I woke sometime the next morning, head pounding as if someone had taken a jackhammer to my skull. Shifting about under the covers of a rather comfortable bed, I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes. Above me was a ceiling fan rotating idly at a slow pace, forcing me to blink the blurriness from my eyes. I slowly reached up and rubbed away the crust before bringing my arm back down to my side.
“I don’t recognize this ceiling.” I muttered out loud to myself, my eyes unable to recognize the fan and the wooden ceiling behind it. Slowly, as to not cause the aching to become worse, I turned my head to the side to see if anyone, or anypony, was right next to me. There wasn’t. However, I did notice the window onto the far right spilling daylight into the room, and if I listened closely, I could hear people—ponies outside going about their business.
Another minute or so passed and I finally worked up the strength to climb out of the mysterious bed I was in. Gazing about the room, I saw that I must’ve been in some kind of hotel or something. I could see the open doorway to a restroom across from the bed, a desk with an ink pot and candle to my right, and a mirror on my left.
Gazing at the mentioned mirror, I saw that I was still fully clothed, the faint memory of yesterday morning replayed and I chuckled. “I guess...I wasn’t wearing that many layers last night.” I chuckled dryly, faintly remembering I left to go drink with Quartz. Figuring I had drunk too much, thus explaining my lack of memory, I laughed quietly. “So much for not going overboard...” I snickered quietly and pushed myself off the bed. Standing on two feet, I looked back at the desk and saw a note.
I walked over and plucked the note off the surface. The paper was thick and seemed to be stained in a few areas, possibly water or something. Judging by the hand—hoof—magic? It seemed Quartz had been in a hurry. Turning to cough into my fist, I looked back at the note and read it slowly.
Chloe,
I’m sorry for leaving so early, I won’t be there for you in the morning. Something came up and I just need to go take care of it. I wrote the directions back to the castle on the back and I left you some bits in the drawer for you so you can get some food or something. I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly, I hope you’re not mad. I’m just confused about something that I need to take care of.
Quartz.
I blinked and read the note over twice. “Well that just...seems odd.” I placed the sheet of paper back on the desk and glanced down at the drawer where Quartz said she left some, “She said ‘bits?’ The fuck is a bit?” I mumbled to myself when I opened the wooden drawer and found a large sack full of gold coins. “Oh, shit,” I whispered and grabbed the pretty heavy pouch. “These are bits?” I asked myself as if I expected to be granted some kind of answer. “Well, fuck me. I might as well be rich.” I took out a single coin and looked at it, curious, and wanting to be like one of them cartoon characters testing for real gold, I bit down the piece. Like the idiot I am, I bit a little too hard and felt like I was about to chip my tooth.
Wincing, I pulled back and stuffed the coin back in the pouch and sat the thing on the table. Rubbing my jaw, I grumbled about how that was stupid and looked at the restroom. Rubbing my gut, I went and did my usual morning business. Once I was done, I came out of the restroom and checked the directions on the back of the note.
“How the hell am I supposed to follow these?” I mumbled softly as I took in each and every name of the streets that mapped out the path to the castle. After a few moments I took a breath. “Shouldn’t be too hard I guess,” I said as I thought that I could just use the castle itself as a reference. I folded the piece of paper and stuck it into my pocket and sighed.
I glanced over at a clock above the doorway; it was a quarter past noon. Rubbing the back of my neck, I checked for any remaining items I might accidentally leave behind. Taking what I needed, I shuffled my way out of the room and stepped into a dimly lit corridor. The boards creaking beneath my feet, I took notice of how low the ceiling way compared to my relative height. Reaching upwards, I placed my palm on the ceiling before my arm could even fully stretch outwards. For some reason, I found this to be humorous and I chuckled lightly. “I’m a giant,” I muttered softly and giggled before lowering my arm and glancing towards the end of the corridor on my right where I spotted what looked to be the start of a staircase. I grinned and began to walk towards it.
:[-]:
When I reached the bottom, I stepped onto a red carpet and was greeted by utter silence. What I at first thought to be because the bar was empty, I glanced up and notice that everypony had their eyes trained on me. The grin I had when I came down the steps immediately vanished and I gulped. “Hi,” I practically squeaked out and raised an open hand. “I’m Chloe...” bit my lower lip when no one responded to me, nervously I glanced about and began to inch my way towards what I thought was the exit.
“Excuse me.” I was halted by a deep voice clearing its throat. I froze in position and glanced over at the counter and saw the bartender glaring at me. “Don’t you want to at least order some lunch?” the bartender asked me, the stallion’s voice sounding much calmer than when he stopped me.
I continued to bite my lower lip and shifted my gaze around, everyone else had gone back to their own business, faint murmurs filling the bar. “Uh...s-sure...” I nodded my head, some reason my gut telling me that a late breakfast wouldn’t be a bad plan at all. I went back over to the bartender and took a seat at a stool, the height of the stool making me seem even more like a giant compared to the mare sitting beside me. I glanced at the pony and smiled at her, the mare looked at me, her eyes shifting nervously before looking away, doing her best not to pay any notice of me. “I’m sorry,” I muttered softly and looked at the bartender.
“What can I get you?” he asked me with a cocked eyebrow, his eyes appearing neutral and his outfit suit like outfit seeming rather clean.
“Do you have eggs or something?” I asked softly and the bartender nodded.
“What about bacon?” This caused him to cock an eyebrow at me and sighed and dismissed the bacon with a wave of my hand, this caused him to cock his head. “Nevermind,” I verbally said.
“We have diced potatoes for a side,” the bartender said to me.
“Are they cooked?” I gave him a semi serious look.
“Do you liked them cooked?” He tilted his head curiously.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t,” I replied, and the stallion frowned at me; he must’ve taken my tone as me being an ass. I sighed. “Look, uh...Scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, and toast. If you can make that I’ll take it. Just make sure you ponies actually cook the food, please.”
The pony nodded his head and turned away from me, to my right I heard a faint tsk along with disgruntled mutter of “Foreigners.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw a couple ponies gazing over at me and muttering amongst themselves, I bit my lower lip once more and shook my head as I focused on what was in front of me.
“What is that thing anyway?” I just barely heard a mare behind me ask somepony by her.
“Like if I know, I heard Princess Celestia made an announcement or something,” muttered another pony.
I gritted my teeth and sulked in my seat. “Isn’t that the creature that flipped out last night and started sobbing?”
“Probably, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“Maybe it’s some kind of minotaur birth defect?”
That’s it. Whirling around in my chair I glared at the ponies who were looking at me. “Could you all stop talking about me behind my fucking back?!” I snapped at them. “If you have a problem with me just say it to my fucking face!”
“Ma’am...” The bartender coughed and I looked towards him, breathing deeply as I tried to calm myself. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, and personally I don’t care. Just please, keep it down, or take it outside.”
I glared at the bartender but nodded in defeat. “Alright, sorry...” I pulled out the bag of gold coins Quartz had left for me and slid a couple coins to the stallion.
“You tipping me?” The stallion cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s an apology tip, so take it now before I change my mind,” I grumbled and took a deep breath.
The unicorn chuckled. “Well, don’t mind if I do.” He levitated the coins and placed them behind the counter. “The name’s Sonic.”
“The Hedgehog?” I glanced up him.
Sonic blinked. “Beg your pardon?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Nothing, just an inside joke,” I took breath and rested my head on my palm. “Say weren’t you making me food?”
“The cook is taking care of that, hun,” Sonic tsked as he past a couple drinks down to a few other ponies. “Can’t manage the bar if I’m the one cooking.” He smiled at me.
I blinked and blushed, chuckled nervously, and ran a hand through my hair. “Oh yeah, that makes sense.” I shook my head, god, I can be stupid.
“Y’know, I bet you some of the folks are wondering, and I’m sure as hell wondering, too...” Sonic’s voice lowered to a whisper and he leaned towards me. “And as good a fella as I am, I hope you don't mind me asking, but...just...what are you?”
“I’m a...from a dying breed.” I sighed as I rubbed my arm. “I’m a human being.”
Sonic blinked and stood back. “A human, eh?” he quickly magicked up a few more drinks and passed them down and he smiled widely. “Well, I’ll be, my great grandpappy used to talk about your kind.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what?” I looked up at the bartender.
“Yeah, back when I was growing up in good ol’ Appleloosa, he’d tell us stories about a hooman he knew back in his younger days,” Sonic said as he leaned back against the bar.
For the first time in a while I sat up with a large, beaming smile across my face. “Wh-where is he now?”
Sonic blinked. “Oh, he’s back home in Appleloosa, you plan on going to see him or somethin’?” he asked me just as the cook came out with my breakfast.
“I-I do now!” I said in an excited tone.
Sonic chuckled and hovered my breakfast towards me. “Well, Appleloosa is a little ways away from here, Miss.”
“Like I give a shit about that,” I leaned forward, smiled, and picked up the fork the stallion hovered to me. “If there’s even the slightest possibility that I’d be able to see more of my kind again, I’d fucking jump off a cliff if I had to.”
Sonic cocked an eyebrow. “Well, that just sounds crazy, but if you really mean it...” He fell silent for a moment. “This weekend, I plan on heading back home for the Summer Sun Celebration. If ya want, I could take you to go see my Great Grandpappy.”
My eyes widened and filled with tears. “R-really, oh geez, thank you! Yes, I will come!” I nearly couldn’t resist the urge to leap out my chair and snuggle into the pony.
Sonic laughed. “Well calm down now, your food is getting cold and here,” He levitated a quill and paper down and wrote what looked like an address. “Meet me here this day and time, my family and I will most likely be ready.” He handed me the paper and took it and smiled as I read the address: 220 Quill Rd.
“Thank you, Sonic,” I sniffed and wiped my face. “I was not expecting any of this...” I looked at him. “Do recall anything your Great Grandpappy said?”
Sonic smiled and worked up another drink and passed it down. “I recall a bit...” he leaned against the stand and motioned for me to start eating my food, to which I did and smiled at the taste, almost everything was cooked perfectly. “From what I can remember, he talked about how back when he was a little colt, him and his sister were exploring the Macintosh Mountains.” I took a few bites and looked up at Sonic as I was already halfway through my breakfast, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. “He said that his sister had fallen into a cave and he jumped in after her. The two of them got lost, but were soon found by hoofull of your species camping out down there, I think he said...they called themselves...uh...Oh yeah! The Remnants!”
I gasped and nearly fell off my chair, practically choking on my eggs. Sonic’s eyes widen and lept over the counter, suddenly his hoof smacked into my back and a glob of egg shot out of my mouth. Breathing in deeply, I turned and grasped the stallion by his shoulders. “I need a map!”
“What?”
“I need to know where the Macintosh Mountains are!” I shook him.
“Uh...Quill!” Sonic shouted.
Glancing over, I saw an adorably cute pegasus poke her head out from under the bar. “Yeah?”
“Go get the map!” Sonic said as he stepped out of my grasp. “You’re welcome, by the way.” He smiled at me.
I blushed and nodded awkwardly. “Yes, thank you.”
A moment later, the pegasus came out from the back room and walked around the bar with a rolled up map under her wing. Sonic thanked the cute pony and kissed her nose before taking the map. The pegasus blushed hard enough that the color burned through her coat, then she turned to head back behind the bar. Sonic smiled at me. “That’s my wife,” he said before going over to an unoccupied table, he sat the map down and unrolled it, pointing to the southern region with his hoof he said, “That’s the Macintosh Mountains.”
Glancing over my eyes widened. “That’s where the Kennedy Vault lies.”
“The what?” Sonic glanced over.
“Uh...I...” I took a deep breath. “Back before the collapse, as a last ditch effort, Congress had dozens, no hundreds of vaults constructed, across the states or some shit. They were intended for people to take shelter in, but I have no clue if the evacuation was successful or not because I was already in one.” I breathed deeply. “And even then, I only know of the ones in the tristate area.”
“Uh...” Sonic blinked. “What?”
“Do you mind if I keep this map?” I asked Sonic.
“S-sure.” He nodded. “I have plenty of them in the back.”
I smiled widely and couldn’t help but lean in and kiss the stallion on the cheek. “Thanks!” I snatched the map and hurried towards the main exit. “Thanks for the food, I’ll see you this weekend!” I ran out the front door, ready to find my way back to the castle and inform Reynolds.