Chapter 1- Awakening

Chapter 1

Awakening

"Our Goal..... To protect those who may one day, save us all, from the hell we have created."

.:+:.

Alarms.

"Warning..... Pacification Field Offline.... Warning...... Magic Generators have failed......"

"....Warning... Cryogenic Holding Chamber Malfunction, Ice Talismans non-operational..... Warning.... Chamber breach, radioactive matter present.... Warning;"

"Subject at risk."

The sound of alarms going off woke me from a restless, and dreamless sleep, that I can't remember falling asleep for. Letting out a moan, my head thudding against something hard as I tried to sit up. I cringed back slightly, trying to force my eyes to open, but they feel so heavy, my limbs feel heavy. I feel like I got kicked in the head by a freaking yak on a rampage…. The hell..?!

"..... Warning.... Subject at Risk....... Please evacuate immediately....."

The words seemed to bounce around me and echo, the alarms kept ringing in my ears to the point that it was beginning to give me one hell of a headache- I wanted those damn things to shut the hell up, I want them gone.

I try sitting up again, this time slowly lifting a hoof forward so it can meet the barrier in which my head had hit before. The surface was smooth, and utterly freezing. Just like me- my teeth were chattering incessantly as cold chills racked my body and made me tremble. I forced my eyes open slowly, nothing was making any sense, all the details were gone, everything was lost in a sheet of grey before my eyes. A slight, sickly green glow enveloped everything around me, and I scrunched my eyes closed again, the odd light was making my growing headache much worse.

".......... Warning....... Radiation Levels have Increased..... Please evacuate immediately...."

Radiation...? Chamber...... Subject......?

My mind was foggy, I can't make sense of anything…… When I tried to remember... Everything is blank, there's nothing there, and my head begins to pound more at my attempt to recall any small, passing shred of memory or knowledge. I tried to bring forth anything- anything that would help me understand what was going on…. But it’s just dark emptiness, nothing comes to mind, nothing at all- every memory I may have ever had, or might not have… its not there- everything in my head is blank. I don’t know where I am, what happened, what’s going on, or even hardly who I am…..

I groan again, my head throbbing more- I felt heavy and slow, I felt weak, small.... And Sweet Celestia, I am freezing! Get me the hell out of here!

Then again, where is ‘here’ anyway?

A cold slab of something hard was pressed up against my back, and I can feel the same cold surfaces surrounding me on either side. I shudder involuntarily, and force my eyelids open halfway, blinking slowly a few times to try and clear my vision of the haze lingering over it. When at last, the scenery before me begins to clear, I can make out that I'm not laying down, in fact I'm pressed up against a slab of metal, sitting up right with my hind-legs stretched down. My hoof had met contact with cloudy, and dust ridden glass inches from my face. The glass is clouded and frosted over slightly inside, from outside the sickly green glow is coming in through the dirty glass to bath me in its dim light. I slowly rubbed away the condensation and frost, to try and get a clearer look of what lies beyond the glass, peering through the dust on the other side to see....

...rubble...?

Everything looks to have been destroyed, the walls had crumbled and fallen on the other side of my small metal prison and cached the floor with bits of concrete and whatnot. Everything seemed to be coated in a thick sheet of dust, the walls cracked, the floor uneven, sections of the roof hanging down at an unsafe angle- pipes and wires and tubes, all that seemed to be holding on for dear life above me. My mind was having a seriously hard time trying to figure out, just what in the hell is going on?

"Subject 4 is in danger..... Please evacuate.... Radiation levels have increased...... Internal structure has been compromised..."

My ears perked at the name, it ringing in my head with an air of unfamiliarity and foreignness.... Subject 4. Who the freaking hell is Subject 4?

"Zone 4 has been compromised..... All personnel please evacuate..." The mechanical voice continued on, sounding slightly static and gurgled, like the speakers had been damaged at some point. "Subject 4's safety has been compromised, please evacuate the Subject.... This is a level 5 emergency...."

Zone 4... Now that didn’t manage to ring a bell in my head either, if it ever had been something I knew about- I can't place where I had heard it before, or even remembering hearing it. For a split second, pure irritation rose up inside of me- I can’t. Remember. A. Damn. Thing.

How can I not? Why the hell was my mind so freaking blank?

Due to the situation- you know, trapped in a metal and glass box and freezing my feathers off- I didn't have time to dwell on my strange lack of memory, all I could actually manage to process right now, was the pressing need to get out of my small, enclosed, prison-it was slowly making me feel a bit… claustrophobic.

I reached a hoof up to rub my temple and found something else, it was… a headset of sorts, two metal ends shaped like teardrops clamped down on to both of my temples, a band that was of a cool silver metal and interlaced with thin, slightly glowing wires- that rest just behind my ears to keep it on my head. I blinked slightly, unsure what it was or why it was on my head…. I ignored it for now. Get out of here first, figure that out later.

I shook my head furiously and the headset clattered at my hooves at the bottom of my cage… tube… whatever.

Letting out another groan, I pressed both hooves against the glass, and pushed as hard as I could manage- to the point my legs started shaking with the strain, vainly hoping this small attempt would grant me freedom. Thing is I knew it wouldn’t, it was too weak an attempt. The glass was too strong.

When the glass didn't budge, I let out a sigh, and tried to readjust myself, so I was able to press my back hooves against the clouded surface. Using my front hooves to steady myself, I pushed against the borders of metal on either side of the glass, and pushed my back up against the metal- pinning myself tightly. My first kick, was utterly feeble, and that was just plain irritating. So, I tried again. And this time, I kicked harder.

The kick caused a ripple effect of sound in my almost completely metal prison, the noise rung in my ears more than the alarms did, making me wince at it. By now, the alarms going on outside my cage, had stopped ringing in my ears as much as they had been when I first came to consciousness- now all the noise banging around my head was just the noise I managed to stir up. Pressing my ears flat against my head the noise was blocked out a little, I grit my teeth and my body tensed, eyes narrowing, I kicked again.

The glass still did not budge, and I kept trying. I couldn’t just give up- I mean, who wants to die trapped in a tiny freaking box? Not me!

Every kick I could feel my limbs getting stronger, stronger from more use- my heart started pumping faster, my blood flowing more, I was shaking off my heaviness and drowsy feeling the more I fought to get myself out, I really did not want to be stuck in here- oh no sir!

Crack

My eyes went wide once I heard the unmistakable sound of breaking glass, and glancing down, through the haze of my own breath billowing out in front of me, I could see the hairline cracks beginning to spread across the glass where my hooves had repeatedly struck it, about four dozen time by now- my hooves were starting to ache at the beating. I figured the glass must have already been cracked, and I hadn't noticed it, and now I was just adding to the damage- but who cared?

New energy rose up inside my body as I smirked slightly, I was getting somewhere, and all the waiting only made the want to get out of here fiercer.

"Warning, Ice Talismans no longer operational."

I didn't have time to register the sound of the computerized voice, once my hooves broke through the glass, the shards cutting into my hind legs, and I let out a hiss of pain at the sting, but hey- it was better than the cold. A rush of warm air flooded into my small prison through the shattered hole in the glass, along with the scent of smoke, and something completely foreign to me. Something acrid, and it made my stomach turn as it reached my nose. It was sour, disgusting…. I couldn’t place it now- but later I did figure out what that smell was, and I don’t think I would ever get used to it- nor get used to the world waiting for me on the other side of the sheet of glass.

.:+:.

By the time I had made it out of my metal prison, I had managed to kick out most of the glass, and climb through. Looking back to it- it was a oval shaped pod, with various tubes and wires threading into the back of it, connecting to a large box shape generator that was smoking with bits of silver and light blue crystalline bits of glass (or was it really glass?) spreading around it. There was a terminal just to the left of it that flickered with static and let out an error beep every once in awhile- it looked too damaged to be able to even attempt to see what was on it, the screen itself was static. Despite the obvious damage, the entire thing was sturdy - it looked so reinforced I was a little shocked I had managed to break my way through- but I wasn’t complaining. Nope, definitely not complaining..

I sat upon the dust covered ground, pulling out bits of glass from my legs and coat, wincing every so often as I resisted the urge to make too much noise. Thankfully, I had managed to climb through, without getting any glass stuck in my wings, bonus there, that would have sucked ass.

Pulling out the last bit of glass from my foreleg, my blood dripped through my pale grey, almost silvery coat, staining it a dark crimson color as the stream of blood flowed from the shallow cut, I stopped the flow before it could stain the red wraps around my right forehoof. My eyes locked on to the strange device connected to my lower left foreleg. It glowed with a yellow-gold light, showing a mini-map of the interior, of what I guess, would be the building I am in.

Zone 4- ShieldTune Facility

Somewhere in the back of my head, as I continued to stare at it, the name….. PipBuck, came to mind. So that's what this is on my leg, yeah... My PipBuck.
Little trickles of knowledge and information surrounding the device began to flow into my nearly blank mind- at first slowly, before it became a river and I suddenly remembered everything about it and its function- so hey, I do know something a least. It was a little comforting to feel like I wasn’t entirely clueless anyway. Maybe it would just take a little time for me to remember everything, hmm? Hooves crossed for that.

Anyhoo… PipBuck- a computer worn about the hoof that collected and stored information- with nearly limitless storage. Had I any possessions on my person besides this and the wraps about my hoof- it would organize and sort things through Magical means and the like- it also caught on to radio frequencies and payed audio files, again- I needed to actually find a signal or have a file for that to be of any use.

Mine, it’s clean and functioning, which surprised me. Despite the fact that I cannot remember why it is I am here, where I am precisely, or for what reason even…. Looking around I guessed I had been here for a good long while, and seeing as how everything seemed destroyed and only semi-functional, if functional at all- to see my PipBuck in pristine order was both surprising, and a little comforting. Hell, seeing myself in such good condition was a bit of a shock too.

The button labeled Data is lit up as of the moment, I turned it over to see the embroidered figure of my Cutie Mark on the back (A bright yellow lightning bolt with two red rings curling around it), before flipping back to the front again. There was a small dial used for scrolling through lists on the PipBuck, Compass, retractable cord for plugging into terminals and whatnot, S.A.T.S (You know, the Arcane Targeting System- for shooting things, hitting them, whatever) and a Radiation Meter in the top left corner…

Wait... Radiation Meter? What do I need a Radiation Meter for?

I stopped looking my PipBuck over when I finally registered the sound of clicking, almost completely drowned out by the sound of the wailing alarms, and the computerized voice of the pony spouting countless warnings over and over. The needle of the meter was shaking within the yellow portion of the scale.

I'm currently being hit with low-level radiation.

Any first thoughts to this should have been ones of panic and worry, but instead I was only calm and mildly confused. It really didn't bother me at the moment.

It didn't occur to me at the time, that Radiation Exposure really wasn't a good thing, (later on, I just didn’t care… for certain reasons, we’ll get to that later) and I didn’t take any time to worry over the fact either, or even wonder why there was radiation at all- I just accepted it, it wasn’t as if I had anything to go on whether or not to say radiation was a common thing or not.

Blank mind remember? Hopefully not blank for too long….

Pushing it to the back of my mind, I instead began to inspect the PipBuck further. Switching to the status portion of the interface, I quickly over-viewed the effects plaguing my body that my PipBuck was picking up on. It was already registering the small cuts I had received from the glass, and it most wisely stated;

Magical Head Injury

Well no shit, I thought sourly as I read the words. Clearly it had to be some sort of ‘head injury’ to cause me not to remember hardly anything. What other explanation could there be? I pissed me off though- because ‘Magical Head Injury’ was in no way specific- at all. Helpful, real freaking helpful… and what’s with ‘Magical’? Did a unicorn blast me or something?

However, it did make one wonder what sort of Magic could have given me a head injury at all…. I really couldn’t remember getting hit with anything- but as it stands, I really can’t remember coming here at all- and I have no clue what happened to this place either. I do know some things though…. My PipBuck for example- that information is still stuck in my head, I do know who I am- well, not entirely. I know my name, but not who I am, not my past, my actions, none of that…… this is gonna suck.

At least I knew basic things still…. I may not have any memory of my past or the events passed, but I did know enough to still function properly. I wasn’t an idiot, after all- and I wasn’t so confused I was stumbling around like a fool. I was keeping my cool- I should get some props for that at least. How many ponies, who wake up to find themselves in some strange place, with no memories, or any idea why they were- how many ponies would be running around like an utter fool, stammering and blubbering- their minds racing and unable to come to terms with the situation at hand? Probably close to all ponies- and yet here I was, very, very calm and collected- in spite of the (should be) stressful and disorienting situation. You won’t find me blubbering like an idiot.

I quickly switched away from the status, back to the map, shaking my head in unneeded irritation. My PipBuck seemed to be expertly aware of all the passages, hallways and rooms of the Building I was in now, though I don't remember coming into possession of this data, or exploring so the PipBuck could update on its own- as I knew that was what was usually required for the device to jot down any specifics of a map. Don’t ask me why I know how to use it, or even why- despite the lack of relevant memory- I know how to use it almost instinctively, I chalked it up to be a basic set of info one couldn’t just forget- I mean, these things were to be used pretty regularly, once you learned it… I guess it just sticks.

On the map, in smaller letters than the ones that told me this was 'Zone 4- ShieldTune Facility', the map had labeled the room I was in as;

Subject 4 Cryogenic Holding Chamber

I look back to my previous prison- the super cold and frozen pod. This is the Holding Chamber.... And there is no other ponies here, so I must be Subject 4…. But that can't be right. Small bits of information were slowly coming back to my mind, nothing major really (at least, nothing important), but I can remember my name, and 'Subject 4' is not it.

I know for a fact, that my name is-

"Warning! Hostiles detected!"

My reaction to the alarm is so immediate, I'm surprised at myself. Pushing myself to my hooves, I jump over to and crouch behind a slab of concrete that has fallen from the roof, and check my Eyes Forward Sparkle, situated in the deep shadow that is cast over me by the slab. I'm hidden and out of view in seconds, it was all instinct.

Four red blips appeared in front of me, from the direction where a small hallway is set, the light flickering in and out from a damaged light in the ceiling. My ears strain to hear anything, and I remain rigid, not daring to move, and not daring to even breathe as I silently wait. After a few tense moments, the blips disappear, and I relax, whatever enemy that had been there, has moved on, for now.

Let's add basic survival skills and thought processes to the list of things I still do remember and know.

Removing myself from my cover, I cast a glance back toward the hallway, before I scan the room in a little more depth. Everything's destroyed, and most of the room is cast in sickly green light, while the rest of it remains in deep shadow. Its circular in build, with cracks littering the walls and floors everywhere. Some of the roof has fallen down toward the floor, but the roof itself is cast in such deep shadow, I have no hope of seeing anything above me other than the ends of wires and tubes- and I certainly can’t see how far up it goes.

My eyes shift along the wall and pause, I can make out a deep purple banner hung up, tilted slightly, on the far wall behind the Pod in which I had been in. Its badly faded and tattered, so much so that I can't even make out what the symbol is. I simply stare for a few moments, doing the best I can to try and make out what is on it.

I think it looks like..... A cloud? Maybe a snowflake? .....I really don't know, and I turn away, not particularly concerned.

Settled in front of my metal prison, steps rise up at the end of a hallway, where the roof has started to sag in on one side. Directly behind my prison, sits two generators, which are silent and unmoving, despite the column of smoke rising up from each, both are connected through the multitude of wires and tubes, to the back of my prison. Two blackened and shattered stones sit in a slot on the top of each generator, these are the apparently the 'non-operational Ice Talismans' I figure.

The sickly green light is coming from a terminal, resting atop a ragged desk, set up against a wall right across from the small Pod I had been in. I walk over slowly, ears perked as I remain alert for anything out of the ordinary. The alarms are still going off, but I've managed to put them in the background for now, my attention is fixed on the terminal I am approaching. Gently pushing the barely standing chair in front of it aside, I start to operate the terminal, faintly surprised that through all this destruction, it’s still working.

I frown when it's revealed to me that I need a password in order to view the files. I stomp a hoof down in irritation, I haven't the slightest clue how to hack into a terminal..... This may be because of the apparent ‘Magical Head Injury’, but honestly, who knows if I would have been able to hack one with my memories anyway? Besides, I probably don't have and probably never will have the tools and skill needed to hack anything- I didn't take myself for a very tech-savvy pony, not that I could be sure… I just felt that way and that was enough.

Looking away from the locked terminal, I instead opened up the desk, finding it filled to the brim with molding paper, an oddly pristine white coffee mug, and an old, slightly dented bottle cap. My attention catches on to the cap, it's blue with a white star emblazoned on it. Huh. Cool.

I grab the cap with the star, and ruffle through the papers, most are too old I can't read them, and the others are only work reports that don't interest me, until (gleefully) I come across a paper, that has the password to my locked terminal on it. I quickly close the desk, and type in the passcode; 'FireLight'

The terminal's so badly damaged, that it can only show me three files that haven't been entirely corrupted and unreadable. The first is a message from another worker who came from a different ‘Zone’ (There are more?) than the one I am in, that Zone is labeled ‘Zone 6’.

'Yancy,

Katarina wants all hooves on deck for this, it means so much to her, she hasn't taken the time to sleep for what seems like forever. The lack of sleep hasn't managed to change her mood yet, I'm glad. I would seriously hate to see a grumpy Katarina, that'll be the day...

Hehe, anyway- I heard there was some malfunctions down in your Zone? Windy told me you were having some problems with the generators down there, I hope you fix the problem soon, there's no telling when Katarina will decide to teleport the rest of them here, it'd be best to have everything ready….

..... I was actually meaning to ask you, do you think any of the other Princesses know about this? About what Katarina's been having us do? I was thinking about it the other day, because something tells me that they wouldn't approve of what we're doing. Its not as if we're hurting anypony... But still, I'm doubtful. Taking ponies, keeping them locked up? That doesn't seem the sort of thing they’d approve of...

Anyway, too late worrying about it now, huh? I just hope we don’t find ourselves in a mess with the Ministry of Morale… Celestia knows that would be a damn nightmare.

I hope we have time to meet up again soon, it’s been too long Bud, maybe we could have a round of Poker?

- Moldy'

I don't recognize any of the names within the file, and all it manages to do is confuse, and intrigue me a little. This... 'Katarina' pony, seems to have been the one in charge here, and I suddenly want to know more. First thing, why the hell am I here? Second, what is the Ministry of Morale? And this place for that matter? ShieldTune?

And they were ‘taking ponies’ and ‘locking them up’, huh?

… sound familiar, anyone..?

Shaking my head slightly, I flip to the next file. It seems to be a message sent to the entire facility consisting of Zone 4, like some sort of Employee Memo, from somepony named Wynter.

'Hello everypony, this is your Project Supervisor here in Zone 4, Wynter Coat. I would like to thank you all for the hard work and dedication you have poured into this Project, it means a lot to Katarina, and I'm sure she would love to thank you all personally, if only she had the time. Remember, the security of our Subjects in the event of a BaleFire bombing, may very well be the security of Equestria in the future! (.. sounds like a slogan to me..)

I must warn you all though, some of the other Zones have had some difficulty securing their own Subjects. When and if, Subject 4 has arrived, I encourage everypony to do their best to secure her as quickly and efficiently as possible. (Her, huh?)

We don't want what happened in Zones 2 and 3 to happen here.

Thank you all again, and please, stay safe.'

....Subject 4, Zone 4........There's also more Zones somewhere, I wonder who are the other Subjects? And what was that about a BaleFire Bombing? Is that why this place is so screwed up? BaleFire bomb seemed….. Somewhat familiar, in all actuality. The more I thought on it, the more I seemed to recognize it- a weapon of mass destruction. But who launched it? That part was still a little fuzzy….

Oh, and it seems Subject 4 was a girl. Good to know.

On to the last file on the terminal, it’s short, with no name of the sender, and it’s an audio recording. I downloaded it to my PipBuck, and played it so I could hear it through the speaker, lifting my leg to my ear so I could hear it past the still on-going alarms overhead, I leaned against the desk with my shoulder and sat down a moment.

"Things went to hell too fast.... I don't know if you'll get this, Moldy..... I don't even know if you’re still there......." The voice is the deep one of a buck, who is trailing in and out of speaking, he was panting. His voice was raspy, and I could hear fire crackling in the background, along with sound of alarms. "... Most ponies already left.... Others... Well, they're dead....." The buck broke off to cough harshly. "Fires have started spreading down in Zone 4..... I'm trapped in the Cryogenic Chamber....... The smokes filling the room..... It’s poisonous....."

Another fit of ragged coughing.

".... Subject 4 is with me.... She'll be spared, the filters in the tank won't let the smoke in, the Pod is still working properly........ And she'll stay safe from most of the radiation........ And debris, or fire... As long as the generators continue to work…. She’ll stay in stasis........" I pressed my ears against my head, my heart clenching a little. I knew what was happening, he was slowly dying, and this Audio File- they were his last words. ".... Damn those Zebras..! How did they even know we were out here..? Katarina's Stealth Spell should have kept us.. Hidden....... Too late now though, I just hope everypony else got out ok.... I doubt it.... The radiation outside alone will kill them... And the amount leaking in here will too.. Like it is me......"

The buck let out a low raspy sigh, ".... So much for the Facility being able to stand up to Radiation.... I suppose it really was only meant to protect the Subjects........ I don't know if the other Zones were locked down like this one.... But...." His voice dropped away, and he let out one last, clearly painful breath.... And then there was silence. The Audio File cut out.

My eyes dropped to the floor, How could all of this have happened? How could anypony have let him suffer like that? I felt for whoever this buck was, and I was going to guess and say this had been the voice of Yancy. I didn't know him, I had never met him, (As far as I could remember) and yet it pained me to hear him like this. It pained me to hear anypony suffer like that. Against my will, I had started to shake from the force of my mixed emotions. On one hoof, I was saddened by this, on the other, I was angry that he had had to suffer as he had.

And for some reason, deep down inside of me… there was something that wasn't anger, wasn't sadness. It was just cold.

Shaking my head, I downloaded the first two files onto my PipBuck for later overview, and turned away from the terminal. All of that would have to wait for later, right now, I only needed to focus on the task of getting out of here. It was clear that the fires Yancy mentioned had long since died, and the poisonous smoke had gone with it- it was also clear that whatever radiation that had been seeping inside and killing him, had lessened.

I must have been here for a very long time, if that was the case…

Trotting forward carefully, I headed down the hallway with the flickering light, and came face to face with a huge, steel door. It didn't budge as I approached it, and the alarms only continued to keep wailing. By the door, at the base lay the twisted and crumpled form of a unicorn skeleton. I couldn't look away from it, and my stomach flipped again, threatening to spill its contents. But, my stomach was empty, so all I could do was gag pitifully, and turn away.

Damn it! I cursed in my head, furious with myself for being so squeamish, this couldn't be that bad, I was stronger than this... I could handle it. Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned back towards the door, and appraised the skeleton slowly, frowning but my stomach didn't flip again.

The remains were that of a buck, that I could tell from his sheer size, and I realized with slight sadness, this must have been Yancy, he had been sealed inside this chamber…. I’d listened to his last words from the Audio File on the terminal… I faintly wondered what happened to Moldy. There wasn't anything with him, other than the thin, stained clothes he had been wearing when he died, the once white was black from smoke, and burned in several places. Pushing away my discomfort, I dug around in his pockets, finding lint, and an old pass card. I dropped the pass-card out onto the floor in front of me, looking down at the picture of the buck, barely able to see it now that the plastic of the card had been significantly melted. His coat had been dark orange, with pale yellow hair, and bright blue eyes.

I looked away, he didn't make it. No other ponies who had been working here probably had either. I dipped my head toward the corpse a little, silently hoping that whatever awaited him after the horrible death he had endured- was someplace nice. I’d like to think that if I were to die, the place I ended up afterward would be nice too.

Maybe that was naive of me.

Stepping past the remains, I tapped a hoof against the door, seeing if it would react to being touched. When it didn't budge, I looked to the keypad on the side. Like the terminal, it was glowing with the sickly green light, and despite the obvious damage, it was still working.

"System Lockdown, Level 5 clearance only."

Apparently, Yancy had not had ‘Level 5 Clearance’- otherwise he would not have trapped in here at all, and I doubted that I would have that sort of clearance either. I’m pretty sure I was a nopony.

"Warning.... Radiation Levels have increased...."

The computerized voice continued to speak over the alarms, but I wasn't paying attention to them anymore. I slowly pushed my nose against the keypad, against the 'Open' key. A small beeping sound came on, "Voice Recognition Required." I narrowed my eyes at the keypad, standing a little taller and clearing my throat. Hey, it was worth a shot right? Trying won’t hurt anything.

"Open the door."

My voice was a little raspy and rough from lack of use for who the hell knows how long- I ended up coughing a little and clearing my throat to get rid of the roughness. Looking back up to the terminal, nothing changed. It was silly, to think the door would open at my command, and I only continued to stare at it as we fell into silence,

Really, what would my next move be if I couldn’t get this door open?

"Please, Identify your name for Voice Recognition Processors to recognize, and process command." The small computerized voice spoke again, the text typing out on the screen in front of me, I tilted my head a little.

"Flash."

With a grind of rusted metal against rusted metal, the bottom half of the door slowly collapsed into the floor, while the remaining top half slid up into the ceiling. They groaned as they did so, until stopping abruptly as they were halfway open. So, I apparently had the 'Level 5 Clearance', that Yancy had not. Maybe I wasn’t so much of a nopony.

"Door malfunction, please contact Maintenance for further assistance." The keypad's voice informed me, but I had already jumped through the section that had opened, and landed on the other side without pause.

.:+:.

Pressing myself up against the wall, I peered around the corner slowly to see down the dark hallway. There was something grotesque and hideous floating along near the end, seemingly made out of disgustingly dark green goo. It was small, only about the size of a large apple, and it looked swollen, I was surprised such a thing was even able to fly with those thin, see-through wings.

Ever since I had made my way out of the Cryogenic Holding Chamber, I had spent the entirety of an hour or so, sneaking through the destroyed and dark hallways, trying to avoid the creatures that appeared on my E.F.S as red blips. I had managed to sneak past several without alerting them to my presence, I could only assume that these things were deaf, or really stupid.

That, or I was highly underestimating my own stealth skills. The latter did not seem likely. Considering, any noise that I may be making, was more than likely drowned out by the incessant wail of the alarms throughout the entire facility. The ones that had still not shut the hell up.

Once the creature had disappeared into the darkness consuming the end of the next hallway, I trotted across to continue down the one I was already in, senses on high alert for anymore. I was constantly consulting the map on my PipBuck. Most of the hallways and rooms in Zone 4 were already labeled and mapped out, making my job of heading to the exit, a whole lot easier- this place looked like a maze of hallways and corridors. If my PipBuck’s map had not been already updated, it would have taken me hours or even days to navigate my way through.

Pausing to look at it now, I could see that the way to the exit was located on the other end of the facility from where I was now, on the lower levels. And, as far as I could tell, Zone 4 had four different levels. I was (conveniently) on the second to lowest one. The basement just above the second basement if you will…. A really big, long, winding basement filled with goo creatures and massive bugs. (yeah, bugs- like giant cockroaches, from what I could guess. I may not remember anything- but I was fairly certain they shouldn’t be the size of a small dog.) The main floor could be accessed by a flight of stairs, or an elevator- which I guessed was probably not working, so the stairs it is- which is where I was heading toward now. I had no idea what to expect of the main ground floor, or the higher, second floor either.

Gently hopping over a fallen column of cement, I veered around a corner, toward an employee locker room my PipBuck had marked. I had come across more than a few other skeletons through my travels, but none of them offered anything valuable. As much as it felt.. Wrong, to riffle through the remains of dead ponies, my mind was furiously telling me, it was necessary. I needed to find a weapon of some sort, just for the time when my sneaking, failed me, which was bound to happen eventually. I was gonna have to defend myself sooner or later- and I didn’t trust in the strength of my hooves to do it. Survival instinct.

On that note, my blank slate of a mind was slowly filling in with small dull bits of color. Again, nothing personal in a sense- but knowledge of guns was something that was trickling in slowly. I knew how to use them, I just don't remember where I learned from… And everything else, it was just simple basic stuff. Basic survival instinct.

And besides that, I started to recall other things… Something about a war (which would account for BaleFire Bombings) and of the patron ‘Gods’ as most ponies considered them, Princess Celestia and Luna. I believe the war had been with the zebra homeland for some reason… Some stupid reason I couldn't quite recall just yet. How Equestria itself was like outside of this place, I had no clue. That part was still blank.

The locker room door was shut tight, and I pushed against the metal frame in an attempt to get it to open, but in vain. I hit my head against the door, and sighed. "Damn it...." I murmured under my breath, I had been hoping to get in- I wanted to see if there was anything valuable that I could use once I managed to find my way out of this maze….

"Please repeat."

My head snapped up, and I finally noticed the keypad next to the door through the gloom, the words spoken typed out upon the surface to face me, I hadn't seen it before now. With my plan of making my way through Zone 4 without being seen, I hadn't turned the light on my PipBuck on, so seeing anything in the almost constant darkness was hard. The Keypad looked to be of the same make and caliber as the one I had come across in the Holding Chamber- the same one that had locked Yancy inside, but for some odd reason or other- had been programmed to obey commands through the sound of my voice and name. Narrowing my eyes, I decided I might as well try my luck- what’s the worst that could happen?

“Open the door.” I said firmly.

“Name required to access and approve of security override protocols.”

"Flash." I said, my voice a little stronger this time- it was becoming smoother and less rough with more use- though I had stuck to being as quiet as possible until about now. With a metallic click, I was able to push the door open, and I stepped inside, keeping it halfway open behind me- I’d hate for it to shut and somehow lock me in.

I smiled, casting a glance backward at the keypad, Thank you, whoever decided to give me Clearance!

The lights flickered on, only half of them working after the devastation the facility had endured. Most of the lockers had fallen to the floor, where very little had remained up against the cracked and deteriorated wall. In the corner, a small kitchen with a sink and mini-fridge sat. Water slowly dripped from the rusted faucet, if I drew nearer, my PipBuck would start to click more than it already was. This room was not without its own collection of skeletons. Several of them littered the floors in the center of the room, others were crushed underneath the fallen lockers. Glancing around the ones that were just beside the door, I slowly began to check them for anything valuable. They offered little though- most of them weren't dressed and those that were, their clothes had burned to ash long ago. With a shake of my head I delicately hopped over them, toward the center of the room.

As I looked the rest of the bones over, I found nothing, once again. It was becoming increasingly frustrating, couldn't I catch a break here? Celestia, Luna... Could you let me find something, anything? Though that wasn't particularly fair, I had already been pretty lucky so far, I had been able to unlock doors with my voice alone after all.

Picking through the lockers, I found them empty, one after the other, until I stopped in front of the last one, it alone had been left standing at the end of the line of other lockers which had fallen. I pulled it open, not hoping to find anything, and recoiled slightly.

There was a pony inside of this one. I forced myself to stay put, and crushed the lurching in my stomach.

The locker in which she had seemingly taken refuge in, had kept her (I guessed her) the rack of bones like all the other ponies were. Only, what it was she had been wearing hadn't been burned- and her skeleton itself was the dusty white that bones should be, not the jet black every other skelton in this place was. As opposed to the lab coats and utility barding, or lack of clothes at all that the other skeletons I had come across had thus far, she was wearing armor, black leather armor with a strange marking on the back- a music note surrounded in flame. With the corpse, clutched in her stiff and petrified forehooves, was a shotgun. I could see saddlebags strapped to her body, and boxes of ammo littering the bottom of the locker.

I snorted, the Goddesses had a bit of an evil sense of humor.

Getting the pony out of the locker was hard, but getting her out of the armor was less so. I was fighting back the bile rising up in my throat as I took it off, along with the saddlebags, setting the shotgun as side for now. What little flesh that was left was so rotted and dry that it literally fell off of her bones like butter, jostling her from the locker (which, she was stuck to- her skin and bone had been melted into the metal in some places) had actually made the trace skin about her face slip off and hit the floor with a sickening smack.

The Armor wasn’t in bad shape- but the inside of it was so filthy that I braved the ticking of my PipBuck’s meter and scrubbed away at the gore and the dried flesh and the mush for a good half an hour with the water from the sink, before I even considered the idea of putting it on. I got it as clean as possible, to the point I had managed to get it off and only leave a faint stain- I was a little surprised at how durable and strong the leather of the armor was, and how well it had lasted (I was guessing there was some enchantment placed on it). It was light and form fitting- which suited me, I considered myself more agile and quick on my feet- but it was also very, very strong- atop the leather there had been metal sheets of armor placed, and then more of the leather had been sewn over-top to give it its black hue. It was extra reinforced, durable, light-weight- and I felt it could stop and prevent a very good bit of damage when and if it came to that.

Luckily for me, the pony in the locker had been a Pegasus, so the armor was suited for somepony with wings. If it hadn’t been…. I guess I could have Jerry-rigged the armor a bit to suit my needs- but that was more time in this place than I wanted to spend.

As I pulled the armor on, I smiled a little at how well it seemed to fit me- for a moment I forgot about where I got it, wearing it felt good.

I turned my attention to going through the saddle bags. What I found greatly pleased me, despite finding more ammo for the shotgun that I had collected from the bottom of the locker, there was more in the saddlebags, giving me a healthy supply. There was also a .357 Magnum Revolver tucked away, with boxes of ammo for it as well. I picked the gun up in my hooves as looked it over, it seemed as if it had never been used, or the pony I had taken it from had taken excellent care of it.

I sighed and set the gun down gently. Rubbing my face with my hooves a little and brushing my golden mane from my face a little. I took a seat and just sat for a moment, still holding hope for more information to start sinking into my head- which was still aching at the alarms continuing on above me. I knew Zone 4 had to be some place in Equestria- that’s what the country was called, as that was something I remembered and knew for certain- I just hadn't a clue where in Equestria Zone 4 was. The 'Personal Memories' part of my brain was rather shot, I knew my name...... and…um….... yep, that was about it. I let out an exaggerated sigh,

'At least you aren't completely clueless.' A voice in my head dead panned, 'That would be pretty bad.'

I pushed the voice away and told it to shut up. I lifted the saddlebags onto my back, settling my wings over them, and tightening the strap around my stomach. I pulled the strap connected to the shotgun over my head and around my chest, so it could rest against my back, and replaced the ammo, and the revolver back into the saddlebags. I cast a glance back and down at the dead Pegasi in which I had taken these things from. Despite her features having pretty much been erased, I knew she had died scared, I felt as if some horror filled expression was forever carved into her face. She was roasted alive inside that locker, escaping direct contact with the radioactive flames that had spread through the facility, but none the less affected by them.

"Thank you." I murmured, and headed out of the room without another glance back.

.:+:.

I stopped in the doorway of a heavily enforced room, non-operational control panels, monitors and what-not lining the walls, and dozens upon dozens of fully armored ponies littered everywhere. There were chemistry labs, sparking terminals, weapons lockers and empty ammo casings everywhere. This was a small detour on my path to get to the exit. But when it had appeared on my PipBuck, I couldn't resist, it sounded way too interesting.

'ShieldTune Zone 4 Research Lab, Weapons.'

Now tell me you wouldn't have wanted to see what was inside too?

The armored ponies in here, were wearing metal armor, heavily fortified and probably held up well against heavy attacks. The same mark of a blazing music note that was painted on my newly acquired leather armor, was painted where their cutie marks should be. They were completely engulfed by their armor, with helmets, visors and completely covered tails too. I cringed slightly at the sight, wearing heavy metal armor like that would have helped burn them from the inside out in the fires.

Other ponies were in here besides the armored ones, ponies who by their burned lab coats, must have been scientists working here.

I walked in cautiously, sweeping my gaze back and forth, staying aware of my E.F.S. just in case an enemy got close. None of the terminals were working here, and unexpectedly I found myself a little disappointed. I was surprised at this, I couldn't hack into the damn things even if they were working anyway. So why be bummed none of the were working?

I stopped to see if any of the armored ponies had anything useful to me on them, ignoring the stench of old burned hair and skin coming off of them heavily. More ammo was dropped into my saddlebags, but I left the heavy duty rifles and machine guns strapped about their persons behind. I wasn't sure I could carry those with me, I wasn’t the biggest of mares, more lithe and agile- and those things looked really freaking heavy.

Scrap metal and unfinished mainframes sat on the metal tables spread out across the room, even disassembled weapons that I knew I would have no luck in putting together, they weren’t the simple guns I felt I might actually have a chance at repairing, but advanced, unrecognizable devices I could probably only stare dumbly at. I also found some stupidly white and pristine coffee mugs again. How did they manage to stay so white when everything else was covered in dirt, ash, blood, whatever?

My ears caught on to the low buzzing sound coming from somewhere in the room, even over the wailing of the alarms- which by now I had managed to block out nearly entirely, though my head still hurt. Glancing to the left, my eyes caught sight of a glowing protection field, guarding a metal instrument that looked faintly like a gun to me. Walking toward it, I stopped just outside the field, the energy pulsing from it making my coat stand on end. It was slightly smaller than the shotgun I was carrying now, completely made of some strange, smooth dark metal. The top of it was rounded and cone shaped, with a small speaker system on the inside. It was more like a megaphone than a gun, beside the handle and dials that seemed to turn up whatever frequency it may emit, which a small screen I could only guess must show data or numbers or the like.

My gaze switched from the device, to a small interface panel connected to the protection field. Tapping a hoof to it, it came to life, shedding the same sickly green light that Yancy's terminal had before.

"Welcome back Dr. HoofDrum. You have been inactive for 117,815,040 minutes."

I glanced down at the corpse of a buck near my feet, and frowned. I looked back to the interface, opening the file that held information on the 'Sonic Emitter' held within the protection field.

"Status: operational. Energy Cells: full."

My eyes widened as I read the words, the protection field had done its job. If the... Sonic Emitter, held within the field still worked, it may be worth trying to take with me. I quickly downloaded the files related to the Sonic Emitter to my PipBuck, feeling a sense of urgency when a red blip appeared in my E.F.S. I typed in a command for the protection field to disengage, with a small pop the pale blue glow of the protection field disappeared, and I grabbed the Sonic Emitter, stuffing it into one of my SaddleBags, and exiting the room silently.

.:+:.

"Luna fuck me!" I growled furiously, cantering through the hallways, going as fast as my legs would carry me, weaving around and over the fallen debris and skeletons littering the dark hallways- stumbling a little as I landed on a few bones that rolled under my weight, before promptly snapping in half. I could hear the swarm of little fuckers chasing after me, and I ran faster. Apparently, trying to sneak by a whole herd of them through a lit up hallway, had not been the best idea.

My luck, had officially run out.

Unfortunately, these hallways were too narrow and low for me to be able to spread out my wings, and instead of run through the hallways, I could fly through them. If I was able to, I could leave these creatures behind, and get to the exit faster.

Screw these narrow hallways!

My E.F.S was telling me there were about a dozen of the damn things chasing me, and I flinched when one of them sent a spike covered in some strange bubbling liquid right past me. It missed by inches, and stuck into the wall, eating away at the metal like some sort of freaky acid, it was melting it like it was nothing.

Alright, I'll try not to get hit by one of those things.

Turning a corner at top speed, I barely had time to register the huge pile of rubble inches from my nose, before I had pushed off the ground in an instant's time, thinking fast and sending myself sailing over the top, through a narrow space left open between the roof and the pile. My back hoof bumped against a piece of rebar sticking out of the pile, and I managed to land ungracefully on the other side, saving myself before I could face-plant on the floor. In the next moment, I spun around and nudged the shotgun from my back, to rest it on my shoulder, and I leaned back on my haunches, using my hooves to steady the weapon as I aimed it at the space near the roof, where the creatures would be coming from to pursue me, ready to fire.

I activated S.A.T.S, not sure of my own aiming skills as of the moment- I could remember how to use guns, I just couldn’t recall if I was any good at aiming them. Pulling the trigger with my tongue felt weird, but that's what I had to do- another thing I remembered. Because, really? What other way was there to fire it? It’s not as if I have a fancy horn to levitate and fire the gun with- though I wish I did, I could run and shoot at the same time that way…

BAM! BAM!

Locking on to the first one, it was obliterated completely, sending green guts everywhere. The first shot also hit the next one coming in at the same time, wounding it enough that it let out a pained screech, as it fell back to the other side of the rubble pile. The spike it had shot my way, hit the floor next to me harmlessly.

… You don’t need a horn Flash, wings are better.

… and cooler.

BAM! BAM!

The first shot missed, but with the help of S.A.T.S I was able to take out another, and I reloaded as quickly as I could. Two more went down after I reloaded, and S.A.T.S dropped. I slung the shotgun onto my back again, and started running. Five down, seven more to go.

Perhaps my luck hadn't run out just yet, I had managed to keep running through without coming across any collapsed hallways that would trap me. I was fairly certain I was still headed toward the exit, the personal marker I had placed on my E.F.S seemed to think so. With all the running I had been doing, I was surprised I hadn't come across it yet.

More spikes hit the floor in front of where I was running, wasting away at the metal. I jumped over them, thankful these things seemed to have really bad aim. But I was getting tired, I didn't know how long I could continue to run. My body was clearly not used to so much running so suddenly, and my head was starting to swim with all the exertion. I pushed on, not willing to slow down, at this point my life was dependent on getting out of here. Who wants to be melted away by the freaky acidic goo these things were shooting? Couldn’t I have run into some of those giant bugs, those would be so much easier to kill…. Ugh.

The stairs reared up in front of me, and I smirked the slightest bit. I had been trying to get here for a few hours now- I hadn't allowed myself much time to explore and hadn't even attempted trying to get to the very lowest floor- I was happy now was the time I finally reached them. Without pausing I started dashing up them, they turned and continued to climb in a spiral like fashion. I kept my pace as best I could as I continued to climb the seemingly endless flight of stairs, by the time I caught sight of the heavy metal door of the exit, I had probably climbed more than a hundred different flights, and my legs ached, my chest heaved, and I was covered in sweat, my legs were trembling and I was stumbling, but I didn't break pace until I reached it.

Fuck those goo monsters! They ain’t catching me!

This door slid open as soon as I approached it, and I found myself sliding out into a huge circular room, the roof reaching up far above me, with flickering lights humming. My legs fell out from under me, they were shaking so much, I was heaving, my body drenched in sweat and making it stick to my skin.

Dozens of heavy-duty turrets turned their sights on me, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Shit!!"

Now that the room was bigger, I spread my wings and took to the air, faster than should have been possible, heaving and exhausted beyond belief with climbing all those damned stairs. At least my wings still worked, even if my legs had fallen out from under me. I looked around wildly, looking for some way out of the room. A window maybe, anything- I was running from goo monsters a moment ago and now I was gonna get torn to shreds by a flurry of bullets.

‘Fuck You’ Say the Goddesses.

I heard the turrets begin to shoot, well before I managed to find an escape route, and I waited for the searing pain of bullets tearing through my body, a barrage of fire that would surely kill me.

Then, I saw the bloated mass of a creature that had been chasing me disappear in a splash of green guts and goo. The others were quickly met with the same fate, as the turrets met their targets.

The turrets were not shooting at me.

I almost fell back to the floor in utter shock, my wings forgetting to keep me afloat for a split second, before I regained my composure so I didn't hit the ground. The turrets turned their attention to me once the creatures were puddles of goop splattered across the floor, but they didn't open fire, and my E.F.S wasn't registering them as hostile. I stayed hovering in the air for a moment, my shadow casting out upon the floor from the dingy light seeping in through two large windows on the upper wall, both their glass shattered. First I have clearance for doors downstairs, and now turrets killed anything but me?

Who the hell ran this ShieldTune place, and why does it like me so much?!

Slowly sinking back to the floor, and folded my wings to my sides, and looked around the room, still tense just in case the turrets decided to kill me. The room was large, the grey concrete floor under my hooves was cracked and shattered, covered in dust, and now green goo. Tattered and torn banners hung from the bottom of the large shattered windows, where dim gray light was still seeping in and bathing everything in it. The bones of other ponies littered the ground, all blackened and some of them melted into the floor partially. I had made my way out of a door that was soon hidden behind a wall that slid into place in front of it, keeping it from view, and effectively completely muting the sound of the blaring alarms of the facility below. My ears started ringing at the sudden silence I hadn’t heard since waking up.

There was a stage set up at one end of the room, the lights from the catwalk above it hanging on their wires for dear life, or already fallen to the floor. Posters were put up on the walls, all of them too faded and destroyed to make out. There was only one, and I trotted closer to it to take a look. There was a tall, dark grey unicorn mare with a multicolored mane and tail. Feathers and beads adorned her tail and mane, and I was surprised at the number of glow-sticks on her person. Her indigo eyes locked onto me as I looked up at it. She was seated behind drums, the drum sticks held in her magic, smiling widely as she played away.

"Beatz Concert House; starring the best drummer in all of Equestria, and everypony's favorite band: The...!!"

The bottom half of the poster had been torn away, so I could not see the name of the band in which the mare played.

I tilted my head at the poster.... So, Zone 4 was a concert house? Then, for what reason would there be all of these turrets here? That's sort of overkill on security...Turning away from the poster, I glanced back toward the door I had come out of. It had shut on its own, and I narrowed my eyes at the wall that had replaced it- it looked like nothing was there, not an entrance, nothing. None of this made any sense, Zone 4 had seemed like more of... Military base to me, than a concert house.

Something wasn't right here, and I spotted the turrets again, questions filling my head to the point it began to pound again. I figured not everypony must have known about the military operation going on under their feet. For what it looked like- it seemed ShieldTune had been… well, extremely secret.

Shaking my head, I walked across the floor, toward the double doors I guessed would lead me outside, completely ignoring the fact that there was a second floor. I didn't want to explore right now, I just wanted to leave.
My stomach suddenly let out a loud caterwaul and I grimaced, ears pinning against my head.

... Food would be nice, and something to drink.

I could feel the turrets’ sights locked on to me as I walked across the floor on slightly shaking legs, all the way until I reached the doors. They were still yellow on my E.F.S., and had yet to try and kill me… I just figured they wouldn’t. My eyes turned toward the double doors, all thoughts on ShieldTune, everything under my hooves, all that had happened- the gore, the death, the violence, the confusion…… I let it fade to the back of my mind and all thoughts moved forward, toward those doors- out of this place, outside to the rest of the world. A world I had no idea what happened to it, where I was, who I was…… What I expected to find outside, I didn't know. Nor did I expect anything that happened after I set hoof from this Concert House for the first time.

I didn’t expect things… to change so much….

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Lucky Pony-
You have been considerably lucky since you woke up, from avoiding goo-monsters (Almost!), having doors open at the tap of your hoof, and avoiding death by turret. Now you have +1 added to your Luck Stat.

Chapter 2- Into The Wastes

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Chapter 2

Into The Wastes

"The wastes are a dangerous place to be, full of monsters, critters, radiation... And of course, other ponies."

.:+:.

Destruction.

Rubble, destroyed buildings, corpses, dust. That's what was waiting for me on the other side of the double doors, past a short hallway that had lead outside. There was nothing left, everything was crumbling, everything was….. was dead.

A warm wind blew dust and ash into my face, as I swept my gaze around the half-standing buildings spread out around me. The building I had come out of, was fairly intact, it alone stood tall and strong among the crumbling others. They stood as jagged skeletons against a dismally grey sky, completely covered by a thick sheet of clouds for every visible inch, stretching out for what seemed like forever. I tilted my head at the sight, wondering why in Equestria the sky would be blocked off like it was, part of me wanted to fly up and start kicking the clouds to smithereens. The grey seemed unnatural, the lack of light seemed off….. isn’t it supposed to be blue and sunny?

I refrained from giving in to the urge to fly up past the cover of cloud, at least for now, and instead walked forward slowly. My PipBuck automatically added ‘Beatz Concert House’ to the map, and explained to me, I was standing in the center of a town named, 'Arabino'.

Though, my PipBuck also made a footnote to tell me that this was also the 'Zone 4 Base Entrance'

I tilted my head at the map, before slowly placing my hoof back down and walking forward slowly, continually checking my E.F.S. for any sign of danger. I walked along a cracked and destroyed street lined with shops and buildings that were torn up, and falling apart. I couldn't make out what most of them were, but part of me really wanted to go in and explore them. There were no enemies around from what my PipBuck was telling me, and it didn't seem right to pass them by without a peek.

You'd want to look inside them too, wouldn't you? I mean come on... there could be some interesting stuff in these buildings, a look couldn't hurt anypony, as long as I didn't run into any danger that is. Besides, I might find something that would help explain to me what, and where exactly Arabino was, and what it had been before falling into this super destroyed and crumbling state it was in now. I couldn't say I didn't want some more information, and hey, I had plenty of room for it in my completely barren mind.

Making up my mind, looking wasn't going to kill me, I turned sharply toward a small building, the roof caved in and destroyed, but the walls were mostly standing. When I tried to push the door open, it wouldn't budge and I sighed, something must be blocking it on the inside. Glancing toward the top of the wall where the roof should have been, I smiled slightly and spread my wings out.

So what if the door wouldn't budge? It wasn't a problem when I could just drop in from the top. Wings were definitely cooler than a horn- unicorns couldn't magic their way over walls, now could they?

With a kick, I jumped into the air, easily reaching the top in one powerful stroke, and arching over the edge of the concrete, into the building below, to search out whatever items it may hold.

.:+:.

Tipping my head back, I drank from the deliciously lukewarm Sparkle-Cola deeply, savoring every last drop of the carroty taste. I didn't care that it was flat, or looked to be centuries old, up until this point, I had been unaware of just how thirsty I was. The bottle was empty in one swig, and I dropped my head back down, setting the glass down on the cracked pavement under my hooves. I popped the cap off another, and emptied that one as well.

I was currently resting with my back up against the wall of a small cafe, next to a Sparkle-Cola vending machine. Despite the obvious damage Arabino sustained, the machine was still running, and I was deeply glad for it. My recently procured saddlebags rest against the wall beside me, with the shotgun up against the wall beside it. I let out a breath and let my eyes fall closed for a moment, I had spent the past few hours going around the wreckage of Arabino, taking whatever I thought would be useful. This had left me with some food, a few random items of data from the sparse terminals I had found that were unlocked, medical supplies, and of course, the Sparkle-Cola Machine I know sat beside, dutifully dispensing the drink when I gave it the money I had found during my exploring.

My PipBuck had also caught on to a few Radio Signals as soon as I had stepped outside of Beatz, though I had yet to try and listen to any of them. I was gladly enjoying the silence of the dead and deserted town after hours listening to the alarms within Zone 4.

But I was a little disappointed, to say the least. I had hoped to find more interesting things within these ruins. It had become increasingly clear, that outside the underground facility of Zone 4 under Beatz Concert House, that all Arabino was, was a small town with the standard buildings and a few houses. I had found no evidence of the other Zones, and looking to the localized Map on my PipBuck, I was made aware that the other Zones were not located in Arabino at all. What a pain, huh? More walking.... Well, no, more flying, you have wings, remember Flash? Cool wings.

Tapping a hoof to my PipBuck now, I turned to a more world-wide map. It was mostly blank, and I blinked to find that the only marks on the Map, were five other towns, none of which I had any recollection of. Well that's not going to help, now is it? I thought sourly with a small scowl. Was it too much to ask to just remember something else? Something more useful?

I sighed, running a hoof through my mane, and pulling out a box of preserved apple fritters. They were a little stale and flaky, but I honestly couldn't care. My stomach let out a groan again, and I decided whatever food I could get would be just fine.

Fortunately enough, I had not run into many more enemies, only the scarce appearance of one of the same creatures I had encountered underneath Beatz. They were easy enough to shoot, or just sneak by. The bugs were easy enough to stomp on and that was that. One of the highlights had been coming across a small clinic, where I had managed to grab some medical supplies such as healing potions, bandages, RadAway and other miscellanies items of interest.

There were skeletons everywhere though, and it somewhat pained me to see so many. Most were what was left of the ponies who had been living and working here in Arabino. All of it must have happened in an instant, when the 'BaleFire Bomb' hit Arabino (or rather, nearly hit), the ponies here may not have had any warning... I silently hoped that they hadn't suffered as Yancy had. Several were just blackened bones, others were piles of ash, and even some of them had had their hooves melted into the ground, bones and bodies warped from the immensity of the BaleFire Bomb and its destruction. Several appeared to have been running from the town, others toward their homes.

This BaleFire Bomb as Yancy had put it, hadn’t touched down in Arabino from the looks of it- but a good distance from the edge of the town. It was powerful enough to have destroyed everything around it, but far enough away not to bother me with the clicking of my PipBuck’s radiation meter- I could see the crater now, if I looked for it. However, even if I stayed away from the source, my PipBuck was continually clicking softly, just to remind me I was getting hit with a good amount of radiation even away from the crater, nothing a RadAway hadn't fixed for me earlier, when I had been near enough to it and that I was starting to feel a little sick.

My attention had been caught by a few more recent corpses, that had been shredded to pieces. They were clearly not the extremely old, blackened skeletons of the citizens of Arabino. They were new, they still had flesh, their blood was still sticky and visible in some places. But they were completely torn to shreds, their skin, bones, organs were spread around the areas they had been killed like mince meat, decorating the outskirts of town with deep scarlet paint and colorful organ trails.

No No!! Don't compare it to decorations! What is wrong with me? I shook my head furiously, ashamed of myself for thinking in that way.

At any rate, I didn't know what had happened to them, and I only hoped I wouldn't run into whoever, or whatever had taken their lives. I was fairly certain I had no chance winning against anything that could do that to ponies. Make them into strips of drying leather, and strings of innards, stretching between one pony toward another like some kind of long, continuous rope-

Stop it! I tapped a hoof against my head hard, trying to think of something else.

Ok...... on another note, I had found plenty of ammo stored away under the counter of what used to be a restaurant. Something I found odd, because again my voice had opened the safe it was in, much like several of the safe's in town had done. A result of the odd importance I had to this town it would seem, I wondered who decided to give me such power here? Didn't make any sense, why me..? I had to imagine other ponies had tried to come here and open those safes before..

Maybe they were turned into mince-meat decorations, being hung out over the rubble and building at the edge of town like banners- GAH!! Fuck! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!

'You have a wonderful imagination, Flashy.' The Little Me, that voice inside my head, said dryly. I told her to shut the hell up, I had a feeling she wasn’t much better!

My eyes shift up to look to the sky, I couldn't see the sun through the thick covering of the clouds above, and again I felt the urge to begin bucking them. Why would anypony shut up the sky like that? I felt like I was staring at a boring gray ceiling every time I looked up, and even when I searched the horizon for some sort of end to the curtain, I couldn't see any. No breaks, no sun, no light, no telling the time that way, though my PipBuck was easy enough to glance at if I really wanted to know what time it was.

My eyelids dropped a little, and I stifled a yawn. I was tired, exhaustion pulling at my body the longer I sat there, my stomach full and thirst quenched. All my mind wanted to do was fall asleep, give into the black waves.... I hadn't known just how tired I was, until after all that running and exploring.

But sleep, I knew I wanted to sleep, I felt like I was going to fall asleep right there. But why do I want to sleep? I felt as if I had been asleep for a very long time, the idea of sleep should appall me, should bore me, it should be something I should never want to do again. But, I was too tired, I needed to sleep.... Replacing my saddle-bags on my back, I tightened the strap again and pulled the strap of the shotgun over my head, so it could rest on my back in between my wings.

I needed to find a place to rest, so far Arabino was relatively safe, the only real threat being the rare presence of the creatures from before..... and whatever had turned those ponies I had found to mincemeat, though I had yet to come across anything like that... Red paint and innards streamers...... FUCK! Stop it Flash! Stop it!

…….I was going to find a small place, one I could lock up and stay safe in for the night. An actual bed would be nice too, but I wasn't going to be picky.

'Bed please, I don't care if I'm picky..' The Little Me mumbled, you’re so difficult to work with, you know that? I told her half-heartedly.

With heavy limbs and a hanging head, I walked back into the center of the town, I didn't plan on going back to Beatz Concert House. Odd, considering that was probably one of the safest places here in Arabino, with the turrets seemingly willing to shoot anything but me. I didn't trust the machines though, and I really didn't like the idea of sleeping in a hall filled with the scent of fried green, gooey monsters. My stomach flipped at the thought, and I swallowed hard to keep my food from rising up my throat.

Funny, organ streamers and mince-meat ponies didn't make me queasy, but fried, blasted green goo-bugs did? There really was something wrong with me... I'm sooooo bad, damn it!!

I turned toward the part of town where most of the shops stood. The market of Arabino had fared considerably well compared to the homes of the ponies who had lived here. While most of the city was still ruin and rubble, the homes and apartments were all but non-existent, just piles of decaying wood and destroyed stone. I had spent a good hour earlier trying to pick through the piles and find something, before deciding it was better to leave it alone.

The market side of town was home to all the shops and small grocery stores. It stood along the outside of town, not very far from Beatz. Having been so far away from the edge of the town where the Bomb fell, it was spared from as much damage as the homes hadn’t been. Some of the more tall and bigger buildings had caved in on themselves, several of the smaller shops were the same way.

My attention turned toward a small coffee shop set in between two general stores. 'Rose's Coffee House' the faded sign hung above the door on an angle, the once silver and gold lettering peeling away. I had scavenged this shop before, and found no enemies. The shop's roof was considerably lower than the two larger buildings flanking it, it would seem that the two general stores on either side had helped to spare the small building from most of the damage. Its roof was still fairly intact, it only sagged slightly near the back. The walls were cracked and worn, but still held up and guarded the interior from the elements. The windows were shattered, the broken glass littering on the sidewalk just outside the front doors. I had cleared a small path through the glass to the door earlier, and I followed the same path again. This was by far, one of the most preserved buildings within Arabino I had seen. (Besides Beatz, which in all honestly, had been unnaturally spared from too much damage, now that I thought about it.)

I nudged the rickety old door open with my nose, it moaned on its rusted hinges loudly. For the second time that day, a wave of dust rose up in front of me, causing me to sneeze and shake my fur out. It wasn't as bad the second time around, but it only reminded me just how ancient this town seemed to be. I gently kicked the door closed behind me as I stepped in, and headed toward a door in the back. It was set behind the grimy counter in the center, ripped and torn armchairs were pushed off to one side and set around some coffee tables. Old burned magazines littered the floor there, and rest atop the tables. They were shriveled and blackened, I wouldn't be able to read them even if I tried. The counter had a rusted register sitting atop of it, but it wouldn't open (I had tried, and failed earlier to get it open) leaving whatever may be inside untouched. Built in to the end of the counter, a small display case with shelves inside were littered with the remains of rotting and burned food. Cakes and cookies from what I would have guessed, though the name cards and food alike were too destroyed to make out. Too bad, I could imagine how good the desserts might have looked before the BaleFire bomb went off, I could picture fillies and colts pushing their noses against the glass while waiting for their parents to get their coffee.

From the lack of corpses or skeletons in the building, I assumed it must have been closed the day the BaleFire Bomb was set off. A bonus for me, I wasn't keen on the idea of sleeping anywhere where I was sharing the building with a long-dead pony. 'Ripped apart and dismantled ponies are ok though, right?' The Little Me chirped, and I scowled at her, saying nothing in return.

There were several different coffee machines set up behind the counters, all rusted over and non-operational at this point. There were some large bags of rotting coffee beans tucked away under the counter, filling the air with a sharp and sour scent.

I had left the door behind the counter ajar, and stepping inside it revealed to me a small room I guessed was once used by the shop owner, somewhere where he/she (I was going to assume she, based on the name 'Rose' of the sign outside) could rest or spend the night should they need to. The bed that had been tucked away into the corner had fallen to the floor, the mattress was still in good shape, but the sheets and comforter that had been with it were burned to a crisp. I brushed away the burned, blackened and rotting pieces of wood that had once served as the bed’s frame, so the mattress could lay flat on the cracked tile floor beneath it. I also pulled the destroyed linens away from the mattress, wrinkling my nose at the burned stench, and deposited them in a corner of the room where a few boxes full of destroyed things too broken to make out what they were supposed to be, sat. My earlier exploration of the room had left me to find nothing of value, only scraps of things I didn't need, or even want, so I didn't even cast a second glance at the boxes.

I pushed the door closed and cast a small glance toward the window, it was getting darker outside- to the point I could barely make out the looming figures of the buildings within the town now. There were no lights in the room, and the shadows from outside were easily engulfing everything around me.

Shrugging my saddlebags and shotgun off beside the mattress, I climbed on and lay down, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as I fell into the slightly firm, but comfortable embrace of the bed. I hadn't even realized it, but my back had become significantly stiff and sore from being positioned as oddly as I was inside of the Holding Chamber back in Zone 4 just underneath my hooves. It felt nice to actually lay down in a more comfortable position. My eyelids dropped immediately, and I let my head lower onto the mattress with my legs tucked under me, wings hanging limply on either side of my body. I was exhausted, truly and utterly exhausted…. With all the running I had done in Zone 4, both running from the goo-monsters, and the climbing of all those damn stairs, and my exploration of the town all day..... I was surprised my body hadn't given out on me before now.

But, I had needed to get away from the goo-monsters, I had known stopping, falling, passing out, that would have meant death and I wouldn't stand for that. It was funny, running..... all of it had been instinct since I had woken up. I was being driven by the pure instinct to live, to survive. No matter who you were, or what you were, everything had a fear of dying. They had the instinct to live, to run, to fight, the only things on their mind would be; Survive.

Survive.... the ultimate rule........ I lost all train of thought as sleep overtook my mind, all sense of reason.

I knew I should have checked my E.F.S before I fell asleep.

.:+:.

Screaming echoed all around me, flashes of multicolored light. Ponies were crying out in pain, anger, and fear. Everything was dark, everything was blurry. The colors kept flashing across my sight continually, blinding me with each bright hue and color. I held my head in my hooves, shutting my eyes tight so I didn't have to see the lights. I covered my ears as best I could, but the screaming didn't die down. If anything, it only got louder, like hundreds of ponies were standing right next to me and screaming in my ears directly.

I yelled for it to stop, but no sound came out of my mouth.

Even with my eyes closed, it seemed like the lights were streaming through my mind. I could still see them, and I felt hot sticky liquid begin to drip down onto my body. The scent of blood hit my nose and I gagged at it.

A streak of yellow electricity flashed across my mind, and the scarlet color of blood splattered against everything, floors, roof, walls, me.

I was starting to be drowned in blood, I didn't know where it was coming from, it was pulling at my coat, my wings, starting to pull me down. I was choking, the blood making its way into my mouth and filling my lungs, my head was plunged under the surface of the scarlet pool, and my mind went completely dark...

.:+:.

I jumped to my hooves, sweat making my coat stick to my body, the bed drenched with the salty liquid. I was breathing in ragged, short gasps, my body shaking slightly and heart pounding. It was still dark within the room, but I could see fairly well despite the gloom, my eyes adjusting to the darkness slowly.

It was not the dream that had taken me from sleep.

My head snapped over to the door, the sound of scraping catching my attention. The door was being shredded to smithereens by something outside of it, which, was too dumb to just open the door, I hadn't locked it after all. I could see its long, razor sharp claws tearing through the wood, glowing with a green light that reminded me faintly of Yancy's terminal. Its claws were irradiated, at least I assumed so since my PipBuck's radiation meter was ticking relentlessly. I could hear throaty growls and snarls coming from whatever it was- more so now that it could hear me moving around, though I couldn't quite see it through the door.

I wasn't willing to wait to see what it actually was, my E.F.S. was flashing me a warning that whatever it was, was an enemy. Red, better run, kill it, or I was dead...... It was an enemy who was making short work of the door, half of it was already gone.

Snatching up my saddle bags and my shotgun, I threw them on my back and turned my attention to the window. Spinning around, I bucked at the cracked glass and with a very loud shattering noise, the glass blew out into the alley behind the shop. I winced slightly at the noise, it feeling like a gunshot had gone off, I was fairly sure that whatever was getting through the door (Which it had clawed to pieces now), it was probably not the only one around. Leaping through the window into the night, I felt the claws of the creature take an inch or two off my tail as it swung out behind me, barely missing my hind legs. Thank you Luna! Thank you Celestia! I do need my legs!

The glass crunched under my hooves, a piece of it jabbing into my hoof. I winced slightly at the sharp pain, and flared my wings out to take to the sky, I smirked inwardly, no wings, no following, getting away was going to be easy! Jumping to the air I beat down to climb toward the tops of the buildings.

Several other red blips had appeared on my E.F.S., the other creatures I guessed. I was going to assume they only came out at night, considering I had been walking around Arabino all day and never once ran into one of them. Lucky huh?

My mind flashed back to the shredded ponies I had come across, and I frowned. I had figured out what had killed those ponies, and I really didn't want to let one of those things touch me. I wasn't really ok with the idea of being used as bloody decorations, to have my organs pulled out and hung... FUCK!! STOP IT FLASH!!! THEY WERE NOT DECORATIONS!!!!!

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!

My head began to throb terribly, a booming, high pitched howl piercing the night air. My vision grew fuzzy at the noise, I felt off balance and tilted dangerously in flight, tears filling my eyes. I slammed my hooves over my ears in an attempt to block out the noise, but it did nothing to help. I could feel the noise vibrating through my body madly, my head was screaming for it to stop, and I dropped a foot or two when I forgot to keep flying. Pain seared through my head, and I let out a scream. Where was that noise coming from?! What in the hell was it?!

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOO!!

More howls cut through the air to join the first one, an orchestra of horrible, ear-splitting vocals. I felt like my head was about to split open, and I let out a louder scream of pure pain. I was losing altitude fast, I couldn't focus on keeping myself afloat with all the noise. My vision was turning red, the pain increasing as even more of those damn things began to howl. I started kicking my hind legs out wildly, as if I could buck whatever was making such a noise. I dropped another couple of feet before I caught myself.

The sound reverberated through my core giving me the sense of being off balance, and I moaned when I felt my stomach give an unpleasant lurch, the contents of my stomach spilling out as the sick traveled up my throat and out my mouth. My body convulsed as I vomited, and I dropped through the air again, wings straining to keep me going. Alright, I was convinced that the goddesses were getting back at me for thinking shredded ponies could serve as decorations of any kind. I'm sorry ok?!

All at once, the howls were cut off. My hooves fell away from my ears as the red haze over my vision faded, and the throbbing in my head died down. I could feel tears of blood dripping from the corners of my eyes, but I ignored it for now. Maybe the Goddesses really could hear me? If so, thank you- FUCK!

I hadn't anytime to react to the dark form of a creature jumping at me from the edge of the coffee shop's roof, claws glowing with hellish green light. Its long muzzle opened wide to reveal rows upon rows of sharp yellow teeth, the front two canines abnormally long and stretching out down past its bottom lip, faintly glowing with green and sickly purple light from somewhere deep in its stomach. Its ears long and sharp, eyes a dark black-yellow color with slitted pupils, glowing faintly in the gloom. It's huge, thick front legs swung out at me, paws splayed and claws spread out, finely toned and bulging muscles rippled under its long mottled grey and brown fur, dotted sparsely by dusty brown and black scales.

The glowing claws sunk deep into the back of my shoulders, searing pain shooting through my body as the dagger like nails curled under my skin. I screamed out, my PipBuck began to click rapidly.

The creature was easily bigger than three full grown ponies put together, its weight crashing into me caused us to smash through the crumbling wreckage of a music store (Classical Imports! All your favorite classical music, featuring the famous Octavia!) set across the alley behind the coffee shop, breaking through the walls to hit the floor on the ground. The creature sunk its huge teeth down into the back of my neck as it stood atop me among the rubble, I screamed in utter agony, my voice echoing out across the now all too silent town. My body began to burn like fire when I was bitten, My PipBuck started flashing all sorts of medical warnings at me....

TICK!TICK!TICK!!

The creature, (Which looked a whole hell of a lot like some sort of huge, scaley dog to me) tore its claws out of my shoulders, taking lumps of my skin with it, blood spraying out to bathe it, and drench my coat and wings. Its front paws landed down on either side of my body, the glowing claws that were now covered in bits of flesh and muscle, not to mention blood (a lot of it!), scraping deep cuts into the floor. I screamed louder when it lifted my body up from its hold still in the back of my neck, my vision growing darker, and body becoming weaker from the loss of blood from the wounds on my shoulders. I had only been out of my prison... a few hours? And already I was facing death....? A wave of indignation and anger rose up inside me despite the fiery pain blazing through my body, it being worst where the creature still had its jaws around the back of my neck.

How was that fair?! I had escaped the bloated goo-monsters underneath Zone 4, the turrets had thankfully shot them and not me. Doors, safes, and security mainframes had more than willingly allowed me to control them.... I had been lucky so far, and Luck had decided to fail me now?! "That's bullshit!" I spat out, eyes scrunched closed against the onslaught of pain.

For a moment, the creature simply held me in its jaws. I hadn't any strength to try to squirm my way away, even now I could feel my body going numb. It could easily snap my spine, just kill me- but it didn't, it stood there, at least for the first few brief moments. Several red blips appeared across my compass, indicating more enemies. I could make out the shadow of many of them prowling through the rubble of the store, and their silhouettes outside in the street. They were..... talking?

Throaty, gurgling growls and barks were being called out all around the building, all throughout the town I had to guess. These were not words, but I was distinctly sure that they were communicating among themselves, in a language, or maybe form I couldn't understand. Were they really that smart?

The creature threw me to the ground, its teeth sliding from my neck. I yelped at the action, and hit the floor, turning my head slightly so I could see the things coming after me. Its back was arched, powerful thick limbs, all four paws huge and adorning the same faintly glowing claws. It had two (Yes! Two!) long tails, nearly two ponies in length, flicking over the rubble behind it, both adorned by jet black stripes cutting through the grey and brown fur, and the scales. There were a few scars over its body, and my eyes caught sight of the necklace of pony bones rattling around its neck.

It let out a low, throaty noise that sounded only like growls to me, was it talking to me? Did it know I couldn't understand it? What was it saying? 'Dogs don't talk Flash! Get a hold of yourself!' The Little Me snapped inside my head. She was right... dogs, or whatever these things were, they couldn't talk... surely..? .... I still think it was trying to tell me something.

Maybe telling me how it's going to kill me? Rip me apart? Use my organs for streamers? Take my skull and attach it to the necklace hanging around its neck?

With a snarl it reared up on its hind legs, claws outstretched, ready to strike down at me, I couldn't move, nor did I have time to if I could. I was lying among a pile of broken records, the shards of black being drowned in my blood as it continued to pour from the wounds on my body. I could only remain splayed out among the rubble, limp, waiting for my death.

But I didn't want to die damn it!

'Waiting like this, that's one hell of a way to die! What are you? A newborn filly!?' The Little Me screamed, I bit down on my tongue, hating her for even speaking. She was right! I hated her for being right! I hated that I couldn't move!!! Instinct again, the natural urge to survive, the fear of death, even though I didn't feel entirely afraid..... instinct damn it!

"What the fuck do you want me to do?!" I yelled in response to the Little Me, there was no need to speak the words aloud of course, she was in my head after all. I pinned my ears against my head, knowing the creature had pulled itself up to full height, I knew I was good as dead.

Barks and growls cut through the air all around us, the other creatures seemingly cheering their comrade on. Kill me, shred me, eat me, skin me, mangle me.... with horrible, shredding, ripping blows...

"Enemies Detected, Turrets offline, Security Protocol Override Needed. Voice recognition required." What...?!

My heart leapt upon hearing the mechanical voice rise up from somewhere behind the sales counter, where I could see the sickly green light of a terminal hiding behind. "Flash!" I shouted, I needed help here, anything! Something to save me would be nice! “Begin Security Protocols! Security Override! Name: Flash!! Do something!!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, come on!!!

The creature paused just as it was about to strike down at me, ears perked and eyes switching to where it too had heard the mechanical voice go off, its eyes filled with some level of cognition I hadn't expected. Cognition? Maybe these things... maybe they understood..?

"Voice Override Accepted. Beginning Emergency Security Measures now."

Three different spots among the rubble suddenly shifted, and three heavy duty turrets sprung up from the hiding places in the ground of the store, two more dropping down from the roof. They were spotless, functional, and loaded with bullets! Ah, sweet, sweet bullets! Perfect for killing mutant dog things trying to kill poor Flash!

All turrets turned their sights on the creature. "Hostiles Detected." I smiled, Oh fuck yeah! Thank you weird pony who made my voice the override! And thank you Goddesses for letting the system still be working! I owe you guys one!

The inside of the Music shop erupted with the light of the turrets sending scores of bullets into the body of the creature.

Fruuuptht! Fruuuptht! Fruuuptht!

The creature let out a pained screech as it fell, bleeding and body shredded from the hits. The Music Store was painted with the dark black liquid that served as the creature's blood, bits of fur, scales, and flesh raining down on me, the Turrets were way too over-kill, but I honestly couldn't care. The dog-thing had managed to destroy one of the turrets, one of its tails actually drilling through the core of the gun as if it were paper.

I smiled in triumph, forcing myself to twist around and shakily pull a healing potion out of my saddlebags, my PipBuck's inventory sorter placing the medical supplies near the top. I pulled the cap off and downed it, feeling the skin around my shoulders beginning to knit back together. Taking another healing potion, the wound on my neck began to close up, until it was nearly closed, but the wound was too severe to heal completely with only two healing potions, and I wasn't willing to empty another. I got to my hooves, wincing again at the stab of pain from the glass in one of them, and turned my sights toward the shadows outside the shop. The turrets had turned their sights on the other creatures prowling around the outside of the store, the dog-things now fully aware that there were machines gunning for them. Good, let them stay-

With a snarl, one of the creatures burst through the shattered window, claws outstretched toward one of the turrets, this one I noted, being the same mottled brown and gray as before, but with a bone helmet on.

Fruuuptht! Fruuuptht!

The second creature sliced through one of the turrets with its claws easily before it too was gunned down by the other three. I scowled, something, or somepony just liked to prove me wrong, didn't they? I silently suspected the goddesses....... oh no no! The goddesses are kind, merciful! They wouldn't want me dead, right? Hehe... no need to strike me down for thinking such bad things right? Celestia..? Luna..?

My eyes turned toward the opening in which I had fallen through before, the silhouette of a creature standing on the edge of the crumbling wall, growling at the turrets lowly. One turret turned toward it and opened fire, sending it back outside with a yelp. A series of barks and snarls were sent out among those remaining, orders being sent out or something I would guess, still couldn’t speak monster….scale-dog…..thing.

I didn't have a choice, going out the front doors was a death sentence, and staying put wasn't an option, the only other way out was the way I had come in, which was now wide open. Crouching low, I kicked off with more force than necessary and down-stroked, sending dust and air up around me as I shot off the ground. Heading straight for the hole, I pulled my wings to my body, diving through the opening and twisting to barely avoid the snapping jaws of the creature on the other side. With two more down-strokes, I lifted up in the air, flapping my wings as fast as I could to put some distance between myself and Arabino.

I groaned in pain from the ache of the wounds in my shoulders and neck, which flared with more pump in every pump of my wings (maybe I was still a little lucky, those claws barely missed my wings after all…), my body was tingling and still feeling numb. Every move made my entire being burn with pain, every twitch of my hoof, every flap of my wings. A fiery, blazing pain that I had to force myself to keep going, I couldn't stop now, I had to go, get out of here, it was instinct... it was natural, a will, a push.....

Survive!

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of another creature jump to the roof of the nearest building, and launch itself out toward me, claws glowing in the dim. I barrel-rolled to avoid being hit, straightened out, and gained as much altitude as I could, as fast as I could.

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Damn it!! My head began to pound again as the creatures let out their cacophony of high-pitched, reverberating howls again, my vision going fuzzy and started to be tinted red, bloody tears spilling from my eyes. I tilted again, feeling off balance and queasy.

Survive!

Shaking my head at the sound, I beat my wings down, hard.

With a sudden burst of immense speed I didn't think possible with one wing stroke, I shot up higher into the air, and streamed through the night, drawing farther and farther away from Arabino. My mane was blown backward as I continued to gain speed, red tears streaming from my eyes, air stream-lining on the tips of my wings. I had to get far away from Arabino. I wouldn't stop until I was sure I was safe, or I just couldn't go on anymore.

The further I drew away from Arabino and the dog-creatures, their howls faded, and the pounding in my head stopped as soon as I was out of range from the effects of the howls. I spared one last glance at the skeletal outline of Arabino, sections of the city lit up from the glow of the creature's claws, along with the green glow coming from the irradiated crater at the edge of town.

POW!

One last, single shot tore through the air from one of the activated turrets, before it was silenced, not sounding again.

I looked forward, flying on in the dark of the night around me, passing over an Equestria I knew nothing of… and Equestria I couldn’t remember.

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Arabino VIP-
Somepony or something has labeled you as a very important pony here in Arabino! Your chances of finding valuable loot in Arabino has increased by 10%. Your chances of hacking into a terminal, safe, or security mainframe in Arabino has increased by 75%.

Chapter 3- BaleFire Town

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Chapter 3

BaleFire Town

"The Ponies of BaleFire Town are fairly good honest folk, as long as you don't make yourself an enemy."

.:+:.

Continuing.

The need to keep going, the urge to go, the push to go on. I needed to leave Arabino far behind, I needed to be sure I was safe. It was something I had no control over, my body had reacted as anything would in that situation, the instinct to escape, the instinct to live, the urge to Survive. Everything wants to live, no matter who, what, or why. It was purely natural, something nopony or nothing, could escape. You can’t just get rid of the urge to survive, the will to live. You’re stuck with it.

I had been flying for a few hours I thought, I hadn't even thought of stopping. With each passing minute, I was losing altitude, my speed was dropping, I was fighting a losing battle to keep myself steady. My body had grown numb half an hour in, now I was burning with fiery pain every time I moved a muscle, with each flap of my wings. A cold sweat had broken out over my entire body, I was breathing in short ragged breaths, I felt so hot I was cold. My vision was swimming, every little noise ringing in my ears painfully. My PipBuck was continually flashing a warning at me; Poison- Radioactive Enhanced Venom

Whatever that creature was, it's bite was poisonous, and the healing potions I had taken since I had been flying had done nothing to help. I needed antivenom, but I had none, I didn't even know what that thing had been, or if there was even a cure at all... The edges of my vision were beginning to cloud with black, and against my will, I dropped a few feet, before wavering as I caught myself again.

A good portion of my wounds had come along with Radiation Poisoning along with whatever venom the creature's bite had, nothing Rad-Away couldn't begin to fix, too bad that didn't get rid of deadly poison, or even all the Radiation…. oh how I wished it did..... I dropped another couple of feet, barely managing to catch myself before I flipped over. I needed to land, soon, before I passed out in the air and fell to my death. That wouldn't be very fun, now would it...?

Looking down, in the gloom I spotted the crumbling ruin of a highway, risen up on beams away from the ground. Sections of it were gone, while others crumbled away toward the ground. Dozens upon dozens of wagons and carts were stopped, overturned and destroyed along the entire thing. My PipBuck chimed at me, 'ManeHatten Highway'

I angled down, body hanging limply from my wings, head down and eyes halfway closed. I circled over a fairly intact part of the road, slowing down as best I could before my hooves hit the cracked surface. I stumbled and fell to the asphalt, my chin hitting the hard road. I let out a groan, my wings falling around me, legs folded underneath my torso. I let myself lay there for awhile, hardly aware of anything around me. That was fun...

I forced myself to my hooves, failing to push myself up the first few times, till I could stand on shaky legs, head down and heaving from the effort. The pain in my hoof from the glass was nothing compared to the fiery pain sweeping through my entire body.

The sound of a single shot ripping through the night air jolted me into action, when the bullets lodged itself into the road just next to me. I half jumped, half stumbled to cover behind an over turned wagon (Red Racer Scooters!) leaning heavily against the underside of it. Dozens of rusted over, red scooters spilled out from the cart, wheels and parts scattered around wildly. Looking to my E.F.S, there were four red blips. How could I have been stupid enough not to check my E.F.S. before I landed? I am not a smart pony.

"Hold still AssWipe!!"

BOOM!

A single, thunderously loud shot echoed over the highway, and one of the red blips went out. I spared a look around the side of my cover, narrowing my eyes to see through the darkness. I spotted the figure of a dark grey buck ducking behind a small cart, shotgun held in his magical grasp. He was wearing spiked armor, covered in every inch with blood and other filth. His mane and tail were ragged and stringy, one of his eyes was torn through by a very large scar. His cutie mark appalled me, a bloody, decapitated pony head set on a spike. My stomach clenched at the sight, not out of sickness, but mild anger.

"Get im!"

I switched my gaze to the second pony registering as hostile, an earth pony mare with sickly green hair, wearing the similar filthy armor to the unicorn buck, her mane sticking straight up into spikes along the top of her head. She had a badly worn revolver clamped down in her muzzle, hiding behind the same cover as the first one.

Laying in a pool of flesh, brains, bone and blood lay the head-less body of a pony, set right in front of the cover the other two had taken refuge behind. The head-less corpse was wearing the same armor as the first two. My eyes went wide, well damn, that must have been an extremely powerful gun to have taken the entire head off that pony….. I looked around, who shot him though? And who were those other two shooting at? I didn't think it was me... I had come to the conclusion the shot that had been near my feet had been poorly aimed, and not intended for me at all.

Why would they shoot at me anyway? I knew they were red on my E.F.S., but what had I done to these ponies? What could I have done that might have provoked them? Nothing that I knew off, instead I just got the feeling they were not very good ponies.

"Fucking shoot him already!" The mare yelled, reloading her gun. Who?

"Chew on this!"

The third pony popped up behind a concrete divider set in the center of the highway, his head jerking upward, as he sent the sparking figure of lit dynamite out toward a large shipping carriage with the painting of a large buck surrounded in all manner of different types of donuts (Donut Joe's Special Delivery Donuts!), to the left of me and a little farther forward.

BOOM!

I watched in venom-induced, reality-altering slow motion as the third pony fell down behind the divider, his neck a spewing fountain of blood, his brains splattering against the road, carts and carriages all around him. Another red light on my E.F.S. went out. I ducked back behind my cover again, and sat down, feeling a wave of dizziness overtake me, the poison making me feel faint.

The Donut carriage exploded with a magnificent amount of noise and fire, bits and pieces of the road and the carriage flying everywhere as burning hot shrapnel. The highway seemed to jump and shake, and it groaned in protest from the abuse it was put through from the explosion. I scowled despite my pain, What an idiot! Was that buck trying to destroy the highway?! He was not a smart pony.

I stomped a hoof down on the road, ears pinned and eyes shut tight. The return fire from whatever pony they had been attacking did not sound again after the explosion. I figured that meant that pony was either dead, winded, or wounded.

"He better be fucking dead!" The unicorn buck snorted, "If he's not-"

BAM! BAM!

My first shot missed completely, the second however, even in my deteriorating state, I was able to hit him in the neck. S.A.T.S allowed me to watch the buckshot from my shotgun tear into his flesh, ripping it apart, and allowing the metal to pierce deep into his throat, blood and bits of flesh spurting up around him, coating his grey coat in crimson. The unicorn buck let out a gurgled noise, blood bubbling up out of his mouth, and he fell back. His red light on my compass went out a few moments later.

The mare dropped down behind her cover again, "Fucking son of a bitch!"

I leaned up against the underside of the carriage with my back, breathing heavily and eyes closed. I had bit down on my tongue to keep myself from screaming out in pain when the kick of the shotgun shook me, causing my body to flare up in even more pain. Why the hell did being poisoned have to suck so much?

"I'm comin' fer-!" The mare yelled,

BLAM! BLAM!

Everything went silent, and I saw the last red light on my E.F.S. go out. My shotgun fell to the ground, my hooves no longer able to hold it, the black clouding the edges of my vision even more. I was hardly keeping myself awake, fuck.....

"Well, thank ya kindly Darlin'." hmm..?

In the halflight, the figure of a pony jumped down from the top of a cart directly across from me, his hooves clopping down on the asphalt with a thud. He stood before me, two assault rifles strapped to his back on either side of him, both pointed at me. Well, he wasn't dead... I assumed the explosion had been meant for him, considering his light was yellow on my E.F.S.- for now.

His muzzle was hidden by a black bandana, a very worn out leather cowboy hat sitting atop his head. He was wearing light, black barding that stopped halfway down his front legs. A sleeveless black trench coat that buckled around his neck, falling around his body and his back legs, completely covering his flanks. Saddlebags were tied to his back, settling just under the guns. He was a fairly big guy, though not much taller than me- but certainly more well built from what I could see. A large Sniper Rifle was mounted next to one of the assault rifles, but currently not in firing position. 'Boom.' The Little Me mumbled,

His teal eyes seemed to glow faintly in the shadow of his hat, he just kept staring at me. "Ah appreciate the help." He went on with a thick country accent. "But, Ah coulda took um' out by muh lonesome." He kicked a lever on the guns, and they reloaded with a metal cling. "T'aint often ya see any Pegasi out 'ere ." He told me,

I narrowed my eyes at him, my ears pressing back against my head. I wasn't getting a good feeling from him, and I was pressed up against my back with nowhere to run to, I didn't think I had enough strength to fly anymore. Instead I forced myself to my hooves, deciding I oughtta stand up and take my death with at least a little dignity, not splayed out on the ground. My legs were trembling badly, I looked like somepony had dumped water on top of me with my coat sticking to my skin from sweat. I was breathing hard with the effort of actually standing up.

The buck tensed when I moved before really taking in how weak I looked, and I swear, he was smirking at how pathetic I looked under that bandana. Screw him!

"Back off." I muttered, head low and ears pressed against my head, voice low and wispy.

"No can do." The buck responded. "Yer no raider, but....." I perked a little at the word 'raider', assuming he must be referring to the ponies he, no we, had just killed. "You, Darlin’... you’re not a Dashite." He nickered lowly, his eyes tracing my Cutie Mark. Dashite..? "Ah reckon tha' means yer parta' the Enclave." His hooves spread apart slightly to balance himself a bit more, I knew what was coming next. "Tha' means, yer muh enemy." Called it.

Underneath the bandana, he bit down on the trigger to his guns, taking aim. How did I know he was going to shoot me? Damn my impeccable sense of knowing when a pony wanted to kill me.... his light on my E.F.S. suddenly turned red, I was sooo dead…..

I blinked though, I didn’t even think about the fact he was now an enemy, I was more concerned with what he said, I didn’t understand any of it- and even though I was staring down the barrel of two guns about to fire at me- I couldn’t help my curiosity, "What.... What the hell is the Enclave..?" I asked lowly, in between heavy, strained breaths. A spell of dizziness washed over me, and I swayed dangerously, before falling to one knee. "And.... what the fuck is a... Dashite...?" I must have looked so pitiful.. damn it...

He stopped short, ears perking at the questions and teal eyes widening slightly. "What?" He breathed.

BAM! BAM!

"We found them asslickers now!'

"Hells yeah!!"

"Get um!!"

The buck's head snapped to the side, several more ponies in the same 'raider' armor were racing toward us from farther up the highway. The buck turned his attention toward them, "Damn it! Knew ah shouldn't ‘ave used muh Sniper!"

'Oh yeah... how stupid was he..? That gun was sooooo loud…. no wonder more came....' The Little Me thought miserably. He was not a smart pony…...

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!!

The two assault rifles strapped to his back blared to life, I don't know if he hit anypony though. The black that had been creeping up on the edges of my vision had progressed rapidly, I could hardly breath anymore. I fell forward, hitting the pavement with a pain searing thud, then everything fell away, the noise, the highway, everything...

.:+:.

The pain was immeasurable, unfathomable, and it only continued to grow worse. Every little movement was torture, every breath was agony beyond compare. I didn't know where I was, I couldn't force myself to open my eyes. I kicked and thrashed wildly, moaning in pain, sweat plastering my fur to my body.

There were voices... two I think. I couldn't make out what they were saying, or who they were. I didn't recognize them, how could I? I didn't know anypony, I was alone, without memories, without a purpose, without a reason to live...... Who was I really? Why was I trapped in Zone 4? Hell, what was Zone 4 really supposed to be anyway?!

I let out a small, pathetic whimper. Fuck... I hated this, hated feeling weak, hated feeling pathetic..... What was the point of all of this, all this pain? What had been the point of getting out of Arabino? Why hadn't I just let those creatures kill me? I hadn't any reason to want to live, I only fought because of instinct.

Everypony is afraid to die no matter what they say otherwise. It’s natural……. You could be on the brink of death, facing down hundreds of enemies... It would be so much easier just to die. Not to be in pain anymore. I wanted the pain to stop, but I didn't want to die. Damn the feeling!

There was a voice in my head... no, not a voice, a pony. A small, very annoying pony in my head that was relentlessly kicking out at the black waves trying to consume her. The Little Me. She kept fighting, not willing to back down, not willing to give up. "Give up already," I told her, "Wouldn't it be better... just to let the pain go away...?"

Great, now I was hopeless… my life is freaking fantastic already...

.:+:.

Rain poured down, speckling the window of a large building, filled to the brim with ponies milling around, all in business suits, all looking polished and groomed. I looked down toward my hooves, the marble floor underneath me, which was now a puddle of rainwater dripping off my coat. One of the ponies passed me, frowning and turned his nose up in disgust, clearly not happy with the mess I was making. I cast him an apologetic smile, but he only walked away with a swish of his tail behind him.

I looked around the foyer, everything was hazy, everything blurred and unrecognizable. But I knew what I was doing, I was trying to spot the pony I was waiting for. I didn't know who, I didn’t know where this place was, I couldn't remember.

But I did know that I was jitterish, nervous, jumpy. The weight of a very important message on my mind, a message I had to get to her, at any cost. Something really, really bad was coming,
I could feel it.

.:+:.

The fragmented vision cleared away from my muddled mind. Where in the hell was that? Who were those ponies? Who was I waiting for? And what was I going to tell them?

I tried, and failed to remember anymore. That place was unfamiliar, the ponies were unfamiliar. I didn't remember why I had been there, or what I had been planning to say. Fucking 'Magical Head Injury', fucking blank brain... why was nothing there? Why couldn't I remember? I really, really wanted to remember. So much it was a burning want inside my soul, I wanted to remember, wanted to know who I really was, why I was trapped in Zone 4, why..... why was there so much pain..?

'Oh hell no!' The little pony still fighting yelled back at me, red gaze burning with passion.

"I don't have a reason to live." I admitted, knowing it was true. I had woken up for no reason but to die this horrible, painful death...

'I don't care if you don't think you have a purpose in life!' I blinked, taken aback by her harsh tone. 'You woke up for some reason, didn't you?!' The Little Me shouted, bucking furiously at the waves of black. 'Find a purpose! Find something to live for! You have to try and find out who you are! Find out what Zone 4 is!' The Little Me bucked harder than ever. 'And you damn well better find that stupid buck from the highway and kick his tail for trying to kill you!' Buck...?

I perked, that was right. That stallion back on the highway, he had tried to kill me for no reason! Sure, he spouted something about... Enclave was it? And 'Dashite'? I didn't care, all I knew was that I wanted to get him back for it. No pony tried to kill me and got away with it!

On the account of whether or not I really had a purpose to live, I would revisit that later, I wasn't really convinced of the fact right now. Perhaps it was just the sense of not knowing anything. With such a blank mind, I knew it would be hard to find any purpose for myself but..... I supposed I might as well give it a try. I smirked, stomping a hoof down and nodding. The Little Me was right, I had to find out everything I could about Zone 4, I had to find out who I was. I had to at least try to find a purpose for living.... And I sure as hell wasn't going to rest until I found that buck and made him regret threatening me!

.:+:.

I moaned softly, pulling my forelegs to my stomach slowly. I shivered involuntarily, feeling like somepony had put me in a freezer...... again. Forcing my eyes open halfway, I blinked a few times to try and make everything unblur.

Most everything was dark. I was laid out on a really dirty and blood-stained mattress on the floor, two others pushed up against the wall to my left. The walls were made of scrap metal, welded and bolted together as best as anypony could manage. Several gusts of warm air were seeping in through the many holes in the patchwork frame of the building I was in. To my right, behind a moldy and frayed privacy wall, I could see the outline of a raised metal table, a tray full of medical utensils set up next to it. There were a few head-lights spread out around the table, all of them turned off for the time being. I couldn't help but cringe slightly at the amount of bloodstains on the table, and splattered around the floor near it. Even the wall was flecked with red, my mind immediately flashed to a mental image of somepony being cut apart by a crazy, shadowy demon thingy. I don't know why though, it seemed a little fitting however.

Looking away I took in a few deep breaths, I felt faint, tired, and sore beyond belief. The fiery pain had dulled significantly, I could move without it hurting like hell. I blinked, seeing the IV that had been stuck into my foreleg and held down with some aged tape, leading up to a bag of fluids hung up on a stand next to my bed. There were two thin scars on my shoulders that were almost completely healed, even my coat had grown back, though I knew they would remain pink, cutting through my coat for the rest of my life. I couldn't see the back of my neck, but I was fairly certain there was a scar there too, like the others it was almost fully healed, and I knew my mane would hide it rather well. Not that visible scars bothered me, I actually wouldn't care if they were visible or not.

I glanced behind me, ears twitching at the curtains set over a large window beside my bed, shifting in the breeze blowing from outside. Pushing myself to sit up, I shuffled across the mattress toward the window, nudging the threadbare curtain aside, and set my chin on the window sill. It was night, but despite the dark outside, I could make out the outline of dozens more buildings rising up around where I was. They were all shapes and sizes, made from the same patchwork scrap metal. Dirty yellow light was pouring out from several of the windows, rising up into the night.

I strained my ears to hear, but when I couldn't pick up on anything, I assumed that everypony, whose yellow lights I could see on my E.F.S. were probably asleep, night was the time most ponies slept, after all.

Ding..

I glanced down toward my PipBuck once it chimed at me, the clear, mechanic sound echoing around the room a little. The map had updated; 'BaleFire Town'. I blinked, tilting my head in mild confusion. BaleFire? Like BaleFire Bomb? Why would anypony name a town after....

Ding....

The Map updated again, and I turned to the more localized map. Suddenly, dozens of marks appeared over the interface, things like 'WaterPump station', 'BaleFire Clinic' (where I was now), 'MudLuck's Saloon' and..... my eyes grew wide. 'Undetonated BaleFire Bomb', right at the center of town. Undetonated, as in, still weaponized. Could still blow up, kill everypony...... I shook my head, what crazy, crazy ponies these ones must be!

A flicker of pale, white light shimmering on the casing of my PipBuck caught my attention suddenly, and I lifted my head up to the pitch black sky, knowing all too well the clouds were still blocking off the expanse above them. However, through a very small break in the clouds, I caught sight of the shimmering white light of what I knew deep down was the moon. A ray of its cool, soft light was pouring down to land over me, the only natural light I had seen since I had woken up.

My eyes grew wide, I was still, silent. That tiny ray of moonlight against a backdrop of endless dreary grey all around.......... I smiled, it was beautiful, unlike nothing I had seen since waking up. It seemed to fill me with strength, with energy. My body suddenly didn't ache as much anymore, my senses felt just a little clearer. It was if it's light were healing me, shining into my very soul and filling me with warmth. I took in a deep breath, looking to the patch of light, smile growing a little more. I wished I could see more of the moon, up there behind those damn clouds. It was the first beautiful thing I had seen since waking up.

Then it was gone, the clouds covered it up again, and that tiny ray of moonlight I had been bathed in, it was gone, and I hated the feeling of losing it. I felt as if something very special had been snatched away from me, and indeed something very precious had been. I felt that seeing either the sun or the moon was going to be rare, especially since all of those clouds up there didn't look as if they were going to be moved anytime soon.

But moonlight, moonlight was a very rare, very special thing that probably no pony ever got to witness, and I wished I could see it again. Maybe if I flew up there..?

swish...

I snapped my head around at the barely audible noise, eyes training onto the sheet hung over a doorway directly across from me. The ragged fabric was swaying slightly, as if somepony had pushed through it, or moved it aside briefly, though I couldn't see anypony in the entrance.

My E.F.S. registered a friendly mark for a split second, before it was gone and I was left alone again.

.:+:.

"Oh... Oh my!"

A very, very shocked mint colored unicorn mare with a strikingly green mane, and a syringe for a Cutie Mark was standing before me, eyes wide and dancing on her hooves nervously. She had walked into the room, not seemingly paying attention to what she was doing, too absorbed on the clipboard she had been levitating in her magical grasp. That clipboard had clattered to the floor when her magic imploded upon seeing me.

Her jaw was dropped slightly, not seeming to know what to make of the situation. I gave her a nervous smile, not sure what to do myself, not fully understanding why she seemed so shocked. I had only been hurt a little, right...? The Little Me snorted and rolled her eyes.

"You... You’re awake!" She gasped, "T-That's not possible!" She trotted forward, horn glowing as she cast a diagnostic spell over me to check my vitals. Her eyes grew even wider, a large ring of white appearing around the green orbs. "You..... your vitals are normal, fever's gone...... You look, fine..!"

I agreed, I had fallen asleep after waking up last night, this morning I felt nearly pitch perfect. My senses were sharp, I was alert, my body didn't ache very much at all, my wounds didn't sting as much as they probably should have with the beating I took. I felt pretty damn awesome- all things considered.

She took a step away from me, as if she was suddenly afraid to touch me, eyes narrowing. "Do you have some sort of enhancement?" She asked lowly, looking both intrigued, and wary. What...?

I tilted my head at her, confused. "Enhancement?" I echoed. "Like........ like what, exactly?" I felt so stupid.

She snorted a little, not finding my ignorance amusing. "I'm going to assume it isn't a mechanical enhancement, I would have become aware of it with my Diagnostic Spell...." Her green eyes narrowed even more. "Magical maybe.......... wouldn't you know, though?" She asked, and I smiled sheepishly. Nope!

"Uh.... actually, I don't really remember a lot.." I admitted, and she tilted her head. "I woke up with no memories of my past..." Glancing around I added, "Or what happened."

"Amnesia?" The mare asked and I paused, yep, that was the word for it. Why hadn't I come up with that?

"Something like that I think." I replied, lifting my forehoof and gesturing toward my PipBuck. "My PipBuck tells me it's some sort of 'Magical Head Injury'."

"... I might be able to help with that." The mare said after a moment of silence, my ears perked at the news. "I can’t promise anything, if it really is Magic related, it may be irreversible." She cautioned, but I didn't really care, I just wanted her to try.

"As long as you gave it a shot, I would be grateful." I told her, and she dipped her head at me.

"Very well then," She stepped toward me again, and I sat up straight. "My name's Vera by the way."

"I'm Flash." I told her, and she nodded. She bowed her head toward me, her horn started to glow as she began her work. I felt a slight itch in the back of my head, a little prick as her Magic began to dig through my mind. It felt weird, but it was bearable. We were left in silence for a few minutes, Vera's eyes closed as she began to concentrate on what she was doing. I waited patiently, hoping that something would happen, I would remember something, anything.

When ten minutes had gone by, Vera stepped away and lift her head, her Magic receding. I frowned at the apologetic look she gave me, gah.. damn it... "I'm sorry, but I can’t reverse the effects." She told me quietly. "Whatever sort of Magic hit you, it was powerful, too powerful for me to dispel." I could feel my heart sink at the words, I really had been hoping that this would be a way to get my memory back...

"I...It's fine, thank you for trying.." I told her, then thought to how my body had gone back to normal, how I had filled out again. "Did you happen to use a spell on me, to make my body go back to normal?" I asked, deciding better to find out now, and change the subject.

"I was convinced you wouldn't live, you know." Vera told me in a neutral tone, suddenly changing the subject as her green eyes continued to look me over. I blinked, "Kept telling that damn Merc when he dragged you in here, that there was nothing I could do, but he wouldn't hear of it." I blinked again, wondering who in the hell the 'Merc' was, but I pushed that thought aside for now.

Instead I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've never seen anybody with as much DireWolf poison in their system as you did." Vera elaborated. "That much could possibly kill a full grown Dragon." She narrowed her eyes at me again, "And besides, I've never seen anybody live through being bitten by a DireWolf in any instance before, in fact, I've only heard of a few very rare instances where anybody actually survived being poisoned by one." Lucky me then? She sat down in front of me, eyes closing a moment. “You’re wounds themselves were serious… but those are easy to fix compared to DireWolf Venom…..” She mumbled, nearly to herself.

"DireWolf..?" I asked, my mind immediately flashing to the large, two-tailed creatures I had encountered in Arabino. Vera’s eyes opened as she raised an eyebrow at me, not sure what to make of the statement. She could apparently see my confusion, but she looked surprised at it.

"DireWolves," She murmured, "Big, ugly things with a deadly poison should they bite you, fairly intelligent too. Radioactive claws and two tails, there all over this part of the Wasteland, though they mostly stay away from the town." Vera paused, looking thoughtful. "They're what you get when a wolf and a cobra are fused together under MegaSpell fire, and spend hundreds of years bathed in radiation, growing in size and strength." I went still, not sure what to make of the information. I felt I should be horrified, confused.... but my mostly blank slate of a mind was letting the information sink in easily, so I wasn't all that shocked about it. I couldn't help but wonder, what in the hell was the Wasteland? Wasn't this Equestria..? I was sooooo confused.

"Yeah.... That's what attacked me...." Was all I could manage to say. "What..... what's happened to Equestria, by the way? You called it… the WasteLand..?" Again, I felt so, sooooooo stupid. Was it really my fault I was this way? Why did my mind have to be so fucking blank?

‘Blank-Flank! Blank-Flank!’ The Little Me sang suddenly, where the hell did that come from?

Vera sighed, not looking particularly thrilled with my Amnesia. If anything, she seemed rather annoyed by it, probably because she knew she was going to have to fill me in on a lot of things. "Oh dear..." She mumbled, "I'll give you a brief, very brief," She empathized the word with a hard stare, "..History lesson, just enough to fill you in on the basics." She took a seat, "And then we can talk about how you plan on paying me for my services. I do have a Clinic to run." Pay....... Pay?!

I stiffened, eyes growing wide. I have to figure out a way to pay her?! Shit!!

.:+:.

I had been unconscious for three full days. I was currently in a town called BaleFire, but that I had already known thanks to my PipBuck. And I knew the reason for the name was because of the inactivated BaleFire Bomb in the center of the town, again, what seriously crazy ponies! Vera was the owner of the Clinic in town, the Clinic I owed a shit-ton of money to for having been given Vera's Services. I couldn't help but feel her prices were outrageous.

700 caps

Yes, caps, the odd currency ponies had all over the Wasteland. Seriously, who came up with that idea? And where the hell was I supposed to come up with 700 damn caps?!

Vera had explained things to me to the best her ability. She had clearly not wanted to get to into it, knowing very well that explaining every single detail would take a very, very long time. I didn't blame her for being aggravated about my lack of knowledge, I was just as frustrated about it as she was. But now I had a better picture of life, a better picture of everything. I knew about the war, I knew that ponies had been surviving on the remains of the Old World for hundreds of years. The bit about the bombs- she explained she set them off.

I was sure to learn more along the way, but I had only needed to know some of it now. Vera however, had not been interested in hearing my story, she didn't care what had actually happened to me, nor did she wish to hear about Arabino, so I kept my mouth shut. Vera was only interested in the money I owed her.

"Lets talk about how you're going to repay me." Vera said in a firm tone, eyes narrowed and face neutral, keeping me in her gaze. I fidgeted my hooves nervously, I didn't have any caps. "How much do you have now?" Oh.... she just had to ask that, didn't she...? Fuck me...

"Uh... only one." I admitted in a small voice. She raised an eyebrow, looking angry at the news. It was pitiful, only one, measly, little cap. 699 more to go..

"You'll have to give it to me." She huffed, holding out a hoof. "And work to repay the rest." Work, work would be good. Work meant money, money meant caps, and caps meant repaying Vera.

I nodded, climbing to my hooves and trotting toward where my saddle-bags had been set off against the wall. My barding was folded and placed inside, and I dug around until I found it, holding the blue cap with the white star in my teeth and turning to Vera. She grabbed the cap in her magical grasp, floating it closer until it was just in front of her muzzle.

I blinked at the disgusted look she gave it, and she floated it back toward me, dropping it back in my bags. "There is no way I'm accepting that." She said firmly. "And I suggest you get rid of it, that's a Sunrise Sarsaparilla Star Cap." She gave me a stern glare, "People collect them, they are very rare, and some will even kill you for it." I swallowed, appalled that anypony would murder for a stupid bottle cap. All it was, was a piece of metal with blue and white paint on it. Ponies in the Wasteland must be fucking crazy........ my mind flashed to where I was, a town built around a still active Super-Bomb. 'They are crazy.' The Little Me intoned dryly.

"You'll need to get some more caps." I sighed, 700 more to go..... "And I will only give you one month to come up with all the caps." Vera went on in a very business-like tone. "You may be able to find work by asking the people around town, see if they need any help with something." She got to her hooves and swished her long, tangled, tail once. "The Sheriff may need something done, I would ask him first." I nodded, taking her advice was all I had at the moment. I blinked, one thought occurring to me, to what she had said earlier;

"Kept telling that damn Merc when he dragged you in here, that there was nothing I could do, but he wouldn't hear of it."

Merc? Like......... Mercenary?

"Vera," I called her attention, she had turned away and picked up her clipboard. She looked my way,

"What?"

"You said a Merc brought me here," I told her, she nodded, "Who was that?"

Vera suddenly looked very disgusted, and I shrunk back, feeling like I might have said something wrong. "Damn buck who's always prancing around, shooting things and demanding to be paid for his 'services'." I bit down on my tongue, almost commenting that she was doing the same thing, demanding to be paid. But I thought better of it, no need to make her angry at me, no Sir-y!

"Calls himself a Mercenary, says he's keeping people safe, but he's really just a gun-for-hire, hardly any better than a raider, and he's bleeding everybody dry." Vera said with a growl embedded in her voice. "He's no good for this town, and he knows it." She looked away toward the window, "Wandered into town a year or so ago, stayed ever since. He's the only one willing to leave and explore, the only one willing to face the Wastes, that's why he's so good at getting money around here." She looked to me, "He's a thief, preying on the good folk who live here, and it'd be better if he just left."

I fidgeted my hooves a little, feeling that her green gaze was so intense, it might burn a hole right through me. I could tell she was angry, I could tell she did not like this buck, but I had to know more. Ugh..... She was not going to like this...... "Do... do you know where he is?" I asked lowly, forcing my gaze to remain level with hers. "I would like to talk to him..."

"It be better if you stayed away from him." Vera told me firmly, stomping a hoof down. "People around here don't like him, and if they see you talking to him, they will not like you." She warned. I blinked a few times, feeling like, if despite Vera's greed for money and her rough attitude, I felt like she was trying to keep me from becoming an enemy to the ponies here. She was trying to protect my reputation... But, that may just be because she wanted me to find jobs here, and if ponies didn't like me, I wouldn't get many offers. It could just be about money, as what I had come to see in her.

Screw it

I stood up a little straighter, forcing my own nervousness away. I didn't care if he wasn't liked around here, I didn't care if I was seen with him. I had to find him, had to talk to him. He had saved my life by bringing me here, and I had to meet who my savior was, no matter how much of a bastard he seemed to be. Vera looked me over calmly, seeming to sense that I was not going to back down, and let out a sigh. "It's your reputation kid, not mine.." She mumbled, though I bristled slightly at the fact she called me ‘kid’- she couldn’t be more than a year or two older than me! "If you’re really set on this, I can't stop you I suppose." She murmured and I nodded at her. Vera waved a hoof toward the window, where on the top of the hill I could see a building at the very top, "He spends most of his time up at the bar, he's the buck named Whiskey." Vera explained, turning away and heading toward the entrance.

I pulled the leather barding on and placed my saddlebags on my back, looking to my PipBuck I surveyed my inventory, making sure everything was in place. I paused, eyes widening once I found that one thing was missing.

The ShieldTune Sonic Emitter

I felt a rising indignation build up inside me, I knew I had not lost it, instantly I knew somepony had taken it. I had no use for the damn thing, but I did not appreciate ponies stealing from me. I stomped a hoof down on the metal floor, hard, snorting in pure anger, my ears pinning back against my head. 'I betchya it was that buck from the highway!' The Little Me inside of my head shouted, stomping around in frustration. I agreed.

Vera had paused upon hearing me stomp on the ground, head tilted and eyes narrowed at how angry I looked suddenly. "Something the matter?" She asked, pausing with the curtain drawn back by her magic.

"Somepony took something from me." I growled, not bothering to look her way, "And I think I know who it was." Yep! A certain, threat-making, robbing buck I had met on a highway, just after I had helped him kill off some raiders, that's who!

Vera paused a moment longer, before shaking her head and leaving the room.

I stared down at the floor, tense, fury and rage building up inside my body. The Little Me was screaming insults at the buck who had threatened me on the highway, insults I wanted to scream myself, but I stayed silent. I was probably never going to see that bastard ever again. He first tried to kill me, then he fucking robbed me. I stomped both hooves down this time, I was pissed, I wanted to buck him in the face!

I looked out the open window, dismal gray light seeping in, the clouds still covering the sky. First thing was first, thank the 'Whiskey' stallion, and then find that thieving bastard, and make him pay for robbing me. I smirked at the thought of pummeling him with my hooves, oh I sooo wanted to.

Throwing my shotgun over my back, I jumped up onto the window sill, pushing off and taking to the air, I should have used the door, but I was too eager to get outside. I downstroked, lifting myself over the roofs of the assorted buildings and shacks climbing the side of the crater in front of me, heading straight toward the Bar at the very top. Ponies looked up at me as I sailed over the buildings, eyes wide and in awe. I glanced down recalling what the buck, no, thieving bastard on the highway had said;

"T'aint often ya see any Pegasi out 'ere ."

I stared in shock, there were no Pegasi here, at least none that I could see. Did that mean I was the only one? Vera had conveniently skipped the part about Pegasi being a rare thing here in the Wasteland.

A few fillies and colts smiled, running along through the few narrow streets underneath me. A small, pale blue unicorn filly with a midnight blue mane streaked with black, and brown eyes, too young to have her Cutie Mark yet, ran along, staying within the confines of the pale shadow I was casting across the ground. For a moment, my anger and irritation faded, seeing the bright smile she was wearing as she followed me. That was one of the few times I was going to see anypony so happy and carefree out here.

I lifted up over a building, losing sight of her among the close confined paths between the town. Vera's Clinic had been situated at the very bottom of the crater, only a mere twenty feet from the inactivated BaleFire bomb within the center of the town. I would admit, the crater was big, but it was also the perfect shelter for the ponies here…. Well, if you didn't think about the ticking bomb just waiting to go off in the middle. Why wouldn't anypony have disarmed it by now?

I looked up, the entire top of the crater was lined all the way around by a huge wall, made from pieces of scrap, and even the engine of some long destroyed machine. I could see a general store from where I was, a water pump station, bathrooms, an armory, houses, a restaurant, and the clinic. There were several levels set up all around, walkways leading over the roofs of lowerset houses, connecting several different buildings to one another, and providing walkways.

Patchwork pipes and tubing were spread out over the entirety of Balefire, buried in some places, raised above the ground in others, and a few going straight through the walls of a few houses and buildings. I couldn't help but notice the leaks spewing from the pressurized water pipes all over the town. Coming to the top of the crater, I lighted down on the metal platform connected to the Bar (MudLuck's), one of the larger buildings in town, with a large, tilted sign of long dead neon letters. I could hear the sound of a radio inside, and the murmurings of other ponies.

I stepped toward the door slowly, pushing it open with a nudge of my nose.

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Antivemon Blood (1)-
You have survived a life threatening amount of poisoning. You are now 25% resistant to any type of venom or poison you encounter within the wasteland.

Chapter 4- Whiskey Shot

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Chapter 4

Whiskey Shot

"Whiskey Shot? The Merc? Well….. it’s more like 'Risky Shot', I wouldn't go trusting that buck if I were you, more likely to end up dead than anything."

.:+:.

HIM

It was Him.

That damn buck from the highway.

The one who threatened to kill me.

The one who I knew robbed me.

He was sitting there, at the end of the bar, his hat resting on the counter as he held a shot glass in between his hooves, head bowed and eyes closed. He didn't budge when I opened the door, hardly anypony did, they were all to wrapped up in their own thoughts. I did notice that many ponies were shooting the buck dirty looks while they sipped at their drinks from time to time.

His bandana was pulled down to rest around his neck, but he still wore what he had been the night I saw him.

'The night he tried to kill you!' The Little Me inside my head shouted.

I glared daggers at his back, ears flattening against my skull, eyes narrowed. I remained in the doorway for a moment, too angry and shocked to see that he was here, to think about moving at the moment. I felt like lava was boiling inside me, I started shaking with pure, undeniable hatred. A hatred I wasn't going to be able to crush, a hatred I didn't want to crush. I felt insulted, how dare he sit there and drink? He had tried to kill me, he had robbed me, and he just sat there like it was nothing?! Like he had never done any wrong?!

This was unacceptable, it was disrespectful, it was insulting, and I hated him even more.

Level 10 Hatred.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" I screamed in fury, lunging inside the building in seconds, my moves swift and rapid, my anger fueling my actions to the point, I felt no pony would be able to stop me. I didn't want them to stop me, I wanted to hurt him, wanted to make him pay for what he had done. The buck's eyes shot open at once, and he started to turn toward me in surprise.

SLAM!!

I struck him across the face with my forehoof as hard as I could manage, successfully knocking him from the stool he had been sitting on. He hit the floor with a loud thump, the stool tipping over to land beside him.

The bar went silent, the small quiet murmurings that had been floating throughout died on the tongue's of the ponies who had been speaking. Even the radio seemed to dim, and all eyes turned toward me, hardly able to believe I had done such a thing. Some looked petrified, others speechless, and a few were giving me nods of approval. I could almost feel the tense shock that had settled over everypony like a cold, thick blanket. Even the stale, hot air seemed to grow cold, I could feel my fur rising, almost hear a certain static in the air, a current of crackling electricity biting at the space between the buck I had just hit, and myself. I stood before him, seething with fury, wings spread out to their full height, easily brushing the roof with my topmost feathers. I let out a snort of anger, fixing him with a burning stare of hatred. I wanted him to see how angry I was, wanted him to feel my hatred, wanted him to understand that I wouldn't sit back and take his threat for shit. I wasn't going to forget about it, I wasn't going to move on.

He was going to pay.

This was the first time I had felt this angry at anything, at anypony. I was furious, I wanted to destroy things, I wanted to hurt something, I wanted to hurt him. The Little Me inside my head was screaming to hit him again, but I refrained this time. He wasn't just going to get hit, he was going to sit there, let me glare at him, let my red eyes bear into him. I wanted him to feel my gaze burning into his soul, I wanted to make him aware of the wrath he had invoked upon himself.

My Wrath.

He winced, holding a hoof to the already bruising side of his face, glancing up at me slowly. His face slowly fell once he had noticed the look I was giving him. I wished I was a telepath in that one instant, because I would scream foul profanities and curses at him. I would do it until he went mad, he would forever know my voice, forever fear my anger.

You bastard. You fucking bastard. You have the damn nerve to drink here, act like you did nothing wrong. You slimy-ass mother-fucking bastard. You WILL pay. I will make you pay.

I could have said all these things to his face, I could have said them all, Celestia knew I wanted to. I wanted to soooo bad, but I had more sense than to say everything I wanted to right here, in a bar full of ponies I didn't know. I had enough self-control to keep my anger down to a certain degree, only so others couldn't see it.

Without the hat or the bandana, I got a better look at him, his copper colored coat, the way his hooves gradually turned a darker copper color, stretching from his mid-leg and down. His ears were the same dark copper color as his hooves, he had a shaggy, dark, and short russet/cherry-red mane and a long tail of the same color, they also grew darker toward the ends, just as his hooves did. There was a peculiar dark brown marking in the shape of a circle surrounding his left eye, which was bruising just underneath it in the perfect shape of my hoof-print. His appearance was new to me, not having been able to see him clearly the first time I had met him. But I remembered his eyes, those teal eyes I had seen under the shadow of his hat. The assault rifles strapped to his back, and the sniper rifle had tipped me off to who he was though.

I stomped down on the ground hard enough so the noise echoed through the silent bar, my head raised and standing tall. "How dare you?!" I yelled at him. He blinked at me, hoof falling away from rubbing his face, and the surprised look turned to a neutral one within moments. He slowly picked himself back up, he was a couple of inches taller than me, but I didn't flinch, I stood still as he adjusted. He gazed at me calmly, not seemingly bothered that I had hit him.

"Yer awake." He said simply. Awake?! Thanks for pointing out the obvious, you ass-hole! I snorted again at his stupidity,

"No Shit!" I snapped, I knew very well I was being stared at by the other ponies within the bar. I could feel their eyes on me, I knew they were watching in silence. But in that instant, he and I, we were the only ponies in the room that mattered. The only ones I cared about. Let the locals think what they want about me, I couldn't care less. I was much more concerned about getting back at this ass-hole, the fucking bastard who threatened to kill me, the one who I was most certain had taken the Sonic Emitter from me. I wanted him to see how much of a mistake he had made, nopony was going to cross me, threaten me, steal from me, without getting their asses kicked!

He blinked, and I glared.

"You two are going to need to take this outside."

I snapped my head around to glare at whoever had said the words, intent on telling them to kindly fuck off- only to stop short upon seeing a zombie pony standing beside me.

A literal zombie pony

I jumped back immediately, my anger disappearing as I stared at the horribly grotesque creature. Its coat was pure, rotting flesh. Not a single strand of hair over its twisted, warped, deformed body, I could see its ribs sticking out sharply. Its sunken, pale eyes looked at me, lighting up with frustration. My blood ran cold, my heart felt like it skipped a beat. By the Goddesses, that thing looked like it should be six feet under! Zombie Ponies shouldn't exist! How could they?!

But despite my own thoughts, there was indeed a walking, dead, rotting, pony-thing standing in front of me, frowning and looking very bored with my sudden behavior. It was a look that screamed; what an idiot.

"What the fuck!?!" I shouted, slamming into the bar hard enough to make the buck's shot glass bounce a little.

"You act like you've never seen a Ghoul before." The zombie pony told me in a rough, husky voice that made a shiver go down my spine. It rolled its eyes at me, but remained where it stood. "Like I said, take this, whatever it is, outside." It said firmly, waving a rotted hoof toward the door. I couldn't move, I could only stare. My mind couldn't wrap around what I was seeing, whatever that thing was, it should be dead, it looked dead, it smelled dead.

"Sure thang, Corn Cob." The buck spoke up, tipping his hat to the zombie pony, where he had grabbed the leather hat from the counter and placed it on his head when I hadn't been paying attention. He tossed a few caps down on the counter, and downed the rest of his drink.

I looked to him, appalled he was talking to the thing. Speaking to it! Wait...... why the fuck can that thing talk?!

"Ya heard 'im Darlin', we gotta take this outside." The buck told me, expression still neutral. Darlin'...

The minute he had said the word, he had poured the fuel to ignite the burning fire within my body again, and I whipped around to face him, bristling. He took no notice of my reaction though, he had turned and began to head toward the door. I stood there a moment, seething at what he called me, remembering very clearly he had called me by the same name back on the highway. It made me angrier, I was convinced he was trying to piss me off, and oh he was doing a very good job at it.

I stomped out the door after him. Ponies watched me walk across the building silently, thinking, trying to figure me out, trying to understand. I paid them no attention, my red gaze locked on to his back, bearing into him to the point I hoped he could feel his shoulders burning. I kicked the rotting wood entrance closed behind me as soon as I was clear, a little too roughly, and it slammed loudly, I could hear the wood crack a little, but I didn't care.

The buck had turned to face me, expression still neutral, and it only infuriated me more. How could he be so damn calm? How could he act like I hadn't hit him, like he hadn't tried to kill me, like he hadn't robbed me?!

I had thought I hated DireWolves, thought I hated raiders. My list of things to hate had grown even more when Vera had explained the basics of the Wasteland to me. When she had told me of its monsters, creatures, its evils. DireWolves? Level 6 hatred at the most. BloatSprites? Level 2. Raiders? They were at best only a level 5. Him, well, he topped the list, he was a record, a goddamn pinnacle of the most hated thing I could think of.

LEVEL 10

I glared at him, he stared back, and I let out a growl of agitation. I opened my mouth to speak, to shout, to yell, to curse, to let my anger fall out, to hit him, to make him understand how much I disliked him, "Knew ya wouldn' die easy." He said, "Vera though’ different."

I snapped my mouth shut instantly, narrowing my eyes in suspicion at him. I didn't like this neutral attitude from him, didn't like how calm he was being. I wasn't calm, I couldn't be, but he shouldn't be able to remain so utterly stoic, not when I was glaring at him as I was, pouring all my hatred and anger into the look as best as I could possibly muster.

Vera? Why would he bring up Vera? And why he have known what Vera thought of me? I couldn't imagine a pony like Vera, no matter how firm on money she was, she was still a medical pony, information regarding her patients were supposed to be kept between the patient and herself. So why would he have known about me, about Vera's thought on that I was going to die...

My jaw dropped, eyes growing wide, once the information all clicked together and I understood. I recomposed myself as fast as I could manage, setting the copper buck with a very serious look. "Woah, Woah! Wait one damn minute!" I yelled, pointing a hoof toward him accusingly. "You're saying that you're the one who brought me in?! You're the Mercenary?! You're Whiskey?!"

The buck nodded at me, dipping his head slightly. "Yep, Ah am." He replied, face still neutral, still so stoic.

The confirmation hit me like a slap in the face, I couldn't believe it, couldn't fathom it. I didn't want to believe it, I wanted to hate him, I did hate him, but was I supposed to? If he had been the one to bring me here? To get me to Vera? Bringing me here had been helping me, had been saving me. I would have most certainly died out on that highway had he just left me there, either from bleeding out, or one of the raiders finding me.

Why would he have saved me? He must have carried me all the way, taken care of the raiders, maybe even run from them. He had argued with Vera, told her I was going to live, convinced the green-maned medical pony to take care of me. He was the reason I was here, the reason I hadn't been left to die on the highway. But why? It didn't make any sense, I couldn't make any sense of it. It was so irrational!

'That's not fair!' The Little Me in my head complained, stomping a hoof down. 'How are we supposed to be mad at him, and thank him at the same time?'

I stuttered, not being able to come up with the words fast enough. How attractive Flash, go on, blubber for a minute, try to come up with something to say.

"First you try to kill me, then you rob me, and then you save me?! What the fuck!?" Finally finding my voice, I was happy when I sounded much more firm than my previous blubbering. Whiskey ran a hoof through his mane slowly, letting out a long sigh, face still so neutral, so stoic. I wondered if he looked like that all the time?

"Ah apologize."

I stopped, stared, lips pulling into a tight line, waiting for the words to process. I was having a hard time registering what he said, I didn't fully understand......... whoa, wait! He... apologizes?!

"Look, Darlin', it was all a big misunderstandin'." He continued, I bristled at the name, "Thing is, ah thought ya were part of the Enclave. And tha' means ya'd be muh enemy." He gestured a hoof toward my flank, pointing at my Cutie Mark. "Ah assumed ya mus' be, cuz yer not a Dashite an’ all. Ain't no Pegasi out 'ere who ain't a Dashite, and ain't part o' the Enclave…. Ain’t no unaligned pegasi-" He paused. "…Well, until ah ran inta ya." So calm, so neutral, his tone was so casual.

My wings dropped back to my sides, and I let my head fall a little too, confused more than ever, but still glaring at him suspiciously. I didn't like this, I didn't feel like he really meant what he said, I didn't feel like he was really apologizing to me, instead, it didn't even seem like he was admitting he made a mistake. More like he was casually having a conversation with me, like I wasn't the pony he had threatened and robbed. I grew infuriated with it.

But those words, Enclave and Dashite, they were not familiar to me, nor did I understand their relevance. It would seem Vera skipped out on that part of the History Lesson, brief as it was.

"Ah realized ya weren't part o' the Enclave when ya didn' know what a Dashite was." He went on, "Tha' sorta confusion can’t be faked, trus' me, ah know."

Fuck that! You don't know anything about me!

"Then why the hell did you rob me then?!" I asked furiously. It was a good question, his motives, his actions were confusing and suspicious. First he tries to kill me, then he robs me, then he saves me. What the hell kind of a goal was that? What was the point? From what I could tell, he had no reason to do any of those things. No obligation to save me, and I didn't accept that being in the Enclave would have made me an enemy. Robbing me, he had just been playing dirty and taken advantage while I had been unconscious, what a bastard.

He didn't flinch at my tone, he didn't blink, he didn't move. He remained looking at me with that neutral expression, so fucking stoic! Gah! It was really starting to piss me off!

"If Ah 'ad robbed ya, ya'll wouldn't have anythin' left to yer name." He said calmly, "All Ah did was take one thing." One thing, everything, don't matter! You still took it!

"That's still stealing!" I snapped, and he gazed at me. I tensed, something about the way he was looking at me.... it was calculative, he was thinking, and I wanted to know what about. He took a step toward me, so we were muzzle to muzzle, a darker look came into his eyes, a cold, demanding yet so infuriatingly calm look. But most of all, he suddenly looked dangerous, like a pony who could easily kill me where I stood, a pony who had tried to kill me before.

"Where did ya get it?" He asked lowly, slowly. It...?

"What?" I asked slowly, standing my ground and lifting my head high, not willing to be scared by his sudden change in demeanor. I wasn't going to show him I was afraid, and I wasn't afraid! Sure.. for a split second maybe, but I refused to be, this was the bastard who had tried to kill me, the one who had stolen from me, ignoring the fact he was the one who had also gotten me off that highway alive, I wasn't going to show fear to him, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"The Sonic Emitter." He told me, "Where did ya get it?" He asked again, I could hear the growl in his voice.

I narrowed my own eyes at him, why was he interested in it? What could he possibly want to know about the Sonic Emitter for, let alone want to know where I had found it? I looked into his eyes, searching the sea of teal. I could see it, how much he wanted to know, he wanted to know soooo badly...... It was deep-set desire, a fire burning in his eyes, he wanted, needed to know. I hadn't expected to see such want in anypony, let alone him. And for what? A stupid, weird, gun that I didn't even know what it did? I hadn't had anytime to look through the downloaded files on my PipBuck....

I quirked an eyebrow slightly, did he know what it did? How could he? For whatever reason, I had a hard time believing that a gun-for-hire, a buck who probably spent his time shooting bugs, would have any idea what it did, or how to use it.

"Why should I tell you?" I growled, and he leaned in more, eyes narrowing more and lips pulling into a tight line. I knew I had hit a nerve, he didn't look like he thought it possible I would refuse, and I got the feeling ponies around here didn't tell their resident Mercenary 'no' very often. He was going to have an ego then, but I could handle it.

"Ya don' know anythin about the Wasteland, do ya?" He asked after a long while, still neutral, tone still low, still cold. I stiffened slightly at the words without meaning to. How had he figured that out so fast? For all he knew, I could have simply been an idiot about Dashite's and the Enclave, whatever they were, alone. Who was to say I wasn't very uh.... knowledgeable on the rest of the Wasteland? I felt a twinge of annoyance and self-hatred for a moment, was my ignorance about the Wastes, was my stupidity on it all that obvious?

'Damn us and the stupid Magical Head Injury...' The Little Me grumbled. I scowled at her.

He smirked for a split second upon noticing my scowl. "Ah knew it!' He said in triumph, "Ya'll don' know a damn thang about the Wastes, no wonder ya jumped so much when ya saw Cob!" For the first time, he was not stoic, he was not calm, he was happy, pleased at my stupidity, and I felt the fire inside me blaze again. I hated how happy he was with my own short-falls. "So, ya got some sorta amnesia or somethin'?" He asked, neutral again. "Or 'ave ya been living under a rock all this time?" He paused a moment, before motioning at my PipBuck. “Or… are ya from one o’ them Stables? Stable Dweller’s always ask plenty o’ questions, and usually don’ las’ very long withou’ runnin’ inta trouble too.”

I looked away with a huff, he had hit the dot with two of the questions, and I didn't like that he had figured it out so fast. Maybe it really was that obvious I didn't know anything. 'So what?!' The Little Me in my head muttered, cross that we were so ignorant.

"I guess you could say it's a bit of both, of the first two." I mumbled through gritted teeth, not looking at him, I felt that if I did, I was going to see him smirking at me, and I might just hit him again if he was. Maybe hitting him again wouldn't be so bad? The Little Me danced on her hooves impatiently, very OK with the idea of hitting him again, smiling widely at the thought.

“I don’t have a clue to what a Stable is, so…” I mumbled lowly. After a moment, I spared a glance his way, and immediately regretted it. Whiskey smirked even more, damn, he really did enjoy being right, I could see it on his face, and I hated him more. I had to force myself to keep from lifting a hoof and striking him then and there, I could tell that he knew I wanted to hit him, he was trying to make me angry.

"Well then Darlin', looks like we got a lot ta talk about." He told me, "Seems like both a' us could learn a thang or two from each other." The smirk disappeared, and he remained neutral again. I was happy to have him return to the stoic look, though it still angered me deeply none-the-less. But the flames in my body blazed anew, that was the third, and final straw!

"Don't call me Darling, damn it! That's not my name!" I snapped, wings flaring out and raising a hoof warningly. He eyed the threat for a moment,

"Kinda need yer name then, if ya want me ta stop." He replied evenly, looking into my eyes and away from my hoof. "Let's talk fer a bit, ah bet ya we both have infermation the other coul' use." He suddenly sounded so business like, he was trying to make a deal with me. "Ah'll tell ya what ya need ta know 'bout the Wastes, an' ya can tell me where ya got the Sonic Emitter." His eyes glinted a little, "Ah'll bet ya my version of the Wastes is a whole hell of o' ton more helpful then Vera's." How did he know...?

Again, I was suspicious of him. He knew more than he was letting on and I hated it. I hated his neutrality, I hated his attitude, I hated his affinity for knowing things he probably shouldn't, I hated him damn it! There was no way in hell I was going to accept his 'apology', it wasn't even a proper apology! He had hardly even admitted his mistake, he had put no feeling into the words. No, 'Oh I'm sorry I was such a bastard, and tried to kill you! My Mistake, can you ever forgive me?'

No, he was going to be stubborn about it, I wasn't going to get a proper apology from him, and I wasn't going to trust him. I didn't trust his motives, I didn't like how much he wanted to know where I had gotten the Sonic Emitter. That kind of want did not spawn from nothing, he had a deeper desire connected to the location of the Sonic Emitter, a separate motive I didn't see.

But I would be a fool if I didn't listen to what he had to say. Vera's history lesson had been informative and all, it had definitely filled in a few blanks.... but I knew it wasn't anywhere close to being helpful. What the medical pony had told me, it wasn't going to help me survive out here, it wasn't going to tell me how strong certain creatures were, where the best places for money were, it wasn't going to keep me from leading myself into danger. Vera was not a pony to wander outside the wall around the city, she didn't leave, didn't fend for herself out in the Wastes, alone.

Alone is where I was headed, I had no friends and had no intention of making any. I was on my own for trying to pay Vera back, I was on my own for trying to find out what happened to me, I was on my own to live out here, on my own to survive. I needed a pony who knew what the wastes had to offer, had faced its dangerous themselves, had survived, thrived. I needed a pony who knew the Wastes like the back of their hoof, who could tell me what to expect.

BaleFire was a small town, filled with ponies who have found life easy on the inside of their wall. They were not survivors, they were not fighters, they were not wanderers. They were residents, residents who had grown used to their safety. They didn't need to go outside, they had everything they needed here.

I didn't want to admit it, but I needed some pony like him, like Whiskey, the Mercenary who had traveled the Wastes, fought with its creatures, and made a living doing what he did, even if it was at the expense of the ponies here. He had already proven to me that he had skill, he had taken care of those Raiders on his own, survived having a bomb thrown at him. He knew what he was doing, and his insight would be invaluable. If I refused to hear what he had to say, if I didn't learn all I could, I wasn't going to survive out there, that had already been proven. My ignorance had almost gotten me killed before, I hadn't known about DireWolves, I hadn't known about raiders, I hadn't been aware that ponies could, and would attack me should they want to. The Wastes' were not a safe place, the ponies and creatures in it proved to be even more dangerous than I could imagine.

I was stubborn, hot-headed, maybe a little ignorant about the Wastes sure, but I was not stupid. I knew I needed all the insight I could get, and even my hatred toward the copper buck wasn't going to stop me from getting the information I needed to survive. Nopony said I was going to enjoy turning to him for help though.

He had stood before me silently, unmoving, watching, neutral. I could tell he had picked up on my reaction to his words, and he knew I wasn't about to tell him no... I would be stupid not to listen.

"......Only if you tell me what I need to know first. That includes explaining the Enclave, and what a Dashite is." I said at length, speaking slowly and choosing my words carefully. "When you’re done, I'll tell you where I found the damn thing...." He stared, face neutral, ears back a little, he looked skeptical, and my own ears twitched a little at the look. He was hesitating, if only slightly, and I didn't understand why. It was possible he was thinking it through, I myself didn't have anything better to offer the location in which I had found the Sonic Emitter, but in the long run, that was what he wanted, and I could tell it was something he wanted really badly.

"Hm... fine." He murmured, "But if ya try ta fly off after Ah 'xplain everythin', Ah will shoot ya from the sky." He added in coolly, but firmly, a warning that struck home, and I frowned at him, not liking being threatened again. That, I wasn't willing to do, and my eyes switched from him to the Sniper hung over his back, I had seen how good he was with the damn thing, he had seriously deadly aim, I didn't think me being a flying target would make any difference to him. He waved a hoof in front of him casually, "Besides, Ah reckon ya'll gonna want the Sonic Emitter back at any rate," He added, "Won' be gettin' it back unless ya kill me."

'That can be arranged!' The Little Me shouted, and I quietly told her to shut up.

"...Or ya make a differen' deal with me." He continued on, completely unaware of the interruption from the Little Me. I gave him a questioning look, but he didn't elaborate, and instead turned away. "Come on, we got a lot ta talk 'bout, better ta do it someplace differn', 'way from pryin' ears." Prying ears? What pony was...?

I glanced sideways, finally becoming aware that a few ponies were glancing out the windows of the bar, all eyes fixed on us. I didn't care if others heard our conversation... but I would admit, I didn't like eavesdroppers any more than the next pony. So, I slowly began to follow him, alert for anything he might try, curious as to where he was leading me. He didn't look back to check I was following, but I could see his ears swivel back to pick up on my footsteps.

We walked along the top of the crater, alongside the thrown together wall circling the town. It was easily 20 ponies high, not an issue for me of course, with my wings and all, but anything that couldn't fly would be powerless to try and get over it. From here though, it was almost just as good of a view as being in the air was. The top of the crater was lined with houses too, but they were very few in number near the top. All of them were built into the edge of the crater, either supported by tall beams, or sitting atop a different building, adding to the maze of houses and shops all intermingled and overlapping one another. I faintly wondered if some of them were connected on the inside as well as the outside.

Whiskey kept along the rim of the crater, not saying a word, and he only kept walking until we were directly across from the bar, on the far side of the crater's rim. From here, he promptly turned down a well worn, steep track directly in front of the main gate. I paused to look at it, it was a fairly large, simple, metal gate that could be pushed open easily. I had seen a separate part of the wall extend and stretch out to cover the gate on the outside of town while I had been flying.

Looking ahead, I could see the sleek metal body of the BaleFire bomb at the center of the crater, again, why would anypony live near that thing? It hadn't even gone off yet, it could explode at any minute, turning everyone here into ash, or maybe it would just vaporize them completely, leaving nothing to let others know that there had once been ponies living here.

'Weird ponies who decided to live around an undetonated bomb.' The Little Me muttered. I silently agreed, this place was a little.. crazy.

Whiskey suddenly turned left off the track, and I stopped. There wasn't a path here, instead, he easily jumped on top of the low ceiling of a house, landing solidly before he jumped up onto a protruding ledge on a different house nearby that sat higher up the hill. He then jumped to a platform on the second level of the same house, swung around the corner to land with his back hooves only on a very, very tiny windowsill, and again launch himself up higher, hooking his front hooves over the lip of the roof and pulling himself up, before leaping across the space between the house he was on, and the one next to it even higher up on the crater's side. Wha...?!

I watched in awe, he made it look so easy. I knew those houses were oddly built, I mean, they looked like a bunch of rough boxes stacked on top of the other, with the middle hollowed out to make room for the interior. But.... that was crazy! He was crazy! And not to mention, he was carrying all his stuff with him! The mounted assault rifles, the very large Sniper Rifle, and his saddle-bags filled with who knows what! I had to imagine that everything he was carrying was not light in the slightest, and yet to him, it was like he didn't even feel it...... I mean, like, holy shit!

His movements were swift, collected and agile. He was agile, he was strong, he was.... he was sooo infuriatingly weird! I couldn't understand him, his motives, his actions, everything! He was a complete damn mystery! I had enough mysteries in my life without having to deal with him.

His hooves met a piece of sheet metal leaning up against the side of the next house, almost as soon as he touched it, he launched himself backwards toward another section of the house's roof, twisting before he hit the next section, before finally leaping up the last bit of way to land on the very top of the house on the very top of the crater.

My mind conjured an image of ponies inside their homes hearing the buck’s hooves running above their heads, and them sighing, simply muttering, 'That damn Merc is climbing the roofs again...'

Did... did he do this often?! I couldn't imagine he did, but then again.... UGH! Why is this buck so freaking crazy?!

He glanced over the edge of the roof slowly, eyebrow raised, having noticed my shocked expression. "Ya comin'?" He called down. Why would he choose to talk on a roof?! And besides, I had wings! If he really wanted to get on the roof, he could have just asked me to bring him up there! I narrowed my eyes, he was an Earth Pony. And Earth Pony who just did what no other Earth Pony should be able to do. I mean, Earth Ponies were generally strong, now that I thought about it... that would explain why he could carry so much stuff..... none-the-less! I couldn't imagine that other ponies could scale buildings so easily, even Unicorns would have a hard time doing what he just did with their Magic, where they could help themselves along by levitating themselves slightly.

Earth Ponies are weird, this pony is weird.

'We already figured that out didn't we?' The Little Me asked.

I shook my head, letting out an irritated and slightly exasperated sigh, before flaring out my wings and lifting off with a kick. Stupid, crazy Earth Pony who threatens, steals, and jumps all over roofs! I honestly believed he had to be the craziest pony in the Wasteland... well, I really hadn't met a lot of ponies in the Wasteland so far, but still!

My hooves touched down on the roof, it only taking me a few short seconds to make it, and in only three wing-strokes. I cast one fleeting look up at the cloud covered sky, before looking to the copper buck. Whiskey had taken a seat and set his saddlebags down beside him, along with the Sniper, though he kept the mounted Assault Rifles securely strapped to that.... saddleish thing. I walked across the roof toward him, head low and my eyes narrowed, stepping lightly because I was admittedly, a little paranoid about ponies that may be inside hearing my hoofbeats across their roof.

"Well then, now tha' we're away from everypony, lets get ta talkin'." He said once I had sat down before him, still not completely comfortable around him, I only nodded a little stiffly and kept a narrowed gaze on him at all times. The roof.... it was somewhere no other ponies would be able to hear us talking, I just felt it was a little... extreme.

"As Ah'm sure ya already got told, this 'ere, is BaleFire Town, one o' the safest places 'round these parts." Whiskey went in, neutral expression, calm tone and all. "This part o' the Wasteland, is full a DireWolves and Bloatsprites, with the occasional Radigator down by the river, and a whole ton o' Radhogs, Radroaches, Giant FireAnts, an' a bunch o' other critters. The biggest threats're the DireWolves, as Ah'm sure ya already got figured out." He said, giving me a look-over. I frowned, ears flattening against my head. Oh yeah, definitely knew DireWolves were dangerous.... but I was slightly confused at all the other things he had listed off, never having seen the things, or heard of them.

The copper buck, seeming to catch on to my confusion explained, "Mos' are pretty easy ta figure out." He told me calmly, patiently. "The only thang ya gotta watch fer are the DireWolves, most others are pretty easy pickings, not too much trouble, should ya avoid gettin' cornered, or takin' on a whole mess o' them at once." I nodded slightly, knowing I needed to absorb all of it that I could.

At this point, I was pretty sure that Whiskey was going to act like nothing had ever happened between us. I don't know if he really just didn't care he threatened me, or even saw it as an issue, or if he thought it was better to move on. I wasn't sure I liked either option, but I did know the latter pissed me off. But, as long as I got the info I needed, I would be perfectly fine with leaving and never seeing him again at this point. Maybe I would hit him again, but by now my anger and fury had dwindled away, I didn't feel like getting back at him, at least not right now.

"Bes' thing ta do, get a good weapon, some armor, and plenty o' ammo ta keep yerself alive." He stated bluntly, "Most folks don' really travel through the Wastes too much, it ain't somethin' everybody is built ta do. But, learnin' how to survive ou' there is the best thang anybody can learn. Its a useful skill, ya can find loot, earn caps doin' jobs others ain't willin ta do, and scavenge." He paused, "Scavengin', that is the quickest way ta make caps, and ge' supplies. Ya should always, always look in boxes, desks, anythin' tha' may hold somethin' good. And when ya do, ya can bring it ta a shop, er a caravan, sell it, or maybe ya'll keep it fer yerself." He shrugged, "Weapons are good ta keep, 'specially if ya find a few o' the same kind. Can take 'em apart, use the best parts together, and get rid of he worst. Ya can make guns better tha' way, more effective, more damage."

Guns, I knew I could take the best parts and put them together. However clueless I may be, it was guns and my PipBuck that had not left my mind. I knew how to use guns, how to take them apart, put them together, it was simple really, I just couldn’t remember where I had learned it from. The way he had emphasized the word, 'Scavenging', he thought it was one of the more important things to do, and however much I didn't like him, I was going to trust his advice.

I seemed to have already gotten a good start with everything, Armor? Check. Weapons? Check. Ammo? Check. I hadn't done much scavenging to say the least, but I could start.

"People, dependin' on who they are, an' who they work for, or don't, that'll decide who'll shoot ya, who won't, and who'll help ya." Wonder who that sounds like..?! He tapped his hoof to the roof a little, "Most'll shoot ya, better ta keep ta yerself most o' the time." He suggested, and I bristled. I wanted to snap at him again, tell him he was one of the ones that'll shoot you, but forced myself to sit still and silent. "There're raiders, slavers, workers, couriers, an' all sort o' others out there. Raiders will shoot ya' soon as look at ya'. Slavers are a bit different, some are hostile, others a bi' more mellow, really jus’ depends on the slaver ya run inta. There's mercenaries out around, like yers truly." He said tapping a hoof to his chest. "Most are decent, an' only shoot ya' should they see ya as a threat... or somepony paid 'em ta kill ya." Paid? Ponies hire other ponies to kill other ponies?! And what the hell is with slavers?! Vera had told me about raiders, but this was a lot more than the green-maned unicorn had told me, and I couldn't help but feel she had been trying to set me up for failure.

"Now, ah'm not sayin' all Mercenaries are cold-blooded killers, mostly, they only are if they don' got no problem with it. Ah never take killin' contracts.... less its fer some raiders or slavers." He waved a hoof before him, eyes closing. "Ah got no issues killin' them, they're so vile, its almost wrong not ta take 'um out when ya go' the chance." Vile? Didn't know he knew a word like that...

I gave him a flat look, raiders, slavers, regular old ponies, I didn't care, he was still killing ponies. In some part of my mind, maybe the naive and foolish part- I felt killing ponies was just wrong.

"Couriers work ta run messages and packages ta towns an' other places, fer a price o' course. Decent work, but ya might jus' end up gettin' yerself dragged inta somethin' that's got nothin' ta do with ya. Better stayin' away from that job, less yer feelin' lucky, and don' mind if ya get shot tryin to deliver somethin'." Couriers huh....? That didn't sound like too bad of a job, maybe not for full time of course. But with wings, getting things places would probably be easier for me, than it would be for ponies who had to walk to their destinations. Being a courier sounded like an easy job for a Pegasi, I thought I might just give it a shot, some time.

"There're a few factions runnin' 'round out there, besides raiders, slavers, mercs, and the courier office. A few 'er the Steel Rangers, Red Eye's Slavers, the Enclave, the Chairs out in New Pegasus, the Legion, Great Cai's........." Whiskey list the names out on his hooves, ".. an' the Pures. Best ta stay 'way from 'um if Ah were ya." I tilted my head, there were waaaay too many names there that I didn't understand. He eyed me for a moment upon seeing the confused face I was wearing and shook his head. “You’ll get ta know ‘um as you start runnin’ ‘round ou’ there.” So…. No explanation today? But wasn’t that the deal?

“Bu’.” He murmured, “Word ‘o warnin’, stay away from ole’ Solitian Mountain, dangerous ou’ there, you’ll end up getting’ yerself killed if ya go near it. Them Pures’ ain’t the friendly type.” Pures? Never heard of them….. but then again, what had I heard of?

Bing..

The notification that my Map updated itself flashed across my Vision, ‘Solitian Mountain’. I ignored it for now.

“As ah’m sure ya already figured out, Raiders and Slavers ain’t yer friends. The same can be said for the Steel Rangers, The Enclave, and Red Eye’s group.” He tilted his head toward the sky, “Legion ain’t friendly either, unless yer one o’ them…… And yer a Mare, so yer not gonna fit in with ‘um even if ya tried.” I’m a Mare? What the hell does that have to with anything? “And The Chairs, they’re a bit too far out o’ the way ta concern ya, unless ya decide to fly out ta New Pegasus anytime soon, then you’ll need ta learn a few thangs. Tha’ goes fer the Legion too- out in the Marejave, and that’s a long ways away as it is.” Whiskey nodded his head back toward the town, “Yer gonna wanna head to Craterside Supply, an’ get yerself a copy of Ditzy Doo’s Wasteland Survival Guide.”

It felt like a switch went off in my head suddenly, something popped, and I winced silently at the sudden stab of pain in my head. It felt like somepony had jabbed at the back of my neck with a Cattle Prod, not a very powerful one mind you, but it made my head itch, like there was some sort of frayed wire short-circuiting in my brain. But why? Why would I feel like that…… was it..?

‘Ditzy Doo?’ The Little Me intoned in an attempt to help me piece my thoughts together.

VVVZZZTTTT….

The shock went off again, I told the Little Me to shut up before I strangled her.

My focus returned to Whiskey, who had paused in his talking to watch my reaction with a tilted head and narrowed eyes. Shit, I must have winced out loud…..

“Continue?” I invited, trying to cover up my momentary…. Issues, as best as I could.

“It’s not the best read, bu’ it’s got a few good tips…” He murmured, slowly deciding whether or not he wanted to press me for answers. He shook his head slightly and gestured a hoof at my PipBuck. “Don’ know if ya like ta listen to music er not, but the news from DJPON3 is pretty informative, yer gonna wanna listen in pretty often.”

VVVVVVZZZZZTTTTTT……….

Gah!! Damn it! Stop short-circuiting you stupid brain!!

‘Gotta wonder why though?’ The Little Me murmured, hoof pressed to her chin, eyes narrowed in thought. ‘Seems almost like…. We oughtta know those names… maybe…?’

VVVVVVVZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT…………..

Shut up! Please! I pleaded with her, the pain itself wasn’t so bad, no more than a sudden flash of minor agony, but it was the sudden shock that had me wishing it would stop. Why was is happening? I knew what the Little Me said…. It sounded right, I guess. Like I should somehow know those names….? But why? Was it something I can’t remember? Something I lost, when my memory disappeared…?

‘Not disappeared really, just Magically blocked off.’ The Little Me reminded. ‘Or Magically Erased, either way.’ She is just sooo helpful, isn’t she?

I felt a little lightheaded, OK! Time to think about something else…… “What does me being a mare have to do with fitting in with the Legion?” I asked, trying to change the subject away from names that sent a shock through my brain. Whiskey remained silent a moment, he could clearly tell that there was something wrong with me when he spoke those two names. I knew he wanted to ask, because it was odd. Why wouldn’t you want to ask? I wanted to know why those names stuck me so hard, but I couldn’t think about it, or my head might fry itself.

“……..The Legion is a group o’ ruthless stallions who plunder, pillage, crucify, murder an’ rape to their heart’s content. Mares are seen as property, an’ often use’ only as slaves, an’ sex toys.” He told me slowly, still watching me closely for any sort of odd reaction. “Stallions ain’t really specific though, they’re actually all Zebras.” However, it would seem this time that my reaction was expected.

“What?!” I yelled, anger filling up inside me again. What kind of sick mother-fuckers are those ponies-er Zebras?! I wanted to fly off and find these Legion bastards, and kick their fucking brains out with my bare hooves! And wait a minute, Zebras!? Like, the things that blew up the Wasteland?!

‘Gooey, gummy, grey and pink brain pudding!’ The Little Me sang, dancing on her hooves still on the ‘kicking their brains out’ thing. I blanched a little,

Scratch that, what the hell is wrong with me?! And the Little Me for that matter?! Brain Pudding? Gah!!! Stop it Flash! Stop It! Why do I have to have a screwed up head? There was definitely something wrong with me…

“Ahem.” Whiskey cleared his throat, looking to me with a raised eyebrow. I had jumped to my hooves without realizing I had done so, but unfortunately, the red that had made its way onto my face in my anger, had quite clearly flowed away to leave me looking a little pale. I suddenly felt cold, despite the hot air all around us. It was all because of that stupid Brain Pudding comment, it made my stomach flip. First I was the one making comments on nasty things, and now it’s the Little Me, great.

I sat back down with a thump, I couldn’t care if the ponies in the house under us heard the noise of my flank hitting their roof. “Sorry,” I mumbled, looking to me hooves. “How about you explain the Enclave? And ‘Dashites’ was it?”

Whiskey blinked slowly, my eyes came up from my hooves to meet his. Teal on Red. He simply stared at me, like he could see through me. I stared right back, and I knew exactly what he was thinking;

‘Why did you act that way when I said those names? Why did you suddenly go pale after I explained the Legion? What is going through your head?’

You wanna know? Those names are going to make my brain short-circuit. I have a very odd Little Pony in my head whose thoughts are especially random, morbid, and gross. My mind is morbid and gross.

Intestine Streamers, all set up for the party! Ooh, ooh! Set the Brain pudding over on the Table for everyone to eat! Yum! Ugh! STOP IT!

What’s going through my head? The most disgusting, confusing, and utterly unimportant things you could imagine.

There was something wrong with my head, and it wasn’t just the Magical Injury.

.:+:.

It was with the next three hours that passed where Whiskey would explain everything he thought I ought to know about the WasteLand. Not everything he told me was in the best detail it could have been, but I understood that. Whiskey had been living in the Wastes for years, he had learned everything through years of experience and hard work, no amount of explaining or time would ever inform me as much about the Wastes as I may wish it would. For now I would have to live with the fact that I only knew basics, who not to talk to, who may or may not kill me, what I should do, the jobs, the factions, classes…….. The rest I would learn on my own.

However, I now knew why the sky was covered in that layer of clouds, and I knew why it would have been a bad idea to travel up there. When the bombs fell, and CloudsDale was destroyed, the Pegasi shut up the sky, shunned the rest of the land, and stood by while everything was consumed in fire. They had done nothing, and for the past few centuries they had remained in the sky, keeping the sun from the ponies who were down on the ground. They stole the sun, and they stole the moon.

I felt hurt, how could anypony be so selfish? How could they have let it all happen without lifting a hoof? For the first time, I was ashamed to be a pegasus…. Maybe having wings didn’t mean you were that cool.

Whiskey had explained to me that they had strict rules up there, and anypony willing to desert the government, the Enclave, they were branded as a traitor, exiled.

They were labeled a Dashite. In the beginning, just after the bombs had fallen, one mare, Rainbow Dash, she had stood up to the Enclave, she couldn't sit and watch ponies suffer. She left, came down to the ground, she was the pony who had started it. Her actions influenced other pegasi, made them see in the error in their ways, opened their eyes to the suffering down on the surface. From that day forward, any Pegasi willing to abandon the Enclave and come down to the surface, were named a Dashite, and their Cutie Marks were branded over with what Rainbow Dash's Cutie Mark had been.

A symbol of treachery to the Enclave. A symbol of pride to a Dashite

Without ever knowing her, I loved Rainbow Dash, I respected what she stood for, applauded her for it. I wouldn't care if I was a Dashite, my Cutie mark branded off, I would be proud knowing I had stood up to the bastards who had let other ponies suffer without helping for hundreds of years…. But somewhere in the back of my mind, the name, her name; Rainbow Dash, it felt as if someone had shocked me a little. Again.

VVVVVZZZZZTTTTTT…….

What struck me the most was the way Mr. Whiskey Shot talked about the Enclave. For somepony who seemed very much able to keep a stoic expression and even tone even in the best of times- when Whiskey started telling me about the Enclave…. I don’t know, it was as if he suddenly changed. Like some part of him that never saw the light of the surface was suddenly bubbling up in a wave of pure, unbridled, anger and unhappiness.

His tone grew icy, his gaze hard, his body tensed and in his posture- it was as if some fire was emanating from him in pulsing waves. He seemed so suddenly dark and dangerous- even more so than he had when he was pointing a gun at me on the highway. I couldn’t place it very well, but to me…. It was almost as if I could taste a sudden blood-lust coming off of him in those moments the Enclave was brought up. In all honesty, it really put me on edge. I was a little glad I wasn’t part of the Enclave, not just because of their selfishness and their lack of regard for those suffering down on the ground- but because if I had been a member of the Enclave? When I lighted down on that highway, full of DireWolf Venom and hardly able to stand?

Had I been in the Enclave, one of the bullets in Whiskey’s gun would had assuredly gone straight through my skull, probably without hesitation. When he told me about them…. It was as if i could taste the blood-lust rising inside of him, I could see the light of murder make its way into his eyes. In those moments, I could very much believe that he was imagining sending a bullet through the skulls of every Enclave Pegasus alive… or maybe he was the type who preferred to set their homes on fire and leave them to burn alive. Thinking about how cold and dangerous he seemed to be with the subject made a shiver run down my spine and I quickly pushed the thoughts away.

On another (less disturbing) note…

Rainbow, had been one of six Ministry Mares. A group of mares who had represented the Elements of Harmony, who had been asked to lead separate ministries by Princess Luna Herself once she had taken over rule of Equestria from Her older sister, Princess Celestia. Rainbow Dash had been the leader of the Ministry of Awesome, (VVVVVZZZTTTTTT…… That name!) a very secretive organization that most ponies didn’t know hardly anything about. In fact, to most ponies, they were under the impression the Ministry of Awesome never actually did anything of true value. (Which I’m sure wasn’t true- they were some top secret organization that did tons of awesome stuff or other, right?) But, Rainbow Dash had also been the leader of an aerial strike force named the ShadowBolts.

VVVVZZZTTTTT……………….. The feeling hit again, and it made me shake involuntarily, the shock being larger than any other time so far, and it hurt more too.

Whiskey seemed to be very knowledgeable about Pre-War Equestria, I couldn't help but wonder how he had come to know so much, or why he even cared. Along with the information he had given me on the Enclave and Dashites, he had also briefly explained to me what the Ministries were, and who the Mares were that had led them.

Fluttershy with the Ministry of Peace

VVVVZZTTTTT…..

Rarity with the Ministry of Image

VVVZZTTTTT……….

Twilight Sparkle with the Ministry of Arcane Science

VVVZZZTTTTTT………..

Pinkie Pie with the Ministry of Morale

VVVVVZZZZZZTTTTTT…………………

Applejack with the Ministry of Wartime Technology

VVVVVZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT………………………

I scrunched my eyes closed a minute. While my blank mind allowed information to sink in fast and rather easily, it was talk of the Ministries and the especially the Mares who lead them that sent the shock through the back of my head. It was starting to give me a headache, why wouldn’t it just stop already?

Whiskey seemed really interested in the Ministry of Wartime Technology, considering he had talked about it with such vigor and pride. I was slightly surprised by it, I didn’t really think anypony here in the WasteLand would care so much for the Old World Ministries… But he did, I could see it in the way he acted, the pride that worked its way into his voice, the happiness that lit up in his eyes. Perhaps it was simply because he was an Earth Pony as Applejack had been…….. right? Did Whiskey tell me that, maybe…?

VVVVVVVVVVVZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT…………..

Goddesses… make that stop already!

“Now Darlin’, I figure that’s just about all ya need ta know fer now.” Whiskey murmured, straightening himself up from where he had started to slouch slightly. “Now its time fer ya ta hold up yer end o’ the deal.” He waved a hoof at me, “Now, where in the hay did ya get tha’ Sonic Emitter?”

I paused a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. Again I was hit by the want to know, why he was so interested in such a thing? I suppose that ponies, Mercs, scavengers… they may want to find the location of a place where they could find Old World Tech, maybe sell it off, use weapons they find…….. That seemed practical, it was all a way to make Caps. Caps; the life-blood of this Goddess-Forsaken Hell-hole, as I was sure to soon find out.

But I didn’t get the feeling money was what Whiskey was after, odd considering his livelihood was making money for doing jobs, or protecting ponies who paid him to. But this time, it felt like he wanted to know for a whole different reason besides the prospect of scavenging and earning a quick bit of caps…

“Ah’m waitin’.” Whiskey snapped me from my thoughts, his expression still neutral, but his tone betrayed a hint of agitation at my prolonged silence.

“What would it matter to you?” I asked.

“Why do ya care?” He countered coldly. “We had a deal, Darlin’. Two-way exchange, mah info fer yer info.” He stomped a hoof down in irritation, suddenly setting a deadly glare on me that made me fidget slightly. “A good pony keeps ta the deals they make.” I blinked once, good pony? Now who ever said I was a good pony? He seemed to sense my hesitation and frowned, “Honesty.” He murmured.

“What?” I echoed, slightly caught off guard by the statement.

“Honesty, it’s a Virtue.” Whiskey mumbled, “An honest pony woul’ stick ta the deals they make, whether er not they’re a ‘good’ pony.” He gave me a look-over with those teal eyes of his, “I don’ know if ya got any Virtues of yer own, bu’ ya don’ strike me as a dishonest type o’ pony.” It was my turn to frown,

“Now where in the hay did you come up with that load of bull-shit?” I growled and this time Whiskey looked surprised.

“Alrigh’……. First, nopony says, ‘bull-shit’…?” He mumbled, “An’ second, it’s not something’ Ah jus’ made up. It’s somethin’ somepony Ah used ta know once told me.” His voice lowered toward the end, I hardly noticed that though. Virtues? What the hell would anything have to do with Virtues? Virtues wouldn’t ever even come up on the list of things about Whiskey I could have thought up, and in all honesty I don’t think I could even care about Virtues. I didn’t have a Virtue, at least not one that I knew of, and I didn’t plan to ever find one of my own…… but……

“…………. Fine.” I muttered after a while. I actually didn’t like how……….. oh I don’t know, smart? Philosophical? He was all of the sudden.

‘Oooh, big words Flashy!’ The Little Pony in my head smiled, I scowled inwardly.

“You wanna fucking know, then listen up, it’s not somewhere you’re gonna wanna go.” I waved my hoof to the side. “The place is fucking crawling with those damn DireWolf things, turrets all over will shoot you down, there’s bloatsprites, and streamers of-” I blanched.

‘Streamers of intestines! Pink and Gray and Red, don’t they go well with your fur-color?’ The Little Me sang. Oh Goddesses, what is wrong with me..?

“Nevermind.” I hissed past gritted teeth. “I found it in a Base underneath a concert house out in Arabino.” I muttered, “The place where I woke up without any memories.”

…
….
…..
……

Ok, silence now?

Whiskey just looked at me, so still, so calm, so…. Stoic. He was simply staring at me, like he was trying to see if I was lying to him or not.

“I don’ know if ya got any Virtues of yer own, bu’ ya don’ strike me as a dishonest type a pony.”

Maybe if he thought I was really honest…… you know what, forget it.

“Wha’…. Kind o’ Base?” Whiskey murmured slowly. What kind? Hell I wasn’t for sure what kind of Base it was at all. Let’s see… guns, labs, dead ponies, music…… Military. Sort of, a Military Base that was hidden, and run by an organization I knew nothing about, and…. Something I wasn’t entirely sure that the rest of Equestria was aware of. I suddenly realized Whiskey hadn’t mentioned it, huh….

“Military… sort of, I guess?” I replied, running a hoof through my golden mane, eyes narrowed.

“Run by…?” Whiskey drawled slightly, “MoM? MWT? MoA?” He listed off a few, making me pause a moment to fully piece together who the acronyms are for. Ministries, yeah… Ministries right? Wait a minute MoM, the Ministry of Morale? I thought they threw parties? Isn’t that what Whiskey said? But…… ugh…. Nevermind, just forget it I don’t care!

“Uh…. No..” I mumbled, to be completely honest… in these three hours we had spent talking, ShieldTune actually hadn’t come up. I hadn’t even registered the fact until now, but how could Whiskey, with his insane knowledge for all things Old World, that ShieldTune and its mysterious leader ‘Katarina’ had not come up once, how could he not know? Nothing. Not the Zones, not the facilities,

I smirked slightly, Ooooh! I might actually know something Whiskey doesn’t! Haha! Score 1 for me!

“No, none of the Ministries.” I replied, “It was called the Zone 4: ShieldTune Facility. It was run by somepony named Katarina.”

Oh my goddesses…. He……. He………… looked so damn dumbfounded!

Whiskey’s jaw dropped altogether, his teal eyes went wide, he was still, he was shocked. No more stoic Whiskey, I finally got some sort of reaction from him. I had shocked him, or confused him either way, I loved it!

His eyes slowly fell closed and he let out a low breath, “That…… That’s………. no way….” He mumbled, his hoof coming up to rub through his dark cherry mane a few times. “In all……………. Is this…. ShieldTune Facility where ya got yer armor?” He asked, his eyes opening to rest on the insignia on my back. I nodded slowly, not quite sure where he was going with the question… “Ah… figured……….. but….. hmmm…….” He trailed off, looking away from me. “….. Let’s go Darlin’.” He said suddenly, getting to his hooves and heading over toward the edge of the roof. I stayed where I was, watching him go with wide eyes, very, very confused.

“Excuse me?” I said, jumping to my feet and kicking off, gliding over the short distance between us to land in front of him, “What the hell do you mean ‘Let’s go’?” I asked him, “And my name is not Darling!!”

“Ah said ya needed a Survival Guide didn’t Ah?” He told me, stepping around me without having to stop. “So come on.”

I stood still a moment, perplexed. Soo……… did he just, completely forget about the whole ShieldTune thing?

“But…. Wait… what?” I murmured, turning toward him only to see his tail disappear over the edge of the building. I jumped forward, glancing over the side, he was doing that… jumping thingy again.

‘Weird pony in a weird town!’ The Little Me huffed.

“That’s it?!” I called won to him, “No questions, nothing?” He came to a small pause at the very bottom, glancing back up at me with a bored expression.

“Fer now.” He answered, and continued to walk. We had spent three damn hours having him explain everything to me, he had let me ask my questions, and compared to that, it took one sentence and he was already done with my explanations? I hated him. Why was he so damn confusing? Why was he so annoying!?

‘Level 10! Level 10!!’ Little Me sang.

I jumped from the roof into the air, letting the warm breeze catch under my feathers and slowly, gently, angled down to find my hooves hitting the dusty ground underneath, trotting to catch up with Whiskey who had continued to walk away. “What do you mean, ‘for now’?” I called to him, eyes narrowed. “Whiskey! Come on already!”

“Quiet.” He muttered lowly. “Just keep followin’, and let me think, alrigh’?” I fell silent at his words, easily hearing the commanding tone in them, and deciding it better not to test the copper buck right now. I frowned at it though, I didn’t like how damn bossy he was. And I didn’t like that I was going to do as he told me. He still had my Sonic Emitter, what else could I do but stick close?

He continued to lead me through the town, continually heading up along the dirt tracks that had been worn into the side of the crater, over houses, sheet-metal walkways, past leaking pipes, and scowling ponies who caught sight of Whiskey. A flurry of red and pale brown flew past my path, and I came to a sudden stop to avoid running into the two colts who dashed across the path I was in, the bigger of the two, the red one wasn’t smiling, but looked content none-the-less, the smaller colt, the pale brown one was smiling widely and chuckling. I blinked watching them disappear around the corner, they looked so carefree…. I sort of wished I could join them.

“Oof!”

Something rammed into my legs, and I glanced down, my red eyes meeting chocolate brown ones. The small pale blue unicorn filly looked up at me with wide eyes, her smile fading into a look of wonder. I smiled slightly, “Hello there little one.” I said softly. The little filly got back to her hooves, her neck craning to stare up at me, her smile returning.

“Star!” Her head snapped around toward the voice that called to her, the two colts from before appeared back around the corner. “Come on! You’re still It!” The pale brown one called to the filly, the two having come back once they noticed their friend wasn’t following them. The filly, or Star I suppose, spared one last look up at me, before running off after her friends, giggling.

Whiskey hadn’t stopped to look back at me and my momentary distraction, instead he only continued to walk, not seemingly aware I wasn’t following anymore, or perhaps he didn’t care. None-the-less, I hurried to catch up with him the last bit of the way toward ‘Craterside Supply’. Whiskey stopped just outside the door and nudged it open, stepping aside and waving me in with a hoof and a small jerk of his head, looking to me, expression neutral. Again.

“Go on.” He muttered, I gave him a look as I passed, and walked in slowly,

“Hello! Welcome! Good to see you!” I shrunk back, there was a very excited dark brown Earth Pony mare jumping up and down on her hooves before me. She took my hoof in hers and started shaking it wildly, smiling widely. “Oh! You’re that Pegasus the Merc brought in! Goody goody! I have sooo many questions for you! Come in, come in!”

I was standing in the center of the small shop, glancing nervously at the mare who was circling me, inspecting every inch of me, pulling at my wings, prodding me, all the while with this weird-ass smile on her face. “So? Where are you from? What were you doing on the highway? How did you manage to get so poisoned?” She asked all in rapid succession. “Oh!! I should get samples of your blood, and send it to Ditzy Doo so she can add it to the DireWolf Chapter in the Survival Guide!”

VVVZZZTTT………..

Ok, no, no more, this mare is seriously crazy!

“S-Speaking of the Survival Guide…” I murmured, trying to gain her attention.

“OH!! You have a PipBuck! What Stable are you from? Where is it located?” She sent on a whole new barrage of questions that I wouldn’t have a chance to answer, she was talking too damn fast!

“Brownie Bits!” Whiskey snapped suddenly, causing the mare to literally jump out of her fur and hit the floor, shaking. I glanced toward him, a little shaken up too simply because I had yet to hear him yell at anypony like that until now. He had slipped inside unnoticed by Brownie Bits(?) in her fussing over me, like I was some kind of new toy. He was standing near the wall, hooves firmly planted and not looking quite so thrilled with the mare’s incessant questions, they must have distracted him from his ‘thinking’.

“Let the girl speak, Bits. An’ take a damn breath, alrigh’?” He muttered, and Brownie Bits nodded slightly, still crouched on the floor. Whiskey shook his head and looked away, taking to leaning up against the wall with his shoulder, hooves crossing one another, and eyes falling to the floor.

“Sorry, sorry…..” Brownie murmured, picking herself up off the floor, her voice lowering, “I get carried away sometimes, and I didn’t know…..” Her eyes darted toward Whiskey, looking slightly fearful. “… he came in with you…” She offered me a nervous smile looking back to me, her orange eyes meeting my own. “So? What was it you were trying to say?” She invited, taking a seat down in front of me.

“So.. uh… I’m kind of new to this whole,” I waved a hoof around the room. “…WasteLand thing. So Whiskey suggested getting a copy of the ‘WasteLand Survival Guide’?” I suggested, Brownie nodded enthusiastically.

“Ooh yes! I have a fresh supply, One free copy to everypony, courtesy of Ditzy Doo!” She smiled, getting to her hooves and turning away to trot behind the grimy counter at one end of the shop.

VVZZTTTT……

“Ifs fery fuseful, Fitzy Foo did a greaf jof on it.” Brownie told me around the book she held in her teeth as her head popped back up over the counter. She jumped up to settle her hooves on top of the grimy table, setting the book down on top. “Here ya are, being a Pegasus, The chapter on feathered friends’ll probably be helpful. And the Chapter on DireWolves too, considerin’ ya got into some trouble with ‘em.” Brownie pushed the book toward me with her nose, and I walked over toward the counter.

“Thanks.” I murmured, pulling the Book to me and dropping it in my saddle bags. “Was there anything else you needed?” Brownie asked, I could literally see her fidgeting. She wanted to start asking questions again, but Whiskey’s presence in the building was keeping her from doing so. Perhaps not all ponies in BaleFire hated the copper buck as Vera made me believe, others like Brownie here, actually seemed to fear him. Huh…. I’m not sure I wanna know why…

“Uhm.. maybe-” I cut myself off, suddenly remembering the very reason I was going to be looking for work. I am broke, I can’t buy supplies, nothing. So, I’ll keep my mouth shut for now. “No, actually, I think I’m fine.” I smiled a little.

Brownie nodded slightly, “Well alright, since there’s nothin’ else you need…” Her orange eyes slowly moved over to Whiskey, just to check and see if he was even paying attention. The Mercenary was still looking to the floor, deep in thought and completely silent. “So, were you from a Stable? Why were you up on the highway? Who are you really?” Brownie Bits asked the questions hurriedly in a hushed voice.

I blinked, Brownie Bits was……… erratic, excitable, slightly weird, but…. A nice enough pony by all standards. She was curious, which somehow struck me as odd, I didn’t get the feeling that most ponies in the Wasteland were as curious about things as this mare was. So… might as well answer a few questions before I high-tail it out of this store. I can only handle such a peppy and enthusiastic pony so long.

“Well…. I’m not from a Stable. I was in Arabino when I ran into those DireWolves, and I’m nopony special.” I answered in my own low voice, offering a small smile.

“Oh……. Arabino’s a red zone.” Brownie murmured. “Says is in Chapter 6 of the Guide, all sorts of places you’re supposed to avoid. Arabino’s one of the top on the list.” She tapped a hoof to my PipBuck, “If you’re not from a Stable, where’d you get this? It looks customized, got your Cutie Mark on it and everything.”

“Woke up with it on, don’t remember why.” I replied, taking a small step back. “I have to go…. Sorry, maybe some other time..?” I asked, backing up more toward the door.

“Oh… ok, next time I see you then!” She waved her hoof a little.

“Yeah..” I waved back, before swiftly turning around and heading out the door. I sighed once I was outside and had walked down a path to the right of the store. I came to a pause, leaning against the railing that had been welded onto the roof of a trailer, on which I was standing atop of. There was a table and two chairs set behind me, with an empty Sparkle-Cola on it.

My ears perked as I caught on to three blurs at the bottom of the crater below, one red, pale brown, and light blue. The three foals that I had seen earlier, I smiled slightly at it.

‘Aren’t you forgetting somepony?’ The Little Me asked suddenly. I blinked, what are you talking about? ‘You know, big, copper, annoying, weird buck who tried to kill you?’ The Little Me reminded, looking to her hoof with a bored expression. I snorted, the hell did I need him for, if he wanted me, he would have followed me-

“So Darlin’ what’s yer next move?” I snapped my head around to see Whiskey walk up behind me,

The Little Pony in my head face-hoofed, ‘You damn idiot Flashy! He has your Sonic Emitter still, remember?’ I felt like face-hoofing myself,

“Find a Job.” I muttered. “I need to earn some caps, and I would like my Sonic Emitter back.” I said firmly, holding out a hoof for it. Whiskey glanced at my outstretched hoof, before looking back to me.

“Owe Vera a shit-ton o’ caps?” He asked, ignoring my request for my property to be returned. I scowled,

“So what if I do?” I growled lowly, “Now give me my fucking Emitter back!” I thrust my hoof into his face forcefully, “I’ll tackle you and take it if I have to!”

Whiskey smirked at my threat, “You?” He chuckled, “Yer gonna tackle me? An’ somehow get the Emitter back?” He shook his head, chuckling more. “Goo’ luck with that Darlin’.”

“My name is not Darling!” I snapped, oh how I hated that nickname. Could I punch him in the face again and manage to knock him out and take the Sonic Emitter back that way? “And I can take you!” No, I probably couldn’t. We were nearly the same height, sure. But Whiskey was most definitely stronger, he had more muscle, I was a lot leaner than he was, maybe faster…. But tackling him would not work out in my favor and I knew it.

Whiskey knew it too, because he brushed the threat off. “Ya wanna job? Ah hear ol’ Sheriff Slim’s lookin’ fer sompony ta do an errand fer ‘im.” He jerked his head toward the entrance to Balefire, “If yer interested, Ah can take ya ta ‘im.” He smiled slightly, “Unless…. Yer interested in comin’ with me fer some Mercenary Work..?” He offered,

“Hell no.” I growled, he didn’t look surprised by the answer. I hadn’t had the best impression made on me about Mercenaries. Whiskey was the first one I had met, and he had tried to kill me. Even Vera’s words were ringing in my ears as he made the suggestion,

"Calls himself a Mercenary, says he's keeping people safe, but he's really just a gun-for-hire, hardly any better than a raider, and he's bleeding everybody dry. He's no good for this town, and he knows it. Wandered into town a year or so ago, stayed ever since. He's the only one willing to leave and explore, the only one willing to face the Wastes, that's why he's so good at getting money around here. He's a thief, preying on the good folk who live here, and it'd be better if he just left."

Even the looks, the glares, the attitude ponies here in Balefire had toward Whiskey was not helping. He was not liked, and even if it was only Whiskey personally that ponies here had dislike for, I was getting the feeling the Mercenaries in a whole were not very well liked. I hadn’t been in the WasteLand long enough to know for sure, but what I did know was that I didn’t want to go making enemies just yet, especially not enemies with the only friendly town I knew. So no, I wasn’t going to take Mercenary work, I wasn’t going to become a Mercenary now, nor any time soon.

“Mercenaries are not good ponies.” I hissed. “You kill other ponies for money. I don’t care if they’re raiders, innocent, whatever. It’s still murder.” I shoved my face in his. “I will not become a murderer. I will not kill ponies unless it is absolutely necessary.”

Whiskey didn’t back up, he didn’t blink, “Wha’ about the raiders ya shot on the highway?” He asked lowly. “You killed ‘um.”

“That was different.” I growled. “They would have killed me, it was self-defense.”

“Was it really?” Whiskey inquired, but didn’t give me time to answer. Instead he turned and started walking, “Come on, ya wanna talk ta Slim don’t ya?”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Horse Sense-
You are a swift learner, courtesy of a blank mind that lets everything sink in no problem. You gain an additional +10% whenever experience points are earned.

Chapter 5- SpringTail Elementary

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Chapter 5

SpringTail Elementary

"Remember! In the case of a MegaSpell bombing, everypony is to hide under their desks and keep quite. The doors will be locked until the threat is over."

.:+:.

Raiders.

That was job that Sheriff Slim of BaleFire town had for me. I was to travel to a school just east of the town and take out the raiders that lived within, he would pay me when I finished the job. Apparently, it was not only DireWolves, Radigators, Radhogs, an undetonated BaleFire Bomb, and other creatures of the Wastes that threatened the little Town of Balefire. Raiders were an issue to, which was something Whiskey was here for. I had learned that it was because he had no trouble shooting Raiders, he had made his way into BaleFire about five years ago. He had been picking them off bit by bit, but there were so many he couldn’t have ever done it alone.

Unfortunately, Whiskey was very well aware that I would not be able to clear out a school full of blood-thirsty raiders all on my lonesome. I couldn’t help but feel that he had lead me to Sheriff Slim in the first place, simply because he knew what job the Sheriff would be giving me. And he knew that I would be needing his help.

What a sly, fucking, annoying buck.

“Helloooo!!! WasteLanders!” The voice of ‘DJPON3’ filtered through the speaker on my PipBuck, having tuned into the signal on my way out of BaleFire. “Here’s your voice in the WasteLand, DJPON3! How is everybody doing this afternoon? I have some news for you all, oh yes I do! In the lands east of BaleFire Town all the way to the base of Old Schattenblitz there have been increased reports of DireWolf activities, anybody out that way should steer clear of traveling at night.”

I blinked once, my head tilting slightly at the last name that had been spoken in some odd accent, Schattenblitz

VVVZZZTTTTT……

Ugh, and there’s that again. The only thing, this time it actually hurt. Yeah, I winced slightly!

“Schattenblitz?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder toward the copper buck following along behind me in my trek toward SpringTail Elementary. I tried to say it in the accent DJ had, and it actually came out pretty close to my surprise. And for the meantime, I was going to ignore my painful short-circuiting brain as best I can.

“Huge mountain’, top reaches up pas’ the cloud curtain. Unexplored, hundreds o’ miles o’ pure wastes in between it, an’ Arabino. Ain’t nopony ever made it to the base, too many DireWolves.” Whiskey replied. “Odd name ah know…. It’s ‘spose ta be….. mmm…… Old Germane Ah think?” His voice sounded slightly muffled, he had put his banana up over his muzzle again.

I looked back ahead. With a Bing…. Schattenblitz was given a point on the map in my PipBuck.

“…….Red Eye’s Slavers have been growing out in FillyDelphia ever since first setting up base now 5-6 years ago, anybody who doesn’t want to be turned into a slave better stay away. Now here’s an interesting piece of information for all of you! As everypony living out in eastern Equestria, you all have your own enemies and worries. From slavers, to raiders, to radiation, and perhaps worst of all, the DireWolves. You know very well that a bite from a DireWolf is very well the end of you, it's rare for anybody to survive, it's been decades since any reported DireWolf bites haven’t ended with a dead pony.” My ears perked at the news reports, eyes widening. “Well do I have something to tell you! I’ve had a report come in recently, the first pony to have been bitten by a DireWolf and lived, in decades has reached my ears! Not only was this pony bitten, but they also made it out of the den of the DireWolves alive! From fleeing from Arabino and managing to get all the way to the northern part of the Manehatten Highway all in only a few hours, this pony even cleared the entire highway full of raiders with DireWolf venom pumping through their veins! Now how about that!”

I came to a stop, my ears pinning back against my head and eyes going wide. Woah, woah, woah! Back up a minute, was DJPON3 talking about me?! Like seriously?! What the hell?! I had only been in the WasteLand for what, four days?! Maybe five?! I hadn’t even been here a week and already somepony had noticed me!? Wait!! Did DJ say I took down a whole highway full of raiders?! The Fuck!? I shot two! Just two! Whiskey did all the rest!

“Hehe…… Looks like DjPON3 has got ya tagged already…” Whiskey chuckled behind me, he had come to a stop as well and I slowly turned to look his way, I could swear he was smirking under that bandana.

“What do you mean tagged?” I asked, “And why the hell is he telling everypony I took out those raiders on the highway? You did all the work!”

Whiskey shrugged, “Ol’ DJ always picks somebody ta talk ‘bout on the station, don’ know how he knows so much, bu’ he’s definitely got a thing fer new folks.” Whiskey replied, heading forward again. “Sometimes its only one, other times he talks ‘bout a few, it’s rather random.” He shook his head. “But he always blows everythin’ out a’ proportion ‘bout tha’ one person.” He shrugged, chuckling slightly. “Ah wouldn’ let it bother ya.”

Wouldn’t let it bother me?! Of course it’s going to bother me!

“….Last report, the Slayers have been taking a stand in Raider territory recently. More raiders have been taken out in the area between Stable 101 and WhiteTail Wood, and now the territory has been claimed by the Slayers. They’ve been slowly advancing toward PonyVille, but have yet to take it back.” Slayers? Who the hell are the Slayers? “Well then my little ponies! This is DJPON3 with your news report for today! Now here’s Sweetie Belle with…..” I turned the Radio off. We had started walking again, and this time Whiskey continued along at my shoulder. He had yet to actually give me back my Sonic Emitter, and I had to admit, I really thought he was planning something smart with me. Just, what exactly?

“So, who are the Slayers?” I asked, glancing toward my temporary companion. “You didn’t mention them earlier.”

“Must a slipped mah mind.” He mumbled. “The Slayers are a band o’ Mercenaries run by a pony named Merger Blade.” Whiskey told me calmly. “They run the biggest work office for Mercs, they handle all the good contracts an’ stick together. They have a base up in a town called CoffinBone ‘bout 50 miles from the Manehatten ruins.” He paused, “…. They ain’t a group ya wanna mess with, best steer clear, an’ not make yerself an enemy.”

I glanced his way quietly, a band of Mercenaries…… Why would that have slipped his mind earlier? He was a Merc himself, this should have been the first thing that came to his mind…..

“Are you part of the Slayers?” I asked slowly.

“No.” Whiskey muttered, his tone clearly telling me to drop it. I looked away, not willing to push it right now.

‘CoffinBone……. CoffinBone…… Flashy, why does that sound so familiar..?’ The Little Me asked suddenly, and I blinked at her voice. She was right, ‘CoffinBone’ did strike me as familiar, I just didn’t know why..

I tapped my PipBuck once, scrolling over the map. While there were only a few markers as of the moment, there were those six that I had from the beginning. I blinked a few times, well, no wonder CoffinBone sounded so damn familiar...

“Zone 2….. hmm……” I mumbled under my breath, looking away from my PipBuck. That was another note to make, apparently the ‘ShieldTune Zone 2 Facility’ was located somewhere in CoffinBone, well… probably somewhere underneath it if it was anything like Arabino and Zone 4.

“’Scuse me?” Whiskey murmured, ears flicking upon hearing me mumble the words.

“Nothing, it's nothing.” I replied evenly, I didn’t see the point to get into it with him. As far as I was concerned, nothing to do with any of the Zones had anything to do with Whiskey. And I intended to keep it that way.

.:+:.

We passed through a small village that had been left to rot and fall apart on our way toward SpringTail. Our hooves clopped against the destroyed pavement underneath us, framework skeletons of once pony homes rose up on either side of us, lining the small street for a few hundred feet. I could see the outline of a rest stop farther up,

Grimy old, moldy, yellowing, and almost completely dissolved paper littered the street, I couldn’t read them if I tried, nor did I particularly care to.

‘Grimy, oldy, moldy, yellowy!’ The Little Me sang, dancing back and forth on her hooves, I shook my head at her a little.

“Hol’ up.” Whiskey murmured, causing me to come to a small stop and glance back at him, blinking.

“For what?” I mumbled, he had turned off the road and approached one of the barely standing structures. His ears flicked in my direction, though he didn’t look my way. “What are you doing?” I asked again, becoming a little miffed at his lack of response-

The contents of the tilted mailbox spilled out onto the ground as Whiskey took the door in his teeth and opened it, rummaging around in the papers, his muzzle sticking into the tin container. My mouth hung open after cutting myself off, eyebrow quirking and head tilting. What did he hope to find in a mailbox? I was pretty sure the postal service stopped about two centuries ago…

“Whoooiiee! Lookie ‘ere, the good stuff!” Whiskey whistled, I could hear his teeth clamp down on to something hard from the back of the mailbox, and he pulled his muzzle free with a bottle of hard Apple Whiskey gripped in his teeth. Whiskey found some whiskey, how weird is that? But why the hell was that stuffed into a mailbox?! “Thank ya Apple Whiskey! Damn is yer stuff good!” He chuckled, dropping the bottle in his saddle bags and trotting past the mailbox and toward the ruin of the house it had been standing outside of.

Apple Whiskey? Is he thanking the bottle? The fuck?!

‘This one’s crazy Flashy, I say shoot him and take all his stuff, we’re better off without him!’ The Little Me said, I frowned at her. Why was she so damn morbid and disgusting? Not to mention rude and stupid? I wouldn’t be able to take care of all the raiders in SpringTail by myself, that’s why he was coming along in the first place, Little Me!

The Little Me huffed and crossed her hooves over her chest. I smirked inwardly at my win.

“Whiskey!” I snapped, the sense of victory disappearing in an instant, “The hell are you doing!? Answer me damn it!”

“Oh Darlin’ did ya already ferget what Ah told ya?” He called back, still smiling though. Damn, he must love Whiskey… that sounds rather conceited, doesn’t it? “Scavengin’! Ya always look in everythin! Never know what ya migh’ find!” Oh yes, because he was going to find something in that pile of destroyed glass, rotting wood, piled up dirt. The damn houses didn’t even have walls, beds, furniture, nothing!

Not Darling! My damn name is not Darling!

I walked forward anyway, shaking my head in irritation. “You know, I was hoping to get to SpringTail by sundown.” I told him crossly, not really caring if he heard me or not. In all honesty, SpringTail was only a ten minute walk from BaleFire, but all these stops was going to make the trip longer, longer than I liked. I took a seat down just outside the foundation of the house, watching the copper buck rifle through the pile, open a half buried refrigerator, and look in the trash bin to boot.

Junk, junk, junk, junk and more junk. He wasn’t going to find anything but junk, and we were just wasting time here. Ugh…… it wasn’t like he was going to listen to me though, nothing I could say would stop him from doing what he wanted.

“Ya know, instead o’ jus’ standin’ there, ya could go look through the other houses.” The buck called over his shoulder to me, giving me a skeptical look. I gave him a flat one in return,

“Yeah, no.” I muttered. “I don’t know what you expect to find anyway, this place is empty. If there was anything here, it would have been cleared out already.” I hadn’t had any problem looking through everything back in Arabino mind you, but his very presence was pissing me off to the point, all I wanted to do was get this damn job over with, get my property back, get paid, and leave his ass far behind.

Whiskey shook his head and turned his flan- ass to me. “Suit yerself.” He muttered. “Ya’d be surprised though, there ar’ plenty o’ things ‘round here….” His voice faded into the background once I tuned him out and turned my attention to my PipBuck. If I was going to have to sit here and wait for him to stop looking through all this junk, I might as well look through those files I picked up in Zone 4.

First, a message sent to Doctor HoofDrum;

Dear HoofDrum,

I cannot thank you enough for the extraordinary service you have given this facility already, the Department of Sound Technologies would be lost without you! I do hope you have found all the funding and resources you need for your research? Should there be any problem, please feel free to contact me, and I’ll have the problem ratified.

I had a few questions on your latest research with the Sonic Emitter, actually. I hope you don’t mind? First off, what do you plan to use as a power source for such a thing? Surely regular Energy Cells would never do with something so advanced?

And second, would you mind sending me a copy of the Wave Files you plan to use to test it? I was wondering if you had anything specific in mind for when you calibrate it?

Once again, thank you so very much for agreeing to work with ShieldTune, and as I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, your secrecy of our actions is most appreciated.

-Katarina

I blinked, so this message was from Katarina herself, the mysterious leader of ShieldTune. Oh how I wished I had a picture of her, or at least a little more information. She interested me, and so did this message.

Last time I checked, the Sonic Emitter was run off of Energy Cells….. so they worked after all? And second, what sort of ‘Wave’ files? I hadn’t picked up any, did I somehow need them to calibrate the Emitter? It had never actually occurred to me that I might need a file or something to actually work the damn thing, I suppose I was sort of just hoping there would be something in the files that would tell me how to work it……

Shaking my head I flipped to the next file, which was actually a multitude of audio diaries from HoofDrum himself- let’s start with the first one shall we?

“Entry 1

Doctor HoofDrum here, this is my first day here in the Zone 4 ShieldTune Facility. Everypony here has been rather friendly and inviting, the Zone Manager Wynter Coat took me on a tour of the facility this morning. She’s a nice enough mare, but I can’t help but feel she likes to hear herself talk, hehe…. The last stop on our little tour was the Cryogenic Holding Chamber, where our soon to be ‘guest’ Subject 4 would be housed in case of a MegaSpell disaster. We didn’t stop long enough for me to get a good look at it though.

I questioned Ms. Coat on who this Subject is, and for what reason would Princess Tunelea be holding them here for. She handed me a folder on Subject 4, and simply stated the Princess wished to ‘House the heroes for Equestria’s future’. I have absolutely no idea what that should even mean, but none-the-less….. I’m getting paid to do research on Sound and Vibration Related Technologies, why should I care about some random pony the Princess wants to abduct?

I put the file in the back of my locker in my quarters, I don’t think I’ll be reading it anytime soon.”

Princess Tunelea? Who the hell is that? I thought there was only two Princesses anyway?

‘..... I was actually meaning to ask you, do you think any of the other Princesses know about this? About what Katarina's been having us do?’

That’s right, Moldy had said that hadn’t he? So why hadn’t it occurred to me when he said ‘other princesses’ that Katarina was actually a Princess? That there might be more than just Princesses Luna and Celestia? So…. Katarina and Princess Tunelea might be the same pony? Probably?

And now that I thought about it, I remembered the Employee Memo Wynter Coat had sent out. She said something about ‘not letting what happened over in Zones 2 and 3 to happen here’? Wonder what actually did happen? Maybe I’ll make my way over to CoffinBone sometime and try to see if I can get into Zone 2, if the Slayers haven’t already. I highly doubt they did….. perhaps I’ll try to find Zone 3 while I was at it.

I glanced up from my PipBuck to see Whiskey staring at me, face neutral. He just… stared, didn’t blink, didn’t move, hell I wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. I blinked a few times, my gaze not leaving his, I felt slightly awkward under such a stare, “You need something?” I asked lowly, trying not to let how uncomfortable I was with the look show.

“That one o’ the docs in ShieldTune?” He asked.

“Yes, he was the one who made the Sonic Emitter.” I replied evenly, “I downloaded everything on his research terminal before I hightailed it out of Arabino.” I looked away to my PipBuck, “You done looking through all the junk or what?” I muttered.

“Nope.” His reply came and I shook my head. Whatever, just let him do what he wants, I don’t fucking care anymore.

“Entry 2

I’ve been working with ShieldTune for the last week now, and already I have run into a multitude of problems. First, the terminals all went down for about three days, I blame StableTech personally. Those three mares who run it don’t have it all down to a science yet, makes one wonder what’ll become of the ponies trapped in those Stables of theirs should a MegaSpell bombing begin? What do you think will happen if something malfunctions in one of those things? It’ll probably become a Death Trap….. hopefully they’ll figure it out before the time comes, and we need those Stables…….

Unfortunately, I cannot fully believe a peaceful resolution with Zebrika will come to pass. There has been too much blood spilled for any sort of compromise….

Either way, I seemed to have misplaced the schematics for the Sonic Emitter somewhere within the Facility…. I did stop by the containment Chamber that they have created for holding the dear Subject Four today, and finally got a good look at it. Full concrete walls, high-grade Ice talisman generators, and a steel and durable glass pod…… with only a single desk in the room. They seemed to have made it to withstand the worse……… Now I have to wonder why they are going to such lengths to protect this pony…. Perhaps I’ll take a glance at that file after all.”

I lowered my forehoof and stared at the ground, eyes narrowed. I was faintly aware of hearing Whiskey still rummaging through the junk pile nearby, but I think he slowed down a little once he heard the entry. I was aware that Dr. HoofDrum had literally just described the single room that I had woken in, but I couldn’t…………. That was where Subject Four was to be held, where this ancient pony was to be kept safe and protected… in that Holding Chamber….. with the single desk and the pod……..

I….. couldn’t be Subject Four, could I? There……. There was no way….. I had been avoiding the question the entire time, I knew I had been… I just couldn't believe it, but it…. It seemed entirely possible.

There’s no way.

“Look alive, Darlin’.” Whiskey said suddenly, catching my attention. My head snapped in his direction, he was looking to me silently, having paused in his looking momentarily, his head flicked toward a metal safe sticking up out of the rubble pile. I didn’t know if he was really thinking about what he heard from the Audio Diary, if he was thinking along the lines I was, or if he even cared. “Ya know how ta pick o’ lock?” he asked and I blinked.

Lock picking….. Lock picking…….. uh, no….. nothing’s coming to mind……….

“Don’t think so,” I replied, “Can’t really remember anything if you forgot already, so…” I narrowed my eyes, “Wait, do you know how to pick a lock?”

Whiskey rolled his eyes a little and snorted, “Course Ah do!” He muttered, swishing his tail behind him. “Bu’ come on over ‘ere, let’s see if we can’ teach ya a bit..” I paused I small moment, before slowly walking over. Whiskey stepped out of the way of the safe and pulled out a bobby pin and an old screwdriver, it was worn and with a faded yellow handle with green stripes, from his saddlebags, dropping them at my hooves. “Now, this’ll be o’ bit harder than if ya were o’ unicorn, with their magic an’ all.” He murmured, “Ya gonna have ta use yer hooves and teeth ta pick it, but Ah learned ta, an’ so can ya.” I gave him a glance and slowly picking the bobby pin up in my teeth and the screwdriver in my hoof carefully.

“Now Darlin’, it’s really simple.” He murmured, ears angling at the lock on the safe. “This is an easy one ta pick, so just put the bobby pin ‘ere, and the screwdriver ‘ere…” He pointed to the spots with his hooves and even guided my hoof toward the lock gently, I spared a glance at him, my ears growing a little hot at the contact.

“…..Why do youm wamt ta teachm mmme?” I struggled to say the words around the bobby pin in my teeth. His ears flicked in response,

“How do ya expect ta get inta anythin’ if it’s locked?” He asked in a bored tone, “Scavengin’, Ah already tol’ ya didn’t Ah?”

“Righ…”

“Now lookie ‘ere, this lock is real easy. Just adjust the pin and turn the driver, till ya feel the pin stop movin’ then move it o’ bit agai’, and turn the driver….. until ya got it unlocked!” I did as he asked, eyes narrowed and neck twisting as I adjusted the bobby pin, then turned the screw driver. At first I felt the bobby pin snag and stopped moving the driver, until I adjusted and tried again- the lock opened with a soft click. Whiskey leaned back on his haunches, pulling his hat off, holding it to his chest and letting out a soft sigh. He glanced at me, the safe door opened slowly and I leaned back away from it. “Ya didn’ even break a bobby pin! Grant’ it was an easy one, bu’….. still, ya may turn out ta be a pretty decen’ lock picker!” I blinked, I could swear I heard a… sense of impressed-ness in his tone.

Holy shit! I managed to impress Whiskey!

He looked away, “Now lets see what we got in ‘ere!” He stuck his muzzle in the safe and pulled out again, a bottle of wine clamped in his teeth, sticking out under his bandanna. He placed it on the ground and put his hoof inside the safe, pulling out a wad of old coins that had dulled, and a few bobby pins too. “Alrigh’,” he mumbled, placing the wine in his saddle bags, I perked at the sight of dozens upon dozens of random shit in his bags for but a moment, before he closed them again. His scooped the pins up in his hoof and tossed it my way.

I started, struggling to catch them as I flared out a wing and caught them by folding my wing a little, the pins settling among my silvery grey feathers. “The hell?!” I gasped, dropping the pin in my teeth in the process. Whiskey stood up and kicked the old coins away, replacing his hat upon his head.

“Keep ‘um.” He replied evenly, and flicked his head at the screwdriver in my hoof. “Tha’ too, Ah got another one.” I blinked at it, pulling the old, worn screw driver to my chest, ears twitching. “Ya gonna need a bi’ more practice before ya can open the harder locks, but Ah got o’ feelin’ ya’ll get the hang o’ it pretty fast.” That sounded like a compliment, and I could only blink at it, unable to tell if it truly was a compliment or not.

Whiskey began to walk away and I quickly stuffed the bobby pins and screwdriver in my saddle bags, before hopping to my hooves and trotting after him. I caught up to his shoulder, looking to him with a sideways glance.

“Thanks…….” I mumbled and he shook his head,

“Don’ worry ‘bout it.” He responded softly without looking to me. I glanced away, the momentary distraction of picking the lock faded and the thought on ShieldTune and Zone 4 returned, and they were all revolving around that one thought… that one realization, the theory…….

I could very well be Subject 4

.:+:.

‘Ooooooh!!!!! Look Flashy!! They’re decorations are impressive aren’t they? Even so, I think they could use some gooey intestine streamers to really pull the place together.’ The Little Me grinned.

I could feel my legs beginning to shake, the blood drained from my face and my stomach flipped, bile rising up my throat and all of my body's fluids threatening to spill from my muzzle. I sat down quickly, feeling like I was going to fall over and placed a hoof over my mouth, shutting my eyes tight.

Why was the Little Me so gross and demented?

We had just walked into SpringTail Elementary, and what awaited us on the inside I hadn’t been prepared for what I would see. The once white walls had been painted red and brown from blood, dirt, and who the hell knows what else. A small cage made from scavenged scrap metal stood before us, the inside holding the bloody mount of mangled bodies and different limbs inside, the blood and guts leaking out from the bars.

Crucified to the wall directly left of us was the skinned figure of what I could only guess used to be a pony, its entrails hanging out and littering the floor. To go with the rest of it, ribcages stuffed with miscellaneous organs and other bones were hung from rusted chains from the roof. The smell of decay and death rolled over the room and hit me like a slap in the face, I tried to not breathe in an attempt of keeping the odor out of my nose and mouth.

I had seen ponies shot and impaled on spikes in the front of the school, but they were only shot and dead. These… theses were skinned, jacked, mangled, destroyed……. I think I’m going to throw up…

“Ya alrigh’?” Whiskey asked carefully, pausing beside me momentarily. I cracked one eye open to glance his way, he gave me a sympathetic look. “Look, it’s always the wors’ in the fron’. Ferther in, it’ll be less…….. Graphic.”

I shook my head slowly and swallowed hard, slowly getting to my hooves and shaking my fur out and forcing my legs to stop trembling. Mentally, I socked the Little Me in the jaw, just as a reminder to keep quiet. She glared at me and huffed, rubbing her cheek. “I….. I’m fine…” I mumbled quietly, a red blip appeared across my E.F.S. and my head snapped to the right down a hallway.

Whiskey noticed my gaze and kicked something on that saddleish thing of his (I think he called it a Battle-Saddle earlier), the guns preparing. “Ah’ll take the space ta the left, ya’ll take the one straigh’ ahead?” He suggested, flicking his ears in the direction he wanted me to go. He didn’t wait for an answer before he trotted off and disappeared into the dark. I waited a moment, watching his yellow blip move away and slowly draw closer to the red one.

Then suddenly that red blip went out, and I didn’t even hear Whiskey’s gun fire.

I cocked my shotgun and made sure it was loaded before walking forward cautiously toward the center of the building, my E.F.S. was lit up with dozens of red lights, but I couldn’t tell what floor they were on. I refrained from looking up at the bloody hangings as I passed under them, gently nudged the double doors aside as they creaked on their hinges, I winced at the noise and stepped into the next room, eyes shifting from side to side. This room was filled with desks, most of which were turned over and destroyed, with one spare terminal left in the corner. Like the first room, the floor was covered in blood and as were the walls, but it didn’t sport the decorations the first room did. I shook my head, damn it those were not decorations!!

I walked across the floor slowly, ruffling the papers on the floor and ears perked, I was making my way to the terminal and got there without issue. I tapped the power button, and it sprang to life with a small buzz. It wasn’t locked, fortunately, and unfortunately, the only thing on there was a super Old Employee memo I didn’t care to look at. I tapped the power again and the green glow of the screen faded, I took to looking through the desk instead.

Bulletin board… coffee cup that is still white and insanely clean-ugh….. and three caps! Great, only 697 to go.

I closed the desk and headed off again, stepping lightly across the threshold as I neared a doorway on the left, one that was cracked open and I guessed lead down another hallway. I reached a hoof out to push the door open, only noticing the bright red blip on my E.F.S. a second too late.

A broken and bloody pool cue smashed into the side of my PipBuck and knocked it away with a painful thud. I jumped backward away from the door just as a raider stepped inside, yellow eyes glinting in the gloom. His ribs poked out from under a thin and mangy coat, his armor haphazardly put together and covered in spikes, his filthy blue mane slicked up into spikes.

“Ooh!! Lookie lookie! Such a nice toy, I wanna play with it!!” He laughed with a maniacal look in his features, I scowled.

In an instant I had nudged my shotgun off my shoulder and fired the buckshot into his face, sending a rain of blood, skull and brain onto the wall and door behind him. His body fell to the floor twitching, I snorted. And then the building erupted in yells and the sound of hooves pounding against floors, the red blips on my E.F.S. started moving wildly. Somewhere off on the far side of the building I could here Whiskey’s assault rifles blaring to life, and the screams of more raiders, when four different blips disappeared in an instant.

A steaming shell fell to the floor as I pushed my way into the next hallway quickly, stopping abruptly and balancing on my back hooves with the shotgun in my front ones, the next raider came around the corner at the far end of the hallway, I activated S.A.T.S. and targeted one shot to her leg, and the next to her torso. The shot went through her leg and her face hit the floor in the midst of her running to me, crippling the leg.

I reloaded and shot again, this time she was dead. And now I advanced down the hallway, trotting quickly and swinging my shotgun back onto my back for the time being. The doorway the raider appeared from only lead to a store room, and I stepped inside, throwing open the metal boxes inside to see what they held. The first, nothing. The second, three bobby pins- which I swiftly placed in my bag and moved to another box.

Empty. Next- a comic book, no thanks! Next- wait.

I tapped a hoof to the box, and blinked. It was an ammo box- one I guessed the raiders had brought in, and it was locked. With a glance o my E.F.S. to check that every red blip was faint to single they weren’t near me, I took out the screwdriver Whiskey had given me and a bobby pin. The bobby pin in my teeth and the screwdriver in my hoof, I began to tinker with the lock.

I was suddenly hit with the thought of what I had told to Whiskey earlier, “I don’t care if they’re raiders, innocent, whatever. It’s still murder.”

I paused when the bobby pin stopped turning and adjusted, ears flattening against my head. I was such a hypocrite…. Here I was, shooting raiders without a second thought. I was murdering ponies, but however angry I was at the time I had said that to Whiskey, it would seem all of my conviction for the words had faded now I had managed to make it here. It didn’t feel wrong to be killing these raiders, it actually didn’t feel like anything at all, as if I was suddenly numb to the death I was bringing upon them……… You know what? I fucking hate this feeling! It should feel wrong to be doing this! What is wrong with me?!

I jerked my head little and the bobby pin snapped, bringing me back to the present. I huffed slightly, pulling out another pin and trying again.

I was doing precisely what I said I wouldn’t do… I was going to kill ponies for money. Granted they were Raiders, but ponies none the less…. To ease my mind on the fact I was being a hypocrite and straying from what I had said, I chose to believe that killing the Raiders would save other ponies down the line- and keep those living in BaleFire a little safer. It just sickened me that I couldn’t feel anything about killing them, no remorse, no hesitation… I was numb to it, really numb.

The lock clicked open and I rummaged through it, smiling slightly. Two boxes of shotgun shells for me, and half a box of bullets for my revolver. I paused, noticing the box of .308 rounds, my ears twitched. Should I take them? I could sell them….. or give them to Whiskey……

“Hehehe!”

My head snapped away from the ammo box at the cold, raspy laugh. Immediately pain seared across the top of my hind legs, immediately below my ass. I hissed, back legs buckling under me so I hit the floor and flipping over to try and see a raider standing behind me, levitating a dirty knife in his magical grasp. I blanched a little at the lust in his eyes, he could have simply stabbed me and got it over with, but he wanted to play instead….

In a minute he was on me, filthy hooves ramming into my ribcage as he straddled me, lowering his muzzle to my own, acrid breath hitting my face in hot waves and making my eyes tear up. He brought the knife to me, levitating it just near my throat and smiling sadistically. I began to squirm and try to throw him off, but even though he looked like he was starving, he was heavier than I could manage to move. A quick jab to my stomach knocked the breath from me and ceased my struggling.

“What a nice little prize you are! Such a pretty little thing…… ripe for playing with I should think!” He smiled with a laugh, I tried to struggle again and he placed the blade against my throat, parting the fur and touching my skin. “Tsk… Tsk…….. don’t go doin’ that now, just lay back and enjoy the ride..!” I glanced his…….. in between his legs and scrunched my eyes closed.

Oh fuck no! Gah! NO NO NO…!!!!!

I felt the blade move away from my throat, and looked around, I needed to think fast…… I glanced sideways to see a glint of yellow and green- the screwdriver I had dropped was but an inch away from my hoof, I stretched out toward it carefully and slowly, before wrapping my hoof around it and swinging up to jab the top into the raider’s foreleg. He howled in pain and rage, the blade coming back down toward me as he was taken away from his earlier plan to rape me. I didn’t give him a chance to retaliate, and I lunged up, knocking my head into his as hard as I could manage, pain seared through me and my vision darkened for a moment, the raider yelled again and for good measure, I swung my hind leg up to meet the area between his legs.

He fell back with a squeak, curled up in a ball as he hit the floor in the hallway. I rolled over, hissing again at the pain in the slashes of my hind legs, before picking up my shotgun and unloading the remaining shell into him, the buckshot tearing him to pieces as he slowly bled out on the floor before me. I let the shotgun fall as I simply stood there and stared, not willing to move for but a moment. I threw my shotgun over my shoulder and deposited the ammo, the bobby pin, and my now bloody screwdriver into my saddle bags, while pulling out my revolver and loading it. Trotting out of the storage room I went back down the hallway and toward a door with a broken ‘EXIT’ sign hanging from he cracked roof.

Another raider came running down the hallway, a hammer in her teeth. Three bullets through her head and she was down, I hadn’t even started up S.A.T.S. My head was pounding from head-butting the raider before, and my hind legs stung as I moved, causing me to limp slightly and move slower. I figured I might try to take a Healing Potion, but that wasn’t on my mind now. I was angry now, and that feeling of numbness I had noticed earlier only intensified. It was a feeling I didn’t like, I should feel something when I killed ponies, and yet there was only a sense of emptiness………. Indifference almost. I don’t know why I felt that way and yet it was almost… normal in a way, I could feel it in my bones, and it only made me angrier.

I kicked the metal door open, letting in dim grey light that could only be from the cloud curtain, and the smell of sort-of fresh air came in the building before me. I had made my way to the back of the school, and it would seem that the back of the school had fallen apart, the upper two floors having given way to the outside. They were crumbling, and the outside among the ruin is where I found a shit ton of raiders waiting. A green mare’s head snapped around once I kicked the door open, and I kicked up S.A.T.S. aiming for her torso twice, she crumpled to the ground and I fired the last shot toward a grey stallion that had popped up to the left, causing him to duck down behind a pillar to avoid further fire. I reloaded, jamming the bullets into the revolver as quickly as I could manage, I even ducked behind the doorframe to avoid the bullets sent my way from one of the raiders.

Looking to my E.F.S. I counted how many were out there with me, ears perked for the sound of fire. There were about seven in all, and besides the buck shooting at me now……

“Kill them fuckers!” A voice yelled at the one shooting at me from what I could only guess was a shotgun, two fires.. pause for reloading. My ears swiveled back toward the center of the building when I heard the blare of an assault rifle again, and two more blips from back that direction went out, leaving the yellow blip alone.

“The hell are they?!”

BAM! BAM!

Two shots, reload- my turn.

I jumped out of the doorway, revolver clutched in my muzzle as I flared my wings out, jumping off with a hard kick that sent pain through my slashed hind-legs. The hot air curled under my feathers, lifting me into the dim sky with ease, away from the ruins of the first floor and up to be level with the second, my eyes caught sight of the raider behind the pillar, putting some shells into his sawed-off shotgun. My faint shadow cast over him and he looked up, eyes growing wide in fear when he saw the revolver pointed right at his head.

BLAM!

Straight between the eyes, S.A.T.S. dropped and I turned in midflight to scan the second and ground floors for more. Another one popped up from behind an old desk on the second floor, her dark purple mane standing out against the grey backdrop of the school rubble. In her magical grasp was held a 10mm Pistol, it blared to life as she pulled the trigger over and over.

I dove down below the level of the second floor, feeling the rush of air as one of the bullets just barely missed contact with my foreleg. She stopped shooting after I was out of sight, I cursed inwardly, hovering off the floor a little and tilting my head up. Was I willing to test my luck and try to dodge the rest of her shots until she ran out? Was I that dumb…?

‘I think you are, Flashy.’ The Little Me grinned, the first thing she had said since I started fighting.

I pumped my wings down in a powerful down-stroke, propelling myself upward at a good speed,

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

I arched backward, swooping up and down from side to side in an attempt to miss the rest of the bullets, finding ease in shaping the warm air with my wings. Either that mare was really bad at aiming, or I was a seriously lucky pony.

BLAM! BLAM! Click- Click-

“Ah shit!”

I spiraled in a tight circle and took sight on the mare, pushing forward so I could see her and pulled up S.A.T.S., two shots and she was done. I pulled back, looking for more. There were still five blips left and since I didn’t see any of them shooting at me, I figured they must be using non-firing weapons and couldn’t get at a gun to try and shoot me from my position in the air.

Whiskey had explained to me that most ponies were either Earth or unicorn, the only Pegasi down here on the surface were Dashites, and those were few and far between. So, no fellow Pegasi for me to have a fight with, I was left to master the air all on my own, and I preferred it that way. (Unfortunately for me, it never occurred to me there were Griffons still around- that bit me in the ass later on.)

I did a small circle round the second and ground floor to check for more raiders, and only came across one cowering behind a slab of concrete, one shot, one more down. Then I pumped my wings again to reach the third floor, meeting the rage filled gazes of the next three raiders, two were holding notched machetes while the last had his yellow teeth clamped down on a piece of rebar with a chunk of concrete on the end. Two of them scrambled for shelter, one with a machete and the other the one with the rebar. To my utter shock, the third one propelled himself over the edge of the ruin out across the open air toward me, eyes tinged yellow and mouth foaming, limbs twitching and convulsing violently. The fuck? Was he crazy?!

I stroked forward to push myself back out of his reach, and watched in utter shock as he plummeted down to land with a sickening crunch at the bottom. His body twitched a few more times, until he was still and his eyes rolled back into his head. He…………. Ok, not normal….

“Say nighty-night bitch!” My attention snapped back to the other two, the one with the rebar was smiling at me and waving a hoof in a gesture of bye, looking thrilled. From the corner of my eye I caught a small glint, and turned to see a different raider propped up on a ledge on the second floor, a worn and badly damaged rifle pointed right at me. I must have missed him when I scanned the second floor.

I made to try and dodge, however I knew I didn’t have time to move out of the way, I saw him about to pull the trigger-

BOOM!

That raiders head was suddenly gone in a mess of red, the rifle clattering to the ground. I blinked in shock, the noise ringing in my ears, my thought immediately flashing back to when I had lighted down on the Manehatten Highway in the midst of a scuffle between some raiders and-

“Fuck!”

I swept forward toward the remaining two raiders, unloading one shot into the first as I got near, then swiveled and propelled myself through the air to the side, wings folding to my sides to decrease air drag, and unloaded the last shot into the center of the last raiders chest. My wings flared out again to catch the air, as I gently glided down to the ground floor to touch down, dropping my now fully unloaded revolver back into my bag with a small sigh, shaking out my golden mane.

“Thanks I suppose.” I murmured, glancing toward the copper buck leaning against the doorframe to the exit I had come out of. His ears flicked in my direction, nodding slightly.

“Don’ mention it.” He murmured, walking out of the building and toward me, pulling down the bandana over his muzzle in the process. I glanced to his saddle-bags, noticing that they were much fuller than when we had come here.

Scavenging… right.

He stopped a little bit from me, eyes sweeping up toward the other levels of the school with a look of skepticism, as if he was over-viewing what he had seen me do. “Ah see ya can handle yerself…. Mostly.” He murmured, clearly thinking about how I almost had my head taken off before he… ugh, saved me damn it. “Pretty goo’ shot too……. Hmm…”

“What? Surprised?” I muttered hotly, taking a step toward him only to have my hind leg collapse under me again as a stab of pain rose up in my body, making me hiss. “Damn it….” I muttered, eyes scrunching tight.

“Ya alrigh’, Darlin’?” Whiskey asked almost immediately, I cracked an eye open to see he had trotted up to me and was holding out a hoof as if he expected me to fall over. Such a reaction surprised me, because for whatever reason it seemed to me like he was actually sort of worried.

I nodded slightly, settling down on my side to avoid sitting on my haunches as I tapped my PipBuck to pull up the Med. Status. Only slight damage to my legs…… and a mild concussion from knocking my head against the raider’s. Great.

I pulled a small healing potion from my saddlebags and sipped at it until I had drunk half of it, before replacing it. I could feel the slashes on my hind-legs closing up slowly and I let out a sigh. That was my last healing potion I realized, and the realization wasn’t very comforting. I glanced up at him, he was gazing at me levelly. “Well, the jobs all done now.” I commented. He nodded,

“It is.”

I nudged my nose through my saddle bags and bit down on the box of .308mm rounds I had taken from the storage room earlier and tossed it his way. He caught it in his hooves, leaning back on his haunches in the process. He blinked at it, “I have no use for those, but I figure you’d like them for that Sniper of yours.” I said when he blinked at me questioningly. Whiskey blinked once more, before nodding and smiling slightly.

“Thank ya kindly.”

“I suppose once we head back to BaleFire, we’ll be going separate ways.” I said, closing my saddle bags and sitting up. “This whole temporary tag-team thing is coming to an end I’m afraid.” I waved a hoof and sighed, though not without a small smile at the ground. I couldn’t say I wasn’t looking forward to be rid of Mr. Whiskey Shot-

“Now Ah think yer gettin’ o’ bit ahead o’ yerself there, Darlin’.” He said with a smirk, my head snapped up to him. He casually pulled the Sonic Emitter out of his bags and held it in a hoof lightly, teal eyes sparkling with amusement and mischief. My eyes grew wide at the sight, Whiskey still had the Sonic Emitter! It had completely slipped my mind and Whiskey knew it.

‘Flashy, you keep forgetting about that!’ The Little Me snapped, well why don’t you fucking remind me damn it?!

“Now look, Ah’ve been thinkin’ a bit on it, and Ah decided what Ah want ta do.” Whiskey continued, smiling a little more at the suspicious look I gave him. “Remember, Ah did say Ah migh’ wanna make another deal with ya.” My ears swiveled back and I bristled, becoming tense. Now I did not like the sound of this. What in the hell could he have been thinking about while he was shooting raiders? And what was it he fucking wanted from me?!

“And what the hell do you want?!” I snapped, anger rising now. Whiskey seemed to have expected that though, and tossed the Sonic Emitter in his hoof a little, making me stiffen at the action.

"Yer gonna take me there." He stated simply, glancing first at the insignia emblazoned on the back of my armor, then flicking his head to the Sonic Emitter. I stared, jaw open slightly and eyes narrowing, my mind trying to put together what he was hinting at…. Wait.

"To ShieldTune?!” I gasped, and he nodded. My jaw dropped even more, then I jumped to my hooves, wings flaring out. “TO FUCKING ARABINO?!!?!”

Whiskey winced slightly at the amount of noise I made, but nodded anyway. “That’s the one.”

“Oh hell no!" I told him roughly, stomping a hoof down angrily. "Did you miss the part where I said it was crawling with DireWolves and those.... those..... things!" I told him through gritted teeth, frustrated that I did not know what those goo-monsters had been, even after everything that Whiskey told me. I’m sure he told me what they were, but I can’t remember right now…... Screw my ignorance, it was pissing me off!

"Bloatsprites." Whiskey said calmly. "Those ‘re easy ta kill, an' DireWolves only hunt at night. I did tell ya that, ‘member?" He explained, not willing to budge. He sighed a little and smiled, “Look Darlin’, this is the deal Ah’m makin’ with ya. Yer not gettin’ the Sonic Emitter back if ya don’ agree.” He smirked, “Look, Ah know ya wanna go back anyway, so why no’ go back with me?” My head tilted, not sure where he was getting with all of this. And who the hell ever said I want to go back there? I almost died there!

"Ya think, no…… ya know there’s somethin’ fer ya there." He went on, and I quirked an eyebrow, ears perking a little. He noticed I was listening and went on, "Yer thinkin’ it fer yerself, when ya listened ta those Audio Diaries. There’s a reason ya’ll were there, an’ ya wanna know why. It sounds like ta me, ya didn’ spend so much time there before ya got ou’. Ya coulda missed somethin’, and that’s why ya wanna go back.” He tapped a hoof to his chest. “But ya know yer not gonna survive if ya go alone, that’s why ya need ol’ Me.” I gave him a blank stare, “Ah can help ya stay alive with’n mah survival skills, we can look after eachother, an’ when we get there, Ah can even help ya hack inta all them fancy computers and whatnot.” This time I gave him a disbelieving look, and he blinked at it.

“And you have the know-how to hack into high-grade military computers and terminals?” I said dryly, perhaps I was stereotyping the buck before me, but I couldn’t honestly believe this country buck had any know-how to hack into anything back in ShieldTune.

Whiskey feigned hurt, pretending to recoil from me slightly. “That stings Darlin’!” He murmured, “O’ course Ah do! What do ya take me fer?” He didn’t wait for my reply and continued, “Ah’ll have ya know, Ah am mighty good at hackin’ inta terminals and the like. Ah could get ya into those hard ta reach data files an’ maybe start helpin’ ya understand everything about why ya were there, and who ya really are.” He smiled, because he knew he had my attention and that I was interested in this proposal. I did want to know why I was there in ShieldTune, and it was a really pressing matter to try and find out if my suspicions were true- that I might actually be that famed Subject Four.

And besides, he already stated he wouldn’t be giving back the Sonic Emitter until I took this deal and took him all the way into Arabino and ShieldTune, and however much I forgot about that damn thing, I did want it back. It was important to me, even if I really didn’t have a clue on how to use it. It was a sort of attachment I had toward it that I couldn’t take away, I sort of felt that I needed it…. For some point in the future.

“…. Hacking into the tech is one thing.” I murmured lowly, “Getting all the way out there, and making it is another. It’s no short trek from here to Arabino, and if I heard correctly; DireWolves are everywhere. We would die before we made it, if not from them, or from slavers, raiders, you name it.” Whiskey nodded a little,

“True, there are plenty o’ things that might wanna kill us, but I’ve made a few trips up that way- never as far as Arabino, no, but if we stick to traveling in the day, and holdin’ up somewhere out o’ scent an’ sight at night, we could make it there in a little under three an’ o’half weeks.” My jaw dropped slightly, three and a half weeks?! I made it all the way to the Manehatten Highway in only a few hours!

“That long? I could fly there in a day!” I snapped and he blinked, before gesturing to my wings.

“Ya’ll can fly.” He reminded, and quirked an eyebrow. “Besides, Ah got absolutely no idea how ya managed to get all the way fro’ Arabino to the Highway so damn fast. Ya’ll must o’ been flyin’ faster than Ah’ve ever heard any winged-thing could!” He paused and his eyes moved to my flank, I raised a hoof to hit him for his indecency. “Tha’ might be why ya got…. A lightnin’ bolt fer ya Cutie Mark.” He commented and I put my hoof down. “…. No clue what them red rings aroun’ it are…” He relented, eyes narrowed as he saw them wrapping around that yellow lightning bolt. I blinked, realizing I hadn’t a clue what my Cutie Mark was supposed to stand for…. I couldn’t remember!

A deep sense of loss suddenly filled me at the realization. To get a Cutie Mark was one of the most important moments in any pony’s life. To finally figure out what your talent is, what you are truly good at….. and now that I knew I couldn’t remember what that meant for me, the Lightning bolt wrapped in red rings……… I felt like I had lost a part of myself, and it hit harder than knowing I didn’t have any memories of who I was…… if that was even possible.

“…. But…. I still have to repay Vera by the end of the month…” I managed to say after a while, desperately trying to shake off the feeling of loss. Whiskey nodded again and smiled,

“Ah know, 700 caps ain’t easy ta come up with in only a month.” He agreed and I blinked, how in the hell did he know..? “Vera was gonna make me pay it when Ah brought ya in, but since ya woke up an’ all, she decided to make ya pay instead.” Damn it Vera, why wouldn’t you make Whiskey pay? From what I understood, that mare did not like him, and it would have probably have made her happy if he had to pay that ridiculous amount.

‘Sucks for us, eh Flashy?’ The Little Me muttered, I silently agreed.

“But,” Whiskey said and I blinked, he had gone back to wearing that neutral expression I oh so didn’t like, but I sort of liked it better than a smirk. “If ya agree to come with me, ya get the Sonic Emitter back, learn some pretty useful skills, and-” He paused as if waiting or the grand finale!

“Ah’ll help ya pay Vera.”

My jaw dropped, eyes wide and wings falling a little. He would WHAT?!?!?!?!?

I couldn’t wrap my head around it, what in the world would make him do that? Why would he be willing to pay that large amount of caps, for a pony he didn’t hardly know? And for what? Leading him into a town sized Death Trap full of DireWolves?

But then I had to wonder, what was the reason he had done any of this? He had tried to kill me. Saved me. He taught me things, told me about the Wastes, showed me how to pick a lock. And then he helped me earn some money, right here, right now. While saving me again. And now he was willing to help me pay a sum of 700 caps? To go on a three week journey with me? I couldn’t come up with a reason he had saved me the first time, but for the rest of it….. I figured it was because he really wanted to get to ShieldTune. He was fixed on the idea, I think Whiskey knew something about it I didn’t, and I’ll admit…. Part of me wanted to know why. Why was he so set on making it to ShieldTune? What was this fixation he had for it?

I wouldn’t call myself any better at making deals than the next pony, but to me this ‘deal’ seemed unfair. I would be getting more out of this than he would…. Or maybe that’s what he wanted me to think. Maybe Whiskey wanted to push me to agreeing to this because he knew I would be getting the better deal, that I would get more, learn more, everything……. And he thought I was going to agree.

He looked to me, face neutral and gaze steady. I met his gaze, and once again we were locked, teal on red. His hoof stretched out toward me, "So Darlin', ya willin' to take me up on the deal?"

'Damn that stupid name! Hit him in the face until he learns to call you by your name!' The Little Me raged, I myself gritted my teeth at the nickname. He had called me Darling several times now, but I didn’t act on the anger I held toward the name- for now.

I stretched my hoof out, not knowing what I was getting into. Unaware of the things we would be facing, the danger. I didn’t know what we were going to learn, I didn’t know what it would do, and I didn’t know how things between Whiskey and I were going to turn out. At best, we were walking on hot terrain between us………. But we both needed this. But because we both were unaware of what this deal would mean for the both of us, we didn’t know what would happen when we reached Arabino, or even what would happen on the journey toward it. And hell if we knew what trouble we brought up by getting there.

My hoof met his, and we shook on it. Whiskey’s neutral stare cracked into a smile, eyes shining.

“Deal.”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Frequent Flier (1)-
You have proven yourself adept at fighting in the air, from dodging bullets to wicked aim. Now every time you take on an opponent while in the air you gain +25% chance of hitting something vital- while also receiving 10% less damage from enemy fire while midflight.

New Companion Perk: Tech-savvy Sniper with a thing for... Bombs?- Standalone Mercenary, the (reportedly) tech-savvy and deadly sniper Whiskey Shot has joined you in your Journey! You now reap the benefits of this pony with +10 points to your Science Stat, and now have better chances of critical head shots, as well as a +10 to your explosive stats while he is in your company.

Chapter 6- Journey With A Mercenary

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Chapter 6

Journey with a Mercenary

“Welcome to the Manehatten Highway! The best route of transportation on this side of Equestria, where we have hundreds upon hundreds of carriages-shipping, commercial or private- pass through to get to our pride and joy; Manehatten!”

.:+:.

Walking.

I didn’t realize how very much I hated walking- until we started off toward Arabino, over the rocky, dusty, hot terrain that made up the Wastes. I guess that it’s a good thing I’m a Pegasus, but what good did that do me, when my ‘Partner’ was a wingless Earth Pony? Flying was so easy, no having to go over hills, or around buildings, rocks, or whatever was in the way. The sky was open all the way, with no obstacles I’d have to try and avoid.

I let out a long sigh, head hanging as I floated just a few feet off the ground, wings beating past to keep myself aloft as we traveled at the slowest speed I could ever imagine. I could hear the clip-clop of Whiskey’s hooves on the ground as he walked just behind me, in full gear and hat on to shade his eyes from view, bandana up to cover his muzzle. It was kinda hot, despite the absence of any sunlight, and I caught myself wondering how he wasn’t burning up… I realized there really much point in flying if I was only a few feet above the ground, but at least it gave my legs a break- so that was sort of a plus.

We had left BaleFire the day after the fight with the raiders, and set out this morning toward the Manehatten Highway. Whiskey said it wasn’t far, and it really wasn’t, we could see the broken bits of it situated above the ground just from BaleFire, but he had insisted there was no point climbing to the top of the highway until we found the section of it that was more or less whole. And that was a good three hours away, to my annoyance- and, we had only been walking for an hour and a half.

I never realized how impatient I was until just now.

On another note, when Whiskey and I had returned to BaleFire yesterday from SpringTail, I had proceeded to collect the modest sum of 80 Caps from Sheriff Slim in reward for clearing the school- though I was fairly certain more raiders were gonna move in eventually anyway. I had patiently waited for Whiskey to sell off the extra loot he had picked up on the small job back in Craterside supply- all the while Brownie Bits had been continually looking back and forth toward me as if I was some sort of prize she thought was gonna get away from her. Whiskey had allowed the chocolate colored mare to badger me for a good few hours as he worked at the bench situated at the back of the shop. Brownie Bits was a bit too nosey for her own good in my opinion, and yet I only saw a sort of innocence in her. Her curiosity was a welcome relief to the otherwise horrible things I had seen from the WasteLand thus far.

After Brownie, Whiskey kindly dropped a purse of Caps in front of Vera-paying my ‘Bill’ in full without a word.

The look on Vera’s face was almost priceless, she could only look at him with a blank look, jaw dropped and completely frozen. Frozen, because the ridiculous amount of Caps she had charged had been dropped at her hooves, by the very Buck she seemed to have so much contempt for. I don’t know if it was because Whiskey had paid that shocked her most, or if it was the question as to why he would even help me. Of course Vera didn’t have any clue as to the deal we made back at SpringTail, I could understand her shock- I was shocked with myself for having agreed to the deal at any rate… I just couldn’t refuse it, I needed the caps, and I did want to know more about Arabino and ShieldTune.

But you could imagine my surprise when Whiskey came to me that very evening, and dropped a bag full of ammo, supplies, healing potions, and my shotgun- now repaired and improved- at my hooves. When I asked him what it was for his reply was;

“If’n yer gonna travel with me, ya might as well be prepared- we’re leavin’ in the mornin’. Don’t worry about the cost, ya’ll pay me back later. With insurance.”

I huffed a little at the thought, because I was still confused by the offer, and quite frankly- irritated at what he said. Insurance my ass, what insurance was he expecting? He was the one who just paid for me in full. I didn’t expect to make any money on this trip of ours, and we weren’t going to be seeing each other after Arabino.

I shook my head, not wanting to think on it anymore. So, I decided to see if Whiskey would answer a few questions. “I thought the Manehatten Highway was overrun with raiders?” I asked with a glance back toward the buck, trying to pull my mind away from how long this was gonna take.

“Only sections.” He replied evenly, without looking up toward me. “Ah cleared the section of it we’re goin’ ta a few nights ago- with yer help o’ course.” He said and I blinked once, “We should be good for a long while, maybe seein’ a few ‘ere and there.” His head bobbed a little, “We’ll be fine.” He relented with a small wave of his hoof toward me.

“Does the Manehatten Highway reach all the way out toward Arabino?” I asked, knowing there wasn’t any point since I could simply look to the map on my PipBuck. I’m pretty sure Whiskey knew I could as well, but he didn’t seem to care because he went ahead and answered.

“Nope, there ain’ any ol’ highways that reach all the way out to Arabino, Ah figure it wasn’ a big ‘nough town for one ta connect ta it.” He finally spared a glance up at me, and I met his teal gaze steadily as we continued on. “Bu’, the ManeHatten Highway does connect with the FillyDelphia bound Highway, an’ at tha’ same point- another road branching off o’ the main Filly’ Highway connects with another Highway that heads east a ways before hittin’ Filly’ again.” I nodded slightly, “We’ll take tha’ highway out as far east as we can, an’ then get off. We’ll get mu’ closer to Arabino on the Highway, a lot quicker, and a lot safer. Direwolves don’ come up onta the raised sections of the highways too often, we’ll meet less o’ them, and stay alive longer.”

I nodded in slight approval, “You thought this through.” I commented. “Any chance we’ll meet something other than raiders and Direwolves along the way?” I said, only half interested.

“Mmm… Bloodwings, Slavers maybe… There ‘re few little shantytowns on the Highway, so other folks ‘re a given ta come across.” He seemed to be running through a list in his head, “Maybe a few ghouls once we get off the highway, but other than tha’….. Ah got no clue.” He shrugged slightly, “Guess we’ll as we go alon’.”

“Slayers?” I questioned, seeing if I could get any sort of odd reaction from him. He had seemed to be sort of…… discontented with the mention of them earlier.

“Doubt it.” Whiskey answered curtly, “CoffinBone’s in the other direction- the Slayers don’t travel east so much.” He paused, his tone left no room for argument or question. “Why so interested?” He asked this time and I shrugged in return.

“Blank mind, remember? I figure I might as well ask questions now, better learn fast- right?” I answered coolly, and Whiskey only regarded me a moment before shaking his head and looking away. “You know…. Since you’re a Merc and all…. are you a part of any gr-?”

“Nope.” Whiskey cut me off quickly and I blinked, but decided not to press it. We passed into a strained silence then, and I didn’t feel the need nor the want to try and break it. Instead I turned toward my Pipbuck and played the next Audio Diary of Dr. HoofDrum, just to pass the time.

“Entry 3,

Katarina’s been keeping me busy for the past few days. She has seemed extremely interested in the research I have started up- much more interested than I had thought she would be. Upon my first judgment of Princess Katarina, I assumed she would be much less concerned with science and all the like- and much more concerned with the political state of Equestria at the moment. Though I do suppose that politics are more Princess Luna’s area.

But this then had me wondering why ShieldTune was created in the first place? What would the Princess want with such things anyhow? Talking with the other workers here in the facility I have gathered there are other ‘Zones’ as they called them- beside this one. Of course I figured as much, what sense would it make to have a single Zone, and to give it a number other than 1, but 4? But until I began to ask about, I hadn’t any clue as to how many of these Zones there were- and one of the Tactical commanders here revealed to me there were six different facilities in all.

Now I don’t know where these others are, though I am curious;

The muffled voice of another pony in the background called out to Dr. HoofDrum, their words I couldn’t quite make out though- only that the voice was the high, and slightly annoying shrill of a mare.

…Ah, there’s Ms. Wynter Coat now, I swear the mare won’t leave me alone. Oh well, better see what she wants of me- no use making the Zone coordinator angry with me only three weeks into the job.”

I shook my head and turned the Audio Diary off, instead letting DJPON3 radio play through my PipBuck as we walked on, the jubilant rhythm of a tuba filling the dry dusty air.

.:+:.

“Alrigh’, here’s where we get on, Darlin’.” Whiskey came to a halt beside the crumbling spire of the support that held up the Manehatten Highway above our heads, I paused beside him, glancing up at the road and narrowing my eyes.

“How do you plan to get up there?” I asked, then paused- my mind flashing with the memory of Whiskey jumping up the walls and roofs of the homes in BaleFire like some sort of freakish acrobat. Seriously, he must have been the only pony I had ever seen do that! ……. Not that I knew many ponies though.

“Ah’m gonna climb.” He answered, tapping a hoof to the support and lifting himself up on the crumbling stone, slowly he made his way up the tilted beam, higher and higher. I fluttered up next to him, slowly going higher as he climbed. I watched carefully, surprised not for the first time, just how sure-footed he was, and just how easy he made hauling everything in his packs up the almost completely vertical climb.

“I could have carried you to the top.” I commented,

“Doubt it.” He muttered, not bothering to look at me as he tried to keep all of his attention on his hoof-holds.

“What? Don’t I look strong enough?” I muttered a little hotly.

“Mmm… ya strike me more as the fast an’ agile type, not the strong and bulky.” He responded truthfully, and I relented to simply staying silent for the moment,

“I think you underestimate me.” I responded quietly once he managed to reach the top, and paused only to catch his breath a small moment. His ears flicked in my direction at the comment,

“An’ Ah think ya’ll underestimate me too.” He countered, aiming for my quite obvious doubt of his ‘techy know-how’ he had mentioned the day before- I still refused to believe he had the slightest clue on operating terminals, machines, or anything of the sort until I saw it for myself.

‘We still on Level 10 hatred with him, Flashy?’ The Little Me asked suddenly and I blinked at the question, not sure why she would ask such a thing just now…?

Whiskey started walking, his hooves making quite a bit of noise on the pavement of the highway, as we began to pass in between the pile-ups of assorted wagons and spilled cargo, groceries, whatever they may have held- the things that had been pulled from the wagons and dug through by countless ponies over the centuries. I found my eyes lingering on everyone we passed, wondering who had been inside them when the bombs went off, wondering where they were coming from and for what? To be reduced to piles of bones rolling upon the pavement, their world gone in a split second?

It was sad, I felt sorry for them and yet I felt so detached from it all…… I glanced to my PipBuck to scroll over the map, in an attempt to see how far it was until the highway met the one leading to Fillydelphia- from where we were I would say another….. ugh, maybe three days. My attention caught on to the mark flashing on the screen, the one that registered our destination on my E.F.S.- Arabino.

A part of me told me that going back to Arabino was the craziest idea I could ever even consider, and yet there was another part of me that argued to keep going- that going back to Arabino is what I truly needed. I needed to know why I was there, what they had wanted from me, and even who I truly was. Yes, I knew my name… but nothing else, why?

I wish I knew, I truly did…. And that’s why despite my conscience telling me going back to Arabino was a bad idea, I was determined to get there, and it would seem that so was Whiskey. But this was going to be a long three weeks, I wondered if I would last that long…..

“So, Whiskey.” I called up to him, when I didn’t get a reply I paused. I couldn’t tell if he was actually listening to me or not, maybe he was ignoring me…. Or maybe he was lost in thought? “Whiskey?”

“What?” He muttered, not sounding quite so thrilled with answering some more questions. Maybe my curiosity about everything was starting to piss him off, maybe he hated answering the amount of questions I asked- let’s be honest, we had only been traveling for two hours now, and maybe his patience was running low. But I didn’t think I had asked so many questions…… I figured he must be used to being alone, and the silence that came with it.

“Tell me about yourself.” I said simply, trotting a little to catch up to his shoulder. The silence between us was waaaaay to boring, I needed to interact with sompony- even if it was this stupid buck I had found myself with. “Do you have family? Where did you stay before moving to BaleFire?”

“You don’ think those are a bit personal?” He shot back dryly, eyes fixed ahead and expression neutral. “We only jus’ met Darlin’.” I faltered slightly, not sure if I had offended him or not- wait a minute!

“How many times do I have to say it?!” I snapped, anger rising in seconds. “My name is not Darling!!” He waved my anger at the name off like he usually did though, and I was left to grumble under my breath.

“Are ya really so bored, all ya can think of ta do, is ask me questions like tha’?” He went on and I huffed.

“I figure I should know the pony I’m going to be spending the next three weeks with.” I replied and Whiskey just gave me a flat stare, “Think of it as insurance.” I added, thinking it rather witty based upon his remark the day before;

“… With insurance.”

“Now tha’ ain’t no fair trade, considering ya’ll won’ be able to tell me anythin’ ‘bout yerself in return.” He countered and I let myself fall away from walking at his shoulder, defeated. Because he was right, Whiskey could tell me about himself, about his life and everything. I couldn’t do the same, because I knew almost nothing about myself, so no- it wouldn’t be a ‘fair trade’ in information based upon that fact.

“Fine…” I muttered lowly, not particularly concerned if he heard me or not.

“Listen, Flash.” I perked up upon hearing him say my name- I actually think this was the first time he had done so since I met him. He didn’t turn to look at me, and only kept on walking but I knew I had his attention now, and he had mine. “Don’ take it personally, alright? Ah ain’t so used ta… company.” He paused, “…. It ain’t often Ah got anypony askin’ so many questions, an’ especially none ‘bout myself. Yer gonna have to give it a bit o’ time, alrigh’? We got plenty o’ time ta get ta know eachother, don’ need ta ask it all at once.”

I remained silent a moment, trying to let what he said sink in, to me it was surprising….. Because this was one of the most honest answers I had heard him give as of yet. It had dawned upon me by now that Whiskey wasn’t one of the most… honest ponies around- which I found rather ironic considering all his big-talk about ‘Honesty is a Virtue’ shit he pulled on me already. To be completely honest, I wasn’t really just bored. I only really wanted to talk with him, so I could get my mind off of thinking about ShieldTune, about the possibility that I could be some two century old pony who’d been stuffed in a pod before the bombs fell. I shook my head a little, the idea was utterly ridiculous! It couldn’t be possible, I would be dead by now! I could not be Subject Four, some other pony must have knocked me up the head and stuffed me in that stupid place for the hell knows what reason!

…. Yeah! That had to be it, it had to be what happened!

VVVVVZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTTTT….!!!!

My legs fell from under me and I wrapped my forelegs over my head, eyes scrunched closed and biting down on my tongue, I could feel the sting of tears creeping up and I fought them back as best I could. My whole body was shaking, and the throbbing in my head was relentless, all other sounds were suddenly drowned out by the sound of cracking inside my head…!

Fuck…! Fuck…..! Sweet Celestia….!!! WHY!!!!!????

This was worse than it had ever been, before it had only been small shocks and now it felt as if someone had literally jabbed a cattle-prod into my brain and put it on full blast. I could tell my legs and wings were twitching, I hit my hooves against my head a few times, groans of pain escaping my lips. What had set this off?! Thinking about me being-?!

The pain increased tenfold and I could feel my consciousness slipping away from in the waves of utter pain passing through my skull, goddesses damn me, why did I have to think about that?! And why did… thinking have to… hurt….?!

“… Flash..?” Who’s that? I don’t think I recognize that voice…..

“Ms. Trake? Are you alright?” Trake? Who the hell are they calling Trake…..?

.:+:.

Six smartly dressed ponies stood around me, two of them were Unicorns, one was an Earth Pony and the other three were all Pegasi. We stood in the middle of a Marble Hall I recognized rather clearly, it was the same place I had stood- drenched and getting nasty glares from the ponies passing by once I had been dying of DireWolf poison. The two unicorns were of an identical pale yellow color with matching green eyes to go with it, each one adorned with a dark purple business suit as the left one held a mic in her Magical grasp and the other a notepad. The only distinction between the two was that Ms. Notepad had an emerald mane, while Ms. Mic had a pale orange one, both of them looked to me expectantly and blinking in confusion- I must have said something odd.

“Flash?” The pale pink Earth Pony on my right said quietly, her blue eyes wide as she looked to me in confusion, “You look like you dozed off.” She said slowly, brushing a piece of her tied back dirty-blonde mane with violet dye on the ends, from her face. Something about this pony struck me as familiar, and at the same time I didn’t know why. Her coat stood out amongst the relatively washed-out image of everything else, a beacon of color against the white floor, and the gray atmosphere. Even the colors of Ms. Mic and Ms. Notepad faded in comparison in the scene.

I felt myself smile apologetically and shake my head a little, it felt like my mane was tied back and… cut short I think? “Ah, no. I’m fine Scarlet, just thinking.” Scarlet? I promised her and turned away, I wish I could have gotten a better look at the pink pony but my attention had fixed upon the two Unicorns now. “Now, I’m sorry but what was it you two wanted?” I asked in a polite, almost bored tone of the two who exchanged quick glances. Three Pegasi stood a little behind me, all in soldier’s uniform, all silent, and all still. I couldn’t get a good look at them, I couldn’t get my head to turn, damn I wish I could have though.

I had no control of what was going on, and in fact… I didn’t feel like this was me- more like I was in somepony else’s body but not quite so, I was soooooooooo confused.

“Ms. Trake…” Ms. Mic started slowly and I lift a hoof, shaking my head and letting out a low sigh.

“Flash is fine,” I told her simply. She nodded and continued,

“We were looking to see if you had anything to report on the movement of….. VVVZZZTTTTT……….. And what the… VVVVZZZTTT…. Planned to do about the impending Danger?” Ms. Mic asked, but her words faded in and out between static while the scenery molded back from fuzzy gray to melting black and broke back into clearness once the static cutting off her voice stopped. The vision wasn’t complete, I wasn’t allowed to know all the details, my mind wasn’t going to let me.

I felt the pain of the static race through me to accompany the noise- the pain that was becoming all too normal.

My mouth opened to answer, I felt bored, and reserved, as if the questions weren’t enough to interest me, or maybe I just didn’t care. But the sound of the words didn’t reach my ears, just the sound of the static. A part of me felt miffed at this, I wanted to hear what it was I was supposed to be saying- but yet again, my brain wasn’t going to let me know, and then everything began to melt into gray. The image of the foyer blurred into unrecognizable mush, accompanied by the yellow of the coats of Ms. Mic and Ms. Notepad, who remained listening to whatever I was saying, taking down notes and looking rather interested- completely unaware of the building melting round them until they two faded into gray mush.

From the corner of my eye remained the strikingly pink coat of Scarlet, until everything was gone and I was thrown into black……

.:+:.

“Darlin’?”

I groaned, my head was still pounding but at least I didn’t feel like the cattle-prod was still in my head on full-blast. I carefully brought a hoof to my head and rubbed my temple gently, trying to get the lasting throb to die away completely. The ground felt hard and rough under my body, I dragged my other hoof across it- feeling like I had been placed atop a raggedy old blanket.

I was aware of the soft beeping of my PipBuck, but I didn’t bother with it for now, instead I focused on opening my eyes. It was dark, like… really dark. Granted, it was always a really dim gray outside with the Cloud Curtain and everything, but this was a very dark gray that bordered on black, I had to let my blurry vision sit a moment so it could unblur and adjust. I figured the day must have fallen into night…. Wait, how long had I been out?!

My head snapped off the blanket in an instant, making me feel light-headed and dizzy at the sudden movement. I squeezed my eyes closed, I figured I should try to let the dizziness pass before I did anything stupid and passed out again…. Yeah, that would be pretty smart huh?

“Well the’, finally awake?” I cracked an eye open to peer through the darkness, spotting the form of Whiskey spread out on the asphalt across from me, the dying embers of a makeshift fire between us. We were tucked in between the forms of four overturned carriages that blocked us from the rest of the world and only left the sky open, dark and colorless as ever. Whiskey remained looking at me with a stoic expression, bandana pulled down to rest around his neck and hat beside him, hooves tucked under him and sniper leaning against the underside of a carriage with his bags, his Assault Rifles remained on his back securely. That had to be uncomfortable, but what he was waiting for- Raiders or DireWolves, I hoped we didn’t see any tonight- I didn’t really feel up to a fight right now.

Considering it was night already, I guessed that I had been out all day. A quick glance at my PipBuck told me we were not in the place that I must have blacked out, while it also flashed a warning for some ‘Mild Cranial Damage’ that was slowly going down in the level of severity…. Wait, since we weren’t where we were….. did that mean Whiskey dragged my sorry ass all the way out here?

“Yes….” I answered after a moment, finally registering he had spoken to me. He blinked, “Did you…. Carry me all the way out here…?” I asked lowly, feeling a little embarrassed at the thought, he’d already done it once- when I was pumped full of DireWolf Venom.

“Yup.” He answered carelessly, shaking his mane a little and closing his eyes.

“Sorry…” I muttered, hating the fact that I had been rendered unconscious around him for a second time.

“Ain’t so bad, yer not too heavy.” He said with a glance my way, “Barely broke a sweat. Don’ go worryin’ ‘bout it.” He told me, but I knew I wasn’t going to stop worrying about it anytime soon. I hated I was so helpless, and I hated that my brain was so damn fucked up too. “So, mind telllin’ me what in the hay happened?” He asked and I sighed.

What happened? My brain fried itself because I was thinking about…. Vzzztt….. Ok, not thinking about anything!

“It’s….. complicated.” I muttered, “I just………. My brain… It kinda…. Overloads when… well….” Ugh!! Why was this so hard to explain?

“Memory loss thang?” He asked and I nodded.

“I think that’s what it is.” I replied with a slight nod. “There’s…. this little shock, whenever I think about certain things. And this time, it was bad… like really bad… so much so I blacked out.” I muttered.

“It’ happened before?” He asked and I shook my head quickly.

“No, this is the first time.”

“Anythin’ interestin’ happen when ya’ll were out?” He asked as if he already knew the answer, I tilted my head at him and he shrugged. “Ya were mutterin’ something about… ‘Scarlet’ Ah think.” My ears perked at the name,

“Uh, well…. I sort of, saw something.” I answered, “A few ponies… one of them was named Scarlet, but I don’t know who she is.” I paused, eyes narrowing at my hooves as I fought to go back to what I had seen, but it was starting to fade now and I could hardly remember anything that had gone on… what were those ponies names again? Ms………… Padlock and Milo? No that didn’t sound right... Damn.

“Interstin’….” Whiskey murmured to himself, making me look up at him. “That all?” Was that all? No, I don’t think it was… but now the vision was quite useless, the details had left and I couldn’t force my mind to bring them back. My ear twitched slightly, and my lips pulled into a small smile. You know what? I did remember something…. “What’s the smile fer, Darlin’?”

“I don’t remember a lot of it, but there is something I do remember.” I told him and he blinked in return, my smile grew more. Perhaps it was stupid but the fact that I could remember anything that hadn’t been told to me by anypony in this fucked up WasteLand felt like a treat!

“I remember my last name… Trake.”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up

Chapter 7- DireWolves!

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Chapter 7

DireWolves!

“You’re telling me that wasn’t the worst of it?! What in Celestia’s name could be worse than this?!!”

.:+:.

The Split off the FillyDelphia highway.

After five good days of walking along the Highway, fighting off raiders we came across, and holding up at night- up high and out of the way of DireWolves, we had finally reached the point along the Highway that split off into four different directions, one- the way we had come, toward Manehatten. Two, straight ahead toward the east- the split Whiskey had told me about. Three, to the left that headed up past New Appaloosa and all the way up toward CanterLot. And four, to the right and straight into Filly’.

We would be going straight, the best shot (according to Whiskey) to get the closest to Arabino without getting killed. As the days had gone by and we had grown closer and closer to this point, raiders hadn’t been very common along the Highway, however the presence of DireWolves had grown more frequent. Every night the sounds of their howls and snarls woke me from a very disturbed sleep, I could only remember the searing pain in my head when they had all howled in unison- when I was fairly certain my head was going to split apart at the horrible noise.

One night as Whiskey and I lay out upon the top of a downed Sky-Carriage (RoseLuck’s Special Delivery Flowers!) and chowed down on some two-century old carrot cakes, I asked him about such an instance as the sound of the creatures howls rose up into the night, seemingly all around the base of the old Highway.

“I felt like my head was gonna burst.” I said softly in between a mouthful of the crusty cake- that was surprisingly really good. “So why are these howls… normal?” I asked and Whiskey sighed.

“What ya heard must o’ been the Death Howls.” He mumbled, “It’s a mechanism that suppos’ ta hinder fleeing prey, they don’ sound like tha’ all the time though. They do howl normal like.” Death Howls huh? Why did everything in the WasteLand have to revolve around Death, Pain and Decay?

Fortunately enough, I hadn’t been hit with a ‘Black-Out’ session from my short-circuiting brain since the ‘Scarlet’ vision I had been through the first time. I had wisely refrained from thinking too much into things I didn’t have a clue about, and the plan had worked so far.

Whiskey didn’t even pause as we reached the four way convergence, which was clustered with a multitude of crashed wagons and carriages, littered to the brim with blackened skeletal remains of so many ponies I couldn’t even begin to guess how many there were. I carefully stepped around the rubble and bones, only casting small flicking glances at them as I continued to follow Whiskey forward- the copper buck seemingly unaware of anything around him, but the path ahead. The tip of my hoof bumped against the skull of a pony that had spilled from a wagon and I froze, feeling a sinking feeling inside at the unwanted contact. Perhaps it was squeamish of me, but I unfolded my wings and kicked off gently, the air from my wing-pumps sending up dust and shifting the bones slightly as I floated over them.

I cast a look up at the gray sky, knowing it was growing darker with the tell-tale sign that night was starting to fall. We would need to stop and find a place to stop for the night, I thought about telling this to my companion, but I stopped myself, knowing it was useless- because quite frankly, he was better at this whole survival in the Wastes thing than I was.

I flipped the radio on my PipBuck on a moment, careful to keep the volume low, but loud enough I could hear it as I floated over the piles of rubble, wagons, assorted clothes and luggage, and of course; the bones.

“…… And there’s Sapphire Shores with her glorious song, ‘Queen Bee’! Now on to some news, as ever; Red-Eye’s Slavers are still growing out in Fillydelphia, there are increased reports of Slavers moving out north and east, taking any ponies they see fit for use as Slaves. To anypony who doesn’t want to spend the rest of their lives in chains, I’d steer clear. The Slayer’s seemed to have taken one last good stand at securing PonyVille- and unfortunately have been pushed back toward the edge of WhiteTail Wood. Details on this failed siege are still fuzzy, good Old DJ still isn’t sure if they were defeated by the efforts of the Raiders, or if they were taken out by a band of the Pures who’ve strayed too far from the Solitian.” Yet another report on the Slayers, and this time there was something concerning the Pures too. “That former seems more likely, but out here in the WasteLand, one can never be too sure. So as a safety precaution, folks better steer clear from PonyVille a little more than usual. Let’s give the Slayers a little room to continue what they’re doing, hopefully they’ll have the situation under control soon. Hooves crossed!”

The unexpected snort of disgust and contempt from Whiskey snapped my head up toward him, completely caught off-guard by the sound. “Those damn idiots ain’t got no chance ta takin’ back PonyVille.” He muttered under his breath without looking back at more, or even seemingly aware of my presence as he spit at the story he had heard channel from the speaker on my PipBuck. “Nah unless Merger’s got some unholy amoun’ o’ dynamite he can drop on the place. An’ even then ya need some wings ta do it, a whole-ton o’ wings!” He spit the words out as if they held a bad taste in his mouth, his tone low and exceptionally unhappy and angry…. Wow, so much hatred in all of that…. Damn, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Whiskey speak like that about anything other than the Enclave! “Not even that good fer nothing little…. Emotionless….. freakin.... little…….. mare got that…. Strength….” He started grumbling under his breath so much I couldn’t make out what was being said.

“Good to see you’re giving them the benefit of the doubt.” I said dryly, letting the last few words of DJPON3 fade into the background. “At least they’re trying to do something about the raiders.” I sniffed, “No more than you at any rate.”

“Oh don’ go givin’ me that load of Brahmin-shit!” Whiskey snapped back suddenly, his voice cold and surprisingly angry, I hadn’t been expecting that much a rebuke.

“They’re taking out the ponies who kill other ponies!” I snapped back, feeling my own anger rise. “They’re doing something good, they’re trying to get rid of a problem and they sure as hell deserve more respect than you give them! They’re doing it for free!!” Thinking on it now, this was sort of a 180 flip from when I had admonished the doings of Mercenaries. I had said I didn’t like them, and even now that remained true. I didn’t like Mercenaries, and that may be because Whiskey was the only one I had met and he was still at Level 10 Hatred status for me. But even then I couldn’t ignore what the Slayers were doing, they were trying to rid the WasteLand of what I had been told was a huge center for Raider activity. Doing so would tremendously help the situation here, and possibly save the lives of hundreds of ponies who may become victims, or who were already victims. They were doing something, and in my eyes- Whiskey wasn’t doing anything.

Whiskey had skill, I had already seen that, and sure; he had been taking care of the Raiders around BaleFire. But was that really enough? No, it wasn’t. And here he was, wasting all his time and skill on traveling to an old, out of the way town for his own purposes. In this, I was a strong believer. Whiskey could be doing so much better…… and then the thought struck me.

Couldn’t I be doing something better? To try and make this world better? Wasn’t I being hypocritical?

I really was, because a very large part of me had only agreed to come along with him, for my own gain. Because I wanted to know why I had been in Arabino, I wanted to know who I really was, I wanted to learn all I could from Whiskey about the Wastes, and I wanted the Sonic Emitter back. I was doing this because of the things I wanted….. not because I was trying to help anypony. But it was like I could go back on the deal now, I had to see this through.

I……. I really was a hypocrite, and for a small moment I felt a little bad for snapping at him, that feeling didn’t last long though.

“For free?” Whiskey said suddenly, coming to an abrupt halt as the clopping of his hooves upon the asphalt ceased. I hovered stationary in the air just behind him, hooves crossed over my chest at the tone of disbelief in his voice.

And then he started laughing, laughing. Laughing so hard that he was having a hard time standing up, apparently finding some hidden joke in what I said that I wasn’t able to understand. “What the hell is so funny?!” I snapped,

“Ya honestly… believe tha’ the Slayers… ‘re trying ta take PonyVille… fer FREE?! HAHA!!!!” He gasped the words out as best he could before hitting the road, and falling half-way on a pile of old clothes, unable to support himself any longer in the fit of his laughter, he almost sounded…… crazy. My hooves fell from crossing my chest, only to hang limply under me as I stared, dumbfounded at the hysterical buck on the road. I found myself wondering about his sanity just then, because he was literally probably the only pony that could confuse me this much. “Ah just…. Haha…… how coul’ ya…… oh, haha!!!!” He gasped, tears filling his teal eyes. My ears pinned back against my head, becoming irritated with the development. What the hell was so funny anyway?! What was it about what I said that had made him like this?!

“WHAT’S THE JOKE?!?!?!?!?” I demanded, my voice ringing out around the highway, biting at the cooling air. He only continued to laugh, not concerned with my rising anger.

‘You know Flashy, I’m starting to think this pony is really crazy!’ The Little Me popped in suddenly, making me falter a little in surprise- but I agreed with what she said, still, I quickly slammed my hooves down on her head and told her to shut her trap, I was too busy being angry at Whiskey to find the time to listen to her comments for very long.

“WHISKEY!!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, “TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?!?!?!”

“The… the idea tha’… tha’ the Slayers ‘re… workin’ fer free!” He gasped out, holding his stomach and lying on his back, he cracked a tear-filled eye open to look at me hovering above him. “.. Ah mean, there is absolutely…. No damn way that’s even ah… possibility..!!” He wiped the tears from his eyes, finally able to quiet his laughter a little. “Look Darlin’, the Slayers don’ do nothin’ fer free! Suggestin’ such a thang, it’s jus’ too damn ridiculous!” He broke out laughing again and I scowled, still not amused. I didn’t think it even remotely funny- the notion that the Slayers would be trying to take PonyVille back for free. Couldn’t any damn pony out here do something just out of the goodness of their hearts?! Was that too much to ask for!?!?!!?

“GRAHHHHH!!!!!!!!” I yelled my frustration out into the cool air, a billow of steam blew out around my mouth as the temperature dropped even lower. I threw my muzzle up toward the deep dark sky and pulled at my mane with my hooves. I hate this! I hate him!!! In what world would that even be funny?! In what world would nopony try and take out blood-thirsty raiders, just because they could?!

You know what world!!??? THIS ONE!!!!! AND I HATE THAT!!!!

I yelled some more, yelling made me feel better and Whiskey didn’t seem to care, he was still trying to stop his hysterical laughter.

AAAAAAARRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

My enraged yelling ceased the same moment Whiskey’s laughter died on his lips. Both our heads snapped left and right, because that was the sound both us knew the moment it sounded- and I suddenly wished I hadn’t been yelling so much, and instead paid attention to the fact that night had most definitely fallen, and we were out in the open. And now, I most definitely knew that we were in trouble.

How stupid do I have to be? Stupid enough to yell at the top of my lungs, so close to night, and inside DireWolf territory- all until we were surrounded? My E.F.S. lit up with red, and I felt a sense of dread creep up inside me, the vision of flashing teeth and glowing green claws raced across my vision.

“Shit.” Whiskey muttered, immediately on his hooves and kicking to reload his Assault Rifles, pulling his bandana over his muzzle and tipping his hat over his eyes. I shouldered my shotgun off my back and glanced out into the dark warily, letting my vision adjust as best it could to the gloom.

“You said DireWolves don’t come up on the Highway, right?” I asked with a look at my companion, who had nimbly jumped on top of a carriage near the edge of the raised road.

“Nope.” He replied, I breathed a small sigh of relief. “Bu’, now they know where we are. An’ ya can bet yer ass they’ll make their way up ‘ere.” Well SHIT!

“… Way to kill my hopes…” I grumbled.

“Ah’m jus’ being truthful.” He replied instantly, and I shook my head. Yeah yeah… Honesty’s a Virtue and all, right? Whatever…

“Maybe we should move?” I suggested, and Whiskey nodded slightly.

“Probably a goo’ idea.” He agreed, taking off in the direction of Arabino- you know, deeper in DireWolf infested territory!!!

‘It’s confirmed, he is crazy.’ The Little Me said in a bored tone, tracing her hoof around the edge of a wine glass filled with some light brown drink- wait, where’d she even get that? And what the hell was it?!

ARRROOOOOOOO!!!

OK! No time to think about that, more flying less thinking! We all know where thinking got me last time- that’s right, in a serious Black-Out Episode! But let’s look on the bright side; even though we were going deeper into DireWolf No-Pony land, at least they were using their Death Howls quite yet! If they were, well…. We’d be even more fucked than we were right now!

Whiskey kept up the pace as he continued to race in and out of the wagons and what-not, where he couldn’t slip past on the road, he jumped over or slid under with acrobat skill that I had seen only two times up until now- seriously, how could anypony move like that with so much stuff on their back? I doubted I would ever know. But even so, I stayed just above him, careful not to go too far as he maneuvered every which way where I only needed to fly straight. I winced each time his hooves hit the asphalt, the noise seemed unnaturally loud out here with the danger at hoof. I seriously wanted to pick him up and fly with him- if only to get rid of the noise. The red blips on my E.F.S. did not go away as we continued to run, and I was painfully aware of the sound of heavy claws tearing out at the concrete supports holding the highway up. I could only imagine what they were doing with those claws of theirs- and speaking of claws, I could see the radioactive green glow of those very claws lighting up the darkness for miles! Oh we were soooooooo screwed!!

“What’s the plan?” I asked once the highway opened up and there weren’t as many carriages for the buck below me to try and dodge. “Just keep running? I really don’t think that’s gonna keep us alive for long,” I cast a quick glance sideways. “Not with how many of them there are…”

“Runnin’s the only thang we got righ’ now.” Whiskey huffed out dryly. “Maybe with a few goo’ shots o’ my Sniper, Ah can take outa few. Yer shotgun isn’t really much help, hides too thick and… no, we can’t keep runnin’ forever.” He relented,

“Sooo…. What’s our best bet?” I asked, not quite sure if I really wanted an answer.

“Our best be’, that’ll be ta hold ou’ till mornin’.” Whiskey panted and I sighed, yeah… the morning that was hours away. We couldn’t keep running for the entirety of that time either. “Bu’, even then there ain’t no guarantee they’ll stop chasin’ us when mornin’ comes.” He added in as an afterthought, an afterthought that didn’t help to lighten my mood.

“Well great.” I muttered, what could make this any worse?

Ahead of us, a whole section of the highway suddenly crumbled and fell toward the ground in an array of snarls and hell-bent howls, as the sound of radioactive claws sliced through concrete supports underneath us rose up in the night air. The highway swayed and shook with a great moan, Whiskey tried to skid to a stop before he went over the edge of the now destroyed highway.

Oh sweet Goddesses, you just loved to prove me wrong, now didn’t you?

I dove forward and grasped the back of his trench coat in my teeth, pumping my wings furiously to drag us back away from the edge as Whiskey dangled over it. I looked down, and saw the swarming pack of DireWolves clawing at the destroyed pile of rubble to reach us, their claws clashing with the darkness, their breath billowing out in front of them in the sudden cold of the night. I beat my wings harder, feeling our momentum shift back to the highway- I managed to pull Whiskey back just in time to save him from getting impaled by a tail from one of the closer DireWolves that had managed to jump up toward us.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Whiskey’s Battle-Saddle blared to life as he fired the shots into the face of the offending DireWolf, the massive creature fell back down the mountain of road with a howl, only to be replaced by the next approaching beasts. I let go of Whiskey’s coat and pumped up to hover again, earning a very small hurried ‘thanks’ from the copper buck as he jumped backward to put distance between himself and the edge of the ruined highway. So now what was the plan? The DireWolves had a great way up onto the highway now that they had collapsed a part of it, the only option was to run back the way we had come- Whiskey thought as much too. “Look alive Darlin’!” He called up to me and charged off back the way we had come, just as the first three DireWolves made it over the edge and onto the Highway.

I pushed through the cold air in a burst of speed and flipped so my back faced the ground and leveled my Shotgun between my hooves, kicking up S.A.T.S. and taking aim. Two shots into the face of the first DireWolf after us, and both hit. Black blood welled up from the tears across the creature's face, and the eyes blazed a furious yellow but it kept coming- OK! My shotgun shots were not enough to kill the damn thing even if I shot it in the face, great to know!

I flapped my left wings and rolled over to fly on normally, having come level with the still galloping form of Whiskey below me. “Ah told ya yer shotgun weren’t gonna do shit, didn’t Ah?” He called up and I scowled.

“Oh shut up! I had to try!” I snapped, “It’s not like you can shoot and run all at once now can ya?!” I challenged and was promptly proven very wrong. With a quick click, the rifles on Whiskey’s Battle-Saddle flipped around to face the DireWolves on our tail and he bit down on the trigger to open fire.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Fine, Whiskey could shoot while he was running, and OK…. Maybe his aim wasn’t horrible while doing so, he did manage to shoot the legs from one of the creatures out from under it. He even clipped another one, but it only made it madder. I looked back ahead, feeling rather useless at the moment. The cold air ran under my wings and made me shiver, and I blinked. When did it get so cold anyway? And then the Highway collapsed in front of us again, yes AGAIN. And this time it collapsed right under us, and I saw Whiskey start to fall- right into the horde of DireWolves waiting for him with open jaws. His hooves struggled for hold on the crumbling asphalt and concrete under him as he desperately tried to jump from one slab to one higher up- and he would have made it too, if two stronger-than-steel tails didn’t ram right through the slab and destroy it.

I angled down and fell through the cold air at an unreal rate, moving through the falling rubble with ease, hooves stretched out toward Whiskey, my fur tingled, especially around my hooves but I didn’t think on it. I wrapped my hooves around his torso and pumped down, hard.

Well shit! I was right, he was carrying so much he weighed a TON! My wings ached with the effort of pulling him up, and I beat them faster, harder, putting all my effort forward to get us back up- the cold air wasn’t helping that either, it was much easier to fly in warm air than cold.

TICK! TICK! TICK! TICK!!

The radiation meter on my PipBuck raged at me and for a split moment we were tugged down but immediately let go, I hissed as razor sharp claws grazed my back leg, easily drawing blood but fortunately doing no more than one cut as I made it into the air with Whiskey in my hooves, leaving the leaping DireWolf that grazed me to fall back onto the pile of rubble. I let out a huff at the effort of keeping us both aloft, feeling panic and adrenaline pump through my body slowly, making it just a little easier to hold him.

Maybe I overjudged my ability to carry him, he was really heavy!

Whiskey’s torn and tattered black cowpony hat fell from his head, floating down toward the mountain of destroyed highway in the cold night air.
The feel of my blood dripping down my leg and into the air made a shiver run down my spine, I spared a glance down at Whiskey, noticing he hadn’t said anything since I picked him up.

My eyes went wide, because even in the dark I could see the glistening scarlet liquid welling up under the copper bucks barding, right over his flank where his ribs were and he bit down on his tongue to keep himself silent. That blood fell into the air in a constant drip, earning feverish howls and barks from the DireWolves below as they scented it, and even licked it up off the rubble pile where the drops fell. I quickly realized what that jerk had been, the DireWolf that had scratched me must have dug his claws into Whiskey before I got us out of reach.

“Whiskey!” I gasped, feeling the warm, thick substance wash over my hooves as I continued to hold on to him. He didn’t take the time to answer me, but I figured he was in too much pain to even hear me. I frowned, ears pressing against my head- I was too slow, I was too weak. I hadn’t been strong enough nor fast enough to get us into the air in time to avoid that happening. I pumped my wings some more to get us a bit higher, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, the Goddesses would take pity on me and prevent the DireWolves from letting forth that orchestra of howls that had made it so impossible to fly back in Arabino. It was hard enough holding on to the weight of Whiskey and keeping us up, I wouldn’t have chance to keep us here if the Death Howls started.

Celestia? Luna? Wanna give me a break? Pretty please?

I felt Whiskey shift under my hold and looked down to see him twist (painfully I might add) and grab something in his teeth from one of his saddle bags. He looked so different without his hat on…. Not the thing to think about right now!

His head dropped from his bag and I caught a glimpse of silver, I narrowed my eyes. “What in the hell are you-?” I asked, but then he dropped whatever he had been holding and spit something else out to the side- I perceived the glitter of a pin in the air before it was lost to my sight.

“Better….. Tch….. fly, Darlin’.” Whiskey croaked, and I faltered, my eyes straining to follow the silver object he had let drop just below us, it looked like….. an apple? But why would he throw an apple at the DireWolves? I didn’t get the feeling they were vegetarian.

“What was that?” I asked, “Did you just throw an apple at them?”

My Earth Pony companion’s body convulsed in my hold, and I heard a painful retch as his mouth parted to let loose a flurry of blood into the air, my heart dropped into my stomach at the sight. “Fly… Damn it!” He ordered in a low voice and this time I didn’t hesitate, but took off with him through the air at a rate I wouldn’t have thought possible for carrying him and all the weight that came with him.

Several of the DireWolves took off in our direction once they saw that we were moving, several unintelligible yet highly intelligent snarls and barks were thrown out- and I was hit with the feeling that they were talking to each other again. “Weren’t no apple…” Whiskey hissed, “It’s a Metal Apple… Tch… a High-powered Shrapnel Grenade…. That Ah built myself…” His head dropped a little, “….Migh’ slow ‘um down…” Great! “….or make ‘um angry…” Damn you stupid, honest Whiskey.

BA-BOOM! TIC TIC TIC TIC TIC!!!

Whiskey’s ‘Shrapnel Apple’ went off with a loud boom, accompanied by the sound of metal pieces hitting the concrete and asphalt of the mountain of rubble at high speeds. The pained howls of hit DireWolves rung on the night air, I didn’t take the chance to glance backward at what happened, but I figured that it hurt if you got hit- not only by the explosion but by the shrapnel as well. Ingenious, I’ll admit- but probably better suited for fighting unarmored ponies, not thick-hided DireWolves.

AAAARRRRWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

And now’s the point where Luna and Celestia say fuck you! Damn it.

My head seared with pain, my vision swam, my ears rung, I felt tears way too thick to simply be salty-liquid drip from my eyes, my stomach flipped- Woo! Here’s to feeling off-balanced again! To feeling like my heads gonna split in two! Don’t I just love this? Who doesn’t love that beautiful concert of those lovely DireWolf howls, the orchestra of gorgeous vocals that were simply to die for?

‘Love the use of words, Flashy!’ The Little Me grinned and took a swig of that same light brown drink she had had before. She waved a wing at me, ‘But maybe less talk and more fly?’ She suggested, a good suggestion, if I was able to pull it off.

Whiskey and I dropped a few feet in the air, before I struggled to regain control of my wings. Whiskey wasn’t squirming as much as I thought he would at the noise, I wondered why he was so still………. The feeling of unexpected fear flashed through me, thinking he might be dead. Had he really lost that much blood? I’ll admit, my legs were drenched with the liquid…… Oh shit!

‘You’ve got your name for a reason.’ The Little Me continued as I dropped another few feet, getting increasingly close to the DireWolves that had jumped the gap of the Highway to continue after us on higher ground. ‘You’ve got your Cutie Mark for a reason.’ She tapped a hoof to hers, which was identical to mine only…… it looked a little off. ‘Sure you don’t remember it and all, and we don’t want to go thinking about it now- wouldn’t be too fun to black out again, hmm?’ Not at all no, not with Whiskey in my hooves, not with an entire pack of DireWolves below us, not in mid-air…

AAAARRRRRWWWWOOOOO!!!

I dropped another foot, my wings beating madly, my breath billowing out in front of me as I panted with the effort of flying through the noise, my bloody tears staining my face and silver coat.

‘But, you got it in you Flashy. You did it before, you can do it now. Don’t matter if you got big, old, heavy Whiskey in your hooves- you still got the stuff.’ She smirked at me, taking the wine glass of brown in her hooves and leaning back. She held the glass out to me, as if in a toast

‘You’ve still got the speed… the speed of a lightning bolt.’

Then there it was again, the same tingling in my hooves I had felt for only a few moments when I dove to catch Whiskey. It spread up from my hooves, through my coat, into my chest, tingling through my mane and tail and into my wings. It was faint, like a small prickle… it was familiar.

I cast my wings down in a powerful stroke, catching the cold air under my wings and propelling Whiskey and I forward in a sudden, powerful, expertly exerted burst of speed. A similar burst of speed to the one I had been granted as I high-tailed it out of Arabino, a burst of speed that was unnaturally unhindered by the extra weight provided by Whiskey, I figured it was adrenaline making it possible- he really was heavy, had it been anything other than a life threatening situation, I don’t think I could have managed to carry him like this.

Before I knew it, we were soaring through the night swiftly, the chilly air making my eyes water from the wind but I pressed on. The faster I managed to go, the farther I drew away from the pack, and the farther I was from the Death Howls- the less they affected me. I gained a little height, I couldn’t get myself up too high or even go as fast as I had been when leaving Arabino, now then I held on to Whiskey…

Speaking of Whiskey, my hold around him loosened as my hooves slipped on the blood welling from his flank, I wrapped my hooves around his torso more firmly- earning a small grunt of pain at the action from the buck. A small flare of relief washed over me, because at least he was alive. I pumped my wings again to add as much speed as was possible, more speed was more distance- and I needed distance so I could land and look Whiskey over.

I lift my head, pushing my muzzle into the wind and spreading my wings out to glide. For a moment, I smiled slightly. I liked this feeling, no- not the feeling of Whiskey bleeding out in my grasp, but this other feeling- the tingling in my hooves, the speed. I had a lightning bolt for a Cutie Mark, I had speed….. I had the speed of a lightning bolt.

The Little Me smirked a little more and tipped her glass my way, reclining on the stool she sat atop. She tipped her head back, downing her peculiar brown drink in one.

‘There’s a start, Flashy.’

.:+:.

An hour of flying, the sounds of the DireWolves had faded and their red blips on my E.F.S. had gone out long ago.

Down on the ground again, I was glad for it, my wings were aching nearly unbearably from all the flying while carrying Whiskey. I had decided to land and place us in a small pile up of carriages farther down the highway, this part of the road was especially clogged and I figured it would be hard for anything to find us here. So, in between a large carriage spilling ancient and rotted food of some kind, and a highway divider in which a different, smaller wagon was leaning up against, provided our temporary shelter. I carefully set the motionless form of the Mercenary upon the cold asphalt as gently as I could manage, my efforts earned a weak moan from his blood-encrusted lips. Ok, he was unconscious, he was breathing, he was alive….. and sweet goddesses, that was a lot of blood.

His barding and coat were drenched with it, the silver fur of my legs were dyed crimson the same color as my eyes, I hadn’t taken notice of how much blood Whiskey had been losing until now, and the amount I figured he had lost sent a shiver through me. I shook my saddle-bags from my back and pulled the few healing potions I had out, I limped toward him, my hind leg still clawed, and still painful. I struggled to pull his saddle-bags and trench coat off, before barely getting the Battle-Saddle off. Taking his barding off would prove too hard, and it didn’t matter much anyway. I could see where the DireWolve’s claws had struck into his side, leaving a very deep and serious gouge in his body. I felt that several of his ribs had been broken or even sliced, though it looked like his barding had done its job well enough that he was still alive- I just hoped no organs had been hit. (Vain hope, he hadn’t coughed up blood for no reason at all earlier) I sat down with my hind leg stretched out awkwardly to the side of me when I was done and pulled the healing potions closer. Lifting his head into my hooves I brushed his dark cherry mane from his forehead and began channeling the liquid down his throat.

“Come on…. Come on….” I mumbled, hoping that it would work well enough, I didn’t have anything better than healing potions to offer. I emptied the first and strained my ears to hear the gouge in his flank begin to knit back together, before glancing sideways I saw the flesh start- slowly. With a small sigh and not a second thought, I uncapped a second and gave him that one too. When I was satisfied with the potions handy-work on closing the wound, and upon hearing his shallow breathing deepen and relax, I allowed my heart to go down and closed my eyes, still holding his head in my hooves. After a while a pulled out a syringe full of Rad-Away and gave him that before relaxing completely.

For however odd this seemed of me, to be so worked up over the very pony I had labeled as Level 10 Hatred… the idea of his dying had still struck a chord with me, a chord I didn’t quite understand- and I wasn’t sure if I welcomed it or not. I didn’t really like the idea the Whiskey might have died, perhaps maybe a week ago I would have loved the idea but now….. now I was partial to it, and I didn’t know what to think about that.

We hadn’t really talked much in the last five days, I had attempted small conversation and tried to get a few things out of him- but never with any real success, he was still a closed book, and he was still a bit of a prick…. But things between us had settled down, at least enough that I could get through a few hours without wanting to punch him in that stoic freaking face of his. I opened my eyes to look down at him, slowly tracing the peculiar circle marking over his left eye for a moment- I wondered why it was there, if it was natural or if he had painted it….. I shook my head and set him down gently, folding his trench coat I placed it under his head as a pillow and stood alone in the dim, ready to wait until he woke up. It was sort of my turn after all, he had waited for me to come to when I blacked out a few days prior...

Then, Celestia forbid I caught a break here!

A red blip popped up on my E.F.S. and I bristled, whipping around on three hooves to see where it was, the hind-leg that the DireWolf had scratched was throbbing painfully, and I couldn’t seem to put any weight on it. The sound of claws scraping against the asphalt tipped me off as to what that red blip was, and I growled under my breath. All that damn flying, all that fucking effort…. I thought I had left the last of the DireWolves behind, but I was wrong. You know, I really hate being wrong!

The enormous figure of a DireWolf prowled from around the other side of the food wagon slowly, its glossy dark brown coat speckled with deep green scales faintly and adorned by jet black stripes prowled toward us, its coat was littered with scars- scars that must have been there for a very long time, its claws glowed the same as they all did- only this one, this one didn’t have the yellow eyes as all the rest did. This one had deep, gorgeous even, dark green eyes flecked with lighter green. Its two tails were held still behind it, ears flat against its head, jaws parted slowly and eyes locked directly onto Whiskey. I jumped in front of the copper buck, to my own surprise. I planted myself between him and perhaps what was becoming one of my worst enemies in the Wasteland. This was absurd, I could easily fly away, I could easily leave him here and save myself- yet this thought didn’t even occur to me.

I’m too much of a nice pony for my own good.

What was even more absurd, I didn’t go for any weapon. This was the second thought that didn’t cross my mind, and instead I just waited as the DireWolf lift its huge, heavy paw- getting ready to strike down on me. I closed my eyes, tense, expecting to feel the dangerous weapons tear through my body as easily as they cut through the supports of the highway.

You know, I’m convinced that the Goddesses were trying to prove a point here, why else would they have let me get all the way out here, and then say ‘Gotcha! Here’s another DireWolf, all ready to kill you!’

Then something very light fell on top of my head and fell passed my eyes, I snapped my gaze open immediately, completely astounded to find that… that Whiskey’s cowpony hat had been dropped on my head?!

I lift a hoof and tipped the hat back out of my eyes, just in time to see the DireWolf let it’s huge, heavy paw drop back on to the ground, before sitting down with a loud thump on the road and looking to me with a very calm, very intelligent stare. I could only stare back, my mind working so very slow at what the hell was going on…..? It wasn’t going to kill me? It didn’t seem like that, because suddenly the red blip representing the DireWolf flipped to yellow.

Yellow

It’s head lowered to my level, and tilted, lifting a paw and pointing with one, freakishly sharp, glowing claw toward my hind leg, which was still bleeding slowly.

“Pony hurt?”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New Perk: Strong Back- You’ve had plenty of experience carrying all sorts of heavy things recently! You have now added +50 to your over-all carry weight.

Chapter 8- Unexpected Ally

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Chapter 8

Unexpected Ally

“Once upon a time in the beautiful land of Equestria, somepony blew everything up and now we’re left to live in this fucked up world. The End.”

.:+:.

I think this world is insane.

Insane on a level so high, I had to wonder if I was dreaming- that perhaps I had never actually been in a place called ShieldTune, that I hadn’t been almost killed by giant dogs that could talk, that I hadn’t met a buck named Whiskey Shot who could take my head off my shoulders no problem…. That I wasn’t sitting in front of one of those dogs that had tried to kill me, and that it actually talked to me.

Was I asleep? Or was I the one going insane? I hoped it was the former, but I suspected that instead it was the latter. Because the pain I had felt, now that was definitely real. The ache in my wings and hooves from flying so fast and carrying Whiskey was real, and the dried scarlet stains of Whiskey’s blood on my hooves was real too. So, that could only mean that the DireWolf sitting in front of me was real. This world was real….. and perhaps it was making me start to go insane, that made some sense in my mind. You know, my possibly fucked up mind. Wait, scratch that- my seriously fucked up mind. Let’s face it, I had a pony in my head who thought organs and intestines made great party decorations.

‘Dogs can’t talk,’ the Little Me mumbled, but she smiled despite herself. I had the feeling she didn’t believe what she said, and it would seem this unexpected turn of events only amused her. ‘But perhaps mutated snake-dogs can, hmm?’ She chuckled and I shook my head mentally.

The blip on my E.F.S. remained yellow as I looked toward the huge DireWolf before me, eyes narrowed and Whiskey’s hat resting on my head. Neither of us moved, we didn’t even hardly seem to breathe as we just looked at each other, my red gaze locked with its abnormal green one. Thinking on it now, this was the first DireWolf I had gotten the chance to get a good long look at. From the small glances and looks I had managed of all the other ones, this one looked extremely odd to me. Most of the DireWolves seemed to have fur of either a gray, dusty brown, or mixed color of the two- and all of them had yellow eyes. All of them despite this one, green eyes, and dark, (very dark!) brown fur with dark brown and green scales to match.

What was so different about this one? Was the odd fur color and eyes a part in why I wasn’t getting ripped to shreds now? A reason this one had said something to me, in actual Equestrian Language? Not just throaty growls, barks and snarls? How the hell did it know Equestrian anyway?

It took me a long time to register what it had said and not just that it had talked to me, and I narrowed my eyes a little more. Did it really just ask me if I was hurt? Seriously? I mean come on, it was you and your buddies who just tried to kill me and almost killed Whiskey! You idiots collapsed an entire section of the Highway!

‘Word of advice, Flashy.’ The Little Me intoned quickly, ‘I would not go yelling that at the nice big snake-dog, ok?’ Shut up, I’m not that dumb!

“Yes…” I answered cautiously, hopping back a small step and trying to be as sneaky about it as I could manage, the flick of the DireWolve’s ear told me he had seen the subtle movement, but it didn’t look like it wanted to come after me. “I… am hurt……” I shuffled a little more in front of Whiskey, “… And we don’t want any trouble…..” AND…… now I was talking to a radioactive, giant WasteLand Monster, yeah… I’m probably going insane.

To my utter surprise, the DireWolf nodded- like actually nodded. “No trouble for ponies.” It answered in imperfect Equestrian, it’s voice a low, deep rumble that shook the cool air. “Zero wishes to help ponies.” It continued, before shuffling down on to its stomach and wrapping one tail around its body on either side of it, the action made me tense and I pressed my ears against my head. I leaned back, eyeing the long teeth and the glowing claws with cold tenseness, and quirked an eyebrow.

So….. Zero, wanted to help… us….? What…?!

“You… want to help us….?” I mumbled lowly, my fur was on end just looking at the thing, and the suggestion didn’t really help….. the fact that the blip on my E.F.S. was still yellow sort of put my nerves a little at ease… I guess.

Another nod of that great head, another reminder I was talking to a radiation snake-dog. “Yes.” I blinked, and… Zero, seemed to take that as a sign I was confused- which I surely was. “Zero is not part of Ore’s pack. Zero is a friend to ponies……” a blink of his (I’m guessing it was a male) green gaze and a deep, wispy sigh from deep in his chest. “Pony do not think Zero is a friend.” No shit? And by the way, who the hell was Ore? Another DireWolf I guessed, and from what I was hearing I guessed it was probably the pack of DireWolves we had only just escaped.

“….. I have... trust issues, with your kind.” I replied, feeling a dull ache around my shoulders and the back of my neck where I had been chewed and sliced back in Arabino. “… In light of recent, and past events.”

“Zero remembers Golden-mane from Arabino.” Zero said suddenly, did he just call me golden-mane? “Zero knows why Golden-mane does not trust us. Zero wishes to show Golden-mane that Zero can be trusted.” Zero pushed his muzzle forward toward me and I lift a hoof, quite ready to strike out at him. The DireWolves green eyes flashed with light at the small action from myself, but he didn’t stop nor did he show any sign of hostility.

“Golden-mane has tasted our Venom before, Golden-mane is resistant to it.” Ok…. I didn’t die the first time, but that didn’t mean I was resistant to it, now did it? “Zero is friend, his venom may heal Golden-mane now. Let Zero help.” I took a step back and landed on my still bleeding leg, it promptly buckled under me and I hissed.

Now what Zero said only struck me as completely insane, because from what I gathered- the DireWolf wanted to bite me, pump me full of that fatal venom that had nearly killed me about a week earlier, and he expected it to help me? What kind of fucked up logic was that? It wasn’t like I was dying here now anyway! All I had was a mild case of radiation poisoning, and I’ll admit a relatively deep, cut down my hind leg- hardly worth the risk of being killed by DireWolf poison, again. Zero must think I’m crazy!

“Golden-mane’s wound is slight.” Zero went on, seemingly able to guess what I was thinking, is telepathy a power these things have? I don’t remember that in Whiskey’s ‘Wasteland Lesson’. “But Zero offers more than healing. Zero offers strength, Zero offers benefit to pony. A pony given our Venom freely, one who survived before, gains much more.”

“And what would these… ‘gains’ be?” I asked slowly, oh goddesses why was I even asking?

“Pony would become resistant to radiation.” Zero said patiently. “Pony would heal faster. Pony would be stronger.” He crossed his front paws over the other, I heard the scrape of his claws against the road. “Pony would be a night creature. Pony would be better.” I narrowed my eyes at this,

“And how would you know, that all this would happen?” I asked.

“Zero has seen this before. Golden-mane not only pony to survive our bite.” Zero tilted his head my way, I let my rump hit the road as I simply looked to him in silence. How odd things had gotten in the last few minutes, how very odd it was that any creature- especially a DireWolf would be, to come to me and say such things. What was the point of this, what would Zero be doing this for? What was the purpose, the point? I didn’t see one, and I had to think that this was the same sort of things I asked myself when Whiskey offered to pay my debt to Vera.

Now there were two beings in the WasteLand trying to offer me help, and I had gotten the idea that not many creatures in this hell-hole had that mindset. I think most ponies and whatever would prefer to kill you, instead of help you. Helping you would be on the bottom of the list… so what force could be in place that would send both Whiskey and even Zero to me- offering reward? Offering help? And for seemingly no personal gain to themselves? I couldn’t be that lucky, and surely nothing in the WasteLand could like me so much they would do things for me for free. It didn’t make sense…. And yet it was happening. Why me?

“How would you…. Give me these benefits?” I asked cautiously. Zero opened his jaws and I got the message, bite me like I thought.

“Pony would be bitten. Pony would be put into a sleep.” Sleep?

“For how long?” I asked lowly, “Surely you don’t expect me to leave you alone with Whiskey like this?” I growled, waving a hoof at the still unconscious Mercenary behind me, I was very impartial to the idea. I didn’t know I could trust this thing, and I really didn’t want to take the chance of ‘falling asleep’ while Whiskey was out too.

“Hour. Two maybe.” Was the honest reply, “Golden-mane decides. Zero will wait, Zero will stay still.” His great head lowered on to his paws and his eyes closed, “Ponies no prey to Zero.” I sat still, faintly aware of the flashing of my PipBuck as it told me several different things- some of which I assumed were radiation poisoning, I was basking in the glow of those green claws, and I figured something else was concerning my leg too. I passed my gaze over the massive creature before me, feeling as if this position was one of… submission to myself. I don’t know why that thought occurred to me.

I thought to Whiskey, to how much blood he had lost. I wondered how long he would be out, and I guessed it was a long time before he would be up and ready to go. What would he do if he woke up and saw Zero? I guessed it would be something along the lines of dashing for a gun and opening fire. And what would Zero do if he bit me? If I let him? He could kill me in the instant I let him do so, and then Whiskey was easy food. This would be a huge risk, and I knew it so very well.

But…. Some small part of me sort of knew…. Just knew, that Zero wasn’t really here to hurt me or Whiskey. It was an instinctive feeling, and damn did my instincts get the better of me most of the time.

And shiiiiiiiiiit, I was actually considering this- this stupid, mad, insane idea. I’m more convinced of my own insanity now,

“Do it.” I said suddenly, the words nearly coming out of my lips on their own accord, and Zero looked to me, green eyes twinkling. Did I really just say that…?! His head lift from his paws, “But I want your word, that you will not harm Whiskey. And that if any of your kind show up, you’ll do whatever it takes to keep us secret, hidden, and alive.” I pushed a hoof forward toward the DireWolf so we could shake on it, but then I immediately knew how stupid of an idea that was.

Hell, this was a stupid idea- but despite myself, for whatever reason- I didn't seem to care.

I really am insane… and now I can’t seem to stop myself.. shiiiiit….

One of Zero’s tails rose and wrapped around my hoof, shaking it gently as he nodded to me. I blinked in shock at the action, finding it very civilized for a creature I had known to shred ponies apart. “Zero promise. Ponies will be safe.” He drew his tail away and I nodded myself, before he stretched his muzzle forward and opened his jaws, placing my outstretched leg in between his parted teeth- those seriously long and dangerous teeth, I could see glowing green and purple from somewhere deep inside his throat, just before his teeth sunk into my skin slowly and gently.

I bit my tongue to keep quiet, and was immediately hit with the fiery pain that was oh-so familiar to me, that fiery sting traveled from my arm to my core and I hit the concrete face first.

WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!

‘This should be interesting, eh Flashy?’ The Little Me grinned as she stood before me, looking down at me on the road. ‘I got to give you credit, this is crazy. But what fun is the world without crazy people like us?’

It’s official, I am truly and utterly, insane.

.:+:.

A multitude of dark grey clouds surrounded me on all sides, my hooves tingled at the contact of the electrified mass under me. I wanted to jump back, standing on a lightning filled cloud was crazy! But like usual, I couldn’t actually move, and in fact I didn’t seem concerned with my footing in the slightest, my eyes were scanning the clouds slowly and calmly. I wondered if I was waiting for somepony.

“Where’s the rainclouds?” I felt my lips move and my voice ask of myself, I began to move forward among the electrified clouds with ease, winding through a maze of them. I couldn’t see anything but the gray of the clouds, I wondered what the sky was like outside of all this. “We aren’t scheduled for a plain lightning storm today, we need a rainstorm!” I shook my head in frustration.

“Weather Team has gone to absolute shit.” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Where’s the damn Weather Manager? And what the hell are they doing up in Freyr anyway, if not making rainclouds and shipping them out? Geez……… so much for relaxing while on leave. Fuck.”

The scene melted and I felt myself pulled away….

.:+:.

“Ms. Trake!”

My hooves stopped climbing the multitude of stone steps, all cast in the shadow of the large building I was making my way toward. I could feel some sort of durable light fabric against my coat, it covered my entire body and all four legs, I must have been wearing some sort of uniform or something, but I only saw small glimpses of dark grey and black. Like most everything in these damn things I had been seeing, everything was blurred and melted, I couldn’t make the details out, and I sure as hell couldn’t read the sign emblazoned above the entrance to the building ahead of me- but I didn’t get a chance to try, because my head snapped around in a burst of sudden anger and annoyance.

“Damn it! I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I am rather busy and not in the mood to deal with reporters!!” I snapped, “And stop calling me Ms. Trake for Celestia’s sake! I can’t handle it anymore!” My eyes landed on the form of a stout, heavily built, deep red buck with a choppy orange mane and tail- wearing a sharp uniform of brown, looking so very much like some sort of dignified soldier. I faltered slightly, seeing the small smirk playing on his lips. He alone stood out amongst the greys of the world, I felt my anger wane.

“Oh, it’s you.” I sighed, “What did you do that for? Did you want me to snap your head off like that?” The buck shrugged at me with an easy-going sort of smile and took a few steps up the stairs to stand on the step just below me.

“Nope.” He said easily, I heard a sort of country drawl that reminded me of Whiskey. “But I figured I might as well see how annoyed ya were before I told ya why I was here.” He explained and I sighed, “What’s got ya in such a foul mood?” He asked, sounding genuinely interested. Something about this buck struck me as familiar and the feel of my short-circuiting brain rose up.

“Nothing less than the usual.” I replied shortly, “What was it you wanted to tell me?” The buck gave me a disbelieving look, but opened his mouth to start talking, but no sounds escaped his lips and the sense of being pulled backward came again, until I was falling into the black…

.:+:.

Damn it!! Why did it always cut the scene of like that, when I was about to hear something good?

“Look Flash, I’m not saying this is a bad idea.” I was suddenly facing the same pink Earth Pony I had seen before, Scarlet. She looked to me with worried eyes and a very weary expression, her hair looked even messier than usual and I couldn’t help but notice the dark lines of sleeplessness under her eyes. “But I’m not saying it’s a good one either.”

“What would you have me do instead?!” I snapped, I was angry and pacing the room, heat rising off my body in feverish agitation. “I can’t leave her alone, I can’t let her go by herself! She’ll get herself killed if I’m not there! She’s not thinking straight, Scarlet!” I stomped a hoof against the wood floor underneath me. Again I felt that I was in the same sort of uniform I had been when I was talking to the red buck, only this time- one sleeve was rolled up and my leg was wrapped in white bandages.

I wondered who ‘she’ was, but of course this was the same as the rest- a scene where all the details were left out and nothing was explained, gotta love my head right?

“You’re not thinking straight either.” Scarlet replied quietly, my ear flicked in response but I didn’t reply, only continued to pace. “Flash, you only just got back. I know you care about her, I know you wanna keep her safe. I get it. But what about you? You’re aren’t in any condition to go fight again, not this soon. Not after what happened with-”

“That has nothing to do with it!!” I yelled furiously at the pony who I felt was really concerned for me. “I am FINE. I can handle this, what happened isn’t changing anything for me- but it sure as hell will change something for her!” Scarlet looked hurt, she even flinched at the loudness of my voice. The look of pain and sadness in that pink pony’s eyes made me squirm. How could I have yelled at her like that? She was worried about me, and I didn’t seem to care or notice. I wanted to snap my jaws shut, but I wasn’t in control.

“It can change something for you Flash!” Scarlet suddenly snapped and I blinked, she got to her hooves from where she had been sitting before me. “It has changed something for you! You just can’t fucking see it!” She thrust a bracelet adorned hoof at my chest hard. “Take the fucking position Flash! You deserve to be Captain just as much as she does! You’re the one Night wanted to be Captain!!” Captain? Captain of what? And who was Night?

“Take over the team, make things better! You have a chance to stop this war, all you have to do is push past that damn vendetta you have against yourself and take the lead! The rest of the team will follow you just as happily as they’ll follow RD, maybe even more so! You can stop this fucked up shit, you can-!!”

I shoved Scarlet away from me roughly and she hit the floor with her back, my body felt even hotter, my blood was boiling, I was shaking in anger and I desperately hoped I wasn’t going to do something unforgivable. Please, don’t let me hurt her!

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I spat, voice cold and cutting like a blade. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about! How could you? You’re not a soldier, you’re not a fighter, you’ve never been on the front-lines! No! You stay here, watching as the rest of us die!!” Oh shut up, please I really want you to shut up! I don’t know what we’re fighting about, but this seems uncalled for, this is cruel. I felt that I was crossing the line, I was crossing it a thousand times over and I seriously wanted to knock myself out. Why was I being forced to watch this?

I was panting, my hooves were itching to move, I wanted to hit something, but Celestia forbid I hit Scarlet! That pink Earth Pony looked up at me, and something about my face must have made something dawn on her, and tears welled up in the corners of her pale blue eyes. And I saw in her face, a look of fear, and a look of sadness unlike any I had ever seen. She saw something in me that she never thought she would, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach to think of what it was.

“……. Fine.” She whispered, looking away and rolling over on to her hooves. She stood with her back facing me, head bowed. I saw tears splash against the wood just under her, and my heart clenched at the sight. But the other me, whatever me that was…. She didn’t care when she saw the tears, all she felt was anger. “… I hope life works out for you someday… Flash…….. and I hope…. That one day, you’ll be the pony I know you are…” her voice cracked as a sob escaped her. Why was I seeing this?

“…. And maybe you won’t be…… this….”

Scarlet melted to gray, everything faded, and I was falling into darkness again- but I couldn’t get the image of Scarlet’s tears hitting the floor from my mind. Her words rung in my head, and my heart hurt like I never knew it could. What was this? Who was I? Who was Scarlet, and what had we been arguing about? I couldn’t understand all of this, it was too much, and now my head started to hurt.

And then I felt like I wanted to cry, it was absurd. I wanted to cry over the fact I had hurt somepony I didn’t know, I wanted to cry because I felt that I had done something very wrong, and I wanted to cry because……… because I felt like I might be that pony Scarlet didn’t want me to be…… But who was that pony exactly?

I don’t know.

.:+:.

I shivered involuntarily, my body was still tingling, but it wasn’t from pain. Rather, I felt really warm… I felt really good. There was some form of new-found energy coursing through my limbs, I could hear everything around me- the whisper of a slight breeze, the sound of deep breathing, paper floating somewhere above the highway. I didn’t feel the pain of my scratched leg, the fiery burning of where Zero had bit me, nor the ache of my tired wings. I pulled my legs underneath me and pushed myself to my hooves and arched my back in a long, glorious stretch. I fanned my wings out and moved each feather, extended every tendon and smiled at the strength I could feel in every bone, every movement. I breathed in deeply, it didn’t seem possible, but I felt ten-times better than when I had woken up in BaleFire the second time.

Just as the last time I saw these things in my head, the things I had seen while I was out were already fading fast, and I couldn’t call upon what I had experienced if I tried.

I opened my eyes and glanced around, immediately spotting the glossy pelt of Zero as he lay stretched out atop the one of the wagon’s keeping us from sight. The DireWolf wasn’t looking my way, so I cast a look behind me to see if Whiskey was ok- he was where I had left him, asleep. It was becoming lighter outside, which I found odd- Zero said I would only be asleep for an hour or two, it shouldn’t be close to morning yet.

“Pony would be a night creature.” I blinked upon remembering Zero speak the words in his list of ‘benefits’ I would be receiving. It dawned on me that it wasn’t getting lighter outside because it was closer to morning- it was lighter outside because I could suddenly see better in the gloom, I had already had fairly good vision in the dark, but now it was ten-times better. Cool, wonder what else is gonna pop up?

I lift my front leg up to my eyes, finding the place where Zero had bit me was completely closed up without even a scar. My attention turned to my back leg next, and the scratch that had been there was gone too. Perfect. Check off ‘Pony would heal faster’ from the list. Maybe this really wasn’t such an insane idea, I mean- I was still alive, and so was Whiskey. For once nothing had gone wrong and my luck seemed to have held out.

Maybe I can be Lucky...

I paused, because I suddenly saw the very faint dark gray stripes running through my coat across my feathers. They were hardly there, and yet I saw them. They were like to the ones that ran across Zero’s tails, I figured this might be another effect of letting Zero bite me. No big deal.

My eyes landed on Whiskey’s cowpony hat, it must have fallen from my head when I hit the road face-first. I winced slightly at the thought, though I didn’t exactly remember the pain from hitting the asphalt. I picked the hat up in teeth gently and walked over to place it next to him.

“Golden-mane is awake?” I heard Zero rumble, he must have heard my hooves on the road. He was still yellow on my E.F.S., and after waking up to see that Whiskey and I were still very much alive- my inclination toward him grew a bit, so I forced myself to relax.

“Yes.” I replied softly,

“How does Golden-mane feel?”

“Great.” I replied, smiling a little though he couldn’t see it. “.. Thank you, Zero. For keeping your word… and for helping me.” I turned in his direction, he wasn’t facing me. I hadn’t bothered to ask why the creature would want to do this for me before I jumped in hooves first. “… May I ask, why you did this?” The only thing I got in return was a huff, I didn’t know what to make of it. I tilted my head, Ok……?

“…. What are you gonna do now?” I asked this question instead, I assumed he would be gone before morning- DireWolves were night creatures after all.

“Ponies go to Arabino, yes?” Was the reply and I blinked, how did he know?

“Well, yeah...”

“Zero goes toward Den. Zero will go with ponies.” Den? Oh wait… that must be Arabino…. He’ll what now?!

“But… wait, you mean you’re going to come with us?” I asked in surprise, “But, why? And we move in the day you know, last I checked DireWolves only moved at night.”

“Zero is not normal Wolf.” He replied, his tails flicking slowly as they hung over the side of the wagon’s edge. “Zero travels in Day, Zero travels in Night. Either does not matter.” Ok, but that doesn’t explain why..? “Zero goes to Den with Ponies.” Ok…… Why is it that every creature I meet, whether it’s a pony or a DireWolf, never wanted to explain why they did things for me? It was starting to get annoying.

“And what if I don’t want you coming?” I murmured lowly, “I doubt Whiskey’s going to be too pleased to see you when he wakes up. And I doubt he’ll be much happier to have you tag along with us.” This was true, I didn’t have any clue as to how Whiskey was going to react to the DireWolf when he finally woke up, and part of me was a little afraid of what it could be.

“Zero will follow.” Was the short reply. “Golden-mane and friend will not stop Zero. They cannot.” Friend? Whiskey sure as hell isn’t my friend!

“Maybe… but Whiskey can shoot you.” I replied.

“And Zero will take head off pony.” Touché… I shook my head and sighed, letting my flank hit the road as I rubbed a hoof through my mane and rubbed behind an ear, my hoof bumping against those two earrings I had in each one faintly. I was potentially caught in between a sharp-shooting buck and a deadly, razor-sharp clawed and poisonous creature going head to head. I didn’t want to be caught in this shit, maybe I should just let Whiskey have at Zero, or maybe the other way around…. But I didn’t want either of them to die, so I couldn’t let them fight.

Why I didn’t want either of them dead was a mystery even to myself- I just met the both of them, I didn’t even know them.. One of them had tried to kill me, and the other was a freaking Radiation Monster…. So why would I want them both alive? I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind.

“Ok, look- here’s the plan.” I murmured, setting my hoof back down on the road and glancing up at the cloud-curtain. “I think I’d rather avoid a fight between you and Whiskey, but I don’t know what he’ll do if he sees you. So, I’d like you to give us some space, let him wake up and give me time to explain what happened before he gets the chance to meet you. With any luck, I can sweet-talk him into believing that I’m not crazy and you’re not planning to kill us.” I paused, “You’re not planning to kill us, right?” I asked with a small glance toward the DireWolf, who still had his back facing me.

“No.” I smiled slightly, I had no idea if I could really trust that answer, but I decided to hold out for the better. If Zero did plan to turn on me and Whiskey, well I had wings, I had a gun, and Whiskey had all his toys too- we might be able to save our skins if worse came to worst.

“Good, then how does all that sound?” I asked, “Good enough plan?”

Slowly, Zero shifted and got to his paws while standing atop the wagon. His head shifted up toward the sky and I heard him let out a great, long sigh as if he was musing upon the idea. I had clearly underestimated the intelligence of DireWolves, and I had been wrong about the idea that they couldn’t possibly talk. I looked to Zero curiously, while he stood and thought about my plan with a renowned and thoughtful silence that seemed rather peculiar for such a creature.

He turned his neck slightly to look down at me, his green eyes glinting in the darkness and muzzle pulled into a tight line, an expression that was so unreadable I was reminded of Whiskey’s own attitude toward me most of the time.

“Agreed.”

.:+:.

I took to looking through my PipBuck once Zero made his way down the highway silently, his large form passing in and out between the overturned and crashed wagons, carriages and whatnot. I sat atop the very wagon he had previously occupied, and watched as he melted away, my eyes following him through the dim he almost blended right into without losing sight of him for a very long time. When he was finally out of vision from my newly acquired night-sight, I looked away and down at my PipBuck, flipping through the multitude of Audio Files I still hadn’t looked through. I didn’t really feel like listening to them, and yet I had to wait awhile until Whiskey was up- and then the explaining would ensue. With a sigh I settled down onto my stomach and tuned into whatever radio signal would pop up, scrolling through the ones beside good old DJPON3- I doubted he would be up and talking right now anyhoo.

I flipped to the map, and began to roam over the very few markers that were there. A few had popped up beside the six that indicated the ShieldTune Zones, the highway and BaleFire- but I wasn’t really concerned with those. I wanted to see what was along this highway, if there was anything anyway.

“Pillar?” I murmured, catching note of the single marker close to the highway on our way toward Arabino, the only thing my PipBuck caught on to that looked like it was inhabited by ponies, I had to wonder if these ponies were the sane-type, or the shoot-you-and-rape-you-type. And what the hell kind of name was ‘Pillar’ for a town of any sort? Odd… just odd.

With a click of static and the beep of an emergency broadcast, My PipBuck locked on to the relatively weak signal of a broadcast I figured was far off, it being identified as ‘Emergency Beacon: LAR’.

“…. H….He….Hello…? Anypony out there? Well…. Anypony that ain’t a Raider?” I bobbed my head a little, good thing whoever this was clarified- out here it was needed. “…. Well, I’m callin’ fer help…. Any help…. We jus’ got attacked by a band full of… uh… I don’t even know! It all happened so fast, I didn’t get a good look but…. But, so many of us are dead……. I’m hurt a bit, but I’m more worried abou’ another attack… we won’t survive it this time ‘round… so please….. anypony out there who gives a rat’s ass about any old pony out here in this shit-hole… help us…. Please…? We’re hold up in the MOP Clinic just outside of Pillar…… VVGGGT…. VVVGGGT….. Message Repeat-” I turned the broadcast off, ear flicking at the familiar ding…. Of my PipBuck’s Map updated itself, in reaction to the new information.

“Ministry of Peace Roadside Clinic.” I murmured, shaking my mane a little and ruffling my feathers. “Looks like I found our next stop…”

.:+:.

I tilted my head back at the low, drowsy moan that stirred the air after a few hours of simply sitting on top of the carriage and thinking. I knew it was Whiskey waking up, and slowly got to my hooves, stretching out each limb and shaking my wings too. I turned to see him sitting up, holding a hoof to his head and letting slip a small wince, eyes closed and still a moment.

“Welcome back.” I called down with a small smile, his head snapped up and his eyes looked to me in shock. He blinked a few times at me, looking quite dumbfounded. I smiled a little more, “How are you feeling?”

Whiskey picked his hat up from the road and carefully placed it on his head, having paused a few moments as if he was confused it was still in his possession, looking at me for a moment, before turning to inspect his side and where his wounds had been. They weren’t really there anymore, nothing more than a patches of raw and slightly swollen skin, I could tell it was mostly just a bunch of dried blood at this point.

“Fine……… Wha’ in the hell happened?” He muttered, gracing me with another stare, before glancing around in the strengthening light of the new day. “An’ where in the hell are we? This ain’t the Manehatten Highway er the Split…..” His eyes closed and he placed a hoof to the side of his head, “Don’ tell me….. did ya fly us all the way out here? Wherever the hell ‘here’ is?” He muttered and I blinked at the exasperated tone.

“This is the FillyDelphia Highway East.” I said and tapped a hoof slightly, “… about, nearly halfway down it as best I can tell, pretty close to Pillar if that means anything.”

His jaw dropped, literally dropped and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. You know, I kinda liked shocking him- it made my day every time because I felt like I was getting something over on him.

“Carryin’ me?” He asked, I nodded. “How lon’ since I passed out? What damn day is it?”

“Only six hours or so.” I said, “It’s the morning of the next day.” I murmured and he just stared. I waved a hoof at him in an attempt to bring him back, “Look, Whiskey... There’s a few things I gotta tell you…. Things that happened while you were out.” He lift a hoof and silenced me, he was looking at me with the most skeptical look, eyes narrowed and ears sideways.

“What is goin’ on with yer wings?” He asked suddenly, pointing toward them.

“Hmm?” I hummed, not sure what he meant, blinking a little at how forward the question was.

“Those stripes,” He told me, “there’s stripes in ‘um that weren’t there before.”

I brought a wing up and looked it over again, I had done it a few times over the last few hours, each time looking at these stripes Whiskey spoke of, and each time becoming more convinced I was imagining them. I mean, they were so faint- they were very hard to see and I had honestly thought they weren’t there, and that if they were, that I was going to be the only one able to see and notice them.

“So you can see them too?” I asked, answering his question with a question. I shrugged, smiling slightly. “I thought I was gonna be the only one to notice.” I paused and turned a look on him, eyes narrowed. “Wait… why are you looking at my wings?” I waved my hooves before my muzzle, “My face is up here ya know.”

Whiskey sighed and rubbed a hoof to his temple, “No… no Ah know, I wasn’t lookin’ at yer wings on purpose, Ah just… Ah was.. oh, ferget it!” He snapped suddenly in between phrases, slamming his hoof down on the road in irritation. “WHY? Are ya wings all striped now? Get ta the damn point girl!”

I shook my head at him, “Fine… fine, geez….. But you’re not gonna like it.” I mumbled, letting out another sigh, a long sigh and tilting my head up. “So… uh….. after you passed out, I made a new friend, sort of… I think..” Could I consider Zero a friend? I had only known him for a few hours and it probably wasn’t the best idea to trust anything in the Wasteland so quickly, especially something that could tear me in two. But then again, I had let Zero bite me and potentially almost kill me. He could have been lying about everything he said, he could have been after my life and Whiskey’s too. I blindly trusted that damn dog….. and my luck held out, we were still breathing, I felt awesome and even though Whiskey was banged up a bit, but that wasn’t so bad was it?

I blinked, my eyes drifting toward the ground a moment as a thought occurred to me- I could be getting tricked. Zero had gone off, he could be gathering his kind, we could be sitting ducks…..

AND……. I’m probably the dumbest pony alive. Hmm… no markers on my E.F.S so I’m gonna say we’re not surrounded right now, for now… DireWolves didn’t come out during the day though right? …. We’ll be fine, maybe.

“Flash!” Whiskey snapped, his patience was clearly running short. My eyes snapped up toward him and I smiled apologetically, Maybe I’d not tell him the part where we might get killed by a DireWolf ambush… he might guess it himself though. “Who in the hell is this ‘new friend’ o’ yers?”

“Well, he’s…. I think ‘he’ anyway… is about this tall,” I flapped my wings and lifted up to the approximant height of Zero, pointing to the imaginary line with a hoof, “Dark brown, green eyes, big teeth.” I placed my hooves on either side of my muzzle to signify those really long canines, and Whiskey narrowed his eyes at me. “Funny voice…. Uh….. two tails, some scales, big… big claws….” Whiskey’s face grew very dark. “Kinda deadly and radioactive too.. hehe..” I ended with a nervous laugh, I wanted to laugh some more, I wanted to laugh my ass off- because the more I said it, the crazier I felt.

‘Flashy, you are crazy.’ The Little Me smiled, ‘But that’s ok! Crazy ponies are the fun-est kind! Look at it this way, you put your life in the paws of a deadly snake-dog and you lived for who the hell knows what reason. But I bet you this; that deadly snake-dog may just turn out to be a pretty fun companion for ya!’ Oh shut up, please? I really don’t need you right now…

Whiskey ran a hoof through his mane and down the side of his face, rubbing his eyes a few times as he let out a very long sigh. I floated back down so I was on top of the wagon, waiting ever so patiently. I didn’t really know Whiskey enough to guess what his reaction to this was gonna be, and a part of me was sort of scared.

“Yer tellin’ me…” Whiskey started slowly, calmly- though I swear he was ready to blow. “… tha’ ya made ‘friends’ with a DireWolf?” His hoof fell away from his face, his eyes closed and head bowed. “A blood-thirsty, pony killin’, radioactive an’ poisonous DIREWOLF?!?!?!?!?” His voice had been getting louder by the second and now I was met by the fiery teal stare of an angry Whiskey. I blinked in shock, not because he was yelling but because his anger… it was so normal.

I don’t know, Whiskey didn’t come across as a normal pony to me- I mean what sort of pony could be so neutral all the time? What pony could live with themselves if they were willing to kill ponies for money? (hypocrite, again…) Whiskey was a Mercenary- it was his job, his livelihood. Everypony needed to live, and he had chosen how he was going to do that… even if I didn’t agree with it. But this anger, it was anger that anypony would feel, and he was expressing it so naturally it was just so foreign coming from him. He was just usual so stoic.

“Uh… yeah.” I murmured. Whiskey had gotten to his hooves now, and started to pace back and forth, tossing his head and shaking it, muttering under his breath some rather harsh things.

“Yer crazy… yer fucking crazy….. of all the crazy ponies in this place…. Ya gotta be the worst…. Ya made a friend with a DireWolf……. Jus’… insane….” He came to a slow halt and let his head hang a moment, thinking on the level of insanity he must think I have and probably whether or not it was safe to travel with a crazy pony…… “Where the hell is this ‘friend’ ‘o yers?” He asked lowly, sparing a glance at me and I blinked.

“Soooooomewhere..” I drawled the word a little and he frowned at me. Honestly, I didn’t know where Zero was, did it really matter though?

“Fucking crazy……” He sighed again and began to pull on his coat and battle-saddle, checking to make sure his gun was loaded, and pulling his bandana up over his muzzle. “……. Ferget it. Jus’… ferget it. Lets jus’ get movin’ an’ maybe we can leave yer new ‘friend’ behind, seein’ as how it's daytime an’ all.” I jumped lightly from the top of the wagon and landed on the highway firmly, he was trying to ignore what I just told him- probably because he didn’t know how to deal with it, and he didn’t want to deal with it either. But I couldn’t help but smile, and in that instant a yellow light popped up on my E.F.S. just beside the one that registered Whiskey.

“You know, the other thing about this friend of mine.” I said suddenly and Whiskey turned toward me. “He’s not so much of a regular DireWolf…” I ended while chuckling a little, because even in the dim created by the Cloud Curtain, a massive shadow fell over Whiskey and the copper buck froze. “Zero doesn’t stick to the night-time routine like the rest of them…” I smiled and he glared before whipping around- I swear he was gonna start shooting but he kept his cool,

Whiskey backed up a few paces and craned his neck to see the face of the massive creature which had somehow managed to sneak up behind him without so much of a sound- well, I heard the faint noise of paws hitting the asphalt just shortly before but I’m gonna guess that Whiskey hadn’t. Zero lowered his head to our level, nearly two inches away from Whiskey’s snout, I stood by in patience- I felt like if I moved I was gonna set some explosion off.

“Pony is well?” Zero rumbled in what sounded to me like the most casual tone he could manage. Whiskey’s ears swiveled back and his eyes narrowed to slits, I wondered if Whiskey knew that DireWolves could talk to ponies- I didn’t and it hadn’t been mentioned before… however, I suppose most ponies don’t get the chance to find out if DireWolves were literate in Equestrian when they were getting shredded to pieces.

“…..Yep.” Whiskey muttered lowly,

“Good.” Zero rumbled and lift his head back up. “Ponies travel to Den, Zero travels with ponies.” He repeated the same thing he had told me and Whiskey didn’t budge. Yes, and if Whiskey didn’t want to travel with Zero, the DireWolf had already made it clear that he was going to follow anyway.

For a long while, the two of them did nothing but stare at each other. I took to sitting down once ten or so minutes had passed without a word exchange, without a muscle moved, just….. nothing. A fancy notion, I felt like they could talk to each other just by staring, as if their words were running through each other’s heads. Like they saw something in each other that I couldn’t see of either- they were both getting assumptions, they were trying to know each other…

Next thing I know, I must have missed something. A light that flashed in their eyes, maybe even a twitch of an ear…… Whiskey nodded once and turned away, walking right past me down the highway.

“Ah don’ trust ya.” He called back flatly, “An’ Ah sure as hell don’ plan ta. But we got ta get movin’.” He cast a look over his shoulder at Zero. “But Ah swear, if ya try anythin’ yer as good as dead.” He growled, his eyes flinty. I glanced to Zero, who hadn’t moved as Whiskey started walking away. There was a single nod from the DireWolf and Whiskey turned that flinty gaze on me. “There’s somethin’ else ya haven’t told me.” He muttered and I smiled nervously. “Better get walkin’ and then start talkin’.” He looked away and I nodded though he didn’t see it.

“Uh... right.” I called, trotting after him while stooping to pick up my saddle-bags from where I had dropped them sometime earlier. I heard the drop of Zero’s heavy paws behind us as he moved to follow. I was surprised at how well he was taking all of this now- but I still felt like I had missed something important. “Before we get into all of that, there was something else…”

“What. Now.” Whiskey sighed and I winced at the tone, he was warning me not to step over the line he had drawn, well- redrawn when I sprung the whole Zero thing on him. But, I had to cross the line again and he had better like it!

“We’ll be making a short stop before getting to Arabino.” I told him, catching up to his shoulder and sparing a small glance over mine to see Zero just behind his, walking along in a lazy, loping state. Whiskey looked to me sideways with a flat stare.

“An’ what woul’ this stop be?” He asked lowly, I looked away.

“Don’t give me that look.” I murmured. “I realize trusting a DireWolf seems sort of crazy..”

“It is crazy.” He cut in and I huffed at the interruption.

“…… but, this next part has reason to it.” I went on, deciding to ignore the interruption for now because I knew he was right. “Trust me, all we’re going to be doing is lending a helping hoof…”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up
New perk: DireWolf Magnet (Antivenom Blood 2)-
You’ve been bitten by a DireWolf again! Only this time you let it bite you? Either way, you’re feeling absolutely AWESOME because of it! +2 to your Strength, Endurance and Agility Stats, you are 20% more resistant to radiation and 50% more resistant to poison- as well heightened hearing and eyesight added to the list!

Chapter 9- Helping Hooves Are Hard to Come By

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Chapter 9

Helping-Hooves Are Hard To Come By

“Woah, woah! Wait one damn minute! Is that Thing with you?!?”

.:+:.

Pillar.

It was a settlement built into and around the sides of a major stability structure holding up the highway, and it had partially crumbled to the ground. Several slabs were pulled apart into piles with shabby metal sheets welded together among the debris to make homes, nestled around the base in between the rocky ground that rose up unevenly around us for miles. Most of them were small, probably only housing two or three- and from the size of the town there probably weren’t more than two dozen ponies out here- reasonable, considering this was ‘DireWolf Country’. There were a few little homes built into the side of the crumbled support where it had fallen away enough to remain level, with makeshift catwalk attached to a pulley system under the highway would raise the supports up to those homes. I could see the largest building encircled the bottom of the support, it seemed to have been given the most care in its bringing up- because the metal work had been executed with more care and detail than the rest, the doors were real apart from the draping’s that covered entrances to the rest, and it was painted with gray and brown hues to keep it hidden among the rocks.

But it looked deserted, absolutely deserted…. I shuffled my hooves from where I was looking a safe distance away on the uppermost part of an off-ramp that ran over Pillar, my eyes narrowed as my now slightly enhanced vision worked to make out any sign of movement that perhaps my E.F.S. wasn’t picking up on. My ears perked at the intense sound of absolute silence.

“How far off is the Clinic?” I asked with a glance over my shoulder toward Whiskey who stood just behind me, looking the silent settlement over with narrowed eyes. He hadn’t said a lot while we walked here, and I hadn’t gotten into telling him about letting Zero bite me- figuring it would be best to leave that for another time. It had taken the rest of the day and now we were on into the morning of the next …. He hadn’t even pressed about the stripes in my wings again. I figured he would, but maybe later…..

The copper Buck looked toward me, his eyes leaving Pillar rather hesitantly. “It’s only got ta be a bit down the road from ‘ere.” He answered and shrugged at me. “I’ve lonesome been up this way, an’ never toward the Clinic.” I gave him a flat stare.

“Oh really?” I asked, and he quirked an eyebrow. “You? Mister ‘I gotta scavenge from every mailbox and rubble pile near BaleFire’ but a century old Medical Clinic- you wouldn’t even attempt?”

“The folks here in Pillar cleaned it out a lon’ time ago.” Whiskey countered, “If there was anythin’ worth takin’- it’s gone already.” I rolled my eyes but gave up.

“Fine, whatever.” I muttered. “Think there’s anypony down there?” A waved a hoof out toward the seemingly deserted settlement below us.

“Only one way ta find out.” Whiskey murmured, trotting past me and down the off-ramp without bothering to see if I or Zero was following. I shook my head and followed, always keeping an eye on my E.F.S. in case anything popped up.

We walked through the small houses and buildings slowly, my eyes scanned every side and Whiskey walked in the front, stopping to peer inside the drapery covering the entrance to a house. He didn’t find anything I suppose, because he backed out without a word. I broke off from him to push my way through a home, it was small inside with a half-broken chair in the corner and a dirty mattress on the floor. There was a footlocker at the foot of the mattress, I felt an urge to pick the lock on it- but I stopped myself before I did. That was somepony’s property there, this was a civilized town…. I couldn’t go stealing things.

I came back out to see Whiskey down a ways, peering inside each little house as he passed them. Then I noticed that Zero was standing still, ears back against his head and green eyes narrowed at every little thing he saw, jaws parted in a half-snarl. I blinked, walking over to him.

“Something wrong?” I asked and the DireWolf didn’t look to me.

“Air smells foul.” The creature replied lowly. “Smells of….. Dark Magic, and blood.” He muttered and I perked at the words,

“Dark Magic?” I echoed, how could anything smell Dark Magic anyway? And why would it be here? Zero nodded his head slowly and walked forward, I followed.

“Zero….. not sure he recognizes this scent.” He grumbled, tails flicking back and forth. My PipBuck clicked whenever I was near him, but the minor Radiation that seeped off his claws didn’t seem to affect me.

“Hey Darlin’.” I looked ahead as I heard Whiskey call to me from up ahead, Zero kept up a loping pace as I sped up to a trot to reach Whiskey, following his marker on my E.F.S. to find him standing outside the largest building in the center of the small settlement, the one I had noted was more carefully built than everything else as it wrapped around the support holding up the Highway above us. Whiskey nodded his head at me as I appeared and nudged the door to the building open slowly, “Ya migh’ wanna take a look..” He murmured lowly and I blinked, stepping forward to push my way inside- and promptly felt my stomach flip.

“Oh… no….” I whispered, scrunching my eyes closed and trying very hard not to throw up. I leaned against the door-frame, craning my neck to breath the fresh air just outside in an attempt not to breath the stench that rolled out.

The inside was covered in blood, the dismembered piles of ponies with their coats skinned were strewn about the floor- their skins were hung up on lines made of their organs. Here and there were piles of glowing ash, some of the ponies weren’t skinned- but it looked like by some strange power they had been turned inside out. Their organs and skeletons served as their coat, everything else had been turned to the inside. The room smelt of decomposition that I guessed must have been going on for a good amount of time, I had to wonder if the message my PipBuck had gotten had come too late…..

‘Ooooh, looks like somepony found another thing organs can be used for!’ The Little Me hopped up and down in glee, clearly referring to the intestines that had been used as lines to hang pony coats on.

“Why don’t you ever…… warn me…?” I muttered with a very dirty look at Whiskey who just stared right back.

“Warnin’ ya, won’t make ya get used ta it any faster.” Was his simple reply. I shook my head and focused on breathing in deeply until I had settled down enough to walk inside a little more, when I did Whiskey followed me in. I stepped around a pile of glowing ash and then hopped over an inside-out pony, almost slipping on the blood that pooled around the floor and face-planted, but I caught myself before that.

I walked around, looking at how many there were, at all the horror-stricken faces, if there was a face left to look at. Some ponies were just torsos, others were just legs, I felt like the entire settlement was inside that room.

“This is… horrible….” I muttered,

“This isn’t righ’….” Whiskey mumbled and I nodded, but he wasn’t saying it in the same sense I was thinking it. I looked over to see him running a hoof over a wall, wiping away the blood to reveal black… as if it had been burned. “Non’ o’ this is righ’……” He turned away from the wall with a serious look and stopped before a pony who was turned-inside out. “I’ve never seen these kinds o’ kills before…. This is jus’…… weird…”

“What the hell are these?” I mumbled, pointing at a pile of glowing ash and getting so close my hoof was dusted with it. Whiskey glanced across the room toward me and seemed to frown.

“A pony.” He murmured, I drew my hoof back as if I had been bitten, shaking it wildly to rid it of the dust.

“A pony?!” I yelled, how could that be a pony?! “Why, how-?!” I gasped, Whiskey sighed.

“It happens when ya get hit with a Magic Energy Weapon, turns ya ta ash within a second.” He explained, “So fair warnin’, if ya don’ wanna be ash, don’ get hit with one o’ those weapons.” He waved a hoof at me and I closed my eyes, I can’t believe I touched ash-pony…… as if skinned, inside-out, and dismembered ones weren’t enough…..

“Ah’m sorry ta say it Darlin’.” He continued, walking through the blood without even flinching as he made his way toward me. “Bu’ I think that message ya picked up ju’ been playin’ over an’ over. Ain’t nobody left, not here, and certainly not at the Clinic. It’s been too long, they’re all dead.”

I shook my head at him and closed my eyes, “That may be true, but we still need to try.” I murmured. “We need to check the Clinic, the pony who sent out the broadcast may be dead…. But still, we have to know. I have to know.” I looked to him and he looked right back, he didn’t seem happy with my decision.

“Why do ya care?” He asked and I blinked, “These are people ya don’ know. Ya owe nothin’ ta ‘um, and yet yer still tryin’ to help ‘um.” He waved a hoof at the room. “These ain’t people who’ll pay ya. Yer gonna waste time fer ‘um, fer nothin’?”

I smiled slightly. Whiskey always got paid for what he did, he didn’t do something just out of the goodness of his heart. Even back when I first ran into him, he had been paid to kill those Raiders. He saved me because he thought he could get something out of me- because I knew how to get into ShieldTune and he wanted in. He was getting something back for everything, that’s why he was here…… but this was against everything he was used to.

“I don’t care if I get paid.” I answered simply. “I don’t care if it’s a waste of time, at least I’m trying. At least, if there is anypony alive here, then I can help them. Not for money, not for gain, but because they need my help and I’m happy to give it to them.” Whiskey narrowed his eyes. “It seems to me, there is a very big shortage on ponies who’re willing to lend a hoof to help. So, as long as I can, I’m going to help anypony who needs it.”

Whiskey shook his head at me and sighed, seeming to think my resolution was stupid one though he didn’t voice that thought. “Whatever Darlin’…. If ya wanna go check the damn Clinic then fine. We’re ahead o’ schedule thanks ta yer fas’ flyin’, but jus’ hope we don’ run inta whatever did all this.” He walked away toward the door, and I followed with a grin- feeling as if I had won because he had given in so easily. We emerged from the building in single file, I carefully closed the door behind us and breathed deeply. “Ya still wanna check the rest o’ the houses?” Whiskey asked and I nodded,

“Please,” I murmured and he walked off.

“I’ll check the rest on the ground, ya can take yer fancy wings an’ check the ones up there.” He gestured toward the houses that rose up along the support pillar and nestled into the crumbled sections of it, the part of Pillar that was accessible only by the pulley system catwalks if you couldn’t fly. I nodded in agreement and we parted ways momentarily.

I found Zero sitting just next to a section of the catwalk that had been downed, his head tilted up toward the rising sections of houses silently. “What? See something?” I asked as I came up.

“No.”

I slowly nodded once and flared my wings out, kicking off and flapped down, rising up to the first ring, and peering inside the small house. Nothing. So I climbed higher and checked the next, and the next… still nothing. I got all the way to the top and lighted down on the small walkway that attached to the pillar and lead up to the house. Every one of them had this, so a pony could easily step off onto the walkway and reach their home once they were lifted up here. It was a smart system I supposed, if you were up high, and you lived this deep in DireWolf Country- being off the ground was helpful. I wondered why the entire settlement hadn’t been raised…

I nudged the curtain in the doorway aside and stepped in, my eyes adjusting almost instantly to the gloom inside. This one was much the same as the rest, a mattress on the floor, maybe a chair or stool and a footlocker as well. I blinked when a sheet hanging at the back of the little room shifted slightly, I walked forward and placed forth a hoof- the cloth gave way, and I pulled it off to reveal a small little room that was completely dark. It must be a small little hole dug into the support of the highway,

I stepped forward, my eyes were adjusting again, and ducking so my head didn’t hit the low clearing for the opening. I scanned it quickly, doubting there would be anything in such a small hole, but curious none the less-

BAM!!!!!!!

My body lurched back and I hit the floor of the house, my vision black and my mind following fast as pain seared through my forehead and the world spun, my ears ringing incessantly….

.:+:.

“You shot me!!!” I yelled, rubbing my forehead with a hoof and scarlet in the face as I glared at the small peach colored unicorn standing before me looking dejected- she barely reached my shoulder she was so short. I stomped my hoof down. “YOU FUCKING SHOT ME!!!!” I roared, and her pink eyes met my furious red ones slowly.

“With a rubber bullet.” She mumbled but I barely heard her.

“You still shot me damn it!!!” I snapped and she sighed, rubbing a hoof through her tan mane slowly.

“Look, I’m sorry alrigh’?” She mumbled, she floated the extremely rusted pistol from beside her and over to me, turned the safety on and set it down next to me. “I didn’t realize who ya were. Ya startled me, I apologize.” She sighed again when she noticed I wasn’t calming down much. She extended a hoof toward me in earnest, “Look, calm yer horse-apples and give me a break. I’ve been up here survivin’ on Sparkle-Cola fer a week! I’ve got right to be a bit jumpy, have ya seen Pillar lately?” She sighed and shook her head. “Name’s Cream Soda. Ya can call me Cream though.”

I glared, my forehead was pounding in pain and my ears had only just stopped ringing- I was sure I had a red mark on my face from the damn bullet- and it hurt! I don’t care if it was rubber, she was close to shooting me at point-blank! It was just lucky her gun was in such bad repair that it didn’t do more damage when she fired- yay for my luck, huh? And you know, why do I even have a PipBuck anymore?! Either the damn thing failed to pick up on Cream Soda’s presence or I was just too stupid to notice it on my E.F.S.

I glanced to her outstretched hoof a moment, debating on whether or not I should shake it, I was fairly miffed and that made my inclination to be polite a little low-
“FLASH!!?” My head swiveled around at the very angry yell coming from outside, followed by a very annoyed bark that was borderline head-pounding howl that I hated oh so much. I looked back to Cream and shook her hoof with my own once,

“That’s my name.” I told her with a flick of my head toward the entrance, before trotting out and looking out over the edge of the walkway. Whiskey had apparently come running when he heard the shot, and probably when I started yelling too- because he was standing next to Zero looking up at me with his teeth chomping at the trigger to his battle-saddle, looking ready for a fight. Zero was next to him, bristling and tense.

“What in the hell is going on?!” He snapped once he saw my face pop out, I was aware he had been yelling while I snapped Cream’s head off though I had ignored him. “Who's shootin’?!”

“It's fine!” I called down, “I found one of Pillar’s ponies, she was hiding up here.” I paused, scowling. “She shot me in the face,” I could see both Zero and Whiskey’s eyes grow wide, both of them looked dumbfounded for a minute.

“She what?!” Whiskey snapped, “How do ya still got a head on yer shoulders then, girl?!!”

“With a rubber bullet and a shitty gun.” I continued, and they both relaxed a little. “Uh, give me a minute boys. We’ll be down in a moment,” I turned away before either of them could protest, and headed back inside to see Cream right where I had left her. She looked to me,

“How many are ya?” She asked and I blinked,

“Just three.” She nodded, “What happened here? We were passing by on the way to the Roadside Clinic.” I explained and she visibly shuddered,

“Uh…. It’s hard to explain.” She mumbled, “It happened in a second, everypony was fine and then there was shoutin’ and runnin’ and…. Killin’.” She swallowed. “I ran up here, thinkin’ it was DireWolves or somethin’ like that but it wasn’t…. Once I got up here, the catwalk pulley collapsed and I was stuck. I saw everypony run inside the Main Hall, there was a lot of screamin’ and then nothin’. Nopony came back out.” I blanched a little, she hadn’t seen the inside of that building…. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to.

“But you didn’t see what attacked all of you?” I asked and she shook her head.

“Wasn’t anythin’ I had ever seen before. No DireWolves, radhogs, not even raiders…… they were, well- they looked like ponies but they weren’t.” I quirked an eyebrow. “They were big and strong and fast, all dark, I didn’t see a lot before comin’ up but they were all chantin’ something I didn’t catch.” I stared a moment, Cream Soda ran a hoof through her tan locks incessantly as if thinking about it was maddening to her. It would seem that anypony who had been left alive after all of this hadn’t seen what had attacked them, and anypony who did was probably in the ‘Main Hall’ dead. That was great…. But at least we were safe, there wasn’t any other markers on my E.F.S. besides the yellow ones of Whiskey, Zero and Cream.

“Alright….” I sighed, shaking my coat out a little. “How about you let me bring you down? You can’t stay up here anymore, and the catwalks are out.” I extended a wing her way and smiled, “Looks like I’m your ticket out of here.” Cream looked me over a moment like she was deciding whether or not she wanted my help, how could she not though? Unless she wanted to break something jumping down or starve, I was her best bet and she must know it.

“Ya sure ya can hold me an’ not drop me?” She asked and I scoffed,

“Tiny little you?” I countered and she frowned, I shook my head. “Yes, I can carry you no problem- and I won’t drop you. I’ll have you know, I have a companion down there I carried for hours on end just the other night, and he’s a bit heavier than you. You’ll be fine.” She got to her hooves slowly and walked out the door behind me, I glanced back to see her give my flank a small glance.

“You ain’t a Dashite?” She murmured and I shook my head, she stared at me. “But… you ain’t with the Enclave are ya? Ya don’t really look like you are..”

“No, I’m not with the Enclave either. It’s sort of a long story,” I gave her a reassuring smile, “Trust me, you’re fine with us.” She gave me a very flat stare,

“Trustin’ people ain’t really somethin’ ya can do out here.” She muttered and I sighed, right… I was talking to a pony who was born and bred in the Wasteland, but not even Whiskey was that blunt.

I flapped my wings to lift into the air outside and moved over above Cream Soda, wrapping my hooves around her small form and taking off. She was much lighter than Whiskey was, she felt like I was carrying a feather. We made it away from the catwalk where I angled down gently until we reached the ground, all the while Cream was looking out around Pillar with a very sad expression. I looked down to see that one of my two companions had gone missing, I had to wonder what that DireWolf was doing half the time when I wasn’t looking..

Whiskey looked up as we drew nearer, eyes narrowed at the pony I was bringing to him. I let Cream go gently and touched down myself beside her, looking to Whiskey I blinked. “Where’d Zero go?” I asked and he huffed,

“Somethin’ abou’ sniffin’ around, Ah think,” He muttered.

“Everybody’s dead righ’?” Cream mumbled beside me and I exchanged a look with Whiskey- only his eyes were glued to Cream Soda as if she were some sort of odd enmity he had never come across before.

“Yep.” He murmured and Cream looked to him.

“There might be some of your friends hiding out in the Ministry Of Peace Clinic.” I cut in, “They sent out an Emergency Broadcast asking for help- that’s why we were heading that way.” I was being ignored, Cream pointed a hoof at Whiskey with her pink eyes narrowed at him.

“I know you,” She said suddenly and Whiskey blinked in apparent surprise. “Ya came through once…. Yer the pony who shot Ol’ Uncle Dusty while ya were piss-ass drunk!” Her frown at him turned into a wide grin, Whiskey shuffled his hooves a little and looked away while my jaw dropped. “Ol’ fodder-for-brains was mad for years after it, always limping around from that shot ya put in his ass, hehe!”

“You shot somepony here?!” I snapped, Cream didn’t seem to think it was such a big deal, but I on the other hand thought differently. Whiskey glanced to me, “What the hell?!”

“Ah was drunk.” Was his flinty reply, “An’ Ah didn’ kill him.”

“You still shot him!” I snapped back, “Shooting ponies isn’t right even if you don’t kill them!” I gave both Whiskey and Cream Soda a very dirty look, my forehead still stung and Cream looked away. I stomped a hoof down and glared at the both, “New rule! No shooting ponies unless they shoot at you first!”

Cream and Whiskey exchanged glances with each other, and Cream leaned over toward him. “She ain’t from around here is she?” She asked simply and Whiskey shook his head, “She one of those Stable folk?”

“Nope. Bu’ she sure as hell acts like it.” He replied and I scowled. What? Just because I said shooting ponies was bad? That you need to wait and shoot them only after they shoot at you? It made plenty of sense to me, but apparently to ponies who were born and raised in the ways of the WasteLand- I sounded like somepony who’d come fresh out of a Stable.

“UGHH!” I groaned, bringing my hoof to my face and shaking my head.

“Golden-Mane upset?” I let my hoof fall away from my face as Zero appeared beside me, taking a seat down next to where I was. How did he manage to sneak up on me without hearing him? “Is Golden-Mane alright?” The tip of one of his tails flicked my forehead gently, right where Cream’s rubber bullet had pounded my brain. I sighed,

“Upset? Yes. Alright? Yeah...” I mumbled and looked away. I think Cream must have jumped six feet in the air, before she struggled backward on flailing hooves and hit her ass on the rocky earth, sending up a flurry of dust while shouting out several curses.

“The fuck!? Shoot it, Drunk-Shot! Shoot it already! It’s a damn DireWolf!!” Cream snapped, going to grab my shotgun in her magical grasp as I felt it shift on my shoulders. I blinked at the reaction, slow to understand why she was acting like that…… then I remembered that DireWolves weren’t friends to these ponies- most of the time.

Wait, who is she calling ‘Drunk-Shot’? Whiskey? I looked to him to see he had closed his eyes at the name and shook his head as if it exasperated him somehow.
I grabbed my shotgun with my hooves as Cream started pulling at it harder, “Calm down! Calm down!” I told her quickly, “He’s not gonna eat you! This is Zero, he’s with us!” Cream gave me an incredulous look, like I had told her to put a pistol in her mouth and pull the trigger.

“With you?!” She yelled, “You’re traveling with a DireWolf?! ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?!?!?” I winced at the noise of her voice cutting through the silence of Pillar.

Whiskey glanced over toward me, and smirked- a smirk I could see because he had pulled the bandana off his muzzle. He waved a hoof at the freaking-out figure of Cream Soda as she still gaped at me with wide, astonished eyes. “Ya see, Darlin’?” He said and I frowned, “Ah ain’t the only one who thinks yer crazy. Makin’ friends with a DireWolf is crazy.”

“Oh shut it!” I snapped, “You warmed up to him didn’t you?” I countered and he sighed.

“No’ exactly.” He muttered with a shake of his head and looked away from me to set his teal gaze on Cream Soda. “Lookie ‘ere, Ah agree with ya- goin’ along with a DireWolf is insane, bu’ so far there ain’t been any problems. Yer gonna be fine, so ya can relax now.” He walked forward and extended a hoof to help her back up from where she was in the dirt. “If’n he does try anythin’, Ah plan ta shoot first an’ ask questions later.” He said those next words with a look at me, and I snorted.
Zero had remained sitting where he was next to me, watching in neutral silence as Cream Soda continued to look back and forth between all three of us. He didn’t seem disturbed by what had happened, which I suppose all of this was a more or less normal reaction he received most of the time. I glanced his way to see if he was going to say anything, but I don’t think he noticed my gaze on him- he was too busy looking at Cream in silence.

Cream took Whiskey’s hoof slowly as he pulled her to her hooves and nodded at him slightly. She seemed to think the plan of Whiskey shooting Zero was a good one, and relied on that to let her relax a little.

“Ok!” I said suddenly, trying to break the tenseness. “Cream, we’re gonna head out over toward the MOM Clinic to see if anypony else made it out of here alive. How long ago was it when this place got attacked?”

“And by what?” Whiskey broke in. Cream sighed,

“Maybe a week, and I don’t know what killed everybody.” She replied, “Like I already explained ta Flash- they weren’t nothin’ I had ever seen before, they were somethin’ the Wastes made up all new an’ such.” Whiskey blinked, and I thought back to what he had said about the ways in which the ponies of Pillar had been killed. That he hadn’t recognized those kind of kills before- so maybe what Cream said had some truth, but what could the WasteLand have come up with that neither ponies like those of Pillar and even Whiskey didn’t know what they were.

But a week had passed since the Broadcast was sent out, there was a good chance no one was left to be saved…… but still I was determined to try.

“Right… right…” Whiskey murmured, at the answer that Cream gave. He sat down and pressed a hoof to his chin, his eyes closing and going into deep thought.

“Cream Soda?” I called her attention to me as Whiskey faded off into his own thoughts. Her pink eyes met mine, “What do you plan to do? I mean…. There isn’t anyone here in Pillar left, you’re all alone.” Cream nodded slightly,

“I know, but I don’t have a plan. I’ve been in Pillar my whole life, I got nowhere else ta go….” She sighed and closed her eyes, “I’ll probably have ta pick up an’ head off toward the nearest settlement…. Bu’ there really ain’t many around that are all that friendly.” She opened her eyes and looked to the ground. “An’ getting’ anywhere is gonna be hard on my lonesome.” She sighed and turned toward the surrounding ruin of Pillar, eyes narrowed and rubbing a hoof through her mane a few times.

“Come with us then.” I said suddenly and her head snapped toward me. She stared in confusion and I trotted forward, “Come with us to the Clinic, see if anypony’s there. The least you can do is look.” She gave me a look that told me she doubted anypony would be there and still alive. “Look, if there is somepony- that way you have a pony you know. You can travel in a band and make your way somewhere safe.” Cream nodded a little after a moment to muse over it and sighed.

“….Ya may be right. I gotta try at least.” She smiled, a small smile that didn’t show any hope for finding anything, but a smile like she was just going to humor me, and she waved a hoof. “Lead on.”

.:+:.

We picked our way through a very full parking lot full of two century old wagons, spilling clothes, rotting food and skeletons every which way, as we slowly approached the doors of the Road-side Clinic. My ears twitched at the sound of my three companions following behind me, the sound of two hooves clopping against the asphalt and the pad of heavy paws. The Clinic was a fairly large building of soft gray color with shattered windows all around the front, the bottom floor seemed to be sinking under the weight of the next two floors on top. The outside had been landscaped to sport several different plants, all of which were dead and black now. My ears flicked forward at the sound of buzzing from up ahead, and I could hear the small soft groan of the structure as it continued to bend more and more.

It looked to me as if the back corner of the building had fallen completely, and from the looks of it the rest of it would follow at some point.

SQUELCH…

The underside of my hoof suddenly felt slick with wet, and I stopped- suppressing an involuntary shudder as I slowly lift my hoof and looked down. For what I had stepped on- it looked like a…. A……..

“Oh… Goddesses……..” I whispered, eyes falling closed and trying very hard not to pass out, or vomit. “Please….. Tell me that’s not…. What I think it is……” I could feel sick traveling up my throat slowly, I backed up and went around the side of a wagon- hopping on three hooves to avoid putting the one with liquid over it back on the ground.

I did not step on that, I did not step on that…. Oh please…. I’m a dreaming…? Tell me that I am……..

“Darlin’?” Whiskey asked from behind me, the sound of my companions walking had ceased, telling me they had come to a halt.

“She ok?” Cream Soda murmured, “She looks like she’s gonna barf..” Oh you have no….. OH!

I whipped around and threw my head over a nearby overturned wagon, the little food in my stomach was gone in a few body-wrenching spasms. Tears filled my eyes and my throat stung, breathing rapidly as I tried to bring down my rising heart rate. You know, I really don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this….. and I hate it so much.

“Ya ok?” Cream walked up, placing a hoof on my back and looking a little worried. I nodded a little,

“Uh… yeah… yeah…” I mumbled, taking a deep breath. “..Sorry…” I rubbed my hoof furiously on a threadbare blanket stuffed into the wagon, trying to get the red staining it off. Zero walked around the side of a different wagon and disappeared from sight in a moment,

“What’d ya see?” Whiskey asked, trotting past me and toward the place I had come from.

“More like… what did I step on.” I muttered, Cream blinked at me and looked about toward Whiskey as he rounded the corner.

“Ah,” We heard Whiskey murmur as he poked his head around the corner, looking no less perturbed by what had made me retch- as if it was only a wad of old clothes, “Ah’m tellin’ ya. Yer gonna have ta get used ta this stuff.”

“What was it?” Cream asked,

“I’m never going to get used to that.” I muttered with a stare at the buck, ignoring Cream. Whiskey sighed and shook his head,

“What was it?” Cream asked again, looking a bit miffed that she was being ignored.

“Head.” Whiskey replied simply. “Decapitated, clean cut too. Figure it’s probably DireWolf kill- no body ta go with it.” His ears swiveled back and forth, and he glanced around as if he was looking for something, Cream just nodded- she was used to DireWolf kills but I wasn’t. And I had stepped on that head! That wasn’t anything normal, and what happened to the body?

I knew my answer as soon as I asked the question, if there was anything in my stomach left I would have lost it- but I only gagged.

“Ore’s pack came through, two nights ago.” Zero came back into view, “Scent growing stale. Definite hunt.” He shook his massive head. “Pony never stood chance.” Whiskey nodded at the words, and as did Cream.

“Looks like one o’ Pillar’s folks, Cream.” Whiskey murmured. “Poor fool must a come ou’ and tried lookin’ fer help- only ta end up in the claws of a DireWolf.” To my utter surprise, Cream didn’t look at all sad about the news, she just nodded and sighed.

“Well, figures.” She murmured. “DireWolves get hungry, people start dyin’. Ain’t nothin’ new.” I gave her a stare and she tilted her head at me, “What?”

“Forget it.” I mumbled, I walked toward the corner and deliberately went the other way than when I had previously turned, I swished my tail at those behind me. “Come on.” How any pony could be told one of the ponies they had lived with, had just been decapitated and the rest of their body eaten- and be so calm about it, I would never know. I suppose it was something that the ponies of Pillar had come to expect…. They lived in the middle of DireWolf country, they were preyed on most of the time, I couldn’t imagine how many ponies they would lose and how often.

But I couldn’t get the look of cold, dead, paralyzed orange eyes looking up at me, mouth open and jaw twisted as a scream died on their lips….. The twisted neck spewing tendrils and blood, with their cleanly cut spine sliced in two. Their gray tongue falling from their mouth and on to the ground….

I shuddered, and shook my coat out.

The glass doors into the Clinic which had once automatically opened for you had rusted to a stop, completely closed but the glass had been broken to permit access. I stepped inside carefully, stepping over the glass gently until I was inside. Whiskey and Cream followed closely, Zero stopped outside the frames of the doors, lowering himself so he could see inside. He was too big to fit unless he broke the doors, and even if he got inside he would be crawling the whole way. I paused and glanced back so our eyes met,

“Zero will go hunt.” My DireWolf companion murmured, knowing very well he couldn’t follow us in. “Zero will keep nose up and ears sharp. Trouble comes, Zero will come back.” I nodded a little,

“Alright,” I murmured and in a moment he had slunk toward the left side of the Clinic and disappeared. Whiskey and Cream glanced toward me with raised eyebrows, “What?” I asked.

“You think it’s a good idea ta let ‘im run around alone?” Whiskey asked, “Possibly with another person ‘round? Somebody who wouldn’ take kindly ta ‘im?” Ah right, Pillar Ponies don’t make friends with DireWolves like Zero…

“Oh, well… too late.” I murmured. Cream’s eyes widened while Whiskey narrowed his, “Look, if Zero runs into one of Pillar’s ponies, I think he has enough sense not to kill them.” I smiled, hoping what I said was true. “So, shall we?”

.:+:.

“Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooo?” I called out, rather bored. My head hung as we plodded along the dark hallways of the second floor slowly, the search of the ground floor had been short- considering most of it had been buried under debris as the topmost floors sunk in on it. Whiskey and Cream followed along behind me, Cream sticking close while Whiskey peered in every desk, trash can, and container he could find. Whatever he had said earlier about this Clinic having been cleaned out seemed to be proving true, I don’t think he found anything but he was still looking everywhere he could.

I looked back and forth at my E.F.S. just in case anything showed up. Usually, if there was anything in the building I would see it on the screen. Yes, I had to be a little close, it only read up to a certain distance, and yet there wasn’t anything…. Not even the red blip of a bug or anything of that sort. The Clinic was almost too empty, and it put my mind a little on edge.

“What were ya’ll doin’ out here anyway?” Cream broke the silence between the three of us, my ear twitched toward her in response to let her know I had heard. “It ain’t often people travel out this far into DireWolf Territory.”

I waited a moment to see if Whiskey was going to answer, but he didn’t seem to be paying any attention. I wondered faintly if the copper Buck would mind if I told Cream Soda why we were so far out here….. I wasn’t sure I cared if he did mind or not. “We’re headed toward Arabino.” I answered, and I was replied to with a shocked gasp.

“Yer crazier than I thought!” Cream exclaimed, “What in hell could possibly make ya wanna go there? Into the very home of the DireWolves?!”

“To make it sound crazier…” I murmured slowly, “.. I sort of woke up there, and we’re heading back to know why… sort of.”

“Woke up?” Cream echoed and I nodded,

“Yeah, I was in a space under a building there and I woke up. I don’t remember anything, and…. Whiskey wants to go, I don’t exactly know why he does though…. But I want some answers, so we’re heading off together.” I replied lowly, “Maybe there will be something there for me…. I don’t know….”

“..if ya even make it.” Cream murmured and I paused, coming to a halt and turning to look at her. She stopped too and rubbed a hoof through her mane in embarrassment, “Look, Ah didn’t mean ta sound so negative or anythin’ its just….” She waved a hoof at me, “Ya got wings, so ya could fly all the way there probably no problem…” She drew her hoof away from my direction and gestured toward the form of Whiskey as he continued on ahead and continued to dig in containers and trash cans. “… but Drunk-Sh….. uhm, Whiskey Shot.” She corrected herself. “.. he’s good at shootin’ and he knows how ta survive out ‘ere, but he’s only got his hooves ta walk on. And even if ya carried him all the way out toward Arabino, Ah don’ think ya know how many are there.” My ears flicked, and my mind flashed to the chorus of howling that had nearly taken me from the sky. The countless figures of those creatures prowling around me, snarling, talking…. Waiting to kill me, and to probably eat me. No, I didn’t have an idea of how many DireWolves were there in Arabino, and I figured it was no small amount. I knew going there would be dangerous, and I knew searching through Arabino and ShieldTune even in the day was going to be dangerous, and even then…

“No, I don’t really.” I replied, eyes closing. “But we’re still going, we both have our reasons… and we might die, we might get hurt.” I opened my eyes to see the stain of Whiskey’s blood still clotting my coat, I had done my best to wipe some of it off but I don’t think anything less of a bath would help. “But… we’re still going to try. We’re going to look for those things we want, and maybe we find something maybe we don’t… but we’re still gonna try.”

“Yer weird.” My head snapped up and my red gaze met Cream Soda’s pink one, she looked to me with a searching expression, simply trying to understand what she couldn’t understand about me. “Not a Stable pony… not a Dashite… not Enclave.. and not somepony of the Wastes…. Ya don’ fit here…. Yer an outsider…. And yet….” She paused, her eyes narrowing at me and I just looked right back. “… there’s somethin’ there… somethin’…… cold… almost…”

I stared, I could feel blood draining from my face and my heart slowed, I felt myself grow rigid. What could she mean? Could Cream Soda, a pony I hadn’t known for more than an hour or two... could she possibly see something in me I didn’t? Something…. Cold….?

VVVVVVZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT……………………

That same feeling of static struck through my mind and I fought the urge to wince, and flashes of a pink pony invaded my mind’s eye, replacing the sight of Cream Soda in front of me, and… and….

…… That pink Earth Pony looked up at me, and something about my face must have made something dawn on her, and tears welled up in the corners of her pale blue eyes. And I saw in her face, a look of fear, and a look of sadness unlike any I had ever seen. She saw something in me that she never thought she would, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach to think of what it was.

“……. Fine.” She whispered, looking away and rolling over on to her hooves. She stood with her back facing me, head bowed. I saw tears splash against the wood just under her, and my heart clenched at the sight. But the other me, whatever me that was…. She didn’t care when she saw the tears, all she felt was anger. “… I hope life works out for you someday… Flash…….. and I hope…. That one day, you’ll be the pony I know you are…” her voice cracked as a sob escaped her. Why was I seeing this?

“…. And maybe you won’t be…… this….”

… That small smidgen of the scene came back to me and invaded my mind, I felt my legs begin to tremble, I felt myself shrink in my own body, and Cream Soda slowly came back into view as Scarlet faded into nothing, but the feelings stayed, my feelings stayed, both parts of me… the anger, and the sadness- the fear. Fear that there was something wrong with me, something that maybe both Scarlet and now Cream Soda could see…. I was… cold… I was… Different……

My ears fell back against my head, my eyes went wide and the trembling in my legs slowly reached the rest of my body until I was shaking all over. My breaths came in panicked gasps, my head started to throb as it short-circuited over and over…

VVZZTT….. VVVZZZTTTTT……. VVVVZZZZZTTTTTTT……..!!!!

This was really happening again? My brain was on track to fry itself alive, to send me back into those... those scenes I had no idea what they were! My head was pounding, my heart was racing, I was gasping, I was shaking, my body couldn’t hold itself, my vision was fading to gray and black, I couldn’t hear anything beside the sound of cracking in my head, something was breaking, something was snapping in my mind, I can’t…. I couldn’t…..

Tears were rolling down my face, the pain was unbelievable, the cattle-prod in my head was on full blast again, my legs gave out, my head hit the floor with a pain-searing thud and I cried out in utter agony. Why does this happen? Why can’t I think of anything without running the risk of blacking out? Of frying my brain alive?

“Flash?!” Cream’s voice sounded so very far away, I could feel her hoof rest on my shoulder uncertainly, and then there was the unnatural booming echo of hooves against the tile floor of the clinic,

“Shit! Darlin’! Snap oughtta it!” Whiskey yelled, his voice was far away too and it was getting closer, I guess it was his hooves thundering over the floor as he came toward me.

“Ms. Trake…? Ms…. Trake….?” A voice croaked, catching in the throat of whoever was trying to draw my attention, I felt anger rise at the name, I hated being called…. By my last name….

“Flash.” A different voice said, much less shaky than the one before, and my anger waned for a moment- I liked it much more when ponies called me by my actual name. I hated that formal shit, I always hated that formal shit, ever since I was younger….

“…. Yeah?” My voice answered, cold as ice and flinty.

“They’re coming.” The second voice said evenly, I heard myself sigh heavily and scoff in a disgusted tone.

“No shit.” I muttered, “Get ready boys, it’s gonna be a long night. But as long as you follow my lead, you’re gonna live another day. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am!” Both voices answered, the one firm the other still trembling but they sounded determined- behind those was a chorus of other voices that seemed to be coming from several other ponies. I couldn’t see anything but black, there was no picture this time, there was nothing to see… I could only hear, only hear these voices….

“Tch….. again with the formal names…….” I hissed, but this time I chuckled slightly. “.. Ah, what the hell. Doesn’t matter now, I see the first one- on my mark,”

My heart started to slow, the pain in my head was receding and yet the tenseness in my body didn’t go away, it was getting worse. Something…. Something was coming, and it wasn’t just in my head. The thundering in my ears wasn’t Whiskey’s hooves coming at me, there were too many pairs of hooves hitting the floor, there were….. dozens, dozens of ponies coming this way- my ears twitched at every hoof-fall, I could hear them…. Why?

“One…”

… Zero bit me…. My hearing increased, my strength… everything…. I can hear them, who are they? Are they friendly? …… In my heart I knew they weren’t, on instinct I felt this.... I’m tense, I feel this, these ponies…. All of them… they’re coming… they’re coming fast, they move with purpose, they mean harm… they must…. What is that noise? That… that humming noise, the rumbling, its its…….. Chanting?

My eyes opened slowly, I could feel Cream hovering over me- Whiskey too, their voices were talking back and forth but I wasn’t listening to them. I was straining my ears to hear that noise, the humming, the sound of voices chanting in deep unison, so monotone.. so lifeless, and yet so…. Dangerous. What were they saying? I listened harder, unaware of what Cream and Whiskey were saying..

… Un…… Bal……… Or….. Order…..? Order? That couldn’t be it… there’s something else…… Un…. Unity….? Ba…lance..? And…. And………… P…eace… Peace…? And…. P…ure………

……………Pure?

“Two…”

Order, Unity, Balance, Peace and Pure? What the hell was that even supposed to mean? That doesn’t make any sense, why would they be rambling that? And why were they coming here anyway? I don’t get it….. I brought my PipBuck to my muzzle and pulled up my E.F.S. and to my confusion, there weren’t any red blips on it, not one. But there were….. there were five yellow ones? New yellow blips and no red blips?

I can’t be imagining these sounds, these are real sounds, not something my mind was throwing at me, this tenseness in my body, the slowing of my heart, the feel of dread… these aren’t feelings that aren’t real, these are things I feel now, right now. There is something coming, there are many things coming- and I can hear them, I can feel the vibrations of their hoof-falls on the floor, I know they are there, I know they are coming, but why aren’t there any red blips on my E.F.S.?

The pounding of my head had faded to a dull ache, my vision was clearer now, colors came back, the cattle prod in my head was turned off again.

“Order…. Unity…. Balance… Pure….” My ears twitched at each word, the voices still low, still rumbling, but definitely getting closer. “Purity…. Purity is Power……. Purity is Order…. Purity is Unity….. Purity is Balance…… Purity is Peace…. Unity… Balance… Pure….. Purity…” Each line was the same, the same rhythm, the same tone…..

“This has happened before?” Cream’s voice took over my attention as I continued to rest my head on the floor, hooves on either side of my muzzle and not bothering to move, staring straight ahead as I tried to focus on the chanting again.

“Yep…. An’ she was ou’ fer hours last time..” Whiskey muttered,

“That’s not really normal…” Cream mumbled, no… really?

“Three…”

“….. Purity is Balance…… Purity is Peace…. Unity… Balance… Pure….. Purity…” I blinked slowly, how odd it was there were no red blips…. And what’s with those three extra yellow ones? I suppose one could probably be Zero outside somewhere……

“… guys.” I murmured, trying to catch the attention of my two pony companions.

“Stay close to us, kid. You’ll be fine…”

My muscles tensed in readiness, my heart slowed to a calm beat, my vision grew sharp, I breathed in slowly, deeply, my body reacting on its own-

“Ah know! Damn it, this is o’ hell of a time fer ‘er to do this again!” Whiskey growled in distaste.

“Guys.” I said again, this time louder and more firm so they heard me. I closed my eyes, letting the vibrations of the hoof beats flow into my own hooves as I pressed them against the tile floor.

“She’s not blacked out!” Cream gasped in surprise, “Flash, are ya ok?”

“What happened?” Whiskey pressed,

“There are ponies here… at least I think they’re ponies…” I told them, ignoring their questions for now. “A lot of them, they’re getting closer to us…. And I don’t think they’re friendly..”

“What do ya mean?” Whiskey asked me lowly, “Ya don’ think they’re friendly? Shouldn’ yer PipBuck register tha’?”

“… My E.F.S. isn’t registering these ponies. It’s like they’re invisible,” I replied evenly,

“Then how do ya know?” Cream murmured.

“… I feel it.” I answered,

“Now!” My voice called out the order to those ponies whose voices I had heard in my head, and my body leapt into action, just as the chanting reached a high and suddenly died, but the vibrations in the floor increased, and the tile started to heat up as if somepony had lit a fire under it.

“Run!” I ordered, and I took off with both Whiskey and Cream following me closely, the tile started to crumble and melt into streams of ultra-red hot debris, instantly heated to a level so high in degree by some unknown and extremely powerful force. Cream looked over her shoulder, and then the chanting grew louder than before, over and over and I saw her eyes grow wide.

“That… that’s the chanting from before…” She whispered, stumbling a little as a look of utter horror appeared on her face. “…those thangs that killed everybody in Pillar… they’re here….” She was slowing down in her terror, and I hissed- sliding to a stop and whipping around as Cream stumbled and fell.

“Damn it…” I muttered, jumping toward the downed unicorn as Whiskey pulled ahead. I was by Cream in a single jump, and the heat under our feet was just about to reach her- so I flared my wings out and grabbed her small form in my hooves, keeping her from getting melted as the floor ran away from under us. My fur stood on end, I could feel my mane frizz up and my eyes darted toward Whiskey, who was still outrunning the melting floor. “Whiskey!” I yelled, just as the floor melted under him and he leapt from a window ahead of him to avoid the heat- sending himself straight out to fall from the second story. What had he been thinking?! Who in their right mind would jump from here?! Granted…. He hadn’t much choice.

“CREAM?!” My head snapped around at the sudden shout, easily recognizing it as the one that had sent out the broadcast, and my thoughts flashed to the two extra yellow blips on my E.F.S.. I swiveled in air to see a lean grey buck standing at the other end of the corridor we were in, a younger silver colt shivering behind him. My thoughts left Whiskey as Cream was brought back to her senses by the voice,

“Fritz?! Rocky?!” She yelled, her eyes wide in utter astonishment. “Yer alive?!” Not for long no, not with these ponies melting the floor under us and everything going to hell…. Damn it! I hate this shit, why does everything have to be so difficult? I couldn’t carry three ponies out and to safety by any means, even I wasn’t strong enough for that, even if Cream and that silver colt probably weighed almost nothing to very little. My eyes snapped down as I hovered above the entirely gone section of the second floor below me, and I saw exactly what was after us.

Dozens of long, lean, strong, and dark furred ponies- ponies with curved, twisted, murderous horns on their foreheads, glowing eyes darkened and without whites or pupils. Ponies with cleft hooves sharp enough to tear a pony’s flank apart, long, thin tails with tufts of hair on the ends, long legs, bodies and necks, tall and sleek…. All of them a sickly dark ash color, and all of them sporting garnished silver metal armor that wrapped about their torso’s with a fine fit, chainmail underneath the stronger pieces, engraving and filigree dancing across in swirling patterns. They all looked the same, the only thing that differed between them was the color of their eyes- each having their own color, and that same color shown in the glow of Magic upon their horns. I had never seen creatures like this, in my mind they were unicorns… but some twisted and freak form,

VVVVVZZZZTTTTTTTT…………

…. And now there is that, but why?

No time to think about that unfortunately, because my fur began to prickle as my eyes met the orange glowing gaze on one of those freakish unicorns, and I felt a mass of Magic spiraling around below me as they all began a Spell in unison, and aimed it at me. I pumped my wings and flew us away in an instant, heading straight toward the two unexpected arrivals and setting down, just as the building shook with a great tremor as red hot Magic shot up into the roof and burned a straight path through it, sending bits of building and whatnot flying.

“No time for greetings!” I snapped, letting Cream go and touching the floor. I waved a hoof at the colt who jumped when I looked at him, eyes alight in fear. “You, kid! You’re gonna climb on my back. Cream, are you any good with Telekinesis?” My voice rose to a commanding tone, the colt looked mortified and Cream blinked,

“Why…?” She murmured, and then her eyes went wide, realizing why before she could stop herself from asking.

“I can’t carry all of you,” I said quickly, speaking fast as I heard marching under us. “I think I can manage you and the kid, but I’ll need you to levitate him.” I pointed my hoof to the grey buck.

“Yer crazy! My Magic ain’t that strong!” Cream snapped and I sighed, nerves on high and ears twitching at the sound of the marching stopping below, my fur prickling as Magic of an extreme magnitude started to rise under us.

“No time!” I put my head under the colt and thrust up, sending him onto my back between my wings as he yelped and his hooves wrapped around my neck, shaking uncontrollably and stinking of sweat and blood. I lift off with one stroke and grabbed Cream, “Grab him now, or he’s gotta jump!” Like the other end of the corridor, there was a set of windows not four feet from us and that was our only exit. Cream’s eyes closed as her Magic flared to life and wrapped around the buck, managing to lift him an inch of the ground with a painful grunt from Cream. I flapped to bring us to the window, and the floor fell apart under us, I could feel Cream tense under the stress of keeping her friend up as the support of the floor vanished. And then there was an extreme wave of heat that rolled up to curl under my wings and lift me higher, I spared a second’s glance downward and met cold, rage filled, murderous, orange eyes.

Something hit me, it tore a hole through my flank and I gasped at the agony that followed, certain my wings would fail me there and then. Utter pain and blinding agony tore it’s way through my body as my ears heard a crash somewhere behind me- the remnants of some unnatural sphere of light faded away as it crumbled the already destroyed Building. Sticky liquid dripped down my side and I groaned, barely registering anything until the sound of the colt on my back screaming in my ear brought me back to the present,

TICK TICK TICK TICK!!!!!!!

My PipBuck was going insane with numerous warnings, and the radiation meter was ticking off the chart. The one message that flashed across my vision by Magical means was 'Torso Crippled'. Fucking great…

"G-go!! P-please!!" The colt yelled, his hooves nearly strangling me as he pushed himself forward in an attempt to yell straight into my ear. "They're firing at us again!!” Firing what I wonder? I hadn’t heard any guns... it must have been Magic.

I pushed forward in spite of the pain, forcing my hooves to wrap around Cream more tightly in fear I might drop her, and launched head first out the shattered window in front of me, the hot dusty air outside hitting my muzzle. I couldn't focus on seeing if Cream managed to bring her friend with, I could hardly see at all.
My flank burned with an agonizing pain unlike any other, my heart raced at the inflicted damage and my wings were not functioning the way they should be. I felt like my insides were being eaten away by some sort of acid, and for all I know they could be- I had no idea what I got hit with.

"Kid!"

My ears rung with the shout, and before my hazy vision the image of a small buck twisting this way and that in air before me, wavering constantly on air. He was grey-scale, and so was everything else. My heart sank a little, don't tell me I was passed out in midair!?

The young buck's wing was held at an awkward way, I could see the bone in it bent at an ungodly angle, I winced inwardly at the sight, I couldn't imagine how much that hurt…

I shot forward to glide next to the buck, leaning one of my... Armored wings(?) under his own to stabilize him, he glanced to me wearily, his coat flecked with blood and his lightweight armor torn and tattered.

The sky around us was a dark mass of cloud, not unlike the cloud curtain I saw every day in the wastes. Around us was the sound of shouting and guns being fired, in the mass of cloud above us flashed light and a thunderous roar that shook me, but the me in the vision didn't even flinch at the noise, my eyes were trained on the injured pony beside me. I would guess and say that everypony else were up in the clouds, not below them and that would explain for the lack of moving bodies about the two of us in what I felt was the center of a battle.

"H-hey.. Boss..." He chuckled lowly, panting in between his words as a trickle of blood dropped past his lip. Boss? I was a boss? How? And of what exactly?

"Steady Kid," I muttered, "Let's see if we can get you on the ground,"

"Where's General Thunder?" The buck asked, I assumed he was talking about the other voice I had heard earlier, because I immediately recognized this buck as the younger voice that had been ringing in my head. But the me in the vision stiffened slightly at the question, and my heart clenched suddenly, my stomach tightened and I felt the essence of.... Worry.

"He's somewhere around here," was the simple reply that moved past my lips, easily hiding the pang of worry that it me as I replied in a very emotionless tone of voice. "Probably with the Captain I would guess..."

BOOM!

Now that was a sound I knew so well, and I knew that whatever had shot that gun had done so with purpose. And then I felt the bullet tear through my armor and pierce my flank, and even go so far as to pass through me and hit the young buck.

The buck lost all little unsteady altitude he had and dropped like a rock, I swayed a moment at the pain and hissed, eyes scanning the cloud mass for any sight of who had shot me. My mind raced with the thoughts, no bullet should be able to pierce my armor so easily, I didn't know what sort of armor it was but from the small glimpses of it knew it wasn’t similar to the one the young buck was wearing, and the me in this vision knew that it was no regular bullet, no regular bullet could pierce this armor, not ever.

BOOM!

But then I dove down, fast and at an unbelievable angle, the bullet whizzed past my ear and I focused on trying to catch the young buck that was hurtling toward the ground. He flipped in air and his eyes looked up at me in fear, heart-wrenching, soul tearing fear.

"Flare your wings out!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Catch some air damn it, anything!! Prepare for a crash landing!!"

The grey went from my sight as came the image of the hard ground of the WasteLand getting closer to my face every second. The sound of the colt yelling frantically flooded my senses, I could feel Cream struggling in my hooves, I had somehow managed not to drop her- yet.

The metallic taste of blood hit my tongue as a stream of it began to rise up my throat, my PipBuck was still flashing things back and forth.
I flared my wings out to catch any air that could slow us down, but I was a bit too close to the ground for it to make much difference. My eyes caught sight of a truck full of old and molded linens and a whole lot of other rotted and indistinguishable shit, that had been overturned near the emergency entrance to the clinic, I angled myself in air and tossed Cream as far as I could manage- hoping she would hit the pile not the ground. I angled my wings again to stream just above the ground a ways, gliding in a wobbly fashion, barely staying conscious, blood dripping from my mouth and my nose continually. My vision was too blurred to even see where I was going, and the weight of the colt on my back suddenly felt like a piano- not the relatively light weight of the pony himself.

And then I hit something with a painful crash, landing directly on the top of an ambulance hard enough to dent the rusted roof..... I groaned, the impact sending a wave of pain through me that originated directly from the hole in my flank, one that was bleeding pretty profusely.

The colt bounced off of my back and hit the roof with a thud, heaving and huffing, his body trembling and shaking the roof as he lay down a bit beside me. I was surprised he had managed to hang on as long as he had, and I hoped the crash hadn't hurt him, though honestly... I was hurt pretty bad, I didn't think I could get up if I tried. I knew we needed to leave though, those freak unicorns were still around and they were clearly not friendly,

'Torso Crippled'
'Corrosive Foreign Magic Matter Detected'
'Severe Cranial Damage'
'High Levels of Radiation Detected'
‘Massive Internal Hemorrhaging’

Well... No surprise I guess... Actually, how did I not break a leg when I hit this ambulance? Or even a few ribs? And on the note of Radiation... I was hoping being partially DireWolf would elicit those 'resistant to radiation' perks Zero had mentioned…. Though, radiation was the least of my worries at the moment.

"You.... OK..... kid?" I wheezed, his head snapped toward me when I spoke, eyes wide in what I couldn't discern was either surprise or fear.

"U-uh... Y-yeah, I think s..so....." He stammered and I let my eyes close.

"G...oo....d..." That was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

.:+:.

Footnote: Level up
New Perk: Toughness- You’ve been taking a lot of heavy hits recently, and still you keep going. +10% Damage Resistance from here on out.

Chapter 10- Buck and Dash

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Chapter 10

Buck and Dash

"Wooooooooooooo!!!! YEAH!! I feel like I can make a tornado! I can fly around the world! Hell yes!! I feel so damn good!!"

.:+:.

...... For a minute at best.

The next thing I knew, the colt was standing over me while shoving various needles into my foreleg and injecting whatever they held into my bloodstream. A warmth flooded from my legs into my chest and through my entire body, my heart beat faster and faster, my blood moved more, my head grew clearer, my pain subsided. The black on the edge of my vision went away, the world slowed before me so I could see everything in terrific slow motion- a world where I moved really fast.

I felt.... I felt good.

I lift my head and glanced to the colt, who finished with the last needle and looked back to me. "What did you do?" I asked, not interested in anything other than the one question. There was the soft ticking sound of my radiation meter going off, I figured there were things in the ambulance that were radioactive all on their own. I ignored the now useless warnings the damn thing was giving me too, no point in looking at it- not now anyway.

"I gave you some Dash," he mumbled, pulling over a plastic pill bottle and shaking out four pills before me. "Take those, we need to go- fast." He said urgently, and I obediently licked up the tablets. My body was starting to tingle, and pretty soon I felt power in my limbs. (It later occurred to me, after a long time in the Wastes- that Dash didn’t come in Syringes, but Inhalers- as it turns out, this one time- my luck managed to present that colt with a rare form of that damn drug that had been condensed into a freaking liquid- and the effects were nearly tenfold than what was considered ‘normal’. Gotta love the freaky things you find when you’re dying on the roof of a two century old Ambulance, huh?) The colt threw the empty bottle away and I blinked,

"What were those?"

"Buck." He muttered,

"Flash!!!!!!?!?" Cream screamed, running toward us with the grey buck galloping behind her, hey! They were alive at least. Cream looked a little worse for wear, as did the buck behind her but there really wasn’t time to worry about anything right now. I climbed to my hooves, shaking my coat out (oblivious to the blood and bits of my own flesh that scattered in the action) and looking toward the Clinic. The side of the building was glowing red-hot, as the framework began to melt away in response to some seriously powerful Magic.

"Ok, time to go." I murmured, jumping down from the ambulance with the colt behind me, Cream slowed beside us, panting and covered in sweat. She stared at me with wide eyes and gasped,

"Oh great goddesses!" She breathed, I followed her gaze toward my flank and noticed what she was seeing, the hole shot through my body had just missed the protection of my barding, and it was oozing blood continually, and you could see the white of one of my ribs poking through around the melted flesh. I would have thrown up, if I didn't feel so good even despite the serious injury I was looking at. It wasn't good, no, but I couldn't feel it right now, and pretty soon after, I just couldn’t see the wound anymore at all.

"We have to go," I said, ignoring the horrified look she was giving me. None of them moved and sighed in exasperation, I butted Cream with my head in the direction away from the MOP Clinic and the fast incoming freakish unicorn enemies. "RUN!" I snapped, and the tone of my voice made them leap into action- that and the wall of the clinic blew apart with a resounding boom behind us, and the mass of freak unicorns stood in the hole.

The two earth ponies and the (regular!) unicorn mare started off at a gallop, I jumped into the air and felt the currents of warmth curl under my wings as I pumped them with a newfound vigor. I flipped around in air, once I had gained enough speed to glide, and turned to look back at the enemies after us, shifting my shotgun from my back and into my hooves as I took aim- everything was slowed from the Dash the colt had given me, I was aiming in a slowed state very much like S.A.T.S. I aimed for the head of the first freaky unicorn and pulled the trigger,

BAM!

The scattered propellants of my gun bounced off a glowing shield of Magic that appeared before the pony, ticking off its surface as if it was nothing. I hissed and flipped forward again,

My fur started tingling once more, and I knew there was some serious Magic being sent our way in the next few moments without having to look. The ponies below me were dodging in and out between the carriages that were littered outside the Clinic as we made our way back to Pillar- maybe those carriages would provide some cover. But then, these ponies melted walls and floors like it was nothing- I doubted a few carriages would make much a difference.

“Run faster!!!” I yelled below me, shoving my shotgun onto my back and flapping my wings harder but not hard enough that I pulled ahead of the three below me, my fur rising at the waves of heat rolling behind us. I took a glance back and felt my heart drop, as the sphere of red hot Magic grew in size in accordance to the freak unicorns pouring their magic into it. That Magic was going to carve a path straight through us, I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want to let Cream or her friends either- but what to do?

I supposed it was high time for something crazy- I mean, it didn’t seem crazy, I felt like I could do anything right now.

So, I whipped around and streaked toward the freakish unicorns, arching around the sphere of red-hot so closely I felt my fur singe a little, and I angled straight toward the head unicorn- whose orange eyes looked to me in utter calm.

WHAM!

I crashed right into it, my head bashing against the head of the unicorn- I felt a searing pain flow through me at the jolt, and the tip of its curved horn cut the side of my neck, drawing a little blood. But in the next instant, my hooves slammed down on its muzzle and I propelled myself away in that same S.A.T.S. like slowness dancing across my mind. The unicorn let out a screech of pain, and the Magic spiraling out before the mass of them suddenly erupted in a large boom- sending out a wave of force to hit us, I flipped in air and flapped wildly to keep myself up, smirking downward as I saw the freakish unicorns fall over from the explosion. Apparently, destroying the concentration of one single unicorn, disrupted the concentration of them all. Good to know.

I smirked and slammed my hooves down into the face of the next freak-unicorn then, earning an unintelligible yell of rage as the one beside it attempted to throw some Magic my way- but I was out of range in an instant, soaring high over their heads, reaching into my saddlebags as my PipBuck shuffled the contents through magical means~

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I dove down with unreal speed and pressed my Revolver in between the eyes of the nearest freak unicorn below me, one that was pale green in color with burning blue eyes. The bullets tore through the unicorn’s skull with a jerk, liquefying its brain into pudding as bits of flesh, fur and skull hit my face- I flapped back into the air the moment it crumpled to the ground in a heap. They couldn’t put up a shield to block the bullets if the gun was right in their face, now could they?

I felt the tug of something grazing the barding on my shoulder, and jerked my head sideways to avoid the Buck-and-Dash- induced, slow motion bullet shaped blast of orange that was shot at me, glaring down to meet the orange gaze of the leader (or at least, I assumed as much)- it's lips pulled into a snarl that let me know how angry it was. I huffed and started circling them again, many of the were still trying to get to their hooves after their Magic imploded on them, many of them were yelling insults- well, I supposed so, it all sounded like jumbled crap to me anyway, not really words. Did I care what they were saying? Oh not really no, I was just having fun really-

‘Fun?’ The Little Me asked suddenly, smirking a little. No, not fun! I mean, that wasn’t my real intent- I was trying to buy Cream and her friends some time to get away from here.

But yes, actually. I was having fun. I couldn’t feel most of my pain, my mind was on an all-time high right now, I felt like anything was possible! It made my heart beat faster in joy to see those furious glares of those unicorns below me, my heart was going so fast and it was all because this truly was fun! I could hear the organ pumping in my ears like thunder-

BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM! BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

You know, why haven’t I tried this before? I could probably make an entire tornado on my own right now if I wanted to!

Before long, I was laughing hysterically at the thought. A tornado out here would be awesome. Suck these bastards straight up, throw everything around- maybe get rid of a huge chunk of that Cloud Cover up there- and then we could see the sky! Oh, now wouldn’t that be wonderful, I couldn’t even imagine what the sky would look like right now- had I ever even seen anything but cloud? Hehe… I don’t know…!

Up and down, side to side, in and out- I was moving in a blur, my vision slowed my own movements down but I couldn’t have been more than a streak of silver and gold to those unicorns below me. I was pummeling my hooves into their faces, firing my Revolver incessantly, moving out of the way of Magic bullets and blasts sent my way- missing most, while some of them scratched me and burned flesh, and cut skin. They were screeching at me in utter fury, the whole lot of them- but my speed and small little attacks on them were keeping them occupied enough that the orange-eyed bastard at the head couldn’t get the rest of its group to focus and send a real attack at me. The world was moving by in slow bliss, I was very happy doing this I was having more fun than I could ever imagine myself having- and the drugs were lifting my mood to insane heights. My lips parted as I dove and flapped about the heads of those below me, as Magic was streaking by in a rainbow of color, my voice rose and I smiled like a psychotic fool.

“Oh, let me go on home! To Mountains of old- to places where others can’t find! Haha! Let me go on home, to where I belong, to where I may find my own!” I flipped in a barrel-roll, avoiding the flash of red that sped past me as I pushed off the face of another freak-unicorn, leaving bruises and a bloody lip. “Where I have what I need, to kill everything! Everything in my waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy!!!!!!!!”

“You mock us?!”

My eyes shifted sideways as my song died on my tongue for a moment, my gaze locking with the leader’s orange one. This was the first intelligible thing I had heard a single one say since their little chanting spell earlier. Mock you? Why yes! Yes I am mocking you, DUH!

“Oh yes I dooooooooooooooooo!!” I sang back, ending in a fit of laughter that earned a heated stare as the leader started barking orders to rally those around him. I pulled my revolver back out and started firing willy-nilly, but this time I didn’t get close and the freak-unicorns actually managed to place a shield up and deflect the bullets.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click- Click-

Wha? Why is there no more bullets being fired? I cast a glance at my PipBuck so I could shuffle the bullets for the gun up to the top- only to find I didn’t have any more bullets for it at all. Well that’s no fun…

I came to a stop in my swooping and diving, blinking rapidly as my whole body began to reverberate with a tingling feeling I had been feeling every single time that… Oh shit.

Magic was spiraling around the whole of the band of freak-unicorns, and growing rapidly. The hue of green and orange tore out and shattered the ground, carved open the rocks and rubble around us and even began to slice up the carriages close by. A wave of pressure was pounding at my body so hard I was being pushed backward through the air, seeing as how everything was starting to get sliced up- it was time to go!

I whipped around and took off, my wings streamlining the moment I reached a speed too fast for the Magic to catch- or at least I thought so, but even drugged up and on high, that thing was fast and coming straight at me- I was utterly fucked.

I saw it stream out in a full-color beam, the Magic losing its spherical shape and creating a straight line. But in that next instant, there was a flash of black from the inside of the building behind the freak-unicorns. I blinked, watching in slow motion as a swift flash of green slashed out at the unicorns near the back of the group, claws that easily cut through the Magic around them, and cleanly severed six heads in a single motion- before two steel-like tails pierced the hearts of two more, and the Magic imploded with a boom- I lost sight of my DireWolf companion as the wave of force from the imploded Magic sent me crashing into the ground, my body bouncing painfully for a long ways before I slowed down.

“Ooh… ow….” I hissed, pain flooding through the numbness of the drugs a moment at the impact, pushing myself up from where I had landed on my stomach. So, Zero just saved my ass- Little Me, remind me to thank him for that later, kay?

‘Noted!’ The Little Me grinned, there being a typewriter that popped up before her, as she tucked the note into a folder, filing it away into a metal cabinet with the line of ‘REMEMBER’ stamped to it in blue ink.

I glanced backward to see nothing but a crushed carriage blocking my view, I took a breath and shook my coat out, sending bits of the blood and gore I was covered in around to splatter against the ground. There were eight less red blips on my E.F.S. and an added yellow one that represented the appearance of Zero- and then another one, yellow.

“Fer Celestia’s sake girl, stop standin’ an’-” Whiskey galloped from around the crushed carriage toward me and skidded to a stop when he spotted me. He looked a little worse for wear, his barding was scuffed and he was huffing like he had been running awhile- but he had jumped from the second story window and wasn’t lying crumpled on the ground. Maybe he worked some insane sort of Earth Pony Magic to make that happen, what do you think?

His eyes went utterly wide when he saw me, his jaw dropped before he flinched, wincing a little at what he saw. He trotted forward slowly, “Oh… oh sweet Luna…..” He muttered, “… Ya… feelin’ ok, Darlin’?” I shook my head at him, why was he even asking? I felt fine! I felt better than fine, I was good. Totally good, my mind had already gotten so hazy I couldn’t even remember if I had been hurt or not- when I looked at myself I didn’t see anything wrong with me, so why is he looking at me so weird?

“Is now the time to be asking that?” I huffed a little, setting a confused look on him. “I feel fine, I am fine. Now let’s get going, deal?” He didn’t have time to react as I jumped up in the air and took off, he started galloping below me as I stayed close to the ground so he was in my sights at all times. I wonder how he managed to survive jumping out of the window? I mean, he didn’t have wings, and Celestia knows what he landed on, on the way out- he could have been impaled, broken his neck, anything really- so how was it he was seemingly completely fine? I’d have to ask in a little, I figured getting away from the Clinic and catching up with Cream and her fiends was more important right now.

Still, had to wonder.

“Ooh…. Zero…” I murmured, the thought occurring to me I couldn’t see the DireWolf behind us- I took a glance back to try and spot him above the things blocking the way- there were flashes of Magic and the sound of yelling, but I couldn’t see anything other than that- at least the yellow blip indicating the creature was still there, I doubted even Zero would have a hard time with those unicorns- I mean, how hard was it really to kill a DireWolf? I hadn’t killed a single one yet- well, not myself anyway. I figured the armed guns in Arabino didn’t count for killing the things myself.

“.. Ain’t no freaky unicorns… gonna take doooooooowwwwwnn Zerooo….” I chuckled slightly, feeling the need to burst into song take over me again, I started weaving about in air as we continued on at the same pace, a grin spreading across my face as everything began to blur and my body started tingling all over with the most intense feeling, I could hear my heart in my head again and it sounded awesome.

“He’s got the claws, and the tails, and the teeth... to rip apart those freaky unicorn ponieeeeeeesssssssssss….” BA BOOM BA BOOM BA BOOM. “Oh no freaky unicorns gonna take down Zeroooooo….. Oh no no no….. He’s one bad-ass Snakey-Dog with awesome venom….” BOOM BOOM BA BOOM BOOM BOOM. “Ain’t no freaky unicorns gonna take down Zerooooooooooooo!!!” Everything suddenly erupted in blurry color, everything was weird, the air was dancing with blue currents of light, Whiskey glowed like an orange lamp, I felt reverberations of sound hit my body, though every little noise was lost to the booming in my chest. My grin grew even more, my mind giving way to the high I was on oh so willingly, I continued to lose myself in the oncoming world permitted to me by the combination of Buck and Dash. “We’re gonna take ‘um out, we’re gonna beat ‘um all now! Zero’s gonna cut ya to pieces, Whiskey’s gonna shoot ya in the head, and me? Oh don’t ask about me, I’ll be flyin’ and kickin’ and singin’ away…!” BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.

‘Pillar’ flashed before my eyes in an array of golden light after we had been fleeing for awhile, it was continuously followed by more gold as things like ‘Torso Crippled’ and ‘Massive Internal Bleeding’ appeared in front of me, I glanced down at the glowing orange beacon of Whiskey among a blue sea of color, his lips were moving as he yelled something at me- I couldn’t hear him over the booming of my heart, and I just smiled and nodded slowly, still weaving about in air.
And then peach, gray and silver flashed in front of me as I followed Whiskey deftly around a corner he took, just around the off-ramp of the highway, smiling all the while as Cream Soda and her friends came into our sights. Whiskey came to a halt, I hovered over him, bobbing up and down as I continued to hum my little song- waving a hoof at the colt and smiling like a fool, he looked back up at me in nervous terror. Why did he seem so scared?

Whiskey was yelling at Cream, I murmured a few words at him- “Stop yelling at her dumb-ass, you don’t have to be so mean..” He didn’t seem to hear me, and Cream was nodding frantically, her pink gaze switching to me as she bit her lip,

I felt myself get yanked downward against my will, and glanced slowly to my wings to see if they were even still working, my body was numb now completely. I was glowing pink, pink! I glanced to Cream as my vision swam, apart from her glowing soft orange- the top of her head was glowing pink like me! Haha!

I was squirming, my hooves waving around wildly as I tried to get out of the grasp of pink that was slowly pulling me down, I didn’t want to land, flying was so much fun! I gave one last tug to try and get away, but then my wings gave out and I hit the concrete with a SMACK!

Cream’s eyes went wide and Whiskey snapped something at her, I peeled my face off the ground to see their mouth’s moving. And then Whiskey’s face snapped around toward the colt, yelling again as the little foal looked to him with a nervous expression, saying something in return that made his father face-hoof so hard I thought he’d break his nose. What a funny buck…

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BA BOOM BA BOOM!!!

I felt my body convulse, even beside the numbness. My mouth was foaming now, the foam was bloody- my eyes were falling closed as my vision slowly faded from rainbow-colored bliss to black, utter black…… My head moved back and forth as someone started shaking me frantically, their hot breath next to my ear as they yelled and yelled, but didn’t they realize I couldn’t hear them?

‘Ooh-ho not good….. not good… F… Flashy….? Flashy…? Hey, can you hear me…?’ Little Me? ‘..Flashy... Flashy… Flashy….. what a mess this is now, hm…?’ Mess? What mess? I feel great!

The Little Me appeared before my gaze, surrounded by all the growing shadows. For the first time, she was actually in front of me- not just in my head, she was right there, her hooves next to my muzzle as she stood just between Cream and Whiskey as they crouched on either side of me. I lift my chin from the concrete slowly, she looked to me with her red eyes, the same ones I had, and she shook her head slowly, tapping a hoof to her chin. ‘Mmm… I do think that’s the Drugs talking there, Flashy. It seems you don’t quite realize your... ah, condition.’ Her eyes closed as she rubbed a hoof through her choppy golden mane, leaving it to stand up a bit as if some sort of gel had been rubbed through. ‘But listen, you can’t die. It just wouldn’t be any fun if you did, cause then we both disappear- and really, who wants that?’ Whiskey and Cream fell out of my sight, the Little Me leaned down and lay her chin on the ground right in front of my nose, our eyes meeting. ‘You can’t die. So don’t, and we can have some lovely little Tea-Sandwiches later when you wake up, that sound good?’

.:+:.

Music filtered in around me from somewhere close to my ear, it was slow, smooth… with the lovely tones of bass and a trumpet, Old Blues….. yeah, and I really like it too. My lips pulled into a soft smile, I couldn’t remember the last time I had heard the Blues, I wondered where the melody was being played from.

My eyes opened slowly as I dragged my hooves under the soft pillow cradling my head, my body covered halfway by the comforter over top of me, and I saw a radio sitting on the nightstand to my right, light filtering in through window just next to it, fighting past the curtains trying to block it out. The clock on the radio read 9:09.

“It’s already nine..?” I murmured, against my own will as I realized I was the other me again, the one I couldn’t remember being. I started to push myself up in the bed, my mane ruffled from sleep as I felt myself panicking slightly. “Why didn’t anypony wake me up?!” I hopped off the bed and jumped toward a dresser nearby, throwing it open in search of- what was clearly not there, because I had halted and I was staring at the emptiness of it.

“I….. am on Leave.” I murmured, sighing as I began rubbing a hoof through my mane, “… Damn, I was so tired after clearing all the clouds in the town, I crashed and completely blanked on the fact…….” I smiled a little ruefully, “Seems like I won’t be getting out of my habits any faster than I thought, I probably won’t ever get rid of them, if I’m being honest….” I hung my head a little and slowly closed the empty dresser, walking back toward the bed and plopping down on it, earning a hiss as I hit my side- looking down to see white bandages wrapped about my torso, noticing also the ones wrapped about my foreleg as well.

My chin rest on my pillow as I lay on my stomach, glancing back to the radio as I tried to allow myself to fall away into the music. It was pleasant, relaxing… I could feel myself falling down into a doze as it continued on, I was exhausted, mentally more than physically. I could hear the soft murmur of ponies outside my window, as the music fell away slowly- before I reached a wing over and pressed the off button on the clock with my top-most feather.

“I wonder…. If Misty Fly is looking for me….” I murmured lowly, rolling over onto my back to face the ceiling. “… I don’t know if I want to talk to her at all, really…..” I closed my eyes and pressed my hooves over them. “…. I…. don’t even know if….. I want to go back……. To…. The… team….”

Team? Could this be the same team that Scarlet had mentioned? The one she had tried to urge me to take over and become Captain of? But what team? What was it, who was on it…?

RD………….?

.:+:.

“She….. still……… crashing….”

Wha..? What is that…? Who is that….?

I moaned, my body was in utter pain, my heart was beating irregularly, I was shaking, I could taste blood in my throat. My eyes fluttered incessantly as I fought to keep them open, trying to come to terms with what was going on, where I was, and who was talking. I knew I was fidgeting, I felt my body twitching against my better judgment as I writhed around at the pain in every part of me- most certainly in my torso and my chest.

Something was being poured down my throat, something warm and sweet that only worked to dull the pain slightly. Hooves pressed down on my body to try and keep me still in my wriggling, and then my fore-hoof stung as somepony stuck a needle in me and the pain dulled to nothing as some sort of liquid was injected into my veins, I stopped moving and went still, my heart still beating funny, still breathing in strained breaths.

“She ain’t……….. ya know it……” A voice murmured shakily, my ears straining to hear the entire sentence through the haze dancing over my mind.

“She has ta!” I flinched at the voice, it came through clearly and loudly. I knew immediately who it belonged to, even in the confusion. “She ain’t dyin’!” Even with how harsh his tone was, I could hear the doubt in his voice. He didn’t fully believe himself, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself he did. I didn’t know if I believed I wasn’t dying already.

Then something started to lift me off the floor, the fuzzy shape of something massive made its way past my blurry vision. The movement made me hiss though the pain was non-existent since somepony shot me up with what I would suppose was a painkiller. But what the hell is picking me up…? It….. it's so….. soft…..
I felt myself relax into the hold, the feel of fur brushing against me in my numbness, a warmth emanating from the mass as I was lifted slowly and gently, it felt so comfy……

“Wha’ in…. hell…….. doin’?!” Whiskey’s voice faded from its earlier clarity to being far off as I began to fade into the comfort of whatever had lift me up, could this be me dying…?

“… Green Fire..”

.:+:.

“Oh girl, don’t you let no war bring you down.
Oh friend, don’t let no madness make you frown!
Although the world seems bare,
And life may seem to mean no anythin’ anymore.
You still have life to live,
All you gotta do is soar!!”

My ears twitched at the sound of the soft and smooth melody playing all around, and flooding my senses- bringing me back from a deep, dark place I couldn’t remember falling into. I felt I should remember the lyrics to the song, as it fell away into a lovely bit of orchestra of some smooth guitar and soft bass……. But the words didn’t come, and I listened intently for a moment.

“Let your wings take air,
Let yourself be more.
Don’t dwell on what you see,
Not the death, sadness, no not the war!
You still have life to live,
All you gotta do is sooooooaarr!”

“Lovely song, isn’t it? Flashy?”

In a flash of light, I found myself sitting at a table in the vast white emptiness of my mind- where across from me, sat the Little Me, smiling softly as she pushed a wineglass of the same light brown liquid she always had toward me. In front of her, she had her own glass, as she crossed her hooves in front of it and simply looked to me- the music fading as the orchestra took up again. I could do nothing but stare back, usually I wasn’t the one sitting in here with her- all I ever saw was her, as if I was looking through a window apart from her.

“I always thought so, the music is just fantastic!” She grinned, brushing her mane back again- where it stood up as if it was windswept, “It’s a great thing to wake up to… but perhaps not as good as Blues or Jazz.” She paused and smiled a bit more, “You do like the Blues and Jazz, don’t you?” I faltered slightly, blinking a few times before slowly nodding.

“Uh… yes? I think?” By now any memory of what I had seen of the Old Me had faded away to nothing. The Little Me smiled sympathetically and slowly took a sip of her drink, leaning back in her chair with a thoughtful expression toward me.

“Memory loss is a bit of a pain, hmm?” She said after her drink, earning a blink from me.

“But… don’t you have the same memory loss like me?” I asked, “Cause, you know… you are me? Sort of?” I rubbed my hooves together uncomfortably, “I mean, you really are just a figment of my super screwed up mind after all.” The Little Me smiled a little with a small nod,

“Yeah…. I am….. but you know- Does it really matter?” She chuckled, “Apparently, all I’m good for is stupid comments and little pep talks- just to keep you company.” I blinked, frowning a little when I detected the rather put-down tone that crept into her voice, like somehow I had offended her….. But how can I offend a figment of my imagination? “Anyhoo, I promised you some Tea-sandwiches when you woke up- so here.” With a soft pop, a plate full of neatly prepared sandwiches appeared on the table before us, and then the wine glasses disappeared to give way to little tea-cups. “Eat up!” She grinned, chomping down on one hungrily.

“…. But I’m not awake…..?” I murmured slowly, quite confused now. The Little Me looked up with a smile, crumbs over her muzzle and looking quite amused.

“Says who?” She mumbled, I just blinked and she nodded a little. “Alright, you aren’t technically awake no, but you did manage not to die, so I figured let’s celebrate anyway! Stop being so literal about everything!” She nudged the plate toward me a bit more, I glanced between her and the food and then slowly bit down into one.

It was simple, bread with some lettuce, tomatoes…… It was good! I can’t remember the last time I had proper food, I munched down the first and started the second. The Little Me smiled at the reaction and sat back, letting us fall into silence. At some point I found myself wondering what was going through her head, I mean- could anything really go through her head at all? I mean… she was in my head, she was my imagination…… The Little Me was weird, which meant my head was weird……. Ugh…. Oh well, stop thinking about it.

“So… you said I didn’t die?” I mumbled after my sixth sandwich. I glanced up to her and she nodded at me, “Now how is that possible?”

“Why not find out?” She replied, tapping a hoof to the table once, “We’ve had a nice little chat, but I think you’re friends want to see you now.” She tapped the table again, I paused. Friends?

“My…. Friends…?” I murmured, eyes narrowing. I didn’t have any friends, I hadn’t made any…. Wait. “You can’t mean Whiskey? And Zero?!” The Little Me’s lips pulled into a crooked smirk as she nodded in confirmation. I slammed my hooves onto the table and my wings puffed up, “They are not my friends! Especially not that bastard Whiskey! He SHOT me!! He tried to kill me!” The Little Me lift a hoof and smiled,

“Oh yes, I know. And yet, you did save him from becoming Wolf-chow. And you agreed to travel with him.” She replied evenly, if not a little amused at my sudden surge in temper. “You may not like him, but you do like him.” I glared and she smiled just a little more,

“I do not!”

“Go on telling yourself that Flashy,” The Little Me murmured, “You’ll get it eventually.” Her hoof tapped down on the table for the third time, and I was sucked back into dark, into gray, into a world where everything was silent, beside the soft melody of the song playing before, and the constant tick of my PipBuck.

.:+:.

My eyelids fluttered open to the sight of old, ratty, half burned sheets in front of my nose. I blinked slowly, my ears swiveling round as I tried to hear anything, anything other than music and the incessant tick of my PipBuck. The air was tinged with the scent of ash and smoke, I sneezed as some of that ash hit my nose and cringed a little at the ache over my body that flared up in response. I was surrounded by rotting crates filled with indistinguishable filth and the like, all glowing a sickly green in the half-light of the night that had fallen around me- where the shadow of a halfway standing building cast out before me, the faded words of the name ‘Welmare’ was painted upon the cracked and crumbled wall. There were shelves that had been burned badly, where all product set upon them had melted and turned to ash.

TICK TICK TICK TICK!

I glanced down to my PipBuck to see the Radiation Meter ticking in the red zone.

I pulled up my Map to see where I was, and to my surprise I wasn’t so far away from the Ministry of Peace Clinic. I glanced sideways to see a worn and torn up road passing by the ruin of the building, with a few more ruins surrounding on either side. This must have been down the road from the Clinic as a sort of rest-stop, if the numerous destroyed and overturned carriages had anything to say- as well as the view of a ‘Haystop’ just to my left, and the sanitation facilities.

I flipped to the Stats section of my PipBuck, taking into account that the music was filtering from my PipBuck- it having somehow tuned into DJPON3 Radio on its own accord. A look over of my own Status found that many of the health concerns that had been plaguing me were less severe, or gone entirely. No more massive internal bleeding (Though it did inform me of some minor internal bleeding still, I shouldn’t really be surprised), my torso was only minorly damaged (There were some traces of that Foreign Corrosive Magic Matter still around, I could feel it, an itch inside me), my heart was beating kinda fine… no more drugs. The gaping hole in my side was pink, dug out some, and a little inflamed but nothing more, I could see the faint scarring of hastily placed stitches pulling at the skin. There was a faint line where the freak-unicorn’s horn had cut my neck, and my body was still aching from slamming into the top of the ambulance, and there were still patches of fur gone to show pink skin where I had been burned numerous times.

I blinked, nodding slightly at the report and glancing back around me. The radiation around me wasn’t good, but I wasn’t getting a Medical warning about it just now, in fact it didn’t seem to bother me at all. On a different note, how did I get here? I certainly hadn’t walked nor flown here, with the way I was in, it wouldn’t have allowed that. I faintly remembered waking up somewhere in between, slipping from consciousness the first time to now, the feel of that super soft thing lifting me up….. and ‘Green Fire’. So… Yeah, no clue what that was.

My ears swiveled back when the sound of heavy footfalls reached me, they were nearly deafened as if the figure was stepping through the soft ash, but I heard them none the less and turned slightly, eyes narrowing as I let them try to adjust to the surrounding dim even more. The flash of yellow on my E.F.S. told me it wasn’t an enemy, and considering how massive in size the figure would need to be to make the sound of these steps I was hearing, I had a good guess to who it was.

The Radiation everywhere wasn’t a bad clue either.

“Zero?” I murmured, my voice cracked a little from lack of use, and I swallowed hard- tasting bile and blood a moment before it faded. The massive, looming figure of the DireWolf slipped from behind a shelf and came to a slow stop before me, green eyes glinting in the half-light and utterly silent. We stared at each other, I was eerily reminded of the several stare-down’s that the DireWolf and Whiskey found themselves in. I could see patches of fur were thin and there was a particularly long scar running over his shoulder that hadn’t been there before among the several that were faded and dull- I figured it was as souvenir from him taking on those Freaky Unicorns.

“Golden-mane……” He rumbled lowly, one of his tails flicking behind him while the other was completely still. I blinked, because for a long while he trailed off and we were left in silence again. “Golden-mane….” Again he trailed off and his head bowed, his gaze leaving my own as his eyes closed, and I blinked in utter shock when I saw the massive form of him start shaking. Yeah! Shaking!! My jaw dropped slightly, suddenly a little nervous because I was having a hard time getting a grip on what was happening. What on earth could this huge, strong, scary freaking monster be shaking about?! I had seen him charge up behind a group full of seriously strong and dangerous freak-unicorns and start cutting off heads like it was nothing!

It happened in a split second, one moment Zero was standing there and the next he was on top of me. I had seen the fast movement and flinched, but my mind hadn’t time to react and then it was too late. I saw his freakishly long canines craning toward my neck, I smelled his hot breath (It was something between disgusting meat, and something worse), drops of saliva hit my muzzle, I could see green bubbling up from the pits of his stomach, he had knocked me over on to my back and was straddling me, his massive body over my own and claws piercing the rags around me. I shut my eyes tight, yelping in utter shock and feeling my heart drop at the terror that hit me. The sudden movement had sent the ash around us up into a cloud, making my throat burn and eyes water at the sting. This was it, I knew I was crazy, to trust a big, dangerous, pony-eating creature at all was stupid, and now I was going to be eaten.

Zero’s thick, slimy, hot tongue drew itself up my neck and over my face, leaving a trail of wet behind it and making me stink like his last meal, as the incessant click of my Radiation Meter spiked again and again. I cringed at the icky feeling, as his tongue did it again, five or six more times! What, was he tasting me before sinking his teeth in?!

I peeked an eye open and saw he was still shaking, but only because his two tails were moving back and forth non-stop in a wagging motion, and his head moved up and down as he continued to draw his tongue over my face, my neck, my chest, my hooves. I took notice, and being quite shocked, I saw that the blip of Zero on my E.F.S. was still very much yellow. What the hell is going on?! Is he… is he licking me, for fun?!

I pushed my hooves against his muzzle and squirmed, trying to stop the incessant licking because my stomach was starting to turn at the smell of meat-laced dog breath. Zero was much stronger than me though, he probably didn’t even feel my hooves pushing against him, and he just kept licking me, his tails wagging back and forth, his freakishly large teeth still inches from my body.

He was acting like… like a freaking puppy for Celestia’s sake!

“Z-Zero..!” I sputtered around gross saliva sticking to my face and coat, still squirming and twisting as I tried to push his face away, and trying my best to avoid those insane teeth in my face. “Zero!” I mean, why the hell was he even licking me? And why would he want too?! I was covered in blood, gore, bits of flesh and bone, in what I was sure was vomit and other things as well- now DireWolf slobber too. “GET OFF!!” I slammed my hooves against his nose as hard as I could manage and finally the licking ceased, our eyes met and we looked at one another. Zero’s eyes were glinting, and the closer I looked, I swore he was smiling- in his own way anyway. “What the hell?!” I snapped, hitting my hooves against the top of his head in frustration, I was so very confused and not at all happy. “Why would you do that!? I thought you were going to eat me, you gave me a heart-attack you stupid, freaking, puppy!!” I threw my hooves up and let them fall out around me in the ash,
Zero’s head jerked up a little and his eyes went wide, ears falling back and staring. “That is seriously messed up! And I thought I said get off!?!” More staring and I sighed in an exaggerated manner. “Now!”

Zero slowly stepped away from being over me and I rolled over onto my stomach, just as Zero settled down onto his haunches, shuffling his paws and glancing from me to the side. I huffed and frantically rubbed my face into the dirty rags under me, which were mostly shredded by Zero’s claws at this point. I rubbed my face until I had gotten some of Zero’s saliva off of me, though I still felt gross- I need a bath, anything to get some of this disgusting gore and spit off of me.

“… Zero…. Not… a puppy…” I glanced up immediately at the low rumble and looked toward Zero slowly, eyes narrowed and still miffed. He looked back at me and lowered his head slightly, he looked a little put-down, what? Was calling him a puppy some sort of insult?!

“You are sure as hell acting like one.” I muttered lowly, Zero let out a low breath and nodded, only once.

“Zero sorry…. Zero just happy to see Golden-mane is alive.” His lips twitched again and I swear he was smiling a little, weird. I blinked, not sure how to react. Now, I was new to this WasteLand thing, and very new to all its weird and seriously fucked up creatures- but I was very sure this puppy-like behavior was not normal on any standard. I mean, it was clear that Zero wasn’t normal as far as DireWolves went, so far he had been the only one willing to talk to me, the only who hadn’t tried to kill me, and the only one who had saved me….

Why was he so weird, as compared to all the others? Was he some sort of an outcast among the rest of the DireWolves? Did he lack the blood-thirsty disposition that all other DireWolves seemed to have? Maybe he was interested in ponies, because he didn’t have anypony… eh Anywolf (?) else?

Maybe I should ask, maybe I should try to get to know him a little more… but a part of my figured answers of a personal nature were going to be hard to come by.

Kinda like Whiskey huh…? Geez… they’re nearly the same...

“…. Ok.” I murmured, “Thanks… I guess….. but uh, how am I alive, exactly?” I mean really, hadn’t I been pretty fucked up? I remembered it all when I thought to it, it made my head ache a little to do so, and most of the memory was covered in a haze but the details were more or less there. I knew full well I should be a dead pony, and frankly- the amount of Radiation around here should be making me even more of a dead pony, supposing resistance to it that Zero had said biting me would actually entail. “… And, perhaps we should move to a maybe, not so irradiated part of the WasteLand?” I asked and Zero nodded slightly,

“Golden-mane is right. Too much time spent here, time to go.” He got to his paws and I began to push myself to my hooves. My body groaned at the movement, still sore and really stiff, but I needed to get up, and seeing as how my PipBuck wasn’t flashing any serious signs at me, I figured walking wasn’t going to hurt me any more than I had already been.

It was before I managed to take a single step, that the same warm and soft fluff I had felt before blacking out brushed against me, and I stared in awe as the scales and fur of one of Zero’s tails (the left one more specifically) brushed against my bare coat- seeing as how I had had my barding taken from me- and wrapped around my torso so gently, and then lift me up as if I was nothing.

“What… are you doing?” I asked slowly, just as he began to walk off with me behind him, watching the ashes fall as they were stirred, the building being left behind in accordance with Zero’s long gait. It wasn’t uncomfortable per se….

“Going back.” Zero murmured, not quite understanding why I asked the question. I wanted to know what he was doing with his tail and picking me up, that was just weird…. but after a moment I just let it go- piecing together that it really was Zero who had picked me up and brought me away. But why? (I ask a lot of ‘whys’, don’t I? Guess it just goes to show how freaking confusing my life is.)

“I can walk, you know.” I murmured, not being able to see his face and feeling a little weird I was being carried backward.

“Zero knows.” Was the short reply. “Golden-mane must rest some more.” Even if being carried like this is rather awkward?

“Ok… but only for a little, alright?” I asked, craning my neck to try and see him and failing to do so,

“…Agreed.” I nodded with a small smile and allowed myself to relax into his hold a little,

“Picking me up with your tail, that’s really weird.” I murmured,

“This is how We carry young.” Was the soft reply, I blinked.

“Giant teeth get in the way?” I asked, I swear I heard a low, grumbly, little throaty chuckle come from Zero.

“Perhaps.”

“Why can’t I just ride on your back then?” I asked, “I mean, that’s a better view….” I heard Zero let out a low breath, before I was slowly lifted up and placed on his shoulders. I smirked a little and settled down, keeping aware of staying balanced. I figured carrying me with his tail while I was unconscious had been the best plan, I might have rolled off his back while I was out, and he wouldn’t have wanted to risk that. His back was mostly covered in scales, with sparse fur here and there- but I was surprised at how broad his back really was, and I settled down lightly, hoping not to poke him in the wrong place. “Thank you, much better.” Zero’s ears twitched in response, “So, what happened? How did we get here, and why even?”

“What does Golden-mane remember?”

“Not a lot. I remember… Cream pulling me down from flying, everypony freaking out, and then… nothing.” I sighed, “At least, I do sort of remember being a dead-pony, with those wounds I had. So that’s why I’m confused, how can I possibly be alive after all that- with all the drugs that kid shot me up with?”

“Other Ponies tried to heal Golden-mane with… Magic Drinks….. Zero brought Golden-mane here, Golden-mane was dying.” Zero murmured. “Zero knew that Golden-mane would not last, so Zero brought Golden-mane to Green Fire, to heal- let radiation seep into bones, accelerate Venom inside Golden-mane and heal you. Keep alive.”

“And radiation does that?” I mumbled, “With your venom in me now? Does it work that way for you too?”

“Green Fire is life-force of all WasteLand creatures, all but ponies.” Was Zero’s reply, “With Zero’s Venom inside Golden-mane, Golden-mane’s body will react to Radiation different in some ways, healing is one.”

“How much do you know about the effects DireWolf Venom has on ponies who survive being injected with it?” I asked, suddenly curious- I hadn’t heard any mention of such a thing in other ponies, which I assumed was mostly due to the fact that if somepony got bit by one of them, they died. So how much would Zero know about it? He had mentioned the first time that he had seen this in other instances- ponies who survived DireWolf venom, but he’d never gotten into it.

“Not much.” I blinked in surprise,

“Why not? How many have you seen?” I asked, earning a few twitches from Zero’s ears. “Like, can any pony who survives poisoning the first time, be bitten and end up… enhanced? Can any DireWolf do it? Or will they even?” I couldn’t see very many DireWolves being as seemingly friendly as Zero.

“Golden-mane has many questions.” Zero murmured. “Golden-mane must be feeling better.” I smiled faintly. “Answers… not any pony can survive second time bitten, only some do, very very few….. Only five ever before.”

“Woah, wait- five?” I said suddenly, “Only five? That’s… that’s not nearly anything.” I don’t know why I was so surprised, logically speaking it wouldn’t have been possible that very many ponies ever survived or ever even had the chance to be bitten twice, and then start becoming a percent DireWolf-Pony freaky-hybrid like I was at the moment. “So I’m the sixth pony you’ve ever known to survive the second bite?”

“Yes….. Pony cannot be bitten by any regular DireWolf, has to be special kind. There few like that, Zero only one willing to try and help make ponies like Us… to make ponies Wolflings.” Wolflings? So there’s a name for that? Good to know.

“Special kind?” That part intrigued me, because there was something about Zero that struck me as odd despite his friendly manner. When I had been in Arabino I had seen and faced many DireWolves, they were all very alike, mostly the same fur colors, the same patterns on their pelts- but all of them had black-yellow eyes. But Zero didn’t, his eyes were green, and his green eyes were the only ones I’d seen on any DireWolf I had come across.

“Yes. There three of Us.” Zero replied evenly, I shifted slightly.

“And what makes you special..?” I pressed slowly, suddenly getting the feeling that he didn’t really want to talk about it. And I was right, because he didn’t say anything after that and I fidgeted at the silence between us. “…ok, then… uh… oh, where are Cream and everypony? Are they alright?”

“Ponies fine. They took refuge in old…. town, for ponies.” Zero murmured, breaking off a little as he tried to come up with the word. “Not far from Highway city overtaken by Fruniic.”

“Fruniic? Is that what you call those Unicorn things that came after us?”

“What We DireWolves call them… Ponies call them different.” Zero answered, “Earth Pony friend will explain, will be there soon.” Earth Pony Friend? I assumed he was talking about Whiskey, though I still couldn’t think of him as being a friend, at least not in the full sense.

But then I wondered why Zero never actually called anypony by their name? I hadn’t heard him call me Flash once, nor had he called Whiskey by his name either. Why such an aversion to it? Was it hard for him to say our names in that imperfect Equestrian he was using? Or was it something else?

‘Maybe he doesn’t like your name, Flashy.’ The Little Me said suddenly and I rolled my eyes a little, quite sure that wasn’t the case. I did notice that the Little Me was holding a folder with ‘REMEMBER’ stamped across it, as she waved it at my casually. ‘Remember? You said to thank Zero for saving you back at the Clinic?’ She said in an amused tone, ‘Better say thank you for bringing you to be healed, even if it is by something like Radiation, too.’

“Thanks… for the saves, Zero.” I murmured, mentally nodding at the Little Me in approval for actually reminding me at all. “I appreciate it, really. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“Golden-mane is welcome. Zero promised to help, and help Zero will do. No matter what.” I smiled at the answer, hearing the honesty in his low grumble of a voice. He may not realize it, and I hadn’t until just now… but I appreciated having Zero around, as odd as that seemed. It was crazy for me to even talk let alone trust a DireWolf like I had been doing. Zero had been trustworthy thus far, even more so- he’d saved my life twice now, and that meant everything…. Though I wasn’t so good with expressing such a thing in words, I hoped he just knew.

But then there was that little inkling of a thought, the one I’d been mulling over from the minute I met the big mass of fur, teeth, claws and tails… why? Why was Zero even helping us? Saving us? Me? I couldn’t imagine there wasn’t some sort of ulterior motive.. Maybe if I didn’t think too much into it, everything would be fine. I had known from the beginning that trusting Zero was a crazy idea, letting him bite me had been insane- and yet despite my own warnings against myself, I did all of that anyway. And for now at least, my luck was holding out- more than holding out, Zero was very very helpful, even I couldn’t deny that.

… hmmph…. Am I really starting to truly like this huge, radioactive, death-machine..?

“So, any chance we’ll pass some place with non-irradiated water so I can wash all this blood and… gross stuff off of me?” I asked, smiling slightly. I pushed the thoughts away for now- I really did think that thinking into it too much was too much trouble for me. And away from that- I was filthy, and Zero going puppy and licking me hadn’t helped any. I of course, doubted that there was any water out here in this rather arid and dry WasteLand, and if there was it was sure to be irradiated… though, I suppose radiation wasn’t very much of a problem anymore, still- I didn’t want to push it, I had been basking in high levels of it when I was recovering at the Welmare rest station.

“Zero find something.”

.:+:.

“Ya should probably stop pacing.” I heard Cream’s voice long before we reached the entrance of the rundown, halfway collapsed building that looked as if it had once been a farmer’s stand just off the road, the overhang had collapsed on one side, and the small one room building was crumbling away slowly, the door that had rest on the hinges was on the ground, and only a dirty towel hung in the doorway. There was a small window next to the doorway, the glass had remained mostly intact and was caked with dirt so much you couldn’t possibly see in or out of it.

Zero had lead us up away from Welmare and all things surrounding, past the dead and silent form of Pillar, and the highway back west toward the Split. I was a little surprised at the amount of backtracking they’d done, I figured Whiskey wouldn’t want to pull away from Arabino if he could help it, but then I supposed that the needs of Cream and her friends had outweighed his own interest. Even moving a little ways out of the center of DireWolf territory was better than moving more into it I guess……

My ears perked when I heard Cream’s voice say the words, I could hear hooves clopping on the ground inside the house continually, back and forth, back and forth. There were four yellow blips in the direction of the small stand, I supposed that those belonged to Cream, Whiskey and the two others… what were their names? F…Fritz, and R…Rocky? I think?

“You’ve been pacing fer five days.” Cream went on, sounding slightly exasperated. Who was pacing exactly? “You know… since everythin’ happened… with Flash an’ them Freaks…..” Her voice lowered when she said my name, as if it was suddenly taboo or something.

“Damn righ’ Ah’ve been pacin’!” I immediately recognized the country drawl of Whiskey Shot, who sounded somewhere between infuriated and strained, I faintly wondered if he was feeling ok… if they were all ok, had they gotten hurt like I did? Even just a little? “Do ya even realize wha’ any of tha’ means?!”

“We got attacked by some crazy freakin’ WasteLand people? The normal?” That was a voice I didn’t recognize, so I supposed it was probably the older buck we had found at the clinic.

“Don’t know if ya noticed, Whiskey, but getting slaughtered is sort of expected in these parts. Whether it's DireWolves er Radiers, er… freak unicorns.” Cream agreed with her friend, not quite perturbed in the way Whiskey seemed to be. I easily heard the subtle distress and shock in his voice, and that made me wary- I had never heard such a tone in him, and what would have to be wrong to make him even a little distressed?

Probably something huge, I’ll tell you what.

“Sweet Goddesses…… A course ya don’ know, ya’ll live out here, ya only ever get DireWolves and Raiders, maybe the occasional molerat, radroach….. Ya got no clue what them thangs were…… they shouldn’ ever be far up this way… ever….” Whiskey started mumbling to himself as Zero stopped outside, settling onto his haunches and then on his stomach. I shifted, about ready to slide off but Zero wrapped one of his tails about my torso and set me down gently beside him, I shot him a glance that he simply blinked at.

“Well? What are they?” Cream pressed, sounding a bit irritated that he was beating around the bush.

“They ain’t jus’ freak unicorns.” Whiskey muttered, his pacing ceased a moment. “They’re the Freak Unicorns. The ancient race o’ purebred unicorns, their kingdom caugh’ in a MegaSpell that didn’ destroy the city, bu’ mutated every single Unicorn there inta somethin’ dark an’ evil- their minds turned rotted an’ twisted, that purebred, supremacy notion they had has made ‘um want nothin’ more then ta isolate themselves an’ kill anybody or thang that comes on their turf. To destroy anythin’ not ‘purebred’.”

I had started walking toward the towel that hung over the doorway, ears perked as I continued to listen to Whiskey, his tone becoming more and more tense the more he kept talking, how serious he was. I paused just before the doorway, feeling the tension rise to a climax in the slight pause that Whiskey gave.

“They were the Pures. From Solitian Mountain,” he said, earning a shocked silence from everypony inside. “They hardly ever come down from their territory, an’ certainly no’ this far east.”

The Pures? Whiskey hadn’t mentioned much of them in our little history lesson, and I’d only ever heard a few things myself, mostly from tuning into DJPON3 on occasion. But, the idea that they were here, that they were moving and slaughtering ponies- that’s not what struck me the hardest.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTT……….

That cattle prod lodged into the base of my brain suddenly flared to life, my head began to pound and I was forced to shut my eyes at the sudden pain. This hadn’t happened the first time Solitian Mountain or the Pures were brought up, but now it was full blown short-circuit time with my insanely messed up head. It wasn’t near painful enough to cause another black out, but suddenly there was an image lingering at the corner of my mind, of… of somepony I think, whose coat was a pink hue…. I shook my head a little to clear it of the sudden haze, and ignored the last bits of pain coursing through my head as best I could.

Alright, I could tell the atmosphere in the room was very tense and serious, that was very clear… but that put a downer on everything, and who liked to be in a room full of ponies who were being so sad and dramatic? I didn’t, so- I figured it was time for a break from that.

A small faint smile pulled at my lips as I rubbed a hoof through my mane, it was still slightly damp- Zero had brought me to Pillar and dropped me off in the small water reservoir they had there, just under the highway and at the edge of town. It was small, and my PipBuck clicked a bit when I got in but nothing serious, surprisingly enough. I had managed to rub the dirt and blood, the sweat and the vomit and the slobber and everything else off, leaving my coat much closer to its silver hue than it was, though it was still closer to grey- only a good wash with soap and the like would give it back its silver color I thought. My mane wasn’t greasy anymore, and it was curling at the ends on its own as it dried, I had even washed the stains and whatnot off of my leather barding (which, by the way, along with my saddle-bags and shotgun had been given back to me as we entered Pillar, Zero had stashed it when he took me, that super smart head of his was just a marvel!). I was relatively clean, and damn it felt good! I didn’t look like a walking zombie anymore. (To be fair though, I felt I could trust Zero and his Radiation-healing Wolfling thing… but I downed a Radaway for good measure on the way here. Just to be safe and ease the itch of uncertainty- that hadn’t gone away in all reality. I ignored it for now.)

“Helloooo Everypony!” I called as I trotted through the overhang in the doorway and into the dim little room on the other side, smirking slightly, my muscles and joints popping a little as the stiffness all over me began to fade, still sore though.

“Who missed me?”

.:+:.

Footnote: Level up
New Perk: Last One Standing- You gain a surprising bit of strength, and fighting ability when you suffer heavy damage. As a last bit of a push, whenever your health drops below 25% in the middle of conflict, your Unarmed, Melee, and Guns Skills temporarily increase by 10 points, while your Strength and Endurance temporarily increase +1, for a short time during conflict.

Chapter 11- Breedlann

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Chapter 11

Breedlann

"Around here, you’re only good for three things- keepin’ ponies safe, from killin’ eachother, killin’ critters- an’ workin’ with yer hooves to keep this town runnin’. If ya ain’t good at any of those things- you’re a waste, and are sure ta be DireWolf meat soon enough.”

.:+:.

The utterly shocked faces awaiting me on the other side made my smirk grow a little bit more, Cream and Whiskey whipped around to face me, the head of the gray buck snapped up as he sat, leaning against the back wall just across from me, the colt had been sitting next to the doorway and he jumped back at my sudden appearance, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

“F-Flash…?” Cream stammered, her pink eyes wider than I had ever seen them, mouth slightly agape,

“….. You look….. ok?!” The colt mumbled, I glanced sideways at him and gave him an amused grin.

“Considering you shot me up with a bunch of drugs, I’d say so.” I murmured, tone teasing as his eyes fell and he shuffled his hooves. I stepped toward him and wrapped a hoof about his neck, taking a seat and pulling him into me. “Ah, don’t sweat it Kid, I don’t tend to hold grudges for very long… and besides, I’d of died at the Clinic if you hadn’t done just that.” I rubbed my hoof through his mane a little and messed it up, his eyes shifted up toward me, looking astounded. “We’re even.” He nodded a little and I let him go, waving a wing at everyone else who had yet to do anything. “What? Not happy to see me?”

I hissed in pain as Cream suddenly threw herself at me, much in the way Zero had, and again I wasn’t ready for it. She was small compared to me, but it still hurt and she managed to knock me onto my back, my wings flared up in a flurry of feathers as she slammed her hooves against my chest and glared at me, she wasn’t hitting me hard enough to actually hurt, but I was still sore and I winced a bit every time though she didn’t seem to notice.

“You dumb, stupid, idiotic, Pegasus!” She snapped, “What the hell were you thinking?! Goin’ after those things with nothing but yer hooves and a shotgun?! Do you know how freakin’ worried we were?! And you just stroll in here like nothin’ happened! STUPID STUPID STUPID!” She stopped pounding my chest with her hooves, her eyes sparkling with a mingled amount of emotion ranging from happiness, anger, stress, shock and relief. Her hooves moved to hold either side of my face, her muzzle inches from mine as her eyes suddenly sparkled with wet. “…. I could kiss you right now.” My eyes widened and I chuckled a little nervously, OK! Waaaay too blunt!

“Woah...wait a minute.. I-I don’t swing that way, Cream…” She shook her head at me and patted her hooves against my cheeks,

“Shut up. Just… don’t go dyin’ again any time soon, alright?” She mumbled, earning a blink from me and a small nod. I was slightly surprised at how upset she seemed to be, I had only known her for a few hours before everything went to hell, I hardly knew her at all…. This was the same mare I had yelled at, the one who had tried to shoot me, the one who had told me I was an idiot… that I was… cold….

‘Don’t think so lowly of yourself Flashy, you’re the best pony I know.’ The Little Me murmured in the back of my mind, mentally I smiled a little, but I couldn’t believe her so easily.

….. any way, Cream seemed so truly distressed with what happened. Why would she be? We weren’t friends, we were hardly acquaintances…. I couldn’t understand it, it perplexed me, and somewhere in my chest…. I felt a small twinge. I was a little… flustered by how much she seemed to have cared for me in the short time we’d been together, I didn’t know how to react to that…. So I pushed it away for now, best not to think on it too much.

“Trust me, I don’t plan on doing that…” I murmured and she nodded once, before slowly climbing off of me and extending a hoof to help me up, I took her hoof in mine and she pulled me to my hooves, her lips pulled into a soft smile before she backed off and her presence before me was immediately replaced by the form of Whiskey Shot. His teal eyes met my red ones as he stared at me with that utterly neutral stare he was so good at wearing. I blinked a few times as we fell into silence, neither of us looking away, his lips pulled into a tight line, his eyes glittering with emotion I just couldn’t place. “What? You mad?”

Whiskey just looked at me, his expression so unreadable, so stoic…. I didn’t get it. I had expected… well, what Cream did, from him. Whiskey was clearly convinced that I was one of the dumbest ponies around, and that was fairly true in all honesty, so I expected him to be furious, to be yelling and telling me I was so stupid for going around and slamming my hooves into those freak Unicorns (The Pures apparently). I expected him to be just plain angry, to insult me, anything really- and yet here we were again, with the stoic expression and unreadable face…… sweet goddesses, that was annoying.

What was he thinking? I really wanted to know, was he angry and just muffling it? Was he annoyed? ……. Cream said he had been pacing for five days, so he was clearly worked up, about the Pures… and maybe me?

…. No, he couldn’t really give a damn about me, other than wanting to get into Arabino. That was all I was to him, a freaking key.

Whiskey blinked once, running a hoof through his messy mane, there was blood staining his hooves, probably my blood, his eyes were tired, coat messy and covered in grime, barding scuffed, he wasn’t wearing his hat, it was somewhere around here I’m sure. He shook his head a little and smirked slightly to himself almost,

“Only a little.”

.:+:.

“It’s Rocky right?” I asked, settling down next to the older buck we had run into in the MOP Clinic, Cream and Whiskey trotted outside, the two of them settled into conversation- to me it sounded like Cream was discussing what was gonna happen next with my Merc Companion, I moved across with the colt behind me, stopping in front of the older buck. He was dressed in a plain light barding, a dirty collared shirt tucked under the leather overcoat, his black hair chopped off and messy- I assumed he was Rocky, since his Cutie Mark was a boulder getting split apart by a pickaxe. He nodded to me a little, deep blue eyes meeting my own red ones,

“Rocky Splitz. Good ta finally make yer acquaintance…. Since yer awake now an’ all.” He nodded to me, having that same country drawl that both Whiskey and Cream had. He stretched out a hoof, giving me a small, half smile. “Thank ya fer savin’ us. Most ponies wouldn’ a bothered…. The fact tha’ ya did, makes ya special.” I blinked and slowly took his hoof in my own, shaking once. “…… shoulda figured no regular ol’ pony oughtta the Wastes woulda lent a hoof, makes sense yer not like that. Yer different.” He mumbled,

“You’re a good pony.” I glanced sideways to the colt as he spoke up, he, unlike Cream and everypony else- didn’t really have that country drawl… he probably hadn’t grown into yet, he wasn’t even old enough to have his Cutie Mark. His silver coat almost matched mine, his dark grey mane was thin and longer than Rocky’s, and his eyes were a lighter blue- I faintly wondered if he and Rocky were related. He shuffled his hooves a little when I looked to him and sighed, looking away nervously. “…. A kind one, I mean…… even if you’re an idiot for putting yourself in a situation like that….. N-not that I’m not thankful you saved us… I mean…. Damn it…” his voice trailed off and I could only stare.

You’re a good pony.

A good pony? What did that even mean? Whatever it did…. I’m sure I wasn’t it.

“....Ya don’ fit here…. Yer an outsider…. And yet…… there’s somethin’ there… somethin’…… cold… almost…” Cream said that, hmm..?

“…. And maybe you won’t be…… this….” … and Scarlet, i could remember a bit of that dream still now, and I remembered clearly how she looked so horrified…….

“.. You’re insane…” But wasn’t that clear by now? Hell, I wasn’t normal, I was crazy, weird, cold… something else entirely, and I didn’t know who or what I really was.

But a good pony? I couldn’t really believe that.

I smiled at the colt none the less though, slightly thankful sompeony had said something so kind to me despite the idea it wasn’t really true. Even if I didn’t know who or what I was…. I just had a feeling ‘good’ was not a keyword.

… But maybe I could try and be good?

From my brief and fast lived experience of the Wasteland so far, it was clear kindness and compassion were pretty much none existent in the heart of ponies, or creatures, out here. Rocky was right, I doubted anypony would have even thought about helping him and Fritz out if they had heard that radio message, even when I brought it up with Whiskey he hadn’t been thrilled… It was very true that Helping Hooves were hard to come by.

If not a good pony…. I’d still try to be a helpful one. Maybe someday I’d be a good pony if I tried hard enough.

I mean, look at what I did here; I helped Cream Soda, I got her down from a place she would have starved in surely, or died trying to get down. I went with her to find Rocky and Fritz, by some miracle we actually made it out of that clinic alive when those freak unicorns showed up- the ‘Pures’ according to Whiskey. Now we were here, relatively safe and unscathed- I’d helped to save the lives of three ponies I didn’t even know. How many ponies in the Wastes could honestly say that they had given their all to save somepony random, just out of the sort of ‘goodness’ of their heart?

Probably very few.

I smiled a little, dipping my head at the colt, “Well… I do try.” I chuckled slightly, and I would try. So what if Whiskey hated it? So what if helping other ponies for no gain to myself was an unheard of notion out here? I was new, I didn’t care either- and I was gonna change that. I was gonna be the exception to the ‘everypony for themselves’ rule that held dominion over this hell-hole.

Deep down, there was a part of me that just knew… for whatever reason, I wasn’t a good pony. Maybe I had done something in the past, some horrible thing, or maybe it was just me- who I was before my mind was blown apart by some Magic and I couldn’t remember anything. The me that had been stuffed inside a tube underneath Arabino in the ShieldTune Facility, the same me that kept popping up in every grayscale dream and scene that bombarded my mind.

I was gonna be a new me. I better me- but the only way to keep from being who I used to be, was to know who I really was, to know what I did, to know how to not be that old me.

I spread a wing out toward the colt and pulled him toward me, resting my muzzle on top of his head lightly, smiling still as I closed my eyes. He stiffened at the contact, very much surprised at it- but after a minute he just relaxed. I guess I was much more huggy than anypony was used to- but was that so bad?

“Thanks, Kid. You know, you’re really cute.” I smirked, letting him pull back in time to see his face redden with a heavy blush, ears shoved backward and stuttering. I did mean it, when I said thank you- but then I just had to tease him a little too, and that blush just made him so much more adorable. Rocky chuckled and shook his head a little, as Fritz tried to scoot backward and away from me- not at all comfortable with the contact anymore, or the fact that I was teasing him like that.

“.. I.. I’m not, cute!” He stammered hotly, I just giggled and pulled my hooves around him, hugging him to my chest firmly and wrapping my wings about us.

“I beg to differ!” I teased, rubbing a hoof through his mane as he continued to squirm. “I could just eat you up!”

“N-no…! Let me goooooo!” Fritz snapped, blushing more and more. I chuckled again but let him go, he jumped away from me with a scowl, all haughty and flustered as he snorted at me. “What is wrong with you?! That’s n-not ok!!” He snapped and I tilted my head a little, smiling at him.

“Oh there are plenty of things wrong with me.” I replied easily, there was a lot of truth to that statement- but I felt I could make fun of myself anyway, it took the sharpness away from the idea that I really was somepony very odd and different, even insane. I smirked a little more, “I mean, do you see who I’m traveling with?” I laughed to myself, “Literally a bad-tempered buck with a thing for shooting things and blowing them up- as well as a giant, radioactive, poisonous, DireWolf.” Fritz frowned a little and just glared at me,

“Ya are a little crazy fer the… ah, DireWolf; ‘Zero’ was it?” Rocky cut in and I gave him a nod, “Never come across one tha’ was…. chatty..” He mumbled and I nodded,

“Neither has Whiskey.” I chuckled, and then paused. What had he just said to me? I was a little crazy for keeping a DireWolf as company? What, was it normal to have a Mercenary like Whiskey as a traveling partner?

‘In contrast with a giant Snake-Dog, Whiskey doesn’t seem so crazy to travel with, Flashy.’ The Little Me intoned with a smile, I suppose I had to agree with her on that.

“Most of the time, they just kill and hunt us.” Rocky mumbled in a matter-of-fact tone. “First time one of ‘um’s actually helped anybody I know.”

“On that note.” I said suddenly, as it occurred to me then. Pillar was inside DireWolf territory, they must be preyed on quite a bit by the DireWolves roaming around-so how was it any town actually survived there at all? Did they have some sort of special way of fighting back, or what? I mean it was clear they had built places up high to stay out of reach, but there were houses on the ground too- so how had the ponies of Pillar managed to make a living in territory ruled by what was one of the two most dangerous things I had come across in the WasteLand thus far? “Pillar, it must have been hit by DireWolves quite frequently, huh?” Rocky nodded, “How did all of you manage to live there then? Do you… I don’t know, hunt the DireWolves too? Do you kill them? Just hide from them?”

“Its mostly a ‘they hunt us’ sort of deal.” Fritz mumbled, and Rocky nodded.

“That’s right, as I’m sure ya already saw- its pretty damn hard ta kill one of those suckers. Hides are thick, claws can shred nearly anythin’, tails are like lances of steel, teeth can pierce any armor- their strong and quick, an’ lets not get started with those Death Howls a theirs.” I winced slightly at the memory, I hated those… Level 10 Hatred for the Death Howls. Level 10.

As long as we were on the note of Levels of Hatred- I’d have to put the Pures at a good 9. 10 if I was pissed, but I wasn’t at the moment.

“Ain’t much in the way of killin’ um. So we just stick to high ground at night, keep quite, out of sight. It works, unless the Wolves get hungry enough to come in, or just bored an’ lookin ta kill, and then we lose ponies but that’s normal.” Rocky sighed though, shaking his head. “Life in Pillar wasn’t no cake-walk, even before everythin’ with them.. ‘Pures’ thangs, it might not be so bad to be leavin’ it.”

“So you don’t know anything for taking them down?” I asked, it felt wrong to be asking that- I mean, I was traveling with one right now, it was offensive and I hoped Zero wasn’t listening in. I figured not everypony was in possession of those extremely high-power turrets back in Arabino, which has seemed to be the only thing able to kill them. But surely other ponies had managed it before? Direwolves couldn’t be impossible to kill.

“Well….. most people don’t get lucky enough to take one down. It’d take some heavy duty artillery, an’ then some….” Rocky mumbled, trailing off as if he was thinking on it.

“There is somebody, who Hunts the DireWolves.” Fritz told me suddenly, earning a small glance of shock from me. “She’s the only one I’ve heard of, but she’s supposed to be an expert at it.” My interest peaked at the word ‘expert’, could there really be a pony out there who made a living of hunting DireWolves? I glanced toward Rocky to see if he would confirm Fritz’s story.

“That’s jus’ a tall tale.” Rocky told me, not looking so amused. “Ain’t no proof such a pony is out there, never met ‘er, never will- she ain’t real.”

“Yes she is! Ivy Cloak over at Breedlann met her!” Breedlann? Ivy Cloak?

Bing…

I glanced down at my PipBuck when the soft tone rung out from it, the map automatically updating to create another blip in between the lands from the Welmare Rest station and Fillydelphia; ‘Breedlann’. Interesting to know, though I wasn’t sure I was ever gonna go that way- the next stop in my mind would have been Arabino…. But then I remembered Rocky, Fritz, and Cream. Could I leave them to find their way in the Wastes from here? Where would they go anyway? Out of DireWolf territory? That was a long way to go…. Could they make it on their own even?

Breedlann maybe?

“I wouldn’t take the word o’ that crazy ol’ widow over anythin’.” Rocky muttered, earning an annoyed glare from Fritz in return.

“But she was telling the truth! She said that the DireWolf Hunter used to stop in and sell pelts of the ‘wolves she kills!” Fritz snapped,

“Is there any caps in that?” I wondered aloud, too low for anypony to possibly hear what I said- as was so, considering that Fritz and Rocky continued to argue amongst themselves. But, seriously? A pelt of dark fur dotted in scales that one would have to face an extremely large, very dangerous mutant snake-dog and kill, to even get their hooves on it? Sure, it was probably a rarity, I couldn’t imagine many ponies stumbled upon an old and already dead DireWolf (do they even die of old age at all? I’ll have to ask Zero..) and were able to skin the damn thing. I mean, their hides were thick enough to stop regular bullets I thought- so skinning one would be an issue…

A part of me felt a little odd thinking things like that, it wasn’t as if I had any love for DireWolves- twice now I had almost been killed by the damn things…. But even then, I had one as a companion now. Zero had saved my life already, and kept Whiskey and I safe from the rest of his kind before- and then, I did the most insane thing and let him bite me for Luna’s sake. Maybe in the short time I had known him…… I really did like him, and even trusted the huge puppy that he was. That sounded a bit odd to me, but a part of me couldn’t deny it either……..

‘And how about Whiskey, Flashy?’ The Little Me piped up in the middle of my thoughts. What about him? I don’t trust him, I still don’t like him…… and yet… maybe… in time….

… maybe I’d start to like him a little more?

Hell if he was going to make it that easy.

.:+:.

Breedlann it is

“Are ya sure ‘bout comin’ along with us, Flash?”

My ears twitched in accordance to Cream Soda asking me the question, her pink eyes glancing over her shoulder toward me, looking unsure. I gave her a smile in return and nodded, “Yes I am sure, I’ve been sure the last five times you asked me.” I chuckled and she sighed a little, glancing away.

“Its jus’…. Yer gonna be goin’ the wrong way, I thought ya’ll were trying to get to Arabino?” she asked and I nodded, trotting a little and ignoring the soreness in my limbs as I reached her shoulder.

“There is no time table on getting to Arabino.” I told her, my ears twitching at the annoyed huff I heard Whiskey let out behind us. I ignored him though, “No matter what Whiskey tells you, we’re in no rush- besides, making sure the three of you get to Breedlann isn’t taking us too far from Arabino than we already were. It’ll be fine.” I smiled at her, trying to reassure her though she didn’t seem too convinced. I glanced over my shoulder and placed a pointed stare on Whiskey, “And, we can try and stock up on some more supplies when we get there- you know, since we’re low.” Whiskey’s teal eyes narrowed at me from under the shade of his cowpony hat,

Needless to say, he was not particularly pleased with accompanying Cream and her friends to Breedlann. Not that I particularly cared if he was unhappy. The point I made was valid- we were low on supplies between the two of us (granted, that was because I had been half-way dead and everypony wasted their healing potions and whatnots on me), from healing supplies to bullets to food- speaking of which, I was starving- but I’d have to wait until we got to Breedlann. I hadn’t really looked- but I figured I didn’t have any food on me, which was a bit of a bummer.

“… ya already did so much ta save our hides, I don’t wanna ask ya for more.” Cream mumbled and I smirked.

“Yeah, well- I do remember the ‘Pures’ coming after all of us. Not just you.” I didn’t turn to look at him this time around but I assumed he got the point- and it was true. The Pures hadn’t just been trying to kill Cream and her friends- they had tried (and almost had succeeded) in killing Whiskey, Zero and I. There was no way of overlooking that- now maybe he would bring up the ‘if you hadn’t been looking to help Cream in the first place we would have never run into the Pures and you wouldn’t have nearly died’ and blah blah….. I kinda hoped he wouldn’t bring that up, because I really couldn’t argue that point very well at all. Whiskey just gave me a flat stare, and I looked away.

I bumped Cream on the shoulder with a wing and smiled, “Besides, I’m happy to help. I’d like to think the next time I’m up shit-creek that far, that somepony will help me out too.”

“Don’ count on that.” Whiskey muttered lowly and I sighed, rolling my eyes but otherwise ignoring him. He liked to be such a freaking downer all the time…. It must be a WasteLand born and bred pony sort of thing- cause Cream gave me a look that told me she was about to say what Whiskey had beat her to.

Don’t count on it. Ponies are selfish, and there isn’t a single one that would stop to help me out of the goodness of their heart, had I been in trouble. Nope, I knew that- hell, I had already argued that point, but it didn’t mean I was going to like it.

“I am allowed to dream, aren’t I?” I sighed.

‘You’re allowed to dream, Flashy. It’s just not wise to put too much hope into those dreams.’ The Little Me spoke up and I shook my head at her, again… it was true… and again, I really didn’t like it.

“So, what’s Breedlann like?” I asked, changing the subject suddenly. “How many times have you been there? Was it anything like Pillar? Bigger? Smaller?”

“Bigger.” Cream Soda sighed, “From what I remember, las’ time I was there, I was jus’ a filly. Haven’ been there since.”

“There’s more ponies too.” Fritz told me, coming up to my shoulder suddenly. I glanced down at him curiously, it was a look that clearly said; ‘how would you know?’ Granted- he was young, and I was forgetting the whole story about somepony in Breedlann who knew some DireWolf Hunter or other that the colt mentioned earlier. Fritz seemed to sigh internally at the look but ignored it, and went on talking- “It’s the biggest settlement this far east, its more established than Pillar… was.” I felt a pang of sympathy hit me when I saw the young colt’s eyes suddenly sparkled with pain and sadness- as awful as it seemed, I couldn’t help but forget that Cream, Rocky, and Fritz…. They all lost their town, the ponies they had probably known for years, their friends, family even…. Everypony they knew was dead, massacred.

One would think they’d be a bit more torn up about it all- and yet they didn’t seem to be. That was the weird thing, I think- they didn’t seem entirely fazed by it, not since that first time we ran into Rocky and Fritz anyway, not apart from the small flashes of sadness I caught on Cream Soda’s face whenever she really thought about it. Over all, the three of them seemed….. ok with it all, at peace with the fact that their livelihoods had been uprooted, their lives changed, their friends, family- their town massacred, by a group of freaky, insane, and for some reason, hell-bent unicorns that shouldn’t even be this far east anyway.

How anypony could be so calm about all of that seemed a bit beyond me- but I was starting to notice, it was sort of a WasteLand pony thing really. Hell, I hadn’t seen Whiskey get torn up about ponies who died (mind you, I’m fairly certain he just doesn’t give a shit about any pony at all), Cream and her friends took all of it very well- and besides, it was clear ponies were just fucked up and selfish anyway.

But to manage to stay fairly normal after your entire community was subjected to such a massacre like that? I’m not sure I could….

“… Don’t you feel anything anymore, Flash?”

There was a sudden pang of pain that seared through my head that next moment, and I gritted my teeth against it as my eyes watered. Who the hell’s voice was that in my head?! And why does my mind hate me anyways?

“…. They’ve got walls too, and have propped the whole thing up high to stay as safe as possible- a few merchants came in and brought some fancy tech they managed to scavenge off of a group of Steel Rangers that had been torn apart by a pack of DireWolves. They’d been stupid enough to try traveling in the middle of the night, and paid for it.” Fritz went on, no one seeming to notice the tears welling in my eyes that I blinked rapidly to try and get rid of. “Over the years more ponies have moved in, brought supplies with them, beefed up security, made it the only relatively safe place out here- it’s kind of like a fortress now.” I shook my head a little and glanced back at the colt, “We went to buy supplies last year,” He explained, flicking his head toward Rocky who let out a small ‘mhmm’ in reply. “They have a lot of ponies living there, and more have been moving in from other smaller, less protected settlements inside DireWolf territory.”

“Huh..” I mumbled, an image of a big, raised metal castle outlining the horizon came to mind, with hungry DireWolves circling the base, their claws glowing in the dim looking for the perfect support to slice through so everything came down like the highway had. I blanched a little at that, not convinced that this place sounded as secure as Fritz seemed to think, not after how I’d seen the DireWolves collapse the Highway under us anyway.

Speaking of DireWolves…. I glanced behind us, my ears perked and eyes scanning the land around us- It was lacking the huge dark form of Zero and that somewhat made my coat itch- then again, that could have been that ‘Foreign Corrosive Magic Matter’ still eating away at my insides slowly- for all the radiation and Magic Potions that had been given to me it seemed like the Magic of the Pures still lasts, and I could feel that itch inside of my getting worse over the hours. Looking back on it now, I supposed whatever Magic it was made its way inside me when that ball of Magic tore through my torso, and as the itch got slowly worse, I had to force myself not to touch the inflamed skin where I’d been hit.

“Anypony seen Zero?” I asked, earning shakes of heads and a small ‘nope’ from Whiskey. Where was it Zero went when I wasn’t looking anyway? He seemed capable of disappearing from sight nearly instantly, which seemed like it would be hard considering how large he was.

‘Why is it the Big-Snake Dog is helping us anyway?’ The Little Me asked, bringing to the surface the same question I’d been asking already. Yes, why?

“How long is it gonna take to get to Breedlann then?” I asked, a question that I could answer just by looking at my map but I needed to talk, otherwise we’d be walking in complete silence and that would be boring.

“A good couple o’ hours.” Cream relied softly, I sighed a little.

“Right….” I mumbled, slowing down a little to drop to the back of the group as we continued to walk along the barren expanse of DireWolf territory, the silence dragging out around them as everyone continued to drudge on in their own thoughts.

Boring

Really… boring

I let out a sigh and hung my head, this was gonna be a long few hours ahead of us…….

I felt a sudden itch in my side and scowled slightly, trying to ignore it. That- that had been there since I woke up, I think I mentioned it earlier? Anyway… It wouldn’t go away, I had pushed it to the back of my mind but now it was actually starting to bug me, and I couldn’t ignore it as well as I would like. My flank twitched as the itching increased about an hour in, I bit down on my tongue and forced my eyes forward, ears pressing against my head.

There was another itch, this time it was worse, persistent and it had had moved deeper, all over my body, tingling in my chest, moving down to my hooves, an uncomfortable sensation moving through my entire body, pestering every inch of me that it couldn’t have been placed on one specific spot, one that continued to deepen and slowly drive me insane.

Don’t think about it

It started throbbing in my ear incessantly.

Nope. Not thinking about it.

I twitched my ear a few times, my earrings tapping together a little. The itching throb just got worse, I gritted my teeth against it.

Don’t let it bother you.

Another hour; I started glancing around us, hoping for something to distract me. Guess what? There was a lot of dirt and rocks and a big grey cloud curtain overhead…… There’s nothing here!!

I started fidgeting a little while walking, first just swaying in my steps, before I started jumping a little- put a skip into my movements and bobbing my head back and forth as the itch coming from deep inside of me only continued to grow worse. I shook my head furiously and fluffed my wings up a little in increased agitation, something to take my mind off of this incessant nagging itch…… something…. Something…. Anything…!

The song from my dream suddenly erupted in my mind and I started humming the tune, having fallen back a bit more in my incessant agitation- nopony in our group even noticed me in my moving and dancing about.

“O-oh girl, don’t you let no war….. bring you down…” I mumbled, bouncing in tune with the melody playing in my head, hoping the distraction would be just that- a distraction. Distract me from this damn insatiable itch! “O-oh friend, don’t let no…. madness make you frown…” I flapped my wings a little and glided forward, hovering over the ground by a few inches, landing a few feet later, my hooves touching back down as I continued to bounce. “… Although the world seems bare…… and life may seem to mean no… anythin’ no more…….”

No more itch! I can’t feel it, it doesn’t bother me… no freaking Magical corrosive matter in my body is gonna drive me insane….! Ain’t no way!

“You still have… l..life to live, a-all ya gotta do is…. Is soar…!!” I gritted my teeth, guess what? It wasn’t working, in reality I kinda seemed like it was getting worse- all I wanted to do was start rolling over in the dust, rub myself against anything sharp or remotely pokey to try and scratch the itch out. But the endless sheet of dirt, brittle and blackened stems, and trash- well, it didn’t provide me anything that would help with that issue.

To be honest I was a little surprised nopony had glanced back to see what I was doing- or why I had slowed down. They all just kept walking, now nearly 25 feet from me, eyes on the horizon, all attention fixed to the destination that still was nowhere in sight- how long had it been anyway? Three hours? Maybe less?
Damn this Itch, I was losing track of time it was so effectively driving me mad. It was driving me so mad, in fact, I completely missed the sudden ticking of my PipBuck, and nearly failed to notice the two warnings flashing across my vision in the next instant, the words were hard to read- I couldn’t focus on them too much in all my bouncing and dancing around, still humming the words and the tune of the song in a worthless attempt at easing the nagging Itch inside of me.

‘Corrosive Foreign Magic Matter Detected'
‘Minor Internal Hemorrhaging’

The pink, mended flesh where one of the Pures shot a beam of Magic through me suddenly felt hot, and I could almost hear my heart starting to beat a little funnily too. I hadn’t occurred to me that the Magic I had been hit with could still be affecting me now, even after all that Radiation and dozens of Healing potions that had probably been shoved down my throat. It must have been some nasty bit of Magic, it was like an infection, it was growing again now that I was moving…. The Pures were radioactive, Magical Unicorns right? Could their Magic be countered by the same radiation that made them what they are? That seemed screwy- but what other explanation was there?

The Itch started as soon as I left the very radioactive Welmare Station behind.

So, what was I looking at here then? A shitty trade off- I could let Radiation seep into me and counteract the Magic still left behind by the Pures (of course, that is assuming Radiation did that at all…) or I could let the freaking corrosive Magical Matter still stuck inside of me, eat me from the inside out.

Zero said I was more resistant to Radiation now- resistant. I couldn’t be immune, I had known that- that’s why I chugged a freaking Radaway earlier.

Let my insides be melted, or deal with the freaky mutations that came with Radiation, including sickness, cancer, death…… Sweet Celestia, Luna- are you trying to kill me?

Now all of this was speculation, but hell- I was pretty sure I was right about most everything mentioned, and it sounded sucky- shitty actually. It sounded like I was fucked, doomed to either live my life being killed by Radiation, or freaky Magic eating me alive thanks to the Pures. Worst of all- this Itch would probably never go away, so my already screwed up and unhinged mind would be subjected to something that would make my mental state just that more questionable.

I flapped my wings to give myself a chance to glance my PipBuck over and keep moving, I was considerably behind and I didn’t want to get left behind completely- so I opted for flying for a bit. I pulled my inventory up on the surface of the device and shuffled through- had I any Healing Potions, I had to wonder if they would help. Guess I’d have to find out later- cause I was fresh out of stock, that was the same for everybody else in our little make-shift group. That was my fault I guess- I had been the one dying, they’d used all our medical supplies on me…. I flipped through farther and landed on a package of Sugar Bombs and blinked, it was the only edible thing left in my possession. There was a rating for the Rads I would get from eating the centuries old, Pre-War food….. time to test my Radiation theory then.

It wasn’t as if it was a lot of Rads anyway, and besides…. I am a Wolfling right? Radiation should be less of an issue…… but how much could I manage, considering I was baking in Rads for days?

The Itch only got worse, my flank twitched uncontrollably along with my ears and I said screw it.

Shuffling the package to the top of my Saddle-Bags via Magic (which I may or may not be a huge fan of at the moment) I pulled the food out, ripped the box open and nearly downed the entire package in one go- this was my want to get rid of the maddeningly irritating Itch, I would try anything now, I just wanted it gone- or at least lessened. I chewed quickly, swallowing the dry and bland food and wishing I had something to wash it down with- Irradiated Water perhaps? Joking of course…. Sort of.

I waited.

I waited for what seemed like years.

I waited for something, anything- any indication the Itch was going to subside. I really wanted it to- I couldn’t take it if it went on like this, I really would lose my mind.

I dropped back down onto my hooves, letting out a small sigh as it subsided… only a little though. I could still feel a sickly tingling in my chest and torso, I could feel strange matter moving just under my skin- but the unnatural sensation moved away from my legs and head, for now at least.

Let’s go with Radiation subsiding the Pures’ Corrosive Magic, shall we?

I folded my wings to my side, stepping forward at a renewed pace to try and catch up with everyone else- I was getting left behind.

BAM

I moaned slightly as my muzzle connected with the ground, my leg gave out underneath me and a painful jolt worked its way through my already sore body. The Itch invading every corner of my chest, my lungs, my heart, and other organs intensified in sharp, painful prickles for a few moments as I held my breath against the pain and discomfort, and then it faded again- leaving the ghost of the frantic, maddening tickle of the Itch behind it, still bothering me, yes….. but my face hurt more now.

I moved my hooves out from under me slowly, muttering curses under my breath as I peeled my face off the ground, letting out a sneeze at the dust that had entered my nose and freezing as I saw red spatter the dirt beneath me.

Did I hit my nose so hard it was bleeding now?

I knew that wasn’t the case though, ‘Minor Internal Hemorrhaging’ still making an appearance across my vision and all- though the warning for the Magic Matter writhing around inside of me had faded away now. In all my attention fixed on that infernal Itch, I had managed to miss the fact that blood had started dripping from my nose, and down my chin in a steady, slow stream. I could taste the metallic liquid seeping past my lips and into my mouth, and I smacked my lips to try and rid myself of it.

“Flash?” I heard Fritz say, followed by the sudden fast moving of clopping hooves back toward me. It would seem the others in my group had finally noticed how far behind I was- and now I was lying on the ground. I took in a breath and rubbed a hoof across my muzzle, smearing blood across my foreleg but hopefully managing to clear most of the scarlet liquid from my face- I hoped my nose would stop bleeding now that the Itch had faded again.

“Wha’ happened? Ya ok?” I recognized that voice as Whiskey’s and glanced up just as Cream and Whiskey came to a halt in front of me, Fritz and Rocky hung back a little- all of their eyes were narrowed and I could see the concern written across Cream’s face especially, Whiskey was… stoic.

“… I’m fine… I just tripped on a rock…” I mumbled slowly, coming up with the story on the spot- hoping it was convincing. To add effect, I managed to give them a sheepish smile and a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my head with a hoof. Cream let out a sigh and shook her head at me, while Whiskey just gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe it- though he didn’t seem willing to press it for now.

And why was I lying? Well, what could they do about it anyway? Nothing- not unless Whiskey could pull some fantastical ‘Earth Pony Magic’ out of his ass and make everything sunshine and rainbows again. And seeing as how the possibility of that happening was a big fat zero- why worry them about it?

Cream offered me a hoof to pull me to my feet and I took her up on the offer with a small smile, this time my legs actually held my weight- instead of giving out to let me fall flat on my face again.

With that we headed back out again, again in silence- but that didn’t bother me anymore. The Itch was still there, but that was tolerable too. In a world filled with dangerous creatures, awful situations- where my insides were being melted unless I let myself bath in radioactive light, or eat irradiated food. In a world where my mind was void of anything useful, my past a big blur of vague images that- by the way, had a tendency to make my twisted mind short-fire and cave in on itself- ending in just spectacular sessions of blacking out without any warning, none of that bothered me, at least not at the moment. There was something that bothered me that next hour or so we kept walking, nothing could compare.

I could literally feel Whiskey’s gaze burning into my back as he followed at the back of the group, and that made the Itch, the fucked up world, the Magical Goo eating away at me, and all the other crap wrong with me- seem like a trivial matters of no standing.

Somehow, with that weird, unnatural Earth Pony instinct of his- he knew I lied. And he knew, that I knew he knew.

Put me down for a lecture from Whiskey in the future, Little Me- would you?

.:+:.

“….. Here we are with your news in the WasteLand, good Old DJPON3 has got a few things to share with you, so if ya wanna know what’s going on in some part of the world apart from your own- here’s this for ya! A week or so ago I told all you about the stand the Slayers have been trying to make in PonyVille, clearing out the Raiders and the bad as best they could- trying to take it back for the good folks of Equestria. Sad news my friends, but the Slayers have backed off their siege on the town and been pushed all the way back to the very edge of WhiteTail Woods. Reports as to why are inconclusive, I’ve heard things from too many losses, to an uprising in the Raider population, something involving a freak accident no one seems able to describe- and the pull-out of the benefactor funding the operation. Whichever one it is that’s warranted the pull in the fire-fight, we know that at least it’s a shame- and I must now advise anybody close to those parts to stray as far away as you possibly can!”

I spared a glance in Whiskey’s direction at the announcement, wondering if he was listening or not- and looking for any sort of reaction from him at news of the Slayers. I had noticed it before but he seemed unusually hostile toward this organization for mercenaries, almost as hostile as he was toward the Enclave- for which it was clear he felt a deep-seated hatred for, I just didn’t know why on both accounts.

The buck gave no indication of having heard the report at all, and I sighed before looking ahead again- there was the ever growing closer form of something big and dark in the distance- as well as the Marker on my PipBuck continually flashing faster to let me know we were getting closer to Breedlann. Whether or not the Slayers had backed off their attempts at taking back PonyVille wasn’t of any concern of mine- we were far from there and had other matters to attend to, but I was a little interested in why. The mention of the pull-out of the benefactor funding the operation caught my attention, and I remembered what the argument I had had with Whiskey before hell broke loose on the Highway had been about.

The Slayers weren’t working for free- somepony was paying them to do it, and apparently- that somepony had changed their mind. Wonder who it was?

“…. Now I have nothing conclusive about what’s going on out in the eastern portion of the Wastes, all the way out in DireWolf Territory- but it seems like nearly every settlement out that way has suddenly gone dark, with the exception of Breedlann. If anypony has any info on why any of the settlements out there have gone dark- whether it be DireWolves or Raiders, you make sure to give good old DJPON3 a call! Anything anybody can give me would help- maybe give a hoof or talon in warnin’ anybody moving up that way.” I sniffed a little,

Is there anyway of calling DJ anyway?

To be honest, what was taking settlements off the grid out here could be a combination of DireWolves, or even Raiders- and let's not forget the sudden influx of the Pures running around killing everything they found alive….. of which was not normal, according to Whiskey. The Pures were supposed to stick to the West side of the Wastes out near PonyVille…. They had certainly traveled a long way on hoof to try and murder us and destroy Pillar for no Goddess damned apparent reason. I let out a huff and shook my head, needless to say I was still relatively miffed about the mass of Magical Corrosive matter eating away at my insides slowly- the Itch inside my body driving me a little more than just a bit insane…

My eyes snapped ahead at what had suddenly reared up before us, just after reaching the top of the incline my wingless companions had been climbing for a good portion of an hour. My wings flapped as I hovered in air, eyes fixed to the town in front of us; Breedlann.

My earlier thoughts on a castle weren't nearly as accurate as I would have liked... But it was somewhat a fortress in its own way, I wondered if they'd had help from a few Pegasi to build it.

The town itself was circular in build, set out on a small dip on the rolling rocky and barren around us. A high, solid wall of welded scraps of metal and several different heavy carriages made up the perimeter for a solid, defendable wall. There was a large gate at the front that could be rolled up to admit access inside, the pale glint of light bouncing off rusted turrets rest atop the wall near the top- jerry rigged to hell but they seemed to be functional. There were rolls of barbed wire circling the top of the wall, and small little outlets where outposts were built on top to allow guards to shoot through but still remain in cover.

A well trodden path reached all the way up to the gate, but otherwise it was one big, huge eyesore in an otherwise barren place. Remnants of a road reaching from the highway cut through the devastation a mile or so off... But otherwise, with the dry brush, the skeletal trees, the rolling hills of dust and muck... It seemed oddly out of place, and yet it seemed to blend in too.

To the west of the town there was a large, tall hill (or maybe it was a mountain- geography wasn't a strong suit of mine I don't think) that cast a shadow over the city from the dim of the cloud curtain, it seemed a dirty gray against a dusty grey backdrop. What caught my eye was the poles stuck up about the perimeter, completely vertical and nearly as tall as Zero- I couldn't really see what was on said poles, but it looked like something.... Mangled.

"An' here we are, Breedlann." Cream sighed, pulling herself over the rise and pausing where I hovered. I glanced down toward her as she let out a sigh, "Finally.... Looks like they're still runnin' too, them Pures ain't made it here yet."

"We haven't seen them since Pillar, huh?" I mumbled, she nodded.

"Good thang too. Probably wouldn' of survived the second time." She murmured, I nodded in slight agreement. Not that I was complaining about not seeing them.... You just had to wonder, where the hell did they go? They can't just disappear into thin air, can they?

"Well, better get movin'." Rocky mumbled with a small huff as he pulled himself up behind Cream, his eyes fixed to the town ahead of us. "Lot o' downhill from here."

"Good..." Fritz mumbled, panting slightly at the effort of the climb. Whiskey pulled up beside the group, not seemingly out of breath... Just a stoic expression, again.

"Better talk ta yer DireWolf friend, Darlin'." Whiskey said, tone neutral as his ears flicked my way. His teal eyes gleamed under the shadow cast from his cowpony hat, and he swished his red tail back the way we had come. "Said he wanted a word with ya."

I glanced behind us to see Zero had stopped just before climbing over the rise, he wasn't in view of Breedlann yet- and I suddenly realized that he probably couldn't go any further. Just because I was insane enough to have a DireWolf as a companion, and trust him not to eat us- didn't mean he would receive a friendly reaction from anypony else. Hell, Cream had tried shooting him the first time she saw him- and I was certain the only reason Whiskey hadn't opened fire on the Highway was because I had warned him about what creature it was I had brought into the group of the two of us at the time.

I glided back down toward Zero and dropped onto the ground in front of him, careful to make sure my legs didn't give out. The Itch had subsided when I had a snack, and hadn't come back just yet- though it was still in the back of my mind.

"Golden-mane and friends go to pony town, yes?" He rumbled, I nodded.

"Yeah, they're not gonna take to you very well I don't think." I murmured and his head dropped to my eye level,

"Ponies do not trust us. Zero will stay away from pony town, wait for Golden-mane to return." He told me,

"Will you be alright by yourself?" The question made it past my lips before I had thought it over. It was absurd to think the big, giant mutant snake-dog with the stronger than steel tails and radioactive claws couldn't handle himself on his own. I realized that as soon as I asked the question, and rubbed the back of my head with a hoof in slight embarrassment. "Ah.... Ok.... Stupid question, sorry." I mumbled, Zero just blinked. I heard a throaty rumble emanate from him for a moment and swore his lips twitched at the corners, I got the feeling it was a smile and that he was chuckling at me... In a weird way.

"Zero will hunt." He murmured, turning away from me and beginning to pad away down the slope again. "Zero waits for Golden-mane. Zero will find Golden-mane when group moves." Was the last thing I heard before he was well away and I turned back toward the direction of Breedlann, my ears catching the sound of his heavy paw-falls on the earth as they faded.

I flapped my wings and lifted off again, clearing the last few meters toward the patiently waiting ponies at the top of the rise.
"He's not coming any closer to the town." I announced, catching Whiskey's eye. "He said he's gonna wait for us, and hunt in the meantime." Whiskey blinked once and looked away,

"Probably fer the best." Cream said, "Folks in Breedlann would probably try ta shoot 'im."

"Do ya blame um?" Rocky mumbled and Cream shook her head,

"Nope." I sighed a little,

"Darlin'." I glanced back toward Whiskey, he just wasn't looking at me.

He had been sending my dirty glares every once and awhile, because he knew I hadn't told the truth about 'tripping' earlier, and he could tell something else was up. He had yet to corner me and hound me for an explanation, which I was pretty happy for- being cornered by him for any reason was not a pleasant thought... (I was currently flying for one of two reasons, one being- it was harder for Whiskey to trap me in air)

"I've been here only a few times, and from what Ah remember.... Ah think it'd be better if ya fly on ahead an' let em know who's comin'." He told me evenly, I blinked.

"Why?"

"They set up mines around the front gate." Cream explained. "Ya can let the guards know who's comin' and they can disarm um long enough ta let us through." She gave me a small smile at the shocked face I was wearing. "And ya can warn the folks on the Turrets not ta open fire too."

Is it just me, or does it sound like I'm the one walking into a potential way to get myself shot, or blown up?

"We'll be down in a bit, won' take long ta go down." Whiskey told me, beginning to walk forward. "Meet ya at the gate, Darlin'."

"My name is not Darling!" I snapped at his back, that being the only thing I could manage in response to the request. Whiskey didn't reply and kept walking, Cream, Fritz and Rocky at his heels.

'He loves calling you that, doesn't he?' The Little Me sighed and I huffed. It was damn annoying. Why was it so hard to call me by my name?!

I shook my head furiously, arguing with the copper buck on the point wasn't going to get me anywhere, it was a losing battle on my part... I just hated to admit it. I flapped to gain a little more height and started forward, my pale shadow casting across the backs of the rest of my group as I flew over them and continued forward toward Breedlann on my own. I neared it in very little time, and felt my stomach flip when it became clear what it was that was on those poles mentioned earlier- corpses.

They ranged from mange filled ponies with yellow, rotting eyes, to dried husks if indistinguishable creatures burned to a crisp. Some of them looked like dozens of Radroaches impaled in a row, there even seemed to be a Bloatsprite or too.

The stench that rolled up to meet me as I came within a few hundred feet of the gate made my eyes water, I swallowed hard and shook my head to drive away the flies that started to buzz about my head. The impaled corpses rest on poles that made a sort of arching perimeter in front of the gate a ways, beyond that the ground was a little bumpy and irregular but the poles had gone away- they were probably far enough from the town that the flies were not so much of an issue.

Every corpse appeared to be doused in some disgusting, sticky goo that reeked more than the rotting bodies ever could. I pulled a hoof over my nose to try and ward off the scent, feeling the bile rising inside of me as tears began to run from my eyes without warning. Every fiber of me told me to leave, just to get away from the stench, it was making my head ache and it.... It set me on edge. I didn't think I could handle it for very long.

I flapped to bring myself past the poles and the stench, and closer to the gate. I blinked a few times to try and get rid of the tears in my eyes, I rubbed at my face and tried to dry them.

The sudden flux of yellow blips on my E.F.S. caught my attention and my head snapped east toward where they had popped up. Through my tears I made out the distant form of a group of creatures moving across a slope half a mile away from Breedlann. I tilted my head at the sight, unable to make out many details but... From what I could see there were at least a dozen of them, and they were moving slowly, seemingly drawing away from Breedlann itself.

The hell are they?

"State yer business!"

The unmistakable sound of bullets clicking made my eyes move away from the distant group as my attention snapped up toward the top of the wall- which, drawing closer- was nearly 2 DireWolves high. At the sound of the guns, I fixed my sights in one of the four turrets at the top of the wall, but couldn't see who was manning the submachine gun put up there. I moved down toward a space just above the gate, a rail of patchwork bags and tin, finding the glaring blue gaze of an old, greying stallion with a red bandana about his neck in shoddy barding- but it would have done in a pinch.

He pointed a cracked and dried hoof at me, stiff and wary of my presence- my ear twitched when the mounted submachine gun shifted with a grating sound as it locked on to me.

"... Uh.... We were looking to buy some... Supplies..." I called, he was far enough away I had to shout- I hadn't moved close to the gate just yet for us to talk normally.

"'We'?" He shouted back,

"My group and I- they're behind me." I tilted my head back in small gesture toward the distant group behind me. The bucks blue eyes narrowed at me,

"How many are ya?"

"Five including me."

"How many of ya got wings?" He called,

"Just me...?" I murmured, a little confused why he had even asked. He pursed his lips together a little and straightened up, leaning on the railing with his front hooves as he seemed to go into thought. His lips were moving and I caught faint mutterings to himself that I couldn't quite make out.

"How many of ya are armed?" He asked next, I paused.

"... Three.. Ish." I called back, did the shitty pistol Cream was carrying around count? The buck gave me a look,

"... If any of ya start causin' any sort o' trouble, jus' know we got plenty o’ folks round here who won't hesitate ta shoot ya." The buck muttered and I nodded,

"Got it... We weren't looking to cause any trouble. Just stock up on supplies." I promised and the buck sighed a little.

"Fine then, let me hit the switch.." He called, dropping down behind the barrier and from view. "Grieden! Stand down!"

Whoever was behind the submachine gun let it lower, and the turrets turned to a shade of yellow on my E.F.S. I let myself relax and continued to hover in air, running a hoof through my mane absentmindedly, I felt like a filly standing outside the principal’s office, waiting to hear what it was I was called up for.

"Don't land till Rusty Turret tells ya he's got the mines disarmed."

I glanced up at the voice, it was low and husky- my red gaze met a golden one.

The one who had been manning the submachine gun, Grieden as the old buck had called him- had come out from the seat and landed on the edge of the wall, his rough talons curling over the metal edge as he looked to me calmly. He was a griffon, the first I had seen since coming into the WasteLand. His feathers were a dusty brown hue that tinged a scarlet color near the ends, unlike the older buck- his armor was heavier and in better repair, he also had a pistol strapped under each wing, and his talons seemed to have been sharpened to extreme lengths- though many of them were cracking now in age. He must have been as old as the buck (Rusty Turret) or even a little older, but he was big, and bulky- a lot more muscle on him than any other pony I had seen just yet. There was a long, deep scar running up under his chin and putting a notch into his beak- about his neck the feathers were burned away to leave a small pink patch of skin.

I hadn't been looking to land, but the warning was nice.

"Been a long time since I've seen a pegasi. Not many Dashites now a days." The griffon told me, I stiffened a little.

"... Ah, right..." I stammered. He waved a talon at me and sighed,

"I see you've still got your Cutie Mark, yeah- but I don't really matter to me if you're a Dashite, Enclave, whatever. Long as you keep your head and don't start murdering people, I don't care." He told me evenly, catching me a little bit off guard at how simple his outlook was. Compared to Whiskey, who pretty much held the 'Enclave needs to die' and 'Dashites are kinda fine' way of thinking- Grieden's way of thinking was much more lax.

"Got it..." I murmured, "Like I said, we are here to buy some stuff before heading on our way." I paused, "Well... Two of us at least will be leaving." Cream and her friends from Pillar were going to settle down here from what had been decided. Greiden nodded a little in sign he understood,

"More hooves and talons to help out around here are always appreciated." Greiden scratched the underside of his beak with a talon and fluffed his wings a little. "Where are you folks comin' from anyway?"

"Pillar." I murmured as his yellow eyes glinted in slight surprise.

"Haven't heard from Pillar in a long time." He murmured, "Haven't heard from any of the surrounding settlements recently, if I'm being honest." I lowered my eyes a minute, DJ had mentioned the settlements out this way going dark.... If Breedlann had noticed it, it was big.

"Yeah..." I sighed, glancing back up to him and the stare I received. I gestured toward the wall, "May I?"

Grieden lightly hopped off his perch and down toward the walkway that ran along the wall on the inside. I flapped and followed him, touching down lightly as I made it over the small barricade of metal and sand bags wrapped in barbed wire. I sighed silently as my hooves touched down,

"All clear!" Rusty Turret called, I spied him popping his head out from a small crevice built into the wall, a little farther down from where he had been standing when he stopped me. He spotted me as I lighted down on the walkway, "Yer friends can get through, I'll have Roller start liftin' the gate." He called to me, before coming to a pause and eyeing me a bit. What the hell is that look for...?

"Ya know ya shouldn' let strange folk up on the wall, Greiden." The old buck said suddenly, his eyes moving past me and locking to the old griffon.

"She's tiny enough, she won't be any issue to take down if she tries something, Rusty." Greiden replied easily, smirking slightly as he stopped at my shoulder- self-consciously making me feel like a small filly against his big, tall, bulky body. I wouldn't consider myself tiny, but next to him?

Rusty seemed to move his eyes up and down me, before shrugging slightly and turning away. "Ya made her point." He muttered. He hopped down onto the Ramp that lead back down, "Let yer group know the mines are off." He called back to me,

"Thank you, I will." I replied, he fell out of sight.

"So, what's goin' on with Pillar?" Greiden asked once we were left alone atop the wall. I glanced up at him, "Never got your name either." He said easily,

"Sorry, my name's Flash." I said, turning a bit and extending a hoof. He seemed to find that amusing, he let out a low throaty chuckle, his beak curling up in a smirk as he extended a hand and gingerly took my hoof- shivers ran up my soon at the small prick of his talons against my leg.

"Grieden, though ya already figured that out." He said with a small bob of his head. “Now that’s outta the way- what’s the word with Pillar?” My face must have fallen a little, because a wary and concerned light danced into his eyes a moment as his beak sported a small frown.

“…. Pillar is gone.” I mumbled, “… the last of the ponies that lived there are in my group now. Everypony else is dead.”

“DireWolves?” He asked lowly,

“No, ever heard of the Pures?” I asked and he blinked,

“A few things, never anythin’ about them anywhere past PonyVille.” He replied lowly, “So yer saying the Pures are what killed Pillar? How do you know?” How do I know? They literally just about killed me, I was face to face with them, I fought with them- and now I had this infernal Itch bugging me round the clock because of them.

“We saw them- well, more like, ran from them.” I replied, shifting slightly to expose the pink flesh on my side. “They just about killed us- last we saw them, they were going head to head with a DireWolf near that roadside MOP Clinic. We managed to get away with what we had, and haven’t seen them since.” Grieden’s eyes narrowed to slits a moment.

“How many?”

“Dozens, I didn’t get a good count.” I answered and he sighed, scratching a talon under his chin.

“…. Well, none of that sounds good…” He muttered, nearly half to himself. I couldn't say it sounded even remotely good at all, it was actually fantastically bad. I saw the Pures, fought with them (granted I was chock full of drugs and a little insane because of it), they nearly killed me. I felt first hoof how powerful those bastards were and it was a little insane- it was horrifying to think what a kingdom full of those freaks were living up in a mountain just passed PonyVille- and now they were moving into the heart of the Wastes itself.

If DireWolves weren't enough to worry about on our trek toward Arabino (and hopefully some answers about who I was and what happened) - adding the Pures into the mix was probably going to prove to be hell. Suddenly our chances of surviving our journey seemed to catch up to me- and they were very, very low.

Whiskey and I had nearly been eaten on the Highway, and then we ran into the Pures- resulting in a very fucked up me now being eaten slowly be acidic magic stuck inside of me.

Granted, we got away from our first encounter with the Pures pretty well in all standards- but I was holding that up to no small amount of pure luck. I should be dead, crashing into the top of that ambulance should have broken several bones- but it hadn't. Being shot up with all of those drugs at once, that should've killed me immediately. And it didn't.

Going head to head with the Pures in that crazy, drug induced hype should have seen me skinned alive or turned to some pile of glowing ash being carried away by a breeze. And yet I was still alive.

I would never have considered myself a very lucky pony, had I not taken a moment to look back on everything that had happened since waking up. Because of luck- I had clearance to the door in the Holding Chamber back in Zone 4, without it I would have been stuck in there. Luck had it that when I came up to the surface in Beatz Concert House- that those turrets decided to shoot at the Bloutsprites chasing me, instead of killing me then. It was luck that it had been daytime (not that anypony could tell with the Cloud Curtain) when I had come out of the concert house and room a stroll through Arabino.

Now some of that couldn't be just luck- there was probably a deliberate purpose behind the idea that I had clearance in Zone 4, and turrets were set not to fire on me.

But it had been luck I got out of Arabino at all. Luck that any of those turrets were actually still operational, if not I would have been Wolf Chow for sure. And it was luck… Though I hated to admit it…. That it was Whiskey Shot I ran into on the ManeHatten Highway that night.

Who's to say I could have protected myself against any raiders in the condition I was in? Had I collapsed out there, and he hadn't dragged my sorry ass all the way to BaleFire- I would have either died because of the Venom, been killed (maybe raped) by a raider passing by, or eaten. If I hadn't run into Whiskey, I wouldn't have survived.

But then again, if I hadn't been around when the DireWolf Pack destroyed the highway from under us, that cheeky buck would be dead now too.

A life for a life, a save for a save….

Lucky little me…. Stuck with a stoic, bomb-loving Mercenary (with undoubtedly wicked aim) who got on my last nerves, and a huge, radioactive Snake-Dog who was unnervingly friendly. That was my group now, once Cream and her friends settled down here in Breedlann. A Mercenary, Blank-minded Pegasus, and a DireWolf walk into a bar….. It was like a bad joke.

We were a bad joke.

And now- we were a We

Damn it…. I want to hate that bastard…. But shit…

“.... We’ll see how it goes then.” Grieden’s voice snapped me from my own thoughts, glancing his way I saw he had turned away from me a little, looking tense but seemingly taking it pretty well- you know, the threat of insanely powerful freak unicorns possibly showing up on Breedlann’s doorstep.

They were prepared for DireWolves… I wanted to believe they could hold up against the Pures too.

“Looks like her friends are here.” Grieden murmured, pointing a claw past me toward the waiting group of Cream, Rocky, Fritz and Whiskey just stopped before the mine field. I could tell they were glancing up toward me, and Grieden waved a hand at me almost dismissively. “Better get going.” He murmured and I nodded turning away and spreading my wings.

“Flash.” Grieden called me back right as I was about to take off, I glanced back toward him, but he wasn't looking my way- he was walking away. “If you're looking for some work, come find me later on. Rusty Turret and I might have something you'd be interested in.” My ears perked at the news, wondering what sort of job they needed done. The last one I had had- had been the one to clear SpringTail of its Raider problem.

But I figured it was worth looking into- I wasn't sure where Whiskey was with Caps, but I had just one- that apparently somewhat ‘cursed’ Star Cap that Vera wouldn't dare take. If we were looking to stock up on more supplies, I knew it wasn't going to be free. And hell if I was gonna let Whiskey pay for anything all on his own again- he had done that in BaleFire, and though him losing money gave me slight pleasure- I didn't like having to depend on him to buy supplies.

“Alright, maybe I will.” I called back, earning a small nod before I turned away again.

I kicked off the top of the wall into the empty air, catching it under my wings and gliding down slowly, coming to a small halt in front of my awaiting companions. Cream looked toward me, seemingly waiting for my report. “They turned off the mines.” I announced, there was a harsh grating sound that I had been ignoring until now- but I didn't need to look around to know what it was. “They're raising the gate to let us in too.”

“Better get inside then.” Rocky mumbled, nudging Fritz with his muzzle to get the colt to start walking, snapping the young pony from his quiet survey of the wall. I waited until the former residents of Pillar walked past me, before I began walking at Whiskey's shoulder, the lot of us trekking through the (currently) inactive minefield and toward the open gate way before us.

Whiskey didn't even glance toward me as we fell into step together. Again, I remembered with a sudden unwanted pang of unhappiness- that he had been very icy and tense toward me since I lied about tripping a few hours earlier. I didn't understand why he would be miffed at me for that- and I didn't feel I needed to share the fact that some sort of magic matter was eating me. It didn't concern him, I just wasn't happy he was angry with me for keeping it to myself.

But I knew this ‘cold-shoulder’ thing wouldn't really work with us if it went on too long, I still had the rest of the way to Arabino to spend with that copper buck- and hell if we would be spending it in complete and utter silence. If, however, Whiskey did decide he’d rather be miffed and keep ignoring me- I could always strike up a conversation with Zero. Hell, that freaking giant puppy was a lot better company than Whiskey most of the time.

“The Griffin working the wall told me he needs a job done.” I said quietly, Cream and her friends were far enough ahead they wouldn't hear me say anything. Whiskey graciously replied with a small ‘mhmm’, it was something- but it was such a non answer it only irritated me. “I’m gonna take it, get the caps and stock up again.” I muttered, “We’ll spend a day or two to make sure Rocky, Fritz and Cream get settled in. After that, we can leave right away if you want.”

….

…..

So he really was going to keep ignoring me, fucking bastard. I was convinced he was just as moody as a mare- and held a grudge like one too. I let out a haughty huff and refrained from looking back at him. ‘Well screw you too Mr. Whiskey!’ The Little Me snapped, she was just as annoyed as I was, and rightfully so- I didn't like being ignored, I really didn't.

“A job will be jus’ fine.”

Holy shit!

My head snapped around toward him at the sudden and very unexpected reply to what it was I had said. It shocked me, because I thought he really had been ignoring me, and I figured he wouldn’t dare say anything to me- and yet he just did.

Sometimes I wish I could read him a little better….

He still wasn’t looking my way though, his eyes were fixed ahead under the shadow of his cowpony hat, his muzzle hidden by the bandana he so often used to cover his mouth, (why did he do that anyway? Was it for style, or was he trying to keep people from seeing his facial expressions? Maybe he was just trying to keep from breathing in too much dust….) I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or even if he was scowling. He seemed to notice my surprised expression, though he still didn’t even give me a sidelong glance.

“Yer gonna need Caps ta buy supplies, ain’t gonna be me ta stop ya from earnin’ ‘um.” He told me flatly, damn it, even his tone was stoic and unreadable.

But for whatever reason, hearing him say that- it surprised me, and not because he was breaking his sudden plan of giving me the cold shoulder. I was actually surprised…. When he said he wasn’t going to stop me, because for some reason, in the back of my mind- I kinda figured he would try. Maybe I was hoping he would step up and be a dick, and keep me from working for money all because he was holding one hell of a grudge about my small little lie to him earlier. That he was so miffed about that he might actually try to keep me from doing what I planned- just to spite me.

All in all those were the things he seemed the sort to do, to be a jack-ass, to purposely try to make me angry and unhappy, to infuriate me just because he knew he could. He had done so before, a lot actually….

… But now, he was angry enough that he didn’t even want to bother screwing with me… I guess….?

He didn’t say a single thing to me after that, he just sped up a little and left me at the back of the group on my own, and I could only stare after him in confusion. I wouldn’t say I was the smartest pony around, but I wasn’t the dumbest either. I would like to say I was pretty perceptive for the most part, and could read ponies and guess at their feelings when I needed to- understand their motives for doing things and their reasoning behind their actions. But there was something about Whiskey… I really just didn’t understand him, not even in the slightest if I was being honest.

Hell, the whole reason I was on this stupid crazy journey with him was because, for whatever strange reason, he wanted to get to ShieldTune because he wanted something there- I just hadn’t a clue as to what it was he was looking for. I realized that it was much the same with Zero too…. That radioactive monster was following, helping, and saving me with no apparent reason for doing so. He showed up and stuck with me, saved me, didn’t eat me…. And I have no clue as to why Zero was even with us at all, no clue as to what it was he wanted out of sticking with Whiskey and I.

Huh…. It would seem both of my companions as of the moment were riddles wrapped inside enigmas in themselves… was there no simple pony in the WasteLand, who didn’t have something to hide? Some pony that was simple and easy to understand?

‘Everypony has something to hide, Flashy.’ The Little Me intoned quietly.

I heard Cream let out a soft sigh as we stepped hoof through the half way open gate and into Breedlann itself, all of us now settled in the dim shadow cast by the gate- the grating sound of the gate shutting behind us suddenly filled the air. It seemed as if Cream and Rocky alike suddenly deflated upon entering the city, while Fritz looked all the more pleased, looking it over with keen delight and a slight sense of being impressed- though I knew it was nothing new for him, having apparently been here a year before now.

My anger and confusion with Whiskey suddenly dissipated as my attention turned toward looking at the town that lay in front of us.

Breedlann was well built on the outside, and the same could be said for the inside as well. It was better than Pillar and its shabby makeshift houses, and better than those sheet metal buildings lining the crater of the Bomb in BaleFire (and again, why would anypony think living around that thing was a good idea?). The houses here were clearly those that had been standing before the bombs fell- Breedlann itself must have been a city before everything went to shit, I wondered what kind of ponies used to live here when the world was green and good to live in. The land surrounding it was dry and dead, with few trees- so I couldn't imagine farming had been the town’s major export… But who knows.

The buildings themselves were mostly intact and standing, most of them still made of the same sturdy wood infused with metal bolts and beams to hold it all together. Where the houses and buildings had begun to fall apart, they had been continually repaired with what material could be found- in the most case, it was sheets of iron and steel that seemed to just make Breedlann seem that much stronger.

Most of the buildings were in the ground level, but some of them (the ones I could tell that were new additions post apocalypse), buildings that had been raised up on metal beams to be nearly level with the top of the wall. From these there were walkways strung between to allow access, and an array of ladders and stairs that would allow ponies to make it up into the raised homes. The walkways of Breedlann were cracked and dust cached concrete sidewalk that stretched off in different directions, in front of us was the last remnants of a road running down toward the left, curling around d a corner and out of sight. Directly ahead of us was a side walk leading down an alley between two sections of housing. At the end of it I could see one of the larger buildings, my ears picking up on a small humming noise coming from that way.

It was very, very big- and I was only seeing the front part of it. I suddenly realized why Fritz looked so pleased, because in all reality- this place was impressive.

I glanced sideways to see a bulky dusty brown stallion with an orange mane, his teeth clamped into a lever as he rolled the gate down slowly, the veins in his neck pulsing under his skin. I figured that this pony was ‘Roller’, as according to what Rusty Turret told me.

“Well, welcome ta Breedlann.”

I glanced sideways, noticing said pony was waiting inside the gate to the left of us, his eyes scanning over our small group quickly and nearly suspiciously. No surprise there. “Greiden says ya’ll came from Pillar.” Rusty muttered, earning suddenly sullen looks from the former Pillar residents. “I’m sorry for what happened ta ya, and the folks ya lost.” Cream muttered a small ‘thank you’ with a solemn nod from Rocky- Fritz just glanced down at his hooves a moment.

“Folks here will love ta have ya- long as ya work of course.” He explained and Rocky nodded, suddenly pulling himself up to a better posture, his eyes harder and more determined.

“Course.” He said easily, “Wouldn’ expect to sit on our heels. Everyone's got ta work to live- jus’ like back in Pillar.” He explained, Rusty’s lips twitch in a faint smirk of approval.

“Then ya should fit in jus’ fine.” Rusty replied, there was a large clang as the gate closed shut behind us and the sound of the rusted chains moving ceased. There was a small huff and the sound of hooves as ‘Roller’ moved toward the small entrance inside of the wall itself, the same sort of entrance Rusty took down when I was on top of the wall with Grieden.

“New ponies!” there was a sudden loud call cutting at the otherwise quiet town, I winced at the loud exclamation.

“Keep it down, Quarry.” Rusty muttered, not seemingly as enthused about the very loud voice either.

Fritz trotted back behind Rocky, Whiskey and Cream, stopping beside me and looking suddenly nervous, his ears pressed against his head and fidgeting. Rocky shook his head at the colt but otherwise ignored it, and I heard Cream chuckle under her breath. I glanced down toward Fritz, eyebrow quirked- he looked like he was hiding.

But from what?

I glanced over Whiskey’s shoulder to see who it was that rather abrasive voice belonged to- and again, I was confused.

Next to Rusty Turret, there was suddenly a lean, young earth pony filly- who I could only guess was the same age as Fritz himself. Her coat was an cool sky blue color, and her mane an abrasive golden-yellow. Her eyes were a deep dark blue that sparkled in delight as she hastily looked over our group in moments time. It surprised me when the new mare’s eyes landed directly on Rocky of all ponies- and her smile turned into a wide, partly surprised grin.

“Mr. Splitz!” She exclaimed ecstatically, her voice reaching up in a high squeaky tune that made me, and nearly everypony else cringe. I blinked, so apparently this young mare knew Rocky….

Rocky gave her a small, nearly exasperated smile and nodded. “Goo’ ta see ya again, Quarry Crossin’.”

I glanced down as I felt Fritz bump into my back legs, now trying his best to hide himself entirely behind me- he was small, but I wasn't big enough to hide him fully, not unless I held my wings out and I wasn't planning to do that.

But again with that question, why was he hiding at all?

“.. Hey… Kid.” I mumbled lowly, “What’s the matter with you?” He furiously shook his head at me with a small, nervous glare.

“Shh….!” He hissed, “Don’t let her know I’m here!” He whispered frantically, I blinked. Her? Quarry Crossing? But why?

I opened my mouth to ask but he kept shaking his head at me not to say anything at all, for extra measure he backed away behind me even more, low to the ground just enough he could see under my legs, and those of the rest of our group in front of us, gaze intent and hard. I shook my head a little, ears twitching in confusion.

“You’re back, oh how wonderful!” Quarry beamed brightly, her voice really was high-pitched and loud. My ears hurt at the noise of her speaking, and I was very much tempted to fly up and slam my hooves over her mouth to stop that awful sound. “Have you come here for supplies? How long will you be staying? Who’s this here?” Her blue eyes landed on Cream in the midst of her sudden rushed questions being thrown out- all of them muttered in her insanely awful high-pitched voice, I let out a sigh under my breath, bringing a hoof up to rub an ear. Maybe it was just me- and the supposed heightened hearing Zero mentioned before, but looking to Rusty Turret- he seemed just as bothered with her voice as I was, though neither of us said anything.

“Cream Soda.” Cream introduced herself and Quarry smiled,

“Nice ta meet ya!” She exclaimed, her eyes shifting back toward Rocky- she conveniently didn't question who either Whiskey or I was, and I was a little glad. “Did ya bring Fritz with ya? I’d love to see him again!” Her eyes sparkled in excitement and hope,

I could feel Fritz tense up behind me, and glanced back to see his pupils had contracted to pinpricks, his lips pursed and ears against his head- looking like startled prey ready to bound away, for a minute I thought he was about to dash off. And all the while, his eyes never left Quarry Crossing.

“We’re gonna be settlin’ in here, Quarry. Pillars been destroyed, most everyone is dead.” Rocky replied, earning a somewhat horrified look from the younger mare for a split second.

“... Does that mean that…. Fritz..?” She stammered, eyes wide and all excitement and glee vanished in a moment's time. She looked like she was about to come to tears, tears!

I paused a minute, eyes widening as it occurred to me suddenly- Fritz being nervous, the overjoyed and now suddenly devastated Quarry Crossing at the thought that the young silver colt was dead….. Oh Goddesses!

‘Fritz and Quarry sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!’ The Little Me sung suddenly, grinning to herself as we both came to the conclusion.

Maybe I was totally off, but for some reason that seemed to be it. I didn't know Fritz very well, but I knew enough to realize he was a very shy little colt and seldom ever said anything. He had warmed up to me since meeting him, but I had the feeling around other ponies he was very, very shy. That was increasingly clear, as he had actually started to hide behind me in the hopes that Quarry wouldn’t see him- for which, she was clearly hoping to. They had probably met one another when Fritz and Rocky alike had come to Breedlann, and I assumed that’s when Quarry’s affection for the young colt had flared. I smiled slightly, a school-filly crush, in this expanse of nasty and evil WasteLand- it was a nice change to see such a young, innocent filly be so smitten and have a crush, and Fritz’s reaction to her affection was adorable in itself.

“Nope!” I announced, catching her attention instantly and earning a small, stifled gasp from Fritz behind me. Quarry’s ears perked as she looked to me intently and my grin, “He’s fine,and he’s right here ready to see you!” Her grin returned and her eyes shone more than a dozen gems ever could,

There was a sharp, dull pain on my left hind leg suddenly as Fritz smacked his hoof into it as hard as he could possibly manage. I faltered slightly and sidestepped, fluffing my wings up to give me balance as I hopped to the side on three legs, leaving him in the full, intent and excited view of Quarry Crossing. He gave me one hell of a scowl, but I only smiled in return- a bit devilishly if I was going to be honest, but hey- I had to make things fun sometimes didn't I? Otherwise everyday would be dark and depressing and I really didn't want that.

In hindsight, maybe that was a little bit of a mistake- considering the very, very loud (extremely painful to hear) shrill squeak of utter delight that little filly let loose the next moment. This time everyone cringed at the noise, and several ponies who were walking past shook their heads at her. I don't think I saw anypony move nearly as fast as Quarry did in that next moment, she launched herself at Fritz who recoiled, looking like prey about to be pounced on by a blue and yellow predator. (An extremely loud blue and yellow predator…)

She landed on top of Fritz with a painful thud as they were suddenly interlocked in a tangle of limbs, Quarry’s hooves wrapped tightly about his neck to the point she looked like she was choking him. “Fritz!!” She squealed, grinning widely. He seemed to deflate entirely, glancing back and forth between her and the ground as the young filly remained in top of him, I wondered if she would ever let him go.

Cream and Rocky chuckled with me at the sight, Cream gave me a small nudge and shook her head at me. “You're evil.” She smiled and I chuckled,

“Maybe just a little.” I murmured back,

“... Such… Darkness….”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from outwardly wincing as the cattle prod in the base of my skull suddenly sent a jolt through my head and my entire body. It was another one of those voices I couldn't place nor remember who it belonged to… But this one sounded different. Like it was… Foreign.

My eyes locked with Fritz as he peered past the mess of yellow of Quarry’s mane in his face, glaring at me in frustration. His lips parted as he mouthed three words to me, jokingly of course, but for some reason… I felt something long since buried stir inside of me, something I couldn't place...

‘I hate you’

.:+:.

“So, what do you need done?”

I stopped in front of a table where Grieden and Rusty Turret sat. I had climbed up into the walkway that wound through the wall of the town and up to the top of it, at the very top, not far from the turret the old griffon had been manning earlier, and the platform Rusty had been on- there was a table set up with a few chairs, at which currently both afore mentioned were sitting at. Whiskey was leaning against the fencing at the top of the wall a little farther back from where I am, his attention turned toward glancing about the dead and barren land about us. I faintly wondered about that small group I had seen up on the ridge once I reached the gate- a quick glance to where they had been and anyplace around it found they were no longer able to be seen- and were probably long gone.

We had left Cream, Rocky and Fritz to the care of Quarry Crossing- who more than happily obliged to help them around town, looking for work and a place to settle down. I hadn't gone any farther into Breedlann than the front gate and the wall- so I wasn't sure how many ponies lived here, or how many houses were empty- but I hoped they would do fine here.

Rusty Turret gave me a silent glance while Greiden straightened up and nodded, he gestured toward his companion before taking a moment to take a drink of the half empty Sparkle Cola in front of him. “How good are ya with yer flyin’?” Rusty asked, ignoring my question for now. I blinked at the odd inquiry,

“Pretty good- by most standards I would say.” I replied, it wasn't as if I had any other Pegasi to compare myself with…. But even in my blank mind and lack of memory, I felt I was a good flier- a really good one. Don't know why I felt that way though.

“Can ya fly an’ shoot at the same time?” he asked,

“Yes sir.” I replied easily.

“We don’ know if you will be shooting anything.” Grieden broke in, having finished off his drink with a pleasurable sigh. I glanced toward him, “Mostly, we need someone who can fly- and is small enough to get into some tight spaces.” I tilted my head,

“Tight places?”

Grieden leaned back in his chair and waved a hand at the tall hill rising off the west of Breedlann, for which the town sat in its dim shadow. “Breedlann, or whatever it was called before the war- it used to be a mining town. The mines are over there, now- there isn't much left to mine anymore, what we do find is mostly iron ore, we can melt it down and use it if we need. The mines are mostly used for the town’s source of water.”

“The pumpin’ station hasn’t been pumpin’ as well as it used ta. Water is runnin’ low, an’ the pressure in the pipes is too low fer comfort. We had a couple folks go in an’ see what's wrong, a few cracked pipes, bolts er loose, an’ the pump is on its las’ legs.” Rusty broke in, “Nothin’ too hard ta fix, even if repairin’ thanks ain’t her cup o’ tea. We’d have fixed thangs already- but the broken pipes an’ loose bolts ‘re all too high fer wingless people to reach, and too small a space for any of our griffons ta squeeze inta.”

“.....” I was about to ask why they hadn't asked a unicorn to go and fix the pipes, with their Magic it should be easy- no need to fly up to the pipes or squeeze into the space they were in at all. I stopped myself though, I needed the money, and I wasn't looking to give them an idea to hire somepony else.

“So… Why do you think I might end up needing a gun?” I asked, glancing to Rusty- who brought it up in the first place.

There was a quick exchange of looks between both the old stallion, and the griffin. The space between my wings suddenly flared up with that insufferable Itch, I shook my coat out to try and clear it. “The pipes are pre-war. They work well enough on their own, and folks here have hardly any reason to go looking around in there.” Rusty muttered. “Fact is… We don’ really know what's in those mines. Not specifically anyway, and we really wouldn't care ta find out.”

I felt my heart drop a little as I simply stared at them a minute. “So… What you’re telling me is this; you want me to go into these mines, fly into tight places and move, and mess things around as I try and fix these pipes- while running the chance there's a mess of dangerous creatures and the like inside, just waiting to eat or kill me?”

Greiden gave me one nod,

“That's the gist of it.”

I really wish I didn't need the money.

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up

Fallout Equestria: Ancient Heroes

by ScarletsFeed

Prologue- A Tale of Many

Chapter 1- Awakening

Chapter 2- Into The Wastes

Chapter 3- BaleFire Town

Chapter 4- Whiskey Shot

Chapter 5- SpringTail Elementary

Chapter 6- Journey With A Mercenary

Chapter 7- DireWolves!

Chapter 8- Unexpected Ally

Chapter 9- Helping Hooves Are Hard to Come By

Chapter 10- Buck and Dash

Chapter 11- Breedlann