I opened the door and peeked inside. "H-hello?"

There was no answer, though I could hear the clanging of utensils in the kitchen. I snuck inside, putting my bag on the floor by the door. I quietly crept across the living room. I was almost halfway to my bedroom when I heard a voice.

"Hi, swee-"

I jumped in the air with a loud 'eep', and spun to face mom. I cringed, my ears going completely flat against my skull and my tail going even further between my legs as my face turned bright red. Mom stood there behind the kitchen counter, staring at me in mild shock and confusion.

“-tie... are you okay?”

I nodded frantically.

She regarded me for a moment, but eventually gave me a warm smile. “Look, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here, okay?”

I nodded again, and backed away slightly, my face still burning. She went over to the couch and sat down, picking up an old book. I swallowed, and just stood there for a while, due to a combination of nervousness and embarrassment.

I eventually managed to make myself go and sit on the opposite end of the couch. “You... you’re not... mad at me?”

Mom looked up and blinked her hazel eyes at me. “What? Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because... I was...” My face returned to a bright shade of red.

“Oh! Oh, no. I’m not mad about that at all.”

“But you looked...” I swallowed.

Mom laughed and pulled me into a hug. “Sweetie, it’s okay. I was just surprised. You’re...”

She sighed. “Growing up. Besides, it’s perfectly normal for a filly your age. I did stuff like that too.”

I looked up at her in surprise. “Y-you did?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I actually should have been expecting this, especially since this is the first time you’ve ever been in heat.”

I shrunk down again. “I am? Is that bad?”

Mom blinked at me. “They haven’t taught you any of this in cl- nevermind, of course not. Your teacher’s kind of an idiot.”

I giggled a bit.

“Anyway, no. It’s not bad at all. You might find it uncomfortable, but it’s not bad.” She rubbed my back. “Although... We might need to get you some deodorant. You... eh...”

She gave me another apologetic smile. “You smell pretty strong.”

My face turned red again. Seeing this, mom gave me another hug. “Its okay, sweetie. Like I said, it’s normal. You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

“Is... is that why you get really mad every year?” I asked.

She chuckled nervously. “Aheh... yes, but that’s because I, personally, hate being in heat. It’s mostly the mood swings, but my tail always seems to get a mind of its own.”

Seeing my scared expression, she smiled again. “That’s just me, though. Some mares actually like being in heat. Either way, it’s something you get used to.”

She gave me a kiss on the base of my horn. “Now, I have a very important bit of advice for you. It’s something that my mom told me when I was your age, that her mom told her, and that every other mother tells her daughters around the world.”

I stared up at her. “What is it?”

“Don’t ever drink alcohol when you’re in heat. Ever. I can’t emphasize this enough. It is a bad idea. I tried it once and I’m still embarrassed about it.”

My eyes widened. “Wh-wh-why?”

“Just trust me on this.” She kissed me again. “And don’t do drugs either. Then again, drugs are a bad idea anyway, so just don’t do them at all.”

I nodded, and nuzzled into mom’s chest again. “I won’t, mom. I promise.”

She hugged me once more. “Just one more thing, though, sweetie... Lock the door next time?”

~~~~

"Dead end." Slam!

"Same here." Click.

"Nothin'." Wham!

"Nada." Click.

"Grrr. Zilch!" Thud.

"Heh, I knew a zebra named Zilch. He didn't do much."

I snorted a laugh. "Och, shut up."

I opened yet another door. "Gaaagh! Nothin'! Alright , it's got tae be oan a higher floor. The pipbuck says we've passed it."

"Oh goddess... now we have to go back just for some stairs?" Raid let out an irritated laugh as he limped his way to the next door. "This day keeps getting better."

"At least ye dunnae have tae carry me around." I rubbed a still-shaky leg.

"Oh, that wasn't so bad." He said simply.

My face reddened. "Ahehehe... let's get goin'?"

“Right. Stairs that-a-way.” He smirked as he started back the way we’d come, with me close behind.

”Oooh, just look at that ass.”

My face went red as I snarled as quietly as I could. "Will ye just shut th’ fuck up already?”

“But why? It’s so much fun to see you embarassed by your own thoughts.”

”They’re nae mah thoughts, it’s ye whisperin’ in mah damned ears. Shut up.”

“So... uh... what...” Raid coughed into a wing. “ Sorry if it’s a bit rude, but I’m curious. What exactly is your mark for?”

”Goddesses, one minute yer tryin’ tae make meh miserable, th’ next yer just sayin’ stupid crap. What’s with ye?”

“Knives?”

She growled. ”I hate you. I want to do anything in my power to mess you up. How’s that?”

“Uh... Knives? Are you okay?”

”Just fuck off and leave meh alone!”

“Knives?”

“Huh? Wha?” I blinked at Raid. “Sorry, Ah guess Ah kinda got... uh... lost in thought.”

”Hmmph.”

“Well... I asked what your mark is for...” He scratched the back of his head. “Not to be rude, or anything.”

“Och... Makin’ things out ay th’ bare minimum and/or scraps.” I smiled proudly. “Cookin’, fixin’, if it can be made, Ah can eventually figure out how tae fix it or make it from practically nothin'"

He chuckled and quirked an eyebrow. “That’s probably one of the best skills you can have in the wasteland.”

I thought for a moment. “Aye. It would be, wouldn’t it. Ah could probably make quite a few bits off it too...”

"Wouldn't be that hard. Especially with all the pre-war tech around Canterbury."

"Gae left." I said.

"So how'd you get it?"

"Ah'd been workin' oan a jukebox fer a while. When Ah finally finished it, mah cutie mark appeared." I sighed happily. "Ah didnae realize Ah could cook too until Ah actually tried it. What about ye?"

"Eh... it's a bit weird. There was this filly I liked when I was eight. We were pretending we were dating. Heh. All we really knew about romance was that a stallion gives the mare a backrub." He chuckled. "I was good at it."

I laughed.

"Yeah. Mine isn't quite so useful out here." He frowned. "I’m just lucky that the Lover’s Guild extends into Dream Valley."

"There’s a ‘Lover’s Guild’? Are ye kiddin’ meh?" I asked incredulously. "Turn right."

"Yeah. It's... a..." His eye twitched and his voice dropped to a whisper as he slowly stepped backwards. "A bunch of Bone Eaters at the end of the hallway."

I peeked around the corner. Indeed, there was a small number of irritated-looking and well-armed ponies and zebras at the far end of the corridor, all pointing weapons at a nearby door and shouting at each other. "This is annoyin'."

"They haven't noticed us yet, though. At least that's something." Raid poked his head out, and quickly pulled it back in. "I can't hear what they're- waitaminnit..."

He looked again, and a mischievous grin spread across his face as he turned back to me. "I found my jacket."

I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I'm going to see if I can get in closer." With a flap of his wings, he shot into the next closest room.

"Wha- Raid!" I hissed. "Get back here!"

He kept on going down the hallway, ducking inside of each room.

Cursing under my breath, I followed him, throwing nervous glances towards the slavers as I moved. It was sheer luck they didn't notice me.

I glared at Raid. "Th' hell are ye thinkin'?"

"Listen." He pointed towards the group. With an irritated growl, I did as he asked.

"... in there?"

There were five of them. A unicorn stallion in a familiar jacket, two zonys, and two zebras.

"No. They suddenly ran off because of our immense skill." The zony buck at the door snapped. “Of course they’re still fucking in there.”

“Oh fuck you. I still think we should just block the door and ditch this place.” The unicorn snorted.

The zebra in the corner yawned. “I don’t even wanna be here.”

“Shut up fat-ass.” One of the zonys hissed as she cleaned her shotgun.

The zebra snarled. “I’M NOT FAT! I’m pregnant you goddess-damned bitch.”

“Calm down, Vill.” The other zebra said with a faint smile. “You’ll just wear yourself out.”

The buck at the door snorted. “Oh, look who’s all zen and stuff.”

He turned and glared at the zony. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to my friend like that.”

“I think we should just use fat-ass as a battering ram.” The zony mare giggled. “Put all her extra weight to good use.”

“Hey, at least I can actually have foals.” Vill snorted.

The mare’s jaw worked as she tried to figure out a suitable comeback. My own jaw just dropped.

”Awww, did she remind you about something sad?”

“Woah, that was uncalled for.” Said the zony buck.

Raid looked at me with his brow furrowed. "Knives? Are you okay?"

My ears were flat against my skull, and I felt like I was on the verge of tears, but I nodded anyway. "Aye. Just a sore topic."

“And using me as a battering ram isn’t? Fuck you, Mine.” She huffed.

"You don't even know what that means do you? I'll bet you didn't even know how you got pregnant until someone told you." The zony mare snarled.

Vill opened her mouth. She closed it. She opened it again... and closed it. Her face turned red. "Shut up."

"I fucking knew it. You're such a dumbass." The zony snorted. "What are you, fourteen? And you don't know this shit?"

"Shut up!" Vill said indignantly.She dropped to her haunches, rubbing her belly and wincing. “Fuck my stomach hurts.”

“It’s ‘cuz you sit in bed eating crap all day.” Said Mine.

"Hey, I'm fuckin' hungry all the time now. Gimme a break." She harrumphed. "Not that either of you would know."

I bit my lip.

"Oh come on, now you're just trying to piss me off!" The zony mare screamed.

The unicorn stomped on the floor. “Hey! Hallway is blockaded, remember? Maybe you should try and break it open?"

"Calm down, Crane. I'm working on it."

Mine returned to fiddling with the door, while the mare glared at Vill, who continued to rub her stomach.

"Knives, are you sure you're okay?" Raid whispered, a comforting hoof on my shoulder.

"Aye. Ah'll be fine." I sniffled a bit, and wiped my eyes with a fetlock. "Ah dunnae want tae talk about it right now."

He patted me on the shoulder in a comforting way. It was surprisingly effective, and I couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Okay... you were right, Crane. We should just blow this damn thing open." Mine sighed.

The unicorn's eye twitched violently. "Just fucking do it!"

"Alright, don't get your armor all bunched up."

Vill yawned again, but stopped midway. I quirked an eyebrow. She held that position for a while, until I realized that she was looking directly at me, her eyes slowly widening.

"Spy!" She yelped, as she scrambled through her saddlebags. "Its a spy!"

The other Bone Eaters whipped their weapons out, and pointed them towards us. Vill continued to search her bags.

"Alright, out." Crane growled. "Now. We've got plenty of grenades over here, and we will use them."

I swore and stepped into the corridor. "Alright, ye got meh."

The zebra stallion rolled his eyes. "Great. A Grey Islander."

"What the hell?" Crane said. "You're that mare I brought in yesterday."

"Ach. Ah thought that was you." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Mah horn hurt like hell after that."

He growled. "I threw your feathery friend to the pits, you know."

I smirked. "Did ye now?"

He snarled. "Mine, get the door ready."

"Right." The zebra buck nodded, and started pulling grenades out of his armor pockets and wedging them under the door.

Crane stood there, glaring at me as his comrades relaxed, apart from Vill, who finally fished an SMG from her bag with an embarrassed look.

"Yer wearin' mah friend's jacket." I said simply.

"Yeah. I like it." Crane smirked. "Think I'll keep it."

I took one of mine's grenades in my magic and punted it into Crane's head. The unicorn turned and growled at the zebra. I punted the grenade back at him.

I pulled the pin and threw it down the hall.

"What the fuck wa-" Crane's voice was drowned out by the explosion, and the sprinklers going off.

Before I could even blink, Raid flew down the corridor and slammed into Crane.

The zony mare tried, and failed, to hit the pegasus with her shotgun, only succeeding in making large holes in the ceiling. The zebra stallion turned the assault rifle in his battle saddle on me.

I yelped and zipped back into the room I'd hidden in before.

All the while, Vill was screaming in terror and cowering in her corner.

A grenade bounced into the room. I dove behind a desk and punted the metal ball as far away as I could. It hit the other side of the room and exploded, the blast slamming the desk against the wall, pinning me.

With a grunt of effort I shoved the desk off me, and yelped as the zebra stallion charged in, leapt over the desk, and headbutted me back into the wall. I let out a squeaking noise as the air was knocked out of my lungs.

I flailed my forelegs and managed to drive a hoof into his eye, causing him to back off me and stumbled for a moment. Just long enough for me to catch my breath...

Only to have it have it knocked out again when Mine slammed into me.

I was starting to feel light-headed. Water was dripping into my eyes.

A hoof smashed into my face, and I felt something move in ways it wasn't supposed to. I would have screamed if I had any breath. The zony pointed a laser pistol into my face.

I flinched.

He was thrown off me when Raid fired a shotgun into his face.

Half of his visage now missing, the zony took to writhing on the ground and screaming.

The zebra chomped down on the firing bit, and his twin rifles opened up, only to be interrupted by another shotgun blast from Raid.

The zebra was thrown onto his back, and before he could recover, Raid pointed the shotgun into his gut and fired. The zony received the same treatment.

I gasped and coughed as I finally managed to catch my breath again and pull myself to my hooves. I spat out some blood, and gingerly touched my nose.

Raid gave me a few thumps on the back as I kept coughing. "You alright?"

I nodded. "Aye. Just a broken nose, Ah think. Ye get yer jacket?"

He smirked."Yeah. It'll regenerate in a minute. Fuckwit blew himself up on those grenades."

"Well..." I smiled. "Ah dunnae trust this. Too easy."

"Well, I'm fairly certain I re-broke my leg." He said, swaying slightly and staring at the appendage in question. "But other than that and a few bruises, I'm fine."

I blinked at him. "Yer... awfully calm fer somepony with a broken leg."

He frowned. "The med-x helps a lot. Makes me dizzy as hell, though. Actually... that might have a slight concussion."

“Uh... dae ye want anythin’?”

“Meh. I’ll just fly.” He sighed. “Until my leg heals. Come on. Let’s drag ‘em into the other room.”

I nodded, and grunted as the injured pegasus lifted one of the corpses onto my back, and dragged the other one just behind me..

I groaned as I dropped the dead zebra and stretched, feeling an ache in my back from being slammed against the wall. I glanced at the new exit made by Miner's grenades and at the water pooling on the floor. Something moved in the corner of my eye. There waswas a striped, wide-eyed face staring back at me from the corner.

“Och, yer still here?” I quirked an eyebrow.

The zebra screamed and fired her SMG wildly, bullets flying all across the room, one hitting my ear and making me scream in pain. Raid knocked me to the ground until the gunshots were replaced with clicking sounds.

“Gaaaagh! What th’ fuck?” I roared, holding a hoof over my bleeding right ear. “Why did ye dae that?”

“Don’t kill mee-hee-hee!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to back even further into the corner. “I’m sorry!”

I released my ear so Raid could pour a healing potion onto it. My hoof was completely covered in blood. I suddenly wanted a mirror so I could look at the damage.

“I don’t wanna die!” The young mare continued, quivering in terror now that she couldn’t back up any further. “Please just let me gooo-ho-ho-hooo!”

Raid offered me the rest of the bottle. “Did she hit you anywhere else?”

I shook my head, and he put the potion back. “Nae. Just that ear. The rest ay me is fine.”

Raid turned to the crying zebra, a mix of confusion and irritation on his face. “Why the hell are you still here? I expected you to make a run for it with how much you were screaming.”

She just continued to sob, her pleas changing into quiet wimpers.

“Maybe she just got scared?” I whispered.

“That’s why I thought she would run.” The ultramarine buck replied.

“What should we dae with her?” I asked.

“Well, I’m not killing a pregnant mare.” He said. “But she’s still a Bone Eater, so I really don’t want to leave her where she can go and get help.”

I sighed. “Let me guess, we’re gettin’ a travelin’ companion?”

“Yup.”

“Can’t we just- Oh fer th’ love ay Celestia, shut up! We’re nae goin’ tae kill ye.” I groaned.

The zebra sniffled again. “Y-you’re n-n-not?”

“Nae.” I snorted. “And ye better love that foal in yer gut, ‘cuz it’s probably th’ only reason yer still alive right now.”

Raid gave me a confused look.

“Aam bitter about that particular topic, alright.” I growled. “Leave me alone.”

He winced. “Sorry.”

"We could just tie her up." I continued.

"We don't have anything to do it with." Raid shrugged.

I sighed, and turned to the young zebra. "Hey!"

The mare jumped. "H-huh?!

"Yer name's Vill, right?"

"Y-y-yeah."

"How old are ye?"

She swallowed. "Fifteen?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Awful young tae be gettin' knocked up isn't it?"

"H-hey! I'm not that young!" She whined.

"We're takin' ye with us, apparently." I sighed.

"Oh... uh... okay." The pregnant zebra massaged her bulging stomach again, apparently relaxing now that she felt safer. "I guess that's fine..."

Raid gave her a confused look. "What, no argument? You're not even going to ask why?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "This place sucks. Nobody ever lets me do anything. Especially after... uh... this happened."

She poked her belly and sighed. "Now everyone just calls me stupid."

"Och. Yer life sounds sae difficult." The sarcasm in my voice was almost tangible. "Ye went and did somethin' stupid. Suck it up."

She sighed. "Whatever. Are we gonna go?"

I frowned and muttered to myself as I stormed through the hole where the door used to be, sending water up in the air with every step. Raid following closely and Vill trudging along a short distance away.

“Knives, is something wrong?” The pegasus whispered.

“She just pisses meh off. Ye dunnae have tae worry about it.” I grumbled.

“Is... eh... is it about the... ‘not having foals’ thing?” He asked.

I shot him a death-glare. “Yes.”

He withered as I glared at him, chuckling nervously and backing off a few steps.

With a snort, I continued on through the gradually flooding corridor.

”Oh look, little miss Knives is bitter about something.”

“Fuck ye. Dunnae speak.” I snarled under my breath. “Just stay quiet and keep in th’ back ay mah head where ye belong.”

”Oh, real scary. What are you going to do, huh?”

“Ah’ll think ay somethin’.”

“Did you say something?” Asked the pegasus.

“Nae. Why’s all this water still here? Shouldn’t it have gone down by nao?” I pointed to a nearby sprinkler.

“Not really.” Vill said.

Upon seeing that were were both looking at her, she shrank into herself. “I-I mean, we’re right above the wet levels s-so it’s... Sorry...”

“I doubt the flooded levels have anything to do with it.” Raid said. “That was fairly clever, though.”

The young mare smiled. “R-really?”

I quirked an eyebrow at the stallion. “Really?”

He shrugged. “She already seems smart than most of the slavers I’ve met.”

The zebra’s smile grew wider. Then she blushed. “Um... could... could we stop off at a bathroom? I... kinda need to pee.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled out the pipbuck. “There’s one near th’ elevator.”

“What? Oh, come on! I really have to go. Isn’t there one closer?” She whined.

“Nae.” I said after a moment of flicking through the map. “Sorry.”

She moaned. “I hate being pregnant.”

I growled.

The young mare let out a sigh. “I guess I can hold it.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like you’ll explode.” Raid laughed.

“I sure feel like I am.” She groaned as she rubbed her belly. “And the foal keeps kicking me in the stomach.”

I growled again.

~~~

We kept on for a while, me occasionally checking the map to see if we were on track.

Even more often, Vill would groan and complain about something. Every time, my eye would twitch.

“My fetlocks hurt.” She moaned.

Twitch.

“My stomach hurts.”

Twitch-a-twitch.

“I... uh... still need to pee.”

Twitch-twitch.

Raid gave me a concerned look. I tried to focus on anything other than the sound of the young mare’s voice.

“Ow! Stop that!” She yelled at her stomach.

I pulled the map out again and searched it desperately. My eyes lit up and I let out a happy squeal. “Oh look! There’s a bathroom on the next intersection!”

“Oh, thank Celestia!” Vill sighed.

“Tell ye what, ye’ve been sae good about this, that we’re goin’ tae let ye head off oan yer own.” I said through clenched teeth. “Dunnae worry, we’ll wait fer ye.”

“Uh... thanks?” She smiled. “I’ll... I’ll be right back, I guess.”

With that she splashed through the flooded hallways.

I sighed.

“Is she really annoying you that much?”

I turned and grabbed Raid by the neck. “WHY ARE WE BRINGIN’ HER WITH US?”

“Gaaagh! I’m sorry! I just can’t bear to leave foals on their own!”

“She’s nae a foal, she’s fifteen!”

“She’s pregnant! As far as I’m concerned, that counts.”

“She’s drivin’ me fuckin’ crazy!” I snarled.

“Look, I’m sorry she’s whiny, but can you just bear with it?”

“Ah’ve been bearin’ with it fer the PAST HALF-HOUR!”

“It’s not like we’re going to keep her or anything. I just wanna make sure she gets someplace safe.” He said.

“Why dae ye even care? She’s a fuckin’ slaver!”

“But her foal isn’t.” He sighed, and rubbed a hoof across his face. “Look, I have to go by what I feel is right, okay? I’m sorry she’s annoying you, but I just couldn’t forgive myself if I let a young mare with a foal get screwed over by some petty shithead slaver who wanted... whatever it is that slavers want. I just couldn’t.”

My eye twitched as I struggled to come up with a response. Eventually, I just growled and let him go. “Fine. Ye owe meh fer this.”

“Thank you.” He said. “That’s all I wanted. Honestly, she’s getting on my nerves too. Oh, she’s coming back.”

“Oh joy. How convenient.” I grumbled.

”Poor little Knives. Jealous of the pregnant mare.”

My eye twitched again.

The young mare smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for waiting.”

Raid waved a hoof. “No problem. Let’s get going.”

“So... uh... you guys aren’t actually slaves, right?” She asked. “I mean... you broke in?”

“Yeah. We were trying to get somepony who you guys caught.” Raid said. “We... didn’t exactly plan things very well.”

“So... so that m-ow! Again? Ugh, why do you keep kicking me there?” She moaned.

Twitch-a-twitch.

”Aww, how cute. The foal’s kicking.”

I just need to stay calm.

“Have you tried poking yourself?” Raid suggested.

“Huh?”

“One of my friends did it whenever her foal was in a weird spot. Always seemed to work for her.”

“Oh... no. It never moves where I want it too.” She groaned again. “It always kicks me in the ribs.”

I tried to distract myself. “Ye dunnae know if it’s a colt or a filly?”

She blinked at me. “Uh... no? I can’t see through my own skin, duh.”

“I don’t think they have medical imaging equipment.” Raid mused.

“What’s that mean?” She asked.

“Sae, what about th’ father.” I asked before Raid could respond.

She stopped. “Uh... well... what about him?”

“Just wonderin’ who he is.”

“Can... we not talk about it? I... Sorry...”

I rolled my eyes and continued on again.

I reveled in the awkward silence, glad to not have to listen to her endless whining.

Just listening to the sprinklers pour out their water, with nopony to turn them off. Our hoofsteps splashing in the water, now up to the tops of our hooves.

“Hey... um... Mr. Pegasus? You’re... uh.. you’re dripping orange all over the floor. Are... are you okay?”

“Dri- ah, shit.” He turned and looked at his jacket, which now had large peach-colored splotches on it. “My mane dye is leaking. I didn’t even know that could happen.”

“Dae ye really need tae dye it?” I asked, leaning against the wall and glaring down the corridor.

He frowned at me. “If I don’t want ponies staring, yes. Also, I have a very... distinctive mane. I’d rather not have Spectrum finding me because of it.”

I snorted. “What’s sae distinctive about it?”

“Uh... Can we talk about this later?” He scratched the back of his head nervously, coloring his hoof peach.

I glanced at him, and returned to glaring at the walls.

My eyes widened and I looked again. Rivulets of peach were dripping off his mane, leaving behind streaks of its true color. “Eh... Nae, really, nae...”

He blinked at me. “What?”

My eyebrow raised as I continued to stare at him. “Ah can see why ye’d need tae hide that...”

He blinked again, pulled a lock of his mane in front of his eyes, and groaned. “Oh, for the love of... Come on! This is what I get for using two-hundred year old dyes.”

“That looks kinda cool...” Vill said.

“Sae... Ah guess Ah should ask th’ obvious question nao...”

He sighed. “Guess I’ll have to answer. Ask away, oh questioner of things.”

I cleared my throat. “Raid... Why is yer mane rainbow-colored?”

~~~~

Xixixix couldn't help but smirk as he watched the pink mare's backside sway back and forth.

"Shame she's so fucking nuts." He chuckled under his breath.

"Green?" Wretch called. "Green?"

"I did say you shouldn't have-"

"I didn't ask you." She said with a quick glare. "Green?"

The zebra quirked an eyebrow. "Isn't that her over there?"

"Huh?" Wretch turn to see him pointing at a small group of ponies surrounding a prairie schooner, the verdant pegasus being among them, rummaging through the assortment in junk in the back of the cart. "Green!"

The filly looked up and waved at the pony and the zebra with a wing, a smile on her face. "Hi Wretch!"

"We've been looking for you. I finally found what I've been looking for." Wretch smiled back.

Xixixix smirked. "Correction: you found the way to find-"

"Stop talking." The unicorn growled, keeping her smile on.

The zebra rolled his eyes.

Green frowned. "Are... are you okay, Wretch?"

"I'm fine. I just... saw some..." The made shuddered.

"I told you there was nasty stuff in there."

"So, what've you been up to?" The pink mare asked.

“Uh... I saved Barkeep from a crazy pony, and then I met his mom and dad...” The filly scratched her mane nervously. “And now Mr. Amaretto’s letting me look through the... uh...”

“Inventory.” A brown unicorn mare popped her head around the canvas wall. “So you’re Wretch?”

The other unicorn nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for watching Green.”

“It’s nothing. She’s a nice filly.” She smiled at Green, who blushed. “I’m glad I met her, actually.”

“So, you saved someone, eh?” Xixixix grinned. “Was it a marvelous adventure rife with danger and Prench onion dip?”

Green blinked in confusion. “Uhhh... I... saw him running away from somepony and I helped him get away.”

“Yeah! It was really cool! She just picked me up and zoomed away!” Six cheered. "And I knocked stuff over."

The zebra grinned wider. "I like him. He tells it better."

Six beamed at him.

"We really do appreciate what she did." Barkeep hopped off the wagon. "I'd... rather not think what would've happened if she didn't."

"Good thing I sent her out then." Wretch said.

"Hey, if you need help, I think we can manage." Xixixix ignored the death-glare he received from Wretch. "You said someone was after you?"

Barkeep blinked. "Uh... yeah?"

"Well, what can you tell us?" He smirked as he saw Wretch out of the corner of his eye, clenching her teeth so hard he thought they might break.

----

Footnote 1: Diamond Knives
Exp: 25%

~~~

Footnote 2: Zeed Kazdri
EXP: ???%

~~~

Footnote 3: Raid (???)
Level up! (13)

Speech: 96

Intense training: +1 Charisma

`

To-Do List:

Active Quest:

Raftwater.:

-Get your shit and get out

Other quests:

O’ Father, Where Art Thou?:

Infiltrate or assault the Bone Eaters’ base near Bladesville.

-Escape Raftwater.

Sifting Through The Dust:

1) Find information on the location of Ashes.

2) Find information on the location of Obsidian Knives

3)Find information on the location of Nezan Kazdri

Author's Notes:

Well, better late than never, right? I should have gotten this out on Monday. Stupid life. Why do i even need you?

Hmmph.

Thank you Kkat, for this sandbox I'm ruthlessly ruining with stuff.

Muahaha, fear me.