“And you are certain that is what he said?” Flint sounded as if Null’s explanation bored him.

The walk back had been slow and tedious, but we had made it back to Flint’s compound. The walk, while easy, had also been unnervingly quiet. For as chatty as Null had been headed out, he’d been stark quiet since we left Shel. Only once we’d gotten back to the compound did he say anything, and that was just to order help for Caltrop and Sandy. The walk had given me a lot of time to reflect on what happened in Steel Junction. I still wasn’t alright with the way things had gone down, but I think what Caltrop said could hold true. We can do it right for the next job.

“Yes, Master Flint.” Null nodded respectfully while he also kept his eyes averted.

“Well, I just can’t stand for such disrespect.” Flint let out a disappointed sigh and shifted himself uneasily on the plush red couch he had himself sprawled out across. He closed the old book that he’d been reading and gave a cursory nod to one of the chained unicorns standing by the door. An aura of magic wrapped around the book, and it was soon levitated back onto the bookshelf that nearly ringed what Flint had referred to as his ‘study’.

“I am ready to depart back to Shel if you wish.” Null cracked a weary smile as he spoke.

“That will be unnecessary.” Flint gave out another sigh and hooved off the cracked pair of reading glasses that adorned the end of his muzzle. It was odd. Everything in this house was perfectly pristine, untouched by the wastes. Everything, but his glasses. “You look weary, my friend. Please take the next day off to rest up and regain your strength.”

“I-if it is all the same,” Null stuttered as his smile disappeared. “I would like…”

“Do not mistake the time off as a request.” With a sharp jab, Flint thrust his hoof toward the door. “Go and rest. I will fetch you when I have a job for you.”

Null stood stiffly in silence for only a moment before giving his answer. “Yes, Master.”

With a quick bow, Null dismissed himself and trotted from the room. That seemed to have let Flint relax a bit, as he stretched out his hooves and slid himself from his couch. With an effortless swing of his neck, he tossed his blond from in front of his eyes.

“Well then Miss Cap,” Flint turned his soft gaze to me and smiled. “It looks like I have a new task for you to depart on.”

“If I may ask,” I had something I needed to make sure of before I did anything else. “What about Caltrop and Sandy? What will you do with them in the meantime?”

“Your companions?” Flint almost seemed surprised that I’d mentioned them. “They will be cared for, of course! You needn't worry about their care, they are in very capable hooves.” He put a hoof around me and gave a nod toward the door. “I am quite curious about them, will you walk with me?”

“Sure.” Honestly, more walking was not something I’d wanted to do tonight. Hell, spending more time with Flint was something cringe worthy all on it’s own, but as we were only an hour away from dawn at most, I just didn’t care. So long as it guaranteed Caltrop and Sandy’s safety, I could endure whatever it took.

“You desired their company so much, that you sold them to me. You had to have known that their lives were not yours to sell, but you still made the deal.” Flint pulled me along with him. We walked out into the main Hallway I’d taken before and headed toward the dining room. “Tell me, what do you think would make them worth one hundred favors?”

“I'm not really sure what you're asking…” What did it matter to him so long as I did the jobs he wanted done.

“We'll call it my own curiosity.” He gave a lighthearted chuckle as he pulled himself from against my side. I had to say, hearing him laugh was a slightly unnerving experience with how unstable he felt to me. At the very least, I was glad to have my personal space back. “But you see, it really boils down to the fact that with the deal you made, I invested in their employment. I am simply trying to understand what useful talents it was that I purchased.”

“Oh, I see.” I guess that made sense. You’d want to know a bit about the gun you just bought before you trusted your life to it. “Well, Caltrop is a bit of a dolt, but his talent is in his speech.”

“Ah…” Flint cringed. “I have no need for an common orator. I speak with the only silver tongue that matters around here, and adding another simply complicates things.” He certainly seemed damn sure of himself about that. While the others respected him because they knew him, I didn’t see anything but an asshole with more resources than a goddess walking next to me. “What about his speech makes him so unique?”

Now that was a good question. “I don't know how he does it,” I started, unsure of how to put his ‘effect’ into words. “but whenever he talks, you just kinda... zone out?” I’m no good with words, but Flint would just have to deal with it. “He's used it to pickpocket things, and I'm sure he could use it for more.”

“Interesting.” That was putting the oddball that was Caltrop, lightly. “Not particularly useful, but I might have a need for a pony like him.” He nodded and cocked an eyebrow. “And tell me, what about the hellhound?” He asked as we continued through the dining room and towards a set of double doors at the back of his villa.

“Sandy?” Of any of us, she was probably the one who could be the most useful to Flint. Point her in the right direction and she might just be the most dangerous one in this whole compound. I think that if I’d let Flint hold all the cards, I’d let him take us for all we’re worth. Sandy’s potential was too useful if things went bad to not hide up my sleeve.

“She's pretty much your run of the mill Hellhound to my knowledge.” I shrugged and brushed off his quizzical gaze. “Nothing special. She’s proved useful to me is all.”

“Oh, I see.” He sighed and flipped a hoof to the ponies at the doors ahead of us. They gave a grunt and pulled them open, revealing the terrace that sat under his expansive balcony. “Such a shame that she is so ordinary.” His disappointed tone didn’t sit well with me, and I didn’t like where I’d thought it was heading. “Tell you what. Since you've been so forthright with me, I will grant you amnesty for your mistake.”

“What do you mean by that?” I nearly tripped as he’d said that. If I were a smarter pony who had any idea where he was leading me with this conversation, maybe I’d be able to follow without giving ground at every turn. “What mistake.” Sadly, a smarter pony I was not.

“If she is just an ordinary hellhound, then I have no use for her.” He shrugged as we stepped out on the marbled terrace tiles. The soft glow of the sun lay on the sliver of sky I could see at the horizon. “Your mistake was to bring her here. Revealing this location is forbidden, and I cannot allow a breach of that.” A twisted smile curled on his lips. “My deal, is once I have her killed, I will remove her half of your debt. Why should you pay for nothing?”

“What?” I spat out and trotted ahead. The smile on his muzzle grew even wider, and I knew I’d played right into his hoof. “You can’t just kill her.”

“Why not? You sold her to me, and I can do as I please.” He stuck his hoof out and motioned to one of the Slaves standing on this side of the doors we’d walked through. The mare quickly made her way over, holding her gaze at the ground as she did. “If it pleases me to watch as Brushfire bakes her into a meat pie, then that is what will happen.” He turned his head toward the slave, but kept his piercing eyes on me. “After I’m done here, tell the good doctor to heal the stallion, but to kill the hellhound pup.”

“Wait.” I spoke up.

“You would be smart to hold your tongue, Miss Cap.” He snarled at me through his disgusting smile. “Unless, that is, you haven't been so forthright after all…”

I shot a glance to the slave, who at my interruption, had cast her gaze to me. She looked up at me with sad and fear filled eyes. It wasn’t until I’d looked into them that she then shot her gaze back to the ground.

“I haven’t told you everything, no.” I sighed.

“As I thought.” Flint huffed and flicked his hoof at the slave. “Dismiss my request and retake your place.” With that, the mare shuffled back to the door silently. Flint shook his head as he started walking forward again. “Please, continue.”

“She didn't act this way when I'd met her. In the month that I’ve recovered here, she became different, colder than she’d been before.” I felt like saying this was signing her life away so he could turn her into nothing more than a killing machine as soulless as the one that took my legs. “So long as she thinks somepony is 'bad', the sandy I knew disappears. If I so much infer that I want somepony dead, she'll tear them to ribbons for me without hesitation.”

Then again, hasn’t that been what you’ve used her for?

“My, that is quite unique. A trained pet with claws that rend even steel.” I could hear the mirth on Flint’s words. “Then that changes things.” I walked forward and joined him at the railing of his Terrace. The valley was still in the early morning, deceptively peaceful for the twisted ponies living inside it. “I'm sure your companions will make a splendid addition to our little family here. When you return from your new task, I would see that you orient them with the way things are run around here.”

“If I assume correctly, you would like me to kill the doctor in Shel?” This was exactly the kind of job I’d wanted from Flint, and it’s something that I was at least good at. Hell, after the way he’d been about treating Caltrop and Sandy, I’d almost have considered refusing any kind of payment for it. Almost…

“Not quite.” He cringed as he talked, only giving me the slightest of glances. “With how the last task treated you, I fear you won't have recovered enough to work efficiently.” Well, if that wasn’t the most insulting thing I’d heard since dealing with Big Shot. “I will be sending you along with Spectre to complete the task.”

Of course, the deal got worse. “Can't I just go with Null again?” I didn’t even care to hide my grumble as I spoke.

Flint stiffened up and clenched his jaw as he spoke. “You seem to forget just how lenient I have been with your requests.” Instead of casting his gaze at me, Flint stared at the brightening skyline on the horizon in his anger. The dark storm clouds that hung overhead seemed to follow his gaze, looking to swallow the sun itself. “You will be second to Spectre on this task, no exceptions. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes.” This would definitely be fucking hell to deal with, but a job’s a job I guess.

Flint flinched at my response. “You have the compliance, but you still lack etiquette.” Now he turned his burning glare at me, and it shot a wave of fear through me. “Yes, what?”

“Yes, Master Flint.” I quickly corrected myself and looked down at my hooves. Just because he wanted me to say it, didn’t mean I had to enjoy it. Though, at the very least I learned why ponies didn’t like to look him in they eye.

“You are most welcome, Miss Cap.” With that, he was appeased enough that his anger was no longer present. It was a jarring switch in tone that reinforced just how unstable he seemed to be. Still, I kept my eyes locked on my hooves for good measure. “Because you are adapting so well to your place, I will grant you one days recovery time before you must depart.” He pushed himself away from the banister, stopping for a moment to let out a long yawn. “Use your time to relax, and have synchro give those legs a look over.” His yawn was the catalyst that reminded my body just how tired and worn out it was.

“Yes, Master Flint.” I just wanted this to be done with so I could get some rest.

“I am simply exhausted from this talk, and must get some rest.” He lifted his hoof to his chest and from what I could tell, gave me a short bow. “It is time for us to part ways for tonight. I wish you a restful slumber.”

“Thank you, Master.” I said as genuinely as possible. Maybe in time I’d get used to saying it enough that I’d just forget I was saying it at all.

Flint turned back towards his Villa and walked to it. I stood there, staring at the ground until I heard the doors shut behind him. Only then did I feel confident enough to look back up. As I did, I had to squint when the light from the rising sun struck my eyes. I stood there for a minute to watch it pass. The sunrise under the cloud cover lasted only that long, but a place as beautiful as it was, it felt like it passed so much faster. I took it as my small reward for making it back with Caltrop and Sandy intact. When I wake up, I could deal with everything else, but right now, I could just enjoy my win.

With the sunrise past, I turned to leave and promptly fell right onto my face. With a grunt, I felt as the rest of me fell over as well. My legs didn’t respond when I told them to move. A quick toggle of the power button on them revealed that they had run out of power.

“How much worse could the end of my day get?” For once, Flint was right. I should have held my tongue. With a flash and a rumble, the dark storm clouds above finally released their cold payload and poured themselves upon the valley. “Of course.”

It felt like I’d just fallen asleep when I opened my eyes again. My room was bathed in the golden light of sunset, and the warmth that pressed against my back made me smile. With a yawn, I resolved myself to get up and actually do something with my day. In stretching myself out, I found a hoof wrapped around me tightly.

“Evening, Love.” Caltrop’s voice was as sweet as honey. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to wake up than to have him laying here with me. “I hope you’re well rested, hun.”

“Hun?” I smiled and thought to myself that he certainly was pushing his luck. I knew I’d told him I loved him and all, but it was still a ridiculous notion to start calling me things like hun, or babe, or love. With a giggle and a blush, I guessed that if somepony had to call me those things, he’d be the one exception in my book. “You are just too damn charming, you know that?” I scooted off the bed and got onto my hooves. Immediately, I knew that something was wrong. I still had all four of them.

“What the hell?” I asked, turning around to maybe get an explanation from Caltrop. Only now, he was absent from the bed. “Caltrop? Where are you?” None of this made any sense!

“Don’t you remember?” The voice of Storm came from behind me. I spun around defensively, and held Storm’s rifle in my hooves. “You sold everypony you care about to Flint. They’re all dead, PC.” No, that wasn’t true! Caltrop and the others were still alive, he was just here! “They’re all dead because you were too selfish to care about anypony but yourself.” I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop myself from bringing the rifle up.

“I can’t stop…” I cried, “Please, run…” I was interrupted when the gun went off.

I whined and jarred awake, flailing at the sweaty blanket over me. The moldy cloth slid off the bed and down to the floor as I panted heavily in my bed. The muted gray daylight that lit the wall I faced stung my tired eyes, and my body ached from the various injuries I still had from the last few days. With the slight itching from my metal stumps, I sighed, finally reaching the realization that the whole thing had just been a bad dream.

A soft creak from the floorboards in my room prompted me to roll myself over. My mind recoiled at the thought that I’d see Storm laying there, dead by my own hooves, but an even more horrifying pony stood at my bedside.

“Wake up, you’ve rested long enough.” Spectre’s resentful words matched the murderous gaze that she shot at me. This was perhaps the first time that I’d seen her this close to me, and for this long. Under her twisting and thick grey robes, I could just barely make out the yellowing bandages that wrapped around her underneath. “You’ve wasted three hours of the day already, and I’ve got shit to do.” I’ve only been asleep three hours? I realized that she couldn’t sleep at all, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t need to rest either.

“Then go fucking do it.” I groaned and turned myself back over. With a heavy flop, I pressed myself back down against my bed. “Flint gave me the day to recuperate, so fuck off.” I’ll take nightmares of the likes of her anyday.

“He gave you the day, which is why we leave at sundown.” She spat at me. “Get off your ass and get your gear sorted.”

“Why can’t you just lay off me?” Seriously, she had been nothing but hostile to me since I’d been brought here. Even before, if you counted the fact that she offered to kill me to save Null the trouble of bringing me back. “What the fuck did I ever do to you?”

“You are the most incompetent, lazy, and pathetic pony I've ever seen. You are the least deserving of Flint's favor, and I hope to see you dead by the end of the month due to your own failures.” Wow, that was a bit harsh. Not that I expected any less from her, that is.

“You really know how to motivate a mare like me, don't you.” I sighed and tried to make myself comfortable again. “Now, unless you want to kill me yourself, I suggest you let me get more rest.” I closed my eyes and nuzzled against my pillow, really missing the thought of Caltrop’s warm embrace in the dream. “You don’t have to keep me up just because you’re jealous that I can get any sleep at all.”

Again, my big fat muzzle should have stayed shut.

Her magic wrapped around me, coursing through my body as the thought of Synchro’s workshop was forced into my mind. With an arcane snap, the world around me shifted, and I was floating. That is, until gravity took over and slammed me against the concrete in Synchro’s workshop.

“What the fuck!” Synchro screamed out in utter surprise.

“You’re lucky that I didn’t teleport you another hundred feet into the air and let you fall.” Spectre hissed in disdain before she turned herself toward the still startled Synchro. “Make sure she is able to leave by tonight.” Before she’d even given him a chance to respond, she disappeared in a flash.

In probably the only moment I’d ever agreed with Synchro, we both spoke at the same time.

“What a bitch.”

It wasn’t the waiting that I hated. It wasn’t even the fact that I was still exhausted that made my head pound. It was straight up the fact that while he worked on my legs, I couldn’t do anything but sit here and have him eye me over like I was the rarest treasure in the wastes. Even worse, was the fact that he’d alternate between yelling at me for breaking something in the legs, then go back to eye fucking me for three minutes.

“There.” he snorted as he snapped a metal plate closed. With a grunt, he hoofed the leg onto his own back and walked it over to me. “I’ve done what I could. I’m damn good at my job, but I’m not a fucking miracle worker.” He nodded to the leg, which I then took in my weak magic. I maneuvered it into place, and shoved it on. The slight discharge it gave forced a short whine from me, but all in all was good to feel. “Now I just have to fix the other one.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to take better care of them.” With a grunt of my own, I shifted my position on the workbench.

“You better. I ain’t going to do this shit every time you come back.” Synchro sneered and shot me an irritated glance as he propped himself up on the workbench with my other leg. “Not to mention, some of these parts are extremely hard to find. You break them, it’ll cost you big time to have me get new ones brought in.” And with that, I knew where this was going. “Though, I’d be willing to wave the amount of favors…”

“You are nothing, if not persistent.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “You do realize that I’m with another stallion, right?”

“Yeah, but who know’s for how long.” He shrugged and hoofed an oily looking wrench into his muzzle, continuing to talk from around it. “Ackshidents happen” If he was incurring in any way that he’d hurt Caltrop, then the Goddesses above wouldn’t be able to save him. With a few quick torques of his neck, the casing to my other leg popped open. He spit out the wench and hoofed a screwdriver into his fetlock. “Flint owns us because we’re the best hunters out there. That doesn’t mean that the wasteland still can’t touch us, however.”

“Oh, like you’d know.” I get that none of Flint’s hunters started out here, but from what I know, Synchro’s always been sheltered. “You work on your toys in here, then send them out to do the work for you.”

“You’re fucking right I do.” He gave me an angry glare before returning his concentration to working on my leg. Within a few moments, he’d pulled out a small spell matrix circuit and hoofed it to the side. “It’s because while we’re both smart, we both know I’d never last ten minutes outside of this place. Hell, it’s the only reason that I’m the second oldest Hunter Flint’s got.”

“How long have you been with him?” For somepony just younger than me, Synchro didn’t strike me as the kind of pony to have any real ideas of what the wasteland was really like. It made me curious to just how long he’d been owned.

He seemed suspicious at my question, taking a moment before answering. “I was his before that Red Eye douche got set up in Filly. He’s owned my mom and I since I was just a colt.” He scooted himself over to the other end of the workbench where he’d pushed the spell matrix to. “I’ve seen plenty of Hunters come and go, you’re just the newest of his toys.”

“So then others have left before?” None of the others had so much as talked about the idea of leaving. True, this place offers safe haven from the wastes, and steady work, but I don’t plan on working for Flint forever.

“Not by choice.” He sighed and hoofed a soldering iron into his fetlock. He leaned closer to his work, and began repairing the board. “Jackstand, Quick Quill, and Motormouth were all killed by raiders or gangers.” He barely even changed his tone as he listed the names off. “Slim Fit was killed by Flint for insubordination, as was Hub Cap after her ghoulification left her weaker than he’d wanted. Taproot died of pink cloud exposure, and Fizzlepop was taken by those Alicorn abominations. Though, that was before Red Eye had his deal with them or whatever.”

Wow, that was less than encouraging. I looked down over myself and had to wonder why Flint had gone through all the trouble to pick me up in the first place. Even so, I had to wonder if one of those ponies had gotten a better deal than me, or if they’d been better that I could ever be. The fact that they were dead and I was effectively their replacement scared me, doubly so with my recent run of bad luck.

“Yeah, you don’t feel so special anymore, do you?” Synchro interrupted my thoughts with a blank look that garnered more sympathy than anger from me. With a sigh, he went back to work. “I know I might be annoying to you, or that you feel I’m far too forward with my requests.” He put a few last touches on the board before he put the soldering iron down and pushed the board back over. “Can you really blame me?”

“I suppose I can’t.” I didn’t want to admit it, but he had a valid point. Shit went down too fast in the wastes to be reserved. I’d finally figured that out with Caltrop, and I’ve been playing nothing but catch up since then. “Still, doesn’t change my answer.”

“Just keep an open mind for me.” He gave me a chuckle and eyed me over again. “Who knows, one day you might be alone and I might not sound like such a bad option.”

“So long as you keep my legs working, I don’t think I’ll be alone any time soon.” I wasn’t going to lose anypony if I could help it. Things were finally as they should be in my life, and I wasn’t going to let anything change that. “Goddesses help me if I get another of my friends blown up.”

“I dunno, Boss.” A relaxed voice came from the door to Synchro’s barn. “I’m used ta it by now.” Caltrop stood leaning against the doorway like a knight in shining armor. Though, he was covered in bandages and he looked almost as tired as I felt, he was here for me, and that brought the widest smile to my muzzle I’d had in days. “Dat’s the smile I’ve been missin'!”

I was so excited to see him again, I pushed myself off Synchro’s workbench without thinking. Turns out, that off center tripods down stand so well, so I immediately smacked down onto the floor. It hurt, but it just proved to me that I wasn’t dreaming this time.

“Woah, woah. Easy there.” Caltrop snickered as he trotted over to me. He gently pulled me get back up on my hooves, helping to steady me before pulling me into a warm hug. Flint, Spectre, even Synchro’s issues disappeared in his warm embrace. I pressed into him so hard that I got a whine from him, but even that couldn’t kill our smiles.

Even with as good as it felt to have him back, the regret for everything crept back in. “I’m sorry about everything at the hangar. It all went so bad so fast.” I looked at him, staring into his teary eyes that showed me nothing but love.

“Shhh.” He put his hoof to my lips. “I ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

“Yeah, you are.” Synchro butt in with an annoyed grumble. “The two of you getting all lovey and shit is throwing my concentration off. If I’m going to have her legs fixed in the next hour, I need silence to work.” I had half a mind to call bullshit on that because of those creepy old records he always blares, but I could respect the idea of needing to concentrate.

“Hop on, Boss.” Caltrop smiled and got to his hooves. He gave me a smile and wiggled his hips at me. “Show me where yah stayin and we can talk. I know how much yah missed me doin’ that.” His sarcasm was just oozing out with that, but I think we both knew that it was true. I missed him more than I’ve missed anypony in my life.

Synchro dropped his wrench with a loud clang. “No, you misunderstand.” He sighed and pointed out the door. “You,whoever the fuck you are, you can go. I need her here to do calibrations.”

“Go, to the condominiums right next to us. First floor, last door straight down the hall is our room.” I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. I blushed brightly when he returned it along with another quick hug. “Get some sleep.” I sighed and pat him on the neck.

“You got it, boss.” He smiled and turned away. “Just so yah know, the doc says Sandy’ll be up soon.”

“Good to know.” I nodded and did my best to drag myself back to facing the workbench. “I might be gone on a job when she wakes. If I am, can you watch over her until I get back?”

“S-sure thing.” The hesitation in his voice was painful to hear. “You’ll come see me though, right?”

“Go away.” Synchro growled.

I gave a look back to Caltrop as he trotted off. He met my gaze with a frown, no doubt worried about what exactly I’d be doing. Reassuringly, I gave him a small nod and a forced smile. I wasn’t sure if I could tell him about it when I was done here, because I wasn’t sure if he’d understand. The Doc in Shel nearly cost Caltrop his life with his greed, and that was something I would more than gladly kill him for. Caltrop however might not see it the same way.

As I climbed up onto the bench again, and Synchro got back to work, I had to wonder again if this was really a life he’d be alright with living. Grandma always said that her relationship with Grandpa was a chore, and that you had to make compromises every single day. I just hoped deep down that this was both one he’d make for me, and one that would be the right fit for us.

Us. I still could hardly believe that was a thing. I’d gone from being alone, to having my first friend, to then falling for him. I’d thought that maybe admitting it would keep him off my mind more, but it hasn’t. It’s even worse now than ever before! I couldn’t stand the idea of being apart, and all of me wants to just be with him. I don’t know how, or why the goddesses ever planned all this out, but I accept it now. I’ve finally made my choice, and it’s Caltrop. He’s the stallion for me, and that’s that.

I would follow him to the pits of Tartarus and back if he so much as asked. With that in mind, Flint would be an issue if Caltrop turned out in favor for leaving. I’d like to avoid it, but if it came down to it and he asked me to stop, I’d give it all up and leave this place forever with him.

Just watch me. Synchro’s list be damned, I’d be the first mare to get out of Flint’s employ alive. If he tried to stop me, then I’d burn this whole place to the ground, him with in it. For now though, it wouldn’t have to be that way. Who know’s, maybe I’m just overthinking this, and he’ll be on board with it. For now though, I just needed to get my legs working again, and then we could sit down and have a nice, adult conversation about it.