Chapter 11: Lessons
Chapter 11: Lessons
“For many of us, the road is a difficult one, but the path is always there for us to follow, no matter how many times we may fall.”
*click*
I pulled back the cocking handle and checked the All-Equestrian’s chamber, levitating the weapon in front of me as I ran the thin rag along the interior one last time. After going through a full disassembly, all of the weapon’s internals were clean and operating smoothly. Doing so had taken over an hour and a half of careful inspection, starting after Bella had taken Shore, Blake, and I into her home, giving us a meal comprised of various pre-war preserved foods. This, of course, consisted mostly of apples and celery with a plate of hay fries. Still, it was more than welcoming to my empty stomach, and after eating, we had split off for the evening. Shore had decided to go exploring further into the residential sector while Blake and Lucan were currently dozing off at the opposite end of the living room. Thankfully for me, Bella didn’t mind the presence of weapons in her home, as Blue Fire’s Torch, along with Shore’s battle saddle and my own equipment, was stashed in the far corner of the living room. But aside from that, cleaning Hallion’s light machinegun was the only thing that kept my mind off of the fact that Nova was outside on her own.
I knew that my friend could defend herself, even though she wasn’t a guard. But still… letting her go like that, to fly out alone into the wasteland without any extra hooves to at least provide fire support … it made me nervous, and for more reasons than one. She didn’t have the training that Shore and I had received in the Stable, but more important than this was the fact that… well… she had suffered, and terribly. Sure, I had lost my father in the Stable, and my mother had died giving birth to me, making it so that I never knew her… but these events had happened years apart. While some would say that this fact wouldn’t lessen the pain and the effect of the loss, it did, or at least a little. Nova? She had experienced all of that in one day. At the cost of his own life, Damien, her father, had saved the Stable’s survivors by sealing the door and destroying the interior opening mechanism. Nova’s mother, Seiyara, had been just as self-sacrificing, volunteering herself to aid in the Stable’s evacuation, helping Saber to coordinate the effort and leaving the Stable only when the majority of the others had fled safely. Though noble, her life had been the price of her delay.
I still remembered that day as if it had been yesterday, and it was a day that had nearly torn Nova apart. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Blake had made it out alive as well, I don’t think she would’ve faired as well out here as she was now. Even though I hadn’t told her myself, I had been a little surprised to see return to her former self, only because she had done so much quicker than many of the other survivors. It was something that was expected of Saber’s surviving Stable guards, but not of residents. Eventually, though, I came to discover the reasons behind that. It was for Blake. It was to keep the colt safe and to help him grow up out here… to live as good of a life as possible. And it was for her parents. I had seen her on the day we left Stable 181 behind, up on that hill to put her framed family photo over the grave of her mother, and I knew Nova well enough to know that she had made promises, just like all of us had done. I admired her for her spirit and the honor that backed it. She was tremendously kind and noble to her friends and fellow Stable dwellers, and now, even to strangers. She had proved this to me on that hill, letting Ivy go instead of allowing me to take the mare’s head off simply because of the Black Blood armor she wore. She had even proved this before then, back in Proudspire when helping Kayla, Cross, and Redfield. But despite this, I couldn’t help but be concerned. I cared about all of my friends, and I’d defend them with my life. But with Nova, I felt a little different…… more protective, maybe… I didn’t really know.
With a sigh, I pushed the cocking handle forward and closed the chamber before setting the All-Equestrian onto the floor. Now, with the weapon reassembled, I knew that it was time to give it back to its rightful owner. Hallion had let me keep it to protect his caravan on the road which was as good of a reason as any. But still, he had let me keep it long enough, and since he was supposed to leave tomorrow in the early morning, I’d need to give it up.
“Everything alright, Gunny?”
I looked to my right to see as Bella stared at me from over the top of her book, balanced along her forelegs where she lay next to Lucan and Blake. “Yes ma’am, I’m fine.” I replied, rising to stand up on all fours. “I just need to head out and give something back to Lucky Hallion.”
“Okay. Will you be back soon?” Bella asked.
“Hallion and Marian just went back to the trading administration building to talk over some more business. He should still be there, so I’ll just catch him when he’s done.” I replied, levitating the All-Equestrian up and strapping it to my security armor.
“Can I come with you?” Blake suddenly asked, abruptly sitting up as I made to leave; I guess he wasn’t ‘dozing off’ after all.
“I thought you said you were tired.” I said with a small smirk, craning my head around to look back at Nova’s little brother.
“I just want to go outside and walk a little.” Blake insisted, smiling back when I raised an eyebrow.
“Well alright, come on then.” I replied, nodding for him to follow me; I had a feeling I knew why he really wanted to come with me.
The colt, however, gave a nod and quickly caught up with me as I used my horn to open the door. It was already dark outside, the streets much emptier than they were during the evening. The growing darkness had made it time for the city lights to come on, and each house and building contained a full light within, shining out of open windows and cracks under the doors. These lights were the only ones to illuminate the street after sundown, but with the buildings being packed so close together, they provided enough illumination for me to see while my eyes adjusted away from Bella’s candlelit living room.
“How are you, Gunny?” I heard Blake as he trotted along beside me.
“I’m doing alright.” I replied, looking down and to my right to see the little pony as he stared up at me. “And yourself?”
“Good, now that we aren’t walking across the wasteland.” Blake replied with a smile.
“Yeah, I hear you.” I agreed, smirking as I looked down the road again. “Are you liking it here?”
“Sure. If I hadn’t been so full from dinner, I would’ve gone with Shore to see more of the city.”
“You might get the chance to tomorrow.” I remarked. “If not, I imagine this wont be the last time we’ll be seeing Challenger.”
“Are we leaving tomorrow?” Blake inquired.
I nodded. “It’s my hope that we will. Captain Saber needs us to be back as soon as possible, along with that supply shipment.”
“So we’re getting stuff from Challenger?”
“Yeah, and apparently it’s a lot of stuff too.” I answered. “It’ll be just what we need to put ourselves back together, for Saber to arm us back up, and for Grace to get all of our ponies out of the City Hall.”
“I miss Gracie.” Blake muttered as we passed by the residential sector gate.
“I do too.”
“Do you think she’s safe? And Hopeville too?” the colt asked.
“Of course.” I replied, looking back at him and giving him a nudge with my hoof. “The captain’s never steered us wrong, and he’s never failed. In fact, I don’t think he knows how to fail. He’s still leading, and that means our home and our friends are safe. ”
“Saber’s cool.” Blake added, smiling at my reassurances… a smile which quickly faded. “But what about Nova?”
I looked back at the road ahead, exhaling as I thought about my next words carefully. “I know you’re anxious.” I said; I was worried too. “But have faith in your sister. She knows how to take care of herself.”
“I know she does, and I always have faith in her.” Blake insisted, a small defensive edge in his words. “But I just don’t like it when she goes off on her own.”
Which one of us did?
“We’ve been out here for only ten days, but we’re all learning to adapt.” I replied. “What Nova’s doing will let her know more about the area, but more important than learning and surviving is what Nova’s doing for others. You know her better than I do, and I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that Nova is trying to help others as best as she can, just like she helped us all on that long march across the region from the Stable.” Blake nodded his agreement. “I can see that conviction growing everyday. She’s definitely a model mare when it comes to following the Stable’s teachings about the Elements of Harmony.”
“That’s why I love her so much, aside from her being my sister.” Blake stated, still downcast. “But when she flies off without me, and she says that I can’t help her… I get scared and stuff.”
“I understand. But, you know that she’s doing it for your own good, right?” I asked cautiously.
“I know.” Blake mumbled; he must not’ve believed it, or he just didn’t like to hear it. “It’s just something that my dad told me… before we left our home behind…”
I waited for him to continue after his words faded away. However, the colt was silent as he stared at the dirt he walked over. “What did he say?” I asked.
“I… I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Blake said lowly.
Conversation ceased at that, as I didn’t want to press the topic. At that point, we were turning the corner and facing the open entrance to the warehouse district. The road ahead was almost entirely empty, only the patrolling guards and one family of civilians occupying the lane. The warehouse district was the same, only a few of its workers trotting along the streets around the giant warehouses.
It still amazed me to know that over the course of fifty years, this entire city had been built from the carcasses of pre-war buildings, the ruins of the Old World that the Last Day had left behind. But despite the achievement that the city was, there was something about it that I didn’t like as much. There were a lot of ponies here, and while Hallion had only said something along the lines of four thousand or so, it had seemed like there were so many more. Something about the crowds just put me a little on edge. Perhaps it was growing up in Stable 181 that had made me that way, because underground, it wasn’t really crowded. Sure there had been just over four hundred of us inside, but 181 was large enough to comfortably accommodate everypony and perhaps even a hundred more. Hopeville was small and generally quiet, something that I now realized I liked better. Though Challenger was impressive in all meanings of the word, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live here. In Hopeville, there was peaceful quiet, conversations only emerging when they were wanted among good friends or when they were necessary for managerial situations. In Hopeville, there were no steel walls blocking out the view of the landscape; even though it was dirt and dry grass, I still liked the openness of the surface.
Challenger definitely did not have these, and that was why I missed Hopeville so much. It was home, and all things considered, it was a good home.
When I chuckled to myself at that, Blake looked back up at me with a thin smile. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing.” I replied with a shake of my head. “I’m just looking forward to heading back home is all.”
By now we rounded the last corner and were heading towards the main gate of the city, currently open as the city’s great tower crane held the steel door above the ground. Up ahead, the Trade Administration building was lit, the dim yellow-white glow peeking out from under the crack of the closed door and the two windows on its front wall. Outside however, to my surprise, I saw Marian as she patted Betsy’s right side, running a hoof along the hide of her trusty pack brahmin. The animal was no longer laden down with duffle bags and cases, but only had the cargo wagon harness strapped to her.
Even before we stepped into the clearing, she spotted us and gave us a friendly wave and smile. “Hello Gunny, Blake.”
“Hey Marian.” Blake happily greeted back.
“Hey there. Packed up already?” I asked as we approached.
Marian gave a nod as her smile slightly faded. “Yes. Hallion wants to get some distance on the road tonight after his meeting. We’ll probably camp out by the radio station again before we head back to two-o-three.”
“I see.” I replied. “Where will you two be heading off to after that?”
“We’re looking at heading up to the north to trade around the Trottingham region.” Marian answered, stepping away from Betsy to close the distance between us. “The last time we were up there, we found an untouched pre-war armory and got a lucky find. Have you ever heard of a gauss rifle?”
I nodded with a smirk. “Yeah. It’s probably the only energy weapon I’d ever use.”
Marian giggled at my reply. “Me too. Up there in Trottingham, we found one that was still intact, and over time we found the parts we needed to fix it up and restore it to brand new condition. We still have it locked away in our safe house in the region. Now, Hallion wants to finish cleaning out the armory and trade with the settlements around the Trottingham outskirts. Plus, we have some old friends up there as well that we’re hoping we can catch up with.”
“Finish clearing out the armory?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah. We sealed it back up after a couple trips.” Marian explained, rather casually before smirking back at me. “We might be generous sometimes, but we’re still running a business. Plus, with the armory sealed back up and its pre-war defenses online, both of which are only accessible by us, we could also use it as a temporary safe house until we finish looting it. The armory itself was part of a pre-war military base of course, one of the few that wasn’t directly hit with a balefire missile, so it survived the Last Day and the one hundred and seventy-five years of wear and tear afterwards.”
“Isn’t Trottingham really far away though?” Blake asked, cocking his head to the side.
“It is. It’ll take between seven and fourteen days to get there pending on how much distance we cover per day. It could take longer.” Marian answered, smiling reassuringly at the young pony. “But we’ve traveled there several times before. We know the roads, we know the land and how to live off of it, and we know of some camps and outposts to stop by on the way. Believe me Blake, if we didn’t know how to survive on the road, we wouldn’t be traveling to such a faraway place.”
“Will you ever be back to the southeast?” I asked. “You and your brother have been good friends to Hopeville.”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be back” Marian answered with a quick nod, her smile unwavering. “We travel the entire continent together. It’s only a matter of time before we restart the circle and stop on by this region again.”
“Well, then I should probably give this to you.” I said, unhooking the All-Equestrian from its place on my armor and gently setting it down onto the dirt in front of her forehooves. “It’s a beautiful weapon, one that you and Hallion should keep with you. You two made it and put a lot of heart into it, and because of that, I can’t see it being in the hooves of anypony except the both of you.” Marian looked down at the LMG in front of her, scanning over its entire length from stock to barrel before looking back up at me and smiling again. “Thanks for letting me keep it for awhile, but I thought it was about time that I turned in my new toy.” I added with a half smile of my own.
But then, instead of replying, Marian raised a foreleg and stepped over the weapon, slowly leaning in towards me. And before I found the reflex to move away, I felt her lips press against my coat as she gently kissed my right cheek, momentarily holding the contact before leaning back just enough to break the kiss. “When I first met you, I didn’t really know what to think about you.” she whispered into my ear. “We were strangers to each other then. In some parts of Equestria, two strangers just pass each other by. In other parts, two strangers fight until one or both of them are dead. I didn’t know what to expect from you… maybe a fight… but throughout the days that followed, because of them, I’ve come to see you for who you really are, Gunny. In Hopeville, when you stood ready to fight and die for your second home, I saw great courage. On the trail to Challenger as we walked our road, I saw loyalty, loyalty that you held for your friends, your home, and even for my brother and I. On that hill when we were attacked, I saw strength in not only your fighting skill, but in your decision to spare that raider’s life. In Challenger, when Nova left on her own, I saw a caring heart.” The whole world had tuned itself out upon Marian’s speaking her first words. Her voice was all I could hear… her words… heartfelt and sincere. And briefly, she leaned her head back, her muzzle drawing side-to-side with mine as we stood close to one another. “These things I’ve seen in you…” she continued, her voice soft… pure. “During our time in Hopeville, I’d heard talk about honor amongst its citizens… and I begun to wonder just what that word meant.” She took a step back now, her emerald eyes focusing on my own as she smiled. “Now I know.” she said, confidence clear in her voice before she closed the distance between us again, draped her forelegs over my neck, and pulled us together into a hug.
I had been so focused on Marian’s words that I hadn’t been able to form an immediate response. These things that she had supposedly seen in me… were things that I felt I hadn’t been paying much attention to. Maybe more so than this was the fact that I was still feeling like an expendable asset. Even after Nova’s appearance that morning when I had sought solitude to mourn for my father’s death, and even after I had spoken to my father one final time in the cemetery… I still felt the same… even though that feeling had been depressed over the days after the burial of our dead. I was good at keeping those kinds of feelings, lessened or not, hidden from my friends… but to hear Marian’s words brought a new light to my mind. I had mourned… I had shed tears… I had continued to uphold my duty as a guard, carrying out Saber’s orders to continue the effort of restoring Hopeville to its former self. But to still feel as if I were merely a tool, waiting for death to take me away just like it had taken my mother at childbirth, like it had taken my father during the raid…… was this what my parents would’ve wanted me to be feeling like? Is it what Shore, Gracie, Blake, and Nova would’ve wanted me to be feeling like?
I turned my head slightly to see Marian’s green coat, her head laying against my neck. I returned the embrace, slowly pulling her more snugly against me as I placed my free foreleg over her back, and for a moment, we remained locked together. A few passing seconds later, and Marian let out a soft sigh as she lowered her forelegs. “If there was more time…” she said, her voice nearly a whisper as she rested the side of her head against mine, speaking into my ear again. “If our roads weren’t so far apart… I would’ve loved to travel with you and your companions…… but… fate has us walking very separate paths.” When I felt her begin to move away, I released her and watched as she took a step back, my eyes following hers as she locked her gaze to me. “I have my mission, and you have yours, but if what I’ve seen in you is what your Stable home taught you, then do everypony in the wasteland a favor and always hold on to those values. Hold them close. These are the things that make you who you are, and they’re what give yourself and your friends strength. It is because of this, because of who you are, that you are just as important to them as they are to you. Will you remember that?”
There was truth in her words, something that the death of my father had kept concealed from me. I had never thought of things that way after the Stable, only thinking that the sole purpose in living was so that I could continue doing my job of keeping the survivors safe, to honor the last request my father had made to me. And then after that… I thought that I would die soon after. I had thought that when the job was finished, when Hopeville was secured and that Black Blood company beaten back, my time would be up, and death would come for me just like it had come for my parents. But no…… there was more to it than that… I was wrong.
I looked back up into Marian’s patient bright green eyes as they stared into mine, waiting for an answer to her question. She was right… my friends still needed me with them… to fight and to live…… I knew now, and with a nod, I answered her. “Yes ma’am.”
“Promise me.” she said back firmly, her gaze resolute. “Promise me that you’ll remember.”
I raised an eyebrow, making her gaze harden until it was nearly a glare. With a light exhale, I nodded again. “I promise.”
Marian’s smile returned, as if those were the two most important words she needed to hear from me. “You’ve shown me a lot of things, brave heart.” she said, stepping back behind the All-Equestrian again. “If you keep holding onto those virtues you have, if you keep close to your friends, then I think there’s nothing that you can’t do out here in Equestria.”
I gave a half smile back to her. “You think so, huh?”
“I do, and I think a lot of others do to.” Marian replied, turning back to Betsy as she let out a soft sigh. “Your home, your friends, my brother… if you keep being yourself, if you stay strong and loyal, hold on to the desire to do good, then I think others will come to appreciate you too… communities, settlers, families… maybe even a lucky mare one day.”
“Marian, are we all set?” A voice called out before my response to her last statement, and I saw to my right as Lucky Hallion emerged from the Trade Administration, the first out of half a dozen ponies to leave the building.
“Yes. The wagon’s ready and Betsy’s been fed.” Marian replied as her big brother joined us.
“Good, good.” Hallion nodded, stopping when he saw the All-Equestrian on the ground next to him. For a moment, silence took over as he looked between Marian and the weapon, eventually swinging his eyes to me when his sister gave a slight nod. His stare was instantly serious, as if he were measuring out my worth, and the lingering silence eventually made me shift a bit. But then, Hallion’s horn glowed with yellow-white light as the All-Equestrian was lifted off of the ground. Briefly, Hallion blew air across it to shake off the dust against its Everfree camouflage paint. And then in one motion, Hallion levitated the weapon over my back and resecured it to my armor.
I couldn’t help but crane my head around to look back at the weapon, sitting firmly beside my riot shotgun; it was a perfect fit against the security armor’s padding. “You’re not taking it?” I asked with surprise, swinging my head back around to face the merchant.
The yellow stallion shook his head back at me. “No. You’re taking it.” he said. “You might need it.”
“I… are you sure?” I asked, very hesitant to keep the LMG. After all, Hallion had said that it was perhaps the best weapon he had ever made. Something like this was not only the prized creation and possession of another, but also a powerful and well-built weapon, and it was something that I didn’t feel right taking with me.
“Like all of the weapons that my sister and I create, the All-Equestrian has one purpose, and that’s to kill the enemies of the good ponies of this wasteland. Settlements, caravans, cities, any of those that contained ponies trying to make something for themselves while helping others do the same was someplace that I wanted that LMG to be.” Hallion explained confidently, leaning over to jab my chest with a hoof as he added, “It may be one of the best guns we've ever made, but if it’ll serve anypony well right now, those ponies will be you and your friends. I’ve run into others out there that have been trying to do their part to help. They weren’t playing hero or trying to be the center of attention. All they were trying to do was to survive and to help others that were less fortunate. In my eyes, that’s what I see you and your friends doing right now. You’ve proven that before, and you all have that look about you that says ‘I’m ready to help others if and when they need me.’ You lot remind me of some of those few good ponies out there in other regions of Equestria, and I’m damn proud that I met you all.”
Behind Hallion, I caught a glimpse of Marian as she flashed me a wink, a gesture that spoke the words ‘I told you so’ without a voice. “If that’s really what you think,” I slowly said, gradually lowering my head in a bow to the merchant. “then I’d be honored to take this weapon with me.”
“The All-Equestrian is yours.” Hallion answered me, and I looked up to see him smiling back at me. “And please, don’t thank us for it. If you have to, then do so by staying alive and using that weapon to kick some raider tail.”
I chuckled, mostly at the rather casual way he had spoken his last sentence. “Yeah. I can do that.”
Hallion nodded at me before looking back at his cargo wagon. “Then until our next meeting, stay safe, good hunting, and keep doing what you’re doing.” he said. “The southeast, hell, the entirety of the wasteland is going to need ponies like you and your friends now more than ever. Between the Black Blood and every other threat and battle out there, ponies like you can do a lot of good.”
“Even me?” Blake asked with an eager smile, taking a step forward.
“You too.” Hallion replied with a smirk. “Just wait and see.”
“Well, whenever I help, I’ll do my best.” Blake declared proudly.
I nodded in agreement with the colt. “We all will.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Hallion replied, stepping up beside Betsy. “Ponies like you give me a lot of hope for the future of this world we live in.”
“Give Nova and Shore our regards, and keep giving us that hope.” Marian added as she stepped up beside her sibling, looking back at Blake and I. “Carrying hope with us is one of our greatest strengths on our long roads.”
“Good luck out there.” I gave the siblings a final bow, and with a wave of farewell from the pair of merchants, the two of them turned for the gate, Hallion gently urging Betsy to move until the pack brahmin pulled the cart along and fell in behind them. And as the three of them passed out of Challenger and ventured back into the southeast and to whatever new adventure awaited them, a great rumbling filled the air. Up above, the great tower crane, its vast frame still visible against the dark sky, shifted and rotated slightly before its cables lowered Challenger’s steel door back into place, locking down the city for the night.
“I hope we’ll see them again.” Blake said, turning to look up at me. “They were both really nice.”
“Yes they were.” I answered with a thin smile. “I’m sure that somewhere down the road, our paths will cross again.” Even as I spoke, I couldn’t help but look at the wall of steel sealing the city from the outside. Marian’s words still echoed in my mind… her words about me… and how my friends still needed me. Those words made me wonder about just how I thought… how I executed my actions. While these actions had led to only a few injuries, the worst being the chainsaw of course… perhaps some of my choices had been reckless, or at least the choices I made when not following a direct order. Proudspire, the Forward Post…… perhaps there were some things I needed to think about for the future. But Marian had said other things as well - things about me that she had admired. Hearing that somepony believed in the virtues I tried to carry and saw them within me was something that made me proud… Marian’s words gave me strength. But her last words…… ‘a lucky mare one day’…… what about her?…… I let out a light sigh, shaking my head. Marian had been right about us, and we both had our tasks to complete. It was just unfortunate that these tasks separated us across an entire continent.
I felt a nudge against my right foreleg, and I looked down to see Blake smirking at me, briefly wriggling his eyebrows in a gesture which I couldn’t help but snort at. “Alright,” I said with a roll of my eyes, nudging Blake forward with a hoof. “let’s head on back. I know that I need to get some sleep, and I’m sure you could use some too.”
“I am kind of tired.” Blake agreed with a nod. “Hopefully Nova will come back soon.”
“I bet that we’ll see her in the morning when we wake up.”
Blake smiled. “Yeah, I bet so too.” And with that, we made our way back into Challenger, the All-Equestrian strapped to my armor and a whole train of questions to think over chained to my thoughts.
*** *** ***
“Bella! Open up, it’s the city guard!”
The stallion’s voice stabbed into my sleep without mercy, waking me with a start and instantly making me look to where my .44 magnum sidearm lay nearby. Quickly though, my initial tension faded and left me yawning and rubbing my forehead. “Why the hell would the city guard come knocking in the middle of the night?” I mumbled to myself. Through the windows of the living room, I could see that it was indeed still dark outside, and the room itself was only illuminated by one dimly burning candle on a nearby end table. To my left, Shore and Blake slept on separate bedrolls underneath the staircase at the back of the room. The little colt had managed to ignore the midnight disturbance, only shifting in his sleep. But Shore was stirring with me, looking just as baffled and annoyed as I was at the sudden commotion.
Another quicker knock at the door sounded, the same stallion calling, “If anypony’s in there, we need you to come out! This is urgent!”
With no response coming from Bella, whose bedroom was upstairs, I rose to my hooves. “Hold on a second.” I said, quickly stretching my tired legs before making my way up to the door.
Opening it with my horn, I saw three guards in the outside light provided by the houses. Two of the guards were earth pony stallions, armed with dual carbine battle saddles and wearing matching sets of dark green combat armor. The third guard, a unicorn mare, was waiting in the street away from the stairs and speaking into some sort of portable radio. “Is Bella here?” one of the earth ponies asked.
“Yeah, but I think she’s still asleep.” I answered, trying not to sound as tired as I was. “Can I help you with something?”
Before the first guard could respond, the unicorn mare in the street called him. “Sir, the general says that she’s on her way to the clinic. She’ll meet us there.”
The guard turned back to me after a nod to his comrade. “We need to take Bella to the clinic.” the guard responded. “Her husband’s just returned, and he’s brought a number of others with him. He’s requested that she come to the clinic.”
“You mean Shotshell?” I asked, my senses coming alert when the guard nodded. “That’s the stallion Nova went out to look for. Did you see a pegasus with them?”
The guard frowned, his face becoming concerned. “Yeah, there was a pegasus in their group, but… well, she didn’t look too good. I don’t know what got to her, but she was torn up pretty bad when Shotshell brought her in.”
“She…” Any instant reply wouldn’t come because of the pit quickly forming in my stomach, and I looked away from the guard, a million images suddenly churning through my thoughts. There were moments where one’s paranoia would be for nothing, moments where you could breath a sigh of relief and laugh at yourself for being so nervous when there was no reason to be. Then there were those rare moments, those terrible and gut-wrenching moments, where one’s fears would be confirmed as a reality and would leave a feeling of anxiety and tension like none other; this was one of those moments.
“I’ll go get Bella.” I heard Shore, and when I looked back, I saw as my friend passed a quick and concerned glance to the still-sleeping Blake before quickly trotting up the stairs.
I swung my eyes back to the two guards at the front entrance; I had to ask the most important question first. “Is she alive?”
“I don’t know.” the first guard answered lowly.
“You don’t know?” I asked; that pit started to freeze.
“Easy now. General Silverlight ordered us to come here once we escorted Shotshell and the others to the clinic.” the second guard put in hastily. “We didn’t stay long enough to hear what Doctor Miles said about her.”
I warned her. These words echoed like a voice in a cave, and I couldn’t get them out. I had warned her to take us with her, and now she was in a clinic, and I didn’t know how hurt she was… I should’ve gone with her anyway!!
I could’ve helped her… protected her…
I let out a sigh, shaking my head of the thoughts before I could blame myself. “I’d like to go see her.” I said, looking back up to the guards.
“You’re one of her friends then?” the second guard asked, to which I nodded a short nod. “Yeah, you should come with us too. If she’s come around, then she’ll be happy to see familiar faces.”
“Hey, what’s going on?” I turned to look back into the room again where the drowsy voice had come from. As fate would have it, Blake was now stirring, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he focused on the assembly at the front door. “Is Nova back yet?”
Perfect time to wake up…
“Um… Blake… I need you to stay here while I’m gone.” I said, trying (and mostly failing) to keep the worry out of my voice. “I have to go see somepony for a bit.”
“Is it Nova?” Blake asked with a widening smile, hope etched even in his tired words.
“It’s…” I let out a light sigh; I wasn’t good at lying in general, and I was even worse at lying to a child. “Yes. It’s Nova.” Blake practically leapt to his hooves at hearing that name, but as he came trotting towards me, I raised a hoof to stop him. “But Blake, listen for a second.” I added firmly. “Nova’s back… but the city guard say that she’s at the clinic. She ran into some trouble when she was out there yesterday.”
“The clinic?” Blake asked, cocking his head before his smile disappeared, swift understanding coming to him. “You mean… she’s hurt??”
“That’s what I’ve been told.” I answered bitterly. “I haven’t seen her yet, so that’s where I’m going.”
“But… s-she’s okay, right??” Blake asked, urgently looking between myself and the two guards behind me.
“I’m sure she’s fine.” one of the guards assured, stepping up beside me. “We’ll take you to her so you can see her as soon as Bella comes and joins us.”
The guard’s attempt to ease the young colt, however, did little to keep Blake calm. As he begun to pace nervously back and forth, Blake looked back at me with scared eyes. “I knew Nova shouldn’t have gone alone!” he remarked loudly. “She should’ve at least taken you or Shore if not me!”
“I know, Blake, I know.” I replied, quickly trotting up and stretching out a foreleg to halt him. “I absolutely agree. But right now, let’s just focus on seeing her. I’m sure that when we get there, she’ll be perfectly awake and ready to see you again.”
Blake let out a shaky sigh. “I hope she’s okay…”
I placed a hoof on his back in assurance. “I do to. But remember, she’s a tough little pegasus. We’ve seen her pull through injuries before.”
Blake uttered a short and sad little laugh. “You called her little…” he said with a sniff.
I smirked, chuckling with him. “Yeah. Just don’t tell her I said that.”
At the back of the room, hoofsteps caught my attention, and I turned to see Shore leading Bella and Lucan, both of whom were wide awake and smiling big, down from the second floor. “Oh please tell me it’s true!” Bella called out, passing Shore and trotting towards us upon descending the stairs.
I backed out of the way with Blake as she stepped up to the guards, the first one replying, “Yes it’s true. Both he and the general sent us out to wake you up. Also, Shotshell says that he hopes you don’t mind being woken up at this hour.”
Bella immediately shook her head. “No, of course I don’t.” she said with a sigh of relief.
“Alright then, let’s head out. Doc Miles is tending to the wounded and General Silverlight should be there soon.” the guard said, leading us out into the road as a group.
“Pardon me, but why is the general going to be there?” Bella asked as she locked her door behind Lucan, the last one out.
“Shotshell said something about Plainwell being attacked.” the second guard answered, briefly turning to the female unicorn guard and giving a nod before looking back at Bella. “He said the Talons were responsible.”
“The Talons… wait… the Talons??” Bella asked in shock, grouping up with us on the road. “As in the Talons that Challenger had fought years ago??”
The guard immediately shushed her. “Keep your voice down.” he whispered, looking up at the buildings on either side of the street. “The last thing we need right now is a panic in the middle of the night… but yes, it’s those Talons. According to Shotshell, they’ve returned from the north and they mean business. That’s why the general’s coming by the clinic as well.”
“Roger that.” the unicorn guard said, speaking into her portable radio before strapping it to her combat armor and turning to her fellow sentries. “Let’s head out shall we?”
“Follow me everypony.” The first guard took the lead of our group, leading us deeper into Challenger’s residential sector. Our hoofsteps were the only noise in its streets, and at the moment, only a scattering of houses and apartments further into the city were illuminated, making the guards resort to their personal flashlights to show the road ahead of us. The walk itself was utterly silent, and I occasionally caught Bella giving a concerned look back at us, or more specifically, Blake. The colt’s head was lowered, eyes focused only on the ground as he walked between Shore and myself, and when I gave him a nudge with my hoof, he only passed a halfhearted smile to me before looking back down at the ground; there wouldn’t be many words from him until we got there.
“Hey Gunny…” I looked to my right to see Shore looking back at me, worry clearly written behind his reading glasses. “I heard about Nova. Do they know anything else? Is she alright?”
“The guards said that they didn’t know how she was holding up.” I replied uncertainly, shaking my head.
“Nothing else at all?” Blake asked, distressed eyes looking up at mine. When I shook my head again, he looked back down at the ground.
“Hang in there kiddo.” I said gently. “Like I said, Nova’s tough. She’ll be alright.” Blake only gave a weak nod, not even looking away from the dirt, and all three of us falling into silence once again.
We made a second turn onto a long lane, five-story apartments spaced between a series of smaller houses lining both sides of the road. At the end of the lane was a courtyard free of residences, but blocked by a closed metal gate. Two unicorn guards on the night shift were standing watch outside of it, and upon spotting us, one of them raised his hoof to us as his companion opened the gateway. “General Silverlight and her group just passed through here.” the guard said as we approached. “They’re waiting for you at the other end of the market square.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Beyond the gate, the courtyard fanned out into a massive circular enclosure. Locked up stalls, booths, and closed tents ringed along the perimeter of the market plaza, and another ring of stalls created a smaller loop, making a circular lane that with its many shops both to the left and right of me. As we walked along the path, I could see another road that branched from the market square, leading straight to a collection of single-story shops…
“Is the general here?”
I snapped back ahead to see three more guards at the end of the lane, the stallions waiting near another opened gate. “She’s already in the clinic talking with Shotshell and another survivor. You all can go on ahead.” one of the three answered, nodding toward the next street.
When we came upon the next road, I instantly spotted the clinic on the right side, the two-story stone structure being built just outside the exterior wall of the market square as well as being the only building with its windows lit. The front door was already open, and as we approached the steps, another earth pony guard trotted out onto the top of the porch. “General Silverlight, ma’am, the others have arrived.” she called back inside before hopping off the deck and stepping to the side.
“Good.” came Silverlight’s reply from inside. “Shotshell, I think there are a couple of ponies outside who want very much to see you again.”
On cue, the guards escorting our group stepped aside as both Bella and Lucan picked up their pace to a trot and ascended the stone stairs. But before they could enter, a single unicorn stallion skidded to a halt at the doorway, blocking their approach. He was a brown buck with a gold mane, and he was wearing bloodstained leather armor, the largest concentration of it painted along his back and streaking down his sides. He had come to a stop at the same time as Bella and Lucan, all of them face to face, and only after a short moment of silence, the three of them swiftly enveloped one another in a big family hug. “You had me so worried Shotshell!” Bella exclaimed, muzzle buried into her husband’s chest.
“I know, I know… I’m so sorry I didn’t come home when I said I would.” Shotshell replied, holding both his wife and son as close as he could. “Goddesses, it’s so good to see you two.”
“I thought I’d never see you again, dad.” Lucan muttered shakily. “I was so scared…”
“I was scared too… your mother and I both were.” Shotshell gently replied. “But we’re all home now, and we’re all safe and sound.”
“Yeah… now we’re finally back together again.” Lucan remarked with a growing smile, to which his father gratefully nuzzled him.
“That we are, my son, and I’ll make sure that this family never gets separated again.” Shotshell replied, kissing his child on the forehead. “I promise you both that here and now.”
“You’re back with us, and our family is whole again.” Bella replied, giving Shotshell a heartfelt kiss. “That’s all I need right now. That’s all we need.”
“Yes, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Nova.”
My ears perked up at Shotshell’s words, and I looked back up at the top of the steps as he explained, “That mare saved my life, warned me about a pony sneaking up behind me to finish me off so I could react and defend myself. If her eyes hadn’t been quick and she hadn’t done what she did, I don’t think I’d be here right now.”
Bella gave a slow and concerned nod. “But you’re alright? You’re not hurt?” she asked as she looked over his dirty and bloodied armor. “There’s so much blood on you… where did it all come from?”
Shotshell shook his head. “No my dear, I’m not hurt, and I hate to say that this isn’t my blood…… it’s Nova’s.”
Bella let out a small gasp. “Nova’s??”
That was it.
I only gave a quick nod to Shore before I trotted towards the steps; I could tell that both Shore and Blake were trailing right behind me as we ascended the stairs. “Excuse me, we need to get through.” I said quickly, nearly bumping into Shotshell before the three of them cleared a path for me to enter the clinic. The first room of the building was a sort of lobby, a small square space with a single unoccupied desk, an assortment of medical paperwork stacked upon it. Beyond the lobby was the clinic itself, a much larger room in which multiple hospital beds lined three of the four walls, the fourth and farthest wall reserved for the medical supply locker, equipment table, multiple cabinets, and the two lines of yellow and pink first-aid boxes, all of which sat under the staircase leading to the second floor.
I immediately recognized General Silverlight, seeing her by the staircase directly ahead as she stood beside a younger unicorn mare whose body was covered with red tattoos. Upon seeing me enter, the general took a step forward, an uneasy look upon her face. “Gunny, you and your friends should stay in the lobby.” she warned. However, her words died away when my eyes found the very sight that she had been warning me against - the one that I had feared.
It was already too late for me to leave.
On the right side of the clinic, laying on one of the several hospital beds that lined against the wall, was the damaged and bloody form of Nova. Her bed had already been spattered and stained with crimson, and her collective injuries made a more terrible scene than I had dared to imagine. She was laying on her right side, her left dampened with water where the blood had been wiped away, making the hair of her coat stick up in short spikes. The red color had not entirely faded, however, and I could still see that these wounds had caused her to bleed all over her left legs and side. With most of the blood washed away, I had a clear view of two gunshot wounds as well as a ragged trio of long gashes along the length of her belly. A bronze, white-maned, unicorn stallion garbed in doctor fatigues and large glasses was currently by her bedside, gently applying a damp reddened cloth to the gashes on her belly to wipe away a thin trail of fresh blood before tossing the fabric into a short metal bin against the wall; it was filled to the top with bloody rags.
“Nova?!”
My senses snapped alert to the only voice that could’ve made me turn away, and I just barely managed to block Blake with my right foreleg as he tried to dash for the bed. “No Blake!”
“Let me go!” he protested sharply, shoving at my intervening limb to try and get around me. “I need to see her!”
“Please don’t let him over here.” the doctor, whom I assumed was Doctor Miles, warned gently. “I can’t have him interfering while I tend to these wounds.”
“I’ve got him.” I quickly answered back, looking back down to the struggling colt. “Blake, stay with me!” Taking a quick step forward, I managed to fully hook my foreleg around his chest, and I yanked him back against me, forcing him into a bear-hug that he wouldn’t be able to escape. Still, he looked back at his unconscious sister, easing in my hold as he called out her name a second time. There was no response from her as Doc Miles levitated a syringe and a small surgical blade, and upon calling her name a third time, also receiving no response, I heard as Blake let out a sob. “Don’t look at her.” I urged the colt, gently forcing him to look away before he buried his muzzle into my free foreleg; I could tell that he was fighting back the tears that wanted to come.
“Doctor, please… she is…” I looked at Shore as he stepped up beside me, staring apprehensively back at the doctor as he waited for an answer.
The older unicorn stallion gave a grim nod. “Yes, she’s alive.” he answered, lowering his blade and syringe back to the table. “She’s lost a large quantity of blood though, and I believe that if it hadn’t been for Sheva’s tribal medicine, Nova wouldn’t have made it back here alive.” He explained, nodding towards the unicorn mare sitting next to the general.
“What medicine?” Shore asked.
“An herbal brew from the far north, and one that I’m very familiar with.” Miles explained. “Some of us here in Challenger call it Bitter Drink, and we’ve occasionally traded with some of the tribes and acquired some bottles of it. The drink itself heals the wounds but leaves the pain that came with them behind. Having Nova drink a dose of it undoubtedly saved her from losing a fatal amount of blood. Now I just need to apply a shot of Med-X, extract the bullets, dress the wounds, and give her two or three healing potions. She should make a full recuperation on her own after that.”
I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh of relief, nodding.
“Don’t worry Blake.” Shore said, nudging the colt under my foreleg with a hoof. “Nova’s alive.”
Blake looked back at his sister. “So… she’ll be okay?” he asked with a sniff.
“Yes she will.” Miles answered with a thin smile. “Once I patch her up, she’ll be on her way to a full recovery.”
“Thank you doctor.” I said with a deep bow of my head.
“Don’t mention it. It’s what I’m here for.”
With that, the doctor turned back to Nova, and I nudged Blake forward and away from the sight of his sister, following Shore to the far end of the clinic. Now that I confidently knew that Nova would live through her injuries, my attention came to the mare next to General Silverlight. The tattoo-covered unicorn was light grey in color with a red mane and tail, and both she and Silverlight were looking back at us as we approached.
“I am greatly comforted that your friend will live.” Sheva said with a gentle smile, her exotic voice both compassionate and relieved. “I did not think that the medicine I had given her would have been enough to keep her alive, for it had been all I had managed to take with me.” She paused briefly in thought before adding, “Although, my husband had also managed to sneak a dose of the drink away as well, and he gave it to her after we had rejoined her. The wounds she had sustained later during the conflict were very wicked.”
“Whatever happened back there,” I stated, shaking my head. “she’ll live because of what you and your husband did for her, and I’m deeply grateful to the both of you. We all are.”
“As we are grateful for the help she gave our family and remaining tribe.” Sheva calmly replied. “Nova lured the enemy sky warrior into the path of our guns, giving us the opportunity to kill the monster and flee Plainwell. Without her help, I fear that we may not have made it back at all. A life for a life.”
“We heard about Plainwell being attacked on the way here.” Shore remarked, adjusting his glasses. “What exactly happened?”
“And how did Nova get so hurt?” Blake asked sadly.
“Our home was attacked and taken over.” Sheva explained with a sad shake of her head. “The black-armored soldiers were more than a match for our own warriors, and their storm drums… slaughtered our tribe. Only a few survived the attack because they were the ones who surrendered… though most who were unarmed were not spared…” Sheva sniffed and sighed. “The rest of us were taken as prisoners, held as such until our captors could decide our fate for us… but now, I wish to no longer speak of my home, for I miss it, and those of my tribe who died within it, dearly.”
“I’m sorry, Sheva.”
“I appreciate your sympathy.” she said back to me, a wan smile on her face as she walked towards the staircase at the back of the room. “If you wish to know more, then Silverlight or Shotshell can tell you. I must go and… rest for awhile.” With that, she departed, and I just barely heard a sob come from the tribal mare as she disappeared onto the second floor.
“The rest of her people are up there on the second floor. There were sixteen survivors out of around two hundred. It’s a damned shame, all of it.” General Silverlight muttered, and I looked back to see her likewise staring at the staircase. “I came here to get Shotshell’s report after he told my guards of their return. The Talons are a nasty bunch, despite how civilized they can actually be.”
“Who exactly are they?” Shore asked.
“The Talons started out as a mercenary company called the Jackals, originating from the ruins of the city of Hayward in the north. All I know about the city itself was that it was one of the few that wasn’t leveled with a balefire missile. Instead, it was taken out by a non-megaspell missile payload on the Last Day. I don’t know if the zebras ran out of balefire weapons after bombing the rest of the nation or what, but either way, that made Hayward one of the safest cities in the new wasteland the day after the world ended. So the survivors rebuilt their lives in what was left of their home, repopulated, gathered resources. Over the first one hundred years or so, they were probably the most successful community out there. Even when they were just starting to rebuild, they had the strength in numbers and the skill to grow and protect themselves at the same time. They repelled any and all attacks, were excellent scavengers, and raiders that sprang up learned to avoid them by habit. But eventually, it was that spree of success that created a desire among the Talons to expand. By then, they were strong enough and large enough to be able to send ponies out to explore farther into the wastes. They learned how to interact with other communities that sprang up, discovered bottle caps, trade, mercenary work.” Silverlight let out a mirthless chuckle, sitting down on her haunches before adding, “ I don’t know if it was their current leaders or just some stupid ambition, but mercenary work really appealed to them. Getting a contract with a name of a pony somepony else wanted dead, killing for trade and money… they just liked it, got good at it, and they weren’t afraid of any job offer. Every completed job won them reputation, goods, and occasional followers.”
“They don’t call themselves mercenaries anymore though.” Shotshell put in, trotting up to join us with both Bella and Lucan at his side. “They’ve occasionally taken to calling themselves a legion, though that isn’t used often.”
“As much as I hate to admit it, they’ve got every right to call themselves one.” General Silverlight remarked sourly. “There skill in combat was well known, nearly unmatched… and it was known even better when they began expanding forcefully. They started attacking smaller settlements, killing any that fought back and imprisoning those who surrendered. During that time, word of Challenger was spreading around as quick as the Talons were, and so it was no surprise that they heard of it too. That’s when they came to our doorstep about ten years ago. There was no diplomatic talk and there was no warning. They just started shooting, and that was their biggest mistake. They attacked us as the Talon Legion, and we were at war with them for well over a year. Despite their reputation as soldiers, their training, their skill, and their signature twenty millimeter flak guns, we still pushed them back out of the southeast. According to President Radiant Gem, her mother told her that it was because of all of the help we received from the outside. It almost seemed like the whole damned wasteland came to help us against them. Food and medicine from Route 52, weapons from Hoofington, personnel from the heartland. With all of that help, we sent the Talons packing, and once they were out of the territory, we never saw them again… until now.”
“They wiped out Plainwell, and they caught me by surprise when I got there. Took me captive when I was searching the town… I don’t know why they didn’t just shoot.” Shotshell recollected dourly, briefly pausing as Lucan hugged his father’s foreleg tighter, letting it be known that he didn’t like those last words at all. “They interrogated me once,” Shotshell continued, pulling his child close. “so they figured out I was from Challenger, but that was as far as they got before Sheva planned out a prison break. When they tried dragging her away for interrogation, she dispatched them and secured the keys to the cages they brought. After that, the break unfolded from there.” The stallion looked over between Shore and I. “Nova showed up just as we managed to escape the cages and take the fight to the Talons outside.”
“And what happened to her?” I asked, taking a worried look back at my unconscious friend.
“Griffins, the sharpshooters of the detachment.” Shotshell replied with a frown. “There were two of them, and she was engaged in the air. She gave them a run for their caps when she was up there though. She’s one hell of a flier in my opinion.”
“How do they have griffins with them?”
“Hayward was a city that ponies and griffins shared in the Old World.” General Silverlight answered me. “The griffins there may have actually been one of the few griffin population centers that were fully loyal to Equestria and fought for the princesses during the war. Those that survived the Last Day stayed in Hayward same as the ponies there and ended up following the same path afterwards.”
“So why on Equestria would they choose now to return to the southeast?” Bella wondered aloud.
“When they attacked us ten years ago, they came because we were a settlement under construction.” Silverlight answered matter-of-factly. “They saw a chance at us when we were in a weakened state, distracted with building instead of fighting. Unfortunately, today is hardly different. We’re still distracted, but now we’re distracted with defending ourselves from a new threat. If they haven’t come to take advantage of our situation with the Black Blood, then I don’t know why else they would’ve come. Either way, between planning caravan trips and new patrolling schedules, I’m going to have a full plate for awhile.” The general let out a sigh as she stood and adjusted her beret. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I need to try and catch a couple more hours of shuteye. The sun will be up soon, and tomorrow’s going to be a very busy day.” With a quick salute, General Silverlight headed for the exit before stopping in her stride. “And Shotshell, Lucan,” she added with a thin smile. “welcome back home… oh and Gunny, Shore…”
“Yes ma’am?” I asked.
“Keep your eyes open for a letter. I don’t know the status of Hopeville’s resupply caravan yet, but I’ll let you know first thing in the morning.”
“Yes ma’am, thank you.” At my nod, the general headed out to the exit, the voices of her guards rising up outside as she gave the order to move before the chatter carried out beyond earshot.
“I think it’s time that we got back to the house.” Shotshell proclaimed, standing up to all fours. “I’m sure we all could use a little more rest before tomorrow comes around.”
Before I could reply (and agree), I felt a bump against my foreleg. “Can we stay here until Nova wakes up?” Blake asked, looking up at me.
“We should probably go back as well.” I answered with a shake of my head. “I know you want to stay now, but we can come back tomorrow when we’re all a little more well-rested.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again until Nova wakes up.” Blake sadly mumbled.
“Hey, if you want to stay up to speed on your friend’s condition, I can send one of my assistants out to fetch you tomorrow.” Doc Miles offered from where he stood by his opened medical locker. “Are you staying at the Sunstone Saloon?”
“Bella has taken us into her home.” Shore explained, smiling as he added, “If you could keep in touch with us about Nova, we would be most grateful.” Blake agreed with vigorous nodding.
“Certainly.” the doctor replied with a dip of his head. “I’ve just finished bandaging Nova’s wounds as well, and the healing potions are already working. She should be up in a few hours at most.”
“That’s very kind of you Doctor Miles.” Bella complimented with a smile of her own. “I hope for the best for Nova’s recovery. I still need to thank her for everything she’s done for our family.”
“And you’ll all get the chance to.” Miles assured before making a shooing motion with his hoof. “Now you all head on back and get some rest. I’ll keep checking up on Nova until she wakes up, and you’ll be the first to know when she does.”
Beside me, Blake looked only partially relieved at the doctor’s assurances, and as we left the clinic with Shotshell in the lead, I saw as the colt passed several glances back to where Nova slept. When we stepped outside into the city dark, I used my horn to lift Blake off of the ground and onto my back. “Don’t worry Blake,” I assured, more confidently than earlier. “Nova will be back up and at em’ again before you know it.” Though Blake didn’t speak his agreement, I saw him give the a very small, and perhaps a little more confident, nod at my words. “Just give her a little more time.” Though honestly, there were some things that needed to be discussed once Nova came to. While it perhaps was not the most pleasant of topics, Nova’s going out on her own had to be addressed as soon as possible before her solo flying became a habit.
*** *** ***
Wounded.
Two rifle rounds to my left legs, I was out of the air, and one barely-executed landing later, I was laying dazed and bleeding on the dirt. I was on my uninjured side facing an array of stone buildings, marked with the signs of one hundred and seventy-five years of age. Dark clouds hung overhead, stretching as far as could be seen and blanketing the town of Plainwell in its darkness. All around me, the air was bitter with the stench of cordite, blood, and smoke as the battle raged, the black-armored soldiers tearing into the tribal defenders with military tact and precision. They were an organized fighting force, unfortunately more than a match for the civilians and guardsponies fighting to keep their home out of enemy hooves.
And now, two of those black-armored soldiers approached me, hovering in to finish me off.
Two griffins, having successfully taken me out of the action, stared down at me with focused eyes, taking in the sight of their next kill as I lay weakened before them. Wordless, the male drew his assault rifle in his claws again, the weapon that had downed me, and he sighted me in as his female comrade watched behind him, a smirk on her face.
Then… a flash… but not from the weapon… no. The flash lingered, blazing white light that washed around me all at once, shining brighter to the east. My body didn’t allow me to move much, only enough to crane my head around to see the source of the glare which, as I caught sight of it, turned to the baleful green glow of balefire.
A mushroom-shaped balefire cloud, rising silently into the sky, took shape on the far eastern horizon, cutting out the sounds of the battle. Then, all sight was blasted away with a deafening and mighty roar.
*** *** ***
“You’re finally awake. How about that.”
The older voice of a stallion broke through the fog of unconsciousness as my slower and weakened senses begun to return. I found myself laying on a surprisingly comfortable bed, warm and cozy thanks to the clean blanket draped over me. All of my gear, pipbuck aside, had been removed, my back feeling much better due to the lack of the saddle. Every part of me was covered by the thick blanket except my head and neck which rested on a rather plush pillow, serving as an unfortunately excellent reminder of how I hadn’t slept in such comfort since before leaving Stable 181.
When I tried to move, slowly shifting my forelegs to try and prop myself up and look over my surroundings, I immediately felt a hoof on my back. “Whoa, easy there, easy.” the same older voice said gently. “You’ve been unconscious for nearly a day now. Just relax a second, get your bearings.”
I’ll admit, I kind of liked this blanket… okay, I’ll stay here for a second… yeah.
I eased back onto the bed, curling up a little as the stallion with me lifted his hoof off of my back. “Where am I?” I asked, the words coming out hoarsely.
“You’re back in Challenger now, the clinic to be exact.” the stallion answered. “You’re safe here.” With some effort, I managed to get my eyes open, and though my vision was a bit hazy as it adjusted, I made out an older-looking unicorn stallion, bronze-colored with a white mane. At seeing my eyes, the older buck gave me a friendly smile. “I’m Doc Miles. Welcome back.”
“You said… I was out for a day?”
“Just about, Nova.” Miles replied, stepping outside of my vision. “You were brought in last night. It’s evening of the next day now.”
A whole day.
I let out a sigh, one that came out as a ragged moan. “Great…”
“Now, don’t be too hard on yourself.” the doctor remarked with a light chuckle. “You honestly didn’t expect yourself to get right back up after taking two bullets and a set of claws did you?”
“No… I guess not.” I mumbled, sinking my head deeper into my pillow as Miles returned.
“Exactly. Now hold still a moment please.” As instructed, I remained at rest, looking ahead at one of the clinic walls as he pulled back my blanket. “Well, your wounds have healed nicely and without problems, so that’s a good start. Still, with all of the blood you lost on the way back from Plainwell, I don’t think it’s safe enough for you to be flying around again, at least not at the moment.”
I shifted to lay on my belly; my head ached. “My friends and I were planning on leaving today to bring a caravan to Hopeville.” I explained, clearing my throat.
Miles shook his head. “No. What you need right now is food, water, and rest. If you leave now and go running around out in the wastes in your condition, you’re bound to get hurt again, even if you don’t get into a fight with a raider squad.”
“Honestly, I feel fine now that my wounds are healed.” I insisted, perhaps a tad stubbornly as I tried to rise to my hooves again… only to be rewarded with an obnoxiously potent headache that forced me back onto the bed. “Ow…”
“See? You just get back under that blanket for awhile, and I’ll get you something to eat.” Before I could try and protest again, the doctor’s magic pulled the blanket back over me, covering up to my neck, before he trotted away towards the staircase and up to the second floor.
Only a few minutes later, he returned with a metal platter upon which an assortment of foods were assembled. “Here, eat some of this.” Miles said as he set the tray on a small counter by my bedside. “There’s pinyon nuts, preserved raisins, oats, and greens, and of course some water. These will help your body recover quicker from the blood loss.”
“I do feel kind of hungry… thank you.” Reaching over, I snagged one of the three bowls with my teeth and set it in front of me to munch on the preserved leafy veggies within. “If you don’t mind me asking, doctor, do you happen to have a shower or anything I can wash myself with?” I asked after my first swallow.
“Of course.” Miles easily answered. “You get some rest first, and I’ll let you use it first thing in the morning.”
“I’d appreciate it.” I couldn’t help but think back to Plainwell… trotting through those bodies… only a shower would get that grime off of me… I wanted it gone.
“I sent one of my assistants out into the city to fetch your friends.” Miles explained as he trotted into a lobby in front of the clinic. “You were kind of kicking around a bit before you woke up.”
“Oh… yeah, I was having a… strange dream.” I slowly explained. “I guess it really was a nightmare of sorts.”
“I see. Well, I won’t pry. From everything I heard about what happened at Plainwell, I’m not surprised that you would’ve had one. But your friends should be here shortly.”
“Have they come by often?” I asked, smiling thinly since I was sure that I already knew the answer.
“As often as they could.” Miles answered, trotting back into the clinic and stepping up to my bedside. “Blake’s been coming by more than the others though. Shotshell and his family have been taking care of him while your friends went outside. Your little brother’s hardly been away from your bedside.”
My ears drooped at the mentioning of my young sibling; I could only begin to imagine how worried he must’ve been. “Is he alright?”
“Oh yes, he’s fine.” Miles assured. “He’s been worried sick, but he’s gotten better. I’m afraid to say that you gave him quite a fright when you were brought in.” As if reading my very thoughts, he lowly added, “He saw you before I managed to get you fully cleaned up and moved to a clean mattress. I don’t think I need to go into the details.”
I shook my head, pushing away my partially finished bowl of leafy greens. “I guess I have some apologizing to do.” I muttered.
“Like I said before, don’t be too hard on yourself. You couldn’t have known about Plainwell’s fate in advance.”
“But my friends all told me that I should’ve gone with at least one of them.” I explained with another sigh. “I think I made a mistake.”
“Well, then maybe you should take your friends’ advice to heart.” Miles suggested with a shrug. “I’ve been out in the wasteland enough times to know that having friends in your travels is a great benefit. It’s an advantage that some ponies out there aren’t fortunate enough to have, and knowing that you came out of your Stable with a number of friends makes me believe that you’d agree with me completely.”
I gave him a short nod, turning my attention back to my food to finish off the greens that I had, for a moment, thought I wasn’t going to finish. “I’ve seen ponies who made friends with the wrong group. That’s just as bad.” I stated after swallowing another mouthful of my veggies. “Gunny and Shore are ponies I grew up with, and there’s another dear friend of mine tending to the wounded back home in Hopeville. And then there’s Blake. He’s the last of my blood family. I’m glad that they’re all with me out here, because I don’t know what I’d do without them.”
The doctor smiled approvingly. “In a world filled with uncertainty, it’s a great comfort to know that you have friends to watch out for you.”
Finishing off my greens, I set the bowl aside, but as I made ready to delve into the pinyon nuts and raisins, I heard hoofsteps in the lobby. “Hey, she’s awake.” the familiar voice of Shotshell declared happily, and I turned to see as he led Bella and Lucan inside.
“Hi there.” I greeted, waving a timid little wave before I adjusted myself under my blanket.
“It’s so good to see you up and awake again.” Bella cheerfully stated, the three of them coming up around my bedside as the doctor made room for them.
“She just woke up a few minutes ago.” Miles explained, smiling at me as well. “And she’s in good health.” Lucan let out a little cheer at hearing those words, one which I couldn’t help but blush at.
“I’ve just got this nasty headache now.” I explained with a playful roll of my eyes.
“You’re looking much better than before. Shotshell replied, placing a hoof on my back. “And I’m glad that’s the case, because we haven’t gotten to thank you yet.”
“You brought us back together again, Nova.” Lucan piped up happily, rearing up to place his forehooves up on my bed. “And you took care of me when I was in Hopeville. Thanks a bunch!”
When the little colt leaned over the mattress, trying to give me a hug, I leaned forward to let him. “You’re certainly welcome my little friend.” I said with a giggle, returning his embrace. “It was the right thing to do.”
“You gave us our lives back.” Bella added, likewise hugging me after Lucan let me go. “You and your companions will always be trusted friends to our family.”
“I’m glad we could help out.” I stated, returning her embrace as well.
“We’ve got something for you to pay for what you’ve done for us.” Shotshell announced as Bella released me, but before I could even move my mouth to protest, he added, “And we’ve already gotten everything together that we want to give you, so there’s no getting out of it. Gunny warned me about your tendency to be modest, so I came prepared. There will be no escape.”
At that poke at my character, the five of us shared a round of laughs before Shotshell levitated something off of his back. It was a sniper rifle, one that I immediately recognized as Blue Fire’s Torch. It’s sapphire, silver, and black camouflage paintjob was gleaming in the lantern light, showing off the rifle’s pristine condition to all eyes that laid upon it. But there was a modification on the beautiful and deadly weapon - the complete assembly of a firing bit, built into the rifle’s left side and attached to the trigger.
“Oh…”
“Gunny and Shore explained how you found the weapon.” Shotshell recollected. “It was assembled for a unicorn, apparently, so we decided to make it adaptable for your use.” As he levitated the weapon onto my pillow for me to see, he pointed a hoof at the firing bit. “You can see that the bit is built at a slight upward angle from the frame. That’s so that you can properly aim through the scope.” The weapon shifted in the air, the stock coming in line with my right shoulder. “If I just move the pillow,” Shotshell continued, setting the pillow onto the empty bed next to mine. “you can see that you can brace the stock against your shoulder. In order to use the scope, the user has to tilt her head slightly to the right so that her eye lines up with the lens.” I experimented by looking through the scope, or tried to, rather. Instead, my muzzle bumped against the firing bit, and I realized then that the only way to properly aim through the scope was to take the bit in my mouth as if preparing to fire. “Don’t worry, it’s unloaded. The safety’s on to.” Shotshell assured at my hesitance. “And the firing bit takes a little pressure to hit the rifle’s trigger, so you’ll have to bite down a little harder for it to work. When you’re firing, squeeze down on the bit, don’t chomp on it. If you squeeze the bit, the scope won’t move around, plus your aim will be even better when the bipod is out. The whole pressure bit thing is just a safety measure, and one that I thought would come in handy if you ever use this rifle. That way, you can look through the scope and search for your targets without accidentally firing the weapon off before you’re ready.”
“That’s helpful.” I commented, nodding before I leaned forward and took the firing bit into my mouth, pressing my right eye against the scope’s rubber eyepiece to peer through the lens. When I closed my left eye, the crosshairs were all I could see, simply made of one horizontal and one vertical red line that met at the center; I could picture the face of a raider in the scope, a pony who deserved the hole in his skull… I shivered.
“Are you okay?” Bella asked concernedly.
A moment of silence later, and I released the firing bit, giving a slow nod. “The new firing bit is a perfect fit. Thank you for getting it for me.”
“You’re welcome.” Shotshell replied, though raising an eyebrow as he levitated Blue Fire’s Torch away and returned my pillow to me. “But I saw you shake a little. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah, of course. I’m just a little chilly.” I answered, perhaps a little too quickly.
Lucan cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Even with the blanket on?” he asked, making me facehoof at my own stupidity.
“Okay, you got me.” I huffed, looking back up at Shotshell. “It’s just that when I looked through the scope, I could picture seeing a raider… his last facial expression, his last motions… his last moments before I would fire. And then I’d see… well, you know…”
“I understand. It was hard for me too.” Shotshell agreed, his voice sympathetic to my worry, and upon my silent inquiry, he added, “Back when I was younger, before I raised a family, I served the city guard and had some experience with a scoped weapon up on the wall. The weapon was a trail carbine, forty-four caliber. It wasn’t as potent or effective as your rifle is at long range, but at a closer range, it could take a raider out just the same. My first time using that rifle wasn’t pretty, but the first time involved a member of a raider squad that was attacking one of Challenger’s farmhouses outside of the wall. That raider had killed one of the workers before I managed to take the shot that killed the bastard. I saw the grin on that maniac’s face, the psychotic fire in his eyes, and I knew that what I did was right.” He put a hoof on my back again. “It’s feels very different to do the dirty work behind a rifle scope at first, but when it’s done righteously, when it’s done to protect your home and your loved ones, it’s the same exact thing The same result comes, another enemy is put to rest, and you and those allied with you can live to fight another day.”
There was truth in his words, and they had their effect, making me smile a thin smile. “Yeah. Now I just need to start using it.” I commented, glancing at my rifle again. “Maybe some target practice is in order.”
“Once you’re feeling well enough to be out of that bed.” Miles put in with a smirk as he shut one of his supply cabinets. “You might be an outsider to Challenger, but I’d still expect you to follow a doctor’s orders all the same.”
“I will, Doctor Miles.” I assured with a giggle. “Thank you for the firing bit, really.” I added, turning back to Shotshell. “I had my doubts about wanting to use the rifle at first, but I think it could come in handy later.”
“I’m glad you like it. It’s the least I could do for what you’ve given me.” the stallion replied with a dip of his head. “And also, my wife has something to give you as well.”
Bella gave me a nudge with a forehoof before she dropped a leather pouch onto my pillow; despite the cushion, the bag still jangled, the sound of bottle caps easily recognizable. “Gunny and Shore told me about how money was an issue, at least when it came to making larger purchases.” Bella explained. “There’s seventy-five caps in that bag. Hopefully they will help you in the future.”
“I put some caps from my allowance in there too.” Lucan claimed proudly. “I wanted to help you like mom and dad did.”
“Oh, well thank you… but you didn’t have to-”
“Don’t give me any of that.” Bella interjected with a snort, waving my words away with a hoof. “It’s a small part of the profit from our stall in the market. We’ve made more than enough caps to sustain ourselves.”
“Yeah, so take them.” Lucan ordered with mock sternness, smiling when I roughed up his mane.
“Thank you.” I said in earnest. “We’ll put them all to good use, I promise”
After receiving one final hug from Lucan, the colt finally lowered himself back to all fours as Shotshell said, “While you’re recovering, we’ll give your gear back to Gunny and Shore, keep it safe in our home.” Then, stepping away with rifle and money in tow, Bella and Lucan following him towards the exit, he added with a smile, “And speaking of which, they’re here to see you now. Thanks again for everything, my friend.” My eyes snapped to the door, even as I waved my goodbye to the family, and sure enough, as the three of them left the clinic, they were replaced by my friends.
Shore was the first one in, a big smile growing on his face as he saw me alive and awake, a smile which I gladly returned as he approached my bedside. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“A little sore, and still a little hungry.” I said casually, shrugging as I tried to take on a bored expression. It was an attempt that failed miserably in the first five seconds, and with a laugh, I threw my forelegs around Shore’s neck in a great big hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“And it is good to see you on the mend.” Shore replied, wholeheartedly returning my embrace. “The doctor told us about your recovery, and it has been nothing but good news. You should be back to your old self in no time.”
“That’s definitely good news.” I agreed as I released my friend. “I kind of want to go out and fly again… without finding ponies that want to shoot at me.”
“I’m glad that you are coming to your senses.” Shore teased, jabbing me in the chest with a hoof before he stepped aside to let the next-in-line come through.
“Welcome back to the land of the conscious.” Gunny remarked with a half-smile, stepping up to my bedside. “It took you long enough.”
I likewise hugged around his neck, pressing my muzzle into his ash-colored mane. “I’ll try to wake up faster next time.” I vowed with a giggle. “How are you?”
“I’ve been busy, believe it or not.” Gunny replied as I let him go. “Shore and I both have.”
“How so?” I inquired curiously.
“The general recommended we take a look at the Caravan Guard Recruitment Station.” Gunny explained. “The station’s recruiting is open to the public, so when we checked the place out, we were hired in with a few others. We got sent to protect a caravan making a trip to some new settlement in the far south of the region, a town called Searchlight. We made one hundred caps each for the whole trip, and we never ran into any raider patrols on the way.”
I gave an approving nod. “Wow.”
“Also, we’ve gotten some new information on Hopeville’s resupply.” Gunny said, nodding at Shore to explain.
“The general had sent out scouting parties to search for raiders in the northwest territory of the region.” Shore explained. “The caravans for both Hopeville and Proudspire were delayed because one of the parties returned with information about a Black Blood camp. It was set up around a pre-war farmstead between Challenger and the settlements in that direction, largely blocking the route of travel for the caravans.”
“That figures…” I mumbled with a roll of my eyes.
“The general believes it to be the remnants of the raider force that attacked Proudspire. She said that it added up with what we told her about our time helping the settlement against them.” Gunny added. “That would include the survivors of the two camps that we took out during our time in Proudspire as well as any kind of command post they set up for the operation. She’s sending out a platoon tonight to wipe out the camp and clear a lane for the caravans to move tomorrow morning, so as long as you’re feeling better by then, we’ll be heading home tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’ll be feeling better by then.” I instantly assured, trying my best at an equally assuring smile when Gunny raised an eyebrow. It definitely looked like he didn’t fully believe me, and it surprised me enough that I wanted to ask him why. That question, however, died on my lips as Gunny stepped aside, revealing my baby brother behind him.
Blake reared up onto his hind legs, placing his forehooves onto the bed; that was all I allowed him to do before I pulled him tight against me. “Goddesses, I’ve missed you!” I exclaimed, bombarding him with nuzzling. However, Blake did not respond with words, nor did he even hug me back. His silence completely caught me off guard, and when I pulled away to find out why, I was shocked to see as two tears trailed down his cheeks. “Blake… what’s wrong??”
“I thought you were dead…”
The sheer hurt and sadness in his voice struck me like ice water. The adrenaline of my aerial dogfight over Plainwell, the pain of the wounds I had received… they were nothing compared to the wrenching in my stomach and the knot forming in my throat. My baby brother looked on the verge of breaking down as he sadly stared into my eyes, ears splayed back and body beginning to shake. “Blake…”
“You didn’t talk to me…” Blake interrupted me, voice cracking. “I called your name three times… you didn’t answer…” He hitched with a sob. “There was blood all over your bed, and I saw how hurt you got… The doctor said you wouldn’t die, but before then…… I was so scared… I thought I was going to be alone…”
“Blake… I…” I began, stopped when my young sibling suddenly threw himself at me, pulling me into a desperate hug of his own.
“Please don’t go outside alone again!” he cried, his words pleading, begging. “I don’t want you to go!”
I returned Blake’s embrace, wincing as I heard him sob again. “But I had to that time.” I insisted ever-so-gently. “It was quicker for me to go alone.”
Blake only shook his head against my coat, his muzzle buried into my shoulder. “I don’t want you to go alone, not now or ever again.” he repeated wretchedly. “I don’t want you to die…” Beside Blake, I heard as Gunny softly cleared his throat, and when I looked up, he fixed me with a firm gaze, nodding to my little brother.
I sighed, placing a hoof against Blake’s cheek and forcing him to look into my eyes. “Blake, what I did was the quickest solution to helping Lucan get his family back.” I delicately explained; even as I talked, he shook his head. “I was just trying to help them, and I did. I’ve done my part.”
“But you nearly died!” Blake protested. “You should’ve taken somepony with you! Anypony!… I would’ve gone with you. You know that I want to help you.”
“I know you do.” I replied, giving him a kiss on the forehead. “But this is a dangerous place, and we’ve all known that from the start. Just like you don’t want me getting hurt, I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I should be helping you anyway.” Blake claimed, his eyes suddenly focusing into a rather shocking glare. “It’s what dad wanted.”
I grew uneasy at Blake’s glower, lowering my hoof away from the side of his face. “Dad?… What about him?” I whispered.
“You know what he said to me back home just before we left it behind?” Blake asked; I felt that knot in my stomach reforming. “He said to look out for you, to be a strong little brother, to be there for you, and to help you. He already knew that you’d protect me in the wasteland, but he wanted me to do the same for you. He always knew that life would be difficult outside of our home, and I think that’s why he said what he said. He said that families have to stick together, to be there for one another. He said that to me a whole bunch of times when I was growing up… and I can’t do that when you go outside on your own… and it makes me so frustrated… at you, at myself. When you don’t let me help, I feel so useless… and that’s one of the worst feelings for me.”
I was paralyzed in thought, Blake’s words bringing back memories of that terrible day… eleven days ago.
“I’m going to leave you here for a bit and see if I can be of any help to the security team upstairs. Your mother and brother will be down here too so just holler if you need something okay?”
“I understand dad… be careful up there.” My last words to him. After saying that, he had left me on that hospital mattress while Gracie worked on healing my very first gunshot wound. And that’s when I remembered…
Before he had left to help the security team in barricading the main entrance, he had said something to Blake, something that I hadn’t been able to hear amidst the chatter of the frightened residents, and the realization came to me - those had been the last words our dad had ever spoken to Blake. That had been the last time Blake had ever seen him… the last time they had talked face to face.
“The wasteland is no place for young colts and fillies to be wandering around.” I protested slowly, flicking my eyes back to his. “You help me by growing up, playing with your friends, and learning about being honorable in all aspects of life. Being out here with me, getting shot at and possibly hurt… that’s not the life I want for you.”
“But it’s what I want for me.” Blake replied, confident and adamant. “I’d rather be out here helping you, helping all of our friends in Hopeville, than living day after day wondering if you’ll come back home alive. I don’t want to live every day not knowing whether you’ve been hurt or not, or if you… died… I don’t want to be scared every day, watching you come home and then leave, again and again and again. We’re family, and a family has to work together.”
I blinked, feeling my eyes beginning to water despite no tears falling free. Even though I tried to piece together just how many times we had talked about this, I couldn’t even if my life depended on it. Right now, in my opinion, my young brother was being wholly irrational, nonsensical, and a little foolish to top it off. But yet, there was growing confidence in his voice, his body language, and his personality. Over the past eleven days, he had grown quite considerably, physically and especially mentally. The wasteland was beginning to change him, and so far, he was changing for the better. I had no doubt that this would be how he would continue to change - for the better - and right now, he was showing just how he had grown. He was becoming a young stallion in my eyes, and yet while the wasteland may have begun to change him, he was still holding everything he had learned in Stable 181 with him.
I saw the faintest smile pull against the corner of his mouth, and I smiled back at him, blinking another tear that threatened to fall before I pulled him in against me; this time, he returned the hug. “Blake, I’m so proud of you. You know that don’t you?” I felt him nod against my coat, and I nuzzled him along his neck. “I’m sorry little brother… my time here in the wasteland has been difficult, no more so than anypony else. You’re still young… but I can’t control your life.”
“I don’t want to put you in a hard spot.” Blake spoke up, hugging tighter around my neck. “This is just what I want for myself. I want to be out here helping you. I want to help my friends and the others in Hopeville, just like you. Even if I have to hide every time you find bad ponies and just help you carry stuff on the road, that’s what I want to do.” I looked up to see where my friends had gone, and I saw both of them sitting near the lobby, having stepped back a small distance to give Blake and I some privacy. But only a second later, the two of them looked my way, thin smiles gradually forming on their faces as they gave short nods.
I smiled back before resting my chin over Blake’s neck. Out here in the wasteland, my brother and I were both orphans… but we were orphans of the same family blood, and as such, we had to stick together. But more importantly than this was the fact that Blake had made a promise to our father, a promise that was the final words Blake ever spoke to him; that made his promise even more special. It was a strong and honorable promise, noble, and it was one that I now knew that I did not want to keep him from holding onto; he made the promise to honor our parents, just like I myself had done for Hopeville. Letting Blake travel with me in the wasteland would be a dangerous undertaking, one that already left me more than a little uneasy… but we were not alone. With my friends at my side… our side… Blake would be safe, for I knew that all of my dearest friends would do anything to keep him safe, just like I myself would; we would always be there for each other.
With another light sigh, I helped Blake up onto my bed, removing my blanket with my wings to allow him to lay down against my uninjured right side before I draped my right wing over him. “Alright Blake. Then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll help Hopeville together… all of us.”
“Thanks big sis.” Blake said as he snuggled up against me. “I love you.”
“I love you too, little brother.” I sincerely replied, lying my head down on the pillow as we snuggled up together. “So much.”
*** *** ***
Midday.
After word had come in about the swift and decisive victory over the Black Blood at a farmstead called Brightheart, the warehouse district swung into action. The courtyard outside the great steel gate of Challenger was filled with activity, bustling with Challenger’s warehouse workers as they loaded the shipments aboard four waiting wagons from the district’s wagon lot. The four-wheeled wood and metal wagons were very large, large enough that they had to be pulled by two brahmin each. The wagons were built very similarly to one another, each protected by a cloth canvas draped over a reinforced iron roll cage, and at the top of each wagon was a mounted lookout platform for a guard to keep watch on the roads. Two of the wagons were adorned with a red tag, long streamers that hung down the side of the canvas to identify them as the wagons that would be sent to Proudspire. The other two, blue tags hanging from their sides, were for Hopeville; they were the wagons I was paying attention to.
I watched the warehouse workers load up the new supplies, my smile having remained plastered to my face ever since the loading process had begun roughly a half hour ago. Being part of Hopeville’s ‘delegation’ (as General Silverlight had put it), Gunny, Shore, Blake, and I had been allowed to see what was being sent to Hopeville in its resupply shipment. There was a whole crate that had been neatly packed up tight with medical supplies, ranging from potions and medicinal drugs to healing bandages, antibiotics, and clean surgical tools. Aside from that, three crates were loaded with bottled water and boxed foodstuffs, both of the preserved pre-war kind and the fresher kind, the latter made possible from a recently received trade shipment from Route 52. A fifth crate had been filled with approximately three dozen suits of reinforced leather armor. While the leather, according to Gunny, was not as thick as the armor of our Stable 181 security team, he believed it to be the next best thing. Two more crates had been loaded up with clean blankets, all of which would be distributed to the citizens for slightly more comfortable sleeping. And finally, two crates and a large metal cabinet had been devoted to carrying ordnance, ammunition, and even ammo-crafting supplies including powder, primer, lead, casings, and hulls. Included in the shipment had been newly made assault rifles, serviced carbines, and pristine long rifles as well as frag grenades and flash-bangs. There had even been a pair of forty millimeter grenade launchers, the heavier four-shot models, that had been picked from the warehouses to be thrown into the shipment; this delivery was exactly what Hopeville needed.
“Are you ready to go home?” Blake expectantly asked beside me, smiling up at me like he already knew my answer; he did.
“Oh yes.” I replied, smiling back at him as I nuzzled him on the forehead. Turns out that three healing potions, a large dinner, nine hours of sleep, and a short but enjoyable shower can do a wasteland pony wonders. Despite the blood loss I had endured in my last fight, I was feeling far better than I had yesterday. When I had woken up in the morning, I had immediately hit the showers, and afterwards, Doc Miles had released me with a warning that my body still needed time to fully recover; this meant no overly strenuous activities for at least a day if not longer. In truth, I did still feel a little sore, my body perhaps a little more sluggish as an aftereffect of the blood loss. Overall, however, the doctor still agreed that I had made a good recovery thus far.
Between then and now, my friends had all washed up as well, allowing us to be much more presentable and less foul-smelling when Shotshell and his family had taken my friends and I to breakfast at Challenger’s Breakfast Club. For breakfast, I had pigged out on the biggest fruit bowl I had ever seen, and after the hearty meal, we had gotten to spend roughly an hour at Challenger’s playground, a large public play area in the town center for the many children that inhabited the city.
Over the past three days, I had come to appreciate Challenger for not only its sheer size and impressiveness, but also for how its citizens lived. Life here was quite peaceful, and the citizens here all worked hard to make their living. Challenger flourished under the work of its people, the help that they gave one another, and the dedication and compassion of its leaders. In turn, Challenger was the key to the survival of the rest of the region, just as the city itself depended on the heartland, Route 52, and other regions of Equestria. The ponies here legitimately cared for the other settlements in the southeast as they cared for each other, clearly evident by their system of trade and by their involvement against the Black Blood, which was now growing even quicker than before. After all that I had seen and learned of Challenger over the past three days, I knew that there was harmony here… there was honor here. Even if it faltered at times because of raiders, bandits, or even internal tensions, it was here, and that was something that I greatly looked forward to telling Captain Saber all about once my friends and I got back home.
Familiar voices came within earshot to my left, and when I looked down the road, I saw Gunny and Shore trotting down the lane towards the courtyard. Both were fully geared up with their armor and weapons, and Gunny still carried the All-Equestrian, a gift from Hallion and Marian; it was unfortunate that I hadn’t been able to say goodbye on my own.
All around my two friends, trotting past them and towards the wagons themselves, were around a dozen or so ponies, all armed and armored to varying degrees. Between my two friends was an earth pony mare, chatting with the two bucks as they approached. She was a bright orange pony with dark brown eyes, her lighter brown mane and tail long and neatly combed through; she was perhaps a few years older than I was.
The mare with my friends branched away from the others, Gunny having pointed a hoof at me, and I rose to all fours as she approached. But just as I did, the newcomer quickly closed the gap between us, scooping up my left forehoof with hers in a vigorous hoofshake. “Well butter mah butt an call me a biscuit, if it ain’t the new pegasus Ah’ve been hearin about. You’ve done been the talk o the town for the past couple o days.”
“I-I-I h-h-have?” I managed to ask through the teeth-chattering hoofshake; I think my eyes were boggling in my skull.
“Eeyup.” the mare answered back enthusiastically, still not releasing her grasp on my hoof. “Ya sure have, at least around the warehouses anyway. Ah’m Auburn, by the way, and Ah’m the mare-in-charge of Challenger’s Caravan Guard Recruitment Station. Pleased t’meetcha.”
“L-l-likewise…” I responded shakily before she finally released me. After my hoof stopped moving on its own, I shook my head before throwing her my best smile. “I’m Nova, and this is my little brother, Blake.”
“Hey there youngster.” Auburn greeted, giving my baby brother a much more gentle hoofshake as he returned the greeting. “Ah’m glad Ah finally got to meet y’all. Ah know y’all are headin out with this here caravan. Yer friends told me a little bit about Hopeville, and Ah wish y’all the best o luck. Mah hired-ins’ll get those wagons back to yer home in one piece, Ah promise.”
“So those other ponies are guards?” Blake asked curiously.
“Eeyup.” Auburn answered heartily. “Lot a ponies in Challenger are lookin ta provide fer their families. It’s muh job to make sure they all get the chance ta do so, an guardin caravans is one of the best payin jobs in the city. It’s more dangerous work, but a lot o ponies toss in their guns to lend a helpin hoof to the other settlements of the southeast and the other regions beyond.”
“How far out into Equestria do your caravan guards go?” I asked, a little curious myself.
“Oh, pretty far.” Auburn answered easily. “Ya see, Challenger depends on settlements in the heartland, Route 52, and the Hoof fer supply and trade. Other regions beyond those are too far fer us to travel to. We’d run out o supplies before we could get a caravan to Trottingham an back, or Las Pegasus, or Dise, ya get the idea.”
I nodded. “By the way, if you don’t mind me asking,” I began, a new question sliding quickly into place after my first. “why exactly did you say I was the ‘talk of the town’?”
Auburn chuckled politely. “Ah’m sure you’ve come to see by now that yer the only pegasus pony in town. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it ain’t often that we surface ponies get ta see a flier like yerself. Now just imagine how we feel about seein two o em in the same week.”
“There was another pegasus here?” I asked, my ears perking up.
“Eeyup. He was here for a good long while too.” she explained, suddenly batting her eyelashes as a lazy smile adorned her face. “Ah don’t know if it’s somethin about stallion fliers, but he was a handsome feller. Fit brown buck, black mane and tail, deep and confident blue eyes… Ah met him in the Sunstone Saloon an got ta flirtin around with him a bit. We had a couple o drinks together, an he warmed up ta me enough ta start talkin about some o his travels. He’d been in the southeast fer awhile apparently, way before ah met im. He was explorin some o the towns by day, an he was stayin in one o Challenger’s rental apartment rooms by night ta rest his wings.” She let out a sigh, her smile fading quite suddenly. “There was only one more day he was here after we met. Ah caught him walkin in the streets early in the mornin, all packed up with his saddlebags an weapons, and we stopped ta talk for a bit. He said he was leavin ta go back ta his real home, ta keep watch fer any sign o the return o his family.” She paused long enough to blush. “Ah suppose it was a bit foalish o me to ask, but I offered a caravan guard position to im in the hopes that he’d stay a little longer. But that’s when things got a bit on the strange side.”
“How so?” I asked curiously.
“Well, he didn’t mind the offer o the position at first.” Auburn explained, frowning as she added, “But when Ah told him that the caravan with open positions was meant ta go ta the heartland city o Manehattan, he got a little sad. He said he woulda taken up the offer, cept he had some kind o commitment, a duty to uphold er somethin like that.”
I raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. “That’s… strange…”
“Ah know. He really seemed like he wanted the job, too, an hell, ah was ready ta sign im up for it. But he refused it in the end, sayin he had to be somewhere else, had to watch over his home.” Auburn shook her head before a sad wishful smile gradually tugged at her lips. “But other than that little bout o mysteriousness, he really did seem like a decent buck. Ah suppose Ah really wouldn’t have gotten anywhere with him anyway. He was kinda the strong silent type around most everypony Ah saw im around. Ah guess Ah just asked so that Ah might’ve gotten the opportunity ta know im a little better, if ya know what Ah mean.” I couldn’t help but blush a little. Meeting another pegasus, another pony of my own species who lived on the surface, would’ve been an interesting experience all on its own. But I suppose that if the buck was as handsome as Auburn claimed him to be, maybe I’d…… not go into details about what I might’ve done.
When I nodded to Blake, who was staring at the ground in an effort to avoid hearing any upcoming dialogue about handsome stallions, Auburn cast an apologetic smile at the both of us. “Sorry bout that.” she said, turning back to the cluster of wagons. “Well, the caravan looks like it’s nearly loaded up n’ ready to go. Ah need ta get goin and crack down on what’s left o the caravan traffic paperwork on mah desk. With any luck, Ah’ll be done with it by tomorrow and get a little more time off. Workin at the desk is almost as hard as guardin caravans is.”
“Alright then. It was a pleasure to meet you Auburn.” I said, bumping hooves with the mare one more time.
“Eeyup. Likewise, Nova.” Auburn replied cheerily. “Ah’m glad Ah finally got the chance to meet ya both. Take care out there, and if y’all come on back to Challenger, make sure ya stick yer head in the office ta say howdy.”
“Sure thing. Take care now.” With that, Auburn trotted back down the courtyard, disappearing around the corner of the Trade Administration building.
“Why did she sound so funny when she talked?” Blake asked quietly.
“It’s just an accent.” I answered, looking down at him. “Don’t you remember how Old Abernathy’s wife spoke like that before she passed away?”
“Um… oh yeah!” Blake said, smiling back up at me as he recalled the mare in question. “She always told funny stories in the mess hall. She was always really nice to me and my friends.” Indeed, when Gracie and I weren’t available to foalsit, Old Abernathy’s wife, Old Mare Charlotte, had always been there to see to the needs of the children in Stable 181. Fortunately, for the sake of our recollecting the past, she had passed away weeks before the Black Blood had come.
“She never had any foals of her own, but she knew how to care for them like they were.” I remarked with a smile. “She was my foalsitter when I was your age. Always a good storyteller too.”
“But she wasn’t always as energetic as Auburn. And she didn’t talk about stallions all the time either.” Blake stated, sticking out his tongue in a gag.
“Aw, don’t worry Blake. You can talk about handsome stallions around me any time you want to.” I assured with a big grin.
“Hey!” Blake exclaimed, reaching over to punch my foreleg, making me laugh at the same time.
“I was just joking.” I said comfortingly, reaching over to the grumbling colt and roughing up his mane. “Come on. Let’s go see the others. We should be ready to head home soon.”
Together, we trotted into the bustle of activity. Gunny and Shore were both standing beside one of the Hopeville wagons as the last crate was loaded inside, Gunny helping another unicorn stallion lift the heavy crate aboard. As we passed by the final cluster of guards, checking their weapons and ammo for the journey, Gunny closed up the tailgate and the canvas with his magic before the red glow of his horn died away. “Hey there you two.” he greeted with a thin smile. “The wagons are all loaded up and ready to go. When the guards are geared up, then we’ll be heading out.”
“Great.” I replied with a happy sigh. “I’m ready to go back home, at least for awhile anyway. It’ll be good to see everypony again.”
“That, and I bet the captain’s going to faint when he sees what Challenger’s sending us.” Gunny remarked with a chuckle, looking over the wagon approvingly.
“This caravan is going to be a tremendous relief to everypony. It has everything we need to replenish our stock and then some.” Shore commented, joining us to complete our small circle. “But I have to wonder how long this trip will take. Will we be moving on through the night? Or will we stop at the old radio building again?”
“I heard from one of the convoy leaders that we’ll be camping out either inside or outside of Proudspire.” Gunny answered. “To be honest, that’s probably the best choice out of all of them.”
Curious, I raised my pipbuck leg and dialed in to my larger map. “Proudspire is directly northwest of here, and Hopeville is directly northwest from Proudspire.” I explained. “They’re nearly in a straight line with one another.”
“That’s handy.” Blake remarked with a little laugh.
“It would cut down on travel time.” Shore agreed with a nod.
“But really, I wouldn’t mind staying in Proudspire again for another day.” I remarked, smiling in turn to each of my friends as I added, “I’m kind of curious as to how Kayla’s doing after her town beat back the raiders.”
“I’m actually kind of curious myself.” Gunny put in. “We’ll be there by evening so long as we don’t come across anything.”
“And I kind of miss Kayla.” Blake piped up. “We became friends really quickly. It’d be good to see her again.”
“Now you’ll get your chance to do just that.” I remarked with a giggle, leaning down to nudge him with my muzzle.
Then, the great and familiar rumbling of Challenger’s tower crane filled my ears, and up ahead, the massive steel gate of Challenger’s fortified entrance rose up and open. “All guards to your stations! We’re moving out!”
With the call being taken up all around the courtyard, I craned my head around to look over my gear. Everything was in place, from my saddlebags to my battle saddle and my sidearm to my newly modified sniper rifle, all secured together. And with Blake carrying his own saddlebags, filled with the medicine and food we had leftover from our trip, all of our supplies were accounted for.
The four of us fell in line behind the first wagon of the convoy as it begun to move, the two Hopeville wagons taking the lead of our train, and as we crossed under the gate, I looked left and right at the vast expanse of the southeast. “Let’s get these supplies back home.”
Beside me, Gunny gave a nod, a look of determination set into his features. “We get this caravan home, and we’ll have really made a place for ourselves our here on the surface.” he said, a smile growing on his face. “With this, I think we’ll finally be able to call ourselves a settlement.”
Footnote: 50% to level up.
Nova’s Updated SPECIAL Attributes:
Strength: 4
Perception: 8 (+1 when Alertness is active, +1 when Scout Flyer is active, +2 when both are active)
Endurance: 6
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 7 (+1 when Scout Flyer is active)
Luck: 7
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
650 users online
828,921 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
1928291 Um... thanks I guess?
1947129 Glad you liked the chapter despite the lack of fighting.
2060204 Yeah. I was just trying to pace it so that her main skills were halfway up around level 10 or 11 (and she got them as such at level 11). Since she still has nine levels to go (I'm following Fallout 3's original level up cap for this fic), I figured this was best.
I believe you meant 'relief' but otherwise, great chapter.
4870239 Fixed. It's hard to do the editing all by one's self, so thanks for catching that error for me. Glad you're enjoying the story thus far. Hopefully you will continue to do so.