Chapter 10 - Renewal
“Renewal requires opening yourself up to new ways of thinking and feeling.”

Slowly, I became aware of sounds and sensations around me and I opened my eyes. The bright, at least for the Wasteland, light hurt my eyes and I closed them immediately again. The throbbing coming from the back of my head was fading, but I could feel my head pulse with each heartbeat.

“What is it,” I moaned while rubbing the lump on the back of my head,“ with me and waking up injured lately?”

I heard soft groans coming from my left. Slowly, I reopened my eyes, allowing myself to adjust to the light level with minimal pain. On the ground, were my friends, who were all waking up just as I was.

“How is everypony?” I asked shielding my face from the daylight.

“Ugh. Feels like I got run over by a whole herd o’ brahmin,” Flower said between groans. “What the hell was that for?”

“I think those ponies didn’t wanna take no fer an answer,” Brownie said, nursing a similar lump on the back of his head.

“Mister Dust, my head really hurts,” One whined.

“I know One, and I’m sorry. It’ll go away soon. Just do your best, OK?” I said. “Silver, how are you doing?” After several long seconds with no response, I frantically surveyed our area. “Does anyone see Silver? Silver? Silver!”

“Naw, Dust, I don’t see her. I think those ponies took ‘er,” Brownie said after looking around.

“Ponies? What pon…” I started, and then my memory came back to me. The twelve rancher ponies. “Ugh, those bastards. Brownie, can you track them?”

“Lemme see.” Brownie began scanning the ground around us. There were so many hoofprints that I wasn’t hopeful. “Eeyup, they went thataway,” he said while pointing towards a mountain range off the road we were following. Fortunately, the group’s path after knocking us out was not a paved road so tracking should not be an issue.

A quick glance down at my Pipbuck confirmed the time. “Oh crap! We’ve been out for a little over an hour. We have a lot of ground to make up. Let’s go!” I exclaimed, shocked at how much time we had lost. I was hoping we didn’t fall far enough behind that we would lose the trail, and Silver.

Brownie, as our tracker, led the group. Flower sidled up next to me. “Uh, Dust, are ya sure yer gonna be OK with this? I mean, you gonna be able to think clearly?” she asked, clearly concerned about me.

“Of course I can, why wouldn’t I?” Flower thumped her hoof over the top of my head. “Ow! What the hell was that for?” I whined nursing a new sore spot on my head.
“Puh-lease, Dust, I ain’t stupid,” Flower said mockingly. “We had this discussion last night. Are you gonna be OK with this?” she asked with more concern in her voice..

“Honestly, Flower, I don’t know. All I know for sure, is that we need to get Silver back,” I said with determination. I was worried, of course. And the only thought on my mind was Silver.

After almost losing the trail a few times, it took us a little over an hour and a half to discover where the ponies took Silver. We were all lying prone, passing a pair of binoculars between us looking over our destination. In the middle of a flat plain which butted up against a small mountain range was a modest looking house. A couple of stories high and made mostly of brightly painted wood, it stood out against the desert like a sore hoof. It was surrounded by a very tall fence topped with razor wire. Besides the larger house, there were several smaller shacks spread out among the grounds. Around the smaller shacks stood large piles of junk.

There was a lot of movement around the property. Several ponies, wearing leather armor and carrying shotguns, were patrolling the fence line and were weaving in between the piles of junk. Other ponies were picking through the piles.

“Appears we have some slavers here,” Brownie grunted while scanning the estate.

“Slavers? Out here? I haven’t heard any reports of slavers in this area,” I said with concern.

“I ain’t heard anythin’ like that either,” Brownie said, furrowing his brow.

“In either case, we are severely outnumbered. I count nearly two dozen guards, and that’s only what I can see,” I said slightly dejected. Something about this whole thing seemed off to me, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it.

“Well, ya could always try diplomacy?” Flower asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Do slavers typically negotiate for the release of their slaves?” I asked visibly confused.

“Well, not usually, Dust,” Brownie started. My hopes began to sink. “But these ponies don’t act like regular slavers. Real slavers woulda’ just captured us and made us slaves too. They were only interested in Silver. And the behavior inside the fence is unusual as well. The guards aren’t harassin’ the other ponies,” Brownie stated, his face twisted in deep thought.

Brownie had a point. If they were run-of-the-mill Wasteland slavers, we’d have collars on and have woken up in one of those shacks. “Then maybe there is some wiggle room here. Perhaps I can negotiate our way out of this,” I stated with a hopeful grin on my face.

After a short discussion, it was decided I would be the negotiator. Brownie and One stayed behind while Flower was going to provide cover fire if needed. I stowed my weapons, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible as I approached the gate. The ponies on patrol had stopped walking once they saw me approach. I watched as they all quickly trained their shotguns on me.

Slowly, I approached the guards at the front gate. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but get your damned flank away from here before I fill it with…” his voiced trailed off as he studied me. “You’re that damned pony what wouldn’t give us the pink one back,” he spat out while pointing at me.

“That’s right. You fucking brained us and then you took my friend and I’d like her back. I want to talk to the pony in charge,” I demanded of the guard while stamping the ground for emphasis. And then I’d like for you to come out here so I could give you a little of your own medicine.

The guard I had spoken with trotted in the house, while the other ponies kept their shotguns trained on me. After several long minutes, the pony returned. “The boss’ll see you. But you will leave all your weapons out here,” he said smugly while gesturing at my guns.

“Fuck no. You attacked me once, what’s to say you won’t do it again?” I glared at the pony. I so wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

“Then you won’t get in and see the boss,” he stated while glaring at me.

After considering my options briefly, I realized I had none. With a growl, I stepped up to the gate and dropped all my weapons. The guard then patted me down and searched my saddlebags. I got nervous when he started feeling up the area near where my wings were hidden, but apparently, he either didn’t feel them or didn’t care. “Alright, follow me,” he said as he waved me onto the property.

After crossing the gate, a pony slammed it behind us. We made our way up to the house and yet another guard opened the door before we got there and then closed it behind us after we passed through it. The inside of the house was decorated in pre-War splendor. Brightly colored walls with gold leafwork was everywhere you looked. There were also plush carpets from wall to wall. The house must not have been damaged in the apocalypse and appeared well maintained in the intervening time. My escort led me up the stairs and towards a set of double doors.

After opening the doors, my escort said, “Have a seat. The boss will be with you shortly.”

The doors were left opened when my escort left. I looked around the room I was left in, and was very impressed. The large space had high ceilings and was decorated in the same pre-War glitz and glam. The carpet was still relatively plush, the deep crimson paint on the walls was in good condition, and the large picture windows behind the desk were clean and clear of cracks. This house was obviously far enough from any megaspell blasts and was clearly cared for.

Beyond the window, I could see the junk piles being picked over by working ponies. But it was what I saw behind them that caught my interest. There appeared to be a cave way in the back of the property which had several guards near the entrance. Weird. My mind started working to figure out what could be hidden back there that required so much of an armed presence.

“Ahem,” I heard a pony clear their throat behind me. I turned around and saw a crimson unicorn stallion with a black mane. He was wearing a old-fashioned business suit, and had a revolver holstered to his leg. “So I hear you want to speak with me about Silver Lining?” Who the fuck was this guy?

“Yes, sir. My name is Dust Cloud,” I started, raising my voice slightly. “Your thugs attacked my friends and I for no reason, and then kidnapped a friend of mine. I want her back.”

He slowly made his way around to the desk to sit down. Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on the desk and steepled his hoofs together. “First of all, let’s conduct business as gentlecolts. No shouting is necessary. My name is Manual Labor, but you can address me as Manny.” He paused, appearing to judge me. “I do apologize for the zeal with which my associates pursued your friend. If I may ask, what is your interest in Miss Lining?”

“Manny, she is a good friend of mine. She also saved my life on at least one occasion.” His simple stare was unnerving me. “I want her back. I want you to free her.” I didn’t just want her back, I needed her back.

“Free her? What do you think I do here, Mister Cloud?” he asked with some playfulness in his voice.

“First, call me Dust. Secondly, aren’t you a slaver?” I said as I pointed out the large window, “and aren’t those ponies working out there slaves?”

Manny briefly laughed. “Me? A slaver? How amusing and insulting at the same time, Dust. You misunderstand what is going on here. These ponies aren’t slaves, they are here voluntarily,” he said with a small chuckle.

“Excuse me?” I asked with more disbelief in my voice than I intended. Why was this conversation making me even more confused than I already was?

“All those ponies you see working out there, Dust, all owe me in one way or another. They either needed goods or services from me or my family and had no way of paying. Instead, they agreed to work off their debts by working for my company. They get shelter, food, and safety while they are under my protection,” he said very calmly. “I detest slavery, but needed a workforce. It seems like a good exchange to me.”

“C’mon, I know how this works Manny. The terms of the contract are hard to fulfill, right?” I asked with a modicum of sarcasm. Why was this pony playing games with me?

His expression darkened. “Dust, this is now the second time you have insulted me. Please do not let it happen again. And to answer your question, no, the contracts are quite fair. Everything I offer has a reasonable price and all workers earn a decent wage. After backing out a nominal fee for room and board, each pony can work off their debt,” he barked at me.

I could see from his aggravation that I needed to soften my approach. “I apologize for coming across as insulting. It was not my intent. So what is Silver Lining’s contract worth?” I asked, hopeful it wasn’t a large amount.

Manny leaned back in his chair. “Oh, well, Miss Lining’s contract is a little complicated. Her parents traded with me and gave me a device I needed for a special machine we have here. Unfortunately for them, the part they gave me was incompatible and not only destroyed the machine, but also killed several ponies, including her parents, in the process. Including the cost of the machine and the amount of the money owed by the dead workers, Silver’s family owed me nearly ten thousand caps,” he finished with a glare.

“Ten thousand caps?” I blurted out after my jaw dropped open. Where in Celestia’s name was I going to get ten thousand caps?

“Now, normally, I’d cut a deal with you since I am a reasonable pony, but in this case, I’m going to have to pass. You see, I need a pegasus around here to work one of the machines. So, unless you can pay the full amount, her contract is not for sale,” he stated, clapping his hooves together.

“How long will it take Silver Lining to work off her debt based on her current salary?” I asked dreading the answer.

“Given the current wage and cost of room and board, it will take her at least five years to work it off,” Manny said leaning back in his chair.

“F… five years?” I muttered with my jaw dropping open in disbelief.

“Yes, Dust. Five years,” Manny repeated, emphasizing each word.

I slumped down in my seat. “Can I at least talk with her?” I asked, slightly defeated. My heart sank and my mind spun at the idea of not seeing Silver for five years. What was I going to do?

“I’m not an unreasonable pony, I don’t see why not.” He turned towards the door and yelled, “Hard Labor! Can you please fetch Miss Lining so she can speak with Dust here?”

“Hard Labor? Any relation?” I asked while waiting.

“Why yes, he is my son,” he said with a nod. “This is a family operation here.”

After several long minutes, I heard hoofsteps approach from down the hall. A rust colored unicorn stallion with a silver mane entered the room. I assumed that was Manny’s son, Hard Labor. Following very closely behind him was Silver. When I saw her, time seemed to freeze and every thought cleared my mind. She looked none the worse for wear, except for a sullen look on her face.

“Dust? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t have come,” she said, breaking my reverie. Her face brightened a little upon seeing me.

I trotted over to her and wrapped her in a hug. Silver tentatively hugged me back. The rest of the world faded away again in that moment.

Manny cleared his throat, jarring me back to reality. “Ahem, pardon me. We will give you two some privacy and shall be just outside the door when you are done, Dust,” he said as he turned to leave the room.

We broke our embrace. “We appreciate it Manny,” I said with a nod. Manny and Hard left the room and left Silver and I alone. “Are you OK? Have they hurt you?” I asked her while hugging her once again.

“Yes, Dust, I’m OK,” she said forlornly. “I’m not hurt. I just want to get out of here.”

“Is what Manny says true? You owe them ten thousand caps? Were these the ponies that you were hiding from in the stable?” I asked, the shock coloring my words.

“Yes to everything, Dust. My parents were traders in this area. We traded with Manny for parts for his machines, rare parts that are worth a lot of caps. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find an exact part for one of the machines and my dad thought a replacement would work. The part exploded, damaging the machine with it and killing several ponies that were nearby. My parents were also caught in the blast.” Tears were starting to stream down her face. “After everything was said and done, between the damage and the ponies that were killed, that’s what I owe.”

“What machines are there here that only you can run?” I asked. The only such machines I could think of were pegasus devices.

“I can’t say without violating my contract. All I can say is that only a pegasus can run it.” She hugged me harder. “Dust, I want to leave here. Help me.”

I squeezed her harder at her statement. My eyes were starting to tear. My mind was racing with the different options of rescuing her. “Silver, I promise you, I will do whatever I can to get you out of here for good.” I paused as I started feeling my emotions for her flood my brain again. “And Silver, I… um, what I also want to say is that…”

She pulled away so she could look me in the eyes. “Yes, Dust, what is it?” she asked with a glint of hope in her eyes.

“I will see you soon,” was all I could force out.

“Oh. I hope so, Dust,” she said as she drooped her head. Luna be damned, Dust, you are an idiot!

“Manny, we are done in here!” I shouted towards the door. The crimson unicorn reappeared with his son. Hard Labor led Silver Lining away.

Manny cantered back to his desk and sat down. He turned to me, steepling his hooves again. “I assume you are satisfied?” he asked.

“Well, to be honest, not really,” I said with a sigh, “I won’t be satisfied until we can walk away from here with Silver.”

“Well, unless you have ten thousand caps, that isn’t happening,” Manny said sharply. “Unless…” Oh boy. I don’t think any good business deal started with the word “unless”.

“Unless what?” I asked while rolling my eyes

“Well, my problem here is threefold. I really don’t want to hold someone here against their will, but I can’t just forgive the debt. And I do need a pegasus to run a machine that is crucial to my operation here. But…” Ugh. Another word I didn’t like hearing in a negotiation. “I have a larger problem you and your friends might be able to help me with.”

I quickly feigned a shocked response. “Friends? What friends?” I blurted out.

“Please, Dust. I am not a stupid pony. My spotters saw the two unicorns and earth pony you are travelling with. The yellow one especially would be hard to miss.” I relaxed realizing the farce wouldn’t continue working. “But I am not mad about that, I would have done the same thing in your horseshoes. Anyway, my problem is a band of raiders which has been trying to attack my estate here recently. We’ve been able to hold them off, and probably will be able to indefinitely, but it’s wreaking havoc with morale and costs me a load of caps to clean up afterwards. If you can take care of the raiders and find me a replacement pegasus, I will cancel Silver’s contract.”

“Oh, is that all?” I said with sarcasm dripping off each word. After seeing a flash of anger cross Manny’s face, I sighed and said, “I’m sorry about that. It just seems that every time I turn around, I find myself in a worse situation.” I hated to admit it, but he had me between a rock and a hard place.

“I can appreciate that. Maybe you should find a safer line of work,” Manny said. “There is one more thing I need you to take care of. One of the raiders, a red and white mare, has been specifically threatening my son. If nothing else, I want him dealt with. Do you understand me?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Why did I suddenly feel so dirty?

Manny nodded at me. “So, do we have a deal?”

“Don’t have much choice, do I?” I said as I shook his hoof.

“I’m glad to hear it. The raiders usually come from the east. Word of warning. They are a crazed bunch. My recommendation would be to shoot first and ask questions later. Good luck.” And with that statement, he trotted out of his office.

I was quickly led off the estate and given my gear back. I had to resist every urge to buck the smug pony at the gate on my way out. Brownie perked up when he heard my galloping approach. “So, how is Silver doin’?” he asked tentatively.

“She’s OK. She doesn’t want to be there, and Manny, the owner of the estate, seems to be generally a fair pony. Long story short, Silver owes him a lot of caps and the only other way to get her out is to take care of a raider band and find a replacement pegasus.” I saw everypony else’s mouth drop open as if to ask a question. “Don’t ask. But that’s the deal I had to take.”

Flower was the first pony to put together a coherent sentence. “Dust, how are we gonna take out a whole raider band? And then find a pegasus, which are rare enough anyways, that will voluntarily submit ta Manny?”

“I know… I know… I figured we would at least look at what we have on hoof with the raiders and then take it from there,” I responded with a little shrug.

After some grumbling, we all agreed that it couldn’t hurt to at least take a look. We headed eastward from our position.

Flower trotted up to my side. “How are ya holdin’ up, Dust?” she asked. Why was she so concerned with my mental state recently?

“I’m OK, I guess. I’m worried sick about Silver, of course,” I said dropping my head a little. “I can’t help but think I could have, should have, done something to keep Silver from being kidnapped right under my hooves.”

“There was nothin’ you coulda’ done to stop that, Dust,” she said while giving a reassuring pat on my shoulder. “They had us outnumbered and outgunned.”

“I guess,” I said with a sigh. “I just wish we hadn’t gotten in this predicament. It seems that every time I turn around, something goes wrong.”

Flower chuckled a little. “It does seem that way, doesn’t it. Maybe you’re just an unlucky pony,” she added with another little chuckle.

“I guess,” I said as I sadly laughed a little also.

“Don’t worry, Dust. We’ll get her back somehow,” she said with a nod and a clap on my shoulder.

After walking for another hour, Brownie shushed us and pointed to the northeast. We found some low lying cover and got to a prone position. Looking through the binoculars, I scanned in the direction that Brownie had indicated. All I found was a small shack. There were a few ponies walking around the outside performing the mundane activities of daily life.

“These can’t be the ponies we are looking for. They don’t seem like raiders,” I stated with a measure of relief in my voice. “But maybe they can point us in the right direction.”

We approached the shack, slowly and with our weapons holstered. One of the ponies, a bluish-gray earth pony mare looked shocked “IT’S MANNY’S PONIES! EVERYPONY OUT HERE!” she shouted as she took up a defensive position behind some crates.

Gesturing to Flower, Brownie, and One, we all stopped where we were and waited for the ponies to stop panicking. Three additional ponies burst out of the shack with shotguns, and four more ponies appeared in various places in the area around the shack. All in all, there were eight ponies staring us down from behind shotguns and rifles.

A deep orange unicorn mare with a brown mane, who was levitating a hunting rifle next to herself addressed us. “You can go right back to Manny and tell him that we will not give him what he wants!”

“Hold on a second,” I replied, keeping my voice level and remaining as still as possible. “Yes, we were sent by Manny, but we aren’t here for anything. We’re looking for a band of raiders. Do you know where they might be coming from?”

The unicorn mare started laughing. “Raiders? In these parts?” She burst out laughing as her rifle fell from her magical grasp. “Wow, Manny must be getting desperate.” The rest of the ponies were laughing now also.

One turned to me, “Dust, what is everyone laughing at? I don’t get it.”

Sighing, I turned to One. “One, it appears the we’ve been used. My guess is that Manny wants these ponies dead for some reason and was hoping we’d be the ones to do it for him.” I was getting a really bad feeling about the situation I got us into now.

“Ooooh….” I waited for it and then joined in when One said, “I don’t get it.”

“I know, One. I know,” I said with a giggle. I turned my attention back to the unicorn. “Can somepony please fill me in now?” I shouted towards her.

The unicorn mare stopped laughing and trotted out to meet us. “Leafy Greens, pleased to meet you,” she said with a firm hoofbump.

“Dust Cloud, but everyone calls me Dust,” I said. “Do you mind filling us in now?”

“Of course, of course. Let’s grab a seat, and I’ll fill you in,” she said while gesturing towards a table set up outside the shack. As we moved closer to the shack, I saw small patches of land being cultivated. There were even some green sprouts appearing here and there. Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing?

“Are you ponies actually gardening? And successfully?” I said, shocked.

“Yes we are, and I think that is part of the reason Manny wants us dead.” We got to the table and we all sat down. “You see, we are a threat to Manny’s ‘operation’ as he calls it.”

“Wait, Manny runs a farm? But I didn’t see any farming going on there,” I said mildly confused by her statement. What the hell did I get myself in the middle of?

“Yes, he does. We don’t know where he does it, but he sells tatos, mutfruit, razorgrain, and the like. He came out a while ago to buy us out, but we refused. Ever since then, he’s made veiled threats and has sent ponies to sabotage us, but we’ve caught them every time. My guess is that he was hoping by sending mercenaries, no offense intended of course, that it couldn’t be traced back to him,” she said shaking her head in surprise.

“So, shoot first and ask questions later. Now it makes sense,” I muttered to myself.

“As I said before, Manny must be getting desperate. Mind if I ask why you would take a job from Manny?” Leafy asked folding her legs on the table.

“A friend of mine has a contract with Manny. I am trying to pay off her debts so she can leave,” I responded while sadly lowering my head.

“Geez, and how much is her contract worth? What did she do?” asked Leafy, clearly not surprised by the statement..

“Well, she is a pegasus…” I started.

“Say no more. It doesn’t really matter what the rest is,” Leafy said shaking her head.

We were interrupted by the rattling of several tools. We all glanced towards the source of the noise and saw a red and white mare stumbling over the tools. A pegasus mare.

Leafy Greens stood up and started stamping the ground with one foot. “So, where were you this time, Autumn?” she asked glaring at the pegasus.

The pegasus’ head shot up. “N… n… nowhere. Just went out for a walk,” she said, clearly surprised by the interrogation.

“Well, we need your help around here. You know how things are. We need everypony helping out. Now go help with the vegetables,” Leafy scolded the pegasus still stamping the ground.

“Yes, mother,” Autumn said dejected while lowering her head to the ground.

“Ugh, kids. Such a hoofful sometimes,” Leafy chuckled shaking her head.

“Leafy, what did you mean when you said how things are here?” I asked.

“Dust, I won’t lie to you. We’re barely holding on. Our yields aren’t large, and Manny fudges his prices to beat us out. We only really have one advantage, we can beat him to market. We have a sky carriage that we can use to bring our yields out faster and further and charge more,” she said and gestured to an old model skywagon that was half hidden behind the shack.

My head started to throb. I had somehow inserted myself in the middle of a price war between two ponies. Manny is willing to kill Leafy to get what he wants, and Leafy is doing whatever she can just to hang on. But Leafy has just what Manny wants and I need to get my friend released. I groaned out loud as I slammed my head against the table.

Everypony’s head snapped towards me at the sound. After assuaging the fears of all the other ponies sitting at the table that I wasn’t going batshit crazy, I pulled my friends aside.

“Look guys, I have to apologize first for getting us into this situation. We stick with Manny, we have to do something we don’t want to…” I started whispering.

“But Dust…” Brownie interrupted.

I cut him off. “Brownie, don’t worry, I wasn’t going to say we should do it. But if we don’t do what Manny wants, Silver is stuck. Of course, we only know one half the story. What exactly is Manny hiding from us? We have too many questions. Flower and I are going to go back to Manny’s and I am going to sneak around and get details on his operation. Brownie, One, please keep an eye on Autumn. There is a reason Manny wanted me to focus on making sure she got killed more than anypony else,” I said with a renewed sense of purpose. We were going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Flower and I left immediately and made it back to Manny’s within the hour. We stayed out of view until we found a vantage point that would conceal us. I didn’t need Manny to know we were here this time.

Flower and I scanned the compound. Unfortunately, security seemed airtight, especially around the cave entrance that was heavily guarded.

“Damn, place is locked up tight,” I said hoofing the ground.

“Hold yer horses, Dust. Look over there,” Flower said as she pointed at something behind us. I turned to look and saw a caravan heading towards Manny’s. “That may be yer way in.”

“You know what, you might be right. I’m going to need a distraction when I get close though,” I said raising an eyebrow. Flower simply nodded.

I trotted off towards the caravan. I had to meet them before they got within sight of Manny’s compound. After a brisk trot, I passed the head of the caravan. Fortunately, this caravan was lightly guarded. There were four wagons and only three guards. I gave an easy wave as I passed the front of the caravan. The guards looked like they were on edge, but they weren’t jumpy. I made sure I was on the side of the caravan opposite Flower’s position.

Almost as if she was reading my mind, the unmistakable sound of her sniper rifle firing off several shots rang out. The guards perked up and immediately ran to that side of the caravan and start searching for the shooter. The drivers sped up knowing they were so close to home. I quickly slid under one of the wagons and immediately grabbed onto the undercarriage and held on for dear life.

My muscles started to ache as the wagons jostled over the uneven terrain. Every bump threatened to throw me off of the wagon. My biggest fear was dropping and getting run over by the wheels of the wagon, which would certainly be fatal. The burning started to become almost unbearable and I wanted to let go.

The drivers called out to the brahmin to slow down and the wagon decelerated. Glancing out the side of the wagon, I saw a fence fly past. The drivers called out again and we slowed down to a complete stop. The wagon above me shifted and I saw the driver’s hooves land on the ground and trot away. Waiting several minutes, and after several scans of the area, I dropped to the ground once I felt I was alone.

Rubbing my legs to help relieve the burning, I surveyed the area I found myself in. Using the house as a reference point, I was on the same side of the house as Flower. Hopefully, she was still able to see me and provide me with some cover in case things went sideways. And let’s face it, didn’t they always go sideways lately? I had a large distance to cover to get to the heavily guarded cave, and I needed a plan. I wished I could trust the indentured servants, but they were just as likely to turn me in. It was odd… for the first time in a while, I was alone.
Scanning the immediate area, it was, no surprise, a cargo loading area. There were several wagons. One was a even a skywagon. It appeared to have seen better days. There was an open hatch which was surrounded with blackened metal. That must have been the explosion that Manny was referring to before. And what he needs a pegasus for. He must have attempted to repair it in the interim, or he planned on stealing Leafy’s. I made a mental note to remember to get the whole story before agreeing to work with somepony in the future.

The perimeter of the area was littered with baskets and crates. Empty crates. Idea! Quickly trotting over to the boxes, I flipped one upside down. Using my combat knife, I cut an opening on one side of the box. I muttered, “I hope this works,” to myself and then lifted one end of the box and scurried underneath as it fell back down. Peering through the opening I made, I had a small field of vision, but I could see whatever was directly in front of the box. That, coupled with my EFS, would hopefully be enough to work.

“Here we go,” I thought to myself as I pushed up on the box with my back and began moving slowly towards the cave in the back of the complex. Pausing every few feet, I would let the box back down and listen for signs of approaching guards. After several of these stops, I heard some voices. I dropped the box back down and waited.

“Ugh, I can’t wait for this shift to be over. My hooves are killin’ me,” a gruff voice said.

“Yeah, yeah, all you ever do is complain about your damn hooves,” an even gruffer voice responded.

I felt the box shift a little bit and saw two legs dangle out in front my viewport. Oh, for fucks sake. Why did he have to sit on the box?

“I’ll never understand why you insist on sitting that way. It looks so… unnatural,” the second voice said while laughing.

“It feels good. And what does it matter? I’ll sit any way I want,” the first pony responded defensively.

The box shifted again above me, threatening to tip over. I heard a body land on the other side of the box. “You asshole! What was that for?” the first voice complained.

“To knock some sense into you. C’mon, let’s get back on patrol,” the second voice said.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” The two voices faded away.

I took a deep breath and relaxed a little. Let’s hope that I don’t get interrupted again. I continued my journey across the property. After a few more of my advance and hide cycles, I heard more voices approach. Luna be damned, again? Really?

These voices were really whispers and weren’t as confident as the others. “Look, over there, let’s hide behind that box,” a male pony voice whispered.

“You sure nopony will see us there?” a female whispered back.

“I’m sure… c’mon!” the male responded.

I felt something bump into the box. It was shortly followed by the telltale sounds of two ponies making out with each other. What did I do wrong to deserve this? After a period of time, during which I learned the two ponies were named Scarlet and Rubble, I heard a new voice clear their throat.

“C’mon you two, take it back to your quarters,” a confident sounding stallion said. The two ponies gasped and hurriedly galloped away. “Fuckin’ teenagers.” A banging sound reverberated inside the box and the box moved. “I gotta get somepony to move this box back to loading.” The pony was grumbling some more as he trotted off.

Checking my EFS again, and checking the general area through the opening on the box, I resumed my path to the cave. As luck would have it, I made my way almost all the way to the cavern opening. To get there, I still needed to cross a small clearing with a guard shack, and four patrolling guards.

After watching their patrol routes for a while, I found one small window of opportunity to get close to the opening. Once I got there, I’d have to come up with a new plan. I very slowly made progress to the rock wall and got as close as I possibly could without being seen. There was still a good ten feet or so out in the open that I needed to cross.

“Damn, I’m fuckin’ exhausted today. Would you guys mind if I took a little nap before the end of my shift?” I heard one of the guards ask.

“Sure thing, but if you get caught, it ain’t my flank,” another voice responded.

“Thanks.” I heard hoofsteps approach the box. The box shifted a little as somepony settled on top of it. After several minutes, I heard light snoring. Son of a bitch.

The sound of gunshots startled me awake. Damn it! How long was I out? Peeking out the opening, dark had fallen and the two guards nearby were running around in a panic.

“Where the fuck is it coming from?” one pony yelled out in a panic.

“I don’t know, I think over there?” the other one responded.

Shit, this was my chance. Double checking my EFS, I saw that the only two ponies in the area were the two guards and they were facing away from me looking for the sniper. Way to go, Flower!

Propping the box up, I scurried out from underneath it and let it softly return to the ground. Being as quiet as possible, I trotted into the cavern opening and found a large steel door with a smaller door inset into it. Checking the handle of the inset door, it was locked. Damn. Fumbling through my saddlebags for my screwdriver and bobby pins, I went to work on the lock. It was a long time since I had done this, and that was in training. After struggling with the lock for a few minutes, I heard the soft click I was waiting for.

Quickly and quietly, I opened the door and made my way inside. Just as quietly, I closed the door behind me and relocked it from the inside. I was in a metal-lined hallway with sparse fluorescent lighting. The air was cool and oddly fresh. It reminded me of the air in the lab space in the stable under Horseton. I trotted down the hallway and entered the first doorway I came to. The room was dark except for the green glow of a terminal.

Sitting at the chair, I started manipulating the keyboard looking for information. The main screen indicated that this was a security terminal. Scanning through the logs, I found that this place was the “Equestrian Agricultural Experimental Station #1”. The only other information I could take from the terminal was that this place had geothermal power and a deep well for water supply. What the hell had Manny stumbled across?

Leaving the office, I made my way further down the hallway. I passed other rooms which were either empty laboratories or offices. There were a few bunkrooms as well, but it was obvious this facility was not meant for long term habitation. At the end of the hall, there was a fork. Fortunately, a sign indicated what lay in each direction. The one that interested me the most was ‘Cultivation Bay’ which led beyond a large door. I hoofed the activation panel and the door slid open in front of me.

What lay beyond the door shocked me so strongly, that my legs collapsed underneath me. The door opened into a large room that was flooded with incredibly bright light. It was probably the size of four, maybe 5, aircraft hangars. The room was full from wall to wall with racks, for lack of a better word, suspending plants of various types. The roots were just dangling in the air. Scurrying around the room were dozens of Mr. Handy model robots, tending to the plants. Some were collecting ripe fruit, others were spraying the roots with some kind of mist, and others were removing dead limbs from growing plants. This was an aeroponics facility! A huge aeroponics facility!

When the gravity of the situation fully beared down on me, my mind nearly exploded. This facility could help the Enclave! We could improve our production yields. Food would be sufficient, if not plentiful. Birthing limits could be removed! This was amazing! This could even help out the Wasteland. Other facilities, maybe not so large in scale, could be constructed to feed settlements. This could help everypony!

A terminal set off in the corner caught my attention. I needed to make sure I got any information about this facility for General Cirrus. The terminal ended up being a treasure trove of information regarding the method used in this facility. There was an option for data transfer but it was asking for the Pipbuck interface. I quickly looked over the device on my leg and quickly realized there was a connection plug that would fit in the terminal. After plugging it in, the displays indicated the data transfer was happening and then was completed.

I hurried back to the door leading to the Wasteland. Something told me the exfiltration was going to be more of a pain than the infiltration. Surprisingly, when I got back to the door, my EFS indicated that there was nopony waiting on the other side. After slipping back through to door, making sure I locked it from the other side, I casually got back under my box and made my way back towards the loading area. The entire way back, I ran into absolutely nopony. The estate seemed abandoned. I left the box at the gate and made my way off the estate.

After getting back to our rendezvous point, I found Flower there a little out of breath. “Hey Flower. What happened?”

“Ah, nothin’ much. Just settin’ up some distractions fer ya. It’s amazin’ what some explosions’ll do to create a diversion,” she said with a snicker.

“I figured you had something to do with the ghost town. Thanks for the cover fire by the way,” I said with a nod. She simply nodded in response. “You’ll never guess what I found. Manny is sitting on a farm… a very large, indoor farm.”

She whistled. “Holy shit. Makes ya wonder why Manny wants Leafy dead. Ya figure a small operation like Leafy’s couldn’t do much against him,” she said shrugging.

“Greed. He wants it all for himself,” I said with a sigh. “Let’s head back and see what Brownie and One found out,” I added.

We trotted back to Leafy’s settlement. Brownie and One were nowhere to be found. Leafy said she saw them head out a few hours ago. Brownie had already negotiated our stay for the night. For the first time in a long while, I was going to look forward to sleeping an entire night and not having to take watch. Sleep came quickly.

Although sleep came quickly, it did not persist. I woke up several times during the night, expecting to find Silver laying next to me. Each time, I remembered where she really was and my heart sank. I hoped I was able to figure out some way to get Silver away from Manny, now that I wasn’t going to ‘take care’ of his problem. I did manage a full night’s sleep, although it was in two hour stretches.

Once the sun came up, I saw that Brownie and One had come back at some point during the night. The farmers had started their day, and were making enough noise outside that my companions all woke up.

“Morning Brownie, One. We missed you guys last night,” I said with a yawn.

“Mornin’, Dust. You’ll never believe what we found out yesterday. We…” Brownie started.

I quickly interrupted him. “Brownie, let’s get somewhere that we won’t be overheard. Just in case,” I said while pointing to the door of the shack. He nodded and our entire group packed up our stuff and met a good distance away from the farm.

Brownie spoke up first. “As I was sayin’, we followed Autumn like ya asked and you’ll never believe where she went,” he said playfully while raising one eyebrow. I shrugged my shoulders. “Autumn headed back towards Manny’s and had a small rendezvous with a rust colored pony with a silver mane. They have a small cave they used for, um,” Brownie said blushing a little bit.

One perked up. “Mister Dust, they were kissing and hugging and stuff… but then they got into a fight and were wrestling,” he said with a big grin on his face.

I raised an eyebrow at Brownie. “Wait, you said rust colored with a silver mane? Did you hear a name?” I asked turning to look at him. The gears were turning in my head.

“She kept calling him ‘Hardy’ while they were, um...“ Brownie was turning a deeper shade of red.

“Wrestling!” One blurted out. I didn’t think it was possible for him to smile any bigger.

“Holy shit!” I cried out shaking my head. “Leafy’s daughter is in a secret relationship with Manny’s son!”

We were all shocked into silence. Well, except for One“Leafy and Hardy sittin’ in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” he sang while trotting in place.

“We get it One, we get it,” I squeaked out. “Well, as shocking as all that was, my revelation is more amazing. Manny is sitting on a farm. A very large, indoor farm,” I said.

Brownie was shocked and I filled him in on the details and the fact that Manny had a disabled skywagon. We all stopped and thought about the situation for a few minutes. “Ponies, I have an idea, but it’s going to require some subterfuge on our part. Everypony OK with that?” I asked, glancing at each of my friends. Everyone nodded and I filled everyone in.

I trotted back up to the gate of Manny’s estate and the ponies on guard ushered me right in. After being escorted back up to Manny’s office, I sat and waited. My brain was working a mile a minute, hoping I could pull this off. I had to, if I was going to get Silver back.

Manny and his son came striding in. “Dust! So good to see you! Is it safe to assume you took care of those raiders, especially the one I asked you about?” He gave his son a sideways glance when he said that part.

Putting on my best act, I hesitated a little before responding. “Y.. yeah, of course. I told you I would, didn’t I?” I said, faking discomfort.

Manny gave me a long sideways glance now. “Really? Why did you just hesitate a little there?” he asked staring at me.

“N...n...no reason. Really… we mopped up the floor with them. And there is a pegasus there too. But she is being tended to by a companion of mine due to some injuries she had,” I answered with some trepidation in my voice, hoping my lie wasn’t spotted.

“Hmmm… you’ll have to forgive me, but I don’t believe you,” he said shaking his head.

“Well, look, just give me Silver and you can go verify it on your own,” I said with some false anxiety.

“Not going to happen. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re gonna go out there together. If you are telling the truth, Silver is yours, free and clear. If you are lying, then her contract will no longer be up for sale,” he said with a deathly serious glare.

“OK.. fine, just waste our time,” I said rolling my eyes.

“Dust, time is money,” he started, and then said, “and I don’t like wasting money.”

We congregated around the front of Manny’s house. Silver looked tired. She did gallop over to me and gave me a hug when she first saw me. I hugged her back. “Don’t worry Silver, we’re getting you out of here. But don’t say anything,” I whispered in her ear. I felt her nod in reply.

Manny, Hard Labor, Silver, myself, and two guards left the estate. I lead the entire group towards the settlement. I could feel Manny and his escorts watching my every move. I had to play my cards right here for this to work. Hopefully Brownie was able to get his part done as well. After about half an hour, we had reached the location called for in our plan. The reason we picked this site was that is was a blind corner around a small rock formation and a group coming from either direction wouldn’t see the other until they were right on top of eachother. Now, I needed to delay.

“Excuse me, can we stop for a second so I can take a leak?” I asked trotting in place a little to sell it.

“Yes, and make it quick,” Manny said looking rather frustrated.

I moved away from the group and feigned relieving myself behind a small pile of rubble. Checking my EFS, I saw about eight additional green markers appear. Alright, here came the tricky part.

I walked back towards the group just as the farmers rounded the corner. When everypony saw who the other group was, everypony drew a weapon and was aiming at the other group. I saw Brownie move into position behind Leafy as I moved behind Manny.

“Leafy? But how? I thought you were dead?” Manny yelled out, glaring at me and gritting his teeth.

“No, your mercenaries couldn’t do it, but I should kill you just for thinking to try such a thing,” Leafy yelled back through her clenched teeth.

Brownie and I both drew our weapons on Leafy and Manny, respectively. Both Manny and Leafy looked shocked and the escorts didn’t know whether to aim at the other group or Brownie and myself. The two started to say something, but Brownie cut them off. “OK, listen up, here’s how this is going to work. You will send your escorts back to your respective homes, excluding Autumn and Hard. They are involved in this too. Then we will all sit down and talk things out,” he said while keeping his weapon levitated on Leafy.

Manny was the first to respond. “And why would I do that?” he asked, clearly pissed.

“Yeah, Dust. Why should we trust you?” Leafy asked, just as aggravated.

I holstered my pistol. “Because I have as much to gain or lose here you two. We all have something that somepony else wants.” I said and paused for effect. “Now, do we all agree?” I demanded as much as asked.

Both Leafy and Manny sighed at the same time “Don’t have much choice,” they said in unison both slumping their shoulders.
“You bastard. I will kill you after all this,” Manny added with a hateful glare.

The escorts were sent away and it was Leafy, Autumn, Manny, Hard, Silver, Brownie and myself. Once I was satisfied everypony else had left, I ordered everypony left to sit down.

“Now we’re going to have a talk. I don’t know what pissing match you two have gotten yourself into, but you two have been acting like idiots.” I started. I saw them both start to say something, but interrupted, “Nope. Don’t want to hear it. Let me talk.” They both shut their mouths. “Manny, I know you are sitting on a disabled skywagon and a farm.” I watched his jaw drop open in surprise. “Leafy, I know you have a working skywagon and a pegasus to run it.” She simply nodded, since she hadn’t tried to hide it.

“Now Manny, you have volume on your side. Leafy, you have the means for distribution. Both of you have something to gain here and everything to lose. Manny, if you can’t get your crops to market, you can’t sell them. Leafy, you can get them to market, but can’t grow enough to make a good profit. Why don’t you two work together?” I said, glancing back and forth between the two of them. Here was where I had to get lucky..

“Now, why would I work with a pony who wants to kill me? How can I trust him?” Leafy scoffed with some sarcastic laughter..

“Why would I work with this inferior pony? I could simply kill them all myself. It would make things more complicated, but it might be worth it,” Manny spat out.

And the moment I waited for happened. Hard Labor stood up and faced his father. “Dad, you can’t do that! I love Autumn!” he screamed trotting over to his father.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air as it looked like Manny had been punched in the gut. “What? How can you love this dirtfarmer!” Manny screamed in disbelief.

Hard walked over to Autumn and embraced her. “I do, Dad. Autumn and I have been secretly seeing each other for months now. I checked out the settlement when you first started complaining about it. And then I saw her,” he said and leaned down and kissed Autumn on the cheek.

“But, you can’t! I won’t!” Manny blurted out, his voice fading.

Leafy then started. “How dare you sneak out like that! I won’t allow you to be with him!” she scolded Autumn with a glare.

Manny was taken aback. “Wait? Won’t allow her to be with him? What are you trying to say?” he yelled, staring right through Leafy.

“I wouldn’t let my daughter be a part of your scummy family. You are nothing but a dressed up slaver and attempted murderer!” Leafy spat back, walking towards Manny.

“Watch who you call scummy, bitch!” Manny retorted, walking towards Leafy. Oh hell, this is not going the way I intended.

I raised my voice as loud as it could go. “Everypony! Be quiet!” I screamed. Everypony’s head snapped towards me. “You two are being complete idiots! Manny, do you or do you not need help getting crops to market on time?” I asked glaring at him.

Manny looked uncomfortable. “Yes,” he muttered, lowering his head.

“And Leafy,” I said as I turned my head, “Do you or do you not have enough crops to make good money?” I asked glaring at her now.

“No, we don’t,” she said, looking dejected.

“And Autumn and Hard, do you two love each other?” I asked, looking at the lovestruck couple..

They looked at each other. “Yes!” the blurted out at the same time. “We were actually going to elope in a few weeks, but then all this nonsense started!” Hard said while embracing Autumn.

Leafy and Manny looked shocked. “Elope?” they said at the same time.

“Yes. We love each other and want to be together forever!” Autumn responded.

I waited a while to let it sink in. “Now, as I see it, there is a very easy solution here, as long as you two,” I pointed at both Manny and Leafy, “can stop being so pigheaded and put it behind you. Manny, you have the crops. Leafy, you have the transportation. I’m sure you two can negotiate a fair agreement, especially considering you’ll be family soon enough,” I said.

The ensuing argument took over two hours to rectify. The two kept focusing on the fact that Manny tried to kill Leafy and Manny thought Leafy was beneath him. The whole time, the two kids were lovingly looking at each other and started crying every time things got sour. As time dragged on, I interjected each time the argument returned to the pointless insults they kept throwing at each other. They tried to leave several times, but Brownie kept threatening to shoot them if they walked. I didn’t think he had it in him but they believed it.

Daylight started to fade and the argument was still going strong. A pair of screams punctuated the evening air. The arguing of the two ponies stopped abruptly. We all turned to look in the direction of the screams.

Leafy’s mouth dropped open. “Autumn?” she cried out, obviously worried.

Manny also looked dumbstruck. “Hard?” cried out, also concerned.

We all broke into a gallop at the same time. After a short gallop, we all skidded to a halt at the situation we saw. There was a large creature that looked like a weird mix of a lion, bat, and scorpion. On the ground in front of it was the prone body of Autumn and Hard Labor was doing his best to protect her. He was covered with scratches and other wounds.

Leafy gasped. “A manticore? What the fuck is one of these doing this far out from Everfree?” she said, clearly confused.

“I don’t care where it came from, we gotta kill it!” I screamed. We all drew our weapons and started pelting it with whatever we had.

The first few rounds of fire drew its attention away from the kids and it started charging towards us. We all separated and did our best to divert its attention. It was a cacophony of gunshots, various weapons being reloaded, and the screams of the manticore. The manticore was currently charging me and I was racking my shotgun and pulling the trigger as fast I could. As it drew nearer, I tried to rack the shotgun and it got jammed. Frantically, I did everything I could to clear the chamber. Unfortunately, I paid attention to my gun for too long.

I looked up just in time to see the large paw swipe at me from the side. I jumped backwards, avoiding the swipe so narrowly I felt the rush of air blow through my mane. Unfortunately, I did not stick the landing and fell to my backside. The manticore was right on top of me. I could smell the foul odor of its breath. It was the sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh. Blood from several open wounds was dripping off various parts of its body and splashed all over me. My vision was blurred and everything was slick. I dropped my shotgun to the ground. The manticore roared while it reared up and was about to land on top of me, and ending my life in the process.

I closed my eyes, preparing to meet my maker. My last thoughts were of Silver and of all the words I couldn’t say to her. Things I wish I had done, mistakes I wish I hadn’t made. “Silver, I’m sorry I was such an idiot,” I cried out, to nopony in particular. The manticore let out one last roar before tearing me to shreds. But, this roar was different. It sounded pained and weakened. I opened one of my eyes and watched while the beast fell over backwards. It landed with a thump and the only movement left was the slight rising of its sides as it drew its last breaths. Flower trotted over with her sniper rifle and with one last shot, the beast became still.

The next thing I knew, Manny and Leafy ran over to their children. I quickly stood up and shook off as much of the beast’s blood as I could. Then, I trotted over to where everypony had gathered. Hard Labor was badly injured but nothing that appeared life threatening. Somepony had given him a healing potion and he was drinking it. Autumn was a different story. She was lying on the ground, breathing, but unconscious. She had two deep gashes running the length of her body. Brownie was already administering aid to her. Leafy was looking on, visibly shaken. Surprisingly, Manny was comforting her.

“It’s OK, she’ll be OK,” he said while having an leg around leafy. Amazingly, Leafy had nestled her face in Manny’s shoulder.

Hard Labor had trotted over. He was still weakened, but he looked on the scene, with concern on his face. “Will she be OK?” he asked, tears streaming down his face.

I patted him on his shoulder. “Brownie is a damn good medic. If anyone can help, it’s him,” I said with a nod.

Hard Labor turned towards his father. “If you weren’t so Celestia damned stubborn this never would have happened! We wouldn’t have been out here for this to happen!” he yelled at his own father.

“I know… and I’m sorry,” Manny said, lowering his head in embarrassment.

Soft coughing drew all our attention back to Brownie and Autumn. She coughed some more. “Hardy… where are you Hardy?” she weakly said.

Hard Labor shoved everyone out of his way. “I’m right here, Autumn.” He knelt down and nuzzled with Autumn.

“Are you OK? Last thing I remember was you standing between me and the manticore,” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re OK. I thought I lost you. I love you Autumn,” he said wrapping her up in his legs.

“I love you too,” she replied returning the embrace.

“Hard Labor, thank you for saving my daughter,” Leafy said extending her hoof for a hoofbump.

“You’re welcome, but I didn’t do it for you. I did it for her,” he said returning the gesture.

“That’s my boy,” Manny said. There was an awkward silence. “Um, Leafy, I’m sorry that your daughter was in this position,” Manny said turning towards Leafy extending a hoof.

“And I’m sorry your son had to get hurt to help her,” Leafy said, bumping Manny’s hoof.

“Maybe, since our kids can be together, maybe we can learn to work together too,” Manny said looking hopeful.

Manny and Leafy started a small conversation between them, but I couldn’t hear it. Somepony wrapped their legs around me and squeezed with all their might. “Dust! For the love of Celestia! I thought the manticore was going to kill you!” she cried out while squeezing me tightly.

I hugged her back. “So did I, Silver. I thought it was over. And all I could think about was you. Of all the mistakes I wished I hadn’t made and all the things I wished I had done,” I said while pulling out of the embrace.

“What do you mean, Dust?” she asked.

I looked her right in her sky blue eyes, then leaned in and kissed her.

Level up!
Small Guns - 30

Perk Obtained - Snake? Snake? SNAAAAAAAKE! - You get a +5 to Sneak when using nontraditional hiding spaces.