The four ponies slowly made their way into the town.  As they walked, the young unicorn tried to strike up a conversation to break the silence.  She turned towards the armored earth pony who was walking beside her.

    "Thanks for standing up for me back there," she said with a light smile.  "I never did catch your name during that little squabble."

    "You’re welcome," he said, returning the smile, "I wasn't about to let that little bastard insult you just for trying to be friendly.  Anyway, the name's Remington.  What's yours?"

    Before the unicorn could answer, the Pegasus spun around, nearly knocking his bird off of his back, and stared at the earth pony.  "Little bastard?  Where do you get off calling me..." his sentence was cut off as the grey Earth Pony let out a ferocious growl as a warning to the two ponies.  The Pegasus flinched from the noise, then turned and continued walking as if nothing happened.

    "So what's your name, big fella?  You haven't done much other than intimidate these two since we got here," the Unicorn said, looking back at him as they trudged along.

    "Stonewall," was the only reply that came from him.  The air seemed to rumble as the word left his mouth.

    "Stonewall, huh?  That name suits you pretty well.  My name is Amethyst," the unicorn looked over at the Pegasus.  "So what's your name?  You haven't done anything other than fight and argue since we got off the bus."

    The Pegasus looked up at her and met her gaze.  "The name is Lucifer."

    "What about your little pet there?" she said, motioning towards the bird resting on Lucifer's back."

    "Him?  His name is Archimedes.  And he's more than just a little pet.  He's one of the best friends I've ever had," Lucifer turned to look at Archimedes and smiled at him.  The bird coo-ed softly in return.

    "So what do you three plan on doing once we get into town, if you don't mind me asking?" Amethyst said as she continued trotting along down the dusty path.  

    Remington was the first to reply.  "I was planning on stopping by and seeing if anypony in town sold any first aid supplies.  I've been running really low lately, and it's just something that I like to keep stocked up on."

    Lucifer spoke next, "Seems like great minds think alike.  I've been running really low on supplies too, and from what I hear, Pandora isn't exactly the safest of places."

    "Well, what a coincidence.  I was planning on stocking up on supplies too, before I set out to explore Pandora."  Amethyst chuckled at the fact that the three ponies had the same plans.  She turned back to Stonewall, "What about you, Big fella?  Wat're your plans?"

    He returned Amethyst's gentle smile as he spoke.  "I was actually plannin' on headin' out as soon as I could.  I already got the supplies I need, so I don't see any reason for me to further delay my travels."  

    He didn't seem to notice that Amethyst's smile turned into a soft frown.  She sauntered on, saddened by the thought of Stonewall adventuring on his own.  Even though she didn't know him all that well, she was still concerned for his well-being.  He's one of the largest ponies she had ever seen, and she was confident he would be able to hold his own in a fight against any enemy he might face.  But Lucifer's words still haunted her.  Pandora was notorious for being a dangerous, unforgiving wasteland.  Although Stonewall was large enough to intimidate any enemy he might meet into submission, she still worried that something bad might happen to him.

    ~~~~~

    The four ponies slowly wandered through the streets of the town, looking around for anypony that could help them along their way.  They watched as two little fillies darted out of an alleyway and ran down the street, their giggles filling the air.  They payed no mind to the four strangers who were walking down the street.  Amethyst smiled as she watched the fillies playing, remembering back to when she was just as young and innocent as those two.

    As the four continued, the started to notice the state the town was in.  Many of the houses in the town were rundown, looking as if a slight wind would be able to topple them over.  As they began to near the center of town, the homes looked a bit better and more structurally sound.  

    They noticed more and more ponies along the streets as they made their way through Fyrestone.  Parents were walking along, their young fillies tagging along behind them.  Eager shoppers stood around a table as a merchant flaunted a piece of jewelry, trying to get the ponies to buy it, while other ponies seemed to walk the streets of the town with large smiles on their faces, seeming like they didn't have a care in the world.  Despite the rundown nature of the town, a happy aura filled the air.  

    As the four reached the town square, they noticed a very large news board with a multitude of papers stapled to it.  Amethyst let a small gasp out as she got a closer look at the papers.  Many of them were Missing Pony Posters, about thirty of them, scattered across the board.  The two largest posters on the board that caught her attention weren't Missing posters, though.  They were wanted posters.  

    The first poster she looked at had a picture of a Pegasus wearing a strange mask on his face.  Two spikes protruded out of the mask, right above the eyes.  She noticed that he only had one wing, with nothing but a disfiguring scar in place of his missing one.  A strange looking sign was tied to his wing, which he had sticking out, but she couldn't tell what was on it due to the poor quality of the picture.  She looked down and noticed the pony's information plastered beneath his face.

    "One Wing: Wanted Dead or Alive," Amethyst whispered to herself.  She looked over at the other wanted poster.  It depicted a very menacing looking earth pony.  His face was unable to be seen due to the fact that the pony was wearing the skull of some strange creature over his head.  

    "Bonehead, huh?  Seems like a pretty fitting name for a pony that likes to use skulls as a helmet."  Lucifer's voice broke the silence that had shrouded the four ponies.  

    After a few minutes of scanning the board, they found a map of Fyrestone on the other side.  They searched the directory and found what they were looking for.

    "'Doctor Zed's General Hospital'.  I guess a Hospital would be the best place to find medicine," Amethyst glanced over at the other ponies, "Well, come on.  The sooner we get there, the sooner we can head out and explore the rest of Pandora."  Amethyst, Remington, and Lucifer started there trek over to the hospital.

    "well, I guess this is where I say my good bye.  It was nice meetin' y'all."  Stonewall turned around and slowly made his way towards the main gates of the town.

    "It was nice meeting you too, big fella," Amethyst's voice was still kind and gentle, but a small pang of sadness could be heard in her statement.  She was sad to see Stonewall go, but she couldn't let it get to her this badly.  She felt the urge to run after him, and make him stay with them, but she didn't want to interfere with his travels.  Amethyst turned and continued on her way along with the other two ponies.  She swiveled her head around one last time and watched as Stonewall turned the corner and was completely out of sight.  She felt a small pang of sadness shoot through her heart as she watched the earth pony disappear.

    ~~~~~

    The three ponies turned down a side street, searching around for the hospital.  It had been about twenty minutes since they first left the board in search of it.  After a few minutes, they started to think they were getting lost.  As the three turned another corner, the building they had come upon shocked them.  

    The building was much larger than any building they had seen in town.  It was only one story tall, but was as long as five buildings put side-by-side.  It was cylindrical in shape, with a large garage door on the far side of it.  A small door was located on the opposite side of the building.  A large sign jutted from the roof.  Large neon letters displayed the name of the building, 'Dr. Zed's General Hospital'.

    "This must be the place," Amethyst said enthusiastically.  

    "Oh really?  What was your first clue?  Maybe the giant glowing sign gave it away?"  Lucifer said in a mocking tone.  Amethyst turned around and glared at him, her yellow eyes piercing through him.  Lucifer tried to look away, but he could still feel her gaze pressing down upon him.  She scoffed at him, then turned back around and continued to the hospital.

    Amethyst approached the door and slowly pushed it open.  She and the other ponies walked in, waiting a few seconds for their eyes to adjust.  The room was well lit, but it didn't match the brightness of the sun outside.  They looked around after their eyes adjusted, and noticed a few chairs set back against the wall.  A small light hung from the ceiling, casting it's light all across the room.  A counter sat before them, with a small bell resting on top of it.  A closed door was behind the counter, most likely leading to another part of the hospital.

    Amethyst walked up to the counter and rang the bell.  They waited a few minutes, yet no one came.  She rung the bell again, this time a little louder so that she could gain the attention of whoever was in the hospital.  They waited a few more minutes, but there was still no response.  Just as she was about to ring the bell, the door behind the counter swung open.  A large, white earth pony strolled out of the back room, and up to the counter.  His golden brown mane was very neatly combed.  The pony's white coat was spotted with blood, most likely from the patients that he was taking care of.  His cutie mark nearly blended in with the blood.  It was a red cross surrounded by two golden rings.  The earth pony pulled down the surgical mask on his face, and smiled at the three.  

    "Hello there," he said.  His voice had a small southern drawl to it.  He continued smiling at the three.  "Welcome to my hospital.  Is there anything I can get you three?"

    "Yes, Doctor.  We were wondering if you had any medical supplies that you could sell.  We want to be stocked up before we head out of town."  Amethyst said expectantly.  The Doctor's light smile turned into a look of sorrow.

    "I'm mighty sorry, but we don't have much that we could sell.  The only thing we might be able to sell you is a few rolls of bandages."  He looked at them, trying to smile at them again.

    Just as Amethyst was about to speak, the door swung open again.  A light yellow Pegasus with a pink mane bolted through the door.  She looked at the Doctor, and said in a soft yet serious voice, "Doctor, come quick.  Nurse Redheart needs your assistance."

    "Damn it, what's wrong this time?"  He said angrily as he pounded a hoof on the ground.  "Listen, can you please attend to our guests here while I go help out Redheart?"  The Pegasus nodded as the Doctor turned and ran through the door, pulling his medical mask back over his face.  The Pegasus looked at the three of them.  She didn't speak, and she tried to avert her gaze.  She seemed to not want to make eye contact with them.

    "Um, excuse me, but could you help us?"  Amethyst said.  The Pegasus jumped as she spoke, startled by Amethyst's voice.  

    Remington nudged Lucifer, then giggled a bit, "Hey, she's a perfect match for you, bud.  You both get scared over the smallest things!"  Remington continued chuckling.

    Amethyst looked back at the two of them, angrily staring at them.  "Can you both please shut up?"  Amethyst said, a harsh tone filling her voice.  She turned back towards the Pegasus.  She sat there, staring off into the distance, a frown on her face.  Amethyst walked over to her, catching her attention.  She smiled, then said "Hey, I'm sorry for startling you.  And don't pay any attention to those two.  They're just being the immature idiots that they truly are."

    The Pegasus looked up at her, her big blue eyes filling Amethyst with a calming sense of joy.  The Pegasus spoke, "So what was it that you needed help with?"  Her voice was very soothing.  

    "Well, we already asked Doctor Zed of there were any supplies that you could possibly sell us.  He already told us you guys were running low, but he said there were a few things he might be able to sell to us."

    "The only thing we have would be a few rolls of bandages for you three.  We haven't been getting many medical supplies due to the bandits outside of town."

    "Bandits, you say?"  Amethyst asked inquisitively.  

    "Yes, Bandits.  There's a gang of them about a mile down the road that keeps intercepting the supply trucks that are supposed to be coming to the town.  We haven't gotten a good amount of supplies in over a month, and we barely have enough medicine to keep the town healthy."

    "That's horrible.  How do you guys survive without getting any of these supplies?"  Amethyst began to frown after hearing the plight of the town.

    "Well, we have a large storage of medicine here at the hospital.  It was used as a back-up just in case.  When the bandits started to attack the town and steal our supplies before they could reach us, we started using the back-up medicine as our main supply.  The only other place that we can get medicine from is this old Witch Doctor who lives in one of the only remaining forests here on Pandora.  We haven't been able to make it out there lately, though, mainly because of the bandit patrols.  If the bandits keep up with what they're doing, we'll be out of medicine soon, and there won't be anything we can do about it."  Tears welled up in the Pegasus's eyes as she finished her story.  

    Amethyst walked over to the Pegasus and rested a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her.  The Pegasus jumped as Amethyst touched her, but she let her stay and comfort her more.  As the Pegasus started to calm down a bit, a loud noise pierced the air.  The three looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the noise.  They looked over at the Pegasus.  The soft smile that frequented her face was now a look of utter panic and fear.  The Pegasus ran past them, nearly knocking Lucifer over.  She quickly started pulling down the metal shutters that were hanging above the windows.  A soft click could be heard as they locked into place.  She continued running around the room, pulling the metal shutters down over the windows.  She sprinted over to the door after she had closed the final shutter.  She grasped a large steel cover, and slowly tried to push it into place.  Despite her efforts, the cover wouldn't budge.  Remington ran over to her, and pushed the door with all of his might.  The cover slowly slid into place, blocking the door.

    "What's going on?" Amethyst said, a slight bit of panic in her voice.  Before the Pegasus could answer, Doctor Zed burst out of the back room, coated in fresh blood.  A small, white earth pony followed close behind him.  Her light pink hair was pulled back into a neat bun.  She shared the same worried expression that the Pegasus had on her face.  

    "Damn it!  This is the the third time this week!"  Doctor Zed was bellowing, a look of pure rage emblazoned on his face.  "We're not going to be able to last through another attack!"  The Doctor slammed his hoof down on the counter.  A thick crack filled the air as his hoof snapped the old wood.  

    "You mind telling us what's going on?" Amethyst said, panic filling her voice.  She watched as the Pegasus slowly started to tear up.  The white earth pony walked over to her and rested a hoof on her back, trying to soothe her.

    "Those damn bandits are at it again!  They're trying to take over the town, and I fear that this time, the bastards are finally going to over power us."  The Doctor, upon finishing his statement, tilted forward on his front legs and let out a powerful kick.  The door behind him flew off the hinges, splinters flying through the air as it flew back into the other room.  "I am not going to let this happen!  Those bandits are not..."  his sentence was cut off by a high pitched scream from outside.  The seven ponies ran to the two windows on the side of the building and peered out between the metal shutters.   The scream had come from a light blue mare with a dark blue mane.  She was screaming as she and her two fillies watched her husband being dragged out of their home by two bandits.  The pony tried to pull free from the bandit's grasp, but to no avail.  They dragged him into the middle of the street, and swiftly flipped him over onto his back.  He looked at the bandits, his light green eyes wide with fear.  His eyes flickered between the two bandits.  His jaw dropped as he watched one bandit slowly pull out a small sub-machine gun out of his bag.  The bandit hopped up on his back legs, aimed down the sights, and shot the pony right in the stomach.  His mouth was open in a soundless scream, the pain being too much for him to bare.  

    "We have to do something!"  Amethyst's voice was ecstatic.  She watched as the mare ran out to comfort her husband.  The two bandits just stood and laughed at her attempts to soothe his discomfort.  Three more bandits joined them, laughing at the bleeding pony.  

    "Well, what the hell do you think we should do?  If you run out there, you won't last more than five seconds.  The bandits are ruthless!  They don't give a shit who you are or how powerful you may be.  They'll shoot you without hesitation."  The Doctor slowly looked away, unable to tolerate the suffering of the pony.  He walked over to the Pegasus, who was quietly sobbing in the corner.  He sat down next to her, and slowly rested a hoof on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.  

    Amethyst looked around the room.  The Doctor and the Nurse were too busy trying to comfort the crying Pegasus.  Lucifer and Remington were still staring out of the window, mouths agape.  

    "If you guys aren't going to do anything, then I will," she whispered to herself, making sure none of them heard her.  She slowly and quietly made her way to the splintered remains of the door that the Doctor had just kicked in moments ago.  She knew that she wouldn't be able to sneak out of the front with the other ponies in there.  She slowly walked around the decimated counter, making sure not to make any noise.  She double checked behind her, making sure that none of the ponies saw her.  As soon as she knew she was in the clear, she ducked through the doorway, into the back room.

    "There must be some way out of here," she said to herself, scanning the room for an exit.  The room she was in looked to be some sort of operating room.  A large sink sat in the corner of the room, with a small table next to it containing multiple medical instruments.  A large metal table sat in the middle of the room, fresh blood coating it.  A small tub rested a few feet from the table, large enough to fit a pony inside.  An assortment of chemicals were spread out beside the tub, most likely used to clean whatever was residing inside of it.  A few cabinets lined the wall above the sink.  Amethyst's eyes rested upon a door with sunshine beaming through the small window on it.  She quickly put her bags on the floor and started digging through them.  Her hoof came to rest on a cold, metal handle and she pulled it out of her bag.  She held the object in her hooves for a few seconds, admiring the gleaning metal of her Sub-Machine Gun.  She slowly clicked it onto her pack, making sure it was attached correctly.  She flipped off the safety, then  put the battle pack on her back again.  

    She made her way towards the door, and froze with fear as she heard a quiet voice behind her.

    "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Amethyst spun around to look at the speaker.  Lucifer was standing in the doorway, staring at her.

    "How did you know I was in here?" Amethyst whispered back, trying to  keep her voice down.  Just as she spoke, she watched as Archimedes silently glided down off of the cabinets.

    "Archimedes followed you in here.  Now, tell me, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

    "I'm going out there and I'm going to save those poor, innocent ponies!"  Amethyst was struggling to keep her voice down.  

    "Why bother?  This town is doomed one way or another.  It's not like we're going to be sticking around long enough to have to worry about it."  Lucifer regretted his words as soon as he spoke them.  Amethyst looked at him, her gaze more fierce than ever before.  Her eyes tore through him, like two balls of flame shooting through his body.  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away from her.

    "Why bother?  Why bother!?  I'm not going to sit around and watch this town get taken over!  These innocent ponies are being dragged out of there homes and killed for the bandits' entertainment!  I don't care what anypony says, I'm going out there, and I'm going my best to stop them, even if I get killed in the process!"  Amethyst couldn't contain her emotions any longer.  Tears of rage started to build up in her eyes.  

    "What is going on back here?!" The Doctor's voice was louder than before.  He stared at Lucifer and Amethyst, grinding his teeth out of anger.  "What are you two doing back here?  Are you trying to steal the supplies that I can't give to you?!" The other ponies that were in the front room quietly walked into the room, looking at Amethyst.

    "No, Doctor, I came back here to stop Amethyst here," he said, motioning towards her, "From making a huge mistake.  She was about to run out there and get herself killed!"  Amethyst could feel her cheeks burn as she listened to Lucifer's accusations.  She couldn't hide the fact that her Battle Pack was fully stocked and assembled, and she was about to head out of the door and fight.

    The doctor shook his head at Lucifer's words.  "Listen.  I'm not going to try to stop you from going out there.  You're the only pony crazy enough to ever want to try to take on the bandits, so I guess it's worth a shot if you tried to fight them."  The Doctor walked over to the door, and slowly unlocked it.  "Don't say I didn't give you a fair warning, though."

    Amethyst turned to look at Remington and Lucifer.  "Well, are you two coming, or am I going to go out and have all the fun of killing these bandits on my own?"  

    Remington rested his pack on the ground.  He pulled out three pieces of metal and rested them next to the pack.  He quickly put the pieces together, forming a very wicked looking Combat Rifle.  He attached it to the side of his pack, much like Amethyst had done with her gun, and looked at her.  "Listen, I know this is crazy, but I'm coming with you.  There's no way you can take on all of those bandits on your own."

    Amethyst smiled, happy that she wasn't the only pony crazy enough to head out of there and fight.  She looked at Lucifer expectantly.  Lucifer just sat on the ground, his sniper remaining in the sling that was on his back.  "Well, aren't you coming too?  I know you have a lot of fight left in you from earlier."  

    "You see...I would love to help you two.  But here's the problem.  I'm a sharpshooter.  This town isn't really suited for a sniper.  I'll be torn to shreds before I can put down any bandits.  I'd be more of a nuisance for you two than I would be for the bandits."  Lucifer continued sitting where he was, watching Archimedes as he started walking around in front of him.

    "Hold on just a minute.  I think I got something in the other room that you might be able to use," the Doctor walked through a door on the other side of the room.  The ponies heard a muffled "Aha!  Found it!" from the Doctor, then watched as he strolled back through the door holding a pack in his mouth.  He walked over to Lucifer and slowly put the pack on his back.  The pack had two massive revolvers resting on either side, both with their own firing mechanism that Lucifer could control with his snout.  

    The Doctor looked at him, a small glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.  "This pack belonged to my father many years ago.  Back when he was around, we never had a problem with any bandits or marauders."

    "Thanks Doc, but don't you think you should be the one using it?  I've never used one of these things, and you would probably be better off using it."  

    "Listen young one, as much as I would love to go out there and tear those bandits limb from limb, I can't risk getting killed.  Nurse Redheart," he said, motioning towards the white pony with the pink hair in a bun, "is a very good nurse, along with Nurse Fluttershy," he said, motioning towards the yellow Pegasus with the pink hair.  "But they won't be able to handle all of the work that this hospital gets if I die or get injured.  That's why I want you to take this pack, and go rain hell on those bandits."

    "But I still have no idea how to use this thing."  Lucifer said, scanning his eyes over the pack.  

    "Well, it's pretty simple.  All you do is face towards what you want to shoot, then you use the tip of your snout or your tongue to hit the..." his words were cut off by a loud shot piercing the air.  A small shriek could be heard from Nurse Redheart and Fluttershy, and all of the ponies dove to the floor except the Doctor.

    A deep, rumbling laughter soon filled the room.  All of the ponies turned to look at the source of the laughter.  It was coming from Doctor Zed, who was lying on the ground, barely able to breath.  The laughter slowly subsided, and Doctor Zed slowly stood up, barely suppressing a few chuckles.  He looked at Lucifer, who was sitting on his hind legs, still in shock from the recoil.

    "Well, looks like you have the basics down!  Now come on, time's a-wastin’.  Those bandits could over power the town any minute now."  Doctor Zed walked back over to the exit.  Just as he was about to push the door open, Lucifer interrupted him.

    "Wait, Doc, can I ask you for a favor?"

    "Sure, what do you need?"

    "Can you make sure my pet is safe while I’m gone?"  He said, motioning towards Archimedes, who had taken refuge on back on top of the cabinets after the commotion.  

    “Don’t worry, he’ll be in good hooves,” Zed pushed the door open, allowing light to flood into the room, “Now go on and give those bandits hell!”  He watched as the three ponies bolted out of the door into the battle.  He whispered to himself as they left, “You may be the only hope that this town has left...”

    As he closed the door, Archimedes glided off of the cabinets and onto the counter next to Zed.  They looked at each other, gazing into each others eyes.  “Now, what am I supposed to do with you?”