Chapter 3: 100 In Three Darts
[Making up for lack of skill with creative vigour.]
The former contents of my stomach caused the snow to sizzle as they dripped from the chocolate-furred griffon’s claw. I stood frozen and open-mouthed while she silently glared. Seconds ticked by without a sound.
Then her friend burst out laughing. As did Bosco. My cheeks turned scarlet as I stammered out an apology. “I-I didn’t mean…”
Still frowning, she wiped her claw in the snow. Only when she was satisfied that it was clean did she look at me fully. “I’m docking you one favour for that.” Her rough voice was tinged with embarrassment since her friend hadn’t stopped laughing.
I spat out the last of the bile and gave her my most sincere look. “I’m really sorry about that.”
Her voice was under control now. Only a slight tinge under her face-feathers indicated any unease. “No harm done. Though do it again and I’ll shoot you.” Her tone was not-quite-joking.
With our friends still laughing, the situation remained awkward enough to keep us silent. Eventually I summed up some courage. “Um…I’m Snowflake. What’s your name?”
Before she could answer me her friend spoke up in a deep accent that was rife with amusement. “Oho yesss, please do tell her your name.” She gasped out between laughs.
“Sh-shut up, Schwarzwald!” The griffon’s blush was back in full force.
“She’s still waiting.” Schwarzwald responded in a sing-song voice.
“I’m...Wings. You’re Snow. Introductions over!” The griffon commanded to me.
I looked between the two, confused. “What’s wrong with ‘Wings’? It’s cute.”
This set Schwarzwald guffawing again. “Oh you simply MUST tell her now!”
Wings had morphed from chocolate-and-cream to chocolate-and-cherry now. “No! No I don’t! Listen, uh, Snowflake, I’m gonna drop another favour and let you and your friend…uh...”
“Bosco.” The charcoal colt finally joined the conversation.
“…right, Bosco. Snowflake, you and Bosco can have these pricks’ gear. We don’t want any of it. We gotta get moving,” She turned to her thoroughly amused friend. “Ain’t that right, Schwarzwald?” It wasn’t really a question.
“Oh very well, you spoilsport.”
“That’s exactly what I am. Now let’s go. We got places to be, don’t we?”
Schwarzwald apparently wasn’t done with her fun. A sly grin spread across her face. Her next words emerged in a purr. “Yes we do. You’re quite right, Gi-“
“DON’T YOU DARE!!” The griffon had her claws clamped over the mare’s muzzle before any of us could blink. She literally dragged her companion away. In moments they were out of sight.
“Uh…” Bosco and I said together as we stared after them.
Bosco snapped out of it first. He turned back towards the battlefield. “Right then, let’s get to…it…” I hadn’t turned around but I heard his sharp intake of breath.
“What’s up?”
His voice was strange when he answered. “N-nothing. Y’know on second thought, why don’t you scout around a little to make sure there’s nopony else around. I’ll handle this.”
“What do you mean?”
I heard him suck some more air through his teeth. Something was definitely up. “You probably shouldn’t be here for now. I really think it’s best if you take a little walk and leave this to me.”
I frowned and turned back to him. “Bosco, are you trying to pull someth-“
The scene before me stalled any further sound.
“Dammit,” Bosco muttered under his breath as he looked away.
The adrenaline haze had worn off. Now I saw, really saw, the twelve bodies strewn out on the ground. I found that I’d achieved a terrible clarity. I could count the number of eyeballs…noses…faces left between the twelve. Each total was less than twelve. These ponies, or what had been ponies, were twisted and broken into horrifying shapes. Bones and flesh and charred fur jutted out from beneath their leather attire. The…bodies lay still. Only the occasional creak as the leather cooled gave them even the faintest glimpse of activity.
Wordlessly I found my eyes drawn to a sight I wished wasn’t familiar. The orange Unicorn stallion’s…corpse lay where Wings had shot him thrice. Shockingly, that wasn’t what drew my attention. The ice chunks that were all that remained of his weapon had my focus. More specifically, the frozen blood staining them did.
“Red ice.” I managed to whisper, appalled. I’d seen it before with the Molar Bear. The blood of two creatures stained the white because of me.
I stood stunned. Tears began to run down my eyes. “I did this.”
Bosco grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and looked me right in the eye. “No you didn’t. They attacked and we fought back. It’s as simple as that.”
Someone did. “A tempting thought isn’t it, Snowflake?”
Startled, I whipped around, the world fading around me. 10 paces away stood the Overmare, still wearing her disapproving expression. She continued, “Self-defense. Such a neat justification for killing isn’t it? Old Equestria loved the idea. They went to war with it.”
Distressed, I turned back to Bosco. He was 10 paces away too and I was exactly in the middle. His mouth was still moving, but I didn’t hear a word. I sat in between the two. Had I moved so close to Old Equestria already?
Could I still go back to the way I was?
The Overmare repeated her words from the Stable but now they were a mocking sneer. “You won’t be alone, Snowflake.”
NO! Give me another chance! I’m not like that! I’m still Stable 61!
A bitter wind blew around the Overmare and into me. I stumbled back a step, hearing a CRACK! under my hoof. I looked down and saw red ice, blood seeping up through the fissures. Had that inadvertent step doomed me? I wasn’t in the middle anymore. I had further to go to get back to the Stable. The wind was still blowing.
Would they even take me back?
The Overmare’s voice was impassive. “Chances are rare, Snowflake. And finite.”
A shotgun shell bubbled up through the blood. I shrieked. The scene faded away.
“SNOWFLAKE!” Bosco’s hoarse cry cut through my misery.
“B-Bosco?” I blinked away tears.
He managed a smile. “Good, you’re back. I don’t know where you went but we can’t stay here forever. Now, do as I say and sit down. Tend to your leg and I’ll gather the Raider gear.”
I numbly complied. Bosco had brought some health potions with him from Cefar. I managed to disinfect and dress the gash on my shin. It hurt a lot more now that the battle was over.
Everything hurt a lot more.
Bosco finished within a few minutes. I didn’t watch as he divided up the take. I didn’t care. He could have it all if he wanted.
This place and everything in it were poison to me.
~~~~~~
We’d been walking in silence all day before Bosco spoke up. “We’re about half a day outside of Lethbridle now.” When I didn’t respond he lapsed into silence again.
I finally opened my mouth ten minutes later. “Why do Raiders exist?”
“What’s that now?”
My head stayed down and I didn’t look at him as we plodded along. “Raiders. Why are they here? What happened to them to make them like that?”
I heard his shrug more than saw it, the soft shuffle of fabric as his shoulders moved beneath it. “Same thing that happened to everypony else. The megaspells.”
I slowly shook my head. I found that ‘slow’ was my only gear right now. “Everybody would be Raiders if that were true. What happened to the Raiders?”
“Snow, remember our talk about luxuries?”
“Please, Bosco.”
He looked away, uncomfortable with the conversation. “Nopony knows. Raiders are just part of the Wasteland. They’ve been hunting travellers for as long as there’s been a Wasteland.”
“That’s a sad thought. 200 years and nobody’s tried to understand them.”
“Oh, ponies have tried. The Raiders cut ‘em down before any understanding can be done.”
“…when did people stop trying?”
He turned his gaze skyward, letting out a long breath. “A long time ago, most likely. That kind of response gets around quickly. They’ve been given a wide berth since then. They hate us. We hate them. They kill us. We kill them or die. There’s no other way.”
“So hate is all they have left?”
Bosco cleared his throat irritably. “Snowflake, don’t do this to yourself. You couldn’t have stopped what happened back there.”
“…I didn’t even try.”
“Yes you did! You told Wings and Schwarzwald to run.”
“Then I started killing Raiders. Just like that. I didn’t try to get us away or talk the situation
down. I just picked up the gun I never owned until yesterday and started shooting. I gave in to hate.”
I stamped my hoof then winced as pain shot up my bandaged leg. “I’m pathetic.”
Bosco’s voice had again lost its softness. “Snowflake, you can’t talk down Rai-“
“I DIDN’T EVEN TRY!”
“IF YOU HAD YOU’D BE DEAD! RAIDERS DON’T EVEN LIKE RAIDERS! You saw how that mare gunned down her ally when he lost his gun!” He recognised the mounting horror on my face and threw his hooves up in exasperation. “Ah shit! You’re gonna blame yourself for that one too, aren’t you?”
“I have to be held accountable for my actions! If I don’t hold myself accountable, who will?”
Bosco’s patience ran out. “NOPONY WILL BECAUSE THIS ISN’T YOUR WORLD, SNOWFLAKE!”
He realised too late what he’d said but didn’t take it back. We just stood staring daggers at each other.
I tried to keep my voice calm. “Thank you for saying that, Bosco.” He wouldn’t understand but I didn’t care. Right now I just needed his words. “But...I still have to live in this world. That means I have to find my own way. I’m sorry but I can’t just do as you do. Two people and an animal are dead because of me and I can’t just forget that.”
~~~~~~
My Pipbuck pinged and the location of ‘Hoofshine Harlots’ was stored. I cast a sideways glance towards my companion. “Don’t get any ideas.”
He managed a chuckle at that. It served to break the tension a little. We entered the abandoned brothel. Bosco immediately headed for the office to look for supplies while I went for a much needed drink at the bar.
For a place with such a graphic sign outside it was surprisingly low-key and tasteful inside. Laminated reports of cleanliness and health adorned the walls. There was even an old clipping about the place being reputed “in the top 10 of job satisfaction in Equestria”. Apparently the management took care of their ‘working girls’. That was…good?
Shaking my head, I moved behind the bar. The place had been cleaned out, and the shelves were bare. I found the cellar door still locked shut, though the scratches on it showed that somebody had tried their hand at picking it. I gave an experimental tug, but it still held solid.
“Bosco, you any good with locks?” I called out into the hall.
“Nah, don’t have the control to pick ‘em,” he called back. “Look around for a terminal, there might be an override.”
“’kay.” I scanned the area. No luck. A little put out over the lack of a drink, I kicked out at a crate with my good leg. It clattered away, revealing a backlit screen.
Good call, Bosco.
I crouched down in front of the terminal and “synching with device” appeared on my wrist. I’d had to take off the goggles once the swelling around my eye got too bad. Another reason I wanted a cold drink. I didn’t feel up to magic-ing up an ice pack. I’d felt completely drained from the tiny effort I’d put out in the fight. I was gonna have to start really small with my horn.
The two devices finished communicating and a screen popped up on the terminal. A password was needed. I glanced at the options available.
Pleasure? Maybe. Allnight? Hmm. Goodtime? Nah. Hither? What’d she do? Nostrils?! No, that’s out of place. Well I’ve got three chances and five options. Let’s give it a try.
I tried ‘pleasure’ first. The screen flashed a negative. Two tries left. Would it be something thematic or a ruse to throw a thief off? No, this place was straightforward and honest in its business. I tried ‘goodtime’ next. Another dud. I was down to my last try.
Would it be ‘Allnight’? Those other two seem kinda random since the first three are all connected.
I took a moment to look around again for some more clues. My eyes fell on a short article pinned up behind the bar:
[[‘Miss Match – What a catch!’
The charm of the mistress of the Hoofshine Harlots is matched only by her beguiling nature. Everypony who visits has a different theory. Is she an Earth pony? A Unicorn? Pegasus? Is Mismatch (or ‘Miss Match’) actually a very feminine stallion? Barely adult or middle-aged? A zebra? Nopony knows because nopony has ever seen her face.
She spends hours each night with her patrons (whose names have been withheld for decency) while they wait for their escort for the evening or just enjoy a drink in the wonderfully atmospheric bar. Covered tip-to-tail in tasteful veils she provides a significant portion of the establishment’s allure.
Even if nopony can agree on who she is, they can all agree that she is a fantastic host. Witty, sultry, playful, and entertaining, she’s guaranteed to put a smile on a pony’s face. (Just don’t try anything with her or her girls. She’ll have you out the door upside down before you can even leer). The regulars wouldn’t look kindly on it either.
Through her personality and discrete nature (no client is ever named in earshot of another) she had gained many friends. The title of this piece is the catchphrase of the brothel. Everypony knows it and everypony respects it.]]
‘What a catch’ indeed. What would she put as a password? Definitely not ‘hit her’ that’s for…wait a second. There’s another ‘e’. Hi there! That’s definitely worth a try.
Without hesitation I entered my final attempt. I was rewarded with the soft click of the latch
unlocking itself.
“Bosco, I unlocked the cellar! You coming down?”
I didn’t have long to wait before the charcoal colt turned the corner, stuffing some Radaway into a pack that looked fit to burst. “They had a fully stocked supply of meds here. Finally managed to get it open a second ago. Stimpaks, Fixer, Rad-X, the works. All on ice. They really took care of their people.”
“So I see. I’m gonna see if their booze supply is as impressive. Wait here until I get to the bottom and check if it’s safe.”
“Alrighty.” He settled down at the bar and began perusing the clippings.
I gently made my way down the steps, making sure not to put too much weight on my gashed leg. The guardrail helped. As did the automatic lighting that hummed on as soon as I reached the bottom step.
What I saw was very impressive. The room was more spacious than I thought, it must run under the entire tavern area. It was as tastefully decorated as the rest of the brothel. An enormous bed took up one corner of the room along with some clothes cupboards and a not-tiny walk-in bathing pool. It was empty but a quick test of the faucets revealed them to be in perfect working order.
I could get a bath! Oh happy day!
The far side of the room yielded the real treasure though. A wall-to-wall walk-in freezer, still running perfectly and packed to the rafters with every what I could only guess was every kind of liquor ever. This wasn’t any Stable moonshine either, brand names abounded. They meant nothing to me but they sure looked impressive. A not-unsubstantial supply of food was present too.
Heck, Mismatch, I’d marry you just for this room.
“Bosco, come on down. It’s fine.”
The colt ambled down the stairs and whistled. “It certainly is fine. Should we stay for the night? It’s getting dark and we’re safe as we’re going to be here until we reach Lethbridle.”
I was more than happy with that idea. “Definitely. Though what if someone comes in during the night?”
His smile betrayed some pride. “I took a look at the terminal while you were down here. We can change the password for this room to whatever we want. We lock ourselves in for the night and nopony else is getting to us.”
I nodded, satisfied. “Sounds good. We’ve got food, drink, an honest-to-Luna bath and a very comfy looking bed. Which side do you want?”
Bosco’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “W-what? Oh no. You’re taking the bed, I’ll make do with the floor.”
Aww, that’s adorable.
“Oh come on Bosco, this won’t be the first time I’ve shared my bed with a boy.”
The colt’s blush covered his entire face.
“Sometimes three at once.”
Bosco was going cross-eyed. It was hilarious to watch his imagination go into overdrive. “Three?!”
“Well the other two would get jealous if I only had one in my bed. They were my little brothers after all.” I winked and stuck my tongue out at him.
Bosco lost it. “I…you…gyah!”
I burst out laughing, and after a moment Bosco joined in. The sound almost seemed foreign to me with all that had been going on but it helped so much. It took me a few seconds to realise that I hadn’t laughed since leaving the Stable, which I didn’t want to become a habit.
“Seriously though, which side do you want?”
~~~~~~
After a meal and a few drinks, plus a bath worthy of Celestia, I was more than ready for the oh-so-soft bed. Bosco was already in and had chosen to face the wall. I didn’t really care at this point. I was only interested in slipping under those velvet sheets and getting some blessed sleep.
It didn’t come.
Try as I might I couldn’t fall asleep. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the bodies. I saw the Raider mare gun down the stallion whose gun I’d exploded. I saw Wings triple-blast the leader stallion after I blocked his shot. I saw the Molar Bear fall as I led it to its destruction. It would have killed me, but that’s what predators do for food. I couldn’t fault it. I could only lead it and the two Raiders to their deaths.
Over and over.
The pillow grew damp beneath my cheek. Mourning was the very least I could do for them, and I would no doubt do more from now on. I would make sure that I didn’t cause the deaths of any more “monsters”. I was the only monster I needed.
A slight sound distracted me from my reverie. I held my breath, the tears still falling, as I listened for a repeat.
It came. A shaky, uneven sob rebounded off the wall. I felt Bosco stir and closed my eyes as he turned. I didn’t want him to know I’d heard. It didn’t matter if he saw my tears, I’d
shed plenty during the day.
Seemingly satisfied that I was out, he rolled over again and the sobs resumed, quieter now. He was trying so hard to keep it secret. Was it simply a boy’s pride or something more? I’d come across all of my brothers like this at one point or another, even Buff. None of them were happy I’d seen them in that state. Al had been the worst because his emotions always got the better of him. Lo was the easiest, he’d always cheer up with a big hug from his big sister. Bosco? I didn’t know what a hug would do for Bosco. Much as I thought a hug might help, it could just as easily make things worse. Bosco was a colt I was in bed with, so hugging him might be misconstrued. Still, I came close to doing it anyway after a big sob resisted stifling. I had to will myself to draw my hoof back.
I turned away lest I falter. It would preserve his dignity this way. I closed my eyes and thought of my brothers and the Stable. Facing my past was easier than facing what I’d done.
Hopefully I could sleep this way.
~~~~~~
I awoke mid-morning feeling much more energetic. A quiet, relaxing night could apparently work wonders. I yawned widely and loudly while enjoying the warmth of the covers and the pillows and the soft fur I was snuggled up against.
Ah, right. Bosco. He probably wouldn’t be happy to wake up like this.
Taking care not to wake the sleeping colt, I gently slipped out of the covers and padded over to the bathing pool. I probably wasn’t going to be back here for a while and planned
to make the most of it.
After running the bath, I slipped gingerly into the perfectly hot water and stretched out my waking muscles. I sighed in satisfaction.
“Enjoying yourself?” The colt was still on the bed, his head hanging upside down off the edge. His face seemed more relaxed too.
I gave him a big smile. “Most definitely. It’s wonderful what a little time off can do.”
He nodded in agreement. “Take your time. I’ll get us some breakfast then we’ll head off. We should reach Lethbridle about mid-afternoon.”
I took in his bedhead and dishevelled fur. “You’re not going to wash up? The water’s great!”
He coughed and stepped towards the stores. “I’ll...I’ll go in when you’re done.”
I shrugged, too relaxed to care that much. “Whatever you say. Call me when breakfast’s ready.” I sank down into the water so that only my head and horn poked above the surface.
Hmm. Might be a good idea to practise a little now that my magic’s back.
Shutting my eyes and bringing my ears under the water to block out all distractions, I focused only on my horn. I didn’t want to force anything so I tried putting only the faintest amount of energy into it, hoping for a response. Nothing. Not even a tingle. I cracked an eye open momentarily. Nope, no glow either.
Maybe I need something to concentrate on.
I held up a hoof. A droplet of water sat in the centre. I willed myself to move it even a millimetre with my horn. Nothing happened. I tried again and again until I was gasping for breath. The drop only moved when I slapped my hoof back down into the water in frustration.
Looks like I better put on some muscle if I want any heavy lifting done. Now let’s see if I can keep my cool.
I lifted another drop and stared at it without blinking. I didn’t hold back this time. I put everything I had into it from the get-go. My horn glowed weakly but I pushed through. I never took my eyes off the drop.
Freeze.
The outer edge of the drop began to shimmer.
Freeze.
It gradually began turning white.
Freeze!
My hoof began to feel colder where the drop sat.
FREEZE!
With an almost inaudible crinkle the drop froze in the palm of my hoof. I managed a small smile before my vision went black.
~~~~~~
Something smacked my back hard. I opened my mouth to cry out but gagged as water surged up my throat instead. I was struck again as I retched up the liquid.
“Come on Snow, get it all out.”
“Bosco?” I managed to cough before another surge of water followed the word.
“I’m right here. You’re okay. What happened anyway? I found you floating face down in the pool!”
I didn’t respond for a little while until I was sure that no more water was going to come out. “I dunno. I was practising my magic and then I woke up here.”
Confusion laced his words. “Didn’t you say your magic was gone? Is it back now?”
I spat the foamy dregs from my mouth. “Pleh! Not like that’s any use if freezing one measly drop knocks me out cold!”
“What about levitation? Can you do that?”
I should my head ruefully. “No. I tried that before the frost spell. Damn drop didn’t move at all. Some unicorn I am.”
Bosco nudged my shoulder supportively. “Hey now, don’t be like that. These things take time. You’ll get better before you know it. You can get your practise in while doing things the Earth Pony way for a while.”
Breathing slowly through my sore throat, I gave a little chuckle. “Thanks, Bosco. You’re a real pal.”
He scratched the back of his head apprehensively. “Yeah well...you may not think so after this. Truth of the matter is we ARE going to come across more Raiders and we ARE going to have to fight. I know you don’t wanna hear it but that’s the way of things. We should be alright to get to Lethbridle but at some point in the future somepony is going to shoot at us and we’ll have to shoot back.”
“Bosco...” I didn’t like where this was going at all.
“I’m sorry Snowflake. Without your magic you ARE going to have to learn to shoot a gun.”
“No, Bosco.”
“Yes, Snowflake. You learn or I leave you in Lethbridle. It’s not worth travelling with dead weight.”
“Dead weight?!”
“You said yourself you still have to live in this world. Well this is how you keep on living in this world.” His voice softened, “Learning to shoot doesn’t automatically translate into putting a bullet in somepony’s brain. If you really are so against it you can use shots to cover an escape. It’ll make things a lot harder for you though.”
I swallowed uncertainly and immediately regretted it as my sensitive throat protested. “Bosco...I don’t know...”
“Please, Snowflake. Just give it a try.”
“...okay.”
We set the new password as “Cefar” in the terminal. Thankfully we were even able to link the outer doors with the same code. Hoofshine Harlots would be closed to everybody except us...unless they just blew the door off or something but in that case no password would have helped either way. We’d just have to hope they didn’t find the bath-I mean the bedroom.
Out in the snow, Bosco marked a few Xs in some nearby trees with his knife. “Try to hit those. Closer ones first, then further away.”
I was still unhappy to be here. “Do we really want to waste the ammo?”
He gave me a smile that my mind made positively sadistic. “Nice try but you’ll be using a Raider gun. None of our ammo will fit it and we’ll be leaving it behind here since it’s near junked already. I cleaned it up though so it’ll do the job for this.”
I didn’t take the offered weapon. It looked awful and no matter how much it had been ‘cleaned’ I still didn’t want to touch it. “This wasn’t one of the ones that I...”
“No. That crazy mare Schwarzwald gets credit for this one. I’ve never seen a pony with more holes that than poor bas-” He stopped when he noticed my queasy expression, “Right, sorry. No, not one of yours.”
I quietly whined but Bosco just stood there holding out the gun. Having no other choice I took it in my mouth and sighted up the first target.
Bosco stood off to the side offering advice. “Alright. Take your time. You’ve got a couple of shots for each target. Remember to hold the gun still after you have your target and squeeze with your tongue. One at a time or you’ll get blisters.”
I tried to pay attention to all of this information but found myself feeling lost almost instantly. How I’d managed to shoot back in the fight I don’t know. Must’ve been the adrenaline.
Same reason why my magic worked I guess.
I thought I had a good shot so I pulled the trigger. I instantly regretted it. My bite had been too loose and the kickback sent my teeth rattling. “Ow! Dammit!” I dropped the gun and whimpered in pain.
Bosco seemed undaunted. “Not bad for a first try. Only a little off.”
I looked up in exasperation. “Oh come on! I didn’t even hit the target?” I looked up to see the bullet embedded in a thick branch half-a-dozen hoof lengths from the target.
“Sorry but no. You need more practise. Try it again.”
“Ugh...”
~~~~~~
10 out of 60 was being optimistic.
I’d drained the ammo we had for the dilapidated Raider weapon and managed to hit 2 targets total. Only one of which I’d been aiming at. Eventually even Bosco had agreed that I would have to find a different way to fight. We’d set off for Lethbridle shortly after leaving the busted pistol buried in the snow and tearing the marked bark from the trees.
“We don’t want to leave a sign that ponies have been here.” Bosco had explained when I’d asked. I hadn’t even considered what kind of trail I might be leaving.
After all, I thought grimly, nobody is coming to find me.
We were walking through a narrow pass between two walls of earth and blanketed all over with trees heavy with snow. There was no wind but the path wound enough that we couldn’t see much further than a few dozen meters. The path appeared well travelled. Bosco was walking ahead of me and stopped at a corner. He turned back to me with a smile.
“We’re here. Come and see.”
Intrigued, I trotted up level with him and turned the corner.
Cefar this was not.
Lethbridle ate the view in front of me. A massive wall stretched out in both directions. It must’ve been a mile wide! The solid barrier was imposing. The guards patrolling along the top didn’t help either. Their weapons were most certainly NOT junk. Even from our position a few hundred meters away we could tell they meant business. Painted in stark white letters 10-feet high was the message “LETHBRIDLE WELCOMES YOU”. I couldn’t see past the wall but the noise of the city was apparent even from this distance. Voices and sounds rang out in a cacophony of noise. It reminded me of the Stable in a way.
Bosco nudged me, breaking my gaze. “Yeah it’s a nice wall and everything but come on. You should see the inside.”
A huge smile broke out on my face. This was true civilisation. Cefar was the plot-end of nowhere and places like Hoofshine Harlots or Snow Pegasus Park were empty reminders of the world before this one. Lethbridle was, well, it wasn’t home but it was closer than anything else I’d seen so far out here.
I couldn’t wait. I wanted to grab Bosco and gallop down to the gate right now but I forced myself to take it easy. The guys up top with the shooters might not like me charging their gate. It was a long, arduous few minutes until we were within 50 meters of the gate. We joined the back of the queue of pony travellers. Still all Earth Ponies and Unicorns I noticed.
Where are all the Pegasi?
I turned to ask Bosco about this but he interrupted before I could. He discreetly pointed to my Pipbuck hidden by the fabric. “Make sure that’s completely out of sight. It’s valuable and we might run into some unfriendly types who might want it for themselves. Like the Steel Rangers.”
I recalled his graphic description of how the Rangers might go about removing my Pipbuck and nodded. I made sure that the Pipbuck was completely covered and that jostling wouldn’t remove the sleeve inadvertently. Just as I finished the line moved so we hurried to catch up.
“Try and let me do the talking until we get inside. The less ponies who know you’re from...not these parts, the better. Make sure you’ve got your money ready to pay the toll. It’s
20 caps.”
I fished out the requisite sum. “I’ve got a couple of hundred Old Equestria bits too. Can I use them?”
“Not for the gate. Some merchant inside might take ‘em. I still see a few in circulation but they aren’t worth as much as caps. Best stick to them from now on.”
A commotion at the front of the line forestalled any further conversation. There was a yelling match going on.
“WHAT, YOU DON’T LIKE CAPS OR SOMETHING, JACKHOLE? LET ME IN!”
“YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE CAPS IN TENPONY TOWER AND I STILL WOULDN’T LET YOU IN, STRIPE!”
Bosco frowned. “A Zebra?”
I brightened. “A Zebra?”
“I’VE GOT MORE CAPS THAN YOU’LL MAKE IN A YEAR, GENIUS. DO YOUR MONEY-GRUBBING BOSSES WANT ME TO TAKE THEM SOMEPLACE ELSE?”
“YES! EVEN ONE STRIPE IS BAD FOR BUSINESS AROUND HERE. I HIGHLY DOUBT YOU’VE GOT CAPS ENOUGH TO OFFSET THAT!”
“UGH, THIS IS SO UNFAIR! I NEVER DID ANYTHING!”
The guard apparently got himself under control. “You’re not getting in and you’re making a scene. Leave before we open fire.”
The Zebra stomped her hooves in anger but turned away and stalked back down the line. All her but her snout and jade-green eyes were obscured by the heavy cloak she was wearing. The occasional tink tink as she walked hinted at jewellery beneath her shroud. Bosco purposefully avoided eye contact but I waited until she was level with us before speaking up.
“Mua leija.” I remarked off-hoofedly.
She instantly rounded on me, wide-eyed. “W-what’d you say?”
Ignoring Bosco’s unbelieving stare, I gave her a big smile. “Sorry, was my pronunciation off? I was trying to say bad luck.”
She continued to look bewildered. “N-no I got it. Why do you know Zebra tongue though? No Ponies spend enough time around Zebras to learn it.”
I shrugged. “Well I’ve spend my entire life around Zebra but I wouldn’t say I know the language. Not fully anyway, I’ve got basic phrases down but I never found the time to become fluent.”
Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me warily. “Who are you?”
I kept on smiling. “I’m Snowflake. Iyanda tunyel roga.”
Finally she smiled back. “Roga bagata! I never expected to meet somepony out here who I could speak to like this.”
“I’m happy to help. What was all that about up at the gate?”
Her smile immediately faded. “Ugh, that. It’s so unfair. They won’t let me in because I’m a ‘stripe’. I wasn’t gonna cause trouble. I’ve got a package waiting for me. I just wanted to pick it up and leave. I didn’t want to spend any more time in this plothole city either but they wouldn’t even let me do that. I need that package!”
Bosco was still looking down the line, apparently uncaring. I wanted to help though. This filly seemed to be in the much the same situation as me. She was just trying to survive in a place where the rules didn’t allow her to act as she wanted to. “I can help if you’d like. I can get your package and bring it to you.”
I didn’t exactly get a glowing reaction to this. “And why would you do that for me, huh? What’s your angle?”
I kept my hooves open. “No angle, svara. I just want to help.”
This got a role of the eyes. “Sure, I’ve heard that one before. Prove it.”
How? I mulled this over for a second before digging into my pack. I removed the 400 bits I’d been given by the Stable and held them out to her. “Collateral. A sign of trust. You hold onto these for me until I get you your package back. I don’t get you your package? I don’t get my cash back. Sound good?”
The jade-green eyes boggled at me. “You’re serious? You’re just giving me money? Just like that? You’re giving a complete stranger all this money?”
I couldn’t stop the emotion from pouring into my voice here. “Yes. I am. I need to. I want to show you that I trust you. I have no reason not to. The war’s been over for 200 years. Even if it was still going, it’s not MY war.”
Gingerly a hoof emerged from under her cloak and inched towards the bits. She reached for them, pulled back, reached closer, pulled back again, hesitated with her hoof on them and finally took them from me. They disappeared back under the cloak considerably
faster. “I...I’ll trust you. Please, bring me my package. I’ll wait at the East entrance for three days. Once your three days are up, your bits are gone, understand?”
I smiled playfully and rolled my eyes at her tough act before nodding. “Deal. Remember that trust goes both ways though. I’m trusting you with my bits but you’ve gotta trust me to bring you the package. I promise I won’t let you down. Please don’t let me down, svara.”
I held out a hoof. After a moment’s hesitation she bumped hers against it. “In three days, I might call you that. In the meantime, you’ll find my package at Nightcap’s place. It’s a bar on the west side of the city. Say you were sent by Two-tone. He’ll know it’s me. ”
“Got it.”
Bosco cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt, ladies, but the guards are giving us evil eyes. I don’t think they like you talking.”
The Zebra glanced first at Bosco and then at the guards. Her eyes fell and she pulled her hood further down over her face. “Right. I’ll...see you in three days then, Snowflake.” Without waiting for a response she turned and took off running along the city wall.
We watched her go then headed towards the barrier. Bosco seemed pensive. “So I’m guessing svara means ‘friend’?”
“Yeah. I hope I can help her out.”
“I’m not sure you should bother. I mean you don’t even know her name. I noticed she avoided telling you. Tch, Two-tone, funny.”
I gave him an admonishing look. “I said I was gonna trust her and I’m trusting her. End of story.”
He sighed and dropped his caps into the toll box. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”
I followed suit. My ‘thank you’ surprised the guards as they let us pass. “It’ll be fine. You said yourself that those bits weren’t worth much.”
“No, I said bits weren’t worth as much as caps. 400 bits is still a fair amount of money to part with on trust. You could still live it up for a week with what you gave her.”
“Uh...”
“Well it should be fine so long as you trust her.” His grin at the very least bordered on smug.
Any response I could give halted in my throat as we emerged into Lethbridle proper. The streets were full of ponies moving back and forth about their business. They were chatting and laughing and shouting and running.
It was perfect. The crowd, the activity, the noise, everything. So many people all working all at once. It was almost as if I were back home in the Stable. “Bosco this is great! Look at all these people!”
“Yeah it’s a little bit livelier than Cefar for sure. You want to look around a little bit or just go straight to Nightcap’s?”
I waved my hoof excitedly. “Come on, we’ve got 3 days! Let’s go look around!”
Bosco smiled knowingly and gave a little bow. “As the lady wishes. Let me start with a basic outline.”
He spread his hooves, indicating the area we stood in. “Now this is the northern quarter where all the residential areas are. Not much to see except for the gate which gets little traffic.”
He turned and pointed in the other direction. “In the southern quarter are the majority of businesses and the government buildings. Makes sense to have them at that end since the rest of the Wasteland’s that way. Easier to bring in the caps and keep an eye on them when here.”
He turned ninety degrees. “The military is housed in the eastern quarter. They keep Plottawa slavers from getting ideas about raiding the city for new victims.”
He made one last about face. “Finally we have the entertainment district in the west. The pubs, clubs, and other delights will be found there. That’ll be our last stop. Now unless you’re really interested in talking to soldiers or bureaucrats what’s say we go shopping?”
~~~~~~
The south side of Lethbridle was actually quite lovely. The sun was going down as we arrived but the shopkeepers hadn’t started packing up yet. We unloaded the Raider gear we’d collected for caps which both lightened our loads and increased our coffers. I left Bosco haggling over the meat from the Molar Bear that I’d killed and walked down the main concourse.
Despite the snow outside it was actually pretty warm from the day’s shoppers. This must have been common as there were green-leaved trees growing in the middle of the street. I stopped under one for a little while to catch my breath and take stock of what I had left as well as avoid the glare of the setting sun.
I still had most of my original supplies, though I had swapped my pistol for some charges to go in my Power Hoofs when Bosco wasn’t looking. If he kicked up a fuss I’d gift him the bullets since they’d fit his gun. I was just no good with a firearm I was hesitant to use and saw no point keeping it if I could find another way to fight.
I still had the pristine rifle that we had no ammo for and I took it out to examine as Bosco joined me and began packing away his purchases. Thanks to our little hideaway outside of
town we were set for food and medical gear. Bosco had used his caps to get some reinforced armour to wear under his tough Molar hide cloak. By the shine on it he’d also had his knife treated. He seemed satisfied and packed his gear away.
I was still examining the rifle when a hooded blur cannoned between us, knocking us both to the ground and swiping my rifle out of the air. The thief took off running down the street.
“HEY! THAT’S MINE!” We took off after the hidden figure but I quickly outstripped Bosco as he struggled to maintain his balance with the new weight.
The thief was quick and knew what they were doing, dodging between shops and swerving around corners. I’d have lost them if not for my Pipbuck showing the bright red ‘hostile’
marker wherever they went.
Heh. Not always something to run AWAY from.
Finally the sneak reached a block-off road and cast around for a second or two before diverting down an alley. By this point Bosco had caught up and we’d both gained ground in the seconds of indecision. We charged in after the criminal, trapping them in the
dead-end. “That’s mine! Give it back now!”
The thief’s hood moved back and forth, looking for a way out but there was nowhere to go. Eventually they turned back to us and a raspy voice emerged. “It’s mine. Why are you chasing me, smoothcoat?”
My Power Hoof buzzed to life and cracked a paving cobble as I stamped my hoof. Bosco made a show of drawing his shiny new knife. “Don’t lie to us again, punk. You’ve got nowhere to go except through us and we’ll end you if you try.”
Bosco’s words made the hooded figure uncertain but it seemed determined to put on a front. “You’ve got no proof! You’re just a wet-behind-the-ears colt trying to act tough by picking on a ghoul!”
I jumped in here, unveiling my Pipbuck confidently. “No proof? How about an inventory list with an exact match to that gun? A gun which is missing from my packs right now. That’d be mighty suspicious now, wouldn’t it?”
A haggard chuckle came from inside the hood. “Oh, I understand. Stable pony, eh?”
Bosco and I shared a glance. “How do you know?”
The chuckling continued.
“Let’s just say I’ve been around a while.”
The pony pulled back their hoof and my eyes went wide. “B-Bosco...”
He glanced briefly in my direction while simultaneously trying to keep the...thing in his sights. “Stay calm now Snowflake, everything’s fi-”
“LOOK OUT! IT’S A MONSTER!” I cowered behind Bosco to keep the apparition away from me. It still had the very basic shape of a pony but that was where the resemblance ended. Blotchy, melted skin covered the creature’s head. It had even warped down and
completely covered an eye. The other orb was discoloured and sunken. What little fur and mane were left were filthy and coated in grease. Yellowing teeth emerged from the remains of lips and bare bone ran up from the chin to the jaw below the stubs where the ears should have been.
The thief seemed to find my reaction hilarious. “Hehehe. Stable ponies are fun to mess with.” He drew himself up to full height and his voice became deeper and more menacing. “Out of my way or I’ll eat you!”
I shrieked and backed away but Bosco stepped forward brandishing the knife. “Unlucky you. She’s from a Stable. I’m not. You ghouls don’t frighten me. Now hand over the gun!”
Sensing that his ploy was in trouble, the thief swung the rifle up and pointed it at us. After a few seconds of him pulling the trigger and only empty clicks sounding from the barrel he became apprehensive. “Damn. What idiot Stable do you come from that they don’t stock their guns, filly?”
I was still frozen in fear of the ghoul’s hellish appearance but Bosco had had enough. He charged forward and slammed the ghoul into the wall, retrieving the gun in the process. “You’re really doing wonders for the whole ‘ghouls are just normal ponies’ idea, you know that?” You could have cut the sarcasm with a knife.
The ghoul criminal bristled at this. “Don’t you preach at me, smoothcoat! You have no right to say anyth-”
A rumbling bass voice cut him off. “What’s going on here?”
“Oh great, the bighorns are here.” Bosco muttered as he backed away from the ghoul.
Much as I hated to turn my back on the strange demon, I had to turn around to address these new arrivals. I turned...and was elated to see three mountains of fur and muscle blocking the mouth of the alley. The buffalo were decked out in body armour which barely
covered their important bits. Each was full size and would have outsized my brothers by a dozen inches at least. Their fur colour ranged from beech to oak and their horns were prominent and looked extremely sharp.
All of this made no difference to me as I failed to register their glares as I skipped ecstatically towards them. To me, buffalo were infinitely safer than...whatever that thing back there was. The fact that I didn’t know them was of no consequence right now. I stopped in front of the leader and beamed. “It is so good to meet you! I’m Snowflake.”
The buffalo were apparently not expecting this reaction. The two behind the leader exchanged confused glances while the oak-furred leader himself seemed taken aback. “Umm...yes. Good to meet you too ma’am. I’m Chief Rockhaunch. We keep the peace around here. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
I was elated to be around buffalo again. I’d missed them. This was shaping up to be a really good day. This lovely city, a potential new zebra friend and now maybe a buffalo to add
to the list! “Well, Chief Rockhaunch, we were just minding our own business in the shopping district when he barged into us and took off with my gun!”
The buffalo glanced up towards Bosco and the ghoul. “Is that so? You been causing trouble again, vagrant?”
The ghoul seethed at this. “You’re all the same. Acting like I’m a monster!”
Bosco wasn’t happy with where this was going. He held up the rifle for the buffalo to see. “Listen, Chief, we got our gun back and would rather not make trouble so how about we head on our way?”
Rockhaunch looked between the two for a moment. Then he grunted and turned back to me. “Can you prove that you are the owner of the weapon ma’am?”
I nodded happily. I unveiled my Pipbuck, ignoring the frantic look Bosco was giving me, and showed it to the chief. “Uh huh! If you check my inventory you’ll see an exact description of the gun. Yet somehow it’s not in my packs. What are the chances of there being two such pristine weapons in the vicinity?”
Rockhaunch remained sceptical. “That’s pretty circumstantial ma’am. Is there anything else you can say that’ll help us out?”
Before I could respond, Bosco jumped in. “No, no she can’t. We’re sorry to have wasted your time Chief.”
The ghoul began to protest but the other two buffalo stepped forward and he quieted. Rockhaunch looked at all three of us impassively before nodding his giant head. His bow narrowly missed catching me with his impressive horns. “Well we are at an impasse. I have seen no evidence that the weapon belongs to the ghoul BUT also no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part. So I will ‘advise’ you all to vacate the area immediately and drop the issue for good. Understand?”
Bosco looked relieved. The ghoul looked annoyed. I was simply happy to have my gun back. The ghoul slinked past us and stalked off up the street under the watchful eye of the guards.
As we were setting off, I forgot myself and reached up to grab Rockhaunch’s horns.
I slammed my forehead against his before tottering off past the three buffalo and one colt who were all watching open-mouthed. Granted I was having a little trouble keeping my balance after the hard headbutt but I was still lucid enough to hear the two deputies burst out laughing.
~~~~~~
“So what was that back there?” Bosco had been holding his tongue until we got to Nightcap’s. Now that we’d settled down into a corner booth in the...let’s face it, the place was a dive. Dim lighting, lackluster cleaning, surly clientele and an owner/operator who didn’t ask personal questions. Now that we’d settled into a corner booth Bosco wanted answers.
“Which part?”
“The thing with the Chief? You headbutted him!”
I laughed, waving it off. “That? Buffalo gesture of good feelings. You can use it to say thanks, like I did.”
Bosco had his head cocked to the side. “First you speak zebra and now you act buffalo. What in the hell was your home like?”
My cocky smirk probably wasn’t helping. “I can dance griffon too if you’d like. And my home was lovely!”
“Yeah yeah sunshine and lollipops all round.”
“Well not so much sunshine. Obviously there was no sunshine inside but outside was...well I mean it got light and it got dark but there was always the blizzard going on outside. It was all around us.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. In all the time I lived in the Stable it never stopped. Ever.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Try being on monitor duty.”
“Eesh. No thanks.”
We both chuckled at this. Bosco got up to go to the bar. “I’ll get us some drinks. What do you want?”
“Whatever cider they’ve got.”
He nodded and moved off. I took the opportunity to look around at the rest of the bar. It was getting crowded but the drinkers all sat huddled close around their own tables, ignoring the world around them. On the walls of the bar were some fading pictures of the owner with other ponies and on-one-occasion a griffon. Nightcap looked a lot younger then. He still had both eyes too. His eye patch would be hard to avoid staring at when I asked him about the zebra’s package.
Over in another corner of the bar near the crackling jukebox was a buffalo snoring gently. I recognised him as one of the deputies from the altercation a few hours before. His three
Unicorn companions were ignoring him. In fact...
Are they looking at me?
Yes. Yes they were. As soon as I caught the eye of one all three got up and began making their way across the bar.
Where was Bosco? Still at the bar. I couldn’t really read their faces in the low light but three-against-one was never good odds. I surreptitiously began reaching for my Power Hoofs. I’d only got the left one on before they stopped at my table.
The three unicorns wore faded lab attire and eyeglasses. They all had bleach-blonde manes but their coats were one white, one darker blue and one grey-black. The grey-black mare was apparently the leader as she spoke up in a rolling low accent. “Good evening. Sorry to bother you but we had a report on your little spat with the ghoul earlier.”
I held the Power Hoof in a way that would make activation easy. “You did? Was he a friend of yours?”
She chuckled. “Oh no, nothing like that. I only mentioned him as a reference guide. In fact HE doesn’t interest us at all. No, what we wanted to talk to you about was the fascinating device on your foreleg.”
I didn’t make a move to reveal the Pipbuck to them. “Who are you and why would you be interested in that?”
She didn’t stop smiling but her companions’ faces became more drawn. “Ah, I apologise. My name is Esto and these are my colleagues Latvi and Lithu. We are researchers of magic and technology. We would like to talk to you about examining your device.”
I nodded warily. “You want to bargain then?”
Her face pinched slightly. “If that is necessary but I don’t think a look is worth much.”
I glanced around briefly and noticed Bosco returning. I tried to convey to him that everything was okay before addressing her. From the look on his face didn’t get the message or
wasn’t convinced. “I might have something I wish to ask you too. Sit down Esto. Just Esto.”
Latvi and Lithu didn’t bother to hide their annoyance at that but Esto turned to placate them. “It’s fine. Latvi, Lithu, please go make sure that our friend isn’t bothered while he rests.”
Lithu perked up at this and she sauntered off. Latvi looked more surly if anything as he followed her. Esto turned back to me and gave a helpless little shrug. “Sorry about that. Lithu likes our buffalo friend. Latvi likes Lithu. Neither know about the feelings of the other. They will not bother us.”
Bosco only sat after Esto did. “Good. We don’t want a lot of company. It remains to be seen if we want ANY.”
Esto merely nodded. “Understandable. Let me make my interest clear then. I wish to examine the lady’s device. What can I offer to be allowed this opportunity?”
I thought back to what we had come to Lethbridle for. To get the Memory Orb fixed and examined. Bosco had Orbs too that he couldn’t view without a...
Ooh! There’s an idea!
“Tell me, Esto. Do you have access to a Recollector?”
She blinked in surprise. “A Recollector? For Memory Orbs? Yes we have one of those.”
I smiled. “Then that’s my price. You get to examine my tech and my friend here gets access to yours.”
Bosco looked at me in grateful astonishment. “Snowflake, I...thank you.”
I smiled back happily. “It’s the least I can do for your help, Bosco.” I turned back to the mare. “Do we have a deal?”
She held up a hoof. “One moment. You obviously have Memory Orbs of your own. Will we be allowed to view them at the same time as your friend here? The information carried inside could potentially be priceless. They are such fascinating things.”
Perfect.
I leaned forward. “So your research also studies Memory Orbs?”
She too learned forward. It was obvious she didn’t get much opportunity to talk about the work that clearly excited her. “Most definitely. Latvi knows the spell to create them.”
“Could you repair one?”
~~~~~~
“We’re taking on a lot of sudden extra responsibility. Are you sure you’re up to this?”
Bosco was not terribly pleased at the current development as we strolled out of Lethbridle’s eastern gate.
“Doing it this way is a sure thing rather than travelling to another city to take a chance on some other Unicorn knowing their stuff.”
Esto had agreed to repair the Orb and allow us access to her Recollector in exchange for a look at my Pipbuck and “another small task”.
“You do remember I told you to avoid Plottawa?” Not terribly pleased at all.
“I remember but we’re not going to go all the way there. We’re going to find out what happened to the supply caravan that they were waiting for and that’s it.” I didn’t hear Bosco’s muttered response but I think the words “got a bridge” were in there somewhere.
We stopped at the tree line and waited. It didn’t take long before a hooded figure strolled out of the woods. “You didn’t take as much time as I thought you would. Do you have my package?”
I nodded, happy that I could do this for her. I held out the package. “I have it right here. Since we were quick I certainly hope my bits are still with you.”
The zebra didn’t move. “Package first. Then you get your bits back.”
“Or maybe we could take a look inside and see what’s so important for ourselves...” Mused Bosco.
Immediately she started forward. “NO!”
“BOSCO!” I snapped at the charcoal colt. Turning, I tried to soothe her. “It’s alright, it’s alright. We’re not going to look. Don’t listen to him. Look here, I’m putting it down. Come and take it.” After putting the package down, I backed off and glared at Bosco.
The zebra flowed forward and gracefully grabbed the package, stashing it under her cloak. The relief in her eyes was obvious. I nudged Bosco in the side. “That was not nice, Bosco. Say you’re sorry.”
“What?!”
“Do it! She’s my friend and you don’t try to extort my friends!”
Bosco was split between abashed and annoyed, but he still turned to the zebra. “I’m sorry whoever-you-are. I shouldn’t have done that.”
She was examining the contents and didn’t reply beyond a grunt.
“Is it what you needed?” I asked in a gentle tone.
Her eyes glimmered as she looked back with a smile. “It’s all here. Thank you, svara.”
Beaming, I spread my hooves wide. “Shall we do the introductions again? I’m Snowflake, and this is Bosco.”
Packing her things away, she gave a cute little bow. “Iyanda tunyel roga, Snowflake, Bosco. Wiv pec Naiara.”
I mirrored the action. “Iyanda tunyel roga, Naiara.”
Bosco didn’t. “Yeah...yander tunnel rugged to you too, Naiara.”
She chuckled at this. “Nice try. Maybe Snowflake can give you some lessons.” This earned a scowl from the colt as Naiara and I shared a giggle. Hers was considerably more refined than mine.
“I’d love to talk with you some more, Naiara. Unfortunately we have to be going. We’ve got a bit of a trip ahead of us. Will you still be around in a few days?”
“Uh huh. I’ll try to get into Lethbridle through one of the other gates. One of the guards will want a bribe. Oh, speaking of which...” She held out a familiar bag. “Your bits.”
I walked up close and took them from her. “Thank you.”
“Well they ARE yours. Don’t need to thank me for that.” She rubbed her neck, embarrassed.
Still smiling, I shook my head. “I didn’t even have to ask. It means a lot to me that I met some one like you. Somebody who isn’t just always looking out for themselves at the expense of others. That’s what I’m thanking you for.”
Her grin was getting wider and wider. “Ah c’mon now. You’re gonna make me blush. Go on, get outta here.”
“Sure. Trig roga prefkam saabi, Naiara.”
“Roga bagata, svara.”
~~~~~~
“I still don’t get what she has against stars.”
“Let it go, Bosco.”
“You told her that you hoped she would escape the stars’ notice, right?”
I sensed he wasn’t going to let it go. “Zebra mythology doesn’t like the stars much. They consider them kinda...well...evil.”
“Evil stars.” He deadpanned.
“No worse than ‘evil’ zebras.” I warned.
No more was said on the matter. We just kept walking. It’d been a few hours since leaving Naiara and Lethbridle so the clouds were black. I marvelled at how quiet the night could be without the blizzard. It was calming. A much better end to the day than the last few. Perhaps things were looking up after all. Had I had my trial-by-fire with the first few days? Or was I just hopeful and trying to ignore what was still to come?
I shook my head. I didn’t want to deal with those questions right now. I just wanted to enjoy the night. It was the first time I’d really seen one outside of the Stable. Everything was clear and crisp. The cold didn’t seem to bother me as much either. Everything had just relaxed and let nature run its course. The noise of Lethbridle was behind us and all the little creatures had retired to their beds. It felt like walking through a dream. The cloud cover prevented the stars from appearing though.
Naiara would say that was a good thing.
Too bad. Going by what I’d seen of the world outside the Stable so far the history files and picture books in the Stable wouldn’t have done them justice. It was a little off-putting that the clouds still hadn’t shifted though.
I was about to ask Bosco what our chances of a starry sky were when the echo of a laugh sounded through the trees. We immediately drew closer to each other. I checked my Eyes Forward Sparkle. Yellow ‘neutrals’ were ahead.
“Is that the supply caravan?” I whispered to Bosco.
We moved forward cautiously as he answered. “Could be. They could just have been held up. Still I don’t want to take any chances.”
We kept silent as we inched towards the increasing noise. An orange glow began to emerge from between the trees. Something was on fire. As we got closer it became apparent what that something was.
We hid behind a snowdrift and peered out at the scene.
Broken crates were piled up to make a fire in the centre. Three ponies sat around it laughing and joking. They were enjoying the spoils of the destroyed caravan.
Bosco pulled us both back down out of sight. “They aren’t Raiders. My guess is that they’re from Plottawa.”
“Slavers?”
He nodded grimly. “I guess we know what happened to the caravan.”
“Then should we get out of here? We have what Esto wants.”
He shook his head. “Not good enough. We need some proof. Going back empty-hooved won’t get us our deal. We need something to show that we found the caravan ponies but I didn’t see any bodies around.”
“Then they might still be alive!”
He whipped his head back and glared at me for a number of seconds before responding.
“On no, Snowflake. We are NOT staging a rescue! We don’t know where those ponies are. Besides which, the slavers have us outnumbered!”
“No they don’t.”
“!”
“!” Bosco and I both jolted in surprise.
Naiara was standing on the snowdrift. “You two are louder than you think, y’know. Of course that made it easier for me to sneak up on these three. They were a few steps from shoving their guns up your-”
Bosco cut her off. “How did you kill them so quickly? I didn’t hear any gunshots.” He turned to me. “Did you hear any-why aren’t you surprised?”
I looked at Naiara sadly as I answered. She just stared back quizzically. “Zebras don’t need guns to kill. Which style?”
She cocked her head to the side and grinned. “You really have been around Zebras, haven’t you? Stompeii Emboli style.”
I looked around in shock. This really wasn’t the terrain for it. “Out here?”
Naiara snorted in amusement. “Like I needed the full show for these grunts. They were totally fixated on gutting you two. You’re welcome by the way.”
I flushed in admonishment. “Sorry. Unten, svara.”
She waved me off. “Ah you’re welcome. You want their stuff? I like to travel light.”
I nodded but didn’t move. I’d learned my lesson from last time. “Bosco?”
“I got it.” He moved over the snowdrift and let out a low whistle. “Not a scratch?! How the hell...”
“Zebra.” Naiara and I answered together.
As he moved to check the bodies, Naiara faced me. “I got the gist of what you guys were talking about while I was tracking you. You really should talk quieter and, y’know, less when in unknown territory. You need to find some supply caravan ponies for some guy back at Lethbridle, right?”
“Basically.”
Naiara crossed one leg daintily. “Well it is pretty dark and those guys back there are two mares and a stallion, soooo...”
I didn’t get it. “Soooo what?”
“She wants us to dress up in their clothes and sneak in. I’m all the way over here and I got it.”
Yes Bosco, rub it in. Snowflake isn’t always clever.
“Naiara, it’ll be dangerous. You’ve got no stake in this.”
She rubbed the back of her head. “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”
That was strange.
“Are you sure? Is this even a good idea?”
Bosco dropped down besides us, newly burdened with gear, including three uniforms. “Course it’s not a good idea. However it’s what’ll happen. You two’ll go either way and I’ll feel bad if I didn’t go with you and you ended up dead. And we do need to get evidence
for Esto.”
He’s got a point...jerk.
~~~~~~
“This is itchy!”
“Hmm…weren’t you saying something about talking less?”
“Shaddup Bosco!”
“Hehehe.”
“Both of you knock it off, we’re getting close to the gate.”
After donning the uniforms we’d begun following the hoof prints of the three slavers back to their base. It had not been a pleasant walk. Naiara had already voiced her displeasure and the mare who wore mine had apparently been skinnier in the hips than I was. The fabric rubbed in…places. Bosco hadn’t said a word after grumbling that he didn’t want to leave his Molar Bear cloak behind buried in snow.
We had no choice though. The manifest had been among the belongings still in the caravan and it didn’t list any pelts. We’d taken the record with us as a precaution. It’d listed the caravan ponies as two a merchant called Contego and a caravan guard by the name of Vorbis. Nothing else was said about them. It hadn’t mentioned what they looked like or their race.
What the manifest had mentioned was the caravan company name: Sprinkles Supplies. The company logo was an unfamiliar but unique symbol. It’d be easy to see.
We were approaching the gate to the slaver compound. It was all dark metal and stone. The gate looked solid and there were gun emplacements and ponies patrolling the walls.
30 feet from the gate several spotlights kicked in. We hastily covered our eyes. “WHO GOES THERE?” The unseen voice sounded from atop the formidable walls.
Bosco growled around the hoof covering his eyes. “Knock that light off will ya? We just got back from salvaging that supply caravan!”
“PROVE IT!”
Naiara held up the manifest. “Got the record right here. We brought back all the gear we could carry. The rest is piled up at the site. Happy?”
The light’s kicked off. The voice was much softer now. “Happy enough. Come on in out of the cold. Drop the gear inside at the sorting office. We’ll handle the rest. Just head on through to the auditorium. It’s a fun time tonight.”
We all found ourselves blinking at the sudden invitation. “Uh…sure. Sounds good. Come on guys.”
We headed through the gate after it rumbled open. The guards were all smiles and helpfulness as we passed. I was worried that Naiara’s ponifying makeup wouldn’t be good enough to fool the sentries but she was treated no differently than me or Bosco. We dropped the supplies off at the sorting office as instructed and then followed the signs towards the auditorium. As we got closer we heard music and noise growing louder.
“These guys seem remarkably well adjusted for slavers.” Naiara and I nodded at Bosco’s evaluation. I certainly hadn’t been expecting this. Everyone seemed so happy. I was picturing grim and scarred vagrants. Maybe an eye patch or two. This was…almost nice.
The confusion continued as we opened the doors to the auditorium and a wall of noise slammed into us. Everywhere we looked ponies were dancing and laughing and partying! Seriously, this was the most festivities I’d seen ever! There were more happy ponies here than there were residents of Stable 61 and they all seemed in good spirits.
I spotted a bar off to the side and nudged my two companions towards it. Getting through the crowd was difficult but each pony we jostled just smiled and mouthed an apology over the pumping music.
We finally managed to burst through to the bar. Well two of us did anyway. I felt lips on my ear as Naiara tried to make herself heard. “…ST BOSCO!”
“WHAT?”
“WE LOST BOSCO!”
“WHAT!?” I looked around but couldn’t spot the colt anywhere. Was he back at the door? A cursory glance told me that was a negative. I leaned further over the bar to look down its length. No Bosco there either. Naiara nudged me in the ribs and pointed. She had a MASSIVE smile on her face. I followed her hoof and grew a grin of my own.
On the raised platform in the centre of the room there was a line of dancing girls with their forelegs around each other’s shoulders. A line of dancing girls…with one charcoal-turned-scarlet colt in the centre trying in vain to keep his leg-kicks in time with the dancers. His eyes were screaming for help but Naiara and I just fell back against the bar at the hilarious sight.
The bartender dropped two drinks in front of us with an amicable smile. “Heard about your job. Nice work. Per the rules, free drinks all night for a successful haul.” He strolled off to attend to the other patrons.
Naiara and I grinned even wider and clinked glasses after we’d verified that we were drinking the same as everybody else. Bosco had escaped the kick-line but two of the dancing girls had followed him. He was looking increasingly uncomfortable as they draped
themselves over him in a far booth. Neither my zebra friend nor myself was willing to make the trip through the sea of bodies to ‘rescue’ him.
Naiara wasn’t even looking in his direction. She was looking towards the raised platform again where the dancing girls had given way to some troops who looked to be making up their own moves. With a lopsided grin she vaulted onto the bar and began hopping from shoulder-to-shoulder across the crowd.
They protested at first but after one of the grooving ponies on the stage noticed her he beckoned and the throng began supporting her as she rushed towards the challenge. She powered past the stallion giving the bring-it-on gesture and took up position opposite him. Instantly the stage emptied so it was just the two of them.
It.
Was.
On.
The stallion moved first. He began with a simple stutter-step back-and-forth before passing it over. Naiara smirked and then moved. It was breathtaking. Her motion never stopped. Like a river she moved through her routine in one continuous flow. The crowd sat transfixed and silent as the zebra danced. I was no different. It was truly a sight to behold. Thunderous applause erupted as she finished and gestured for her opponent to continue. The stallion knew he was beat and began clapping. Myself and the audience soon followed suit. Other freestylers swarmed the stage but Naiara still held the centre.
As she continued to have her fun I was content to marvel from the bar. At least until the choice was taken from me. As I set down my empty second drink I found myself being lifted
bodily off the ground and carried towards the dance floor. I was helpless wriggling my legs in the air as the crowd laughed around me. I couldn’t lay eyes on who was carrying me but whoever it was seemed strong as any of the Doublehorn boys. It really did not seem as if they were struggling. Only when we reached the open space and I was rapidly spun down and around did I come face to face with my assailant.
Oh my.
Creamy hazel eyes and a flowing blond mane graced an Earth stallion face with a dazzling smile and silky oaken fur. After spinning me back right-side-up the mysterious slaver hadn’t released my hoof. It was warm. As was his voice. “Can you dance as well as your friends?”
“I…”
His smile widened. “Let’s find out!”
I didn’t even get to attempt a reply this time as his hoof began directing my body through a series of steps and twirls. I struggled to decide whether to try to complete the steps or pull away. It didn’t seem to matter as the jocular stallion always seemed to compensate and keep the rhythm. I knew for sure that I’d never come even close to dancing like this before.
The music seemed to perfectly match in the background. So much so that I only became aware of how it all came together after it ended. As soon as the lack of music registered in my eyes when the song ended I began searching around. When I looked back the stallion was on stage with a mic dropping down in front of him. “HOW’S EVERYPONY DOING TONIGHT?!”
The crowd gave a thunderously enthusiastic roar in response. The stallion pumped his hoof. “YEAH! That’s what I wanna hear! Now I know we’re all loving the dancing prowess of our colleagues who’ve returned in triumph so I’ll only take a little bit of your time.”
I finally learned my dance-partner’s name as the crowd chanted “Peanut! Peanut! Peanut!”
‘Peanut’ made a calming motion with his hooves. “Come on Plottawa. I’ll be up here all night at this rate. I just wanna say thanks for all your hard work and make sure to let me know if there’s anything wrong here and we’ll fix it. I couldn’t do this without you all. YOU PONIES ROCK!”
With the floor-shaking applause that followed I barely noticed Bosco tugging at the sleeve of my uniform at first. Finally he had to drag me away from the stage and out into the corridor. Naiara was waiting for us when we got out there. “Come on. This’ll be our best chance to find Contego and Vorbis. Unless you wanna dance with your coltfriend some more?”
I returned his amused smirk. “Knock it off, playboy. You were practically wearing those fillies.”
Naiara shushed us both. “Save it for counselling, you two. Let’s go!”
~~~~~~
It seemed that with the big party going on the place was operating with a skeleton crew. On our way to the slave pens we only happened across one group of ponies who were taking food to the guards on duty. We volunteered to ‘help’. Chatting with the provisions ponies on the way cemented the impression that we’d seen in the auditorium.
They loved it here.
These slavers were the happiest ponies I’d come across in the entire wasteland. They were well fed, provided for, safe and valued by their leader. Peanut was seemingly benevolent. He’d even set up a non-combatant wing further in for those too old or infirm to
continue slaving raids. These ponies had jobs for life. They’d move to clerical or support positions when they couldn’t be frontline any more.
All it cost was the freedom of other sentient beings.
What are you, Peanut?
~~~~~~
When we reached the slave pens, we saw the other side of Plottawa. Even here there were signs that Peanut was kind. All the slaves were clothed, clean and nourished. No evidence of mistreatment was present.
What are you, Peanut?
“Snowflake!” Bosco’s hiss interrupted my thoughts. The colt nodded over to two ponies in a pen on the other side of the courtyard. Both bore the same symbol as the one on the Sprinkles Supplies caravan.
Nodding, I retrieved some food bags from the carts and followed him over. As we dumped the bags through the secure chutes Bosco leaned in to talk to the more muscular one while I quietly addressed who I guessed was Contego. “Contego? Esto sent us. Are you alright?”
The stallion raised his downcast eyes in confusion. “E-Esto?”
“Yeah. She asked us to find out what happened to you.”
He lowered his head again. “Well, here we are. Fat lot of good her knowing does. No way we’re getting out of here.”
“Don’t say that. We just have to-”
“Do nothing,” rumbled Vorbis from the side, “You try anything and you’ll be in here with us. Best bet is to get word to our company and they’ll get us out somehow. Contego, give her your badge. That’ll be proof we’re here.”
The smaller stallion sadly handed it over. “Right. We’ll just wait then.”
I tried to convey as much sympathy as possible. “I’m really sorry. If there was any other way...”
He just shook his head. “There isn’t. Don’t worry. They treat us okay here. Just not a whole lot to do unless we get sold.”
Our conversation was cut short as the provisions ponies trotted over. “Everything okay here?”
I turned with what I hoped was a convincing smile. “Oh yeah, just making small talk. No need to be mean, right?”
The smile was returned. “Exactly. This is just business. We don’t have anything against these ponies and hurting them hurts our profits. Come on now. We’re heading back. You’d best go fetch your friend.”
I moved off with them for a moment before I registered what he’d said. “My friend?”
“Yeah. The mare you two were with. She saw Peanut heading to his office and went after him.” He gave a dry chuckle. “Probably a love confession. Colt gets them a couple times a day. Hasn’t said yes once though. Least he’s nice about it.”
Bosco and I looked around. Sure enough Naiara was nowhere in sight. We looked at each other and set off without another word.
~~~~~~
After lots of helpful directions from the happy kidnappers we arrived at Peanut’s office and opened the door just in time to see him lever Naiara into the wall.
“Let her go!”
His expression was still genial but his eyes were hard and he didn’t relax his grip. “She’s your friend. I understand. However she did attack me. I can’t allow that.”
My Power Hoofs hummed to life as I sprang at him. “I said LET HER GO!”
My wild swings never connected. Peanut’s easy dancing was no fluke. He always seemed to be in the place to avoid being struck. I wasn’t so light on my hooves. His backhoofed strike caught me under the chin and spun me end-over-end. I landed in a heap next to the now-fallen Naiara.
Dusting himself off, Peanut began walking towards us. “Now I’m not sure what this is about but I’d really like to know. Will you tell me yourselves or do I have to-”
He didn’t finish his thought as Bosco barged into him from the side. Peanut casually moved with the hit, turning Bosco’s momentum back on him as he slammed the colt face first into the desk.
Naiara and I had recovered by this point and moved back in before Peanut could press his attack. I charged in straight with my powered limbs while Naiara made use of one of the core tenets of Stompeii Emboli. Namely that attacks aren’t limited to ground-orientation. Quick as a flash she’d bounced up a bookcase and ricocheted off the ceiling.
Peanut’s eyes widened slightly at this unusual approach but his reflexes were equal to the task. He grabbed me around the wrists and swung me up into Naiara. This collision sent us both slamming into the high-backed desk chair and then to the floor. A barely conscious Bosco landed heavily on us a moment later. All three of us groaned in pain.
Peanut didn’t keep up the attack. He merely brushed himself off, righted his desk chair and sat down. He placed his hooves flat on the desk and continued his uninterrupted thought. “Now will you tell me what this is about please?”
The three of us struggled to our feet but neither answered nor attacked. What would be the point? Peanut wasn’t even breathing heavily while I had a splitting headache and struggled to see straight. Naiara had one swollen-shut eye and Bosco had a busted nose.
What are you, Peanut?
“No answer? Very well.” He sighed and made to rise.
“Wait!” I had a sudden idea but needed him right where he was.
He stopped mid-rise. Hooves still on the desk. “Yes?”
This better work or else we’re all gonna be in those pens.
I shut my eyes and concentrated. “You want to know who we are?”
His amusement was clear. “Oh yes. Most certainly. This is the most interesting event my office has seen in years.”
I was still straining with the effort it took to pull off my plan and had to bite out my words. “These...two...can...intro...duce...themselves. Me? I...am...”
My headache was growing worse from the exertion but I had to continue. This monster would kill us all otherwise. I thought back to the other monsters and other deaths. A thought
came.
This’ll make the event even more ‘interesting’, Peanut!
“I...am...”
One last push. Come on, Snowflake!
I willed myself through the pain as my horn finally began to glow. “I...am...RED ICE!”
My horn blazed and the temperature in the office dropped instantly. A deafening crackle sounded as ice formed around Peanut’s hooves and fixed them to the desk. He regarded them in mild shock. “Well now...”
I lacked the strength to turn to my friends but I could move my head. I looked them in the eyes. “Guys...get us...out of here...”
Then the world went away as I keeled over.
~~~~~~
Level Up!
Perks gained:
Gotta Hoof It To You: Your prowess in unarmed and Power Hoof combat has increased.
Chill Factor - Your Frost Magic has increased.
~~~~~~
Author’s note: Ice puns are hard.
More characters yay! I really hope this chapter worked out well.
Right then. The zebra language I totally made up. I don’t remember if there was much used in Fallout: Equestria but if there is and it goes against what I wrote then I’d like you to consider that version as the right one. Let me know in a comment and I’ll fix it.
I still need some pre-readers. The awesome guys who’ve been helping me so far:
Epidemiix, kiwi_poo and Berithil have given all the time they can but are busy with their own lives and I can’t ask them to keep helping me if it interferes with said lives. So anybody who’s interested and has some free time is welcome to send me a message. I’d be very glad of the help. Also Everybody should visit the above links anyway since those three are awesome.
The next chapter probably won’t be up for a little while as I’m moving halfway around the world but I promise I won’t give up on this story. Here’s hoping that means something to someone other than me.
Please leave feedback/comments after reading. They really help me to keep going. Have a good one, fellas and fel-lasses.