"Again, I'm really sorry about how I acted back in the station. It's just... have you seen your flank, though!?" Dusk Wind spouted out nervously.

"Relax, I'm not holding it against ya," Jason replied with a smile. "And no, I haven't really been too keen on looking at my own 'flank'."

"Well, you should try to at one point, because, damn!" she emphasized.

Jason laughed at the comment as the rest of the Guards around him began to chuckle as well.

"So," Spear Buck started, "heard you say something interesting to that Regulator. Something about, what, fire-breathing ants?"

"Yeah, what was that about?" Star Buck inquired.

The Wanderer sighed as the group continued to walk, but now with focus on his words.

"Well... back where I'm from, there was a large infestation of mutated ants that most called Fire Ants, and yes, they were all tall, armored, and shot fire from their jaws."

"Jeez, how'd you get those?" Spear pushed.

"It started when a scientist found a nest of mutated ants that were only called Giant Ants at the time. He spent some time working on a way to reverse the mutation and make the ants small, but he never tested it out before injecting it straight into the Queen Ant."

The group followed with a stunned silence for a few seconds before Broadsword spoke.

"Wow. Where are you from again?"

Just as Jason was about to enter, a bell ringing in front of the group drew his attention and he looked ahead to see Dusk Wind holding open a door. The building itself resembled a large, wooden barrel with a sign that had several fruits around text that read "Berry Bar: Sports and Sorts".

"We're here!" she said happily.

"How about I explain after some drinks?" Jason offered.

The Guards all nodded to each other before Jason stepped forward and walked into the building. Inside was a slightly dark, open room with several tables, booths, and stools spread around evenly. To the left was a long counter with a surface of glass. Along the wall behind it were several hundred colored bottles of liquids that were well organized in terms of both size and color. Behind the elongated counter was a mare with a purple coat, a dark purple mane and tail, and a Cutie Mark of different fruits. She was cleaning out a mug that looked to be made of wood as the group came in, and looked up to smile at the bunch.

"Good day, officers," she greeted. "Is it that time already?"

"You know it," replied Spear.

"Alright then. Find some seats, and I'll be right with you."

Jason looked to his side to find that the Guards were all piling into a large booth with Spear and Broadsword on one side, and Star, Dusk, and Thorn on the other. They waved him over to the table before Jason began to approach the side with Spear and Broadsword. When he sat down, the group all began to examine the table closely for some reason. With an eyebrow raised, Jason looked down to see that there were menus of food actually in the tables themselves.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Broadsword asked.

"Yeah, I'll say," Jason replied before reading off the menu in his head.

\\\\\\//////

Scootaloo raced her scooter along the streets of Ponyville, occasionally bobbing and weaving around the locals as she performed several stunts in the air. She had passed by a group of foals that were playing with a large dog, but had used a ramp to sail over them and give her greetings to the lot in the most awesome way possible. The young filly surged through the crowded center of the town marketplace and examined the crowd in the detail that only a maneuvering pegasus could manage.

As she looked on, however, she saw another strange, new stallion. He was holding several things in his magic, such as boxes and random items. The stallion was dressed in a very bright suit, going well with his almost white coat. His tail was almost clear, as if to try and hide the fact that he was there. In fact, the only reason that she could really focus on him, was the fact that the stranger had dropped a very nice hat of some kind.

Scootaloo zeroed in on the accessory and sped towards in, dodging incoming ponies as she leaned over to the side to pick it up. When it was in her grasp, she buzzed her wings again and tried to locate the stallion once more. Seeing the boxes he carried hovering above most of the adults, she smiled before turning towards it and going back to dodging through more ponies. As she came up to the stallion, she kicked the back of her scooter and took to the air for a few seconds, dropping the hat and digging her wheels into the dirt as she stopped in front of him.

She looked up to see the blank, emotionally void face of the mysterious stallion looking down on her as she smirked.

"You dropped your hat when I saw you," she said.

The stallion remained expressionless when he turned and began to walk away, seemingly leaving the filly's focus as he left. Slightly frustrated by how he had reacted, Scootaloo raised her voice at him.

"Now you owe me!"

Just as the last word left her mouth, the stallion seemingly vanished from sight. He had not gone into a deeper crowd, or even turned a corner. He had just... left. Scootaloo paid it no mind, however, as she seemed to completely forget why she was even in the marketplace to begin with.

\\\\\\//////

Twilight stacked another book carefully into the shelves of her Royal Archive as she checked off another item off of her to-do list. As she scanned the parchment, she heard the doors to the large chamber open up.

"Twilight?" she heard Spike call.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Apple Bloom needs to talk to you about something."

The alicorn placed the parchment onto a nearby desk before moving towards the doorway. When she made it to the other side, she saw Spike and Apple Bloom standing before her.

"What do you need help with, Apple Bloom?"

The filly rubbed the back of her head with one hoof as she looked to the side.

"Twilight, I wanted ta ask for yer help with a friend of mine."

"Well, who is it, and what do they need?"

"See, that's kinda one a' the problems. He's... not, from Equestria, and not even a pony. I wanted ta ask if you could come with me an' see if there's anythin' ya can do ta help."

Twilight was slightly surprised by what Apple Bloom had asked, but tried her best to not show it.

"Well, I'd be glad to help your friend. Where is he?"

"In Zecora's hut, in the Everfree."

"What? Why's he in there!?" Twilight panicked.

"'Cause if he comes ta Ponyville, everypony's gonna flip out and go all screamin' and running!"

"Why would anypony do that?"

Apple Bloom sighed as she lowered her hoof and looked up to Twilight.

"Ah think ya need ta see him for yerself."

Twilight was now driven by her overwhelming curiosity and charged a teleportation spell. In a flash, the two were gone from sight.

... and standing amidst the emptiness was a lone baby dragon.

"Really!?" he shouted, raising two clawed hands into the air. "Why!?"

\\\\\\//////

Rune meditated silently as his breathing became a constant motion of the air. To anyone that may see him, it may look like he was not breathing at all. That is, if they paid no attention to the fact that he was currently meditating above the surface of a large pool of water. Around him, and on the water below, the air moved with his heartbeat, and began to pulsate around his form. The golden bands that decorated his limbs began to slowly orbit their respective resting spots as they began to channel Rune's inner magic. The zebra took in one last breath-

*POP*

-before plummeting into the water below.

He flailed his hooves trying to swim up towards the surface of the water, and after a few seconds, he found the edge of the ground and pulled himself onto the dirt outside of the pond. After freeing himself from the depths of the water, he coughed up a bit before gasping for air.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" a feminine voice yelled by his side. "I didn't-"

Rune held up a hoof to silence the voice and steadied his breathing. When his breathes were no longer too fast, he opened his eyes and spoke.

"I'm alright. Just surprised by-"

Rune's words died on his tongue as he looked to his left to see a beautiful mare staring into his eyes with clear concern in their majestic color. The way the light danced across the colors of her mane, the pristine trim of her coat, and the scent of lavender that danced through the air as he-

"Are ya alright, Mister Rune?" he heard Apple Bloom ask.

The zebra quickly jumped back from contact with the mare and sunk back into the pond as he realized he had been staring.

\\\\\\//////

"And when the guy stood back up, he said, 'Ah'm sorry, Ah thought this was 'QUESTRIAH'!"

The group of Guards at the table burst out into guffaws when Star finished her story. After the tale that was told, even Jason found himself unable to contain his laughter. Someone cleared their throat by the group, however, and put an end to the laughter. When Jason looked up, it was the bar tender.

"Well now, who's this?" she asked, looking at Jason.

"Ponyville's newest Regulator," Spear answered while jabbing a hoof to Jason's side.

"Ya don't say?" she replied before extending a hoof out to him. "Berry Punch."

Jason extended a hoof out to greet her and smiled.

"The Wanderer."

Berry retracted her hoof and raised an eyebrow at the unicorn.

"Wait, aren't you the one who saved that Button kid?"

The Wanderer nodded with a quizzical look on his face.

"Wow. Oh, hold on a second," she said before retreating to the bar.

Jason looked back at the Guards before Broadsword spoke to him.

"She's heard a lot of news through the glass, if you catch my drift."

Before he could respond, the sound of glass hitting the table drew Jason's attention. He turned his head and saw a glass mug, filled with an amber liquid and foaming almost over the edge, right in front of him.

"Special drink on the house, courtesy of your newest enabler," Berry said with a smirk.

"What is it?"

"Apple Family Cider that they sold to me for quite a hefty bit. I only reserve about two barrels a year before Cider Season, then put 'em on sale for 25 bits a mug for our Royal Guards here. That's the first mug of the year, and hasn't been sold to anypony yet. Think of it as... my own way of thanking you for helping out my family."

"You're family with that kid?"

"Eh, kind of. Love Tap's my daughter's personal tutor for culinary arts, so he's technically related to me by proximity. Still, he's family. And so are you, if what I've heard about your new residence is right."

"Got me there. The father offered me a room and I couldn't turn down that kind of offer."

"Well," Berry pushed the mug closer to Jason, "drink up."

Jason reached his hoof through the handle and twisted the end of it before slowly raising the mug above the table and close to his muzzle.

"Cheers," he said before tilting the glass towards his lips, and pouring the liquid down his throat.

The beverage was definitely alcoholic, that much Jason knew off the bat, considering the kick behind it. But it was mild enough to let a wave of spiced apples greet his taste buds. As the taste settled in, Jason removed the mug from his lips so that he could let air into his lungs. He licked his lips as a satisfied sound escaped the opening. Jason settled the mug on the table before turning to Berry Punch and smiling.

"Holy shit, that's good."

\\\\\\//////

Twilight eyed the small pool of water with a raised brow as she spoke to Apple Bloom.

"Is... that, your friend?" she asked.

"Uh, no, that's Zecora's brother, Rune."

"She has a brother?" Twilight asked, turning to the filly.

"We never asked 'bout him."

Twilight slowly nodded before changing the subject.

"So where's the friend that you mentioned?"

"He's in the hut. But, before ya see him, Ah've gotta tell ya what he looks like."

"Alright, I'm listening."

"Well, he's really tall, taller than Princess Celestia, actually. He's got no fur at all, an' his skin's all yellow an' green. His face is, kinda stuck in sort of a snarl, an' ya can see his teeth while he's not talkin'. Oh, Ah almost forgot ta tell ya his name!"

"What's his name, Apple Bloom?"

"Fawkes!" she added excitedly.

Twilight smiled at the exuberance that the filly showed while talking about her new friend before turning towards the direction of the hut.

"Well, let's not keep him waiting, right?"

Apple Bloom smiled widely and began to gallop down the path to the hut alongside Twilight.

\\\\\\//////

"So, where did you say you're from, again?"

Jason looked to his left to eye Spear, who proceeded to stick a straw in his mouth and sip away at his beverage. The others paused eating their meals and looked up to Jason. Star and Dusk had ordered some kind of sandwich with long strings of crisp grass and red sauces, while Broadsword, Spear, and Thorn were sharing a large plate of some kind of chips, covered in different shades of yellow... stuff. The Wanderer glanced down at his own plate of food, which consisted of two "burgers," the menu had called them, which reminded Jason of certain foods he had enjoyed back in Megaton, and "hay fries," which he found went well with the burgers.

"You mean where I'm from specifically, or the place that I earned my title?" he inquired.

"Why not both?" Broadsword asked. "We've got time before our next shift."

Jason sighed before he took a swig of the Apple Family Cider he had set aside and prepared to tell the tale of the Wasteland.

"I grew up... in what we called a 'Vault'. Vault 101, to be specific. They're shelters that were built a long time ago to protect people from bombs that some feared would be dropped over cities. Around 200 years ago, several nations went to war with each other, and it ended with everyone dropping powerful bombs on each other, killing everything that wasn't in a Vault, or mutating whatever survived to the point of being unrecognizable."

He stopped telling the story to see the general reactions from the group of Guards. Thorn was shaking in the corner of the booth behind Star, who was staring at Jason with wide eyes. Dusk was looking off to the side, while on the opposite end of the table, Spear was hanging his jaw rather low, and Broadsword was looking down towards the table.

"Want me to keep-"

"Why didn't Celestia stop them?" Broadsword asked.

"What?"

"You said that it happened 200 years ago," Broadsword stated while turning his head to look at Jason. "Why didn't the Princess intervene?"

"Because no one knew about these nations until I came here. They're beyond that forest that everyone seems to be afraid of."

"Really?" Spear asked. "I thought those were just deserts and wastelands."

"Well, that's what we call it now. The Wasteland."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dusk added.

"Well, I didn't see any of it until I left the Vault."

"Wait, you just said that they were safe, right? Why would you leave?"

"Because my father left the Vault, and the person in charge, the Overseer, wanted both of us dead."

And the damn of questions broke forth.

"Why would they want you both dead?"

"Why did your father leave?"

"Why would you try to go after him?"

"Why not negotiate with that 'Overseer'?"

"How do we even know if this is all real?"

"What direction is this 'Wasteland' actually in, beyond the Everfree?"

The questions all began to merge in Jason's ears as he shut his eyes and tried to ignore the assault on his hearing. Before it could escalate to the point where they were all yelling at him, Jason slammed a hoof onto the table before responding to all at once.

"JUST STOP! I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT FUCKING PLACE, ALRIGHT!?"

He glared at the rest of the Guards that were at the table and examined their stunned faces.

"Look, there's a damn good number of reasons for why I left. I don't want to be forced to focus on those horrible moments of my life, alright? All you need to know is that I made it out alive, and that . Can we please, please, focus on something that doesn't have to do with me, or where I came from?"

Jason relaxed into the seat of the booth as the others began to reel back from the shock. The silence was broken when Dusk spoke.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know it's this difficult for you."

The Wanderer looked up into her soft eyes and turned his head to see the rest of the group looking over apologetically at him. Jason sighed as he leaned onto the table.

"It's fine. I'm okay now."

Silence once again reigned before Spear broke it.

"So... anypony read up on that race in Trottingham?"

"Oh, you know it!" Dusk replied.

As the atmosphere began to shift back into a positive mood, Jason allowed a smile to keep itself on his face as he scarfed down the food provided to him by his new friends.

Author's Notes:

Sorry it's short, and also to say that I've got Trimester Finals, all this week and next.

But, the week after the next is Thanksgiving Break! I'll try to upload more chapters during my free time then, but for now, there may be quite a dry spell.

Also, if you want to, check out my new Destiny story: Cataclysm.

Anyways, see you next time!

Next Chapter: Fawkes finds a new friend.