Mid-morning, there was a light rap on her door. Ratchet wiped away a smudge of grease from her face and hopped to her feet, trotting to the door. Outside stood Wagtail, accompanied by a very sullen looking Orion. “So the team have assembled” Ratchet declared, letting them in with a briad grin. Wagtail raised her head curiously and looked around, eyeing the racks on each available wall. They were piled with bits of wire, metal and other random pieces of scrap, including an old toaster. On the far side of the room was the stout two person cot made of a metal frame and a straw mattress arranged haphazardly on each surface. Currently, it was covered with various blinking devices, red eyes watching Wagtail and Orion as they came in. Ratchet strode forward, making her way back to the large metal work table in the centre of the room. On the table were five or six small disks, backs removed to reveal explosive charges packed into their bodies and wires poking out left, right and centre. Ratchet picked up her wrench and resumed reattaching their backs, taking care not to damage the wiring.
“Is this your workshop?” Wagtail asked curiously, nosing at a couple of round metal plums. “Yep” Ratchet declared, “This is where the magic happens. And don't poke those too much – they're grenades.” Wagtail immediately took a few steps back, reassessing the devices. “These are all bombs?” She asked in a high squeak, glancing at Orion who rolled her eyes, flicking her ears back, “And you sleep in here?!” Ratchet frowned, glancing around at all the objects with a raised brow. “Well, yeah. Of course we sleep in here” she said nonplussed, “Safest place in all of Vanhoovia, unless there's a fire. The last one of those was a few weeks ago now so yeah, perfectly safe.” Orion let out a huffy sigh, adjusting her rifle at her side. “Are you ready to go?” the ghoul asked, “Or are we going to spend all day waiting for you to finish with your 'babies'?” Ratchet waved a hoof dismissvely, turning back to her table. “It's fine, give me a few seconds and I'll be ready” she said, picking up the wrench again, “Can't rush perfection.”
AS she tinkered, Wagtail continued to look around. There were lots of different things. More plum shaped 'grenades' were stacked in a stout box next to a big carrot shaped thing. On another stand were grapefruits with a glowing core, pulsing warmly in a wooden create. There was even a row of arrows with unusual heads lined up next to the door. What caught her attention though was a launcher lying next to Ratchet's bed. It was loaded with one egg and there was another on the floor next to it, carefully swathed in polystyrene and cardboard to suspend it next to the launcher.
“You have good taste, Wags” Ratchet commented from behind, grinning as she saw what Wagtail was eyeing up. “That's the fat man. Most powerful thing I have in here, not that I'll ever get a chance to use it” Ratchet declared proudly, “Built the launcher myself but I salvaged the bombs from a wreck east of here. No idea what damage they do, but they've got some really powerful magic mixed into the outer shell, so I bet they pack a punch.” She watched as the unicorn looked them over then trotted to the desk, eyeing the mines. “So..you're actually really good at science stuff, huh? This is amazing” Wagtail commented, eyes wide as she examined the craftsmanship of the joints, and Ratchet felt her face heat up a little. “Haha, well, not so much science as explosives” she admitted, rubbing her head with one hoof, “I like playing around with bits of metal and making things go bang. Not exactly science, just a mix of luck and practise.”
She glanced up at Orion who stood still by the door, examining a piece of flaking skin on one hoof. “You want a scientist, go speak to Orion” Ratchet said, grinning at the ghoul. Orion rolled her eyes back but smiled at them both, ears flicking forward. “Before she was a ghoul, she was involved in some science stuff. Really high level, am I right, Orion?” Orion chuckled darkly and cocked her rifle, smirking at Ratchet. “I wouldn't call weapons manufacture high level” Orion said modestly, “I just put together a few guns for the war. That's all. Didn't even get close to the sort of stuff the high-techs were doing in the ministry of magic.”
Wagtail gaped at them both and sat down on the ground, drawing a small pistol from her bag and pawing at it sadly. “Wow, you two are both so...Wow. I can't do anything like that” she bemoaned in a low whisper, ears drooping, “No wonder you didn't want me along.” Orion let out a snort and mumbled something under her breath, shooting a derisive look at Ratchet. Ratchet shot a glare back at the ghoul and approached Wagtail, tapping her on one shoulder. “Don't worry, kid. All you lack is experience” she said warmly, “And besides, you have a cutie mark, don't you? You must have a talent in something.” The pony eyed the black bird on her flank and let out a small sigh. “I guess” she said dolefully, getting back to her feet and flicked her eyes towards the door, “So, um, are we ready to go now?”
Frowning, Ratchet turned back to the table, counting her mines. Seven would probably do for this hunt. “Yeah, just give me a second to pack these” she said finally, shoving a selection of the mines into her saddlebags. After a few moments deliberation, she grabbed a few of the grenades too and a knife. Could never have enough weapons, that was the bounty rule. “Right” she said resolutely, glancing at Orion again, “Let's move out, shall we?” Wagtail smiled and trotted out, followed by the two hunters. “Still sure about this?” Orion hissed under her breath to Ratchet and Ratchet's ears flicked back against her scalp. “Nope” Ratchet replied back, watching the yellow mare trotting jauntily ahead, “But since when were missions predictable?” Orion sighed, flicking her tail from side to side and slowed, allowing Ratchet to walk in front.
They spent the first few hours of the journey in silence. Orion was still moody over having to babysit Wagtail and Wagtail was still acting miserable since her little tantrum earlier, head drooping with her tail between her legs. Ratchet let out a low sigh, rubbing her brow as she looked around, scanning the horizon for any new threats. The raiders camp was a few days walk south of West Mareton and if they kept up this atmosphere, their morale would be shot to pieces before they even reached the first NLR checkpoint. She glanced back again at the two, walking silently side by side. Orion was angry but alert, head flicking in all directions for any signs of an attacker or a hostile. Wagtail though was completely oblivious, plodding along with practically a sign over her head saying 'easy target, please eat me'.
“Let's stop for a bite” Ratchet said finally, as they reached a small half ruined building, “We've been walking for a few hours now.” Ratchet pushed open the door slowly, readying the knife in her teeth as she peered around the wood. The main room was a mess. It had signs of once being a living room, but now the sofa was covered in a weird purple growth, large chunks missing from its surface. A table and chairs lay in broken bits next to a half open cabinet. The kitchen was the same, with doors hanging off the hinges and cabinets nursing large holes in the surface. All the food had been entirely cleared out though, save for one med patch. No clothes left either. It was as if the occupants had suddenly abandoned the place.
Ratchet reached for the oven, pulling open the door and let out a grunt of surprise as a dozen pink and blue blobs shot out, fangs snapping for her face. Parasprites inflated by radiation into football sized balls of teeth, bloated and heavy. Immediately, Orion brought up her rifle and fired. Her bullets smacked into six of the creatures, splattering their pink and green corpses across the wall like nouveau art and sending the rest into an angry frenzy. Wagtail fumbled, barely managing to bring her gun in time to shoot a parasprite away from her. Shock flicked onto her face as the pieces of flesh tumbled to the ground and she took a few steps back, tremors running down her back. Ratchet was at the rest with a knife between her teeth. She swiped them out of the air with clean strokes, blood splattering into her mane and fur as her knife tore through the bodies like paper. It was over in a few seconds and Ratchet turned, eyeing Wagtail silently.
“If you can't handle parasprites, what are you going to do when your prey really puts up a fight?” Orion asked cruelly, hooking her rifle back on her belt. “I told you so” she shot snidely at Ratchet, horn glowing brown as she pulled all the parasprite corpses into a pile, “ now if you excuse me, I'm going to set up a fire and cook these things for lunch” The ghoul glared at Ratchet with an annoyed swish of her tail, “You two need to talk.” Orion nodded at Ratchet firmly, jerking her head from Wagtail to the door. Get rid of her. The message was loud and clear.
With a disgruntled huff, Ratchet crouched down in front of the trembling unicorn. Wagtail looked at her hooves then at Ratchet, eyes wide and determined. “Next time” she exclaimed in a high squeak, , “Next time I'll shoot properly! I was...I was just surprised. You can't make me leave!” Ratchet raised an eyebrow at that and tossed her knife between her hooves. She could force the pony to leave, but that wouldn't work. Ratchet knew full well the mare would go it alone and get killed in two blinks if she did that. Why Ratchet cared so much, she didn't know, but she wasn't letting her stumble to her death. She grinned wryly. Ori would kill her. “Well, you managed to shoot one” Ratchet said finally, “For a beginner, that's not bad.” Wagtail relaxed with a trembling smile and leant forward, grabbing Ratchet into a tight hug. “Thank you!” The earth pony stiffened as the hooves closed around her neck then relaxed. “No problem” Ratchet replied gruffly as she pried Wagtail away from her, “But next time, if you hesitate, I will drag your ass back to the Children and make them lock you up. Understood?”
Wagtail nodded as Orion marched back in, expression blackening when she saw the smile on Wagtail's face. Shooting an acidic glare at Ratchet, the ghoul slammed two roasted parasprites in front of them and stomped outside again. Ratchet chuckled uncomfortably, picking up the stick in one of her hooves. “Sorry” Wagtail murmured, levitating the parasprite up to her mouth, “I'm ruining your friendship, aren't I?” Ratchet lifted her hoof, rubbing behind one ear. “Nah, we disagree all the time. That's what you get when you put two badtempered mares in the same room” she said lightheartedly, “Eat up. We still have a long way to go.”
Ratchet's parasprite was a darkgreen turned black. As a result, the taste was rather sour and sharp, making her nose scrunch up with every bite. Wagtail was biting into a red one and her face was turning the same colour as the spicy blood of the creature bit into her tongue and set her brain on fire. “Good?” Ratchet asked with an evil grin and Wagtail nodded, shooting a smile at her as she bit into one wing, munching on it. They rejoined Orion outside and Ratchet pulled a small map out of her saddleback. She jabbed her hoof at their current location and traced a line for a few miles south to a small black dot indicating a town. “After we've eaten, we're going to head here” Ratchet explained as she tapped the dot, looking from Wagtail to Orion. “This is Cloverfield. It's run by NLR but otherwise is pretty friendly” she said, scrunching up her nose at the mention of the NLR, “Gotta pick up a pal of mine.”
Orion met her eyes with a small frown, glancing down at the dot with a nibble of her lips. “You're bringing Ant with us?” she asked doubtfully, looking at the black dot, “But he's... difficult.” Ratchet grimaced. “I know” she admitted, “But he's the best hunter 'sides from us between the camp and West Mareton.” Wagtail looked between them with a confused frown. “Sorry, I don't understand” she asked sweetly, “Who is Ant?” Ratchet made a face, reaching for another parasprite. “Ant is-”
Ratchet froze, eyes on the horizon. The wastelands were pretty barren outside of the main towns, with small shrivelled bushes, spindly trees and chunks of rock being the only scenery. It meant you really could see most attackers from quite a distance. Ratchet raised a hoof, pointing out four ponies approaching. There was one male and three females, all dressed in black leathers with hairstyles spiked into aggressive points. “Into the house” she hissed, “and keep low.” Wagtail's face went jaundice in colour and she crouched down, shuffling towards the door. With an ear-wincing creak, she opened the door and slipped inside. Orion and Ratchet followed, quickly gathering up the sprites and snuffing out the fire as best they could. There was no removing the smell of smoke though. They shut the door as they heard shouts and rapid footsteps breakout behind them.
“We saw you, little ducklings!” a male voice called in a highpitched screech as another female voice laughed, “Come out and play!” Ratchet ignored them, eying the material in the room. “Wags” she snapped, “Get behind the table and fix your gun on the door. Anyone comes in, shoot. No questions asked.” Orion was already huddled down behind the sofa, rifle scope trained on the door. Ratchet moved forward to the door, crouching down next to it with her blade ready. “Little ducklings” the voice whined again, “We won't hurt you, honest!“ A gutteral female voice spoke up as well, letting out a shriek of a laugh. “We only want to give you a present” she crowed and Ratchet tensed up as she heard the footsteps stop outside the door.
“Well, if you won't come out, we'll have to come in!” the male crowed. With a loud bang, he kicked the door open, opening fire as he pulled a machine gun on the room. Ratchet lunged forward, knocking him to the ground, and slammed her knife between his ribs. It tore through his skin, sinking into the pink flesh beneath and Ratchet ripped it out as the female behind him raised her gun to fire. Quick as a whistle, Orion opened fire on the mare, shooting one bullet into her hoof and another into her chest. The earth pony stumbled back into her two companions and fell to the ground, thrashing as blood began to gush from the wound.
“I'll kill you!” the third female, a unicorn, snarled. She was better protected than the other two, with an old metal breastplate and hockey mask shielding her face and body from bullets. Climbing over her fallen friends, she lifted the machine gun with her horn and opened fire on Orion, sending the other unicorn ducking back behind the sofa. Ratchet lunged away as the mare slowly turned the gun barrel on her, face sweating at the effort of lifting the heavy metal weapon with magic. Ratchet let out a low squeal as one bullet sunk into her hind flank and collapsed next to Orion, pinning herself up against the sofa. Pressing her hoof against the wound, Ratchet tore open her saddle bag with her mouth, feeling around for one of the smaller grenades she'd brought with her. “Got you, didn't they?” Orion snarled, peeking above the sofa again as another spray of bullets shot at them. “Shit” Ratchet snarled, looking across the gap to where Wagtail crouched, gripping her gun tightly in her hooves. “Well, it's good to see the canary is living up to her promise” Orion snapped, levitating her gun and shooting blindly at the two raiders left standing.
“Come on out little puppies” the mare purred, stepping forward into the room, “You've been very bad doggies and you need to be punished. Isn't that right, Daisy chain?” An earth pony followed her in, pale green with a bright yellow mane. She grinned, revealing jagged, chipped teeth that were clamped around the handle of a flat, long machete. Dashing forward, the pony leapt over the sofa and landed with a clatter behind Ratchet and Orion, swinging the blade around towards their heads as Orion turned, trying to swivel her gun in time.
There was a sound like a cork being released from a bottle and the raider faltered, falling to the floor as her blade fell from her mouth. Ratchet stared at the corpse in shock, then grinned at Orion. Orion shook her head grimly and nodded to where Wagtail crouched. A pistol hovered in the air next to her, glowing blue from her magic. As they watched, the faint blue vanished and the pistol fell to the ground as the yellow pony recoiled in shock at what she had done. Ratchet grinned and readied a small grenade in her mouth. “Nice job, kid” she exclaimed with a grin, and tossed the grenade towards the final unicorn. It landed with a small clatter at the raiders feet and she barely had a chance to let out a squeak of horror before the bomb went off under her feet, instantly shattering the bones in her legs and splitting her stomach open as the force sent her flying back four feet.
After a few moments of silent, Ratchet peaked over the makeshift barricade. All the raiders were on the ground, dead or dying and with a sigh of relief, she collapsed back against the sofa, letting out a grunt as she properly examined her leg. The bullet had gone straight through, narrowly missing one of the larger arteries, and had torn into her hamstring, resulting in sharp pain whenever even a bit of pressure was applied. Gritting her teeth and clamping her eyes shut, Ratchet turned her head in Orion's direction. “Med patch” she grunted. Orion nodded, opening her bag with her horn and lifting objects out.
“Wait, I can help with that”. Orion paused as Wagtail got to her feet, taking a couple of wobbly steps towards them. She avoided looking at the corpse lying next to them, fixing her eyes on the room. “I have experience in medicine” she admitted, “It's pretty basic but I should be able to handle-” “Do it” Ratchet snapped hastily, ignoring Orion's look of warning, “Stop yapping and fix the wound.” Wagtail nodded, horn glowing as she touched the tip against the bullet hole, wincing as some of the blood stained her horn. A small blue spark travelled lazily down her horn and into the skin, dissolving into the moist pink flesh. For a few seconds, nothing happened then slowly the skin began to knit back together, the blue glow of magic acting as a glue that sealed up the wound. There was still a slight mark where the bullet had entered, but the wound was gone.
Gingerly, Ratchet wiggled her leg, testing it for any pain. There was still a slight ache in the muscle, but as she stood up, she grinned gratefully at Wagtail. “Cheers” Ratchet said, raising an eyebrow at Orion who looked away, determined to be unimpressed. “Having a healer in our merry band of three will come in handy” Ratchet said cheerfully, patting her on one shoulder, “You shouldn't keep those things secret. Now then. Let's see if these guys are anyone worth having and if they've got any junk on them.”
They each took a corpse. Ratchet rifled through the pockets of the male's clothes, pocketing some bits and a half eaten sandwich. She ignored the machine gun but did salvage the bullets, thinking of the gun powder inside. Orion pocketed ammo, one of the machine guns and some medpatches, tucking them away into her saddlebag. As for Wagtail, she hesitantly poked around at the pockets, nudging them to see if there was anything inside. She took a few bits but left everything else and Ratchet had to come over and finishing the job, finding two grenades for her trouble. At the last moment, she also pulled a small red bandana off one of the corpses, tying it around her neck as best she could. “Getting into fashion are we?” Orion quipped when she saw the new item. “I think it looks nice” Wagtail piped up with a warm smile at Ratchet. Ratchet grinned and adjusted it again. “Spoils of war, Orion” she replied cheerfully, kicking the last corpse into a pile with the rest, “You're just jealous they don't have a nifty hat for you to nick.” Orion snorted and followed Ratchet outside, Wagtail trailing along close behind.
“Now. Where were we?” Ratchet commented, quickly doing a check to make sure they hadn't picked up any other unwanted attention. “I know” said Wagtail, “Cloverfield.”