197 years after the Great War, tension is growing on the west coast of Equestria. Follow the journey of one stallion and his friends as a great race against time begins.
War. War never changes. After The Great War tore apart the world, the few ponies who were lucky enough to survive and make it to underground shelters known as Stables led a life of confinement and safety. In the Los Pegasus area is one such Stable; Stable 13. While several others had some form of social experiment, Stable 13 was more focused on the inhabitants just surviving and living as happily as they possibly could with their families. All that changed however when the Stable was attacked, sending several survivors out into the hellish wastes once known as Equestria. We will follow the life of one such survivor; for his life is about to change once again: either for better, or worse.
I snapped awake in a cold sweat for what felt like the hundredth time this month. Like was the case recently, the nightmares woke me, but I couldn’t remember them once I was back in the waking world. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I rolled myself out of bed and got to my hooves. My legs were sore, and they protested at even the thought of keeping me standing straight. Before I’d even had time to reach out for my glasses on the nightstand next to my bed, the reward for last night’s drinking session reared it’s ugly head right at the base of my horn.
“Ugh.” I half groaned, half muttered as I fumbled with my magic to drag my glasses onto my muzzle. “Gotta remember that scotch is not a good mixer with anything.”
Stumbling forward to the bathroom, I tripped over a couple of my notebooks, sending them scattering across the old warn out carpeting in my shitty little apartment. The sweat matting my fur kept one of them clinging to both my leg and the pipbuck strapped to it as I stopped with a sigh. Flicking my forehoof a bit, I shook it off the old archanotech device, and cast it aside and into a corner full of empty bottles and crumpled papers. Not caring to put forth the effort to put any of the notebooks back where they belonged, I simply let out another groan to show my displeasure.
Really, I loved to write. I don’t really know why my imagination seems to run off with itself so much, but I feel compelled to get the stories I came up with noted down. Ideas big and small easily flowed from my mind and onto paper, so much so that when I was just a colt, I was positive that it was what I was meant to do. However, none of the countless ideas and stories in these notebooks would ever be finished. Not because I didn’t want to finish them, just that I couldn’t justify spending the time on doing it.
Simply put, writing stories didn’t pay the bills in the wasteland.
With my headache now clamping down around my horn, I stepped into the bathroom and weakly used my magic to flick on the old fluorescent light. Just that much exertion sent a stinging pain through my head. Waking up like this had become the norm in my life, though. A hangover was always preferable to the crippling depression that the wasteland always brought back into my life.
With a twist of my hoof, I turned the water faucet on. The old piping in the walls groaned before sputtering through the old fixture, eventually calming down from a sporadic spray into a calmer, steady stream. With it came a bit of warmth too. Seemed that the old water heater in this place hadn’t quite given up the ghost after all.
I used my forehoof to splash a bit of water over my face, trying to beat back the rest of my exhaustion away with it. Unfortunately, I was still so tired that I’d forgotten I was wearing my glasses. It was fine, really. They’d needed a good cleaning, and this just was the best excuse I could have to actually sit down and do it. Waking up was always hard, but today was a work day, and unfortunately I needed to make myself presentable. I forced myself to use my magic to open the mirrored medicine cabinet above the faucet, looking up to find the solitary pill bottle sitting inside where it always had. Pulling it out and opening it up, I tipped it over onto my waiting hoof, and felt as a single pill rolled out.
Sitting down, I tossed the now empty pill bottle into the trash can by the door, and pulled down my only towel from the drying rack on the wall. While I used it to clean my glasses, I used my hoof to pop the small generic painkiller into my muzzle. I did my best to swallow it with my dry throat before leaning down to the running water and trying to take a drink. I immediately regretted it as the tap water here tasted like it was fed in straight from the old wastewater treatment plant on the city outskirts.
“Damn filth.” I sighed while levitating my glasses back onto my muzzle. Sitting back up, I reached my hoof forward and swung the mirrored medicine cabinet closed. As I did, a nightmarish figure came into view right behind me. Instantly, the mane on my neck stood on end, and I went wide eyed as I spun around to face the monster…
… only to be met with nothing.
Hesitantly, I looked around my apartment from the bathroom doorway. The murky daylight that filtered in from the boarded up windows highlighted the floating dust motes in my place. Other than that, nothing moved, nothing stirred at all in fact, except for the churning feeling in my gut that my recent nightmares were now clawing their way out of my mind and into real life.
Sitting down, I raised a forehoof to my chest and took a deep breath. Softly, I pressed it against the golden locket that sat around my neck. My racing heartbeat calmed at it’s touch, the only heirloom of my family reminding me that while life was sometimes scary, I still had something to hold onto from my old life to make me stronger than the nightmares in my head.
Finally feeling awake enough, I put on my clothes, threw on my saddlebags, and made my way out from my lonely apartment for the day.
-----
Every day I’ve spent living in this building, two things have always been constant with it’s elevator. The first, is that it smells like cheap booze and sex. The second, is that it’s probably the slowest elevator in the world, so it makes encountering other tenants fairly… awkward. Seriously, I don’t think you could even build a slower elevator to traverse four floors.
“Hell of a party we had last night, right, sugar? Any chance for another fun night like that in the future?” Harp, the last mare I’d wanted to run into spoke up as she stepped up uncomfortably close to me. I swear, she was only so bold because she was the most profitable working girl in this place. Even then, it was because she was a mule and not to sound racist, but they trended towards that line of work. But not once had I ever shown her interest to even have her talk to me like this… at least, not once when I was sober that is...
“Uhh, sure.” Honestly, I can’t remember much from last night. But, for as long as I could recall, anytime somepony said there was a party, I normally woke up still owing Cold Draft a day's pay worth of caps. Could be worse, though. There was that one time I woke up between the Orchid twins. Sharry is a nice enough mare, but I can’t say I was ever that into her brother, Vanda...
“Oh, honey.” She giggled as she started to rummage through her sequin studded saddlebags. As she did, I caught the fresh track marks all over the inside of her foreleg. “If you can’t remember it, then you know you had a good time.”
“Probably not as good as you did.” I sighed, just wanting to get off this crazy ride. “Goddesses, I need a drink.”
“What?” Harp perked her ears and looked at me in a puzzled sort of way. “Even after last night?”
Ignoring the mystery that last night still was, I tried not to make another sound out of my muzzle. This morning was already too painful to exist in with the hangover to add more annoyance too it. Thankfully, the elevator slowed itself to a complete stop, and seemed to tease me by giving me the longest awkward pause in the history of my life. Finally, the chime sounded, and the doors crawled their way open, revealing my path out of the social embarrassment box.
Of course in stepping out, reality hit me hard as the decrepit walls of the old Hacienda hotel. Once, it was a grand hotel that catered only to the residents of the Applewood hills, and it was the classiest brothel in old Los Pegasus. Fast forward to nearly two centuries after the bombs, it got a rename to the Skyfall hotel, and was probably still the classiest brothel left in the Los Pegasus ruins. And unfortunately for me, I lived in it.
Trudging down the old hallway toward the large swinging door that lead to the lobby, I did my best to remind myself that things for me could always be worse.
And of course as I reached the door, it swung open and hit me in the face.
“Oh, heya there, Sawyer!” The cheery voice of Eff EL was far out of place for how my morning was going. “I’ve been looking for you!” His voice was winning out over the pounding pain that was my headache, but I wouldn’t call that a good thing. Sure, he was probably my only real friend in this shitty settlement, but working under my boss as well meant he was always keeping tabs on me for him. Between him and Vanilla, they were Eighth’s eyes and ears in this place. Eighth Note worked his way into everypony’s lives in his town, and nothing was ever off limits for that stallion. He’d do anything just to get some news to broadcast out to the uncaring wasteland.
“Hope it’s not as an excuse to extend your break from the studio again.” I grumbled, softly rubbing at my sore horn. I used my magic as lightly as I could to readjust my glasses on my muzzle before shaking off the hit.
“Nah.” He rolled his eyes gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Just seeing if you were awake yet. Kind of a late start today it seems.”
“Yeah.” I grumbled, pushing past him and headed out the door. “If you want to talk, it’ll have to be at the bar. I need a shot of something strong to dull today down a bit.”
“Really?” He spat out with look of surprise. “Even after last night?”
“Ugh. Yes.” Again with the mysteries of last night. “Do me a favor, and just, don’t talk until my hangover gets a bit of the whiskey treatment, alright?”
He seemed to abide by my request as we continued through the marbled foyer. I had to keep my right eye closed from the abhorrently bright daylight, and the other half squinted just to get myself through here. What I wouldn’t have paid for a pair of nice, prewar sunglasses about now…
One of the mares behind the lobby desk giggled and nudged at her co-worker went past, whispering something to her. Probably even more gossip about whatever the hell went on last night. Today however, I couldn’t care less about it. I just wanted to get my drink and relax a bit.
As we rounded the corner from the lobby and headed to the other side of the building, I could hear that the casino was packed today. The only thing in this place that kept the Hacienda Del Sol name, the casino was probably the only place I liked to be in here because ponies were either too busy gambling to care about me, or I was too busy drinking to care about them. Reaching the old oak double doors, I lifted my hoof and pressed it against it. My stiff muscles ached to push it open, but to be honest, it’d probably have hurt more to try to use my magic.
Of course, Eff had to step in with his pleasant smile and open it for me. Like a show off out to prove how hungover I was, or a good friend. But mostly a smug show off.
The dark interior of the casino was immediately soothing on my tired eyes. However, the trade off was immediately noticeable as a thick wave of cigarette smoke billowed out past us. The room was also unbearably hot, even with all the old ceiling fans running on high. Still, my salvation sat in the back of the room, just past the old one bit slot machines.
Cold Draft’s bar was the best one in the ruins of Los Pegasus. Well, to me it was, anyway. It was a perk of me working directly under Eighth Note, really. I always had the option to run a tab, and Cold always knew I was good for it. Unfortunately for me, I liked my liquor, and could run up a large tab. Still, either Cold or Eff always knew when I’d had enough, and had saved me from a fair number of bad decisions in the past.
Worming our way through the patrons toward the bar, I was dismayed to not see Cold standing up behind the bar like normal. It was then, that Eff couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Hey, while you wait for Cold, you want to play a few rounds of ‘make the mark’?” Again, he spoke in his cheery voice, sounding far more confident than normal. “I took a look over the new V.I.P. list for this week, and I’ve been itching to beat you. Bet’s five caps you can’t make a mark.”
Now I know something is up. Eff is never that eager to bet like this, not when he’s never won a round. But, with last night’s blackout, I figured that I might need an extra few caps to pay off my tab if I had one. Worst case is that I’ll finally miss one and I’ll tell Eff I’ll pay him the caps later.
“Fine.” I said, taking a seat at the bar and putting my forehooves up on it.
“Okay.” As he spoke up, he craned his neck and looked around the room a bit, his smile growing wider as he found one of the V.I.P.s across the room. “Over there is Mr. Shetland, co-owner of one of the eastern valley grape plantations.”
Turning, I found the stallion in question right away. The smaller than average, portly white stallion wore a ragged tuxedo with a horribly over greased combover mane. He was seated at a poker table staring intently at the cards in his hooves. Slowly, he puffed at the cheap cigar clinging to the end of his muzzle, tapping his rear hoof as if waiting for the other horseshoe to drop.
“He’s basically broke.” I shrugged and turned back to look at Eff EL. “He’s trying to put up a look like he’s made of a million caps, but still he looks at those cards like they’re the only thing keeping him afloat. So I assume that the Misses and him are no longer together and she’s cut him off.”
“What?” Eff as always, sounded generally amazed. “Did Vanilla tell you that?” He jabbed at my side. “It’s not fair if you heard it around The Studio, you know that’s against the rules.”
“The rules are that I tell you something about them, that’s it.” I grumbled. “And no, I didn’t hear it at The Studio. You know I can stereotype ponies far too easily, and he is the poster colt of a stallion desperate for caps.” I can’t help it if I can just look at this world like it’s a poorly written novel with generalized characters. The only upside to my tendency to think up stories all the time. Most ponies wear their personality on their sleeves, always trying to hide who they are from the world around them. Some days I feel like I’m the only pony around who can see them for the actors they actually are...
“Takes one to know one…” Eff muttered under his breath. Before I could even retort, he turned and looked around again. “That one was too easy. Even your quote unquote character type casting skills won’t help you for this next one.”
“Where the hell is Cold Draft?” I groaned. Was it really so hard to get one goddess damned drink today?
“Probably in back helping with the keg delivery.” Eff said so nonchalantly that I almost didn’t register it. “Oh! This one is good.” He tapped at my shoulder and point over to the other side of the room. “Do her.”
With a roll of my eyes, I spun around on my stool and looked around. Normally, I need him to at least give me a name or profession. This one however, would have given it away too easily had he given up anything, and even then, he’d tried to deceive me. The pony in question stood out like a mare in heat around a group of raiders. The large frame and soft as flowers yellow coat could almost be missable from under the styled and silky smooth purple mane that flowed down nearly to the floor. The large brimmed sun hat and dark oversized sunglasses that I’d loved to have had three minutes ago were the last touch that gave it all away.
“That’s no mare. It’s a stallion.” I grunted. “Anypony who tries that hard to look like a mare has more secrets than even I want to take a guess at.”
“Oh come on!” Eff nearly faceplanted himself against the bar in outrage.
“What’s all this commotion?” Cold Draft yelled out before trotting out from the door to the store room. “Oh, hey Sawyer. Here to pay off your tab?”
“That and get a shot before I go.” I sighed, happy that I could finally get today going.
“What?” Cold scrunched up his muzzle in as much confusion as Eff and Harp had. “Even after last night?”
“Why does everypony keep saying that!?” I groaned and flopped myself down onto the bar top. “Seriously, what the hell happened last night?”
“I’d be delighted to tell you how you made my night a living hell.” Cold Draft said with a glare before hoofing out a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass. “But, I’m sure you’ll get an earful from Eighth after your briefing.”
“Briefing?” Now it was my turn to be confused. “When the hell did he say he wanted to see me for anything?”
Cold facehoofed hard and cast a glare over to Eff EL. “You didn’t tell him?”
“Oh, Sawyer!” Eff said as I closed my eyes and let out a disappointed sigh. “Eighth Note wanted to see you. He’s got a job needing to be done A.S.A.P.” With a pat on my shoulder, he shifted off his stool next to me. “Anyway, been fun but I gotta get back to work! Bye!”
Eeyup. Going to beat the ever living hell out of him for that.
Sighing, I opened my eyes and looked over to Cold Draft again. I watched as he poured the last of what was the only good part of this morning out of the bottle and into the scuffed up shot glass in front of him. With a quick flip, he tossed the drained bottle into the metal waste bin next to him and gazed over to me. I reached out with my hoof, but was dismayed when he instead grabbed the glass and slugged the drink down his own throat.
“What? You think you have time to drink?” He offered with a sharp look of disgust. “Get over to Eighth’s office. You’ve wasted enough of the day just sleeping off last night and moping around.” Picking up a rag with his hoof, he quickly got to wiping out the empty shot glass. “And when you’re done with whatever errand he wants you to run, we’ll talk about the hundred cap tab you wracked up. Until then, you’re cut off.”
“One hundred!?” I nearly fell off the damn stool at that. That’s damn near a week’s pay for me! Cold was right, Eighth was probably going to roast my ass for this, but like always, I’ll just have to deal with it. Not like I have any other choice really. “Fine, dammit. I’ll get going.” Today just could not get any more disappointing, could it?
Knowing my luck? In thinking that, I probably just fucked myself over…
-----
Walking through the assorted sheet metal buildings, vendor stalls, and bustling crowd, I tried to keep my eyes from the brightness of the clouded skies. This crappy city always made me cringe, and I never really could understand why. As far as settlements go, Starwalk city actually wasn’t that bad of a place to call home. We had strong walls that kept the raiders out, pretty much unlimited power from the Studio’s arcano-generator, and what sometimes felt like too healthy of a population.
“Care to try some delicious radhog on a stick?” An elderly unicorn mare with more hair missing than she had teeth left called out as she waved her disgusting cooked meat in my face. Using my own magic, I pushed it back and pressed on towards the only other intact tall building in Starwalk city.
Still, this city wasn’t without it’s flaws. On the surface, the gambling and whoring might not look too bad, but everypony has their vice in this place. Out of them all, I think the only thing I’ve managed to avoid was getting addicted to anything more than alcohol. Dash, Buck, Mint-als, you name it. You could find it for almost any price here. In fact, there’s so much of it around, that I’ve always wondered where they found so much of the stuff in the ruins of Los Pegasus. Still, ponies had needs, and we’re nothing if not a resourceful bunch. We always get what we want, even if the goal is seemingly impossible.
Maybe that’s it. Maybe this place reminded me too much of Stable 13. Sometimes I can remember snippets of my life back there. Crowded halls, the monotony of everyday life. I even remember a mare who used to be addicted to Sparkle Cola. I never understood how somepony could become addicted to soda, but honestly, I’d give up everything now just to have that life again. At least then I’d have my real family and friends back. I’d have a purpose, I’d make a real difference in the community.
However, that life was gone, and here I was, the slave I’ve always been. Not really a slave I guess, just more in the metaphorical sense. Well, I do technically belong to Eighth Note, but… Ugh! Why must I think about this? It always ends up getting me off track, and today I really shouldn’t be letting my mind wander.
Stopping in the middle of the crowd, I tried to take a deep breath and refocus myself. Finally feeling brave enough to turn my aching eyes upward, I looked at the Studio. The tall circular building always looked to me like a stack of dirty dinner plates more than anything. But, the large, monolithic antenna that stuck out of the roof tended to make the last flared floor of the place look like one of the flying saucers out of the old Astro-Buck adventure comics I’d read when I was just a colt.
“Hey, move it, asshole.” The annoyed voice of pony filled my ears sharply before I was shoved aside by a mean looking blue coated hellhound. Her angry pink eyes reminded me that there were worse things in the wastes than a hangover, and I should probably avoid pissing those things off. The metallic glint of a large cybernetic arm on her caught my eye before a short purple coated stallion with glasses pulled my attention down as he walked by with her.
“Some ponies actually have places to be.” The small stallion snapped at me before turning back to the way they’d been walking. “Friggin’ idiot.”
“Seriously?” I muttered to myself, shaking the encounter off before realizing that I should probably get moving again. Not to say that I shouldn’t work, but would it really hurt to have one single moment to myself? Between the nightmares I’ve been having, and the time I’ve spent drinking, I feel like there’s nothing else to life other than working.
Without a care, I pushed my way forward through the crowds up to the revolving glass doors that lead to the lobby of the Studio building. The two guards in combat armor nodded to me as I approached and stepped aside from the door. The mare on the left was a new hire last week, a young pegasus who’d wandered into town. Rare to see her type below the clouds, but that’s why Eighth has her on door duty. He had to make sure everyone can see how ‘accepting’ and ‘open’ we are as a community, but honestly nopony cares. My personal guess was that the reason was somewhere closer to the fact that he didn’t like being the only pegasus stuck in this city.
New hires aren’t unheard of around here. Accidents happen, or ponies waste all their caps at the casino and get evicted all the time. No, the ponies to look out for in this city are the ones who’ve been here longer than anyone else. To that point, the mare on the right had been here since before I’d even been bought. The white strands creeping through her short pink mane almost made her lithe red coat look feeble, but I knew first hoof that Mrs. Brushed Billet had only steeled herself since she was appointed head of the city’s guard. I couldn’t count the times she’d saved me from doing something stupid on one of my benders, or lent me an ear when I needed to get something out of my system. Still, she was more loyal to Eighth Note than anypony outside of his close friends, and that earned her my respect.
“Late start today, Mr. Sawyer?” She smiled as I reached out for the door. I only had to deadpan at the question before a smile crawled across her muzzle. “One of those days, then?” She nodded toward the lobby and waved her hoof. “Best get in there then and get it over with.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I sighed and pushed forward into the foggy glass storm door. “Have a great day.” Like always though, Billet was right. Might as well get whatever this job is done with so I can go back to being miserable.
Trotting across the worn felt carpet of the old studio lobby, the curling and yellowed posters of centuries ago did their best to keep my mind from wandering too far. Old album posters for Sweetie Belle, Pon E. King, Whinny Valley & The Four Seasons, along with a few other assorted old world bands sat over the tarnished golden records that sent them into the heights of fame back in the day. This whole building used to be a recording studio for all the big bands of the day, and as such, was of great importance to the Ministry of Image.
Along with the numerous protection spells that preserved this place past the megaspell apocalypse came a whole lot of high end designer furniture, extra amenities, and other assorted luxuries that a pony would have had to spend a fortune in extra bits on way back when. For that reason, the first ten floors are luxury apartments for the well to do of the city. The next two are recording studios converted into ‘guest’ rooms for anypony Eighth Note sees fit to house, while the top and final floor Eighth treats as his personal penthouse and studio for his radio station.
The elevator chimed as the polished metal doors rolled back. A well dressed couple stepped out and glanced over at me as I approached. The stallion was dressed in a well worn in tuxedo and a stately looking top hat, while the mare wore a shimmering gold dress. Both of them were eerily silent as I trotted past them and into the elevator, but it was their silence that spoke louder than anything. The ponies who lived here didn’t like the ‘hired help’, and they made it known. If not for Eighth’s rules, they’d have had me beaten and tossed out like the rest of the ponies in this city.
Even as run down and cramped as my shitty apartment was however, I’d never stay in this place. If nothing else for the fact that while the city guard were great at protecting the folks outside of the tower, there would be very little they could do if I was lost in an angry drunken rage inside this place. This place was just like the glass towers in half my stories. An elaborate but fragile society that only needed a single tap to send it shattering to the ground.
As I hoofed the top floor button on the elevator and watched as the doors slid shut, I did my best to remind myself of something. Eighth Note, while being an egotistical bastard, had all our best interests in mind. Well, mostly…
In an annoying juxtaposition with the Skyfall’s elevator, this one was abnormally fast. Within what felt like only moments of movement, another chime sounded as the elevator slowed to a crawl and stopped at the top floor. Knowing Eighth, it wasn’t just for the comfort of the high class ponies more that it was probably for expediting the speed at which his ‘employee’s’ give him the various information they’ve gathered recently.
The doors slid open, revealing the lavish reception area that Eighth had constructed. The numerous plush couches only had the most minute smell of mold to them, and the old wood paneling in the room was still mostly lacquered to a sheen. However, absent behind the still stark white reception desk, was Vanilla. Eighth hardly ever sent out his prized possession from the tower. Only in times of great importance did she even ever leave the city walls, so her absence was a mystery that I’d have to have Eighth enlighten me about.
Stepping out of the elevator, I stood in the middle of the room and perked my ears, listening. For once, I think that the entire floor was dead silent, which was odd, because there was always something going on up here. If nothing was happening, something is very wrong today. Without so much as an ounce of hesitation, the large double oak doors to Eighth’s office swung open in dramatic fashion. Like always, the pegasus bastard was sitting behind his desk. However, out of place on him, was a look of anger I haven’t seen in a very long time.
“You’re an hour late.” He grumbled as he put his forehooves down on his desk. “Do you have any idea what happened last night?”
“Let’s see.” I sighed as I trotted forward into his office. So far, everypony felt like it was perfectly fine to dance around that question, so I felt it was fair that I got my own play at it. “Nah, perfectly normal night.” Using my magic, I pulled one of the plush hoofstools over from the velvety red couch that he had tucked in the corner of his office. Sitting down on it, I watched as his expression went from one of anger, to steaming hot rage. “Why don’t you tell me what the hell happened?”
“Typical! Of course you wouldn’t fucking know.” He growled and angrily shook his hoof at me. “You’re always too busy drowning yourself in booze on my credit to even fucking think about helping me keep this goddess damned city from collapsing into chaos and violence!” Slamming his hoof down on his desk caused me to jump.
Okay, this was… different. I’d never seen Eighth this bad off before.
“I… didn’t mean to run up such a tab. I will earn it back, whatever you need done I’ll do it.” I tried to tread lightly with my wording. Seriously, what did happen last night?
“A tab? That’s what you think this is about?” Again, he groaned and glared at me. “Didn’t Eff EL tell you about Swift?”
“Your personal courier?” Honestly, even in the entire time I’ve lived here, I’d never really known the mare. With me always away on odd jobs for Eighth, or her always away delivering something for him, I’d never quite gotten to spend more than a few days getting to know her over the years.
“Yes.” With a heavy sigh, he seemed to calm down a bit. Carefully, he folded his forehooves together on the table and closed his eyes. “Last night she was supposed to return to the Los Pegasus ruins from the far wastes with a package of mine. Very important, and very secret.” I wanted to ask what this mystery package was, but somehow he knew I wanted to know and simply lifted a hoof to silence me. “I don’t know how, but somepony knew about it. They intersected her route, killed Swift, and stole the package.”
“Oh.” Was all I could say as I looked down to the floor. “I’m sorry, Eighth.” While I didn’t know her that well, he did.
“I wish it hadn’t come to it, but I can’t afford to sit on this any longer.” He spoke with his normal, authoritative tone. “I know I don’t normally ask this of you, Sawyer, but I need you to go and retrieve that package.”
“M-me?” I fumbled out the words as my train of thought derailed and spectacularly crashed. “Swift was a pro at getting around! I can barely hold my own in a fight, you know that!”
“Which is why you’re going to have help on this one.” Eighth groaned out as he slid open a drawer on his desk. Out from it, he slipped a manila folder. Carefully, he slid it across to my side of the desk and motioned for me to pick it up. “I’ve been watching this mercenary for a while.” Grabbing the folder in my magic, I pulled it over to me. Opening it, I levitated the few small cuecards of hastily scrawled notes close enough so that I could read them.
Mercinary File: Banshee
True Identiy: Unknown Unicorn Mare
Skillsets: Well Educated/Pipbuck equipped. (Stable born perhaps?) Highly advanced combat skills. (Possible Ex-Steel Ranger) Advanced infiltration training and equipment. (Well Funded or High class connections possibly) Numerous cross country contacts (Baltimare, Tenpony, Friendship City, New Pegas, Vanhoover)
Notes:Habitually refuses payment from those she helps. Only takes jobs that involve helping a specific pony or community if it’s ‘morally’ correct. Exhibits a ‘hero’ type mentality with little hesitation to use lethal force. Despite hiding her identity, dislikes shady or secretive negotiations.
Final Subject Ruling: Danger to the city status quo. Avoid any contact/involvement with Starwalk City if possible.
“Really?” I sighed. Setting lowering the cue cards down from my eyes, I peeked over my glasses at Eighth Note in annoyance. “This says don’t get her involved. Why not hire some Talons?”
“And risk a contract negotiation that could take days?” He snorted. “This package is too important to this city. Too many lives depend on it.” He paused with that, eyeing me over as if to gauge my reaction.
“Does it really?” I asked slowly. This wouldn’t be the first time Eighth had told me something I ‘needed’ to hear at the time to get my to do his dirty work.
“You have no idea.” He spoke starkly, not even budging an inch on that. Normally I’d press further, but actually feels like it’s important to him. Maybe it’s just the way he’s coping with the loss of Swift, but between that and the shit I supposedly did last night, maybe for once I wasn’t the one who needed to be cut a break.
“Alright.” I nodded, floating the cue cards back over to his desk and setting them down. “Where do I go to find her?”
Sitting back with an enormous sigh, I could feel as his mood changed to being more relaxed and it made the room feel about a million times lighter than it just had. Slowly, he reached into his desk again and pulled out an old map of Los Pegasus. Unfulling the yellowed and worn map, he traced his hoof along it until he nearly hit the ocean.
“Here.” He said, tapping his hoof on it. “There’s a bar on the outskirts of Boardwalk called ‘The Back Alley’. One of the bartenders there knows how to get in contact with her, but that’s all we know.”
“Seriously?” I said as I got to my hooves, stepping forward to take a look at the map. Boardwalk wasn’t the safest settlements, and it was nearly halfway across the city ruins from here. At the very least my pipbuck would ensure I didn’t get lost on the way there. “One of the bartenders knows her? That’s the only lead I’ve got to follow?” It was going to be a hell of a long walk for nothing if this didn’t pan out.
“Look, you know I wouldn’t send you if I didn’t have my hooves tied.” Eighth Note looked up at me, softening his expression as he did. “I didn’t buy you all those years ago to make you do anything, Sawyer. You’re as free a pony as anyone else here.” With a sigh, he looked down at the map again. “But I’m asking you to go as an enormous favor for me, nothing else. I hope that you’ll do this in my hour of need.”
“Yeah yeah. I’m not going to say no.” I rolled my eyes and gave a soft chuckle. “But one of these days the whole ‘I set you free’ routine isn’t going to hold as much charm as it did years ago.”
“I know.” For once, I watched as a genuine smile grew across his muzzle. “So long as you remember that one of these days, I’m not going to be there to pay your excess bar tabs.”
I nodded and turned around. “Point taken.”
“Oh, and Sawyer?” Eighth spoke up before I started toward the door. “Please, watch yourself out there.” Casting a glance over my shoulder, his normally studious look had given way to one of grave concern. “I’ve already lost one friend, I don’t want to lose somepony I consider family.”
“You know I’m always careful.” I smiled as I trotted for the elevator. Lowering my voice to just a whisper, I felt I needed to mutter the rest under my breath. “If the ponies who got Swift don’t kill me first, I really hope that this ‘banshee’ doesn’t…”
After a couple hours of walking, I knew only one thing. If there was something this goddess damned wasteland didn’t need more of, it was sun. The heat beat down on the old world ruins through the cloud layer above. Even though those Pegasus assholes up above had sealed themselves off forever ago, they still couldn’t keep the sun out. And for that, I absolutely hated them. At least the air up with them was cooler than down here.
Stopping yet again to get my bearings, I wiped the sweat beading on my brow before I looked around. I was in what looked to be the tenth ruined commercial block I’d been through so far, and I was fairly sure I should be reaching the edge of the old nightlife portion of the city. Lifting and flicking across to the map section of my dinged up old pipbuck, it confirmed that I was only another couple blocks out. From there, it’d only be another half hour to reach the beach, and then a quick jog south to get to Boardwalk.
My eyes fuzzed as I tried to stare down at the map, and a drop of sweat dripped down along the frame of my old glasses. With a sigh, I sat down and used my magic to flip open my saddle bag. Fumbling around in it with my magic, I grabbed something vaguely bottle shaped and pulled it out.
“Ugh.” I mumbled, bringing the dirty plastic bottle up to my eyes. “Just water?” Figuring that in this heat it was better than nothing, I twisted off the cap and took a quick drink of it. An echo of shifting rubble came through the ruins around me. I perked my ears and looked around. The old black and blasted brick buildings around me sat quiet as always. Subtly, they shifted under the mid-day heat, shimmering as they baked the same as they have for nearly two centuries.
Satisfied that it was simply more rubble succumbing to the elements, I capped off my drink again and got to my hooves. With my break over, I turned to where my Pipbuck’s compass pointed me, and started walking. Trying to keep my mind of the incredibly boring walk, I closed my eyes as I headed down the street. In my mind, I imagined a character from one of my first stories. An unlikely hero, given a task they were always destined for. I remembered the trials I put them through, and how each one would chip away at the resolve of the hero.
With a resounding thud, I ran smack dab into the back of an old, burnt out skybus.
“Note to self.” I winced and rubbed at my horn as I took a step back. “Don’t close eyes when walking.” As I finished that, a soft giggle emanated from the dark interior of an old clothing store across the street. “Hello?” I called out, looking over there, squinting to try to make anything out. Only silence met my ears. I took a step around the skywagon, stopping as a very sharp sound chirped along the street.
beep… beep… beep...
Looking down at the ground, laying a couple feet up along the old hulk, was the dim yellow light of a land mine. It had been partially hidden in the wheel well, and had I not smacked into the back of this thing, I probably would have triggered it. Taking a step back, the mine ceased it’s chirping.
“Awwww, he saw it.” The young and all too disappointed voice of a colt spoke up from the darkness.
“Shhh!” An even younger voice responded. “He’ll hear us!”
“It’s not nice to leave mines lying about.” I spoke up, looking into the old shop where the voices were coming from. “Somepony could get hurt.”
“Ya!” The youngest voice responded. “That’s the point, ya idiot!” Wow, this kid was the biggest moron I think I’d ever met outside of the few raider’s I’ve even ever dealt with. “How are we supposed to be full on raiders if we ain’t kill ya first?”
See, now that makes sense.
“Shut up, doofus!” The older voice snapped from the darkness. Then from inside, there sounded like the most annoying little slap fight that there possibly could be going on.
Well, as entertaining as this was, I didn’t need these little brats leading their parents to come after me. Using my magic, I folded back the side of my trenchcoat and drew the old .44 from it’s holster. I levitated it beside myself and turned toward the old shop. As I did, the scuffle inside came to an abrupt halt.
“I’m going to make this easy on you.” I called out, cocking the hammer back on my gun. “Since I doubt you’re armed, I’m going to give you to the count of ten to get the fuck outta my sight.” Leveling the gun at the dark shop, I smirked. I couldn’t shoot a colt, not unless they had a gun on me. But they sound too young to be smart enough to call my bluff. I just hoped that their mother beats the shit out of them enough to fear somepony my age. “One.”
Before I could say another word, two small ponies dashed out into the street. The second they were on the sidewalk, they turned and galloped straight down the way the pipbuck was telling me to go.
“Goddesses fuck my life.” I groaned as I watched them skid and turn into an alleyway. Just what I needed, a raider camp ahead. Of all the directions it could have been! Well, honestly it’s an old city block, there’s only four directions to go anyway, but… still! If I ever met some ghoul who used to plan out the cities like this, I was going to punch them for being so goddess damned efficient.
Trotting around the other side of the old skybus wreck from the mine, I pushed myself into a gallop. As soon as I reached the end of the block, I looked down the direction where the alley would’ve come out at. Unfortunately, it was hidden behind the makeshift rubble wall of a neat little raider compound. One of the ugly bastards froze as he saw me run into the middle of the street. He was a mangy yellow coated unicorn with a spiked charcoal mane. From his lithe figure and emaciated ribs sticking out against his hide, I couldn’t help but think he probably didn’t heft anything heavy.
With a deranged smile, He hoisted up a shotgun in his levitation and got a shot off just as I cleared the edge of the old brick department store to the next block. While the shot only impacted the old brick, it was so jarring that it almost tripped me up. The hoots and hollers of more raiders met my ears as I pushed myself to keep running.
Looking around, I needed to find a way to break line of sight from them. The next block and a half were all old department stores. If I remember anything from my time learning to adjust to the wastes, was that most of these old department stores were like mazes inside. Designed to keep shoppers inside for as long as possible, they worked great against retarded raiders. Well, so long as I didn’t get lost inside.
“He’s over here!” The growling call of one of the raider mares came up the street behind me. The piercing quick shots of another gun sent kicks of dirt and road up ahead of me. Okay, not going to lose them when they’re this hot on my fetlocks. One of the shots struck and shattered the window to an old pre-war diner at the end of the next block. Pushing myself harder, I focused my magic on holding my glasses on my muzzle as I ran.
At the very least, the air around me felt cooler when running for my life!
Another pair of shots were fired off, but again, none of them found purchase in me. Rapidly approaching the diner, my heart sank as I looked to the door. A fairly thick chain was wrapped around it, effectively barring it shut. Shifting myself up onto the sidewalk, I focused my magic and pulled my coat tightly around myself. With a jump and a yell, I threw myself through the shattered window frame.
I whined as a few jagged shards of glass cut their way across me before I flopped across one of the old booth tables and down onto the floor with a heavy whump. There was little time to recover before I could hear the raider’s heavy hoofbeats approaching. Pushing myself back onto my hooves, I made my way around the edge of the long counter as quietly as I could. I stopped myself next to the rusted door that lead back into the kitchen, and pressed my back against the counter. I just needed to keep as much cover between me and them as I could.
The heavy shotgun blast from before returned with a vengeance as one of the raiders all but shredded the bit register sitting at the end of the counter. The frightening slam it made as it fell onto the ground was a close second to the sound my heart was making as it slammed against my chest. Levitating my gun up next to me, I hammered my eyes shut and listened for a good moment to strike.
“Geeze you dipshit!” The mare who called out while I ran shouted. “Don’t waste yer fuckin ammo while I’m still reloading here!”
Scrambling up to my hooves, I dropped into the altered time spell that was S.A.T.S. and watched as an outline scrawled it’s way across my vision. The angry mare shouting was a unicorn with a rusty pistol next to her, still mid reload. The lithe shotgun stallion had his attentions turned to her, and his gun limp in his magic. Cueing up two shots at each, one head and one chest, I estimated that I had maybe one more shot before the spell was out of energy.
Checking the corner of my vision, I found that the smiling face of an earth pony mare was just coming into view around the corner of the diner window. In her muzzle, she held a very unsafe looking rusted machete, and the pinprick yellowed eyes of her didn’t give me any hope that she wasn’t using an abhorrent amount of drugs right now either.
Queueing the last shot at her head, I prayed to Celestia that this would work. The spell kicked time forward again as it guided my aim towards the pistol mare. With a crisp click, it dropped the hammer down for the first shot, and sent the round zipping through the air. With a warped perception of time, I watched as the shot blew through her eye and punched out the other side of her skull.
Re-adjusting, the spell changed targets to the shotgun stallion. The hammer came back, and with another crisp click, dropped and fired the next shot. The round zipped out again, this time punching through one of the greased up spikes on the stallion’s mane. Adjusting again, the spell dropped my aim slightly for his chest. Unfortunately, he’d flinched when his friend’s face exploded all over his, and he’d tossed his shotgun out of his magic. As S.A.T.S. fired, the shotgun flipped in the way of his chest and deflected the round down. It struck his hoof. Far from a fatal blow, but I’d hoped that between his dead friend and that, he’d choose to run instead.
The spell turned my aim toward the earth pony mare, pointing the gun down and at one of the old seating booths. The bitch must have ducked and was keeping her head down until I had to reload. Just before the gun fired, another mare poked her head through the window where the last one had been. This time, a tan earth pony mare with a sledge hammer in her teeth grinned at me.
My last queued shot fired harmlessly into the booth as S.A.T.S. tried to hit the first mare with an impossible shot. Seriously, Stable-Tec should have just let the spell fucking cancel if it couldn’t find the target!
Time jerked forward as the spell ended, and the mare with the sledgehammer screamed as she jumped up into the busted windowsill. My legs wobbled and dropped me onto the floor as the mare leapt at me from where she stood. The whole fucking serving bar shook as the mare landed on it. The insane giggling she gave from around the handle of her hammer echoed into the kitchen.
I have to get in there.
Flipping my gun in my levitation, I pointed it roughly to where I thought she might be and pulled the trigger. The gun blasted off the last round in the cylinder as I pushed off with my hooves. I threw my shoulder into the old swinging door that lead into the kitchen, slamming it open. With an enormous clatter, old pots, pans, and baking implements scattered across the floor from the shelves by the door, along with my gun as I lost focus for only a moment.
I only nearly had enough time to turn around before hammer mare jumped in after me. I kicked at her with my forehooves in an attempt to knock her away, but that was a bad idea. I should’ve remembered that earth ponies don’t tend to move when they don’t want to! Instead, I was sent sprawling back against the old flat top grill they had. The mare torqued her head to swing her hammer, only to have it catch on one of the old ingredient racks.
Catching a small break, I got back to my hooves and used my magic to grab whatever I could use as a weapon that felt heavy. With a grunt, I levitated both an old skillet and a very large frypan over to me.
With seemingly little effort, hammer mare tore the ingredient racks from the wall, sending them to the floor in a twisted heap. When she did, I yelled and swung the old skillet at her as hard as I could. With a simple twist of her head, she batted it away using the hammer. We both watched as it flipped and bounced down to the floor, skidding to the doorway. Though, the thing I wondered, was why she took her eyes off me at all.
With my magic no longer divided between two objects, I swung the frypan down with my full force and clocked her square on the forehead. She stood there for a moment, seeming unfazed but confused. It gave me enough time to quickly bring the pan up again, and give her another good whack with it. This time, she flopped to the floor. I didn’t know if she was dead or not from my hits, but so long as she’s not moving, I’m counting that as a win. Panting heavily, I finally had a moment to catch my breath.
“Come here, you little fucker.” The angry voice of another mare came through the doorway. The mare with the machete paused as she entered to find her friend lying on the floor. She giggled before turning her eyes on me. “Go ahead.” She spoke well for somepony with a weapon in their muzzle. “Think you can kill me before I kill you?”
“Uhm… no?” I spoke, not sure what I was supposed to say. Taking a step along the grill, I tried to get a few more feet of distance between me and her. Blunt weapons were slow and you had to swing them, but knives I didn’t trust. “How about you just let me walk on out of here and neither of us try to kill each other?”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t ya.” She snorted as she stepped around the other side of the kitchen. Between us sat a large, flat metal table like the ones the Casino kitchen used to prep food on. The rusty ventilation hood above it might keep her from jumping up, but I couldn’t trust it. Another step back, and a silver glint under the table caught my eye. In an instant, I grabbed it with my magic and pulled it to me. The raider mare shuttered with the sudden movement, but her smile only grew wider as I pointed my reclaimed revolver at her.
“Did you kill him, Ma?” The young voice of the colt coming through the diner made the mare’s eyes go wide. “I wanna see!”
Spinning around, I bucked out as hard as I could against the old prep table. The old metal sheared from the floor and slammed into the raider mare. She cried out for a moment as I turned and dashed over hammer mare’s body and out into the lobby. I nearly ran over the kid as I barreled out the door, but his panicked scream stopped me just short. Quickly, I enveloped him in my magic and pulled him off the ground. Turning around, I pressed my gun to his head just as his filthy mother came out of the kitchen after me.
“Drop the blade!” I screamed, pressing the gun harder against the kid’s head. I knew I was out of ammo, but I bet these raiders couldn’t count anything besides caps and how many minutes it’s been since they had their last hit. It was about then, the kid started crying and screaming his eyes out.
With the most sensibility I’d ever seen from a raider, the mare’s expression turned to one of fear and she let the machete slip from her muzzle. It was a strain, and caused a sharp pain to run up my head, but I managed to catch it before it hit the floor. Floating it over to me, the raider mare got down on all fours and begged.
“Please… please don’t hurt him!” She whined, starting to bawl her own eyes out. She may have been a good for nothing lowlife raider, but she was still a mother. I guess even the worst of those who survived out here could still care for something other than themselves. Maybe not all raiders were lost. They just needed to be reminded what their priorities should be.
“I won’t, not if you just… stay where you are, and let me go!” I growled, backing out into the lobby. As I took a step backward, the crying mare crawled forward at the same pace. “I said stay where you are!” I shouted, using my magic to throw the machete through one of the intact windows behind me. The shattering glass made the mare whine louder, and the colt amazingly shut his muzzle. With her only weapon outside behind me, I didn’t need him as leverage any more.
“Consider yourselves lucky.” I said as I carefully lowered him down and floated him towards his mother. Even though it was the biggest bluff I could have made with them, I still had to attempt to change things for the better. “Quit raiding and settle in somewhere else. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill your colt first and make you watch.” In one quick action, I let him go, and spun myself. With another whine, I pushed myself up onto the both table, and jumped through the shattered window. As soon as my hooves were on the dirt, I was galloping as fast as I could, and I didn’t want to look back.
You know, other than the sun, the thing I’ve always hated about the wasteland is that there’s far too much time to think. After the adrenalin wore off and I’d gotten far enough away from that mother and her colt, I broke down. Drinking as much as I normally do, I both hate myself and throw up all the time. But normally that’s a consequence I accept willingly. This time, it was for a whole nother reason.
Between the nausea and self loathing for the admittedly horrid act back there, I could remember better than ever, what had happened back then. The way mom stood over me, how hard she tried to protect me when they came for us all. Their faces, their races, everything about the day that Stable 13 fell is blurry, except for her. I can still remember what my mother looked like when the light of life left her forever. All she’d wanted was to keep me safe, and here I was, her son all grown up and threatening foals all on his own.
But now is a different time. I’m past the horrors of the day I left the stable, past the nightmare that was becoming a slave. Past the loss of my friends, family, and the only life I’d known. Things now… well, they aren’t better, but I had to admit that they could be a whole lot fucking worse.
The half hour I took to get ahold of myself had done a lot to rejuvenate me, and to remind me that I need to move faster. The assorted cuts and bruises from the fight could be dealt with once I got to Boardwalk. If I kept at a good pace, I might be able to show up before the heat peaked to it’s highest for today. Knowing my luck though… yeah, not counting on it.
-----
Dragging myself the last few hoofsteps, I gave out a whine as I’d finally reached the steel gate to Boardwalk. I’d all but melted in the heat on the way here, and even the guard standing at the gate looked like he was having a hell of a time trying to stay cool. The small awning he hid himself under barely shaded half of him, but it seemed to keep him cool enough that he gave me a good once-over glare as I pushed open the gate.
Stepping in, not even the salty sea air on this side of the fence did much to help mitigate the sun. Even the folks who normally lined the piers with their fishing lines and such seemed strangely absent. The only thing that still looked about normal for this place, was the monolithic old ferris wheel that stood locked in place. The several armored cages that hung on it sat swinging in the wind, the marksponies inside must be feeling like they were in an oven today.
Looking around for a way to get out of this damned heat, my gaze fell across the set of old concession stands that served as a sort of rest stop for most traveling ponies and merchants. The bazar inside looked to be absolutely packed with visiting and business ponies right now, and I hesitated to head over. While it was out of the heat, the bartender I was looking for wouldn’t be in there. Turning my gaze all the way down to the end of the pier, the old sunset bar and grill sat perched on the edge of the boardwalk. Annoyingly, a thousand feet of baking wooden pier sat between me and there.
However, the reward was not only the information I came for, but a chance for a stiff drink as well.
Figuring the reward was worth the small amount of continued suffering, I picked up my hooves and began my thousand foot slog. The sweat beading down the inside of my trenchcoat dripped onto the baked boards below me, evaporating instantly with a hiss, and making me think that I was actually cooking alive out here on a giant skillet.
The memory of me basicly braining that raider in that diner came back up, followed by the colt and his mother. I grit my teeth and pushed myself into a slow trot. Never again would I let that come to that. I’m not like the monsters who took us from the stable, I can’t ever let myself fall to the level of forcing a mother to do that again. I’m smarter than running into raiders. Next time, I just need to remember to turn tail and run before even finding myself in a situation like that again.
The hushed murmurs of the many inhabitants of Boardwalk came through the boards underneath me. I’m certain that on days like today, they thanked the goddesses for the fact that they lived in the shade under the pier. I’d have paid far more caps than it was worth if I could just have used their walkways down there to get across this place in the shade, but outsiders were not allowed below. Mercifully, the trot had kept my time going across the entirety of boardwalk to a minimum.
With a panting gasp, I hoofed at the swinging door to the old restaurant and pushed my way in. Quite a few patrons turned from their seats, fanning themselves with old newspapers and hats. They simply watched in silence as I entered and dragged myself up to a stool on the bar. With what felt like as much effort as it took to get myself here, I groaned and pulled myself onto the old padded seat. I gave a whine of pleasure as I could finally rest my sore legs a bit, softly resting my head down on the bar. I did it. I was finally here.
“Can I get you anything there, son?” The gravely voice of a ghoul was unmistakable as she walked over from behind the bar top. “You look absolutely parched. How about something to cool you off?” I looked up to find the horribly dehydrated teal colored earth pony mare who worked here wiping down a few wet glasses she had set up along the back wall. Her skin looked to have been parched so harshly by the salt air that it looked almost leathery, and split in long stringy strips across her exposed muscles.
“Hey!” The raspy voice of an elderly stallion down the bar called out. “Need a refill! Basically dying of thirst down here, Hammer!”
“Shut your muzzle, I’ll get you in a second, you old coot.” She grumbled hoffing back what was left of her jet black mane. “Seriously though. Can I get you anything, or did you come in with no caps with just the intent to get out of the heat?” Sighing, she propped herself up against the bar and looked at me. Sighing myself, I remembered that the caps I did have were technically supposed to pay back Cold Draft.
Well, even though I have literally zero idea if this is the right bartender, maybe I’d finally get lucky today. “Actually, I came in here looking for somepony I was told you could find.” Looking up, I found the apple green eyes of the mare study me silently. “I’m looking for Banshee.”
“Get out.” She muttered, sharply pointing her rotten hoof to the door.
“Eighth Note sent me.” I muttered. “He needs her help.” Looking her over again. The way she stood, the casual relaxed form around a ‘new’ customer, the fact that she kept as low a profile in this place as she could. It all made sense to me now. She was definitely the barkeep I was looking for.
“What’s that prick want with her?” She grunted, hoofing up a bottle of the most glowingly golden whiskey I’d ever seen in my life. As she talked, she quickly poured out a pair of shots before capping the bottle again. “Banshee has better things to do than do that bastard’s dirty work you know.”
“I’m just the messenger, you know what they say.” I grumbled back, whining internally as she quickly slid the two shot glasses all the way down the bar with a swift tap of her hoof. Not a single drop was spilled as they slowed to as top in front of the toothless old stallion who’d spoken up before. “Look, I’m just here so that I can find her and ask her for help, that’s all. She’s perfectly free to turn it down.” That was a bit of a lie however. I don’t know what Eighth would do if I couldn’t get her on board. With the importance of whatever this package is, I’d hate to think the levels he’d stoop down to just to get her to agree. Because no matter what, Eighth always gets his way in the end.
“You know what?” The ghoul mare rolled her eyes and placed her forehooves firmly on the bartop in front of my muzzle. Slowly, she shifted on her hooves, sending a series of soft pops along her joints as she leaned in. “I’ll tell you where to find her, but if I find out that you were lying to me…”
“Yeah, yeah.” Wow, this mare really did act like a stereotypical mare with something to hide. Intimidation should always be your last resort, never your first play. Makes for too quick a story. “Just tell me where she is and I’ll be out of your mane.”
“The old Neighpon Theatre, along Applewood boulevard.” The ghoul growled at me before pushing herself back from the bar. “Now get out of here, and we never had this conversation.”
Goddesses, what did I do to deserve this misfortune on myself? The Neighpon Theatre was all the way in the northern half of the city! It was going to take me hours to walk that far! Hell, it would have taken me less time to get there straight from Starwalk City, than it did having to fucking come all the way out here!
“Alright, if you say so.” I muttered under my breath, trying to hide my growing frustration for this job. Not to mention she was being just a bit of a melodramatic ghoul for having it easy in here. Well, at the very least, I’ve got something solid to go on now.
Spinning around on my stool, my limbs begged me for just a few minutes more rest. However, getting that short of a rest would have to be enough. Walking back across the floor, I levitated out my water bottle from my saddlebag and unscrewed the cap. Bringing it to my muzzle, I tilted it up and waited.
Only a few drops hit my tongue. Twisting the bottle, I easily found the problem. There was a bullet hole that cut clear through the side of it for some reason. Looking back at my saddlebags and coat real quick, I found that a pair of holes cut through both the coat and bags that weren’t there when I left Starwalk city. Thinking back, maybe a few of those pistol shots from the raider mare were a bit closer than I’d realized at first.
With a sigh, I discarded the useless bottle in the stuffed full trash bin by the door, and braced myself to head out into the heat again. Well, on the bright side, by the time I reach the Theatre, I’ll either have died from heat stroke, or it’ll finally be cool outside.
--Chapter End--
“Its no surprise to me i am my own worst enemy, ‘cause every now and then I kick the living shit outta me.”
Quests Finished: none
Quests Started: none
Levels Earned: 1->2
Perks Earned: Student of the Followers -
+5 [Magic, Academics & Lore] per rank. Mastery: 5 extra points in each of these Skills.
With the sun hanging just at the horizon between the cloud layer and the ocean horizon, the one thing I could be thankful for, was that the ambient air was cooling down rapidly. Looking back along the road, I paused as the sunlight finally pushed through the edge of the clouds. Even for as much as I hated the heat, I’d always enjoyed the sunset. I didn’t hate the Pegasi for closing us off from them at the end of the war, but what I did want to see was the actual sun go across the great blue sky of all the old stories. Getting back to real life, I pushed onward.
In the failing light of day, the imposing ornate tower that stood as the entrance to the old Neighpon theatre ruins sat as they had for the last two centuries. The crumbling, hole dotted outer walls that wrapped around it to make a small courtyard had long since lost their ornate decorations, most of them laying on the ground as worthless scraps of wood and metal. The scars of repeated gun battles and weather sent rays of scattered light through across the dusty concrete. Trotting between the large pillars that held up the front entrance to the place, I glanced over the flaking orange paint on them, finding that numerous obscenities and crude drawings adorned them.
Seeing them made me reflexively reach out for my revolver with my magic. Pulling it out, I checked the cylinder to make sure it was loaded. Satisfied that I was ready if there were a few raiders inside, I reached out with my magic and gripped the large door handle to the heavy wooden entrance doors. Pausing with a realization, I smirked and put my revolver back in my holster. If this ‘Banshee’ was here, why would there be raiders at all? She’d have cleared them out if she was using this place as a hideout.
Opening the door, I cringed as it let out a fairly loud and long set of heavy creaks. Stepping inside, I was immediately greeted with a set of curved, semicircle ticket counters to my sides. Looking over the dusty stands, I found a set of old movie posters set out on the one to my right. Curious, I stepped over to them to take a look. Like an idiot, I let the door go without thinking, and the heavy door shut with a resounding slam.
“What?” The gruff voice of a stallion spoke up from further in the old building. “Who’s there?” Banshee wasn’t supposed to be a stallion. So either A, this was a friend of hers… “Awww, don’t be shy! We only want to have some fun with you.” Or what looks like B, she hadn’t yet cleared the raiders from this place after all...
Okay, so this was bad. In a panic, I put my hooves through the dust on the ticket counter and pulled myself up, hopping over and behind the counter. Ducking down, I pressed myself back against the counter and let out a sigh. Staring at the floor, I perked my ears to listen.
“Here, pony pony pony.” The hoarse voice of a mare reverberated through the hall as it approached. Looking up, I froze as I looked across the semicircular ticket counter. A pair of small, green eyes peered angrily at me from the inside of a large cubby. A little brown filly with orange mane sat trained on me as I stared back. Quickly, she looked over toward the door out, nodding at it then at me.
Listening as the quick hoofsteps of the raiders drew closer, I shook my head. If I got up now, I’d be seen and they’d just gun me down. The small filly rolled her eyes angrily before repeating the process again. Did she want me to die? She obviously didn’t belong to these raiders, and she obviously wasn’t Banshee…
“Maybe the asshole left?” The stallion’s voice cropped up again, sounding like it was just over the counter. I listened as the heavy door creaked open again, only to slam shut again fairly quickly.
“Nah, we woulda heard ‘em go.” The mare spoke, her voice falling off for a moment. For almost half a minute, the air sat completely still and quiet. As slowly as I could, I wrapped my magic around my revolver, and slid it from it’s holster, levitating it right next to me. The heavy slam of a fire axe as it embedded itself in the counter next to my head made me flinch, but it made the filly in the cubby squeak in surprise.
“There ya are!” The stallion’s voice said as he all but leapt over the counter towards where the filly was. As he did, I pointed my revolver at him and was about to pull the trigger when a hoof swept down from above me and knocked it from my levitation. The crimson coated raider mare hopped down in front of me with a smile, standing on her rear hooves.
“Goodnight, Banshee!” She cackled out, swiftly bringing her hoof down on my head, and sending me into a world of pain and darkness.
-----
“I’m going to say this again,” The angry voice of a stallion filling my ears was a rough way to come back to things. Wincing, my head spiked in pain, sending a sharp feeling from the base of my skull to the tip of my horn. “You always have been, and always will be, incompetent fucking MORONS!” The angry stallion bellowed.
“We swear, we didn’t know she was a mare!” The mare from before answered him hesitantly. “We’d only heard that the banshee is a blue coated unicorn with a pipbuck.”
Groggily, I opened my eyes to… fuzziness. Rubbing at my eyes with my forehooves, I found my glasses missing. If that weren’t already annoying enough, even without them, in the flickering firelight I could tell I was suspended in a cylindrical metal cage in somewhere that was not the old theatre. Now awake, I shivered as I was also missing all my clothes. The only thing still in my possession was thankfully my pipbuck.
“Besides, what were those two doin’ there if they ain’t know her?” The stallion from the theatre spoke up. “Wakey wakey!” He called out from below me, smacking the side of my cage with something. I recoiled at the hits, bracing myself against the sides of the cage with my hooves. I had to find a way to get out of this place! “Hey, bluebitch, you know Banshee?” The stallion laughed, amused at my fear.
Get ahold of yourself, Sawyer. You’re smarter than this. Sure they are raiders, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be talked out of it! I mean, if they were looking for Banshee as well, they’d have to be smart enough to know what’s what in the Los Pegasus ruins! I’ll just have to do the same thing I do to protect myself when at home, and that’s hide behind Eighth Note!
“I…” I started out. “I’m a courier for Eighth Note.” Turning my fuzzy gaze, I looked into the darkness where the stallion who’d sounded like he was in charge had been. “He… He’ll come and tear this place apart if he finds out you’ve hurt me.” That was fantastic, Sawyer, really sold it to them. Now they’ll just hold you for ransom and get Eighth to spend even more caps.
“Just shut your muzzle and relax. B wouldn’t let anything happen to her best friend.” The annoyed sounding voice of a filly came from behind me. Spinning around as best I could in my cage, the green eyes of the little filly from before swung in another cage near mine. “B will find her way here soon enough.” She sighed out, looking to get just a bit more comfortable in her cage. “Just a matter of time really before she shows up and wipes all these wimps off the face of the wasteland. Keeping quiet will make sure she doesn’t confuse you for one of them.”
“Oh, really?” The stallion in charge belted out a healthy laugh. “And what makes you so sure that she’ll come and save you?” From out of the dark, heavy hoofsteps approached our cages. The most massive unicorn I’d ever seen walked into the flickering firelight, absolutely rippling with muscles along his caramel colored coat. Even without my glasses, the gnarled shape of his short horn glinted with odd facets, most likely meaning it had been fractured at some point.
“The only reason you’re still here, Twix, is because your band haven’t been a threat to any settlements, only preying on random travelers like all the other scum raiders in this city.” The small filly had guts, I’ll give her that. But did she have to actively work to piss these guys off? Maybe she knew Banshee like she said, but alternatively she could be bluffing. “Though, you aren’t the first ones to have found her hideout, it’ll be the last time any of you step hoof near there again.”
“Strong words from such a weak little filly.” The stallion snorted. “Though, I’m getting tired of your attitude and lack of respect.” With a glimmer, his horn sparked as he lifted a bright yellow key up from his side. “Let’s see what’s more likely to happen first. If you’ll drop the attitude, or if your screams for mercy will draw your ‘friend’ here faster.” Even without my glasses, I could see the filly’s eyes go wide as the key floated closer. “Who knows! If I don’t break you in my tent, maybe I’ll let the others have a go at you as well!”
“Take me.” I blurted out, sharply covering my muzzle as I realized I’d acted without thinking. Silence fell across the camp as the key froze in place. Sure, it was without thinking, but she was a filly for Celestia’s sake! I couldn’t sit and watch as they took her like that.
“Oh, is the ‘courier’ that desperate for my ‘package’?” Twix bellowed out in laughter, his whole camp seeming to join in the hysteria as I felt more shame in that moment than ever before, even if it was in doing the right thing. Unfortunately, before I knew it, the laughter was over and he began moving the key up to the filly’s lock again. “I think not. What use are you as a prize to hold up over Eighth Note’s head, if I’ve broken you? I could trade you for anything I desire, so you will stay in your cage and be quiet.”
Without another option, I reached out with my magic and ripped the key away from his relatively weak magic. With only a moment to control it, I turned my attention to the bright bonfire in the center of the camp. Using as much force as I could muster, I flung the key at it, happily watching as it zipped into the center of it and sent up a few more ashes. A collective gasp fell across the camp, as Twix shifted his angry brown eyes up at me.
“Get him down from there.” He spoke in a low, guttural tone that shook me to the core. “Scalding, grab me the chain.”
“Y-yes, sir.” The mare who’d knocked me out nodded before trotting off toward the fire. As she did, one of the other stallion’s magic wrapped around my cage and lifted it. The large construction crane I’d been hooked onto came into view as I was spun around. With a sharp screech, the hook that still dangled off of the old pre-war equipment released the cage from it. Without any warning, the stallion holding me let me go, and the cage dropped hard onto the ground with me in it.
I cried out as I slammed into the cage and dirt. It rolled for a moment, flipping me onto my side before it rocked to a stop. I sat laying there as my head spun and I saw stars shoot around my vision like fiery streaks. Only, after a moment, one of the bright lines didn’t disappear. The whole cage rolled sideways, one of the rusted iron bars pressing down just behind my pipbuck and pinning my foreleg outside of the cage.
“Maybe you are right. Eighth Note would think me weak if I returned his ‘messenger’ in pristine condition.” As Twix spoke, he took heavy steps forward, the glowing line next to him in his magic swinging slightly as he did. I did my best to focus on it, going wide eyed as I realized that it was in fact, not a glowing line, but a red hot section of chain held in his magic. Tugging at my pinned hoof, I began to panick. “Now, keep that horn of yours dark, or I might just find the act of returning you at all… more trouble than it’s worth.” He smirked as he stepped up and lowered the chain down slowly. “Count yourself lucky. Were you anypony else, I’d just cut your pretty little pip leg off and watch you bleed to death in the dirt.”
The intense heat the iron gave of as it lowered down made me whimper. Desperately, I flailed and tried to move. The weight of the other raiders holding the cage still made it pointless, and the eagerness in their eyes only drove my fear to new heights. As the heat became too much, I opened my muzzle up and let out a scream.
And then he set it down across my foreleg.
My flesh boiled and my mind went blank with pain. I’ve been shot, stabbed, and sick to the point of near death, but nothing compared to this. All of me locked up as there was nothing else in my world but pain. Tears flowed from my eyes as I cried out, and all of my will to fight drained out of me faster than a glass of whiskey on a lonely night.
It had only been moments, but when he finally removed the chain, it had felt like hours. Even then, the pain still existed. The smell of my own burning flesh choked every breath. Even with the chain removed, the flesh between my hoof and my pipbuck bubbled and smoldered. More than anything, I’d wished for some release. Some way to end this painful suffering. With my voice exhausted of any more screams, and my body unwilling the writhe and thrash anymore, I watched as Twix’s smile grew even wider than it had been.
“Thank you for giving me just that little extra kick to remember why I so enjoy doing this.” He spoke with a strong tone, but it was lost on me. As Twix turned back around toward the fire, he gave a giggling laugh. “Leave the fucker there till morning. We’ll deal with him after we kill Banshee. But first, let’s eat. I’m fucking starving.”
“What about the filly?” The stallion from the theatre spoke up.
“Leave her as well.” Twix snorted. “She’ll need her rest for later tonight.” All the other raiders gave of various calls of excited agreement as they turned to follow him. Mercifully, I was now left alone.
The pressure against the side of my cage dropped off, and it rolled back slightly. The moment it did, I whimpered and pulled my charred forehoof back in. Coddling it, I curled myself up as tightly as possible and sobbed. This was why I never left home on my own. Days like today were why I couldn’t ever be anything other than a pony running short errands. I wasn’t strong enough to fight anypony. Sure, I’d done the ‘right’ thing, but what did it cost me?
“Pst.” The sound from behind me caught my attention as I sat whimpering in pain. “Psssst.” Again it came through the pain, making me turn my head to find out what it was.
“Hey.” The green eyes of the small filly looked down at me from her cage, hardly visible through the flickering firelight and my own watery eyes. “You’re still an idiot… but thank you.” She whispered softly. “You just need to hold on, alright?” Her voice lacked the anger it had held before, sounding nicer than anypony else I’d ever even known out here. Even my friends didn’t have that amount of respect in their voices. “I wasn’t lying. B is coming for us. Managed to scratch a T in the top of the desk before they dragged me out of there. She’ll know what it means.”
With another whimper, I carefully lowered my head back down. What good was it going to be with me on the ground. If a firefight broke out, I was nothing more than convenient cover to these raiders, or even worse, a hostage. Still, I was the expendable hostage, so what chance did I even have of getting out of here in the first place?
Best to just close my eyes, focus on nothing, and try to wait until this was all over. Before too long, the pain in my leg reminded me of an old memory I’d had. It was a painful memory, but it was still less so than the real world. With a calm heart, I lost myself in it, and prayed for tonight to be over.
-----
The other foals around me screamed and laughed as they all ran around in the Stable’s apple orchard. I on the other hoof, was resting under one of the trees. In my recently discovered magic of levitation, I held two objects. One, was a clipboard with a blank piece of lined paper, while the other, was a pencil. Scrunching my muzzle, I didn’t understand why nothing was coming to mind today. Normally, my inspiration held no bounds, and I struggled to write with my muzzle as much as I’d come up with during the day. Now that writing was easier than anything, I felt as blank as my flank.
Then I was struck without warning. Not by inspiration, or an idea. Rather, by a flying soccer ball. It smacked off my head, knocking my writing supplies from my magic and the glasses from my muzzle.
“Oh yeah, did you see that?!” One of the other colts called out. I couldn’t recall his name, but I know I’d always hated him. “S.A.T.S. said it was a sixty percent chance and it got him right in the face!” To this, most of the other foals cheered and giggled incessantly. Annoyed, I went to pick up my stuff to leave, but I found that my pencil had snapped in half.
“That was a week's worth of allowance…” I sighed, feeling almost on the verge of tears. As my mother made very sure to tell me, pencils didn’t grow on trees down here in the stable. We had to make use of everything fully and completely.
“You should be ashamed of yourself.” The sharp voice of a mare had startled me. At first, I’d thought she was talking to me, but when I looked up, she held the ball in her own magic, standing there pointing her hoof at the offending colt. “I’m going to tell your Mom and get her to buy him a new pencil.” The blue mare who’d always sat in front of me in school stood over me, protecting me. Though I couldn’t recall her at the time, we’d grown to be best friends shortly afterward. Turning to me, she’d smiled, ignoring the insults that the bastard colt was throwing at her. “Come on, I’ll take you to his dorm.” Holding out her hoof to me, I smiled and wiped the tears forming in my eyes.
“Okay.” I nodded, taking her hoof and climbing onto my own. I don’t think I ever got why she took the stance of defending me back then. Even now, I’m not sure of why she did it. However, of course with my writing implement broken, it was at that moment I’d been struck by the hoof of inspiration. A superhero, a masked vigilante, out for justice to help those without hope. Sure, it’d be a lot like Mare Do Well, but this mare would be better, and more beautiful, and I’d call her…
Pausing before walking with her, I took the jagged and broken part of my pencil, and wrote the name down before I forgot it. Of course, it had been so long ago since that day, that just like the filly who’d been my friend, I couldn’t quite remember the name…
I missed my home, my family… my friends.
-----
I came back to reality with a whimper, opening my unfocused eyes and looking up at the dark night sky. As I did, a soft, blue glint caught my eye traveling above me. I watched oddly as it drifted over, right into the little Filly’s cage.
“See.” She whispered. “Told ya’ she’d come through.” With a little snicker, the filly shuffled around in her cage a bit. Wondering just what the hell was going on, I turned over, whining from the pain my forehoof gave. There was a soft click before I watched in amazement as the door to the filly’s cage swung open. Without a moment’s hesitation, she hopped down from her cage to the dirt next to me. In her muzzle, she bit down on a long piece of dark metal, and the glint of a gold hairpin shone in her fetlock as she approached.
A fairly prominent crackle came through the air past the bonfire in the center of the camp. The odd sound of an old doo-wop song picked up, the tones of an old world stallion carrying through the night like the call of a two century old ghost.
Did someone leave the stove on?
Or did my darling just walk by?
She's hotter than a bright July
She is my cutie pie.
“It’s comin’ from da’ gate!” The annoying stallion from the theatre spoke up as he and another pony trotted towards the gate at the far end of the compound. The two of them pushed the gate open, revealing an odd sight. It was hard to tell from here, but it looked like a lantern had been set on the wreck of a skybus, with some sort of holotape system pumping out the music.
“It’s just a scare tactic.” Twix called out across the camp. Looking around with a smile, he scanned along the tops of the walls for a moment as the song continued. “It’s Banshee alright.”
Did someone turn the heat up?
Or did my love walk in the room?
Oh, just a little whiff of her perfume
Makes my heart go-
The wreck exploded in a prismatic display that was left as a fuzzy afterimage in my vision. The Stallion and his friend disappeared in the ferocious blast, which brought a smirk to my muzzle.
With a click, the back of my cage opened. Looking over, the filly stepped back and spit her tool out into her hoof. “There, you’re free.” She looked around for a second, pointing over to one of the ragged tents that sat opposite to where the crane that held us was. “Come on. My bet is our stuff is in there.” Rolling over, I bit down on my tongue to stifle the scream I gave from putting pressure on my wounded leg. She gave a chuckle as I favored my leg and limped out of my cage. “Atta boy, suck it up. We’re almost done here.”
“Hey!” The hoarse mare from before snapped. “The prisoners are free!”
“Shit,” The filly said as she went wide eyed. “time to run!” Turning, she took off straight toward the tent. As I did my best to hobble after her, gunfire and screaming erupted all around us. I don’t know if it was at us, or between Banshee and them, but I didn’t want to look back. Quickly approaching the entrance to the old canvas tent, I tripped and flopped down through the tent flap.
“Owch…” I grumbled as I rolled onto my side and started to stand up again. A few more shots punched a pair of holes through the canvas, streaming shafts of light into the dark interior. Another scream came from the outside, followed by more gunfire.
“Here.” The filly said before I felt a familiar shape resting on my muzzle. Using my horn, I tilted my glasses until they sat correctly on me. With the world in focus, I looked over in time to see the filly scoot my revolver along the floor toward me. Grabbing it in my levitation, feeling it’s weight again, it changed something in me.
Normally, combat left a pit in my stomach. I’d be good to get the hell out of here and never look back. Maybe it was being held like a slave again, or because I never want to lose the life I know for a second time. I wasn’t a fighter, but this was different. I wanted to kill that fucker for what he did to my leg, for what he promised to do to me. With a snarl, I turned back toward the tent flap and hobbled out.
Immediately as I pushed out the flap, that mare who’d hit me in the theatre met my eyes. She skid to a stop in front of me, fire axe held tightly in her muzzle. Slipping into S.A.T.S. without a second thought, I found that the system gave me an eighty percent chance to hit her in the chest, and a sixty percent chance to hit her in the head. With the memory of that day in the stable still fresh in my mind, I toggled three shots to her head and executed the spell.
The slowness of S.A.T.S. was still an oddity to me. I never really used the system because I hardly ever found myself in combat. Even then, it’d hardly ever proven itself useful. However, today I needed it. I watched in content fascination as the spell guided my .44 and pulled the trigger. One, two, three shots, straight at the mare’s stupid face.
All three shots zipped through the air. The first two missed by mere inches, flying past each side of the mare’s neck. Two misses at sixty percent? Seriously!? Okay then, odds were in my favor for the third shot… So why was I not surprised when the third shot punched a hole straight through the angry mare’s right ear.
Time jerked forward as it did with the end of the spell, and the angry mare recoiled only momentarily from the shot. Panicking, I squeezed the trigger again with my magic, sending a round right through the mare’s leg. That got her to scream, but as she did, she launched herself toward me. With the force of an out of control wagon, she slammed me down to the dirt. I lost focus on my gun again, quickly shaking the hit off as she pushed herself up to stand over me. Raising her axe high with her muzzle, she was about to bring it down and end my life.
The resounding blast of a shotgun snapped her head to the side as half of it exploded into gore. The mare slumped over, dropping into the dirt in a bloody heap straight onto my revolver.
The silence that filled the air now felt awkwardly forced to my attention. The cracking of the bonfire still lit in camp was one of the only sounds I could hear. The other sound was that of a few hoofsteps slowly coming up to me. Looking up from where I was, I watched as the strange, white masked unicorn walked closer.
The rough burlap cloak she wore as a hood fluttered in her magic as she pulled it off. Under it, she wore various pieces of combat armor strapped over a dusty blue jumpsuit. The armor itself wasn’t much anything special, but it had been well used. In fact, there was still a lead slug stuck in the composite breastplate she wore. Two blue eyes stared at me curiously from behind the intimidating white mask that hid her face, going wide. Her blue aura wrapped around the mask and pulled it off sharply while also flicking the tie for her bunned white and grey striped mane out as well. The mare that stood before me smiled as she looked down at me, and my brain screamed to tell me why she looked so familiar. But I didn’t believe it.
“Sawyer?” She spoke. “Been a long time since the stable fell.” Holding out her hoof to me, I couldn’t help but think that even though we’d both been out in this hellscape of a world, she hadn’t even changed. “How’s my long lost best friend been holding up all these years?”
With that revelation out of the way, and the adrenalin worn off, my body told me that I was done for today, and my mind agreed. With a sigh, I collapsed back into the dirt, and gladly passed out for a while.
--Chapter End--
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Quests Finished: Rebel Without A Cause
Quests Started: Scream of The Banshee
Levels Earned: 2->3
Perks Earned: Stalliongrad Roulette -
Nothing beats a little luck in a gunfight. Your critical chance is increased by 1 for each empty chamber in a revolver, but your chances of a misfire likewise increase.
The voice of a mare in the darkness called my name. Though, I couldn’t see them or anything at all for that matter, I looked around. Stark blackness was all around me, pressing against me with a chill that sent a shiver down to my very soul.
Sawyer…
The mare’s voice called again. This time, I could at least discern a direction. As I turned to look, a soft light flickered on a short distance away. It pushed back against the darkness, but could not clear more than a few feet. What looked like an old throw switch sat sparking against a grey wall. With my curiosity piqued, I trotted towards it.
Sawyer… come closer…
The closer I trotted, the further the switch seemed to get. Another light flickered on a few feet beside it. However, this one only cast a shadow against another gray wall. That shadow, opened a pair of bright yellow eyes that gazed angrily at me. I could feel a wave of fear wash over me, like I knew deep down that this was wrong. Even so, as much as I tried, I couldn’t stop my legs from continuing to take me closer.
Sawyer… come back to us…
Yet another light flickered on. This one was between them, and much stronger than the other two. In it, I finally froze where I stood in horror. The bent, half broken massive steel door that once sealed my stable rose up in the darkness. The pock marked and faded number thirteen sent a new pulse of fear into me. Then the door started to tip forward, growing larger as it did.
Sawyer… welcome home...
Panicking, I tried to get my legs to move, but they refused! My heart raced in my chest as the looming door grew and swung downward. I had to run, but my hooves felt like they were part of the floor. Looking up, I watched as the massive door eclipsed my vision, and with a rousing slam, came down ontop of me.
I screamed and jumped to my hooves. With a sharp stinging pain, my right forehoof gave out from under me, and I came crashing down onto a musty old carpet. With a groggy groan, I blinked a few times as I got the impression that everything just then had been another nightmare.
“Sawyer?” A mare’s voice called to me again, making my blood freeze. With the soft click of a door, the fuzzy blue mare who’d saved me walked into whatever fuzzy room I was in. Oh, right… glasses.
“Sorry.” I groaned, blinking as I looked around for my old black frames around me. As I did, a soft blue magical aura enveloped them and brought them right onto my muzzle. Adjusting them with my own magic, I turned to look at the mare again, remembering the events of earlier. “Bluejay? Is it really you?”
“Glad you remember me.” She smiled as she began taking off her gear. “Goddesses it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” Setting down her mask and bags, she then began levitating her shotgun around and taking it apart. As she did, she used her magic to run an oily rag over each of the stripped parts. “I mean, I’d always hoped that you made it out alright, but...“ She paused, looking over at me with eyes that looked full of regret. “Just… it’s good to see you again.”
“Yeah, but… what the hell are you doing out here?” Finally pulling myself off the floor, I whined as I favored my burnt leg. It had been tightly wrapped in bandages, and the smell of a medical salve filled my nose… along with another, better smell. Somepony around here smelled like they were frying a fresh batch of hay.
“Come with me and I’ll explain it all to you.” Bluejay smiled in the same way she had when we were young, holding her hoof out to me as she set down her shotgun parts in an orderly fashion. Reaching out, I took her hoof with my injured one, and she helped me limp into the next room.
Leaving the small office I’d woken up in, I found myself brought into a small lounge room. Faded movie posters lined the walls, and I was fairly confident I’d been brought back to the theatre.
“Hay’s almost done, B!” The little filly from before called out as we strolled in. She had herself propped up on a couple old milk crates, hovering over a small portable stove that had been set up on the counter. She cast her glance back to me and offered me a quick smile before turning back to working at the cooking food. With a surprisingly loud sizzle, the little filly slid a large piece of radhog meat onto the other side of the small stove.
“Sounds great, Skele.” Bluejay spoke up with a smile, using her magic to ruffle the mane of the small filly. Continuing over to an old black leather couch, Blujay plopped herself down in it with a heavy sigh. “Feel free to take a seat anywhere, get comfortable and stay off that hoof of yours.” I nodded, quickly finding an old leather armchair to climb into. “So,” She continued as I maneuvered myself into place. “Guess I should start at what happened the day the Stable was raided.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, looking over to her. It was hard to believe that it was the same mare I’d used to know all those years ago, sitting only a few feet away.
“I assume what happened to me had also happened to you.” Bluejay began, looking over at me briefly before staring across the room in thought. “Once the Stable fell to the slavers, I was rounded up with a group and marched outside. Once outside, the foals and elderly were forced into a caged cart, while those who could walk were chained.”
She was lucky then. Looking down at my bandaged forehoof, I could almost see the shackles I’d been put in. Sure, they were just a memory, but they still felt as heavy on me as they did that day.
“So anyway,” She continued. As she did, the filly scraped some of the food onto an old plate. “We were hauled north, sent along a different route than the rest of the Stable. After two days or so, the Slavers were ambushed.” The filly hopped down from her boxes, effortlessly balancing the plate of food on her head. Trotting over, she waited for me to grab it with my magic before turning around. “In all my years out here, I’ve never seen anything like that day happen again. A single mare with a lever action rifle took down fourteen of the bastards like it was nothing.”
That sounded too improbably fantastic to have actually happened. “Oh yeah?” I asked, trying to occupy myself with something other than the thoughts of those days. The smell of the fresh cooked meal however, was a nice way to do so.
“Yeah.” Bluejay chuckled softly, still lost in her own visions of the memories. “She freed us that day. In that same day, I knew then what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be like her. It was a tough journey, but I followed her all the way back east to Baltimare.”
“This supermare have a name?” I asked, genuinely interested now. This ‘pony’ was too good to be a nopony. Anypony who was a hero out here either didn’t last long, or made a name for themselves amongst the wastes.
“Storm Rider.” Bluejay shrugged, torn out of her memories by my question. Looking over, she watched as the little filly hopped back down from her box and brought her a plate of food. “She used to go by the name ‘the Blue Phoenix’. Always liked that name, myself.”
Ah, now there’s a familiar name. “Yeah, I’m fairly certain that Eighth Note has a file on her.” Yeah, and like ‘Banshee’ here, it advised never hiring her. “So this mare took you in then?”
“Yeah. Having followed her that far, you better believe she did.” Bluejay nodded, using her magic to stuff a clump of fried hay into her muzzle. She didn’t let it slow her down though. “She jumped between training me and her granddaughter for a few years, trying to get us to take over for her and let her retire. But I was the better protege of the two of us, and she’d grown too distant from her granddaughter to convince her to join us.” With a solemn look crawling over her face, she looked down at the plate of food before her. “A couple of years ago now, Storm finally died. So I said my goodbyes to the east coast and headed out here with another of our old Stablemates. Took me a while to get set up, but I started to make a name for myself again. I couldn’t just sit around anymore in this dump of a city without doing something.”
“So, that’s why you’re parading around Los Pegasus with a name like ‘The Banshee’.” I scoffed at the notion. I’m surprised she’s managed to last this long out here. The ruins of Los Pegasus were nothing but rotten and best left to decay into nothing. There was nothing left saving here. “Why ‘The Banshee’, anyway?”
“What” She cocked an eyebrow as she slurped up a bit more hay off her plate. “I’d thought you’d get it right away with me.” She giggled and wiped some of the haybits from her muzzle. “Wasn’t that the name of one of the superheroes you’d thought up way back when? I’d thought that since your stories were always so entertaining to me, I might as well become the mare you’d always written about.”
I couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. “Not sure I’d have gone with ‘The Banshee’, but it’s flattering that you still remember some of my less than stellar works.” Really, my stories had evolved since then. Even though nopony ever read them anymore really, I know that I’ve improved over time.
“Bullshit.” Bluejay chortled, nearly choking on her hay. “Those stories were great.” With a sigh, she put down her plate for a moment. “Other than my parents, they’re one of the things I missed the most about living in the stable.” With a smile, she looked up again, a soft expression overcoming her. “But then again, I’ve missed you too. What about your end of the story? What happened to you when the stable fell.”
Looking down at the food, suddenly I’d lost my appetite.
“We’ve delayed long enough.” I spoke, trying to force back all the memories swarming in my head. Bluejay deserved an explanation, but I still had a job to do, because unlike her, I was still a slave. “Eighth Note needs you for a job.”
“Really?” Bluejay responded with an agonized groan. “We haven’t seen each other for basically forever, and you just want to discuss what that asshole wants?” With a roll of her eyes, she flopped back on her couch. As she did, the small filly hopped up next to her with her own plate of food. “Why the fuck do you even work for him?”
“Because not all of us were lucky enough to be saved, and he was at least nice enough to buy me before I was sold off to some brothel.” I snapped at her, shoving myself off the chair and sending the food to the floor. Turning toward the exit, I started limping my way to it. “It’s good to see you again and all, but my job was just to give you the job offering.” Reaching out for the door, I put my hoof on the handle.
“Sawyer, wait.” Bluejay whined, using her magic to keep the inner workings of the door from working with the handle.
“Look, I told you…” I said, turning around. As I did, I found her wrapping her hooves around me tightly in an awkward hug. It really was great to know that she wasn’t dead, but this whole interaction had become too painful to me. I just wanted to go back home and lose myself in a deep bottle of whiskey again.
“I’m sorry for what I said.” She came across muffled as she spoke against my chest. “Just… don’t go storming off like that. Not when I finally have a chance to see my old friend again.” With a sigh, she loosened her hold on me, looking up with the same bright blue eyes I remembered from so long ago. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll hear him out, but only if you stay.”
“Can’t even eat in peace. Just get a fucking room already!” The little filly muttered, flopping back with an exasperated sigh. “Just take the job, B. It’s not like we’ve got anything lined up right now anyway.”
“Ahem.” Bluejay grunted and glared at the little filly. “Sawyer, Skeleton Key told me what you did for her back there in the raider’s camp.” Those words made the filly look up with a nervous grin. ”And probably why she should at least owe a thank you for saving her tiny little flank.”
“Thank you Mr. Sawyer.” The little filly offered as she turned and shoved her face into her plate of radhog meat.
“Real smooth, Skele.” Bluejay sighed and looked back up to me, regaining her pleading eyes. “Stay for a bit longer, please?”
With a groan that came from my abdomen instead of my muzzle, I relented. “Fine.” I’d begun to really regret throwing my plate on the floor. “But then we really need to get back.”
“Sure.” She gave a soft nod and a genuine smile. “Now, I’m sure we’ve got some Cram stashed around here somewhere you can have…” Turning around, she trotted over to the cupboards next to where the cookstove was. “Besides, by the time you’re done with breakfast, most of the Ferals should be dipping back into their hidey-holes with the sunrise.”
“Sunrise!?” I facehooved hard. “You mean I was out nearly all night?”
“Yeah.” Bluejay gave a chuckle as she rummaged through the shelves of the cupboard she’d opened. “That’s what happens with concussions. Unless you happened to forget you took a pretty hard hit to the head when you were taken from here with Skele.”
“Or he’s just dumb…” Skeleton Key added in a low grumble.
“What was that?” Bluejay instantly shot back an annoyed glare at the little filly.
“Nothing!” She exclaimed before burying her muzzle into the hay on her plate.
Damnit. Eighth Note is going to kill me because I’m late, and it’s not going to make it any better for me if she hears him out and refuses the job anyway…
Fuck my life.
-----
With labored breaths, my sore hooves carried me forward at a crawl as the sun above the cloud layer was still getting the ruins around us warmed up. Even so, I was already sweating like I’d spent the last few minutes trapped in an oven. Walking through the ruins back towards Starwalk city, I felt all wrong. My headache had returned with a vengence, I couldn’t focus at all… My heart was racing. Looking up from the ground, I looked over at Bluejay, who was talking, but I wasn’t really listening. I licked at my chapped lips, feeling the dryness in my throat. I needed a drink.
Not looking where I was going, my hoof hooked on a piece of rusty rebar. The sudden obstacle brought me crashing to the ground. With a whimper and a plume of dust, I flopped down onto my side and laid there.
“Ow…” I sighed, taking this impromptu moment to rest a bit. The sun above me dimmed as a tall figure obscured it. Bluejay looked down at me with a smile.
“Are you okay?” She almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. After a moment her smile dropped off, and a look of concern replaced it. “Seriously, you’re sweating a lot more than you should be...”
“I’m fine.” I groaned. “Just…” struggling to move, I found my hooves annoyingly weak for the moment. “Need to get back home.” Without my consent, I found Bluejay’s hoof holding me down as her magic yanked my pipbuck leg up to where she could see it.
“The medical functions on here say you’re sick.” She muttered, hitting a few buttons with her magic. “From… withdrawal?” With that, her magic released my leg and it flopped painfully down. I let out a whine from my muzzle as she deadpanned at me. “Really, Sawyer?”
“I knew he was just a junkie!” Skeleton Key chimed in from up ahead.
“I’m not a fucking junkie.” I snapped, using my anger to pick myself up. “I just… I need to drink to keep my mind off everything.” Seriously, they didn’t fucking understand. I didn’t have somepony there to save me all these years. “Now come on, we’re late enough as is.” Pressing onward, I pushed myself up to a trot.
It was great that Bluejay was alive and all, but I’m not some goodie four shoes. I lived in the real world, and that world had problems that needed help to ignore. I don’t need some mare I used to know getting on my case about how I’ve managed to even stay sane all these years.
“You know what?” Bluejay called from behind me. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going.”
“What!?” I snapped, spinning myself around.
“If that’s how Eighth Note keeps you, then why the hell would I want to do anything for him?” Bluejay snot back as she used her magic to levitate her mask out of her gear. Putting it on, she waved Skeleton Key over to her. “I’d thought you were smarter than all this, Sawyer. You were back in the Stable at least.”
“The stable is gone, Bluejay.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the show she was putting on over this. “How fucking naive are you? Running off with some hero, doing ‘good’ or some shit? Do you think that places you somehow above everypony else? Makes you better than them!?”
“No, that’s not it at all!” She yelled back. Throught the eye holes in her mask, I could see the anger in her eyes. “I just thought that everypony else had the excuse to not have had a better life at one time. They didn’t have the luxuries we had and lost, and I’m just surprised to see you have fallen so far, Sawyer.”
“It’s you that had those luxuries, Bluejay.” I sighed and sat down hard. “Other than you and my mom, I had nothing back then. No friends, no future in the Stable. Then what little I had was taken away, and what was I left with?” Lifting my hooves to her, I glared at them. “A set of shackles.”
“Yes, but you aren’t a slave anymore.” Bluejay growled. “Does Eighth Note keep you in chains?”
“You don’t even get it, do you?” I grew tired of argueing, and it only felt like it was tearing my throat up as it was. “I owe him everything for what he did. It’s not my fault that you are the one who believes that I owe you anything on the premise that we once knew each other as foals.” Dropping my hooves, I pushed myself up and turned around, looking down the road toward Starwalk City. “Now are you going to be a professional and keep your goddess damn word, or are you going to run back to your fantasy world and play hero some more?”
Hoofsteps walking up behind me proved to me that I’d been right all along. She needed to ditch this stupid fantasy of hers and come back to the real world. Standing, I waited for her to walk past me in a huff. Instead, I found a hoof on my shoulder. With a strong yank, I was spun around. The world became a painful blur as she planted a strong hoof swing across my jaw, and for the second time in minutes, I was back on the ground.
“Come on, Skele. We’ve got better things to do.” Bluejay spat at me before turning and trotting off.
“B, wait!” Skeleton Key called out, chasing after her as the both of them disappeared into the ruins. With a sigh, I rolled back over to my hooves. Well, that was a bust. Honestly, I don’t care what Eighth Note says, we don’t need to work with somepony like that. Trotting forward, angry murmurs from the ruins behind me drew more and more distant. Though, with each step, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. That was it. That had been my chance to get something back that I’d lost so long ago. But like I’d said, that isn’t my life anymore.
“Mr. Sawyer!” The young voice of Skeleton Key called out from behind me.
With a groan, I turned around. “What.” Seriously, was it not clear enough that I don’t care anymore?
“Look, Skeleton Key is right.” Bluejay spoke up as she trotted behind the young filly. “If Eighth Note needs my help, it’s probably bigger than just the two of us.” Meeting my annoyed gaze with one of her own, she trotted up to me, prodding me with her hoof. “If it’s something that is worth our time, we’ll take the job. But if it’s not, I sincerely hope that you put some thought into fixing your life. You may not think you are broken, Sawyer, but you are. You could be so much more than you are.” With a flick of her mane over half her face, she continued trotting past me.
I couldn’t really understand how she didn’t get it. I know I’m broken, I make no allusions to hide that fact or how I deal with it. But, that brings up a good point that came to mind as I watched her trot toward the city. For trying so hard to fix everything, I just had to wonder if it wasn’t actually her that was hiding the broken parts of herself instead.
-----
Just like the elevator to Eighth’s office, Starwalk City appeared through the ruins ahead far too quickly. It had been a few hours since the outburst back there, but Bluejay and Skeleton Key hadn’t said a word since. Walking in silence had left me with nothing to do but reflect on how much my body was hurting, but I distracted myself with an odd thought I’d had. A continuation of my super heroine story from years ago. The fabled return of a legendary mare to bring justice to the wasteland.
Then again, that was just another one of my story ideas. The ‘Banshee’ was far from an idyllic hero that I’d have ever thought up, even if Bluejay tried to encompass the whole mentality and showponyship of it. Really though, when I look at Bluejay, the only thing I see is a pony so tainted by the harsh wasteland, that she’s devolved into a sort of… controlled madness. I’ve seen plenty of ponies like her come and go, but I’ve never seen one grow old.
Then again, I wouldn’t either if I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings.
“Greetings, Sawyer.” The sweeter than honey voice came through a crack in the ruins that I walked by. The voice was so sudden that I tensed up and nearly jumped right onto Bluejay’s back as she walked next to me.
“Geeze!” I cried out, looking over to find Vanilla’s glowing eyes peering at me through a shaded rubble filled alleyway. Even from under the white and blue robes she wore, I knew her eyes glowed, but I don’t think I ever realized just how much they do. “Damnit, haven’t I told you not to sneak up on me?” I paused as a weird pressure across my back pulled my attention to it. The blued metal of Bluejay’s shotgun sat propped across me as it was pointed at Vanilla.
“You know this pony?” Bluejay said almost muffled behind her mask, firmly using me to steady the shotgun in her magic. “She doesn’t even show up on my EFS.”
“You must be Banshee. I hope that you will be able to help Master Eighth Note with his current situation.” Vanilla spoke warmly as she walked out of the alley. The almost completely hidden apertures of her synthetic eyes adjusted to the midday light as she approached, and the distinct hum that her internal systems gave off picked up with each step. Looking down at my bandaged hoof, her expression shifted to worry. “Oh, Sawyer, you are injured. Have a seat and allow me run my medical diagnostic on it.”
“What is it?” Bluejay muttered under her breath as she pulled her shotgun up and off me.
“She’s a machine, and Eighth Note’s secretary.” I muttered, sitting down and holding my hoof out to her. Honestly, I never really thought much about Vanilla being a machine. She’s about as real as anypony could get, sans a ‘realistic’ pony personality that is. She’s more of a slave than I am, but she doesn’t seem to care. Then again, caring about those around her seems to be something she goes out of her way to do half the time…
“That is correct.” Vanilla said with a smile before leaning in and looking over my forehoof intently. “Though, Master Eighth Note can fill you in on my exact specifications if you wish.”
“She’s so… real looking.” Skeleton Key called as she walked up beside Vanilla. She gave her a prod on the flank with her hoof, sharply pulling it back as it squished in.
“You have some deep tissue damage, and seem to be suffering from withdrawal. However, we are only a block away from home. You should let me treat you completely while Eighth Note brief’s Bluejay.” Vanilla said as she pulled her head back. Turning to look at the small filly inspecting her, she flicked her tail and brushed it over Skeleton Key’s nose. In response, the small Filly giggled and batted it away.
“Stop it, that tickles.” Scooting herself back in a fit of giggles, she got to her hooves with a bright blush. “I mean… we’re wasting time here. We should get moving.”
“You have some very interesting friends, Sawyer.” Bluejay whispered into my ear as she re-slung her shotgun over her. “Not sure I trust a machine, but it seems to care about you, so that gives it points in my book.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Vanilla spoke up before beginning to trot toward the city, the humming inside of her picking up as she did. Getting back to my hooves, I started after her too.
“So I assume that thing is what Eighth Note uses to get his intel?” Bluejay asked as she trotted, catching up to me quickly. So, she can hate me for my life choices for the last few hours, but now it was time to talk again because she didn’t trust the only pony around who didn’t hide their motives?
“First, Vanilla is a she, not a thing.” I snorted. “She’s the only one you’ll ever see who might have a chance of living up to the ‘standards’ you set, so show her a bit of respect and stop referring to her as a thing.”
“That’s...“ She started, stopping herself and scrunching her muzzle up. With a sigh, she looked dejectedly at the ground. “Sorry. I’ve heard of an artificial pony before, but the one I heard about was supposedly unique.”
“Second of all,” I continued, “Yes, she’s how Eighth gets his highest priority intel. He doesn’t like sending her out because she’s unique. So you better believe that whatever Eighth Note’s lost is damn important.”
“So… this is about something that was stolen from him?” Bluejay’s eyes hardened behind her mask.
Sighing, I realized I probably shouldn’t have said that. However, saving me from a whirlwind of questions I wouldn’t know how to answer, was the enormous clamor of the main settlement gate to Starwalk City. Never before have I been so thankful to hear the sound of that squeaky ass rolling gate...
In what was probably a smart move, Skeleton Key had given up on following Vanilla so closely, and instead waited for Bluejay and I to catch up. With a gentle touch, Bluejay used her magic to pick up the little filly and place her up onto her back. Together, we entered in through the large opening, and into the hustle and bustle of the city market.
Thanks to Vanilla, most of the crowd ahead parted to let us pass. However, as we did, Vanilla ceased to be the pony to cause a stir. The normally buzzing conversations around in the crowd became a furious session of hushed whispers and quick remarks. Hundreds of eyes peered down onto the mare in the mask next to me as we approached The Studio. Not even somepony as seasoned as Brushed Billet was immune to taking a moment to size Bluejay up. To Bluejay’s credit, she didn’t even seem to let it phase her.
Passing through the large glass storm door, we stepped into the comparatively silent lobby of The Studio. A small but prominent gasp came from Bluejay’s shoulders as Skeleton Key went wide eyed.
“It’s so… clean.” The tiny filly seemed to be having trouble finding one thing to look at over another. She looked from the fancy furniture, to the near pristine carpeted floors, and up at the ornate light fixtures. In fact, she switched between them so fast that part of me was worried that her head would spin right off her shoulders.
With a soft ding, the elevator doors ahead of us rolled back. Vanilla turned around with a smile and held out her hoof to hold the door for us. Swiftly, Bluejay and I trotted inside, followed by Vanilla. With a sigh, she sat down and hoofed at the top floor, pushing back the hood of her robes as the doors closed.
With a sharp jolt that brought a squeak out of Skeleton Key’s muzzle, we started to move upwards. I watched in fascination as the unusual sensation gripped the young filly, and she reflexively wrapped her legs tightly around Bluejay’s neck. Funny enough, for the tough front she put up, the little filly didn’t let a lot get to her, and I was impressed with that. If I had been that tough as a colt, maybe things would have been different back in the stable. But, seeing as that’s not the case, I shifted my attention back to real life.
“Say, Vanilla,” I spoke up, breaking the pregnant pause that had beset the air in the elevator. “Where were you yesterday?”
“Hmm?” She turned around, hoofing one of her blue bangs back around her ear. I never did get why she had blue highlights to her white mane, but whoever designed her must have had a reason. “I’m afraid I can not say without authorization. However, Master Eighth Note can choose to divulge that information if he so pleases.”
With another soft chime, the elevator slowed to a stop. As the doors rolled open, again, I was met with an empty reception area. Stepping out, I looked around to see that the door to the recording booths had been left open. Vanilla, having observed it as well, turned and lead us into the small foyer that held most of the electronic equipment for the three recording booths on this level. Above the far wall, sat the brightly flashing light that read On Air. Just under it, and trying to avoid my gaze, sat a very anxious and embarrassed looking Eff EL. With a click on the sound control board he sat at, he spoke into the headset he wore.
“Eighth? They’ve returned.” Was all he said before turning around and putting his hoof up to Vanilla.
“We must wait here.” She nodded, turning back to us. “Master Eighth Note will be out shortly.” Sure enough, pretty much as she said that, the broadcast light flicked off, and the door into the recording booth opened up.
Passing through the door, both Bluejay and Skeleton key paused for a moment to take in the foam spiked walls, and the flickering electronic recording equipment that made the room feel more like a torture chamber than a radio booth. Of course, sitting in his throne in the center of the room, was Eighth Note, smugly wearing a toothy grin as he looked over Bluejay. With a slow clap, he gave out a soft laugh.
“Here she is, in the flesh. The hero that Los Pegasus didn’t ask for.” Leaning back in his chair, Eighth Note’s eyes shifted to me, then down to my bandaged hoof. For only a moment, his expression shifted to one of concern. “Ah, Sawyer, it seems that you might have required some assistance after all?” Sighing and shaking his head, he gave a soft shrug. “I should have known better than to put you on such a dangerous assignment when you weren’t ready.”
“Really?” I grumbled. “You told me this was a fate of the settlement type deal that couldn’t wait, period.” Of course, classic Eighth Note telling me shit just to get me to do his dirty work. “Did you make up the whole part about Swift dying, or…” My words died in my throat as his expression dropped faster than a raider with lead poisoning to the brain.
“Swift died, and even if I might twist my words, Sawyer, I never lie to you.” He grunted. “This item that was stolen is part of a far bigger puzzle, one that shouldn’t be solved. There are those out there who want to solve it, and I aim to keep them from doing just that.”
“So then.” Bluejay spoke up, “What is it that was stolen? A weapon?” From behind her mask, she was fearless in the face of Eighth Note. She donned her persona more so than ever, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how forced it felt. However, I wasn’t the only one to see it as an act. Eighth Note’s grin grew back with every word.
“You really are every bit the mare that Storm Rider expected you to be.” He laughed, tapping his forehooves together excitedly. “She taught her apprentice well. Just to think, you’ve come so far from when she picked you up outside that Stable.”
The way he said that made not just my mane stand on end, but Bluejay’s as well. He fucking knew who she was? Not only that, he knew she was from my stable. If it weren’t for the fucking respect I had for the stallion along with everything I owed him, I would have attempted to beat the smile right off his muzzle.
“Of course, I was sad to hear of her passing a few years ago.” Eighth Note continued as my blood all but boiled. “She and I worked together a few times over the years, mostly with my mother. But she’d always been adamant that you’d be willing to help me out if I needed it in the future.”
“You… worked with Storm?” Bluejay muttered, reaching up and pulling off her mask. I could almost watch as the hero’s persona melted away with it’s removal. Brought back into the light, was the pony I’d seen back in the Theatre. More so, I was looking again at the Bluejay I’d seen in the stable. “But… she wouldn’t work with…”
“Somepony like me?” Eighth chuckled and nodded. “Trust me, she wasn’t the easiest pony to work with either...” Pausing, he cast a judgemental glance at me. “However, there are sometimes things that outweigh both our priorities for the greater good of a settlement.” Looking back at Bluejay, he cocked an eyebrow at her. “I mean, Boardwalk did hire you to stop Twix’s raiders from harassing them, correct? Or, is what I’ve heard about his death, extremely exaggerated?”
“I get it, you know more about me than I do about you.” Bluejay’s tone shifted sharply. “Is this is for the greater good, or are you just twisting your words like you said to Sawyer?”
Leaning back again, he put his forehooves behind his head and looked to relax. “No, this is most definitely of great importance. So much so that I’m going to need more than just you on the case, Banshee.”
“Who else did you have in mind?” She asked, canting her head curiously. I too was curious, but only to see if Eighth Note was going to drop any more bombshells about other surviving Stable thirteen dwellers she would need to find.
“For this, I need ponies I can trust, and for something this important, there were few out in the wastes I trusted more than Storm herself.” With a stretching groan, Eighth Note rocked himself out of his chair and pointed at Bluejay. “Because she is no longer available to hire on account of being dead, I need her granddaughter on board with us. I need you and Sawyer to make sure she’s on board and willing to work under me.”
“Really. You’re joking, right?” Bluejay deadpanned. “She lives all the way out on the east coast. What am I supposed to do? Walk there?”
“You realize that I just spent two days walking around this city trying to find her.” I sighed and smacked myself in the face with my forehoof. “Now you want me to spend six months walking across the whole damn continent?”
“Of course not. That’s a weird thing to assume.” Eighth Note screwed up his face at that, looking somewhere between insulted and disgusted at my words. “I have arranged transportation for all of you. What do you think I had Vanilla off doing?” With a belabored sigh, he waved his hoof at Vanilla. “In fact, I’m sending her along with you. She can negotiate a price if it comes down to it.”
“So why the fuck am I going then?” I grumbled and angrily slid my hoof down my face.
“Because I need you safe, Sawyer.” Eighth Note snapped at me. “For once in your life, just shut up and do as you're told. Please.” Stepping up with angry, stiff stomps, Eighth Note swung out his hoof and hooked it around my neck. Pulling me close, he squeezed around me like nothing I’d felt from him before. “I meant it when I said you were family to me, Sawyer. I need to know that you’re safe, and you might not be if you stay.”
“Okay, geeze.” I sighed, not really sure how I felt about this. I mean, on the one hoof, I didn’t have a reason to trust a thing that he said. On the other, deep down, this is something I’d always wanted from him, but never got. Carefully, I put my hoof around his neck and gave him a firm pat. “Alright, I’ll go.”
Sniffling, he pulled off me with watery eyes. “Alright. Get going then, you’ve got a long journey ahead.” Turning back around, he walked over to his chair. “Vanilla can fill you in on where you have to go. Just… be careful out there.” Reaching up, he wiped off his eyes as he sat down in front of his chair. “Oh, and good luck.”
--Chapter End--
“I don't want you to hold me,I want you to pray, ‘cause it's bigger than us.”
When I got up yesterday, I didn’t foresee myself partaking in a cross country trip. What is it about my life that I just seem to find myself in these situations? Oh, right, Eighth Note is an asshole.
“So, how far outside the city is this place?” Bluejay spoke up, once again hidden behind the veil of her masked persona.
Two hours of trotting, and we’d just now broken out of the northeast of the Los Pegasus ruins. Thankfully though, in that entire time, we’d heard only a few scattered gunshots far from us, and seen the day old tracks of a pack of feral dogs that had passed across the old highway we followed. In an odd turn of events, to me, the city was abnormally quiet.
“Our destination is three point six miles outside of Los Pegasus city limits.” Vanilla responded with the same precision she brought to every aspect of her life. “It should take us no longer than thirty two minutes to arrive at our current pace.”
“Ugh.” I groaned, lamenting the cracking feeling of my throat. Why couldn’t I have had a minute to grab a drink before we left Starwalk City? Slowing down to a stop, I forced the others to slow in turn. “Can we at least take a small break?”
“Your vital signs show elevation consistent with your previous diagnosis of withdrawal.” Vanilla droned as she did when it came to anything medical. Walking forward, she hoofed back under her robe and into the saddlebag she wore underneath. When she pulled out her hoof again, a glorious sight. “I apologize for not administering treatment, but we have been on a tight time schedule. However, this was in error.” Holding out the small bottle of Wild Pegasus Whiskey, I hastily grabbed it with my magic.
“Really?” Bluejay grunted. “Do we have time for this if we’re on this tight of a schedule?”
Ignoring her, I quickly unscrewed the cap and put the old bottle up to my lips. Oh, the burn was much stronger than I expected it to be, but like always, it dulled down as the golden liquor flowed. Before I could get more than a few drinks in, I found the bottle ripped from my own magic, and the cap sealed on top again with Vanilla’s magic.
“But, I thought he was addicted to alcohol?” Skeleton Key chimed up as she climbed up onto Bluejay’s back.
“Correct. Sawyer has been alcohol dependent for a number of years.” Vanilla’s not so flattering words replaced my anger of how she stole the whiskey back, with anger of how guilty a light that put me in. “Withdrawal from advanced addiction can cause permanent internal organ damage or failure, advanced psychological and neurological damage, and in some cases…”
“Death.” Bluejay seethed, glaring at me. “Yeah, I get it.” Turning back toward the road, she continued trotting.
“Thank you, Vanilla.” I sighed, using my forehoof to wipe away the last of the whiskey that dribbled down my muzzle.
“You are most welcome.” She replied with a smile, using her magic to return the bottle of whiskey to her saddlebags. “I shall present you with another ration at the proper time to mitigate your symptoms.” Her oddly still cybernetic eyes stared at me as if wanting something more from me. “However, I do recommend that we continue our journey with haste in order to stay on schedule.”
“Yeah yeah.” I grumbled and pulled myself back to my hooves. Even though I’d only gotten a few sips, my legs seemed to protest a little less under me, and a warm fuzzy feeling radiated from my stomach. “Go ahead and lead the way.”
With a nod, she turned around and picked back up to a trot. I don’t think I’ve ever really understood if Vanilla cared because she was built for the Ministry of Peace, or if it was part of the personality she had. Honestly though, it really didn’t matter. She was probably the only pony I know who cares more about my well being than to just keep me alive. I should probably be more vocally genuine about my thanks to her, but… would she even care?
Putting myself at a close trot behind her, I figured that it was a question best left for another day. For now, I just needed to focus on the walk ahead…
-----
After what felt like forever, we finally wound our way through the rocky arid hills just outside of the city. I’ve never taken highway fifteen out of Los Pegasus the few times I’d ever even left on a run for Eighth note, and I could see why. Nestled in a fairly small valley, was the largest collection of rusty junk I’ve ever seen. Numerous motorwagen hulks, crashed skywagons, and even the twisted hulk of the old light rail tram that ran along the highway filled me with an erie feeling like just walking through this place meant I wouldn’t ever walk out again.
The odd ticks and groans of rusting metal kept me on edge as we trotted towards a large bend in the highway. The roadway sign that sat barely hanging on to the steel girders above us remained mostly untouched by time. Unfortunately, various crude pictures of pony anatomy had been graffitied over whatever it had once said.
Following the others as Vanilla turned us off the highway and onto a dirt path, I’d kept my eyes up on the steep valley walls around us. The twisted and burned shapes of dead trees felt like they stretched down at us, their gnarled branches shifting in the wind as if to grab at us. Picking up my pace a bit, I decided to stick closer to Bluejay than before. Looking over at Skeleton Key, I noticed by the way she was again clinging to Bluejay’s mane that she too felt uneasy in this place.
Trotting further up the valley roadway, we followed a curving path that crested over one of the lower valley hills. To my surprise, sitting down in the adjacent valley, was an even bigger collection of junk than before! Taking up the entire valley floor, and even some of the sloping sides, was a junkyard full of every type of rusty wreck that one could imagine. A half dozen various scrapping cranes, and more than a few shack buildings sat surrounded by mountains of junk. There was even what looked like a small boat sitting in a roofless warehouse.
“This is where we’re supposed to meet our transport?” Bluejay spoke up, sounding just about as unimpressed at the sight as I was.
“Yes. This is where the Sunshine Caravan’s acting representative instructed us to meet.” Vanilla responded as promptly as ever.
“Are you sure that this is where we’re supposed to go?” Skeleton Key asked, hopping down from Bluejay. Now that I’d seen where we were supposed to go, the creepy feeling of the place seemed to lift from my mind. “I feel like I’ve contracted tetanus just by looking at that place.”
“You don’t seem to be suffering from any symptoms, but I will monitor you further.” Vanilla said quite matter-o-factly. Leave it to her to miss any attempt at humor, but honestly, it was better than somepony spewing endless bad puns out of them like Eff EL did half the time. Without any hesitation, Vanilla pressed onward.
The further we descended down the dirt road into the valley, the more the scale of this place hit me. Walls of unidentifiable crushed metal vehicles rose thirty feet high around the skirts of the yard, and the ‘small’ ship I’d seen before was much bigger than I’d originally thought. However, one thing that pulled my attentions away from all that, was the stiff looking pony in rusty power armor standing at the massive metal front gate.
“Who dares to approach my scrapyard?” A booming voice erupted through the air as the eyes of the power armor glowed bright red. I nearly locked up in fear as a short gout of flame spewed out from the end of the armor’s tail.
“We have an appointment with Mr. Wingnut.” Vanilla respond again far too promptly. “I believe that you have been informed of our arrival.”
With a crackle, part of the armor sparked and caught on fire for some reason.
“Shit.” The armor boomed before the gate opened up with a heavy creaking. As it did, the eyes of the armor darkened and a few more sparks shot from it’s neck. Before the gate had even opened all the way, a cloaked pony zipped out toward the armor with a fire extinguisher levitating next to them. With a few hissing gouts, the armor was doused and we slowly approached the odd display going on in front of us.
“You should have said something about being expected.” The voice of an older mare came from the cloak before she used a hoof to push it back. The blaze orange mane with deep white stripes of age caught my eye first, but only just. Her apple green eyes exhibited a youth that the wrinkles around them didn’t support, and what little of her lavender coat I could see was marked with various smudges of oil and grease. “Would’ve saved me a fire extinguisher and a roll of ten to three wiring at the very least…”
“Gauge?” Bluejay gasped, removing her mask with her magic. “Is that really you?”
“You know this mare?” I asked, not quite sure what to think. I looked down to Skeleton Key only to find her as perplexed as I was at this whole thing. We both watched as Bluejay trotted up to the odd old mare and threw her hooves around her in a tight embrace.
“Here I was gettin’ all angry you all hadn’t shown up yet, and I didn’t ever once think you might be with them, let alone back on this coast at all!” The old mare said as she broke the hug and stood back with a wide smile. “Goddesses, it’s been what, four years since I last saw you? Time really flies, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Bluejay nervously laughed. She rubbed at her mane and shifted her tone. “It’s been too long. Had I known you were set up here…”
The old mare waved her forehoof in dismissal. “Nonsense.” As she waved, I caught the faintest bit of silver from under her cloak. “We’ve kept a low profile around here for a good reason. Better that most who travel by think that raiders still run this place. Hell, you should have seen Storm go to work on clearing this place. It was magical to watch her purge those sick freaks. Just like old times.” With a giggleing nod she turned toward to door and waited for us to follow her. Vanilla didn’t hesitate, but Skeleton Key and I traded looks before figuring that inside this rust palace would probably be safer than standing around outside.
“Yeah, Storm…” Bluejay sighed dejectedly.
“I know. I miss her too.” The old mare sighed, turning her happy expression to a more somber one. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to the funeral. I was hocks deep in an engine rebuild for the Dauntless. I couldn’t stop or the induction vents would’ve oxidised. I wished I could have made it, but I don’t have to remind you that they don’t make half of the parts for these machines anymore. Synchro brings back what he can from about, but like I said, I’d rather not expose this place by hiring some other exotic junk finder charging me up the ass in bits anyway.”
Looking around, all I could see were mountains of junk. Every now and again, a shy pony would poke their scraggly oil smeared head above a pile to get a look at us, but they didn’t look long. Most broke line of sight the second I made eye contact. All that is, with the exception of a little filly with a very distinct ring worn around her neck. All those stealing only momentary looks at us snapped a realization into place in my mind.
“You want this place hidden because you hide slaves here, don’t you?” I asked, forcing the old mare to almost trip as she abruptly stopped.
“Oh, what am I thinking? Everypony? This is Gauge.” Bluejay spoke up, pointing at the old mare before turning and pointing to each of us in turn. “Gauge, this is Sawyer, Skeleton Key, and… I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
“I am Vanilla.” Vanilla promptly replied with a smile.
The old mare looked back at me with a glare. “Yes, we have escaped slaves here. Ones freed from the east coast who are still here because we give them a safe haven from bounty hunters and slavers. They in turn help by digging through the junk for useful salvage for us, so I would very much like it if you never mentioned anything about this place to anypony outside of these walls.” With a roll of her eyes, she gave off an annoyed sigh and continued onwards. “Besides, it’s hard enough to keep hidden with Wingnut pulling his normal shenanigans with the Dauntless.”
Looking around, I wondered just what the hell we were doing here. Vanilla had negotiated a transport of some sort. Not only that, but it’s kept in a secret junkyard on the outskirts of the city, and we were supposed to get over to the other side of equestria quickly with it. The further around the mountains of junk we wound, the more I felt a pit in my stomach form. Goddesses, I knew better than to trust Eighth Note in having Vanilla go behind my back for things…
Following the old mare at a trot, she lead us around yet another large pile of scraps toward a large clearing near the warehouse I’d seen from on the hill. Turning around the junkpile, I skidded myself to a stop. Before us sat a myriad of sheet metal shacks, and beyond them sat the rusting hulk of the boat we saw. At first, I’d thought that a few of the far shacks had wind turbine generators, but I realized that they weren’t connected to them. Rather…
“You have an airship!?” I spat. The old luxury yacht had been through the ringer over the last two centuries. It sported six total propeller engines, more rusty hull plates than I cared to count, a tacked on large dome built into the center of the ship, and a makeshift ramp that marked an entryway into the dark belly of the deathtrap before us.
“What a piece of junk.” Skeleton Key remarked. I didn’t really know the filly too well, but with her ability to talk Bluejay out of abandoning this job, I already could see that she was the sensible one between the two. And if she could tell this was a bad idea, then I had to give her more respect than I did.
“Hey, don’t knock the Dauntless.” The old mare snapped back at us. “And don’t forget that you hired us.” Sitting down, she crossed her forehooves with a harumph. As she did, I noticed that the ‘silver’ I noticed under her robes before was in fact a cybernetic limb. “Besides, she might not be pretty, but she has it where it counts.”
“Skeleton Key!” Bluejay snapped with the sound of a mother annoyed at her filly. That is, until she snapped as me as well. “Sawyer! Both of you should be grateful that you’ve got the best mechanic on the west coast standing in front of you and willing to help us out.” Turning to the mare, she gave a short, courteous nod, only to shoot back an angry glare at us. “Sorry, Gauge. They’re just a little rough around the edges, been a rough couple of days. Please, lead on.”
“Gauge!” The voice of a mare called from atop one of the junk piles behind us. Turning around, I found an old, green mare waving her over. “Cinnamon and I need your help with this reactor casing they dug out!”
With a groan, Gauge facehooved herself with her cyberleg. “Ugh. I have to go help out them for a few.” She flailed her leg in the direction of the ship. “Just… go in through the cargo ramp. Once in, head up to the bridge and talk to Wingnut. He’ll get you all settled in.” With a nod, Bluejay took a single step forward before Gauge reached out and hooked her cyberleg around Bluejay. “Just a word of warning. Wingnut can be a bit… eccentric sometimes. Just let him have his fun, but don’t stroke his ego.”
“Got it.” Bluejay nodded before Gauge released her and got to her own hooves.
An eccentric airship captain who is supposed to fly us across equestria in a rust bucket. Really, what could go wrong!? Which of the goddesses did I piss off to get this kind of luck?
As the others headed toward the rusted airship, I couldn’t bring myself to take a step forward. My legs shook, I felt jittery, and it took all of my will just to not turn and run. There were so many things that I would do in my life for Eighth Note, but this time he crossed a line.
“Sawyer?” Bluejay called back, stopping after just a few feet. “Are you okay?”
“I…” I sighed, doing my best to keep myself from shaking any more. “I hate heights…” With that, my rear legs gave out and I sat down hard in the dirt. “Why would Eighth ask me to get on… on…” I flailed my hoof at the ship. “That?”
“It’s going to be okay, Sawyer.” Vanilla spoke up. Like she normally did, she was about to ruin the moment. “Based on its preliminary visual state, odd of a crash are…” She was cut off abruptly, prompting me to look up. Bluejay’s magic held Vanilla’s muzzle shut tightly.
“Not helping.” Bluejay grumbled at her. Slowly, she turned her eyes to me and softened her expression. “Hey, I know how scary something can be, Sawyer. But the answer?” As she spoke, she turned and walked back toward me. “It’s not to run away from it. Instead, it’s to face those fears.” Holding her hoof out to me, she smirked. “I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”
Part of me hated how she kept going back and forth on me. One minute she was angry, the next, she was the mare I remembered from the stable. But, so far no matter how she’s been, she’s been right every time.
“The whole time?” I asked, raising my hoof towards hers. I tried to stop myself from looking past her at the ship, but it didn’t help. The bright splotches of rusting hull plates sent shivers down my spine as I imagined them falling off mid flight and taking me with them.
“Sawyer.” She spoke softer than before, taking my hoof with hers. “I’ve just found you after all of these years. I won’t let anything happen to my best friend, even in the air.”
“Okay.” I sighed. I couldn’t very well sit here until they got back, and as much as I hated Eighth Note for putting me up to this, it was no excuse to get out of my job. With her help, I got back to my hooves, and the two of us walked forward toward the ship with the others. While with Bluejay at my side, my hooves didn’t falter in their steps, my heart still beat more and more with every inch closer we came.
The dark interior bay that the ramp lead into brightened as we approached. Several rows of various sized wooden crates filled most of what seemed to be the cargo hold. Other than the many pipes and rows of fluorescent lights in the twenty by ten room, there wasn’t much. Only a rectangular post wired up to a terminal that sat against the wall, and the sealed metal door next to it. As we climbed up the ramp and into the hold, the top of the pedestal flashed, and the terminal next to it kicked on with a hum.
“Howdy there, folks!” The happy voice of a young filly played through loudspeakers that must have been hidden in the walls. “And welcome aboard the H.M.S. Dauntless!” On the pedestal, a flickering image of a bright pink filly appeared. The small image of the filly bounced in place on the pedestal as she turned and looked at Vanilla. “Thank you for providing the authentication number provided to you at Sunshine Caravan’s headquarters. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you!”
“Authentication?” Bluejay spoke up. “We didn’t…”
“I have already wirelessly contacted the ship’s terminal system. It is much faster than verbal communications.” Vanilla spoke up with a cant of her head toward Bluejay. “If you wish, I could refrain from using it for the remainder of our trip to avoid any more confusion.”
“No-no!” Bluejay waved her hoof with a nervous smile. “Just… forgot you’re a…” Scrunching her muzzle, she turned back to the tiny filly. “You seem to have most of us at a disadvantage, miss…”
“I’m PAI!” The pink filly smiled and bounced. “It’s so nice to meet you, Bluejay! We’ll have plenty of time to talk later however, Captain Wingnut is expecting you up on the bridge for a final preflight briefing.” My stomach flipped over at the word ‘flight’ and I shuddered. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anypony else noticed. “I’ll get the door for you.” The hologram cheerfully bounced on her hooves again. “Aaaaand open!”
With a resounding clack that I felt through the floor, the door creaked open. A soft clicking came through the walls as a hidden set of motors swung the heavy door open, revealing a set of silver metal stairs. The interior hallway from here looked absolutely spotless.
“All cabins and rooms are labeled to where they connect to.” The small hologram smiled brightly and pointed toward the open door. As she did, Skeleton Key stepped up to the pedestal. With a whine, she stretched her hoof up as far as she could. With a few straining swipes, she waved her hoof through the image of the pink filly, skewing it away from her hoof. “Hey! Quit distorting me!”
“Woah.” A giggling gasp came out of Skeleton’s mouth as she yanked her hoof away from the image. Looking over at Bluejay, she found a stern and unimpressed gaze meet her. “Sorry.” She muttered before taking her place alongside Bluejay again.
“As I was saying.” The pink filly said with a sigh. “Just follow the sign up to the bridge. I’ll inform the captain that you have arrived and are on your way!” With an erratic wave and an even bigger smile that before, she started to fuzz away. “Nice to meet you all, and I’ll see you all on the bridge!” With a flicker, the image disappeared and the terminal shut down again.
“Come on, Sawyer.” Bluejay smiled, wrapping her hoof around me and pulling me close. “All we need to do is talk to the captain, and you can get settled in. I’m sure he’ll alleviate your fears about all this once we get things sorted, you’ll see.”
I didn’t do anything more than grumble as she pulled the two of us forward. I wanted to fight, and argue, but it wouldn’t change anything. From the moment I stepped onto this ship, I was here for better or for worse. So, I might as well get this over as fast as possible, right? Using that idea to push back my fear, I didn’t drag my hooves. Instead, I entered the doorway to the ship willingly with her. As we did, I looked around the long hallway.
The arched ceiling was high enough that a pegasus could fly overhead as we climbed one of the sets of stairs. The blued metal walls nearly sparkled with how polished they were, and a mildly distorted blue unicorn stared back at me from the wall to my side. The stairwell had three flights to it, each one with a well lit landing that sported a pair of large metal doors on each side like the one we’d just passed through. At least the inside didn’t look like a complete deathtrap…
Walking up the stairs, Bluejay and I caught notice of an plaque next to one of the doors. It seemed to list each of the different sections, matching it to an arrow that pointed to its direction. At the top, sat the words Bridge: Deck 4 with an arrow pointing straight up the stairs. With the interior as kept up as it was, my heart began to slow a bit in my chest. Maybe… maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterall!
Climbing the third and last set of stairs, we walked into a short hallway that lead into a very large and bright open room. The room itself was circular with what seemed to be three ‘levels’ to it. The top level was filled with all sorts of electrical banks, flashing lights, terminal screens, and weird readouts hugging the outside of the walls. Sitting at one of these terminals, was a light pink pegasus mare wearing an oversized headset. She looked at Bluejay and I as we stepped into the doorway, only to shrink down into her seat and look away from us.
Down on the far end of the room, at the ‘lowest’ level, a tan unicorn worked over a myriad of charts and papers that had been laid out over a holographic projector table. Unlike the pegasus mare, he didn’t notice our entry. Instead, he seemed too torn between looking at the papers he scrawled on, and dipping himself toward the large sweeping windshield that gave us a look out at the scrapyard ahead. He’d look up at the sky for a moment before rushing over and marking things down.
Lastly, there was the middle level. Closer to the windshield, sat another pegasus. Her light, powder blue coat felt too soft for the large chair she was strapped into. Bundles of wires ran all over her body to various metallic caps over her hooves and wings. They all trailed up along her back and neck, feeding into a large round helmet that sat over her head. It was an interesting set up, as I could only guess that she was the pilot, and the entire set up allowed her to control the ship.
Sitting behind her however, was the captain’s chair. Sitting in it of course, was who I presumed to be the Captain.
“Captain’s log, stardate… today... point five.” The orange pegasus spoke into his hoof. He sat spinning himself in the large, blocky looking chair that stuck out from the middle of the bridge. “I’ve been... informed of a race of off worlders that seek safe passage across this sector. They should be.... arriving soon for negotiations.” I wasn’t sure why he took long pauses between his words, but if he were a character in a story, it was one with really bad writing. As he spun around to face where we stood, he looked surprised for a moment before a smirk came across his muzzle. Holding his hoof closer, he stared right at Bluejay. “Correction… it appears that they have… already arrived,” He paused and ran his hoof over his blue mane before putting it back to his muzzle. “and their leader is a mare of indescribable beauty.”
Vanilla pushed past us all and trotted up to the odd pegasus. She held out her forehoof stiffly and smiled. “Greetings, Captain. I am Vanilla, the one who has contracted this flight.” There’s that word again. Can’t somepony just not remind me we’ll be a thousand feet in the air inside a steel bubble?
“Why howdy there!” The pegasus took her forehoof in between his own and shook vigorously. Like he flipped off a switch in his voice, a country twang took over his words almost thicker than anypony I’ve ever heard before. “The name’s Wingnut! Pleasure ta make Y'all's acquaintance!” With a sigh, he sat back in his chair and looked at us. As he did, Skeleton Key wiggled her way between Bluejay and I. Looking around, she let out an audible gasp and beamed a smile for a moment before pausing and looking around the bridge as if she’d lost something.
“Wait, where’s the filly?” She asked. Oddly enough, I didn’t see the pink filly up here either…
“Filly?” Wingnut asked before rolling his eyes. “Oh, right.” Hoofing at a button on his chair. “PAI, where are yah?” With a flicker, the image of a small pink filly appeared next to a small lit square on his chair.
“Hey there, Captain!” She smiled and gasped. “Oh! I completely forgot to tell you that the guests are…” Her enthusiasm and words died in her throat as she turned around to find us already here. “on their way up?” Letting out a nervous giggle, she rubbed at her mane, making it flicker. “Sorry about that.”
“How did you forget?” Skeleton Key asked with more than a little annoyance in her voice. “We were just downstairs…”
Vanilla turned herself to Skeleton Key with a small smile. “Us machines sometimes find it easy to lose track of time. Between all of the supertasks, subsystems, and data streams to monitor, some instructions can become lost temporarily.” As she droned on like she did sometimes, the pink filly image nodded in agreement.
“Wait,” I spoke up. “You’re not real?” I immediately regretted asking that, as I’ve had to tell plenty of ponies that Vanilla was real enough…
“Wow, that was rude.” Pai retorted with an annoyed snort. “And yes, I’m an artificial pony in control the ship’s systems. If you don’t like it, the cargo bay door is still open.”
“Pai, now what did ah say about being nice.” Wingnut shifted in his chair, looking down on her. “Yah have ta agree, yah are a bit of an odd sight ta most until they git ta know yah.”
“Sorry.” Pai sighed before looking back over to us. “Sorry I snapped and called you rude.”
“It’s… fine.” I sighed. Looking over, Bluejay seemed uneasy with talking to the small holographic filly. I’d have to ask her about it later.
“We just want to get settled in for the trip.” Bluejay finally spoke, if abruptly and sounding worried herself. If she was supposed to be my emotional stability on this trip, how long am I going to last if she’s already cracking? ”Can you give us a quick layout of the ship so we don’t find ourselves somewhere we shouldn’t be?”
“First off, Ah’d like yah ta meet the crew of the Dauntless.” Wingnut stretched himself out before pointing over to the mare at the terminals we’d seen on our way in. “That’s infrasound. She’s a mite shy, but she’ll warm up ta yah.” With a flap of his wing, he spun himself in his chair to point at the others. “That studious stallion at the chart table is Astrolabe.” Even as the Captain called his name, he didn’t break from whatever it was he was doing. “Don’t bother him when he’s working, tends ta make him irritable…”
“No, Captain,” The stallion spoke with a smirk. “only you make me irritable.”
“He’s one of our resident smart ass’s.” Wingnut said as he gave another soft flap. “Y’all shoulda met Gauge at the front gate. She’s the other smart ass and our engineer onboard here.” Finishing his spin, he pointed down to the Pegasus strapped into the ship in front of him. “And this here’s our Pilot, Shifting Winds.”
“Hey there folks.” The mare gave a stiff wingwag from her chair. “Trust me to fly this old gal like a dream and I’ll do my best to keep it as smooth a ride as I can for all of you.”
“That’s great.” I grunted, hoping to quickly get past all this talk of flying an enormous metal object around, even if it looked damn spotless inside. “I’m really looking forward to getting some rest, so if you would kindly point me in the direction of where I could do that…”
“Ah yes, directions.” Wingnut smiled and gave out a soft chuckle. “Wouldn’t want Y’all ta open the wrong door and fall outta the ship midflight, right?” My legs nearly buckled at that. Thankfully, Bluejay stepped aside and pressed up against me. The sudden closeness tore my mind away from the images it was forming.
"Well, let's see. First, Y'all have the cabins on deck three, that's where me, mah crew, and y'all will be sleepin and restin. It's just down the hall there." He pointed down a hall that sat behind use. "On deck two below the cabins is the galley. It's open all day and night, just walk on in. Seein' as we've already been paid, just help yerself ta anything. Breakfast is cooked by Infrasound at eight am, supper is at six pm." With a hard flap of one wing, he sent himself spinning again. "Let's see. There's the engine room on deck one, that's where you can usually find Gauge or Matrix at..." He paused, rubbing at his chin. "Am ah fergittin anything?"
"What if there's an emergency?" I knew that I wanted to get settled in and clear my mind, but if this bucket wanted to fall from the sky, I at least hoped I could do more than kiss my ass goodbye. Looking over at Bluejay, she looked just a bit disappointed that I'd even brought it up. Better safe than sorry, that's how I want to be!
"Well, there's the lifeboats, I guess." He shrugged as he grumbled. Just the mention of lifeboats on board sent a wave of relief over me. At least somepony was smart enough to have an escape system. "Dunno why yah'd use em. Rowboats aren't much use a thousand feet in the air. They'd just smash ta bits on the ground."
Dear Celestia... We're all going to die.
“Gauge has returned.” Pai spoke up with a cheerful tone. “Shall we prep for takeoff?”
“Yeehaw! Damn right we should!” Wingnut shouted as he flapped hard and spun himself again. “Everypony, prepare fer departure! Let’s git this old bird in the air already!”
“Come on, Sawyer.” Bluejay said as she wrapped her hoof around me again. “Let’s get you into your room. Okay?” All I could do was nod. Honestly, I was just over today. No, screw today, I was already done with this week, this whole adventure! As we turned around and headed back down the stairs to the first set of doors, Bluejay pulled back and slowed us down. “Sawyer… I’m sorry about how I’ve acted.” Both Skeleton Key and Vanilla followed us, staying close behind.
“What?” I asked, not quite sure where this was coming from.
“I… I know that you’ve had your own life. It’s been wrong of me to assume that I could hold you to any standards of mine.” She sighed before turning and opening the sealed door that had the words Guest Cabins next to it. A lavish hallway with dark wood paneling and red velvety carpet curved around a spotless marble wall that outlined the cabins that sat against the outer wall. It struck me as something even more lavish than at The Studio, and that was hard to beat. “The thing is, Sawyer… I’ve been thinking about home a lot recently, and finding you? It… it gives me hope that maybe there are still more Stable residents out there.”
Walking forward, I tore myself from Bluejay’s hoofhold. “I wish I could say that I felt the same.” Looking back, I could tell that they weren’t the words she’d wanted to hear. “Really, Bluejay, the only pony I ever cared to find again... was you.” Walking down the hallway, I turned to the first door I found, and hoofed it open.
“SURPRISE!”
The words were blared at me through a pair of loudspeakers, while I was simultaneously assaulted with strips of paper shot out of a cannon behind the door. I let out a scream that I wasn’t quite proud of before flopping onto the floor.
“Ooops…” Pai’s voice chimed through the loudspeaker with a giggle. “Guess it might have been a bit much…”
Along with her giggles, came those of Skeleton Key and Vanilla. Before I could pick myself up again, I found Bluejay standing over me with a soft smile across her muzzle. She reached out her hoof again for me to grab. Taking it, I pulled myself up and found myself pulled into a hug.
“I’m not going to leave again, Sawyer. I’ll be right here the whole time.” She giggled softly. “Us stable folk have to stick together, right?” As she spoke, an oscillating hum filled the walls, starting off slow, but quickly picking up to a constant thrumming.
“Cloud generator online.” Pai’s voice called out through the speakers. “Spark reactor at ninety eight percent efficiency, hydraulics at nominal pressure. Spooling up rotary drive engines.” A high pitched whine joined the symphony of other noises around us, and I instinctively held onto Bluejay tighter than before.
“Hehe!” Skeleton Key giggled and bounced around on her hooves. “We’re going to fly!”
“Don’t worry, Sawyer.” Bluejay spoke softly in my ear. “The flight will go by fast. Trust me, we’ll be there before you know it.” My stomach did flips as I felt the ship begin to move around under us, and the creaking that came from the walls drew yet another pitiful whimper from my muzzle.
Of all the mean things she’d said to me so far, that was by far the most painful thing to hear. It was a plain faced lie that I’m sure she was going to be dead wrong about…
Under the cover of darkness, she snuck forward, inching towards her prey. The drumming of far away thunder on the night skies hid her hoof steps, while the shadows kept her an unknown specter of the night. The unsuspecting Detrot dockyard workers milled about around the suspicious shipment that was the intrepid hero’s goal. Big Slim wouldn’t slip his contraband out on the midnight steamer, not this time. Reaching a secluded section of the docks and perking an ear, it was clear that the mafia’s hired help didn’t care to keep from digging themselves into a much deeper hole.
“So ah, what did da boss say was in dees here crates?” One of the stallions spoke up, sounding even dimmer than the lantern light they shared between them.
“Shut yah yap. He ain’t payin yahs ta talk, just ta keep watch.” Angler Trap grumbled to the others. “Besides, better dat none of yahs know. Keeps yah from gettin’ any funny ideas ‘bout stealin’ from him.”
“I ain’t wantin’ ta do dat.” The first stallion rose his forehooves defensively. “Just curious is all.”
“Still, keep yah yaps shut. Boss said that we may get an unwelcomed visitor tonight.” Angler Trap chuckled, shifting from his seat on top of one of the crates. “An’ I got quite da bone ta pick with her.
“Oh yeah? Who’s dat?” Another dolty stallion spoke up.
What pony could pass up an introduction like that? With as relaxed a pose as she could take, she straightened her hat and coat, and strolled into the lantern light.
“Oh, you mean little ol’ me?” Shadow Spade smirked as she levitated out her trusty sidearm and a set of hoof shackles. “Any of you boys interested in coming quietly? Or are you going to make an otherwise boring night interesting for me?”
“Who wrote this crap?” I sighed, tossing the old world noir detective novel back onto the bedstand that sat between Bluejay’s bed and mine. “Seriously, I could write better. I have written better.”
“Well, you were the one who started reading it.” Bluejay sighed from under her covers, giving a soft yawn as she did. “Find something else to occupy your time and be glad we aren’t walking across the wasteland.
“I only started reading to keep my mind off the fact we’ve been sitting in a hunk of metal drifting through the sky for over a day now.” I huffed, flopping back down onto my own bed again. “There’s only two things I ever do to pass the time at home. I either write, or I drink, and apparently, I’m not allowed to do either here.”
“How hard is it to find something else to do?” Bluejay grunted and rolled herself over in her bed, facing away from me with a sigh. “There must be something else on this ship that can keep your attention.”
“Did you know that there were four hundred and thirty eight rivets in the ceiling?” If she wasn’t going to help me think of something to do, I’d bug her until I did. Really, that’s all Eff EL ever did to me back home, and I always gave in sooner than later.
The whole room shuttered, sending a shiver up my spine and my heart beating hard against my chest. So far, turbulence has been the only thing to send my heart rate skyrocketing. Nothing helps to remind you of how big of a mistake this was than the sound of groaning metal. Along with the groaning, the constant drone of the engines changed pitch, and I felt an odd sensation in my stomach pulling me forward. With a crackle, the hidden wall speakers came to life.
“Sorry about this, but it looks like we’re going to have to make a pit stop.” The voice that spoke was of the engineer mare, Gauge. “I’d hoped to go another few weeks without replacing the coolant, but we’re running a bit thin as is. Hope you all don’t mind, but our flight path put us right over Byblis, and they have the best coolant around.”
The speaker crackled again. “Howdy, folks. This is yer captain speakin’.” The eccentric stallion who flew this lovely bucket of bolts cut in. “This’d be a great chance ta stretch yah legs, get some fresh air, and maybe get somethin ta eat that didn’t come outta a can! If yah need any information on the locals, feel free ta ask Pai fer any details.”
Another crackle roused a grunt from Gauge. “The coolant exchange shouldn’t take more than an hour, so keep that in mind if you do leave.”
“There, are you happy?” Bluejay moaned from in her sheets, curling up tighter. “Go do stuff, get something to eat or something, I don’t care. Whatever you do, just let me enjoy some sleep for once.”
While that was a great idea, the fact that I’d been flung unprepared halfway across the wasteland on this little trip left me a little light on the caps. Even so, just getting off of this fucking boat for an hour would still be better than sitting here. Doesn’t mean I can’t leave empty hooved.
“I’d love to, but I don’t have any caps.” I sighed, eyeing over at her. “Guess I’ll just stay here.”
As she covered her head with a pillow, her horn glowed for a moment. Without much warning, I found a small velvet blue sack of caps smack me right in the side of the muzzle. Reaching out with my magic, I caught it before it dropped to the floor.
“Fine, but you owe me every single cap you spend.” Bluejay grumbled again. “Just go already.”
-----
After taking a few minutes to get my gear on, I walked my way down into the cargo hold. Surprisingly, the cargo bay door was still closed, and no pony was even around. The flicker of the holographic console next to the wall terminal down here caught my eye, and I was met with the small pink filly smiling up at me.
“So, why isn’t the door open? Is nopony else going out?” I asked, making the filly gasp.
“Oh! The door is closed due to the toxic air outside, silly!” Again, the way she spoke with such enthusiasm almost broke my brain. However, the idea of toxic air made it less of a pressing issue that I leave the ship. “Both Gauge and your friend Vanilla already left. Gauge is working with the locals to complete her work, as the coolant swap is done from the outside. Vanilla went to check out the markets, if you’re looking to go hang around with her, you’ll need one of these!”
As she said that, a panel on the wall popped open, revealing it to be a storage container of sorts. In it was a few sets of Ministry of Peace medical kits, along with slots for three gas masks, one already missing from them and presumably on Gauge. More disappointingly, there were also three life preservers hanging in the hold. I guess if this hunk of metal crashed into a lake, one of us might find use out of these…
“Why is the air toxic? Do I need more gear than just a mask?” Reaching out with my magic, I grabbed one of the Gas Masks and floated it over to me.
“Oh! Well, this place used to be called Gardenia. Named after the beautiful white wild flowers that covered this valley, it quickly became a botanical reserve for every rare flower and plant in all of Equestria!” Pai’s eyes reflected every ounce of enthusiasm of those words, which was weird to see. Not even Vanilla had such convincing expressions. “After the war, only one type of plant remained here. The only one of its kind ever, the Byblis flower is closely guarded by the locals, who have made it this settlement’s namesake. Unfortunately due to what is most likely a balefire radiation mutation, it’s pollen spores are both excessively produced, and toxic to all equine kind. That is, unless you’re a ghoul!” Leaning close, she eyed over me oddly. “Are you?”
“No.” I scoffed at the notion and loosened the straps to the mask. “So, if there’s only a flower here, why is this where we’re getting spark reactor coolant?”
“Due to the altered chemical nature of the plant, one of its byproducts works as a highly efficient viscous lubricant and thermo-regulatory fluid that isn’t found anywhere else in the wastes!” She smiled brighter than before, which was getting harder to understand as she already seemed far too happy. “It is why they insist on doing coolant change outs for any and all customers. Of course, they do trust the customers to not go analyzing their trade secrets once they leave, but I don’t think Gauge cares to know what it’s made out of so long as it works!”
“Uh huh.” I blinked a few times, not really paying attention. Really, I just wanted to get outside. Slipping the rubbery and constricting mask up onto my face, I strapped it on tightly. The two round glass eyepieces were in fairly good condition, with only a few scratches around the edges. “Care to open the door now?” My own muffled voice sounded off to me, but I’d rather deal with sounding funny over breathing in toxic air.
“No!” She smiled and pointed to the stairway door. “Not until you seal the hold. Wouldn’t want the others to get poisoned and die here, would we?”
I guess that was a good point. Trotting back over, I shut the door and used my magic to turn the handle until it sealed. An electric hum came through the walls before a small light above the door turned green. For a moment, the hold was quiet. The hydraulic door hummed to life, opening up to the windy outside air.
Reflexively, I raised my hoof as the hazy breeze pressed against me. Looking out, it looked almost like the foggy mornings that would sometimes happen back home. Only, this fog was tinted a sickly yellow color and killed all visibility about thirty feet out. Funny enough, both well clothed ponies in gasmasks and ghouls trotted around several buildings that stretched on into the fog. A couple of them were toting around well wrapped goods as they pulled merchant carts behind them, others had foals scampering around with them. For being a deathtrap outside, this place looked fairly lively.
With my curiosity piqued, I stepped over the gap between the floor and the ramp out, heading into the town. The first thing I noticed here, was that the ground was sticky and uneven. Every inch of it was covered in the pale yellow pollen, and wiping a bit of it away with my hooves revealed a latticework of plant roots running across the entire area. Having heard about some of the odder places in the wasteland, this wasn’t so much of a shock to me. I just hoped that I could get all this pollen off me when it was time to head back inside…
“Howdy there!” The muffled sound of a mare just in front of me spoke up. Quickly, she trotted up to me and held out a rubber sheathed hoof. “I’m guessin’ yer new in town? Roll in with Lucky’s caravan, or you come on that monstrosity that came from the sky an’ all?” Scrunching up her muzzle, she spoke up again before I could respond. “Aww hell, not like it matters. Y’all here on business or pleasure?” Looking over the mare, she wore a bright orange hazmat suit. The helmet had a solid glass enclosure on in it that let me see and eerily familiar pink smile. “Name’s Daisy Drambuie, local bar and brothel owner.” I didn’t care if this pink coated mare was acting suspiciously friendly, my brain stopped at the word ‘bar’. “My place is just across the way here, so let’s get you inside. I’m guessin’ you’ve had a long and stressful trip?”
“You have no idea.” I muttered a muffled reply that lit up her bright green eyes. As her smile widened, my stomach gave a groan that I could have sworn beat out the whistling breeze. “You serve food in your bar?”
“Hell yes we do! Best rad boar ribs this side of equestria!” The mare chuckled and waved her hoof. “That and we got other delicacies for entertaining your other hungers.” She gave a flick of her tail and a playful giggle as she turned around to lead me there. “Stick close, sugar. Don’t want ta get lost now.”
Something struck me as odd about here that I couldn’t shake. What was the owner doing so far from her bar, just looking for new arrivals? Maybe she was on break, and I doubt that this town is big enough to be impossible to not know everypony. A sharp spike of pain down my horn snapped me from my train of thought. Gah, no use in doing my normal over analyzing here. I can’t think when my body is complaining like this!
Food is good, booze is even better. However, the ‘entertainment’ was something I’d rather stay away from. Not that I didn’t mind a good bit of stress relief with no strings attached, most mare’s charge by the hour. And that’s an hour I don’t even have to get my money’s worth out of. Well, Bluejay’s money’s worth.
Following the mare ahead of me closely, she lead me down a few wide streets. The further we went, the thicker the roots hidden under the pollen felt. As we passed an old green house looking building, I noticed that it’s steel beams were completely encapsulated in dark green vines. On the vines, had to be thousands of tiny purple flowers, each with an orange center. Not having much vegetation out in Star Walk city, I couldn’t help but smile under my mask at it. It truly was a sight to see, and made getting off the airship totally worth it.
That is, until I bumped right into the flank of Daisy.
“Oooh!” She giggled, batting at me playfully with her hoof. “Gettin’ a little eager there, aren’t we?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” I paused when I noticed that in front of her were three burlap robed ghouls standing in our way. A shuffling to my sides made me look around to see that two more had appeared out of the fog, their rotten ghoul muzzles sticking out from under their pollen coated robes. “What’s going…” I began to say, only for the back of my head to erupt in pain, and for everything to go black all at once.
-----
“Okay there, you have to wake up now.” Daisy’s voice drifted through my mind, pulling me back to the world of the living. The back of my head hurt, and again I had one hell of a headache. However, opening my eyes, I had to shield them from an obscenely bright white light above me. Well, I tried to shield myself, only to have my fore hooves stop halfway to my face with the clank of metal chain. Both my forehooves were bound in chained shackles that were bolted into the wall. Trying my magic, I found that it was blocked by something. I couldn’t see it, but I’m sure one of those annoying ‘anti-magic’ rings was on me.
“That’s it, just get yourself all woken up.” Daisy spoke up again. This time when she did, I realized her voice wasn’t as muffled. The cool air of the room smelled stale without my own gas mask on, and at first glance, the room I was in didn’t have a single speck of pollen in it. In fact, the muted pink of Daisy’s coat was just as clean. “Sorry for the confusion you must be feeling, but before I answer any questions you might have, I’ve got two of my own.”
“What’s going…?” I started to say before Daisy hit me across the muzzle, knocking off my glasses. Not even thirty seconds off the thing and I’d fucked up enough that I’d regretted leaving the ship. The singing pain from the hit ebbed, dripping a line of crimson down my nose and onto the pristine floor.
“Now first, the basic blood work we did shows that you haven’t had a history of genetic mutations, diseases, or STD’s.” Daisy smiled as she spoke. “Can you recall off the top of your head if that’s true?” Her curly yellow mane bobbed slightly as she canted her head and looked at me expectantly. “I expect that maybe because you got that fancy do-dad on your leg, you came from a stable? Maybe your parents did?”
So I’m knocked out, dragged down to who knows where, and stuck in some sort of clean room? All so she could ask me if I’m healthy? Fuck this bitch, I’m not saying shit.
With a sigh, she shifted uneasily on her hooves. “You know, hun. This could be so much easier if you’d just answer when I ask you a question.” Tipping her forehooves forward, a few loud pops came from her foreleg joints. “I could always go back to hitting you again if you find that easier.” That, I believed she would do if I still held my tongue. “Just, I need to know if you’re healthy or if you’ve ever been really sick, it’s an easy question.”
“Give me a moment to think if I can remember anything.” I grumbled. Okay, so that would buy me a bit of time to size her up. She’s an earth pony mare, so strength is her thing. From the way she’s toned, and the way I was hit, I’m sure she’s holding back. She doesn’t want to damage me for some reason. Looking up into her eyes, they weren’t focused or determined, rather, slightly ashamed. She didn’t want to beat me up, she was putting up a front to hide something from me, and she didn’t like what was happening to her.
I need more time.
“I was born in a Stable. It was raided when I was young,” I spoke, stretching out my words as slowly as I could. Maybe this mare was in over her head? Could she be forced to do this? No, I really don’t think that’s it, not if I couldn’t see this up on the surface. “Sold into slavery, bought by my owner who I do work for.” This was less ‘I don’t want to do this to you’ and more ‘I thought I could handle this, but I can’t’ sort of guilt. “That’s been my life in a nutshell. No major illnesses, nothing of note injury wise.”
In answering her question, it looked like a wave of relief washed over her. I don’t know why, but I felt that I could slightly relax as well.
“Okay, second question.” Daisy stood up straight and tried to act studious. “I know I found you in front of the airship, but did you arrive on it?” She looked at me expectantly again. This time, I just simply nodded. “Excellent. I was afraid you’d arrived with one of Lucky’s carts!” She gave out a quick laugh and shook her head. Obviously, I was missing the joke, so I didn’t so much share in the jubilance. “He and his fellow caravaners are so close knit that I’m sure they’d tear this town apart lookin’ for one of them if they went missing.”
My blood ran cold from that. Yeah, this was bad. Between what she said, this place, and her oddly mixed character, something about all this didn’t make sense. However, the only thing I cared about now, was getting the hell out of here. That starts with getting some answers.
“What do you want from me?” I spoke, bracing myself for another hit to the face. Just because she said I could ask questions, didn’t mean that Daisy had to keep her word. “Why foalnap me?”
A loud buzzing from the wall startled me.
“Would you be a dear and just… excuse me for one moment.” Daisy smiled and spoke to me like a mother would to a foal. However, as she did, I could tell her demeanor shifted again. It was relief, like somepony was saving her from dealing with me. She turned and trotted over to a polished metal door not unlike one I’d once had for my own room back in the stable. As she stood and waited for the door to open, I looked at her cutie mark. It was a purple flower much like the ones I’d seen outside, only this one had a big yellow water droplet dripping down the bottom petal. As the mare slipped through the door and shut it, I was left again to my thoughts.
Okay, so, Daisy had at least clarified some things. What’s happening to me now isn’t unusual, what is however is that she is doing it. Maybe she’s never done whatever this is before? My heart skipped a beat as my thoughts reached a terrifying conclusion. Or, she’s uncomfortable because she know’s what’s going to happen to me…
Another buzzing snapped my attention to the door. With a mechanical hiss, Daisy returned. Along with her, a pair of ponies completely encased in gas mask hazard suits followed her in. She gave me a sad sort of smile and stopped just inside the door. The other two hazmat ponies however, walked over to my sides.
“So, due to the unorthodox nature of this situation, I’ve been given permission to at least give you some closure before we proceed.” I was both relieved to know that I’d been correct that this wasn’t normal for her, and horrified to know that this was going somewhere I wouldn’t like. Ponies chose the words they say for a reason, even without thinking about it. The word ‘closure’ to me didn’t fill my mind with the allusion that I’d been expected to live through whatever comes next.
The two ponies in the suits quickly undid the bindings around my legs. I wasn’t sure how well they’d thought that idea would turn out, but I knew opportunity when it knocked. The second my forelegs were unshackled, I pushed myself up to my hooves. Letting out a grunt, I lowered my head down, pointing my horn right at Daisy. Pushing myself into a gallop, I charged her. She went wide eyed, but did the smart thing and jumped aside from the door. While I didn’t have my magic due to the stupid ring, unicorns generally come with a great self defence spike that’s not easily removed.
“Whoa there.” Daisy spoke calmly. In fact it was calmer than I’d liked. As I focused on just making it out the door, something hit my side painfully and knocked me off course. Quickly I found myself slammed against the mechanical door frame. With the wind knocked out of me and now both sides of my ebbing in pain, I struggled to get myself moving again. Still, halfway out the door was a start, I just needed to find out where to go next.
Looking into the next room, I froze in horror.
Just past the door, every wall of the attached room was covered in the purple vine flowers. Each vine trailed back along the walls, over old scientific equipment and through storage containers, all to meet up behind an enormous bulbous plant. Roughly shaped like a dark green vase, it had two bulges that protruded from near it’s base. The hundreds of glowing yellow pustules that adorned the bulges looked like hundreds of tiny eyes. Just like the ‘eyes’, the rim of the vase seemed to secrete more of the glowing yellow liquid, dripping inward and collecting inside itself. The plant undulated, and as it did, a shiver went up my spine.
It spoke.
Feed ME.
Without warning, I was grabbed from the side by one of the robbed ghouls I’d seen outside. I don’t know where he came from, but when I tried to resist, I knocked his hood down. It was no ghoul at all…
The thing had vines growing through the various missing parts of it’s skin. Various ones wrapped around from out of it’s decayed maw, down through it’s neck and up again into it’s ear. A particularly thick vine had burst up through the top of it’s skull, trailing down it’s spine with it’s purple flowers adorning it like a mane. More disturbing than anything else, it’s eye sockets had been emptied, and instead held more of the glowing yellow pustules in it.
“You will sit.” That thing spoke to me with the voice of it’s host. Reaching out with it’s hoof, it grabbed me again. I felt as vines climbed along his hoof and to around me. Once they were around me, he pulled hard and dragged me all the way into the room. Carefully, he walked around the side of me, standing next to the open doorway and ensuring that I wouldn’t be getting away from here. “Be glad that you are blessed with the honor of learning about a god as benevolent as the one before you.”
“Dr. Pestle, I’m sorry…” Daisy spoke up.
“Quiet.” The monster snapped at her, chattering his teeth as he turned his attention to her. “First you put us at risk by bringing us a visitor, then you let that visitor get the better of you.” With a low growl, he pointed to the ceiling. “Your insolence will be dealt with after the feeding. For now, return to the surface and see that the visitors are compensated for their loss.” With his words, Daisy’s gaze drifted to the floor. She gave a small nod before turning around and heading for the other door across the clean room. “Now,” The monster spoke, again turning his attention toward me. “What is it you would like to know?”
“Why are you doing this?” I spoke up. I wanted to get a read on this thing, what it wants, what it’s mannerisms are, but I just can’t. Hell, I can hardly stand to look at this thing. “Why me!?”
Looking back toward the clean room, the other Hazmat ponies stepped inside and shut the door behind them. The weak, yellowed lighting of this room was only accented by the yellow light that the eerily glowing pustules themselves gave off. My heart rate jumped as the door hissed and made a mechanical latching noise. Once it did, I felt the vines around me loosen and start to retreat from me.
“For nearly two and a half centuries, this place has been my home.” The monster spoke up. “My colleagues and I were researchers here, doing work for the Ministry of Peace.” As he continued, he stared at me. I shut my eyes tight, not wanting to look at something so hideous as he spoke. “In the final months of the great war, we had re-discovered a rare species of carnivorous plant living deep in the Talicon jungle. First catalogued by the unfortunately shamed explorer Dr. Caballeron, he noted that a byproduct of its digestive process was a slippery viscous fluid. However, no pony had the chance to analyze it back then.”
“So, that’s where you get your lubricant. You feed the plant and collect it, don’t you?” I sighed, squeezing my eyes together as I really didn’t want to end up becoming part of the next coolant swap the airship made…
“Yes, but you see,” The ghouls shifted around, prompting me to open my eyes again. He’d turned toward the plant, which now slightly undulated as he stepped closer. “The magical fallout from the bombs didn’t harm it, it only made it stronger, gave it power beyond that of the old goddesses. My team and I catalogued its growth, even as we started to die from radiation poisoning ourselves.” Reaching out, he softly caressed the behemoth plant, his touch seeming to sooth its spasms. “It used it’s power to save us, infecting us, growing inside and changing us into what you see now. That is when we all realized that we were in the presence of an intelligence far outpacing anything before, and of much greater importance than anything our scientific selves had ever seen before.”
“But it wasn’t just giving you back your life for free, was it? It did that because still needs you, doesn’t it?” I spoke up. As grotesque as he looked, it still seemed to be a pony in control of the body. If I could maybe get on his good side, maybe I could barter for my life. “You’ve been feeding it because it’s rooted here. You hunt for it then?” If I played into keeping him talking, I’d find an opening sooner or later.
A rotten smile spread across the monster’s muzzle, showing off even more of the vines inside himself. “Yes, you seem more keen than the average specimen we bring down here. Normally we feed it raiders or bandits. Ponies that no one cares if they go missing.” Stroking the plant again, it made an odd gurgling sound that took the smile from the monster’s muzzle. “But recently, the raiders have been sparse, and our God has gone hungry. Our God gives us our lives and our livelihood. All of us in this town agree that it’s worth a few small sacrifices in the grand scheme of things. That is where you come in.”
“And that’s where you’ve made a mistake.” I spoke up. For once, knowing Eighth Note might just get me out of a jam, instead of deeper into one. “I’m not a free pony, and far from a nopony. I’m a slave, and I belong to somepony who would not take kindly to anypony who fed me to some plant.”
“Oh?” The monster gave his own gurgling laugh, as he did, the same yellow plant goop trailed down the edges of his muzzle. “I should have expected you would try to talk your way out of this.” With a disappointed sigh, he shook his head. “No matter, this room is sealed, and there is no way out for you.” As he spoke, I could feel the floor under me move. Vines started to work their way around my legs, grasping me tighter than he had before.
“You get lots of merchants around here looking to purchase your lubricant, right?” I spoke faster, feeling the strong grip of the vines start to accelerate upwards around me. “My owner, he runs the biggest settlement in the Los Pegasus ruins.” My words didn’t seem to be doing anything for the monster, who still simply stood there looking at me.
“And why would I ever believe you?” The monster canted his head. “More so, why do we care?” As the vines wrapped around my shoulders and my ass, they started to lift me into the air. With an ease not even afforded by magical levitation, I was being drawn across the room toward the large open top of the bulbous plant.
As much as I hated it, I looked the monster straight in his glowing eye sockets and kept talking. “Not only could I convince him to purchase regular shipments, but I could have him arrange a steady stream of raiders for you to use!” The vines stopped moving. “I can prove it if your friends go and find another pony who belongs to my owner.”
The monster cupped his chin with his forehoof, the vines on it squirming around from under his cracked and broken hoof. “You would be open to a… negotiation if this were true?” Even with his oddly gurgly voice and his odd eyes, I could tell he was suspicious of my words. However, it was the first thing I’d been able to read off him off the bat, and that meant I had to be getting somewhere. “This other one, what do they look like?”
“She’s a mare with a white coat, blue and white mane, blue eyes.” I answered him, feeling oddly on the spot being held in the air in the middle of the room. “She’ll be hard to miss in the markets walking around without a gas mask on.”
“A ghoul?” The monster inquired.
“A machine.” I hated referring to her as that, but my life came before my morals. “She handles the business side of Eighth Note’s affairs. Tell her that Sawyer suggested it to you as a sort of investment, that should get things started.” Keeping my eyes on his, I tried to make as stern an impression as I could while hanging where I was. “So, you set things up with her, and I get to walk out of here. Is that a deal?”
The monster set his hoof down, and as he did, the vines brought me down right in front of him. They didn’t let me go, but it was a start.
“When a deal is struck, only then will you be released.” The monster nodded as he spoke.
“I’d love to shake on it, but…” I nodded down to my still vine covered leg, trying to get him to release it. However, he didn’t seem to care for the gesture. “Ooookay then.” I sighed and tried to do my best to relax my still pounding heart. At the very least, I’d bought myself a few minutes more to figure things out. Maybe Vanilla would realize that this wasn’t really something I’d ever do and go get help?
Nah, I’m not that lucky. She’ll believe anything you tell her until she catches you in a lie. If somepony were to propose business, even if it was me, she’d do her damnedest to follow through with it thoroughly. However, I just hope that she finds it in Eighth Note’s best interest to invest in this place, because if not, this was going to cost me my life, and Eighth Note more of a price than I think he’d ever be willing to pay…
-----
After ten minutes of sitting in near silence, I found the vines finally lower me to the floor. The retreated from me, and the metallic clank of the door relieved an enormous amount of pressure off my shoulders. I turned to head toward it, but found myself stopped by the outstretched hoof of the monster.
“An agreement has been reached.” The light from his pustule eyes seemed to ebb now, shifting in intensity as he looked over me. “However, you are to speak to nopony of what you have seen down here, not even to Mrs. Vanilla or Mr. Eighth Note.” The undulating vines in his maw retracted, leaving a fresh line of yellow liquid dripping down along his neck. “Do you understand these terms?”
“Yes.” I nodded. As I did, he twisted his hoof around, pointing the bottom upward. His skin split as a vine pushed through it, a small bulbous protrusion on it opened and unfurled into one of the purple flowers.
“Then go with the grace of our god.” He spoke with a smile, swinging his flowered hoof to point to the open door. “I hope we will meet again in the future, Mr. Sawyer. Whenever you return to Starwalk City, please do give my regards to Daisy. She will be the one overseeing our vendor stall and coordinating back to us here.”
“Great, looking forward to it.” I half spoke up in response, half to just get him to shut the hell up. All I wanted to do was get back onto the airship and away from this place. I don’t care if we were flying, anything is better than being digested into some sort of industrial lubricant.
Trotting through the clean room, I found one of the hazmat suit ponies waiting at the other door. They showed me through and took me into another room. This one held a bunch of lockers and a few rusty showers. They retrieved my gear from one of the lockers, and removed the anti-magic ring from my horn. With my magic returned to me, I’d geared up in record time and tightly strapped the gas mask over my muzzle again. With a nod to them, I was more than ready to get the fuck out of this place and never return.
I was lead through a few winding rooms that had all sorts of rusty and broken lab equipment in it. Moldy furniture and musty papers lined the floors of what had at one time been a productive bio-research lab. The yellow and pink hued walls of this place still gave the distinct impression of a Ministry of Peace hospital, much like the Sacred Heart hospital settlement in the southern ruins of Los Pegasus. However, the vines that criss crossed the walls gave it an oddly natural feel, and overall was probably something the wasteland could use more of. Well, more nature in the traditional sense, and less carnivorous plant sense…
Turning around one corner of the many hallways I’d been lead down, I was met with a familiar white and blue unicorn. “Hello Mr. Sawyer.” Vanilla smiled the same smile she always did. “You will be happy to hear that I have secured a contract with those who run this settlement, and I agree that Master Eighth Note will consider this a fine investment for the future.”
“Yeah, sure, I don’t care.” I grumbled. “Let’s just get back to the ship.”
“Yes. I am glad to see that your enthusiasm for this trip has not waned as much as I had feared.” Vanilla smiled as she turned and walked with me. I knew she couldn’t see it under the gas mask, but I was wondering just what the hell she was going on about. “We are already behind schedule by fifteen minutes as is, and expediting our return to the Dauntless would be advised.”
“Yeah yeah.” I sighed again as we walked out the front double doors to this building, and back out into the hazy, pollen covered streets. As we continued, my stomach protested with the fact that like the enormous plant back there, I hadn’t eaten anything like I should have.
“Did you not get anything to eat?” Vanilla asked, a hint of worry flashing across her face.
“Lost my appetite, really.” I shook my head and trotted faster.
“Then I shall deliver something from the galley to your room once we are airborne if that is agreeable.” Vanilla’s worry disappeared behind her smile again as she trotted on ahead of me. As she did, the looming shadow of the Airship came into view through the haze, and I finally felt like I could relax a bit. “I wouldn’t want you to be eaten from the inside out by your own stomach! Could you imagine?” She let out a rare giggle to go with the just as rare joke she made. I used to count how many times a year I could get her to make them, but today they were just in poor taste…
Which in itself is a poor choice of words.
“More than you know, Vanilla.” I sighed as we trotted onto the ramp leading into the cargo hold. “More than you know.”
Sitting in my room, I stared at the piece of paper that sat blank before me. Shifting uneasily on my hooves, I reached out for my pen with my horn, only to hesitate before picking it up. With a sigh, I pulled my magic back and thought. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me today! Normally, I couldn’t write my stories fast enough. Today I just felt… empty. Maybe my fears were finally right, and that Stable thirteen had finally drained all the creativity out of me. The dull walls here had always felt like they drained the life out of me, but today I guess they stole something else entirely...
With a click that caught my attention, my eyes shifted over to the pen. It wiggled on the desk, moving on it’s own. I reached out with my magic, only to find that I could no longer grasp it. As if under it’s own levitation, it snapped up into the air. Like a snake, it wound it’s way around me. Frozen in fear, I did my best not to move a muscle.
With a hiss, it reared up before zipping past me toward the paper on my desk. With broad, vicious strikes, the pen attacked the paper. I watched in muted horror, as it aggressively spelled out three words that sent a chill down my spine.
Welcome home Sawer.
With a gasp, I tore myself out from under the sheets of my bed, and ended up on the floor. In a cold sweat that matted my fur, and with labored breaths, I finally realized that had all just been another nightmare.
“Sawyer, are you alright?” Bluejay groaned, rolling over in her own bed to groggily get a look at me. “Another nightmare?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. My forelegs ached from that much exertion before they had a chance to stretch. I winced as a kink in my neck made itself known as well. Just another perfect start to a day of hiding away in this cabin while we’re flying a thousand feet over the wasteland.
“That’s four nights in a row…” She said before a long yawn paused her. “Isn’t there anything you can do to stop having them?”
“If there was, I’d have done it.” I groaned. Okay, might as well get up for the day then. Looking over to my gear, I reached out with my magic. For a moment, I was worried that it too would resist and start moving on its own, but instead my magic grasped onto it the same as every other time. With a grumble that came from under me, my stomach reminded me that two times a day was not enough times to scramble down to the mess hall for something to eat before being locked away in here again. Expecially not when half the time I couldn’t keep it down.
Momentarily, everything around us shook. Not violently, mind you, but enough that even Bluejay sat up.
With a crackle, the ship’s artificial pony, Pai, came over the speakers.
“Good morning, passengers. I’m happy to announce our arrival over the designated coordinates, and we are preparing the ship for transition into it’s landing mode!” The overly cheerful voice of the filly ground at my still tired brain like chalk on a blackboard, but what she said at the end there snapped me awake.
Landing. Really, I was ready to get off this wild ride again. Sure, while flying was the better choice over being lunch for a mutated plant, it was really the lesser of the two evils. And that’s all flying is to me. Pure evil.
“It looks like we’ll be touching down at six-o-eight a.m. local time, and it’s a balmy sixty four degrees. Perfect for what looks to be yet another cloudy covered day in the wasteland! Raider bullet storms seem unlikely today, but you may still wish to pack your armored umbrellas, as things can change fast out there, folks!” As Pai kept talking, I did my best to quickly get myself geared. The second we landed, I was going to get the hell out of this death trap and back on the ground! Hopefully this time it wouldn’t be straight into the hooves of some psychotic plant cult as well. “So please be sure to make sure all carry on baggage is stowed, and that your seat backs and tray tables are returned to their full, upright positions.”
“Sawyer, what are you…?” Bluejay started the say as I both plopped my saddlebags on and flung the cabin door open. Before she could finish, my hooves carried me out the door like I didn’t have a single choice in the matter. Not that I wanted to stay, I was just surprised that for somepony who woke up only a minute ago, I was rearing and ready to go! And oh how I went!
Nearly flinging myself against the other door in the long central stairway of the airship, the odd high pitched whine of the rotary engines outside filled the air. My stomach churned now less from hunger, and more from the feeling of the entire airship descending through the air. With quick, loud hoofsteps, I descended to the small cargo bay in the bottom of the ship. The heavy clunk of the hydraulic landing gears vibrated the metal around me from through the walls, and I quickly reached out for the cargo bay door handle with my magic.
Tearing into the room, I again almost slammed into the large wooden crates that had been stacked in here. As I did, the small holographic filly popped up onto the pedestal at the terminal and gave out a soft giggle. As I stabilized myself on my hooves, I looked over to her pleadingly.
“Open the cargo bay doors, Pai.” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Sawyer. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” She spoke with a sincerity that nearly made my heart stop.
“What!?” I snapped. Goddesses, if I have to wait any longer to get off this death trap…
With a heavy rocking that sent groans and creaks through the metal around us, I found myself thrown to the floor. My mind was still trying to play catch up when the high whine from the engines started to drone down in pitch. Getting back to my hooves, I was fairly certain that we were now on the ground.
“Why would I open the doors when we hadn’t yet landed, silly?” Pai chimed in her cheery voice again. With another hydraulic hum, the cargo bay doors creaked and started to move. “That concludes this portion of our flight. We here at Sunshine Airlines hope that you have enjoyed your flight, and we hope that you consider choosing us again for your next cross country trip!”
As the door opened, I was forced to squint as the rising sun poured over the lowering ramp. A cool breeze pushed its way inside and over my skin, sending a small shiver down my spine. In front of me, I almost had my blood run cold. Rows and rows of bright yellow corn sat before me, and for a moment I worried that the plant ponies would be waiting here as well. Thankfully, the large field sat in clear air, and besides a few still living trees and a rickety cabin, there was nothing in sight. Trotting forward as the ramp lowered completely, I missed my step over the gap that the open door left in the floor.
I yelped as my hoof caught for a moment in the gap and I lost my hoofing. The world again was thrown out from under me as I tumbled head over hocks down the short ramp, and quickly found myself flopped down on my back into the dirt. Right off the bat, the wetness of the dirt caught my attention, and with a groan, I rolled myself over on it. The dirt was moist, soft, and had an odd smell to it. Unfortunately, that was as far as I got in my realizations before I felt the cold steel barrel of a gun being pressed up against the side of my head.
“Don’t move if you value your head.” The very agitated voice of a mare whispered close into my ear. Instinctively, I turned to look at the mare in question, but found another Gun pressed against the other side of my head. “No, no. You are just going to sit there perfectly still until we can get this all sorted out. Got it?” I nodded. “Good.” As the mare sat holding me hostage, all I dared do was look up at the interior of the cargo bay and hope that somepony could get me out this mess.
Of course, it’s just my fucking luck to be in yet another mess. Survive a five day, four night, all expenses paid trip on hell airlines only to get myself captured by another lunatic pony the second we landed again. Seriously, couldn’t I happen to go all of maybe ten steps away before something went wrong?
It’s decided then. Next time we land, I’m not going anywhere without at least Vanilla at my side. This shit never happened to me back home in Starwalk City. Wait… that’s exactly right! This shit didn’t happen back there! It wasn’t until this job that I’ve constantly been fearing for my life and being captured every fucking second. Seriously, it’s not my luck because I can blame all of this on…
“Bluejay?” The mare behind me asked as Bluejay trotted to the edge of the cargo bay. The guns pressed against me pulled back slightly, and I managed to catch a glimpse of both of them from the corners of my eyes. A red magical aura held an odd revolver/pistol looking gun on my right, and a larger ornate silver one to my left.
“Yeah! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” With a nervous wave, Bluejay looked down to me with her best ‘I’m sorry you’re at gunpoint’ look before straightening up again. “Sorry to drop in like this, PC, but I have an enormous favor to ask you.”
-----
This was not at all what I’d expected we’d come across the Wasteland for.
“Riddle, honey?” A black coated stallion sat nervously just inside one of the two bedrooms of the small cabin we were brought into. “Daddy needs yah ta come down off the ceiling.”
Something there didn’t sit well in my brain, and made this morning’s forming headache just that much worse. Something between a giggle and high pitched screaming made me cringe before a young pegasus foal scampered from the other room. Oddly, she was on the ceiling, hopping the doorframe and galloping across the old wooden roof with quickly beating wings holding her in place. The stallion seemed to panic and follow her, trotting around the house a few times after her before the foal went back into the room again. From there, he followed her in and closed the door.
The musty old cabin was old, probably built before the war. However, it was remarkably well built, showing very little wear over the years. The addition of a few rugs around the place, some furniture that looked like it was pulled out of an old hotel, and some old colored wax pictures hanging on the old refrigerator gave this place a homely look to it. However, the assortment of firepower hanging about said otherwise. A few pistols sat with ammunition and an ammunition press in the corner. In an umbrella basket by the door, sat an old, scoped lever action rifle. Lastly, above the fireplace, a modified magical energy rifle hung on a plaque like a trophy.
Overall, I couldn’t understand why we were here. I mean, I knew we were here to recruit another member, but for the past four days, Vanilla had refused to give any information on what exactly it was that we were going after overall. In fact, she’d been completely silent since we’d taken off from the stupid plant town. She’d joined me on one of the couches in the corner, but other than her always present smile, she simply observed everything.
“So, Bluejay.” The still annoyed voice of the other mare called out as a few jars full of sweet smelling cider were levitated down in front of us, probably from the multiple apple trees planted around this place. Along with that, a few ears of corn followed that no doubt came from the fertile corn field we’d landed at the edge of. “I assume you didn’t park that monstrosity at the edge of my corn field just to visit for the afternoon.”
Unlike why we were even here, the mare who’d been kind enough not to shoot me wasn’t as much of an enigma as I’d thought she’d be. A Green coat covered in plenty of scars, a long red mane pulled into a bun all read to me that she was the kind of mare who got things done. No-nonsense, possibly an ex-mercenary, ex-bounty hunter, or ex-slaver. That is, given the fact that she had no rear legs, used a pair of wheels strapped to her stumps to get around, and had two young foals, I’m pretty sure she’s not in that line of work anymore.
“That is correct.” Vanilla spoke up from my right.
“I didn’t ask you.” The mare sneered at her before turning back to Bluejay. Squinting, she stared at Vanilla, seeming to size her up. “When I want you to speak up, then I’ll fucking ask you to.”
“Some things never change, do they, PC?” Bluejay laughed from the other couch. Grabbing two of the glass jars of cider, she passed one to Skeleton Key and pulled the other up to her lips. She took a large gulp before going wide eyed for a moment. With a sharp yank she used her magic to pull the other jar from Skeleton’s grasp. Giving a few hacking coughs, she held out her own drink in front of her. “Shit, that’s strong.”
Grabbing one of the cider jars, I pulled it closer. Free alcohol, you say? Don’t mind if I do! Pulling it to my muzzle, the rich taste of fermented apple felt like a punch in the nose, as well as heaven to my head. Seriously, if Cold Draft had hard cider this good in his bar, he’d sell a cask an hour!
“Yeah, we don’t have a well out here, so all our packaged water goes to the girls.” The annoyed mare huffed.
“Anyway, as to why we’re…” Bluejay’s words died out as I slurped up the last of the cider out of my jar. Shit, did I really down it all without knowing? Looking over, I saw her warped, disappointed gaze piercing through the bottom of the empty jar. I know I didn’t tell her about what happened in that other town, but seriously, I deserved this for what I went through! “We’re here because plainly, we have a job to do, and that job requires you.”
“Nope.” The mare retorted simply. With a flash of her own magic, she snatched up all the jars and corn from us. “I don’t do dangerous jobs anymore, not with my family to support.”
“Now yah just wait a minute!” The muffled voice of the stallion from before came through the walls. With a sharp yank and quick steps, he opened the door to the bedroom, slipped out, and shut it behind him in one fast motion. Giving out a sigh of relief, he straightened himself out and walked over. “Hun, yah need a vacation. Yah’ve been workin’ yahself ta the bone, and yah need ta do somethin’ ta let some stress out! The farm, the girls, and I? We’ll still be here for yah when yah get back.”
“Shut it, Caltrop.” She snapped back. “We talked about this. I’m done going out and being shot up by every asshole in the wasteland.”
“This is a simple retrieval job, nothing more.” Bluejay chimed up again. “Two weeks for travel, but it’ll be a quick job no longer than a few days.”
“If it’s a quick job, then why do you need me?” The mare retorted. Honestly, I don’t think Bluejay could have answered that. That is, other than ‘well, Eighth Note said we would’, and a mare like this wouldn’t take that for an answer.
“I’m sure it’s just a precaution.” Bluejay shifted herself off the couch, getting to her hooves. “Vanilla here has been instructed to negotiate whatever it will take to get you to join up with us on this.”
“Now you listen here!” The mare raised her voice. I knew where this was going. I’d had too many arguments with Eighth to not recognize a shit storm forming. With a heavy sigh, I closed my eyes and leaned back into the comfy old sofa under me. I did my best to tune out the world, trying to focus on something to distract me.
As I laid back, my locket slid down around my neck on it’s chain. Using my magic, I grabbed it and held onto it tight. This was all I had left of my family, the last remnant of my mother Green Leaf, and the only thing I have ever had of my father’s. Honestly, I don’t think of them too often anymore. A lost part of a life that should have been. I guess… maybe that’s what this angry mare has. Maybe that’s what she’s trying to hold on to?
Living with Eighth hasn’t been an easy life, not compared to what I had. But, I wouldn’t trade it for a life out here. Starwalk City was a hive of corruption and villainy, but Eighth held it together with his influence. Hell, he kept most of Los Pegasus and the Applewood ruins together. Nopony could touch him, not without getting a stern reminder of just how far his influence reached.
Then again, this is why he needed us for this job, right? Somepony got to him in a way he never thought possible, and we were his retaliation. That thought scared me, because it meant Eighth was treading on new ground, even for him. It also meant that whoever pulled this off, even with all the secrecy that Eighth normally kept, actually stood a good chance of striking a blow that stuck. A blow like that? It could undermine the entire foundation of Los Pegasus.
That’s about when this whole situation just ‘clicked’ in my mind.
With that thought, I started to laugh. It wasn’t a subtle chuckle, nore a roaring laughter. It started as just a giggle, growing into a laugh that silenced the two arguing mares. I couldn’t help myself with how stupid this all sounded.
“Something you’re finding funny, Sawyer?” Bluejay glared at me, giving a huff that blew a blue and white striped bang from her eyes.
“Just, one second.” I got out between laughs. Wiping my teary eyes with my hooves, I looked between the mares with a smile. “You two don’t really have any idea how serious all of this is, do you?”
“Care to enlighten us then?” The green unicorn snorted.
“Bluejay, you know how much power Eighth note has over the whole city, right?” Still giggling, I looked around the room. Everypony’s eyes were locked on me, and for some reason, that only made me laugh more. “If somepony stole from him, they’re what? Either really stupid, but lucky.” Just saying that, I could see the moment she knew where I was going with it. “Or…”
“They’re gearing up for something much bigger.” She muttered, cupping her chin with a hoof. “But, who would even want to destabilize Starwalk city, let alone be strong enough?” Looking over to Vanilla. “Does Eighth Note know who stole from him?”
Vanilla nodded. “A message from those who killed Swift was found on her body when I recovered her.” With a flicker of her own magic, she levitated a folded sheet of paper out from under her robes. It was half stained with what I presumed was Swift’s blood, but as she unfolded it and set it down on the coffee table in between the couches, all of us leaned in to look at it. On the paper, was a symbol I hadn’t seen before. A black sun, partly hidden behind red bars that looked like wings. Under it was the simple message We will return scrawled out in black ink.
“I’ve seen this symbol before.” Bluejay sighed, drawing my gaze up to her. The sight of the note seemed to unnerve her, which only served to unnerve me in return. “I don’t know a thing about them, but this symbol is plastered all over raided towns and caravans.” Shaking her head. “Most ponies think they are raiders, but they’re too coordinated for that. There’s hardly anything missed in looting, entire towns picked clean of resources.” Looking over to the other mare, she gave her a pleading look. “And there are never any survivors.”
“Great, now what does this have to do with me again?” The other mare huffed. “From what you’re telling me, they could have hit the courier without knowing what they took.”
“The attack on Swift does not follow the same parameters of the other attacks. Only the package for Master Eighth Note was taken. Nothing else of value was stripped.” Vanilla spoke up, drawing a look of ire from the angry unicorn. “I believe what Sawyer was trying to say at the start, is the same that Miss Bluejay is trying to convey. If they could track down a well disguised delivery for Master Eighth, then what are the chances they won’t come after you now that we are here?”
The angry mare tensed up and pressed a foreleg just under the base of her horn. I’d seen that face before in the mirror. Frustration, anger, regret, it all flushed over her face as she looked just about ready to kill somepony.
“Hun?” The black stallion spoke up as he trotted over to her, only making her tense up even more. “I ain’t a fan of it either, but yah need ta go. They need yah.” Wrapping his hoof around her neck did seem to help relax her, but not by much.
“Fine, you want me?” She glared at Vanilla as she spoke. “Then I want Caltrop to come to.” With that, she smirked. “I’m not leaving without my husband, and since he has to stay at home with the girls…”
The black stallion gasped happily, cutting her off. “Das a great idea!” Cupping the angry mare’s cheeks with his hooves, he wore a smile that felt a little too bright in contrast to the way his wife looked. “My sisters can watch the girls! Dis’ll be great! Like the honeymoon we nevah got!”
“No, that’s not…” The mare growled and stomped her hoof on the floor. “Fine, one hundred... No! Two hundred thousand caps as payment.” Another smirk ran across her muzzle, and I let out a sigh. There’s no way Eighth Note could afford a purchase like that, the whole of starwalk city doesn’t even make a quarter of that in a year! “Why don’t you go back home and see if you can scrape up that kind of money out of your coffers.”
“I am authorized to agree to that payment. You, Mrs. Percussion Cap, are hereby hired to work on behalf of Master Eighth Note of Starwalk city. You are now forbidden to take up any contracts with known enemies of Master Eighth Note for the duration of this contract.” Vanilla spoke as starkly as ever, surprising me with both the answer itself and the quick decision on it. “Payment will be expressly delivered in increments over a set length of time upon the completion of the task, and will be delivered to the next of kin should you unfortunately be killed before we return the package to Master Eighth Note.” Holding her hoof out, Vanilla offered her kind smile to the mare. “Thank you for deciding to work with us Mrs. Cap. How soon can you and your husband be ready to leave, as we do have a fairly strict schedule to keep.”
Both the mare’s and my eyes twitched at that.
“You lier. You can’t possibly just throw that kind of money around?” The mare stammered. “No, something is all wrong about all this.” Shaking her head, she took a step back. “I won’t stand for it.”
“I record and calculate all of Master Eighth’s financial records, as well as all of those for Starwalk city.” Vanilla canted her head as she pulled herself up off the couch. “There is sufficient room in the fiscal budget to allow for the fulfilment of this contract given the average yearly rate of growth. Barring any new natural disasters or repeated megaspell apocalypses, I can assure you, you will be paid a sum of eight hundred and thirty three caps per month for the next twenty years.”
“You can’t be serious…” The annoyed mare looked over to Bluejay. “Who... ?”
“Just… trust her math, PC.” Bluejay sighed as she glanced over to Vanilla, looking more impressed than anything. “So then, when can you be ready for liftoff?” Oh goddesses, don’t remind me we’re going to be flying again. “We do have a job to do, partner.”
“Don’t call me that.” PC grumbled before looking over at her husband, who wore a nervous smile across his muzzle. “Go to the shelter out back and tell your sisters that the farm won’t be the only thing they get to take care of while we’re gone.”
“Yes, Love.” The stallion said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Trust me hun, yah may not see it now, but yah need dis vacation.” With a bounce in his step, he nearly flew out through the back door and into the morning sunlight.
“Yeah yeah.” Rolling her eyes, she looked back over to Bluejay. “I told you I was done with this shit, and after this job, I am never helping you again.” With a disappointed sigh, the mare turned around and headed to the other bedroom in the cabin. “This better be as quick and uneventful as you say it is. I am not letting my daughters grow up without me to teach them how to survive.”
The anger PC displayed actually made Skeleton Key shrink back a bit into the couch next to Bluejay. “Is… is it really going to be that dangerous? What if those ponies from the note come looking for us?” Looking down to the floor she gave off a small shrug. “Just, what if… we die because we get overwhelmed? Why else would we need so many ponies, why else pay so much for a simple job?”
“No, I… I’m sure...” Bluejay stammered, trying to avoid looking concerned. Unfortunately, she was looking for somepony else to distract Skeleton for her, and from the way she looked over to me with her sad eyes, I could tell she was going to pin that job on me. “Sawyer, help me out here?” Yes, because I’m a font of praises towards Eighth Note’s promises on ‘simple jobs’.
With a sigh, I opened my muzzle, only to be cut off by Vanilla.
“Master Eighth Note takes many unnecessary precautions, young one.” The tone Vanilla had switched too was an odd one. If I’d heard it at all before, it would have to have been in the first year or so under Eighth, because she’d never sounded that sort of kind to me. “I’m certain that this job will be a simple one, and is no cause for worry.” With a soft giggle and smile, she roused a mirrored reaction out of Skeleton key. “Isn’t that right, Sawyer?” Great, now Vanilla was asking me to lie to the filly.
“Yeah.” I nodded, looking up to Bluejay, who still looked more worried than ever. “Eighth Note knows what he’s doing.” I hopped. “I’m pretty sure we won’t even meet this ‘other group’.” Or I’m fairly sure things were going to go horribly wrong. “The point is,” I was internally screaming to my legs to just run me back home and let somepony else do this. “you have nothing to worry about.” Why couldn’t I have just not woken up this week?
Now, after all the lying was done, I could take satisfaction in the fact that at the very least Skeleton key had bought into it. Now, if only I could somehow find the youthful ignorance that she still had, maybe I could convince myself of the same.
“Miss Bluejay.” Vanilla spoke up, pulling my attention to her. “Once we are all on board the Dauntless again, I would like you, Mister Sawyer, and Mrs. Cap to join me in the mess hall for a briefing on our next destination.” Pointing to the door, she turned to me. “If you would like to go back as well, Mister Sawyer, I suggest getting something to eat before we get underway again. You will feel much less airsick if you eat while still on the ground.”
“Alright.” Bluejay nodded and turned around to Skeleton Key. “Come on, Key, let’s get something to eat as well.” Looking over to Vanilla, Bluejay eyed her over curiously as Skeleton climbed up onto her back. “Say, Vanilla, what’s the highest you would have gone had PC asked?”
“Oh, the exact financial information you wish to know is something I am not at liberty to discuss at this time.” And there we go, back to the plain and flat way that Vanilla spoke. “Needless to say however, Master Eighth Note will be less than pleased with the price I have negotiated.” Bringing back her smile, she shook her forehoof in the direction of the door. “Now, do not wait up for me. I shall assist in gathering any travel gear that Mrs. Cap requires me to carry and be aboard the ship shortly.”
“Sure. You have fun with that.” Bluejay rolled her eyes before dropping them on me. A smile crept across her lips when she did though. “Come on, Sawyer. We don’t want a repeat of dinner last night on our hooves, do we?” The realization that potato soup looks the same a half hour after you’ve eaten is as before was not something I’d wanted to remember about last night. My stomach just thinking about it nearly flipped over, and it pushed me to get up to my hooves.
“Yeah yeah. Though, I’ve been looking forward to today’s breakfast.” I grumbled, headed for the door. “At least today was supposed to be the special rad hog ham and rad hog bacon.” Because it was impossible to ruin bacon in any way… right?
right?
--Chapter End--
“Tension is rising, Gravity hurts.”
Quests Finished: Inheritance
Quests Started: Chasing Ghosts
Levels Earned: 3->4
Perks Earned: Bookworm -
You pay much closer attention to the smaller details when reading. You gain 50% more skill points when reading books.
As we sat here on the bridge waiting for Mrs. Cap and her husband to embark with Vanilla, I couldn’t help but feel like we’d encroached upon some sort of sacred navigational grounds. Both Bluejay and I sat staring across the holotable at Wingnut’s navigator, who gave a better annoyed glare than even Eighth Note did whenever I spent more of a night on his wallet than I should have. And with how practiced Eighth was with his glare? Let’s just say it isn’t easy to beat.
“Goddesses,” Bluejay whispered toward me, not taking her eyes off the navigator. “it’s like he’s trying to burn right through me…”
“I know, right?” I whispered back.
“I can hear you two, you know.” The navigator grumbled.
“Shhhh.” Bluejay whispered again. “Maybe if we don’t move, he won’t see us…”
“C’mon, Astrolabe. Tain’t nice ta scare tha guests.” Wingnut called down from his captain's chair, still spinning himself lazily with one wing. Looking down to us, he offered a half a wave and a smile. “Don’t y’all worry none ‘bout him. He just ain’t used ta folks in his corner of tha bridge.”
“You know what I don’t like?” Mrs. Cap called out from the doorway to the bridge. “Large airships disrupting my crops.” Angrily, she… walked in? Attached to Mrs. Cap’s rear legs were a pair of very old, very rusty cybernetic legs. A thick cable ran up along her side and into a pair of batteries she wore on a harness under her red leather jacket. Walking right down to Wingnut with her horn pointed right at him, the flustered pegasus pressed back into his seat with a nervous grin. “Next time you show up, you park this pile of junk another thousand feet out, do you understand me?”
“Y-yes ma’am.” Wingnut nodded quickly.
Remind me to stay far away from Mrs. Cap for the foreseeable future. Looking over the angry cyber mare, she at the very least put up one hell of an aggressive front. How qualified she actually was for whatever we had to do out here however, was something I wasn’t too sure of. I know I should put my faith in Bluejay, but so far this has been one problem after another.
“Sweety?” Panting and sweating, her husband chokingly called to her as he trotted up the stairs with a very large case of luggage balanced on his back. “A little help... finding the cabins... maybe?” His wheezing gasps made me cringe, and I couldn’t imagine why a guy like him loved a mare like her. Or vice-versa for that matter.
“The cabins are down the stairs on your left.” Vanilla spoke up as she squeezed past him with her unwavering smile. “Mrs. Cap, would you kindly join the others around the holotable for the briefing?”
“Let’s just get this over with.” Mrs. Cap mumbled as she trotted down towards us along with Vanilla. As she did, she cracked her neck and levitated her snub nosed revolver down onto the table, along with what looked like a cleaning kit.
“Excuse me, my chart table is no place for your greasy firearms.” Astrolabe grunted, looking even more furious than before. “I said, excuse me…”
“You are excused.” Mrs. Cap turned to him angrily. Across her muzzle was a look of shock like Astrolabe has just called her something akin to a cheap whore. This was some mare to have the audacity to carry herself this way with normal ponies. Still her tactic worked, and Astrolabe trotted off of the bridge in a huff. Turning around, she met with the same unamused look that Bluejay had given me before. “What? You wanted me for the job, you got me.” Cleaning off her gun, she turned and looked to Vanilla. “Spill it. What’s the job?”
Vanilla’s eyes glowed softly a moment before the table we stood around did the same. The cartographic data that had been showing fuzzed away and was replaced with a different section of wasteland. What appeared before us was a small industrious looking town that seemed to be built along a river that ran between two very odd looking mountains. Both mountains looked like they once held large, lush forests at one time, but were now barren and oddly dug out.
“We will be traveling to the eastern edge of the Smokey Mountain Range. Truce city, to be precise.” Vanilla started. As she spoke, the map shifted and enlarged the city, bringing its details into greater view. “Courier Swift had arrived in the southern section of the city, meeting with one of Master Eighth’s contacts to receive the package.” One of the old buildings in the city flashed brightly a few times as she continued. “The contact confirmed safe transfer to Courier Swift by radio with no passcodes given for suspicion of interference.”
“How long until she was killed?” Mrs. Cap asked as she wiped down her gun.
“Unknown.” Vanilla raised her hoof and pointed to a road that wound it’s way south out of the city. “However it was approximately a half hour after the first transmission when Master Eighth received the report of her body being found outside of the city.” A red X appeared on the map just past the last buildings. “The southern end of the ruins are uninhabitable due to the industrial chemicals contaminating them.”
“What about city security?” Mrs. Cap spoke up again. “Or is this one of the cheap settlements that doesn’t keep eyes outside of it’s own walls?”
“A city patrol was the one to discover the body. A single gunshot wound to the chest that penetrated straight through her body armor.” Vanilla answered back promptly. Honestly, I was beginning to feel lost in all this. “They reported no gunshots, though noise suppression talismans may have been involved, it is more likely that the adverse weather conditions that evening might have obscured them.”
“What sort of conditions?” Bluejay spoke up. Okay, now I really felt out of the loop.
“There was quite an intense electrical storm that evening paired with heavy rains.” Vanilla nodded.
“And no trace of any assailants was found near the body? No hoofprints even?” Mrs. Cap asked, cupping her chin with her hoof. Vanilla answered with a simple nod that only deepened the perplexed look across Mrs. Cap’s muzzle. “Long range sniper?”
“Not with heavy rains and having to retrieve the package, lack of visibility meant that the shot had to come from the ruins nearby.” Bluejay grunted, leaning in towards the table in thought as well. “What about a ghoul hidden in the ruins?” Turning to Vanilla, she perked up. “What sort of chemicals are contaminating them?”
“The contamination is mostly pools of tainted Flux with very little magical radiation saturating the ruins.” Vanilla gave as much of a frown as she normally does. Though, like always, it was only momentary.
“So then what are we left with that is taint resistant?” Bluejay sighed, still intently staring at the map. She was so focused on it that you might think she was physically looking for the shooter in the ruins. “What about a hellhound?”
“They don’t use ballistic weapons, only magical energy ones.” Mrs. Cap sighed. “What about one of those alicorn freaks?”
“I don’t know about that. They’re always going on about that ‘unity’ thing.” Bluejay answered her with another groan. With each wrong answer, I could tell that they were both becoming agitated with this enigma. “This doesn’t sound like something they do, though there are stories out there of rogue alicorns…”
With a roll of my eyes, I could almost see the headache as it started to envelop my head with all this back and forth.
“Hey, if you all don’t mind?” The pilot called down to us from her seat. Strapped into the machine, I almost forgot she was even there. “I’m going to begin preparations for lift off. If that’s the destination, it’s another five days back across the wastes. The sooner we leave, the better.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” Both Bluejay and Mrs. Cap responded about the same time, basically ignoring her.
Wait.
“Wait!” I cried out, this time outside of my own head. The three mares around me turned their attention to me, making me feel like celestia’s great sun was beaming down on me like a spotlight. “What about a pegasus shooter?”
“Smart. That fits the M.O. at least.” Mrs. Cap smiled and nodded at me, holstering her now clean gun. “Plus the symbol on that paper you showed did sort of look like wings. I’d say that’s probably our best lead at the moment.”
Vanilla turned to Mrs. Cap with her renewed smile. “Do you have much experience as a bounty hunter with Pegasus targets? Can you track them?”
“Track them, sure.” She nodded to Vanilla and sighed, her cyberlegs giving out a whine as she sat down. “It’s not easy, but so long as they didn’t get above the cloud layer, I can find them. I’ll just need to talk with the two guards and the contact for your boss.”
“Good to hear.” Vanilla canted her head as her eyes flickered and dimmed a bit. The image on the table disappeared as well, for some reason giving Mrs. Cap pause to look over her again.
“You don’t just have cybernetic eyes, do you?” She asked, rousing a chuckle from Vanilla. “You’re entirely a machine.”
“That is correct.” She nodded, making Mrs. Cap look quite uncomfortable. Vanilla turned to me and pulled my attention to her. “Sawyer, now that the briefing is concluded, I suggest that we discuss something in private. Would you mind coming with me?”
“Uh, sure?” I wasn’t sure what she wanted to talk about, but I could tell already that I wouldn’t like it. As Vanilla turned to leave the table, I moved to follow her. Mrs. Cap uneasily moved the other way around the table as we left, scooting close to Bluejay before I turned back to continue with Vanilla. Odd to see a mare like her act the way she did. I’d have to ask her about it later when she got back to our room.
Trotting up past the captain and into the long stairwell throughout the ship, Vanilla stopped abruptly and turned around to me. In the lower light of the hall, her eyes glowed more than usual, and her smile seemed just a bit too bright.
“Due to a request made after you left Mrs. Cap’s home, there has been a change in assigned sleeping quarters.” Vanilla’s voice was lower in volume than before, but just as cheery as ever. “You will join her husband and I in cabin two, while Bluejay, Skeleton Key, and Mrs. Cap take cabin one.”
“What!?” I grunted, trying to keep my voice down as well. I wasn’t sure why I should, but if Vanilla was trying to keep quiet, it was probably for a good reason. Speaking of good reasons… “What was wrong with me sleeping with Bluejay?” I scrunched up my muzzle at that. “I mean, in the same room as her?”
“Master Eighth Note has sent me a new directive via radio.” In an unexpected move, Vanilla put her hoof on my shoulder and cleared out her throat. When she spoke again, it was in Eighth’s voice. “Sawyer, Vanilla’s reports about you are disconcerting. As somepony who cares about you who also happens to be your boss, I’m giving you an order.” Not only was this creepy, but why was I not surprised that Eighth note could still make my life a living hell all the way across the country? “Stop cowering in your room and try to make some friends on this trip.”
“Friends. Right.” I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me.” Vanilla replied still in Eighth’s voice. Or... was that part of the message? “Anyway, you’re going to be with these ponies for the foreseeable future, so you might as well get to know them. Vanilla will get you started with this task.” Vanilla’s voice cracked and she smiled again, brighter than before. “So!” Thankfully, her voice was back to normal. “You may start…”
I put my hoof on her lips to stop her. “Not interested, Vanilla.” Trying to step beside her, I found her move into my path.
“As your medical caregiver, I am required to inform you that social isolation and antisocial behaviors can be just as damaging to your health as unmitigated consumption of alcohol.” Putting her hoof on my chest, her expression shifted to one of tenderness. “Please, don’t make me restrain and force you to socialize with the others on board.”
“Ugh, fine.” As somepony who would drag their heels on needing to get out of bed in the morning, this was a fight I couldn’t win. “But if I end up pissing some pony off enough that they stab me, that’s on your hooves, not mine.”
“Agreed.” Vanilla nodded and stepped aside. “You may begin your friendship studies in the engine room at the aft end of the ship. Gauge and Matrix don’t get many visitors down there.” Pointing her hoof down toward the cargo bay, she offered her smile again. “Have fun!”
“Yes, fun.” I grumbled and started down the stairs. “Let’s just get this over with…”
-----
So, not only was I literally starting at the bottom to work my way up, I was starting this ‘job’ with the ponies I related with the least. From what anypony had said in the mess hall about Gauge, she seemed like a social recluse more at home in her work than with anypony. As I grunted and opened the door into the cargo bay, all I could think was that this was both an exercise in futility, as well as a colossal waste of time. But hey, it only mattered that I ‘tried’, and at least the bottom of the ship didn’t have windows.
Shutting the door behind me, I looked over to the terminal where the ship's AI usually sat. For once, PAI didn’t bother showing up on it. Far be it for me to understand what it takes to keep this thing above the ground, but…
The whine of the outside engines picked up, and the distinct feeling of us pushing upward came over me. My stomach gurgled in protest at the thought of flying, and I braced myself against one of the wooden crates secured to the wall. It felt like I clung to the side of that box for an hour, sitting and waiting for the horrendous feeling of this metal tomb starting to plummet back to the ground. However, it never came, and after what had probably only been a minute, the feeling of raising disappeared, and the constant drone of the engines holding us up filled the air.
Trotting forward across the cargo bay, I kept my eyes open at the opposite wall. Hidden almost completely behind a large crate near the far corner, was another metal hatch. This one was much smaller than the one coming down from the main stairwell, and proved to be much easier to open. Pulling the door open, it’s hinges were whisper quiet. I pondered about it for a second, as every other door at least had some sort of noise to it, but before I could formulate my own theory, a noise from the cramped hallway inside caught my ear.
“Gauge, you might not want…” PAI’s voice drifted out from the next room.
“Shut it!” Gauge grunted between whines. From the strain she put on those words, I assumed that she was working on something. Stepping into the small hallway beyond the door, I found that it was more cramped than I’d expected. The air in this next room was much hotter than the rest of the ship, and the smell of oils and sounds of machinery came into it’s own the second I was inside. Shutting the door quietly, I cringed as a loud slam preceded a yelp and an enormous metal wrench sliding across the floor to just in front of my hooves. “Son of a…”
“Told you so.” PAI chuckled from what sounded like right next to me. Looking around, I didn’t see a pedestal, but if I had to guess, there was one just on the other side of the wall. “You can’t just force it, you aren’t a young mare anymore.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Gauge replied. A magical aura appeared around the large wrench, and it levitated off the ground and out of my sight. “Hey, do you remember how it is that I don’t tell you how to do your job?” Another metallic groan picked up from across the room. “Damnit, now the auto-trim actuators are acting up again? You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Gauge, Matrix is well enough versed in how to operate the boiler.” It’s funny, for an AI, she almost sounded genuinely sad. “Why not get him to fix it? To share the burden?”
“Why?” Gauge groaned again. Peeking around the corner of the cramped hallway, I found myself watching as Gauge clamped the large wrench around one of the many many pipes that ran across the far wall and into the end of a cylindrical metal tank. “Because he’s a damn good apprentice and I don’t want to wear him down when I don’t have to.” Hooking her forehooves around the end of the wrench, as well as wrapping her magic around it, she pulled down with all of her strength.
“Yes, but he can’t learn if you die of overexerting yourself first.” PAI sighed again, drawing my attention to the pedestal that sat on the floor near me. Hundreds of different twisting wires ran up from the floor over the sides of the pedestal. Each one joined others in a group that eventually found it’s way along the rim of a shining disk projecting the small pink filly. “And I don’t want you to die, Gauge. You know that, right?” She sniffled, looking like she was… crying digital tears. “You know I love you, right? Don’t you love me too?”
“I do love you too, but…” Gauge sighed, loosening her grip on the giant wrench. As she did, she sat down and stretched out the cyber foreleg that she wore. “If I’m going to die, it might as well be saving something I care about.” Looking down her metal leg, she almost looked as if she were staring right through it at the ground below us. “Pushing myself is the only way I know to keep this old boat running, and I only do that because I love you. Matrix is a good colt, but he’s not ready to take over. I can’t pin this sort of responsibility on him.”
Turning around as slowly as I could, I decided against staying. While it wasn’t exactly ‘quiet’ down here, I didn’t want to give away the fact that I’d been listening to them. I know that Vanilla wanted me to make some friends down here, but something tells me that this is just not the right time for that. Even though it was hard enough to wrap my head around an AI and a real pony being in love…
“Mr. Sawyer has arrived.” PAI’s voice called out clear and concisely from around the corner, and it made my mane stand up on the back of my neck. “I believe he wishes to speak to you.” As jarring as her announcement of my presence was, I could tell that she sounded more than relieved about my intrusion. “Maybe he could convince you to take a break.”
“Fine, I’ll take a fucking break.” Gauge grunted as she looked over to me. It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Astrolabe’s glare, but still worse than anything Eighth Note normally gave me. Geeze, after this trip I was going to have to redefine what ‘angry’ really looked like. “You, with me.” Gauge pointed at me as she stood up.
At a trot, she walked straight to the sealed end of a large boiler that sat along the wall next to the imposing, still running reactor. Walking past a few control panels, she jumped up and threw her forehooves onto the old valve on it. With a hard twist of her hooves, the whole mounting for the valve swung outward. Curious to see what was inside, I trotted forward to find that the interior of the old boiler had been repainted and was well lit. It was large enough that a few beds, a desk, and a small refrigerator could fit inside. With a deft leap, Gauge hopped through the opening to the inside.
“An… interesting choice of living quarters.” I commented as I trotted up to the metal door. Even from just sticking my head in, I could feel that the air inside was much cooler. “Huh, would have thought it would have been hotter seeing as it is a boiler.”
The inside actually had quite a homely feeling to it. Floral pattern sheets adorned the twin beds bolted against the wall, and the large oak desk had a shine to it that I never saw outside the Studio back home. Rolls of various blueprints stuck out from every drawer like branches of a dead bush, they lined the walls like pictures in frames, and even the refrigerator had a few pinned onto it. All in all, it was odd to see, but it presented me with the feeling that for as disgruntled as she was, there was a great method to Gauge’s madness in here.
“Yeah, well boilers have great thermal protection, seeing as it’s supposed to keep one side at one temperature, and the other at another.” Gauge grumbled angrily as she opened the door to the small red refrigerator. Inside was a collection of odd drinks and wax paper wrapped foods. “Something which you’re fucking up by leaving the damn door open.” Shooting me an annoyed glare, she rolled her hoof at me. “C’mon, in or out.”
“Oh, sorry.” Hopping inside, I used my magic to swing the door shut behind me. To my surprise, it fit snugly enough that it didn’t open again even without me needing to twist the handles. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I came down here to… get to know you.” I mumbled the last half, not really feeling like this was a great idea in the first place. With how angry everypony on this crew has seemed, ‘friends’ seemed like a longshot, let alone even being considered an acquaintance.
“Oh?” Gauge cocked an eyebrow from over her shoulder and gave me a once over look. “I’m flattered that you’re into older mares like me, but I’m not available.” Her horn glowed, and she pulled out two brown bottles from the fridge. Wiggling one at me in her magic, she held it out to me. “Beer? Cider? What’cha want?”
“Cider, thank you.” I sighed, sitting down with a bit of a blush. “And no, I meant more so as a friend.” Yeah, it sounded even more ridiculous when I said it than when I thought it. All Gauge did was shrug as she exchanged one of the brown bottles in her magic with a clear one that held an amber liquid. “Vanilla told me to go around and get to know everypony instead of hiding in my cabin all day.”
“Robomare up there?” Gauge used her magic to pop both the bottle caps off the drinks before levitating the cider over to me. Taking it in my magic, she gave me the hint of a smile. “She’s a neat unit and all, made PAI plenty jealous when I gave her a look-see.” Putting the bottle to her lips, she took a long draw off of her beer. Giving my cider a snif, I was delighted to smell the wonderful hint of firment in it. After a quick sip, the warm feeling of alcohol in my gut sent a shiver through me that helped me to relax. “Though, whoever made her was either some sick bastard, or one ballsy asshole.”
“Oh?” I cocked my eyebrow at her, puzzled. “What do you mean?” Vanilla’s exact history hadn’t really been spelled out to me, and honestly it’s never been too much of a burning question in my mind. I knew that the Ministry of Peace built her, and that somehow she ended up in Eighth Note’s hooves. That was pretty much it.
“Well, she’s pretty much a one to one representation of a mare.” Gauge stared at me awkwardly as she spoke, only pausing to take another drink. Without thinking, I found myself doing the same. “You know… pretty much one to one functional too…”
I nearly choked on my cider. “What?” Yet again, snorting alcohol never made it taste better, only worse. Don’t know how many times it’s going to take before I stop doing that. “What do you mean? How would you…?”
“I was thorough when I looked her over.” Gauge rolled her eyes. “You mean to tell me, you’ve never noticed? Never been curious about her or anything?”
“No!” I snapped at her. “She’s more like an Aunt to me than anything!” That was just… oh goddesses, now I’m imagining her in my head. “Just… no.” Amid my frantic scrambling to think of anything but Vanilla, I could hear Gauge laughing.
“Will you two keep it down?” A third voice in the room came from next to Gauge. The voice of a colt, it was enough to snap my attention over to it. From under the balled up blanket on the lower bed, a set of young, piercing green eyes glared at me. “It is impossible to sleep when you are blabbering on like that.”
“Matrix, what have I told you about not using your contractions?” Gauge spoke to him like a disappointed mother. Honestly, it reminded me a lot of how Bluejay sounded with Skeleton Key.
“But I do not like them.” The young colt whined, giving out a wide yawn. As he did, he pushed the covers off himself. More frail than any zebra colt I’d ever seen, the black and white striped coat clung tightly to his emaciated ribs. The striped mane he had was spiked with each alternating color pointing either left or right off his head. “I do not need them to work, so I do not use them.”
“Sawyer, meet my young protege, Matrix.” Gauge sighed before taking another drink of her beer. “Matrix, I hope you know that learning contractions will make it a lot easier to talk with strangers. You’ve already mastered terminal coding, you should easily be able to grasp contractions.”
“Yes, I should, but I do not want to.” The zebra colt turned his muzzle up at Gauge and snorted in defiance. If I were that colt’s dad, I’d have smacked him upside the head for that.
“Fine.” Gauge shrugged. “No snack cake after dinner today.” That.. seemed like an odd punishment for somepony that looked so malnourished.
“Awww, what?” He groaned before looking at me, going wide eyed as he looked down at my forehoof. “Oh, is that a pipbuck!?” A wide smile drew across his muzzle. I’d never seen anypony more happy than him to see the beat up computer strapped to me. “Can I see it?”
“No.” Gauge promptly shut his request down. “I know you just woke up, but if you want to do something fun, then you first have to do some work.” Tossing back her head, she let the last of her beer slip down her throat. “Those universal phase detractors aren’t going to clean themselves you know.”
“But I already cleaned those yesterday to get ahead of schedule, remember?” He wined while slumping back onto the blanket around him. “I was going to synchronize the turbo encabulator and the metapolar refractive pilfrometer, but that’ll take hours to do.”
“And?” Guage cocked an eyebrow at him as she set her empty bottle down. “What have I taught you about work before play? You want to see his pipbuck, then you have to work for that reward.”
“Uhhh.” All this talk about my pipbuck was making me feel a bit… uneasy. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
“Hah.” Guage laughed at that. “Sawyer, you came down here to do what again? Make friends of us?” She offered a smirk that made me uneasy. “Well, unless you can realign a pearl ball bearing ring, or bypass the tankered thermal expansion sprocket on a KT one thousand model spark reactor, there really isn’t much else you can do for us other than let us take a look at your fancy little leg-puter there.”
“Fine, but unless you know how to open it…” I started to say before a soft click from my leg prompted me to look down. A small orange wrench spun through the air as the unchanging pressure clamping my leg since I was only a colt released. The pipbuck split off my leg, levitating off of me in Gauge’s magic. “what… how?” Angrily, it was my turn to glare at her. “Give it back. You can’t just…”
She raised her hoof and cut me off. “Don’t worry, it’ll be better than brand new after we’re done with it.” From atop the upper bunk bed, a small red tool case came floating down to her. She opened it up and pulled several different oddly shaped tools and floated them around her head like a crown. “Besides, Matrix could probably clean up a few redundant files on it. It won’t change any of the functions or make it run any smoother, but it’ll be less prone to failures over the years.”
“Still, you can’t…” I tried to get in, but found the bottle of cider shoved into my muzzle by Gauge’s magic.
“Take this as a sign of ‘friendship’ or whatever. Just let us get to work and come see me at the end of the day, alright?” Gauge rolled her eyes, stopping as they fell on Matrix. “And you, since you’re up, get out there and crack open that Turbo Encabulator.” Shaking my removed pipbuck in front of his face like a trophy, she wore the same smile that Vanilla always held. “You can go over this when you’re finished.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Matrix nodded quickly before scrambling off the bed. In a black and white flash, he’d bolted past me. Without realizing it, I’d used my magic to open the door behind me as he jumped up and through into the hot room beyond.
“Now, as much fun as it’s been, my break is over.” Guage grunted at me while using a rag to wipe down the inner cuff of my pipbuck. “I suggest you leave me to my work.” Looking up to me with a sharp gaze, she didn’t look mad anymore, simply tired. “I’ll bring your pipbuck by your room this evening.”
“Okay.” I nodded and sighed. “Thanks, I guess.” Turning around toward the open door, I reached my hooves up and put them on the warm metal entrance. I paused before climbing my way out, wanting to turn and ask her just exactly how she’d had a pipbuck removal key in the first place, but I stopped myself. From what I knew, there were hundreds of stables across the wasteland, and thirteen probably wasn’t the only one to have failed to open safely over the years.
Before I completely threw myself into a depressive funk, I climbed my way out of their home, and headed back to the door for the cargo bay. While I might not have become instant best friends with the mare, I did at least understand her better now. It’s not that she’s anti social, it’s that she can’t slow down enough to socialize with the others. With technobabble whizzing around between her and Matrix like that, I’d never realized just how little I knew about how to keep any machine running in the wastes. She’s probably the only reason that this ship has stayed airborne at all, and for that, I’m thankful she’s as good as she is.
Still, as I walked through the door into the cargo bay, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad for her. I hardly even knew the mare, and yet, I felt I understood her better than anypony else on this ship. Well, maybe with the exception of PAI that is. However, at least Vanilla was right in that respect. Even with only spending the few minutes down there that I did, she’d opened up to me, offered me a drink, and is tuning up my pipbuck for nothing more than the fact that she can. If that’s not something one friend would do for another, I’m not sure what ‘friendship’ even is.
Levitating the last of the cider to my lips, I drank down the rest of the tasty liquid in one gulp. With grip of my magic around the empty bottle, my next stop was the mess hall. As I trotted forward across the cargo bay to the other door, the cooler air in here felt odd against my bare leg. As alien as it felt, oddly enough, it didn’t bother me. Gripping my locket in my magic, I pressed it close to my chest and sighed before opening the door to the main stairwell. I probably felt as calm as I did because I knew that one of the two possessions I’d walked out of stable thirteen with that I called my own, couldn’t be in more capable hooves.
Opening the mess hall door, my ears were met with something odd. Silence. Seeing as I’d normally only gone in with Bluejay and the others for breakfast and dinner, I was used to the small kitchen being cramped and full of life. A loud gurgling in my gut convinced me that it didn’t matter, and that I should get something to eat to go with that cider warming me up.
Trotting through the door, I used my magic to push it closed a little too hard on accident. Shutting with a clang, I was also rewarded with a soft squeak from inside the kitchen. It almost scared me with it’s presence, but looking over, I found Infrasound sitting in the corner of the dining table with her nose pressed into a book. The pink pegasus eyed at me uneasily from over the top of it, seemingly on edge.
“Hi.” I waved to her in an attempt to be friendly. The whole time we’d been traveling so far, I don’t think I’d heard her say anything at all really. She seemed like a very shy mare, and kept to herself mostly. So much so in fact that I couldn’t even really form a basis on her personality. Still, Vanilla did want me to get to know everypony on board…
“I’m sorry…” She squeaked quietly, shifting off of her seat at the table. “I was just reading… I’ll let you eat in peace.”
“No no!” I waved at her in dismissal. “You won’t bother me, I promise.” I gave her my best nervous smile as I quickly trotted over to the large refrigerator bolted to the wall. Opening up the door, I looked inside the chilled interior to see what they had available. Saddly, there wasn’t anything freshly prepared other than a quarter pot of chili that had been made last night. There were some sickly looking carrots towards the bottom, but I’d much rather not have something so light. Wrapping my magic around the pot of chili, I levitated it out onto the nearby countertop.
“So…” I asked, eyeing over to Infrasound as I levitated a bowl over from the cupboard. “Reading anything good?” Just by asking anything at all, she seemed to cringe and sink further into her book. After a few awkward moments, I got the feeling I wasn’t going to get an answer. Fine, you want to do this the hard way? I accept the challenge. “You know, I’ve read quite a few books in my free time, but none as bad as that Shadow Spade novel in my cabin.”
She looked up to me with startled eyes. “That isn’t true at all!” She snapped harshly. Hah, got ya. “Sure the prose might not be as good as Daring Doo here, but the intricacies of the mystery are second to nopony else that I’ve read!” She went wide eyed as she realized what she’d just done. “I mean… I’m sorry.” Slumping into her seat, she wore a bright blush.
“No, it’s fine.” I laughed as I scooped out some chili into my bowel. “I just couldn’t stand it. Just not my thing I guess.” Looking back over to the table, I lifted my bowl and floated it over there. “Which Daring Doo book is that? I do enjoy that series.”
“Uhm…” She perked up at that, folding the book over and reading the cover. “Daring Doo and the Crystal Caper.”
“Oh, I liked that one.” Trotting over, I took my seat at the table kitty-corner to her. To my surprise, she scooted herself over to my end.
“Oh really?” She smiled and put the book down. “It’s been one of my favorites so far.” Funny enough, her shyness had gone out the window and was nowhere to be found. Shit, why did I have to phrase it like that a thousand feet above the ground? “Astrolabe suggested I borrow them from Shifting. Honestly I was surprised when she agreed.”
“Oh, why’s that?” I asked, levitating a spoon over from the basket of them on the counter. Okay, time to see if day old chili was the right choice. “Is she normally protective of her things… or…?” Scooping up a blob of chili into my muzzle, the juicy flavor of baked beans and rad boar meat hit me hard. Goddesses, if only I could eat this well back home without going broke…
“No…” Infrasound sighed, letting part of her lavender and pink striped mane fall over half her face. “I shouldn’t say anything…”
“What, is she that bad?” I asked, busily chewing on a muzzlefull of chili.
“No, it’s just…” She started to say, but was cut off when the door to the connected recreational room swung open.
“Somepony talking about me?” Shifting Winds panted heavily as she dripped with sweat. From the fuzzy sweat bands she wore around her hooves and forehead, I could only guess she’d been using the treadmill in there. Looking at me, her ear twitched subtly and she shifted around her own wings uneasily. “Look, I always know when ponies are talking about me, so just spit it out.”
“She was just saying how you lent her your book.” I spoke up. Geeze, she’s a bit pushier than I’d seen her these last few days. I get that being around strangers can be annoying, but just lighten up, lady.
“Good.” She snorted before turning around, glaring at me as she did. “Because I hate when ponies talk shit behind my back.” With a kick of her rear hoof, she shut the door with a slam.
“She’s a ton of fun.” I rolled my eyes before looking back to Infrasound.
“She’s not too bad.” Infrasound giggles. “She’s nice once you get to know her, like most of the crew here.”
“Does that include you?” I smirked. Normally I wouldn’t be so forward, but I had the feeling it was the only way I’d get her to speak up at all.
“I guess.” She nodded softly, brushing her mane away from her deep purple eyes. “I just don’t care to converse much. I find it perfectly pleasant by myself most days. Though…” she drifted off for a moment, hanging on that phrase like it was desperately trying to lose her. I’d seen the look she wore many nights at home. She was thinking of somepony.
“Who is it?” I sighed, leaning in with a smile. It was a shot in the dark, but I was going to take it. “Is it one of the crew?” The blush that flushed brightly across her cheeks as she sank down in her seat told me that I’d guessed right. “A stallion?” I nodded, twisting my muzzle up in thought. “Or a mare?” Looking over to her for an answer, I found her curling into the biggest whimpering ball of embarrassment I’d ever seen. “Woah there, I didn’t mean to put so much pressure on you to answer. You don’t have to…”
“Astrolabe!” She forced all of that social pressure out in one big shout. Immediately, she went wide eyed and covered her muzzle with her hooves. “I didn’t mean…” Whimpering, I could tell that she hadn’t meant to go off so loudly. “Please don’t tell anypony…” Nearly crying, she looked at me pleadingly.
The door to the rec room swung open hard. “What the hell is going on in...?” Shifting started, but a horrendous metal bang cut her off, reverberating through the whole ship.
Then, everything went sideways…
“Shit!” Shifting shouted. “Hold on!”
Before I’d even got a chance to do so, I was thrown from the table. I slid across the floor and slammed painfully against the wall next to Shifting. She’d had the forethought to hold herself in the doorway as we most assuredly were plummeting to our deaths. Why oh why did I have to go on this stupid trip!?
“Correcting for axial list. All hooves, we are under attack.” PAI’s voice chimed over the ship intercoms before a klaxon sounded. True to her word, after just a moment, the ship began to right itself again. “Three pegasi raiders are inbound on us. It also seems that we have a harpoon tethering us to the ground from the starboard side.”
Flopping over as we righted back towards a normal orientation, Shifting Winds stepped up beside me and helped me to my hooves.
“You and Infrasound get on the defensive guns.” She snapped, pointing to a sealed hatch at the rear of the room. I’d been wondering what was behind it, but I didn’t want to find out like this! I opened my muzzle to object, but found her muzzle stuffed in it. “No time to argue! I need to get to the bridge, but you two need to hold them off!”
Not quite sure what to do, all I did was nod sharply before Shifting bolted to the stairwell door. Looking over to Infrasound, she was still shaking off the disorientation from the sudden attack.
“Fuck, why me?” I muttered under my breath. I know I might not be the best shot in the wastes, but if it’d keep us from crashing to the dirt, I was willing to do whatever it took. “Come on, we need to get on the guns like she said.” Trotting toward the door, she jumped over the table toward me and stopped me cold.
“Wait, we can’t do this!” She shivered as she spoke. “Let’s just get one of the others to do it!” She smiled nervously at me. “We don’t have to fight!”
“You heard her!” I grunted as I used my magic to unseal the door. “There’s no time!” Swinging to door open, I found a T shaped hallway in front of me. Trotting inside, I turned and looked back at Infrasound. “Come on, only we can do this.”
She seemed to take a moment to nod and stiffen up. “Okay, we can do this.” She didn’t exactly sound confident, but as long as I didn’t go at this alone, I was good with whatever help I could get. Following me in, she shut the door behind us.
Turning left around the corner, I immediately regretted my decision to ignore her suggestion. At the end of the hallway was a glass sphere that was just slightly bigger than I was hanging off a small track on the ceiling. Past the small metal hatch on the side of the glass bubble, a very uncomfortable looking curved seat rode up the backside of it. Two hanging hoofholds extended from the roof on articulating rods, and a pair of pedals and displays sat just past the edge of the seat. I began to worry about just how to run this thing when I saw PAI’s pink form flicker into existence one the displays. Trotting up, I looked down at her expectantly.
“Hi!” Pai waved at me. “I know the gun pod looks confusing, but just lean your back into the chair, put your rear hooves on the pedals and grab the hanging fire controls!” She smiled and pointed as she spoke. “easy peasy!”
“Whatever you say.” I grumbled as I clambered into the pod. The track mountings that it hung off of squeaked as the pod rocked with my added weight and movement. It shot a spike of fear up my spine before I lined myself up with the seat and flopped back into it. As soon as I did, the electronics inside the pod hummed to life, and the metal side hatch slid shut forcefully.
“Thank you for helping to defend us. Please keep your head and limbs inside the ride at all times.” PAI smiled and turned herself around. “Your targeting display is here.” She pointed to a small screen that flickered to life above her. A three dimentional plane was displayed, as well as a red dot which I assumed was us in the center. Three yellow flashing arrows maneuvered around it at high speed. “Use the hoof actuator pedals to orient yourself and the guns. Please, do so now.”
Doing as she asked, I placed my rear hooves on the pedals and pressed my left down. The pod began to spin to the right. Pulling back on my hoof, it began to spin left. My right hoof alternatively changed the pods orientation in regards to elevation. However, my forehoof controls and the fetlock triggers were locked in place and seemingly did nothing. As I got used to them, another loud rending sound emanated from the rear of the ship. Thankfully this time however, we didn’t flip sideways.
“Here’s the hydraulic pressure gauges, weapon power readouts and cooling information. As well as your emergency shutdown button.” She shifted her hoof to a pair of flickering lights and various gauges on the right of the display. Honestly none of them made any sense to me, so I tried not to worry about what they might mean. “And on the left,” She pointed to the slatted plate bolted on the other side of her. “is your comms unit. Just speak normally and both Infrasound and the bridge should be able to hear you. Patching you in as we speak.”
“Hello?” I spoke up, seeing if Infrasound hadn’t yet died of panic.
“Yes?” She squeaked. “I’m… I’m ready to go.” She hesitantly called back.
“Now, there are some things you two should know.” PAI called my attention back to her. “Do not under any circumstances…” She was cut off as the ship was rocked with a blast. Fire burst through the metal side of the ship surrounding the pod, and one of the panels was torn away, revealing the large openness of the sky outside. “Nevermind, no time, gotta go! You kids have fun out there!” She smiled and waved before flickering away. As she did, the metal side of the ship around the pod began to retract, and the pod itself shuttered and rode along it’s track.
My heart was beating faster and faster as the suspended pod crossed out into the exterior of the ship. As it did, my forehoof controls unlocked, and I pulled them down close. As I did, a flash of movement to my side caught my eye. Looking over as I moved my forehooves, a pair of large magical energy weapons strapped on motorized turrets moved with them. Suddenly the control set up made sense, and seemed somewhat useable. That is, until I rotated myself downward.
The sight of the ground so far below nearly stopped my heart cold. I was a half a second from getting up out of my seat and throwing open the door, but I froze when I realized that the extended gun pod was now outside of the ship altogether.
“Hello?” Shifting Wind’s annoying voice called over the intercom. “Are you two done playing around out there?”
“Yes.” I closed my eyes and focused on her voice. “I mean, I’m good.” Yes, just… pretend that you’re not dangling in a glass ball a thousand feet in the air. “Just, tell me what to do.”
“Well, first of all, defending us would be nice.” Shifting’s annoyed voice suddenly wasn’t helping to focus on, and I used my rear hoof to elevate the pod as High as it could go. “Secondly, being tethered is leaving us out in the open and unable to maneuver. Find that damn harpoon and shoot it off us before the next shot they put in knocks out the reactor!”
Opening my eyes, I looked around. Oh, why did it have to be up to me? Why did I have to hate hights? Why did I have to fucking even wake up today!? About halfway up toward the front of the ship, a rusty pipe stuck out, almost masked by a thin stream of smoke shooting out from where it’d hit. It was incredibly out of place among the smooth lower hull, along with the rusty, taught cable that shot down towards the ground from it.
Working the controls, I maneuvered the pod around to face the front of the ship. In working the forehoof controls, I lined up the guns and squeezed the triggers. The dual energy weapons flashed and sliced through the old raider metal without any issue at all.
“Alright, the harpoon is gone.” I called out, sighing and allowing myself to relax a little. Almost as soon as I had, another loud slam accompanied a rusty piece of rebar lodging itself into the ship right next to my bubble. “Shit!” I cursed, furiously working the controls as I looked over to the targeting screen. A small yellow arrow fluttered off to the right of the ship, and I looked over through the glass in that direction.
A particularly vile yellow coated raider mare flapped as she held some sort of cannon in her hooves. She wore a ratty cloth quiver absolutely stuffed with sharpened rebar in it, and she was furiously working to stuff another rod into the barrel of her weapon. Maneuvering the guns to aim at her, I wanted to knock her out of the sky before she managed to actually hit the pod with a rod.
“I… uhm…” Infra’s whisper soft voice came through the intercom. “I need help!” She whined. “I don’t know what to do!”
“Just… shoot them!” Shifting Wind angrily growled over the intercom in response. “Hold on.” Just as I lined up my pod to fire, the whole of the Dauntless shifted course. Firing too slow, the bright red beams from my guns sizzled through the air just above the raider. She got wise to not staying still and zipped up higher into the air.
“Damnit!” I snapped. “I can’t hit them if you’re moving all over the place!”
“No no no no!” Infrasound whined in panic. From my pod, I saw a bright flash line the bottom of the hull towards her pod, and a two flaming halves of a raider tumbled on fire toward the ground. “I… I got one I think!” She whined.
“Good, now quit bragging and shoot the other two down already!” Shifting Winds snorted before she grunted. When she did, we listed to one side and turned sharply. The loud report of a cannon far below came just before a large rusty needle and cable shooting through the air just missing us. “You have thirty seconds of stability before they reload and I move again. So just please shoot them.”
“On it.” I grumbled, working the pedals to turn the pod. Glancing down to the targeting computer, the closest arrow on it was right next to the ship, which was odd.
Just out of the corner of my eye I saw movement, and a soft knock came from the glass next to me. It made me jump so bad I slammed the both the pedals and controls down. The sudden movement threw off the aim of the point blank raider, and the thump of the rebar cannon shot the bar straight across the front of the pod and jammed it partway through the glass on the other side. The console sparked and died as the rebar rod embedded itself inside, shorting out all the control systems. The electric hum of the hydraulics and power systems disappeared, and the whipping wind whistled through the hole in the glass bubble.
“Don’t you just look so tasty?” The raider mare hissed through the opening before she scrambled around to the other side of the pod. She smiled at me with her gummy grin and jaundice tainted eyes before slinging her cannon and pulling out what looked to be an old industrial grinder. “I’mma open you like a can of cram, boy!” Cackling madly, the incredibly jagged blade whirred to life and she brought it down on the metal door of the pod.
“Just leave us alone!” I screamed at her, not sure she cared to hear me over the shearing of metal. “You don’t have to do this!”
“I do!” She laughed as she pulled off the grinder again just enough to tell me she had no intention of letting up. “Can’t you see I’m so hungry!?”
Even over the grinding, I could hear a loud scream as the other raider fell out of the sky. I couldn’t see it, but I was glad that at the very least Infrasound managed to do something useful in the fight. The raider on my pod stopped grinding as she looked back, giving nothing more than a growl over her fallen comrade.
Bright red lines of magical energy streaked downward from the other side of the ship. One after another, they raked the ground until a bright explosion lit up the hills below us. The resulting boom shook the ship itself, and the raider mare on my pod lost her hoofing. As she slid off, the strap for her odd rebar cannon caught on the rebar she’d shot through the pod, wrenching her against the side of it. Scrambling to keep her hoofhold and unhook herself, she had to choose between holding on, or her saw.
She made the wrong choice, and let the saw go. I’d heard jokes that Pegasi could be simple minded and stupid sometimes, but this was far and above anything I’ve ever seen. And I even know Eighth Note!
Straining, I grabbed it in my magic and flipped it around. She only had a moment to realize her mistake before I thrust the saw into her side straight under one of her wings. She let out a gurgling scream and threw herself from the pod, leaving her cannon behind to hang off the rebar. Tumbling down through the air, I watched as she screamed all the way down until she became nothing but a permanent smear on the wasteland hills below.
With a sigh, I let go of the saw as well and slumped back in the gunpod seat. Seriously, after today, I will never ever board another airship in my life. Closing my eyes, I felt as my racing heart finally began to slow, and the sweat beading down my head dripped down past my chin. Fuck this entire trip.
With a jarring shake, the whine of motors met my ears and the gunpod started to move again. I nearly panicked again until I realized that it was riding along it’s track back into the protected side of the ship. What met me inside when the pod locked back into it’s original position however, was Infrasound. Looking incredibly out of place on her muzzle was a smile wider than even PAI ever wore. As I climbed out of the deathtrap of a gunpod, I cringed as she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around me in a tight hug.
“We… we did it!” She giggled, pulling off of me to brush her lengthy bangs back. “I almost froze up back there, but I just thought ‘what would daring doo, do? And it worked!” Okay… after seeing her the last week as the quiet one, seeing her this bubbling and excited was odd to say the least. “Oh I’m so proud of us!” Again, she hugged me tightly. As she did, I reached around and gave her a firm, if confused pat on the back. Looking past her down the hallway, I noticed Bluejay’s giddy face barely containing her amusement. Yeah, laugh it up while you can.
We’ve still got a long way to go.
-----
“To Sawyer and Infrasound, for saving our asses back there!” Shifting Winds was in a more relaxed mood now that dinner was served. Still didn’t make it less awkward that she’d crammed herself between Infrasound and I to eat, nor the fact that she’d already had four beers before sitting down, and was already working on her fifth. Infrasound however, had gone back to being the quiet, shy mare from before. She looked twice as uncomfortable right now as anypony else, and that’s saying something.
“They were just raiders.” Astrolabe grumbled from across the table before looking up with a shocked and shameful expression at Infrasound. “I mean, not that it’s not still something to be proud of. You did good today.” He offered her a nervous smile to her, which made her bashfully avoid his gaze from behind her mane. From here however, I could see the blush she wore.
“I am glad that no pony was injured in the attacks.” Vanilla spoke up from the head of the table. I knew why she joined us all in the kitchen for dinner, but I didn’t know why she sat at the table with us and ate. She never did this at home, at least, not that I could recall. Though, I will say that even though it’s been weird spending so much time around her, I’ve enjoyed her company.
Thinking that, my brain immediately jumped back onto what Gauge had mentioned about her. Forcing those uncomfortably odd thoughts out of my mind, I looked over to see Bluejay levitating a half dozen plates of steak over to the table, and setting them down for the crew.
“Yes, we can all be thankful that the only casualty was Sawyer’s pod.” She looked over at me with a smirk that read ‘I’m just giving you a hard time’. True to her expression, she quickly looked to change the topic. Levitating over everypony else’s plates, she looked over to the other end of the table. “So Captain, does that sort of attack happen often?”
Swinging my gaze over, I found Wingnut staring intently at the table with his hooves crossed over his barrel. Reaching up and tipping his cowpony hat up, he gave off an uneasy sigh.
“Y’all need ta understand that Ah ain’t never seen somethin like what happened taday before. Not in the years Ah’ve been flyin this gal. Tha guns were only fer clearin’ landin’ zones of raiders, not sky fightin’!” Seeming to shake it off, he looked up and everypony and relaxed. “But, Ah’m sure we ain’t never gonna see it again now. Not after tha shootin we did taday!”
The door to the “I believe this speaks otherwise, Captain.” Gauge barged in with Mrs. Cap at her side. The two of them hoisted the cannon that the mare had used to attack me onto the table, knocking . It was far from any weapon I’d ever seen a raider use out west. Not just because of it’s design, but that it didn’t look old.
“What’s so important about it?” Skeleton Key chimed up, quite unhappy that the large gun had basically squished her dinner. “Raiders take their guns from those they kill. It could have come from anywhere.”
“Not just anywhere.” Mrs. Cap grunted, using her magic to flip the cannon upside down. Along the bottom was an embossed symbol. If I were to remember it correctly from earlier, it’s the same symbol on the note that was found on Swift’s body. A sun symbol with wing bars. “Look familiar? They didn’t ‘take’ these weapons, they were given to them.”
“Well, ain’t that somethin.” The captain’s tone had just taken a decidedly more serious turn. “Looks like Y’all have got yourself some enemies.” Slamming his hoof on the table, he made almost everypony here jump. “Now, Ah’m not one ta pry, but when y’all booked this trip, y’all ain’t said nothin’ ‘bout ponies tryin’ ta kill me an’ mah own. And Ah think it’s about time y’all came clean with everythin’ we should be expectin’ ta run into.”
And just like that, it hit me. My life was turning into all those mystery stories that Infrasound and I had read over the years. We had one hell of a mystery on our hooves, and just like the stories, we all needed to work together to figure out just how all the pieces fit in place. Maybe whoever behind this never intended it to be a mystery, but I couldn't help but think of them as our antagonist, our 'Professor Mareiarty'. All old school villains in my head aside, something inside possessed me to speak about the revelation that sat on the table before us.
"And so the plot thickens..."
--Chapter End--
“Detective Rarity is on the case, and we are going to get to the bottom of this faster than my costume change.”
Quests Finished: Friend Ship (Part 1)
Quests Started: none
Levels Earned: 4->5
Perks Earned: Versatile Caster -
Your talent for magic is greater than most. You gain +1 to your Versatility for purposes of calculating the effects of your spells. This does not affect the number of spells you learn when choosing new spells via perks. This Perk may be taken up to five times with the following restrictions: the second rank of the perk becomes available at level 8, the third at level 12, the fourth at level 16 and the fifth at level 20.
The next few days marked a noticeable change among everyone aboard the Dauntless. Her crew had been on edge ever since Vanilla explained what had prompted this whole trip in the first place, but none of them were more so on edge than Captain Wingnut. He keeps a cool face on when he’s dealing with anypony, even his crew. However, I could almost see his tension snap back into place the second he thought nopony would notice how worried he actually felt. Unfortunately for him, I’m a great judge of character.
I on the other hoof, have been spending more time outside the cabin. Mostly on account that my new bunk mate is both Mrs. Cap’s husband, and while knowledgeable about all sorts of things, he tended to irritate me anytime I opened my muzzle. Most of the time I escaped to the Galley or rec room to relax. Yesterday in fact, I even got into a deep discussion over lunch with Infrasound about the some of the common pitfalls of writing adventure novels like Daring Doo. That is, right until Astrolabe walked in and she was once again quiet as a mouse.
Sometimes I even made my way down to the engine room and spent a while just talking with Gauge and Matrix a bit. Just about everything they say to each other flies so far above my head I’m sure the Enclave above the clouds is confused. Still, it’s interesting to see just how they work as a team on things, working endlessly to keep us flying up above the ground. Even got my pipbuck back from them. Can’t say I noticed anything different with it, but I’d have to take them at their word that they ‘cleaned it’ as they’d promised.
On that, I’m not going to say I’ve lost my fear of flying. However, I will admit that I’ve become more comfortable than I was with it. Hell, I even let Bluejay open the window to my cabin a few days ago, to which I immediately regretted. She made me dinner to apologize, saying she should have known, but I don’t think she was at fault. Really, things since the raider attack have been tense, yes. However, the closer we’ve gotten to our destination, the bigger the pit in my gut feels like it’s been growing. Of course nopony could predict what we’d find when we arrived. However I just feel like I should be prepared for anything...
“Sawyer?” Vanilla canted her head as she smiled from across the cabin. She snapped me out of the daze I’d fallen into since waking up this morning. With a few blinks of confusion to her, the whole ship shuddered momentarily before the humming of hydraulics came through the wall. “We have arrived at the Truce City outskirts.”
The lurching feeling of landing made my stomach do flips. I let out a groan, flopping on my side on top of my bed. I waited to move again until I felt the jolt of us setting back down onto solid ground. With a shuddering strong enough to nearly throw Vanilla off her hooves, we finally touched down.
“Alright, give me a few to get my things on.” I sighed as I scooted myself toward the end of the bed.
“Very well then.” Vanilla nodded. “I will await you in the cargo hold.” Turning, she left the cabin without another word.
Finally rolling off the bed and onto my hooves, I stretched my legs a bit and let out a long yawn. After five days in the air, it was going to be good to feel the dirt under my hooves again. At least this place doesn’t have some giant plant worshiping cult. A knock on the door caught my attention as I wrapped my levitation around my coat and saddlebags.
“Yes?” I called out, draping my coat over me and stepping through the foreleg sleeves.
“You almost ready, Sawyer?” Bluejay chimed as she stuck her head in. Lifting the back of my coat up and setting my saddlebags down over my back, I gave her a flat expression. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She offered a nervous smile. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something…” She trailed off.
“What is it?” I asked, grabbing my revolver and it’s holster with my magic next.
“You’ve been spending a… bit of time with Infrasound.” The way she said that implied something I wasn’t sure was her business to ask, as misguided and wrong as it was. “Do… you like her?”
Shrugging, I focused myself on buckling the leather strapped holster to myself. “We’ve mostly just talked about literary things.” With a tug, I made sure the holster was secure before slipping my revolver into it. “But to answer you, no I don’t.” With a sigh I looked over to her with a slight frown. “Besides, she has interests in another pony.” Cocking an eyebrow at her, my frown flipped to a smirk. “Why do you ask, anyway?”
“Oh, it’s just…” She fumbled over her words with a dismissive wave. “Other than dinner and a few chats, I haven’t really seen you in the last few days is all.” Chuckling to herself she gave her head a nod toward down the hall. “We should get going. Mystery to solve and a job to do.” Turning around to leave, she stopped herself and turned back around, looking at me softly for a moment. “You know, I’m glad we met up again. I’ve kinda missed having a good friend around.” Scrunching her face up for a moment, she added to that. “Other than Skeleton Key, that is.”
“And the oh so delightful Mrs. Cap?” I smirked and trotted forward to the door.
“She’s… a bit rough around the edges, sure.” She laughed a bit, seeming to open up a bit more. “She’s a good mare, she just takes some getting used to is all.” Letting me out and shutting the door behind me, she then pointed to her cabin. “Gotta stop by for a moment before we head out.”
“Well, if it’s any longer than it takes for her husband to stop being annoying, I might just say fuck it.” Grumbling, we stopped in front of her cabin for a moment. With a light knock, she popped open the door like she did with me. Only when she did, Skeleton Key wormed her way out into the hall. Almost immediately she was out of sight into the stairwell.
“Hey, be careful out there, Skeleton!” Bluejay called out as the little filly’s hoofsteps rang out from down the steps. Looking over to me, she must have noticed that I had no fucking clue what that was all about. “I talked to Gauge and we both thought her and Matrix could spend some time outside playing around. You know, like foals should.”
“Ah, yeah.” Nodding, memories of playtime in the stable flashed in my mind for only a moment. Sighing, I leaned against her. “You know, I miss it some days. The feel of orchard grass under our hooves, the relaxing warmth of the stable’s lighting. It sure was nice back then.”
“Yeah. Me too.” She nodded sadly before shutting her cabin door. “But, no time for nostalgia. We’ve got work to do.”
“That we do.” I agreed, turning and heading for the stairwell.
-----
Trotting across the dusty ground outside of town, Bluejay, Vanilla, and I made our way over to where Mr and Mrs. Cap were standing. A stick with a piece of cloth tied around it marked the scene of where Swift had died. Looking around us, the valley was just as barren as the rest of the wastes. The ruins of Truce City lay ahead of us, and a few collapsed brick buildings marked the entrance by about a hundred feet or so away from us. All around outside of that, were open plains marked with various boulders and such, the closest of which was a thousand feet off.
“Yeah, it’s what I thought.” Mrs. Cap called out as we approached. “From what your machine said about the storm that night, rains washed away pretty much all traces of anything if there was one.” Stepping back from the stick, she turned to us. “Even ever there had been something here, the guards that found your mare would have trampled all over the tracks anyway.” Turning to me, she snorted. “You sure your machine got an accurate report? That the guards didn’t kill her and cover it up?”
“Her name is Vanilla.” What was up with this mare’s attitude? “Vanilla wouldn’t have overlooked the fabrication of evidence. If she said there wasn’t any evidence, there wasn’t.” Looking over at Vanilla, she looked contented to keep her smiling muzzle shut for now. Sometimes I wondered just what went on in her head.
Seemingly alright with my answer, Mrs. Cap rolled her eyes and looked back to Bluejay. “Just making sure.” With a nod towards the town she cracked a devilish smirk. “Only lead left is to shake down the last pony to see her alive.”
“It’s been more than a week.” Bluejay shrugged. “It’s doubtful that he’ll remember anything.”
“If it would be agreeable,” Vanilla finally spoke up. As she did, she drew an evil eye from Mrs. Cap. “Mr. Caltrop and I could go talk to the guards that found her to see if they can remember any pertinent information about that night.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Bluejay spoke up quickly. I could tell that she could feel the tension between Mrs. Cap and Vanilla, and honestly I’m glad she acted on it. “Sawyer, why don’t you go with them?”
I shook my head. “No. If we’re splitting up, I’m sure Eighth Note would want his assets spread evenly.” I don’t know why, but Bluejay cringed as I spoke. “So I’m sticking with you.”
“Don’t care.” Mrs. Cap grumbled and turned around. At a quick trot that made her cyberlegs whine, she headed into town. “You both coming or what?” Trotting forward, Bluejay and I decided to stick a ways back from Mrs. Cap.
“What’s her problem with Vanilla?” I’m not normally one to care about making myself as much of an obnoxious asshole when it comes to ponies I don’t like, but not every day you have to sleep on a flying ship with them one room over. Needless to say, I kept my voice to a whisper. “What did Vanilla ever do to her?”
“You see those cyberlegs? Ever wonder why she has them?” Bluejay asked in a whisper as well. “Well, let’s just say that PC hasn’t had the best time around robots in her life.”
“Vanilla is the nicest mare I know!” I don’t care if a raider shot me before. It doesn’t mean I’d be an asshole to any raider looking pony willing to pay for my drinks at a bar. Doesn’t mean I trust them, but still, common courtesy to tolerate outsiders is what separates us from the primitives and the actual raiders. “There’s no reason she deserves that kind of slander against her.”
“This coming from the pony that just called himself ‘Eighth Note’s asset’?” Bluejay sighed dejectedly. “Neither you, nor Vanilla are his. You know that, right?”
“Let me stop you right there.” I laughed. “You don’t think I know that he doesn’t control me?”
“That’s not what I…” She spoke up again, but I cut her off.
“Look, I use Eighth as much as he uses me.” Pointing my hoof back to the ship. “If you knew how many times just saying he owns me has saved my life, you’d shut up and start using that excuse as well.” Shaking my head, I trotted faster, pushing myself up into a canter. “You may act all high and mighty sometimes, Bluejay, but you better watch yourself. One of these days, the enclave is going to notice you’ve got your head way above their clouds!”
It was a cheap tactic to pull the rug out from under her argument like that, but now wasn’t the time to debate the morality of being ‘owned’ by Eighth. I’d thought she understood that when I said I was owned, it was more out of obligation than anything. Eighth gave me my freedom, but as stupid of a decision as it was, I wanted to work for him to show my thanks.
As I quickly caught up to Mrs. Cap, I felt like I was in between the two mares I didn’t want to disappoint any more than I already have, so I kept my muzzle shut.
The sign to the only general store in this dump of a ‘city’ hung sadly from the one still attached ring mount in the worn post jutting out from the old brick building. It made the building look almost deserted, as much a ruin as the buildings at the edge of this place did. Now that I thought about it, looking around, I didn’t see a single other pony around…
“This must be the place.” Mrs. Cap spoke up, slowing to a walk. As she reached the door, she grunted and kicked it open quite hard with her forehoof. A startled yelp from inside brought a smirk to Mrs. Cap’s muzzle as she walked in. “Knock Knock. Avon calling.”
“What do you want!?” The stallion inside called out as I followed the brutish unicorn in.
“Hello, I work for Eighth Note.” I spoke up before Mrs. Cap could just as easily brute force her way into an uncooperative store owner. “I’m here because of Swift’s murder. We were hoping to speak to you about it.” Looking about, I found that this ‘shop’ was barely worthy of the name. Shelf after empty shelf lined the walls, and only a few odds and ends were even out for sale. Maybe dump was too strong of a word for this place, as I knew that even though it smelled, Trash Town in the old landfills of Los Pegasus was home to a few hundred ponies. There weren’t really that many here to even call it a village.
“You come to me unannounced,” The voice of a gruff stallion came from behind the foggy glass counter, but I couldn’t see him. With a grunt, I heard the shifting of a stool. “You kick in my door and scare me half to death,” A wobbly, blue coated ghoul pony pulled himself up to the counter. Ragged cracking skin, no mane, and foggy green eyes popped into vision, and it finally struck me that this ghoul was still just a colt. Well, at least he had been whenever he became a ghoul… “And then you have the gall to ask me things?” Well, at least he didn’t have the average voice that came with ghoulishness. Maybe that’s because of his age though.
“Shut it, Trumpet.” Bluejay called out as she walked in through the door. “Just answer their questions and we’ll get going.” Wait, she knew this stallion?
“Ah, Mrs. Bluejay.” Mr. Trumpet answered with a smile. “I’d heard that the local trash was piling up recently. Good to know the junkies weren’t lying about it.” Wow, this kid is full of more snark than Eighth Note after one of my blackout birthday benders. “Now, you see, I’m afraid you all have me confused with somepony who gives a shit. Happens to me all the time in fact, because as you can see by the copious demand for supplies around here, I’m not in the business of charity around here. I run a store here, so if any of you all want something, the pony I need to talk to is Eighth Note’s cap stash. Understand?”
“One hundred caps for your time.” I spoke up. Immediately, I pulled the small ghoul’s attention to me, and a rotten smile grew across his muzzle.
“Now we’re talking.” With a knock on the counter with his hoof, he hopped down from behind the counter and trotted around the far end of the counter. “But I have to say, if this is a negotiation, your opening bid is a bit low.”
“How about we don’t break your legs.” Mrs. Cap grumbled in a way that really wasn’t helping.
“Let’s start with adding the fact that she leaves and never steps hoof in my shop again.” Mr. Trumpet nearly skipped along as he spoke. “Oh, and your goodie fourshoes lapdog can go with her. Then we’ll talk numbers.” Looking back to Bluejay, she let out an annoyed sigh. She nodded to Mrs. Cap, who also sighed and turned around. With a shared glare at the small ghoul, the two of them walked back outside. “Now, assuming that you do in fact work for Eighth Note, what are you offering?”
“Like I said, one hundred caps.” I didn’t know what this stallion was playing at, but the scrunchy face he made spoke much louder than anything he could ever say. Looking back at the way he carried himself this whole time, the jumpy reaction to us, the holding back when it came to those who offered him nothing. It spoke to me on a much different level than just a greedy business pony.
Lowering his voice, he leaned in close to me. “Look, I know Eighth Note has enough resources that it paints a big target on him. What he seems to forget, is that contacts that do him ‘favors’ like I do? We have a bigger target on our backs.”
“You want protection.” I whispered back to him.
“No, I want an all expenses paid trip to Marewaii. Of course I want protection you dimwit.” He seethed and kicked at my forehoof, wincing as he kicked my pipbuck instead. “I’ve liquidated my entire shop in the last few days, so tell you what. You get me a ride out of here, to anywhere on that airship of yours, and I’ll spill all I have on whatever the fuck it is you want to know.” Holding out his forehoof, he looked up to me pleadingly. “Deal?”
Now, it wasn’t my place to promise anything, but seeing as we had literally nothing to go on, I took a chance.
“Deal.” Holding my forehoof out, the small ghoul smiled and shook my hoof. “Now, who else knew about the package that Swift was going to pick up? Anypony at all who came around asking questions or seemed off to you?”
He nodded and let go of my hoof. “Yeah. A couple of stallions came to town the same day I got the shipment. Poked around, spent time at the bar. Didn’t really fit in with the regular crowd. Most ponies avoided them until they left town hours before the murder.”
“Why?” I mean, I get outsiders making ponies uncomfortable, but outright avoiding them?
“Well, it’s not everyday you see pegasi around these parts.” He nodded at my foreleg. “A pair sporting pipbucks as well? Might as well have been a pair of spotlights on them the whole time they were here.”
“Pipbucks? You’re sure?” Eeyup. Shady ponies come to town and a murder occurs? This just turned into a mystery novel if I’d ever read one.
Mr. Trumpet looked offended. “You calling me a liar?” He spat and took a step back. “Go ahead, ask Miss Garnish at the bar. She was the one who told me all about them.” With a sigh, he facehoofed and shook his head. “Look, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get my things and then get on the airship.” His posture shifted to one of relaxation as he turned to leave. “Whoever Eighth has made an enemy of this time? They’re putting everypony around Los Pegasus on edge.”
“Wait.” I spoke up, making the ghoul stop in his tracks. “What do you mean? I thought it was just the two stallions you saw.”
“Kid, in the last century I’ve been alive, you learn to see the storm on the horizon.” He called out, looking back over his shoulder. “Rumor lately is, that a pegasus with a pipbuck means that your town is a target. Nopony knows who they are, but when they’re done, there isn’t anything or anypony left when they leave.” Trotting off into the back of his shop, he chuckled to himself. And not the ‘that’s funny’ kind of chuckle, but the kind that sends a chill up your spine. “If I were you, I’d follow most of those who had lived here have already done. Collect whatever caps you can scrape together and head east. Because what’s coming isn’t going to be anything but bad news for everypony in and around Los Pegasus.”
Trotting off into the back room, Mr. Trumpet disappeared down a set of cellar steps as I sat down hard.
I’d thought things may have been odd before, maybe even worrisome. But why is it that now I feel like we’re all in way over our heads now? Just what isn’t Eighth Note telling us?
-----
“So, we’ve got a lead.” I spoke up, trotting away from Trumpet’s shop. Considering the Dauntless was hard to miss outside of town, I trusted him to pack himself up fairly quickly and get over there on his own. “A pair of pegasi who left town the day that Swift died.”
“Sounds promising.” Bluejay nodded. “Fits our theory at least.”
“It get’s better.” I spoke up. “They were both wearing pipbucks.”
“Pipbucks?” Bluejay voiced her concern along with a nervous glance back toward Trumpet’s shop. “Are you sure that’s what he said?” I deadpanned at her to make sure she knew I wasn’t joking. “So then, you think these pegasi that were here are the ones who killed your associate?” Bluejay asked as the three of us turned and headed toward the town’s bar. “Did Trumpet tell you anything more than that?”
“Only that their arrival was taken as a bad omen and most of the town has fled. Most of them think that this place is going to be wiped out soon just like the other places you’ve mentioned being hit recently.” I shrugged, looking over to Mrs. Cap, who had been quiet since she left the store. “What about you? Ever seen or heard anything like this, Mrs. Cap?”
“Just call me PC.” She grunted. “And no. I’ve had a few weird contracts in my time as a bounty hunter, but I’ve never heard about anypony passing through that spooked an entire town. Honestly, I doubt that it’s anything more than a coincidence.” She nodded and glanced past me over at Bluejay. “But something still feels off to me about it, enough to discount coincidence. I think your contact is onto something, because he’s either genuinely scared, or the best liar I’ve seen in years. Either way, you better hope that the Bartender has something good on these two or we’re back to square one.”
Trotting through the dusty, empty streets of the city, I couldn’t shake the feeling that from the dark windows of the ruins here, we were being watched. I did my best not to look into any of them out of fear that I’d actually see something, but as it turns out, a good enough distraction presented itself.
“Heya, hun.” PC’s husband shouted from down the street. Both he and Vanilla shared the same smile as they waited for us to trot up to them. Honestly, it was kinda eerie. “Did yah turn up anythin’ for a lead?”
PC nodded. “We got something, but it isn’t much. What about you, Caltrop?”
“The two guards couldn’t recall anything from that night.” Vanilla spoke up. “However, they did point us in the direction of a Miss. Garnish at the local saloon.”
“That’s what we came up with.” I offered, pointing down the street towards the building in question. “Care to join us?”
Both she and Caltrop nodded and formed up with as as we headed down the street. The bar itself was an old, two story wooden building that like most of the wasteland, had seen better days. The flaking off white paint barely clung to the cracked and dry wooden siding. The windows were cracked and heavily caked in dust, while the doorway itself looked to be held onto the building by about two dozen nails on each side. Surprisingly, the bright red door seemed to be the most intact out of the place, sporting bold, golden letters across it spelling out ‘Martini’s’. Given how it was displayed, I could only assume that it was the name of this place.
Cracking open the door and stepping inside, I found myself surprised by the state of its interior. Other than the slightly musty smell that filled most ruins, the bright interior was lit by completely still working ceiling fans. Stained and lacquered wood floors and walls sheened with an almost impossible luster, and the matte black cloth that covered the bar booths and stools were basically spotless. Behind the impressively large dark wood bartop, was quite the selection of golden and clear alcoholic beverages. Had the wasteland not been a thing three feet away, I would have assumed we stepped both inside, and back in time to before the war. It really made zero difference where I got my drinks, but this place? This is somewhere I could see myself enjoying a drink every night.
“Howdy there, and welcome to Martini’s!” The chipper voice of a mare called out as we all came in. “I’m Martini Garnish, the owner and bartender. Now, what can I do for you fine lot?” The lime green mare with a yellow and orange striped mane set down the glass she’d been cleaning with a rag and stepped out from behind the bar. “Just passing through town?”
“We came for some information on a few ponies, actually.” Bluejay spoke up. “We were told you might be able to help us with it.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” The mare cringed. “See, I don’t normally offer that kind of information to outsiders. Not even for a fee, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Turning around, she quickly walked back behind her bartop.
“It’s about the two pegasi who were in here almost two weeks ago. Supposedly sporting pipbucks.” PC spoke up, making the mare freeze up behind the counter. “We’re pretty sure they killed somepony working for our employer.” It was odd to hear her say that, but technically she wasn’t wrong. “We just need to know anything you can tell us about them and then we’ll be on our way.”
There was a soft clunk as the mare put something down behind the bar. Knowing how most barkeeps were, it was probably a weapon of some sort. “Well now, that is a different sort of circumstance then.” With a sigh, she lost the smile and picked up the rag and cup on the bar again. “I knew those boys were trouble from the moment they walked in. Hardly bought any drinks, didn’t even say anything directly to me past renting one of the rooms I have upstairs.”
“When yah say dey didn’t speak ta yah directly…” Caltrop spoke up. “Yah sayin yah eavesdropped on ‘em?”
Martini nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t catch much of what they were saying.” She shrugged. “Most of what they talked about sounded technical. I couldn’t really catch some of the words they were using,” She paused in thought. Maybe if she could remember what any of those words were, Gauge would know what they were. “but I did know they mentioned heading back to a stable after this. I assumed it was where they got their pipbucks from.”
“A stable?” Bluejay spoke up, catching my glance over to her. “Are you sure?”
“About as sure as we’re going to have cloudy skies tomorrow.” Martini nodded and set down the glass, seeming to think again. “Now, what number did they say again? 13?” My heart skipped a beat. “Yeah, Stable 13 sounds right.”
Turning to Bluejay, I couldn’t believe it. “Do… you know if that’s even possible?”
“I suppose, but I haven’t been back there since I returned to Los Pegasus.” As much as this news worried me, I was at the very least glad that Bluejay looked just as worried about this as I was. “Stable-Tec built them to be inconspicuous, and seeing as it was vacated when we left…”
PC stepped forward and nodded her hat to Martini. “Thanks for the info. We’ll be on our way now.” Turning back to us, she stiffly pointed her hoof toward the door. “Go.”
“Yes ma’am.” Vanilla nodded with a smile and turned around.
We all followed Vanilla back out the door and onto the road out of town. Trotting alongside Bluejay, I didn’t know what to say. Really, I didn’t know how I felt about hearing what we did. I remember so little about the stable that I really shouldn’t care this much. Instinctively grasping my mother’s locket in my magic, I pressed it close to my chest.
“It’s alright, Sawyer.” Bluejay spoke up softly as we walked. Looking over at her, she shared a warm but sad smile and a soft gaze. “We’ll go back and figure this out together, alright?”
“Sure.” I offered in return. Again, for the hundredth time, I had to ask myself why oh why I had to come on this stupid trip…
-----
“Sawyer?” Gauge called out from the edge of the Dauntless’s ramp. “Please don’t tell me you actually said this kid could go with us?”
“Hey, bitch, I’m a hundred and three. I’m not the kid here.” Trumpet snapped at her before turning to me. “And you fucking promised me a ride outta this fucking town.”
“Gauge, he’s coming with us only to the next stop.” I sighed as we all piled up the ramp and into the cargo bay.
“Wingnut doesn’t like last minute shit like this, and for the record, neither do I.” Gauge huffed and glared at the small ghoul.
“If Wingnut doesn’t like it, then he can take it up with Eighth Note.” I didn’t know why this had to be such a big deal. It was just a colt sized ghoul.
“Thank’s, kid.” Trumpet wore a shit eating grin as he looked back to Gauge. “Now, who’s going to go get my stuff from my shop?” Almost as soon as he’d said that, the cargo bay hydraulics whirred to life and the door raised behind us. “Hey, what fucking gives?”
“Well, Trumpet, let me see if I can guess.” Bluejay said, turning to me. “He asked you to get him a ride out, right?” Glancing back at the ghoul, she smirked. “As in, just him?”
“Hey, now that isn’t fair!” Trumpet snapped.
Honestly, I couldn’t care right now. “Look, I’m getting you out of here like I said I would. If you forgot to bring your shit, or you didn’t pack enough. Tough luck.” Using my forehoof, I shoved the annoying ghoul out of the way and hooked my forehooves around the door to the stairwell. “But right now, I’ve got a job to do, so shut up and stay out of the way.” With a twist and a yank, I opened it up and headed upstairs to the bridge.
“Sawyer, are you feeling alright?” Vanilla spoke up as she trotted up alongside me on the stairs.
“Just… not happy with where we have to go.” I muttered and pushed myself to climb. A moment later, both Vanilla and I exited onto the bridge. Clearing my throat, I called out to Wingnut’s chair. “Alright, Captain. I know where we’re going.”
“Ah-hem.” The voice of a stallion speaking from over near Infrasound’s station caught my attention. Looking over, I saw Wingnut, Infrasound, and a very annoyed looking Eighth Note on a large viewscreen next to them. “Sawyer. Good to see you’re still in one piece.”
“Eighth?” I asked before looking over at Vanilla. She simply smiled at me like she did. I’d have to remind her to please inform me whenever he was actively calling the ship while we were here. You know, in case I wanted to shout obscenities about just how fucking ridiculous this whole trip has been.
“As I was just telling Captain Wingnut here, your next destination is in the northern Crystal Range. A settlement called Nether.” Eighth Note spoke promptly into the viewscreen. “I have intercepted intelligence that points that whoever stole my package is going to attempt to pawn it off there to the owner of the city for quite a large sum. I expect you to find them and get it back. Forcefully, if necessary.”
“What?” I spoke up. “You expect us to just barge in there and take your… whatever it is from somepony who owns a whole town?” I felt a nervous laugh bubble up through my muzzle. “You’ve got to be shitting me, Eighth. Of all the stupid…”
“Oh, I’m far from kidding, Sawyer.” He cut me off sternly. “I expect you to get it back, because if you don’t keep it out of the wrong hooves…”
“Then what?” I cut him off for once. The smug asshole needed to be reminded sometimes that he wasn’t too above the rest of us around here. “We don’t even know what it is that we’re going after! Why should we even risk our lives to get it back?”
“With all due respect, sir.” Wingnut cleared his throat and spoke up toward the monitor. “He’s right, you know. If Ah’m goin’ ta be puttin’ mah crew inta tha danger zone, they best know why they're doin it past fer a paycheck.”
With a sigh, I could see through the image on the screen that Eighth wasn’t maintaining his composure. “Fine. I’ll have Vanilla brief you on the contents of the package.” Looking back onto the screen, I swear he tried to burn a hole through my horn with just his gaze. “But I expect you to follow through with it and get back here in one piece, okay?” Sitting back from the screen a bit, he seemed to relax a bit. “Just, be careful, alright? Nether isn’t the best of towns, and you should expect trouble the moment you land there. If you have to… destroy the package and get the hell out of there, okay?”
“Alright.” I nodded. “We’ll get it done.”
“Good.” He offered a smirk. “Then I’ll see you back home in a few days.”
“Goodbye, Eighth Note.” I spoke up, watching as he nodded and the display screen turned to static as he cut the connection. “Well, so much for Stable 13.”
“You needn’t worry. I’ve added it to the itinerary for when we return to Los Pegasus, Sawyer.” Vanilla offered with a soft pat on my shoulder. “For now, have your friends gather around the navigation table in fifteen minutes for a briefing on the package.” Turning around, she looked over to Astrolabe, who was hunched over the table and muttering to himself. Perking his ears, he froze and slowly looked over his shoulder at us. I swear that guy had a sixth sense about him…
“Yeah. I’ll tell the others.” I nodded. “You go deal with him.” Returning the pat on the shoulder she gave me with one of my own, I turned and headed for the others. While dealing with Stable 13 has been delayed, I wasn’t sure if I was happy or sad about it. Guess I’d just have to take some time to think about it, maybe get Bluejay’s input on it. Regardless, it was time to get in the air again, and that meant that we had time to relax for now. Well, depending on what Vanilla’s briefing said, at least I hoped we had time...
--Chapter End--
“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”
“A gold ingot.” I deadpanned at the projection on the navigation table. “That’s his secret package?”
“Incorrect.” Vanilla answered me with a frown. “What is displayed is a compact magical resonator that emits a highly unique magical signature.”
“Oh, I’ve seen one of these before!” Pai cheerfully chimed up as she fuzzed into view on the table beside the object. “Back in the Orchard I came in, we had one that looked just liked this!”
“Past being gold and ingot shaped, what is it?” Bluejay asked, leaning in and getting a good look at the projection.
“It is a key.” Vanilla answered her promptly. PAI on the the hoof nodded franticly and bounced around on her hooves. “One of seven in fact, designed to open a specific door.” Pausing, she looked over at me. “Eighth Note is convinced that this door must not be opened under any circumstances by the wrong ponies.” It felt less like she was talking to the others when she did, and it gave me a bad feeling about all this. “He is correct in this assumption.”
“Thought that looked a mite familiar!” With a metallic clang, a gold colored ingot flipped onto the table from higher on the bridge. Wing Nut fluttered his way to the table with a smile. “Yah know, ah always had a feelin mah mom gave me this fer a reason.” He puffed up his chest, staring out into the cloudy skies outside the bridge windows. “Said it belonged ta mah grandmotha, and that ah ain’t nevah supposed ta take mah eyes offa it.” Filled with a look of pride he looked back down to the table, only to find it missing. “Now y’all wait justa sec here!”
“I think I’ve seen one of these in a memory orb…” PC spoke as she twirled the golden object in her magic. As quickly as could be, Wingnut used his wing to snatch the bar back. “Didn’t mention anything about a door or whatever.” She shrugged.
Something still didn’t make sense to me. “Why the hell didn’t Eighth just tell us this in the first place?” I mean, I can’t excuse a lot about what’s gone down during this little excursion, but a few of those can be forgiven if this is about some pre-war bullshit. I’ve seen what happens to settlements when a raider finds a balefire egg launcher. If this key is so important to keep all of the Los Pegasus ruins safe, then yeah, I can excuse a few inconveniences.
Vanilla frowned deeper this time. “Had others been allowed to know this information, there would be a sizeable demand for all known pieces.” She turned and looked over to WIngnut. “It would have only been a matter of time before those who murdered Swift found out about anypony rumored to be connected to them.”
Wingnut took a step back with a nervous smile across his muzzle. “Well now, tain’t that serious, is it?” Holding the bar up in his wing again, he shiftily looked between it and Vanilla. “It’s just a trinket. How could anypony know Ah’d even have it?”
“The ponies who killed Swift knew she had it.” I spoke up and rubbed at my chin. “If they knew she did, chances are they already know you have it.” Looking over at Wingnut, I was greeted by an even wider nervous smile than before. “I’d keep it on you at all times to make sure it’s safe.”
The image of the bar on the table flickered away, and was replaced by the odd symbol we’d started seeing around. Now that I have a better look at it, it did look like a pair of wings with a sun behind it. I was about to ask why this had been brought up when Vanilla answered that question for me.
“Along with the keys, Eighth Note has given me the rest of the ‘Black Sun’ files.” Vanilla spoke up, drawing everypony’s undivided attention to the table. “While not much is known, they are believed to be remnants of an ex-Enclave force sealed below the clouds during the battle of Baltimare nearly five decades ago” As she spoke, she displayed a few images on the table. Several of them looked like pegasi wearing odd military uniforms walking through a town. “Not much about them is known. Only that they show up in a settlement, and shortly after,” The images of pegasi walking through the town changed. It was the same perspective, but the town had been burned to the ground, and the smoldering carcases of ponies lay twisted in the street. “They wipe that town out.”
“Why would they do that…?” Skeleton Key gasped from the stairs. We all turned to her, watching as her wide eyes faltered at the images.
“Skeleton, you shouldn’t be here.” Bluejay sighed and trotted over to her. She used her magic to lift the small filly back up the bridge and over to the doorway. “You should go play with Matrix some more, I’ll come see you when we’re done here, okay?” The little filly nodded and sadly walked out of the doorway, while Bluejay trotted back. “If this had to do with the battle at Baltimare, why didn’t Storm tell anypony to look out for these ponies?”
“She did.” As Vanilla spoke, the pictures flickered away and were once again replaced with the symbol for these so called ‘Black Sun’ ponies. “She was the one who proposed finding the keys to Master Eighth Note. She was also the one to request to keep it a secret, as to not make Master Eighth any more of a target than he already was.”
“Grams always had that effect on ponies...” PC mumbled. As Bluejay walked back to her side of the table, she nudged PC with her shoulder and gave her a short glare. “What? All I’m saying is she made a lot of enemies that loved to go after those she knew.”
“If I had been informed that Storm had in fact been the one to set this up, I’d have been on board right away.” She sighed and sat down hard back where she’d been next to me. Looking over at her, I’d hoped that it would have been partially because I had asked her to join that she did, even if she wasn’t presented all the facts that she has now. Who am I kidding? If I hadn’t tried to save Skeleton Key, she wouldn’t have cared what I’d had said that day. She wasn’t doing this for me at all.
“Master Eighth trusts few ponies enough to hire them. Even fewer with information such as you have been provided.” Vanilla’s normal warm smile returned. “Now, are there any more questions you all may have?”
“You never answered her question.” PC grunted.
“Excuse me?” Vanilla turned and canted her head. “What question are you speaking of?”
“Why are they torching towns?” PC spoke up, sitting down as well. “There has to be some reason, more than we’re seeing.”
“Could just be to keep a low profile?” Bluejay offered. “Make ponies think it’s just raiders or some random gang?”
“Then why leave the symbols?” I replied. Skeleton Key was onto something with the question of why. It did feel more than just random. Turning to Vanilla, I wanted her to clarify something again. “You said they stripped the towns bare?” She nodded. “Why?”
PC clopped her hooves slowly. “That’s the million cap question.”
“Unknown.” Vanilla answered. “However, that might be a good question to bring up to the Mayor of Nether.” Funny enough, when she said that, her smile felt like it changed to me. From her normal happiness, to more of a haunting one. Maybe it was because of what Eighth had asked us to do up there if it came down to it. Vanilla for as long as I’ve known her, has yet to take a life. To date, she’s only incapacitated every single pony who’d tried to kill her. So I could see how this request might make her uncomfortable. “That will be all for the briefing.”
“Hey, Vanilla. Hold up a sec.” I said, stepping around the table to Vanilla. While the others filed out, I watched as Vanilla simply sat and waited for me to say something. Once the others had gotten most of the way across the bridge, I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Why wouldn’t Eighth tell me any of this before we left? I thought he trusted me enough for this.”
“He does, Sawyer.” Vanilla put her hoof on my shoulder and gave it a pat. “However, had Master Eighth told you this were more than a simple retrieval mission, even though you now know the stakes,” Shifting her expression to one of sincere doubt, she still wore that same smile she always did. “would you have still accepted it? I think not.”
“Damn straight I wouldn’t.” I sighed and nodded. “But Vanilla?” Looking back up at her, I reached up and patted her on the shoulder as well. “Thanks for being honest.”
“Anytime, Sawyer.” She nodded and got to her hooves. “However, you should return to our cabin. I believe that we shall be taking off shortly.”
Turning around, she started out of the navigation section and up into the higher sections of the bridge. Getting to my own hooves, I followed after her slowly. Eighth having known about all this but not telling us, just didn’t sit right with me. I knew he had eyes all over the place for these kinds of things, but I’ve always been alright with it. It was more than that, like I should have known that he was hiding more than he’d said, or if he still is hiding more information. Really when I got down to it, I didn’t care about him hiding more general information about the ‘Black Sun’. What I do worry he’s hid from me however, was just what in the hell they’ve been doing poking around Stable 13…
-----
With my rumbling stomach pushing back the qualms and queries about my life long ago for the moment, I figured I’d find something to eat in the mess hall for now. Everypony else had seemed to scatter after the briefing, but Bluejay I know went to talk with Skeleton Key. I wanted nothing more than to stop by right now and talk to her about Stable 13, but I knew that I should at least wait until she had some time to explain things to Skeleton.
Pushing open the door to the mess hall with my magic, I perked my ears as I overheard a bit of conversation that was already going on inside.
“So that’s why I’m your great aunty!” It was PAI, speaking as cheerfully as ever. Gingerly stepping inside the hall and shutting the door behind me, I didn’t want to interrupt their conversation.
“So, you’re the same AI that knew my grandmother.” PC grumbled. “Figures.”
“Hay,” Caltrop spoke up sharply. “She ain’t an AI, she’s an AP. There’s a difference.”
“He’s right, you know!” PAI said excitedly before gasping. “If you’re her granddaughter, can you shoot blue flames out of your hooves like she could!?” That bit broke my brain a little. I’d heard of unicorns using flame spells, but out of their hooves?
“No.” PC spoke with such aggravation that I could practically feel the animosity that filled her words over from where I stood. “That’s what killed her in the end anyway, so could we please just drop the whole subject?” Maybe I should just spend my time waiting for Bluejay in my own cabin for now… “Besides, I’ve had enough calls to follow in her hoofsteps from Bluejay over the years, I don’t need more from you.”
“How do you know her?” I spoke up without even thinking. It was about right then when the whole room fell into a deathly silence as PC turned her annoyed glare over to me. Quick, speak up you idiot! “I mean, Bluejay, of course. I knew her back in the stable before it was raided, but when it was opened and we left, I didn’t see her again until the start of this whole mess.” My words seemed to let PC relax a little bit. Not completely, just to the point of where it didn’t feel like she was a wire bound so tight she could snap and cut us in half at a moment’s notice. “I’m just curious if she’s been the same mare I knew so long ago, is all.”
“Look, kid...” PC grunted. I could see that she wasn’t going to enjoy this whole exchange, so I decided that maybe the glare was worth it after all if I could get some well deserved answers from her.
“My name is not ‘kid’, it’s Sawyer.” I replied sharply. “And not only are we about the same fucking age, I have to remind you that we’re both on the same damn side, and it’s my employer who is paying you. So you can drop the fucking attitude while we talk about a mutual friend whom I haven’t had the chance to see for years. Or is that not okay with you?”
Again, the air fell into an uneasy silence. However, this time PC broke it first with a chuckle. Turning to her husband, she pointed her forehoof at me.
“See, why can’t you just grow some balls like him?” Her muzzle pulled into a genuine smile as Caltrop gave a shrug and a nod. “Seriously, hun, I love you, but you should really be taking notes on how to be a stallion.”
Again, I was confused. “What?”
“Nothing.” PC sighed as she walked over to the dining table and sat down. “If you want to know what Bluejay was like over the years, sit. If not, get the fuck out and stop wasting my time.” Her magic wrapped around an already open box of Sugar Apple Bombs and pulled it over to her. As she made herself comfortable, she gave me an expectant look.
“Alright then.” I sighed, making my way over to the table. She seems civil for the moment. Maybe I’ll actually be able to get some information out of her for once. “Let’s start with what she’s been up to all these years.” I said as I sat down at the table.
“Well, when I met Bluejay, she and I were just finding out exactly who we were in life.” PC nodded down to the cutie mark that sat just above the metal bits that connected her flesh to her cybernetic leg. “One year, Storm, my grandmother, came back from a trip across the wasteland. A trip that wasn’t really out of place for her to do all the time. But when she returned that winter, she had Bluejay in tow. Told my mother that Blue would stay with us for a while before one of her friend’s took her in.” PC shrugged and levitated a clump of cereal into her muzzle and noisily crunched down on it. “Every once in awhile I’d see her again, either with my grandmother or out on the easy jobs.”
“So, she didn’t stay with you then?” I wasn’t really sure what I had expected to hear. That she’d been taken in and given the loving family I never had? Or that she’d had to rough it for as many years as I have in servitude? “What do you mean you saw her on jobs?”
“Bounty Hunting.” She replied as she shoved more cereal into her muzzle. Bounty Hunting? From somepony who seems so against making a profit on going after ponies, it was something I really couldn’t see Bluejay doing. “You know, it’s not uncommon to end up taking the same contract as another hunter. And a few times we’d even worked together on a few jobs that were too big for one mare to complete, even if she disagreed with my methods.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, nearly being interrupted by my grumbling stomach. Using my own magic, I grabbed a lump of the nearly two century old breakfast food and brought it over to my muzzle. The old food wasn’t as good as the normal cooking around here, but the sugary taste did a lot to quiet my stomach in a hurry.
“Well, when somepony is specified either dead or alive, I always just shoot the fucker and cut off their cutie mark as proof.” She spoke so relaxed and promptly that my train of thought derailed so hard I spit the cereal in my muzzle out onto the table.
“So, you just kill everypony you’re sent after?” I understand that sometimes that might be necessary, but not always! Maybe it was just the way they did things over on the east coast, but that sounds positively barbaric.
“Well,” Caltrop spoke up from behind me. “Dat’s what she used ta do. See, like Bluejay, PC changed over the years. Became a mare worth fightin’ for in my case.” Without even the slightest hint of respecting my personal space, he sat down on the bench next to me and slid himself right up against my side. “And see, here’s the thing. I know what yah really askin’ her about Bluejay for.” A wide smirk pulled across his muzzle that mixed with his words, genuinely confused me. “Yah interested in her, aren’t yah?”
“I’m… not sure what you mean?” I spoke up slowly, trying to get him to at least point me to wherever the fuck he was going with this.
“What my Dolt of a husband means to say,” PC spoke up again mid shovel of another clump of cereal into her muzzle. “is that if you want to reignite that old flame you thought the two of you had…” She paused and swallowed what she had in her muzzle. “Just go and fucking talk to her instead of wasting my time?”
“Yeah, dat’s it.” Caltrop nodded as he smirked again. “Though, I woulda used kinder words.” His addition only made PC roll her eyes and stick her muzzle back into the cereal box with a grunt.
“That’s… kind of you and all, but I’m not that kind of interested in Bluejay.” I offered as I pulled myself away from Caltrop’s encroachment. Annoyingly though, he had struck a chord with that idea. I’d been so enraptured with her return in the first place, that I’d been afraid of asking the wrong question and having her leave again. It’s not that I want to be with her, just that I don’t want to destroy the friendship I could have with the only mare I knew really understood what it meant to be, well, me.
“She’s probably done talking with that filly by now.” PC muttered through the box around her muzzle. Pointing to the door, she eyed at me expectantly again. “Why don’t you go talk with her?”
“Maybe I will.” I grunted and looked over to the door. Before I turned to go, I looked back over to the aggravated unicorn. “Before I go however,” I spoke, feeling an odd itch in the back of my mind. “What did PAI mean when she said your grandmother could shoot flames out of her hoof?”
“I can tell yah all about dat!” Caltrop exclaimed louder than anypony had any right to at that question. What came next could only be described as an actual animalistic growl from PC that shot a momentary look across Caltrop’s muzzle. “Ah, how about later then?” With a nervous smile, he turned back toward PC and fell quiet.
Not really sure what just happened, and honestly not really caring, I turned and headed for the door. Okay, Sawyer, it’s just a little time to catch up on what Bluejay’s been up to all these years. Don’t know why I didn’t do it before, seeing as we’ve been on this trip for so long already I’ve had all the free time to ask.
As I stepped up to the door and gave it a yank to open it, the thought crossed my mind that maybe my hesitation had something to do with all the little butterflies roaming around in my stomach. Were they from being in a giant boat way above the ground? Maybe they were from the fact that this whole mystery thing had something to do with seeing things from the past pop back up again. And maybe, it was just the fact that two hundred old sugar caked cereal doesn’t sit will in my stomach…
Overall, the one thing it couldn’t be from, was from the fact that Bluejay was the only mare I’d even had any long term interest for in what… decades? Nah, Caltrop just didn’t have all the facts about me and her and jumped to a conclusion. Nodding to myself, I stepped out the door and into the stairwell. If there was one thing I could say for absolute certain, it was that Caltrop couldn’t be more wrong about his insinuation.
-----
“I mean, could you even imagine…” I muttered under my breath as I shut my cabin door behind me. For some reason, the idea about why I wanted to talk to Bluejay ran through my head again and again. Much like repeating a word over and over, it seemed less and less like ‘just to chat about home’ was actually what I wanted in the first place. Looking around, I found that Vanilla was absent from the room, and that I had the cabin alone to myself. With a sigh, I slumped back against the door and closed my eyes. “What am I doing anymore.”
How hard was it to just, knock on her door and say ‘hey, do you mind dragging up two decades old horrors of our past that we shared?’. Yeah, because that will go oh so well. Facehoofing and grinding my forehoof under my horn, I was really starting o crave a nice bottle of whiskey or scotch to get lost in tonight.
A pair of loud knocks shook the door, and I nearly jumped across the cabin in fright. I say nearly because halfway across, my rear hoof hooked on the bed and slammed me down onto it with a squeak. Of course, being a spring filled mattress, I bounced off and flopped onto the floor with a groan.
“Sawyer?” It was Bluejay on the other side of the door. “Everything alright in there?”
“Yeah.” I groaned, picking myself back up. “You can come in if you’d like.” Well, like it or not, this was the best time to chat with her about home.
Opening the door, she peeked her head through, the door actually pulling back on her white striped mane and pulling it away from her sad looking blue eyes. As sad as they looked, across her muzzle was the most genuine smile I’d seen on her since I met her.
“Hey.” She said as she walked in and closed the door behind her. “I know that Vanilla’s got you going around and making friends, but I’d hoped we’d have a moment to talk a bit if you don’t mind.”
“No, it’s fine.” I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. This time, with one hundred percent less bouncing off it! “I actually wanted to talk with you about something as well.”
“Well, I just thought that we could hang out a bit. And I kinda wanted your opinion on something.” Bluejay nervously offered, shifting uneasily on her hooves. “I know we shared a cabin until PC was here, but to be honest…” She paused and looked like she was debating how to phrase things in her mind. “Well, you were kind of glued to your bed those days, and I was still too focused on what lay ahead to have time to relax.”
“Well, we’ve got time now.” Shifting myself on my bed, I did my best to get comfortable. Pointing over to Caltrop’s bed, I offered her a seat. “What did you want my opinion on?” And please don’t prove the asshole right by asking if I like you, Bluejay…
“It’s… about the job.” She sighed as she trotted over and pretty much threw herself onto my bed with me. I did my best to scootch myself out of the way, but she pressed against me as she fought to get comfortable. In the end, the two of us lay on our backs just looking up at the ceiling. “Pretty much, now that we know a lot more about it, we have different opinions than when we started, but I wanted to know what you thought about it.”
I shook my head. “My opinion hasn’t changed. This job was crazy from the start, and it’s just getting more outrageously ridiculous by the day.” Staring up at the ceiling, I wondered what the real reason was that Eighth Note had for sending me on this job. “With the way that everything is shaping up, I’d be surprised this wasn’t already the story of some pre-war mystery novel.”
That brought a giggle out of Bluejay’s muzzle. “Heh. Though, if it were a story like that, I’d think you’d be the one who wrote it.”
“What?” That was an… odd suggestion. “Why me?”
“Oh come on.” She nudged me with her forehoof. “You remember all those old stories you wrote back in the stable. You were always writing back then.” I watched as her smile faded with that. It was then that I knew she had the same thoughts in her mind about going home as I did. “I remember that’s how we’d become friends.”
“Yeah.” I nodded and sighed, simply staring back at the ceiling.
“Well, I’d say that’s enough reminiscing about home for one day.” With a heavy sigh, Bluejay shifted on the bed and rolled off it. “You know, seeing your stories? They were the highlight of my week back then. Especially the stories I knew you wrote because you were inspired by me.” As she stood back up on the floor, I watched as her sad eyes were once again hidden behind the warm smile she wore. “I don’t know if you’ve kept up with it as much as you say over the years, but I wanted you to have something to remember today by.”
A glow of magic enveloped her horn, and out of her saddlebags she drew a cloth covered notebook. The navy blue cloth had most likely at one point been the same blue as my coat, but had become dulled and worn with time. The hoof stitching along it’s spine, and the carefully embroidered cutie mark that matched the one on my flank sat proudly emblazoned across the cover.
“Thank you…” I spoke, not even capable of finding the words to properly express myself. I was just so awestruck at the gift that my brain just seemed to stop working at all. “I have… no words.”
“Take care of it.” Bluejay nodded softly. “There’s a note inside the cover for you.” Looking back toward the door she nodded to it. “I… think I’m actually going to lay down for a while. All this recent job activity has kinda worn me out mentally, and I think I could use some rest.”
“Bluejay, wait.” I said, setting the Notebook down on my bed before scrambling to climb off of it. I must have looked like a madpony doing so, because Bluejay seemed a bit startled by it. Stepping up to her, I nearly leapt at her, wrapping my forehooves around her tightly in a hug. “Thank you. For still being my friend, even after all these years.”
“Yeah.” She nodded and hugged me back. “Just, do me a favor, will you?” She said as she pulled back from the hug and opened the door with her magic. “Make the hero of your next story a badass mare. I’ve missed those kinds of stories out in the wastes, and I’d love to see them back in my life again.”
“I know just the mare to base her off of.” I replied with a smile. Turning around, I walked back to the bed and grabbed the notebook in my fetlock. “Oh, and…” As I turned around again, the door shut with a click, and she was gone.
In that moment, I felt an oddness to the silence that fell about the room now. It was a lonely sort of quiet. It had always been here really, but part of me felt like it was just a little less creepy when Bluejay was here with me. Still, that’s probably just a trick my mind was playing on itself because Caltrop’s insinuation was still fresh in my mind. Shrugging, I sat down on the end of my bed and pulled the notebook up in my magic. Opening it, I read the small note tucked inside the cover.
Dear Sawyer,
Did you think I’d forget my best friend’s birthday? Infrasound helped me make this for you. Turns out she’s really good at this sort of thing! She old me that she’d had to do repairs on old books she’s read every now and then and picked up a few skills along the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! You were always happiest when you were writing and so was I. Many of your stories helped inspire me to be the mare I am today. I know a lot has changed since Stable 13, but I know that the old you is still somewhere in there. Please, just let him free.
Your best friend, Bluejay.
P.S. Don’t forget to thank Infrasound. She put a lot of hard work into this!
I couldn’t help it as both a smile pulled across my muzzle, and tears filled my eyes. It had been so long since anypony had given me anything for my birthday, let alone remembered it. Hell, I hadn’t even checked the notes section on my pipbuck for it for goddess knows how long. And even after all this time, she still went out of her way to do this for me.
Filled with determination, I used my magic to rummage around in my saddlebags until I found what I was looking for. Floating my old quill and ink jar out, I decided that it had been long enough since I’d actually written anything for anypony. I had so many ideas running through my head at that moment for what to write, that I nearly forgot to make a mental note to thank Infrasound later tonight at dinner.
However, for now? I had quite a bit of writing to do…
--Chapter End--
“It’s the simple things that make it all worth it.”
![http://puu.sh/mgi8J.png[/img]](http://puu.sh/mgi8J.png[/img]){kind=link}