Once the wheelchair had been delivered, I’d spent a good few minutes getting used to it. Funny. It wasn’t so much a chair, than a set of wheels I tied onto my flank. But at least I didn’t have to be carried anymore.

When I rolled, I still moved my legs as if I they were still there. It threw me off balance more than I’d like to admit, and I could tell even Null’s patience in helping me was wearing thin. When I’d actually been able to get moving, he’d taken me back to ‘the complex’ as he called it. It was an old world condominium before the bombs, and since Flint claimed this place, it’s been the residence of his Hunters.

I was shown to the back end of the first floor, where I was given my own room. The peeling wallpaper and musty furniture wasn’t anything too spectacular, but what I did like was the large windowed wall and patio that faced down the mountain to the east. Looking across the valley below me in the calm night air left me feeling like maybe this is what it felt like before the war. There was no violence, no mutated creatures, and for once it was quiet other than the sound of a small party going on in the slave shacks.

The whole experience left a small smile on my muzzle. I turned around to ask if this was really my own place, but I found Null had slipped out at some point. On the molding couch by the door was with a basket of assorted supplies. I rolled myself over to it and carefully sat down. Several small things were wrapped up in the most smooth fabric I’d ever laid eyes on. When I tried to unroll it, a small note tumbled out. I snatched it in my magic and brought it up to read.

‘Master Flint kindly requests that you use the included gifts of shampoo and conditioner while you shower. He has also requested that you wear the dress provided for your dinner outing. When you are ready, you are to ask Null to accompany you up to the Villa.’

I unrolled the rest of what happened to be a silky, cream colored dress. As I did I found a pair of bottles had been tucked inside. Shampoo and Conditioner. They were both almost empty, but they were a luxury I’ve always wanted to afford. The dress however, was something I’d never really pictured myself wearing. I looked back to the note, seeing as I’d only read half of it.

‘P.s. That is my dress, not yours. You get so much as a stain on it, and I’ll slit your throat in your sleep. You already owe me for letting my contract get away, and you don’t want to owe me any more than that.

- Specter.’

I snorted and tossed the note onto the couch. Yeah, what a fucking bitch. Seeing as Flint barred conflict between his hunters, I doubt she’d even carry through with the threat. That’s not what made me laugh however. It’s the fact that she blamed me for her own mistakes. Maybe if she were a better hunter, she wouldn’t have lost…

“I’m turning into Grandma.” I sighed and hung my head. “Whatever, a shower sounds like heaven right now.” I hoofed at my mane and wrapped my magic around the ‘gifts’ before trotting off into the bathroom. The tiled floor clopped loudly underhoof, but I ceased to care when I spotted the tub. It was a large, claw footed tub that sat right next to the window. Images of future baths in the summer evenings floated through my head.

Immediately, I used my magic to turn on the hot water handle. Without so much as a single groan, water burst forth from the brass head. Immediately, steam started to rise and waft out the window. In a panic, I used my magic to swing it shut with more force than I should have. I wasn’t going to waste a single ounce of that heat if I could. With a foalish smile and a little giggle, I levitated off my coat and gear, and went to pull myself into the tub.

Except, I’d forgotten I had a wheelchair strapped to me.

The tires bumped up against the edge of the tub as I climbed in. The awkward motion threw my forehooves out from under me, and I slid face first into the tub. I writhed against the near scalding water, trying to turn myself over onto my back. The wheels just kept bumping against the tub, so I couldn’t actually maneuver myself. I reached out with my magic and quickly undid the straps to it.

With a thump, the heavy chair dropped onto the floor. Without the weight, I quickly pulled the rest of myself into the tub. I flipped myself over and pushed my back against the sloped far side of the tub to catch my breath. As the hot shower rained down across my matted and muddied coat, my vision drifted along my body until I got to my legs. Even with as little as I’d had them on, the straps had left slight ropeburn around my stumps. A little voice in my head told me to suck it up and get used to it. I think it was then that the finality of my injury came crashing down onto me.

I cried. I wailed and balled my eyes out in the shower. I had been broken by the wasteland. Left incomplete and never again to be whole. I’d never thought of my legs as their own entities, but seeing them gone? I mourned over them like they were family. What would Caltrop think of me now? What would Storm? How can I even face mom again like this?

It wasn’t until the hot water had become cold that I finally collected myself. I had to stay strong and move forward. This was my life now, nothing could change that. I had been hired to do a job, and that was good. I would no longer have to worry about work again, and that too was good.

I ran my forehooves down along my hind legs. I winced as the pressure against the dark stump shot pain through them. They were just gone. The sooner I accepted this, the sooner I could get back to doing what I was good at. I looked over to the wheelchair and simply glared at it. It wasn’t some ‘thing’ that I needed. It was a challenge meant to be conquered, another one of Grandma’s tests that I knew I could beat.

I used my magic to levitate the small shampoo bottle over and got to work. It was hard to clean myself now, but I will get better at it over time. This dinner was just like any other job, and though I didn’t know what to expect, I should at least be presentable.

As I washed myself, I found my thoughts drifting to work. What would Flint have me do? For as generous as he looks, he seemed a bit unstable to me. Then again, who in the wasteland isn’t? Still, dinner would be my best time to map out his mannerisms and personality. If this whole arrangement didn’t work out, I’m sure he wouldn’t be nearly as forgiving as he was back in the barn. I’m his property now, so if I were to go, I’d need to know where he was weak.

By the time I’d finished my shower, the burning sensation that dully ebbed in my stumps changed. I’d managed to drag myself out of the tub and over to the large sink across the room. As I used an ivory comb I’d found in my bathroom cabinet to untangle my mane, my legs slowly felt like they were being lowered on to a bed of hot coals. I looked back at my discarded wheelchair with the thought that maybe I should go get Null.

It felt so good to have my magic back again. No more weakness from burn out, or suppression magic to keep it from working right. My heat spell came back to me with little effort, and I focused it’s effect all around my head. The heat dried out my hair as I ran the brush through it. I got to thinking about how long I’d been in here, and how it was probably a bad idea to take so long. With that thought, I increased the heat to get this done faster.

With the extra heat, my hair dried faster than I’d thought it would. The comb hit a snag and I flinched as it tore a hair or two of my mane out. I looked back to the mirror that had started to defog as the steam in the room. My mane stuck out every which way in a big red frazzle. Seeing it made me forget all about the last twenty four hours. A smirk found it’s way across my muzzle and in a moment of weakness, I giggled.

“I look ridiculous.” I muttered to myself as I pulled the comb from my mane.

“I think you look stunning.” Null spoke up.

I let out a yelp and panicked. I tried to turn and get into a more defensive position at the same time. Without hind legs, that did little more than hurt like hell and leave me on the floor in pain.

“I am sorry. I did not mean…” He tried to speak up.

“Get the hell out of here!” I snapped at him. I threw the comb at him, which he dodged with little effort. The comb bounced off the wall and clattered noisily against the tiled floor. “What are you doing just standing around and watching me?” I shot him a glare that I’d hoped would punctuate my anger. All he did was shift a bit and stand there awkwardly.

“Well…” He darted his eyes about anyplace but me. “You were taking quite a while…”

“Yeah.” I yelled. “Kinda hard to do a lot without these.” I hooked my forehoof around my right rear leg and pulled it up so he could get a good look at the stump. “Leave me alone.”

“As you ask.” He shrugged and turned around. “I will wait in the main hall, but be warned. Master Flint does not like to be kept waiting.”

I slammed the door on him as he walked out. I took a few deep breaths to try to calm my racing heart. The nerve on some ponies. Is every hunter in this damned place just going to spend their time sneaking up on me? If so, one of these days one of them might just get ‘accidentally’ shot. Which reminds me that I have no equipment. My coat, hat, and bags were returned to me, but I don’t have my guns anymore. Then again, what do I care? If he wants me to do jobs for him, he’ll have to give me something to use, right?

Still, Storm is going to kill me when she finds out that I lost her prized revolver. I picked the brush back up and ran it along my mane again. I stared at myself in the mirror. The mare that stared back was not the same one who stared back at me two weeks ago. There were heavy bags under my eyes from the exhaustive events, and too many new scars on my head and neck to count. Then there was the large gouge that sat on my horn from Sandy.

As I continued brushing, I wondered what they were doing about now. No doubt that by now, Storm had caught up to them. Hopefully, she’d be able to keep them safe until I could meet up with them again.

Once I’d gotten my mane back under control, I worked at getting that damned chair back on. It wasn’t comfortable, and each strap was both a physical and mental nightmare to figure out. With each strap I locked into place, the pain in my legs grew. I had no idea if it was because I was doing it wrong, or if that was just the pain my legs would always be in now. I struggled to get back up to all fours, but when I did, it helped to relieve the pain a little.

“That wasn’t so bad.” I gave a low whine as I opened the bathroom door and rolled out. “I just need to put on the dress, and I can get this whole night over with.” I levitated the silky smooth dress off the couch and over to me. With a quick inspection, I wasn’t quite sure how one was supposed to get it on.

“How hard could it be?”

About halfway through getting the dress on, my cries of agony had attracted the attention of Null. His anesthetic spell was something I would need to learn if the pain was always this bad. If it came down to the fact that I couldn’t learn it, I’d fall back on Med-X. That wasn’t a pretty thought, seeing as I’ve seen too many Med-X junkies suffering. I shook that thought from my head and tried to focus on the events ahead. While I did, Null helped me the rest of the way into the dress and lead me out of the building to the gravel path that lead up to the villa.

The first thing I noticed on the path up to the Villa, was the sky. Being as high up as we were, the cloud cover seemed to hang low overhead. Funny. In my travels, I'd never really seen them so low. I've been close, like up in Timber, but never this close. It was probably another thousand feet up the side of the mountains, but I wondered if there was a way to get above them from here. Maybe one day I'd try and find out what the sky truly looked like.

The sun had long since gone down, and the dark of night was all around the valley. The only place that the darkness could not touch, was the villa itself. Dozens of floodlights adorned the edges of what at one point must have been a lush, green lawn. The rocky, pitted ground made the near pristine structure look all the more alien to me. It was much bigger than it looked from afar, and I had to wonder just how many ponies lived inside.

Null had been completely silent as we walked up the path, but I could tell that he’d stolen a glance or two at me. Normally, I’d knock him flat on his side for that, but my annoyance kept my mind off my legs for now. That and I’m not sure if he could even see my flank with his sight. Generally, the whole seeing magic thing was confusing as all hell to me.

As we approached the front doors, they were pulled open by a pair of lithe looking mares with leather collars on. They kept their heads low and did everything they could to avoid eye contact as we entered. My attention was stolen by the sheer cleanliness of the entryway room. The walls, ceiling, and even the marble tiles sparkled as if they were brand new. I’d never seen somewhere in the wasteland so remarkably well preserved then this. I’d say it would take a small army to maintain, but I’m sure Flint has one.

“It’s alright to admire my villa, but make no mistake…” Flint called as he walked down one of the two stairways the lead up to the second floor of the villa. “You are the most stunning sight tonight.” His flattery wouldn’t get anywhere with me, but I have to admit that I could see the blush I had on my cheeks. He reached the landing and walked over to us. With a simple nod, he dismissed Null, who walked out and closed the doors behind me. “Please, this way. Dinner has been served.”

With each step, a squeak came from my wheels as the old rubber rolled across the marble flooring. I followed him down one of the hallways and through a pristine room that contained plush couches, marvelous oil paintings, and a polished silver tea set on it’s own cart. This place hardly seemed possible in the midst of the wasteland, even with an army of slaves.

Through there, we arrived at a large, open room with a rectangular table that was absolutely packed with food. I’d never seen so much food in one place in my life. Sure, I could mostly tell what canned food each dish was made with, but some things had me baffled. I was so distracted, that I nearly ran into Flint as he stopped near the chair at this end of the table. With a fluid motion, he pulled the chair out and used his other forehoof to show me my seat.

“Please, I’m sure you are famished from your journeys.” He sounded far too nice, and the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine. All creepiness aside, he was right. I wiggled myself so that my wheels rolled under the table and I sat my rump down on the plush seat. Impatiently, my stomach gurgled in anticipation of the feast it was about to receive. Flint pushed me closer to the table and took a step back. “Go ahead, dig in.”

I did just that. It was all so good that I dove in and didn’t look back. Somewhere between the candied radhog meat, vintage hay fries, and the quiche, I’d felt good enough to look up at Flint. He’d taken his place at the other end of the table, and simply sat there. He watched me with that same nauseating smirk, and his hooves pressed together as if he were waiting for something. It was unnerving the hell out of me, so I decided to break the ice.

“So…” I spoke between mouthfulls of sweet peas. “Tell me about your other hunters.”

“What would you like to know?” He asked as he cocked an eyebrow. “Or would you just like me to break this dreadfully awkward silence?” Wow, he hit the nail on the head. Of course, he got the answer he wanted from my silence. “Well, I guess I’ll start with Spectre. Spectre is... a special mare. She's not really my daughter, you see, but close enough I guess you could say. I acquired her years back when she was just a young mare. I learned she'd teleported outside from her slave re-education facility in a mine out west.”

“So? I thought that sort of thing was a common problem.” I took a moments pause to swallow my food. “Things like that are why I chose to work with Filly, it's just good job security.”

“Yes, well…” He sighed as he leaned back in his chair. “In her case, she not only teleported out of the internment facility, but outside of Red Wing altogether. She has a remarkable talent at teleportation, more advanced than any unicorn I've ever seen.”

“So, if she can teleport anywhere, what's with her sticking to the shadows?” I asked. That kind of distance is pretty crazy, seeing as the most I’d ever seen any other unicorn teleport was maybe a hundred feet or so.

“Yes. You see, about a year into my employ, she teleported into a patch of killing joke. She's never told me what the joke was, but now she can't fall asleep or she'll die. So I supply her with a special type of drug to keep her awake.” He sighed again, but still he held onto his smile. “The ghoul doctor who cooked it up said that the Shadowbolts used to use this in place of dash when their mission was long endurance, but too important to risk failure. Problem was, a common side effect of even a small dose was a sensitivity to light. With as many years as she's been taking it, it's culminated into quite the condition.”

That… would make sense then. Between Brightshine and Spectre, suddenly my legs didn’t seem so bad. It would also go a long way towards explaining why she’s a colossal bitch.

“I know that you must be enjoying your meal, and I know you'll enjoy the entertainment. But I hope you don't mind that we talk a bit of business.” His grin didn’t falter, even as he spoke. He hoofed at a manilla folder next to his hoof, and held it up at me. “I've selected your first assignment for when you are rehabilitated. It's a long list, but they're all in the same place, so it shouldn't be hard to eliminate them all at once.” He wiggled it at me, insisting that I look at it now. “Take a look. I would like to know your thoughts on it. Maybe hear a preliminary plan or two.”

I levitated the manilla folder over and opened it up. Inside was a list of names, and a few sheets of hoof-written notes. As I hoofed through them, I didn't take the time to read them as there would be time for that later. When I got toward the end, there was a small picture that slipped it's way free from one of the pages. It fell out onto the tablecloth next to my plate, and into the center of my attention. It was a picture of Keg Tap at his bar in Steel Junction.

“Keg?” I looked back up to ensure that this was really supposed to be in here. “What did he do?”

“Well, word is that you had a deal with him to sell out some of the slaves that ran through.” He shook his head as if he were disappointed, but that smile never left his muzzle. “Turns out, you were missing a large chunk of the pie. My information claims that he is hiding a large safe house for slaves in his bar. You are to make your way to Fillydelphia, where you will be given your equipment. For reasons you most likely understand, your weapons will not be entrusted to you until you get there.” He shot a quick glance at me. I know if I were in his position, I wouldn’t trust his new recruits with a weapon either. “You will then head north to the den, destroy it, and kill any slaves or sympathisers who exist there.”

“Just... go in and wipe them out?” I asked. He implied it would be just that simple. Not only does it seem over the top, I’m sure that killing Keg Tap is completely unnecessary. “I'm a bounty hunter, not your personal assassin.”

Out of everything, that had been what tore the smile from his muzzle. He tensed up as he pushed his seat out. Slowly, he walked around the table to me. I couldn't do much more than sit there without knowing his intentions. Though, I noticed that he had an odd gait to him. When he got close enough, I saw that he wore a ballistic hoof on his right foreleg. That was a mistake, as I should have been paying attention to that fact that he was so close.

He hit me in the head with a heavy swing of his other hoof. I flopped out of the chair as I saw stars. My muzzle stopped my head from smacking into the floor, but I could have sworn I felt my nose break when it did. Without a chance to react, I was pulled back up and pinned against the table.

“I will forgive you only this once. You would do well not to forget your place around here. You are MY property.” He growled as he pressed the ballistic hoof against my neck ever so lightly. “That means you do whatever I say. If I ask you to get out of my sight, you go. If I ask you to bring me another slave to kill, you bring them to me.” He paused and lowered his other hoof down my side. “And, if I ask you for a ride, then you better raise that pretty little tail of yours. Understand?”

I couldn’t do much else but nod. When I did however, he pushed himself off of me.

“Good. I'm glad you find my arrangement agreeable. Please take your seat.” He brushed himself off for a moment and then returned to his side of the table again. I did as he asked and levitated my chair back over. My heart was pounding, and my mind was racing. Everything had been a distraction. The cleanliness, the feast. I’d let it get to me, and it lulled me away from the fact that I was helpless here. “You must excuse me if I say that this 'conversation' has left our joyous dining mood soured.” He put his forehoof to his muzzle and gave a loud whistle. “But! The solution to this would be to bring on the entertainment early! Don’t you think?” His smile crept back along his muzzle like nothing had just happened.

There was a click from a set of double doors to my left. They swung open slowly as a large earth pony stallion came through. He wore a thick leather harness, with heavy chains wrapped around them. Scars adorned almost every inch of his teal coat, and his yellow eyes had an angry look to them. He sneered as he came through. With a squeal of protest, the pedestal the chains were attached too rolled slowly into the room. On the pedestal, was a very beaten and bloody stallion. He was almost unrecognizable, but he groaned and looked up to me. When I saw his one unswollen eye, I knew.

“P… PC?” Ash muttered through his bloody muzzle. He tried to stand up, but not only were his legs bound to the pedestal, but they’d been broken as well. “Wh… why?”

“Because.” Flint spoke up and hoofed an overly ornate Ironshod hunting revolver with ivory grips onto the table. He kept his gaze on me as he pushed and slid it across toward me. “You knew the rules, and now you pay the price.” A sly smile crawled it's way across his muzzle as he glanced over at Ash.

I took the heavy revolver in my magic and brought it to me. After what he’d told me about my own guns, I opened it to see if this was some sort of trick. Surprisingly, it had one round loaded in it. With a crisp snap, I pushed the cylinder back in and locked it. Is this really what I want? I have lived for years under the code that I didn't kill ponies like this. An escaped slave was a nopony, I didn't have to give a second thought. But now he was asking me to kill both Keg Tap and Ash. He was asking me to bring pure emotions, and hatred into killing. The thought of it disgusted me, but even so, the want to do it burned deep inside.

I spun the gun in my magic, twirling it through the air. For as heavy as it was, I found it easy to influence. I took a risk and spun it to face Flint. His smirk dropped even faster than it did before. His gaze dropped to a scowl, and I swear that I could see a single bead of sweat drip from his perfectly coiffed mane. For some reason it made me feel so much better. I tipped the barrel up and smiled across the table at him. He can feel fear, which means he knew he could be beaten. That’s good enough for me.

As tempting as it was, I couldn't make a move now. I wouldn't make it more than five feet out the door before I was gunned down. Even so, I'm no where near ready to fight any of the other hunters. This is of course, if this line of work doesn't turn out to be all it's cracked up to be, or if he breaks anything in the contract. For now? I think I can manage to take a chip at my morals for once. I had time to rationalize the fact that I have to murder Keg, but Ash? At least he’ll never be able to hurt us again. With a quick flick, I turned the revolver on ash. He simply went wide in his one good eye and let out a whimper.

Then I pulled the trigger.

The round found it's home in his one good eye, which erupted in a small shower of gore along with the back corner of his skull. His head slumped down against his bindings and just sat there lifelessly. I took a moment to let out a breath I didn't realized I'd held. Ash, the misogynistic asshole and rival bounty hunter who'd plagued me for years, was dead by my own hooves.

“Splendid!” Flint clapped his hooves together giddily. “I can already tell that you will make a fine hunter.” He giggled like a colt as he pushed himself out of his chair again. He pressed his forehoof to his chest and seemed to calm himself down a bit. “Now, that is quite enough fun for one night, don’t you think? You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, and I’m sure you are exhausted.”

“Big day?” I asked naively.

“Why yes, you’ll get your legs back tomorrow. Or have you already forgotten?” His smile widened further than it had been as he said that. “And I can’t wait to see how magnificent you look with them on.” He whistled again, and there was a sharp prick in my neck. I used my magic to feel around, and once again, I pulled a dart out of myself. I looked around to see who fired it, but I became light headed and dropped out of my chair. Flint’s smooth voice serenaded my slowing mind, ushering the darkness around my vision to come take me away.

“Sweet dreams, my dear Percussion Cap…”