Party Favor's legs trembled under the weight that had strained his back for many days now. Since he left Our Town, he had no respite for this except at night, when they'd set up camp, or when Starlight wanted a break from walking. The sun made him so dizzy with scorching heat that he could swear made each droplet of sweat from his face sizzle as they touched the sand, and stealing all the moisture from off his tongue and throat.

“Guys,” pleaded Party Favor, “I know it's not break time yet, but-”

“Quiet, boy,” interrupted the Wanderer, “how many times do I have to tell you not to speak unless you are spoken to?”

“But... thirsty... water...”

“Do you not have water to drink?”

“No, sir. My canteen is empty.”

“Hmph. Well, we would not want our pack mule to collapse from heat stroke or dehydration, would we?” He turned to Starlight, “Miss Glimmer, do you have any spare water to offer him?”

“My canteen's about three-quarters empty,” she replied, “and I'm not giving mine up. I'm too important. I'm sure he understands.”

“How close are we to finding groundwater?” asked Party Favor.

“Another question out of you, and we will bury you so you can find out for yourself,” the Wanderer said before turning again to Starlight, “Tell me, Miss Glimmer. Of all the denizens of your town to carry our supplies, why did you choose this moron?”

“He's the only one who isn't useful for anything but carrying things. Had I brought anypony else, it would probably be harder for Double Diamond to manage the town.”

The Wanderer blinked. “That is as good an answer as any, I suppose. But before we move on from the subject, now is as good a time as any to take stock. Seeing as I am the only one here accustomed to traveling in this climate, I may have underestimated how much food and water was needed for this trip.”

“Good idea.” She looked to Party Favor. “Looks like you get to take a break after all. Drop your load and figure out how much of what we have, then come back to us, okay?”

“Perhaps I should do it,” the Wanderer said, “I would have my doubts about his counting abilities even if he was not exhausted from the heat.”

“Fine. Just don't take too long. The sooner I get to be indoors with an electric fan, the better.”

When the Wanderer magically took the supplies off his back and set it on the ground, Party Favor felt a cool current of relief throughout his whole body, as if the weight of the world was literally lifted off his shoulders. He plopped down onto the ground, not even bothered by the searing hot sand beneath him. He shut his eyes, letting the meager breeze flowing through his ear drown out the mumbling sounds of the Wanderer's taking of stock, much like he did the day before volunteering for this quest. The whistling of the breeze was a mother's lullaby to him as his sandy cradle lulled him to sleep.

And like a child, he slept for some time, until he was woken at sunset by a horrific shouting. His eyes flung open, and in front of him, he saw Starlight fuming with anger at the Wanderer.

“We have rations for HOW LONG!?” she yelled.

“Two days,” the Wanderer said.

“And HOW LONG is it until we get to any kind of civilization?”

“About two weeks.”

“Dang it, you old fool! Don't you see? We're going to die out here, and it's all your fault! I'm going to die, and all my life'll have to show for it will be some damned shanty town in the middle of nowhere because I betrayed my better judgment in being drawn into a wild goose chase by some desert nomad and his crazed superstitions.”

“Calm yourself, Miss Glimmer. It is not that big a deal.”

Starlight took a step backward; her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “W-... wha... you really are senile, aren't you? We are going to die out here! How is that not a big deal?”

“I have been wandering these wastes for forty years, remember? Since before anyone in your town was born, by your own admission. Do you think I have not been in this situation many times before? Do you think I could have survived that long if I did not know how to live off the land?”

Starlight took a step back. “How did you hear... aw, forget it. You're gonna lead us to some food and water right now, or you're not gonna live long enough to watch me starve.”

“Conveniently enough, we have stopped just short of a trail that will take us to just that,” he said, pointing to some place on the ground just a stone's throw away. “If you would be so kind, have your simpleton wake up from his nap, then come back to me when you are ready.”

Party Favor, having found his awakening jarring to say the least, fumbled his way up and on his hooves. He tried to rub the crust out of his eyes, but before he could finish, he was bitch-slapped by Starlight, who he'd just spotted in front of him.

“Gather our things,” she bellowed. “We have to follow Mister Desert Schlock here so we don't drop dead in a week.”

Not wanting to anger Starlight further, he rushed to assemble every little thing they brought, down to the last fork and butter knife. The load on his back returned, but at least he felt rejuvenated enough to not complain about it. He went with Starlight to have the Wanderer take them to get what they needed.

“We're ready,” Starlight said to the Wanderer, “now take us to whatever Wasteland flora you have in mind.”

“Very well.” He turned around and pointed to the ground just ahead of him. “Look closely at the sand here. What do you notice?”

Starlight stared intently at the place the Wanderer pointed to. “I see... well, it's too faded for me to know for sure, but it looks like there are some very large footprints, maybe from some gigantic lizard. And some wavy line between those footprints, kind of like a snake, but probably from a tail.”

“Faded as they may be, the fact that they are still visible means they were made very recently. And it is getting dark. Do you know what lizards do when it gets dark, Miss Glimmer?”

“They crawl beneath rocks so they can retain their body heat and avoid predators. I know that from Canterlot University. But why are you taking us to some giant lizard in the first place?”

“I mean you no disrespect, Miss Glimmer, but we should save the less important questions for later. What matters is where there is an animal habitat, there is water. And where there is water, there is likely food.”

“Good point.” She turned to Party Favor. “I've decided. We're following these animal tracks. Let's go. Hopefully, we can get to where we need to before nightfall.”

“Yes, ma'am,” replied Party Favor as they went on their way.

Not too long later, after peaking the crest of a hill, the trio witnessed the spectacular sight of a tiny desert oasis shimmering with the light of the setting sun, which peeked down at it from the horizon. There was some meager plant life surrounding it, and just in front of that, a boulder the size of a small house.

Party Favor laughed heartily, the excitement of this find rushing through his body. “We did it!” he beamed, “We found water!”

“Hold on,” Starlight said, “How do we know this isn't a mirage?”

“The mirage,” the Wanderer replied, “is barely more than a myth.”

"Wow. Really?"

The Wanderer nodded. "Yes. Really. In forty years, I believe one could count the number of times I've had such an experience on a minotaur's hand."

"Huh. Interesting."

"But anyway. Enough of that." He motioned to the boulder. “Destroying that boulder should be a simple task. Can you do it?”

Starlight tapped a hoof to her chest and stubbed up her nose. “Of course I can.”

“I doubt it. A soft little filly like you? Could not destroy a rock even half that size.”

Starlight narrowed her eyes. “I see what you're doing, Wanderer.”

“Do you mind?”

Starlight smirked. “Nah. It's actually kind of endearing. Okay, I'll blow up that rock for you. Just don't get in the way.”

She turned to the rock, positioning herself as her horn glowed brightly with the charging of a mighty missile of magic. After some time, she released it, and like a speeding arrow, it zoomed to the boulder and made it explode in a cloud of dust and debris.

“Excellent work, Miss Glimmer. Clearly, you are of pure noble blood. Now, it is my turn.”

“Your turn? What do you mean?”

“Do not tell me you forgot what was underneath that rock.”

“Oh. Right.”

As the dust settled, a snarling, saber-toothed, bipedal lizard the size of a bear emerged, and let out an earth-shaking roar. The Wanderer lifted the hood of his cloak off his head, and took some steps back to charge the beast. He galloped toward the lizard, leaving a trail of dust before him. As he got close to it, it raised a clawed hand up to eviscerate the Wanderer, but the Wanderer snapped his head in the hand's direction, and with a slicing spell that neither Starlight nor Party Favor had ever seen before, he severed the wrist, making the lizard cry out in pain as the hand plummeted to the ground. Before the lizard could react, the Wanderer got close enough to the lizard to see its scales, and with his horn, he impaled the lizard from just below its ribcage, twisted his horn inside the lizard's chest, then slammed it onto the ground, his horn now red with blood. The lizard now in shock and struggling to breathe, the Wanderer ran to the lizard's head, and began bludgeoning it with his hoof. Again and again, he continued to slam his hoof against the lizard's skull, the lizard's cries and squirms becoming weaker and weaker with each strike. Eventually, the lizard ceased all activity. The Wanderer stopped, taking a moment to relish in his victory.

With his magic, he lifted the lizard's body up and carried it back up the hill to Starlight and Party Favor. Party Favor became nauseous at the sight of the body, and his nose scrunched in disgust.

Starlight blinked. “Well... dang. But why go so close up to it? You could've blasted that thing to bits like I did to that rock, right?”

Party Favor looked questioningly to Starlight. "But wait. You don't even have your cutie mark. How can you do magic like that i-."

The Wanderer interrupted him with a backhoofed slap. "Be quiet. Such questions are not meant for dull minds like yours." He drew his gaze to Starlight. "And to answer your question, Miss Glimmer... I could have, but there really is no fun in that, is there?”

“...fun?”

The Wanderer set the lizard's body down. “I do this for sport. I am sure you are well aware of how boring it can get in the Wasteland.

Even someone as old as me needs a way to entertain himself. It is also an excellent way to stay fed.”

“Stay fed? Are you implying... oh god, what!?”

“What's wrong, Starlight?” asked Party Favor.

“He eats the flesh of dead animals, you idiot! And he expects us to do the same!”

Party Favor shuddered in abject horror and disbelief. “Oh... oh god... I think I...” His stomach keeled over on itself, as if failing to digest what he'd been told. He took some steps back, then vomited profusely onto the ground.

“Now, now, it's not as bad as you think,” the Wanderer said. “It is much more tolerable when cut and prepared properly.”

“Prepare?” Starlight shouted, “It's a corpse!”

“There are many ways to prepare it. Boil, grill, fry, bake...”

“I've heard enough. Maybe you have to resort to this savagery in whatever barbaric land you come from, but in Equestria, we can take any object and turn it into something that's actually edible. Watch...”

Starlight readied her horn for magic, and with a quick zap, she turned the dead lizard's body into a large, neatly stacked pile of ripe pomegranates that glistened underneath the setting sun.

In a split second, the Wanderer's eyes widened; his head shifted itself backward in surprise. His expression went flat just as quickly, and he looked to Starlight. "You are a witch."

Starlight sneered at the Wanderer. "What was that about meaning no disrespect?"

"You performed witchcraft. That makes you a witch."

Starlight groaned. "No. It doesn't. What even is witchcraft, anyway? I'd really like to know."

"I understand your confusion, Miss Glimmer. The line between witchcraft and proper magic is a rather fine one even for those who have read the scriptures...”

"Scriptures, huh?" She paused. "Look. I don't know how you can eat that stuff, but I can't, and neither can Party Favor. You'll just have to deal with witchcraft."

The Wanderer simply nodded.

“I'm glad we're on the same page.” Starlight turned to Party Favor. “You. Refill our canteens. All of them. We want to take advantage of this opportunity as much as possible.”

“Yes, ma'am,” said Party Favor.

He trotted towards the oasis. While doing so, he couldn't take his eyes off the lone severed hand that laid down on the sand that had been painted with blood. Although he was too stupid to figure out exactly what Starlight had involved him in, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was in for more than what he signed up for. Next Chapter: Chapter 3 Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 32 Minutes