Chapter 13: No Going Back

Artemis gazed stoically out from the wagon's back door. The drizzle had turned into a pleasant shower. Not like the torrential deluges that plagued the wasteland almost thirty years ago back in the Enclave Wars. This storm seemed healthier and natural.

Artemis could hear the sounds of training drums down the park. The Legion was still here but at least they were far away for now. This was it wasn't it, the number station. That's where this all started and all paths lead there. She wished she never heard that story. She wished she went to bed early that night or something. Skipper and the future battle of Hoofer Dam between the Legion and this northern civilization. Personally Artemis never went far from the San Palomino Wasteland and she had to go to Fillydelphia.

As stories recounted Fillydelphia was hell on earth. Mass slavery, a self deifying dictator, it was pretty much as close to hell as mortals could get. Word was that during the Enclave War Fillydelphia was dealt a nearly crippling blow. Skipper had told her to find the lair of the pink one. What had that meant? Sometimes Artemis wished those green mares would appear, they seemed to know everything. Maybe they could help her out. Ah who was she kidding they'd probably just make snide remarks and sister this and sister that.

Artemis turned from the gray clouds and looked down at Aroma. The young orange mare was still asleep. Lady believes she's running a fever. Artemis looked down at her friend. They had only met, what not two weeks ago? Aroma was the first friend she traveled with in a long time besides Hans of course. Her and Hans used to travel all around the wastes before he tried his hooves in the manwhore game. Artemis smiled and chuckled at that thought.

But back to Aroma, Artemis tried to remember the last thing she had said to her. Aroma had voiced her disapproval about the Obsidian Shine verdict and Verity shouted her down. Artemis remembered how she went to give her a hug but then the White Hooves attacked. What if Aroma had died? Then Artemis would have to live with that guilt for the rest of her life. Artemis promised herself if Aroma got better she'd resolve to keep her friends from hurting each other.

Then there was Verity. What were they now? A couple or some friends with benefits kind of deal? Artemis looked back and felt like she wronged Verity. She forced herself at him.

“Apologize and talk to Verity about us.” Artemis noted to herself.

There was a lot to take in and think about. Aroma, Verity, Lady and Hayseed, the number station, Valiance and the Legion, Hoofer Dam, those twins, Fillydelphia. This was an ordeal for a real wasteland hero like the Lightbringer not some in small time caravan guard.

“Artemis honey, it's time.” Hans poked his head in the wagon.

Artemis gave Aroma one more look and left with Hans. They walked out to Grandpa's burial site. Earlier Lady told Artemis she did not have to come to the funeral but Artemis needed to. She couldn't help but feel partly responsible for his death.

There on the path stood Verity. He looked normal, just a little wet. To think Valiance almost killed him as well. Artemis felt embarrassed by her actions about Verity, she felt like she threw to many of her emotions on Verity even he never made any inclination that we wanted them in the first place.

“Artemis.” Verity said in his rugged voice. Artemis couldn't look him in the face, not after what happened.

“Did you find Skipper?” Artemis asked not meeting his eyes. They planned to give Skipper a funeral as well.

“About that.” Verity answered starting to walk to the hill. Artemis and Hans followed. Hans was quiet and solemn today.

“What about Skipper?” Artemis queried following him.

“I, I couldn't find his body.” Verity told her.

“But Hayseed said they saw Valiance kill him. And before Skipper sacrificed himself we saw. We saw Valiance bring his sword on him.” Artemis countered. Verity slowly shook his head.

“I have no doubt Skipper teleported them and sacrificed his entire tribe for us but in his cavern there was no body. Nothing.”

Could this mean? Somewhere Skipper had survived the encounter? But Artemis knows what she saw, but then again when you played with the number station reality was not as it seemed. This was just one of many questions for those twins, because if anyone had any concrete answers it was those two.

~later up the hills~

They stood around Grandpa's final resting place. A small white granite slab stood as a reminder to everyone. Lacking the tools to inscribe anything the rock remained blank. Several flowers were planted by the tombstone so that maybe one day a pretty flowerbed would flourish over his body. They all stood in silence as Lady began to speak. Her eye was recovering.

“Coffee Cake my father, he was honorable stallion. He was always happy with what he had and was never prone to greed. I couldn't have asked for a better father.” Lady gave her eulogy and went to her husband and wrapped him in an embrace. After their embrace concluded Hayseed walked to deliver his final words.

“I always looked up to Coffee Cake. I can only hope I can be half the father he was.” He said blinking his eyes to stop from crying.

“And you guys.” He said to Artemis and her group. “I, I.” Hayseed needed to find his words.

“Just know that we're all infinitely grateful for rescuing our foals.” Artemis felt a strong tugging at her heart.

“I never knew, Coffee Cake but from what I can tell he was a respectable stallion.... Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Hans finished his short but sweet speech.

“The passing of an elder is truly something. There is a time to mourn but the torch has been passed from the old generation to the younger. The son becomes the father. We must not fail our fathers.” Verity gave his eulogy expressing the idea about moving on and making the deceased proud.

Soon Artemis found herself in the position to speak. Everyone looked expectantly at her, awaiting her speech. Artemis saw the two green mares standing by Verity but he didn't seem to notice. They wore elegant black dresses and they shared a black umbrella. Artemis knew she couldn't ask them her questions, not here, not like this and somehow Artemis knew that's why they decided to show up now.

“I. I wish I had gotten to know, Coffee Cake better. I don't know much else to say, but he seemed like a good man to me.” Artemis finished her eulogy but it didn't seem to end. The others still looked at her expecting something. Artemis walked away from the speaking position awkwardly. Lady gave one final look at the tombstone.

“I know you guys didn't know my father all that much but, it means a lot that you came.” Lady said with a teary voice. Hayseed walked over to his wife a put his foreleg around her. She muzzled him gently.

“I guess it's time for us evacuate the park before the Legion rolls in this area and finds us. Where should we go next?” Hayseed asked.

“No.” Artemis answered, she was done with the sadness, the tears. Now it was time for action. It wouldn't be easy this was just the beginning. The twins had mysteriously vanished from sight.

“Huh?” Hayseed uttered. Several others looked at Artemis with confused looks.

“What do you mean?” Lady asked wiping her eyes.

“Skipper showed me something, the future I think. There's gonna be a war and we have to destroy the number station before the Legion can use it for evil.” Artemis explained. There was a vigor to her tone, it galvanized the spirit. “And, you guys can't come with us. It's to dangerous.” Artemis added regretfully.

“No Artemis, we're sticking to you like caramel on an apple.” Hayseed told Artemis. Lady gave a reaffirming nod.

“I can't let you come along, like I said it's to dangerous. You guys could get hurt even killed.” Artemis argued. She couldn't bear the thought of Hayseed and his family getting hurt again, maybe even killed. This was Artemis's fight and she wouldn't be alone, Verity, Hans and Aroma would stand by her.

“Enoope. We're all in this together Artemis. Whether you like it or not you're stuck with us.” Hayseed said showing his accent.

“So get used to us.” Lady added.

“Artemis, it looks like we more traveling companions.” Verity said to Artemis in his steely tone. Artemis smiled at him then remembered her embarrassment and turned away.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Hans said with a smirk and snapped his tail.

“Let's make my father proud!” Lady exclaimed.

What had demoralized them instead ignited an inferno of ambition and resolve to find the number station and avenge Coffee Cake. The band returned to their wagon and found Aroma sitting at the backdoor. Aroma smiled when she saw them.

“Guys!” Aroma exclaimed. She ran wobbly to the gang. She wrapped her arms around Verity and gave him a big hug. Again Verity looked like he was being poisoned.

“Again, is your Stable this huggy?” Verity grumbled.

Artemis chuckled. “Don't worry Aroma that's his way of saying. Yay huggles!”

Aroma released her grip on Verity and stood back on the muddy earth. Verity checked to see if anyone was watching. All clear, Verity gave Aroma an indignant hoofbump.

“Tell anyone I did that and I'll throw you off a cliff.” He threatened lightheartedly and hovered to the wagon.

Aroma giggled softly and ran to join the others.

~Some time later~

“Are we set?” Hayseed asked from the helm.

“Hell yeah honey.” Hans answered crushing a cigarette butt.

“We're gonna go to Fillydelphia, to the north. Skipper told me we need to find the lair of the pink one. I'm not entirely sure, but we'll find it we have to.” Artemis declared.

Artemis checked the wagon. Everything was as ready as it was going to get. The wagon still needed repairs and couldn't take much damage, but that would come in time. Fillydelphia lay on her horizon. But first Artemis needed to take care of something.

“Back there?” Hayseed asked. Artemis only nodded. “If you say so.” Hayseed agreed reluctantly.

The wagon churned and the wheels began to move. Little by little. They were on the road again. This was only the beginning, no going back now, come hell or high water, rock and a hard place it didn't matter. The race for the number station was on!

~Later at Artemis's destination~

No one was there. Obsidian Shine was gone. Artemis scanned the surrounding area looking for her. Maybe she had crawled away or somehow wormed down the road? Then Artemis remembered. They had been in White Tail Park for almost a week. Obsidian Shine had most likely starved to death, and Artemis had damned her to that fate. She imagined Obsidian Shine. Her life was fading. Her lips were cracked and dry. She was starving, her limbs were raw and bloodied from the binds she left her in.

Artemis despaired, she had murdered Obsidian Shine. Left her to die. Hopelessly she scanned the broken road for pieces of rope but found nothing. But she did find something that brought a new fear to her mind. A small boulder bore the symbol of the Legion. In red paint, or what Artemis hoped was red paint was a cracked skull flanked by two olive branches. The Legion had been here.

Artemis imagined the legionnaires beating, torturing and raping Obsidian. Then they used her blood to paint that symbol. Artemis could only now pray Obsidian Shine was dead. But that wasn't what the Legion did. Obsidian was probably on a cross, in a gladiatorial arena, sold as a slave to some officer or some heinous Legion execution.

And Artemis had cast her to the Legion...

“I couldn't find anything.” Verity said as he landed from his aerial view.

“We couldn't either.” Hans said with Aroma.

“The Legion got to her.” Artemis said sorrowfully. The same thoughts rushed through their minds as well.

“No, no, no. No!” Aroma shouted as she paced worriedly. Searching desperately. The orange mare was searching in vain.

“Goddesses no.” She said quietly and sat on her haunches.

“She could have been one of us Artemis.” Aroma told her. “She could have been a friend that we could have come to know and love. We murdered an ally.” Aroma said with a guilty tone.

“Aroma...” Verity chimed indirectly telling her to watch her tone.

“She was a casualty, you can't save everyone. Remember Obsidian Shine made her bed when she decided to rob and kill innocent ponies and now she had to lay in it.” Verity told Aroma and the gang.

Aroma again was at a loss of words. Obsidian Shine killed with herself with the choices she made and now that circle had come full circle for her. It was like karma had used the gang to strike back at her. Karma was a bitch.

“..... Next time Artemis. If we end up with a prisoner, we take them to the proper authorities. I mean, who are we to be judge, jury and executioner?” Aroma told her.

Artemis spoke before Verity could comment to Aroma. She put an arm Aroma's shoulder. “It's a deal.” Aroma seemed to approve. It was unfortunate that Obsidian Shine had died. Artemis imagined a pony skeleton half buried in sand. Quickly Artemis banished the thought from her head.

Solemnly the gang returned to the wagon. Artemis was saddened that Obsidian Shine had to go so, so harshly but a part of her was happy that it was over. Was that wrong of her? But still she couldn't help but feel relieved.

“Where are due Artemis?” Verity said snapping Artemis back to reality.

“Hmm. Fillydelphia to the north. We're going north, to Fillydelphia.” Artemis noticed their faces. They were expectant, they looked up to Artemis to give them their direction. Artemis never intended to lead, never asked for that but their faces made it unanimous that she knew best for the group even if she did not. Artemis would not betray their trust.

“Fillydelphia, the city of steel.” Verity commented sounding mystified.

“You mean, leave the San Palomino Wasteland?” Aroma asked surprised. If leaving Stable G was a big step for her then leaving the San Palomino was like leaving the Stable again only bigger.

Did we ever really leave our Stables? The Stables we build ourselves. We all have them, locations we are comfortable with. Places we call home. When we leave our old place for the new the old remains and soon the new world becomes normal. Then we push again, we push the boundaries of our world ever outward. Did that alien feeling ever go away no matter how experienced you were?

“Fillydelphia or bust.” Hans said laying back in the wagon and kicking his back hooves up.

With further adieu the wagon began the long trek north. The mark of Cesare would be left flying until it would be frivolous then it would be stowed away for safe keeping. They would spend the next several nights traveling in the day and sleeping under the stars.

“This is going to be quite the epic eh sister?”

“Whether or not they know the truth in the end is academic. But I will say this will be fun.”

“Oh sister.”

“Oh me.”

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