> Fallout Equestria:  The Sickness Within
>  by CanterColt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Wings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 1:  Wings


"Come on everypony, smile, smile, smile..."
	

Hungry.

Happy loooove hungry.

A hysteric giggle escaped the gray earth buck’s lips as he galloped, chills of anticipation rolling down his spine.  Flecks of blood and spittle erupted from his throat with the effort of his breathing, spraying a fine layer of red mist over his muzzle and dingy blue mane. In the back of his mind—as always—he could hear the low rasping of the voice echoing through his thoughts.  Urging him onward. Pushing him.

Kill. Tear. Eeeeat.

Happy couldn’t see them running through the shadows—it was dark-time, night time—but he could still hear them. Just ahead.  Their frantic hoof-falls.  Their breathing.  

Running.  Fleeing.  Scared.

Happy felt the tempo of his pulse quicken beneath his skin.  His pounding muscles were tense with eagerness.

Hungry.

The buck let out another psychotic cackle and picked up his pace.  The veins in his bloodshot yellow eyes had begun to beat in time with the erratic pumping of his heart, his breath coming in short, raspy puffs as he stumbled onward. Blood seeped down his sides from fresh wounds, a thick, black-red ooze that complemented the dark patches of dead-looking hide already exposed beneath the gashes in his barding.

They were closer now.  Happy could see them, dark shadows galloping frantically down what was left of the broken trail ahead.  The void of black, empty space surrounded them on all sides, no cover in sight.

Happy felt his lips curl into a gleeful grin.	

There were four of them—walker-ponies, earth ponies—a blue coated she-pony and green he-pony frantically bringing up the rear. Two smaller ponies, foals, gasped for air ahead of them.  Their breaths were tiny and weak.  They had been running for only a short distance and already their hoof-falls were faltering—less forceful, more erratic.

They wouldn’t last long.

“..mmgghahawHAW!” 

Happy let out a snort of triumph.  Dark circles had begun closing in on the edge of his vision as he ran, the cracked bones in his left hindleg exploding in fresh torment with every hoof-fall.  Bursting veins hammered beneath his temples, pounding against his skull to the point where it felt ready to crack.  His entire body screamed in agony, threatening to give out at any moment.  

It was bliss.

At the sound of his wild grunt, the green he-pony whipped his head back.  Even in the dim light, Happy could see his blue eyes bulge in their sockets.  Another cackle escaped his lips as he burst forward in a boiling swell of adrenaline.  

"Run!  Tender Leaf!  Kids!  Run!"

The he-pony’s frantic voice cracked as the warning burst from his wheezing lungs.  A shrill, despairing cry rose up from the mare at his side and the two scrawny foals shrieked in panic as a new surge of terror drove them forward.

Happy’s insides leapt at the sound. A commanding feeling—like an invisible chain embedded deep in his chest—jerked his body forward.  A familiar prickling sensation had begun to flare up at the ends of his hooves and snout.

The changes were starting.  His hearing growing sharper.  His eyesight growing clearer.  And the smells around him—

The raider’s lungs screamed for air as a gleeful screech bubbled past his lips.

“hhhahaHAHAHAHAAHA-mmghahhh! KILL, HAPPY, KILL!”

A fresh chorus of shrieks pierced the night air and Happy felt something inside his head snap completely.   A tendril of electricity arced down his spine like lightning as his shrill laughter petered off into a low growl.

Vaulting forward with impossible strength, he bit down on the writhing flesh beneath his hooves and the world erupted in a shower of red.


***


A dull whine pierced Happy’s ears as he slowly stirred from the darkness.  Through the murky, muffled cloud that had enveloped his mind, the stone gray pony was dimly aware of something stirring next to him.  The faint sounds of ripping flesh and popping bones echoed dimly in his ears, as if coming from a distance.

A throbbing pain coursed beneath Happy’s eyes as he opened them, the effort painting white splotches of agony across his swimming vision.  Nausea gripped his gut as he let out a quiet chuckle.   He stifled the urge to vomit.

Gradually, however, the fog began to recede and Happy could slowly feel his body returning. A wash of satisfaction swept over him as he recognized where the sounds had been coming from.  Him.  His body had been the one moving.  Tearing.  Feeding.

A gleeful laugh echoed through the empty spaces in his mind.  

Angry must have come out to play.

Without warning, a sharp tingling sensation began to work its way out from the base of Happy’s neck and over his body.  With it, the sounds of tearing viscera slowed to a halt. The white splotches of light dancing before his eyes finally began to recede and, bit by bit, Happy’s senses trickled back to him. 

Fatigue was the first sensation to reassert itself.  Then his vision.  Then scent.

Tilting his head back, the raider inhaled deeply.  

Sniff.  Blood. 

Sniff.  Spent bowels. 

The smell of death was strong.  

Happy cast his gaze downward.

At his hooves, a chunky, red-black paste lay smeared evenly over the ground, surrounding him like a bloody bullseye.  Four vaguely pony shaped mounds of bones, tendons, and flesh lay haphazardly amid the carnage.  Each was torn wide open, their mangled insides exposed to the growing light of the approaching dawn.  

The two smallest mounds were twisted with particular severity—most of their limbs mangled or missing.  The third, a vaguely blue tinted lump, sat with its hind legs splayed out at an awkward angle, its front half only attached by a thread of hide.  The last mound, a sick shade of green and red, was missing its head altogether.

Eyes wide, Happy raised his hooves before him.  Each was glazed in a thick coat of carnage, patches of it already beginning to harden in the thirsty air.  Lines of puss had erupted from the infected cuts along his own legs, adding their own essence to the palette of volatile fluids.

Happy’s eyes darted back and forth between the bloodbath and his hooves in stunned silence.  Then, with an exuberant cackle, the raider took to the carnage like a pig in the mud, flailing and wallowing around on his back with glee.  Rolling onto his stomach a few moments later, he lifted his head to admire his work.

A half dozen crudely formed gore angels stared back at him from the ground—ghastly pony shaped imprints oozing with half-dried bits of flesh and bile.

Happy clopped his hooves at the sight.  

The colors!  Ohhh the colors! 

Planting a single hoof at the edge of the mess before him, he pressed firmly, signing his masterpiece.

A satisfied sigh escaped his lips as he flopped onto his back to rest.

“Ahhh, Happy….happy.”

The buck let out a giggle at his own witty joke before casting his attention skyward.

Dawn had finally begun to break over the Equestrian Wasteland, replacing the near-absolute darkness of night with the slightly-less-dim light of day.  As always, the thick ceiling of clouds sat there above him, unmoving, casting the wastes in the same sickly, eternal pallor of death and gloom.

Happy didn’t understand where it came from—the light that broke over the wastes every morning—but felt himself smiling all the same.  Daytime was pretty-time—he could see things soooo much better when the bright clouds were smiling on his eyes.

Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Happy swung his hooves in the air before him, trying to seize a hoof-full of the dark gray fluff.  After a few moments of flailing—but they looked so close!—he finally gave up, forelegs landing on the ground beside him with an irritated thump.

Shutting his eyes, he laid there for a moment, simply listening to the beating in his chest.  

Gallop gallop gallop.

Happy smiled to himself.  His heart sounded just like a herd of ponies galloping across the wastes.

Gallop.  Gallop.  Gallop.

A puzzled look crossed over the buck’s face. Glancing down, he gave his chest a tentative tap.  Was it getting louder?

“Oye, dere ‘e is!”

Happy’s ears swiveled a moment before his head did, his eyes catching sight of three ponies thundering toward him.  A cloud of dust followed in their wake. 

Even a hundred hooves off, Happy’s keen eyes took in the form of each one clearly.  

A grizzled, deep blue buck—another earth pony like Happy—led the pack, his stern expression intensified by his grungy black mane and the eyepatch.  To his left galloped a dull red unicorn mare, a fierce scowl visible behind the ratty green wisps of mane that hung over her face.  The third figure—a yellow earth buck with his mane drawn up into shining, emerald spikes—laughed wickedly at the lead’s right, face drawn up in a nasty sneer.  

All three wore bloodstained barding like Happy’s—albeit better maintained—and sported a number of brutal looking chains and blades that clanked at their sides as they ran. 

For the second time in so many hours, Happy’s blood flared as a rush of energy seized his limbs.  Scrambling onto all fours with surprising speed, the buck let out a crazed laugh and lurched forward, hooves slipping comically on the slick ground beneath him.  Finally gaining some traction, he sprung forward at a haphazard sprint, eyes fixed on the lead buck as the group galloped toward him.

Realizing their mistake a moment too late, a look of horror crossed over the faces of the three raiders as the giggling buck bolted toward them. Hooves failing to find purchase on the crumbly earth, they skidded forward on their rumps, clawing at the ground in a futile attempt to turn and run.

Time seemed to slow.  Happy grinned wildly.  

They weren’t getting away now.

Closing the gap in a heartbeat, Happy threw his hooves open and leapt forward as a guttural shout escaped his burning lungs.

“FRRRRRRRRIENDS!”

Whumph. 

The three raiders let out a cry as the gray mass plowed into them.  

"—Celestia damnit ya mangy git!"

"—Off the tail you stupid buck!"

"—Augh!  My spikes!  My spikes!  I think you cracked one of my spikes!"

Giggling as he took in the familiar voices his clanmates, Happy leapt from the top of the dogpile and began to spring in happy circles around the group—a faint poing! poing! poing! radiating from his legs as he bounced along.

“Friennnds!  Friennnds!  Friends, friends, friends, friends, friennnnnnnds!”

Muttering obscenities, the blue stallion rose and swung his hooves around, landing a heavy buck into Happy’s side.

Crrrk!  Happy felt something snap under the well placed kick as he landed in the earth a few hooves away.  His eyes watered as a fresh wave of pain rippled through his side.

“Eheheheheh…”

Coughing up blood, Happy smiled at the three as he rose shakily to his hooves…and immediately resumed his lively bounce.  He could already begin to the feel the tingling sensation as the bone fragments began to knit themselves back together inside his chest.  It wouldn’t take long to heal—it never did.  His cuts from earlier were barely visible.

Slapping a hoof to his forehead in frustration, the blue buck let out an sigh.

“Don’t even try Deuce.  That buck’s a fucking idiot.” 

Drawing his hoof from his face, Deuce turned his good eye to meet the mare's, spitting a clod of earth onto the ground as he did so. 

“Fuck you, Rowdy.”

The mare’s cheeks turned scarlet, her green eyes blazing as her face contorted with sudden rage.

“No!  Fuck you!”

A groan rose up from behind them as the yellow buck finally lifted himself from the ground.  Thinner and taller than the other two, a ring of pony parts hung around his neck, swinging grotesquely as he rose.

“Can’t you two give it a fucking rest?”

Heads whipping around, the mare and buck barked back as one.  

“Shut up, Scalper!”

Cringing, the yellow buck raised his hooves in submission, taking a cautious step backwards as the two resumed their shouting match.  

Giggling at all the sudden commotion around him, Happy bounded up to Scalper’s side, giving his shoulder a friendly nuzzle.

For the second time, a hoof connected with Happy’s side, sending him rolling onto the ground.  A fresh wash of pain broke over his body.

Narrowing his eyes in disgust, the yellow buck snarled.

“Fucking idiot.  Don’t touch me.”

Watching as the buck trotted off to check his mane-spikes, Happy let out another wet cough and smiled.

“Friennnnds.”

Happy loved his friends.


***


The rest of the morning was spent scavenging the kill as Happy’s clanmates packed up what few worthwhile odds and ends they could find into three sets of identical, dingy saddlebags they had looted from a caravan earlier that week.  Knives, bullets, cram—there was a surprising amount of wealth to be found on the four mutilated bodies.  

Then, of course, there were the bodies themselves.

Happy amused himself with a smooth, disc shaped pebble as his companions lit a fire and went to work on the remains.  Happy—or Angry—the gray raider reminded himself, giggling at the thought, had already eaten his fill.  Besides, fire just ruined the flavor.  Happy preferred his meals…fresh.

A shiver ran down the gray buck’s spine.  He could feel himself getting excited again.

“And den, you know what I do ta’ ‘er?  Ya know what I do?  I fuckin’ slit her throat right in front of ‘em and buck ‘er bleedin’ of da side!”  

A chorus of laughter erupted from his clanmates at the fire, prompting Happy to turn his head.  Acting out the words with elaborate gestures, Deuce was standing by the fire, telling another one of his stories from the glory days.  From the looks of savage glee radiating from Scalper and Rowdy, his tale was turning out to be an entertaining one.

Flipping the small stone with his snout one last time, Happy turned on hoof and trotted over to the fire, plopping down on his stomach right beside the dark blue buck.

Deuce stopped mid-sentence, slowly turning his head to face him.

Happy returned his gaze, head tilted to one side as he grinned expectantly.

Sighing, Deuce slowly lifted his hoof to Happy’s side and pushed, scooting the gray buck a leg’s length away before continuing.

“So, anyways—dis is the best part so listen good—the little one’s all like—” his voice took on a mocking tone, imitating the voice of a young filly “—but Deuce, you said you’d protect us!”

Rowdy and Scalper snickered and nodded, eyes wide with anticipation.  Glancing over at their expectant faces, Happy took their cue and nodded as well—vision swimming as he rocked his head back and forth.  Though he didn’t understand what they were saying—too many big words—the level of excitement in their voices was unmistakable.

Deuce let out a low chuckle.  

“So I say ‘is dat so, little filly?’  Den’ I ‘oof her across the face, pull ‘er little legs apart and—“

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Happy burst out with a fresh peal of psychotic laughter, clopping his hooves together in glee.

Wiping a hoof to clear his watering eyes, he looked around at his companions.  Their cheery faces had dropped, replaced with three identical scowls.

A half second later, Happy grunted as he landed on his back some twenty hooves from the fire.  Eyes rolling in separate directions from the impact, he giggled as a ring of wall-eyed pegasus ponies circled his head.

His vision continued to swim as he rose shakily to his hooves and took a few drunken steps forward. 

Flip flap…flop.

Falling prey to gravity’s embrace, Happy’s face met the ground with a heavy thump.

A chorus of laughter met the buck’s ears from behind.  A wide, lazy smile broke over his face at the sound.  His friends thought he was funny!  

Staggering upright a second time, he tried again.

Flip flap…FLOP.

The laughter doubled in volume.  Rolling onto his back like an oversized rag doll, Happy glanced back at the fire.  His spinning eyes were barely able to make out the shapes of six raiders—three sets of blurry, identical twins in his double vision—rolling on the ground with hearty laughter.

A giggle escaped his own lips as he slumped back onto the ground, letting the waves of nausea wash over him like a melody.


***


Several wobbly strides and a few faceplants later, Happy finally managed to gather some semblance of balance and cantered off toward the low-lying hills behind the makeshift camp.  His sharp ears could still pick up the faint sounds of his clanmates in the background.  They didn’t pay much notice as he crested the first hill—he never wandered far from the herd.

Well—the buck giggled to himself as vivid images of last night’s chase flashed before his eyes—not unless he was distracted.

Resuming his happy bounce from earlier, the gray buck pranced forward, surveying the wastes before him in all their splendor.

A half mile off, the remains of a small, prewar town stood sullenly against the backdrop of the darkened sky—a windowless, wood and concrete testament to the past.  Between it and Happy’s hill, a few rusted sky carriages and withered husks of trees dotted the landscape.  

Near the closest tree, the gray buck could see a solitary pile of bones—a Brahmin skeleton from the looks of the twin heads—half buried a short distance from the base of the hill.  A well-worn leather saddlebag was slumped up against its side, the top flap swept back by the wind and the butt of an old rifle protruding from the opening.

Zeroing in on the unexpected treasure, Happy leapt upwards with a gasp, all four hooves stretching out from his sides as he hung in the air a split second longer than gravity should have allowed.  Then—in a raider shaped puff of smoke—he disappeared, taking off down the backside of the shallow hill at a haphazard gallop.

Careful not to trip over the pesky leather bag and rifle as he bounded forward, Happy leapt to the skeleton’s side and immediately latched onto the remaining horn protruding from one of the dusty skulls.  Twisting his head back and forth, he wrenched the piece free from the pile and curled up a few hooves away, gnawing at his prize with delight.  

With a resigned sigh, the skeleton collapsed inwards beside him, expelling a small plume of earth as it crumbled into a dusty pile. 

Happy coughed as the sudden cloud of debris filled his lungs—wet, sticky shudders that speckled the Brahmin skull before him with dark flecks of red.  He giggled at the raspy feeling, his eyes watering as they strained to see through the haze.

As the dust finally began to settle, however, Happy’s laughter turned to silence.  A small, dark, waving shape began to take form in the cloud ahead of him. Slowly, the fuzzy silhouette refined itself, the buck’s eyes going wide with curiosity as the sinking plume finally cleared.

Fluttering in lazy figure eights before him was an odd insect-like creature the raider had never seen before.  It’s slender blue body rested between two strikingly pink wings as it flapped, silently, a few hooves off the ground.

Eyebrows raised, the buck circled the odd creature.  

No stingers.  No barbs.  No sharp clacking mandibles.

Happy plopped onto his flanks and scratched his head with a hoof.

Staring a few more moments, the buck shrugged.  Then, bounding forward with a sudden, giddy snort, he lunged at the creature, mouth wide.

Chomp!

The creature simply fluttered out of his path, leaving Happy with a mouthful of dirt as his muzzle buried itself in the ground.  Spitting up earth, the raider giggled and sprang again, missing the creature a second time.

Chomp! 

Flapping in a lazy circle—almost beckoning the buck to follow—the insect turned and began to fly off into the wastes, away from the base of the hill.

Without a second thought, Happy rose to his hooves.  A wide smile breaking over his face, he bounded after the creature—the periodic poing! poing! poing! of his hooves interrupted only by the click of his teeth as he missed again.  

And again.  

And again.

After a few minutes of bounding, Happy could feel his shoulders tense as the barest hints of an uncommon feeling began to prickle down his neck—frustration.

Letting out a low growl at the pink winged distraction, Happy crouched—legs coiled like springs—before propelling himself forward with a sudden explosion of force—

Whack!

—headlong into a cold, gray wall.

The ring of wall-eyed pegasai resumed their dance from earlier, traveling in dizzy circles through the raider’s spinning vision.

“Heheheh—wheeeeeeee.”

Happy’s tongue lolled uselessly out the side of his mouth as he chuckled.  Settling back on his haunches, he grabbed his head with both hooves, holding it straight until his vision finally began to settle.

The skeletal remains of the small, prewar town he'd noticed earlier now surrounded him.  Collapsed buildings—twisted mounds of rock and metal—rose from the earth like an industrial forest, giving the whole scene a cold, unnatural aura.  Several small shops on the lower levels appeared intact, though many were half buried and blanketed in darkness.  

A few tattered-looking banners still hung from the rusted lampposts that lined the streets, depicting faded images of ponies dressed in various types of silvery, metallic armor.  Some of the ponies in the pictures even appeared to be entirely encased by their suits—strong-looking metallic figures with a single hoof raised to their impassive, masked faces in silent salute.

Brow raised in curiosity, Happy lifted a hoof in front of his own face.  He pondered it for a moment before holding it to the side of his head like the ponies in the pictures.

Nothing happened.

Happy's ears drooped as he lowered his hoof, planting it on the cobblestone street beneath him and slowly lifting himself onto all fours.  Casting a curious glance toward the scene around him, he caught a flutter of motion out of the corner of his eye.

Spinning his head to look further down the street, he watched as a pair of pink wings disappeared around the corner to his right.  

A look of determination passed over the buck’s face as he took off at a canter, making his way deeper into the heart of the town.  The place looked bigger on the inside than it had from farther out—an endless number of identical street corners seemed to appear before Happy as he pursued the little blue creature.

As he made his way down yet another rubble-strewn road, Happy found himself dimly aware of a tinge of something that had begun to creep into the air around him.  It was nothing he could smell or hear—just a feeling.  Fatigue began to nip at his hindquarters.  A slight haziness had fallen over his normally crystal clear vision.

He wondered if the glowing, green pools of liquid dotting the street had anything to do with it.

Ignoring the unfamiliar sensation, Happy continued forward, feeling a sudden giddiness rise up from his chest as he finally managed to gain some ground on the creature.  His hooves clacked on the broken pavement as he increased his gait.

Performing a couple of lazy loop-de-loops in front of him—again, almost beckoning the raider—the pink winged insect disappeared around another corner midway down the street.  Happy was on it in an instant, hooves scrabbling for purchase as he rounded the same corner, eyes scanning the air.  

The flapping creature had disappeared. All that stood before Happy was a dimly lit alleyway, a few ancient dumpsters and trash cans lining either side of the cracked stone path.  Tilting his head in curiosity, Happy trotted into the shadows, yellow eyes quickly adjusting to the dim light.  

Glancing back and forth, Happy’s eyes could make out a number of weathered pictures scrawled over the walls on either side of the alley—many depicting the same ponies that he had seen on the banners in the street.  One of the pictures showed a crowd of multicolored ponyfolk surrounding a striped pony that had been drawn hanging from a tree.

By its neck.

It’s eyes had been replaced with two small black x’s, tongue protruding from the side of its mouth in a cartoonish representation of death.  The ponies surrounding it appeared to be smiling and cheering, hooves raised in the air as one.  

Eyebrow raised, Happy imitated the faces, letting loose with a forced looking smile as he glanced around.

Again, nothing happened.

Scratching his head with a hoof, Happy’s face lit up as a flash of inspiration struck.  

Running over to the nearest dumpster he began to bash his head against it repeatedly, a hollow clang! clang! clang! echoing through the streets as he did so.  Eventually, a small gash opened up on the side of his head, trickling out a steady stream of life force onto the ground below.

Perfect.

Giggling to himself, Happy went to work, dipping the tips of his forehooves into the pool of blood.  With purpose, he began to trace little lines on the wall, face etched in concentration as he balanced on his hind hooves.  After a couple minutes of purposeful sketching, Happy took a step back to admire his work.  

A lumpy looking stick horse made of crimson streaks stared back at him, a wide goofy smile on its face.  Beside it stood three similarly childlike figures, an earth pony with an eyepatch, another one with spiked hair, and a unicorn with long strands of mane hanging over her face.  Each of them appeared to be staring at the pony in the center with an equally goofy smile etched on their face.

Letting loose with a grin of his own, Happy caressed the wall with a bloodstained hoof.  

“Frieeeeeeends.”

He really should get back to them.

As Happy turned back toward the mouth of the alley, however, something resting on the opposite wall managed to catch his eye.

In an instant, Happy was in the air, an excited shriek erupting from his lungs.  He cupped his hooves over the exposed patch of wall, sealing the fluttery pink and blue creature beneath them.  

Hah!  No flying away now!

Stifling a hysterical giggle, Happy slowly tilted his hooves to look between them.  

Yep! Still there!

The gray buck stomped his hind hooves in triumph and let out a little squee.  Pulling his cupped hooves from the wall, he opened them to take a look at the creature…

...but nothing but two, empty, dirt covered hooves stared back at him.

Confusion quickly replacing glee, Happy cast a bewildered glance at the wall.  

The pink winged creature just sat there, unmoving.  

Happy took another swipe, hoof landing right on top of its pink wings, but the insect didn’t even seem to notice.  In fact, it seemed like the creature wasn’t even there!  Like it was a part of the wall.  Like it was only…

…a picture.

Happy let out a disappointed whimper and settled onto his haunches, scuffing his hooves on the ground before him.

No fluttery pink flappy insect for Happy.

Sighing, the buck lifted his gaze to the wall, eyes traveling up to take in the rest of the image.  The image of the pink winged creature—as it turned out—was one of three.  Two more identical insects, though faded against their yellow background, were drawn above it.  

Curiosity leaking into the buck’s mind once more, Happy tilted his head back to take in the rest of the image. 

The three winged insects he had found were staring back at him from the flank of a beautiful yellow mare with wisps of pink hair making up her mane and tail.  She wore a warm, comforting smile, her light blue eyes fixed on a small figure sitting at her hooves.

Happy’s eyes settled on the second figure.

A cute, cherry red filly with a light blue mane stared back into the eyes of the yellow mare, front legs raised up above her head.  She was wearing a frilly looking pink dress, face etched in a bright, cheery grin.  In her hooves, she appeared to be holding up some thing—a blue, plastic sphere—in the mare’s direction.  

Probably a weapon, Happy figured, nodding to himself.

There were some scrawlings etched across the bottom of the poster, but the gray pony paid them no notice—not that he could read the words, anyway.  An odd, fuzzy feeling began to radiate outward from Happy’s chest as he studied the picture.  Not the same fatiguing sensation he’d felt around the green puddles—but a warm, pleasant one that seem to well up inside of him.  

It was unfamiliar…but not unwelcome.

His attention remained fixed on the pair as the feeling spread, eyes jumping from the smile on the yellow mare’s face to the one on the filly’s.  Back and forth. 

Back…and forth.  

Back.  

Forth. 

Backandforth.

A giggle escaped the raider’s lips as he nodded his head up and down, enjoying how the colors blurred in his vision.  With a giddy yelp, he rolled onto his back, basking in the feeling of the world spinning soundlessly beneath him.

A low, raspy growl broke the silence.

Happy’s ears shot up at the noise.  The growl hadn’t been his.

Still on his back, Happy opened his eyes, staring toward the mouth of the alleyway.  At first, the sudden topsy-turveyness of everything resting upside down made it hard to focus, but his eyes eventually settled on the source of the sound.

Three pairs of glowing, yellow eyes stared back at him, each embedded in the mottled face of a skeletal looking pony with mottled hide.  A sudden stench—like rotting flesh—began to tickle the edge of Happy’s nostrils and the strange, fatigue inducing sensation from earlier seemed to spike, his vision growing a little hazier as he looked at them.

There was another growl and the closest of the pony shaped figures sprang forward, letting out a feral screech as it bared its jagged yellow teeth.

An explosion of heat erupted in Happy’s chest, sending jitters of unearthly ecstasy crawling through his skin.  He could already feel himself changing, hooves melting into claws as his teeth began to twist and sharpen into fangs.

Flipping himself onto all fours with animal-like agility, Happy let out a guttural chuckle of his own, his voice already growing deeper by the second.

The other figures screeched in tandem, quickly following suit.

Bones shifting and reforming, his muscles expanding and pulling taught, Happy could hear the voice screaming at him from inside his head.

KILL, HAPPY, KILL! 

However, bounding forward into the fray, all that escaped his wolfish lips was a bloodcurdling roar.



*****

Perk Achieved!

Ignorance is Bliss  -  Whatever the reason, you can't seem to approach the world with anything less than a beaming smile.  Your laughter is genuine and your positive attitude infectious to those around you.

You gain a temporary +1 to your CHARISMA statistic and receive 10% less damage from attacks while crippled or fatigued.
> Chapter 2:  Home is Where the Heart is
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2:  Home is where the Heart is

“I really like her…mane?”



*****


	The small, gray foal ran frantically through the forest.  His breathing was heavy, his hoof-falls landing awkwardly on the uneven surface beneath him.  Fear fueled his aching legs.

He couldn’t stop now.  It would catch him. 

He could hear it just behind him—a hulking mass of muscle breaking through the dense foliage at his back.  Despite his frantic protests, it persisted—untiring—the sounds of its thundering pace growing closer and closer.

The foal threw a glance over his shoulder, almost stumbling in the process. Two slitted yellow eyes met his, advancing on him with distressing speed.

A terrified shriek left the colt's lips as he pushed his dying legs harder, his eyes blurring with the tears that had begun to form across his vision.  He could almost feel its rancid breath on the back of his neck.

It was almost upon him.


*****


“Git up.”

Happy’s ears perked as the gruff voice called out from somewhere above him.  Cracking open a sleep-encrusted eye, the gray buck cast a lazy gaze upwards.  The dark silhouette of a pony’s head stared back at him against the dull gray sky, a grungy black mane obscuring part of its face.

“Gnnngghh….”

Groaning, Happy rolled onto his stomach, throwing a foreleg over his eyes and waving his free hoof toward the bothersome figure.  

Not awake-time.  Not yet.  More sleep.

The voice spoke again, this time accompanied by a firm hoof in Happy’s side.

“Up.”

“Hmmph…”

Waving his hoof a little more forcefully, Happy dug his head deeper into the pavement below.  Just five more minutes.  

The buck nodded to himself.  

Yes, just five more—

“GET UP YOU LAZY BUCK!”

The sudden, shrill blast of a second voice brought Happy to his hooves in an instant.  Clumsily  searching for his hoofing, he rose groggily to his hooves, the tiredness in his eyes clearing as he finally got a good look at the scene before him.

Standing a few hooves away at the alley’s entrance were a displeased looking Rowdy and Deuce.  Both had their faces drawn up into irritated frowns—bathing Happy in the meanest there-you-are-you-stupid-buck looks they could muster.

Happy smiled, tongue hanging loosely from his mouth as he shifted his attention to their surroundings.

Scattered around the two raiders was a mound of mottled looking limbs and flesh, the whole mess leaking small streams putrid green fluid onto the pavement.  A few green smears of the substance ran up the sides of either wall like streaks of blood, darkest in spots where the wall looked like it had been hit with a jackhammer. 

Happy took a moment to giggle at the destruction before shifting his focus back to his clanmates.  The mare’s ratty mane swayed over her face as she shot a nasty looking smirk in the blue buck’s direction.

“See, Deuce?  Just need to use a little feminine charm.”  

She wiggled her rump suggestively.  

“Works every time.”

The stallion just let out a low snort and looked in her direction.

“That what ya call it?”  He chuckled lowly.  “Thought it was jus’ called bein’ a bitch.”

The mare’s red face instantly grew a few shades darker.  

“Bitch?  Bitch!?  You're the bi—"

A third, metallic-sounding voice joined in, interrupting the raging mare.

“Will you fuckers just give it a rest!?”  

Glancing toward its source, Happy watched Scalper’s head emerge from one of the rusted dumpsters lining the wall.  A few spent wrappers and cans that had been impaled on his head spikes shifted as he spat out a grimy fish skeleton to speak.

“Just shuuuuut up! For five minutes!  Please!”  

Grunting, he crossed his forelegs, muttering under his breath.  

“Stupid, loud-mouthed cunt.”

Happy turned his head in the unicorn’s direction.  For once he didn’t laugh.  A pale fire had erupted in the mare’s irises, prompting even Deuce to take a step back.

Her voice pierced the narrow alleyway like a vein of ice. 

“What…did you…call…me?”

Scalper’s eyes widened as he let out an audible gulp.

Even Happy found himself covering his ears at the ensuing verbal assault.  The shouts blew past him like a gale force wind, tossing the yellow buck backwards as the mare leapt at him, eyes wild.

No wonder her cutie mark was a megaphone.

After a brief onslaught of booming curses, blows, and bite marks, the cloud of dust finally settled as Rowdy trotted happily to Deuce’s side.  A haggard looking Scalper shuffled out of the debris a few moments later, taking his place opposite the red mare as the group’s attention once again shifted toward Happy.

By now, the gray buck had managed to work the sleep out of his system and sat perched on his haunches, tail wagging on its own accord as he faced his friends.  His fatigue from earlier seemed to have dissipated.  The self-inflicted head wound had already closed up into little more than a small bump.

Grinning, he let out a giggle, tilting his head expectantly.

Casting a last wary glance to the mare at his side, Deuce let out a sigh.  

“Fuck.  I don’t got time for dis.”  

He waved an annoyed hoof in Happy’s direction.  

“Come on you fuckin’ idiot.  We been wastin’ enough time lookin’ for ya already.  Back to da overpass.”

Happy’s head tilted a little farther as he raised an eyebrow and smiled.  

He had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Deuce facehoofed, muttering to himself before sighing again.  His next words seemed to roll off his tongue like a mouthful of rancid hay.  

“Back to...” 

He lifted his hooves to make air quotes. 

“…home home.”

Immediately the gray buck was on his hooves, prancing around with a gleeful giggle.  

Home home!  Happy hadn’t been home home in days!  

Raising his hooves to his face, the buck's mind raced with thoughts of all the fun things he could do once he got back.  

He could curl up under his blaaanket,gnaw  on his favorite booone, and play with Mr. Grrrr Bear….

His eyes immediately widened at the thought.  

Mr. Grrrr Bear!  Oh he had so many stories to tell Mr. Grrr Bear!

Whack!

The heavy blue hoof came out of nowhere, knocking the prancing gray earth buck to his side.  

Letting out a raspy chuckle, Happy spat out a couple loose teeth and looked up at Deuce.  The blue buck met him with another irritated stare.

He motioned to Rowdy and Scalper, who were already disappearing back down the alleyway.  

“C’mon dipshit.  Less jumpin’ more trottin’.”

Nodding happily, Happy rose to his hooves and took off after the three.

Home home was waiting for him, after all.

Out of sight behind him, an unexpected breath of wind passed through the alley, throwing up a small whirlwind of dust in its wake.  The aged poster of the yellow mare and foal fluttered for a moment, corners rattling against the brickwork in the sudden gust.  With a quiet tearing sound it broke free from the wall, floating gently onto the ground below.  It remained there for a moment, motionless, against the rubble-strewn ground.

A second breeze soon followed the first.  Soundlessly, the poster took to the air—drifting lazily down the alleyway before disappearing after the giggling buck.


***


The trek back to the overpass took the remainder of the afternoon.  By the time the four raiders finally crested the last rocky hill, the sky had already begin to dim in the early hours of twilight.

Craning his neck down over the hillside, Happy let out a giddy chirp as he took in the familiar sights of home.

Nestled in the shadow of the crumbling overpass sat a long, tube-shaped building with wide, rounded windows that ran all the way around its midsection.  Though the glass had been broken ages ago and the outer walls blackened by balefire, a faint ring of red and green of fluorescent tubing still encircled the building—oddly bright against the dusty backdrop.  The skeleton of a tall signpost still stood—barely—at the building’s side, ringed by a border of burnt out light bulbs.  Its bright red lettering was almost unreadable, faded and peeled from years of exposure.

Though Happy could faintly recall a memory of Rowdy pointing to the sign and saying "diner," the gray buck only had one name for the place that mattered.

Home home.

Kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt as he scrabbled forward—eliciting no small chorus of curses from his clanmates—Happy took off at dead sprint down the hill.  In the blink of an eye, he was at the bottom, barreling toward the double doors, his eyes wide with eagerness.

“HOOOME HOME!”

Giggling, Happy vaulted into the air, hurling himself through the diner’s entrance with reckless abandon.

KATOOSH!  WHAM!  BR-RR-RR-RING!  

A cacophony of metallic, ringing sounds echoed through the small building.

After a few seconds, Happy poked his head out through the front door, a deep metal frying pan resting snugly over a few tufts of his blue mane.  Giving his friends a cheery smile, he let out another giggle before beckoning them with a nod.

“Home home!”

This seemed to rouse a vicious chuckle from the three raiders as they continued down the hill, chatting amongst themselves.

Satisfied, Happy ducked back into the building, hooves clacking happily on the white and black tiled floor as he looked around.  Everything appeared as it always did.  The breakfast bar strewn with chipped plates and cups.  The broken stools and benches piled into makeshift barricades on either side of the room.

Glancing up, Happy smiled.  

Even the bone-ponies were where they left them, their bleached white skeletons shackled and chained inside the three iron cages that hung from the ceiling.

Whistling, or rather spitting, merrily—he’d never learned to whistle—Happy trotted into the kitchen through the open doorway behind the breakfast bar.  The room was small—more of an oversized closet really—with rotting banks of wooden cupboards and countertops lining the walls.  An old, rusty-looking stovetop was set in the far corner, surface caked with centuries worth of grime and dust.

Looking past the mess however, Happy’s attention shifted to the center of a small pile of newspaper and bones laid out like a nest on the floor.  Swaddled in a grungy, yellow blanket was a small, stuffed bear with a chewed-off ear.  Its brown fur was matted with streaks of dirt and grease and one of its black button eyes was missing completely, leaving only a few strands of wiry thread in its place. 

To say it was “well-worn” would have probably been an understatement.

Mr. Grrr Bear!

Ignoring the sounds of his friends entering the diner behind him, Happy was on the stuffed animal in an instant, wrapping the little brown figure up in a hug and letting out a giddy squee.

Mr. Grrr Bear had always been Happy’s bestest best friend ever since he could remember.  The little brown bear never said much, but he was always good for a hug when he needed it.

Happy let out a haughty hmmph! at the thought.  

Deuce, Rowdy, and Scalper never seemed to want his hugs.

Shaking his head as he propped the furry toy up onto the mess of blankets before him, Happy plopped down onto his haunches. Immediately, he leaned in close, giggling as he began recounting his adventures.

Waving his forelegs for extra effect, the gray buck took on his best storytelling voice.

“Hehehe, ponies, ponies…dark…uhmm…BOOM ROARR, hehehe. Happy, uhhh, Angry….”

Happy went on for a few moments, chattering excitedly as he swung his hooves and let loose with a flurry of fighting sound effects and cheesy imitations of fearful screams.   His voice lowered as he got to the good part, the stone gray buck doing his best to build on the steadily mounting tension.

“Flappy flap. Chomp.”  

He pointed a hoof to his teeth and made jumping motions, nodding to his one-eyed audience with a sly wink. 

Well, more of a blink, really.

“Heheheh—uhhh, pretty-pretty, foal foal…” 

He thought for a moment, trying to find the best way to word it.  

“…Happy happy crunch!”

The buck nodded, satisfied with himself. Sure he’d taken a few creative liberties, but Mr. Grrr Bear didn’t need to know that.

Happy looked down at his friend expectantly, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

The worn teddy bear just stared back in his direction, its expressionless face gazing off into the blank space past Happy’s shoulder.  With a quiet thump, it slowly slumped to its side, coming to a rest face down on top of the tattered blanket.

Happy fell onto his back, a hysteric giggle bursting through his lips.  Mr. Grrr Bear always knew just what to say to get him going! 

Eyes watering as he gasped for air, it wasn’t long before the gray buck’s laughter was replaced by a long stretch of wet-sounding coughs that echoed through the kitchen.

A chill ran down Happy’s spine.  

It hurt so goooood.

“The fuck!?”  

The nasally voice barely managed to register in Happy's ears above the sound of his own gagging.

Trying to hold back his laughter, Happy glanced back to the kitchen door where Scalper's head had appeared around the corner.

“What the fuck are you even laughing at?”

Putting a hoof to his mouth, Happy did his best to stifle a giggle.  Snorting as a couple of coughs exploded in his throat, he cast a sidelong glance to Mr. Grrr Bear beside him.

Blankfaced as ever, the bear just stared back at him, arms flopped uselessly at its sides.

“Snnnrk…HAHAHAHA HAHAHA!”

Unable to hold it in, Happy exploded into a fresh fit of laughter, flapping his hooves on the ground as Scalper smacked a hoof to his brow.

“That’s it.”

Happy watched, a curious expression lighting his face as the yellow buck stomped over in his direction.  Passing him by, Scalper knelt down, leaning in toward Mr. Grrr Bear with bared teeth.

A low chuckle settled in from across the room.  

“I wouldn’t do dat if I were you.”

Pausing mid-bite, Scalper turned to the door where Deuce now stood, a condescending smile visible on his face even in the dim, evening light.

Scalper returned the look with a scowl. 

“Do what?”

Deuce nodded in Happy’s direction.  The gray buck giggled at the acknowledgment.  

“Look Scalps.  I know you only been wit' us a week now, but I don’t think you wanna touch dat bear.”

The furrow in Scalper’s brow only grew deeper.

“Or what?”

Deuce chuckled, prompting an angry growl from the yellow stallion.

“Member dat uni I told ya ‘bout?  Da one we ran with before you got here?  Burnpile?”

Happy could feel his ears fold back at the name.  A surge of very unhappy feelings began to worm their way through his chest as dark memories surfaced in his mind.  Wrapping a hoof around Mr. Grrr Bear, he backed up onto his blanket, growling faintly.

Scalper nodded slowly as he took a step back, confusion mixing in with his anger.

“W-what…what of it?”

Deuce casually lifted a hoof to his face, sweeping his dark mane from his eyes.  

“Pyro freak dat one was.   One night he goes and grabs dat there bear of his and drags it over to da fire pit.  Tinks it’d be funny to make dat one squeal.”

Making a sweeping motion with his hoof, Deuce motioned back to the front door of the diner.

“Me n’ Rowdy had ta run like hell just ta keep the bastard from chewin’ us apart.  By da time we got back, weren’t much left of Burnpile dan a coupla bits a' hide.”  

Deuce tapped a hoof to the door frame.  Scalper’s eyes followed.  Four, deep gashes had been torn all the way through the metal frame and into the wall, each some six inches long and tinged with red against the peeling white plaster.

The yellow buck cast a wary glance in Happy’s direction before turning his attention back to Deuce.  The blue earth pony walked over to him, tapping a hoof to his chest like he had to Happy’s earlier.  

“Dere’s a reason we keep dat buck around, Scalps.  You saw dem ponies dis morning.” 

He nodded to Happy, whose attention had shifted playfully back to the furry brown toy, the dark feelings already forgotten.  

“You rile ‘im up, you’re on your own.”

Turning on hoof, Deuce trotted out of the kitchen, leaving the two stallions alone.  

Scalper shot a wary glance down at the stone gray buck.

Happy looked back up to him, a wide smile plastered across his face.  He watched as the surly yellow buck studied him for a few moments before he could smell it—not a particularly strong scent, but just enough for the predator inside of him to sense its presence.

Fear.

A cold flash of light glanced over Happy’s eyes as they narrowed into slits.  Letting out a low, throaty growl, he could feel the pinprick sensations running along his spine, his body tensing on its own accord.  Mr. Grrr Bear dropped to the floor at his side, momentarily forgotten.

The frown on Scalper’s face was quickly replaced by a look of sudden alarm.  Eyes growing wide, he stepped back, scratching nervously at his mane spikes before spinning around and cantering away into the main room of the diner.

The prickling sensation persisted a few moments longer before Happy finally felt his body start to relax.  Shaking away the fog that had started to settle in over his vision, he cast a curious glance through the door and blinked.  

What was the pretty, spikey-haired pony so nervous about?

Shrugging to himself, Happy flopped back onto his stomach.  Letting out a happy giggle, he scooped the stuffed animal at his side into another hug.

Oh well.  At least Mr. Grrr Bear was still his good old self.


***


The same dream as always, darkness.  Nothing but the raspy call of the voice pushing him on.

Kill. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Kill. Eat. Sleep. Repeat

Kill. Eat.  Sleep. Repeat.

Kill…


***


Badump.  Badump.  Badump.  Badump.

The sounds of the moving caravan were tantalizingly close now.  

Happy let out an impatient whine from behind the boulder.  Propping himself up on two legs, he lifted his head, trying to catch a glance over the rocky piece of cover concealing him and his clanmates.

Whumph.  

A red hoof promptly met the side of his face, sending him toppling back onto the ground.

“Quiet, mutt!”  Rowdy hissed through set teeth.  Happy could almost see the steam rising from her ears as she tried to keep her voice down to a whisper.  

“Don’t fuck this up.  We only get one shot.”

Shifting back to her haunches, she went back to work, tightening the straps on her retractable hoofblades.

Letting out a groan, Happy nodded.  Unhinging his jaw as best he could, he shoved a foreleg into his mouth and bit down. Hard.

A trickle of blood ran down the side of his impromptu gag.  Despite the impatience chewing away at his sanity—the little he could bear to muster—he let out a muffled giggle at the sensation.

The four of them had been tracking the caravan all morning, scoping it out from a distance and searching for the best place to strike.  Deuce, always the mastermind, had had them gallop down the trail a ways, concealing themselves in the rock field that surrounded both sides of the well-worn path.  Caravaners passed through here all the time.  They’d done this a hundred times before.

That didn’t make it any easier for Happy to stay quiet though.

Turning to his left, Happy could see Deuce and Scalper speaking in whispers amongst themselves, stealing glances over the top of the rocks as they readied their weapons.

Scalper appeared to be sharpening a sickly looking set of hooks hanging from a long, dull red chain at his side.  Whether the color was from rust or dried blood, Happy couldn’t tell.  Either way, it seemed to accessorize with his cutie mark quite nicely—a bit of a feat considering that the image was nothing but a length of razor wire coiled around a metal pike.

"Honestly," a strange voice drifted into Happy’s thoughts from out of nowhere, "how did you even get a cutie mark like that?"

Happy nodded in agreement, catching an odd look from Rowdy as he did so.  Giggling, he turned his attention back to the two bucks.

At Scalper’s side, Deuce was slotting bullets into his namesake piece—the same one plastered on his flank—its twin barrels protruding from his mouthgrip as he racked in the additional rounds.  His one good eye was set in concentration as his heavy hooves manipulated the small moving parts.

Despite their low voices, Happy could sense the same excitement radiating from their bodies as his own.

“Mmmph!”

Happy let out another muffled whine from behind a mouthful of leg.  He wanted to go now.

Ignoring him, Deuce motioned to the others, spinning his hoof in a circle and pointing in the direction of the approaching caravan.

Scalper and Rowdy nodded as one, taking their positions on either side of the boulder as the creaking of wagon wheels grew louder.  All four of them were breathing heavily now—bodies tense as eager grins crossed their faces.  For once, Happy wasn’t alone in his anticipation.

Quietly—just loud enough for the other three raiders to hear—Deuce began the countdown.

“Tree.”

Happy bit down harder on his foreleg, holding back a giddy screech.

“Two.”

The gray buck pawed at the earth, an all too familiar prickling sensation beginning to run down the length of his spine.

“One—“

“MghawhawhawWWWww!”

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Happy tore the limb from his mouth and vaulted over the top of the boulder.

Time seemed to warp and bend around him, slowing to a near-standstill as the gray buck descended on his quarry from above.  He could see the entire caravan clearly now—a single, white domed stagecoach pulled by two brown coated earth ponies, each donning a blue hat and red scarf around their neck.  The bonneted head of a pink coated mare protruded from the front of the wagon, along with two smaller heads at her side.  Foals' heads, one blue, one yellow.  Bringing up the rear was a gangly, cream colored unicorn buck—younger by the looks of him—a small hunting rifle slung over his back.

The group seemed to turn as one, complacent smiles slowly twisting into horrified stares as Happy bore down on them from above.

Happy’s mind took it all in almost instantly—adrenaline fueling his racing thoughts.  His senses had already begun to sharpen.  The sights.  The smells.  The sounds—

An almost imperceptible fluttering noise whispered into his ear, followed by the faint metallic click of a bolt sliding into place.

Look up.

Twisting his rapidly expanding body in midair, Happy turned on the sound with terrifying swiftness.  His sharp vision quickly zeroed in on the source—a beaked head and dark wings partially obscured by the dim cloud cover above him.  

A sudden, faint flash erupted from the end of the figure's weapon as Happy locked eyes with the silver barrel.

Vvvvvvvvveow—pthhhss.

Happy's eyes widened in shock.

He had expected pain.  Agony.  An explosion of white euphoria.

But all he felt was cold.

Arcing through the air—time still dragging on at an impossibly slow pace—icy tendrils began to creep through his form, emanating outward from the dark hole that had erupted in the chest of his barding.  His rapidly heightening senses were immediately dulled.  He could barely hear the gunfire begin as he hit the ground.  

The waves of the impact seemed to roll through Happy's body like a distant earthquake.  Black splotches began to appear in groups across his vision, an uncharacteristic calm settling in over his mind.

For some reason he couldn’t place, the gray buck’s fading thoughts fell upon the picture from the day before.  Of the mare and the foal.  Playing together.  Smiling.  

Happy.

"Heh, heh…Happy."

So clever.

A last, drawn out breath wracked the earth pony’s body.

Then it lay still.


*****


Perk Achieved!

Sinister Presence – Despite the cheery face you put on, there’s a killer lurking beneath those eyes...and others know it.

You gain 5 points to your PERSUASION and MELEE WEAPONS skills.  Additionally, any enemies with a lower STRENGTH statistic than you are twice as likely to miss on their first melee attack.
> Chapter 3:  The Loneliest Number
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3:  The Loneliest Number


“Oh no…my friends don't like my parties, and they don't want to be my friends anymore…”



*****


Scccccrrrch.  Scccccrrch.  Scccccrrch.

The rustle of dragging hoofsteps echoed faintly through the still forest, broken only by the occasional murmur of quiet sobbing.

Scccccrrrch.  Scccccrrch.  Scccccrrch.

The gray colt limped weakly, his progress hampered by the dense foliage that surrounded him.  His left hindleg hung loosely from his hip, digging a small furrow into the earth beside him as he walked.  Pained whimpers broke from his lips every so often, the divots in the uneven ground jostling his battered limb.  

He had no idea if this was the right way.  The dark, crooked trees all looked the same beneath the impenetrable canopy of the Everfree as they bathed the foal in their twisted shadows.  Eyes stared down at him from their branches—red ones, green ones, yellow ones—all drawn into thin, predatory slits.  

They were watching him.  Waiting.  But keeping their distance.

The colt let out another pained whimper.  Dried blood—his own and that of something else—matted his coat, constantly being refreshed by the seeping wound on his injured leg.

The bite marks ran deep.

Worse than the dull ache, however, were the noises that had begun to churn about inside his head.  They’d started as whispers, at first, but had slowly coalesced into one, horrible, rasping voice.  Its low speech echoed through the back of his mind, gripping him in a fresh bout of terror with every dripping word.

Move…heheheh…kill…tear….feeeed.

It frightened him.  The way it sounded so vivid.  The way its commands trailed off into a low hiss.  The way it laughed…

….heheheheh.

Especially the way it laughed.

The colt shook his head, trying to force the darkness from his mind.  Home.  He had to find home.  His mother could fix this.  His mother could make it better.

He took another step forward, wincing as a fresh bout of laughter echoed through his mind.

His mother could make him safe.


*****


Warmth.

Happy’s eyes fluttered open at the sudden sensation.  

Immediately he found himself squinting, scrunching his eyelids up against the blinding wall of light that danced before him.  

A fiery yellow circle consumed the buck’s vision—peering down at him through a small gap in the clouds above.  Rays of pure, unfiltered brilliance radiated outward from its center, bathing him in a shimmering halo of warm light.

It was the most beautiful thing Happy had ever seen.

With agonizing slowness—unanticipated weariness gnawing at his limbs—Happy lifted a shaky hoof toward the shining disk.  His muscles groaned with fatigue as he stretched further, but he ignored them.  All that mattered was the light.

He grit his teeth in concentration. If he could just...touch...it.

But the fiery yellow circle had other thoughts.  Soundlessly as it had appeared, the patch of light began to sew itself together before him.  In a moment, the dark clouds had rolled seamlessly back into one another, the familiar nebula of darkness reclaiming the Equestrian skies.

It was almost as if the light had never been there at all.

“MKEHH—*cough cough*…mkehh.”

A wet spasm wracked the raider’s throat as he coughed, spattering a fresh spray of blood onto his chest. He tried to rise up from his back.  The sudden movement only succeeded in further aggravating his lungs, sending him rolling back onto the ground in a fresh fit of hacking.

Dry.  So dry.  

Happy felt as if he hadn’t drank anything in days.

Rolling lethargically onto his side—too worn out to fully appreciate the dull aches radiating across his body—the buck pawed at the air with his hooves.  Eventually his limbs found purchase on the dusty earth.

With a tired sigh, Happy rose unsteadily onto all fours.  The world seemed to spin beneath him.  

Odd.  He wasn’t usually this groggy when he woke up.  

The buck shook his head fiercely, clearing out the thick cobwebs that had built up over his senses.  

How long had he been asleep?

He inhaled deeply.  

It was morning, at least.  That much he could taste in the air.

Tilting his head to one side, Happy glanced down at his body.  A thin layer of dust and sand had accumulated on his coat, forming a gritty second skin that covered his own.  

Happy shook his head a second time, running a hoof through his sandy mane.  A shower of dust rained down its wake.  

Despite the exhaustion gnawing at his limbs, he giggled. Sand tickled.

Composing himself, Happy cast a glance at his surroundings.  He was standing in the middle of a sandy flat, boulders the size of skywagons surrounding him like a rocky maze.  He looked down.  The ground at his hooves was churned up with noticeable severity.  There were tracks all over the place.

With a curious frown, Happy took a few slow steps forward, inspecting the marks more closely.  Ponies had been through here—a lot of them from the looks of it.  Panicked looking hoofmarks were everywhere, weaving frenzied circles in every direction imaginable.  

Happy scratched his head with a hoof.  Blurry, half-formed images darted before his mind’s eye.

Ponies.  

Running.  

Gunshots.

The buck stuck his tongue out in concentration. If he could just remember…

Happy began to pace, eyes fixed on the ground as he wracked his brain for something solid. His stomach rumbled as he continued to mutter to himself.  Hunger.  It was faint—nothing the buck couldn’t ignore it for now—but a nagging presence nonetheless.

After a few minutes of walking, the buck stopped short.  His eyes had caught sight of an odd set of tracks mixed in with the others just ahead.

Fleeting memories and hunger forgotten, Happy trotted over to the spot.  His wooden limbs were finally starting to limber up.  

Happy stopped.  At the his hooves were two deep furrows running parallel to one another down the trail.  Set about eight hooves apart, they didn’t look like they had come off of a pony.  

Happy glanced around.  

There were definitely hoofprints around the tracks, but the lines themselves were a mystery.

Tilting his head in confusion, the buck slid back onto his haunches.

“YYYIPE!”

Happy shot straight up into the air a split second later, hooves clamped across his flanks like a vice.  Sailing headlong through the air, he somersaulted several times before landing muzzle first into a small, sandy dune.

Whumph.

The buck just lay there for a moment, head buried in the sand like a delusional, four-legged ostrich.

“Hmmmph!  Heheheh…hmmph…heheh.”

Happy giggled, his voice muted under the coarse sand.  It was daaaark in here.  

Bracing his front hooves against the ground, he pushed, trying to free his head from its gritty prison.  It took a solid few tugs, but eventually it slid back into the open with a faint pop!

Happy landed on his haunches with a heavy thud.  His eyes rolled from the impact, eliciting a happy chuckle from his throat as he tried to right himself.

His flank stung.  Happy reached a hoof back.  A thin trail of blood was running down his leg where the…whatever it was…had jabbed him.

A curious smile breaking over his face, Happy trotted over in search of the offending party.  Sure enough, nestled in the sandy impression of his flank was the splintered end of a wooden rod protruding from the sand.  

A joyful squee escaped the buck’s lips.  Grabbing the stick up with his teeth, he began to parade around, humming merrily as he swung his makeshift baton back and forth.  Now he just needed somebody to play with! 

Happy whipped his head around excitedly. His eyes scanned for any signs of life.

The rock field, however, was as empty as ever.  Just boulders and sand in all directions.

His ears drooped for a moment before perking up an instant later.  

Ideaaaa!

Rushing over to one of the taller rocks, Happy began to beat the splintered stick against its side.  

Tap!  Tap tap!  Tap!  

He giggled at the tune.  He had always liked playing music.

Eventually though, even the rhythmic drumming grew tiring and Happy found himself losing interest.  Remembering his curiosity from earlier, he let the stick fall from his mouth and returned to the odd sets of marks he’d found in the sand.  They stared back at him as they had before, twin grooves running off into the distance.

Happy tapped his forehead with a hoof.  He knew he knew what made those kinds of tracks.

He wracked his brain, trying to remember.  Remembering never came easy to Happy.

Tracks.  Tracks.  What made tracks?  

Ponies.  Ponies made tracks.  

No.  Happy shook his head.  He’d already ruled that idea out.

Ponies…Brahmin…ghoul-ponies…wheels!

Happy let out an excited giggle.  

Wheels!  Wheels made tracks!  Long tracks too, just like the ones on the ground before him.

Happy lifted a hoof to his chin, pondering the idea a moment longer.  Now what had wheels?

Wagon.

The low snarl of the voice growled unexpectedly in the back of Happy’s mind, making him jump with surprise.

Wagon.

The images of the raid rushed back to Happy in a wave. He slumped onto his stomach as the memories washed over him.  

Caravan.  Waiting.  Jumping.  Falling.  Turning.  Griffon.  Shooting.  Hurting.  Falling.  Cold.  Dark. Friends.

Friends!

Happy shot to his hooves, scanning the boulder field for any signs of the other raiders.  As before, nothing but the empty wastes met his gaze.  His friends, and any other signs of the caravan they had been attacking, were long gone.

Tilting his head, the buck turned his attention back to the wagon tracks.  The twin furrows ran side by side away from the disturbed sand, disappearing around the bend in the trail ahead.

Follow.

Happy nodded, allowing a wide grin to spread over his face.  His friends had to be this way.  They must have just followed the wagon!  Yeah!

The raider giggled to himself and scrabbled forward, excitement already building in his chest.  He’d find his friends and then they’d go and chase down that pesky caravan…together.  

He nodded to himself.  

Because that’s what friends did.


***


Clip clop clip clop clip clop.

Happy’s hoofsteps picked up considerably as morning began to fade into midday.  He’d left the boulder field an hour ago, following the tracks with dogged perseverance.  The trail had been growing steadily fainter all the while, prompting the buck to pick up his pace before it disappeared completely.

A sharp pain bit into Happy’s sides.  Cramps.  Thirst had returned with a vengeance.

Happy ignored the sensations however, not even acknowledging the spasms with a laugh.  Solemnity had replaced his jovial mood from earlier. His keen eyes were zeroed in on the trail before him.

Friends.  He had to find them.  It wasn’t about the caravan anymore.  Happy just wanted to find his friends.  

He glanced down at the trail again, searching out the fading marks as best he could. 

Suddenly, they stopped.

Happy almost flipped forward on the spot, his hooves locking up in mid stride.  Bewilderment leapt into his features as he backtracked, glancing around for any sign of tracks he might have missed.

Nothing.

He expanded his search, trotting a wide circle around the end of the trail before coming to stop where he had started.  Still nothing.

Ears drooping, Happy fell to his haunches.

“Friends…?”

Happy pawed the ground at his hooves.  Where could they have gone?  Were they lost?

Flopping onto his back, the buck massaged his temples—a few unavoidable giggles piercing his otherwise anxious demeanor as the pains in his sides made him wheeze.

He closed his eyes and did his best to picture the three other raiders.  

Images of frenzied running through the shadows.  Snapshots of panting doggedly at their sides.  Blurry sensations of white hot agony and muted screams.  

Happy shook his head in frustration.  

His memories were a jumble.  They always were.  But at least they were there.

Before his friends there had only been…there had only been…

Eyes still shut, Happy winced.

He had been alone.

An unexpected whimper left Happy’s lips at the thought.  He couldn’t go back to that.

Cracking open his eyes, Happy rolled back onto all fours and pushed himself up from the ground.  A fresh surge of anxiety burned at his hooves as he began to pace.

“Friends.  Run, run run…heheh…go?  Friends…friends go run go where to?”

The buck mumbled to himself, thinking aloud.  Talking through his thought process usually seemed to help.  After a few minutes, the answer dawned on him.  

Home home.

Of course!  They had to be back at home home.

Happy let out a relieved sigh and wiped his brow with a hoof.  They were probably just there waiting for him like they always did when he wandered off.  There was nothing to worry about.

The buck giggled as the reunion played out in his head.  He could see it now.  

He’d come trotting in the camp and the red she-pony would start yelling ‘Where Happy long time gone gone?!’.  Then the blue he-pony with the eye would say something like ‘red pony bitch’ and make the she-pony yell even more.  The pretty green maned he-pony would say ‘loud whiny just just shut up!’ and then all three would run over and give Happy a big hug.  

Oh!  And Mr. Grrr Bear would be there, too!  And the smiley ponies from the city pictures!  And then they’d allll take turns throwing the baby pony’s blue sphere weapon at giant wagons full of screaming ponies before lying back and watching the big yellow circle in the sky look down at them through the clouds….

Happy tapped a hoof to his forehead in thought.

...and they’d all live happily ever after.  The end.

“Heheheheh!”

Happy clopped his hooves together with glee.  He couldn’t wait to make it home home.

Spinning on hoof, he turned back in the direction of the rock field.  Though his memories didn’t always serve him well, his sense of direction was still crystal clear.  Falling back on instinct, he allowed his hooves to carry him off toward home, a spring in his step as he made his way back to his friends.


***


After another hour of determined trotting, Happy’s eyes finally fell upon the familiar sights of home.  The red lettering of the diner’s rickety signpost loomed ahead of him, just visible over the crest of the nearest hill.

Home home!

Increasing his gait, Happy surged forward.  Happy thoughts bubbled out from his lips in the form of hysteric giggles. 

Almost there!

Happy flew up the side of the hill like a maniac, stopping briefly at the top to look down on the familiar oblong building below.

“Ahhhhhh.”

Happy let out a satisfied sigh.  There was no place like home home.

Letting loose with another fit of giggling Happy took a few steps back before jumping forward—canon-ball style—over the edge of the hill.  With a gritty sounding crunch he landed on the gravely hillside and immediately began to slide down the ridge.

His eyes watered as he picked up speed.  Letting loose with a wide, lip-flapping grin, he giggled before calling out to the diner below.

“HOOOOOOOME HOOOOOOOM—mmmuahhh?”

Seemingly out of nowhere, an unexpected ramp-like projection appeared down the slope ahead, sending the jittery buck careening head over hooves into the air. 

Happy flapped his legs at his sides as he left the ground, frantically trying to stay aloft.  To his surprise, the ground continued to recede as he sailed higher and higher into the air.  

The buck let out a hysteric giggle and flapped his hooves a little more forcefully.  He could fly!

“HAPPY FLY!  HAPPY FLY!  HAPPY—"

WHAM!  KATTSSSSSH! BRRRING-ERING-ERING!

Huh.  The roof of the diner wasn’t as solid as it looked.  At least the floor had held out.

Happy rose from the floor and shook himself off, knocking the oversized cooking pot from its perch atop his head.  Brushing the dust from his forelegs, he glanced up at the ceiling.

A few rays of light filtered in through the newly added, pony-shaped hole in the roof, casting the diner in the dim glow of midday.

Happy grinned.  It was so much brighter now!  And the hole looked just like him!

Swinging his head around, he turned to his friends to point out their new skylight.

But the diner was empty.

Happy’s ears drooped to his sides, his wide smile slowly melting into a hesitant line.

But…friends. 

Happy slowly took a step forward.  His hoofsteps echoed loudly on the tile surface.

“…Friends?”

Nopony answered.

A rush of panic flared to life in Happy’s limbs.  He sprang to his hooves, calling out a little more loudly.

“Friends?  Friends!?”

Scrambling forward on the slick floor, Happy glanced around for any sign of the three raiders. 

The diner appeared to have been cleared out.  The walls were bare of their usual bloodstained trophies and the small stacks of loot the other three raiders normally stored behind the breakfast bar—food, ammunition, random trinkets—were gone.  Not even a box of cram had been left behind.

Happy bolted into the back room—his room.  

“Frrrrriends?”

A familiar, brown fuzzy face stared back at him from the confines of a tattered blanket.

Bounding forward, Happy grabbed up Mr. Grrr Bear and held him out a hoof’s length away.

“Grrrrr Bear Bear!  Happy friends where how to run?”

He knew he sounded desperate, but he needed answers.  Where were the others?  Had they been through here?

The teddy bear’s small head slumped forward in his grasp.  The buck’s eye twitched.

“Bear Bear no know how what run!?!”

Happy grumbled in annoyance.  

What did he mean he didn’t know if they had been through here?  Hadn’t he heard them come through?

The fuzzy stuffed bear just stared at him, unmoving.

“Hmmph.”

Snorting, Happy dropped the stuffed toy onto the floor and crossed his forelegs.  If Mr. Grrr Bear wanted to play the cold shoulder game, Happy would play the cold shoulder game.

Ignoring his tightlipped companion, Happy slid back onto his haunches, taking a moment to organize his thoughts.  

Friends.  They had to be coming.  They had to be.  Maybe they were just….late.

Happy nodded to himself, the gesture restoring a little of his resolve.  

Yes.  Late.  Just late.  They’d be here.  He just had to wait for them.

Forcing a thin smile onto his face, Happy picked up Mr. Grrr Bear in his teeth and trotted to the front of the diner.

Late.  Just Late.  They were coming.

He pushed open the double doors at the front of the building.  They flapped shut behind him as he searched for a good spot to sit.

They were on their way.  Any minute now they’d come over the top of that hill.

Happy settled onto his haunches a few feet from the diner’s entrance, dropping Mr. Grrr Bear at his side.  He set his solemn gaze on the horizon.

Any minute now.  They were coming for him.

They wouldn’t leave him behind.


***


Rain.

Happy felt it.  Thick, heavy drops that fell like stones from the sky.  They rolled off his matted blue mane and down the back of his neck, spattering onto the muddy earth in a steady stream. He was drenched.

A bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating the heavens in a burst of light.  The cloudy ceiling was a seething ocean of black thunderheads, monstrous billowing clouds slamming into each other with immeasurable force.  The cool breeze of night had transformed into a howling gale, fueling their vicious movements.

Kaboooom!

The thunderclap followed a moment later, shaking the very ground Happy stood on.  The raw, tingling sensation reverberated throughout his body.

The buck didn’t move.  His forelegs remained firmly in place, eyes downcast even as the small lake pooling around his flanks grew deeper and deeper.  His attention lay fixed on his hooves—entirely unphased by the raging storm above.

They weren’t coming.

As afternoon had faded into evening, he had waited.  As the first storm clouds had rolled in overhead, he had waited.  As the first drops of heavy rain had begun to fall, he had waited.

But his friends hadn’t come.  

Happy was alone.

A second arc of lightning lit up the wastes.  Half submerged in the puddle at his side, Mr. Grrr Bear slumped over, coming to rest against Happy’s hoof.

Slowly, the buck lifted his head.  Tired, black rings circled his joyless eyes.

Another flash.  The stuffed bear stared up at him, its one good eye glistening in the rain.

Happy just stared at it blankly.  Slowly, he pulled his leg back, allowing the brown figure to slide face first into the mud.  

Moving like an automaton, the buck rose to his hooves.  A fierce blast of wind threatened to push him aside as he rose.  He weathered it.

Happy took a mechanical step forward.  Splurch!  The mud sucked hungrily at his dragging hooves.

Another flash.  Another step.  Another flash.  Another step.

The buck glanced over his shoulder

The fuzzy outline of Mr. Grrr Bear floated face down in the pool of dirty water.  

Happy let his gaze linger a moment longer.  Without a word he turned his head and continued onward, letting the darkness of the raging storm swallow him whole.  Time seemed to lose meaning as his hoofsteps fell beneath him.

Heheheheheheheheheh…

The low, guttural laughter echoed through Happy’s thoughts as he stumbled through the darkness.  A chill had settled into his bones, the cold wind and unremitting rainfall drawing every trace of heat and warmth from his body.

Happy was numb to it all.  His hooves moved on their own accord, dragging him forward through the storm.  He had no idea where they were taking him.  He didn’t care.  His mind was fixed on a single thought.

They didn’t come for him.

Heheheheh…

The voice laughed again.  Its low, mocking tone seemed to ring in Happy’s ears from all sides.  The sounds of the storm had faded away, leaving nothing between it and the buck.

Alone again again?

Happy didn’t respond, continuing his slow plod through the rain.  

The voice let out a satisfied snicker.

Heheheh…Told Happy keep nothing friends. Told Happy.

Happy bit his lip.  The mud continued to suck at his hooves, slowing his progress through the black void that surrounded him.  Just ignore it and it will go away.

The voice spoke again, words edged with malice.

Abandon Happy.

The buck stopped in his tracks.  His eyes met the ground, watching the rivers of mud and water flow past his hooves as another flash of lightning lit up the sky.

Ab...abandon Happy?

With a quiet whimper Happy dropped onto his stomach and curled into a tight ball.  Hiding his head beneath his hooves, he began to rock back and forth slowly.

The voice continued to taunt him

Abandon Happy.  Abandon Happy.  Abandon Happy.

Happy moaned and gripped himself tighter.  

Why hadn’t they come back?  Could it be true?  Had they really abandoned him?

A flicker of light at the edge of his vision stirred Happy from his thoughts.  This time it wasn’t lightning.

Pulling his hooves from his eyes, Happy squinted through the rain.  There.  A small orange beacon dancing beneath some sort of rocky overhang off to his right.

A fire!

Happy scrambled to his hooves.  Could it be?  Did that mean? Were they—

Wasting no further time on thought, Happy bounded forward.   Waves of water rolled off from his sides as his hooves plowed through puddle after puddle.

As he drew closer, Happy’s view of the fire grew clearer.  What he had mistaken for a natural overhang was actually the last remnant of a small concrete building, a little one-story box that looked like it had seen better days.    Three of the four walls were still standing—just enough to support the dipping slab of a roof it seemed—but the fourth appeared to have been reduced to rubble by some sort of explosion.  Through the hole, the orange flame flickered lazily the middle of the shelter.  Happy could see a few shadowy figures gathered at its edge, shuffling about in the darkness.

His heart skipped a beat.  It had to be them. It had to!

Pushing his exhausted limbs even harder, Happy bounded to the side of the small concrete structure as fast as his hooves could carry him.  With a grunt he leapt over the rubble at the foot of the broken wall, landing awkwardly on the floor.

A sudden commotion rose up around the buck as he tried to gather his bearings.  Panicked sounding hoofsteps clacked on concrete, joined by the piercing metallic din of tin plates and bowls falling to the floor in unison.

Grabbing his head in his hooves Happy tried to hold it steady, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light.  Slowly, three pony shaped silhouettes solidified in his vision, huddled together in the corner on the opposite side of the fire.

“…friends?”

Slowly, Happy stepped around the fire, training his eyes on the shadowy figures.  

Three pairs of terrified eyes stared back at him from beneath identical canvas caps.  Their respective owners—two earth pony stallions, one red, one green, and a light blue unicorn mare—were huddled together in the corner, their forelimbs wrapped around one another as they stared fearfully in Happy’s direction.  All three wore heavy brown jackets, pockets bulging with items he could only guess at.  

Bones?  Pretty rocks?  What did ponies usually keep in their pockets?  

Happy’s ears drooped.  Slowly, he slid onto his haunches and hung his head.  Traders.  Just a bunch of traders.

“Not friends…”

Even with his eyes focused on the floor, Happy could sense the fear radiating from the three ponies in front of him.  It broke over him like a wave, flooding his senses.  More than enough to drive him into a frenzy.

But the changes…didn’t come.  Even the voice stayed quiet.  

Happy sunk to his stomach.  He didn’t feel angry or aggressive at all, just…empty.

A dejected sigh escaped the buck’s lips as he rested his chin on his hooves.  The three traders in front of him gasped at the sudden sound, huddling closer together against the wall.

Happy glanced up at them, tilting his head curiously to one side.  He had never tried to talk to a…a not-raider pony before.  He had always just…attacked them.  With his clan.  They had never been anything more than a game to him.  A chase.

He thought about his friends for a moment.

But…maybe…if he just said hello to them…

Lifting a hoof in the air, Happy gave a little wave in their direction.  

“Happy hi hello—”

The three traders cringed as one, pressing their backs up against the wall.  The light blue mare began to cry softly, throwing her head against the red buck’s chest.

Happy’s face fell, his expression dipping into a confused frown.  Staring at his own hoof, he slowly recoiled, laying his foreleg on the ground beside him.  

He glanced up at the mare again.  She was still crying.  The two bucks at her side just watched him in terrified silence.

For the first time in memory, Happy was at a loss for words.  Had he…had he done something wrong? 

He glanced at his hoof.  It was the same hoof as always. 

Happy felt a pang of sadness as the realization hit home. 

Him.  They were scared of him.  

But he wasn’t even being scary…was he?

Happy glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his body, as if seeing it for the first time.  His barding was a mass of bloodstains and clawmarks—tufted patches of dead hide protruding from the thicker gashes in the leather.  The few patches his of coat that weren’t caked with mud and grime were mangy—also stained with intermittent blotches of red.  

Drip.  Drip.  Drip.

Happy glanced to his side. A small pool of water had formed at his hooves, joining that which had dripped down from a thin crack in the roof above.

Happy’s eyes lingered on the shape within.  A gray buck with a ratty blue mane stared back at him, the tips of his teeth—sharp, but not quite fangs—glistening behind his lips.  

But worst of all were the eyes.  Two yellow, bloodshot irises bore into his own, flickering hellishly in the dim light of the fire. 

Cringing, Happy turned his head away.  He could feel his hooves trembling.

Happy was a monster.

Memories of piercing screams began to echo through his mind.  All those ponies…this whole time…

Happy’s hoof flew to his head.  He felt…pain. True, throbbing pain, not the dizzy agony his body craved.  It began to worsen as the wailing grew louder and louder inside his skull.

High screams. Low grunts.  Bucks.  Mares.  Foals.  Their voices rose up like a chorus of the damned, sending the buck staggering to his side.

But despite the whirlwind of screams, Happy could still make out one voice that rose above them all.  It was faint, but unmistakable.  The same voice that was always there, speaking in his words, lurking in the back of his mind.

Laughing.

Heheheheheheh…

Happy’s hooves flew to his temples as he tried to claw the sounds from his head.

Make it stop.

The wailing only grew more intense, ringing in Happy’s ears like a siren.

Make it stop.

Louder.  Louder.  The shrieks were everywhere, everything.   He couldn’t think straight.  Flashes of light danced across his vision, the screams blinding him with the sheer intensity of their volume.

“MAKE IT STOP!”

Happy leapt forward in a frothy rage, dimly aware of the three screaming voices that had joined the chorus in his head.  Throwing himself against the nearest wall he began to thrash his head wildly, his skull cracking as he bashed it against the concrete again, and again, and again.

Fresh eruptions of light flashed across his vision with every connection, the sickening crunch of bone barely registering in his ears.

But the noises wouldn’t stop.  The ponies kept screaming.  The voice kept laughing.

“STOOOOOOOOP!”

Rearing his head back one last time, Happy hurled himself forward with all the strength he had left.

There was a flash of white light and the world fell out from under him.


***


“Hey…are you okay?”

Happy opened his eyes.

It was morning.

The light of the Equestrian skies streamed in from the demolished wall behind him, casting the inside of the concrete-walled building in a dim glow.  The roaring fire from the night before had died down to a pile of embers which lay smoldering in the center of the room.  Thin tendrils of smoke rose up from them like wiry, gray branches.

“Can you hear me?  Hello?”

Happy glanced up to the corner where the three traders had huddled together the night before.  It was bare.  No doubt they had crept off into the storm after his…episode. 

Happy nodded numbly to himself.  He couldn’t blame them.

A dull throbbing pain still persisted in his head, beating slowly in time with his heart.  He shrugged internally. At least the screaming had stopped.

Happy shifted on his stomach and lowered his head back to the floor.  

Good.  Now he could sit here and die in silence.

He closed his eyes to wait.

“Are you feeling alright?”

What!?  

Happy slapped a hoof to his forehead.  

Colt it was difficult to wallow in lonely despair with somepony trying to get his attention like that.  He swiveled his head toward the source of the noise.

Happy’s head froze mid turn.  His eyes widened as he took in the figure standing over him.

There, at his side, was the most stunning unicorn Happy had ever laid eyes on.  Her shimmering yellow coat seemed to sparkle as he looked at it, even in the dim glow of morning.  

He studied her face.  Her crimson mane was drawn up into a braided pony tail behind her horn, with two thin hair loops extending from her bangs to the back of her neck.  Her tail was braided the same way, trailing behind her and almost touching the ground.  At its end was a small gold ring that glinted as she moved, the only piece of jewelry she wore save the two dark red bracelets on her left forehoof.  

Everything about her seemed…perfect.  Flawless.  Untouched.  Even her pocketed vest was well-maintained—the brown canvas faded with age, but otherwise spotless.

“Um…do you have a name?”

But the one thing Happy couldn’t tear his gaze away from was her eyes.  They stared worriedly into his own, two sparkling aquamarine pools of light that seemed to ease away all the tension in his body.  There was so much warmth in those eyes, so much caring...

Happy felt as if he could stare into them forever.

The mare returned his slack faced expression with a awkward smile. Her eyes began to dart back and forth uncomfortably as Happy continued to stare at her in silence.

After a few moments, she raised a hoof to her mouth, clearing her throat.

“Ahem…okayyy then.”

Tossing her braided mane back over her shoulder, Happy watched her worried smile melt into a genuine, cheerful grin.

“Well, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, but…”

She offered a yellow hoof to the fallen buck.

“...I’m Serenity.  Nice to meet you.”



*****



Hindrance Added…  

A (Self) Abusive Relationship  -  As calm and composed as you may (or may not) be in everyday life, from time to time, you can’t help but give into the urge to headbutt a concrete wall.

You receive a temporary -10 penalty to your INTELLIGENCE related skills every time your self-administered injuries drop you below 50% health.  Additionally, when attacking an enemy in combat, there is a 10% chance your attack will backfire and deal damage to yourself.
> Chapter 4:  A Warm Reception
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4:  A Warm Reception


“Well, well, well. It seems we have some ‘neigh-sayers’ in the audience.”



*****


“Mother!”

They gray colt could barely hear his own voice over the wind as he stumbled into the clearing. The sky was stormy and overcast, a steady gale rattling the piecemeal shutters against the windows of the ring of shanty-like hovels he called home.  The dark shadow of Everfree loomed bitterly behind him, branches bared like talons toward their lost prize.

“Mother—ghack!”  

The colt’s cry erupted into a wet cough, his body convulsing as he began to hack out thick strands of blood.  He fell to the ground.

It hurt.  Oh Celestia, it hurt.  His lungs were on fire, the simple act of breathing only adding fuel to the flame.

A lantern suddenly flared to life inside the nearest shack, the sound of hooves clattering from within.  With blurry eyes, the colt watched as the front door swung open on rusty hinges, flooding his twitching body in a rectangle of yellow light.  The silhouette of a distressingly slender mare—her pale blue coat barely discernible in the dim light—cast a shadow from inside the frame.

“Happy!”

The mare’s weak voice cracked with emotion as she ran forward, hooves scrambling on the hard packed earth.  Scooping the gray colt into her forelegs, she swung her head in the direction of the other shanties.  Her darker, braided blue mane whipped over her shoulders as she cried out. 

“Help!  Doc.  Doc!  Help him!  Help him!”  

The mare ran a frantic hoof up and down the colt’s side as the lights inside the other shacks flared to life.  Her voice wavered weakly as she tried to comfort him.

“It’s okay, Happy.  You’re going to be okay.  Mother’s here.  Just breathe!  Doc will fix you right up.”  

She craned her neck a second time.  

“Doc!  Doc!  Anypony!  He needs help!”  

A second door burst open a moment later, followed by a third and fourth in quick succession.  Other dark, blurry figures began to fill the colt’s vision, quickly coalescing into a mass of panicky looking hooves and faces in front of his own.  

Head swimming with pain and confusion, the colt buried his face into his mother’s neck. Her skin was flushed, warm, and he could feel the vibrations of her voice as she continued to call out for help.  Finally, another voice—older and more masculine—broke the chatter that had risen up around him.

“Get him inside.  Quickly!  We haven’t much time.”

The colt was vaguely aware of being carried as his mother rushed him into one of the open hovels.  Lights danced before his eyes, blinding him and gripping his stomach with nausea.  He clutched his forelegs around his mother more tightly.   

“Fleet Hoof!  Clear the table.  No!  Not there!  Here!  Fetch the trauma kit. I’ll put him down.”

The colt let out a sharp gasp as he was torn from his mother’s embrace by a strong pair of hooves.  Struggling against his captor’s grasp, he tried to cry out, but the effort only managed to increase the intensity of his coughing.

“Don’t struggle, lad!”  the older stallion’s voice responded.  Its source was still indiscernible amid the sea of swimming lights.  “Stay still!”

His words rang in the colt’s ears, causing him to kick more forcefully.  Vague whispers began to echo at the back of his mind as a single, quiet voice wormed its way into his consciousness.

Kill it.

A strange sensation began to flood over the colt as he writhed on the table.  An unbearable heat had flared to life in his chest, fueling his rising panic and anger.  Popping and snapping noises began to fill the air around him as his small form began to twist and bulge on its own accord.

“What in the name of Celestia—Fleet Hoof!  50cc's of Acepromazine.  Now!”

The commotion was almost lost on the colt’s ears as he continued to thrash, the ends of his muzzle and hooves beginning to prickle uncomfortably.

Suddenly, another hoof brushed against his own, stroking it lightly. The colt stopped and rolled to his side, his eyes meeting the gaze of his mother standing beside him.

Cooing gently, she raised her hoof to his forehead.  

“Don’t worry, little one.  It’s alright.  Mother’s here.” 

Her eyes stared tenderly into his, their green irises glinting in the lantern light.  Her face was weary, eyelids lined with tired creases of a mare beyond her years, but, despite it all, she smiled at him with undeniable, loving warmth.

The rising of the colt’s chest began to slow, the sudden heat receding back into his chest.  His breathing had begun to steady.  Lifting a hoof in her direction, he did his best to choke out a reply.  

“M-m-mother.”

Her smile grew wider at the word, happy tears winding their way down her face from the corner of her eye.  Raising her own hoof, she placed it gently back against his.

“That’s it, Happy.  Just breathe.   You’re safe now.”

The colt nodded and let out a breath, allowing his body to relax fully.

Without warning, a sharp pain erupted in his left shoulder.  Whipping his head around, the colt glanced at the giant needle protruding from his flesh.  Immediately, his muscles began to slacken and he slumped backwards onto the table.

He heard his mother begin to shout.

“Doc!  What are you doing!?!  Get that out of him!”

The voice of the old stallion spoke up once more, this time matched with a face as the colt watched him activate the injector with the golden aura of his magic.  He recognized the brown unicorn now, Doc Fleet, his thick black rimmed glasses peeking out from beneath his bushy gray eyebrows and moustache.  He adjusted his faded, off-white lab coat as his gaze met the colt’s mother’s.  

“Lily, we need to sedate him!  Did you see what he started to do?”

The shouting voices continued to fire back and forth, but were soon lost to the colt’s ears as the room began to spin around him.  The sedatives worked their magic quickly, coursing through his veins like liquid sleep.  Closing his eyes, the colt gave into the sensation, falling away into a dark and dreamless slumber.


*****


Happy's eyes remained fixed on the yellow hoof hovering in front of his face.  Lifting his own hoof with scientific intensity, he prodded at it a few times, testing for resistance.

The mare simply stared back at him, a confused look once again working its way into her features.

Settling back onto his haunches, Happy scratched his head in thought.  

Ding!

Flashing a wide smile in the unicorn’s direction, Happy leaned forward, booping his nose against her outstretched hoof.  He giggled at the sensation.

The confidence in the mare’s face quickly returned as she pulled her hoof away, returning Happy’s smile.  

“You’re a little strange, aren’t you?”

Happy replied with an eager nod.  The beautiful yellow she-pony was talking to him!

Her grin rose up another notch.  

“I thought so.”

Taking a few steps forward, the mare shifted herself to better meet Happy’s gaze.  She spoke slowly, keeping eye contact with him as she stressed the syllables of each word.

“What...is...your...name?”

Happy arched an eyebrow.  There was no air of superiority in her voice.  No condescending or mocking undertones like the ones Happy was used to hearing when his clanmates spoke to him.  It was…puzzling.

The buck tilted his head, casting a perplexed look at the unicorn as he tried to understand. 

She held his gaze, crouching down on her front hooves to meet him at his level.  Her braided mane fell over her shoulder as she leaned in close.  

“Name.  What is your name?”

Happy’s eyes began to shift back and forth uncomfortably as she neared.  

The words…they just…he couldn’t—

The buck let out an unexpected sigh of relief as the mare’s hoof tapped against his chest, melting away the sudden rush of anxiety.  Gently, her voice like silk to his ears, she pressed against his torso.  

“Name.”

Happy watched as she brought her hoof back, resting it against herself.  

“Serenity.”

Stretching forward, she tapped Happy’s chest again.  This time she said nothing, simply holding her hoof there for a moment before motioning to herself a once more.

“Serenity."

Happy stared at her intently, his eyes locked on her movements.  Rusty, unused gears in his mind slowly crawled into motion as they began to exert themselves for the first time in years.

He sat in silence for a time, brow furrowed in concentration.  After a few moments, he lifted a hoof of his own, placing it against hers.

“Ser—Serenity.”

He pulled his hoof back, and tapped it against his chest.

“Happy.”

Serenity gave a small nod in his direction, another smile breaking over her face.

“Pleased to meet you, Happy.”

Happy returned her look with a triumphant grin.  He was such a smart pony.

Chuckling, Serenity pushed herself up onto her hooves and turned toward the broken wall.  She paused in thought for a moment, glancing back and forth between Happy and some point in the distance.  Her hooves tapped the ground as she mulled the idea over.

Seeming to come to a decision, she nodded her horn in Happy’s direction.

“Happy...would you like to come with me?”  

Her voice was gentle—motherly almost.

Happy nodded eagerly, surprised at his own ability to understand Serenity’s words.  There was just something about her presence that made him feel…clear.

He waved away the thought.

Eh, too much thinking.  He’d figure it out later.

Rising to his hooves, Happy giggled and trotted to her side.


***


“Let’s stop for a lunch break, Happy.  We’ve still got a few miles until we hit the settlement.”

Halting mid-bounce, Happy swiveled toward the sound of Serenity’s voice.  Stop.  Lunch.  He knew what those words meant. 

Happy bobbed his head up and down in approval.  He was still pretty hungry.  They had been hiking their way across the desert wastes for most of the morning as it was, Happy himself scrabbling to explore every rock and tumbleweed as they moved along.   It was all just so new and exciting!  He’d never been this far away from home home before!

Well, not that he could remember at least.

Turning on hoof, Happy trotted over and plopped down at Serenity’s side with an expectant grin.  The unicorn had already begun to root through her vest pockets with her magic, its red aura shifting things around as she bit her tongue in concentration.

Happy simply watched, amazed.  Granted, he’d seen magic used before—Rowdy liked to stack small rocks when she was bored—but the ease with which Serenity rummaged through her inventory was mesmerizing.

“Aha!”

Serenity flashed the buck a grin as she drew a couple of small items into the open—two blue, plasticy-looking rectangles with strange yellow markings printed along their sides.  

Meeting Happy’s eyes, Serenity levitated one of the rectangles in his direction.

“Eat up.  Looks like you could use a little more meat on those bones.”

Eyebrow raised, Happy reached out with a hoof and grabbed ahold of the rectangle.  He studied it for a moment.

Lunch?

He looked back up at Serenity.  She smiled cheerfully in his direction, watching him with those eyes of hers.

Happy glanced back down at the strange object in his hoof.  It was a present.  From her.  He couldn’t just not eat it.  

He looked back at Serenity.  

She was still watching him, a shade of curiosity creeping in over her features.

Happy sighed.  Returning her smile with an awkward one of his own, he closed his eyes and promptly shoved the blue rectangle in his mouth.  

Yuck…plastic.  He did his best to hide his grimace as he began to chew.

The sound of Serenity's laughter prompted him to open his eyes.  The mare was doubled over onto her side, tapping a hoof on the rocky patch of earth beneath her.  

Happy’s ears perked up, his slackjawed mouth hanging open in confusion.  

Was it…was it something he'd said?

Slowly, Serenity’s laughter started to peter out.  She looked in Happy’s direction, wiping away tears from the corner of her eye as she stifled the last few chuckles.

“Happy, no.  Not like that.”

An odd tingling sensation settled over Happy’s tongue as Serenity’s horn began to shimmer.  With a faint hum, the chewed up plastic bar was lifted from his open mouth and sent hovering in her direction.

“You have to open it first.”  

She gripped the plastic rectangle with both hooves, ignoring the fact she’d just pulled it from his mouth.  

“Like this.”

With a swift tug she split the plastic apart, revealing a green-brown bar inside. 

The scent reached the buck's nostrils in a flash.  

Now that smelled more like food.

Shuffling over on his hindquarters, Happy gingerly grabbed the bar from the wrapper with his teeth, glancing up at Serenity with an uncertain smile as he did so.

The mare chuckled and gave him another nod.  She looked beautiful when she was laughing, her red hair loops bouncing lightly with her braided mane.

“You’re welcome.”

Letting out a satisfied sigh—at last, food!—Happy threw his head back and let the bar slide into his waiting mouth.

“BLECHH!  Eyuch…ptooie, ptooie!”

Frantically, Happy stuck out his tongue and began to paw at it with both hooves, trying to wash the taste from his mouth.  Holding back the urge to gag, he instead began to cough, hacking uncontrollably into the air.

Serenity was on him in a heartbeat, resting her hoof on the small of his back as the convulsions eventually began to die down.  She looked at him with worried eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Eyes still watering, Happy looked up at her with drooping ears and offered her a sullen smile.  He felt bad for spitting out her nasty tasting lunch rectangle.

Tilting her head at the look, she patted his back in reassurance.

“It’s okay, Happy.  We’ll just take Oat-E-O Bars off the snack list for now.”

The mare took a half-step back, allowing Happy to rise to his hooves.

“So…what do you like to eat?”

Happy stared at her, tilting his head to one side.

Serenity met it with an inquisitive stare of her own.  After a few awkward moments, she tried again.

“Like to eat?  Eat?  What does Happy like to eat?”

She lifted a hoof to her mouth, miming a chewing motion before pointing back to Happy.

Ohhhh, Happy food!  

Happy offered an excited nod in the mare’s direction.  Turning a few quick circles, he scanned the immediate area.  

Desert.  Desert.  Desert.  Boulders and rocks.  Desert.  More boulders and rocks.  Desert. 

Hmmm.  The terrain here was familiar.

Slumping onto his hindquarters, Happy tapped a hoof against his chin, deep in thought.  After a minute of intense reflection, a flashbulb went off in his head.

Not even sparing a moment to tell Serenity where he was going, Happy bounded off the trail, disappearing behind the nearest collection of boulders and rocks.  A few moments later a cacophony of insect-like buzzing noises erupted from the same direction, followed by a few pony-sounding giggles, and the unmistakable clatter of struggle between the two.

The sounds eventually came a sudden halt and Happy trotted happily from behind the boulder, carrying a squashed looking…something...by its wing.

Serenity’s face scrunched up in a slightly sickened expression as Happy plopped the flattened figure at her hooves.  She did her best to look approving.

“Oh.  Bloatsprite.  Yum.”

Happy giggled in agreement.  Dropping down on his front legs he dragged the taint twisted parasprite larva to his hooves, digging in with gusto.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Serenity glance at the unopened Oat-E-O Bar in her hoof.  She stared at it for a few moments before slipping it back into her vest pocket.

Happy tilted his head at her, munching happily on a leathery, translucent wing.

Catching his curious look, Serenity shook her hoof reassuringly.

“Oh, no.  It’s alright.  I just realized I wasn’t…” she flinched as a green spurt of juice erupted from the carcass at Happy's hooves, “…hungry.”

Happy shrugged and continued to chew away, wolfing down the remainder of the bloatsprite.  Flecks of greenish ooze spattered in all directions, but Happy didn't mind.  Messy food was good food.

Serenity motioned to him as he worked the last few bits of wing from his teeth with his tongue.

“Let’s get going.  We don’t want to get stuck out here after dark.  It gets pretty cold at night without a fire.”

Happy nodded.  He got the general idea.  Time to move again.

Belly full for the first time in...days?—Happy wasn’t sure—the buck fell in line beside Serenity, humming happily to himself.

The two resumed their earlier trek, continuing across the wastes with the mare at the lead.  Every so often she’d point out a mountain or hill off in the distance, tying it to some strange name that Happy quickly forgot, but mostly the two walked in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.  The scenery slowly began to transform as they walked, the desert sands and scrub giving way to rockier, less even terrain.

After an hour, Happy’s attention began to waver and he found himself trotting around as he had before, exploring the little nooks and crannies in the rocks around them as they moved along.  Serenity didn’t seem to mind, simply offering him a glance every so often to make sure that he wasn't wandering too far.

A faint clicking noise met Happy’s ears.  He turned, swiveling his head toward its source.

There.  Trotting over to a hoof sized rock, Happy flipped it over, revealing a small brown scorpion underneath.  The creature hissed as the dim light of the wastes washed over it, holding its claws and tail at the ready.

Happy stomped his hooves excitedly.  A mini-poky-sting-snap!  What fun!

Giggling, he lifted a hoof toward the creature.  It recoiled as he drew nearer, its hissing growing more pronounced.

Movement.  Happy pulled his hoof back with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the scorpion’s barbed tail.  He let out another giggle as he pushed his hoof in a second time.

Swing.  Miss!

Swing.  Miss!

Happy shot a smug look at the little brown creature.  It should just give up now.  Happy never lost this game.

Pretending to yawn, Happy stuck his hoof out a fourth time, nonchalantly swinging it in front of the scorpion’s eyes.  However, this time the creature was ready, lashing out with its tail before Happy could react.

“YIPE!”

Crying out more in shock than pain, Happy somersaulted backward, landing on the dusty earth in a heap.  The scorpion gave one last mocking hiss before scuttling off, disappearing into a pile of rocks off the side of the path.

The buck snorted, batting a hoof in the creature’s direction.  

Who needed to win a stupid game like that anyways?

Flopping onto his side, he glanced ahead, looking for Serenity.  It only took him a second to pick her out.  Even a couple hundred hooves away, her yellow coat stood out brightly against the droll gray and brown of the wasteland.

Happy pushed up to his hooves and trotted after her.  He made the ground up easily—the mare was keeping up the same even clip from earlier—but slowed as he reached her.

For the first time, Happy noticed the cutie mark resting on her side.  It was simple enough.  A gray, silhouetted unicorn bust with three small lines emanating from its horn to signify…magic?  Thoughts?  Happy couldn’t tell.  

Studying it for a moment longer, he nodded to himself.  Whatever it stood for, it seemed to fit.

Glancing up from her side, Happy caught Serenity’s gaze.  She offered him a small smile and motioned toward the mark.

“It’s a healing mark.  I work with ponies who…”

She paused mid-sentence, staring at Happy as she searched for the right words.

“...I help ponies feel better when they’re hurting.”

Happy nodded.  He understood.

Serenity’s smile grew a little wider.  Gesturing with a hoof, she pointed at his side.

“What do you have for a cutie mark beneath that barding of yours, Happy?”

Happy’s ears drooped and swished his tail up over his flank.  Though his sides were hidden away beneath his barding as they always were, the motion was reflexive.  The buck turned his head away, avoiding Serenity’s gaze.

The yellow mare spoke up again a moment later.  Her voice was gentle.

“It’s alright.  You don’t have to show me right now if you don’t want to.”

Eyes still averted, Happy nodded silently.

The two trotted a little farther without talking.  Serenity seemed to pick up on Happy’s residual discomfort, flashing a couple concerned glances in his direction as they moved along.  Eventually she spoke up again, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence.

“You know, it’s kind of funny that I ended up with something like this as my cutie mark.  I didn't really see it coming.”

Her voice couldn’t help but betray a sense of nostalgia as she spoke, prompting Happy to look up from his slouch.

Serenity met his eyes and continued.

“After my mother died, my father raised me on his own to be a fighter like him.  We never went out looking for trouble—nothing like that—but he wanted to make sure I could…defend myself out there in the wastes.  I always thought I’d get my special talent in Ponkido or Fallen Caesar.”

She shifted her gaze to the ground at her hooves.  

“I wasn’t very old when raiders attacked our home.   Thirteen?  Fourteen?  My father managed to get me out safe but he…”

The mare closed her eyes, a pained look etched in her face.  Happy felt his own expression follow suit and gave the mare a comforting nudge.  She opened her eyes at the touch and nodded before continuing.

“…Anyways, I wound up running into this traveling caravan led by a married couple, Red and Valentine.  I never would have found them if I hadn’t heard Gilly—their daughter—crying from inside the wagon.”

Happy watched as she smirked at the memory.  He smiled too.  He liked it when she wasn’t sad.

“They thought I was a raider at first.  Red almost shot me!  But once they saw I wasn’t a threat they brought me in while they dealt with the foal.  Gilly was in pretty bad shape—she'd had a fever for almost a week and wouldn’t sleep for anything.  Valentine was at her wits end trying to quiet her and Red wasn’t doing much better, either.”

Again she broke Happy’s gaze, this time staring ahead fascinated, as if reliving the memory for the first time.

“Then…it was the strangest thing.   I walked over to Gilly’s cradle and, somehow, I just…knew what to do.  I picked her up in my hooves and she settled down without a word.  Five minutes later, she was asleep.”

Another chuckle escaped her lips.

“Red and Valentine wouldn’t stop fawning over me after that.  They made me the foalsitter for the whole caravan.  I settled down with them and the rest of the caravan at Creek Bend a week later.  I’ve been with them ever since.”

She glanced at Happy expectantly as they continued to trot, waiting for a response.

Happy felt his face freeze up, his mind racing.  

Quick!  Say something.  Compliment her.  Let her know you liked her story.  Just say something.

The buck fumbled for words, the sounds spilling from his mouth like loose marbles.  

“Uhhh, Serenity talk-talk Happy wide ear smiles?”

Serenity laughed at the garbled mess, nudging Happy’s shoulder playfully with her own.

Nailed it.

The yellow mare let out a sigh before meeting his gaze again.  

“I hope we can talk about your story sometime, too, Happy.  I’d really like to know where such a sweet buck has his roots.  But for now…”

Serenity glanced around, her face showing signs of anticipation.  Happy glanced around, too.  He had been so absorbed in her story that he hadn’t notice the changing landscape around them.  The dusty flats had given way to somewhat less dusty hills, some of which even had faint tufts of brown-green grass anchored beneath the dirt.

Happy sniffed.  The air even smelled different.  Wetter, if that made any sense.

Serenity tapped her hoof against Happy’s.  He turned to face her.

“…it looks like we're just about back.  Come on, let’s go meet the family.”

Gesturing with her shoulder to drive the point home, Serenity took off at a canter.  Happy laughed and followed suit, swept up in her excitement.  He was going to see Serenity’s home home!  

He grinned lazily at the thought.  

Maybe he’d get lucky and Serenity would let it be his new home home too.

Happy’s giggles came to a sudden stop as they rounded the base of the last hill.  Eyes widening in surprise, he stopped in mid-trot, gazing at the scene before him with delight.  

Serenity trotted up to his side and stopped as well, chuckling at his expression.  She lifted a hoof to his shoulder.

“Welcome to Creek Bend, Happy.”

Happy just continued to stare, lost in the moment.

The small village lay nestled in a bowl-like valley between two round topped hills, essentially hidden away from the rest of the wasteland.  Four canvas topped, wheel-less carriages and a small red train car on bricks formed a tight circle in the center of the clearing, all centered around a flat central square.  Each little home boasted its own unique set of additions—small attachments cobbled together from wood and metal panels—that branched off into extra rooms and awnings.  

Despite the mismatched state of their materials, the little buildings seemed rather well constructed—no holes or cracks to speak of.  One even sported a small watchtower that rose some twenty hooves from the ground, perched atop the rusty remnants of an iron girder.

Even more exciting was the sight of water—actual running water!  On the far end of the village circle, running just behind the red train car, a small burbling brook could be seen snaking its way into the clearing.  The slow moving stream ran about two pony lengths across at its widest before disappearing back into the hillside and out of sight.  Some makeshift gardens had been dug out on either side of it, spindly looking plant stems rising intermittently from the patches of darker soil.

However, what really grabbed Happy’s attention were the ponies themselves.  He’d never seen so many in one place!  The biggest caravan he’d ever come across had had seven, maybe eight at most.  Creek Bend had to have well over twenty different bodies milling about.

A familiar prickling sensation began to set in at the edge of Happy’s muzzle and hooves as he stared at the moving figures.  He could feel his focus begin to sharpen, a stern expression settling over his face as he looked around for any signs of guards or weapons.  He could already feel his heart rate beginning to rise.

“Um…Happy?”

Serenity’s voice cut in, waking him from his stupor.  Happy shook his head, immediately dispelling the odd feeling.  He nodded reassuringly to the mare, her face lighting up with relief.

“Sorry.  It looked like you zoned out for a second there.  Just wanted to make sure you were alright.”  

She pointed a hoof toward the village center.

“Come on, goof.  I’ll show you around.”

Happy bobbed his head up and down eagerly, bounding up to Serenity’s side.  It was time to explore!

Next time.

Happy hesitated.  The voice was more of a whisper than anything.  He wasn’t even sure he’d heard it.  After a moment, he shrugged and resumed his cheery skip, trotting alongside Serenity as they made their way down the hillside.

Heads began to turn as the pair neared the circle of homes.  Happy tensed up for a moment, suddenly self-conscious, but managed to breathe a sigh of relief as he saw many of the waiting faces break into smiles.

“Heya, Serenity!” a tan earth stallion called out, waving a hoof in their direction.  He was dressed in a faded prewar collar and tie, a couple of tattered hoofcuffs wrapped around his forelegs.  A pretty green mare in a flowery blue bonnet stood at his side, waving as well, two little foals romping around playfully at their hooves.

“Warehouse!  Daffodil!  Good to see you!”

The green mare spoke up, her voice softer with a bit of a drawl to it.

“Nice to see you too, Miss Serenity.  Didn’t expect to see you back for another day or so.”

The mare offered a small nod in Happy’s direction.

“Who’s your new friend?”

Serenity and Happy exchanged a look.  The yellow unicorn smiled, turning back to the couple.

“This is Happy.  I found him out West of the Plates.  He…he doesn’t really say all that much, but he seemed like he could use a leg up.  I thought I’d see if Red might have a place for him.”

Happy giggled and smiled widely, waving a hoof at the two.

A long silence hung in the air.

The grins on the couple’s faces seemed to falter a bit as he continued to meet their gaze.  The two exchanged a quick glance out of the corners of their eyes.

After a moment, the brown stallion coughed into his hoof.

“Well…um…pleased to meet you, Happy.  Hope you like Creek Bend.  We’d love to chat a little longer but we have to, uhhh…”

He trailed off, looking nervously at his wife.  She spoke out suddenly.

“…um…the foals!”

Warehouse quickly nodded his head in agreement.

“Ah, yes!  Foals!  The foals.  Have to deal with the foals!”

He scooped the two squirming figures at his wife's hooves with his forelegs.

“Foals will be foals.  Darn rascals.  Gotta get going though.  See you round!”

Daffodil nodded as well.

“Um, yes!  Foals!—er, I mean, goodbye!”

The two turned and trotted off toward one of the closer wagon-homes, scurrying inside.  Happy felt his ears droop a little, unable to shake the sensation that the exchange hadn't gone well.  He glanced glumly in Serenity’s direction.

Her blue-green eyes softened behind her hair loops.

“Hey.  Don’t worry.  They’ll warm up to you.”

She nodded toward the town center.

“Let’s go meet Red.  He’s always up to welcome a new face.”

Picking up on the hope in her voice, Happy nodded and followed suit.  Just as they set hooves inside the small circle of buildings, a small red blur shot in front of them like a fuzzy rocket.

Happy’s eyes settled on the figure—a giddy, red, little earth filly with an untidy purple mane and tail brushed out in all directions.

“Serenity!  Serenity!  Serenity!” 

The little filly shrieked, bouncing up and down so fast that Happy felt himself getting excited too.   

“You’re back! You’re back! You’re back!”

Serenity smiled, leaning in close to tussle the filly’s mane with her hoof.

“Well hey there Gilly-Filly!  Were you a good girl for your mommy while I was gone?”

Gilly jumped into the air, practically exploding with pride. 

“YES!  I helped her bake hayyyycakes, and then we did all the laundry in the river, and then we got to draw pictures and I drew the greatest picture of a cute bunny and itwassofluffyiwasjustgonnadie and…”

The little filly gasped for air, spitting the whole sentence out in one drawn out breath.  Her blue eyes suddenly shot over toward Happy, widening with curiosity.  The buck glanced awkwardly in Serenity’s direction, unsure of how to respond.

“*Gasp!* Whoooooo is heeeeee?”

Before Happy could react, Gilly was on top of him, bouncing excitedly on his back and pulling on his ears and mane.  Happy winced, giggling awkwardly at the sensation.  She had a strong grip.

The little red pony began firing of questions faster than Happy could understand them.

“Is he your new coltfriend?  Why is his mane so messy?  Why are his eyes yellow?  Are these real scars? Oh! Oh! What’s your favorite color, Mr. Stallion?  Mine’s red.  And blue. And pink.  Are you pink?  You don’t look pink.”

The little filly suddenly went quiet as a magical red aura lifted her off of Happy.

Serenity chuckled, shaking her head.

“That’s enough for now, Gilly-Filly.  This here is Happy.  He’s a…”

Serenity glanced over at Happy, looking the buck up and down.  He smiled sheepishly, bowing his head in thanks.  Looking back to the filly, Serenity continued.

“…he’s a very special pony friend of mine and he’s had a long day.  You can play with him more tomorrow after he’s gotten some rest.”

“Awwwwwhhhhh….”

The little filly sighed, hooves dropping to her sides.

Serenity chuckled again.

“Hey now. That’s enough of that.  Let’s go find your mommy.”

“You won't need to go too far, dear.”

The kindly voice of an older mare prompted Happy and Serenity to turn their heads.  Emerging from the wagon-home with the watchtower, a lavender coated mare with a coiffed red mane trotted into the open.  She wore a warm, loving smile as she nodded in their direction—a fitting expression considering the lacey heart-shaped cutie mark painted on her side.

“Mommy!”  

Happy's eyes widened as Gilly squirmed free of Serenity’s magic—could you even do that?—and into the mare’s waiting hooves.

“Valentine!  Happy to see you up and about.”

The older mare nodded in Serenity’s direction, holding up a bandaged hoof.

“Doctor says the bone’s healing right up.  Should be right as rain in a week or two.  It’s nice to see you back this early though, dear.  How did negotiations in Red Star go?” 

Serenity rolled her eyes, batting a hoof in the air.

“You know how Stripes is.  Won’t sign any contracts unless he’s got a shoe in for the better bargain.  Looks like we’re gonna have to find a new lookout crew for the caravans if we’re going to keep trading out East.”

She sighed, scuffing a hoof into the earth.  

“If Red would just let me go along, I’m sure I’d be able to—”

“You know that isn’t going to happen, little missy.”

Happy’s ears swiveled once again as a gruff, male voice boomed from behind him.  A towering red earth buck stepped out from the same building as Valentine, his well-groomed blonde beard and mane flecked with specks of gray.  Barrel-chested and well-muscled despite his age, he lumbered forward, a cross expression etched into his features.

Happy watched Serenity’s face fall into the same expression.  A hint of irritation, the first Happy had heard from her, entered into her voice as she replied.

“Well maybe if you didn’t treat me like I was still a foal and let me take on some of the farther routes, we wouldn’t have to worry about finding new contracts.”

The two stared daggers at each other in silence, the tension slowly building the air.  Happy could feel his own body tense up as well, readying itself to spring in front of the yellow mare.  Keeping his eyes locked on the red stallion, he let out a quiet growl.

A few moments passed.  Serenity held the pony's gaze for few seconds more before—

"Pfft!"

Without warning, Serenity's expression broke, the mare bursting out in laughter.  The stallion’s hearty chuckle followed a moment later, blending in pleasantly with Serenity’s lighthearted laugh.

Happy blinked.

What was going on?

Happy fell back onto his haunches, suddenly very confused.  He watched as the big red stallion picked Serenity up off the ground and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“You know I can’t let you go out there getting yourself hurt.  You’re too smart for that.  Besides…”

The big stallion swept his hoof around, gesturing to the cluster of homes. 

“We need ya here, protecting us.”

Serenity straightened her mane as the giant set her down.  A big smile was plastered across her face.

“I know, Red. I know.  I just wish I could do more to help.”

The stallion chuckled again, tapping a hoof to her shoulder.

“You do more than ya know, missy.  That’s why we love you.” 

Red suddenly turned in Happy’s direction, giving him a slow once-over.

“Who’s your buck friend?”

Happy meekly waved a hoof at the stallion.  He wasn’t particularly afraid, just mesmerized by his colossal size and gait.  Serenity smiled and walked over to the gray buck’s side, patting him on the back.

“Red, this is Happy.  I found him outside the Plates and figured he might be able to do some work for us.”

Red smiled and lifted a massive hoof in Happy’s direction.

“Happy, ya say?  Ha, well, here's hopin' you live up to the name there.  Name’s Red. Pleased to meet ya.”

Oh! He knew how to do this!  

Forgetting his bashfulness, Happy stuck his muzzle forward, booping his nose against’ the stallion’s hoof.  Immediately, he let out a giggle and looked back to Serenity for her approval.

Serenity facehoofed beside him, smirking into her hoof.

Red’s eyes narrowed in confusion as he glanced in her direction.

“Ah…Serenity?”

She returned his gaze with a grin. 

“It’s alright, Red.  Happy’s a little…different.  But I’ve got a good feeling about him.  Honest.  He’ll be a good worker.”

Red shifted his eyes back to Happy, who met his stare with a lazy grin.  His tongue lolled out the corner of his mouth as he gave a little nod.

The stallion’s face brightened as he let out another hearty chuckle.  

“Alright, alright.  If you’ve got a good feeling about him then I’ll trust him.  You do seem to have a way of finding some of our best foalk.”

He pointed to Happy.  The gray buck smiled at the acknowledgement.

“Son, feel free to help yourself to one of the spare bunks in the far house over there.”

He motioned to his wife.  

“Val here makes a mighty mean oat and hay stew for breakfast, so make sure you get up bright and early if you want to get in on some.”

Serenity coughed into her hoof at the word "oat."  Red didn’t seem to notice.

“Other than that, we’ll start work sometime in the morning.  I’ve got a few shipments that need to be moved and catalogued….”

He gave Happy an unexpected pat on the back, eliciting a surprised yelp from the buck. 

“…and you look like you’re a pretty strong one, so you should fit right in with the moving crew.  Glad to have ya aboard."

Happy nodded, opening his mouth to speak—

“What is he doing here?”

The small group turned as one, taking in the sight of a grouchy looking brown stallion—older than Red from the looks of it—with a yellowing lab coat tossed over his shoulders.  He walked forward with a slight limp, his neat white mane slicked back over his ears.  Frowning, he pointed an accusatory hoof at Happy.

“Red.  What is he doing here?”

Red’s eyes narrowed in irritation.

“Fleet Hoof.  What’s the problem now?”

The brown stallion’s eye twitched visibly.  He flailed his hoof in exasperation.

“He’s obviously some sort of raider or bandit. What is he doing—”

Serenity’s voice shot out before the stallion could finish.

“He is not a raider.”

Raider.

Happy knew that word.  The ponies that he and Rowdy, and Deuce, and Scalper would hunt down would shout it all the time, pointing back at them and screaming it as they tried to run away.  

He raised his eyebrow in confusion.  

But he was a raider...wasn't he?  Why was Serenity saying he wasn’t?

Happy raised a hoof, but was cut off as Serenity continued, venom snaking into her voice as she tried to keep her language civil in front of Gilly.

“Raiders are...bad ponies who do nothing but lie, and cheat, and hurt others for their own enjoyment.  Happy is anything but that.  I don’t know where he came from, or why he is the way he is, but I do know that he needs somepony to help him.”

Raiders are bad ponies…

Happy felt the blood rush from his face.  

Serenity thought raiders were bad ponies?  But...he was a raider.

The buck blinked.

Was he a bad pony?

He knew he was scary, but…bad?

Happy’s ears drooped to his sides.

Groaning at Serenity's response, Fleet Hoof slapped a hoof to his forehead, narrowly missing his horn.

“Are you blind?  You can’t just pick up strange ponies and bring them here.  Look at him.  Look at him.  His scars.  His eyes.  His barding, for Celestia’s sake!  If anypony should know to watch out for raiders, I would think it would be you, Serenity.”

Red spoke up, the irritation in his voice escalating.

“Fleet Hoof, that’s en—”

Serenity cut the red stallion off, her voice like ice.  A darkness had settled in over her features, an expression Happy had never seen on her before.

“I know exactly what raiders are capable of, Fleet Hoof.  Raiders deserve to die.  They took my parents—both of them—and if I could, I would see each and every one of them to the gates of Tartarus myself.”

Happy shrunk further into himself, but Serenity paid no notice.  Her attention was fixed solely on the brown buck.

“...So if you think I would ever pass up an opportunity to right that wrong, Fleet Hoof, you're wrong.  Dead wrong.”

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air after her last word.  A few heads had turned from outside the circle, watching the events unfold in the village square.

Nodding, Red spoke up as well.

“He’s staying, Fleet.  The decision’s final.”

Casting one last, venomous glare at Happy, the brown stallion turned and walked into one of the wagon-homes, muttering as he slammed the door shut behind him. 

Immediately, things seemed to shift back to normal, silence giving way to the low hum of village life.

Red glanced down at Happy, rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof.

“Sorry about that, newcomer.  I'll talk to him.  Doc shouldn't trouble ya anymore.”

Happy kept his eyes trained on the ground but nodded slowly.

Raiders are bad ponies….

A hoof fell on his shoulder, making him glance up in surprise.  Serenity stared back at him, face still flushed red with emotion.  Despite that, though, she gave the buck a warm smile.

"Don't worry, Happy.  That wasn't your fault."

Happy offered a weak smile in return, fighting hard not to vomit on the spot.  His stomach was flipping in all directions, making the battle a difficult one.  

Raiders are bad ponies.

Serenity patted him on the back.

“Come on, Happy.  Let’s get you to your new home.”

Happy nodded slowly and rose to his hooves.  The yellow mare turned and motioned for him to follow.  Falling in line behind her, he started forward, hooves heavy, her words echoing through his mind.

Raiders are bad ponies.

Raiders deserve to die.


*****


Level Up!

Perk Achieved!

Social Stigma -  Most ponies seem to be a little thrown off by your appearance and tend to avoid you when they can.  When push comes to shove, they’d rather just look the other way than address you outright.

You gain 5 points to your STEALTH skill and are now 25% more likely to deter potential enemies from engaging you in combat.

> Chapter 5: Happy at Your Service
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5:  Happy at Your Service


"Yeah, but sometimes his 'help' isn't all that helpful..."



*****


"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head.  Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed..."

The colt stirred beneath the covers of the lumpy straw cot.  That voice.  He knew that voice.

Head cloudy with sedatives, he cracked open an eyelid.  Gradually, his vision began to adjust to the darkness around him.  He was in a room, that much he could tell.  He could hear the whistle of the wind passing against the thin walls outside.

The voice continued to sing.

"...Drifting, drifting off to sleep, leave the day behind you.  Drifting, drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you..."

The word "joy" seemed to catch in his mother's throat as she quietly recited the lullaby.  His eyes could finally make her out now, her pale coat shimmering in the dim light that filtered in from the next room.  Her slight frame rested along a bench at his bedside, stroking his foreleg beneath the blankets.

She looked exhausted.  Her cheerful, green eyes were sunken and worried, both fixed on the empty space at the foot of his bed.  

The colt snapped his eyes shut and remained silent.  Had she seen him?

Cautiously, he cracked open his eyes for another peek.  Nope.  Her gaze was still distant.  She hadn't felt him wake.  

Opening his eyes a little further, the colt took the opportunity to study her in silence.  Slowly, his ears began to droop. 

She didn't think he had noticed the changes happening to her over the past few months, but he had.  He wasn't that little anymore.  He noticed things.  There was a tiredness that just never seemed to leave her, one that slowly ate away at her body, wearing her thinner and thinner.  Whenever he had asked her about it, she had just told him not to worry.

The colt frowned.

But he did worry.  Despite her reassurances, he had made it his mission to do everything he to help her feel better.  Drawing her pictures.  Cleaning up the dilapidated two room shack they called home.  He'd even gone so far as to start sneaking her extra scoops of his oats when she wasn't looking—the village only had so many rations to go around.  

But, her condition had only grown worse.  He was running out of ideas.

That's why he had went into the forest in the first place.

The colt's eyes traveled silently over to his mother's cutie mark.  The delicate image of a flower stared back at him, its white petals shining brightly against the blue of her coat.  

A water lily.  His mother had told him the story once.  How she had seen one when she was a filly.  He loved that story.

He had thought that, if he could just find another one for her to see, another lily, maybe she would stop being sick.  Maybe she would even start to get better.  

His frown grew deeper as the memories resurfaced.  Instead of finding the flower, he had gotten lost in the woods.  And chased....and the voice...

The colt's body tensed as phantom laughter echoed through his mind.  He hadn't heard the voice since Doctor Fleet had given him the shot, but its memory still frightened him.  He shivered a little.

His mother's hoof slowed at his sudden movement.  Brow raising in alarm, he quickly screwed his eyes back shut.  The mare's stroking stopped entirely.  He could feel her eyes pass over him.  

The colt held his breath.  After a few long moments, the feeling passed and he could sense her hoof resume its gentle motions.

He sighed in relief.  Close.  It didn't feel right to disturb her.  He didn't want to be a problem.

The colt tried to take a second look, but his eyes remained shut.  It felt as if his eyelids had suddenly been laden with sandbags, too heavy to move.  Fatigue began to reassert itself with a vengeance, blurring the thoughts of his mother in his mind.

The colt sighed.  Taking a few deep breaths, he allowed himself to sink deeper into the covers.

Tired.  So tired.  He could rest for a moment.  

He'd figure out how to help her tomorrow.


*****


Happy couldn't sleep.

The buck's eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, amber irises boring holes into the roof panels hanging over his small, darkened room.  The corrugated metal just sat there in grim silence, its metallic sheen long since lost to the passage of time.  All that remained was now a resigned looking sheet of dull, gray metal that stared down at him—a patchwork quilt of grime and rust.

Cracked.  Ugly.  Just like him.  

Raiders are bad ponies.

Serenity's voice echoed through his mind for the thousandth time.  In the quiet darkness of the bunkhouse, it seemed to ring off the walls, meeting his ears from all directions.

He knew he should tell her.  But he couldn't.  What would she do if she knew?

Raiders are bad ponies.

Was he a bad pony?

Bad.  Happy had never given the word much thought before now.  He knew he'd heard it enough times before from Deuce and Rowdy.  Happy bad at this.  Happy bad at that.  Bad weather.  Bad buck cakes.  Bad idea. Bad. Bad. Bad.  It was everywhere. 

But when Serenity had said it...

Happy's ears drooped in confusion.  

His life was all instinct, impulse.  He never really thought about what he did.  Not like this.  But now...it was like the yellow mare had woken up something inside of him.  Feelings.  Doubts.  Memories he didn't remember having. 

The buck shook his head, trying to make sense of things.  It was all so confusing.  Why did he feel like this?  Why did it suddenly seem like he had done something wrong?  He wasn't alone anymore.  Why wasn't he...happy?

Happy rolled onto his side, curling himself into a tight ball.  The cot wobbled beneath him, groaning with the sudden shift in weight.  He closed his eyes.  He had to focus.

Think.  What to do, what to do...

Slowly, the basic lines of an idea began to form, intertwining like wisps of smoke.

If being a raider—doing what the voice said—made him a bad pony...  

Happy drew up an image of Serenity from memory.  Blue-green eyes.  Braided mane.  Bright yellow coat.  Warm smile.	

She would want him to do better.

Determination swelled in the buck's chest.  He opened his eyes.

If being a raider made him a bad pony...he just wouldn't be a raider anymore.  

A small wave of relief finally broke over the buck's tense muscles.  He sighed and loosened up, sending the cot into another chorus of creaks and groans beneath him.

Happy nodded to himself.  Tomorrow he would start over as Happy the not-raider and everything would work out from there.  Serenity would think he was a good pony, and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the ponies in town would start to think so, too.

The buck's eyelids slid shut as the pleasant thought finally allowed him to relax.  He smiled and tucked his hooves underneath his head, quickly feeling himself begin to fall away.  It had been a long day.

As sleep overtook him, he was only dimly aware of the faint, dripping voice whispering to him from the back of his mind.

Happy will see, now.  Happy will see.


***

"RIIIIIIIISE AND SHINE THERE SLEEPIN' STALLION!"

Red's voice seemed to come out of nowhere, exploding near the sleeping buck like a mirthful thunderclap.

Happy instantly jolted upright, his legs quickly becoming entangled in the thick mass of blankets surrounding him.  With a bewildered grunt, he pitched forward, tumbling off the cot into an awkward heap.

Whumph.

"Zzzz-hmmmph?" 

Happy rubbed his eye with a sleepy hoof. What time was it?  From the chilly air and quiet chirp of rad-crickets, he knew it couldn't be daytime outside.  Not for a while yet, at least.

The buck sighed in frustration.  How could anybody be so cheerful before day-sky?  

He buried his head in his hooves, trying to hide himself from the massive stallion.  

Maybe if Red didn't see him, he'd get bored and go away.

Yeah.  That would work.

The stallion chuckled heartily, his words finding Happy's ears through the wall of fabric and stuffing.

"Nnnope, none of that there, son.  Time to greet the day and get to work."

Or not.

The sound of heavy hoofsteps echoed through the room and suddenly Happy felt himself lifted up—blankets an all—by a tree trunk sized foreleg wrapped around his waist.

"Noooooooooo!"

Waving his legs feebly, Happy struggled to break free of the stallion's grasp, but it was like trying to free himself from a vice.  Groaning in futility, he reached back to the room below.  

The bed!  It was so close!  So comfy!  

The buck stretched his hooves as far as his body would let him, pawing helplessly in the cot's direction. 

Must...move...toward...the bed.  

Without warning, Red released his grip.  Happy paused for a moment in confusion—why did he suddenly feel weightless?—before plummeting the five hooves to the floor below.

Whumph.

Happy groaned.  A ring of pink ponies had flooded his vision, bouncing giddily around his spinning head.  Rising wobbly-legged onto all fours, he did his best to blink them away.  

"There's a good stallion!  I knew Ser was right to pick you out."  Red's drawling voice sounded again as he patted Happy's back with a hoof.  

The smaller buck gasped as the air was promptly forced from his lungs.  Red didn't seem to notice.  

"Now let's get you on over to the boxcar.  You'll be learning inventory with Warehouse this morning.  Got a lot of orders that need filling today and he could use a hoof carting 'em back and forth."

Out of breath, Happy simply nodded.  A satisfied look on his face, Red smiled and turned on hoof, walking toward the front door of the bunkhouse. 

Happy cast a last, sidelong glance the to the room behind him.  He could hear the bed calling to him.

"Haaaaaappy...Haaaaaappy...."

The buck sighed and turned, following the larger stallion out the door.

Outside, Happy could see that his earlier instincts had been right—it was dark.  The small ring of caravan homes stood like statues around him, each casting long, dark shadows in the dim, irradiated night.  The scene was eerily quiet.  Only the sound of his and Red's hoof-falls broke the silence.

Happy slumped his shoulders and let out an irritated snort as they trotted along.  Nopony else had to be awakey-wake right now.

If Red overheard his grumbling, he didn't acknowledge it.  Cheerful as ever, the red stallion led him to the far side of the village where the railcar stood, propped up on a dense pile of crumbling bricks.  Approaching from the front, he lifted a hoof and rapped on the steel door.

"Warehouse!  You still up in there?"

A muffled, scuffling noise drifted out from the boxcar, quickly followed by the voice of an irritated stallion.

"Hold on Red, hold on. I'll be right out."

The scuffling resumed, working its way closer to the sliding door.  But, before it could be pulled open, a loud clanging noise echoed throughout the boxcar's interior as something—or a stack of somethings from the sound of it—toppled onto the floor.

"Goddesses damned sunova—"

Red chuckled as the buck inside let out a string of nasty sounding words, none of which Happy was familiar with.

"Good ol' Warehouse."  The stallion lifted his hoof to punch Happy's shoulder.  This time the smaller buck was ready, crouching down at the last second to absorb the brunt of the impact.  

It helped.  A little.

How was it Red never crushed Serenity with those hugs of his?

Happy shook his head, shifting his attention back to the boxcar.  After a few more lines of cursing, the heavy door finally rolled open on its treads.  A tannish-brown earth pony in old hoofcuffs—the same stallion Happy had met the day before—emerged, brushing some imaginary dust off of his faded red tie.

"I swear, one of these days—"  Warehouse froze mid-sentence, green eyes widening in surprise as they locked onto the gray buck.

"Oh..uhm...helllo."

From the stallion's expression, it seemed he'd been expecting somepony else.

Happy shrugged at the thought, smiling broadly in return.  Surprises could be fun, too.

The tan stallion's expression didn't change.  If anything, it became a little more distraught.

Red broke the awkward silence a moment later, oblivious to the rising level of discomfort.  

"You remember Happy, dontcha there, Warehouse?  Ser told me she introduced you two yesterday."

Rubbing his forehead with a hoof, Warehouse finally nodded.  

"Ah...yes.  We had the...pleasure...of meeting yesterday."  

Sighing in resignation, he waved feebly in the buck's direction.  

"Hello...Happy."

Happy lifted his own hoof in response.  

Waving!  Waving was good!  Waving was friends!

Pshh, the buck thought to himself.  This not-raider stuff was easy.  Serenity would be so proud when she found out that he was already making friends.

Happy paused at the thought.  

Speaking of Serenity....where was she?  

He glanced around the darkened settlement. 

Was she still asleep?

Red's voice jarred him from his stupor.  He pointed a broad hoof in Happy's direction and motioned to the tan stallion.  

"Happy here is gonna be your inventory assistant this morning."

Warehouse's forced smile fell another notch.  

"Oh.  Great."  

Red didn't seem to notice his discomfort.  Smiling, he turned on hoof, glancing back over his shoulder toward the two of them.  

"Allllright boys, I've got to go make the rest of my rounds.  Got a whoooole town to wake up.  I'll leave you two to packing things up."  

The stallion gestured toward an empty wagon parked beside the boxcar.  

"Don't want those New Appeloosans gettin' all huffy that their shipment's late now, y'hear?"  

With a cheerful nod, Red trotted off back toward the ring of homes, disappearing into one of the smaller ones on the right.  A few moments later, Happy heard his booming voice echoing through the thick walls.

"Clover!  Midnight!  Riiiiiise and shine there, sleepin' stallions!"

A heavy sigh escaped into the air at Happy's side, his head swiveling at the noise.  Warehouse sat perched on his flank beside him, kneading his forehead with a hoof and muttering under his breath.

Happy watched him intently.  

First rule of friendship: know your prey. 

After a few moments, Warehouse finally seemed to notice Happy's gaze.  Taking an awkward step back, he offered a strained smile in Happy's direction.  The corners of his mouth twitched as he took a moment to compose himself.

"Well...um...Happy..." 

He gestured toward the open boxcar. 

"...Have you ever worked with inventory before?"

Happy just stared at him blankly, eyebrow arched.  

"Inventory?  Counting things?  Numbers? ...Do you know numbers?"

Happy's blank stare persisted.

Warehouse furrowed his brow.  Letting out a long sigh, he trotted over to the boxcar, disappearing inside.  A moment later, he returned, carrying a worn looking frying pan in his teeth.  Transferring it to his hoof, he held it out in Happy's direction.  

"Inventory?  Goods?  Like frying pans?  Inventory?  In-ven-tor-ee??"

Confusion giving way to curiosity, Happy tilted his head forward, studying the piece of cookware.  Grabbing it up in his own hooves, he sat back on his haunches, looking over it thoughtfully.  

Curious.

After a few seconds, he glanced back at Warehouse, playing the term back over in his mind.  The word tasted foreign to his tongue. 

"...In-ven-tor-ee?"

Warehouse nodded.  His expression seemed to light up, almost hopeful.

"That's right, inventory!"  

He tapped the red boxcar for effect.  

"We store the whole caravan's supply right here.  Red and Valentine work out the deals, I set up the shipments."

Happy shook his head in acknowledgement. Turning back to the object in his hooves, he whispered the word to himself in a hushed voice.

"Inventory.  Inventory."

A flashbulb went off in his head.  

Ohhh.  Inventory!  Happy knew inventory. No wonder Warehouse was giving him strange looks.  

The buck giggled at his own silliness.  He did inventory all the time!

Wrapping a hoof around the handle, Happy flipped the metal pan atop his head with a dramatic flourish.  

"Ta-daaa!  Happy Inventory!"

The ensuing thud of Warehouse's hoof meeting his forehead was surprisingly loud, echoing throughout the darkened village.  Dragging his hoof down the side of his face, the tan stallion sighed and trotted back inside the boxcar.  Without looking back, he waved a hoof over his shoulder, motioning for Happy.

"Okay, Happy, let's...let's go."

Happy smiled.  This was going to be fun!

Frying pan still perched atop of his head, Happy bounded after the stallion, hooves clacking on the rusty metal surface as he landed inside.  It took a few moments for Happy's eyes to adjust to the dim atmosphere—the only real source of light came from an old silver lantern that hung from a hook on the ceiling—but, eventually, he could make out the rest of the room.

Happy gasped.  There were so many things!

Far larger on the inside than Happy would of guessed, the red boxcar was chalk full of prewar goods stacked away into neat rows of boxes and crates.  Frying pans, plates, barding, turpentine, cram—there were more things here than he had seen in his life!  

Warehouse began the official tour, lifting a hoof toward a small desk in the back corner.  A few heavy looking tomes were spread about its surface, along with stacks of loose paper and pencil stubs.  

"Okay, Happy, this is the accounting chair.  This is where we keep all of the forms, documents, shipment manifests—"

Happy snorted distastefully at the lesson.  Boooorring.  Ignoring Warehouse, he continued to admire his surroundings, glancing over the various odds and ends.   Strangely enough, all the containers seemed to be marked with the same symbol, a small open circle with a squiggly looking "V" running sideways across its center.

He studied the image for a moment.  It almost reminded him of the river bend in the village.  Maybe there was some sort of connection?  Like a village flag?  

Oh!  

His ears perked up.  

Could it be a treasure map?

After a few moments of pondering, Happy's excitement died.  Too much thinking.  For now, the mark would just have to  remain another mystery.  Shifting his attention to the piles of treasure before him, he rubbed his hooves together, a mischievous grin breaking across his lips.

"Heh heh heh heh heh..."

Time to have some real fun.

Giggling impishly, Happy lowered himself to the floor.  This was going to be good.  

Letting loose like a coiled spring, he leapt forward—

"Stop RIGHT there!"

Warehouse's shout managed to take Happy by surprise.  Freezing in mid jump, the buck hung in the air for a moment before crashing back onto the metal floor.  

KADUNGGGG.

Luckily for the rest of Happy's body, his face cushioned the better part of his fall.

Warehouse seemed to rush in out of nowhere, breezing past the fallen buck and throwing his body in front of a nearby tower of strange, wired devices like a pony shield.  Happy peeled his muzzle from the floor with a loud pop and studied him in confusion.

Warehouse stared back at him with a look of dismay.

"Ohh nononono.  No.  Those conductors are worth at least 30 caps a piece!"  

He swept his hoof horizontally in front of him.  

"No touch."

Happy could feel his ears droop.  There had to be something here he could play with.  Glancing at a pile of glass jars next to him, he raised an eyebrow in question. 

Warehouse followed his gaze, leaping in front of the buck a second time.  

"Oh no, not these.  This is 200 year old Sweet Acres Zap Apple Jam.  Do you know how hard it is to find these days?"

Happy narrowed his eyes.  He pointed his hoof toward a tower of dusty prewar books.

Warehouse shook his head.  

"Nope.  Complete set.  Too valuable."

Stack of pots.  No.  Pile of irons.  No.  Box of assorted rifle ammo.  No.

Without warning, Happy grunted and stood, pointing determinedly at a large glowing box in the back corner of the room.  It was mostly red, with a few white markings—words Happy figured—scrawled across its top half.  A line of five rectangular buttons were arranged vertically on its front side,  resting above a small tray that jutted out into the air.  Plastered across the box's bottom half was a picture of two ponies, a buck and a mare, sharing a fizzling orange drink with two straws.

Warehouse slowly met Happy's determined gaze with a firm stare of his own.  

"Absolutely not.  That's a classic, never-been used, factory fresh Sparkle-Cola Vending Machine.   You have no idea what I had to go through to get that."

Happy jabbed his hoof at the machine a second time.  He wanted to touch it.

"No."

Grunting, the buck took a defiant step toward the Sparkle-Cola box.  He stretched a hoof toward the top button.

Warehouse's voice was like ice.  

"Don't even think about it."

Step.

"Happy...you better not touch that."

Another step.

Warehouse was sweating now, panic mixing in with his usual, frustrated tone.

"Happy...if you lay one hoof on that machine...then so help me..."

Click.

Without warning, a low rumbling noise filled the boxcar as the string of lights bordering the front of the red machine began to flicker on and off.  Sounds of gears whirred to life within, followed by the light jingle of magic as the selection matrix went to work inside.  A few seconds later, the rumbling stopped, followed by a loud clink as a shiny glass bottle was deposited into the waiting tray.

Happy glanced back at Warehouse.  The stallion's face was frozen in horror.  Slowly, he turned to face the gray earth pony, his breathing heavy. 

His eye twitched.

"You..."

With a giddy screech, Happy grabbed up the glass bottle in his teeth and bolted toward the exit.  

Tag was his favorite.

Whizz!  Happy giggled and ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding a flying iron to the face.  The metal slab sailed into a stack of dishes instead, sending a shower of glass dancing against the boxcar's wall.  

Katshhhh!

Warehouse growled in disappointment and grabbed a cooking pot off the ground, tossing it over his head like a boulder.  

Ka-dung! Crash!  It too missed its  target. 

"Heeheehee!"

Happy's screeched excitedly as he narrowly dodged the ensuing avalanche of falling vacuum parts.  Spinning on hoof, he shot beneath Warehouse's legs like a bullet, sending the surprised stallion tumbling face-first into a small, open box.

Snap! Snap! Snap-snap-snap-snap-snap!

"YEEAUGH!"  

Warehouse flailed wildly, desperately pawing at the hoof-full of mousetraps that had latched onto his face.  He attempted to shout something at the buck again, but one of the traps had managed to find his tongue.  

"Thwy thwould thwose even bwe thet!?!"

Happy doubled over on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.  Warehouse sounded ridiculous!  It was all the buck could do to keep from choking on the glass bottle he held clamped between his jaws.

Warehouse stumbled to his hooves, mousetrap still hanging from his tongue, and locked his eyes with Happy.  

"Thyme guhnna beath thu thentheleth!"

"Yipe!"  

Happy giggled.  Time to run again.

Rolling back onto his hooves, Happy attempted to bolt, his eyes widening as he suddenly realized he wasn't getting any traction.  Looking down, he could see that a stack of prewar magazines had somehow appeared beneath his hooves, their glossy covers too slick for his hooves to find purchase on.  Instead of moving forward, the buck remained fixed in place as a shower of colorful, laminated pages was sent flying out behind his spinning limbs.

"Goth-tha!"

Warehouse took the opportunity to spring forward, wrapping his hooves around Happy's midsection and tackling him to the ground.  The two somersaulted through a pile of prewar relaxed ware, flinging satin shirts and nightcaps in all directions.

Happy grunted.  He could feel his muscles start to tense as they each vied for the upper hoof.  His giggles began to peter out, replaced by intermittent growls as he and Warehouse plowed through the piles of scattered inventory.

Crash!  Bang!  Katssh!

Without warning, another voice joined the chorus.

"WHAT IN THE HAY IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

Both bucks froze instantly. Happy was on his back, gnawing at one of Warehouse's legs.  The tan buck had him pinned, his foreleg raised in mid swing.  Turning as one, their gazes met the doorway. 

A very uncheerful Red stared back at them, his square jaw set in a disapproving frown.

Silence settled over the room.  Nopony spoke.

Without warning, a quiet creaking noise began to sound from their right.  Both bucks turned to look.  

Next to the entrance, one of the wooden shelves storing sacks of pre-war flour was listing, its contents tilting precariously to one side. One of its support beams had been snapped in half, no doubt another casualty of Happy and Warehouse's little romp.  

As if on cue, the topmost bag of flour began to slide, working its way toward the edge of the shelf.

Both Happy and Warehouse's eyes shrank to pinpricks.  Lifting their hooves in slow motion, they opened their mouths to call out a warning.

Too late.

Paff!

The five pound sack exploded on top of Red's head, sending a plume of white powder billowing across the room.  Once it had settled, only Red's bored, half-lidded eyes were visible through the thick layer of white.

Warehouse's face went white as the flour.  At a loss, he resorted to staring dumbstruck at the massive stallion, still unable to speak clearly through the metal clamp on his tongue.

"Thbut, thbut, thbut..."

Finally, he went quiet and lowered his eyes.  Red merely sighed.

"Eeyup.  That's what I thought."


***


Red and Happy walked alongside each other through the settlement, the latter doing his best to keep up with the larger stallion's strides.  It was morning now—early morning, but still morning—and the rest of Creek Bend's inhabitants had finally started to emerge for the day's activities.

As the two strode in and out of hoof traffic, Happy couldn't help but notice the wary looks the others continued to give him.  A few of the younger colts and fillies had even been shushed away by their parents for getting too close.  Their smiles from his arrival had largely disappeared, the argument with the town doctor leaving them cautious.  More appraising.

Happy frowned.  Outside of Red and Serenity, he was starting to think most ponies here didn't like him.

"So—" Red began, pulling Happy back from his thoughts. "—call me crazy, but its looking like inventory assistant might not have been the best job for you after all there, Happy."

The stallion chuckled, stopping as they passed outside the ring of homes.  He raised a hoof, pointing toward the surrounding ridgeline.  

"I think working with cattle might suit you a little better though.  Lots of space to move around and use that energy of yours." 

Happy smiled in agreement, following Red's hoof with his eyes.  Happy liked to move around.

As they move to trot up the hill, Happy paused, a stray thought entered his mind from earlier.  

Serenity.  Where was she?   

The buck glanced over his shoulder, scanning the village.  He didn't see her in the crowd.

As if reading his mind, Red spoke up again.  

"Now usually I'd have Serenity here to teach you something like this.  She's good at working with foalks who are, uh..."

Happy tilted his head as the red stallion seemed to search for the right words.

"...ha, well, the foalks like you and me who could use a little extra explaining."  

He offered Happy a wide grin.  The buck returned it.

"But," Red continued, "she's out this morning meeting with Stripes again—there's some business the caravan needed taken care of—so I'm going to have Mabel teach you the basics."  

The red stallion chuckled again. 

"She's a tough old bird, that Mabel, but she'll get ya where you need to be.  Been working with brahmin for years."

Brahmin.   Happy knew about brahmin.  Most of the caravans that he, Deuce, Rowdy, and Scalper had came across had had at least one of the two-headed creatures bringing up the rear.

Happy frowned and shook his head at the memory.  It would be better to forget about things like that.

But Brahmin? Here?  

The buck glanced around.  Other than the village behind him, the small bowl-shaped clearing was empty.  No brahmin in sight.

Red seemed to pick up on his confusion.  With a knowing smile, he pointed back up to the ridge as he had before.  

"We don't keep 'em in the settlement, too dirty.  There's a little pasture we keep just over that ridge.  Not much for grazing, but its enough to keep them from keeling over."

Happy nodded.  

Brahmin.  Over the hill.  Got it.  

Letting out an excited giggle, he raced ahead of Red, scrambling up the crumbly slope.  

Before he had made it ten steps, he noticed it.  

Movement.  Above.  

Happy instantly assumed a low crouch, his keen eyes scanning the skies.  

There.  Again.  A dark speck shooting between the clouds.  Something flying.

The fur bristled along Happy's spine.  His smile quickly dissipated into a low snarl.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" 

Red's voice called out in alarm from behind him. 

"Hold your hooves, Happy.  What's wrong?"

Happy turned partway in stallion's direction, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the silhouette above.  Every few seconds it would dart from cloud to cloud, its shape barely visible against the gray sky.  

Memories of a muzzle flash and cold pain played through the buck's mind like an old movie.  He growled.  Whatever it was up there, Happy wasn't about to let it out of his sight.

Red followed the buck's eyes, a look of dawning comprehension suddenly setting over his face.  He trotted over to Happy and placed a hoof on his shoulder.  Happy didn't flinch.

"Don't worry there, son.  They're with us.  They're friends."

Friends?  They? 

Happy finally broke his gaze with the sky, meeting Red's face with a confused frown. 

Lifting a hoof to his lips, Red whistled loudly.  Happy glanced up.  The dark shape that he had been tracking suddenly changed course and began to descend, swinging in wide circular loops towards the ground.  To the buck's surprise, a second figure emerged from the clouds behind the first, following it towards the earth.

Almost soundlessly, the two creatures landed in front of him and Red.  They weren't ponies—that much Happy could tell.  They were more like overgrown eagles with a set of lion-like hindquarters attached at their backs.  Both figures were clad in ruffled gray fatigues, each of which sported dozens of pockets, pouches, and leather straps that crisscrossed their bodies like a grid.  

The two were nearly identical as far as Happy could make out.  The only difference he could see was that one of the figures wore a pair of flight goggles across its forehead while the other had painted a thin red streak underneath its right eye.

He also couldn't help but notice the fierce looking rifles each had slung over their back.  

The buck bristled.  Bad memories continued to play through his thoughts.

Noticing Happy's unease, Red waved a hoof in reassurance.  

"Happy, this is Victor and Vera.  They're Talons.  They keep an eye on the place."  

Happy continued to glare at the two, ignoring Red's introduction.  The two griffons returned his look with steely eyed stares of their own.  Their sharp eyes betrayed no emotion.

Silence.

Finally the bird creature with the goggles spoke up.  His voice was deep—tinged with a strange accent—but surprisingly lighthearted for the serious expression chiseled into his face.

"I like zis one."

He smiled.  Or at least Happy thought he did.  It was hard to tell with beaks.  

The creature offered a talon in the buck's direction.  

"Victor.  Griffon sharpshooter."

Happy stared at the outstretched claw as if it were a waiting cobra.  Cautiously, the buck tilted forward, booping his nose against it.

The griffon chuckled, nodding toward its partner at the same time.

"Zat's Vera.  Been working recon together since vee vere hatchlings."  

He grinned over his shoulder, holding up a talon to feign a whisper in Happy's direction.  

"She's zee, how do you say, 'stick in zee mud' of our operation."

The other griffon narrowed her eyes and said nothing.  

Happy felt himself start to relax.  Though their presence was still a little off-putting, the two of them seemed to check out.  

Sensing his shift in mood, Red chuckled and trotted over to Victor's side.

"Victor and his sister here have been with Creek Bend the past coupla years.  Managed to steal them off an old colleague of mine."  

He nudged the griffon playfully, sending the Talon staggering forward in surprise.  

Happy grinned.  He was glad to see he wasn't the only one affected by Red's overzealous back-pats.  

"Never had a better pair of eyes on the job."

An accented, female voice interrupted his.

"Looks like you have tree sets, now."

The three males turned to face the second griffon.  Her tone was even—strictly professional—but Happy could still sense the displeasure radiating from her voice.

Red raised an eyebrow.

"Say what now, Vera?"

Her face remained impassive.  

"Ponies can't see shit."

She shot an irritated glance toward Victor.

"Even scouts who jump posts like hatchlings should be invisible to ponies zat high up."  

Victor shrugged sheepishly as Vera turned her gaze toward Happy.  

"Zis one, zhough..."

Her voice trailed off.  Silence fell again as the she and happy locked gazes.  Her eyes were a sharp, glaring yellow, much like his own.

Happy's tension resurfaced.  He knew those eyes.  A hunter's eyes.  His eyes.

Victor took the opportunity to cut in again, ruffling his wings with a sigh.  

"Zat's enough, Vera.  So he sees vell.  Contract doesn't say you need to like him."

Contract.  

Vera scowled, her head swiveling in his direction as soon as the word had left his beak.  Flaring her wings, she took a step forward.

"You don't get to mention my contract.  You gave zat right up vhen you broke yours."  

Her face started to grow red beneath her feathers. 

"If vee veren't related—"

Vera paused, stopping mid-sentence.  Happy watched as she fought to restrain herself, screwing her eyes shut and inhaling deeply.  After a few moments, she settled back onto her haunches and turned to Red.

"Apologies. Red.  Victor.  Happy."  

Nodding to each of them in turn, she spun around and took off into the air, her powerful wings quickly putting distance between her and the group.  Happy followed her flight path until she reached the same perch as before, disappearing into the cloudy folds above.

Victor let out a sigh and turned to face the two.  

"Sorry about zat.  Vera has been a little...tense...lately.  I'll go see vhat I can do.  It vas nice meeting your happy pony."

Grinning as he gave a light bow, the griffon spun around and took to the air as his sister had, quickly disappearing into the clouds above.

Red shifted on his hooves, smiling as he sighed.  

"Sorry about that, Happy.  Vera's good foalk if you get to know her.  She's just a little uptight." 

The big stallion motioned up to the sky.  

"Luckily we've got Victor to keep her from getting too ornery.  Not many griffons like him around.  Most of 'em live and die by their contracts.  Not Vic though.  Loyal to the pony, not the paper."

He smiled broadly.  "Enough about griffon politics, though.  Let's get you over to Mabel.  Those Brahmin aren't gonna wait around all day for us."

Happy nodded, Red's reminder igniting his earlier excitement.  The big stallion chuckled in response.

"Allllrighty.  Right this way."

Falling in line behind the larger stallion, Happy followed Red up and over the ridge.  After walking a few hundred hooves, another bowl like depression appeared before them, about half the size of the valley the settlment rested in.  The same, winding creek seemed to run through it as well, with low, brown scrubs growing along its bank.

Happy's eyes were quickly drawn to the two headed figures dotting the field.  There were twelve of them, yellow skinned and bloated, braying mindlessly as they searched the scrubs for edible foliage.

Brahmin.  Big ones.  Well fed.

Happy felt his stomach rumble.  It had been forever since he'd last eaten.  

A fog seemed to settle in over his mind.  

Hungry. 

Grinning menacingly, Happy crouched onto his stomach and began to slink down the hill.

"Uhh, Happy?"

The buck froze mid-prowl, turning toward the source of the voice with a look of surprise.  Red stared back at him, eyebrow raised.

"What exactly are you—" 

The stallion didn't finish his thought, his eyes lighting up as they seemed to catch sight of something over Happy's shoulder.  Raising a hoof into the air, the larger pony waved and let out a shout.

"Why there ya are, Mabel!  Mornin' to ya!  Got you some fresh hooves to help watch the herd!"

Happy swiveled his head toward the object of the stallion's greeting.  Trotting up the ridge in their direction was unicorn mare who looked a few years older than Red himself, her turquoise mane pulled into a tight bun and flecked with streaks of gray.  Her overall expression was cross between that of a librarian's and a drill sergeant's—the most intimidating aspects of both wrapped up into one feisty looking scowl.  As she drew closer to the newcomers, Happy could make out a black, whip shaped cutie mark set against her dark blue coat.

For some reason, the fact that she had the image tattooed on her flank made Happy giggle. 

"Well it's about time." 

The mare grumbled, stopping a few hooves in front of him and Red.  Her scowl deepened as she focused on the gray buck.  

"Where's Desert Blossom?"

Red waved a hoof back toward the village, his cheerful demeanor not hindered in the least.  

"Oh she's not feeling the best today.  Seems to have come down with a little case of the rads from that trip upriver.  Fleet Hoof's got her resting at the clinic."

He swept his hooves over to Happy like a salespony showing his wares. 

"This here is Happy, though.  He's the new buck Serenity brought in the other day."

She rolled her eyes.  "Oh.  Him.  The crazy one she picked up."

Red stepped forward, a little bit of extra authority sinking into his voice.  

"Now Mabel—"

The mare raised a hoof before he could continue.  

"Fine.  Fine.  I'll do it.  Just send him down."  

Sighing deeply, she turned on hoof and started back down the hill, muttering under her breath.

Red turned to Happy, offering him a small smile.  

"Sorry about that, Happy.  She'll warm up to ya.  Promise."

Happy nodded, not entirely convinced.  Mabel seemed kinda...grumpy.  Still, not wanting to disappoint Red, he did his best to offer a smile in return.

Red chuckled, tussling the stallion's mane with a hoof.  Happy could feel his brain rattle around at the touch.

"That's a good buck.  You're a little strange, but I knew Ser made the right choice bringing you in.  Just make sure and stay outta trouble this time.  If you thought Warehouse had a temper..." 

The towering stallion trailed off, casting a wary glance down the hill before continuing.  

"....Just try to stay outta trouble, ya hear?"  

Happy smiled.  Raising a hoof in salute, he bobbed his head eagerly.  

Red smiled and nodded back. 

"Glad to hear.  I'll leave ya to it, then."  

Offering the buck a final nod, the stallion sauntered off, leaving Happy alone at the top of the ridge.

Happy nodded to himself as his thoughts drifted back to Serenity.  

Right.  Be good.  No trouble.

The earlier incident with Warehouse leapt into his mind.

Well, no more trouble.

A sudden shout from below pulled Happy from his thoughts.

"Hey.  You're not here to sit around and daydream, young stallion! Get down here this instant!"

Happy sprung to his hooves, eyes darting back down to the valley below.  He could see Mabel scowling up at him from the bottom of the hill, tapping a hoof impatiently.  Smiling weakly, he gave a quick wave of acknowledgement and started forward.

Or rather, tried to.  Happy's first step immediately sunk into the ground, slipping into a small divot just wide enough to accommodate his hoof.  Grunting in surprise, the buck pitched forward, somersaulting down the hill in a cloud of dust and rocks.

"Ooof!  Auff!  Eeef!  Umph!  Ugh!"  

Happy's tumble quickly escalated into outright bouncing, each impact punctuated by a sharp grunt.  Finally, after flopping from head to rump some forty-odd times, he reached the flat below.

Whumph.

More dancing ponies.  

Happy shook his head, giggling despite himself.  

Today sure was a tipsy-fally kind of day.

Mabel, however, didn't seem to share his sense of humor.  She glared at the buck with cold eyes.  Happy immediately scrambled to his hooves, the grin sliding off his face.

The mare nodded.

"That's better."

Mabel lifted eyebrow and began to look Happy over.  After a few moments she nodded again, satisfied with her examination.  Turning on hoof, she began to pace in front of Happy, her head high and eyes closed.  How she could see where she was trotting, Happy could only guess.

"So, I have been instructed to teach you in the art of brahmin herding—" she began, not even bothering to hide the condescension in her voice, "—a task for which I am most qualified.  However, before we begin, there are three rules that you must know and follow.  One!"

She raised a hoof in the air, eyes still closed.

"Do not speak until spoken to.  I am the teacher.  You are the student.  You will answer when instructed to do so, and not before then."

Happy nodded intently, just in case she could somehow still see him through her closed eyes.

The mare continued to pace.  

"Two.  You will follow my directions to the letter.  Brahmin are dangerous creatures that require a trained hoof to handle properly.  You will not approach them unless explicitly directed to do so."

Happy raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the herd.  The two-headed cattle continued to graze mindlessly at the creek's edge, oblivious to everything around them.

Dangerous?

"Three."

The edge in Mabel's voice caught Happy's drifting attention.  He turned back to the mare.

"In addendum to rule two, you will not—I repeat, will not—willfully 'aggravate,' 'tease,' or 'harass' any of the brahmin.  This herd is the explicit property of the Creek Bend Caravan and any damages assumed through your mistreatment will be punishable by immediate expulsion from your position and damages liable up to fifteen-hundred caps."

What.  

Happy's ears drooped in confusion.  The graying mare had lost him at "three."

Ignoring—or simply not noticing—his bewilderment, Mabel turned to Happy, tilting her head forward in her best librarian's stare.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Happy gave his best reassuring smile and nodded eagerly.  But not too eagerly.  

Mabel closed her eyes and stepped back.  

"Good."

With a curt nod, she turned away from Happy and started toward the nearest brahmin.  It continued to graze obliviously as she approached, munching away at a coarse, low-lying shrub.  Trotting up to its side, she looked over her shoulder and motioned for Happy to remain where he was.

"The first lesson is basic movement.  Brahmin require a firm hoof and proper motivation to guide them from point A to point B."

Turning back to the oblivious bovine, Mabel trotted up to its side and gave its haunch a firm tap.  

One of the two heads lifted casually in her direction.  It stared at her blankly for a moment, still chewing its cud, before lowering its gaze back to the ground.

Mabel frowned.  She tapped it again, this time a little more forcefully.  

The creature didn't respond.  

Shooting a quick, red faced glance in Happy's direction, Mabel spun around and shoved her back against the creatures backside.  She dug at the earth with her hooves, grunting in effort as she tried to move the creature with brute force.

It didn't budge.

The mare let out a low growl.  Without warning, her horn began to glow a dazzling blue.  There was a faint humming sound and, out of nowhere, a long snake-like whip shimmered to life above her head.

Happy's jaw dropped.  So sparkly!

The mare narrowed her eyes.  Snapping her head forward in one fluid movement, the whip arced out before her and into the open air.

KRAKOW!

A sound like a gunshot rang out across the clearing.  Both heads of the stubborn brahmin immediately shot upward, the low shrub forgotten.  Braying in distress, it lumbered forward as if stung, only stopping after it had put fifty hooves between itself and the noise.

Mabel smiled.  Closing her eyes, there was a flash of light and the glowing whip disappeared.  She trotted over in Happy's direction, beads of sweat breaking out across her brow.  

She motioned to another one of the nearby brahmin.

"Now you.  Don't be surprised if you don't get it on the first try."  

She held a hoof to her chest in pride.  

"These things take time."

Happy nodded.  He could do this.   He'd show Red and Serenity that he could be a useful pony.

The buck took a determined step forward, sizing up his opponent.  The brahmin looked identical to those around it, its heads scouring the dusty clearing for food.

Happy felt his own stomach rumble again.  

Hungry.

No.  Happy chided himself mentally and dropped his gaze.  He was pretty sure Serenity wouldn't like it if he started to bite Mabel's brahmin.

Good pony.  Good pony.

Taking a deep breath, Happy lifted his gaze and approached the creature.  The ground crunched loudly beneath his hooves as he trotted forward.

It took a few seconds, but eventually the nearest head seemed to notice his presence.  Casually glancing over it shoulder, it swept its gaze in the buck's direction.  

Upon meeting the gray buck's eyes, it immediately froze, eyes widening into saucers.  Its companion head seemed to notice its partner's tension a moment later and turned, meeting the buck with the same frozen stare.

Happy's hoofsteps slowed to a stop.  

Huh?   This wasn't how the other brahmin had reacted to Mabel.   Was he doing it wrong?

Then he smelled it.  Unease.  Anxiety.  Not quite full blown fear, but a potent enough discomfort to recognize.

Testing the waters, Happy took another step forward.  The brahmin let out a distressed sounding moo and backed away, waving its tail warily.   The unease in the air began to spike toward fear.

Happy grinned and circled wordlessly to the creature's backside.  The brahmin let out another worried grunt and started forward.

Happy's muscles tensed.  It was all he could do not to jump the creature right then and there.

Happy good.  Happy good.  Happy good.  Happy good.  

He chanted the words in his mind.  It seemed to help.

Within a few moments, Happy's brahmin had taken its place near Mabel's.  He veered off.  The thick skinned creature shot him a few more wary looks before finally returning its attention to the ground before it.

Happy could feel his chest swell with pride.  He grinned, tongue lolling happily out the side of his mouth. He glanced over at Mabel expectantly.  

It was the unicorn's turn to look flustered.  Brow furrowing in shock, she made a few weak attempts at speech before finding her voice.

"Y-you...that..." 

The mare paused for a moment, collecting herself.  

"That—that's acceptable.  Next lesson."

Happy nodded.  He was ready.

Morning and early afternoon passed swiftly as Mabel demonstrated technique after technique.  Basic herding.  Rounding.  Dividing.  Leading.  Resting.  Happy mastered each like he'd been born for it.  With little more than a well placed glare, the brahmin would do whatever he wanted. 

The buck couldn't help but smile as he worked.  He was almost as good at herding as he was at inventory!

Mabel, however, didn't seem to share in his enthusiasm.  If anything, she seemed to grow crankier with each success. 

Finally—after Happy had taught one of the brahmin how to roll over and beg—she cracked, pointing an angry hoof in Happy's direction.

"That's—that's wrong!  I-I didn't tell you to do that!  Training failed!  We're done for today."

Wrong?  

Happy stepped back, confused.  He thought he'd been doing a good job.

The mare continued to bark at him, pointing her hoof in the direction of the village.

"Go.  Back to Red.  Done.  We're done.  Just—just go!"

Happy's ears drooped.  Bowing his head, he nodded and slunk off.  He could hear Mabel mumbling under her breath as she turned, trotting off back towards the herd.

"Stupid buck.  Thinks he can just come in here and take my job.  I've been here for years!  No goddesses damned idiot tribal is gonna...."

Her voice trailed off, leaving Happy alone with his thoughts.  He began to plod his way back up the ridge, kicking away clumps of loose earth with his hooves as he went.

Dumb rocks.

Happy sighed and slumped onto his stomach.  

Figures.  He was finally starting to have some fun and somepony had get all angry and ruin it for him.

He snorted.  Dumb Mabel and her dumb rules.

Wait a second.  

Happy lifted a hoof to his chin.  

Dumb rules...

Mabel's voice played across his mind like an old record.

...You will not—I repeat, will not—willfully 'aggravate,' 'tease,' or 'harass' any of the brahmin...

...tease the brahmin...

Happy's head swiveled on instinct, surveying the valley below.  Mabel stood, hooves crossed, at the opposite end of the clearing, looking over a yellowing journal laid out at her hooves.  Her back was turned, leaving the herd momentarily unattended.  

Happy glanced at the brahmin.  The bulky creatures just stood there—chewing their cud as they always did—entirely ignorant to the world around them.  Calm.  Content.

Unsuspecting.

Poof!  

There was a flash of light as—out of nowhere—a tiny gray pony suddenly appeared on Happy's shoulder.  It looked just like a miniature version of himself, save for the two stubby red horns protruding from its forehead.  

The mini-Happy stared up at him with a devilish grin, a little red cape and tiny pitchfork completing its impish ensemble.  With a nod, it began to speak, its voice light and distinctly chipmunky.

"Happy go chomp chomp. Happy knoow Happy waaant to."

Happy let out a dramatic gasp.  Shocked at such a disgraceful accusation, he looked around in mock surprise before placing an innocent hoof to his chest.

"Happy?"  he asked, trying to sound incredulous.

The devil pony nodded eagerly and trotted forward, nudging Happy's shoulder and raising an eyebrow.

Happy shifted his eyes toward the ground, rubbing his foreleg with a hoof.  Red's warning still lingered in his mind.

"Happy no know....Red say say..."

The little pony rolled his eyes and stuck out its tongue.

"Pllththtb...Red no think say.  Happy herd brahmin good anyway."  

The mini-pony held out a foreleg and glanced casually at his hoof.  

"Mabel no Red anyway."

Happy narrowed his eyes.  

Tiny Happy was starting to make a lot of sense.  Why did she get to make the rules anyway?  She wasn't Red.

Poof!  

Another flash.  

A second pony appeared on Happy's right shoulder, this one with shimmering white wings and a little gold halo circling its head. 

Hovering up to eye level, the angel pony nodded in agreement.  

"Happy a big buck.  Do what Happy want. Go chomp chomp."

Yeah.  Yeah!  The other Happys were right.  He didn't have to listen to Mabel's rules.  He was a better herd-pony than her anyways.  She was just jealous. 

An evil grin slowly spread across Happy's face.  Crouching on all fours he began to slink back down the hillside.  Stealthily, he drew within a couple hooves of the nearest brahmin, crouching down out of sight behind a low-lying rock.

The two little Happys on his shoulder giggled in excitement, prancing up and down on his shoulders.  Happy shushed them with a hoof to his lips, struggling not to burst out laughing himself.  

Cautiously, he shot one last glance behind himself to make sure Mabel hadn't returned.  She hadn't.  He swiveled his neck back towards the unsuspecting Brahmin.

This was gonna be good.

"HAPPY BOOO GRRR ROAR PONIES!"  

Happy bounded out from behind the rock like an oversized rabbit, diving in front of the brahmin with his hooves wide and teeth bared.

The effect was immediate.

"MOOOOOO-AUUUUUU!"  

The startled brahmin immediately let loose with a loud bellow and tumbled backwards onto the dusty ground.  Scrambling frantically to its hooves, it took off at a surprisingly fast clip for its bulk, racing off toward the rest of the herd.

Happy stumbled back onto his rump laughing, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.  The little Happys followed suit, bumping hooves triumphantly.  

Brahmin tipping!  Why hadn't he ever thought of it before?  

Take that, Mabel.

Suddenly, another bellow blared out across the clearing, grabbing Happy's attention.  Another bellow soon followed.  Then another.

"Hmmm?"

The ears on all three Happys perked up at the rising commotion.  Turning as one, they glanced toward the source of the noise.

Uh oh.

The pasture was in chaos.  Frightened bellows had spread from brahmin to brahmin, and now the entire herd had risen to its hooves.  Clouds of dust had already begun to form in the air as individual cattle stumbled into one another in terror.

However, even in the rising cloud of debris, Happy's gaze managed to lock onto one set of eyes in particular.  

Mabel's.

Double uh oh.

"HAAAAPYYY!"  

The mare's roar echoed through the clearing, overpowering even the deafening rumbling of bovine hooves.  Letting out a squeaky little yipe! in unison, the miniature ponies on Happy's shoulder jumped into each other's hooves and poofed out of existence in a cloud of smoke.

Happy really wished he could do the same.

With a reluctant groan, Happy raced forward into the cloud of dust.  He could see that Mabel had already cast her whip spell on the other side of the clearing, but even its loud cracks barely registered above the growing din.  The brahmin continued to stumble about in panic.

Happy nodded to himself.  It was up to him.  

He redoubled his pace.

It took a few moments, but eventually the scattered brahmin noticed his presence and began to form up, channeling their random stampeding into a single direction of panic.  He could hear Mabel cry out in alarm, but her words were impossible to make out.  He'd figure it out later.  For now, his plan was working.  

Happy smiled to himself.  Instead of running in all directions, now all the brahmin were going the same way!  One giant line that was headed straight for—

Happy stumbled on his hooves, almost tripping forward.  His eyes widened in sudden realization.

The settlement.

Happy took off as fast as his hooves would carry him.  A familiar sensation set over his limbs, veins throbbing, muscles screaming.  He'd felt it countless times before.  Adrenaline.  But this time, it wasn't excitement that fueled his hooves.  This time, it was dread.

Happy intercepted the closest brahmin halfway to the top of the ridge, throwing himself forward with desperate force. Grunting, he landed heavily atop the creature's back.  Immediately, it began to buck wildly beneath him, whipping Happy's smaller frame in all directions.  

Crrrk!  

A sharp pain tore through Happy's back leg as something in it snapped.  He ignored the sensation.  Clamping down on the creature's hide with his teeth, he held himself tighter.  He could feel his body temperature begin to rise in frustration.

Kill.

Happy shook his head fiercely, fighting the urge to bite harder.  No.  Not the voice.  Not now.  He could do this.  He could fix this.

Crawling hoof over hoof up the brahmin's spine, he slowly pulled himself to an awkward sitting position at the base of its neck.  Readying himself, he crouched onto all fours.

This had to be perfect. 

With a last grunt of effort, he vaulted forward, using the brahmin's neck like a springboard to propel himself to the next one in line.  

"Ooomph!"  

Happy latched on with distance to spare.  Behind him, the first brahmin groaned in surprise and tumbled headsfirst into the dirt, sending up a plume of dust.  

Happy nodded to himself.  

One down, eleven to go.

Working his way up the next brahmin, he repeated the same process.  Crawl, bite, crouch, spring.  Two.  Crawl, bite, crouch, spring.  Three.

Reaching the back of the fourth brahmin, Happy stole a quick glance ahead.  His eyes widened.  The lead brahmin had already reached the top of the ridge. The buck glanced back at his hooves. There was no way he could take them all down before they hit the settlement.  

Think, Happy, think.  He could feel the gears clicking and smoking inside his head.  

If he couldn't stop them from stampeding...

The buck's ears shot up as a crude, crayon drawn schematic of a solution appeared before his eyes.

If he couldn't stop them from stampeding...maybe he could lead the herd away!  That's what herd ponies were supposed do anyway, wasn't it?  If he could just get to the front of the herd...

Happy nodded to himself.  No more focusing on individual brahmin, he had to get to the front, now.  Rising onto his hind hooves like a circus pony, he sprang with catlike agility onto the back of the next brahmin.  The terrified cow brayed in confusion, but Happy ignored it, steadying himself just long enough to make the next jump.  And the next.  And the next.

Finally, with a heavy oomph, Happy landed atop the lead brahmin just as they crested the hill.  He could see Creek Bend now, just down the slope below.  

As if on cue, Happy watched as the heads of the townsfoalk turned towards the rising commotion.  One by one, their looks of curiosity melted into expressions of silent disbelief.

After a few awkward moments that seemed to stretch on forever, a green unicorn mare broke the silence, throwing a dramatic hoof across her forehead.  

"The horror!  The horror!" 

The village erupted in panic.  Ponies began to run wildly in every direction, knocking down carts, carriages, and other villagers as they tried to clear the way.

Whoops.

Happy latched onto the bovine beneath him with newfound urgency, yanking at both sets of horns in a desperate attempt to steer.  The right head quickly turned in compliance, but the left continued to strain forward, cancelling out the effect. The sloping hill had increased their pace—Creek Bend was only a few hundred hooves off now.  He had to hurry.

"MR. HAPPY!?!" 

The unexpected shout managed to grab Happy's attention.  He looked up. 

Oh colt.

Standing just ahead of the raging herd, hooves frozen in fear, was a little red earth filly.  Gilly. She stared forward with wide blue eyes as the stampede grew closer and closer.   

Before Happy could react, she screamed.  Her voice pierced the air like a high pitched whistle, carrying every ounce of her confusion and fear.  

Happy's perception of time slowed to a standstill.  He could feel his mind fracture in half, the dark thoughts inside him finally bubbling to the surface.

Oh no.

His eyes dilated.	 

Kill!

Happy's body began to shake violently, muscles expanding and twisting as the changes started to take over.  All restraint gone, he began to thrash, digging his expanding hoof claws into the terrified brahmin below.  The creature's braying was lost on him.  

All he could focus on was the rage that had burst to life in his chest.

KILL!

Angry.  So angry.   A familiar red tinge set in at the edge of his vision.  He lifted a half formed paw, rearing back to swing—

—and stopped.  His ears twitched on their own accord.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to rest your sleepy head—"

Those words.

Slowly—impossibly—Happy pulled himself back from the brink. Every muscle in his body fighting to do otherwise, he turned head toward the source of the sound.  There, at the edge of the village, was a yellow mare, her eyes closed and mouth moving in song.

Serenity.

Happy's eyes widened.  Her horn was glowing a fiery red.   Faint wisps of magical overcharge circled her body in a crackling sphere of energy.  Inside, her mane and tail floated in an unseen wind, as if she were suspended underwater.

Happy reeled at the conflicting sensations.  Her voice seemed to be everywhere at once, her soft words flowing through his mind rather than his ears.  It was almost if they were coming from inside of him.  

A wash of calmness spread throughout his body as he listened.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed."

The brahmin beneath him seemed to experience the same sensation and slowed, coming to a stop several hooves from Gilly's frightened form.  Entranced, they slowly settled onto their stomachs, simply basking in the glow.

Happy could feel the darkness dispelled from his chest as he laid down to join them.  His half-formed claws begin to retract, his shifting muscles popping as they slipped back into their relaxed state.

Happy could hear the dark voice inside him screaming for retribution.  But it was quieter now.  Tiny.  Serenity's voice was so much bigger.  So much nicer.

Happy sighed, a wide, cheesy smile settling over his features.

So much more peaceful.

Taking one last, deep breath, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a blissful sleep.


***


"Happy, wake up."

Happy stirred, his blurry eyes attempting to adjust to the darkness around him.

"Hey there, you.  Morning."  

The pop of a crackling fire punctuated the voice's words.  Slowly, Happy pushed off against the ground beneath him, shaking the sleep out of his eyes.

Half a moment later, he stopped, quickly realizing there wasn't any sleep to shake out.  In fact, he felt...incredible.  "Well-rested" didn't even begin to describe it.  

He prodded at his face with his hooves.  

His mind felt clearer than it ever had,  a happy, tingling sensation buzzing pleasantly in his hooves and spine.

A soft laugh sounded from his side.  

"Feeling better?"

Happy knew that voice.

He turned, coming face to face with Serenity, who was laying on the ground beside him.  The two were gathered around a small fire just outside of the village—night had already set in over the wastes.  Squinting, the buck could make out a few pony shaped figures still milling about in the dark.

Happy's mind flashed back to the stampede.  Fear, screaming, darkness, rage, the voice.  

He cringed at the memory.  What had he almost done?  And what about Serenity?  Had she seen him...change?

Nodding hesitantly, Happy gave his best reassuring smile.  To his relief, the mare seemed to take it in stride.

"Good."

Happy let out a sigh of relief.  She didn't seem to notice.  

"Happy...Red and Mabel told me what happened today."

Oh no.  Here came the mad. 

Happy quickly averted his eyes, trying to shrink away into nothing.  

However, the harsh words didn't come.  Serenity simply sighed.

"I know you tried, Happy.  If anything its my fault for not being here.  I told Red you'd probably need more than a crash course the first day, but," she chuckled, "he's got a way of forgetting the little details.  More of a big picture pony."

Noticing that Happy's gaze was still set on the ground, Serenity lifted a hoof to his shoulder.

"Hey, it's nothing we couldn't fix.  Red's not mad at you either.  Warehouse got the shipment out in time and nobody got hurt by the brahmin."  She gave him a comforting nudge.  "You didn't do anything wrong, Happy."

The buck flinched.  An unfamiliar feeling settled into the pit of his stomach.  Sadness?  Embarrassment?  Guilt?

That was it.  Guilt.  She didn't know what he'd almost done.

Happy nodded slowly, doing his best to hide his reaction.  

Serenity seemed to buy it.  Glancing off to her side, she levitated another piece of scraggly brush onto the fire.  The waning flame took to it eagerly.  Happy didn't pay it much mind though, he was too focused on her horn.  Images of her surrounded by tendrils of red, glowing energy flooded back into his recollection.

What had she done to him back there?

Glancing back in his direction, Serenity noticed him staring.  She followed his eyes to her forehead.

"You're wondering about what I did to stop the brahmin, aren't you?"

Happy nodded.

The yellow mare sighed, casting her eyes on her hooves.  Happy could have swore he saw her blush.

"Remember when I told you I help ponies feel better?" she started, her voice unsure.  She seemed embarrassed.  

"It's like that...but a little more...powerful."

She looked up into Happy's eyes.  Staring back, he could almost hear the melody of her voice again, echoing softly in the back of his mind. He bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

Serenity seemed to relax.  

"It comes in use with situations like that—calming down brahmin and newborns."  She flashed him a grin.  "It usually doesn't affect adult ponies like that though.  Put you to sleep like a foal."

Happy grinned.  He didn't mind the jest.  He'd never slept so well in his life.  In fact—

His ears perked up in excitement.

—he felt like he could go and run around right now!

Shuffling his hooves beneath him, Happy attempted to rise.

"Wait!  Happy, stay still."  Happy grunted in surprise as the mare planted a hoof on his chest, restraining him.  She motioned to his back leg, which Happy now noticed had been wrapped in a layer of thick white cloth.  

What was that doing there?

Serenity shifted into triage mode.  

"Happy, you fractured your leg in that stampede.  A few of the splinters even broke through the skin.  I had to set it while you were asleep."

Happy remembered the sharp, biting pain from the stampede.  

Ohhh.  Broken.  That made sense.  

Smiling, he nodded in agreement and rose to his hooves anyway.

"Happy!"  

Serenity started forward to hold him down a second time.  

"It's going to be at least a month until you can—"

She stopped short as Happy managed to rise before her, equal weight resting on all four hooves.  A confused expression slowly lit across her face.  Eyeing Happy almost warily, she lifted her hooves to his leg and began to unravel the tightly bound fabric.

Happy watched intently.  Her eyes widened as the last spiral of cloth fell away.

"Happy..."  

Serenity trailed off, unable to respond.

Hmmm?  Happy followed her eyes to his leg.  

His fur was matted with dried blood, but the leg itself looked normal.  He returned her curious look.  

Was there something he wasn't seeing?

Serenity seemed even more baffled by his indifference.  

"Happy?  Is this...is this normal?"

The buck shrugged and nodded.  He could see the yellow mare's mind trying to process his response.

"But you—they—we didn't even give you any healing potions!  Our medical stores have been low ever since the ministry med center was scavenged out."  

She slid back onto her rump, an incredulous look on her face.  

"Happy, are you telling me you always heal like this?"

Again, Happy shrugged.  Did other ponies not?  

Serenity sighed and lifted a hoof to her chin in thought.  After a few moments, she seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Happy, I think we need to figure this out.  This isn't even regular healing magic for a unicorn here, and you're an earth pony!  Regeneration magic that powerful could be having some serious side effects on you that we not might be able to see."

A little lavender unicorn in his head rolled her eyes.  If she only knew.  

Thinking for a moment, Serenity glanced back up, offering Happy a weak smile. 

"I know it's going to be a long shot to get him to cooperate...but we need to talk to Fleet Hoof.  He used to work with the the Institute before Red picked him up.  The stallion knows his magic."

Fleet Hoof.  Happy's happy expression dropped a notch at the memory of the grouchy doctor-pony.  That wasn't going to be fun.

He sighed.  

But...if Serenity thought it was best...

He nodded.  Serenity rose to her hooves.

"First thing tomorrow, then.  And don't worry, I'll be here this time."  

She nodded toward the settlement.  

"Head in?"

Happy giggled in affirmation.  Sleepy or not, the memory of his comfy new cot was more than enough of an incentive.

The mare grinned and turned, taking off at a slow trot toward the ring of homes.  Happy stepped forward to follow.

Twitch.  Twitcha-twitch.  Happy felt his ears shift.

Somepony was watching him.

Happy instantly swiveled his head toward the far ridge.  The firelight didn't do much to help his nightvision, but, for an instant, he could have swore he saw three sets of eyes flash in the dark.  Or had it been two sets?  It had almost looked like there were only five pinpricks of light staring back at him across the way

Happy blinked.  The eyes had disappeared.  

Grunting, he stared off into the distance a moment longer.  The points of light didn't return.   

Happy shrugged.  Must have just been his imagination.  Smiling broadly, he turned around and trotted to catch up with Serenity.  

A certain green blanket and pillow were calling his name.



*****

Perk Achieved!

Attention Deficit - For you, the struggle to pay attention is a conflict as old as war itself.  However—despite your tendency to lose track of the task at hoof—your short attention span often allows you to notice things that others would usually pass right by.

When searching for loot, your LUCK statistic is increased by 1, and shiny objects now appear 20% more luminous.
> Chapter 6:  A Book by Her Cover
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 6:  A Book by Her Cover

“Can you do that?  Can you explode twice?”



*****


The colt woke with a start.  Somepony in the other room was shouting.   

“No!  No!  You can’t do this to him, Fleet!  I won’t let you do it!”

The colt stared forward and rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to focus on the fuzzy outline of the door ahead of him.  Another voice rose up from behind the heavy wood panel.  He recognized it as the doctor’s.

“Lily!  We can’t keep him here!  You saw what he did, what he was turning into?  We do nothing and everypony here is going to get—”

His mother’s voice rang out again, interrupting the stallion.

“I don’t care! You lay one hoof in his head and I'll kill you where you stand!”  

Her voice faltered as she choked on the last word, immediately launching into a violent fit of coughing.

The colt screwed his eyes shut and covered his ears with his hooves.  What was going on?  He’d never heard his mother yell like that.  She never yelled like that.

The doctor’s voice softened a bit from behind the door.  The colt could hear his hoofsteps travel across room.  “Lily, calm down.  Sit.  You need to—”

K-slap!

"Don't you tell me to calm down!"

His mother’s voice shook with anger as the sound of a hoof meeting hide pierced the air.  She immediately began to cough again, but continued to rant through her uneven breaths.

“You don’t get to make this choice!  His life is just as important as anypony else's here.  He hasn’t done anything wrong!”

The doctor’s voice remained even.  

“Lily, stop.  I know it’s hard, but it’s too late.  There’s nothing we can do for him.  We can’t risk—”

His mother slapped him again, her voice raw and raspy.  

“No!  I won’t let this happen.  I’m getting Brightshine.”

The colt could hear her uneven hoofsteps begin to make for the door.  Her coughs resurfaced, coming louder and wetter than before.  His body tensed after each one.

He could hear the doctor call out after her.  

“Lily.  Stop!  Sit down!  You have to rest!”

“Brightshine!  Brightshine”  

His mother ignored the doctor’s pleadings altogether, continuing to shout as she stumbled toward the door. 

“Brightshine!  Bright—”

Suddenly, her voice stopped. A half second later there was a dense thud as something heavy landed against a table, sending its contents crashing to the floor.

“Lily!”

The frantic clattering of hooves echoed through the door.  There was a weak spluttering sound, like somepony choking, then silence.

The colt’s eyes widened in the darkness of his room.  Like a pony possessed, he slowly slid out from under the covers and onto the floor below.  Quietly, he started forward, limping on his bandaged limb despite the fact that the pain seemed to have disappeared completely.  He could feel his heartbeat begin to rise as he approached the heavy door, gingerly lifting his hoof the handle as if it was made of ice.

Slowly, cautiously, the colt pushed the door and stepped into the room.  His eyes fell upon the scene before him.  

“Mmm…mother?”

With a start, Doc Fleet’s head swiveled in his direction, his hooves sending several fallen instruments skidding across the floor.  Face set in shock, the brown stallion opened his mouth, but failed to produce any speech.

Wordlessly, the colt’s gaze settled on the figure lying at his hooves.  It didn’t stir.

Time stopped.  An icy chill sunk into his chest.

No.

Slowly, his cold eyes traveled back to meet the doctor’s.

No.

The eyes of the brown stallion widened in response.  Happy could see his entire body recoil, a terrified look of realization spreading across the older stallion's face.  

No.

The air around the colt seemed to thicken.  He could suddenly feel the room around him and everything in it.  See it.  Taste it.  Hear it.  Smell it.  The doctor.  The figure on the floor.  The flames flickering from the lantern in the corner.  The howl of the storm raging outside.  The frigid spikes in his chest began to melt away.  His senses burned with stimulation.

Something powerful shifted deep inside him.  Without thinking, the colt took a step forward.

No.

Inhaling sharply, the doctor scrambled backwards, his hooves scattering more of the instruments that lay strewn about the floor.  Eyes fixed on the colt, he lifted a foreleg in front of his body.  His voice suddenly sounded shaky and weak.

“Son.  S-s-stop.  Stop!  It’s not what you think.”

No.

The stallion's words didn’t register.  The colt took another step.  And another.  

On their own accord, his eyes drifted back to the still blue figure on the floor.  He could see her face now.  Bright red blood ringed her lips, a single stream of which had trailed down the side of her face and began pooling onto the weathered tile below.  Her green eyes stared ahead vacantly, lids half closed in a pained expression of worry and fatigue.

At the edge of his perception, the colt could hear the stallion behind him quietly breathe another word.

“Happy—”

His mind imploded.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!”

Molten rage erupted from the colt’s chest, bathing his body in a wash of blinding heat.  The sensation of a thousand cutting knives tore into his body, overloading his spinning mind as his muscles began to bulge and tear away from themselves.  The sickening squelch of reforming flesh and bones echoed through his ears and he fell to the floor, his frame writhing in a hellish pile of twisting limbs.  

He roared.  The flames of Tartarus radiated outward from his chest and lungs.

Through it all, however, his eyes remained fixed on those of the brown stallion.   This was his fault.  His fault.

HIS FAULT!

Though the madness, he felt his ears twitch.  He could hear the distant shouts of other ponies galloping full tilt through the storm outside.   They would be here in seconds, plowing through the front door.  Coming at him with sticks, and knives, and hooves, and guns.

It didn’t matter.  None of it did.  His eyes remained fixed on the pathetic brown stallion releasing his bowels in front of him.

All that mattered was the rage.

Through the psychotic jumble of his boiling thoughts, a wicked, shadowy voice emerged, drowning out the sounds of his writhing body.  Dripping with malice, it uttered a single word.

Kill.

A vein burst in Happy’s eye, shrouding the world in a curtain of red.

He obeyed.


*****


Knock knock knock.

Happy watched as the yellow mare’s hoof fell heavily on the door, echoing through the framework of the small, piecemeal shack before them.  The old, heavy sign hanging above their heads—reading "Doctor" as it swung loosely on rusted chains—rattled loudly with each impact.

The mare’s voice was just as stern.

“Fleet Hoof.   I know you’re in there.”

Without thinking, Happy shot a self-conscious glance toward the townsfoalk behind them.  Several of the Creek Benders milling throughout the dim streets had turned their heads, faces set in looks of disapproval.  

Happy grinned sheepishly in response, a surprising flood of warmth rushing to meet his cheeks.  Though some of the glances were meant for Serenity, he couldn’t help but feel like all eyes were on him. Especially after yesterday.

Behind him, Serenity hooves echoed on the woodwork again.  Louder this time.

Knock.  Knock.  Knock.

More glances.  Happy shrunk into himself, hiding his eyes behind his hooves.  Serenity, however, continued to pound away, entirely unphased.

“Fleet Hoof!”

A gruff voice finally met hers from the other side of the door.

“Quiet with that goddesses damned racket already!  I can hear you, I can hear you...”

Serenity glanced back at Happy as the sound of muffled hoofsteps finally began to echo from inside the shack.  She gave the gray buck a strained smile—the frustration in her expression still apparent—tapping a hoof to the ground at her side.

Happy nodded.  Averting his eyes from the other ponies around them, he plodded forward and took his place next to Serenity in front of the door.

Serenity seemed to notice his discomfort as soon as he dropped down on his haunches beside her.  Shooting a quick, disapproving glance of her own at the ponies behind them, she gave Happy a comforting nudge.

Happy rotated his head, glancing up into her warm eyes.  She smiled.  Genuinely this time.

“Hey.  Don’t give them any thought.  They can think what they want, it doesn’t matter.  Okay?  You'll show them eventually.”

Happy nodded glumly, pawing at the ground with his hoof.

Serenity rolled her eyes and gave him another nudge, more playfully this time.

“Okayyy?”

Slowly, a smile broke across Happy’s face as he met her eyes and nodded.  She was right.  She still trusted him, and that was all that really mattered.

The door ahead squealed on its hinges, prompting both ponies to look up.  The brown-coated bust of a unicorn appeared in front of them a moment later, a set of thin, wire-framed spectacles balanced on his muzzle.  His gruff voice sounded just as irritated as it had a moment before.

“Enlighten me Serenity, what could possibly be so important that you think you need to wake me at this hour of the—”

Fleet Hoof’s voice stopped short as his eyes settled on the gray buck seated at the mare’s side.  Without a word, his horn flared with golden magic and the door swung shut, slamming loudly against its frame.

“Fleet Hoof!”

“No!”  

Happy’s ears drooped as the gruff voice interrupted Serenity’s from its place behind the door.  

“No, no, no!  Whatever it is, if it includes that buck, I want no part in it!”

Serenity shot a quick glance at Happy before turning her eyes back to the door.  

“Listen, Fleet, you don’t understand, this could be a—”

“No, you don’t understand.”  Fleet Hoof’s volume rose a notch.  “I don’t care what you or Red say, he is not good news.  If you’ve forgotten already—and I doubt you have—he’s the reason the town almost got flattened by a herd of rampaging Brahmin yesterday.  Do you have any ideas how many sprained ankles I had to set from the panic that caused?  Thirty of them! Thirty!  No.  Find somepony else.”

Serenity stayed silent for a moment, glancing down at her hooves.  Happy watched intently as she chewed her bottom lip, the gears in her mind working away.  Finally, she raised her head, addressing the closed door.

“Fleet Hoof...” she began.  Her words had taken on a more persuasive tone, flowing smoothly from her lips like those of a businessmare’s.  

“...you once told me that discovering new advances in arcane medicine was the reason you worked with the Institute in the first place, right?”

No response.

The mare continued, tapping a hoof on the ground.  

“And that when the ponies there stopped you from doing that—burning the records of all those spells they didn’t want others to find—that’s when you left, wasn’t it?”

Serenity paused, listening for a reply.  The voice behind the door remained silent.

She smiled, her expression more mischievous than Happy was used to seeing.

“What if I told you ‘that buck’ out here could heal a broken leg without treatment—a full compound break too, not just a fracture—in less than a day?  No potions.  No healing spells.”

She stopped again, allowing the weight of her words to sink in.  

“You wouldn’t just let that pass you by without finding out why, would you?”

Checkmate, said a little lavender unicorn in the back of the buck’s mind.

Happy nodded in agreement before suddenly stopping short.  

Wait, who had said that?   What-mate?

Before Happy could give it much more though, the sound of the door unlocking pulled Happy back into the moment.  A low chorus of grumbles filtered out from the small shack and, slowly, the door swung back open, revealing a defeated looking Fleet Hoof inside.

The older stallion sighed, adjusting his faded labcoat before glancing up in their direction.  He held up a hoof.

“Fine.  One examination.  Then he’s out.”


***


“Okay.  We’re going to try this one more time.  Say ‘ahhh.’”

“Ahhhhhhh-haha-ahhhh…”

Happy couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle as the two hundred year old tongue depressor went to work on his tongue for the third time in so many minutes.  Floating in the golden aura of Fleet Hoof’s magic, it tingled as it moved along the inside of his mouth.  Holding his head steady as he could manage, Happy strained his eyes to the left, trying to get a better view of the doctor.

Fleet Hoof himself was perched on a short stool not a hooflength away, his brow fixed in concentration as he manipulated the tasteless splinter with his magic.  His stern expression looked more focused than anypony’s Happy had ever seen.

The buck stifled another chuckle as the depressor slid behind his gum line, prying his lips back as the doctor inspected his teeth.

“Hmmm...enlarged canines…interesting.”

He paused for a moment, glancing down at his side to scribble a few hoofwritten notes on a yellowed scratchpad.  The object’s movement resumed a moment later, traveling toward his cheek.

“An unusual sharpening of the incisors and premolars as well….interesting…very interesting.”

More scribbles.  Happy sat patiently, still forming an “ahhh” with his mouth, waiting for the stallion to continue.  Almost on their own accord, the buck's eyes drifted over to his left where Serenity sat against the wall.  Noticing his gaze, she offered him a reassuring smile.  The buck attempted to return it, but quickly remembered Fleet Hoof’s instructions and held his mouth open.  His eyes traveled back to the doctor.

As if on cue, the brown stallion tapped his pen against the paper, flipping his notepad shut.

“Well, that does it for the physical exam.”

Happy could hear Serenity get up from the stool behind him.  Spitting the tongue depressor onto the floor, he turned his head to meet her.

“And?”  The mare tilted her head, waiting for the older stallion to continue.

Fleet Hoof turned back to his worktable, shifting through supplies with an uncharacteristically giddy expression on his face.  He seemed like an entirely different pony than he had before, totally engrossed in the work before him.  He took the question in stride.

“The specimen displays some remarkable physical anomalies.  Increased muscle density, accelerated reflex times, increased predatory traits in the eyes and jawline.  The entire skeleture even appears to adopted traces of vestigial hoof claws on all four limbs.  Fascinating developments, really.”

“Happy, you mean.”

“Hmm?”  Fleet Hoof craned his neck around, lifting an eyebrow behind his glasses.

Serenity met his face with a stern look. 

“You said ‘specimen.’  He has a name, you know."

The brown stallion began to nod before she could continue.  

“—Ahhh, yes, yes, yes.  Giddy.  Of course, of course.”  He immediately resumed his search.

Happy watched Serenity slap a hoof to her forehead.  Taking another step forward, she approached Fleet Hoof’s side, trying her best to regain eye contact.

“So…what do you think?”

The doctor paused again, offering a quizzical stare.

“I beg pardon?”

It was the mare’s turn to look confused.  

“What do you think?  About Happy?”

Fleet Hoof’s expression remained unchanged.

Serenity flung her hooves up, the frustration finally starting to show in her face.  

“Ugh, Giddy!”

A complacent smile slid across Fleet Hoof’s face as he finally caught her drift. 

“Ahh, of course, Smiley.” 

He paused for a moment before offering the mare a small shrug. 

“No clue.”

No clue?

Happy tilted his head.  

Now he was getting confused.  Didn’t Serenity say that Fleet Hoof would know how to fix…whatever it was that needed fixing?

The yellow mare seemed to have the same question.

“What do you mean ‘no clue?’”

Fleet Hoof shrugged again, offering an infuriatingly contented smile.  

“Just that.  No clue.  Without the proper amplifying equipment, my diagnostic spells can only go so far as to assess what should and is, not could and might.”  

He trotted over to Happy’s side, placing a hoof on the buck’s shoulder.  Happy shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to react to the doctor’s sudden surge of friendliness.

“From all measurable standards, he’s perfectly healthy.  Better even, if what you tell me about his ability to heal turns out to be true.”  He rubbed a hoof against Happy’s head, causing the buck to squint.  

“Granted, his mental stability has degraded substantially, but without further analysis, the presence any advanced arcane influences are simply speculative.”

Serenity plodded back to Happy’s side, motioning for him to hop down from the examination chair he’d been sitting in. 

The gray buck obliged, eager to escape Fleet Hoof’s grasp.  The doctor barely seemed to notice, though, turning back to his workbench as Serenity began to speak.

“So you’re telling me you can’t figure anything else out without the right equipment?”

The doctor spared her a quick glance.  

“Correct.”

Serenity glanced at the floor a moment, furrowing her brow as she searched her mind for a second time.  

Happy frowned.  She looked awful worried.  

Trotting up to the mare’s side, he gave her a comforting nudge.

She turned at his touch, offering him a small smile.

“It's alright.  I think I have an idea, Happy.”

The unicorn cleared her throat.

“Fleet Hoof—” she started, adding a dash of Red-like authority to her voice.

The older stallion turned, meeting her gaze.  A look of determination had settled into the mare's eyes.

“—What equipment do you need?”


***


Ahhh, back on the road again.

Happy smiled, allowing the dim, midday light to wash over him.  

As nice as it was in Creek Bend meeting ponies and chasing Brahmin, he’d forgotten just how much he missed roaming the wastes.  How long had it been since he last left the settlement?  Two weeks?  Three weeks?  A month?

The buck did some quick mental calculations, counting on his hooves.

Oh, two days, that was right.

He chuckled at his own forgetfulness.

“Happy, you coming?”

Happy’s ears perked up at the request.  Glancing forward, he could see Serenity stopped along the trail ahead of him, standing beside the rusted remnants of a fallen sky-wagon.  Her usual canvas-colored ammo vest had been swapped out for a black, hooded, security jumpsuit.  At the moment, the hood was down, resting on her shoulders.  Only her hooves, tail, and head were exposed to the open air.

Happy’s hoof rose at the sight, scratching along the collar of his own jumpsuit.  Despite the gray buck’s protests—and Warehouse’s too, something about the uniforms being “too valuable to waste on an idiot like that”—Serenity had insisted that he wear one if they were going out into the wastes.  

Begrudgingly, he’d finally obliged, ducking into the bunkhouse so nobody could see him change.

The thought led Happy to nip at the cloth above his cutie mark.  He didn't remember his old barding ever itching like this before.  

He grunted.  Probably the change of material.  He hadn’t taken that old barding off ever since—

“—Happy.”

Serenity called to him again, this time with a little more of an edge to her voice.  Whimpering, Happy lifted a foreleg and tugged at a sleeve with his teeth, making doe eyes.

Serenity shook her head playfully.  

“Yes Happy, you made it very clear you don’t like your new outfit.  I know, I know….”

She trotted back up to his side, returning his gaze with a pleading look of her own.

“…but can you do it for me?  Just this once?”

Happy tried and failed to look away, unable to take his eyes of the mare.  Taking advantage of the situation, Serenity batted her eyelashes, putting on her best pout.

“Pleaaaase?”

Happy groaned, out-done at his own game.  Reluctantly, he nodded and started forward, doing his best to ignore both the itchy jumpsuit and the look of triumph slowly breaking across Serenity’s face.

He grumbled to himself.  

He’d show her.  One of these days he’d be able to resist her charm.

A welcoming nudge pressed against his side, stirring the buck from his mutterings.  He looked up.  Serenity smiled back, offering a little “cheer-up-grumpy” sort of look.  

Try as he might, Happy couldn’t help but return the grin.  Her smile was infectious.

The two continued to wander south down the broken roadway, passing by piles of broken blacktop as they passed along.  The steep ridges concealing Creek Bend had already fallen back into the distance behind them, replaced with the desolate, rolling plains and hills of the wastes.  Dusty mounds of rubble and debris dotted the landscape at random intervals, but aside from the occasional bloatsprite, there wasn’t a living creature in sight.

In sight.

Twitch.  Twitch-a-twitch.

Happy tensed as he felt his ears perk up on their own accord.  Narrowing his eyes, he swept the landscape, pausing only briefly as his eyes passed over Serenity's form.  Preoccupied with other thoughts, she continued to trot along without hesitation, unaware of whatever it was he was picking up on.

Twitch-a-twitch.

There it was again!

Happy whipped his head to the side.  He could almost feel the eyes studying him and Serenity.

A low growl began to vibrate up from his throat.

Where was it coming from?

“Happy, I think I see it!”

“Hmmm?”  

Happy spun around in excitement at Serenity’s sudden outburst.  Could she sense it too?

Nodding excitedly, Happy leapt over to the mare’s side, sighting his eyes down her outstretched hoof like a rifle barrel.  

Wait…a building?

The gray buck blinked and rubbed his eyes.  

Sure enough, Serenity's hoof pointed to the outline of a wide, boxy building, it’s silhouette dark and foreboding in the distance.

Awhhh.  

Happy sighed, shifting around on his hooves.  It was just a building.  Not the source of the watching sensation.  His eyes went back to scanning the wastes.

Serenity cocked her head in his direction, noticing his disappointment.  She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Huh.  I thought you’d be a least a little more excited about finding the med center.”

Happy tilted his head, breaking away from his search.  

Med center?  What was she going on about now?  Oh, wait a second.  That was right!  

The buck tapped a hoof to his skull.  Serenity’s explanation from earlier played across his mind in choppy clips.

Med center…equipment…Fleet Hoof...fix you up.

He nodded to himself as the memory solidified.  

Ohhh, that med center.  The whole reason they were out here searching in the first place.

Serenity chuckled at the buck's expression.

“There you go.  Glad to see your memory’s starting to shape up a bit.”  

She turned, lifting her hoof back in the direction of the structure.  

“That’s it right there.  The 'Ministry of Peace Emergency Medical Center, San Palomino Hub.’  Red used to have us make runs there every once and a while before the raiders started to get bad.  It’s been a couple years since then, though.”

Happy flinched a bit, averting his eyes at the mention of the word "raider."  Fortunately, Serenity seemed too busy reminiscing to notice.  She set her hoof back on the ground, continuing to speak as she started forward.

“Most of the basic medical supplies have been scavenged out for a while, but I think there’s still a good chance we’ll be able to find what we need on one of the lower floors.”  She turned to Happy, motioning toward the building with her horn.  “You remember what we’re looking for in there, right?”  

Happy nodded, drawing up the image in his mind.  A shiny, purplish looking rock covered in thin metal bands.  Fleet Hoof had sketched a picture of one before they had left.  A "sensory talisman," he’d called it.

Serenity replied with a curt nod, he hair braid bobbing behind her.  

“Good.”  

Her horn shimmered, lifting the jumpsuit’s black hood and casting her face in shadow.  

“Now stay with me and stay low.  The center’s been vacant for a while, but we don’t want to take any chances.”

Happy nodded, feeling a tingle of excitement run through his limbs as he levitated his own hood up over his head.  Then, remembering that he wasn’t a unicorn, he casually lifted his foreleg and drew it up by hoof.

Smooth.

The two ponies started forward with a new sense of vigilance, sweeping the area for anything out of the ordinary.  To Happy’s relief, the prickling sensation of being watched had disappeared for the moment.  Now the biggest threats he could make out were a couple of odd shaped rocks and a broken road sign.

However, as they grew closer to the complex, Happy could sense that something was amiss.  Tension had begun to radiate from Serenity and—although he couldn’t see her expression beneath her hood—he could sense her frown.

Clicking his tongue, Happy swung his head toward the building and studied it.  

Like every other structure in the wastes, its colors seemed to bleed into its surroundings—a grim shade of gray and black.  Shaped something like an enormous, square-cut mushroom, the complex stood only four stories tall, a line of thin columns supporting the small overhang that extended over the ground floor.  The windows that weren’t clouded with debris were dark, giving the whole place an even less inviting appearance.

The buck continued his sweep of the area.  From the looks of the charred pavement, the area in front of the center had been a parking lot once.  The rusted remnants of carriages and skywagons sat at random intervals, basking in the nonexistent glow of a few broken lampposts that were scattered evenly about the lot.  

Happy tilted his head, looking around for signs of other buildings but finding none.  

Odd.  Why would ponies build such a big place in the middle of nowhere?

He shrugged.  More questions for later.

About forty yards from the building, Serenity paused in mid-step.  Lowering her stance, she crouched close to the ground, sidestepping behind a pile of rubble at their left.  She turned her hooded face toward Happy’s, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Happy, stop.  Something’s not right.”

The mare didn’t need to tell him twice.  The buck immediately dropped to his stomach and shifted beside her, the dark fabric of his jumpsuit allowing him to sink into the shadows.  

Staring intently, Happy watched as Serenity pulled back her hood, surveying the scene before them.  Taking her cue, he did the same.  After a few moments she lifted a hoof, motioning toward the complex.

“Those doors.  See those marks?”

Happy squinted, biting his tongue in concentration.  Sure enough, he could make out several black marks, each shaped like a bullseye.  A few nondescript piles of white ash rested at the doors’ base.

The buck turned back to Serenity and nodded, his jaw flapping loosely.

Serenity placed a hoof on his shoulder, quieting him.  

“Those aren’t regular bullet holes, Happy.  They’re scorch marks.” 

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she turned her gaze to the ground.   Happy could hear her continue, talking to herself more than him.

“That's weird—nobody’s sold Flash Industries tech west of New Appleoosa in ages.  Where would they even find the cartridges…”

He smiled.  It was nice to know he wasn't the only pony who sometimes talked to himself to figure things out.

Serenity's voice petered off, her hoof tapping idly against the ground.  A few more of her mumbled phrases met Happy’s ears intermittently.

“Gangers?  No...Other traders?  Unlikely....The emergency systems wouldn't...wait—emergency systems?”

She exchanged a quick glance with Happy.  

“Stay out of sight. I’m going to try something.”

There was a low hum as Serenity’s horn began to glow red.  From the corner of his vision, Happy could see a small rock about the size of his hoof rise up from the ground a few hooves away.   It began to float forward, casting a small shadow on the parking lot below. 

The buck turned his head in sync, following its path with wide eyes.  No matter how much she used it, Serenity’s magic never ceased to amaze him.

Slowly, the floating rock approached the wide double doors of the med center entrance.  Squinting with effort, Serenity’s horn flared as she gave it an added mental push.  It sped up only slightly, but enough to elicit a dull thud from the metal door.

For a moment, there was silence.

They waited.

Whrrrrrrrrrrr.

Happy’s ears twitched as the slightest breath of sound washed over them.  He tensed, prompting Serenity to cast a worried gaze in his direction.  She placed a hoof on his shoulder. 

“Happy.  Do you hear something?”

He continued to stare forward, eyes fixed on the pockmarked door.

Whrrrrrrrrr.

He turned to Serenity and nodded.  There was definitely something in there.  What though, he couldn’t tell.  All he could make out was the fact that the noise sounded vaguely…mechanical.  Like metal on metal and spinning wheels.

Whrrrrrrrrrr.

Happy tensed further.  

He wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.   He could feel his insides begin to heat up, heart pumping warm blood through his veins.  His mind began to cloud with anticipation, a quiet, familiar voice calling to him from the darkness at the back of his mind.

Go.  Do it.  Kill.

Happy shook his head.  No.  Not again.  Not like yesterday.  He could do this.

Pulling his eyes away, Happy's gaze met the mare at his side.  

Serenity.

Unaware of his gaze, the yellow unicorn continued to stare ahead, eyes fixed on the door with militant focus.  Even in her heavy security barding she was striking, her blue-green eyes shining fiercely behind her braided mane loops.  

Happy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.  Her presence was…calming.  He focused on his breathing.

Eventually, the voice fell away.  He could still feel the tension in his body, but the growing darkness had subsided.

He allowed himself a small grin of triumph.

More sounds.  Happy opened his eyes.  Serenity’s ears had begun to twitch as well.  The quiet whirring had grown loud enough her to pick up on, too.

Happy tilted his head, wracking his memories for a match.  What made that sort of noise?  

Curiosity getting the best of him, the buck poked his head up from behind the rocks, temporarily leaving the shadows.

Serenity’s hooves instantly grabbed at his shoulder, trying to pull him back.  

“No, wait!  Happy!  Stay down—”

Serenity’s warning was cut off as the double doors flew open ahead of them, impacting against the outside walls of the building and bouncing back shut with surprising force.  A strange looking mechanical figure—a vaguely pony shaped, sideways cylinder resting on two sets of triangular treads where its legs would have been—stormed through the opening, entering the parking lot in a cloud of dust.  Its front end appeared to house a small domed shape structure filled with glowing green ooze—some sort of pinkish, meaty thing suspended in the midst of it

Happy’s eyes widened, an excited smile breaking across his face.  This was new.

The bulky mechanical pony immediately spun in his direction, sending a flashing red sensor passing across his face.  With a loud, grating noise, two rubbery-looking black arms extended from its sides, each ending in a fancy-looking, three-pronged tip.  At the same time, a tinny, distorted voice crackled to life from its chest.

“WARNING:  EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN PROCEDURE 4107 ENACTED.  POSSIBLE ZEBRA INTRUDER ENCOUNTERED ON THE PREMISE.  NEUTRALIZING.”

Happy heard a high pitched hum, and watched as the pronged tips on the bot’s arms began to glow a vibrant red.

His smile widened further.

Ooooh.  A light show.

“Happy!”

"Glllk!"  

A muffled choking sound escaped the buck's lip as he stumbled backwards, jerked down by his collar.  Two arcs of red light shot across his vision as he landed, casting shadows across the face of the mare at his side.

Serenity pinned him to the ground beneath her, her forehooves resting on his chest.

“Happy!  What do you think you’re doing?”  Her eyes were locked on his.  “It almost shot you!”

Happy arched an eyebrow.  Shot?  Wait…did she mean the lights?  

To the mare’s irritation, Happy snickered, batting a hoof casually in the air.  

Pshhh.  What was she all worried about?  Little glowing lights weren't going to hurt Happy.

Serenity’s expression went flat.  Pointing to the ground next to their barricade of debris, she powered up her magic and levitated another small rock out into the open.  Happy grinned and watched, following it with his eyes.

Tzzzzkt!  

A beam of light instantly shot out to meet it, evaporating the small object in a puff of smoke.

Happy stiffened.  Suddenly worrying about small flashing lights didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.  He nodded to Serenity.  

The pressure on his chest lifted as she nodded back, pulling him close to her side.  The mecha-pony's monotonous voice continued to echo out from behind their impromptu shelter.

“TARGET LOST.  PRIMARY TRACKING SENSOR ERROR.  CALIBRATION NEEDED.  HOLDING POSITION.”

Shaking her head in approval, Serenity quietly addressed the buck.

“Good, sounds like there's something wrong with it.  As long as we’re not too loud, it probably won't find us if we stay out of sight.”  

She shifted into a low crouch, motioning to the gray buck with a hoof. 

“Keep your head down, I’ll get this thing out of the way.”

Wait, what!?  

Happy’s hoof shot out, grabbing Serenity’s as she started to rise.  He met her eyes with a look of bewilderment.  Hadn't she just told him to stay put?

A reassuring smile broke over Serenity’s face.  She patted him on the hoof.  

“It’s alright Happy, I know what I’m doing.  These things aren't too bad if you stay in their blind spot.”  

Taking a step back before he could react, she flashed him a sly wink.  

“Besides, didn’t I already tell you I know how to take care of myself?”

With that, she tumbled into the open, a spray of laser fire immediately flashing past her rapidly twisting figure.

Tzzzzkt!  Tzzzzkt!  Tzzzzkt!

Serenity!

Happy scrambled to his hooves in a heartbeat, launching himself over the pile of debris and onto the broken pavement below.  Digging his hooves into the ground, he started forward, only to stop short a half second later when his eyes fell upon the scene before him.

The yellow mare was already twenty strides ahead, spinning and twisting so rapidly the buck could barely make out her dancing form.   Her braided mane and tail twirled around her like whips, sailing through the air with sharp cutting noises as the laser fire missed her by inches.  She was all fluid grace and precision—the tight fitting security barding she wore didn’t seem to hinder her in the least.

Da-dunk.  

Happy’s heart skipped a beat. 

Drawing close to the bot, Serenity vaulted forward, launching herself into a wide arc above its domed head.  It’s treads squealed—reacting with surprising swiftness for such a bulky machine—but not nearly fast enough to pull back in time.  Spinning her figure like a top, the mare lashed out, striking a hoof against the glass dome.  A piercing clink echoed across the parking lot as a long crack spread across its surface.

“NEUTRALIZING.  NEUTRALIZING.”  

Happy could have sworn the tinny voice had begun to sound desperate.

Swinging herself forward in midair, Serenity landed onto the bot’s back with her hind hooves.  Immediately, she sprung into the air again, backflipping over the machine's rear as she delivered another solid strike against the dome.

Krrrtchink!

Twice was enough.  The dome immediately burst apart in a shower of glass, spraying green ooze in all directions.  Serenity rolled out of the way as she hit the ground, avoiding the spray it altogether.

With a sickly sounding cough, the machine slowed, its treads whining with fatigue as the voice on the speakers began to slur its words.

“NEUTRALIZING.  NEUTRALIZING.  NEUU—TRAAALLL—IIII—ZZZIIINNNGGG….”

With a last wheeze, it slumped forward, sparks shooting out from the cracked dome.  A moment later, there was a wet plop as the pink, meaty thing that had been suspended in the middle of the ooze rolled onto the ground below.

Happy’s eyes shifted to Serenity, then back to the wreckage, then back to Serenity.

Well.  That had escalated quickly.

Serenity smiled, resuming her normal posture like nothing had happened.  She trotted up to the buck, giving him a playful nudge in the side at the sight of his expression.  

“Hey, I thought I told you to keep your head down.”

Happy simply stared at her, his jaw hanging open.  

His words had left him.

Finally he shook his head, breaking himself from his stupor.  Serenity chuckled for a moment, then quieted as her eyes fell back on the stalled bot.

“Hmm.”  

She tapped a hoof to her chin, trotting back toward the fallen bot.  Happy followed, curious to see what had caught her attention.

Reaching its side, Serenity nudged one of the bot’s rubber coated arms with her foreleg.  It gave easily, scraping along the lot at her touch.  Trying to seem like he knew what he was doing, Happy did the same, knocking at its side as if it were a door.

His efforts were rewarded with a hollow clanging noise.  He giggled.  

“Odd.”  

Happy glanced over at the yellow mare, her hoof tapping against the ground.

“That's a ministry robobrain, alright.  Red and I never came across anything like this when we were here before, though. Why would they have gone active all of a sudden?”

She shrugged after a moment, glancing back at Happy.  

"I'm not sure what's going on, Happy, but we'll have to make sure we stay on guard when we go inside."

She nodded toward the double doors.  

“Are you ready to—”

The mare had lost him at 'inside.'  Giggling in anticipation, Happy bolted for the doors, already imagining all the treasures he’d find inside.  He had to make up for not getting to play with any of Warehouse’s toys somehow.

Hooves scrambling against the broken pavement, Happy reached the entrance in a heartbeat.  Grabbing onto the handle with a greedy grin, he swung the door open and bolted forward like a madpony.

KADUNG!

A flash of white light arced across Happy’s vision as he collided with something solid.  Clutching his head in his hooves, he fell backwards, trying to focus his vision on whatever it was he’d run into.

A high pitched hum began to sound in front of him.

Happy felt his body go rigid.

Uh oh.

“ZEBRA HOSTILE SIGHTED.  NEUTRALIZING.”

Happy flailed blindly, lifting his hooves to brace himself for the impact.  Serenity's voice started to call out behind him.

“Hap—”

KRA-KOW!

A sudden gunshot rang out from nowhere, blocking out all other noise.  An instant later, a shower of glass and warm liquid exploded across Happy’s face, sending him rolling back onto the pavement.  

Huh?  What had just happened?

Happy pawed at his face, clearing the green gel from his eyes and mane as his vision slowly returned to him.  He could hear the frantic hoof-falls of somepony approaching him from behind, but couldn’t tear his eyes from the scene ahead.  Another one of the mecha-ponies stood dead in the doorway, its glass dome disintegrated by whatever it was that had just hit it.

Wumph.

"—Mmmph!"  

Happy let out a surprised grunt as Serenity tackled him from behind.  Pulling him back onto his flank, she turned his face in her direction.  Eyes wide, she ran a hoof down the side of his forehead, tracing the outlines of several deep gashes the exploding glass had made.

“Happy? Happy?  Are you alright?”

Happy nodded lazily, still dazed from the impact.  Tiny, chirping pegasai were everywhere.  

He smiled, nodding beneath her hoof.  

He really liked it when she got this close.

Serenity’s blue eyes shrunk with relief.  Leaning in, she wrapped the buck into a tight hug.  

“Goddesses, Happy.  I thought you’d gotten yourself killed.”

Happy's expression softened.  He hadn't meant to make her worry.

“Vhat?  Killed by zat tin can?  Vasn’t even close.”

Happy's ears twitched as a familiar accent called out behind them, Serenity's head lifting up as well.  Turning as one, the two of them glanced back, eyes falling on its source.

Touching down on the blackened parking lot was a griffon, a long silver rifle slung casually across its back between its wings.  

The figure smiled.  

Lifting his flight goggles to his forehead with a talon, the familiar face of Victor met the ponies' gazes with a grin.  Looking over their dumbfounded expressions, he chuckled as he offered the two a shrug.

“Vhat?  Vere you expecting zee cavalry?”


***


Perk Achieved!

Medical Anomaly - Science has confirmed it, you're a badass.  Come radiation, taint, Tartarus, or high water, your body can manage to take that extra punch.

Your HEALTH increases by 15%.
> Chapter 7:  Good Vibrations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 7:  Good Vibrations


“You’re my shmoopy-doopy sweetie-weetie pony pie.”



***


Clip clop clip clop clip clop.

Happy smiled as the sounds of his own hoofsteps echoed in his ears.  Tile floors really were the best.  So noisy!  

Stifling a giggle, he turned his gaze to the sterile-looking hallway ahead.  The wide expanse of the San Palomino medical center seemed to stretch on forever before his hooves, half-open hospital doors lining the otherwise bare white walls leading to the building’s interior.  

The buck grinned and shook his head.  The view was almost dizzying.  Gray light trickled in from the entrance behind him, casting a haphazard swath of shadows in all directions.  A sense of quiet gloominess seemed to pervade the atmosphere, sucking the color out of everything.

Happy glanced down at his flanks.  Even his own coat—or at least the tufts of it he could see protruding out from under his security barding—looked a dull shade of gray.

The buck lifted a hoof to his chin. 

Oh.  Gray fur.  That was right.

A giddy snort escaped Happy’s lips.  Such a forgetful pony.  

Shaking his head, he shifted his attention to the hoof-falls echoing out beside his own.  

As usual, Serenity was there next to him, trotting close beside.  Happy could feel his eyes light up as they passed over her form.  Somehow, the gloomy atmosphere didn’t seem to dampen her aura in the least.  She seemed just as bright and warm as she always did.  

Happy’s gaze shifted a little further.  Victor was among their number now, too, walking in step next to Serenity as the three made their way down the hall.  From what little Happy knew of him, the griffon seemed to be up to his old self, an easygoing smile stretched across his beak.  

Humming tunelessly to himself, the buck’s ears perked up as his two companions chatted idly.

“…so now Silver Stripes is holding off on the next shipment until Red decides to pull operations back.  He says we’re cutting into his area.”  

Serenity let out a sigh, punctuating her discontent.  Happy’s ears drooped a little.  Even if he couldn’t grasp the meaning behind her words, he could still sense the tiredness in her voice.

Victor appeared to pick up on this as well, shaking his head.

“Zat is unfortunate.”  He lifted an eyebrow.  “And he vouldn’t reconsider?”

Serenity sighed.

“Not for anything.  Smug hoofer thinks he can call the shots because he’s got those Black Saddles on his side.”

She scuffed a hoof against the tile in irritation.  

“I don’t know where gets off, threatening us like that.  He’s been a trading partner with Creek Bend for years.  Now he gets his hooves on a couple of gangers and he thinks he runs the place.”

Happy watched as Victor nodded, his feathers ruffling as he adjusted the rifle slung between his wings.

“Ahh, threats now, even?”  

The griffon made a circling motion with a talon.  

“I imagine Red vill be asking Vera and I to expand our vatch area zee next time vee see him.”

Serenity raised an eyebrow, regarding the griffon with a skeptical glance. 

“Next time you see him?  I'd have thought he already would have asked you.”

Victor swiveled his head in her direction, arching an eyebrow.

“You know” Serenity nodded, motioning to both Happy and herself with a hoof,  “when he asked you to keep an eye on us after we left?”

A look of surprise passed across Victor’s face at the remark.  There was a brief pause, a broad grin breaking over his beak a moment later.

“Ah.  Flew right into zat one, didn’t I?”  

He chuckled.  

“I suppose it eez too late to try and convince you zat I vas just out on patrol and happened to stumble across zee two of you?"

Serenity sighed, a light smile spreading across her lips.  

“I should have known.  Leave it to Red to send supervision when the caravan needs all the hooves it can get.  Still though...”

The unicorn glanced over in Happy’s direction.  The buck was surprised to feel his cheeks grow hot at the sudden attention.

Da-dunk.	

Confusion danced across the buck’s mind as his heart leapt in his chest.  He lifted a hoof to the collar of his barding and tugged.  

Was it just him, or had the hallway suddenly turned into an oven?  

Da-dunk.  

Muscles tensing, Happy smiled and waved back shyly.  

The mare smiled back, before turning her gaze back to Victor.  As her eyes left his, Happy could feel his muscles relax, the bashful feeling receding into his chest.

“...still though, I’m glad you had our back." 

Serenity nodded toward Victor’s rifle.  Happy’s eyes drifted toward the firearm in turn, a scoped nightmare of a rifle, almost as long as the griffon was tall.

Victor shrugged, waving modestly at the remark.  

“Ah, vhat eez a life-saving shot or two among comrades?”

Brushing some imaginary dust off his jumpsuit, he regarded the two with a down-to-business nod.

“So, now zat zee pony eez out of zee bag, vhat is it zat Red gave you zee clear to come here and find?”

Serenity flashed the griffon a small smile.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Keeping stride, Happy trotted ahead as the yellow mare recounted the details of their search to the griffon.  She was better at explaining things than he was, anyhow.  Words weren't his strong suit.

A mischievous look crossed the buck’s face as he put his snout to the ground. He had things to do, anyways—it was time to sniff out some excitement!  

Tail wagging with anticipation, Happy inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of air.

"Hbbpth."

The buck's eye twitched as several ounces of dust and dirt came with it.

“Ah…ah…ATCHOO!”

The force of the ensuing sneeze-splosion sent Happy flying.  His head spun as he somersaulted back several hooves before coming to rest in a twisted heap.

He snorted, blowing a plume of dust from his nostrils.  

Whew.  Sure was sneezy in here.

Brushing wisps of his blue mane from his eyes, Happy untangled his limbs and resumed his search, taking care to keep his snout a few inches off the dusty floor.  To his disappointment, the hallway ahead smelled and looked almost bare, save the occasional overturned chair or clipboard that had been cast aside.  

Happy approached one of the less broken looking chairs, giving it a tentative whiff.  

Hmm.  It smelled…old.

He gnawed at one of its legs for a moment before taking a step back.  A trickle of blood ran out from between his lips. 

He giggled.  So many splinters.

Spitting a few slivers of wood off to his side, Happy's eyes swept further down the hall.  The thick layer of dust continued to cover just about everything he could see, though here and there he could make out patches of bare floor where scavengers had made their way through in the past.  The buck only offered them a passing whiff.  Most of their scents were long gone anyhow.

Happy nodded resolutely.  He’d just have to keep searching.

Continuing to shuffle around for a few moments, Happy’s eyes finally fell upon some potential adventure fodder.  A few doors down, one of the hospital rooms sat slightly ajar, its heavy wooden door propped open by a broken chair leg.  

Raising an eyebrow, Happy trotted over to the threshold.  Cautiously, he lifted a hoof to the door, putting some pressure on the wooden panel.  It gave surprisingly easily, creaking quietly on ancient hinges.

The buck felt his eyes bulge as he stifled another laugh.  More funny noises.  This place was full of them.

Crawling forward on his stomach, Happy allowed the door to swing shut behind him.  The voices of Serenity and Victor were immediately muffled, fading into the background.  He wasn't worried, though.  He could still hear them well enough to know they were there.  

It was dimmer in the room, that much was certain.  The blackened windows didn’t seem to let in as much light from this angle as the hallway did, but it was still enough to see by.  	

Happy’s eyes scanned the room.  It was lightly furnished.  Aside from the row of stools lining the wall and a small metal nightstand to his left, the only real piece of furniture in the room appeared to be the small bed resting in the far corner.

Happy trotted toward the mattress, his eyes focusing in on the shallow mound of blue blankets that lay on top of it.  The buck blinked.  A small, pony shaped bulge was resting just beneath the top layer.  

He blinked again.  Had his eyes deceived him, or had he seen the shape move?

Tension settled into Happy’s limbs as he took the last few steps to the bedside.  As he lifted a hoof toward the small shape, he could feel a familiar, predatory prickle start to run across his scalp.  He paused.  

“N-n-no.”

Narrowing his eyes, Happy fought the urge to lunge, waving away the dark clouds that had risen up at the back of his mind.

No.  Happy good-pony.  Happy not-raider.

Slowly, the prickling receded.  Stealing a breath of relief, the buck swept his hoof across the bedspread, pulling the sheets off of the hidden shape.

Happy’s breathing slowed.

Resting at his hooves were the remains of a small pony—a foal—curled up into a ball beneath the sheets.  The body had long since withered away with the centuries, leaving nothing behind but a desiccated, paper-thin, husk of skin and bone.  Its forelegs were frozen at an awkward angle, drawn over its face in a perpetual cringe of agony and fear. 

The worst part of the sight, however, was its eyes.

A cold, numbing sensation settled in the pit of Happy’s stomach as he looked upon the two vacant slots.  The empty sockets stared back at him, endless voids waiting to swallow him up.  

The buck blanched and looked away.  For some reason he couldn’t explain, the sight made him feel…sick.  Bad sick.

He shook his head fiercely.  Sweeping the blanket back over the body, he stumbled backwards a few steps before settling back onto his rump.  He sat there for a moment, trying to sort out the thoughts drifting through his mind.

What was going on?  First the strange heart flutters with Serenity.  Now this.

He rested a hoof against his chest, inhaling deeply.  His thoughts—though still jumbled—seemed to clear a little.  

Where were all of these strange feelings coming from, lately?  Was he sick?  Was he dreaming?

Pitching forward, Happy slammed his head against the tile floor.  A splitting pain lanced through his skull, painting a dazzling white light across his vision.  He could feel the warmth spread across his forehead as a trickle of blood began to seep from the wound.

Nope. Not dreaming.

The buck narrowed his eyes.  

If he wasn’t dreaming then…what was wrong with him?

“Happy?  Are you in here?”

Happy turned as the door behind him began to creak open. Serenity’s head appeared a moment later, peeking in from the other side of the threshold.

She smiled, blue-green eyes lighting up as they met each other’s gaze.

“There you are.  We were wondering where you ran off to.”

With a shimmer from her horn, the door opened a little further.  Serenity trotted inside, hooves clacking against the floor.  Her black security jumpsuit stood out against the gray walls behind her, breaking up the monotony of the room.

She nodded back toward the hall.

“I talked to Victor a bit, and we think our best chance of finding that talisman is down a level.  Where the old emergency wing was.  Everything here in the upper floors has pretty much been scavenged out.”  

She motioned to the bare-looking room with her hoof.  

“This wing was mostly general care, anyways.  They probably wouldn’t have much in the way of—”

The mare paused mid-sentence, her eyes coming to rest on Happy’s forehead.  The buck felt his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment.  He quickly turned his gaze to the floor, raising a self-conscious hoof to cover the cut.

Serenity’s voice grew softer.

“You okay, Happy?  Run into something?”

Though he couldn't quite understand why, Happy could feel his cheeks grow warmer.  Glancing up between the tufts of blue mane that had fallen over his face, he nodded sheepishly.  Close enough.

A motherly smile crossing her face, Serenity trotted forward.  Happy felt himself tense up again, transfixed on the yellow mare as she stopped in front of him.

Looking down into his eyes, she shook her head and let out a quiet laugh.  

“Silly buck.”

Before Happy could react, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his forehead.

Da-dunk!

“There.  Should be better now.  Be a little more careful, though.  We don’t need you knocking yourself out where Victor and I can’t find you, okay?”

Happy didn’t respond.  He was too busy melting into a furry gray puddle on the ground in front of her.  A choir of miniature angel-winged Happys had sprung up around him, shooting off fireworks in every direction.

Serenity gave him an odd look.

“Um…Happy?”

The buck gurgled in response, flopping onto his back like an oversized rag doll.

“Gzzhhmmhahhh…”

Serenity rolled her eyes in response, letting loose with another light chuckle as she turned for the door.

“Come on, Happy.  Let’s get back out there.  We need to find our way downstairs.”

A wide grin broke over Happy’s face as he shuffled back onto his rump.  Such a pretty voice.  

He nodded slowly, completely unaware of what she had said.

Serenity smiled back.  

“Good.  Let’s get to it, then.”

Trotting off, she disappeared back through the door.  

Happy simply sat there, a thin, dopey grin etched in his face.  In a daze, he lifted a hoof to his forehead.  His coat was still warm where she had touched him.  Kind of like the warmth that had settled in his chest now.  A fuzzy sort of feeling.

Furrowing his brow, the buck returned his hoof to the ground.

What…what exactly had that been?  Her...lips?  Why had she...?

He was at a loss.

Serenity’s voice echoed out from around the corner.

“You coming?”  

The buck shook his head.  No use trying to figure it out.  Best to just enjoy it. 

Rising up off the floor, the buck hummed cheerfully to himself, hooves tapping against the tile as he made his way back into the hall.	


***


“Another stubbed hoof, Happy?  Really?”

Serenity glanced down at the gray buck who had hunched over beside her, cradling his front hoof.  

The three of them had only searched the first two rows of hallways—with little to show for it—and Happy had already managed to “injure” himself several more times, groaning loudly as his hooves stumbled across  imaginary obstacles at every turn.

Putting on his best hurt face, Happy nodded and let out a little whimper.

The yellow mare shook her head.

“Happy, I know you’re not that delicate.  We don’t have a lot of time to play around.”

She nudged his side with a hoof, shooing him away.  

“Come on now.  Let’s go.  We’ve got to keep moving.  No more of this funny business.”

Brushing past him, Serenity continued down the hall.  As soon as he had fallen out of sight behind her, Happy’s face dropped into a scowl.

Drat.  

He knocked a hoof against the tile.  

He was sure that one would have earned him another lip-touch.

Low, accented chuckles sounded from Happy’s left.  The buck turned, catching Victor’s gaze as he lifted talon to his beak.

“Ah. I see somevunn eez smitten, no?”

Happy snorted, glaring at the jumpsuited griffon.  To his irritation, the look only seemed to succeed in eliciting more chuckles from the pony-bird.

“No need to get your hooves in a bind, my pony friend.  Eez all in good fun.”

Victor took a couple of steps forward, placing a claw on the buck’s shoulder.  Happy shifted grumpily at the contact, muttering to himself.

“Snappy flappy Victor bird say say Happy Serenity floor stumbles….”

The griffon's grin widened a notch as he gave the buck a light pat.

“Zats zee spirit.”

Giving him one last pat, Victor continued on after the yellow mare.  Sighing, Happy turned to follow as well, making a point to drag his hooves against the ground as loudly as he could.  

He’d listen, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.

The buck paused at the thought, bringing a hoof to his chin.

Or did he have to be happy about it, by definition?  Being Happy and all.  Was it possible for him to not be doing something while still being Happy?

The buck slid onto his stomach.  He could feel an anxious twinge run down his spine.

Wait…did this mean he had to be happy about everything?  Was it possible for him to not be happy?  And if he wasn’t happy, would he still be Happy?  If not, who else would he be?  Would he be somepony else?

The buck smushed his hooves against his face, pulling at his cheeks as the panic started to descend.  Voices chittered through his mind like a chorus of demonic woodland critters as felt himself begin to hyperventilate.

“Happy” happy?  Happy “happy?”  Happy “Happy” happy happy?

“Happy!”

The buck turned on instinct, face still contorted into an awful, terrorstruck mask between his hooves.  His mouth remained awkwardly open as he met Serenity’s gaze.

The mare sighed, bringing a hoof to her brow.

“Come on, Happy.  I said that’s enough.  Let’s go.”

Existential crisis forgotten, Happy’s twisted expression was quickly replaced with an embarrassed grin.  Nodding sheepishly, he rose to his hooves and followed.

The three continued down the corridor, searching for any sign of a passage to the lower level.  Once or twice Happy found himself catching a whiff of stagnant air—old air that had to be drifting up from somewhere below—but they were fleeting at best.  The building was too drafty to gauge any sense of their origin.  To make matters worse, the day had already begun to give way to midafternoon, only deepening the shadowy gloom.  

Happy snorted.  As if it hadn’t been hard enough to see already.

Beside him, his companions seemed to have the same thoughts.  Giving Victor a nod, Serenity sent a few sparks through her horn.  

Happy felt a brief tingling sensation as electricity filled the air.  A moment later a there was a flicker of light and a glowing orb appeared at the tip of Serenity’s horn.  The hallway was immediately bathed in a warm, red, magical glow.

Happy’s eyes were drawn to the sparkling light like a magnet.

Da-dun—

Happy smacked a hoof against his muzzle.  

No.  No more heart flutters. He had to focus.  On finding the talisman, that was.  Definitely not on Serenity.  Or how pretty she looked with her horn lit up like that.  Or how she—

Smack!  

No.  Had to focus.  Had to focus.  Had to find that talisman.

The buck nodded, taking a deep breath before shifting his attention back to the hallway ahead.  A spark of pride leapt through his chest at the minor victory.

Resolution etched across his face, Happy resumed his plod forward, stamping his hoof into the ground with determination.  No more silly interruptions.

Crrrrreeeaaaaaaak…..

Turning as one, Serenity and Victor swiveled their heads in Happy's direction, eyes widening at the sudden noise.  The buck smiled sheepishly, shifting his weight on the floor beneath him.

K-snap!

Uh oh.

With the groan of ancient timbers reaching their limit, the woodwork beneath Happy buckled inward, sending a shower of debris in all directions.  The buck was immediately dumped headfirst into darkness, flailing his legs wildly as the floor disappeared beneath his hooves.

“Yipe!”

“Happy!”

“Pony!”

The all-too-familiar sensation of sudden weightlessness reclaiming his stomach, Happy tumbled downward to the floor below.

Wham!  Crunch! 

A dull thud rang through Happy’s ears as he impacted, landing heavily into the uninviting embrace of concrete.  A fresh spike of pain arced through his side, dulling his senses to the last few splinters of woodwork and plaster raining down from above.

“Ha…haha…ha—blehyuuk!”

Happy spluttered, a jet of blood erupting from his lips as he wheezed out an airy chuckle.

Ah.  Pain.

“Happy!  Can you hear us down there?”

Letting out another wheeze, Happy rolled onto his back.  Despite the black splotches forming around the edge of his vision, he could still make out the two silhouettes staring down from the hole above him.  

“Happy?!”

Serenity’s voice drifted down a second time.  Lifting a hoof, the buck waved reassuringly toward the light.

“Happy smiles earsauce nicem good.”

A brief silence hung in the air.

“Ve’ll take zat as a yes, ” Victor’s voice followed a few moments later.

Happy grinned at the acknowledgement, a small dribble of blood leaking out the side of his mouth.  By the time he made it to his hooves, his companions had joined him, Victor’s talons depositing a worried looking Serenity at his side.

The buck jumped a bit as he felt her hoof trace over his side.  After a moment he could see the mare’s expression relax.

“Good.  It doesn’t look too bad.  You’re standing, at least.”

Happy nodded, eliciting a small smile from Serenity as she turned back toward the landing griffon.

“Looks like we found our way down,” she said, recasting her light spell.

Victor nodded, turning his sharp eyes toward their new surroundings.  

“Indeed.  Seems prewar ponies didn't like uzing zee stairs very much.”

Happy’s eyes followed those of his companions, surveying the area lit by Serenity’s glow.  From what he could tell, they appeared to be in a hallway almost identical to the one above them.  The same heavy doors, the same white walls, the same everything.  All except—

The buck pressed his nose to floor, inhaling deeply.  A moment or two passed.

No sneezes.

Glancing back toward his companions, Victor met his eyes with a small nod.

“I see it too, pony.”

Serenity glanced between the two, raising an eyebrow.  

“See what?

Nodding down the hall, the griffon made his way over to Happy’s side, tracing a talon on the floor below.  His lighthearted tone had disappeared, replaced with a more serious one.

“No dust.  Zere’s been some heavy traffic in zeeze halls as of late.”

“Traffic?” 

Serenity lifted her hoof, furrowing her brow.

"That doesn't make any sense, though.  Nobody's lived here for years.  It isn't exactly easy to get regular supply shipments this far off the main trade routes."

She nodded back toward the upper floor.

"And there's nothing else for miles as far as scavenging goes."

Victor nodded.  

“Agreed.  It eez odd.”  

The griffon glanced around, his expression wary.  Happy could see the feather’s on the back of his neck ruffle on their own accord, the only aspect of his poise betraying any anxiety.

“Vera and I haven’t seen anyzing moving on our patrols eizer.  Our last vun vas several days ago, so any newcomers—”

Serenity nodded, finishing his thought.

“—would have had to pass through sometime after that.”  

The mare shook her head.  

“This whole thing doesn’t sit well with me.  We need to be on our guard down here."  She turned back, meeting Happy's eyes.  "Alright, Happy?  No running off.”

Happy didn't respond.

“Happy?”

Serenity glanced to her side.  Happy barely noticed.  His attention remained fixed firmly on the dark hallway before them, face set in a look of intense focus.  The air around him was still.

His ear twitched.

Kzzt. 

There.

Happy narrowed his eyes.  The noise was faint,  but undeniably there.  A sharp crackle that he could just make out above the voices of his companions.

His ear twitched again as he lifted a hoof forward.  Victor stepped up to his side, training his eyes on the darkness beside him.  

Happy could sense the griffon fanning his feathers out behind him.  Tensing.   Preparing.

“Vhat do you hear, pony?”

Kzzt.

Happy nodded his head in the direction of the sound.  There.  Ahead.  Just down the hallway.

The griffon responded in kind.  Motioning for silence, he lifted off from the ground, his wings betraying no more than a whisper of wind.  

A momentary spike of envy lanced through the buck’s chest at the sight.  The sneaking he could do with a pair of wings like that…

Happy shook his head.  Focus.  

Eyes straining to see in the dark, he and Serenity watched as Victor disappeared from sight, swallowed up by the inky void.  The two stood in silence, the small fluctuations in the unicorn’s light spell casting pulsating shadows along the bare walls.  The small trickle of light from the floor above had all but disappeared.

A few tense moments later, Victor’s voice rang out, surprisingly echo-ey in the narrow hallway.

“Ponies, over zis way.  You may vant to see zis."

There was a moment's pause before he continued.

“And douse zee light.  It vill be easier to find.”

Serenity and Happy exchanged a quick glance.  Serenity nodded.  A moment later, the glowing orb sparkled and died, the two of them immediately bathed in darkness.

The buck grinned as his eyes made a vain attempt to adjust.  This had to be the darkiest dark he’d not-seen in a while.

Happy giggled, chuckling at his own wit.

Clip clop clip clop.

He could hear Serenity’s hooves tap against the tile at his side as she started forward.

“Sounds like we should be okay to move up, Happy.  Can you follow me?”

Happy nodded in response.  He could do that.

Silence hung in the pitch black air.

“Did you just nod?”

Happy nodded again, bobbing his head for added effect.

Another pause.

A soft sigh escaped into the air in front of the buck.  

“Okay, you.  Let’s go.”

The two ponies slowly made their way down the hallway, treading cautiously to avoid the debris strewn about the cold floor.  Happy followed in Serenity’s hoofsteps.  His vision useless, he immersed himself in the sounds, imagining his ears spreading out like wings at his side.

Maybe if they grew big enough, he'd be able to fly all sneaky like Victor did, too.

Kzzt.

Aha!

The buck's ears perked up at the return of the sharp noise.  Whatever it was, it was getting closer.  It had to be just up ahead.  Where Victor’s voice had come from.

Kzzt.

Aha-aha!  Double the ahas!

Giggling in anticipation, Happy skipped forward.  He was just like one of those detective ponies, the same ones that he had seen in a picture book once.  Well, before Deuce and Rowdy had tossed it into the fire, anyways.

He grinned at the thought, imagining himself in a fancy brown hat and monocle, a bushy moustache perched elegantly across his upper lip.

Sherlock Happy, at your service.

Happy lifted a foreleg to his chest, performing a deep, graceful bow to complete the fantasy.  

“Lock lock sherpa Happy, server pony pony—waugh!”

Unfortunately, his hindlegs hadn’t received the message to slow down.  Tripping over his own hooves, Happy pitched forward—headfirst—into the dark.  Serenity's voice followed a half second later.

“Happy?  What’s—waugh!”

Whumph.

There was the clatter of hooves, followed by a dense thud as the buck stumbled forward in a heap.

“Zzzhmmwha?”

Happy scrunched up his nose.  He’d landed flat on his stomach, his face pressed up against a very firm something-or-other resting in front of him. 

His ears dipped in confusion.  It didn't feel like the tile at his hooves.  

Pulling his head back and lifting a hoof, he prodded at the obstacle.

Odd.  It was a bit warmer than all the other knick-knacks sitting around at this level.

He prodded again.  Experimentally.

More cushy too.  It almost had a bounce to it.

“Um…Happy?”

Happy turned at the Serenity's voice, catching a mouthful of braided tail in the process.

Wait.  Tail?  Where had that come from?  

The buck frowned.  

If there was a tail, what had be been poking at with his—

Slowly—ever so slowly—Happy felt a warm blush spread up his neck and across his face.  Reaching his ears, the sensation escaped in a whistle, jets of steam shooting out from either side as he stumbled backwards.

DAAA-DUNK DA-DUNK DA-DUNK DA-DUNK!

Despite the thundering in his chest, the buck could still make out a quiet shuffling as Serenity rose to her hooves in front of him.  Even Happy couldn’t mistake the hint of embarrassment in her voice as she spoke.

“Um…it's okay, Happy.  We...um...we all make mistakes.” 

Her voice trailed off into the darkness.

Happy opened his muzzle, failing to produce a response.  His usual wit and humor had left him.  Fortunately, another sound interrupted in his stead, breaking the awkward tension.

Kzzt.

Flash!

The same crackling noise—louder than before—flared up again, accompanied by a small spark of light down the hallway.  The heads of the two ponies turned on cue, a wash of relief rushing over the buck's shoulders at the welcome distraction.

Serenity’s voice reverted to its normal tone as she nodded.  She seemed to have seenheard it, too.  

“Let’s go, Happy.”

Pushing back onto his hooves, Happy resumed his place behind the mare as they trotted forward.  The blackness had given way to dim gray as the faintest traces of light began to show from around the corner ahead.

Kzzt.

Flash!

Another sizzle.  Another flash.  Happy and Serenity continued forward, their progress markedly faster now that they could make out the scattered obstacles at their hooves.  

Rounding the corner, Happy’s eyes took in the sight of a sizeable doorway leading to an open room.  Stepping inside, it appeared more spacious than the other rooms they'd come across.  It was plainer too, with bare walls and exposed pipes—a dingy, sputtering fluorescent panel humming away against the ceiling.  

It wasn’t the only source of light in the room, however.

Kzzt.

Another electric crackle rose up as a spark jumped up from the pile of gears and panels at Happy’s hooves.  Its vaguely pony-shaped outline struck the buck as familiar, down to the pinkish meaty thing suspended in gel where the head would have been.  The figure was largely in jagged, sparking pieces, as if somepony had taken to it with a hacksaw.

The clack of talons drew Happy’s gaze.  His eyes settled in on Victor, a stern expression set on the griffon’s beak as he ran a claw down one of three pony sized metal cylinders lined up against the far wall.  The three units appeared to be empty, their metal doors slid wide open.

The griffon turned, taking in the sight of the two ponies as they trotted in.  He smiled, his usual demeanor returning.

“Ah.  Ponies.  I vas vundering when you vould get here.”  

He spread his wings in a flourish.  

“It appears vee have found zee source of our mechanical velcome party, no?”

Serenity took a few steps forward, regarding the partially disassembled robobrain with a wary look.	

“Well, maybe the source at least.  Why would they just be waking up after all this time, though?”

Taking a few steps forward, the mare glanced down at the fallen bot, chewing at her bottom lip.  Seeing this, Happy mimicked her motions, trying to be helpful.  

She didn't seem to notice.

"Looks like somepony's been breaking it down for salvage.  You can see the torch marks.  Circuit board is gone, too."

Happy watched her scratch her head with a hoof.

“Why would anypony be down here to to take it apart, though?"

She prodded at the nearest mass of wires.

"It’s not as if it’s very valuable.  At least not for the risk involved.  Some of the circuitry might be good for resale, but that's about it."

Serenity trailed off, furrowing her brow.

"Unless..."

She took a few steps forward, prodding at the rubbery black arms protruding from the robobrain's frame.  There was an empty space where the bot's arm-mounted energy rifle would have been.

"...scavenging for Flash Tech?"

She waved a hoof to Victor, the griffon flapping over to her side.  Happy followed suit, peering over their shoulders.

“It looks like somepony was down here tinkering with the gatling lasers.  Look.  The arm’s cut through on this one.” 

Victor raised an eyebrow, glancing at the room around them.  Eyeing one of the small white piles of ash beside them, the griffon fanned it with his wings.  A small plume rose up from the pile, several bottle caps, a few spent shells, and an empty can rolling out into the open.

The griffon chuckled.

“Vell.  It vould appear zat our mystery ponies may not have had as much luck vith zee other two."

The buck's eyes widened, zeroing in on the treasures that had rolled out at Victor’s side.  He began to eye the other ash piles—three of them in total—with a greedy grin. 

Serenity didn’t seem to notice his expression.  Nodding at Victor's insight, she rapped a hoof against the bot's frame.

“My guess is that they triggered an alarm when they started taking this one apart.  That would explain why they went active after all this time.”

Happy tiptoed over to the closest pile, doing his best to avoid his companions' attention.  Slowly, he positioned his hooves to either side of it.  He could hear Serenity's voice continue on in the background.

"Still though, doesn't that seem kind of weird?  Why would anypony be scavenging Flash Tech?  There's not really a market for it this far West—just not enough spark batteries to go around.  You'd have to them out past Filly to make any real caps."

She motioned to an ash pile at Victor's side.

"—or at least enough to make it worth the risk."

"Maybe zey found a buyer?"

Unable to contain himself any longer, Happy brought his hooves together.  

Ploomph! 

A plume of white dust erupted into his face, sending the buck into a fit of coughing as his hooves searched for any inkling of treasure.

Ah!  There!  Something heavy!

Giggle-hacking with glee, Happy’s hooves closed in around the small prize.  As the ash slowly began to settle, he scanned it over with his eyes.

It was a small item—barely hoof sized—covered in thin metal rings.  A dazzling purple gem sat fixed at its center, almost appearing to swirl and sparkle as the room's dim light diffracted off its surface.  

Happy’s eyes widened at the sight. 

So shiny!  

He promptly placed the item in his teeth and began to gnaw vigorously.

Clink.  Clink.  Clink.   Crack!

A spike of pain shot through Happy’s jaw.  He could feel a few fragments of teeth join the treasure in his muzzle.

“Happy?  What did you find?”

The buck turned at the sound of Serenity’s voice.  Beaming, he pulled back his lips, revealing the shining gemstone locked between his jaws.

Serenity's eyes widened.  Happy’s eyes darted over to Victor as the griffon chuckled.

“Mmm?  It vould seem our pony found somezing good, no?”

Serenity shook her head in reply, but Happy could still see the grin breaking out over her face as well.

“Seems we have a new star finder to add to the ranks.  Red’ll be happy to hear it.”  

She trotted over to Happy’s side, levitating the purple talisman out from Happy’s mouth.  The buck squirmed a bit as the magic tickled his gums.  

The mare flipped the small object over in her hooves a few times, appraising it.

"Looks like whoever came through here must have picked it up along the way.  Saves us a bit of trouble."

She flipped it over again, nodding.

"Looks like it's still in good shape—I think Fleet Hoof should be able to work with it."

Serenity turned, glancing back at Happy and Victor.  

“We should probably see about getting back, though.  Once it gets too dark, the rad-crickets start to—”

The mare paused in mid-thought, glancing down at the floor in front of Happy.

“Happy?  What’s that beneath your hoof?”

Following her gaze, the buck glanced down at the floor.  A small, yellowed sheet of paper sat against the tile, a few official looking stamps imprinted on its bottom half.  Holding it up with a hoof, he inspected it more closely.  A lengthy list of black scribbles covered the whole front side, written out hastily in black ink.

The buck blanched.  

All words.  No pictures.  Borrrring.  

Snorting in disappointment, Happy offered his hoof to the mare.  Slipping the talisman into one of pockets of her security barding, she accepted the list, eyes scanning its contents.

“Shipment information.  Flash Industries arcane energy rifle, multipurpose series, 27 units.  Flash Industries energy pistol, civilian series, 57 units.  Flash Industries universal spark batteries, 156 units...”

Serenity raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s an invoice.  For energy weapons.  A lot of them.”

Victor and Happy exchanged a glance.

Serenity turned her attention back to the list, skipping down a few lines. 

“All items subject to terms and conditions specified in the existing contract.  To be paid for and accepted by—”  

Happy could see the mare's eyes widen.  

"—Silver Stripes?”

Victor's voice echoed the mare's.

“Silver Stripes?  Since vhen does Vestern Traders deal vith such large shipments of veapons?”

Serenity shook her head, eyes still fixed on the paper in her hooves.

"Never.  Not like this, at least.  Their shipments are usually just armor and ammunition.  Maybe an odd hunting rifle here and there."

Her eyes continued to scan over the text.

"It's hard to believe these numbers are right.  I can't imagine Stripes going out of his way to bring in something like this.  If anything, he'd be taking a loss."

An uneasy look settled into the griffon’s brow as he lifted a talon to his beak.  Despite the fact he couldn’t quite follow the conversation, Happy could sense the mounting uncertainty.  His own shoulders tensed a bit.

“Perhaps vee should consult Red on zee matter.  I see few situations vhere this could bode well for anyvun.”

Serenity nodded, a similar unease in her expression.

"Yeah.  I think so, too."

She shifted her attention back to Happy, smiling weakly.  Happy could feel a bit of his tension melt away, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth at the attention.

"And don't think we forgot about you, Happy.  As soon as Victor and I talk to Red, we'll go back to the clinic to let Fleet Hoof take a look at that talisman.  Sound good?"

The buck nodded.

Serenity's smile grew a little wider.

"Good."  

Turning back, the mare motioned to Victor with a hoof.  

"Let's see about heading back, then.  Think you can get us back upstairs through that opening Happy made for us, Victor?"

Victor chuckled, giving his wings a little flap.  

"But of course.  Lead zee way."

Serenity nodded.  There was another spark of light as her horn lit up once more.

"Okay then.  Let's go."

Exchanging another nod, Victor and Serenity trotted ahead.  Happy smiled, rising to his hooves to follow suit.  Returning to Creek Bend sounded like a good plan.  This place was kind of dark and boring anyways.  

Resuming his earlier humming, he trotted forward, hooves clacking on the tiled floor.

"Happy Happy hmm-hmm Happy Happy...hmm?"

Happy paused, his eyes widening slightly as Serenity's tail bobbed in front of him, swaying overtop her security barding as she disappeared through the doorway ahead.	

Her extremely form-fitting.  Contour hugging.  Black security barding.

The buck could feel a familiar warmth rise in his cheeks as he averted his eyes.  His earlier embarrassment rushed back in a wave.


It was going to be a long walk back.


*****


Perk Achieved!

Hopeless Romantic - Ahh, the things we do for love.  

All skills receive a temporary +5 bonus when traveling with that special somepony.  (Go get her, you little charmer, you!)
> Intermission Chapter:  Threads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*****




Tell me, my little ponies, is there a meaning to it all?


This world?  The lives that are a part of it?  The thread that each life spins for itself as it weaves in and out with the threads of others?


Long gone are the days of harmony.  When loyalty, kindness, honesty, generosity, laughter, and friendship guided ponies.  When the skies shone blue, the grasses grew green, and each breath one took drew in clean air.


What darkness lurked inside our hearts to see that world torn apart?  The skies blacken?  The grasses wither?  The air grow thick with fire and screams?


Was it always this way, and the world we knew, perhaps a dream?


Is the darkness within us our true self—the goodness and the brightness a facade?  A story we tell ourselves?  A gilding of our own fraying thread?


Tell me, my little ponies, is there a meaning to it all?


For if there is, I would like to know.




*****
> Chapter 8:  Begin Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 8: Begin Again



“C'mon, y'all, let's start makin' some memories!  On your mark...get set...”




***


“Just like last time, please.  Open wide.”

“Ahhhhhh—heheheh—hhhhhh.”

Happy giggled, squinting up at the golden light shimmering before his eyes.  He could just make out the equally squinty gaze of the doctor-pony peering into his open muzzle, one of the brown stallion's eyes magnified to comical proportions behind the purple stone suspended in his magical aura.

For the second time in about as many days, Happy and Serenity were back at the clinic.

While the plan had been to talk to Red about the invoice they'd stumbled across first, word had been that the stallion had left for a day trip earlier in the afternoon.  One of the neighboring caravans was scheduled to come through with a shipment of cider that he and a few others had decided to go out and sample as part of a “qualified business expense.” 

Their griffon companion was flying that way now, leaving the two travel-worn ponies in the practiced hooves of Creek Bend’s foremost medical practitioner and researcher for the time being. 

“Ah...I see now...to think this would...without any...”

“What are you seeing, Fleet Hoof?”

Glancing over as he stifled another chuckle, Happy could see Serenity tilt her head, raising an eyebrow at the older unicorn.

Levitating the talisman to the side, Fleet Hoof scribbled into his notepad, flipping the top sheet of paper over and starting on the next.

“Everything and more, Serenity.  Everything and more.  This talisman was a damned good find.  So much to be said about the height of medicine and technology in Equestria before The Great War."

The stallion sighed.

"A shame more ponies today aren’t trained in how to use them.  Most idiots that come across them just seem to think they’re shiny purple rocks to be worn like jewelry or stashed away like caps.”

He sighed again, waving away the lament with a hoof.

“That being said...”


Happy blinked as the golden aura in front of him faded, the purple talisman coming to rest on the small table at his side.  He could feel a faint pulse of predatory instinct as the small rock settled into place, his open muzzle closing.  

He licked his lips.

Shiny.


Fleet Hoof trotted back over to his workstation, placing his notepad onto a stack with several others.

“...although there’s only so many diagnostic tests we can run without the proper facilities, what I have been able to glean here from Jolly—”

Serenity raised a hoof.

“Happy.”

“—right, Cheery, is that he does seem to be under the effect of some sort of magical influence.  Not a spell per se, but something that is probably responsible for his current mental and physical state."

Serenity rolled her eyes at the doctor’s misnomer, nodding back toward the gray buck.

“And what does that mean for Happy?”


Casually lifting a hoof behind his head to stretch, Happy leaned toward the table.   Taking care to look in the opposite direction, he brought his lips together in an unassuming spit-whistle, trying not to draw the attention of the two ponies standing in front of him.

The doctor-pony wouldn't miss just one little rock, would he?


Fleet Hoof turned back to Serenity, scratching his brow.

“It's...difficult to say for certain.  While the exact nature of the influence would be difficult to pin down, I imagine Larry's—”

"Happy’s.”

“—Lucky's current state is likely to persist unless that magic is suppressed.  Granted, even with treatment, the effects aren’t likely to disappear completely—the physical ones, especially—but medication might provide an even enough hoofing for his mental state to stabilize...somewhat.”


Happy’s eyes widened as he continued to reeeach for the talisman, the yawning gulf between his hoof and the table appearing to grow as the purple stone reflected from his irises with a sinister shimmer.

One shiny.  To rule them all.

He could see small gouts of flame rising from the magma that had appeared beneath the table at his side—distorted laughter echoing over the sound of a booming background orchestra as the buck's lips formed an eccentric grin.

Soon it would be his shiny.  Soon the gem would have a new master.


“You think he could get better?”

Fleet hoof shrugged.

“It’s a possibility.  Different individuals react to suppression therapy in different ways.  For Jiffy—”

“Happy! Hap-py.”

“—right right.  For Skippy, we’d have to put something together with the resources on hoof and fine tune the dosage as we went along.”

Serenity sighed.

“How strong of a dose would he need?”

Fleet Hoof raised a hoof toward the examination chair.

“Based on the aura the talisman indicated?  At least enough to suppress the magical abilities of your average adult unicorn. Maybe more, depending on how deep the effects on his psyche are.”


I see you.

The superheated air of the chasm around him singeing his coat and mane, Happy’s hoof closed in on the waiting jewel.

Doctor-pony didn’t deserve such a treasure.  Doctor-pony wasn’t worthy of such a gem.

Happy was the one that found it.  Happy was the one that bled for it.

It was Happy’s shiny.  Happy’s sparkly.  Happy’s...

...specialish.


“Can you do it?”

Fleet Hoof sighed, rubbing his temple with a hoof.

“I mean, the facilities here in Creek Bend are hardly equipped to develop high potency magical suppressants.  With the proper equipment, the process itself isn’t too complex, but with what's available to us this far out in the wastes, it would be impractical to—”

“Can you do it, though?”

Another sigh.

“I suppose it’s possible.  It would just be a significant drain of time and caps until we pinned down a suitable formula."

Fleet Hoof shook his head.

"To be honest, I have no idea how the fact that he's an earth pony would affect the medication's viability.  Even if we did manage to develop something that works, the ingredients required to maintain the treatment wouldn't come cheap.  Is Dopey—”

"His name is Happy, Fleet Hoof.  Happy.”

“—right right.  Is Happy really an individual we can afford to…”

Fleet Hoof paused for a moment, his voice trailing off before turning back to Serenity.

“Wait a moment.  Happy?  You said he called himself Happy?”

Serenity replied with a dead stare, her tone flat.

“Yes.”

Fleet Hoof took a step back, bringing a hoof to his lips.  His mumblings were difficult to make out as he tapped at his muzzle.

“No...that’s not...it couldn’t be the same…”

Fleet Hoof’s gaze turned to Happy, Serenity’s following a moment later.   

A whispered, greedy cackle escaped from the gray buck’s lips, one of his hooves dramatically attempting to restrain the other as he loomed over the edge of his chair.  His breathing was heavy, his eyes set on the small tray of medical implements on the side table beside him.

“Happy no-no!  Fire it!  Toss-throw into hiss water!”

“Heheheh.  No-no Happy.  Shiny-sparkle is Happy.”

“No-noooooooo!”

Ignoring the buck, Fleet Hoof took a few absent steps toward his workstation.  Shifting several stacks of notepads to the side, he started paging through the leather-bound binders resting on the far wall.

Serenity glanced over at Happy as she followed, shaking her head as her magic shimmered to life around the talisman.

“Happy, be good.  It was hard enough getting Fleet Hoof to listen as is.”

“...awwwhhh...”

A dull whimper escaped Happy’s lips as the talisman rose from the table and began to levitate away, depositing itself on one of the shelves of Fleet Hoof’s workstation with a light plink.  

Fleet Hoof didn’t seem to notice.  He continued to page through the entries before him, mumbling a few more words before turning back to the two other ponies in the room.

Serenity raised an eyebrow.

“Find something?”

The stallion shook his head, clearing his throat.

"It's nothing.  I just remembered something from...a while ago.  Just wanted to make a note of it.”

Serenity arched her eyebrow higher.  A moment of silence passed as Fleet Hoof regarded her with an uncomfortable glance, his eyes shifting briefly to Happy before moving back to hers.

Not prodding any further, the mare nodded in Happy’s direction.

“So?  Will you do it?”

Fleet hoof paused for a moment, brushing a hoof off on his lab coat before responding.

“Well...since you’ve been so insistent...and since both you and Red won’t seem to leave well enough alone otherwise...”

He coughed again as Serenity narrowed her eyes.

“...treating any health issues that arise in residents or guests of the settlement is technically my duty as the caravan’s medical officer.”

Fleet Hoof’s eyes drifted back to Happy.  Ears perking up from his post-talisman pout, the gray buck tilted his head in response.  The older stallion held his gaze for a few moments before looking back to Serenity.

“I’ll do what I can to improve his condition.  But no guarantees.  I’m a doctor.  Not a magician.”

Serenity nodded, her frown easing a little.

“Good.  That’s enough for me.”

Happy mirrored her nod.  Magician-ponies were shifty after all.  With their hat-rabbits and card-sticks.  He’d only ever seen a picture of a cyan, purple-cloaked one in old posters—stars and swirls glimmering in the air around her—but he could tell they weren’t to be trusted.

Serenity turned her gaze back to Happy, the buck’s heart skipping a beat as she flashed him a warm smile.  The suddenness of it had caught him off guard.

“Sound good to you, Happy?”

Rubbing his hooves bashfully, Happy averted his gaze, nodding as his cheeks grew warm.

“...heheheh…good song sound Happy listen think...heheheh…”

Serenity turned back to the doctor.

“Sounds like we have a deal then, Fleet Hoof.  I’ll talk to Red and Val and make sure you get compensated for any supplies you need.  If it ends up being too expensive—”

She glanced back at Happy again before shifting back.

“—I’ll see about pitching in some of my own caps, too.  The talisman is yours to keep, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain.”

Fleet Hoof nodded, his earlier energy diminished somewhat.  There was still a glint of interest in his eyes at the prospect of new knowledge, but there was another expression mixed in with it.  A hint of hesitance, as if he was in the process of piecing something unpleasant together.

Happy tilted his head, furrowing his brow as the stallion turned toward him.  For a moment, their gazes met, the doctor-pony's eyes flaring in a brief look of recognition before he turned away, coughing into his sleeve.

“That...that should be adequate then.  I’ll...I’ll see about gathering the requisite materials.”

He turned, stepping away from both Happy and Serenity as he started reorganizing the papers on his workstation.  Without looking back, he coughed again, raising a hoof in the air beside him to wave them off.

“That...that will be all for now.  I’m very busy so...that will be all.”

Serenity and Happy exchanged a quick glance, mirroring each other with raised eyebrows.  A moment later, Serenity shrugged, trotting over and giving his shoulder a gentle nudge.

“Come on, Happy.  Let’s go.  Victor should be making his way back here with Red soon."


"Liar!  Deceiver!  Taker of shinies!"

Happy glanced down, watching as a tiny, hunched-over Happy crawled onto his shoulder, thin strands of wet mane falling over its eyes.

"Nasty Serenities!  Tricksy-trick Sereneties!  Happy needs only..."

The tiny Happy let out a wet cough.

"...the specialish!"

The tiny Happy pointed to the shelf on Fleet Hoof's workstation where the talisman had been left.

Happy stuck out his tongue, making a spitting sound at the tiny gray buck.

Pshh.  The shiny?  He’d already forgotten about that.

Fwip.

"Yipe!"

Happy flicked his hoof, sending the tiny Happy arcing into the fiery chasm below.  An amused smile crossed his muzzle as he shook his head.

Serenity wasn’t a lie-pony.  The tiny Happy should have known that.  Besides...

Happy glanced back over to meet Serenity’s gaze.  Her aquamarine eyes stared back at him with a hint of curiosity, her proximity bringing a warmth to Happy’s cheeks.


Happy already had a specialish.   She just wasn’t a shiny purple rock, was all.


***


“Flash Tech?  Stripes’ outfit?”

“That’s what it says, Red.  Look.”

“Vhat the pony says eez true.”

“Huh.  That is Western Traders’ stamp of approval alright…”

Happy glanced at the three ponies standing in the center of the room, Serenity running a hoof over the faded invoice on the table as Red looked on from her side.  Victor stood a pace or two back, talons folded in front of him as he leaned against the wall.

“Perhaps he eez expanding heez horizons?  Transporting zem somevhere to trade out East?”

Serenity shook her head, braid shifting along her back.

“If that's the case, why bring them here in the first place?  Most Flash Tech comes through here from out east.  Shipping it west just to ship it back again doesn’t make much sense.”

Red brought a hoof to his chin.

“Mm.  That does seem a bit off for Stripes.  He’s not one to sit on product in hopes it’ll sell better down the road.  Not that patient.”

Happy brought a hoof to his own chin, mimicking the motion.  He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but from the pensive stares he could see around the room, whatever they were talking about was quite the brain-puzzler.

A little, lab coat wearing, lavender unicorn sighed in the corner of his mind, blowing off a thick layer of dust and cobwebs from a long-unused bookshelf.

Happy nodded to himself.

Happy hard think-think from for Serenity-Red.

The lavender mare twitched as the gray pony's word-thoughts met her ears.  Shaking her head, she stepped over to an old bank of rusty, faded computer terminals, begrudgingly tapping a few buttons as the circuits inside hummed to life.

Happy flopped his head to the side.

Stripes-ponies.  He’d seen stripes-ponies before.  On the alley wall where the ghoul-ponies had growled at him when he found the pink flappy-flap.  Maybe the ghoul-ponies had painted stripes on this pony too?

The science-pony gave the terminal closest to her a few whacks.

Happy smooshed his cheek with a hoof.

What else?

Flashes.  Sparks.  Zaps.  He knew what those were too.  Sometimes ouchie.  Sometimes pretty-pretty.  In the wrong hooves, they could be dangerous.

What else?

A light bulb flickered to life above his head, the purple unicorn starting to eye the equipment before her with a wary expression.  A coarse grating sound had began to rise up from one of the terminals.

Traders.  Hat-ponies.  Red and Serenity were traders, too.  Trader ponies carried all sorts of things on them.  Wrenches.  Cram.  Vacuum parts.  Forks.

Ghoul-ponies.  Zaps.  Hat-ponies.  Forks.

Happy’s eyes widened.

No.  It couldn’t be.

The lavender mare in his head took a step back, tearing off one of the curtains behind her and fanning away the smoke that had started to billow from the vibrating terminal.

Happy brought his hooves to his muzzle, irises shrinking down to pinpricks.

No.  It had to be.  It all made sense now.

He whipped around toward the other three ponies in the room, taking in a massive breath and thrusting his hoof into the air beside him.

"Mmmph!  Mmmph!  Mmmph!

The three other ponies turned in his direction, exchanging a brief glance with one another.

After a moment, Serenity raised a hoof, a faint look of concern on her face as she pointed in his direction.

“Um...Happy?”

The terminal at the lavender unicorn’s hooves burst into flame, a little alarm bell sounding in the background as sprinklers began to spray rusty water over Happy’s brain-space.

“Zappy ghoul-hat-ponies forks wagon-stripes purple!”

The terminal exploded in a plume of smoke, the lavender mare’s hair blasting out behind her into charred, pointed spikes.

Happy rolled back onto his haunches, sliding back into the wall as a wave of utter exhaustion washed over him.  He didn’t even have the energy left to wait for the three ponies to thank him.

He waved a hoof in their direction, draping his other across his eyes.

“No thank-thank Happy needs.  Sherpa ranger finder-pony Happy job.”

The gray buck sighed.  His powers of deduction came at great cost.  But if it was for Serenity and the others...

He nodded heroically, as sherpa ranger finder-ponies were want to do.

...he would bear it.


A long silence hung in the air.


“...okay then.  Let’s try looking at it another way.  What does Stripes have to gain by—”

Happy nodded, his eyes still obscured by his hoof.

Good.  He'd leave it to Serenity to explain the finer points of his findings to the other two he-ponies in the room.     

He bobbed his head in understanding.   

Some ponies just needed a little more help to fully grasp the depths of his deductive genius.  There was no shame in that.  Not everyone could be a great sherpa-lock pony like him.

The sound of conversation continued for another fifteen minutes, the science-pony in his mind sighing as she swept up pieces of broken glass and charred metal.  

Behind closed eyes, Happy offered her a small nod of approval as well.  

Perhaps he’d take her on as a pupil someday when he was less busy with important detective work.  The fire she'd started with that terminal was quite impressive, after all.  She had potential.

“Happy?”

Happy’s ears perked up, his mental fatigue dissipating at the sound of Serenity’s voice moving closer.  Glancing out beneath his hoof, he could see her trot in his direction, nodding towards the door.  Happy could sense a bit of disappointment in her stance, despite the smile she offered him.

“Hey, Happy.  I think we’ve figured out about as much as we’re going to today.  Not much we can really do until Stripes decides to make his move.”

Happy closed his eyes, nodding in understanding.  

Even if they knew about the forks, the ghoul-hat-ponies were crafty.  Without any hard evidence, their wagon-stripes could zap away as they pleased.

He sighed, waving a hoof in the air beside him.

If only they had more purple.

Her glum aura disappearing, Serenity chuckled, shaking her head.

“Okay, mister. I’m not sure what you’re acting so smug about, but let’s get moving.  I think we’ve got enough daylight left to show you a thing or two about Creek Bend before it gets late.”

She gave his shoulder a gentle nudge.

“Maybe find a job that keeps your hooves busy so you stay out of trouble?”

Happy blushed at the compliment, letting out a bashful giggle as he covered his muzzle with a hoof.

Serenity was such a smooth talker.

“Hey there Ser, mind if I grab him for a minute before ya go?”

Happy glanced back up to see Red clop over in their direction, flashing them a grin of his own.

Serenity shrugged.

“I guess I’m not in a hurry.  Happy?”

Happy blinked, tilting his head in confusion.  Red wanted to talk to him?

He tapped his hooves together in front of him, old memories coming to mind.

He wasn’t in trouble—was he?

Glancing to Red, and then back to Serenity, he nodded slowly.

Serenity smiled, giving Happy's head a quick pat.

“Hey.  Don't worry.  Red doesn't bite.  You'll be fine.”

She nodded back to Red with a smile.

“Just don’t keep him too long though, Red.  Victor and I were planning on showing him around before it gets dark.”

Red grinned, patting the yellow mare on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, missy, I won’t keep ‘em long.”

Serenity gave another nod, eyes passing over Happy as she turned toward the door.

“Happy, I’ll be out front with Victor when you two are done, okay?”

Happy gave another slow nod.  He wasn't sure what he'd done, but he knew how these things usually went.

Serenity waved a hoof toward Red.

“Red.”

“Serenity.”

Across the room, Victor dropped back onto all fours, offering the two stallions a wave of his own as he followed the unicorn out.

“Ponies.”

“Victor.”

Red nodded in return, turning to Happy as the gray buck regarded him with a hesitant glance.

Seeing Happy's expression, the red stallion chuckled, lifting a hoof to the gray buck's shoulder.

Thump, thump.

“Don’t worry there, son.  You’re not in trouble.  Just wanted to grab your ears for a sec.”

“*Cough cough*”

Happy’s eyes widened, the heavy shoulder-thumps almost pitching him forward onto his muzzle.

Seriously, how did Serenity manage to withstand those so easily?

Steadying himself, the gray buck glanced back up at Red, cocking his head to the side.

He wasn’t in trouble, though?

Red chuckled again.

“Yer an easy read, aren’t ya?  I like that, though.  Good to see an honest buck wearing his thoughts on his sleeve.”

Red offered Happy one more friendly pat, a sharp crack radiating down the buck’s spine from the impact.

“Take a seat.”

With a heavy wumph, the stallion dropped down on his haunches beside Happy, tapping the floorboards beside him as an indication to do the same.

Wiping the blood from his chin, Happy nodded, head still listing to one side as he regarded the stallion with a curious stare.  

This seemed different from the sit-talks his clanmates had had with him in the past.  Those usually involved a lot more hoof-smacks and yell-shouts and head-spinnies.

The older stallion sighed, nodding into the air around him.

“I s’pose we haven’t quite had a chance to talk like this, yet, have we, Happy?”   

He glanced down at the gray buck.

“Usually I try to find a few minutes to sit down with all the new members of the caravan on their first day, but it seems we got a bit turned around, didn’t we?”

Happy closed his eyes and nodded.  It seemed Red had experienced his share of head-spinny sit-talks as well.  He sympathized.

The larger stallion shifted, raising a hoof to the room around them.

“Ya see, Creek Bend’s been me and Valentine’s dream for a while now.  A place for honest foalks to make an honest livin’.”

The stallion chuckled.

“Well, to be honest, it was Val’s dream first.  She was just kind enough to bring an old farmin’ pony like me along for the ride.”

He looked back to Happy.

“Started off with just a few friends of ours.  Warehouse.  Daffodil.  Mabel.  A few others who’ve moved onto their own things since.”

Red waved a hoof as he spoke.

“Couple years went by.  More ponies came on.  Told their friends.  Told their families.  Gilly came along.  Fleet Hoof.  Victor and Vera.  Ser.”

Happy nodded at the scribbly illustrations that came to mind at each of the stallion’s name-speaks.

A smile broke across Red’s face.

“Didn’t expect things to come together as well as they did, to be honest.   I s’pose that just goes to show how many ponies out there are lookin’ for something to be a part of these days.  Something a little warmer and close-knit than what the wastes usually have to offer.”

He nodded back toward the door.  Happy followed his gaze.

“We take all types here.  Anypony willing to put in a hard day’s work and give the ponies around them a fair shake.”

His eyes shifted back to Happy.  Not quite sure how to react, the buck offered him an awkward, toothy smile.

Red returned the look with a faint smile of his own.  He seemed to pause for a moment, considering his next words.

“To be honest...I won’t say Fleet Hoof was wrong to be a little cautious the other day.  Val and I have been traveling for a while now, and we know that the world’s not always such a friendly place.”

The doctor-pony's yell-shouts from the other day sprang into Happy's mind.  Serenity's responses as well.


Raiders are bad ponies.


Happy sunk back a couple inches, his ears drooping slightly.

Red’s gaze didn’t waver.  While there was still compassion in his voice, there was a sternness there as well.  One borne from years of trading and travel amid the harsh realities of the wastes.

“Now I’m not sure about your story, son.  From the looks of it, you’ve had things pretty rough.  There’s a few foalks here like that.  With pasts they’d rather forget or choices they regret.”

Happy sunk a little deeper, his gaze shifting between Red’s eyes and the floor.

He could faintly hear the sounds of echoing voices in the distance.  

Screams.  Shouting.  Sobbing.

Red rested another hoof on his shoulder, drawing the buck’s attention back toward him.

“I hold by what I said, though—Ser’s got an eye for finding decent foalk.  She’s a smart cookie.  Caravan’s a better place for it.  Since she joined up with us, Val’s been teaching her everything she knows about the detailed bits of runnin' things. Negotiations.  Trade routes.  Caps valuations.”

The stallion smiled, staring off for a moment as a look of pride broke over his face.

“Val and I plan to leave her in charge of things someday.  Once we’re ready to settle down from the trader life.”

Happy glanced back up as the stallion’s gaze shifted back to him once more.

“That in mind, if she’s gonna be runnin’ this place someday, she’ll have to make decisions on her own.  Who to trade with.  Who to hire on.”

Red leaned in a bit, cocking his head to the side.  There was a moment’s pause as Happy drew back slightly, the stallion’s voice returning a bit softer than it had been before.

“Make sure ya live up to the faith she’s put in ya, alright?”

Happy closed his eyes, gears once again clicking away in the back of his mind.

Red’s words…

...their meanings…

...it was still hazy, but…

Happy winced.

...the feelings behind them…

...their intent…

Slowly, Happy opened his eyes, regarding the red stallion with a dim nod.

“Happy...do-do...Happy best...”

He squeezed his eyes shut again in concentration.

“...fly-crossers...cupcake eye.”

He nodded.  He really meant it, after all.

Red let out a deep laugh, prompting the gray buck to open his eyes.  Another heavy thump-thump of the stallion's hoof followed suit, bringing with it another chorus of pops and cracks in Happy’s shoulders.

“Ha-ha—I’m not quite sure what ya meant by that, son, but I can tell ya gave it a lot of thought.”

More pats.  More cracks.  Happy couldn’t feel his forelegs anymore.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine, though.  If an old buck like me can make it this far with a little leg up, I'm sure you'll get the hang of things with Ser and the others there to teach you the ropes.”

The stallion stood up, mussing Happy’s mane with a hoof.  Happy could feel his vision blur, his head swimming amidst a parade of pink, googly-eye-glasses-wearing ponies with balloon shaped cutie marks.

Ah.  There were the head-spinnies.

Red gave him a nod.

“Now I know you’re new around here, but keep an eye out for her too, will ya?  Ser can do just about anything she puts her mind to, but sometimes she takes on a little more than she can handle.  Doesn’t always ask for help when she could use it. Bad habit of hers Val and I have been tryin’ to get her to work on.”

He grinned, flashing Happy a wink.

“So feel free to cause a little trouble for her.  Help her realize it’s alright to inconvenience other foalks from time to time.”

Happy nodded, the world slowly settling back into place.  They’d been talking so long he was starting to forget what the earlier parts of their conversation had been about, but if Red wanted him to watch out for Serenity, he would be the best protector-pony this trady-town had ever seen.

Tongue lolling out the side of his muzzle, he offered Red his firmest salute.

“Clang-armor Happy shopper wall stop!”

“Ha-ha!  That’s the spirit!”

The red stallion chuckled again, making his way back over to the table at the center of the room.

“You can head back on out then, son. I won’t keep ya any longer.”

He grinned beneath his trimmed, golden beard.

“I’m sure you’d rather hang tight with Ser than a crusty old pony like me, anyhow.”

Happy bobbed his head.  Serenity was the uncrustiest pony he’d ever met.  Fluffy even.  Bouncy.

Still holding his salute, the gray buck pushed off his haunches, stumbling towards the door in an awkward three-legged gait.  He could hear the solemn hymn of armored metal-ponies in the background, a screechy off-pitch recorder carrying the patriotic tune as he left.

For a sit-talk, he’d actually enjoyed himself quite a bit.  Red’s shoulder-thumps were still a bit head-spinny, but the lack of yell-shouts had actually made things kind of fun.

Stepping back into the light of afternoon, Happy narrowed his eyes, shifting his salute to shade his brow.

The small circle of wagon houses that made up the settlement stared back at him.  He could see the ponies within it going about their day.  Living.  Working.  Talking to each other on the streets.   

There was a cerulean buck behind a small wooden stall, flipping over sizzling hay-skewers on a grill.  Two mares chatted with each other, sharing a laugh in as they trotted through the square, shopping bags in hoof.  An older couple—a brown mare and a gray stallion—sat on an old, faded bench, smiling as they waved at the small gaggle of fillies and colts running by.

The faint fuzziness that Happy had been feeling from time to time returned for a moment, the warmth spreading across his chest.   

Creaky Bends seemed like a nice trady-town to call home-home, even if there were a few more rules than he was used to.  Some ponies still seemed a little wary of him, but others like Red, and Valentine, and even the sometimes annoying griffon-pony Victor, were very smiley.

Happy's mind drifted back, the squiggly whine of a rewinding cassette tape playing across his mind. 

All the gigglies and fuzzies and da-dunk!s he’d felt the last few days—even taking into account some of the scareds and sads and nervouses—it was like a whole new world had opened up to him.  A bright world with with wagon wheels, and inventory, and brahmin, and robo-ponies, and settle-houses, and friend-ponies that darted around on his shoulders, wrestled with him in red car-boxes, poked at his tongue with doctor-sticks, and sat down for fun sit-talks with him.

And most of all—

“Happy!”

Happy glanced to his side.  His squint fading as his eyes adjusted to the light, he could see Serenity waving at him a few hooves away, Victor standing beside her.  He could see a bright smile break across her face, the sunlight catching her shimmering mane and coat, aquamarine eyes glinting in his direction without the faintest hint of hesitance or worry.

“There you are, silly buck.  Over here.  Victor and I were just trying to figure out a good place for you."  

She pointed back over her shoulder.

"Red mentioned your run-in with Warehouse, but I think if we just have you focus on loading wagons once everything's already been packed, there’s a good chance we can—”

Da-dunk.

Happy’s hoof slid down to his chest, the beating of his heart noticeable, even through his barding.  He still wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but the way it left him tingling...the way it made him feel…

He glanced back up at the yellow mare who had already started down the street, continuing to chat with the griffon at her side.

Placing his hoof back onto the ground, Happy started after her.

There was a lot he still didn’t understand…but.  If it was for her—


He trotted forward, coming up alongside the mare and griffon, a smile breaking over his face.


—he’d do his best to learn.





*****


Level Up!
Perk Achieved!

Fresh Start:  Wastelander, thy name is tenacity!  Through brains, brawn, or pure dumb luck, you’ve held on long enough to finish the tutorial.  Consider this one a freebie.  We’ll call it square.

Your starting relationships with all base game factions has been reset to the default.  As to how you decide to forge ahead in your new life with that in mind—the choice is yours.
> Chapter 9: Future Chapter (Future)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 9:  Future Chapter (Future) 




*****


“Heyy there, young buck, how’s the next shipment coming along?  Wagons about loaded up yet?”

Happy's ears perked up at the sound of Red's voice, the deep bass stirring him from his thoughts.

The gray buck brought a hoof to his brow, wiping away the sweat dripping down into his eyes.  Looking up from the piles of crates stacked up around him, he could make out the image of the red stallion standing a few hooves away.

With a sidelong glance, Happy nodded, looking back toward the carriage in front of him.

“...Mm...”

The earth pony smiled behind his golden beard.  Trotting a few steps forward, he lifted a hoof to Happy’s shoulder.  Happy followed it as it settled against him, briefly meeting the stallion’s gaze before turning away.  

The older stallion didn’t seem deterred.

“Good to hear son, keep up the good work!  Just don’t go disappearing like you did last week after all’s said in done, ya hear?  From the looks of things, there’s a good chance they’ll need some extra hooves on deck tomorrow.  A strong buck like you keeps things moving.”

Happy scratched his neck, eyes shifting between the cart in front of him and the earth pony.

“...Mm….”

“Ha-ha!  That’s the spirit!”

The buck watched as Red trotted off, humming to himself, the eyes of the other wagon loaders focused on the task at hoof as the stallion passed them by.  The scale of Creek Bend’s operations had nearly doubled in the past year—the three wagons full of product before them a testament to the rise in business.  They weren’t quite New Appleoosa, but in their own little patch of the wastes, they were doing well enough to get by.

Happy’s eyes drifted back to the settlement behind him.  The eleven-odd homesteads stared back at him in the misty afternoon light, the red train car that used to serve as the caravan's old warehouse almost hidden behind the new developments that had popped up in the last few months.

The buck shifted uncomfortably, the loose fabric of his tan jumpsuit shifting with him.  A few flecks of mud had fallen across the sleeves, the earth beneath him still wet from the last few days of rain.

He scratched at his neck.

He still wasn’t used to being around this many ponies.  It had taken him long enough to settle in with the new faces he’d seen when he’d first arrived.  With all the new faces around these days, it was almost like he’d gone back to that time—trying to put names to ponies and learning how to socialize all over again.

Happy turned to his side, using his snout to shift one of the crates in front of him onto and edge.  Crouching down next to it, he shifted the container onto his shoulders and back, balancing it there as he carried it over to the nearest wagon.

The looks in the newcomers’ faces was the worst part.  Nopony was outright cruel or anything.  Creek Bend management was pretty particular about the attitudes of the hooves it hired on.

The buck continued forward, glancing back at the similar uniforms worn by the ponies loading the next wagon over.

But whenever a new settler met him for the first time.  Saw his appearance.  Heard the way he talked...

His brow furrowed as he slid the crate off his back, pushing it into place with his hooves.

That faint discomfort in their eyes...  It almost hurt more than words would have.

Happy sighed.  

Glancing down at the puddle next to him, he could see his reflection staring back, its mouth drawn into a faint frown beneath jaundiced eyes.

There were still a few patches where the fur hadn’t grown back on his neck and muzzle.  Probably never would.  His blue mane, though less ratty than it had been, was still clumpy and uneven.

He’d cleaned up a bit.  Compared to before.  Most of the infections had run their course in due time.  No more open wounds.  Only a mild case of bloodshot eyes.

At a distance—mid-distance, maybe—he might even be mistaken for your average waster, albeit one who had lived through a rough patch or two.

Happy ran a hoof across his closed muzzle.

His teeth were still a strong indicator that something was a bit off, though. That and the old ticks that sometimes pushed their way through.  It usually didn’t take long for other to start keeping their distance.

A distant ringing drew his attention back to the center of the settlement, the din of the bell at the top of the watchtower echoing across the small valley.  He could see a group of ponies begin to assemble at its base as the drawl of an older, mustached gray stallion called down to them from above.

“Caravan from Bronco City!  Caravan from Bronco City!  Offloaders on deck! Cattle crew on brahmin inspection!  Caravan from Bronco City!”

Happy’s ears twitched as the message met his ears.

Bronco City.  That was Serenity’s route.  They weren’t supposed to be back for a couple of days yet.

His stomach shifted at the thought.

Had something gone wrong?  Why were they back so soon?

Hurrying to load the last few crates onto the wagon before him, he lifted the tailgate back into place, brushing his hooves off on his jumpsuit before turning back toward the town center.  He could just make out the caravan cresting the hillside—two wagons followed by a small herd of brahmin bringing up the rear.  The familiar sight of a red-streaked griffon in gray fatigues hovered overhead, a few familiar looking ponies pulling the carts along as two or three others in worn barding trotted beside them.

Squinting, Happy picked up his pace, looking for any signs of yellow or red.

Was she there?  Was she safe?

He shifted from a trot to a light gallop, a few sets of eyes turning in his direction as he increased his gait.  His ears dipped a bit at the sudden attention as he lowered his head, trying to keep a low profile.

Nearing the path as the caravan made its way to the base of the hill, he still didn’t see any signs of Serenity.   

He could feel the growing pit in his stomach drop another inch.

Had something happened?  Was she not with the group?

“—should be fine.  I mean, it’s not ideal, but if Ruby Dusk is willing to pony up the extra caps to cover it, why not?”

Happy’s gaze shifted to the space between the two wagons.  As the caravan shifted closer, he could make out the profile of a yellow unicorn, dressed in the same red shirt, leather barding, and trader’s cap  she usually wore while on the road.  A pink, female earth pony in a similar outfit nodded at her side, the two of them chatting idly as the train of travelers made their way in.

Happy sighed in relief.

Good.  She was there.  She was safe.

Taking a step back, Happy could feel his self-consciousness catch up with him, a few of the other settlers still staring in his direction.  Slinking back, he turned back toward the loading docks, lowering his gaze in the hope that the yellow unicorn hadn’t caught sight of him as well.

“Happy!”

Happy tensed, Serenity’s voice ringing out between them, drawing a few more gazes in their direction.  

Looking back over his shoulder, he could see Serenity wave in his direction, the mare at her side tilting her head as the yellow mare flagged him down.

“Happy!—ah, I’ll catch up with you later Jewel—hey, Happy!”

Happy tensed again as Serenity started forward, smiling brightly as her eyes met his own.  He could see a couple of the other ponies in the caravan turn their attention toward the ongoing exchange, whispering to one another as their eyes shifted between the vibrant yellow mare and the dull gray buck she was calling out to.

Happy lifted a hoof to the back of his neck, attempting to hide his unease behind an awkward smile as Serenity trotted up to him.

“Hello...Ser—mmph!”

A mouthful of braided mane cut Happy off mid-sentence as Serenity knocked him onto his haunches with a hug.  Struggling to hold back a cough, he inhaled through his nose, the mare’s scent washing over him amid the embrace.  She smelled like daytime on the open road—a bit dusty, a bit sweaty, but soothing in a way that reminded him of a gentle breeze.

Lifting his free hoof, he slowly returned the gesture, bringing a hoof to her back as she pressed the side of her head against his.  Another moment passed before she pulled back, leaving one of her hooves resting on his shoulder.  

The smile on her face hadn’t dimmed, her eyes sparkling beneath the loops of red mane dangling beside them.

“Happy!  There you are!  I didn’t get a chance to see you before I left last time!  How are you holding up?  Val mentioned that Warehouse has you working full shifts at the docks now?”

Happy nodded slowly, his eyes still drifting back and forth, unable to fully hold Serenity’s gaze.

“Things are…going well.  Warehouse...is—mmmgh.”

The buck winced, biting down on his tongue as a faint laugh threatened to burble out between his lips.   

He held his breath for a moment, throat convulsing as he swallowed it back.

“Warehouse..is...a good...boss.”

Serenity chuckled, her smile shifting to a simple grin.

“Just don’t go telling him that to his face, alright?  It’ll go straight to his head.”

Happy could feel his cheeks go red as she tussled his mane with a hoof, his eyes flickering back between hers and the ground beneath him.

“I...won’t…”

She chuckled again, sliding her hoof down to pat him on the shoulder.

“Alright.  Good to hear.”

Taking a step back, she nodded toward the caravan as it continued to file past.

“Well, I do still have to see about getting a few things squared away from our trip.  Val’s going to want a run-down of how things went with Ruby.  But it shouldn’t take too long if everything goes well.”

She glanced back over her shoulder.

“You didn’t already have plans for tonight, did you?”

Happy could feel his stomach shift.  He’d been afraid she might ask that.

Meeting her eyes with a bit of effort, he slowly shook his head side to side.

“I...don’t.”

The mare flashed him another smile.

“Keep your schedule open then, alright?  I’ll stop by the bunkhouse once we finish up.  Sound good?”

“Sounds...good.”

“Good.”

She winked, giving him a playful nudge.

“It’s a date, then.”

"Ah—mm."

Happy could feel his cheeks flush again as Serenity turned back, offering him one last wave before trotting over to catch up with the pink mare.  He could hear their conversation resume as they met up, the gazes of the other settlers and caravaners slowly drifting back to their own goings on.

“Sorry for the wait, Jewel.  Like I was saying though, with Western Traders out of the picture, we shouldn’t have to—”

Happy watched as the wagon train rounded the corner, Serenity’s voice disappearing into the general hum of the settlement.  He dimly lifted a hoof in her direction as it faded, a faint emptiness filling his chest where the embarrassment and self-consciousness had been a moment earlier.  The words he hadn't been able to say echoed through his mind.

I’m...I’m glad you made it...back.

Shaking his head, Happy glanced down at his jumpsuit.  The underside was spattered with mud from his earlier gallop, the sideways “V” of the Creek Bend symbol difficult to make out beneath it.

Scratching at the muddy patch with a hoof, he lifted himself off his haunches, turning back in the direction of the settlement behind him.

It was only a little past noon, but in his rush to check on the caravan, he’d already finished his quota for the day.  Knowing how check-in usually went, Serenity probably wouldn’t be coming for him until sometime later in the evening.

Happy glanced toward his hooves, then back at his soiled clothes.

It was probably best that he saw about getting cleaned up before then.  After that...

His eyes drifted back toward the settlement.  He could see ponies moving about within, living their lives as usual.  Talking.  Working.  Waving to other ponies they knew as they passed by.  Though they weren’t more than few dozen hooves away, their voices seemed distant, somehow.

Happy shook his head.


After that...well…he’d figure something out.   


***


By late afternoon, the shadows cast by the homes in Creek Bend had begun to lengthen, the already gray equestrian skies growing dimmer.

Happy spared a glance in their direction before looking back down at his hooves, a warm bowl of soup clenched in his teeth as he took a seat at one of the picnic tables near the employee kitchen stall.  The boxy frame of the newly constructed depot stared back at him across the way, a few other small groups of ponies in tan jumpsuits sitting together at the tables nearby.

Setting his bowl on the table before him, Happy ran a hoof along the collar of his own jumpsuit.  

He’d managed to fold it in a weird way again.  It didn’t want to lay flat, no matter how much he fiddled with it.

Happy sighed.

Giving up for the time being, he settled into his seat, staring down the sprigs of green and red floating around in the yellow broth before him.  The smell of thyme wafted up from its surface, drawing a frown across his muzzle.

Steeling himself, he leaned forward, eyes squeezing shut as he sipped off a mouthful of the liquid.

Oats.  He’d gotten used to a lot of things since coming to Creek Bend, but the food they ate here was still difficult to keep down, no matter how hard he tried.

“You couldn’t make zat look any less appetizing, could you, pony?”

Happy glanced up, a faint ruffling of feathers meeting his ears as Victor landed on the other side of the table, a grin etched into the griffon's beak as he lifted his goggles back onto his forehead.  Shifting to slide off the rifle that had been slung over his shoulder, he sat down on the opposite bench, leaning the firearm against the table’s edge.

Happy frowned, closing his eyes as he swallowed down another mouthful.  Wiping his muzzle off with a foreleg, he shook his head, averting his gaze from the grinning griffon across from him.

“I don’t...know what...you mean.”

Victor chuckled, his wings folding in behind him as he cracked his talons.

“Zis one is just giving you a hard time, Happy.  You don’t need to be zat much of a stick in zee mud about it.  Vee already have Vera for zat, you know.”

Happy sighed, turning back to the feathered marksman.  The griffon’s grin had softened, his eyes glancing down toward his pocketed fatigues as he flicked open one of the pouches.

“Perhaps somezing a little more filling eez in order, no?”

Happy watched as Victor pulled out a few strips of dried, greenish-brown meat from the pouch, biting into one with his beak as he offered the other two to Happy.

Happy’s eyes widened, his nostrils flaring at the jerky’s strong, gamey scent.

Victor nodded toward his outstretched claw.

“Fresh radgator.  Straight from zee swamps.”

Raising an eyebrow, the griffon's chewing stopped for a moment, his face taking on an appraising expression as he smacked his beak.

After a couple moments, he shrugged.

“Vell, it vas fresh vhen I got it, I suppoze.”

Happy sunk back in his seat, his eyes shifting toward the two groups of ponies at the other tables.  He could see a few pairs of eyes glancing in his and Victor’s directions, faint whispers of conversation traveling back and forth between them.

Ears drooping as he turned back toward the griffon, Happy shook his head.

“No...thank you.  I’m...good.”

Victor raised an eyebrow, his gaze briefly drifting toward the other ponies before circling back.

“You realize zat starving yourself cauzes trouble for everyvun else, Happy?  A pony who doesn’t eat eezn’t much good for loading vagons.”

Happy winced, his eyes shifting back to the strips in Victor’s claw.  Averting his gaze from the other ponies, he reached forward, accepting the jerky with an outstretched hoof.

“Thank...you.”

Bringing his hoof back to his muzzle, his eyes flared as the meat’s gamey flavor hit his tongue, the saliva already beginning to pool as he quickly chewed and swallowed.  He could feel a rush of heat begin to spread across his torso—a glimmer of adrenaline—his stomach shifting at the unexpected prospect of something more filling.

Happy closed his eyes, neck twitching as he fought of the surge of restlessness rising within him.

Victor chuckled from across the way.

“No problem, Happy.  Most ponies don’t understand vhat it’s like to eat anyzing ozzer zan grass and flowers.  Some of us just have finer tastes, mm?”

Victor turned toward the other tables, smiling as he waved a talon toward the onlookers.  The gazes of the other ponies quickly returned to their own meals, the sounds of hushed conversation dissipating as well.

Glancing between the other tables and Victor, Happy scratched at his neck with a hoof.

“Thanks...Victor.”

The griffon turned back to meet his gaze, waving a claw dismissively.

“No need to zank me so much, Happy.  You’d zink zat’s zee only zing you know how to say.”

He reached into his pocket again, procuring another clawful of dried rations for the two of them.

“So I see Serenity eez back in town.”

Happy stiffened for a moment, offering Victor a faint nod a moment later as he accepted the second helping.

“Mm...she made it...back.”

Victor nodded, chewing as he propped up his beak with a talon.

“Did you go to see her?”

“I...did.”

“Mmm…”

Victor raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side in a bird-like manner.

“And?”

Happy could feel a bit of warmth start to rise up in his cheeks.

“She said...she would...stop by...later.”

Victor grinned, shifting back in his seat as his tail whipped back and forth behind him.

“Zat is progress, at least.  If zis one remembers right, ze last time she vas in town you spent all your time trying to hide from her, no?”

Happy averted his gaze, scratching at his neck again.

“That wasn’t...wasn’t…”

Happy squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head.  The images flashing inside his mind were making it hard to think.  He was having difficulties finding his words.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her.  It wasn’t.

He lifted his hooves to his temples, wincing again as he pushed inward.  He felt sick.

“...I...wasn’t…”

Happy’s eyes cracked open as Victor let out another chuckle, his claw closing in on one of Happy’s hooves, pulling it back.

“Zis one knows, Happy.  Don’t zink too much of it.”

The haze receding, Happy nodded, meeting the griffon’s gaze.

“Mm.”

Victor pulled his claw back, nodding back toward the depot.  The back half of the caravan from Bronco City peeked out from the other side, the offloading crew pulling of crates and boxes to stack inside.

“She vants to see you, Happy.  Zis one knows you have your reasons but...trust her, pony.  She puts a lot of faith in you.  You've come a long vays.”

Offering Happy another nod, he shifted back, slinging his rifle over his shoulder as his other claw slid his goggles back down over his eyes.

“I had better get back on vatch, zho.  Vith Vera back, I don’t vant to get caught vith my feathers tucked avay, if you catch my drift.”

He chuckled, winking at Happy beneath his green-tinted lenses.

“Don’t hide from her zis time, alright?”

Without waiting for an answer, Victor’s wings spread out behind him, a few, powerful flaps lifting him from the ground and into the air.  Happy watched the griffon loop back into the cloud cover above, disappearing from sight a few moments later.


“...Mm.”


Happy glanced back down at his bowl, the last few mouthfuls of soup—now cold—resting at the bottom.

He knew what the griffon was trying to say.  He did.  Serenity aside, the talon sharpshooter was one of the few ponies who went out of their way to talk to him in Creek Bend.   

Valentine.  Sometimes Gilly when she wasn’t off trying to earn her cutie mark with her friends. Warehouse, on some occasions, though their relationship didn’t usually extend much beyond their day-to-day interactions at the docks.

Trust her, pony, she puts a lot of faith in you.

A faint pang reaching his chest, Happy leaned forward, grabbing up his bowl in his teeth.

But Serenity didn’t know the truth.  Nopony did besides him and Victor.  Not Valentine.  Not Gilly.  Not Warehouse.  

Happy deposited the bowl on the counter of the kitchen stall, the older stallion inside grunting from beneath his oversize chef’s hat.  Happy turned back toward the settlement, the south wall of the bunkhouse peering out from behind the corner of one of the newer developments.

Since he’d started “coming to” here in Creek Bend, he’d begun to understand things about the wastes.  Come to realizations that he never would have had amid the haze of violence and darkness that used to make up his life before.  

The gray buck stumbled forward a step, his hoof catching a small rock half buried in a clump of earth at his side.

There were two types of pony in this world.  Good ponies like Serenity and those here in Creek Bend.  Ponies that worked hard.  Helped each other.  Survived together in the cruel world that was the wastes.  Not always perfect, by any means, but decent enough to contribute.

His eyes stared dimly forward.

And then there were bad ponies.  Bandits.  Murderers.  Raiders.  Ponies whose existences only hurt those they came in contact with.

Happy scratched at his neck again, hoof digging beneath the collar of his jumpsuit.  

Fortunately the rope burns had disappeared over the course of the last week.  With the medication, his wounds didn’t heal as quickly as they used to, but he was still better off than your average buck.  That said, the hairs of his coat still wouldn’t sit evenly where the fibers had dug into his skin.  He hadn't thought Serenity would be back so soon.

Happy shook his head, glancing back up at the bunkhouse growing in his sights.

He didn’t want to let them down.  Not the others.  Not Victor.  Not Serenity.

They were good ponies.  Decent ponies.  Ponies that—for some reason—watched out for him.  Cared about him.  Wanted him to be happy with a little “h.”

His hooves felt heavy beneath him.

But even if he wore a jumpsuit now.  Even if he washed the blood and dirt from his mane and coat.  Even if he now realized the gravity of what he’d done.  He couldn’t change who he was.  

A raider.

Happy stopped in his tracks, casting one last look toward the depot as he reached the bunkhouse.  He could see a yellow and red silhouette trot out from behind the building, sharing a few words with another purple silhouette that had stepped out beside her.

And raiders...

He pushed open the door before him, stepping into the darkness.


...raiders deserved to die.


*****
> Chapter 10: Reunion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 10: Reunion



“I'll never forget the cider I just drank! It was a moment in time that will never exist again.”


***


“No!  Wait!  Stop!  That’s the zebrican tea set!  Don’t set that on top of—”

Thump. 

Katshhhhhhh. 

Tinkle-ding-clatter-crash.


Huh.  Crates were slipperier than Happy remembered.


The buck scratched the back of his head as an exasperated stream of curses began to spill out from the mouth of the brown, necktie-wearing stallion at his side.

It had been a busy few weeks since Happy's introduction to Creek Bend.  For both him and the other ponies he'd come to know in his time here.

Serenity had stepped back into the regular rotation for helming caravan runs, stopping at the settlement every few days between her forays into the wastes.  Victor had been picking up more local patrols, his sister off scouting new potential wagon routes.  Red and Val had been prepping and planning new shipments, meeting with representatives from other settlements to go over the details. 

Happy himself had even gotten his old job at the warehouse-house back—and a fancy new jumps-suit to go with it!—though he wasn’t allowed to handle anything but crates and containers that had already been loaded.

Even then, though, the new job wasn't without its own little hiccups here and there.

Taking a breath as he lowered his hoof to the ground, the gray buck's eyes immediately widened, a thousand tiny pinpricks dancing along the inside of his chest as his lungs took in the cloud of fine ceramic dust ballooning up at his hooves.  He immediately began hacking—the intensity of the wet, bloody coughs making it difficult to focus as Warehouse's voice filtered in dimly from the background.

"—no no no no no!  That was set to ship in two days!  Do you realize how hard it will be to replace something like that on such short—"

Happy sighed, eyes still watering as he wiped away the blood with a hoof.

He wasn’t sure what Warehouse was so grumpy about.  Here Happy was, going out of his way to teach the stallion how to lift heavy things onto wagons, and all the houseware-pony could do was complain.  It was all “no chewing on the wheels!” and “stop making forts out of the empty crates!”

The gray buck shook his head.

What good were wheels that hadn't been sufficiently pre-chewed?  What if imaginary dragon-ponies decided to fly in and they didn't have an imaginary base with imaginary pirate-pony cannons to fight them off?

Happy knew how these things worked.  He'd chewed more wheels than he could remember.  He'd seen the imaginary-plans his clanmates came up with when they weren't hunting.  Throwing their old, plastic pony-dice.  Filling up their charapter-sheets with scribbly word-letters.  Arguing about the word-letters in the one burnt prewar book they had sitting on their shelf.

Happy rolled his eyes.

Trader-ponies these days.  It was a good thing Red had sent him here to set Warehouse straight.  Ponies like him didn’t know the first thing about running a caravan-van.  

“—even listening?  No?  Of course not.”

From the other side of the wagon, Warehouse sighed, bringing a hoof to his temple.

“Fine.  Just...just keep loading the other containers.  Gently though!  Gently.  For the love of the goddesses.  Please.  Please.  Gently.”

Happy nodded in approval.  It was nice to see his junior finally being honest with himself.  He'd pick up on Happy's advice eventually.

Trotting back over to the nearest stack of crates, Happy wedged his snout beneath the one on top, sliding it over his head and onto his back.  It was heavier than it looked—probably full of conduct-drawers, write-typers, or rocks, Happy figured—but no match for the strength and skills he’d been honing as a loader-pony over the course of his two week tenure.

A white stallion with a comically large torso nodded intently in his mind, flexing his dumbbell shaped cutie mark with pride.

YEEEAH!

Happy mimicked the look, furrowing his brow into an awkward scowl as he tensed his own muscles, goose-trotting toward the wagon before him.

Trip.

Uh-oh.

“Oh oh.”

Happy watched as everything before him began to spin, the world around him suddenly drifting forward in slow motion.  Tinted green behind the humming analog filter that had set in over his vision, everything he could see and hear seemed to play out at quarter speed.

His front hoof catching on the pile of wooden broom handles at his side.  

The crate previously on his back now tumbling toward a stack of crystal decanters.  

Warehouse’s irritated expression slowly morphing to one of abject terror.

Happy scratched his head with a hoof, slowly somersaulting through the air amid the distorted sights and sounds around him.

Huh.

It seemed the ground was slipperier than he remembered, too.


***


“Here.  You won’t like the taste, but it’s the medicine I promised.  Not a full dose, mind you.  Just a test dose to see if there’s any side effects we need to worry about.”

Happy raised an eyebrow, sniffing at the large, blue-and-white pill resting in the hoof of the brown doctor-pony in front of him.  It had only been a few days since his last visit, but this was the first time the unicorn had offered Happy anything like this.  Usually it was just ear-wipers and wooden doctor-sticks, which weren't very good for eating.

Sniff.  Sniff sniff.

Happy wrinkled his nose, sticking his tongue out to the side.

The gray buck still wasn’t very familiar with all the different types of trader-pony food, but the treat in the brown unicorn’s hoof smelled like plastic.

Happy closed his eyes, lifting his snout at the offering.

Even he knew better than to eat plastic.  Chewing on it was one thing, but eating it was a guaranteed way to bring on the tummy-sick.

Fleet Hoof sat back on the stool behind him, rubbing at his temple with his free hoof.  In the weeks since he’d first started meeting with Happy, the look of excitement on his face had slowly faded back into one of mild annoyance, the novelty of his new subject gradually wearing off.

“Of all the days for that mare to be gone…”

Fleet Hoof sighed, lifting the pill back in Happy’s direction.

“We don’t have all day, Happy.  Just take it.  Please.  It’ll be over in a minute.”

Hmmph.

Happy crossed his hooves in front of him, letting out a snort.

He wasn’t going to fall for that trick.  He remembered what the light blue lily-pony had taught him.  That it was only okay to take plastic-treats from strangers on Nighmares-Night.

Blue lily-pony?

Happy cracked his eyes back open, furrowing his brow.

Blue lily-pony?  Who was the blue lily-pony again?

He brought a hoof to his chin.  For some reason he couldn’t seem to remember.

Beside him, Fleet Hoof frowned, standing back up and approaching Happy’s chair.

“Happy, take it.  I spent the last three nights putting this together.”

Happy narrowed his eyes, sliding a hoof up to cover his muzzle as he shook his head side to side.

Uh-uh.

Fleet Hoof’s eyes narrowed in return.  A faint, golden glow began to to radiate from his horn, Happy’s eyes widening as he felt a familiar tingle begin to envelop his lips.

“Mmm-mmmph!”

Reaching up with his other hoof, Happy clamped his muzzle together more tightly, Fleet Hoof’s magic failing to pry it open with the added resistance.

“Happy!”

The brown stallion’s eyes flared, his expression shifting into a scowl.  Beads of sweat began to roll down his brow, the aura around his horn growing brighter.

“I don’t...have time...for this!  Just take...the damn…pill!”

“Mmm-mmmph!”

Happy shook his head again, his lips briefly parting before snapping shut again as he pinched his mouth closed with his hooves.

He knew how this went.  It was like when Serenity told him he might get a treat if he finished his oat-burger.  Half the time he didn’t even get one!  Something about the yellow mare trying to make sure he was getting a "balanced diet" and not "living off of candy and roadkill."

Happy paused for a moment at the memory, a small smile breaking over his lips.

Well, since it had been Serenity in those instances, he hadn't minded it too much.

“You’re open!”

Happy’s eyes widened as Fleet Hoof’s horn flared again, the sudden burst of energy catching Happy off guard as his muzzle popped open, the brown stallion’s hoof shoving the pill down his throat before he could react.  Happy let out a gagging sound, his forelegs flailing wildly as he clamped down on the limb in front of him.

“Son of a goddess!”

Amid the overwhelming taste of plastic, Happy could make out the metallic tinge of blood, the hoof in his mouth jerking out from his jaws as Fleet Hoof stumbled backwards.  Shallow bite marks had appeared in a ring around the stallion's foreleg, several of them welling up and spilling drops of red onto the yellowed tile below.

Happy continued to gag, swallowing heavily as he felt the lump make the rest of its way down his throat.  He shook his head side to side at the taste, grimacing as he shot the doctor-pony a nasty look.

Serves him right for trying to feed Happy a yucky plastic-treat.

In twin poofs of smoke, a tiny devil horned Happy and angel winged Happy appeared on either of his shoulders, nodding in turn.

“Bite bite chomp hoof coming had-had!”

“Think better Happy than institute-school license has humphy-humph!”

Happy nodded in agreement.  

The brown stallion had it coming, thinking he knew better than Happy just because he ran a doctor-clinic.

There was another sudden poof as a small, angelic Serenity appeared in front of the three, its wings and halo noticeably better maintained than those of the tiny angel Happy at Happy’s side.

“Happy…”

The eyes of the three Happys widened as the tiny Serenity crossed her hooves, raising an eyebrow in their direction.  The three immediately averted their gazes, spit-whistling in different directions.

“Happy...Serenity say-say be nice-pony while Serenity gone, right-right?”

Wincing, Happy slowly nodded, the tiny devil Happy kicking a rock near his hoof while the tiny angel Happy rubbed the back of his neck.

Even though she was smaller than the real Serenity, she had the same stern tone in her voice that Serenity used when Happy did something he wasn't supposed to.

“—Mmm-hmmm...”

“—Yes-yes...”

“—Suppose maybe remember Serenity say-say...”

Tiny Serenity closed her eyes, nodding to the three.

“And-and?”

Happy frowned, exchanging a quick glance with the two tiny Happys.  As much as they didn’t want to admit it, they knew this was a battle they weren’t going to win.

Tiny Serenity raised an eyebrow.

“...and-and?”

The three bucks sighed as one—faint, identical pouts breaking across their faces.

“—Happy sorry-sorry.”

“—Be Happy future nice, remember.”

 “—No-no happen-happen again-again.”

A warm smile broke over Tiny Serenity’s face as she nodded in approval.

“Good good.  Happy good-pony remember think.  Even if silly-silly forgetful sometimes.”

She flashed the three of them a friendly wink.

Da-dunk!

Da-dunk!

Da-dunk!

The three Happys blushed, the redness in their cheeks deepening as Tiny Serenity flew over to them, giving them each a quick lip-touch on the forehead one by one.

“Now good buck be-be and sorry-say Fleet Hoof chomp-bite, okay-okay?”

The three Happys nodded, unable to meet each other’s embarrassed gazes.  After a few moments, there was another poof of smoke as Happy once again found himself alone in his chair, Fleet Hoof’s curses rising up into the air a few hooves away.

“Damnit.  That’s what I get for trying to help, isn’t?  Damn it all to Tartarus.  This better not end up infected.”

Happy winced, his earlier smugness replaced with a faint sense of guilt.  Fleet Hoof was a doctor-pony, after all.  It was his job to use doctor-sticks and make nasty plastic-treats for other ponies to eat.

Happy scratched the back of his neck, glancing down at his hooves.

“...Sorry-sorry Happy hoof-chomp.”

Fleet Hoof paused, slowly turning to look over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.  Studying Happy for a few moments, he seemed to come to a decision, turning back to his injured hoof as he shook his head.

“Not the reaction I'd expected.   I...I suppose I might have let my frustration cloud my judgment there for a moment as well, though…”

The brown unicorn sighed, reaching for a roll of medical tape from his work station.  Happy watched as he levitated a jar of antiseptic over to his side, dabbing a cotton-ball against his wounds before moving to bandage the limb.

“My father always said I lacked bedside manner.  It was the one thing I couldn’t pick up from him, it seems.  No matter how good I was with a needle or a pestle.”

Happy tilted his head, listening as Fleet Hoof spoke.  The tone of the stallion’s words had shifted.  It was almost like he was talking to the air around him more than Happy himself.

Fleet Hoof began to levitate the roll of bandaging around his hoof.

“—That said, it's not as if I ever had the time to learn about that sort of thing outside the clinic.  He was always working.  And since I was supposed to take over the clinic eventually, I was always working.  No time to attend the settlement celebrations.  No time to learn how ponies are supposed to interact.”

Happy could see a bitter smile break over the doctor-pony’s face.

“Not that he would have noticed if I had left.  The only time he looked my way was if he needed someone to hand him another syringe or a fresh bandage.  I was an idiot for thinking I'd get his attention by working hard.”

The stallion’s gaze shifted toward the door.  His smile slowly faded into something more muted.

“We used to run a clinic at a settlement next to the Everfree.  A quiet place off the beaten path.  An idiotic place to build a settlement, of course.  Though all the ponies there thought they’d found a special place.  An exception to the rule.  One that was safe from both the wastes and that monster infested forest, for some reason or another.”

Fleet Hoof’s gaze shifted back toward Happy for the first time since he’d started speaking, his eyes almost empty.  There was something in his expression that Happy couldn't place.

“Do you remember your foalhood, Happy?  Where you came from?  Your father?  Your mother?”

Mother!

The image of a mare with a pale blue coat flashed through Happy’s mind for an instant as the word seemed to echo.  A wash of confusion followed, the sounds around him growing muted as a lance of pain prodded at the back of his skull.

What was...

Who was…

Fleet Hoof held his gaze a few moments longer, his eyes eventually trailing down to the patch of jumpsuit covering Happy’s cutie mark before shifting away.

“My father knew it was too good to last.  Despite the apparent safety.  Despite all the herbs you could find at the forest's edge.  But he wouldn’t leave because of a mare he’d saved there.  Always made the excuse that she wouldn’t make it if he left.  Even as a foal, I could see he was letting his attachment cloud his judgment.  Even though that mare didn’t see him the same way.”

The stallion levitated a pair of shears off the table, snipping off the remaining length of bandaging he hadn’t used.  Setting both the shears and the roll of cloth on the table, he placed his hoof against the floor experimentally, frowning as he put his weight on it.

“That night…”

The stallion averted his gaze.  A brief silence hanging in the air between them.

Eventually, Fleet Hoof shook his head, turning back to the workbench behind him.

“...I’m not sure how much of this you'll understand, but let myself or Serenity know if you experience any strange effects from the medication.  Dizziness.  Fatigue.  Uncontrollable bleeding.  It’s a test dose—low intensity—but we still want to keep an eye on how things progress.  Alright?”

Happy nodded dimly.  The faded image of the blue mare was still in his mind, though he couldn’t make out her face or cutie mark amid the haze that had settled in over his thoughts.

She was familiar, though.  Somehow.  He felt like he'd seen her before.  But Happy didn’t know any ponies that looked like that in Creek Bend.

Happy furrowed his brow.

Was she from before?  When he was still with his clanmates?  In the dark and lonely days before that?

The painful prodding sensation at the back of his skull continued to pulse.

Happy was only faintly aware of being ushered out of the clinic after that, wincing as his eyes adjusted to the fading light of late afternoon.  He could see a number of the townsfoalk making their way through streets, some carrying piles of branches and broken wood on their backs as others made their way out with saddlebags full of glasses, mugs, and small wooden barrels.  They all seemed to be making their way toward the south end of the settlement, gathering in the wide, open clearing at its edge.

Happy shook his head, shifting his attention toward the growing congregation.

Maybe the medicine that Fleet Hoof had given him was just giving his head a case of the tummy-sicks.  Maybe it would go away if he did something fun to take his mind off things.

Happy nodded to himself.

That was it.  That sounded right.  The feeling would pass, just like the tummy-sicks did.

The gray buck trotted forward, increasing his gait to a canter.

Serenity wasn’t back yet, but maybe he would run into Red or Val or Victor.  Their smiles might cheer him up.

Allowing the image of the blue mare to fade into the back of his mind, Happy continued forward, leaving the clinic fast behind.


***


“Alright, everypony, alright.  Settle down, settle down.  I know that there cider the foalks over at Rainy Tree sent us is good drinkin’, but listen up, y’all, listen up.”

A long, playful groan rose up from the crowd of ponies gathered at the bonfire, their shadows dancing across the buildings at the outskirts of the settlement a few dozen hooves away.  The sound of distant rad-crickets only faintly audible above the crackle of flame and drunken laughter, those gathered began to shift around to face the red stallion standing before them.

A few voices called back in response as the crowd shifted into place.

“Only if you buy us another round, Red!”

“Make that two rounds!”

“Two rounds and a raise!”

Laughter rose up from the crowd as Red waved a hoof, his deep chuckle rising over those around him.

“You stop nodding off on your wagon shifts and I might consider it there, Mustang.”

“Oh!  He got you good, Midnight!”

“Aw, c’mon Red, that was one time!”

“What about that run we did out to Hayflower Fields a couple months back, Middy?”

“Alright—geeze—twice!”

A second round of laughter followed suit, the sound catching the attention of the few stragglers who’d failed to fall in after Red's first address.  Happy watched the scene unfold from the back of the crowd, bouncing up and down as he tried to get a better view of the action.

Waiting for the crowd to quiet down, Red cleared his throat, flashing another bright smile.

“Alright, foalks, alright.  I won’t keep you too long.  Just wanted to say a few words while I had you all gathered here.”

The Red stallion raised a hoof to his side, nodding back toward the settlement.

“I realize y’all have been working your hooves to the bone these days with all these shipments coming in and out.  Building a new outfit from the ground up with old dogs like Nimble Shipping and Western Traders out doing their routes isn’t easy, but I think we’ve managed to show ‘em we’re not just a gaggle of colts and fillies playing around.”

“Nimble Shipping?  More like Clumsy Shipping!”

“Fuck Silver Stripes!”

“Yeah!  Buck that motherbucker!

Red raised an eyebrow, his smile remaining as he waved a hoof to the crowd.

“Now settle down there foalks, no need for name calling.  Twister and Stripes are both businessponies, too.  No point getting angry at other foalks for trying to make a living.   They might get a little nasty sometimes—especially old Stripes—but that don’t mean we’ve gotta stoop down to their level.”

There was another groan from the crowd, a few chuckles intermixing with the sound.

“Hey Val!  Your hubby’s goin’ all goody two-hooves on us again!”

Out of the crowd, Happy could see the purple form of Valentine trot up to her husband's side, her coiffed and curled red mane bouncing as she flashed a warm grin toward the owner of the voice.

“Mmm?  Wasn’t it those same two hooves that dragged you outta that brahmin trough in San Anponio, Burst?  I seem to remember a mare who got kicked out for calling the owner a cattle-hoofer in his own place.”

Another round of chuckles.  Happy could see a teal colored mare avert her gaze, a blush rising in her cheeks.

Red smiled, leaning down as his wife nuzzled up against his neck.  Happy could see the two of them exchange a couple quiet words, whispering into each other’s ears amid the hum of the crowd.

Happy could feel his chest grow warm at the sight.  He remembered a bills-board he’d seen once—one that’d had a mare and a stallion sharing a drink in front of a bunch of pink and purple hearts.  A Hoofy-hearts Day party, or something like that.

Happy lifted a hoof to his chest at the thought.

He sure wished Serenity was here.

Back before the crowd, Val finished whispering into Red's ear, the stallion nodding as he turned back to the group.

“Alright, let’s get back on track.  What I wanted to say to y’all was thank ya for all the hard work you ponies have been putting in.  The late nights, the early mornings—we appreciate each and every one of ya for all you do.”

“If it means free booze, we’ll make sure we keep it up!”

“You said it!”

Red grinned.

“Well that’s good to hear, Dew Drop.  ‘Cause we’ve got a little announcement to make.”

A rush of excited whispers passed through the crowd in a wave, Happy’s ears perking up at the sudden shift in mood.  He watched as Red and Val exchanged a knowing look, enjoying the growing anticipation.

Val nodded, glancing back up at the other ponies.

“For those of you who hadn't heard, we met with Ruby Dusk a few months back to put in a bid for the Bronco City route...”

She looked up to Red who grinned in return, turning back to the crowd with a wave of his hoof.

“...and we got it, foalks.  A solo contract.  We make our first delivery next week.”

The hum of the crow immediately gave way to a dull roar, echoed voices filling the small valley as ponies began to shout excitedly over one another.

“Bronco City?  That’s been a Western Traders route for years!”

“Wait, the Bronco City?  Don’t they put out at least a full wagon of product a week?”

“I can taste the cider already!”

The sound of laughter and cheering began to rise up amongst the chatter, punctuated by the sound of hoof-bumps and flank slaps as a few groups of ponies broke out into drunken song.   

Happy could see Red and Val give the group another nod before shifting back into the crowd themselves, the two of them immediately met with  several ponies eager to hear more details on the new development.

“Seems vee have something to celebrate, don’t vee, pony?”

Happy’s ears perked up as he turned to his side, watching the familiar form of Victor touch down on the ground beside him.  The griffon was dressed in the same fatigues as usual, his rifle slung loosely over his shoulder as he gripped two frothing mugs of cider in his talons.

Happy smiled, replying with a vigorous nod.

He wasn’t sure what all the excitement was about, but it seemed like something good had happened for Creaky Bends.  Maybe they’d found some good sticks or chewing bones to carry around in their wagon-carts!  Maybe even some of the hard-to-find rubbery kinds that squeaked!

Victor chuckled, his thick accent slightly more slurred than usual.  He lifted a claw in Happy’s direction, offering the buck one of the mugs.

“Vant to try some, pony?  Red says it eez all on zee caravan’s cap tonight.”

Happy raised an eyebrow, taking a step forward.  

He’d seen the other ponies walking around with mug-glasses of the same yellow liquid throughout the night, though he still wasn't sure what it was.  He'd already lapped up some greenish water from one of the brahmin troughs on his way over, so he hadn't been particularly thirsty.

Sniff.  Sniff sniff.

Happy wrinkled his snout.

The liquid smelled like one of the bottles he’d sniffed at in Fleet Hoof’s office.  It left a faint burning sensation in his nostrils that wasn’t overly painful, but made his eyes water just the same.

Shifting back onto his haunches, Happy regarded the mug with studious eyes.  

Was something like this really supposed to be tasty?

Victor chuckled, offering the mug to Happy again.

“Give it a chance, pony.  It isn’t every day vee get a to drink cider zis good.  It isn’t as strong as zee stuff vee drank in zee old country, but it eezn’t bad for somezing pony-made.”

Happy nodded slowly, accepting the mug in his hooves.  The frothy yellow liquid stared back at him, Happy's blurry reflection twisted and disproportioned in the flickering firelight.

“Snnrrrrk!...”

Happy held back a giggle, the image reminding of the mirror mazes he’d seen standing in old apartment stores and bemusement parks.  The ones with all the trap doors and explody-pears his clanmates sometimes set up.

Glancing back up at Victor, Happy could see the griffon take a swig from his own mug, a small dribble of the liquid spilling out from the side of his beak.  Looking around, Happy could see more of the other ponies doing the same—some doing a better job of keeping the liquid in their mouths than others.  Everypony seemed to be enjoying themselves—wide, happy smiles plastered across their faces as they stumbled back and forth in the light of the crackling fire.

Happy stared at the mug in his hooves, giving it another sniff.

Despite the burny smell to it, there was a hint of sweetness to it as well.  Kind of like the sippy-cups of apple-ly juice that Serenity had given him and Gilly while she, Red, and Val had discussed route plans that one night.

Happy lifted the mug to his muzzle, tilting it back experimentally.

Even if he didn’t like it, he could finish one mug to be polite.  Victor had been a nice enough bird-pony to bring him one.  He doubted it would be as yucky as the plastic-treat he’d had earlier anyways, or worse yet…oats.

Happy nodded in determination as the bittersweet liquid hit his lips.

Just one drink.  He could get through that much.


***


“CHUG!  CHUG!  CHUG!  CHUG!  CHUG!”

“BRRRRRAAAAAAPP!”

“YEAHHHH!”

Hooves wobbling beneath him, Happy dropped his tenth empty cider mug on the table.  His vision swam as the drunken ponies around him rose up in a chorus of cheers and hoof-bumps, their blurry faces blending into one another in the dim light of the flickering bonfire.   The gray buck could feel his stomach slosh back and forth as he fell back onto his haunches, the faint burn of the sweet golden liquid simmering in the back of his throat.

“Ha….haha….ha.”

The buck let out a lazy giggle, holding his three, identical, wobbling pairs of hooves out in front of him.

Big pony apple-ly juice was the best.

Happy blinked as he felt a claw land on his shoulder, his bleary eyes taking in the sight of a wibbly-wobbly Victor, the griffon’s face and beak tinged with red.

“Zis pony—*hic*—zis pony—*hic*—zis pony is a good Happy.”

The griffon shook his head, tears welling up into his eyes.

“Vhile he may not have any smarts—*hic*—or skills—*hic*—or smarts…”

Happy could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes.

Victor turned back to him, blinking slowly as the smell of alcohol on his breath mixed in with the smoky air.

“...he eez a very good pony.  Zeese vastes vould be a better place if zere were more—*hic*—more simple, happy ponies out zere like him.”

The gray buck sniffled, the tears flowing freely now.  Nopony had ever said something that nice about him before.

Happy wiped his eyes with a hoof, throwing his forelegs out to either side.

“Flappy-flap!”

“Happy!”

Tears streaming down their faces, the buck and griffon embraced, the attention of the crowd around them already shifting toward the hoof-wrestling contest that had broken out another table down.  Happy and Victor continued to bawl, oblivious, the gray buck reaching out to blow his snout with one of the griffon’s folded wings.

“Phhhhbbththbbbbth!”

The gray buck nodded to himself.  

So this is what it was like to be part of a trader-pony clan.  Hugs, apple-ly juice, Serenity—so many things he’d never experienced!

Happy grinned, rolling back onto his haunches as he watched Victor flop down face first for a nappy-nap.

It was hard to even imagine how things had been before.   The way things were now—all the ponies, all the smiles—he wished things would stay like this forever.

“Mmmph!”

Happy’s eyes widened, hooves clamping over his muzzle as he suddenly felt his stomach somersault beneath him.  

Uh oh.  It was the same feeling he had when he spent too much time spinning around to get head-dizzy.

Frantically scanning for anything large and bucket shaped, Happy’s eyes darted back and forth between the tables next to him.  A few hooves away, he could see the caravan's chef-pony trotting away, muttering as he balanced a tray of empty mugs on his back.  All the other nearby mugs were in the hooves of the ponies who had gathered around the farthest table, a burly green mare and scrappier blue stallion squaring off hoof-to-hoof to the shouts of the crowd around them.

Happy could feel his stomach churn again, his eyes growing wider.

Uh oh oh.  He wouldn’t be able to hold it much longer.

With one hoof clamped over his mouth, Happy stumbled away from the bonfire, blinking toward the blurry, pony-shaped shadows dancing across the hillside.  Reaching one of the large rocks that had tumbled loose in the brahmin stampede a few weeks back, Happy clutched at it with both hooves, panting heavily as he leaned forward.

A few moments passed, his breathing slowing as the gurgling in his stomach died down.  First to a low rumble.  Then to a gentle calm.

Happy exhaled and smiled, the tension in his back and shoulders fading.

Whew.

He wiped a hoof against his brow.

It seemed the tummy-flops had managed to go away on their own this time.

A few moments passed in silence before the buck's eyes widened again.

"Mmmph!”

Or not.

A few minutes of rainbow-tinted retching later, Happy groaned, flopping down onto the ground with a grunt.

Never again.   Big pony apple-ly juice was just oats in disguise.

Happy grimaced, rubbing his head into the dirt beneath him.  A dull headache was already beginning to replace the pleasant dizziness he’d felt earlier, the faint burning sensation in his throat fading as his resilient body went about fixing the  gullet and liver trauma they'd recently endured.

Happy sighed again.

Was it just him, or were hurty-hurts hurting worse these days?  He never used to give much thought to ache-heads or tummy-sicks before.  If anything, they'd been exciting—sensations that egged him onward, made his adrenaline flow.  Now all he felt like doing was lying down in his comfy bed-bunk and burying his head into the nest of pillows and blankets he'd made there.

Thump.

“Shit!”

Happy’s ears perked up, the blurriness in his vision quickly dissipating as his eyes shifted to one of the other large rocks resting a few hooves away.  He could feel a faint, prickling sensation run down the length of his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to bristle.

Somepony was there.  Multiple someponies.  Behind those rocks.  Hiding.

Happy took a step forward, the fatigue in his limbs forgotten as he felt a low growl start to form in his throat.

Something wasn’t right here.  These weren’t trader-ponies from the caravan.  They were all at the fire.

Happy could hear another shifting of hooves behind the rock, the same voice cursing a second time, a slightly nasal quality to it.

“Shit, shit, shit!  I think they heard us!”

“Heard us?  You were the one who dropped your fucking battery clip!”

“Oye.  Shut da fuck up.”

“Why don’t you shut up!”

“Yeah! Shut up!”

“Can it, Scalper!”

The prickling sensation along Happy’s neck stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide.

He recognized those voices.

“Okay, okay.  On da count ‘a tree, we jump dat fucker.  You toss dose chains on ‘im, Scalper, while Rowdy and I ‘oof him from the sides.”

“Can’t we just shoot him, Deuce?”

“Of course not, you idiot.  The whole fucking settlement will come running in if they hear us!”

“Fuck you, Rowdy!”

“Fuck you!”

“Shut up, dipshits!”

“Fuck!  He’s looking this way!”

“It’s your fault, Scalper!”

“For da love 'a—just get da fuck out dere!”

With the shifting of leather barding, several dark shapes jumped out from behind the rock, the dull glint of rusty chains and blades catching the faint light of the distant fire.  Happy could make out three figures—two earth pony stallions and a unicorn mare—moving in his direction, cursing under their breath as two of them broke off to flank him from the sides.

Happy's eyes widened further, an electric jolt running from the base of his neck to his tail as a sudden surge of energy lifted him to his hooves.  In an instant, he had launched himself forward, legs windmilling as he propelled himself toward the spiky-haired, chain-wielding pony in front of him

“FRRRRIENDS!”

“Fuck!”

A muffled shout escaped the yellow earth pony’s lips as Happy barreled into him, the two rolling to the ground in a whirlwind of clinking chains and curses.

“Rowdy!  Deuce!  Fuck!  He’s got me by the neck!  He’s got me by the—”

“Friend-friends Happy no-no find-find where-where look-see!”

“—the fuck?”

The two figures at Happy’s sides slowed, their hoof-blades dropping to their sides as Happy proceeded to squeeze the buck beneath him around the shoulders.  The yellow pony squirmed in his grasp, struggling to breathe as he tried to protect his glistening green mane-spikes from the dirt and rocks beneath them.

“—My...*cough*...spikes.  My….*cough cough*...spikes.”

“—You have to be kidding me.”

“—Well fuckin’ a'.”

Happy swiveled his head, a wide grin breaking across his face as he took in the familiar faces of his two other clanmates around him.  Their expressions were a mix of shock and confusion, the red mare facehoofing as the blue stallion squinted into the darkness ahead.

Pushing off from the pretty yellow scalpy-pony beneath him, Happy bounced back onto all fours, tail wagging as excitement continued to flood his chest.

His friends!  His clan!  It was really them!  It really was!

Happy giggled, prancing back and forth.

They were here!  They really were!  They hadn’t abandoned him after all!

“Happy friends-friends finder sherpa-ponies trady-town sneak-quiet here-here!”

They should have told him they were coming to visit!  He would have put together a whole surprise party if he’d known they were coming tonight!

The three other ponies exchanged glances, their looks of surprise shifting into anxious frowns.  Happy could see Deuce nod toward Rowdy, the red unicorn bobbing her head in turn as the two of them crept back toward him and Scalper.

Happy nodded in excitement as they approached.

This was great!  He had so much to tell them!  About his adventures and all the ponies he’d met!  There was the clinic, the inventory, the brahmin chasing, the warehousing—

Happy’s eyes lit up.

And Serenity!  And Red!  And Val!  And Victor!  And everypony else he’d met in Creaky Bends!

Happy could feel a warmth begin to spread over his chest, more and more realizations springing forth.

He could show his clanmates how not to be not not-raiders anymore!  They could be lifter-ponies like he was, too!  Life as a trader-pony was wayyy nicer than it was as a raider-pony.  Everypony was friendly and smiley, and some of the food was really good, and the beds were really fluffy and comfy, and the fuzzies everything made you feel in your chest were warm, and—

Happy giggled, bobbing his head behind clapping hooves.

“Happy find-friends Creaky Bends trader-ponies food good fluff-bed happy-warms—mmph!”

Happy blinked as Deuce clamped his hooves around his muzzle, glancing back over his shoulder with his one good eye.

“Oye!  Not so loud, dipshit.  Dose fuckers near da fire’ll ‘ear us, alright?”

Behind him, Rowdy scratched at her mane in frustration.

“How the fuck did he convince them to let him into their settlement?  He can't even talk right!”

Scalper groaned at her side, pawing at his head with his hooves.

“I think he chipped one of my spikes!”

“—Shut up, Scalper!”

Scalper stumbled back as the other two barked at him, Deuce offering Rowdy another nod as she turned to keep an eye on the gathering behind them.  

Deuce sighed, greasy strands of black mane falling over his eyes as he rubbed his temple with a hoof.

“Fuckin’ a’.  Dis wasn’t da plan.”

Happy tilted his head to the side, watching as the dark blue stallion spoke without turning around.

“Anypony notice us, Rowdy?”

“Doesn’t look like it, Deuce.  Seems they’re all still getting fucked up on cider.  One of those talons is still over there, though.  Seems he’s back up and walking again.”

“Fuck.”

Deuce shook his head, Happy’s ears drooping slightly at the sudden shift in mood.

He was surprised his clanmates weren’t happier.  This was the first time they’d seen each other in week-months.  Maybe...maybe they were just tired from their trip?  He knew they could get cranky during long trots, sometimes.

Deuce sighed again, glancing back toward the other two ponies.

“Looks like we missed our fuckin' window, den. ”

“What about the dumbass, boss?”

Happy glanced back to see Scalper rise to his hooves, flashing Happy a nasty glare.

“Maybe we could send him in to make a distraction?  Fuck off with a hostage when we see an opening?  One fucking talon can’t get us all.”

Deuce shook his head.

“Fuck dat.  You remember da last time we ran inta one?  Dey’re an even better shot when dey’re drunk, I fuckin' swear.  And dey’re aren’t no fuckin’ rocks to hide behind in a fuckin’ open field like dis.”

Rowdy stomped a hoof into the ground, gritting her teeth.

“Fuck. Stripes is gonna be pissed if we come back empty-handed.”

“Couldn’t we just tell him the dumbass is our hostage?”

“Like he’ll fucking believe that, Scalper.  The fucker said he wouldn’t let us join the Saddles unless we came back with some results.  He's not gonna believe that mangy buck is a settler.”

Rowdy dropped her hoof-quotes, stomping her hooves back into the dirt again.

“Fuck!”

Deuce paused for a moment, the other two ponies grumbling beside him as the stallion studied Happy from a few hooves away.  Happy’s eyes shifted between the three, the faint smile on his face waning further.

This wasn’t how he’d expected their reunion to go.  He thought they'd be more excited to hear what he had to say.  About his adventures.  About seeing each other again.

The way they were acting now...the things they were saying...they didn't seem very happy to see him.

Happy watched as Deuce raised a hoof, nodding to the other two.

“Oye.  I got a plan.”

Rowdy and Scalper raised their brows.  Deuce turned to Happy, placing a hoof on the gray buck’s shoulder.

“Oye.  Mutt.  Dose ponies over dere been keepin’ you like one of deir own, right?”

Happy could feel a small shimmer of excitement return.  

Maybe they were listening to him after all!

He nodded, smiling a bit more broadly.

Deuce’s gaze didn’t falter.

“Good.  You know da big red pony, den?  Da one built like an ox?”

Happy nodded again, a faint nostalgia rising in his chest as he remembered his sit-talk with Red a few weeks back.  He was sure his friends would enjoy their sit-talks, too, once he introduced them.

He nodded again.

Deuce nodded in turn.

“Good.  You tink you can get ‘im out here tomorra' night when nopony's 'round?  Bring da red pony to dese rocks all quiet like?”

Happy paused for a moment, parsing out the meaning behind Deuce’s words.

They wanted to meet with Red?  At these rocks?  Tomorrow?

Happy glanced around.

This was kind of a silly place to meet with Red when there was a whole fun settle-town to explore just over there, wasn't it?   To bring Red all the way out here just to meet them was a little—

A lightbulb lit up over Happy’s head, prompting Rowdy and Scalper to take a confused half step back.

"—The fuck?"

"—How did—"

Happy giggled, slapping a hoof to the ground.

Ohhh!  Happy knew what this was!  They were being shy-ponies!  The idea of being around all the other ponies at once probably gave them a case of the tummy-sicks.

Happy closed his eyes in understanding.

He knew how that felt.  He’d been a bit of a shy-pony when he first met everyone here, too.

Glancing back up to Deuce, Happy nodded emphatically, blurring the image of his friends around him.  The gray buck understood completely.  He'd make sure nopony else was around so they wouldn't have to feel nervous.

Happy could see Deuce reply with another nod of his own, two grins forming on the faces of Rowdy and Scalper at his sides.

The buck held back a giggle of his own.  

This was great!  His clanmates already seemed excited for it!

Deuce straightened, maintaining eye contact with Happy as he dropped his hoof back to the ground.

“Good.  Dats da plan, den.  Red pony.  Dese rocks.  Tomorrow night.  Don’t let da big pony know we’re gonna be here.”

Happy continued to bob his head.  Surprise parties were more fun than regular parties, after all.

Deuce turned back to Rowdy and Scalper.

“Okay.  We got a new plan, den.  Scalps, you’ll distract da griffon tomorra' while Rowdy and I meet up wit da mutt over here.”

“Wait.  I have to distract the griffon?  Why me?”

“Because you’re expendable, spike-brain.”

“Fuck you, Rowdy!”

“Fuck you, Scalper!”

“Quiet, you two.”

Deuce glanced back to Happy one last time.

“Red pony.  Dese rocks.  Tomorra' night.  Got it?”

Happy giggled again, offering Deuce a salute.  He couldn’t wait for tomorrow to get here.

Without another word, Deuce motioned toward the hillside, trotting quietly into the night.  Rowdy and Scalper followed suit, the latter flashing Happy one last glare before shifting back in line with the other two.

Happy waved as they passed out of sight, flashing giddy glances back over his shoulder as he tried to stifle his laughter.

So much to plan for, so much to do!  If it was a surprise party, should he bring balloons?  Streamers?  Party horns?  

Where could somepony find balloons, streamers, and party horns anyhow?

Swiveling on hoof, Happy made his way back toward the festivities, spit-whistling a merry tune.

It turned out the voice—which he hadn’t heard from in weeks, come to think of it—had been wrong after all.  His friends hadn’t abandoned Happy.  They’d just gotten really really lost.  

Happy bobbed his head in understanding.

The wastes were bigger than they looked, after all.  His deep experience and knowledge as a trader-pony here in Creaky Bends had taught him that.

Happy sighed, glancing back toward the group of ponies growing wider in his field of vision.  He could see Red and Val talking to a smaller group that had assembled near the fire, hooves over each others’ shoulders as Red’s booming laugh echoed throughout the valley.

The gray buck smiled.

Now that his old clanmates were here, things would be even more fun.  He knew it.  They would like life as a not-raider so much better.  He was sure Red and Serenity would like them, too.  They were his first friends, after all.

He even remembered the first day he’d met them.  His clan.  All those day-years and fort-calendars ago.

The buck giggled, the image of an old, sepia tone cinema reel clicking to life in his mind.



Yes, he remembered it like it was yesterday…




*****


Perk Achieved!

Party Buck:  Enjoy that first round?  Keep ‘em coming!  Aside from the occasional blackout or two, the duration of any side effects from drugs and alcohol are greatly reduced.  Granted, you may need to toss in a few more caps to get your money’s worth, but at least you’ll be ready to jump back into the rad-rat race come Monday morning.

The active duration of any chems or alcohol is reduced to half and the effects of chem and alcohol addiction now heal over time.
> Chapter 11: Remembrance Chapter (Past)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 11: Remembrance Chapter (Past)


*****


The gray buck stumbled, his hooves catching on the rocky earth beneath him.

It was hazy.  Blurry.  Even the dim light of the cloud covered Equestrian skies seemed to hurt its eyes.

Where was he, again?  He couldn’t remember.

He glanced down at his hooves.  Dried red liquid caked his mangy fur.

Was it his red?  Somepony else’s red?

Vague memories of shadowed figures screaming and running flitted through the buck’s mind.  An uneasy, nervous laughter left his lips, the pit of distress in his stomach growing deeper.

Where was he, again?  He couldn’t remember.

Stumbling over a petrified branch, the buck stumbled again, a faint shifting against his flank drawing his eyes to his side.

Stuffed haphazardly into the pocket of his barding, he could see a small, fuzzy, bear shaped head and arms protruding out into the open, a single button eye staring back in his direction.

The buck’s eyes lit up.

It was the bear!  He remembered the bear!

Grabbing the stuffed animal up in his muzzle, he dropped onto his stomach, nuzzling it.

“...Bear Bear, Bear Bear…”

A happy giggle left the buck’s lips.  The toy’s familiar scent was calming.  It smelled like home.

Home?

The buck glanced up, his eyes widening again.

He swept his gaze over the wastes beside him.  Ruined houses, rusted carts, and small stands of burnt trees dotting the gray landscape stared back at him.

Where was he, again?  He couldn’t remember.

Glancing around nervously, the buck stuffed the teddy bear back into his pocket.

He had to keep looking.  For...something.  Someplace.  Somewhere.

His eyes surveyed the empty wastes, the nervous laughter resuming.

Where was he, again?  He couldn’t remember.


***


A dream.

Images and sounds flashed through his mind.  Shouting.  Yelling.  Feelings of fear and panic rising in his chest.

Where was he?  Who were they?  

It hurt.  It hurt.  It hurt.

Kill it.  Chase it.  Feed.

More voices.  The sound of rain.  Thunder.   

A mare.  Light blue.  A white flower on her side.  A dull look in her half lidded eyes.

How could they?  How could they?

Tear.  Rip.  Rend.

Muzzle flashes.  Impacts.  Screams.  Roars.  Gurgles.

The sight of red.  The taste of iron.  Pain.

Darkness.


***


The buck’s ears perked up from amidst his slumber.  The smell of rust filled his senses, flakes of peeling metal from the wagon frame he'd taken shelter in the night before digging into his hide.

He could hear noises coming from behind the nearby hill.

Voices.  Multiple. Talking.  

Ponies.

The buck’s muscles tensed, a prickle running down the back of his spine.  His eyes darted toward the source of the voices, hooves scrabbling to find purchase on the musty seat cushion beneath him.

Further up the broken highway—beyond the husk of a burnt out bus—the buck could make out three figures growing closer.  Ponies.  Two males—a dark blue earth pony and an off-white unicorn—a red unicorn mare walking between them.

The three were dressed in dirty leather barding, streaks of dust and grime across their faces and coats.  The stallion on the right—darker blue with an eyepatch and greasy black mane—seemed to be the one leading the group, a large black holster hanging off the side of his belt.  

The other two—the off-white unicorn with the shaved mane and the red mare with a ratty green mop—followed slightly behind.  The mare appeared to be wearing two leather bands attached to pointed blades on either hoof, the white stallion sporting a red tank on his back, a long, articulated hose attachment hanging off from one side.

The buck’s eyes trailed over the three sets of weapons.  His eyes narrowed, a low growl growing in the back of his throat.  He could feel his neck begin to bristle.  

Ponies.  Closer.  Sneak.  Kill.

His growl grew louder, hooves digging into the seat beneath him.  He could feel the changes starting.  The anxious twinge in his stomach.  The simmering, boiling rage threatening to surge forward once again.

The buck ducked beneath the frame of the window, legs coiling beneath him.  Waiting.  Listening for the sounds of conversation.  Hoof-falls.  Breath.  Laughter.

Laughter?

The buck blinked—the growing red haze before him suddenly fading—the release of tension in his muscles catching him off guard.

What was...why were they...?

The buck blinked again.  Faded images flitted across his mind.  Laughter.  Cheers.  A blue mare.  Colorful floating spheres attached to strings.  Candles.  Warmth.

What was...why was he...?

The buck tensed as three shadows passed across the window next to him.  Their voices were bright.  Energetic.  He could hear a gruff male voice bark a few words in imitation of somepony, the sounds of laughter rising up once again at his side.

Pounce.  Attack.  Tear.  Feed.

The buck shook his head, confusion gripping him as the burning in his chest and the memories playing through his mind vied for control over the rest of his body.

Smiling ponies.  Laughing ponies.  Attack them.  Kill them.

The buck buried his head into the cushion beneath him.

He didn’t understand.  Who were these ponies?  Why was he attacking them, again?

Kill, Happy.  Kill.

The buck buried his face in the seat beneath him, panting as he twisted his head back and forth.  He could feel a sharp pain along the side of his face as a rusted coil pierced through the weathered leather, drawing a long gash across his forehead and eyelid.

No.  No.  The voice.  The images.  What was going on?  He didn’t understand.

Another voice—a mare’s voice—broke across the buck’s mind, the jumble of sounds and images around him suddenly dimming.

“Smile, Happy.”

The buck blinked, staring forward intently as blood began to drip into his left eye.

Smile.

The buck blinked again, the blood now beginning to drip onto the seat below.

Smile.

Slowly, the buck pulled his lips back, baring his teeth to the empty space around him.  The expression felt foreign, the muscles in his face tensing with the effort.

Smile.

The buck could feel his shoulders start to relax, his senses returning back to him one by one.  The heat in his chest had cooled—the anxiousness in his frame slowly morphing into curiosity.

The buck ran a hoof across his lips.

There was something odd about this expression.  His hooves suddenly felt lighter.  His tense frame, looser.  A burblines had begun to rise up in his chest that wasn’t angry or hungry but...giddy.  Chirpy.

Happy.

“Heh...heh heh...heh…”

The buck rose to his hooves, glancing out the back window of the rusted wagon.  He could still see the three ponies trotting along, their hooves tapping against the broken pavement beneath them.

A flash of excitement lit the buck’s eyes.

The laughter-ponies were still there.  He could see expressions on their faces like his—smiles—the three of them chatting idly as they continued on.

The buck’s legs twitched, curiosity and excitement mixing in his chest.    

Follow.

The buck rose to his hooves.  The urge wasn’t coming from the voice, but his own mind.  His own thoughts.

Follow.

The buck nodded to himself, letting out another awkward chuckle.

He wasn’t sure what this sensation was, but he wasn’t about to let it pass him by.


***


“Heh...heh heh...heh…”

The buck giggled to himself, his cheeks tired from holding his grin for so long.

He’d been tailing the three ponies for the better part of an hour.  Darting behind the bullet-hole-riddled frames of rusted prewar wagons. Diving behind piles of rocks a few sizes smaller than he was.  Sneaking up behind thin, twisted signposts and closing his eyes so his quarry wouldn’t see him.

The thoughts and feelings running through his mind—while still somewhat confusing and unfamiliar—weren’t unwelcome.  The smiles.  The giggles.  The anticipation.  He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way before.

Glancing up the road, the buck could see the three ponies continuing on their way.  Though their earlier laughter had died down, they still  smiled from time to time, their banter continuing back and forth.  Occasionally the white one would say something that seemed to irritate the red one, at which point the blue one would shake its head and mutter under his breath.

The buck continued to hold his own unnatural smile, lifting a hoof up off the ground as he tilted his head to the side.

Another odd sensation had begun to well up as well.  Nervousness.  Uncertainty.

The buck had never spoken to another pony before.

Spoken?

The buck raised an eyebrow.

Talking.  Words.  That was right.  Ponies used words to talk to one another.

The buck closed his eyes, trying to remember.  A fuzzy white cloud drifted up over his head.

A few moments passed.  The cloud remained blank.

The nervous sensation in the buck’s gut grew, his smile wavering.

He couldn’t remember many words off hand.  Just the ones that the voice said from time to time.  Kill.  Eat.  Tear.  Rip.

The buck shook his head.  

No.  Those didn’t seem right for the feelings he was feeling now.  They didn’t seem to fit.

The buck’s smile wavered further, his ears drooping.

Maybe...maybe this wasn’t  a good idea.  Maybe it would be best if he left now.  Even if he did remember some words, what words what he say?  He didn’t know what ponies talked about.  What if they didn’t like the words he chose?

The buck pawed at the ground.

If only he had something to say.  Something to talk about.  Something he could convey with the words he knew.

The buck’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The bear!

Whipping his head to the side, he could see two fuzzy, stuffed legs sticking out of his back pocket, flopping around with his sudden movement.  Reaching back, he grabbed the stuffed animal up his teeth, cuddling it against his shoulder with a foreleg.

“Bear bear….”

The buck loved the bear bear.

The buck nodded to himself, his twitchy smile returning.  

This was what he needed.  Something to break the ice.  Once they saw the bear bear, he was sure they wouldn’t be able to help but smile, too.

Glancing ahead, the buck could see the three ponies turn off the main road, branching off down a narrower one that led into the hills on the right.  Grabbing the bear bear up in his teeth, the buck started after them, moving a bit more brazenly than he had before.

His eyes were wide with excitement.  Maybe...just maybe...

Rounding the turn, the buck picked up his pace.  He could overhear the three continuing their conversation, chatting idly as they trotted along.

“—tomorra'.  If dey show up, dat is.  You got dat, Rowdy?”

“Ugh, fine.  You owe me one though, Deuce.  Those Reapers give me the creeps.”

“That’s rich, coming from a mare who collects her own hoof clippings.”

“Go fuck a cactus, Burnpile!”

The buck could hear the two stallions laugh, his ears perking up at the sound.  The three ponies continued to move forward as he stared at them from behind, the group too fixated on their conversation to notice his presence.

The buck nodded again.

This was his opportunity.  The mood felt right.

He took a step forward, adjusting his grip on the stuffed bear in his muzzle.

Twitch.  Twitch twitch.

The buck stopped short, his ears shifting back and forth.  He could hear something.  Faintly.  Distantly.  Though he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

Twitch twitch.

The buck’s eyes zeroed in on the patch of road in front of the three ponies.  Most of the pavement had eroded away, leaving an exposed patch of broken earth.  A small mound of displaced dirt and rock sat at the area’s center, a few pebbles shifting along its surface as the group approached.

A flash of electricity darted down the buck’s spine, the bear in his jaws dropping to his hooves.

He’d seen this before.  The shifting of earth.  The faint rumbling beneath the dirt.

A prickle ran down the buck’s spine.

“Hoof clipper!  Hoof clipper!”

“—Oye.  Pile.  Dat’s—

“—Fuck you, Cinderbrain!  At least I don’t get off to the smell of gas canisters—”

A sudden, rocky rumbling cut the mare’s words short—the earth at the hooves of the three ponies exploding upwards in a shower of dirt and debris.  The buck could hear a flurry of curses and shouts escape their lips, their heads whipping forward with identical expressions of shock and panic as a segmented, multi-limbed insect with massive claws and a barbed tail erupted from the road beneath them.

“—Fucking—”

“—What the—”

“—Dats a radscorp!  Get down!”

The buck was already surging forward—a violent column of heat erupting from the center of his chest as the muscles in his limbs began to twist and warp beneath him.  The prickles in his extremities had long started to flare forth.

He was only dimly aware of the continued shouts of panic rising up from the three ponies as he thundered past, his sharpening vision zeroing in on the mass of clacking mandibles and eyes turning to meet him.

He could hear the voice screaming in the back of his mind.  Spitting.  Growling.  Surging forward with more hate and ferocity than usual, having already been denied once before.

KILL!

The buck let loose with a violent roar.  His claws tore into the chitinous hide before him.  A sharp pain erupted in his side as the creature’s tail whipped forward, piercing deep into his flesh.

The buck roared again and bit down, the world and his vision falling away to red.


***


The buck stirred.

He could feel the cool touch of earth beneath him, stone and rock resting against his stomach and neck.  There was a faint sensation of warmth, too—a trickle of it running down the side of his barrel and flank.  His mouth tasted like iron.

The buck slowly opened his eyes, frowning with the effort as he did so.  His eyelids felt heavy, as if he hadn’t rested in days.

The scene around the buck was blurry.  Vague shapes moving back and forth, silhouettes of wagons and rocks taking up part of the frame.  He could hear voices, dimly, but his senses hadn’t fully come back to him yet.

The buck blinked.  

His body felt numb.  Prickly.  The same sensation he sometimes felt in his legs if he slept on them wrong.  The numbness seemed to be centered around a certain point on his right flank—the place where the faint trickle of warmth seemed to be flowing from.

Where was he, again?  He couldn’t remember.   

Something about sleeping?  Waking up?  Following something?  Baring his teeth?  The memories were as blurry as his vision.

“Shit, I tink he’s wakin’ up.”

“Wait?  Already?  Shit!  We didn’t even get a chance to tie him up, yet!”

“Let’s just torch the fucker, Deuce.”

The buck blinked again, the images around him slowly growing clearer.  He could see three blurry outlines standing a few hooves away.  The blue blob moved to reach for something at its side, the white blob levitating something into the air as the red one shifted into a defensive stance.

Ponies?

The buck raised an eyebrow.  

What were ponies doing here?  

He shook his head.

For some reason, he felt like he recognized the three shapes, but he couldn’t remember from where.

The blurry blue pony shook its head in turn.

“Just hold for a sec, Pile.  Let’s see what info dis fucker has on ‘im.  He’s half dead already—we just shoot ‘im if he starts making any funny moves.”

The buck squinted.  

He could see their faces now.  Two stallions and a mare.  The three stood at the ready, weapons drawn as they trained their sights on him, glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes.  

A flash of recognition sparked across the buck’s mind.

The road!  These were the laughter-ponies.  The one’s he’d spent all afternoon following.

A weak smile passed over the buck’s lips.

He’d found them.  Finally.

He blinked again, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

How had he gotten here, again?  He didn’t remember catching up with them.  Maybe he had tripped?  He did that, sometimes.

Ahead of him, the white stallion waved a hoof dismissively.

“Fuck that.  Did you see what he did to that radscorp?  That freak took a barb to the side and its already moving.  The wound’s not even bleeding anymore!”

“Jus' keep a fuckin’ eye on it.”

The buck shook his head.  Now that he was here, what was the next part of the plan?  He felt like he'd forgotten something.

The buck’s eyes suddenly widened, head swimming as his eyes darted back and forth.  He reached for his muzzle with a shaky hoof.

Where was the bear bear?  He was going to show it to them.

Body still numb, the buck craned his neck back and forth, a low rumble rising up past his tingling tongue.

“B….brrr...berrr…berrr…”

“Fuck!  It’s saying something.”

“No shit, Rowdy.”

“Fuck off, bucknuts.”

“You fuck off.”

“Oye.  Dipshits.”

The buck continued to search with his eyes, a knot tightening in his stomach as the three ponies argued.

The bear bear.  His whole plan had been centered around it.  Showing it to them.  Using his words.  Hearing their laughter and seeing their smiles in return.

Cold, empty tendrils began to creep into his chest.

He’d missed his chance.

In front of him, the blue stallion shook his head at the other two ponies, taking another step forward.  Glancing down at the buck with his one good eye, he motioned back up the road with a bob of his head.

“Oye.  Freak.  Where da fuck you come from?”

The buck turned, his eyes meeting the blue earth pony’s.  He could see a scowl on the stallion’s lips, his own ears drooping at the sight.

The laughter.  The smiles.  He’d ruined it.  Again.

The buck’s head sunk toward the earth, his eyes closing as he buried his head into the dirt.

With the bear bear gone, there was nopony else.  Nopony.  Nothing.   He could already see the colors in his memories fading.  Hear the voices dim.  It wouldn’t be long before he’d forgotten everything completely.  Became nothing.  Lost himself forever.

He could feel his other self in the back of his mind.  The voice.  The darkness.  Watching.  Grinning.  Waiting patiently for the buck to give himself up once and for all.

The buck nodded dimly.  

The voice could do whatever it wanted.  He didn’t care anymore.  Nothing mattered.  He just wanted it to end.

“Oye.  Fuckface.  You hear me?”

The buck cracked his eye back open.

He could see the blue stallion lean forward, the scowl on its face staring down at him.  The other two ponies continued to look on, their eyes still trained on him, their shoulders tense.

The buck blinked, eyeing their weapons.  Where he would usually feel tension—anxiousness, aggression—he only felt numb.  Empty.  Hollow.

His eyes drifted back to the earth in front of him.

It didn’t matter anymore.  He was alone.  He'd always be alone.

The buck blinked, his eyes shifting in and out of focus.  Looking around, he could see a mound of twisted pincers and chitin plates at his side, purplish blood pooled at the carcass's base.  The husks of burnt out wagons stared back at him from further on, the dimming light of the gray equestrian skies as bland and colorless as ever.

Nothing pretty.  Nothing beautiful.  Just gray and drab.  Empty and rusted.  Endless and dead.

The buck shook his head.

Let it end.  Just...let it end.

The buck’s eyes shifted to one last point up the road.  He could see a small section of pavement where a blackened signpost had fallen, breaking up the ground beneath it.  Debris lay strewn about its side—rocks, prewar flyers, tire rims—all haphazardly strewn about.

His eyes shifted to one of the bits of debris.  It was smaller than most of the other pieces.  More colorful, too.  Fuzzier.

The buck’s eyes widened.

Bear…bear?

The buck blinked.  

The small stuffed toy was there, fifty hooves off, resting on the ground where he had dropped it.

Amid the darkness in his mind, a memory drifted forth.  A voice.  Warm.  Comforting.  Familiar.

“Smile, Happy.”

A small flame flickered to life in the buck’s chest.  Weak.  Slight.  But still a point of light amid the darkness.

Nodding slowly, the buck smiled, imitating the same look he’d worn during his search.

Turning back to the three ponies, he could see them continue to stare, confusion lighting their faces at his expression.

Uncertainty clutched at his chest, threatening to snuff the small flame out.

Smile.

The buck held their gazes.

A minute passed.  Two.  The buck continued to hold his uncertain smile.  Waiting.

Another minute passed.  The three ponies before him exchanged a glance.  

The mare’s voice finally broke the silence.

“Is he just stupid, or something?”

“Fuck if I know.  Maybe the radscorp venom went to his head.”

“Oh, you a doctor, now, Burnpile?”

“Fuck you, Rowdy.”

“Fuck you, Burnpile!”

“For da love a’ Luna…”

The tension in the air seemed to dissipate, the three scowls on the ponies’ faces shifting into various looks of smugness, exasperation, and anger as their normal flow of conversation resumed.  

The buck shifted his gaze back and forth at the sight.  

The laughter and smiles on the three ponies' faces hadn’t returned, but the fact that they’d went back to normal... It seemed like progress.

The small flame in the buck’s chest began to burn brighter, his awkward smile perking up.

Maybe there was still a chance.  Maybe this wasn’t over.

His eyes widened again.

The bear!

The buck whipped his head back up the road, his vision narrowing in on the small bump of fur and fluff.

He could still show it to them.  It was right there.  So close.

A flush of adrenaline rushed through the buck’s limbs.  He was still half-numb, but he could move.  Stumbling to his hooves, he took off at an awkward half-gallop in the bear’s direction, the voices of the three ponies suddenly flaring up in confusion at his sudden movement.

“Oye!  Sit da fuck back down!”

“Shit!  He’s getting up!”

“How the fuck is he running around already?”

“Heh...heh heh...heh…”

An awkward laugh escaped the buck’s lips, his movements stiff and awkward as his limbs refused to fully cooperate.  He could hear the three ponies shifting around behind him,  the click of weapons echoing out as they shouted back and forth.

“Stupid buck.  Deuce, what do we do?”

“Fuck it.  I’m gonna torch him.”

“Fuck.  Not yet.  Hold.  He ain’t gettin’ far.”

“Screw that, Deuce.  Who the fuck died and made you chief?”

Reaching the side of the signpost, the buck leaned forward, picking up the stuffed animal in his jaws.  The flame in his chest began to burn brighter yet, excitement lighting his clumsy limbs.

The bear bear.  He had it.  This could work.  This could work.

Whipping his head around, the buck stumbled back toward the three, the two stallions arguing back and forth as the mare barked at the two of them from the side.  The three of them stopped suddenly as he approached, confusion once again lighting their faces as he stopped a few hooves away.

Regarding the three with a nod, the buck dropped onto his haunches, dropping the bear at his hooves before them.  Looking back at the three confused faces staring at his own, he shook his head, taking a deep breath.

His throat tensed, vibrating as he focused on shaping the sounds as clearly as he could.

“B…b…brrr...bearrr.  Bear.  Bear bear.”

The buck looked up expectantly.  Anxiously.  

Despite the excitement.  Despite the flame.  There was still a nervousness in his chest.  An uncertainty.

A moment passed.  

The three ponies, weapons still drawn, exchanged another glance.

A burst of laughter erupted from their mouths a moment later.

“—the fuck!  Is he an idiot?”

“—is this stupid buck high?  Does he think we’re his herd or something?”

“—fuckin’ hell.  Da fucker’s too dumb to even run away.”

The buck’s eyes widened, the excitement in his chest shooting across his body.

They were laughing!  Smiling!  At him!  At his words!

“Heh...heh heh...heh…”

Low chuckles began to rumble from his own throat, the awkward gurgles sending the three ponies before him into even deeper fits of laughter.

“—is that supposed to be a laugh?”

“—what a creepy buck!”

The buck smiled, nodding his head up and down.

It was working!  It was working!

Wiping the tears from his eye, the blue stallion was the first to recover, pointing a hoof toward the buck and the mangled carcass beside him.

“Fuckin’ a’, dough.  You a fuckin’ junkie or sometin’?  I ain’t never seen chems do sometin’ like dat back dere.”

The buck felt another surge of energy leap through his chest.  He continued to nod, the pony’s words falling on deaf ears.

The white stallion let out a wicked cackle from behind.

“You're wasting your time, Deuce!  The buck probably fried his brain with whatever he’s been taking!  We should see if he has any more on him!”

The red mare shook her head, grinning a she raised a hoof in the buck’s direction.

“I doubt it.  I don’t even see any saddlebags on him.  Dumb buck has probably been tripping for days.”

The three ponies took a few steps forward, their earlier argument forgotten.  Though the three continued to keep their weapons trained in the buck’s general direction, the tension in their frames had faded somewhat.

The blue stallion turned back to face the buck again, nodding back toward the road they'd come down.

“You a raider?  Which clan you with?”

The buck nodded.  The stallion sighed.

“Clan?  Outfit?  You a merc?  A scav?”

The buck’s smile grew.  

This conversation was going so well!

The one-eyed stallion sighed again, facehoofing as the other two ponies slapped their hooves against their flanks in laughter.

“Fuckin'—name?  You gotta name at least?  Name?  Name?”

Name?

The buck blinked.

The stallion seemed to want something from him, but he couldn’t understand what.  His memory of words was still cloudy.  Hazy.  Spotty at best.

The buck shook his head, his smile reasserting itself.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t understand.  The ponies here were talking to him!  Laughing with him!   Smiling with him!  

Even if he couldn’t understand their words.  Their intentions.  They were here.  Together.  He wasn’t alone.

Faint echoes filled the buck’s mind.  Faded memories of a past life.  Smiles.  Faces.  Laughter.  Words.  One word in particular.  A word that seemed to fit the feeling he was feeling now.

“...Happy…”

The blue stallion raised an eyebrow.  Beside him, the white stallion snorted, waving a hoof toward the buck.

“Ha!  ‘Happy’—that’s perfect!  Look at the smile on that moron’s face.”

Happy.

The buck’s eyes widened.

Happy.  Happy.  That was it.  That was the word.  That was...him.  He remembered.  He was Happy.  Happy was him.  And being Happy made him...happy.

Smile, Happy.

Happy smiled, his grin stretching across his face in earnest.  Limbs still numb, he rose to his hooves, a clumsy poing! poing! echoing around him as he began to prance and giggle to himself.


“Happy!  Happy!  Happy happy!  Happy Happy happy!”


The three ponies let lose with another round of smirks and laughter, pointing their hooves in Happy’s direction as he stumbled back and forth on numb hooves.

Everything about Happy’s body felt light.  Airy.  Weightless.

These ponies.  They liked him.   They laughed at him.  They smiled at him.  Being together with them like this, it was almost like they were all—

Happy’s eyes widened.

Friends.

A giggle escaped the buck's lips.

Friends!  Friends!  Happy had friends!

Happy blinked, ears perking up in confusion as his vision began to cloud over.  

Had it started raining?  He didn’t see any storms-clouds, but the corners of his eyes, for some reason, still felt wet.

The laughter of the ponies before him—raiders, as they seemed to call themselves—finally died down, the three lowering their weapons to their sides.  Happy watched as they began to talk again, nodding back in his direction as they spoke.

“Fuck this buck’s a dumbass.  It’s like he thinks he’s one of us.”

“Ha!  He’s a fucking riot!  I still say we torch him, but maybe after we play around with him a while.  If he could to that to a radscorp, I’d like to see how he holds up against a hellhound.”

The blue stallion paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“Ya know, some of da settlements out West have been hirin’ on more mercs lately.  Tradin’ & whatnot.  Dem fuckers got good gear on ‘em if you can wear ‘em down.  A big clan can usually take out a wagon no problem, but findin’ food for dat many mouths out dat way is a bitch.”

The stallion glanced over his shoulder, motioning in Happy’s direction.

“Dumb bag of teeth like dat one could be a good distraction for us, dough.  Send ‘im in.  Clean up what’s left when dey got deir backs turned.”

The two other ponies exchanged a glance, grins appearing on each of their faces.

“—Seems he might be useful for something after all.”

“—I wonder if they’ve got any mercs with flamer fuel on ‘em.  Or maybe one of those machetes you can light on fire.”

Happy continued to nod.  He wasn’t sure what they were saying, but the three ponies seemed to be talking about him.  The fact they were doing so with smiles on their faces...it was all he could do to avoid breaking out in another fit of giggles.

The red mare glanced in Happy's direction, waving a hoof at him as she nodded to the other two.

“What kind of cutie mark is that for a junkie scav though?  Fucking weird if you ask me.”

Happy tilted his head, his gaze following that of the red mare’s down to his flank.  Eyes widening in realization, he leaned forward, pulling the torn fabric beneath his barding back into place, covering the patch of fur than had been exposed during the earlier struggle.

His ears drooped down, a faint discomfort filling his chest.  He averted his gaze, the excitement in his chest dimming for a moment.

The white stallion smirked.

“Couldn’t be any stupider than having a loudspeaker strapped to your ass.”

“Fuck you, Gas-breath!”

“Ha!  Right back at you, Hoof Clipper!”

Happy exhaled, a faint sense of relief washing over him as he looked back at the other three ponies.

It was strange hearing lively conversation like this in the background.  Different from the quiet winds of the wastes or the distant sounds of feral roars and gunfire.  Everything seemed more colorful—more vibrant—than it was when he was alone.

Happy nodded to himself.

With friends like these, he could keep moving.  Even if other ponies didn’t smile back the same way they did.  Even if the voice took over from time to time.

The buck nodded as he looked over the three once more.

With friends like these, he could be happy again.  And being happy...

The buck smiled.

...and being Happy was what suited him best.


*****
> Chapter 12: Calm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 12: Calm

"You gotta shaaare...You gotta caaare..."


***


Happy was frustrated.

The gray buck had been playing cards-games with Gilly all morning.  After Serenity had gotten back just a little after day-sky, he'd thought they'd be able to spend some time together right away.  Instead, she'd asked him to be a good buck and play with Gilly for a little while while she talked with Red and Valentine.  At this point, it was already getting close to lunch.

Happy looked down at the cards his in hooves and frowned.

He still couldn’t understand it.

He knew cards.  He’d seen his clanmates use them before.  Papery, picturey things that didn’t taste very good but were fun to mix around with his hooves and scatter into the air like leaves.

Granted, his clanmates hadn’t seemed to like it very much when he did either of those things.

The cards that Gilly had showed him were similar to the ones they had used.  Little rectangles with tiny blue swirls on one side and picture-art on the other.

Happy liked the pictures on Gilly’s deck more than his clanmates’ though.  They were bright.  Shiny.  Most of them had a picture of a pink, poofy-haired she-pony dressed in different costumes, wigs, and mustaches—a big, cheesy smile on her face in every picture.

The fact the card’s eyes seemed to follow his as they moved was really fun, too.  He especially liked it when they blinked.  Most pictures he looked at didn’t do that!

That said, Happy couldn’t understand it.

The red filly said they were playing Go-Fishes.

Happy hadn’t seen any fishes around.  The pink pony wasn’t holding any fishes in the pictures, either.

Gilly had told him that the word-letters and number-letters were the fishes.  But that just seemed silly to Happy.  Word-letters weren’t fishes.  They couldn’t even swim without getting soggy.  Or zappy, if they were terminals-word-letters.

The rules weren’t any better.   

The red filly would ask if he had any three-fishes or four-fishes, and then look at the cards in his hooves before adding one of them to her pile.  But when Happy tried to look at her pile, she’d pull them back in her hooves and tell him not to be a cheater-pony.  And sometimes when he did ask she had any eight-fishes or princess-fishes, she would look away and tell him “noooo….” even if she did!

Happy shook his head.

Cards-games were confusing.  He couldn’t understand them.

“Gilly?  Happy?  You two doing okay back there?”

Happy groaned, letting out a faint hmmph as he plopped down onto his stomach.  He could see the red filly’s eyes light up across from him as she sprung up from her side of the rug.

He watched her dart over to Valentine’s side—the lavender mare standing in the doorway that led to the next room.

“Mommy!  Mommy!  We were playing Go Fish!”

Gilly bounced up and down in excitement.

“I won like a million million times!  Did I do good?  Did I do good?”

The filly's voice cracked on the last word, making Happy’s ears twitch.

The gray buck furrowed his brow, grumbling as he batted at the cards in front of him with a hoof.

“Gilly-filly word-letters Happy smart book-ponies…”

It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t good at cards-games.  How could he compete with a filly who knew all fifteen word-letters like Gilly said she did?  He didn’t even know how many teens fifteens was!

He could see Valentine glance in his direction, the older mare offering him a warm smile.  

Happy responded with a glum wave of his hoof.

Valentine wasn’t quite the same as Serenity, but Happy still thought she was a nice-pony to be around.  She was a bit quieter than Red was—a calm-pony—and her hoof-pats were a lot less head-spinny. 

The mare turned her attention back toward Gilly.

“Gilly, you know Happy is Serenity’s friend, right?  Make sure you play some games that he can have fun playing, too.”

Happy could see the filly’s ears droop as she let out a sigh.

“Yes, Mommy.”

A few moments later, her ears perked up, her excitement returning as if nothing had happened.

“Are you and Daddy and Serenity finished talking?  Can we go out to see the brahmin again today?”

Happy could see Valentine smile again, running a hoof through the filly’s mane.

“Just about, dear.  Just about.  Your Daddy and Serenity just had a couple more things to talk over.  They should be finishing up soon.”

“Okayyy…..”

Despite his grumblings, Happy couldn’t help but share the filly’s sentiment.  Serenity had been gone the last few day-nights as it was.  He’d been waiting to see her for a while.

Happy shook his head.

He still needed to make plans for his surprise party later tonight.  For his clanmates and Red.  But talking to Serenity was important, too.  Especially since she'd been so busy, lately.

The gray buck sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

It was hard work, being a trader-pony.  He still liked it better than being a raider, but he wasn’t used to having such a busy schedule.

Tiredness aside, Happy giggled at the thought of the party.

He still couldn’t wait.  After they met Red, he could have his clanmates meet Serenity, too, and all the other ponies in town.  He’d probably have them meet Fleet Hoof and Mabel last, though.  Warehouse, too.  They were kind of grumpy ponies, sometimes.

Happy glanced back down at the cards at his hooves.  He could see all the fish-pairs that Gilly had made on her side—some of which had word-letters that didn’t seem to match, despite what she’d told Happy.

He shook his head again.

He still liked the picture-art, though, even if the game had been confusing.  The pink pony on each of the cards seemed like she was having a lot of fun.

The gray buck giggled.  He hoped he and all his friends—his clanmates and the ponies here at Creaky Bend—could have that much fun, too.  The gray skies always seemed brighter when everypony was smiling.

Happy's eyes shifted over to the one card that had been set off to the side, away from the rest of the deck.  The jokester card, Gilly had called it.  It was the only fish-card of its kind, without any other fish-cards that matched it.  

The pink mare in the picture was wearing a bright red ball on her nose and a droopy, pointed hat with jingly-bells attached to it.  Her clothes were more colorful in this picture-art, too, with stripes and spots in all the colors of the rainbow.

Happy tilted his head to the side.

Though the pink mare was smiling in this picture, too—her eyes closed with wide grin underneath—something about her smile didn’t quite feel right to Happy.  It was less cheerful, somehow.  Lonelier.  As if there was a sadsness she was trying to hide.

Happy picked up the card, looking at it more closely in his hoof.  Gilly continued to bounce around excitedly at Valentine’s hooves on the other side of the room, their conversation a hum in the background.

Happy nodded.

He could understand how the card felt.  It was hard being a different-fish from everypony else.  He knew that, too.  There were a lot of things that came easy to other ponies that didn’t come easy to him.

He patted the pink mare’s head.

It would be okay, though.  She might be different than the other card-ponies, but they all lived in the same cards-box.  She’d have plenty of chances to play with them.  If he and Gilly played Go-Fishes next time, he’d make sure she got to play, too.  Maybe he’d even bring Serenity and his clanmates next time!  Red and Valentine could join in as well.

Happy blinked.

He could see the card staring back up at him, the pink mare’s sad grin now a frown.  Her poofy mane had gone somewhat flat, the brightness of her coat now a faded pink.  Happy could see her glance over his shoulder before looking back at Happy, a look of resignation—sadsness—on her face.

“Well if it isn’t the two prettiest mares I know!”

Happy glanced over his shoulder.  Red had appeared in the doorway behind Valentine, a wide smile on his face.

“Daddy!"

Seeing him appear, Gilly bounced up off the floor, her legs wrapping around the earth stallion’s neck as she scrambled onto his shoulders.  Red’s laugh echoed through the house as he stepped forward, raising a hoof to tussle the filly’s mane as he gave Valentine a kiss on the cheek.

Gilly’s chattering continued as she bounced on his back.

“Are you finished?  Are you finished?”

Red nodded, still chuckling, lowering his hoof back to the ground.

“All done, Gilly-filly.”

The filly squeaked, wrapping her father’s neck in another hug.  Happy’s eyes shifted toward the doorway as he saw another figure, a yellow unicorn mare, step through as well.

Serenity!

Mirroring Gilly’s bounce step for step, Happy bounded over to Serenity’s side, the floorboards creaking a bit more heavily beneath him that they had for the filly.  He could see a smile break over the mare’s face as he approached, a giggle bubbling out from his lips as she reached out to tussle his mane with a hoof.

“Hey, Happy.  Thanks for being patient.”

Happy bobbed his head, an empty rattling noise echoing through the room.

He’d wait as long as he needed to for Serenity.  He was a big pony, after all.

Happy could hear Red and Valentine chuckle at his side—the stallion’s deeper voice and the mare’s more soothing one forming a gentle harmony.

“Sorry to steal her from ya so soon, son.  I know you’ve been looking forward to her getting back.”

He nodded toward Serenity.

“Just had a bit of work talk we needed to get figured out.  She’s all yours now, though.”

Serenity smiled, nodding back at the stallion.  Happy tilted his head.  

Though her smile was genuine, Serenity looked a bit more tired than usual.  There were dark lines at the corners of her eyes.

Happy nudged her shoulder with a hoof.  Serenity replied with another tussle of his mane.

“I’m alright, Happy.  Just didn’t sleep very well, that’s all.  I’ll be okay.”

The gray buck nodded, a bit of relief settling in.  If Serenity said so, then it was probably true.

Beside them, Valentine took a couple steps forward, giving Gilly a small nuzzle from atop her perch on Red's back before glancing back at Serenity as well.

“That being said, make sure take the rest of the day off, dear.  You’ve been working hard, lately.  You should get some rest."

Happy could see Serenity sigh, a small smile breaking over her face.

“I will, Valentine.  I will.  Don’t worry.”

Red chuckled from behind his wife.

“It’s our job to worry ‘bout ya, little missy.  Surprised you haven’t figured that out by now.”

A few more minutes of idle chatter resumed, the voices of the three ponies trading back and forth between Gilly's interjections.

Remembering the card from earlier, Happy trotted back over toward the rug.  Picking it back up in his hoof, it look like the jokester had returned to the way it had been before—the faintly somber smile still etched on its face.

Happy gave the picture-mare a heads-pat with his hoof.

It was alright.  Everything would work out.  Both she and Happy were both in Creaky Bends now, after all.

“Happy?  You coming?”

The gray buck turned, beaming as he nodded in Serenity’s direction.  Offering him another tired smile, she waved toward the doorway, saying her last goodbyes to Red, Valentine, and Gilly.

Setting the card back in the deck, Happy trotted back after the mare.

They had a busy-fun afternoon of resting ahead of them.  And then, after that—

Happy giggled.

He couldn’t wait.


***


“You’re sure full of energy today, aren’t you, Happy?”

Happy nodded, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.  It was hard not to be excited when Serenity was there.

Serenity chuckled, rubbing a tired eye with her hoof.

“Sorry I’m not more fun to be around today.  Things in Red Star...didn’t quite go as planned.”

Happy tilted his head to the side.  

A bit of worry had worked its way into Serenity’s expression, alongside the tired.  Sensing that he’d picked up on it, the mare smiled again, waving a hoof back and forth.

“It's alright, Happy.  Silver Stripes is just being a bit more of a hoof-for-brains than usual.  Making more demands.  Waving around the Black Saddles, now that he has them on his payroll…”

Catching her own expression faltering again, Serenity waved her hoof a little harder.

“It’ll be fine.  We’ve had rough patches with him before.  I’m sure we’ll get through it.”

She glanced back up at the buck.

“What do you want to do today, though, Happy?  Sounds like I’ve got the rest of the day off whether I like it or not.”

She chuckled again.  Happy could feel his ears perk up.  He liked it better when she was happy, too.

Serenity nodded toward the settlement.

“Want to go try some of the food stalls?  There’s a couple partner caravans in town today dropping in to trade supplies."

She grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"Might get our hooves on something good.”

Happy nodded, giggling in excitement.

He always liked trying new kinds of treats.  As long as it wasn’t oats or plastic, some of the pony food here in Creaky Bend was actually pretty good.  He especially liked the trashes-bins of food that ponies left out behind some of their settle-houses.  Sometimes they even came with a free rads-roach or rads-rat!

Serenity smiled back, the worry from her face having faded.  Leading the way, she nodded back toward Happy, pointing out a few different wagons that had pulled up into the open area at the town’s center.

Happy followed her gaze as she led him around.  The streets were busier than they usually were—most of the ponies in town seemed to be out and about.  Talking.  Laughing.  Trading with the wagons that had come in to show their wares.  The smell of fried vegetables and baked goods wafted through the air—both of which made Happy’s mouth water.

Serenity seemed to enjoy his reaction, chuckling as she led them from stall to stall.  Counting out a few caps here and there, she and Happy made their way around the square, trying out things from each vendor as they went along.

Deep fried carrots, noodles-cups, tatos-on-a-stick—while they were a little different than the food Happy would have usually went for, they were actually pretty tasty.  The fact he was eating them with Serenity at his side made them that much better.  By the time they'd finished their circuit, Happy could feel his belly bulging beneath him.

The gray buck let out a satisfied sigh.

He hadn’t been this full-full in ages.  Eating lunch-snacks with Serenity was the best.

At his side, Serenity smiled again, giving him a little nudge.

“Looks like someone enjoyed themselves.”

“Gzzmmm…hahaha”

Happy nodded, plopping down onto his haunches to lean against one of the empty stalls.  He really had.

“Serenity?  Is that you?”

Glancing up, Happy could see a red unicorn mare a few years older than Serenity glance down from atop one of the wagons, her wavy mane a deep shade of purple.  An image of a glinting red jewel shone from her flanks, set against a backdrop of twinkling stars.

Serenity flashed the mare a smile.

“Ruby!  Didn’t expect to see you here.  Don’t you have a settlement to run?”

The red unicorn mare smiled back, waving a hoof.

“They’ll be fine.  Brisk Bristle should be able to keep the peace for a few days.  Just thought I’d take the opportunity to stop down here and talk with Red and Valentine myself, seeing how Creak Bend’ll be taking care of our shipments from now on.”

She grinned, flashing Serenity a wink.

“You sure I can't convince you to come work for me before we start running product?  I can offer you twice the caps that those two are paying.  Lodging at the Saddle Shack, too.”

Serenity waved a hoof.

“Thanks for the offer as always, Ruby.  I think I’ll stay put for now.  Valentine could use the extra set of hooves to make sure Red doesn't go getting himself in over his head."

The older mare sighed, shrugging as she smiled.

“Well, can’t blame a mare for trying.”

Happy blinked as the mare’s eyes shifted to him.  She tilted her head to the side.

“Who’s the new face?  New hire?  Coltfriend?”

Serenity trotted over to Happy, tapping a hoof to his shoulder.

“The first one, Ruby.  This is Happy.  He’s a little new to settlement life, but we’re having him do loading work for Warehouse.”

The buck could feel himself blush as Serenity’s eyes briefly met his before glancing back toward Ruby.

“He’s a bit of a goof sometimes, but he’s a hard worker.  I think he’ll be a good fit for it.”

The other mare smiled, nodding toward Happy in turn.

“Well, Happy, consider yourself a lucky buck to get hooves-on training from a mare like Serenity.  There’s a lot of bucks and mares back in Bronco City who’d like to be in your hooves right about now.”

“Ruby...”

Happy’s eyes widened as he saw a faint blush cross Serenity’s cheeks as well.

The mare atop the wagon laughed.

“That modest act doesn’t help, you know.  Just adds to the charm.”

She shook her head, nodding back toward the cargo behind her.

“That said, I hate to interrupt you on your lunch-date, but if you have a few minutes to spare, I wouldn’t mind talking about a few things real quick.  Sounds like Red and Val are already think of putting you on lead for the route, if I’m not mistaken.”

Serenity nodded, her tone shifting to business as she pushed her tiredness to the side.

“I have a few minutes, Ruby.  That should be alright.”

She glanced back at Happy, tilting her head to the side.

“You alright if I talk with Ruby for a little bit, Happy?  It shouldn’t take long.”

Nodding with conviction, Happy saluted.

He was a trader-pony now, too.  He knew how these things went.  He and Serenity would still have plenty of time to talk and play afterwards.

Serenity smiled, nodding back toward the buck.

“Sounds good.  You stay here for just a little bit, then.  I’ll be right back.”

Happy held his salute, watching as Serenity hopped up onto the wagon beside the other mare.  He could see the two of them disappear inside, trading words back and forth as their voices settled back in with the general hum of the background.

Watching them disappear, Happy sighed, dropping his hoof back to the ground.  He rubbed at his stomach with the other, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the wooden frame behind him.

Though it had gotten off to a bit of a frustrating start, today was shaping up to be a pretty good day-day.  The gray skies were brighter than they were some days, ponies were out and about having a good time, and Happy had a full stomach.  This was the good life.

Happy lifted a hoof toward the sky.

It was hard to believe that only a...however long ago it had been...he’d been stumbling through the wastes.  Sad.  Alone.  No sign of his friends in sight.

Since meeting Serenity, though, things had gotten so much better.  His new career was taking off.  He was remembering things again.  The voice hadn’t spoken to him in weeks.

Happy nodded to himself.

This was nice.  He’d keep working hard, so that he could make Serenity and the others proud to call him their friend-pony.

A sudden chill rolled down Happy’s spine—a cold wind blowing in across his neck and shoulders.

The buck glanced around.  The air around him had gone quiet.  Still.  A thick fog had begun drifting up into the air.

Happy glanced to either side of him.  The street suddenly seemed empty of ponies, empty stalls and storefronts staring vacantly in his direction.  He couldn’t see the wagon that Serenity and Ruby had disappeared into.

Happy could feel gooses-bumps starting to rise on his legs.

Where had they gone?  Serenity?  The Creaky Bends ponies?  What was going on here?

A faint, squeaking noise suddenly met the buck’s ears, another chill running down his spine.

Turning slowly, he glanced down the misty street, a dark silhouette taking shape behind the swirling wisps of fog as he looked.

The shape was that of a wagon.  Uncovered.  Empty.  A lone silhouette hunched forward in the seat at its front.  It was drawn by another figure with two heads—a brahmin—the mount itself eerily quiet as the wagon grew steadily closer.

Happy swallow-gulped.

As it emerged from the fog, Happy could see several long, faded bands of purple—parallel stripes—painted across the wagon’s front, the coloring faded with age.  Images of lightning bolts had been painted onto the old wooden planks as well.  They were just as faded.  Prewar.

Its driver was mostly obscured beneath a faded, brown, pocketed trenchcoat and fedora.  The driver's gaze was downcast as it held the reins before it.  Mottled, skeletal looking hooves protruded out from beneath its sleeves.

The driver's ears and muzzle had the same mottled appearance—the brownish yellow hues of a corpse, as well as the gauntness of one.  Its eyes were hidden in the shadow of the hat's brim.

Clinking quietly at its side—attached to the leather belt it wore across its waist—Happy could see a number of dulled silvery implements.  A key.  A knife.  A hairpin.  A fork.

Happy’s eyes went wide at the sight of the four-pronged utensil.  He could feel his hooves go cold.

Slowly, the figure’s wagon moved toward him through the haze, the steady clop clop clop of the Brahmin’s hooves echoing through the street.

Sweating visibly, Happy watched the wagon pass in front of him, its wheels creaking as it lurched to a stop.  There was a moment of silence.  Happy could hear his hearts-beats.  See his breath.  But there were no such sounds or sights from the figure in front of him.

A dry, raspy chuckle seemed to filter in from nowhere.  The driver's gaze was still hidden beneath the brim of its hat as it remained facing forward.  

“Interesting…”

The figure shifted back, the sound of twisting leather following its movements.

“What do I look like to you, wasteland buck?”

Happy couldn’t respond.  His eyes were locked on the figure’s hat.

The figure chuckled again.  Its scratchy, papery laughs seemed to drift in through the air from all directions.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that reaction.  Most ponies don’t tend to pay me much notice these days.  No matter how often I visit them.”

The figure smiled beneath the brim of its hat.  Happy could see the muscles in its jaws shifting beneath the gaunt remnants of its hide.

“I was just stopping in a bit early.  To see how things were coming along.  Always looking for customers.  You know how it goes.”

Happy didn’t respond.  His eyes had shifted to the figure’s mottled hide.  The markings on its wagon.

The figure tilted its head in Happy’s direction before shifting back.

“You have the look of a good customer on you.  They're harder to find these days, good customers.  With as few ponies as there are around anymore, and all."

His laughter echoed out a third time.

“I suppose that happens when business is good, though.”

There was a dense thump as something hit the ground in front of Happy.  He looked down.

A pistol sat there in the dirt before him.  Small.  Scratched. Dull with age.  Its mouthgrip was well worn.

“Go ahead and hold onto that one.  No caps necessary.  Consider it an investment.”

Happy blinked, staring back up at the figure.  He could see it reach a hoof into the pocket of its coat, pulling out a box of thin, white and yellow sticks.  Procuring a lighter with its other hoof, it lit the stick’s end, bringing it to its lips and taking a long drag.

“I’ll come collect when the time’s right.”   

It grinned behind its cigarette.

“Don’t worry about finding me.  I’ll find you.”

With a silent tug of the reins, the cart lurched, resuming its slow, creaky plod forward across the barren street and into the fog.  Happy could see a faint trail of smoke following behind the head of the figure, the faint red ember of the cigarette glowing at its side.  The banks of moisture rolled in once more, the figure and its wagon once again becoming a silhouette before disappearing completely.

Glancing down, Happy could see the small prewar pistol at his hooves still sitting in the dust.   

Pushing off of his haunches, he glanced back down the street.

It was empty.  The figure and the wagon were nowhere to be seen.

Happy glanced back down, picking the weapon up with a hoof.

He’d seen them before.  Bang-guns.  The normal kind that didn’t zap.  Deuce had used one back when Happy was with the rest of his clan.  A lot of the ponies they’d chased and ambushed had had them, too.   

Even Victor, here in Creaky Bend, had one.  Though most of the other ponies here didn’t.  They were dangerous, Serenity had told him.  That’s why Red and Valentine had made it against the rules to carry them around town.

Happy poked at it with a hoof, spinning the little circle-wheel on its side.

Was there a reason the wagon-pony had given him this?  He didn’t understand.

“Happy?  Find something over there?”

Happy blinked, Serenity’s voice pulling him from his stupor.

Glancing around in confusion, Happy could see her staring back down at him from atop the wagon, tilting her head to one side.

His eyes darted back toward the settlement.

Everypony else was back there too.  He could hear them talking.  Laughing.  Smell all the foods he and Serenity had just eaten on the air.

Happy glanced back down at his hooves.  The bang-gun was still there.

“Happy?”

Happy’s eyes widened.

He wasn’t supposed to have one of those.

Sudden panic gripping the buck’s limbs, he fumbled around with his hooves, shoving the prewar artifact into one of the larger pockets of his jumps-suit.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Serenity nod back into the carriage, saying her goodbyes to Ruby.   

He glanced back down at his hooves.   

The sandy imprint of the bang-gun was still there, plainly visible.

Happy’s eyes widened again.   

He jumped forward, flapping his hooves in front of him in a whirlwind of gray and blue.  Clouds of dust immediately began to billow up in front of him, sending him into a fit of coughing and hacking as the sand filled his mouth and nose.  He could hear a few, sudden shouts from the stalls down the road as the cloud billowed out in all directions, stall vendors darting forward to shield their wares.

“Happy—*cough cough*—Happy!  What’s wrong?”

Happy blinked, squinting through sandy, watery eyes as he held a hoof to his lips.  He could see Serenity making a similar pose amid the sandstorm before him, reaching out in his direction with a hoof.

“Happy.”

The buck could feel a hoof on his shoulder.  He met Serenity’s blue-green eyes.  She coughed into her hoof again, shaking her head as she cleared some of the dust away.  Her braided mane and hair loops shifted with the motion.

“What’s going on, Happy?  Is something wrong?  You know you shouldn’t be making messes like that with everyone this close by— right?”

Happy opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

The confusing encounter with the wagon-pony and his sudden, hoofjerk scramble to hide the bang-gun had thrown him off.

Happy glanced back toward the clearing streets.  He could see a number of ponies, now covered in a thin layer of dust, glaring back in his direction, the sounds of muttering rising up from the crowd.

The buck swallowed and glanced back at Serenity.  She looked back at him expectantly, her expression a bit stern, but genuinely concerned.

Happy tugged on the collar of his jumps-suit.  His nervouses were acting up again.  He didn’t want to lie to Serenity, but it was hard to tell the truth with all the other ponies looking their way.

He hung his head.

“Sorry-sorry Happy Serenity dust-billows Creaky Bend wagon-carts lunch…”

He could at least say he was sorry though.  He hadn’t meant to ruin their day together.

In front of him, he could hear Serenity sigh, the sensation of a hoof brushing off his mane following a moment later.

“What am I going to do with you, Happy?  I can’t get after you if you’re going to apologize like that, can I?”

Happy glanced back up.  He could see Serenity smiling back at him as she finished dusting him off.

“Let’s go say sorry to everypony else, too.  They’re the ones we really should be apologizing to.”

Happy nodded, a faint twinge of guilt in his chest as they started the process of stopping stall to stall.  Hiding something like this from Serenity didn’t feel very good.  But at this point, the idea of bringing it up again had started to feel awkward.  Maybe he’d try again later.  When there were less other-ponies around to listen in.

Midday had shifted into afternoon by the time they left the center plaza.  The wind had picked up a bit, bringing a cold breeze with it.  Some of the clouds out to the east had started growing darker.  The smell of coming rain was on the air.

It would be a little while yet until it started though, Happy figured.  He was usually pretty good at telling these things.

At his side, he could see Serenity glancing up toward the sky, a small frown on her face.  She seemed to be mulling something over, trying to figure out how to factor in the coming storm with her plans.

After a few moments she seemed to come to a decision.

“Happy, want to come over to my place for a bit?  I was thinking we could go for a walk out to the old Red Racer outpost, but it looks like it might start raining soon.”

Happy blinked, taking a moment to register what the mare had said.

Serenity’s place?  Did she mean the beds-bunk where she slept?

Da-dunk.

A puff of smoke shot out from each of the buck’s ears, his cheeks flushing warm.

With Serenity gone, it had been a while since the da-dunks had hit in full force.  This one had caught him by surprise.

Glancing back toward Serenity, he rubbed at the back of his neck with a hoof.  It was difficult to meet her gaze for some reason.  The best he could do was reply with a small nod.

Serenity chuckled.

“It’s alright, Happy.  It might be the mare’s dorm, but you can still come over.”

Happy nodded, still unable to meet Serenity in the eye.  His heart was beating in his chest and his stomach felt like it was full of flappy, pink insect creatures.

Happy followed the mare to the outside edge of the settlement, toward the door of the other bunkhouse in Creek Bend.  It was the she-pony bunkhouse—Happy had seen Serenity and the other mares disappear into it whenever it was time for sleep.  He’d never been in there before himself, though.  Being a he-pony and all.

As they stepped in through the front door, Happy glanced around.  It was similar to the bunks-house Happy slept in.  Bigger, compared to the narrow diner he and his clanmates had lived in, with a larger living area and a narrow hallway that led back to a few small rooms.  Two on each side, two sets of bunks-beds in each.

Serenity led Happy back to one of the farther rooms, waving at a few of the other mares inside as they trotted past.  Happy could see a few uncomfortable stares follow him as he passed, a bit if his nervouses from earlier starting to act up again.  Sticking close to the yellow mare, he followed her into the room, letting out a small sigh of relief as she closed the door behind them.

Glancing around, Happy couldn’t see any other mares in the room.  Only two of the beds—the bottom bunks on either side—had sheets and pillows, the other two mattresses resting vacant above.

Serenity trotted over to the bed on the left.  The cot there had been made nice and neat, the yellow brown sheet straightened and a hoof-made corkboard beside it littered with small notes and drawings.  Happy could see one or two that reminded him of the crayons-set that Gilly shared with him one time.  Though the wax sticks hadn’t tasted very good, they made really pretty colors on paper.

Beyond the bed, Happy could see a small trunk and bed-table, the latter lit by the glow of Serenity’s magic as she levitated a match in its direction.  There was a faint fwitch as a small flame joined the dim glow of Serenity’s magic, the orange flicker growing as it took to the oil.  The mare extinguished the light from her own magic, sitting back down on the bed with a sigh.

Glancing back at Happy and his self-conscious expression, she laughed, waving a hoof toward the other bunk.

“It’s alright, Happy.  Diamond Jewel’s out on a route for the next couple of days.  You aren’t in anypony’s way.”

She tapped the bed beside her.

“Feel free to take a seat, too.”

Happy could feel his cheeks grow red again.  It wasn’t just the other mares' presence that had been making Happy feel self-conscious.  The fact that this was Serenity’s bunks-bed…

He shook his head.

Pushing aside his hesitation, Happy trotted over to the bed, gingerly placing a hoof on it.  It was springy.  Comfy.  The blanket seemed nice and fluffy like his.

Casting one more sidelong glance at Serenity, he slowly climbed up to take a seat beside her, the bed beneath them shifting a bit as he settled in a couple hooves away.  He couldn’t help but pick up on the scent of the room as he settled into place.  The whole bunks-bed smelled like Serenity.

The buck’s blush deepened a little.

"Sorry it’s not more exciting, Happy.  I end up spending a lot more time out and about than in here, so I haven’t got around to decorating much.”

She nodded toward the adjacent bed.  Happy could see the other cot had a few more trappings than Serenity’s.  Pink, transparent curtains that draped down from the bunk above.  A faintly cracked prewar mirror.  Pink and red flowers cut from paper and tacked into the walls at even intervals.

“Diamond’s really good with her hooves.  She makes all sorts of things for everyone here in town when she’s not out on her runs.”

Happy nodded, his mind drifting to the state of his own bunks-bedroom.  He was the only pony in his room at the moment, so there wasn’t much in the way of extra furniture besides the beds themselves.   

The clothes and barding he’d worn when he’d originally came to Creaky Bends were scattered around the room.  Throwing them around and chasing after them was one of his pastimes when he was bored.

Happy made a mental note.

He’d have to pick up some more throw-clothes of his own to spruce the place up.

Beside him, Serenity shifted back, resting on her stomach as she folded her legs beneath her.  Following her lead, Happy did the same, the cot once again shifting as they settled into place.  Happy could feel his heart rate picking up again—their proximity and the situation making it difficult not to fidget.

He could see Serenity close her eyes, the dark, tired lines underneath them still visible in the low light.

"What a day.”

She cracked an eye back open, staring back at Happy.

“Things go well with Gilly this morning?”

Happy tipped his head to the side.  Losing Go-Fishes so many times hadn’t been much fun, but in the end, it was just a cards-game.

He bobbed his head, eyes widening as he realized he was shifting the whole cot with his movements.

Serenity laughed from beside him.

“Silly buck.”

Happy watched as another shimmer of magic surrounded Serenity’s horn, this one encapsulating the braids of her mane and tail.  Staring with transfixed eyes, the buck watched as the braids unraveled in the air behind her, the gold rings at their ends drifting down onto the table next to her.  As the magic faded, her mane fell back over her neck and shoulders.  Straight.  Smooth.  Silky.  Long.

Da-dunk.

Happy smacked a hoof against his chest.

Not right now!  Serenity would hear-hear.

The buck glanced back to his side as Serenity looked back at him, a few wispy strands of mane falling over one of her eyes.  She brushed them back with a hoof, glancing up at him with a smile as she rested her head against the bed.

“You ever think about the future, Happy?  Things you’d like to do someday?”

Happy brought his hooves together in front of him.  Unable to figure out where to put his eyes—they kept drifting toward the mare at his side—he closed them, trying to focus on Serenity’s question.

He’d never been much of a plan-pony.  It had been hard enough for him to remember things up until recently.  Now that he was here though, working in Creaky Bend, things were clearer.

He brought a hoof to his chin in thought.

The idea of thinking aheads-of-times was still hard to grasp.  There was enough to focus on in the presents.

Happy tapped his hoof.

But if he could stay here in Creaky Bends—with Serenity and the others—and become a better loader-pony...that would be pretty nice.

The buck giggled.  The thought was an exciting one.

Serenity let out another small laugh at his side, prompting the buck to glance back in her direction.  He could see her prop her cheek up on a hoof, another strand of mane falling back over her eye.

“Well, at least it seems like you’re thinking about it.  That’s good.”

She stretched, settling back down as she hung a hoof over the edge of the bed.

“I want to see Creek Bend do well with Red and Valentine.  I know things have already been going well so far, but I think we can get even bigger.  Even better.”

She nodded to the empty room around them.

“Those two deserve it.  Gilly, too.  They’re good ponies.  Gave me and everypony else here another chance.  I’m not sure where I’d be without them.  Probably…”

The mare trailed off, a few moments passing before she seemed to move on.

“Making that deal with Ruby should be a good start, though.  Bronco City’s a big route.  With that much trade coming through, the caravan should start growing in no time.”

A small smile broke across her face.

“I can’t wait to see Red start running more orientation courses for everyone.  He tends to do those when we get more than a couple hooves in at a time.”

Happy could feel the bed shift as the mare chuckled.

“All those bucks and mares getting run ragged—you’d think they were training soldiers like in one of those old radio dramas.”

Despite the blush in his cheeks, Happy smiled.

Sleepy Serenity was a Serenity he hadn’t seen before.  But although her laughs were a little quieter, she was still the same mare.  Thoughtful.  Warm.  Fun to be around.

Da-dunk.

Happy could still feel his heart beating faster than usual, but the nervouses had faded.  He couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else but here with her.

He could see Serenity’s blinks grow longer, her eyes eventually remaining closed with her hoof still draped over the edge of the bed.  Her breathing began to slow as well, her back gently rising and falling as she drifted off to sleep.

Outside, Happy could hear the wind beginning to pick up, the little light that came through the shuttered window fading as the skies began to darken.

He hadn’t felt particularly sleepy when they’d first arrived at the bunks-house, but given the atmosphere, he could start to feel a similar tug at his own eyelids.

He settled down onto his stomach as well, watching the mare sleep next to him.

He nodded to himself.

Wherever future-Happy ended up, whatever future-Happy did, as long as he did it at Serenity’s side, that would be good enough for him.

The buck closed his eyes, feeling sleep starting to take him as well.  Planning for the future—even in short bursts—was hard work, after all.

He smiled, letting out one last sigh.

Falling asleep next to Serenity in her beds-bunk.  What a lucky pony he was.





****


Perk(?) Added

Mysterious Stranger:  A ghoul.  A wagon.  A fork.  A gun.

Your SMALL GUNS skill is increased by 10.

You gain the attention and “investment” of a traveling stranger, intentions unknown.  As to what it wants and when it will ask for it?  Only time will tell.
> Chapter 13: Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 13: Storm

"Is inside a tree really the best place to be in a lightning storm?"


*****


"—Happy?”

The gray colt blinked, glancing up from the tiny, green-spotted beetle crawling across his hoof.  His ears twitched, shifting  toward the source of the sound.

"—Happy?  Are you coming?"

The colt glanced over his shoulder, prompting the tiny insect to flare its wings and fly off.  He could see his mother on the other side of the small clearing, her light blue coat standing out against the deep greens and browns of the forest behind her.  He hadn't realized she'd been calling for him.

Turning away from the small stand of ferns he'd been inspecting, he nodded back to her.

“Yes, Mother.”

The mare smiled at his response, her green eyes warm and gentle.  He watched as she trotted over to his side, setting down the small basket she’d been carrying in her hooves and giving his mane a tussle.

“Did you wait here the whole time like I asked?”

The colt nodded.

“Mm.”

The mare smiled again, closing her eyes as she knelt forward to kiss his forehead.  The colt giggled as the dark blue wisps of her mane not woven into her braid tickled his ears.  

Following up with a gentle nuzzle, his mother pulled back, chuckling in turn.

“That’s my little Happy.  Are you ready to head home?”

"Mm!"

The colt nodded again, smiling back at her.  

If it was time to head back, that meant it was almost dinner time.  He loved helping his mother make dinner.  As long as it wasn't oats.  He didn't like them very much.

Returning his nod with one of her own, his mother tilted her head, motioning to the forest.

“Do you remember which way it is?”

The colt beamed, his tiny chest puffing up in pride.  He nodded more forcefully.

"Mm!"

His mother smiled.

“Lead the way, then, Happy.”

Excitement welling in his chest, the colt scrambled to his hooves, slowing for a moment to pick up the small, stuffed bear at his side and place it carefully onto his back.  It had been a gift for his birthday.  His mother had made it especially for him.

Glancing back up, the colt’s eyes scanned the trees around him.  

It was darker here—this deep in the forest—but there was still enough light to see by during the day.  He and his mother came here often to gather herbs and flowers.

Though it was still dangerous to travel at night, this part of the forest was safer than others.  That's what all the other ponies in the village said.  For some reason, the monsters didn't seem to come here.  Or near the village.  Something about an old curse that kept them away.  His mother had told him it was a blessing, though.  Something that protected them.

The colt’s eyes found their way to a familiar looking tree at the edge of the clearing.  A large “x” had been carved into one of its lower branches, the marking itself well weathered.

The trail home.  Marked for them to follow like it always was.

With a grin, the colt darted toward the marker, brushing aside some of the taller grass to reveal the narrow path just beyond it.  He could hear his mother let out another gentle laugh behind him, stepping forward to follow.

Though they'd walked this path many times before, the forest was always different every time they visited.  

The plants.  The wind.  The bugs.  The flowers.  There was always something new to explore.  A new sight the colt had never seen.  He liked living close by.

The colt didn’t remember much of his old home.  Only that it was gray.  And dreary.  And that a lot of angry, mean looking ponies would visit from time to time.  Sometimes they'd yell at the ponies that lived there and ask them for caps.  Other times, if the ponies didn't have any caps to give them, they'd take them away in chains.

Brushing the memory aside, the colt forged ahead—but not too far—glancing back at his mother every so often.  She smiled back and waved every time he did so, the continued reassurance bringing another smile to his face.

There weren’t many other foals in the village.  Most of them were older than he was.  None of them really seemed to like him.  But as long as he could spend time with his mother, the colt didn’t mind.

As long as she was there, he could be happy.

As long as she was there, he would be safe.

As long as she was there…things would be alright.


*****


Happy was in a meadow.

He could feel the warmth of the big yellow sky-circle on his back.  Taste the scent of the morning dew in the air.  Whole herds of pink, flappy insects fluttered above the vibrant green grass surrounding him, small groups of brahmin grazing idly nearby.

The buck's eyes widened.  

It was just like in the pictures-book he'd seen when he was a little Happy.  Bright.  Clear.  Warm.

With a giddy yelp, the buck leapt forward, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.  His hooves bounded in time with the slow, waltzing melody that had started to play in the air around him.

♫ Poing poing poing poing poing! ♫

♫ Poing poing!  Poing poing! ♫

Happy grinned, leaning down to sniff a cartoonish, pink flower.  

It smelled just like fresh, deep-fried tatoes.

He giggled, bounding forward once more.

♫ Poing poing poing poing poing! ♫

A giant replica of his bunks-bed had appeared before him, the buck's eyes immediately zeroing in on the new target.  Bounding onto it without hesitation, he flew up into the sky, his lips flapping in the wind

♫ Flip flap!  Flap flip! ♫

“Happy!”

Glancing down at the field, Happy's face brightened.  He could see Serenity waving up at him from below, a smile on her face.  All the other ponies from Creaky Bend were there waving, too—Red, Valentine, Gilly, Victor.  

"—Keep up the good work, son!"

"—Make sure you land safely, dear."

"—Can I try flying, too, Mommy?"

"—Zats some good height for a pony, Happy. "

Just behind them, he could see his clanmates as well, clapping their hooves and pointing up in his direction.

“—Oye dere, mutt!  Dat’s some good flying!”

“—I guess that buck isn’t a total loser.”

“—That’s way cooler than my spikes!”

Happy waved back, giggling with excitement.  

All of his friends had come to see him!

“Happy!”

Reaching the top of his arc, Happy's eyes shifted right.  He could see another mare just a little distance off, waving up to him as well.  She had a light blue coat and darker blue mane, the image of a white flower resting on her flank.  He couldn’t make out her eyes for some reason though.  They were dark.  Hidden in shadow.

Happy tilted his head to the side, the wind shifting as he started to fall back down to the meadow below.   

Did he know a she-pony that looked like that?

After a moment, Happy shrugged, giggling to himself and waving back.  

Oh well.  Anypony who was a smiley-pony like her must be fun to be around.

Aiming for one of the groups of bhramin below, Happy landed, bouncing from cow to cow in time with the music.

♫ “Moo moo moo moo moo!” ♫

♫ “Moo moo!”  “Moo moo!” ♫

He bounded back to the ground, smiling widely as all his friends came up to meet him, forming a half circle around him in the grass.  He giggled as Red threw a foreleg around his shoulder while Serenity tussled his mane, the blue mare watching with a smile from close by as everypony else cheered and waved in his direction.

Happy nodded, letting out another giddy yelp of excitement.

Being around all his friends like this was the best!

Laughing at his outburst, he could see all his friends step forward, lifting him over their heads.  Cheering in time with the music, they tossed him back up into the air, the buck's stomach tingling with every shift in direction.

♫ “Hip hip hip hoo-ray!” ♫

♫ “Hoo-ray!”  “Hoo-ray!” ♫

Happy giggled at the sensation, closing his eyes once again to bask in the sky-circle's warmth.  He couldn't remember ever being this happy before.

Again reaching the height of his arc, he started to rush back down, smiling to himself as he stretched his legs out wide.   

He had no doubt the ponies below would catch him, after all.


Whumph!


“Zzzmphhmmm...?”

Happy cracked open a groggy eye, his head spinning from the impact with the floorboards beneath him.  He blinked slowly, the room around him blurry and dark.

Where was he again?

The buck rubbed his eyes, glancing around a second time.  

He could see the furnishings of a small, upside-down room around him, a set of beds-bunks on either side.  The one across from him was covered with thin, pink curtains, the one behind him curtainless with a yellow blanket.

He tilted his head, feeling it rub against the floorboards.

This wasn’t his room.

Eyes widening, Happy could feel his center of balance start to shift, his back legs sliding off the bed behind him.  With a faint yipe! he listed forward, his head spinning as he tumbled onto his stomach.

A second whumph! echoed through the room.

“Heh...heh.”

The buck giggled at the dizzy sensation.  Though the room was kind of spinny now, at least it wasn’t upsides-downs anymore.

He glanced back at the bed he’d rolled off from.  Though it hadn’t been his beds-bunk, it had been plenty comfy.  He felt more rested than usual, despite the rude awakening.

"Mmmn..."

The buck's ears twitched, his gaze drifting toward the head of the bed.  His eyes widened as he took in the sight of another pony, a mare, shifting in her sleep.

Serenity?

The buck blinked.

Just a few hooves away, he could see Serenity sleeping, her back rising and falling as she lay there, eyes closed.  Her lips were faintly parted, her long, red mane falling over her eyes and shifting gently with each breath.  Her forelegs were stretched out before her, the dark circles beneath her eyes still present as she slept peacefully.

Da-dunk.

Happy shook his head, a blush forming in his cheeks.

How had he gotten here again?  He couldn’t remember.  Why were he and Serenity sharing a beds-bunk?

He could feel his cheeks grow warmer.

Tap.  Tat-ta-tap.

Happy’s eyes darted toward the shuttered window, watching it shake against its frame. He could hear a strong wind blowing past outside, a faint chill present in the air.  From the dim light he could see filtering through the slats, it was getting close to nights-time.

Happy exhaled, the memories slowly returning.

That’s right.  He and Serenity had been eating lunch-snacks together before it had gotten stormy.  Their walk back.  Their talk.  Her sleepy smile.  It was coming back to him.

He glanced back at Serenity, his eyes slowly drifting across her sleeping form.

He blushed again.

Wait a second.

Happy shook the blush away, tilting his head to the side.  A thought had suddenly come to him.

Nights-time?  Wasn’t there something he was supposed to be doing before nights-time came?  Something he was supposed to finish?

He scratched his head.

He felt like it was important.

The buck's eyes widened in realization a moment later.

His clanmates.  The surprise party.  Red.

Happy’s back straightened in alarm.  His eyes darted back toward the window.

It would be dark-dark soon!  His friends were out there waiting for him!

The gray buck brought his hooves to his cheeks, tugging them downwards.

He hadn’t gathered any of the supplies for the party at all!  No balloons, no horns, no radroach-shaped party cakes—he didn’t even have streamers to wave around!

He shook his head back and forth, trying to push back the panic rising in his chest.

Inviting Red, getting the party ready—he didn’t have time for both.  It would be Dark-dark soon and he didn’t want his friends to worry where he’d gone.  The party was supposed to be for them, after all.

He shook his head again.

Making sure that Red was there was the most important thing.  As much fun as it would have been to have decorations and treats, they would have to wait until next time.

The gray buck nodded to himself.

Mm.  First things first.  Find Red.  Find his friends.  Everything would work out from there.

Happy glanced back at Serenity, her sleeping form still resting on the bed next to him.  He could feel a bit of hesitance at the thought of leaving.  Would she be lonely-sads if she woke up and he wasn't there?

He gave himself another nod.

He’d make sure to come right back after everything was done.  Even if she had woken up by then, he’d tell her he was sorry-sorry and make sure to make it up to her.  Maybe they could go for a walk-talk to that outs-post she’d mentioned from before, once the weather cleared up.

Rising quietly to his hooves, the buck took a step backwards, wincing as the floorboard beneath him let out a loud creak.  He could see Serenity shift slightly, her even breaths breaking for a moment.

He froze in place, lifting his hoof back up from the floor.  His cheeks poofed out to each side as he held his breath.

After a few moments, Serenity’s steady breathing resumed, her mane shifting slightly with each breath.

Happy sighed in relief, wiping his brow with a hoof.  Careful to step over the creaky slat, he crept over the door, quietly pushing it open and sneaking out into the hall.   The mares from earlier had returned to their own rooms, not noticing as the buck quietly made his way to the door and exited the bunkhouse.

Closing the front door, Happy sighed again, bringing a hoof to his chest.  He winced a moment later as a strong wind whipped across his face, the sleeves of his jumpsuit flapping.  Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Happy frowned, glancing up toward the sky.

The scent of rain was stronger now.  The rains-clouds would be here soon.  He hoped he had enough time to find Red before they arrived.

Squinting through the wind, Happy could only see a few ponies outside, most holding a hoof in front of them as they made their way into the other settle-houses.  He could still see a few figures moving around next to a small line of wagons near Warehouse's boxcar—their voices hard to make out as the wind carried them away.   

Happy was pretty sure he could see Warehouse among the ponies there, as well as one or two of the other loader-ponies he'd worked with before.  He could see them struggling against the wind with their heads down, ferrying crates from the wagons to the boxcar's open door.

“Keep them crates coming, foalks!  Almost there!  Careful not to let the wind catch ya!”

Happy’s eyes widened.  

Glancing toward the back of the farthest wagon, he could see Red stepping out from behind it.  The stallion smiled, nodding to the other ponies around him as he balanced the crates on his back with a hoof.

Red!  There he was!

Happy sighed, some of his tension fading.  Finding Red this quickly made things easier.

Plip.

Happy raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his shoulder.  He could see a small, round spot on the sleeve of his jumpsuit, the tiny patch cold and wet against his coat.

Plip.

Happy blinked.  Another cold drip.  This time just above his right eye.

Plip plip plip.

Happy’s eyes widened, then squeezed shut again, the sensation of heavy raindrops pattering against his head and face.  He could see the ponies near the boxcar shield their eyes as they glanced up at the sky ahead of him, their eyes widening as well.

Red’s voice called out again, harder to hear against the plips and plaps of the rain that had started to fall.

“Double time, foalks!  Let’s get this wagon train a-movin’!  Five minutes, in and out!”

Happy cast a nervous glance toward the hillside, furrowing his brow.

Would his friends still come if it was raining?

Memories of Deuce, Rowdy, and Scalper cursing as the four of them ducked into an abandoned bookstore to get out of the rain flashed across his mind.

“—Fuckin’ skysweat.  Shit.  I tink it got in one of da barrels.”

“—Fuck!  That stupid buck splashed mud all over my barding!”

“—My spikes!  My spikes!”

Happy shook his head.  He knew his clanmates didn’t like the rain.

Pushing the thought aside, Happy started forward, breaking into a canter toward the warehouse.  He could see the ponies moving faster now, shielding their manes and eyes as best as they could as they continued unloading.  He could feel the earth growing damp beneath his hooves. 

Red continued to shout out encouragement, all while hefting twice as much as anypony else, balancing multiple crates on his broad shoulders at a time.

“Watch your hooves, there, Dew Drop!  You, too, Clover.  Don’t need no colts or fillies knocking on Fleet Hoof’s door at this hour.”

Happy could see Red turn as he approached, a wide smile breaking over the stallion's face behind his beard.

“Happy!  There ya are!  We were wonderin’ where you and Ser got off to.”

Happy offered the stallion a quick nod before shaking his head, glancing back toward the hillside.  

He knew Red liked his smalls-talks, but they had to hurry.  If they took too long, he wasn't sure his friends would wait for—

Thump.

The gray buck’s eyes widened as he felt a hoof wrap around his barrel, lifting him fully up off the ground a moment later.  He could hear Red chuckle above the sound of the rain as he was carried backwards toward the line of wagons in the crook of the stallion's foreleg

“Just the pony we needed!  Extra set of hooves should help make sure we get those crates inside lickity-split.”

"Gnngh!"

Happy shook his head, struggling against the stallion’s grasp as he pointed behind them.

His clanmates!  They were waiting!  What if they got tired of waiting in the rain?  What if they'd already left by the time they'd got there?  What if—

With another thump Happy felt himself deposited back onto the wet ground next to one of the wagons.  Small patches of water had already begun to pool at this point, soaking into the legs of his jumpsuit.

Happy swiveled around to see Red slide a few more crates onto the shoulders of the other rushing ponies, nodding and grinning as he directed them back toward the boxcar.  The rain and wind didn't seem to phase him.

Happy took a breath, trying to organize his thoughts.

It was Red’s job to be a trader-pony.  Happy knew that.  He was a trader-pony now, too.  It was their job to make sure the caravans ran on time.

The buck took a deep breath, nodding to himself.

He knew his friends were waiting, but...he would help with the wagon, too.  

Part of being a good pony—a not-raider—was helping out when other ponies needed it.

Sliding in to intercept one of the crates from the back of a tired-looking Warehouse, Happy nodded up at Red.  The bigger stallion grinned in return, shifting the wooden box onto his shoulders.

“That’s the spirit, son!  Let’s get these crates movin'.”

Happy nodded.  If he wanted to show his clanmates how to be a good trader-pony, he had to be one, too.

He spared a glanced back toward the dimming hillside as he galloped toward the boxcar, moving as quickly as he could with the crate on his back.

He just had to have faith that his clanmates would wait for them.  That they wouldn't leave because of the rain.  

They were his friends, after all.  They would wait for him—wouldn't they?

Like Red had said, with the extra set of hooves, unloading the rest of the wagon didn’t take long.  Most of the wooden containers were fairly light—full of dried food supplies and fabrics—the heavier ones easily dealt with by Red himself.  By the time ten minutes had passed, Warehouse had already shifted back into his inventory role, tallying the last few crates as the other ponies dropped them off inside.

There was a collective sigh from the group—Happy included—a few tired grumbles breaking into the air beneath the boxcar's awning.  The rain was growing steadily heavier as time wore on.  Not quite coming down in sheets, yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Slicking his wet mane back with a hoof, Red laughed as he approached, one of the bucks in front of him- lurching forward as the larger stallion gave him a firm pat on the back.

“Good work there, y’all.  Earned them caps tonight, each and every one of ya.  Next time Rainy Tree comes through with another shipment, have a round on me, ya hear?”

A couple tired cheers rose up from the group—present, if a bit half hearted.   There was a general sense of recognition of Red's words, though.  Even the expressions of those who’d been grumbling seemed to lighten a bit, small smiles breaking across their faces.

Happy could feel a smile break across his muzzle as well, more in pride than anything else.  There was something about working together side-by-side with other ponies to finish a job that felt nice.

Despite the warm feeling, however, Happy glanced back at Red, then back toward the ridge.  It was too dark to make out anything clearly at this point.   He knew the rocks they were supposed to meet at were there, though.  Just out of sight.

The buck glanced down at his hooves.

The question was, were his friends still there, too?

Happy watched as Red waved to the other ponies, a few of them waving back as they started back towards the other settle-houses.  Happy could see the stallion wave to Warehouse in turn, nodding as the two of them trotted over toward one of the piles of crates.

Happy shook his head, steeling himself.

He didn’t want to interrupt Red and Warehouse's inventory-talk, but this was important.  Now that the wagon-boxes were where they needed to be, they needed to find his friends before it was too late.

Trotting up to Red’s side, Happy nudged the stallion's shoulder with his head.

Both Red and Warehouse turned, the larger stallion raising an eyebrow as he craned his neck down to meet Happy face to face.

“Hey there, Happy.  Somethin’ wrong?”

Happy blinked, glancing over at Warehouse out of the corner of his eye.  He could see the brown stallion regarding him and Red with a confused stare of his own, clipboard and pencil fixed firmly in his hooves.

Happy could feel a small twinge of self-consciousness.  He remembered the stares of the other townsponies earlier in the day.

He waved the memory away with a hoof.  

Turning back to Red, he nodded his head, pointing back to the ridge.  It was already past the time they were supposed to meet.

The larger stallion tilted his head, glancing in the direction of the buck's hoof before looking back.

“Happy?  Somethin’ up?”

Happy shook his head, pointing with a bit more urgency.  He could feel another twinge of discomfort as Warehouse raised an eyebrow.  

The stares and grumbles of the townsfoalk came rushing back again.  The faces of the mares at Serenity's bunks-house, too.   He struggled to speak.

“Happy rock-rain...hills-rocks...friends…friends-rocks—”

The buck shook his head, raising a hoof to his temple.  He could feel himself getting frustrated—unable to find the right words to convey his thoughts.  

Noticing his discomfort, Red reached out, resting a hoof on Happy’s shoulder.  The gesture was gentle for Red—the buck's back barely cracked.  Happy glanced back up in Red's direction, watching the stallion turn back to Warehouse.

“Say there, Warehouse.  Could you see about finishin’ up the rest?  Seems Happy here has somethin’ important he’d like to talk about.”

Happy watched Warehouse’s eyes shift in his direction, his gaze hesitant.  After a moment, he glanced back toward Red, shrugging as he nodded toward the crates.

"Uh, sure thing, Red.  I’ll...I’ll get right to it.”

“You’re a good pony, Warehouse.”

Red let out a chuckle, lifting his hoof from Happy's shoulder to pat Warehouse on the back.  Happy could see the smaller stallion's eyes widen as he stumbled forward, juggling the clipboard and pencil in his hooves to avoid dropping them.  Straightening his tie, he stood back up, nodding back to Red.

“Of course.  Any—*cough cough*—anytime.”

Dusting off his cufflinks, he gave Red and Happy an awkward nod and turned back into the boxcar, stepping over one pile of crates toward another that had been dropped further inside.

Red’s hoof returned to Happy’s shoulder with the usual thump.  He turned to meet Happy’s gaze, a warm smile breaking over his bearded face.

“Alright there, son.  No need to fret.  Just take a little breath.  We all get a little stage fright from time to time.”

Happy nodded, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.  His racing thoughts and the sound of rain around him were still a little distracting, but with just him and Red here, it was easier to focus.  He could feel his shoulders relax a little.

Red nodded in front of him.

“Good job.  Now—”

Happy’s eyes opened as he felt Red give his shoulder a nudge.  The stallion met his gaze.

“—what’s on your mind?”

Happy nodded, focusing his thoughts inward.  He wasn’t very good at speaking them aloud—most ponies besides Serenity didn’t seem to understand him very well.  If there was anyone who came close though, it was Red.

Happy took another breath.

“Happy...friends-friends…Red meet...rocks by...day-dark…”

Happy could see the stallion raise an eyebrow.  He could feel another twinge of frustration in his forehead.

Why couldn’t he talk better?  Everypony else seemed to be able to use their words just fine.  He wished he could do the same, especially at important times like this.

“Red...come-come...meet...friends-friends...rocks-by...rain-rocks—ggghmm!”

Happy squeezed his eyes shut, scratching at his mane with a hoof.

There was too much going on in his mind.  The rain.  The wind.  Trying to speak.  Trying not to worry about whether his friends would still be there waiting or not.  Remembering the disappointed looks he'd gotten lately.

The gray buck winced as he felt Red’s hoof land on his head, trapping his hoof in place.  Another deep chuckle met his ears, prompting the buck to crack open his eyes once more.

Red gave his mane a tussle, the motion rattling Happy’s skull as usual.

“It’s alright there, Happy.  It’s alright.  You’ll get there, son.  I didn’t quite catch everything you had to say, but you want me to come with you, right?  To see somepony?”

Happy’s eyes widened, the frustration in the back of his mind falling away.  

He nodded in excitement—anticipation.

Red had understood!  Mostly, at least.

Slipping back out from under Red’s hoof and into the rain, Happy nodded, pointing in the direction of the ridgeline.  

Just a couple minutes.  They could still make it.  Before his friends decided to leave.

Red chuckled, dropping his hoof back to the ground.

“Alright, alright.  Hold your horses.”

His cheerful grin unhampered by the rain, Red started off after him, his hooves sending ripples across the small puddles of water that had started to rise in the streets.  Giving the larger stallion another nod of excitement, Happy started forward as well, glancing back over his shoulder periodically as Red followed suit.  The scene felt oddly familiar to Happy.

He shook the thought away.  Had to focus.  Had to get to his friends.

He could already feel the muddy earth starting to grip at his hooves as they trotted, but he ignored it.  Nothing was going to slow him down at this point.  He could jump in the puddles later.

As quickly as the larger stallion would follow him, Happy trotted out past the edge of the settlement, his eyes scanning the obscured ridgeline for any signs of movement.  The rain and darkness made it difficult to see more than fifty hooves ahead, occasional flashes of distant lightning providing faint outlines and silhouettes to orient himself by.

Happy could still feel the tension in his shoulder.  Excitement was still there, too, but his anxiety hadn't left him.

His friends had left him once before.  But that had been an accident, right?  They’d gotten lost, right?  If they knew he was coming this time, they wouldn't just leave without saying anything, would they?

An anxious giggle escaped the buck’s lips.  He opened his eyes wider, despite the rain, trying to peer through the darkness ahead.

Another flash, followed by a distant roll of thunder.

Happy’s eyes lit up.  There!  He could see the outlines of the fallen rocks, just ahead.

He glanced back over his shoulder, making sure Red was still there behind him.  The red stallion regarded him with another nod, holding a hoof up to his forehead to shield his eyes from the rain.

"You're good there, son.  Lead the way."

Happy smiled.

Good!  Good!  Things were coming together!

Splashing forward through the mud, Happy made his way toward the biggest rock—the same one he’d met his friends at the night before.  Excitement starting to overpower his doubts, he could feel his grin grow wider.

He was almost there.  Almost back to them.

Water and mud splashed over his jumpsuit as he shifted into a full gallop.  He barely noticed it.  The rock was just up ahead.

Another giggle.  He was nervous.  Excited.  Nervouscited.

His old friends.  His new friends.  They would all be together.  And be happy.  Just like in his dream.  That’s what Happy wanted more than anything.  To be surrounded by his friends.  To see them, smiling, every day.  To not be alone anymore.

Reaching the front of the rock, Happy bounded forward, the eagerness in his chest coming to a peak.  He couldn't hold back his feelings any longer.

“Friends!  Friends!  Happy from-back Red-Red with—”

The buck stopped in his tracks, his voice going silent.

The other side of the rock was empty.

Happy stared forward in silence, the rain continuing to fall from above.  He could feel it dripping off his muzzle and onto the ground, joining the wet earth and rocks beneath him.

They weren’t here.

Happy could feel the excitement in his chest wane, his shoulders slumping.  

The smile faded from his lips.

There were no signs of his clanmates.  No Deuce.  No Rowdy.  No Scalper.  Only empty field and dirt.  Only rain and puddles.

No smiles.  No laughter.  No friends.

Happy slowly settled back onto his haunches, the mud sucking at his jumpsuit.  His hooves felt numb, as did his whole body.  

He felt...empty.

The faint sound of splashing hooves followed a few moments later.  A large shadow appeared at his side.  The buck could hear Red's breathing, sensing the stallion's gaze as it passed over the empty field in front of them.

Despite the numbness that had settled in, Happy winced.  He could imagine the look of confusion and disappointment in Red's face.  There was nopony here, after all.

A few moments passed in silence—the sound of the storm drifting into the background.  Eyes still set on the empty earth at his hooves, Happy could sense Red's gaze shift over to him, looking him over from the side.

After a few more moments, the red stallion spoke up.

“Seems somepony that was supposed to be here didn’t show up?”

Happy nodded dimly.  

There was another pause.  

A few moments later, Happy could hear a heavy splash beside him.  Glancing up, he could see that Red had dropped down onto his haunches as well, staring down at him with a small smile.

“That happens, sometimes, I s’pose.  Life has away of throwin’ a broken wheel at your wagon from time to time.”

Happy nodded dimly.

He felt like he’d broken all his wagons-wheels at once.

The gray buck could feel a hoof on his shoulder a moment later.  It was heavy, as usual, but placed there with more restraint than Red usually showed.

“Ya know, Happy.  There was a time when I was in a bit of a rut as well.  When it came to getting along with other ponies and all.”

Happy tilted his head back, glancing up at Red’s profile.  The stallion regarded him with a nod.

“Fresh off the farm—or at least what my old stallion liked to call a farm—I had a bit of an ornery streak in me.  Thought I was tough tatoes.”

He chuckled.

“First few years on my own were a bit of an eye-opener.  Hadn’t realized how good I’d had it back home.  Half the ponies I met wouldn’t give me the time of day.  Other half were happy to give me a good beating whenever I thought it’d be a good idea to run my mouth.”

Happy raised an eyebrow.  

It was hard to imagine a stallion as friendly and smiley as Red making other ponies angry.

The stallion patted him on the back.

“Things just didn’t go right for a while.  Couldn’t hold a job.  Couldn’t find a town to settle down in.  The few bucks and mares I thought I’d been friends with growin’ up were happy to high-tail it and run at the first sign of trouble.”

He chuckled again.

“Not that I can blame ‘em.  I doubt I’d have risked my hide for them if they were in a pinch back then, either.”

Happy tilted his head.  

Friends.  It seemed Red had had other friends before coming to Creek Bend, too.

The stallion glanced back down to face him.  More thunder rumbled in from the distance.  Though the rain wasn’t letting up, it seemed the worst of the storm was passing through farther north.

“Long story short, I found some good ponies with good heads on their shoulders.  Ponies that took the cowpies I was throwin’ and whipped ‘em right back in my face.  Showed me what bein’ true friends was.  Showed me what it meant to have each others’ backs.”

Happy glanced at the stallion’s hoof resting on his shoulders.  They shifted as Red pointed toward the settlement.

“Val was the one that got that hoof of mine in the door.  If it weren’t for her, I’d probably be pushing up daffodils by now.”

He looked back down at Happy.

“What I’m tryin’ to say here, Happy, is that things’ll get better.  Surround yourself with good foalks that care about ya, treat ‘em right, and you’ll get by.  Times might get rough—and there’ll still be those out there who might not like ya much or try to put one over on ya—but as long as you’ve got those ponies to come home to, you’ll make it.”

He gave the gray buck another pat.

“Like I said before, Ser’s good foalk.  Victor, too.  We all have our rough patches.  Just keep looking out for each other.  You’ll get by.”

Happy nodded slowly.  He could understand the jist of what Red was saying.  

While it hurt that his clanmates weren’t here...he still had Serenity.  And Victor.  And Red here and his family.  Maybe one day he could be better friends with ponies like Warehouse and Fleet Hoof, too.

He wasn’t alone anymore, and the ponies here really cared about him.  With them at his side, he could get by.  Make it through.  Even if he got strange looks from other ponies, sometimes.  Even if he was still learning how things worked.

He nodded a bit more sternly.

He’d keep doing his best.  Like he had been.  He’d do what he could to help everypony else, just like they’d been helping him.

Happy blinked, glancing up in surprise as Red laughed beside him.

“That’s a good expression you’ve got there, Happy.  The look of a good, hardworking buck.  Makes me wish I’d have figured things out for myself as quick as you did.”

Happy smiled, a small flush of pride filling his chest.

It wasn’t everyday somepony told him he was quicker to figure things out than they were.  Maybe he was a smart-pony, after all.

Red’s back-pats returned in full force this time, the buck smiling as he felt the heavy thumps echo and vibrate through his torso.

“Alrighty.  What say we head in for now?  Get outta this rain?  Val’s got some good food cooking up for supper from this last shipment—we can even holler out Serenity’s way if she’s up for it.”

Happy bobbed his head, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he smiled.

Food sounded good.  Food with Serenity, Red, and Valentine sounded even better.  Having slept or worked the better part of the afternoon away, he could feel his belly-rumbles starting up again.

Red flashed him another smile.

“Alright, then.  Let’s head on back.”

Cla-chink.

“—Might wanna retink dat, big pone.”

Happy’s ears twitched, his eyes darting back behind them.   He could sense Red turning to look in the same direction—their gazes coming to rest on a figure standing a few lengths back.  

A stallion.  His blue coat drenched.  His hoof racking the double barreled pistol in his mouth grip.  One eye covered with a rough looking eyepatch.

A couple hooves to his side, there was a red unicorn mare as well, her waterlogged, green mane falling in wet strands over her eyes.  There was a faint hum in the air as a small, plasticy looking pistol hovered at her side in  the midst of an emerald glow.  It seemed to list slightly, as if the mare wasn’t used to handling it.

Happy’s eyes widened—the brief moment of shock and confusion giving way to a surge of excitement in his chest.

His friends!

Splurch splurch!

Happy bounced back onto all fours, his hooves sinking into the muddy earth beneath him.   His jumps-suit was covered in it at this point, but he barely noticed.  

His friends were here!  They had come!  He appreciated the comforting sit-talk Red had given him, but it looked like he wouldn’t have to forget about them after all!

The buck’s eyes widened again.

That’s right! Red was here!  Now he could meet Happy’s friends, too!

Happy bounced into the air, giggling as he turned toward the stallion at his side.

“Red-Red Happy friends rain-meet here-here!”

Happy could see Red rise to his hooves as well, staring up at Happy’s clanmates a few hooves away.  The stallion’s earlier smile had shifted into a faint frown of confusion—his eyes moving back and forth between the two new arrivals.

There was another moment of silence—the sound of heavy rain and distant thunder filling the void.  After a moment, Red shifted forward to raise a hoof, Deuce cutting him off as he nodded forward with his piece.

“—No funny business.  Keep dose ‘ooves where I can see ‘em.”

Happy could see Red lower his foreleg to the ground, straightening his back.  Both stallions remained silent after that.  A sense of unease—tension—had settled into the air.

Happy blinked, tilting his head.

He’d expected more smiles for a first meeting.  Laughter.  Was this how introductions usually were?  Wasn’t Red going to have a sit-talk with his friends as well?

Happy could see Red glance upwards, his eyes searching the clouds.  After a few moments, he turned his gaze back earthward, nodding toward the two figures.  A smile—the practiced smile of a business-stallion—slowly returned to his face, his voice friendly and even as he offered the two a nod.

“Evening there, foalks.  There somethin’ I can help ya with?”

“You could say dat.”

Another pause.

Happy shifted, his smile waning slightly.

Was everything alright?  Why were his friends and Red acting so strangely?

There was another roll of distant thunder.  After a moment, Red nodded again.

“Well, I’d be happy to help in any way I can there, friend.  No trouble.  What do you say we put down the pieces for now and talk a bit?”

“Don’t tink so, big pone.  Stay where ya are.”

Happy could see Red glance down in his direction before turning back, offering his clanmates another smile.  A broader one, this time.

"Can do, friend.  Can do.  You mind if we let this here young stallion get on back to his bunk, though?  He’s been workin’ all afternoon.  I’d be happy to talk ‘bout anything you foalks’d like to—”

There was a faint chuckle from the mare, Rowdy's voice joining the conversation for the first time.  

“Isn’t that cute?  Big stallion doesn’t realize that stupid buck’s the one that brought him here for us.”

Happy could see Red pause—one of his eyebrows shifting upwards.  Keeping Happy's clanmates in his line of sight, Red shifted his focus back to Happy, his words coming a bit more slowly than they usually did.

“Happy...you know these foalks?”

Happy grinned, his smile returning as he bobbed his head up and down.  Things had gotten off to a rocky start, but maybe he could fix it starting here.

Happy could hear a snicker from Rowdy and Deuce, his own smile growing even wider.

See!  Laughing!  Smiling!  Things were already getting better.

The gray buck could see Red glance back and forth between Happy’s excited smile and the sneers of the two raiders, a look of comprehension slowly growing in his eyes.  Happy tilted his head as the larger stallion shifted his gaze back to him, a faint sadness in his expression as he smiled.

Happy blinked, the rain continuing to fall around them.

Was something wrong?  Why was Red looking at him that way?

Glancing back toward Happy's clanmates, Red offered them another nod.

“Didn’t realize you were friends of Happy’s.  He’s a good, hardworking buck.  Appreciate you looking out for him up until now.  I’m sure he’s happy to see you decided to come out all this way to visit.”

Red motioned to himself.

“You can call me Red, if you’d like.  I run things around here.  What brings you foalks here tonight?”

Deuce offered him a nod.

“We know who you are, red pone.  Stripes’d like to have a little chit-chat wit ya.”

Happy could see Red’s smile waver—his brow furrowing.  The smile on Happy's own face had faded as well.

Something didn’t feel right here.  This didn’t feel like a meeting between friends.

His eyes shifted back to Rowdy and Deuce.  

Why did they still have their bang-guns and zap-guns out, anyways?  And when had Rowdy gotten a zap-gun in the first place?  She'd never had one before.

At his side, Happy could see Red nod, closing his eyes as he continued to smile.

“I s’pose I couldn’t convince ya to give me a couple days to get things in order?  Put a caravan together to meet him with?  Stripes and I been colleagues for years—I’d be happy to talk things out with him like always.”

Happy could see Deuce shake his head across the way.

“Someone’s comin’ wit us, big pone.  If it ain’t you, den maybe dat purple wife-horse of yours’d radder make da trip.  Or maybe dat little, red filly?”

Happy could see Red’s figure tense, the big pony’s eyes narrowing.  The buck could suddenly sense a still rage radiating from his form—an emotion he’d never felt in the stallion’s aura before.  Red's smile had all but disappeared, his words suddenly growing firmer and curt.

“That’s alright, friend.  I’ll come along.”

“Good choice.”

Deuce nodded to the unicorn at his side.

“Rowdy.  Get da chains.”

With a nod, Happy could see Rowdy levitate her weapon to the holster at her side, wiping her brow as the aura of her magic dissipated.  Reaching into her saddlebags, the sound of clinking metal met the buck’s ears as she drew a length of rusted chain out by hoof.  There were five heavy bands attached to it.  

Happy remembered seeing chains like that before.  Long ago.  Before Creek Bend.  Before he’d met his clanmates.  When he was a little Happy.  Ponies had been dragged through town in chains like those.  Sad.  Scared.  Covered in bruises and scars.

His eyes widened.  

Taking a couple steps forward, he put himself between Red and his friends, eyeing the two raiders with uncertainty.

“Deuce-Deuce?  Rowdies?  Red-Red chains-clink no Happy-friend?”

The two stopped for a moment—equal looks of surprise settling over their faces.

“Since when did you start talkin’ in full sentences, mutt?”

“Did those fucking traders actually manage to teach that dumb buck something?”

Happy shook his head, glancing between the two.  He didn’t like where things were going.  Their tone.  The way they were looking at Red.  He had to make them understand.

“Red-Red Happy friend trader-pony.  Happy trader-pony.  Not-not raider.  Deuce-Rowdy Creaky Bend not-raider, too.”

Happy winced.  His head hurt.  It was hard to focus with everything going on.  But he had to say this.  They needed to understand.

The two ponies exchanged a glance.  Happy could see Rowdy raise an eyebrow and shrug, repeating the gesture in irritation a moment later as Deuce rolled his eye and glanced back.

“Outta da way, mutt.  We don’t got time ta fuck around.”

Happy could see Rowdy flash him a glare in turn, taking another step forward with the chains in hoof.

Happy could feel a brief flare of panic as he took a step back.

Why weren’t they listening?  Red was a friend.  A good pony.  Like he was now.  A not-raider.  His friends could be not-raiders, too.  That's why he'd brought them here.

He shook his head.

“Happy stop-think, Red-Red pony-friend—”

“Can it, buck!”

Happy stopped short as Rowdy snarled, pointing a hoof in his direction.

“It’s your fucking fault we had to come out here again in the middle of a fucking rainstorm.  If we hadn't ran into you last night, we coulda bagged up any one of those drunks and been on our way.”

She started forward again, looking past Happy toward Red and cursing under her breath.

“Fucking idiot.  Fucking job.  Fucking Stripes and all his fucking bullshit—”

Another flare of panic.

Happy’s eyes widened.

They weren’t listening.  Rowdy was still moving forward.  With the grab-chains.

Happy’s eyes darted back toward Red.  He could see the stallion standing there—stern faced—watching the red unicorn move in his direction.  Happy's eyes darted back to Deuce.  Rowdy.

Why were they doing this?  Red was his friend.  He could be their friend, too.

Darkness swirled in the back of the buck's mind.  Beneath the panic.  Beneath the worry.  It had been some time since he'd felt it.  A sense of urgency.  Frustration.  Anger.

Rip.  Tear.

Happy could feel his ears flatten against his skull.  He took another two steps forward—placing himself between Rowdy and Red, a low growl rising in his throat.

The mare stopped short, her expression shifting from irritated, to angry, to hesitant as she held her ground.

“…Deuce?”

Happy could see the blue stallion narrow his eye.  He met Happy’s gaze—the hairs on Happy’s neck starting to bristle.

“Mutt.  We said back da fuck down.  Dat pone’s our quarry.  He ain’t your fuckin’ playmate.”

“—Happy.”

Happy flinched, his head whipping around as he felt a hoof land on his shoulder.  His aggression immediately faded when he realized it was Red, the larger pony looking down at him with a soft smile.

"Don’t worry, son.  I appreciate the thought, but things’ll work out.  No need to get yourself shot over an old stallion like me.  Stripes and I go a ways back.  Didn’t think he’d go this far, to be honest, but I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

He smiled a bit more broadly, patting Happy on the back.  The gray buck could feel his heavy hoof rise and fall, thumping against his tense shoulders.  The buck's ears perked up a moment later as he heard the clinking of Rowdy’s chains resume, Red giving him one last nod of assurance.

“Don’t worry, Happy.  I’ll be fine.”


Don’t worry, Happy.  I’ll be fine.

I’ll be fine, Happy.  Don’t worry.

Don’t worry.

I’ll be fine.



Happy brought his hooves to his temples, his forehead dropping down into the muddy earth beneath him.  A sharp pain had pierced through the back of his skull—voices echoing in his mind.

The blue lily-pony.  The one from his dreams.  Warm.  Caring.

Her voice.  She’d said the same thing to him before.  Her words.  Red’s words.


I’ll be fine, Happy.

Don’t worry.


Another sharp pain.

Memories of the blue she-pony getting weaker and weaker.  Coughing.  Sleeping restlessly.  Staring up vacantly from the floor, a red ring of blood around her lips.


Don’t worry, Happy.

I’ll be fine.


“NO!”

Lifting his head back up from the ground with a spray of mud, Happy lunged forward through the rain, his eyes zeroing in on the two raiders before him.  His lips curled back to reveal his teeth as he let out a low, guttural, growl, arching his shoulders as he took a low stance between them and Red.

He could feel a faint prickling sensation all over his body—the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as his muscles tensed with hostility.

A few hooves away, Rowdy immediately dropped the chains, her hooves coming up in front of her in a defensive stance.  There was a faint shink as her hoofblades jutted out from their sheaths on her forelegs, her eyes locking onto his in challenge.  A pony length behind her, Deuce’s aim shifted from Red to Happy, both barrels of his namesake piece swinging in the buck’s direction.

Happy didn’t flinch.

The raiders standing before him weren’t his friends.  They were a threat.  Ponies that had come here to hurt Red.  To hurt Creek Bend.  Enemies.  Danger.

He wouldn’t let Red end up like the pony from his dreams.  He wouldn’t let any of them end up like her.  None of the ponies here in Creek Bend.  Nopony.

Another long pause hung in the air.  The rain, at this point, was pouring down even harder than it had been before, making it difficult to see Deuce and Rowdy's expressions even a few hooves away.

Deuce’s voice finally broke over the sound of pouring rain.

“Dis how it’s gonna be, mutt?  You turnin’ traitor on us?”

Happy growled again, holding the blue stallion’s stare.  He took another step forward, the muck shifting beneath his hooves.

The darkness in him seemed to be growing restless.  Frustrated.  Unable to manifest itself fully.  Inhibited by something.

Fire prickled from Happy’s muzzle.  His hooves.  His snout.  But the changes hadn’t started.

Deuce’s good eye stared back at him, narrowing further.  He continued to aim his piece in Happy’s direction, his hooves planted firmly in the ground.  Happy’s eyes darted between his and Rowdy’s—the two raiders standing there, tense, as the standoff continued.

He could smell their hesitation.  Their unease.  They knew what Happy—Angry—was capable of.

Happy’s senses remained trained on the scene before him.  Alert to any movement.  Any sound.  It was as if there was nopony that existed but the three of them, now, in this motionless scene beneath the rainwashed sky.

KRA-KOW!

Happy’s ears twitched, his eyes darting into the air.  He could hear a distant gunshot coming from the direction of the settlement—its origin obscured by rain and darkness.

His eyes widened immediately.

Serenity.  The others.

Across from him, he could see Rowdy and Deuce shift, their sudden movement drawing his eyes back to their obscured forms.

“—Da fuck was—”

“—Shit!  Was that—”

Happy growled again, taking another step forward.  The hairs on his neck were bristling at this point—the frustrated tendrils in the back of his mind surging forward with enough potency for him to hear their words.

Tear.  Slash.

He took another step, hoof digging deep into the earth.  Rowdy and Deuce immediately shifted their weapons back in his direction—their curses cut off mid-sentence.

KRA-KOW!

A second shot.  Closer this time.  The gray buck could just make out the sound of shouting in the distance.  Confusion.  A few faint bars of light appeared as doors in the settlement swung open. 

“Fuck.”

“Shit.  Deuce!”

Ahead of him, Deuce and Rowdy cursed again, their eyes darting back between Happy and the settlement.  Happy could see the blue stallion glance toward the ridgeline, gritting his teeth as he weighed his options.

His eye darted back toward the buck’s.  Happy could see it stare directly into his—frustration, anger, and...something else...mixed into the expression.

“Mutt—”

KRA-KOW!

Veeeeow-pthss!

The two stallions flinched, their eyes shooting back toward the sound of gunfire that had erupted just beyond the edge of their vision.  The sound of splashing hooves and panicked breathing had suddenly joined the sound of rainfall—the silhouette of a third figure appearing between Deuce and Rowdy.

“Fuck fuck fuck!”

The nasally voice was immediately familiar, the silhouette of a yellow, spiky-maned pony barreling into view as fast as his hooves could carry him.  The gray buck’s eyes could make out a small, plasticy looking pistol like Rowdy's clamped in his muzzle, his curses and breathing muffled.

Scalper.

Happy bristled, taking another step forward.

More enemies.  More danger.

Happy could see the yellow stallion continue to gallop frantically, his eyes darting back over his shoulder toward the distant sky.  Taking in the sight of Deuce and Rowdy ahead, Scalper’s eyes widened as he whipped his head back and forth.

“Deuce!  Rowdy!  It’s the fuckin’ griff!  The fuckin’ griff!  He’s—”

Scalper's eyes shifted back toward the scene.  

Deuce.  Rowdy.  Their weapons trained on Happy coiled in front of them.

Recognition flashed across the stallion's face.  Realization.  Sudden terror.  The look of a pony who's long held fear had become a reality.

“Oh fuck!”

Falling flat onto his haunches, Scalper skittered forward in the muck, swiveled the barrel of the energy pistol in Happy’s direction, and fired.

“—Scalps!”

“—No!  Shit!”

Time seemed to slow.

Happy could see the two other raiders throw their hooves in Scalper’s direction, but it was already too late.  Happy could hear the click of the trigger.  See the red light begin to glow at the end of the barrel.

The hampered darkness in his mind—furious, frustrated—roared in anger, calling out to him with all the hatred it could muster.

KILL!

The buck's eye twitched.  His muscles tensed.  He opened his muzzle to roar.

“—Happy, get down!”

Another voice, unexpected, called out behind the buck, breaking the buck's attention for the briefest instant.  A half second later, the buck could feel himself slam into the ground—a bulky wall of muscle pinning him into the mud below without reservation or restraint.

“Mmmgh!”

Tkzzt!

His roar stifled, the buck was dimly aware of a flash of light, the beam burrowing itself into the mass of weight above him.  The figure on his back let out a muffled grunt, collapsing forward onto him as it continued to hold him down.

Crrk!

The buck roared as he felt something in his chest snap beneath the weight.  The sensations around him were blinding.  Deafening.  Overwhelming.  

Rain.  Darkness.  Flashes of light.  The sounds of shouting.  The sensation of somepony holding him down from behind.  The voice ranting inside his head, telling him to kill.

He roared again.

What was holding him down?  Another enemy?  Had this one snuck up on him?  Was it another pony who wanted to hurt the others?

The buck could feel a vein in his forehead burst.

KILL!  KILL!

He wouldn’t let that happen.

Thrashing back and forth in his captor’s grasp, the buck managed to roll onto his back, kicking his hooves at the underside of the pony’s exposed stomach.  He could hear another muffled grunt from the figure as it tightened its grip and pressed him further into the mud, another crrk! issuing from the buck's chest as another of his ribs fractured.  It was getting difficult to breathe.

KILL!

Bellowing in rage, the buck kicked his hooves against the ground beneath him, slamming his skull against the underside of the larger pony’s jaw.  He could hear the figure grunt in pain, its head shifting upwards just long enough to expose the side of its neck.

He clamped down without hesitation.

“Gnnngh."

The buck could feel the figure on top of him tense, the taste of blood immediately filling his mouth.  Sensing that he’d hit his mark, he clamped down harder, his jaws sinking into flesh as he continued to thrash.

More sounds.  More voices.  Filling the air above him.  All but lost to him in the midst of his rage.

“Da fuck you think you’re doing, Scalps?”

“What?  That freak was gonna jump us!”

“You shot the fucking target, moron!”

“Shit!”

More distant shouts.  Lights.

“Fuck.  Dat’s it.  We’re out. Scrap da job.”

“What?  But the griff!  I nearly fucking died trying to—”

“Eat shit, Scalps.  Dis shit’s on you.  Rowdy.”

“Ugh!  Fucking good-for-nothing bucks!”

The sounds of splashing.  Galloping.  Hoof-falls disappearing toward the ridge.

The buck’s eyes widened.

No!  They were getting away.  He couldn’t let them.  He had to stop them.  Even if they did have guns.  Even if he couldn't fully change.  He didn't care if they shot him.

"Mggghh!”

The buck bit down harder into the neck of his aggressor.  He could feel blood flowing freely from the wound now.

The figure grunted again, trying to shift its stance—trying to keep him from chasing them—but the buck could feel its grip beginning to weaken.  With another kick to its abdomen, he managed to wrench himself from the figure's grasp, scrabbling out to freedom beneath the roiling sky.

His eyes immediately darted in the direction the three raiders had gone.

He had to find them.  Had to stop them.  They were a threat.  A danger.

He didn’t care about the sudden weariness in his hooves.  The pain in his chest.  The blackness at the edge of his vision.

They had to die.  He had to kill.

The buck’s ears twitched.  He could hear the flapping of rain soaked wings from above.

“—Happy?”

The buck swiveled instinctively, dropping into a low crouch as his eyes scanned the skies.  He could see another figure—birdlike, but different—descending from above, a long, glistening rifle held in its grip.

The buck’s eyes flared.

Another weapon.  Another enemy.

Kill!

The buck growled, the hairs on the back of his neck bristling once more.  His chest pounded with pain—his breaths uneven where one of his ribs had punctured his lung.  He could already feel his adrenaline being overtaken by exhaustion—fatigue.  The prickles in his muzzle were there, but he couldn’t change, no matter how furious the voice was.

“—Happy?  Vhat is wrong?  Happy?  Happy!”

The buck blinked, suddenly shifting back in confusion.

He knew that voice.  That way of speaking.

The flapping.  The wings.  The beak.

Victor-bird?

Happy slumped back onto his haunches, shaking his head.

He suddenly felt tired.  Exhausted.  The last half hour seemed like a blur.

Swooping down, Victor landed in the mud a few hooves away.  Glancing up in the griffon’s direction, Happy could see the sharpshooter step forward, his yellow eyes darting around to survey the scene.

“Happy?  Vhat happened?  Vhy are you out here?  Vhat’s going—”

Happy could see Victor’s eyes widen as they took in the sight of something over Happy’s shoulder.  Rushing past him, Happy watched the griffon sling the rifle over his back, stooping down next to a figure lying on its stomach a few hooves away.

Happy blinked, his vision still swimming.  The rain and darkness made it difficult to see.

Who was Victor sitting next to?  Another raider?  The pony that had tried to tackle him earlier?

Happy blinked again, taking a step forward.

Splurch.

What...what was going on?  Something wasn’t right here.  He was forgetting something.

Glancing down, Happy could see blood on his hooves.  His coat.

Where had that come from, again?

Across from him, he could see Victor at the figure’s side, the griffon's eyes flaring again as he pressed his talons against the figure's neck, stemming some sort of flow.  Glancing up at Happy’s approach, the griffon shook his head, motioning for the buck to come close.

“Happy!  Eet’z Red.  Somezing—”

Happy could see Victor stop short, his yellow eyes settling on the red streaks on Happy’s torso.  Almost quicker than the buck’s eyes could make out, one of the griffon’s claws whipped down to the holster at his side, drawing a small pistol and aiming it in the buck’s direction.

Happy stumbled forward, blinking in confusion.

Victor?  Why was he pointing a bang-gun at him?  What was wrong?

It took a moment for the griffon’s words to fully process.

Red?

“Vic.  Wait.”

Both Victor and Happy stopped short, their gazes shifting down to the prostrate figure at the griffon’s side.  Its voice was raspy, weak—just loud enough to make out over the sound of falling rain.

Happy’s eyes widened.

Red?

Struggling to lift his head from the mud, the red earth pony turned to the griffon, shaking his head.

“Not his fault, Vic.  Raiders.  Stripes’s.  He was tryin’ to fight them off.  He got mixed up.”

Happy could feel the color drain from his face.

Why did Red sound like that?  Why did it seem like he was hurt?  Why was Red here in the first place?

Happy could see Victor’s pistol remain trained on his position, the griffon’s face unreadable.  His other claw continued to press against Red's neck.  There was nothing but the sound of rain and distant shouts for a few moments.

From the ground, Red spoke again, his voice softer.

“Vic.  It wasn’t his fault.”

There was another pause.  Slowly, the griffon lowered his sidearm, his gaze still fixed on the buck.

Happy however, barely noticed.

Red.  Why was he... Why was—

He stumbled forward a few steps, pitching forward into the mud a few hooves away from the stallion.

That was right.  They’d come out here.  Together.  Happy was going to have him meet his friends.  Then his friends...the raiders...had shown up and...

The buck could feel a cold pit start to form in the center of his stomach.  

Lifting his head from the mud, he glanced up at the stallion again, his eyes drifting toward Victor's talons as they held a piece of cloth against the base of the earth pony’s neck.  

It was stained with crimson, the same color as the blood on Happy’s hooves and coat.

No...

Happy slumped back onto his haunches, landing in the mud beneath him.

No.  No no.

This wasn’t—

He hadn’t—

The sound of the voice from earlier telling him to get down played across his mind.  The sensation of being pushed into the mud.  The sound of laser fire hitting the figure on top of him.

Happy’s eyes shifted back to Red.  He could smell burnt flesh.  See the patch of exposed, blackened muscle in the center of the stallion's back.

Happy’s stomach dropped out from under him.

“Happy.”

His eyes moving on their own accord, Happy glanced up, meeting Red's eyes.  Green eyes.  The same color as his mother’s had been.  They stared back at him from behind a soft smile.

“It ain’t your fault, Happy.  I know you didn’t mean it.”

The stallion's eyes shifted back toward the griffon’s.

“You tell them it wasn’t his fault Vic, ya hear?”

Happy could see the griffon nod, his expression unflinching.  Red smiled in return.

“You’re a good friend, Vic.  Best a buck could ask for.  Been a pleasure workin’ with ya all these years.”

More shouts had risen up in the distance.  The sound of slamming doors.  Hooves moving in their direction.

The older stallion shifted his gaze back toward Happy.  There were dark lines beneath his eyes.  His face had paled.

He gave the buck a small nod.

“Take care of those three for me, alright?”

Happy just stared, his eyes wide.  

His hooves had gone numb.  His whole body had gone numb.  

He couldn’t process what had happened.  What was happening.

Red just smiled beneath his beard, his eyes slowly drifting shut.

"It’s alright, son.  You’ll get by.”

The stallion’s head sank back down into the mud, his wet mane falling over his eyes.  

His broad shoulders rose with one breath.  Then a second, shallower one.




Then they lay still.







***
> Intermission Chapter: Echoes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*****




[Searching...]

[Accessing Ministry of Morale Civilian Observation Files, Batch 142,707…]

[Files accessed.]

[Loading recordings....]

[Recordings loaded.]

[Playing...]


***


[Glitter Dreams, Unicorn.  Florist, Canterlot.]


“Like this?  Into the microphone?  Am I too close?  Oh.  Okay.”

“What do I think of the war?  Oh.  That’s, um…”

“It’s not a good thing, I guess?  I mean, I understand Equestria has to protect itself, but it would be nice if there was a different way to—”

[Indecipherable murmuring.]

“Oh! No no.  I'm not saying I disagree with the ministries' decision or anything.  Just that I, um...just...”

“What do I hold most dear to me?"  

"Um...my family and friends...I guess?”


***


[Almond Splash, Earth Pony.  Quills & Sofas Branch Manager, Fillydelphia.]


“Just one question?  Ugh.  Alright.  Make it quick.  I have a meeting in fifteen minutes.”

“Do I think its fair to use violence against others?  What, like the war against the fucking zebras?  Of course it is.  They started it.  You can't protect shit without soldiers and guns."  

"The ministries should just blow up their whole, damn country if you ask me.  Make things easier for the rest of us.”


***


[Blizzard Bolt, Pegasus.  Hoofball Player at Cloudsdale University, Cloudsdale.]


“What do I think of ponies that try to hide zebras?  Ha!  Bunch of turncoats if you ask me!”

“All zeebs oughta be locked up or shot.  Same with the ponies that try to cover for ‘em.  Nothing worse than a traitor.”

“If somepony I knew turned out to be working with the enemy behind my back, I’d pull the trigger on 'em myself.”


***


[Night Sugar, Unicorn.  Escort Entertainer, Manehatten]


“What’s that, dear?  A question?  I suppose I could answer a few...if you’re willing to pay for a little of my time.”

[The sound of bits changing hooves.]

“Now what is it you’d like me to answer, dear?  What I think somepony should do if they hurt someone close to them?”

“We’re all alone in the end, dear.  All relationships are just flings when you look at them in the long run.  You have no idea how many ponies I’ve heard say they’ll be 'together forever,' only to end up at each others throats after they start to find out each others' little secrets.”

“Love is just an illusion, dear.  A little story ponies tell themselves so they can sleep at night.  Something convenient for them to latch onto when things are going well.”

“Now really, dear, are we just going to stand here and talk like this all evening, or should we take this inside?" 

"Oh?  I’ll take that as a yes.”


***


[Amended File.  Flagged.]

[Glitter Dreams, Unicorn.  Florist, Canterlot]


“Oh, a followup?  Okay, I guess.  I’m not in trouble or anything, am I?”

[Indecipherable murmuring.]

“Oh.  Okay.  Okay.  Mhm.”

“What is it I fear most?  Um...being alone, I guess?  The thought of losing the ponies close to me...my mom, my dad...I’m not sure I could go on if anything happened to them.”

[Indecipherable murmuring.]

“Oh.  You want me to come with you?  To the Ministry office?  For more questioning?  You said I’m not in trouble, right?”

[Indecipherable murmuring.]

“My parents?  O-okay.  I’ll, um, I’ll come with, then.”


***


[End of recordings.]

[End of file.]




*****
> Chapter 14: Absence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 14:  Absence



"I'm sorry....I should've told you all about 'em sooner."



*****


The same dream. 


Rain.  

Thunder.  

Flashes of light.

His hooves were slick with mud.  His coat, drenched.

Figures.  Faces.  Glimpses of them through sheets of water.

“It’s alright there, son.  You’ll get through.”

“Oh look.  It’s that stupid buck.  Looks like he messed everything up again.”

“Dat it, mutt?  Turnin’ traitor on us?”

"Fuck!  It's the freak!"

"Pony?"

A gunshot.  The heavy splurch of somepony falling into the mud.

A flash of lightning.  

A silhouette.  Large.  Unmoving.  

The echo of a weak, raspy voice.

“Take care of them for me, alright?”

Another flash.  

The distant rumble of thunder.

The sound of crying.  Tears.  Numbness. Pain.

Darkness.


*****


“—Happy?”

The gray buck blinked, the fog fading from his vision.

His mind had been wandering again.

He glanced up, meeting Serenity’s eyes.   

He’d only fallen a few paces behind her, but given the rockier terrain in these parts, she was already almost out of sight.  She'd stopped at the bend in the road just ahead, glancing back at him from around one of the craggy rock faces surrounding them.

The yellow unicorn tilted her head, her braided mane shifting along her back with the motion.  She’d opted for her usual trader fatigues, today—the same pocketed, vest and red shirt she wore most of the time when she was in Creek Bend.

"You coming?"

Happy shook his head, nodding up at the mare a moment later.  The collar of his spare jumpsuit shifted on his shoulders as he did.

“Mm.  I...am.”

Serenity raised an eyebrow.  

“Just making sure.  You seem a little out of it today.”

“...sorry…”

Happy could see a wry smile break over Serenity’s face.  Trotting back over to his side, she lifted a hoof to his shoulder, his body tensing slightly at the touch.  Her blue-green eyes stared into his with a hint of concern.

“It’s nothing you have to be sorry for, Happy.  I’m just worried about you.  That’s all.”

Happy nodded slowly, not quite meeting the mare’s gaze.

“...sorry…”

The mare sighed, lifting her hoof off of Happy’s shoulder to tousle his mane.

“Hey.  That’s enough apologizing for now.  Okay?  We haven’t had a chance to go for a walk in a while.  Let’s enjoy it.”

Happy met her gaze, nodding slowly.

“Mm.  All...right.”

He could see another smile—warmer this time—break over the mare's face.

“Mm.  That’s better.  Let’s get moving.  I told Valentine we’d be back in time for dinner.”

Happy nodded again, watching the yellow unicorn start back up the road ahead.  He followed after, trailing a length behind.

Though the path was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side, he couldn't bring himself to do it.  Serenity hadn’t brought it up, either.  

Happy knew that she had probably noticed, but she seemed to be leaving the decision to him.  Even now, he could see she was keeping to the left side of the trail, leaving enough space for him to trot alongside her if he changed his mind.

Happy could feel a small pang in his chest at the thought.

He didn’t deserve to be there.  Standing next to her.  Or even spending time with her like this at all.

The buck shook his head, maintaining his pace.

It was mid-afternoon, the hazy air around them tinted brown beneath the gray sky.  Though it had rained the last few days, the ground was starting to dry out once more.  Happy could see a bit of dust kicking up at his hooves as he walked, the scent of dry earth rising up with it.

The meetup "date" that the two of them had planned for the previous night had ended up getting postponed.   There'd been a bit of confusion at the depot after the Bronco City shipment had been taken care of—something to do with a few invoicing errors one of the new hires had made.  It had been well past sunset by the time Serenity had shown up at the bunkhouse, an apologetic look on her face.

Happy frowned.

Though he felt bad remembering it, he’d actually been relieved at the time.  Maybe she would end up too busy to spend time together before she had to leave again.  

When she'd suggested they take a day trip to the Red Racer outpost today instead—the one they'd never gotten around to before—he'd wanted to say no.  But the look on the mare's face had made it impossible.

Concern.  Worry.  Happy knew that it was because of him that she was making those kinds of faces.  That she felt responsible for him, even after all she'd done for him up until now.

He glanced back up at Serenity on the road ahead, looking her over with sullen eyes.

The fact she worried that much about him only made it hurt all the worse.

Another ten minutes passed.  Twenty.  Half an hour.

The path to the outpost, though even enough, was winding, switching back on itself at regular intervals.  Happy himself hadn't spent much time this far south of the settlement.   Given how rocky the area was—almost badlands-like—he could see why most of Creek Bend's trade routes arced out to the north, east, and west.

“Ah!  Happy!  That’s it up ahead.  You see it?”

Happy glanced up, watching as Serenity turned back to meet his gaze.  He could see her point a hoof down the path ahead, which seemed to end in a wiry mess of briars at the mouth of a narrow pass.

Squinting, Happy could make out the hazy silhouette of a building's edge just beyond the opening, the better part of it obscured from his angle.  Trotting a couple hooves forward, he could make out a bit more of the small structure's profile—its wide, round windows faintly scorched and devoid of glass.  It was boxier than the diners and fueling stations that dotted the highways to the west.  It seemed to have its own small parking lot around the front, a few burnt carriage husks visible from where he stood.

Smiling as he approached, Serenity nodded, motioning back to the narrow pass.

"Try not to get caught up on the brush up ahead.  The thorns are sharper than they look."

"Mm.  I'll be...careful."

Following behind, Happy watched as Serenity trotted over to the side of the pass, gingerly pressing a hoof against one of the briar boughs, pushing it flat to the ground.  Slowly stepping forward, she shifted the weight of her hindhoof onto it in place of her forehoof, holding it down for Happy as she nodded him forward.

Happy nodded in return, trotting a few steps closer.  He could feel a faint warmth rise in his cheeks as he approached—the awkward angle bringing him close to the mare as he reached around her with a foreleg.  Placing his hoof down on the bough just behind hers, he winced as he brushed up against one of the nearby branches, the sharp spines poking through the shoulder of his jumpsuit and into his hide.

He could see Serenity glance back, wincing as well.

"You alright, Happy?"

Happy could feel the warmth in his cheeks grow as he averted his eyes, nodding again.

"It's...alright.  Just a...scratch."

The mare replied with a soft smile.

"Just watch out for the rest of them, okay?"

"Mm."

Following as the mare pushed down the next couple boughs in front of them, Happy managed to make it through the rest of the way without further incident, some of his tension fading as Serenity pulled a couple steps ahead of him.  Following her out beyond the brush, he glanced around, taking in the sight of their surroundings.

The building here was nestled into the middle of a shallow, half circle clearing, the terrain here graded and flat.   The remnants of an empty highway stretched out to either direction on the flat edge of the circle, winding and cutting through the craggy rockscape on either side where it disappeared.  

Now that they were this close, Happy could make out the shape of a fifteen hoof tall, weathered red scooter perched atop the building's roof.   Though rusted and faded, it was still largely intact, its four black-edged, white-rimmed wheels looking as if they could coast right off the roof if somepony were to give it a push.

Continuing to follow as Serenity led the way to the front lot, Happy could see a number of smaller replicas of the giant scooter—foal-sized ones—dotting the grounds.  Most were rusted and broken, but a few of them looked like they might have been fixed up at one point.  He could see rough looking welds and lengths of ropes and wood scraps holding some of them together.  One or two even had wheels that looked like they'd been cobbled together out of aluminum cans and twine.

For a brief moment, Happy could feel a sudden urge to hop onto one of them, his eyes widening as a small smile lit his lips. He could imagine propelling himself forward on one of the tiny, foal-sized scooters, mane flapping in the wind behind him.

Taking a step forward, though, Happy paused, blinking twice and shaking his head as he pushed the impulse away.

He still felt them, sometimes.  Fragments of his past self.  Thoughts.  Urges.  Feelings.  They came and went, despite his best efforts to push them back.

Glancing up, Happy could see Serenity staring out over the lot, a small, nostalgic smile on her lips.  Turning back to face the buck, she nodded toward one of the patched-up scooters at his hooves.

“Gilly and I used to come out here when she was younger.  Sometimes with a few of her friends, too.”

She smiled again, placing a hoof on the handle of the scooter closest to her.

“This place was our little hideout.   Not a secret or anything.  Just somewhere we could play around and have some fun.  The scooters were kind of small for me even then, though.  Gilly probably had more fun with them than anypony else.”

Her smile dimmed slightly, her eyes shifting down to her hooves.

“Red and Valentine even came out with us every once and awhile.  Gilly used to really like this place.”

Happy didn’t respond.  He could see Serenity continue to stare at the scooter, absently brushing her hoof against its frame.  The mare’s eyes looked more tired than they had back in town.  When they’d started their walk.  

There were fewer distractions here.  Fewer things to keep her thoughts busy with.

Happy’s gaze drifted down to his own hooves.

He’d seen that look in her eyes often.  When they were alone together.  When she didn’t have the caravan keeping her busy.

He shifted his hooves beneath him.

Seeing it hurt every time.

Sensing movement out of the corner of his eye, Happy glanced back up.  He could see Serenity shake her head, looking back in his direction with a small smile.

“Do you have any memories like that, Happy?”

Happy frowned.  Even with the smile, the tired look in the mare’s eyes remained.

Trying to hide his own discomfort, he shook his head.

“Not…really..."  

Happy scratched the back of his neck, glancing down at his hooves.  

"It's...hard to...remember.”

Serenity's smile softened.  Giving Happy a small nod, she trotted over to his side.  Taking a seat on her haunches beside him, she tapped the ground, motioning for him to sit.  

Another faint warmth rising in his cheeks, he nodded, averting his gaze as he sat down beside her.  A moment later, he could feel her head lean in against his shoulder, his form tensing at the sudden sensation of the mare's warmth.

Happy could feel another pang of guilt settle back into his chest along with the weight on his shoulder.  He stared numbly at his hooves.

Here she was.  Again.  Comforting him.  Worrying for him.

A few moments later, he could feel Serenity lift her head back up.  Turning, he could see her flash him another smile as she met his eyes.  A bit of her usual, cheerful demeanor had returned.

"So.  How are things going at the depot?  Getting along with the new hires?"

Happy nodded, shifting a bit as he felt her shoulder brush up against his.

“Mm.  I...think so.”

“Showing them the ropes?”

He nodded again.

“Mm.  I...guess.”

The mare smiled.

“That’s good.  I’m sure having a set of old hooves around to explain things helps."

She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"The new building still holding up alright?  Not too small?  I know we’ve been getting a lot of shipments in lately.”

Happy shook his head.

“It’s...alright.   There’s still...space for...more things.”

Serenity smiled.

“Good.  I’m glad we spared the extra caps on the loft.  It would have been a lot more work to add in later.  I was actually talking to Warehouse about putting up another supply shed so we wouldn’t have to worry about—”

Happy nodded, listening to Serenity's words as she continued on.  Listening was easier for him than talking, and hearing Serenity speak, seeing her smile—if only for the moment—still brought warmth to his chest.  A brief respite from the feelings of guilt and regret he usually felt in her presence.

The way she talked.  The way she laughed.  The way she acknowledged every little contribution other ponies made in her stories.  Serenity was a good pony through and through.

Everything she did, she did with everypony in mind.  Creek Bend was her family.  She cared for them.  Watched out for them. Trusted them.  Happy included.

The buck winced at the thought, the briefly buried feelings once again rising in his chest.

Yes.  She cared for him.  Watched out for him.  Trusted him.

Happy could feel his eyes cloud over, the mare's voice slowly fading in his ears.


And that...that’s what hurt the most.


***


“Serenity?  Happy?  Everything is ready if you are.”

Glancing up from the rug beneath him, Happy could see Valentine staring back at him and Serenity through the doorway.  Smiling at the two of them sitting together in the living room, she gave a little wave, her coiffed, red mane shifting with the movement.

“Feel free to eat as much as you’d like.  I made extra for the two of you.”

At his side,  Serenity smile back and nodded, rising to her hooves.

“Thanks Valentine.  Appreciate you going out of your way for us.”

Happy rose to his hooves as well, nodding quietly.

“Mm.   Thank...you.”

Valentine smiled, replying with a small nod of her own before motioning to the kitchen behind her.

“Take a seat wherever you’d like.   I’ll see about getting Gilly from her room.”

Happy could see the purple mare smile again as she walked past, trotting down the short hallway that led to the two rooms on the other side of the house.  He could already smell the food from here in the living room—the scent of cooked vegetables wafting through the air.  The sweet tang of cherry pie drifted in along with it.

Despite the smell of Valentine's dinner and the fact he hadn't eaten today, Happy still didn't feel hungry. There was a certain stillness in the air—an uncomfortable quiet—that made it difficult to keep his thoughts from wandering. Following behind Serenity, he made his way into the kitchen, the two of them taking their usual seats on the bench on the far side of the table. 

Two sets of plates and silverware had been put out in front of their bench, as well as the bench across from them, where Gilly and Valentine usually sat.  The last seat—a large stool—sat empty at the head of the table.

Happy could see Serenity briefly glance at the empty seat, her eyes going distant for a moment before she seemed to notice his gaze.  Shaking her head, she gave him a small smile, nodding toward the table before them.  Steam was rising off the mishmash of ceramic and aluminum containers set out before them—mashed tatoes, carrot casserole, and hayflower soup all fresh from the oven and stovetop.

“Hey.  Better not get distracted.  I might just not leave anything behind for you to eat if you do.”

The mare poked him playfully in the side, grinning.

“You’re looking a little thin, lately, Happy.  Doesn’t a warehouse stallion need a little muscle on him to get his work done?”

Happy nodded, offering an awkward smile of his own.  She didn't seem to notice he'd caught sight of her earlier expression, and he didn't want to bring it up if he didn't have to.  The least he could do was try to keep her mind off things.

“Mm.  Sorry.  Could you...pass the...tatoes?”

The mare smiled.

“Sure.”

The two spent a few moments filling their plates, the sound of scraping utensils echoing across the quiet room.  As Happy set down the plate of steamed silt beans, he could hear hoofsteps from the living room as Valentine appeared in the doorway once more.

The older mare offered the two of them another smile.

“Gilly should be in in a few minutes.  Everything alright here?”

Serenity nodded from Happy’s side.

“Mm.  Everything looks great, Valentine.  Happy and I were just about to dig in.”

The older mare nodded.

“I’m happy to hear it, dear."

She turned to Happy. 

"Everything alright for you too, dear?  I know you’re not a fan of oats, so I went with hayflower soup instead.”

Happy nodded in turn.

“Mm.  Thank you...Valentine.   Everything looks...good.”

The older mare replied with a gentle smile.  Happy could feel his expression waver.  Like Serenity, Valentine was always going out her way to look out for him.  Being considerate.  Making sure he felt at home.

“Glad to hear, dear.”

Trotting into the room, Valentine took a seat opposite Serenity, lifting Gilly’s plate from the mat at her side as she started to scoop some of the tatoes up onto it.  Her gaze shifted back up to the two of them, her soft smile warm and welcoming.

“So how was your day trip?  Didn’t run into anything too dangerous, I hope?”

Serenity smiled across from her, red light shimmering around her horn as she helped steady the plate in Valentine's grasp.

“Nothing too bad.  A couple of geckos popped up on the way back, but a few shots seemed to scare them off.”

Valentine raised an eyebrow.

“Mm?  Really?  I’m glad to hear the two of you made it back in one piece.”

Serenity smiled, nodding.

“Mm.  It was a nice trip, all and all.  Looks like the old place is still holding up.  There were a couple signs of scavvers passing through—a few burnt out fire rings and broken plates—but nothing else otherwise.”

Valentine paused, tilting her head to the side as she reached for the spatula resting next to the casserole.

"Scavvers?  Do you think we need somepony out there to keep an eye on things?"

Serenity shook her head.

"I think we're probably alright.  The fire rings were at least a few weeks old.  Patrolling out that way everyday would probably be more of a risk than it's worth.  Mole rats sometimes make their dens in that area.  They can get pretty territorial in the spring."

Serenity nodded back toward the center of town.

"We could probably ask Shadow Flower to keep an eye out for the ridge though, just in case."

Valentine nodded again, setting Gilly’s plate back down on the mat.

“Mm.  Alright, dear. I trust your judgement.  I can talk to Flower about it tomorrow.  The two of us were already planning on....discussing a few things."

Serenity raised an eyebrow.

"Discussing a few things?"

Happy could see Valentine's smile fade as she reached for her own plate, lifting it and repeating her motions from earlier as Serenity helped her hold it aloft.

"...it seems there’s been more sightings lately.  A few days east of here.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Happy could see Serenity go rigid.  There was a brief silence, the hum of her magic wavering slightly before reasserting itself.

Serenity's response was more curt this time.

“...the Saddles?”

Valentine nodded.

“Mm.  From what Nimble Shipping passed along to us.  One of their caravans caught sight of them on the way back from New Appleoosa.”

Happy could see Serenity’s hoof tense against the table.  It took a moment for her to respond.

“...no sign of where they're coming from?”

Valentine shook her head.

"No, dear.  I'm sorry."

“—Damn it!”

There was a faint jingle of plates and silverware as the table shifted, Serenity’s hoof impacting against the wooden surface.

Silence settled over the room.  A few moments passed before Serenity spoke again.

“—Sorry, Valentine.  I didn’t mean to...”

The older mare shook her head, placing her own plate back on the table in front of her as Serenity's magic dissipated.

“It’s alright, dear.  I know.  I know.”

Happy didn’t look up.  His shoulders were tense.  He felt sick to his stomach.  He couldn’t look either mare in the eye.

The next few minutes passed in similar silence, the scrape of silverware on plates the only sound aside from the faint wind outside.  Despite not feeling hungry at all, Happy slowly began to work on the contents of his own plate.  

He could barely taste the food.  It was like warm mush in his mouth.

Clop clop clop clop.

Happy’s ears twitched on their own accord.

Glancing up toward the doorway Valentine had come from earlier, he could see the small form of a red filly appear in the doorway, a scowl on her face as she stared down at the floor at her hooves.

Across the table, he could see Valentine set down her teacup, nodding toward the young mare.

“There you are, Gilly.  Come take a seat at the table, dear.  Serenity and Happy have been waiting for us.”

Happy watched as the filly walked forward in silence, still scowling at her hooves as she took a seat on the bench next to her mother.  She continued to stare down at the floor as she sat, not responding as Valentine turned back toward the table, glancing down at her daughter out of the corner of her eye.

“You should eat up, dear.  Before your food gets cold.”

Another few moments passed.  Gilly didn’t respond.  Happy could see Serenity glance in the filly’s direction as well, a small, pained smile breaking across her face.

“You should listen to what Valentine says, Gilly.  Everything’s really good.  Valentine even made cherry pie for dessert.  It’s been a while since we’ve had that together, hasn’t it?”

Gilly didn’t respond.  Still staring at the floor, she lifted her hooves to the table, slowly reaching for the fork and knife on either side.  Without saying anything, she slowly went to work on her own plate, the scrape of silverware once again taking the place of conversation.

Happy's eyes drifted back to his own plate.  The silence was almost painful.

After a few bites, the filly sat her fork and knife down, her eyes once again returning to her hooves.  Happy could see Valentine and Serenity exchange a brief glance, Valentine turning to her daughter once more.

“Gilly, dear?  You really should eat something.  You haven’t left your room all day—”

“—I’m not hungry.”

“Dear, even if that’s the case, you’re still growing.  You really should—”

“—I’m not hungry!”

There was a brief silence as the room went quiet, the filly’s outburst echoing in Happy’s ears.  His gaze still fixed on his own plate, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Valentine shifted in her seat.  Her voice was calm and gentle.

“Gilly, dear—Serenity doesn’t get a chance to eat with us very often and Happy’s busy with his work at the depot.  Since we have the chance, I think it would be nice if the four of us could sit down together and—”

“—Dad wouldn’t have made me eat dinner if I didn’t want to.”

There was another pause.  Happy could see Serenity’s expression falter at his side, the yellow mare's eyes drifting down to her own plate.

Across the table, he could see Valentine pause, her lips parted mid-sentence.  He could see her searching for words, her voice growing softer.

“Gilly.  You don’t have to eat if you’re not hungry—"

The older mare reached forward, gently lifting a hoof to the filly's shoulder.  

"—but I still think it would be good for you to sit down with some other ponies for a little bit and—”

Whack.

Happy winced as he watched Gilly bat her mother’s hoof away.  The filly shook her head, her eyes squeezing shut as she shouted down at her hooves.

“This is stupid!  Dad wouldn’t have made me sit at the table if I didn’t want to!  I’m going to my room!”

Happy could see a pained look cross Valentine’s face.

“Gilly—”

There was a clatter of silverware falling to the floor as Gilly pushed her hooves against the table, the whole surface shifting as the bench beneath her and Valentine slid back a few inches.  The filly’s eyes still squeezed shut, Happy could see her bolt from the table, disappearing through the doorway and into the living room beyond.  The clop of hooves followed suit, punctuated by the sharp slam of a door a few moments later.  Silence followed.

Happy’s eyes wandered back to his plate.  He could see Valentine and Serenity stare down at theirs in turn, not speaking for a moment before looking up to exchange another glance.  Valentine was the first to speak.

“I’m sorry.  Serenity.  Happy.  I’ll go talk to her.”

The older mare moved to stand.  Happy watched as Serenity did the same at his side.

“It’s alright, Val.  I’ll come, too.”

Serenity glanced down at Happy, the ache in the buck's chest spiking as she gave him a weak smile.

“We’ll be back in a few minutes, Happy.  Don’t worry about us.  Gilly’s just going through a hard time right now.”

Averting his gaze, Happy nodded dimly, unsure of how to respond.  He couldn't look her in the eye.

“Mm.”

Serenity patted his shoulder, smiling again as she stepped back from the table and followed Valentine out of the room.  He could hear the two of them make their way down the hall, the creak of a door opening and closing a few moments later.  

Happy stared down at the food on his plate.  

He’d only gotten halfway through its contents, but the drive to eat any more had faded away completely.

Placing his fork and knife back on the table, he slid back off the bench, glancing back at the doorway.  He could faintly make out the sound of the two mares' soft voices, their words muffled by the walls and wind blowing outside in the background.  A third voice, quieter, occasionally punctuated the two, replying in brief, single word responses.

Happy glanced back at the table and the empty seat at its head.

A flicker of memory passed across his mind.  Of a much brighter, cheerful dinner scene long past—the deep, booming laughs of a red stallion echoing through the timbered walls around them.

Happy’s eyes widened, his hoof immediately flying to his muzzle.  

His eyes rapidly searching the room, he turned, his focus shifting toward the back door of the house.  Stumbling forward on three hooves, he reached for the handle.  Turning it, he scrambled past the threshold into the cold, evening air, placed a hoof on the side of the building, and promptly vomited.

A few moments passed.  Happy could feel his head spin, his chest and stomach heaving on their own accord.  His mouth was immediately filled with the bitter taste of bile and his recent meal, prompting him to gag and vomit again as the feedback loop reinforced itself.

A few more minutes passed.  Eventually, his stomach ran out of bile to expel, the sound of his retching replaced with slow, heavy breaths.

Happy slumped down onto his stomach.  With a faint grunt of effort, he rolled over, coming to rest on his haunches as he pressed his back against the wall.  

He continued to breathe heavily in silence, the cold wind passing across his face as he stared forward dimly into the darkness.

It was always like this.   The last time he and Serenity had gotten together, too.  The details were different—he hadn't vomited then and Gilly had still been crying often—but the general sense of unease in the air was the same.

The bright, cheerful dinners they'd had together when he first arrived were a distant memory.  One that left everything since then still and colorless by comparison.

And it was his fault.

Happy lifted his hooves in front of him.  

He blinked.  

He could see the blood still coating them.  Red.  Dripping.

He blinked again.  

The blood was gone.

"Mmph!—"

Happy brought his hoof to his muzzle as he felt his chest heave again.  He screwed his eyes shut, biting down on his lip until he felt blood start to dribble down onto the ground below.

The sensation passed.  Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The dull, shifting skies of the wastes stared down at him from above, gray and lifeless as ever.

The night air was empty.  Cold.  The only sound he could hear was the wind.  

Whistling.  Blowing.  Lifeless.

“Heya there, son.  How’re things going?”

Happy turned to his side.

A few hooves away, he could see a red stallion step out from the open doorway, a wide smile set beneath his golden beard.  Though his frame was imposing at first glance, the air around him was warm and welcoming.  

Slowly, Happy turned away from the figure, nodding dimly as he stared off toward the darkened ridgeline beyond.

“...Hi...Red…”

The older stallion chuckled.

“Not much excitement in that response there, son.  Something gotcha down?”

Happy’s gaze drifted down toward his hooves as the red earth pony trotted past, taking a seat beside him a few hooves away.

Happy closed his eyes, wincing as he shook his head.

“Mm-mm…I’m….fine.”

Cracking an eye back open, he could see the red stallion raise an eyebrow in doubt.

“Hmm?  Sure doesn’t look like it to this old stallion.”

Happy winced again, casting his gaze back down.  His lips parted for a moment as he paused, his words catching in his throat.

“The...three of them...miss you...Red.”

There were a few moments of silence.  Happy could see the red stallion nod at his side, his  wide smile shifting into a smaller, wryer one.

“Mm.  I know.”

“Valentine...tries...but Gilly...is different...now.”

“Mm.”

“And Serenity...doesn’t seem...the same...either.  She’s...always tired...and sad...even when she’s...smiling.”

“Mm.”

“She’s angry...too...at...the Black Saddles...and...Silver Stripes.  She doesn’t...sleep much…anymore.”

“Mm.”

Happy paused, his voice trailing off.  He could feel his chest tightening with each word—hearing them aloud almost more painful than keeping them inside.  Saying them made them feel more real, somehow.

Happy could feel his mane shift in the wind behind him.  At his side, the red stallion's golden mane continued to lay flat, his eyes set skyward as the two of them sat side by side.

A few more moments passed in silence.

“Are you doin’ your best, son?”

Happy blinked, glancing up at the stallion.

“My...best?”

“Mm.”  The stallion nodded, shifting his gaze back down to meet Happy’s.  “Trying your best?  Working hard?  Helping out where you can?”

Happy frowned, unsure how to respond.  He could feel the stallion's eyes on him.  He averted his gaze.

“I...guess.”

The red stallion smiled.

“Then you’re doing alright, son.  You’re doing alright.  Moving forward’s all a pony can do.”

The stallion lifted a hoof to his shoulder.  Happy couldn’t feel its weight.

“Just be there when they need ya, Happy.  They’ll let ya know when that is.”

Happy nodded dimly.

“Mm.”

The red stallion smiled again, lifting a hoof to tousle his mane.  Happy cast his gaze back downwards.  With the wind blowing, he could almost feel the stallion’s hoof on his head.

“Keep at it, son.  We’ve all go through rough patches here and there.  Just stay together.  Do your best.  You’ll get by.”

“Mm.”

Happy glanced back over to his side.  

The red stallion was gone.

The buck allowed his gaze to linger for a few moments longer.  He could feel the breeze around him rise briefly, a faint shiver running down his back.  His eyes drifted back down to the ground beneath him, then back to the house.  The stallion's words echoed through his mind.

He winced.

He didn’t deserve to be here.  To stay at their sides.

He scratched at the matted fur beneath his collar.

Casting one last glance toward the patch of empty earth where the red stallion had sat, Happy stood, turning back toward the house.  

Eyes fixed on his hooves, he stepped into the threshold, reaching a hoof back to the door.


He paused, standing in place for a moment as the wind blew past.  Waiting.  Listening.


Then, wordlessly, he stepped back inside, pulling the door shut behind him.




***