't stay long." "Well, thank you for telling me that. I hope I don't make your mother too mad, after all Hell hath no fury like that of a woman's scorn. Anyway, we'll be in town a lot sooner than I thought. We should be there about an hour after daybreak. Now, don't be mad about me waking you up so early. If I hadn't we'd still be getting ready to head out." "Fine. That doesn't mean that I'm happy about it though." She grumbled. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The rest of the trip to town was made in silence. Neither one was going to start up the conversation again. Him because he didn't want to hear her complain about how early he got her up or how he was using her for leverage against her mom, and Her because she just didn't want to talk right now. She was tired from getting up well before dawn and from getting to sleep so late. Not that it really mattered. At least he got her home. And once you got past his grumpy, uncaring exterior, you could see a pony who cared about others. Sadly these glimpses were too few, she thought. She figured something in must've happened and it hurt him deeply. No telling what it was so she likely won't find out whatever it is. Definitely not from him. Maybe she'll help give him a helping hoof and tell her mom just to help him. He did save her life after all. Really, her mom should be grateful and simply help for the hell of it. He shouldn't need to use leverage. Oh, well. They'll cross that bridge when they get to it. For now she needs to focus on keeping up with Lonesome. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Soon, Whispering Sands came up over the horizon. It was a decent sized town from the looks of it. Not like the larger towns up north, but larger that the town he'd just came from. It also had a feel the other town didn't, like it was meant to be hear. It felt established. That had to be it. From what little bit he'd learned from Cinnamon it had been there before the war, a decent sized suburb of the ruins it shared it's name with. Whereas the town he resided in had only been there 30 years and was barely clinging to existence. Mostly because of trade from towns like this. Really, his town was just a glorified trading post. As they reached the city outskirts he noticed a few things about the town. First thing he noticed was the lack of tall buildings, something nearly all towns in the wasteland had at least a few of. That meant either a catastrophe in the somewhat distant past or repurposing them for building material. He might ask Cinnamon about that later. At the edge of town there were a few houses and what looked like one or two slaughter houses. Why the town would need those was beyond him. Perhaps they had a lot of griffins that passed through. Who knew? He really didn't care as long as they didn't try and eat him or something like that. As they got a bit further into town things started to get a little more crowded. The buildings were getting closer together now. Real streets were forming as well. Many were old cracked Pre-Wasteland paved roads. That was a testament to the engineers who put the pavement down. The buildings closer to the town center were in a bit rougher shape than those out at the edge. That said that they had been there much longer that the news ones being built. That brought his mind back to the lack of tall buildings. They probably were reusing the taller ones in order to expand the town. That meant this was a growing town. Soon they were at a point were Lonesome could no longer navigate. He looked at Cinnamon and she saw his gaze. "It's a bit confusing, but hey, I know my way around. Just tell me where you need to go." She grinned. "Well, I'm sure your Mother would like to see that you're okay. And I would like to speak to her about the ruins." "Fine. Right now she's probably at work, over in the town hall. It's not much, but hey, it's the best building in town." "Okay. Lead the way" He followed her down the main stretch of town towards a medium sized building that was in good shape. He assumed that this was town hall. He saw how busy it was, as well. Ponies were buzzing in and out of it at all times. Soon, they were inside. It was a bit nicer on the inside than the outside. Now, all he had to do was get to the Mayor. He was about to ask Cinnamon a question when a dull green pony spoke up. "State your business and be seated." It was the secretary. Cinnamon spoke up. "Um.. Hi... I'm here to see my Mom. She's probably worried sick about me." The secretary looked up at her. "Well, about damn time you showed up. Your mother's done hardly anything productive since you vanished. Now get your ass in there and show her you're alright, so things can get back to normal around here." Cinnamon started to make for the door to the office, but the other mare spoke up again, glaring at Lonesome. "Who are you? I didn't say you could go in." "Um... he sorta... saved my life. I think Mom would like to meet him." "Whatever. Just don't cause any trouble, understand?" The pair entered the office. It was a smaller one, but it was functional. When they entered they didn't see anypony in there, but then they heard a voice. "And where have you been young lady?" " U'm....." This is my longest chapter to date, so it's taken me longer to write. sorry for the wait. This Chapter was finished like a week ago, but I've only just now managed to get to my computer. Enjoy.