“A broken road behind me, my memories to guide me...every day I’m one step closer to home.”

I walked lightly out of the downpour and into the dim-lit bar. The rain beat heavily against the old stained windows. Cigarette smoke filled the room as several ponies sat around the perimeter, keeping mostly to themselves but glancing at me every now and then.

As I approached the bar, the mare behind the counter smiled at me “What can ‘ah get ya’ today, hun? Th’ usual, right?”

I waved a hoof as I took a seat on one of the stools “No thanks, just turning in a few contracts.” I told her as I slid a few items I’d taken from my targets toward her.

She nodded and went into the back room to collect my rewards. As I waited for the mare to return, I pulled out a bent cigarette from my satchel and lit it. A door slammed shut behind me and heavy hoofsteps echoed throughout the room. I felt a warm breath on the back of my neck as somepony taller than myself came up behind me. “Hey there sweet cheeks, how’s about we get a couple of drinks and you come back to my place with me and my buddies here.”

I turned around and let out a puff of smoke in his face “No thanks, I’m a mare who prefers a stallion with manners. Get lost.”

The stallion didn’t seem to be taking rejection well from the look on his face. His ‘buddies’ behind him were silently laughing at him. I let out a yelp as his hoof pressed hard against my head, slamming and holding it on the counter “You seem to be under the impression I was asking, now let me repeat myself in terms you’ll understand. You will come with us, or I crush your pretty little skull like a fucking peanut.”

Now, you probably would assume that I’d be scared enough to go along with his demands. Unfortunately for him, I was not a mare to be messed with. I kicked out one of my hind legs, and gelded him right in the sweet spot. I swear his voice went up a few octaves. “You know, I kick the shit out of idiots like you for a living.” I said as I put a hoof on the back of his head.

He looked up at me, tears in his eyes from the excruciating pain he must have been going through “I-I’m sorry ma’am...I didn’t mean nothin by it, I swear...!”

I shook my head “Tsk tsk tsk, should have thought about that before getting your ass handed to you by a mare who is half your size.” and slammed his head onto the counter with a loud THUNK before letting him fall to the floor, unconscious.

The bartender returned shortly after with a bag of caps “Here’s the five-hundred caps -- damnit. Can’t y’all go one day without making a mess in mah bar, Storm?”

I looked to her and shrugged “He asked for it. Anyway, thanks for the caps. Got any more bounties for me?”

She shook her head “Sorry hun, y’all might have better luck in Dodge just southeast of here.”

I slipped the caps into my satchel and took one last puff on my cigarette before putting it out “Thanks anyway. I’ll send you a postcard from Dodge then.” and with that, I gave one last threatening glare at the stallion’s friends before heading out into the rain.

New Appleloosa was a small and simple town. Everypony mostly kept to themselves, which was good for a small-time bounty hunter such as myself...but every now and then you get know-it-all big shots like that stallion. From the look of him and his buddies, they must’ve been slavers from Old Appleloosa just south along the train tracks that ran outside town.

I looked out across the muddy ground at the shop across from the bar I had just exited. “Absolutely Everything” the sign read. As I pulled my hood up over my head and made my way out into the rain, I heard a couple thuds behind me. I assumed it was the unconscious stallion and his friends being thrown out of the bar.

I pushed open the door to the shop with my hoof and entered. Objects ranging from the most useless of things to pristine condition weapons lined the walls and shelves. Behind the counter sat a friendly wall-eyed pegasus ghoul reading a magazine with a picture of a giant muffin on the cover.

I trotted lightly up to the counter and rang the little rusty bell “Excuse me, I’m here to pick up my rifle.”

The ghoul looked up from her magazine and smiled at me. She held up a rotten hoof, getting up and trotting into the back room, returning shortly after with my old 73 scoped repeater rifle in her mouth. She laid it on the counter and pulled up an old chalkboard, quickly scribbling something on it. The mare turned the board around and showed me what was written on it “That’ll be twenty caps for repairs or a muffin.”

I chuckled a bit “Sorry Ditzy, no muffins today. I promise next time I’m in town though, I’ll definitely bring you a few.” After paying the lovable ghoul and slinging my rifle around my back, I set out, this time my destination was Dodge City.

The rain seemed to be coming down harder than before as I left New Appleloosa, following the tracks east. The cold air whipped around me as the rain storm began picking up. Just one of the many things you get used to here in the Equestrian Wasteland, I guess. I managed to avoid a few groups of raiders and Old Appleloosan Slavers, having to stop every now and then and take out a few from a distance.

It was just starting to turn night time when I was close enough to see Dodge....though something was not right. The town was lit up like a bonfire, a large pillar of smoke, blacker than the sky itself, reaching up into the clouds.

I swung my rifle around and lay prone in the mud, looking through the scope. As far as I could see, the streets were littered with bodies, Slavers and townsfolk alike. The Slavers still alive were banging on doors, trying to get to the ponies hiding inside, I guessed. As soon as one of their heads was right center in my crosshairs, I pulled the trigger with my forehoof, smirking slightly as the poor bastard’s head snapped forward and his friends became covered in his blood.

His buddies jumped at his death and began looking around for me, ignorant to the fact that I was at least a good couple hundred meters in the opposite direction they were looking...not that smart, are they? I ejected the spent casing and took aim once again, blowing a hole into another Slaver’s head.

My fun was short lived, however, when one of them figured out the direction I was in and started rushing at me with the remaining five...six...ten Slavers?! Oh shit. I ejected the empty casing again and began firing at the ponies charging at me rapidly. The moment a bullet whizzed past my head was when I decided to sling my rifle onto my back and high-tail it to some cover...that is, if I could find any.

I managed to find an old metal wagon and leapt over it, slamming my back against the cart as bullets beat into the bottom of it. Okay, damage assessment, going to need to have my jacket patched up...and have the local doctor dig out that bullet in my flank. I winced as ice-cold rainwater hit the bleeding bullet wound. At least I don’t have to worry about cleaning it... I thought to myself.

I drew the Colt 1911 from it’s holster on my right foreleg with my teeth, taking a deep breath before popping up over the wagon and firing several shots at my attackers, taking out three of them and wounding two others. As a stinging pain filled my cheek, I dropped back down behind the cover. I put a hoof up to my cheek and then looked at it. A bullet definitely grazed me...add that to the list of wounds from this fight.

I popped up again and fired another volley of rounds at the oncoming Slavers, taking out two more. I screamed out in pain as one of their rounds tore into my right shoulder. I fired more shots and slumped back down behind the wagon, not bothering to see if any of my shots hit their mark. This fight certainly was taking it’s toll on me and I was losing blood. Fast.

I reloaded a fresh mag and popped back up again, only to have a hoof slam into my jaw, hard. I must’ve flew a good three feet before crashing down into the mud with a splash.

The Slaver who had hit me seemed to be the only one left, at least from what I could see. He looked down at me with fury in his expression. “Well now, what’s this? A mare managed to take out some of my best guys? Bullshit. Where are your friends, I want to make them watch as I break you.” He stood right over me, a bit too close for comfort “Although...I suppose I could have some fun with you beforehoof.” An evil grin appeared on his face.

I was laying in the mud, dazed and actually afraid of what this stallion was planning on doing with me...and my vision was slowly fading from blood loss.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to have soo much fun with y-” a gunshot rang out as my face was splattered with bits of the stallion’s brain and blood. Before I lost consciousness, I saw a turquoise figure standing over me and the dead Slaver with a pistol drawn.

I regained consciousness and sat up quickly in the bed I was laying in...bad idea. I yelped as a sharp pain shot through my shoulder and flank. After taking a moment to calm down and let the pain subside, I looked around the room I was in. Yep, was definitely the old Helping Hoof clinic in the Dodge marketplace....I couldn’t even begin to count how many times I’ve been in here. And now that my mind is a bit less foggy, that mare who saved me looked a whole lot like somepony I normally stop in to see.

As I exited the clinic and made my way slowly through the open marketplace, I looked over the damage that had been done in last night’s attack. All in all it hadn’t been that bad, and probably wouldn’t take too long to recover from. I looked across the storefronts, quickly finding the Now and Then General Trade office somewhat down the way.

I took a step forward, nearly running into a pony who was carrying a whole sack of sickly looking carrots. For being the post apocalypse, some cities are still just as busy as ever. I made my way across the open plaza headed for Now and Then, dodging hurried ponies who were trying to get their caps worth at the markets. I breathed in heavily, trying to take in the smell of the cooked food across the way, only to have a pain in my shoulder flare up. Better off without the distraction of food anyway, I had a mare to thank and business to conduct!

I stopped in front of the old storefront, pausing to look over the time worn, ornate lettering that was painted on the plywood sheets that covered what had once been windows. ‘Now and Then General Traders!’ was on the left board, ‘Best deals from here to Tenpony!’ was scrawled on the right. I put my hoof on the door before reading ‘Closed’ on the sign that sat on it. I could see her inside moving around behind the counter, and I did want to thank her for saving me, so I pulled the door open and peeked my head inside.

“Sorry, we’re...” She called out before looking up, a smile growing across her muzzle as she saw it was me. “Well I’ll be, it’s been awhile Miss Storm.”

“Too long, Harmony. How are things?” I walked the rest of the way inside, making sure to shut the door behind me. Now that I was in the shop, an odd sight befell me, it looked like a small war had gone on in here. Half the shelves were either knocked over or broken, and most of her product that was on display was crushed, shattered, or otherwise ruined.

“Well, as yah could tell last night, things have been better.” She sighed and started to line cans of food onto the counter, marking something on a sheet of paper with each one. “Last night a couple of those Slavers tried to purchase my services to repair some slave collars they had found. Now, I don’t rightly believe in that sorta thing after the trouble my father had with them years ago, so I kindly told them where they could stick ‘em!”

“Yeah, I can see they didn’t exactly appreciate the idea.” I let out a light laugh. Harmony was a good mare, but goddesses did she make bad decisions sometimes.

“I’m sorry yah got roped into the mess I started, I truly am.” She sighed again and continued stacking cans while she talked. “I kicked the three of them out, they went and got their friends, an’ before I knew it, half the town was on fire an’ they were killin folks left an’ right!” She stopped and looked at the countertop, dropping her head down on it with a light thud. “Why, if ya’ll hadn’t come along, we might have...”

“Lost the town.” I interrupted. As much as I felt sorry for the mistake she had made, it was just that, her mistake. She’ll have to live with it and get over it, just like we all have to. “Look, I wanted to thank you for saving my life, but the point is we’re still here, and I need work. Do you have anything for me? Anything at all?”

She lifted her head and frowned. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve got somethin for yah.” She trotted over to the end of the counter, pounding on the old cash register until it opened. She bit down on a particularly old piece of paper, spitting it onto the countertop so I could read it. I trotted up to it and looked it over.

Target's name: Predious, also known as Crazypred

Description: Unicorn. crimson colored coat. Red and black striped mane.

Spell level: Moderate casting abilities. Illusionist.

Cutie Mark: Crossed colored pencils, purple and pink, over paper with “CP” in red and black.

Suspected location of shelter: Ponyville Ruins

Known associates: Cyan Trade Caravan based outside of Baltimare, Old Appleloosan Slavers.

Reward: 1000 caps alive, 0 caps dead.

“The folks who commissioned that there bounty seemed ta stress that he needed ta be brought in alive.” Harmony told me as I folded the paper and slipped it into my satchel “Y’all bettah be careful now, Ponyville ain’t no place to get sloppy, an’ neither is Old Appleloosa.”

I nodded in agreement “Don’t worry, you know I’m careful.” I slipped off my jacket and threw it on the counter “During last night’s attack, my jacket got a bit torn up, I was hoping you’d be able to patch it up for me, also I need a box of .44.”

“Well, it ain’t lookin too bad. Give me a few minutes an’ I’ll see what I can do for ya.” Harmony hoofed the jacket across the countertop and set it aside somewhere. “Go get yerself somethin ta eat and ya can pick up the rest of yer supplies when ya get back.” She waved her hoof dismissively at me. “Now go on, git. I’ll have this good as new in no time at all, you just watch!”

I nodded and thanked the mare before leaving the shop. My stomach rumbled fiercely as the smell of food hit me like a brick wall. Normally I don’t eat that much, but since I hadn’t eaten in two days thanks to certain complications, I was surprised I hadn’t caused the Radigator kabob stand to run out of food in the ten minutes I took to completely chow down.

Now with a full stomach, I sat back against a cracked wall and stared up at the cloudy sky through the broken girders of what must have been an impressive skylight before the war. The clouds were lighter than usual, which meant that there was no danger of rain. Just as I had closed my eyes to rest, I heard loud metallic hoofsteps echo across the street, which was odd since that was the only thing I heard. One moment ago, the entire marketplace was as busy as possible. Now it was dead silent save for the hoofsteps.

I looked forward and spotted a group of Steel Rangers surrounding what I assumed to be one of their scribes, heading right for the Now and Then Trade office. Normally, anypony would go and see what that was about, but I personally hated sticking my muzzle where it didn’t belong. I’ve gotten several scars before finally learning my lesson.

After the noise from the crowd resumed, I stood up and headed over to the Gun Runners stand across the road, checking out a few rifle mods, knowing that I couldn’t really upgrade my own rifle. As I made my way back to Harmony’s shop, I spotted the group of Steel Rangers leaving, a smug look on the scribe’s face.

“Hey, what was all that about?” I asked as I entered the building and walked up to the counter.

Harmony set my jacket and a box of .44 rounds on the counter for me “Oh, they want to annex Dodge. Apparently they already own Baltimare and are working on New Appleloosa. Yer total comes to one hundred caps fer repairs an’ ammo.”

“One hundred caps?! That’s a bit much.” I looked around the half cleaned store “Though, I guess most of your stock did go bye bye.” After reluctantly giving up one tenth of my total caps, I frowned “Why do they want to own Dodge? The Steel Rangers have no interest in trade cities, do they?” I asked.

Harmony shrugged “Dun’no, but as long as ah get to continue runnin’ things, ah have no problems.”

Something didn’t sit right with me about this whole ordeal, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. Right now, I needed to head off and track this Predious down. “Anyway, thanks for patching up my jacket. I’ll send you a postcard from Ponyville.” And with that, I turned around and left the shop after slipping my jacket on and putting the bullets in my satchel.

The road leaving town had dried up a bit and I was no longer sloshing through knee-deep mud. Ponyville was directly north-west of my current location, so that was where I was headed. I gave one last glance at Dodge City before setting off on my own once again down the old broken road.

Name: Storm Rider

Level: 13

Skills
Barter: 40
Big Guns: 15
Energy Weapons: 17
Explosives: 17
Lockpick: 45
Medicine: 35
Melee Weapons: 20


Small Guns: 75
Sneak: 60
Speech: 30
Unarmed: 17

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.
Strength: 6
Perception: 9
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 6
Luck: 5

Perks
Intense Training (4)
Black Widow
Friend of the Night
Rapid Reload
Swift Learner (3)
Travel Light
Quick Draw

Traits
Small Frame
Trigger Discipline