.:+:.

The utterly shocked faces awaiting me on the other side made my smirk grow a little bit more, Cream and Whiskey whipped around to face me, the head of the gray buck snapped up as he sat, leaning against the back wall just across from me, the colt had been sitting next to the doorway and he jumped back at my sudden appearance, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

“F-Flash…?” Cream stammered, her pink eyes wider than I had ever seen them, mouth slightly agape,

“….. You look….. ok?!” The colt mumbled, I glanced sideways at him and gave him an amused grin.

“Considering you shot me up with a bunch of drugs, I’d say so.” I murmured, tone teasing as his eyes fell and he shuffled his hooves. I stepped toward him and wrapped a hoof about his neck, taking a seat and pulling him into me. “Ah, don’t sweat it Kid, I don’t tend to hold grudges for very long… and besides, I’d of died at the Clinic if you hadn’t done just that.” I rubbed my hoof through his mane a little and messed it up, his eyes shifted up toward me, looking astounded. “We’re even.” He nodded a little and I let him go, waving a wing at everyone else who had yet to do anything. “What? Not happy to see me?”

I hissed in pain as Cream suddenly threw herself at me, much in the way Zero had, and again I wasn’t ready for it. She was small compared to me, but it still hurt and she managed to knock me onto my back, my wings flared up in a flurry of feathers as she slammed her hooves against my chest and glared at me, she wasn’t hitting me hard enough to actually hurt, but I was still sore and I winced a bit every time though she didn’t seem to notice.

“You dumb, stupid, idiotic, Pegasus!” She snapped, “What the hell were you thinking?! Goin’ after those things with nothing but yer hooves and a shotgun?! Do you know how freakin’ worried we were?! And you just stroll in here like nothin’ happened! STUPID STUPID STUPID!” She stopped pounding my chest with her hooves, her eyes sparkling with a mingled amount of emotion ranging from happiness, anger, stress, shock and relief. Her hooves moved to hold either side of my face, her muzzle inches from mine as her eyes suddenly sparkled with wet. “…. I could kiss you right now.” My eyes widened and I chuckled a little nervously, OK! Waaaay too blunt!

“Woah...wait a minute.. I-I don’t swing that way, Cream…” She shook her head at me and patted her hooves against my cheeks,

“Shut up. Just… don’t go dyin’ again any time soon, alright?” She mumbled, earning a blink from me and a small nod. I was slightly surprised at how upset she seemed to be, I had only known her for a few hours before everything went to hell, I hardly knew her at all…. This was the same mare I had yelled at, the one who had tried to shoot me, the one who had told me I was an idiot… that I was… cold….

‘Don’t think so lowly of yourself Flashy, you’re the best pony I know.’ The Little Me murmured in the back of my mind, mentally I smiled a little, but I couldn’t believe her so easily.

….. any way, Cream seemed so truly distressed with what happened. Why would she be? We weren’t friends, we were hardly acquaintances…. I couldn’t understand it, it perplexed me, and somewhere in my chest…. I felt a small twinge. I was a little… flustered by how much she seemed to have cared for me in the short time we’d been together, I didn’t know how to react to that…. So I pushed it away for now, best not to think on it too much.

“Trust me, I don’t plan on doing that…” I murmured and she nodded once, before slowly climbing off of me and extending a hoof to help me up, I took her hoof in mine and she pulled me to my hooves, her lips pulled into a soft smile before she backed off and her presence before me was immediately replaced by the form of Whiskey Shot. His teal eyes met my red ones as he stared at me with that utterly neutral stare he was so good at wearing. I blinked a few times as we fell into silence, neither of us looking away, his lips pulled into a tight line, his eyes glittering with emotion I just couldn’t place. “What? You mad?”

Whiskey just looked at me, his expression so unreadable, so stoic…. I didn’t get it. I had expected… well, what Cream did, from him. Whiskey was clearly convinced that I was one of the dumbest ponies around, and that was fairly true in all honesty, so I expected him to be furious, to be yelling and telling me I was so stupid for going around and slamming my hooves into those freak Unicorns (The Pures apparently). I expected him to be just plain angry, to insult me, anything really- and yet here we were again, with the stoic expression and unreadable face…… sweet goddesses, that was annoying.

What was he thinking? I really wanted to know, was he angry and just muffling it? Was he annoyed? ……. Cream said he had been pacing for five days, so he was clearly worked up, about the Pures… and maybe me?

…. No, he couldn’t really give a damn about me, other than wanting to get into Arabino. That was all I was to him, a freaking key.

Whiskey blinked once, running a hoof through his messy mane, there was blood staining his hooves, probably my blood, his eyes were tired, coat messy and covered in grime, barding scuffed, he wasn’t wearing his hat, it was somewhere around here I’m sure. He shook his head a little and smirked slightly to himself almost,

“Only a little.”

.:+:.

“It’s Rocky right?” I asked, settling down next to the older buck we had run into in the MOP Clinic, Cream and Whiskey trotted outside, the two of them settled into conversation- to me it sounded like Cream was discussing what was gonna happen next with my Merc Companion, I moved across with the colt behind me, stopping in front of the older buck. He was dressed in a plain light barding, a dirty collared shirt tucked under the leather overcoat, his black hair chopped off and messy- I assumed he was Rocky, since his Cutie Mark was a boulder getting split apart by a pickaxe. He nodded to me a little, deep blue eyes meeting my own red ones,

“Rocky Splitz. Good ta finally make yer acquaintance…. Since yer awake now an’ all.” He nodded to me, having that same country drawl that both Whiskey and Cream had. He stretched out a hoof, giving me a small, half smile. “Thank ya fer savin’ us. Most ponies wouldn’ a bothered…. The fact tha’ ya did, makes ya special.” I blinked and slowly took his hoof in my own, shaking once. “…… shoulda figured no regular ol’ pony oughtta the Wastes woulda lent a hoof, makes sense yer not like that. Yer different.” He mumbled,

“You’re a good pony.” I glanced sideways to the colt as he spoke up, he, unlike Cream and everypony else- didn’t really have that country drawl… he probably hadn’t grown into yet, he wasn’t even old enough to have his Cutie Mark. His silver coat almost matched mine, his dark grey mane was thin and longer than Rocky’s, and his eyes were a lighter blue- I faintly wondered if he and Rocky were related. He shuffled his hooves a little when I looked to him and sighed, looking away nervously. “…. A kind one, I mean…… even if you’re an idiot for putting yourself in a situation like that….. N-not that I’m not thankful you saved us… I mean…. Damn it…” his voice trailed off and I could only stare.

You’re a good pony.

A good pony? What did that even mean? Whatever it did…. I’m sure I wasn’t it.

“....Ya don’ fit here…. Yer an outsider…. And yet…… there’s somethin’ there… somethin’…… cold… almost…” Cream said that, hmm..?

“…. And maybe you won’t be…… this….” … and Scarlet, i could remember a bit of that dream still now, and I remembered clearly how she looked so horrified…….

“.. You’re insane…” But wasn’t that clear by now? Hell, I wasn’t normal, I was crazy, weird, cold… something else entirely, and I didn’t know who or what I really was.

But a good pony? I couldn’t really believe that.

I smiled at the colt none the less though, slightly thankful sompeony had said something so kind to me despite the idea it wasn’t really true. Even if I didn’t know who or what I was…. I just had a feeling ‘good’ was not a keyword.

… But maybe I could try and be good?

From my brief and fast lived experience of the Wasteland so far, it was clear kindness and compassion were pretty much none existent in the heart of ponies, or creatures, out here. Rocky was right, I doubted anypony would have even thought about helping him and Fritz out if they had heard that radio message, even when I brought it up with Whiskey he hadn’t been thrilled… It was very true that Helping Hooves were hard to come by.

If not a good pony…. I’d still try to be a helpful one. Maybe someday I’d be a good pony if I tried hard enough.

I mean, look at what I did here; I helped Cream Soda, I got her down from a place she would have starved in surely, or died trying to get down. I went with her to find Rocky and Fritz, by some miracle we actually made it out of that clinic alive when those freak unicorns showed up- the ‘Pures’ according to Whiskey. Now we were here, relatively safe and unscathed- I’d helped to save the lives of three ponies I didn’t even know. How many ponies in the Wastes could honestly say that they had given their all to save somepony random, just out of the sort of ‘goodness’ of their heart?

Probably very few.

I smiled a little, dipping my head at the colt, “Well… I do try.” I chuckled slightly, and I would try. So what if Whiskey hated it? So what if helping other ponies for no gain to myself was an unheard of notion out here? I was new, I didn’t care either- and I was gonna change that. I was gonna be the exception to the ‘everypony for themselves’ rule that held dominion over this hell-hole.

Deep down, there was a part of me that just knew… for whatever reason, I wasn’t a good pony. Maybe I had done something in the past, some horrible thing, or maybe it was just me- who I was before my mind was blown apart by some Magic and I couldn’t remember anything. The me that had been stuffed inside a tube underneath Arabino in the ShieldTune Facility, the same me that kept popping up in every grayscale dream and scene that bombarded my mind.

I was gonna be a new me. I better me- but the only way to keep from being who I used to be, was to know who I really was, to know what I did, to know how to not be that old me.

I spread a wing out toward the colt and pulled him toward me, resting my muzzle on top of his head lightly, smiling still as I closed my eyes. He stiffened at the contact, very much surprised at it- but after a minute he just relaxed. I guess I was much more huggy than anypony was used to- but was that so bad?

“Thanks, Kid. You know, you’re really cute.” I smirked, letting him pull back in time to see his face redden with a heavy blush, ears shoved backward and stuttering. I did mean it, when I said thank you- but then I just had to tease him a little too, and that blush just made him so much more adorable. Rocky chuckled and shook his head a little, as Fritz tried to scoot backward and away from me- not at all comfortable with the contact anymore, or the fact that I was teasing him like that.

“.. I.. I’m not, cute!” He stammered hotly, I just giggled and pulled my hooves around him, hugging him to my chest firmly and wrapping my wings about us.

“I beg to differ!” I teased, rubbing a hoof through his mane as he continued to squirm. “I could just eat you up!”

“N-no…! Let me goooooo!” Fritz snapped, blushing more and more. I chuckled again but let him go, he jumped away from me with a scowl, all haughty and flustered as he snorted at me. “What is wrong with you?! That’s n-not ok!!” He snapped and I tilted my head a little, smiling at him.

“Oh there are plenty of things wrong with me.” I replied easily, there was a lot of truth to that statement- but I felt I could make fun of myself anyway, it took the sharpness away from the idea that I really was somepony very odd and different, even insane. I smirked a little more, “I mean, do you see who I’m traveling with?” I laughed to myself, “Literally a bad-tempered buck with a thing for shooting things and blowing them up- as well as a giant, radioactive, poisonous, DireWolf.” Fritz frowned a little and just glared at me,

“Ya are a little crazy fer the… ah, DireWolf; ‘Zero’ was it?” Rocky cut in and I gave him a nod, “Never come across one tha’ was…. chatty..” He mumbled and I nodded,

“Neither has Whiskey.” I chuckled, and then paused. What had he just said to me? I was a little crazy for keeping a DireWolf as company? What, was it normal to have a Mercenary like Whiskey as a traveling partner?

‘In contrast with a giant Snake-Dog, Whiskey doesn’t seem so crazy to travel with, Flashy.’ The Little Me intoned with a smile, I suppose I had to agree with her on that.

“Most of the time, they just kill and hunt us.” Rocky mumbled in a matter-of-fact tone. “First time one of ‘um’s actually helped anybody I know.”

“On that note.” I said suddenly, as it occurred to me then. Pillar was inside DireWolf territory, they must be preyed on quite a bit by the DireWolves roaming around-so how was it any town actually survived there at all? Did they have some sort of special way of fighting back, or what? I mean it was clear they had built places up high to stay out of reach, but there were houses on the ground too- so how had the ponies of Pillar managed to make a living in territory ruled by what was one of the two most dangerous things I had come across in the WasteLand thus far? “Pillar, it must have been hit by DireWolves quite frequently, huh?” Rocky nodded, “How did all of you manage to live there then? Do you… I don’t know, hunt the DireWolves too? Do you kill them? Just hide from them?”

“Its mostly a ‘they hunt us’ sort of deal.” Fritz mumbled, and Rocky nodded.

“That’s right, as I’m sure ya already saw- its pretty damn hard ta kill one of those suckers. Hides are thick, claws can shred nearly anythin’, tails are like lances of steel, teeth can pierce any armor- their strong and quick, an’ lets not get started with those Death Howls a theirs.” I winced slightly at the memory, I hated those… Level 10 Hatred for the Death Howls. Level 10.

As long as we were on the note of Levels of Hatred- I’d have to put the Pures at a good 9. 10 if I was pissed, but I wasn’t at the moment.

“Ain’t much in the way of killin’ um. So we just stick to high ground at night, keep quite, out of sight. It works, unless the Wolves get hungry enough to come in, or just bored an’ lookin ta kill, and then we lose ponies but that’s normal.” Rocky sighed though, shaking his head. “Life in Pillar wasn’t no cake-walk, even before everythin’ with them.. ‘Pures’ thangs, it might not be so bad to be leavin’ it.”

“So you don’t know anything for taking them down?” I asked, it felt wrong to be asking that- I mean, I was traveling with one right now, it was offensive and I hoped Zero wasn’t listening in. I figured not everypony was in possession of those extremely high-power turrets back in Arabino, which has seemed to be the only thing able to kill them. But surely other ponies had managed it before? Direwolves couldn’t be impossible to kill.

“Well….. most people don’t get lucky enough to take one down. It’d take some heavy duty artillery, an’ then some….” Rocky mumbled, trailing off as if he was thinking on it.

“There is somebody, who Hunts the DireWolves.” Fritz told me suddenly, earning a small glance of shock from me. “She’s the only one I’ve heard of, but she’s supposed to be an expert at it.” My interest peaked at the word ‘expert’, could there really be a pony out there who made a living of hunting DireWolves? I glanced toward Rocky to see if he would confirm Fritz’s story.

“That’s jus’ a tall tale.” Rocky told me, not looking so amused. “Ain’t no proof such a pony is out there, never met ‘er, never will- she ain’t real.”

“Yes she is! Ivy Cloak over at Breedlann met her!” Breedlann? Ivy Cloak?

Bing…

I glanced down at my PipBuck when the soft tone rung out from it, the map automatically updating to create another blip in between the lands from the Welmare Rest station and Fillydelphia; ‘Breedlann’. Interesting to know, though I wasn’t sure I was ever gonna go that way- the next stop in my mind would have been Arabino…. But then I remembered Rocky, Fritz, and Cream. Could I leave them to find their way in the Wastes from here? Where would they go anyway? Out of DireWolf territory? That was a long way to go…. Could they make it on their own even?

Breedlann maybe?

“I wouldn’t take the word o’ that crazy ol’ widow over anythin’.” Rocky muttered, earning an annoyed glare from Fritz in return.

“But she was telling the truth! She said that the DireWolf Hunter used to stop in and sell pelts of the ‘wolves she kills!” Fritz snapped,

“Is there any caps in that?” I wondered aloud, too low for anypony to possibly hear what I said- as was so, considering that Fritz and Rocky continued to argue amongst themselves. But, seriously? A pelt of dark fur dotted in scales that one would have to face an extremely large, very dangerous mutant snake-dog and kill, to even get their hooves on it? Sure, it was probably a rarity, I couldn’t imagine many ponies stumbled upon an old and already dead DireWolf (do they even die of old age at all? I’ll have to ask Zero..) and were able to skin the damn thing. I mean, their hides were thick enough to stop regular bullets I thought- so skinning one would be an issue…

A part of me felt a little odd thinking things like that, it wasn’t as if I had any love for DireWolves- twice now I had almost been killed by the damn things…. But even then, I had one as a companion now. Zero had saved my life already, and kept Whiskey and I safe from the rest of his kind before- and then, I did the most insane thing and let him bite me for Luna’s sake. Maybe in the short time I had known him…… I really did like him, and even trusted the huge puppy that he was. That sounded a bit odd to me, but a part of me couldn’t deny it either……..

‘And how about Whiskey, Flashy?’ The Little Me piped up in the middle of my thoughts. What about him? I don’t trust him, I still don’t like him…… and yet… maybe… in time….

… maybe I’d start to like him a little more?

Hell if he was going to make it that easy.

.:+:.

Breedlann it is

“Are ya sure ‘bout comin’ along with us, Flash?”

My ears twitched in accordance to Cream Soda asking me the question, her pink eyes glancing over her shoulder toward me, looking unsure. I gave her a smile in return and nodded, “Yes I am sure, I’ve been sure the last five times you asked me.” I chuckled and she sighed a little, glancing away.

“Its jus’…. Yer gonna be goin’ the wrong way, I thought ya’ll were trying to get to Arabino?” she asked and I nodded, trotting a little and ignoring the soreness in my limbs as I reached her shoulder.

“There is no time table on getting to Arabino.” I told her, my ears twitching at the annoyed huff I heard Whiskey let out behind us. I ignored him though, “No matter what Whiskey tells you, we’re in no rush- besides, making sure the three of you get to Breedlann isn’t taking us too far from Arabino than we already were. It’ll be fine.” I smiled at her, trying to reassure her though she didn’t seem too convinced. I glanced over my shoulder and placed a pointed stare on Whiskey, “And, we can try and stock up on some more supplies when we get there- you know, since we’re low.” Whiskey’s teal eyes narrowed at me from under the shade of his cowpony hat,

Needless to say, he was not particularly pleased with accompanying Cream and her friends to Breedlann. Not that I particularly cared if he was unhappy. The point I made was valid- we were low on supplies between the two of us (granted, that was because I had been half-way dead and everypony wasted their healing potions and whatnots on me), from healing supplies to bullets to food- speaking of which, I was starving- but I’d have to wait until we got to Breedlann. I hadn’t really looked- but I figured I didn’t have any food on me, which was a bit of a bummer.

“… ya already did so much ta save our hides, I don’t wanna ask ya for more.” Cream mumbled and I smirked.

“Yeah, well- I do remember the ‘Pures’ coming after all of us. Not just you.” I didn’t turn to look at him this time around but I assumed he got the point- and it was true. The Pures hadn’t just been trying to kill Cream and her friends- they had tried (and almost had succeeded) in killing Whiskey, Zero and I. There was no way of overlooking that- now maybe he would bring up the ‘if you hadn’t been looking to help Cream in the first place we would have never run into the Pures and you wouldn’t have nearly died’ and blah blah….. I kinda hoped he wouldn’t bring that up, because I really couldn’t argue that point very well at all. Whiskey just gave me a flat stare, and I looked away.

I bumped Cream on the shoulder with a wing and smiled, “Besides, I’m happy to help. I’d like to think the next time I’m up shit-creek that far, that somepony will help me out too.”

“Don’ count on that.” Whiskey muttered lowly and I sighed, rolling my eyes but otherwise ignoring him. He liked to be such a freaking downer all the time…. It must be a WasteLand born and bred pony sort of thing- cause Cream gave me a look that told me she was about to say what Whiskey had beat her to.

Don’t count on it. Ponies are selfish, and there isn’t a single one that would stop to help me out of the goodness of their heart, had I been in trouble. Nope, I knew that- hell, I had already argued that point, but it didn’t mean I was going to like it.

“I am allowed to dream, aren’t I?” I sighed.

‘You’re allowed to dream, Flashy. It’s just not wise to put too much hope into those dreams.’ The Little Me spoke up and I shook my head at her, again… it was true… and again, I really didn’t like it.

“So, what’s Breedlann like?” I asked, changing the subject suddenly. “How many times have you been there? Was it anything like Pillar? Bigger? Smaller?”

“Bigger.” Cream Soda sighed, “From what I remember, las’ time I was there, I was jus’ a filly. Haven’ been there since.”

“There’s more ponies too.” Fritz told me, coming up to my shoulder suddenly. I glanced down at him curiously, it was a look that clearly said; ‘how would you know?’ Granted- he was young, and I was forgetting the whole story about somepony in Breedlann who knew some DireWolf Hunter or other that the colt mentioned earlier. Fritz seemed to sigh internally at the look but ignored it, and went on talking- “It’s the biggest settlement this far east, its more established than Pillar… was.” I felt a pang of sympathy hit me when I saw the young colt’s eyes suddenly sparkled with pain and sadness- as awful as it seemed, I couldn’t help but forget that Cream, Rocky, and Fritz…. They all lost their town, the ponies they had probably known for years, their friends, family even…. Everypony they knew was dead, massacred.

One would think they’d be a bit more torn up about it all- and yet they didn’t seem to be. That was the weird thing, I think- they didn’t seem entirely fazed by it, not since that first time we ran into Rocky and Fritz anyway, not apart from the small flashes of sadness I caught on Cream Soda’s face whenever she really thought about it. Over all, the three of them seemed….. ok with it all, at peace with the fact that their livelihoods had been uprooted, their lives changed, their friends, family- their town massacred, by a group of freaky, insane, and for some reason, hell-bent unicorns that shouldn’t even be this far east anyway.

How anypony could be so calm about all of that seemed a bit beyond me- but I was starting to notice, it was sort of a WasteLand pony thing really. Hell, I hadn’t seen Whiskey get torn up about ponies who died (mind you, I’m fairly certain he just doesn’t give a shit about any pony at all), Cream and her friends took all of it very well- and besides, it was clear ponies were just fucked up and selfish anyway.

But to manage to stay fairly normal after your entire community was subjected to such a massacre like that? I’m not sure I could….

“… Don’t you feel anything anymore, Flash?”

There was a sudden pang of pain that seared through my head that next moment, and I gritted my teeth against it as my eyes watered. Who the hell’s voice was that in my head?! And why does my mind hate me anyways?

“…. They’ve got walls too, and have propped the whole thing up high to stay as safe as possible- a few merchants came in and brought some fancy tech they managed to scavenge off of a group of Steel Rangers that had been torn apart by a pack of DireWolves. They’d been stupid enough to try traveling in the middle of the night, and paid for it.” Fritz went on, no one seeming to notice the tears welling in my eyes that I blinked rapidly to try and get rid of. “Over the years more ponies have moved in, brought supplies with them, beefed up security, made it the only relatively safe place out here- it’s kind of like a fortress now.” I shook my head a little and glanced back at the colt, “We went to buy supplies last year,” He explained, flicking his head toward Rocky who let out a small ‘mhmm’ in reply. “They have a lot of ponies living there, and more have been moving in from other smaller, less protected settlements inside DireWolf territory.”

“Huh..” I mumbled, an image of a big, raised metal castle outlining the horizon came to mind, with hungry DireWolves circling the base, their claws glowing in the dim looking for the perfect support to slice through so everything came down like the highway had. I blanched a little at that, not convinced that this place sounded as secure as Fritz seemed to think, not after how I’d seen the DireWolves collapse the Highway under us anyway.

Speaking of DireWolves…. I glanced behind us, my ears perked and eyes scanning the land around us- It was lacking the huge dark form of Zero and that somewhat made my coat itch- then again, that could have been that ‘Foreign Corrosive Magic Matter’ still eating away at my insides slowly- for all the radiation and Magic Potions that had been given to me it seemed like the Magic of the Pures still lasts, and I could feel that itch inside of my getting worse over the hours. Looking back on it now, I supposed whatever Magic it was made its way inside me when that ball of Magic tore through my torso, and as the itch got slowly worse, I had to force myself not to touch the inflamed skin where I’d been hit.

“Anypony seen Zero?” I asked, earning shakes of heads and a small ‘nope’ from Whiskey. Where was it Zero went when I wasn’t looking anyway? He seemed capable of disappearing from sight nearly instantly, which seemed like it would be hard considering how large he was.

‘Why is it the Big-Snake Dog is helping us anyway?’ The Little Me asked, bringing to the surface the same question I’d been asking already. Yes, why?

“How long is it gonna take to get to Breedlann then?” I asked, a question that I could answer just by looking at my map but I needed to talk, otherwise we’d be walking in complete silence and that would be boring.

“A good couple o’ hours.” Cream relied softly, I sighed a little.

“Right….” I mumbled, slowing down a little to drop to the back of the group as we continued to walk along the barren expanse of DireWolf territory, the silence dragging out around them as everyone continued to drudge on in their own thoughts.

Boring

Really… boring

I let out a sigh and hung my head, this was gonna be a long few hours ahead of us…….

I felt a sudden itch in my side and scowled slightly, trying to ignore it. That- that had been there since I woke up, I think I mentioned it earlier? Anyway… It wouldn’t go away, I had pushed it to the back of my mind but now it was actually starting to bug me, and I couldn’t ignore it as well as I would like. My flank twitched as the itching increased about an hour in, I bit down on my tongue and forced my eyes forward, ears pressing against my head.

There was another itch, this time it was worse, persistent and it had had moved deeper, all over my body, tingling in my chest, moving down to my hooves, an uncomfortable sensation moving through my entire body, pestering every inch of me that it couldn’t have been placed on one specific spot, one that continued to deepen and slowly drive me insane.

Don’t think about it

It started throbbing in my ear incessantly.

Nope. Not thinking about it.

I twitched my ear a few times, my earrings tapping together a little. The itching throb just got worse, I gritted my teeth against it.

Don’t let it bother you.

Another hour; I started glancing around us, hoping for something to distract me. Guess what? There was a lot of dirt and rocks and a big grey cloud curtain overhead…… There’s nothing here!!

I started fidgeting a little while walking, first just swaying in my steps, before I started jumping a little- put a skip into my movements and bobbing my head back and forth as the itch coming from deep inside of me only continued to grow worse. I shook my head furiously and fluffed my wings up a little in increased agitation, something to take my mind off of this incessant nagging itch…… something…. Something…. Anything…!

The song from my dream suddenly erupted in my mind and I started humming the tune, having fallen back a bit more in my incessant agitation- nopony in our group even noticed me in my moving and dancing about.

“O-oh girl, don’t you let no war….. bring you down…” I mumbled, bouncing in tune with the melody playing in my head, hoping the distraction would be just that- a distraction. Distract me from this damn insatiable itch! “O-oh friend, don’t let no…. madness make you frown…” I flapped my wings a little and glided forward, hovering over the ground by a few inches, landing a few feet later, my hooves touching back down as I continued to bounce. “… Although the world seems bare…… and life may seem to mean no… anythin’ no more…….”

No more itch! I can’t feel it, it doesn’t bother me… no freaking Magical corrosive matter in my body is gonna drive me insane….! Ain’t no way!

“You still have… l..life to live, a-all ya gotta do is…. Is soar…!!” I gritted my teeth, guess what? It wasn’t working, in reality I kinda seemed like it was getting worse- all I wanted to do was start rolling over in the dust, rub myself against anything sharp or remotely pokey to try and scratch the itch out. But the endless sheet of dirt, brittle and blackened stems, and trash- well, it didn’t provide me anything that would help with that issue.

To be honest I was a little surprised nopony had glanced back to see what I was doing- or why I had slowed down. They all just kept walking, now nearly 25 feet from me, eyes on the horizon, all attention fixed to the destination that still was nowhere in sight- how long had it been anyway? Three hours? Maybe less?
Damn this Itch, I was losing track of time it was so effectively driving me mad. It was driving me so mad, in fact, I completely missed the sudden ticking of my PipBuck, and nearly failed to notice the two warnings flashing across my vision in the next instant, the words were hard to read- I couldn’t focus on them too much in all my bouncing and dancing around, still humming the words and the tune of the song in a worthless attempt at easing the nagging Itch inside of me.

‘Corrosive Foreign Magic Matter Detected'
‘Minor Internal Hemorrhaging’

The pink, mended flesh where one of the Pures shot a beam of Magic through me suddenly felt hot, and I could almost hear my heart starting to beat a little funnily too. I hadn’t occurred to me that the Magic I had been hit with could still be affecting me now, even after all that Radiation and dozens of Healing potions that had probably been shoved down my throat. It must have been some nasty bit of Magic, it was like an infection, it was growing again now that I was moving…. The Pures were radioactive, Magical Unicorns right? Could their Magic be countered by the same radiation that made them what they are? That seemed screwy- but what other explanation was there?

The Itch started as soon as I left the very radioactive Welmare Station behind.

So, what was I looking at here then? A shitty trade off- I could let Radiation seep into me and counteract the Magic still left behind by the Pures (of course, that is assuming Radiation did that at all…) or I could let the freaking corrosive Magical Matter still stuck inside of me, eat me from the inside out.

Zero said I was more resistant to Radiation now- resistant. I couldn’t be immune, I had known that- that’s why I chugged a freaking Radaway earlier.

Let my insides be melted, or deal with the freaky mutations that came with Radiation, including sickness, cancer, death…… Sweet Celestia, Luna- are you trying to kill me?

Now all of this was speculation, but hell- I was pretty sure I was right about most everything mentioned, and it sounded sucky- shitty actually. It sounded like I was fucked, doomed to either live my life being killed by Radiation, or freaky Magic eating me alive thanks to the Pures. Worst of all- this Itch would probably never go away, so my already screwed up and unhinged mind would be subjected to something that would make my mental state just that more questionable.

I flapped my wings to give myself a chance to glance my PipBuck over and keep moving, I was considerably behind and I didn’t want to get left behind completely- so I opted for flying for a bit. I pulled my inventory up on the surface of the device and shuffled through- had I any Healing Potions, I had to wonder if they would help. Guess I’d have to find out later- cause I was fresh out of stock, that was the same for everybody else in our little make-shift group. That was my fault I guess- I had been the one dying, they’d used all our medical supplies on me…. I flipped through farther and landed on a package of Sugar Bombs and blinked, it was the only edible thing left in my possession. There was a rating for the Rads I would get from eating the centuries old, Pre-War food….. time to test my Radiation theory then.

It wasn’t as if it was a lot of Rads anyway, and besides…. I am a Wolfling right? Radiation should be less of an issue…… but how much could I manage, considering I was baking in Rads for days?

The Itch only got worse, my flank twitched uncontrollably along with my ears and I said screw it.

Shuffling the package to the top of my Saddle-Bags via Magic (which I may or may not be a huge fan of at the moment) I pulled the food out, ripped the box open and nearly downed the entire package in one go- this was my want to get rid of the maddeningly irritating Itch, I would try anything now, I just wanted it gone- or at least lessened. I chewed quickly, swallowing the dry and bland food and wishing I had something to wash it down with- Irradiated Water perhaps? Joking of course…. Sort of.

I waited.

I waited for what seemed like years.

I waited for something, anything- any indication the Itch was going to subside. I really wanted it to- I couldn’t take it if it went on like this, I really would lose my mind.

I dropped back down onto my hooves, letting out a small sigh as it subsided… only a little though. I could still feel a sickly tingling in my chest and torso, I could feel strange matter moving just under my skin- but the unnatural sensation moved away from my legs and head, for now at least.

Let’s go with Radiation subsiding the Pures’ Corrosive Magic, shall we?

I folded my wings to my side, stepping forward at a renewed pace to try and catch up with everyone else- I was getting left behind.

BAM

I moaned slightly as my muzzle connected with the ground, my leg gave out underneath me and a painful jolt worked its way through my already sore body. The Itch invading every corner of my chest, my lungs, my heart, and other organs intensified in sharp, painful prickles for a few moments as I held my breath against the pain and discomfort, and then it faded again- leaving the ghost of the frantic, maddening tickle of the Itch behind it, still bothering me, yes….. but my face hurt more now.

I moved my hooves out from under me slowly, muttering curses under my breath as I peeled my face off the ground, letting out a sneeze at the dust that had entered my nose and freezing as I saw red spatter the dirt beneath me.

Did I hit my nose so hard it was bleeding now?

I knew that wasn’t the case though, ‘Minor Internal Hemorrhaging’ still making an appearance across my vision and all- though the warning for the Magic Matter writhing around inside of me had faded away now. In all my attention fixed on that infernal Itch, I had managed to miss the fact that blood had started dripping from my nose, and down my chin in a steady, slow stream. I could taste the metallic liquid seeping past my lips and into my mouth, and I smacked my lips to try and rid myself of it.

“Flash?” I heard Fritz say, followed by the sudden fast moving of clopping hooves back toward me. It would seem the others in my group had finally noticed how far behind I was- and now I was lying on the ground. I took in a breath and rubbed a hoof across my muzzle, smearing blood across my foreleg but hopefully managing to clear most of the scarlet liquid from my face- I hoped my nose would stop bleeding now that the Itch had faded again.

“Wha’ happened? Ya ok?” I recognized that voice as Whiskey’s and glanced up just as Cream and Whiskey came to a halt in front of me, Fritz and Rocky hung back a little- all of their eyes were narrowed and I could see the concern written across Cream’s face especially, Whiskey was… stoic.

“… I’m fine… I just tripped on a rock…” I mumbled slowly, coming up with the story on the spot- hoping it was convincing. To add effect, I managed to give them a sheepish smile and a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my head with a hoof. Cream let out a sigh and shook her head at me, while Whiskey just gave me a look that told me he didn’t believe it- though he didn’t seem willing to press it for now.

And why was I lying? Well, what could they do about it anyway? Nothing- not unless Whiskey could pull some fantastical ‘Earth Pony Magic’ out of his ass and make everything sunshine and rainbows again. And seeing as how the possibility of that happening was a big fat zero- why worry them about it?

Cream offered me a hoof to pull me to my feet and I took her up on the offer with a small smile, this time my legs actually held my weight- instead of giving out to let me fall flat on my face again.

With that we headed back out again, again in silence- but that didn’t bother me anymore. The Itch was still there, but that was tolerable too. In a world filled with dangerous creatures, awful situations- where my insides were being melted unless I let myself bath in radioactive light, or eat irradiated food. In a world where my mind was void of anything useful, my past a big blur of vague images that- by the way, had a tendency to make my twisted mind short-fire and cave in on itself- ending in just spectacular sessions of blacking out without any warning, none of that bothered me, at least not at the moment. There was something that bothered me that next hour or so we kept walking, nothing could compare.

I could literally feel Whiskey’s gaze burning into my back as he followed at the back of the group, and that made the Itch, the fucked up world, the Magical Goo eating away at me, and all the other crap wrong with me- seem like a trivial matters of no standing.

Somehow, with that weird, unnatural Earth Pony instinct of his- he knew I lied. And he knew, that I knew he knew.

Put me down for a lecture from Whiskey in the future, Little Me- would you?

.:+:.

“….. Here we are with your news in the WasteLand, good Old DJPON3 has got a few things to share with you, so if ya wanna know what’s going on in some part of the world apart from your own- here’s this for ya! A week or so ago I told all you about the stand the Slayers have been trying to make in PonyVille, clearing out the Raiders and the bad as best they could- trying to take it back for the good folks of Equestria. Sad news my friends, but the Slayers have backed off their siege on the town and been pushed all the way back to the very edge of WhiteTail Woods. Reports as to why are inconclusive, I’ve heard things from too many losses, to an uprising in the Raider population, something involving a freak accident no one seems able to describe- and the pull-out of the benefactor funding the operation. Whichever one it is that’s warranted the pull in the fire-fight, we know that at least it’s a shame- and I must now advise anybody close to those parts to stray as far away as you possibly can!”

I spared a glance in Whiskey’s direction at the announcement, wondering if he was listening or not- and looking for any sort of reaction from him at news of the Slayers. I had noticed it before but he seemed unusually hostile toward this organization for mercenaries, almost as hostile as he was toward the Enclave- for which it was clear he felt a deep-seated hatred for, I just didn’t know why on both accounts.

The buck gave no indication of having heard the report at all, and I sighed before looking ahead again- there was the ever growing closer form of something big and dark in the distance- as well as the Marker on my PipBuck continually flashing faster to let me know we were getting closer to Breedlann. Whether or not the Slayers had backed off their attempts at taking back PonyVille wasn’t of any concern of mine- we were far from there and had other matters to attend to, but I was a little interested in why. The mention of the pull-out of the benefactor funding the operation caught my attention, and I remembered what the argument I had had with Whiskey before hell broke loose on the Highway had been about.

The Slayers weren’t working for free- somepony was paying them to do it, and apparently- that somepony had changed their mind. Wonder who it was?

“…. Now I have nothing conclusive about what’s going on out in the eastern portion of the Wastes, all the way out in DireWolf Territory- but it seems like nearly every settlement out that way has suddenly gone dark, with the exception of Breedlann. If anypony has any info on why any of the settlements out there have gone dark- whether it be DireWolves or Raiders, you make sure to give good old DJPON3 a call! Anything anybody can give me would help- maybe give a hoof or talon in warnin’ anybody moving up that way.” I sniffed a little,

Is there anyway of calling DJ anyway?

To be honest, what was taking settlements off the grid out here could be a combination of DireWolves, or even Raiders- and let's not forget the sudden influx of the Pures running around killing everything they found alive….. of which was not normal, according to Whiskey. The Pures were supposed to stick to the West side of the Wastes out near PonyVille…. They had certainly traveled a long way on hoof to try and murder us and destroy Pillar for no Goddess damned apparent reason. I let out a huff and shook my head, needless to say I was still relatively miffed about the mass of Magical Corrosive matter eating away at my insides slowly- the Itch inside my body driving me a little more than just a bit insane…

My eyes snapped ahead at what had suddenly reared up before us, just after reaching the top of the incline my wingless companions had been climbing for a good portion of an hour. My wings flapped as I hovered in air, eyes fixed to the town in front of us; Breedlann.

My earlier thoughts on a castle weren't nearly as accurate as I would have liked... But it was somewhat a fortress in its own way, I wondered if they'd had help from a few Pegasi to build it.

The town itself was circular in build, set out on a small dip on the rolling rocky and barren around us. A high, solid wall of welded scraps of metal and several different heavy carriages made up the perimeter for a solid, defendable wall. There was a large gate at the front that could be rolled up to admit access inside, the pale glint of light bouncing off rusted turrets rest atop the wall near the top- jerry rigged to hell but they seemed to be functional. There were rolls of barbed wire circling the top of the wall, and small little outlets where outposts were built on top to allow guards to shoot through but still remain in cover.

A well trodden path reached all the way up to the gate, but otherwise it was one big, huge eyesore in an otherwise barren place. Remnants of a road reaching from the highway cut through the devastation a mile or so off... But otherwise, with the dry brush, the skeletal trees, the rolling hills of dust and muck... It seemed oddly out of place, and yet it seemed to blend in too.

To the west of the town there was a large, tall hill (or maybe it was a mountain- geography wasn't a strong suit of mine I don't think) that cast a shadow over the city from the dim of the cloud curtain, it seemed a dirty gray against a dusty grey backdrop. What caught my eye was the poles stuck up about the perimeter, completely vertical and nearly as tall as Zero- I couldn't really see what was on said poles, but it looked like something.... Mangled.

"An' here we are, Breedlann." Cream sighed, pulling herself over the rise and pausing where I hovered. I glanced down toward her as she let out a sigh, "Finally.... Looks like they're still runnin' too, them Pures ain't made it here yet."

"We haven't seen them since Pillar, huh?" I mumbled, she nodded.

"Good thang too. Probably wouldn' of survived the second time." She murmured, I nodded in slight agreement. Not that I was complaining about not seeing them.... You just had to wonder, where the hell did they go? They can't just disappear into thin air, can they?

"Well, better get movin'." Rocky mumbled with a small huff as he pulled himself up behind Cream, his eyes fixed to the town ahead of us. "Lot o' downhill from here."

"Good..." Fritz mumbled, panting slightly at the effort of the climb. Whiskey pulled up beside the group, not seemingly out of breath... Just a stoic expression, again.

"Better talk ta yer DireWolf friend, Darlin'." Whiskey said, tone neutral as his ears flicked my way. His teal eyes gleamed under the shadow cast from his cowpony hat, and he swished his red tail back the way we had come. "Said he wanted a word with ya."

I glanced behind us to see Zero had stopped just before climbing over the rise, he wasn't in view of Breedlann yet- and I suddenly realized that he probably couldn't go any further. Just because I was insane enough to have a DireWolf as a companion, and trust him not to eat us- didn't mean he would receive a friendly reaction from anypony else. Hell, Cream had tried shooting him the first time she saw him- and I was certain the only reason Whiskey hadn't opened fire on the Highway was because I had warned him about what creature it was I had brought into the group of the two of us at the time.

I glided back down toward Zero and dropped onto the ground in front of him, careful to make sure my legs didn't give out. The Itch had subsided when I had a snack, and hadn't come back just yet- though it was still in the back of my mind.

"Golden-mane and friends go to pony town, yes?" He rumbled, I nodded.

"Yeah, they're not gonna take to you very well I don't think." I murmured and his head dropped to my eye level,

"Ponies do not trust us. Zero will stay away from pony town, wait for Golden-mane to return." He told me,

"Will you be alright by yourself?" The question made it past my lips before I had thought it over. It was absurd to think the big, giant mutant snake-dog with the stronger than steel tails and radioactive claws couldn't handle himself on his own. I realized that as soon as I asked the question, and rubbed the back of my head with a hoof in slight embarrassment. "Ah.... Ok.... Stupid question, sorry." I mumbled, Zero just blinked. I heard a throaty rumble emanate from him for a moment and swore his lips twitched at the corners, I got the feeling it was a smile and that he was chuckling at me... In a weird way.

"Zero will hunt." He murmured, turning away from me and beginning to pad away down the slope again. "Zero waits for Golden-mane. Zero will find Golden-mane when group moves." Was the last thing I heard before he was well away and I turned back toward the direction of Breedlann, my ears catching the sound of his heavy paw-falls on the earth as they faded.

I flapped my wings and lifted off again, clearing the last few meters toward the patiently waiting ponies at the top of the rise.
"He's not coming any closer to the town." I announced, catching Whiskey's eye. "He said he's gonna wait for us, and hunt in the meantime." Whiskey blinked once and looked away,

"Probably fer the best." Cream said, "Folks in Breedlann would probably try ta shoot 'im."

"Do ya blame um?" Rocky mumbled and Cream shook her head,

"Nope." I sighed a little,

"Darlin'." I glanced back toward Whiskey, he just wasn't looking at me.

He had been sending my dirty glares every once and awhile, because he knew I hadn't told the truth about 'tripping' earlier, and he could tell something else was up. He had yet to corner me and hound me for an explanation, which I was pretty happy for- being cornered by him for any reason was not a pleasant thought... (I was currently flying for one of two reasons, one being- it was harder for Whiskey to trap me in air)

"I've been here only a few times, and from what Ah remember.... Ah think it'd be better if ya fly on ahead an' let em know who's comin'." He told me evenly, I blinked.

"Why?"

"They set up mines around the front gate." Cream explained. "Ya can let the guards know who's comin' and they can disarm um long enough ta let us through." She gave me a small smile at the shocked face I was wearing. "And ya can warn the folks on the Turrets not ta open fire too."

Is it just me, or does it sound like I'm the one walking into a potential way to get myself shot, or blown up?

"We'll be down in a bit, won' take long ta go down." Whiskey told me, beginning to walk forward. "Meet ya at the gate, Darlin'."

"My name is not Darling!" I snapped at his back, that being the only thing I could manage in response to the request. Whiskey didn't reply and kept walking, Cream, Fritz and Rocky at his heels.

'He loves calling you that, doesn't he?' The Little Me sighed and I huffed. It was damn annoying. Why was it so hard to call me by my name?!

I shook my head furiously, arguing with the copper buck on the point wasn't going to get me anywhere, it was a losing battle on my part... I just hated to admit it. I flapped to gain a little more height and started forward, my pale shadow casting across the backs of the rest of my group as I flew over them and continued forward toward Breedlann on my own. I neared it in very little time, and felt my stomach flip when it became clear what it was that was on those poles mentioned earlier- corpses.

They ranged from mange filled ponies with yellow, rotting eyes, to dried husks if indistinguishable creatures burned to a crisp. Some of them looked like dozens of Radroaches impaled in a row, there even seemed to be a Bloatsprite or too.

The stench that rolled up to meet me as I came within a few hundred feet of the gate made my eyes water, I swallowed hard and shook my head to drive away the flies that started to buzz about my head. The impaled corpses rest on poles that made a sort of arching perimeter in front of the gate a ways, beyond that the ground was a little bumpy and irregular but the poles had gone away- they were probably far enough from the town that the flies were not so much of an issue.

Every corpse appeared to be doused in some disgusting, sticky goo that reeked more than the rotting bodies ever could. I pulled a hoof over my nose to try and ward off the scent, feeling the bile rising inside of me as tears began to run from my eyes without warning. Every fiber of me told me to leave, just to get away from the stench, it was making my head ache and it.... It set me on edge. I didn't think I could handle it for very long.

I flapped to bring myself past the poles and the stench, and closer to the gate. I blinked a few times to try and get rid of the tears in my eyes, I rubbed at my face and tried to dry them.

The sudden flux of yellow blips on my E.F.S. caught my attention and my head snapped east toward where they had popped up. Through my tears I made out the distant form of a group of creatures moving across a slope half a mile away from Breedlann. I tilted my head at the sight, unable to make out many details but... From what I could see there were at least a dozen of them, and they were moving slowly, seemingly drawing away from Breedlann itself.

The hell are they?

"State yer business!"

The unmistakable sound of bullets clicking made my eyes move away from the distant group as my attention snapped up toward the top of the wall- which, drawing closer- was nearly 2 DireWolves high. At the sound of the guns, I fixed my sights in one of the four turrets at the top of the wall, but couldn't see who was manning the submachine gun put up there. I moved down toward a space just above the gate, a rail of patchwork bags and tin, finding the glaring blue gaze of an old, greying stallion with a red bandana about his neck in shoddy barding- but it would have done in a pinch.

He pointed a cracked and dried hoof at me, stiff and wary of my presence- my ear twitched when the mounted submachine gun shifted with a grating sound as it locked on to me.

"... Uh.... We were looking to buy some... Supplies..." I called, he was far enough away I had to shout- I hadn't moved close to the gate just yet for us to talk normally.

"'We'?" He shouted back,

"My group and I- they're behind me." I tilted my head back in small gesture toward the distant group behind me. The bucks blue eyes narrowed at me,

"How many are ya?"

"Five including me."

"How many of ya got wings?" He called,

"Just me...?" I murmured, a little confused why he had even asked. He pursed his lips together a little and straightened up, leaning on the railing with his front hooves as he seemed to go into thought. His lips were moving and I caught faint mutterings to himself that I couldn't quite make out.

"How many of ya are armed?" He asked next, I paused.

"... Three.. Ish." I called back, did the shitty pistol Cream was carrying around count? The buck gave me a look,

"... If any of ya start causin' any sort o' trouble, jus' know we got plenty o’ folks round here who won't hesitate ta shoot ya." The buck muttered and I nodded,

"Got it... We weren't looking to cause any trouble. Just stock up on supplies." I promised and the buck sighed a little.

"Fine then, let me hit the switch.." He called, dropping down behind the barrier and from view. "Grieden! Stand down!"

Whoever was behind the submachine gun let it lower, and the turrets turned to a shade of yellow on my E.F.S. I let myself relax and continued to hover in air, running a hoof through my mane absentmindedly, I felt like a filly standing outside the principal’s office, waiting to hear what it was I was called up for.

"Don't land till Rusty Turret tells ya he's got the mines disarmed."

I glanced up at the voice, it was low and husky- my red gaze met a golden one.

The one who had been manning the submachine gun, Grieden as the old buck had called him- had come out from the seat and landed on the edge of the wall, his rough talons curling over the metal edge as he looked to me calmly. He was a griffon, the first I had seen since coming into the WasteLand. His feathers were a dusty brown hue that tinged a scarlet color near the ends, unlike the older buck- his armor was heavier and in better repair, he also had a pistol strapped under each wing, and his talons seemed to have been sharpened to extreme lengths- though many of them were cracking now in age. He must have been as old as the buck (Rusty Turret) or even a little older, but he was big, and bulky- a lot more muscle on him than any other pony I had seen just yet. There was a long, deep scar running up under his chin and putting a notch into his beak- about his neck the feathers were burned away to leave a small pink patch of skin.

I hadn't been looking to land, but the warning was nice.

"Been a long time since I've seen a pegasi. Not many Dashites now a days." The griffon told me, I stiffened a little.

"... Ah, right..." I stammered. He waved a talon at me and sighed,

"I see you've still got your Cutie Mark, yeah- but I don't really matter to me if you're a Dashite, Enclave, whatever. Long as you keep your head and don't start murdering people, I don't care." He told me evenly, catching me a little bit off guard at how simple his outlook was. Compared to Whiskey, who pretty much held the 'Enclave needs to die' and 'Dashites are kinda fine' way of thinking- Grieden's way of thinking was much more lax.

"Got it..." I murmured, "Like I said, we are here to buy some stuff before heading on our way." I paused, "Well... Two of us at least will be leaving." Cream and her friends from Pillar were going to settle down here from what had been decided. Greiden nodded a little in sign he understood,

"More hooves and talons to help out around here are always appreciated." Greiden scratched the underside of his beak with a talon and fluffed his wings a little. "Where are you folks comin' from anyway?"

"Pillar." I murmured as his yellow eyes glinted in slight surprise.

"Haven't heard from Pillar in a long time." He murmured, "Haven't heard from any of the surrounding settlements recently, if I'm being honest." I lowered my eyes a minute, DJ had mentioned the settlements out this way going dark.... If Breedlann had noticed it, it was big.

"Yeah..." I sighed, glancing back up to him and the stare I received. I gestured toward the wall, "May I?"

Grieden lightly hopped off his perch and down toward the walkway that ran along the wall on the inside. I flapped and followed him, touching down lightly as I made it over the small barricade of metal and sand bags wrapped in barbed wire. I sighed silently as my hooves touched down,

"All clear!" Rusty Turret called, I spied him popping his head out from a small crevice built into the wall, a little farther down from where he had been standing when he stopped me. He spotted me as I lighted down on the walkway, "Yer friends can get through, I'll have Roller start liftin' the gate." He called to me, before coming to a pause and eyeing me a bit. What the hell is that look for...?

"Ya know ya shouldn' let strange folk up on the wall, Greiden." The old buck said suddenly, his eyes moving past me and locking to the old griffon.

"She's tiny enough, she won't be any issue to take down if she tries something, Rusty." Greiden replied easily, smirking slightly as he stopped at my shoulder- self-consciously making me feel like a small filly against his big, tall, bulky body. I wouldn't consider myself tiny, but next to him?

Rusty seemed to move his eyes up and down me, before shrugging slightly and turning away. "Ya made her point." He muttered. He hopped down onto the Ramp that lead back down, "Let yer group know the mines are off." He called back to me,

"Thank you, I will." I replied, he fell out of sight.

"So, what's goin' on with Pillar?" Greiden asked once we were left alone atop the wall. I glanced up at him, "Never got your name either." He said easily,

"Sorry, my name's Flash." I said, turning a bit and extending a hoof. He seemed to find that amusing, he let out a low throaty chuckle, his beak curling up in a smirk as he extended a hand and gingerly took my hoof- shivers ran up my soon at the small prick of his talons against my leg.

"Grieden, though ya already figured that out." He said with a small bob of his head. “Now that’s outta the way- what’s the word with Pillar?” My face must have fallen a little, because a wary and concerned light danced into his eyes a moment as his beak sported a small frown.

“…. Pillar is gone.” I mumbled, “… the last of the ponies that lived there are in my group now. Everypony else is dead.”

“DireWolves?” He asked lowly,

“No, ever heard of the Pures?” I asked and he blinked,

“A few things, never anythin’ about them anywhere past PonyVille.” He replied lowly, “So yer saying the Pures are what killed Pillar? How do you know?” How do I know? They literally just about killed me, I was face to face with them, I fought with them- and now I had this infernal Itch bugging me round the clock because of them.

“We saw them- well, more like, ran from them.” I replied, shifting slightly to expose the pink flesh on my side. “They just about killed us- last we saw them, they were going head to head with a DireWolf near that roadside MOP Clinic. We managed to get away with what we had, and haven’t seen them since.” Grieden’s eyes narrowed to slits a moment.

“How many?”

“Dozens, I didn’t get a good count.” I answered and he sighed, scratching a talon under his chin.

“…. Well, none of that sounds good…” He muttered, nearly half to himself. I couldn't say it sounded even remotely good at all, it was actually fantastically bad. I saw the Pures, fought with them (granted I was chock full of drugs and a little insane because of it), they nearly killed me. I felt first hoof how powerful those bastards were and it was a little insane- it was horrifying to think what a kingdom full of those freaks were living up in a mountain just passed PonyVille- and now they were moving into the heart of the Wastes itself.

If DireWolves weren't enough to worry about on our trek toward Arabino (and hopefully some answers about who I was and what happened) - adding the Pures into the mix was probably going to prove to be hell. Suddenly our chances of surviving our journey seemed to catch up to me- and they were very, very low.

Whiskey and I had nearly been eaten on the Highway, and then we ran into the Pures- resulting in a very fucked up me now being eaten slowly be acidic magic stuck inside of me.

Granted, we got away from our first encounter with the Pures pretty well in all standards- but I was holding that up to no small amount of pure luck. I should be dead, crashing into the top of that ambulance should have broken several bones- but it hadn't. Being shot up with all of those drugs at once, that should've killed me immediately. And it didn't.

Going head to head with the Pures in that crazy, drug induced hype should have seen me skinned alive or turned to some pile of glowing ash being carried away by a breeze. And yet I was still alive.

I would never have considered myself a very lucky pony, had I not taken a moment to look back on everything that had happened since waking up. Because of luck- I had clearance to the door in the Holding Chamber back in Zone 4, without it I would have been stuck in there. Luck had it that when I came up to the surface in Beatz Concert House- that those turrets decided to shoot at the Bloutsprites chasing me, instead of killing me then. It was luck that it had been daytime (not that anypony could tell with the Cloud Curtain) when I had come out of the concert house and room a stroll through Arabino.

Now some of that couldn't be just luck- there was probably a deliberate purpose behind the idea that I had clearance in Zone 4, and turrets were set not to fire on me.

But it had been luck I got out of Arabino at all. Luck that any of those turrets were actually still operational, if not I would have been Wolf Chow for sure. And it was luck… Though I hated to admit it…. That it was Whiskey Shot I ran into on the ManeHatten Highway that night.

Who's to say I could have protected myself against any raiders in the condition I was in? Had I collapsed out there, and he hadn't dragged my sorry ass all the way to BaleFire- I would have either died because of the Venom, been killed (maybe raped) by a raider passing by, or eaten. If I hadn't run into Whiskey, I wouldn't have survived.

But then again, if I hadn't been around when the DireWolf Pack destroyed the highway from under us, that cheeky buck would be dead now too.

A life for a life, a save for a save….

Lucky little me…. Stuck with a stoic, bomb-loving Mercenary (with undoubtedly wicked aim) who got on my last nerves, and a huge, radioactive Snake-Dog who was unnervingly friendly. That was my group now, once Cream and her friends settled down here in Breedlann. A Mercenary, Blank-minded Pegasus, and a DireWolf walk into a bar….. It was like a bad joke.

We were a bad joke.

And now- we were a We

Damn it…. I want to hate that bastard…. But shit…

“.... We’ll see how it goes then.” Grieden’s voice snapped me from my own thoughts, glancing his way I saw he had turned away from me a little, looking tense but seemingly taking it pretty well- you know, the threat of insanely powerful freak unicorns possibly showing up on Breedlann’s doorstep.

They were prepared for DireWolves… I wanted to believe they could hold up against the Pures too.

“Looks like her friends are here.” Grieden murmured, pointing a claw past me toward the waiting group of Cream, Rocky, Fritz and Whiskey just stopped before the mine field. I could tell they were glancing up toward me, and Grieden waved a hand at me almost dismissively. “Better get going.” He murmured and I nodded turning away and spreading my wings.

“Flash.” Grieden called me back right as I was about to take off, I glanced back toward him, but he wasn't looking my way- he was walking away. “If you're looking for some work, come find me later on. Rusty Turret and I might have something you'd be interested in.” My ears perked at the news, wondering what sort of job they needed done. The last one I had had- had been the one to clear SpringTail of its Raider problem.

But I figured it was worth looking into- I wasn't sure where Whiskey was with Caps, but I had just one- that apparently somewhat ‘cursed’ Star Cap that Vera wouldn't dare take. If we were looking to stock up on more supplies, I knew it wasn't going to be free. And hell if I was gonna let Whiskey pay for anything all on his own again- he had done that in BaleFire, and though him losing money gave me slight pleasure- I didn't like having to depend on him to buy supplies.

“Alright, maybe I will.” I called back, earning a small nod before I turned away again.

I kicked off the top of the wall into the empty air, catching it under my wings and gliding down slowly, coming to a small halt in front of my awaiting companions. Cream looked toward me, seemingly waiting for my report. “They turned off the mines.” I announced, there was a harsh grating sound that I had been ignoring until now- but I didn't need to look around to know what it was. “They're raising the gate to let us in too.”

“Better get inside then.” Rocky mumbled, nudging Fritz with his muzzle to get the colt to start walking, snapping the young pony from his quiet survey of the wall. I waited until the former residents of Pillar walked past me, before I began walking at Whiskey's shoulder, the lot of us trekking through the (currently) inactive minefield and toward the open gate way before us.

Whiskey didn't even glance toward me as we fell into step together. Again, I remembered with a sudden unwanted pang of unhappiness- that he had been very icy and tense toward me since I lied about tripping a few hours earlier. I didn't understand why he would be miffed at me for that- and I didn't feel I needed to share the fact that some sort of magic matter was eating me. It didn't concern him, I just wasn't happy he was angry with me for keeping it to myself.

But I knew this ‘cold-shoulder’ thing wouldn't really work with us if it went on too long, I still had the rest of the way to Arabino to spend with that copper buck- and hell if we would be spending it in complete and utter silence. If, however, Whiskey did decide he’d rather be miffed and keep ignoring me- I could always strike up a conversation with Zero. Hell, that freaking giant puppy was a lot better company than Whiskey most of the time.

“The Griffin working the wall told me he needs a job done.” I said quietly, Cream and her friends were far enough ahead they wouldn't hear me say anything. Whiskey graciously replied with a small ‘mhmm’, it was something- but it was such a non answer it only irritated me. “I’m gonna take it, get the caps and stock up again.” I muttered, “We’ll spend a day or two to make sure Rocky, Fritz and Cream get settled in. After that, we can leave right away if you want.”

….

…..

So he really was going to keep ignoring me, fucking bastard. I was convinced he was just as moody as a mare- and held a grudge like one too. I let out a haughty huff and refrained from looking back at him. ‘Well screw you too Mr. Whiskey!’ The Little Me snapped, she was just as annoyed as I was, and rightfully so- I didn't like being ignored, I really didn't.

“A job will be jus’ fine.”

Holy shit!

My head snapped around toward him at the sudden and very unexpected reply to what it was I had said. It shocked me, because I thought he really had been ignoring me, and I figured he wouldn’t dare say anything to me- and yet he just did.

Sometimes I wish I could read him a little better….

He still wasn’t looking my way though, his eyes were fixed ahead under the shadow of his cowpony hat, his muzzle hidden by the bandana he so often used to cover his mouth, (why did he do that anyway? Was it for style, or was he trying to keep people from seeing his facial expressions? Maybe he was just trying to keep from breathing in too much dust….) I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, or even if he was scowling. He seemed to notice my surprised expression, though he still didn’t even give me a sidelong glance.

“Yer gonna need Caps ta buy supplies, ain’t gonna be me ta stop ya from earnin’ ‘um.” He told me flatly, damn it, even his tone was stoic and unreadable.

But for whatever reason, hearing him say that- it surprised me, and not because he was breaking his sudden plan of giving me the cold shoulder. I was actually surprised…. When he said he wasn’t going to stop me, because for some reason, in the back of my mind- I kinda figured he would try. Maybe I was hoping he would step up and be a dick, and keep me from working for money all because he was holding one hell of a grudge about my small little lie to him earlier. That he was so miffed about that he might actually try to keep me from doing what I planned- just to spite me.

All in all those were the things he seemed the sort to do, to be a jack-ass, to purposely try to make me angry and unhappy, to infuriate me just because he knew he could. He had done so before, a lot actually….

… But now, he was angry enough that he didn’t even want to bother screwing with me… I guess….?

He didn’t say a single thing to me after that, he just sped up a little and left me at the back of the group on my own, and I could only stare after him in confusion. I wouldn’t say I was the smartest pony around, but I wasn’t the dumbest either. I would like to say I was pretty perceptive for the most part, and could read ponies and guess at their feelings when I needed to- understand their motives for doing things and their reasoning behind their actions. But there was something about Whiskey… I really just didn’t understand him, not even in the slightest if I was being honest.

Hell, the whole reason I was on this stupid crazy journey with him was because, for whatever strange reason, he wanted to get to ShieldTune because he wanted something there- I just hadn’t a clue as to what it was he was looking for. I realized that it was much the same with Zero too…. That radioactive monster was following, helping, and saving me with no apparent reason for doing so. He showed up and stuck with me, saved me, didn’t eat me…. And I have no clue as to why Zero was even with us at all, no clue as to what it was he wanted out of sticking with Whiskey and I.

Huh…. It would seem both of my companions as of the moment were riddles wrapped inside enigmas in themselves… was there no simple pony in the WasteLand, who didn’t have something to hide? Some pony that was simple and easy to understand?

‘Everypony has something to hide, Flashy.’ The Little Me intoned quietly.

I heard Cream let out a soft sigh as we stepped hoof through the half way open gate and into Breedlann itself, all of us now settled in the dim shadow cast by the gate- the grating sound of the gate shutting behind us suddenly filled the air. It seemed as if Cream and Rocky alike suddenly deflated upon entering the city, while Fritz looked all the more pleased, looking it over with keen delight and a slight sense of being impressed- though I knew it was nothing new for him, having apparently been here a year before now.

My anger and confusion with Whiskey suddenly dissipated as my attention turned toward looking at the town that lay in front of us.

Breedlann was well built on the outside, and the same could be said for the inside as well. It was better than Pillar and its shabby makeshift houses, and better than those sheet metal buildings lining the crater of the Bomb in BaleFire (and again, why would anypony think living around that thing was a good idea?). The houses here were clearly those that had been standing before the bombs fell- Breedlann itself must have been a city before everything went to shit, I wondered what kind of ponies used to live here when the world was green and good to live in. The land surrounding it was dry and dead, with few trees- so I couldn't imagine farming had been the town’s major export… But who knows.

The buildings themselves were mostly intact and standing, most of them still made of the same sturdy wood infused with metal bolts and beams to hold it all together. Where the houses and buildings had begun to fall apart, they had been continually repaired with what material could be found- in the most case, it was sheets of iron and steel that seemed to just make Breedlann seem that much stronger.

Most of the buildings were in the ground level, but some of them (the ones I could tell that were new additions post apocalypse), buildings that had been raised up on metal beams to be nearly level with the top of the wall. From these there were walkways strung between to allow access, and an array of ladders and stairs that would allow ponies to make it up into the raised homes. The walkways of Breedlann were cracked and dust cached concrete sidewalk that stretched off in different directions, in front of us was the last remnants of a road running down toward the left, curling around d a corner and out of sight. Directly ahead of us was a side walk leading down an alley between two sections of housing. At the end of it I could see one of the larger buildings, my ears picking up on a small humming noise coming from that way.

It was very, very big- and I was only seeing the front part of it. I suddenly realized why Fritz looked so pleased, because in all reality- this place was impressive.

I glanced sideways to see a bulky dusty brown stallion with an orange mane, his teeth clamped into a lever as he rolled the gate down slowly, the veins in his neck pulsing under his skin. I figured that this pony was ‘Roller’, as according to what Rusty Turret told me.

“Well, welcome ta Breedlann.”

I glanced sideways, noticing said pony was waiting inside the gate to the left of us, his eyes scanning over our small group quickly and nearly suspiciously. No surprise there. “Greiden says ya’ll came from Pillar.” Rusty muttered, earning suddenly sullen looks from the former Pillar residents. “I’m sorry for what happened ta ya, and the folks ya lost.” Cream muttered a small ‘thank you’ with a solemn nod from Rocky- Fritz just glanced down at his hooves a moment.

“Folks here will love ta have ya- long as ya work of course.” He explained and Rocky nodded, suddenly pulling himself up to a better posture, his eyes harder and more determined.

“Course.” He said easily, “Wouldn’ expect to sit on our heels. Everyone's got ta work to live- jus’ like back in Pillar.” He explained, Rusty’s lips twitch in a faint smirk of approval.

“Then ya should fit in jus’ fine.” Rusty replied, there was a large clang as the gate closed shut behind us and the sound of the rusted chains moving ceased. There was a small huff and the sound of hooves as ‘Roller’ moved toward the small entrance inside of the wall itself, the same sort of entrance Rusty took down when I was on top of the wall with Grieden.

“New ponies!” there was a sudden loud call cutting at the otherwise quiet town, I winced at the loud exclamation.

“Keep it down, Quarry.” Rusty muttered, not seemingly as enthused about the very loud voice either.

Fritz trotted back behind Rocky, Whiskey and Cream, stopping beside me and looking suddenly nervous, his ears pressed against his head and fidgeting. Rocky shook his head at the colt but otherwise ignored it, and I heard Cream chuckle under her breath. I glanced down toward Fritz, eyebrow quirked- he looked like he was hiding.

But from what?

I glanced over Whiskey’s shoulder to see who it was that rather abrasive voice belonged to- and again, I was confused.

Next to Rusty Turret, there was suddenly a lean, young earth pony filly- who I could only guess was the same age as Fritz himself. Her coat was an cool sky blue color, and her mane an abrasive golden-yellow. Her eyes were a deep dark blue that sparkled in delight as she hastily looked over our group in moments time. It surprised me when the new mare’s eyes landed directly on Rocky of all ponies- and her smile turned into a wide, partly surprised grin.

“Mr. Splitz!” She exclaimed ecstatically, her voice reaching up in a high squeaky tune that made me, and nearly everypony else cringe. I blinked, so apparently this young mare knew Rocky….

Rocky gave her a small, nearly exasperated smile and nodded. “Goo’ ta see ya again, Quarry Crossin’.”

I glanced down as I felt Fritz bump into my back legs, now trying his best to hide himself entirely behind me- he was small, but I wasn't big enough to hide him fully, not unless I held my wings out and I wasn't planning to do that.

But again with that question, why was he hiding at all?

“.. Hey… Kid.” I mumbled lowly, “What’s the matter with you?” He furiously shook his head at me with a small, nervous glare.

“Shh….!” He hissed, “Don’t let her know I’m here!” He whispered frantically, I blinked. Her? Quarry Crossing? But why?

I opened my mouth to ask but he kept shaking his head at me not to say anything at all, for extra measure he backed away behind me even more, low to the ground just enough he could see under my legs, and those of the rest of our group in front of us, gaze intent and hard. I shook my head a little, ears twitching in confusion.

“You’re back, oh how wonderful!” Quarry beamed brightly, her voice really was high-pitched and loud. My ears hurt at the noise of her speaking, and I was very much tempted to fly up and slam my hooves over her mouth to stop that awful sound. “Have you come here for supplies? How long will you be staying? Who’s this here?” Her blue eyes landed on Cream in the midst of her sudden rushed questions being thrown out- all of them muttered in her insanely awful high-pitched voice, I let out a sigh under my breath, bringing a hoof up to rub an ear. Maybe it was just me- and the supposed heightened hearing Zero mentioned before, but looking to Rusty Turret- he seemed just as bothered with her voice as I was, though neither of us said anything.

“Cream Soda.” Cream introduced herself and Quarry smiled,

“Nice ta meet ya!” She exclaimed, her eyes shifting back toward Rocky- she conveniently didn't question who either Whiskey or I was, and I was a little glad. “Did ya bring Fritz with ya? I’d love to see him again!” Her eyes sparkled in excitement and hope,

I could feel Fritz tense up behind me, and glanced back to see his pupils had contracted to pinpricks, his lips pursed and ears against his head- looking like startled prey ready to bound away, for a minute I thought he was about to dash off. And all the while, his eyes never left Quarry Crossing.

“We’re gonna be settlin’ in here, Quarry. Pillars been destroyed, most everyone is dead.” Rocky replied, earning a somewhat horrified look from the younger mare for a split second.

“... Does that mean that…. Fritz..?” She stammered, eyes wide and all excitement and glee vanished in a moment's time. She looked like she was about to come to tears, tears!

I paused a minute, eyes widening as it occurred to me suddenly- Fritz being nervous, the overjoyed and now suddenly devastated Quarry Crossing at the thought that the young silver colt was dead….. Oh Goddesses!

‘Fritz and Quarry sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!’ The Little Me sung suddenly, grinning to herself as we both came to the conclusion.

Maybe I was totally off, but for some reason that seemed to be it. I didn't know Fritz very well, but I knew enough to realize he was a very shy little colt and seldom ever said anything. He had warmed up to me since meeting him, but I had the feeling around other ponies he was very, very shy. That was increasingly clear, as he had actually started to hide behind me in the hopes that Quarry wouldn’t see him- for which, she was clearly hoping to. They had probably met one another when Fritz and Rocky alike had come to Breedlann, and I assumed that’s when Quarry’s affection for the young colt had flared. I smiled slightly, a school-filly crush, in this expanse of nasty and evil WasteLand- it was a nice change to see such a young, innocent filly be so smitten and have a crush, and Fritz’s reaction to her affection was adorable in itself.

“Nope!” I announced, catching her attention instantly and earning a small, stifled gasp from Fritz behind me. Quarry’s ears perked as she looked to me intently and my grin, “He’s fine,and he’s right here ready to see you!” Her grin returned and her eyes shone more than a dozen gems ever could,

There was a sharp, dull pain on my left hind leg suddenly as Fritz smacked his hoof into it as hard as he could possibly manage. I faltered slightly and sidestepped, fluffing my wings up to give me balance as I hopped to the side on three legs, leaving him in the full, intent and excited view of Quarry Crossing. He gave me one hell of a scowl, but I only smiled in return- a bit devilishly if I was going to be honest, but hey- I had to make things fun sometimes didn't I? Otherwise everyday would be dark and depressing and I really didn't want that.

In hindsight, maybe that was a little bit of a mistake- considering the very, very loud (extremely painful to hear) shrill squeak of utter delight that little filly let loose the next moment. This time everyone cringed at the noise, and several ponies who were walking past shook their heads at her. I don't think I saw anypony move nearly as fast as Quarry did in that next moment, she launched herself at Fritz who recoiled, looking like prey about to be pounced on by a blue and yellow predator. (An extremely loud blue and yellow predator…)

She landed on top of Fritz with a painful thud as they were suddenly interlocked in a tangle of limbs, Quarry’s hooves wrapped tightly about his neck to the point she looked like she was choking him. “Fritz!!” She squealed, grinning widely. He seemed to deflate entirely, glancing back and forth between her and the ground as the young filly remained in top of him, I wondered if she would ever let him go.

Cream and Rocky chuckled with me at the sight, Cream gave me a small nudge and shook her head at me. “You're evil.” She smiled and I chuckled,

“Maybe just a little.” I murmured back,

“... Such… Darkness….”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from outwardly wincing as the cattle prod in the base of my skull suddenly sent a jolt through my head and my entire body. It was another one of those voices I couldn't place nor remember who it belonged to… But this one sounded different. Like it was… Foreign.

My eyes locked with Fritz as he peered past the mess of yellow of Quarry’s mane in his face, glaring at me in frustration. His lips parted as he mouthed three words to me, jokingly of course, but for some reason… I felt something long since buried stir inside of me, something I couldn't place...

‘I hate you’

.:+:.

“So, what do you need done?”

I stopped in front of a table where Grieden and Rusty Turret sat. I had climbed up into the walkway that wound through the wall of the town and up to the top of it, at the very top, not far from the turret the old griffon had been manning earlier, and the platform Rusty had been on- there was a table set up with a few chairs, at which currently both afore mentioned were sitting at. Whiskey was leaning against the fencing at the top of the wall a little farther back from where I am, his attention turned toward glancing about the dead and barren land about us. I faintly wondered about that small group I had seen up on the ridge once I reached the gate- a quick glance to where they had been and anyplace around it found they were no longer able to be seen- and were probably long gone.

We had left Cream, Rocky and Fritz to the care of Quarry Crossing- who more than happily obliged to help them around town, looking for work and a place to settle down. I hadn't gone any farther into Breedlann than the front gate and the wall- so I wasn't sure how many ponies lived here, or how many houses were empty- but I hoped they would do fine here.

Rusty Turret gave me a silent glance while Greiden straightened up and nodded, he gestured toward his companion before taking a moment to take a drink of the half empty Sparkle Cola in front of him. “How good are ya with yer flyin’?” Rusty asked, ignoring my question for now. I blinked at the odd inquiry,

“Pretty good- by most standards I would say.” I replied, it wasn't as if I had any other Pegasi to compare myself with…. But even in my blank mind and lack of memory, I felt I was a good flier- a really good one. Don't know why I felt that way though.

“Can ya fly an’ shoot at the same time?” he asked,

“Yes sir.” I replied easily.

“We don’ know if you will be shooting anything.” Grieden broke in, having finished off his drink with a pleasurable sigh. I glanced toward him, “Mostly, we need someone who can fly- and is small enough to get into some tight spaces.” I tilted my head,

“Tight places?”

Grieden leaned back in his chair and waved a hand at the tall hill rising off the west of Breedlann, for which the town sat in its dim shadow. “Breedlann, or whatever it was called before the war- it used to be a mining town. The mines are over there, now- there isn't much left to mine anymore, what we do find is mostly iron ore, we can melt it down and use it if we need. The mines are mostly used for the town’s source of water.”

“The pumpin’ station hasn’t been pumpin’ as well as it used ta. Water is runnin’ low, an’ the pressure in the pipes is too low fer comfort. We had a couple folks go in an’ see what's wrong, a few cracked pipes, bolts er loose, an’ the pump is on its las’ legs.” Rusty broke in, “Nothin’ too hard ta fix, even if repairin’ thanks ain’t her cup o’ tea. We’d have fixed thangs already- but the broken pipes an’ loose bolts ‘re all too high fer wingless people to reach, and too small a space for any of our griffons ta squeeze inta.”

“.....” I was about to ask why they hadn't asked a unicorn to go and fix the pipes, with their Magic it should be easy- no need to fly up to the pipes or squeeze into the space they were in at all. I stopped myself though, I needed the money, and I wasn't looking to give them an idea to hire somepony else.

“So… Why do you think I might end up needing a gun?” I asked, glancing to Rusty- who brought it up in the first place.

There was a quick exchange of looks between both the old stallion, and the griffin. The space between my wings suddenly flared up with that insufferable Itch, I shook my coat out to try and clear it. “The pipes are pre-war. They work well enough on their own, and folks here have hardly any reason to go looking around in there.” Rusty muttered. “Fact is… We don’ really know what's in those mines. Not specifically anyway, and we really wouldn't care ta find out.”

I felt my heart drop a little as I simply stared at them a minute. “So… What you’re telling me is this; you want me to go into these mines, fly into tight places and move, and mess things around as I try and fix these pipes- while running the chance there's a mess of dangerous creatures and the like inside, just waiting to eat or kill me?”

Greiden gave me one nod,

“That's the gist of it.”

I really wish I didn't need the money.

.:+:.

Footnote: Level Up