(A quick note: for this chapter I’m experimenting there is a link in this chapter to some music, give me feedback on what you think, p.s have some earphones ready, love –PistolWhip)

Chapter 10: The Pony with the Harmonica 

The figure stood up again not sure how to react,"Fuck kid, you're lucky to be alive. What do you know about trouble before he became Trouble" He's been asking an awful lot about Trouble, Dawn thought to herself, more than any other pony.

“I don’t know his name, all I know is he was with the Death Dealers” Dawn explained.

“Almost every pony knows that. I know his name but truth be told, that pony is long dead, and Trouble is probably dead too.” The figure must have had bad history with Trouble..

“What do you mean?” the figure wasn’t making much sense.

“He was many things; a friend, a fair pony. But Trouble, the early days for Trouble were the worst trying to make a name for himself doing shit the raiders would deem sick.” The figure had remorse in his voice or maybe resentment Dawn couldn’t tell.

Dawn wanted to know how this figure knew so much about Trouble. But something else was eating at her “What’s your name?” the figure stopped pacing.

He took umbrage to this question as if she insulted him “None of your concern. Now what happened after Marizona Springs? You headed south Right?” The figure was looming over her trying to scare her or so she thought.

Yeah, south. Eventually, some bad things happened. We heard this story on the radio about this courier who was raising hell in the Ponave. Brought down two dozen raiders and blew the place sky high just to rescue some hostages. I thought there was actual good in the Ponave. Turns out he was a lone light.”

The figure took his seat once more and the story resumed.

Dawn awoke in the morning, her head feeling clearer than it's ever been for the last two days. She stretched vigorously, getting several cracks from her body before she laid out Bad News before her. Without the scope, it looked nothing more than a beefy assault rifle. The machine gun Trouble salvaged wasn't belt fed, instead it had a drum magazine with plenty enough bullets all the same. She counted two magazines left for each of her guns Bad News and Amigo.

She hoisted the machine gun onto her back. The thing was downright twice as heavy as Bad News, but she was able to manage the weight. When she wandered outside, the town was a dreadful sight. Ponies filtered through the ruins of their homes, searching for belongings that may have survived.

She spotted two fillies pulling at the blood spattered corpse of a mare. They were sisters, crying out for their momma as their father tried to pry them away from her body. Unable to stand seeing them like this, Dawn approached the father and handed them four bags of her pay, each pouch amounting a quarter of a thousand caps. But the further she went onwards she encountered more ponies pining over lost loved ones. She gave them what she could. One bag of her pay was more than enough to proved a months worth of food for a small family. By the time she gave another thousand caps to a mother and foal morning the loss of her husband and son, she was down to less than five thousand caps.But it felt wrong doing nothing.

Trouble appeared next to Dawn, "A wise pony once said, 'The best thing you can do is try and be victorious. The next best thing is go down in glorious defeat. And the worst thing a pony can do, is nothing at all." He smiled appreciatively at Dawn, making her feel a little better about that had transpired. No matter how dark the shroud is over Equestria, there's always a light penetrating the void.

In the centre of town the sheriff and his ponies were gearing up. Night Light and Razey casually chatting away, Night Light jumped to attention when she seen Trouble and Dawn approaching.

 “Sheriff Cedro and Razey gave us enough water to make it through the Ponave, but the Buck Himself and Mister Ponave are both reporting new threats.” She informed as she approached the two she pivoted when she meet them and she fell into formation with Dawn and Trouble weird considering they were heading in that direction anyway

.

"You sure these ponies can afford giving away water at this time?" considering the state of the whole town, Dawn was concerned that they may need it more than it they do.

"Dawn, why the buck do you think they call it Marizona Springs?" Night Light answered in a jovial tone. "There's a fresh spring not far from here, no point setting up a town that can't survive." Yeah, but  the town she grew up in calls itself Dry Town, the last thing Dawn would think they have is water which they didn’t. Not a very creative naming system in her opinion. and why let everypony know who have something they’re prepared to kill for?

The sheriff who was caught up in discussion with his remaining subordinates and sending ponies to help the wounded. Ofcourse no pony there had much medical aptitude except maybe Trouble or Night Light. Surely those rangers received something in the way of medical training.

The sheriff silenced the crowd and hired up the radio on a chunk of debris behind them he extended the aerial and the radio burst into life an elderly stallion with a suave and raspy voice came onto the radio.

 “Good morning Marizona! I’m the buck himself reporting in for a quick update, the town of Marizona Springs was hit hard yesterday by a band of purists. The whole town was levelled but they still managed to buck their germane asses back across the bridge, with the help of none other than get this, a Ranger, Trouble and The Eraser now isn’t that what you call a wasteland dream team? Also all outstanding bounties placed on Gunnery Sergeant Night Light of the Marizona Rangers are here by withdrawn And finally some darker news,” the pony on the radio let out a long exasperated sigh.

 “The town of VDNKh was reported to be hit by the Purists no word of yet how severe it was, but there are no refugees which means either it wasn’t so bad… or was really bad, now I’m leaving you with the music of Pinkie Floyd this is the buck himself signing off… Click”

Night Light pushed her way through the crowd to the sheriff pushing many ponies over furiously.

 “Sheriff! Why The Fuck didn’t you tell me?! You fucking Asshole!” she finally reached the sheriff forcing him back over the ruins of a building shaking him. Smashing him with a headbutt to the nose breaking it with a loud crunch.

 His subordinates went to restrain her she swung around unholstering her Valkyrie rifle jabbing the barrel in the face of the sheriff forcing it against his cheek “Why The Fuck Didn’t You Tell Me!? See Me Hang First Huh!? Nopony Make A Fucking Move!” Night Light now was a totally different pony. She was usually more level headed, more tactical.

 The subordinates tightening in a circle around her one swung at her with his hooves she pivoted around grabbed the oncoming blow. Threw him on top of the petrified sheriff and knocked his teeth out with 3 sharp blows to the face with the butt of her Valkyrie. Sending shards of teeth and blood pouring from his mouth as he lapsed into unconsciousness, Night Light’s fury emanating from her face as she mercilessly beat the subordinate after he was knocked out in her fit of rage.

The rest of the sheriff’s subordinates went to restrain her. Razey slowly backing away declaring neutrality from the whole ordeal, she was pulled backwards falling under a sea of bucks from the sheriff’s ponies in a malicious attempt to hold her down.

 She was kicking out frantically busting shins bruising ponies jaws letting out screams of rage. The subordinates barking out insults and orders to one another as two broke from the crowd to tend to the sheriff and the pony who she brutalised. there were a flurry of rifle butts and hooves smashing against her being which had disappeared into the sea of ponies but she was still conscious. Unfortunately for her.

The attack ceased with a loud bang. The sheriff and his ponies turned to face the direction of the blast, it was Trouble firing a double shot into the air with his revolvers. Every pony fell silent and dispersed from around Night Light showing a bloodied and bruised silver coated unicorn with a swollen face.

Night Light climbed off her side reclaimed her trampled Valkyrie she moved towards Trouble spitting the built up blood at the hooves of the sheriff’s ponies some snarling at her but not daring to try Trouble’s keenness when his weapons were drawn.

She fell in behind Trouble clutching at her ribs panting, blood slipping out from her lower lip Trouble spoke first addressing Night Light but not taking his eyes or guns for that matter off the sheriff Dawn has been all this time sheepishly disgruntled.

“Now, Ranger would you be so kind as to tell me why that had to happen?” he casually asked in a slightly snide manner feigning politeness in his voice.

Night Light continued the trend in which Trouble spoke in “Why good sir, that fine fellow of the peace a one sheriff Cedro failed to indulge me in the little detail that, my fucking home was attacked.” Anger rising in her voice on the last sentence.

Trouble put on a fake voice all this while and Night Light tried to as well Dawn could tell there was some social protocol being followed she didn’t quite understand. Trouble seemed all the more ridiculous with his feigned elitist voice while on his hind hooves and his war paint.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Now sheriff why would you go do a thing like that?” the sheriff chose to remain silent.

Night Light spoke now “This isn’t over Cedro we’ll meet again some day, til next time Eraser.” Razey nodded his head as Night Light turned and began to trot briskly away Trouble lowered his guns most of the crowd’s muscles relaxed from their tensed form scared rigid of Trouble.

 Dawn finally followed Night Light and finally Trouble joined them smiling at the sheriff as he holstered his majestic revolvers.

He let out a soft chuckle as he left town.

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The road ahead was derelict there was nothing for miles in front of them and only a smoking pile of ruins behind them.

Night Light since had refused one of Trouble’s healing potions but insisted on taking a large helping to his alcoholic brew. He said he couldn’t blame her Dawn was still curious as to why they’ve deviated from their designated route they were supposed to be headed south through the Ponave they were headed east from where the Angels attacked from up the steep hill Dawn felt it acceptable now to bring up the things befuddling her mind searching for clarity.

“Um, hey, Trouble?” she whispered out of earshot of Night Light who was falling behind

“Ah, kid wah?”

“Where are we going?” she felt like such an idiot for asking.

“VDKNh” he said it as if it were the capital of the world and it was obvious where they were going.

Weird name Dawn thought hard to pronounce Vadanke?

She pressed him further “How far away is Vandanke.”

Night Light answered her tone grim she could hear every word Dawn said embarrassingly “It’s pronounced Vid-De-en-Ka sped up, VDNKh, and its 4 hours from here give or take.” She didn’t sound all to pleased by it.

“Ranger we still need to have words about your behaviour of late.” Trouble reminded her in his business pony tone which he used also with the Good Pony.

Night Light grimly replied, “Oh, I know.” gently caressing her Valkyrie with an old cloth.

They eventually came to the top of the hill the unicorns manning the mortars corpses remained, stripped of any valuables their bodies in a neat little line at least the town’s ponies had the decency to close their eyes, what was left of them anyway. Dawn imagined Razey had to blow them out of their skulls. Dawn found it deeply disturbing to see an empty set of eye sockets level with you staring blankly at you, unnerving.

Up past the hill to the left of where they were was a small settlement sticking out from behind a mountain only the periphery of it was visible a few bright neon lights at the edge reading “VDNKh” Dawn couldn’t help but feel 4 hours was exaggerated.

“Seems quiet…” Trouble remarked, to few words for him.

“No travellers, no nothing, too quiet.” She still spoke in a grim melancholic tone.

Which was starting to eat at Dawn’s morale.

They walked in silence a sombre air about them no pony was really in the mood for idle banter there was a darkness above them one observation Dawn had made about out here was it was damn hot, everything was either burned or burning this sort of climate isn’t what she had come to expect outside the wall.

They’d reached level ground now Dawn seen the wispy air around them it was moving hard to describe, but the air in the distance and behind seemed as if you could just reach out and grab it.

In the distance a pony was spawned from the air, Dawn blinked in disbelief but now matter how many times she blinked the pony was still there out of focus but there.

Trouble spoke first and quite alarmed “Kid, you seeing this?” he was transfixed on the pony that was drawing closer whose eyes were averted to the ground.

Night Light froze completely and Dawn answered back.

“Trouble, who is that? Trouble?” Trouble had froze up as well licking his lips in thought. He turned his head to Dawn something about his eyes struck her hard, it was dread.

 Night Light’s eyes were drawn to the pony. She was wearing a blank look crossing her face. Trouble spoke up once more.

“Kid, A…” he moved up his pace Dawn followed suit Night Light still trailed behind slowly.

“A what? Trouble!? Who is that?” Dawn loudly hissed she was getting nervous, she never seen Trouble get nervous before he didn’t strike Dawn as the type being so came under pressure.

“Kid, keep calm and canter on…” he whispered back.

Dawn looked over her shoulder Night Light still moving at a snail’s pace transfixed on the pony. Dawn getting increasingly concerned over her companions sporadic and abnormal behaviour and even more frightened of what this pony on the road was.

Then finally the pony came into total focus a unicorn. A tan sandy coat with a long grey mane wearing tatty ripped rags for barding and adorning an old worn, ripped colourless cowpony with a horn sticking through it.

Most ponies dressed like that would seem pitiful. But there was something about a pony like this, maybe the way he carried himself she couldn’t nail it down.

Around his neck he wore a harmonica held on a piece of string fastened around his neck, worn and rusted but it only made him look even more odd, if a pony dressed and equipped so poorly as him was carrying around a harmonica on their neck no less, it gave the instrument a certain gravity.

And finally she spotted what she was looking for a gun it was a remorseful thing held like the harmonica, by a piece of string around his waist this time dangling loosely.

Dawn whispered one more time “Trouble, Night Light she’s,” she was struck hard by what came next paralysing her with dread.                                                                                   

An eerie tune blasted through her stunning her, her body locked frozen rigid with fear the pony was hovering a harmonica up to his mouth blowing gently and precisely into it producing an ungodly tune Trouble continued his stride Night Light was catching up now still transfixed and enthralled by this pony.

Dawn froze her breathing accelerated she couldn’t will her body into moving, all she could do was be held captive by the ghostly music. Trouble began to stumble flinging one hoof over the other so he rose onto his hindhooves where he blindly stumbled side to side Dawn’s right fore hoof began to shake violently she had regained control of her neck.

She peered down at her EFS. Trouble who was now practically dancing was flashing from Blue to Red to Blue to Red he ceased his flailing around with a cry shaking Dawn’s soul. He fell to his knees moaning, turning to face Dawn his EFS marker a solid red tick now, Dawn paralysed with fear tried to flee her body wouldn’t enable her with those rights she glanced at Trouble’s face, Sweet Celestia, he was shedding tears of blood he chuckled softly as blood ran from his eyes, bearing his teeth and on the last laugh a bubble of blood burst from his left nostril pouring down his face as he hit the road with a thump.

His tick flicking on and off now, from blue to non-existent to red to non-existent.

Night Light kept moving still towards the pony that was now staring into Dawn’s eyes she couldn’t see his eyes yet but Dawn was definitely the target, Night Light fell to the ground close to Trouble shielding her face with her hooves balling her eyes out in tired angry sobs calling out “Why?!? WHY!?”.

Dawn’s EFS marked her as Blue to Red.

Red to Blue she let out an inane cry and began to buck at Troubles lifeless body hitting the armor gently shifting him as she thrashed. She stopped and settled for tears hunched up on the ground.

The pony was in the 20-yard distance, 15, 10, 5 and then finally 1 Dawn’s limbs were bound to the earth beneath them by some unknown force a divine gravity the pony raised his head to hers the breath sailing though the harmonica that scared her stiff was wafted up her nostrils it smelled as what Trouble once described as death. She checked her EFS, it was blank. only the blinking of Trouble and Night Light’s distinct still tick there was nothing moving towards her.

The pony’s eyes were old, his face worn down ragged aged terribly by the desert, he had a scruffy beard grey like his mane and golden eyes, deep golden eyes that held within a compendium of hidden knowledge and fear instilling truths.

The pony stared into Dawn’s eyes, Dawn’s deep blue eyes unlike his, hers held fear pain long since passed but still at the fore front of her mind, naivety and misery a longing to be part of something bigger than her. more so than a longing a need an obsession for companionship.

He lowered the harmonica from his mouth the music echoed and whirred around her head he spoke with a chilling gravely voice that shot a tingling sensation down Dawn’s spine.

“You’ve got nothing to fear from death, she has mercy, fear the living they have lost theirs.”

With that he smiled. Something was worse about his smile than his music, it felt like when their trio were laughing at the ponies who wanted to turn Night Light in were killed that laughs that they shared over it.

 He moved in close to her face and planted his lips on hers sucking the lower one. no emotion in it just the cold in this burning hell.

 his tongue crept into her mouth, it was disgusting slimy icy cold hers pressed hard against the bottom of her mouth rigid with fear but slowly as the pony filled himself with feeling coming from a different source he was merely a medium.

 Her fear dissipated she found herself kissing him back but not him something that was above him. she didn’t enjoy him though she took pleasure from what was being conducted through him.  his slimy saliva mixing with hers, she couldn’t tell if it was a mind game, she didn’t know if it were real but if it didn’t feel good it felt right.

 She found peace with this mysterious, terrifying pony he understood her, what was coming through him understood even better. she felt something inside her head now something new, an idea not quite an idea but something new a craving, a need.

The pony with the harmonica broke their embrace his milky green saliva and Dawn’s clear saliva dripping from his mouth fused together.

His smile dropped, he tapped her on the horn with his, a dark and white tendril of magic escaped his horn and slipped into her.

Dawn’s body tensed to the point of pain she let out a cry of agony her body contracted and shrank into the foetal position.

Her body fell over onto the road the pony with the harmonica moved on.

 the sand starting to kick up around the fallen trio with a strong gust sailing over them carrying the weight of the desert with it.

 the last thing Dawn remembers before passing out was that haunting tune, it lost it’s paralysis effect now though, her body relaxed her vision dimmed and finally Blackness even then the music echoed out it’s eeriness throughout the desert she pitied the next band of ponies that encountered him.  

And envied that they get to experience the privilege of the message he brings, even if they don’t understand it. she did he passed it to her and she intended to spread it’s eerie truth death may seem to be a dark mistress but she is a tender one.

Footnote:

Quest Perk: Death’s Embrace – You were paid a flying visit, by an emissary of death his lady took favour in you now all attacks deal 10% more damage

New Spell: Death’s Dowry – Death has fallen for you, she’s seen your pain through her emissary’s eyes now she’ll let you see through her eyes, all the secrets and miseries of the world are yours, if you choose to claim them.

Be warned death isn’t pretty.

Special Thanks to Dinawartotem(Damhoof) and Agent Kiosce