The rest of my shift in the air was mostly uneventful. Recon duty was surprisingly boring, and it was hard sometimes to pay attention to the little details all around us. One detail I kept in mind however, was Hispano’s cloud. I think the skyraider attack on the convoy spooked her a bit, because she kept her distance from us after we’d gotten moving again.

Still, boring and uneventful was good. The burning sun up above provided me with an excess of thermals off the snow covered hills in the valleys we wound through. While my wings were getting tired by mid afternoon, I’d been able to go down for breaks now and again to rest for a few minutes. Honestly, if most of this afternoon’s shift turned out to be how things normally went, I’d be fine with doing it every day until we found that damn ship.

Giving a few easy flaps to keep up my altitude, I felt one of my muscles cramp up and kink a bit as I rode high above the convoy. I gave a small whimper and dropped a few feet for a moment as I tried to lighten the load on that wing a bit. Guess it was time for another break.

Dipping myself into a rotating dive, I banked myself around to keep off the problem muscle. As I spun down, I managed to keep my eyes open for anything odd on the horizon. However, like normal, nothing of interest stood out among the snowy forest valleys and slate colored mountain peaks as far as the eye could see.

Coming down for yet another soft landing in the Rec area, I remarked to myself about how much better I’d gotten in controlling my speed coming in here. Then again, the moment I thought that, the hatch to the ice hold flipped open and the outer handle of it caught on my rear hoof. Flipping forward, I slammed the door shut again as I crash landed on the wood flooring. With a tumbling roll, I slid across the floor and slammed into the side of Gearbox and Boilers container for the second time today.

“Ow…” I groaned as Buck’s scrambling movements came through our container wall before he threw the door open. “I’m fine.” Seeing stars flash all across my vision as I sat myself back up, I needed to get out of the habit of always jinxing myself into injury. “Happy? You okay?”

“Yeah.” He groaned in response as he shoved the Ice hold hatch open all the way again. “Going to have a headache, but it was my fault.” Climbing up out of the hold with a slight wobble, he held a hoof on his head as Buck reached over and helped me up to my hooves again. “Just… melting finished the door around the ice…”

“What?” I asked, watching as he took yet another wobbling step forward.

“Is it nap time already, Mom?” He whined before tripping over his own hooves and falling onto the floor.

Buck let go of me and quickly stepped up toward the apparently unconscious Happy. Getting down on the floor and leaning close to him, he perked his ears and listened. How he could hear anything over Bertha’s normal humming or the sound of the road under us, I didn’t know. Looking up to me, he gave a sigh of relief.

“He’s still breathing.” Buck said as he pushed himself back up. “He probably has a concussion though, so we’ll need to get him to his bed.” Buck nodded toward Happy and Lucky’s container.

“Can’t we just put him on the couch?” I asked, fighting my own throbbing and painful feeling in my head.

“No, he needs proper neck support incase it was injured in the hit as well.” As carefully as picking up a thin pane of glass, Buck scooped the unmoving Mule off the floor, and up into his massive arms. “Can you go open his door for me?” He nodded over to the container.

Trotting past him, I made my way over to their door. It’s odd, the whole time I’d been on this trip, I hadn’t once been in or even seen Happy’s half of the container. Lucky had the side closest to the door, and I’d seen that he followed the same decoration idea that I had, in having almost nothing to his name around his bed. Reaching up, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Looking toward the back of the container, I stopped as I saw something completely befuddling.

Happy’s half of the container was decorated wall to wall with some sort of dried plant leaves. A small potted plastic tree with similar, but green leaves sat next to his bed that looked familiar. A palm tree, I think. Yeah! Like the ones I’d seen in part of Attack of the fifty foot mare! Along with the palm leaves hanging everywhere, there was a small steamer trunk across from his bed with various items on top of it.

As Buck brought Happy inside, I followed him over to his bed to get a better look at things. On the steamer trunk, was a folded up leather jacket, a pair of scratched up mirrored sunglasses, and a… smaller than average, broken guitar. Plastered on the wall above it, was what looked to be an old world movie poster for a movie called ‘Blue Marewaii’.

Pictured on the poster was a pair of palm trees, along with a red coated stallion with a slicked back, jet black mane that also happened to wear almost exactly the same style shirt that Happy did, as well as use a tiny guitar like the one he owned. All that made something about him finally just click with me.

“He must idolize this stallion or something.” I said to myself. Of course, I wasn’t alone, so instead of being introspective, I was just saying something confusing to Buck.

“What now?” He asked, turning to look at the poster with me. “Hmmm.” He remarked as he leaned and and inspected the movie poster far too closely. “Yes, I can see the resemblance.”

“Have you ever heard of this ‘Blue Marewaii’ movie?” I asked Buck, turning and getting only a shrug from him.

“It’s not unusual for a wastelander to sometimes find some semblance of the old world to emulate. And it could explain Happy’s bizarre normal demeanor...” He postulated with a few scritches along his chin. “I’ve heard that there have been dozens of Mysterious Mare Do Well’s running around in the wastes, as well as more than a few Astro-Bucks and Silver Shrouds. It’s not to far of a jump to think that anypony with celebrity status could be emulated.” Shaking his head, he looked at me with a carefree chuckle. “I’m just glad that you haven’t bought into pretending to be any characters like that.”

His remark made me think back to what Lilac Lace had said in my head. I still didn’t really understand what she meant about me hiding who I really was, but until not knowing had some detrimental effect on my life, I don’t think I cared to find out. I wanted to enjoy my time with Buck and the others for now, as well as focus on not getting killed by whatever the wasteland had to throw at me next.

For another few minutes, I stayed with Buck as he checked on Happy’s condition. Though he couldn’t be sure, he thought Happy was lucky to get away from the hit without any major neck problems. Though, he’d most likely be out for another few minutes, up to even a few hours. And with the disorientation Buck expected him to have once he woke, he probably wouldn’t be leaving the Hauler tonight anyway.

“Whoever is by the radio, pick up the receiver.” Delilah’s static filled voice came in from the other room. Both Buck and I looked at each other before turning to head back out into the Rec area. By the time we did however, Hardcase already had levitated the mic over as he walked out of his room.

“Yes ma’am, we hear you.” He called out, looking over with a smile. Wow he sure was fast getting up and down from his post. Looking up at the tarp covering of the rec area, I made sure that all of the sides were still secured. How did he get down here that fast!? It was literally like, two seconds flat.

“Call in Bombay from recon duty.” Her voice sounded more relaxed than normal. “We’ll be pulling off the road here in two minutes, and we’ll be at Carmack’s main gate in five. Make sure we’re buttoned up for the evening, and that everypony knows that the buddy system stays in effect if any of them want to leave.”

“Alright, copy that, Ma’am.” Hardcase nodded, giving me a roll of his eyes. “Anything else?”

“Yes, actually.” She snorted. “I sense that my son has been laying down on the job again.” Wow, that was some sixth sense for her to know that! Too bad for her that she didn’t quite gleam that it was my fault this time. Well, half of my fault. “Can you get a status report on the Safe and bring it down to me when we stop?”

“Uh, one second.” He said, throwing me a confused look. I nodded and gave him a wide smile, trying to convey that I had the info for her. “Sure thing, Ma’am.” He finally answered. “I’ll come see you when we stop.”

“Oh, and bring Bombay down with you, Hardcase.” She muttered into the mic, making both Hardcase and I freeze up momentarily.

“Copy that, over and out.” He said before reaching up and flicking a switch on the radio with his hoof. Giving a soft sigh, he set the mic down and looked over to me with a sly smirk. “By the way, you’re supposed to come back from recon duty.” Oh har har, smartass.

“Yeah, I got that.” I fired back with as much snark as I could load into my words. “As for what Happy told me, he’s done melting the ice around the door.” I know that what he actually said was jumbled, but I’m not that much of a snarky asshole.

With a change in plane under our hooves, the whole of the Hauler shifted as Gearbox drove us off the main highway, and onto the sloped off-ramp toward Carmacks. Stepping out into the Rec area, I watched as snow covered hills quickly gave way to heavily forested woods that tightly lined the road leading towards the city. What I didn’t expect however, was the fact that it felt almost like somepony turned down the brightness of the wasteland. Everything got dark fast for some reason, and it made my mane stand on end.

Stepping up toward the rear of the Hauler, I flared my wings and hooked my forehooves around the rusty metal railing that lined the back. Pulling myself along the bit of the railing that was welded to the backside of Delilah’s container, I peeked around the corner to see where the sun had gone. Looking up, I wasn’t disappointed.

Beyond the tall trees, sat the most imposing face of a mountain I’d seen yet. It was nowhere near as impressively tall as the ‘Last Bastard’, but it wasn’t just some oversized hill either. Rising up goddesses know how tall, the mountain was mostly a single, vertical cliff from this side. Extending over most of the snow covered lands around us, it draped them in it’s impressively large shadow. As if the massive, outwardly slanted mountainside wasn’t imposing enough, there was an enormous crack that ran down most of the thing, filled with numerous unstable looking boulders that sat precariously poised to crush the entire town if they fell. And if that wasn’t enough, there was the rusting black and white form of a Zebra missile sitting still lodged between those various boulders!

Dropping my view down, I found that ahead of us, the land dipped down into a small depression under the mountainside, and in it, sat a snow covered city. I say city, but in reality, it was probably just as big as Cannon City would have been, had the weird green crater lake not have replaced half of it. Here’s hoping that fact isn’t remedied by the missile above while we’re stopped here.

A pair of black, pitch coated spiked log walls lined the road ahead of us. They stretched out through the clear cut areas of the forest around both sides of the city, forming a barrier that wrapped all the way to the edges of the cliffside at the back of town. The ponies on the wall watch towers flagged us down as we approached. Quickly, I made my way back towards the Recreation area, and as I did, I found Hardcase’s smiling muzzle waiting for me.

“Oh, Bombay?” He said as I climbed back over the railing. Immediately as I got my hooves back into the rec area, I facehooved myself hard. I knew what he was going to say, and I wanted to hit him for it. “Delilah wants to talk to you, so you’ll have to come with me.”

“Yeah.” I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go.”

Ah, Carmacks. A snug, sleepy little city in the snow, full of still electrically powered prewar buildings… some how? I may ask about it later, as this place just seemed like a quaint, sleepy little town. Regardless, this place was also full of happy and friendly seeming ponies, and thankfully lacking anyone claiming to be some sort of actor or actress. All built under the overbearing shadow of the candidate for the most intricately set up impending disaster since the end of the great war. A perfect relaxation spot for a convoy to stop off for a bit while trying to stay ahead of a rich Saddle Arabian stallion and his band of murderous thugs.

Yes, I’d certainly never made a single horrible choice in my life to end up with this set of circumstances. No siree!

“Don’t get into too much trouble.” Buck called out from atop the reactor deck, making me blush slightly. “Or any at all, for that matter!”

Then again, quite a few choices I’ve made have ended up being pretty great. Even if it’s not even been a day since I made them.

Buck had decided to stay to keep an eye on Happy, as well as keep Violet company while we were stuck in this place for a while. Given the fact that Violet gets stircrazy if she’s forced to sit somewhere for too long, I’m pretty sure it’s less of a nicety, and more to be there to hold her down when she starts getting cabin fever. Meanwhile, Hardcase and I were making our way over toward where Bessy was parked ahead of the Hauler.

Standing around and talking with Delilah was another trio of stallions dressed in construction outfits. This time, instead of a red diamond painted onto their hard hats, these ponies had a green triangle. Hardcase held out his hoof before we could get too close, and in knowing I was probably going to ask, started to talk anyway.

“So, the deal with these Road Crew guys,” He said, keeping his eyes on the trio of ponies as he spoke. “is that they’re the gang that controls the roads around here. Keeps them clean and repaired. Mostly...”

As he trailed off, the thrumming of an archano-engine caught our ears from down the town’s main street. From around the side of a three story brick building, rolled a tracked vehicle that looked too tall and thin to be a tank. A small archano-engine was mounted between a stiff set of tracks, and a single construction uniformed mare sat behind it operating a set of levers. Attached to the machine’s sides however, were a pair of multi-tubed metal ‘arms’ that reached out in front of the vehicle.

With a pull of one lever, both of the vehicles ‘arms’ raised up into the air. The mare reached over and cranked a wheel that sat in front of her, causing the whole vehicle to shudder and turn sideways. As it did, Hardcase and I saw that it was a basic, old world ‘bulldozer’ as they were called, and that the ‘multiple’ tubes on the thing, were actually multiple artillery barrels that had been permanently affixed onto the hydraulically articulating arms.

“You were saying…” I spoke up, trying to wonder why they would need something like that.

“They own the roads and are divided into unions.” Hardcase began again slowly, turning his gaze back towards the stallions next to Delilah. “Foreponies like this guy? He’s the head for settlements and checkpoints. But they answer to the Union Reps. Bigwigs with big construction rigs that together run the whole operation from the bigger settlements down the line.” He grumbled. “You have to pay to use their roads, period. You don’t pay the toll, or worse, you skip past without getting the proper mark on your vehicle?” He shook his head. “You better hope that they never find out.”

“Do they… kill you?” I asked, becoming a whole lot less comfortable with being around these guys. The ones up near Filly Crossing we helped seemed nice. But that might have only been because the biggest thing they had there was something that looked like a basic, old world power shovel.

“No, not unless you shoot at them first.” Hardcase shook his head and looked uneasily at me. “When we were passing through Cantercross on our first trip up here, we got to watch as one of the Cordite tanks got caught for running the roads without paying the toll.” He smirked. “You should have seen Ditch Witch and Rocksaw effortlessly cut that heavy tank in half with their equipment. Such a shame to see a good tank go to waste like that, but oh so fun to watch those sisters do their work.”

“So, we pay the toll. Every time.” I repeated to myself, trying to make sure I never made that mistake if I ever came back up this way. “Got it.” Turning my attention to Delilah, the middle of the three stallions shook Delilah’s hoof with a smile. Tipping his hardhat to her, the trio left, and she turned her unamused gaze to me. “Looks like she’s ready for us.”

“Hey there, Boss!” Hardcase called as we trotted across the snowy street towards her. She didn’t seem too enthused by his greeting, but she did give a roll of her eyes. “So, about your son. He seems to have finished melting the ice around the door of the safe.”

That gave her a genuine smile for the first time in a few days. “Excellent.” She gave a firm nod to him. “For once, he’s actually finished something I’ve told him to do in a respectable timeframe. Tell him he can have the rest of the night off.” She turned and looked over toward the city, not knowing that he was basically already out cold thanks to me. “I know that we need to keep moving, but with Destruction Bay another three days out from here, I want to get in at least a few hours time for you all to relax before we all get some shuteye.” Looking back to me, she held her hoof out. In it, was a small cloth sack. “Here are the caps I promised you, Night.”

Reaching out, she dropped the fairly weighty sac into my hoof.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” I said with a smile.

She looked over to Hardcase and gave a sigh. “Please, keep an eye on him and show him around the city before night falls.” Looking up, the bright blue sky beyond the darkness that the overbearing mountain cast was still hanging around. However, the hues of evening would soon show up, and I couldn’t imagine how dark it would get at night around here. Though, probably not too bad considering they still had power here.

Hardcase turned to me with a shrug. “Anywhere you want to go? A dinner, a movie, somewhere to do a bit of shopping perhaps?” He asked with a smile. I knew that there was absolutely zero way that he knew, but he’d just reminded me that there was something I was supposed to do here. It was date night with Hispano, and with Delilah’s ‘buddy’ rule, that was going to be a bit hard to pull off. A problem I’d have to solve as he showed me around.

Still, I nodded and pointed toward town. Delilah dismissed herself without saying anything, and Hardcase simply broke into a relaxed trot. Stuffing the pouch of caps under my folded wing, I moved myself to keep up with him.

Strolling down the street felt eerie and alien. The ponies who walked around here simply going about their daily business, didn’t feel like they were part of any sort of wasteland. The warm and inviting interior lights of all the buildings on main street, the smell of wood burning fires going all around town. It gave this place a relaxing and homey feel to it. It was more rustic than modern, and it definitely felt a whole lot less creepy than Klondike did. Still, as I looked into the windows of the various shops as we passed them, I was amazed to see such unique items on display.

For example, a shop named ‘Burt’s Buzzcrafts’ sold what looked like every single way you could ever prepare honey. Candied honey, jarred honey, honey lollipops, powdered honey, honey ingots. As well as that, there was a display that held what looked like a crate full of hundreds of beeswax candles, claiming that they were only three caps a piece.

The next shop down was more my style. ‘Forest Fashion’ wasn’t exactly the catchiest title, but the shimmering white and gold wartime dress that they displayed in the window was something that caught my eye immediately. So much so infact, that before I’d known it, I was standing in front of the window staring at it. Surprisingly, the tag read that the dress itself was only being sold for thirty five caps!

“Found something you like, I see.” Hardcase spoke up from behind me. I almost didn’t hear him, too focused on the way that the golden accents of the form fitting dress seemed to flow with intricate precision along the lines the dress presented. I followed the lines, giving in to where it was pulling my eyes, until they stopped on the perfect feature, and probably the reason it had been so cheaply priced.

Wing holes.

It was the perfect dress! Gasping, I giddily pranced across the fluffy snow that covered the sidewalks, and grasped at the door with my hooves. Giving a sharp pull on it, the door rattled, but didn’t open. Confused, I looked up to find the face of an unamused blue coated unicorn mare standing on the other side of it. In her magical grasp, she gave a wiggle to the sign hanging in the glass door that I’d missed walking up to it. Sadly, the sign read Closed.

Thinking quickly, I used my wings to hoist the bag of caps I’d been given, and with a smile, jabbed my hoof toward the dress in the window. I wanted that dress, and I wasn’t going to leave without it. Maybe she’d been hoping for a pegasus to come in when her shop is open, but hey, who the fuck closes up at four in the afternoon anyway!?

The mare used her horn to point that the sign again, seeming reluctant to even consider selling the dress that was obviously perfect for me. Who else around here was going to buy it!? Looking at the mare as she raised her hoof, she gave me a stiff wave for us to get lost, and that only stiffened my resolve to buy it.

“I don’t give a damn if you’re closed. You see these wings?” I yelled and flapped my wings at her through the glass. From the way she cringed inside, I was pretty sure that she could hear me quite well. “I want that dress, and I’m willing to pay for it right now.”

“Come back tomorrow.” She grumbled through the glass.

“We’re only in town for the evening,” I growled back. “When are you going to get another pegasus in to buy it? How long has it just been sitting there anyway?”

The mare rolled her eyes before her magic flipped the locking latch on the door. I gave a squeal of delight as she stepped back and opened the door for me. Like a filly in a toy store, I nearly galloped inside to get a better look at it.

“Forty caps.” The mare said with a droll tone to her voice. “Five over the listed price for the inconvenience of staying open late.”

“Now come on.” Hardcase grunted as he trotted inside. “That’s hardly…”

Using my wing to toss the caps at Hardcase, they smacked him in the side of the face before he grabbed them with his magic.

“Pay the mare, Hardcase.” I giggled as I reached out for the dress. The moment it was within my grasp, I found it lifted away from it’s display and paraded above my head. Longingly, I followed it as it fluttered overhead, and toward a fancy looking folding dressing screen.

“I assume that you would like it custom fit as well via alteration magic?” The mare continued with her very boring manor of speaking, but I was too focused on the dress to care. It would be mine. Nodding, I could have agreed to sell the Hauler to her and not really have cared. “It’s normally a fifteen cap charge, plus…”

“Plus the extra five.” Hardcase grumbled. “Yeah, we get it.” He shared her bored tone, but when I looked over to him he gave me a shrug and the faintest hint of a smile.

I froze up for a moment as behind him, standing in the window with wide, excited eyes, stood Hispano. She squeezed her cheeks between her talons, pressing her beak and face up against the glass door to this place. Hardcase seemed to noticed I was looking at the door, and before she could be spotted, Hispano lept into the air and zipped out of sight before he could even turn around.

Stepping behind the screen, the mare held the dress up and enveloped both it and me with her magic. I watched in delight as parts of the dress shifted in size, and even more of it’s detail came out. With a flash, her spell ended, and she floated the dress over to me. As she stepped back around to the other side of the partition, I worked at getting myself into the amazing gown.

Slipping myself through the opening in the back. Each of the softly bell bottomed legs slipped up over my forelegs like sleek socks, drooping out a bit behind my fetlocks and fluttering as I moved my hooves. The slim sides hugged my flank, and the split rear still let me flick my tail, fluttering the trailing gold lines that draped down across my flank and around under my barrel. Even slipping my wings through the holes came easily! Spreading them wide, I felt as the low cut v neck that cut down against my chest didn’t feel restricting in the least bit. Stuffing my mother’s tags under one of the sides, I blushed as I gave myself a moment to take in how the dress felt overall.

Giggling into my forehooves, I spun around in circles for a moment, enjoying myself before I realized that both the Boring mare and Hardcase were staring at me. The mare offered a dejected sigh, while Hardcase at least gave me a genuine nod of approval.

“Now, if you’re satisfied?” The mare spoke, pausing as I nodded furiously to her. “Then would you kindly leave. We’re closed.” She gave only the hint of a judgemental glare across her raised muzzle.

“Is this how you treat your normal customers?” Hardcase murmured as he looked at the haughty mare in disbelief. “You know, you could use a few lessons in…”

Without even getting another word in about it, the mare’s magic flared and both Hardcase and I found ourselves back outside with a soft magical pop. I blinked a few times as the sudden change in scenery took a minute to acclimate too, but in looking back at the shop, I watched as the annoyed looking mare glared at me before she dropped every blind and shutter in the place all at once.

“...Manners.” He said flatly as he ground his forehoof into the snow. “Wow, she’d give Delilah a run for her money in ‘world's most annoyed business owner.” Hardcase sighed as he looked up into the skies with a chuckle. At least I wasn’t the only one who thought that they shared that trait. “So, what’s next on your to-do list?”

Looking up with him, I immediately spotted the familiar looking cloud already sitting above the well lit wartime diner at the corner of the block. Giving a sigh, I knew that I couldn’t really avoid it for too much longer, and figured I might as well get it over with. With seeing how excited she was, I was hoping that this didn’t hurt her feelings too badly...

“So, Hardcase? Can I ask a favor?” I spoke up, a nervous smile parting my lips. He cocked his eyebrow slowly, giving a stiff sigh as he braced himself for my request. “You remember that griffon from before?” He gave a slow nod and smiled. “Well, because she saved me…” I started to say, pointing my leg toward the diner. “She wanted to meet there and have dinner with me. Alone.”

At that, Hardcase snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh wow, thank the goddesses.” Sitting down hard on the snowy sidewalk, he feigned wiping the sweat off his brow. “I thought you were going to ask something unreasonable.” Reaching up, he gave me a soft pat on the shoulder with his cold hoof, being actually more understanding with my request than I’d expected. “I mean, far be it for me to judge if you want to have an ‘open’ relationship with Buck. But as I’ve said to Violet before, the more the merrier!” He smiled at me. “By the way, if you two are ever interested in mixing it up with us...”

Wow, that asshole.

Scooping up a hoofful of snow, I threw it in his face and snatched my cap sack out of his magic with my wing.

“It’s not like that. What kind of stallion do you think I am?” I huffed as I trotted toward the diner. “I’m not just some easy floozy you can take to bed.” Muttering under my breath, I realized that was kind of hypocritical for me to say. I’d only known Buck for two weeks, only realized I really liked him earlier today, and already we’d spent a few hours together in bed. That kind of made me the easiest pony around…

Opening the door, I stepped inside the old wartime diner. The incredible warmth of the air inside nearly melted away all my tension in a moment, and the smell of freshly baked goods reminded me of Spring Leaf’s kitchen back on the Empirica. Standing there, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. With the sweet and savory smells overloading my nose and the incredible feeling of the fabric holding around my body, I felt myself relax more than a bit.

“Excuse me, miss?” The voice of a young stallion spoke up. Opening my eyes, a young unicorn in a bright blue servers vest looked up at me. He was a few inches shorter than I was, and from the way his thick round glasses seemed a bit too large for his muzzle, I estimated he was a few years younger than me. “How many will be seated?” He asked with a nervous glance at my flank. Subtlety was definitely not his thing.

“Two,” I spoke up softly. “But my second has yet to arrive.” I gave him a polite smile just in time for the door to open behind me.

Walking in, dressed in her flight cap and a thick leather bomber jacket that was just slightly too big for her, Hispano beamed a smile at me as soon as I looked at her. She gave her own squeal as she quickly zipped her way to my side. She let out a happy coo, blushing as she affectionately pressed herself against me. After a moment, she deadpanned and looked over to the server stallion when he cleared his throat.

“That’ll be a booth for the two of us.” She squeaked out before looking up to me with another blush. “You look amazing, by the way.”

“Of course you are together.” The stallion sighed before standing up stiffly. “I mean, of course! Right this way!” He nearly tripped over himself as he turned around and headed toward one of the empty booths next to the large glass windows that gazed out into the snowy town. Showing us to our seats, he waited until Hispano and I got ourselves situated before he levitated over a pair of menus onto the table. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to decide.”

“Thanks.” Hispano grunted to him, shooing him off with her talon before turning and beaming a bright smile to me again. “Wow, you look incredible like that. You went all out for this, didn’t you?”

“It’s what you wanted, right?” I asked, thinking about just how to break the ice with Hispano. We had so much to talk about, and I didn’t want to wait until the end of the night to do it. “Look, Hispano,” I sighed, slumping slightly against the plush booth backing. “We have to talk.”

“Sure,” She said, quickly leaning forward and grabbing both my forehooves in her talons. She was positively vibrating with excitement, reminding me of how she was the first time I met her back on the Inuvik. Looking up from her talons to her face, I found her attentive eyes locked onto me, and a caring smile across her beak. “We can talk about whatever you want.”

“I…” Wow, she was really just that open with me? Right from the get go? Well then, where do I start? “I… want to know what happened… before Klondike. Why can’t I remember?” I said, trying to remember what I couldn’t. The moment I began to try however, the sharp pain I’d felt before returned. I couldn’t understand, why did this keep happening!?

Her voice resonated in my head, speaking from the past. I could make out bits and pieces, single words as my head started to feel like it was exploding. I tried to focus on separating it out, but everything was all jumbled together and coming out at once. I whimpered and ripped my hooves from her, pressing them against my pounding head. “Not what was said… I just…” Grunting, I growled as it felt like a hundred cannon shells from Howitzers guns began to go off. “I want to know what’s wrong with me.”

“Hey, Night.” She spoke softly as she pressed against my side. Since when had she gotten so close? “Just calm down. Try to relax. Think about what we talked about today. Not anything further in the past. Just today.”

Focusing on her words, I tried to remember the talk we’d had. Speaking about how her dad is always running ahead of us. How he wasn’t responsible for trying to kill me. The more I thought about other things, the more the pounding in my head receded. Little by little, it went away, leaving me whining softly in my seat with Hispano’s warmth at my side.

“Is that better?” She asked, stepping back as she shared her concerned gaze with me. I nodded, lowering my hooves before realizing that the stallion who was supposed to take our orders was just nervously standing there. After a moment, he jumped as he realized I was looking at him, and darted off somewhere in the back of the kitchen.

“I just need to know what’s wrong, without being reminded of whatever it is.” I spoke up as slowly as possible. I focused myself, remembering the events of today. The fight with the Skyraiders, Violet getting hurt. My time with Buck.

“The reason you can’t remember,” Hispano spoke up slowly, taking her seat on her side of the table again. “The three of us were taken to a place where they put something in our heads. The one they gave me didn’t work. Maybe because I’m not a pony, but I don’t actually know why.” Looking down at the table, she pulled off her flight cap, folded her talons on it, and dropped her head down onto the table with a heavy thump. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say that won’t affect you.”

“But you remember.” I asked, watching as she nodded with her head on the tabletop. “All of it?”

She nodded again, rubbing her face against the table. “I know that it’s been confusing to you and your pegasus friend,” Looking up at me again, she propped her head on her talons as she gave me a soft smile. “but I was hoping that it wouldn’t change how we felt.”

“We?” I asked as a feeling of profound confusion swept through my mind, clearing out any remaining thoughts of what the hidden memories might be.

She nodded. “I know you see me as more than just another Talon, Night.” Reaching out with her talon again, she grasped at one of my forehooves. “You’re the first pony to care about even talking to me about normal things. I don’t want to be a talon like my father. I want to make a name for myself, have a life of my own.” Her watery eyes stared right up at me as she smiled and figuratively put everything on the table. “I might never find another pony out there who sees me like you do, Night, and I know you care about me enough to have even shown up tonight.” Wait, she didn’t actually expect me to show up at all!? “So, I want to give us a shot.”

With a sigh, I slumped down and closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Hispano, but I don’t have an interest in mares.” It was hard to have to tell her that, but it was for the best. “I… I like stallions.”

“O-oh…” I could almost hear as she broke inside. Pulling her talon away from my hoof sharply, she sniffled as she all but deflated in her seat. That had much more of an effect on her than I was prepared to admit, and… I almost wished I could take it back. “I… I see.” Looking down at her flight cap, her tears started to drip down onto it.

“You're a great griffon and all but... I'm just not interested in more than what we have.” I tried to offer her a smile, but she refused to look up. “I like being your friend, Hispano. You were right when you said I only put up a tough front...”

“Just stop.” She cut me off softly. “You just don't care, do you? I should have known you ponies are all the same. Always with your 'friendship' and the like.” She gave a forced chuckle as she reached up to wipe away her tears. “I... I just thought I'd finally found somepony who understood me. Who liked me for me…”

“Look, Hispano. I do like you as a friend.” How can I salvage this? Think, Night... oh! Something that mom used to tell me! “You're still young... I’m still young, and who knows how we’ll feel when we wake up tomorrow.” While I may have ad libbed that to include us both, it wasn’t strictly false. “The point is, we both don't know what the future holds, or how we'll feel about stallions tomorrow, or in a month, or even a year from now. You even might learn you like mares.” Odds are, she’d eventually find somepony else she likes. Hell, I found Buck and I’ve only been down here two weeks with him. Then again, that’s not much more time than she’s had to realize that she liked me...

“And maybe over time... you'll learn to love me?” Hispano gave a soft, but genuine laugh. “Maybe I'm the dumb idiot for thinking things could have been different at all.” Clenching her talons up, it hurt to see her go through this. I’d been trying to help those I met down here, and I was failing her. I needed a change of tactics, to stop being on the defencive with her.

Reaching over, I took her Talons in my fetlocks. She gave a small gasp as I did, and I tried to give her my own caring look. For the briefest moment, I could see a glimmer of hope in her wide, watery blue eyes.

“Hispano,” I said, lightly squeezing her talons. “I'm here for you as a friend, whenever you need me to be. I owe you much more than I could ever pay, and that's for more than just saving my life.” She looked away, but I gave her talons another squeeze and pulled her focus back to me. “What you've taught me about the wasteland, it's the only reason I'm still here right now. I have you to thank for most of it, and that makes you one of the best friends I have down here.” Giving her a soft smile, she did her best to return it.

“Sure, Dum Dum.” Again, she shook her head and looked away with a sorrowful smile. “I... I just want you to know, that for me it will never just be friendship. I'll always want more, and I’m going to wait for the day I can get just that.” Pulling her talons away, she scooted herself out from her side of the booth. With a few soft steps, she came over to my side of the booth, and pressed up against me in a tight hug. Then, without warning, she planted a soft kiss on my cheek. “You’re lucky, normally talons aren’t very patient most days.” Giving me a wink as she pulled back, her genuine small smile returned to her beak. “One of these days, if nopony else has already done it, I might just swoop in and steal you away for myself anyway.”

“You’re welcome to try.” I found myself give a small laugh at that. “But maybe after we get to know each other better, alright?” What was I doing with her? You can’t just go around giving false encouragement like that, Night. Saying that was just going to come around and bite me in the flank later.

“For now though,” She sighed, wiping away the last of the tears from her eyes. “You promise we’ll stay friends?”

“Not just friends.” I smiled, reaching out and holding onto her talon again. “The best of friends.”

She gave a stuttering laugh with that, bringing back the wide smile she normally carried on her. “Well, if you're up for it, I could always hang out with you when you’re on one of your patrols. With my dad always a ways ahead or so, I could use the company.” Pausing with a small gasp, she gained a bright look in her eyes. “Or I could join you with your friends when you’re on break!”

“I’d love that…” I said, not seeing anything good coming out of her flying down to the hauler in the midst of what’s been going on recently. “But, things aren't really the best at the moment. Delilah wants all of us on the lookout for anyone working for Solomon.” Giving a small shrug, I watched as her expression dimmed a bit at that. “You know, on account he tried to kill me and all.” That’s when an idea popped into my head. “What if you and your dad came to work for Delilah instead? I’m sure Delilah could use more help, and with the skyraider attack, more of us in the skies can’t be a bad thing!”

She shook her head. “Dad can’t ditch his contract without a violation of the terms, and without that, a Talon can’t ever abandon a job. On top of that, the terms of it are something he’s kept only between Solomon and himself, so it’s not like it could be sabotaged.” Grumbling she slumped a bit. “Why can’t I just hang with you? You told them I was a courier, none of them even know who I really am, right?” Brightening up, she smiled again and grasped at my forehoof tightly as she waited for me to respond. However, I couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. “They don’t know about me, right?”

“One of them might know a bit, I don’t know.” I sighed, cursing the fact that Hardcase had to put all of this together. “But I’ll visit you when I’m on patrol. We can hang out and just talk, about whatever you want.” Finally giving her a smile I could get behind, she matched it and gave me a nod. “At least, until one of them takes notice of your giant inconspicuous cloud of hiding, of course. If they do, I don’t know what will happen...”

“Well you're just going to have to risk it.” She said as she pulled away from my hoof and bounced herself back over toward her seat. Grabbing her flight cap, she pressed it close to the broken compass she wore hanging around her neck. “Besides, if you don’t actually come and see me, I’ll just have to come down and see you.”

“Hispano…” I sighed, knowing full well that things wouldn’t just magically be great for her if she were to dive on the convoy.

“What?” She stuck out her tongue at me playfully as she flipped her cap onto her head. “Try and stop me, friend.” She giggled as she flared her wings and hopped down from her seat. “Anyway, be a gentlecolt and grab the check. I've got an early morning ahead.” But… we didn’t even order anything. Regardless, with a wink, she gave me a sad, but at the very least understanding look. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dum Dum.” With the familiar burst of speed she’d normally had, she zipped her way past the other patrons in the restaurant, and was out the door in the blink of an eye.

Slumping in my seat, I gave out a sigh. I don’t know what just ended up happening. Looking down, I hoofed at the dogtags around my neck, pulling them out from being pinned under the neckline of the dress. I wish I knew what mom or dad would tell me to do in a situation like this. I tried to tell her I wasn’t interested, but she didn’t want to hear it. I gave her a piece to hold onto in telling her the future may be different, when I know I can’t give that to her at all. Still, she seemed to take it alright...

No. She couldn’t be over it just like that. There was no way she could have been that passionate about it, just to drop it like she had. She wasn’t done. Far from it I’m afraid. Dropping my head down onto the table with a heavy thump, now it was me who felt like crying. Why me?

“Ahem.” The voice of the server stallion spoke up beside me.

Looking over at him, I groaned as he sat there and waggled his eyebrows at me. Rolling my eyes, I shoved myself out of my seat and trotted toward the door. This was supposed to be a relaxing evening! A time where I could finally get some answers for myself, and work out all the issues that I had with Hispano. But surprise, surprise, Night. You fucked it up!

Storming up to the door, I shoved it open as hard as I could to vent some of my anger.

The soft whimper of the mare it smacked into however, surprised me. Well, out of anypony, some innocent mare probably didn’t deserve my anger. Gasping, I hurried around the large wooden door to apologize.

“Oh goddesses, I’m so… sorry...” I said, my words dying in my throat as I looked down on a sprawled out Violet writhing in pain on the snow covered sidewalk. “Violet, what are you doing up and about!?” Looking down at her chest, I found that the wound in her side had been completely healed. “Here, let me help you back up.” I said, holding my forehoof out.

“What?” She groaned out, pressing a hoof at her temple while she reached out with her other leg and took my forehoof. Shaking off the hit slightly she blinked a few times and looked up at me… with red eyes. She had the wrong colored eyes...

Gasping, she took a step back. “Night… what are…?” Her voice cracked as she went wide eyed, and for a moment, it wasn’t Violet’s voice that came through.

It was Salt.

He spun around, and I found Salt’s forehooves buck me hard in the chest. I groaned as I was kicked and propelled down onto the ground, rolling across the snowy road as all the air was forced from my lungs. Groaning, I was helpless to watch as Salt spread Violet’s wings and take off into the sky. Whining for a moment before I sucked in a long gasp of air, I coughed heavily in the snow. What the fuck was he doing here! Why was he wearing Violet’s face!?

“Aww, consarnit!” The angry voice of a stallion called out from just ahead of me. “You let her get away!”

Looking up, I found a burly looking earth pony gazing down on me. As I pulled myself up, the muscle laidin golden coated stallion reached out and easily helped me get to my hooves. His fire red mane was combed down into a long mullet, and he gave off a surprisingly presentable look. Both the sheriff’s star on his leather vest, and the lasso he held in his hoof pointed me to the fact that he was some sort of lawbringer in this town.

“You alright there, little missy?” He asked, looking me over and giving a few stiff brushes at the snow across the various parts of my dress. Looking up into the sky, he looked around again before scrunching his muzzle up in disappointment. “Darn, I almost had her, too.”

“Who?” I asked. If Salt had been wearing Violet’s face, that was one thing. If he was doing something that was making her a wanted mare, that was something else entirely.

“That young lass you got into a tussle with.” The sheriff grumbled as he chuffed at the snow. “She’ and a unicorn fella’ have been breakin’ and enterin’ the last few days around here.” Shaking his head, he grumbled. “Was trying to avoid putin’ a bounty out on em’.”

Wait, now there were two of them!?

“Wait there just a minute!” The sheriff shouted, raising his hoof and pointing past me. Startled I jumped and turned around to see Hardcase looking just as confused as I was. “You! Stay where you are!” The sheriff barreled past me, running straight for Hardcase. “You’re under arrest for burglary!”

Without the power to do anything, I was simply forced to watch as the enormous earth pony sheriff bore down on the fearfully shrinking Hardcase. Of course they would have copied his look as well. Because Salt just had to make today that much worse. With a sigh, I looked over to a panicked Hardcase as he was lassoed up in the middle of the city street.

“Don’t worry, Hardcase.” I called out to him. “I’ll go get Delilah.”

“So you see, Sheriff.” Delilah hadn’t budged from her stoic form as she spoke to the sheriff. He however, looked quite relaxed as he leaned back in his office chair, and had his hooves up on his desk. “It’s quite impossible that Hardcase could have committed those crimes, as we’d only arrived here as of now just under an hour ago.”

“And while I can at least chat with the Road Crew to validate the fact that you and your other crewmate here arrived only this afternoon,” He said, looking over at me with a lax gaze before giving me a respectful nod, “In no way does that prove the innocence of Mr. Hardcase, nor does it absolve him of the crimes committed over the last few days.” Steepling his hooves on his vest, the Sheriff shook his head. “Look, I got a tip from a concerned citizen that a pegasus mare and unicorn were hanging around on mainstreet, so I checked it out. I immediately recognized the mare and your friend from a description a witness gave at the first burglary. So I’m sorry, but unless you can provide some sort of evidence to me, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to keep him locked up in the cell here until I can arrange a public trial.”

“It wasn’t him!” I blurted out. “The mare who escaped, she’s not who you think she is either!” With a long sigh from Delilah I fought the urge to look over at her. It was a battle I quickly lost. Slowly, I swung my gaze to her, and just as expected, she looked at me like I wasn’t helping.

“I’m listening.” The sheriff spoke slowly. He pointed his hoof lazily to me and smiled at Delilah. “This has always been a rest stop for people heading either north or south, even back before the end of the war. Worst thing we ever get up here is the occasional bar brawl between traders, and maybe an animal attack every month or so. So I’m open to any help I can get on this burglary case.” Shifting himself to make his relaxed pose a bit more comfortable, he eyed me over. “And if it helps keep my job as quiet and easy as it should be in our little town, I’ll let the mare speak her peace.”

“The mare you’re looking for, is not even a pony.” I spoke up, trying to keep myself from sounding like a raving lunatic. “Before my settlement was destroyed, I knew a stallion there named Salt. I’d thought he’d died, but I ran into him again when he’d changed his looks.” Finding as the sheriff’s face had gone from relaxed amusement, to confused disappointment, I figured that it sounded just as improbable as it felt like to me. “They’re changelings. They can look like anypony… or so I’m told.”

“Changelings.” The sheriff gave a snort as he shook his head. Smiling, he pulled his legs off his desk and sat up. “Certainly never heard anypony around here use that excuse before.” Putting his hooves on his desk, he gave me a shrug. “Well, unfortunately for you, the only reliable way to tell if somepony is a changeling, can potentially kill them. And I’m not about to kill my only suspect without a fair public trial just to test your theory.”

The door to the sheriff's office opened with a slam of the door, and one of the Road Crew ponies burst inside. The three of us in the room all got to our hooves, and the sheriff looked just about ready to go for the gun holstered on his leg.

“Sheriff! You’ve gotta come quick.” The panting stallion gasped. “There’s a griffon out in the middle of main street. She’s holding a hostage and calling out for some ‘Delilah’ person to show herself.”

My heart stopped. No, Hispano couldn’t have done something like this. What am I saying, of course she could! Night you idiot, you just broke her heart. She’s probably desperate and taking it out on somepony who didn’t fucking deserve it!

Even before anypony else moved, I bolted out the door. I galloped as hard as I could out into the street. I had to find her, had to convince her to stop what she was doing. My racing heart moved twice as fast as my hooves, and the world blurred around me as I ran. For such a small town, I’d gotten myself turned around and was running the wrong way. Dipping through an alleyway, I burst out into a street in time to see the Sheriff run by a couple of streets up.

Heading that way, I spread my wings and beat them hard. The kink in my right wing stabbed at me again, but I forced myself up into the air. Climbing above the two story cabins and houses that were littered across most of the city, I found it easy to reorient myself with the city's layout again. Dipping into a speedy dive, I pushed myself toward the crowd that was gathered outside the corner that the diner was on. Pushing myself to go faster, I dipped low over the roof of somepony’s house, and joined up with the galloping Sheriff. As the two of us came around the backside of the crowd, I jammed my hooves down into the snow, and skidded to a stop.

Looking over at the diner, I went wide eyed from what I saw.

“Oh, you are alive,” Galina smiled as she stood proudly on her hind legs. “A pity that bitch couldn’t even find a competent pony to finish the one job I gave to her, yes. Waste of a pipbuck.” Wait, she was the one with the hostage!? I mean, it was still distressing to see Galina, but at least it wasn’t Hispano.

Attached over one of Galina’s talons like a gauntlet was a motorized saw with a trio of wickedly curved blades on it. Hanging in the air, pinned tightly between the gauntlet blades was… Hardcase. Or at least, the fake Hardcase. One of the sharp looking blades was curled around and digging under the coat on his neck. “I was hoping for Delilah, but you will do. I will teach your friend here what happens when you fuck with Solomon.”

“P-put the stallion down!” The sheriff shouted, coming to a skidding halt like I did, only with more of a confused look across his muzzle. Bending his head down, he drew out the small pistol he’d had holstered on his leg.

Galina shrugged. “As you wish.” The motorized blade over her talon whirred to life, and didn’t seem to strain at all when it cleaved straight through fake Hardcase’s neck.

The fresh corpse gave a brilliant flash of green as both the severed head and it dropped to the snowy ground. The flash caught everypony off guard, and prompted a horrified gasp from the crowd. Even Galina looked just as momentarily confused as I was. That is, until the sheriff started shooting at her.

Panicked screams from the gathered ponies filled the air. Shot after shot went out at Galina, but she was already off like a bolt after the first. With her powerful, large wings, she was up in the air and out of range before the Sheriff even had a chance to hit her. For me however, I’d frozen up.

With my eyes locked on the beheaded corpse, I stepped forward slowly. Smooth holes bore through the legs of the black colored body, and ebony plates of chitin with white accents covered most of the changeling’s barrel and chest. The top half and upper joints of their body however, was covered in a bristly black fuzz, and a pair of bright orange, insect like wings sat twitching on the corpse’s backside. The mare that Hardcase killed in the forest didn’t look like this, and him saying that there were all sorts of types out there never seemed more overwhelming to me than it did now.

“Well I’ll be…” The sheriff said, stepping up to me. “Guess they really were changelings…”

Yes, but Salt was still out there. I didn’t know why I’d run into him again, but I was hoping that somewhere down the line, our paths would cross. I wouldn’t let him get away again, not until he could give me some of the answer’s I wanted. At the very least, why the fuck he’d even been in Four Peaks in the first place.

“Miss?” The sheriff’s voice knocked me out of my thoughts, and I looked over to him. He was visibly shaken from the events that just went down, but he still managed to flash me a nervous smile. “I asked if you were alright?” Nodding to him in response, he nodded as well, turned, and looked back down the street we’d come from. Delilah was just down it, walking towards us still wearing her ever present stoic expression. “I think it might be a good idea to finish what you need to do here in town, and call it a night in your convoy.” He smirked and gave me a pat on the side. “I think I’m going to go release your crewmate into Mrs. Delilah’s custody.”

Nodding again, I glanced back over toward the body laying on the ground. From there, I glanced up at the ponies who were gawking and staring in horrified amusement at the body. It made me feel bad for the poor changeling. Regardless of the crimes he’d committed around here, he was murdered by association at the talons of Galina. Monsterpony or not, He’d deserved the fair trial that the Sheriff would have given him, not to be the gruesome attraction for the townsponies tonight. Turning away from him, I found Delilah still trotting up to me. She took a single glance at the corpse before dismissing it altogether.

“It was Galina.” I spoke up, shifting her stoic expression to one of surprise, if only momentarily. “She thought she had the real Hardcase held hostage.”

“This is exactly why I put the buddy system in place.” Delilah sighed and brought her forehoof to her chin in thought. “She must have been the one to set up the attempt on your life in Filly Crossing as well.” She said, causing me to think back to what Galina had said. She’d insinuated she ordered it, but oddly, she’d said she wasn’t the one to hire the hit-stallion. Looking up to me, Delilah nodded toward the convoy.

“If she’s flying ahead of us, than you need to let the others know to expect some sort of trouble in Destruction Bay.” Turning her gaze to watch as the Sheriff dipped around the corner down the street, she sighed again. “I need to go and deal with Hardcase’s release. Finish your errands in town quickly and then return to Bertha.” Turning herself around, she looked back as she trotted off. “Running the reactor hot or not, we leave for Destruction Bay tonight.”

Nodding, I watched as she trotted off again. Looking up, I found Hispano’s cloud still sitting up above me. In it, a small hole in the bottom of it contained a sad looking pair of blue eyes. I gave Hispano a weak smile before I watched as she hastily sealed up the hole. Tonight had been a travesty, but I was thankful that at least that wasn’t the real Hardcase who died. After the things he’d said about losing Violet, I couldn’t imagine she’d fare much better if he were the one to die.

Turning around, I trotted across the street to head back to the hauler. As I did, I kicked at something buried in the snow. Stopping, I flicked my hoof at it, uncovering the pouch of caps I was carrying when Salt had kicked me. Giving a snort, I leaned down and pulled it up in my teeth. How lucky was it that it hadn’t been found?

Looking up with the bag in my muzzle, I stared into the shop window that sat across the street from the diner. 'Brass Band’s Instrument Emporium' held a wide range of what looked to be classical instruments in their display window. However, plastered in the corner of it, was a small poster. Trotting closer to it, I recognized the red stallion wearing the floral print shirt with a small guitar in his hooves. Reading the poster itself, I gave a surprised snort.

Wondering about just how pissed Happy would be to have missed out on this, I blinked a few times as I imagined in my head just how that conversation would go. ‘Yes, I could have bought one for you. No, I didn’t, even though I said I’d pay you back for ‘ripping’ you off. No, wait, put down that hacksaw’.

Nodding to myself, I figured that at the very least, doing this might reset my relationship with Happy. After watching Galina murder without a care tonight, I didn’t need to make any more enemies on this trip. What I needed, were more friends.

Stepping into the small town shop, I smiled as immediately I saw a whole row of the small guitars lined up on the back shelves. Trotting in, I was glad that at least something I did in this town was going to go my way today…

Trotting through the ice hold to the Rec area on the Hauler again, I could already hear Happy’s annoyed sounding voice. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I listened in as he spoke.

“First he pisses me off,” He grunted, shifting on the couch and making the springs whine slightly. “Then he gives me a fucking concussion.”

“He didn’t mean to give you a concussion.” Violet groaned. “Right, Doc?”

“Well, I didn’t see it happen.” Buck answered slowly. Way to come to the defence of somepony whom you like, Buck. “However, I’m sure it’s not something Night would do on purpose.”

“Yeah, well it doesn’t mean I have to be nice to him.” Happy grunted. “We’ll see how long it takes for him to even apologize.”

Rolling my eyes, I trotted up the stairs and caught his nervous look as he held a chunk of Ice up against his head. Well, the nervous look he’d had right until he shifted his gaze to the small guitar I held tightly under my wing. He sat in silence as I walked over to him with it.

“It cost me the rest of the caps Delilah gave me.” I said, Unfurling my wing and dropping it straight into his hooves. “The sales pony told me that it should sound alright once you tune it a bit.”

Happy stared at the object in his hooves, a wider smile than I’d ever seen growing across his muzzle. With a gasp, he reached up and grabbed ahold of me tightly.

“All is forgiven!” He shouted, giving a heavy laugh as he squeezed me far tighter than he had any right too. “I never doubted our friendship for an instant, buddy!” Bringing his muzzle up to my ear, he gave me a pat on the back as he dropped his voice to a whisper. “We’re even.”

“Great…” I whined as he felt like he tried to liquify my insides with his hug. “I’ve got bad news…” Gasping as my words made him release me, I took in a big breath of sweet, sweet air. “We’re leaving this place. Tonight.”

“What!?” Violet called out as she was still in my bed. From the way that Buck spun himself around and dove into the room, I expected exactly what I saw as I walked over to the door. “I thought we were spending the night resting here.” She grunted and struggled as Buck pinned her down to my bed.

“That was the case until Galina showed up. She killed a changeling that was impersonating Hardcase.” I said, prompting a shocked look out of her. She whimpered and almost looked more distraught that I’d expected. “Regardless, Delilah’s pulling our Hardcase out of jail,” Again, Violet’s expression shifted, but to one of profound confusion this time. “It’s a bit of a story that I’m sure you’ll be filled in on later, but she wants us back on the road tonight. Galina being ahead of us means that she has time to set things up against us before we arrive, and even as oblivious to things as I’ve been in the wasteland, even I know that’s bad for us.”

“Not only that.” Delilah spoke up from behind me as she climbed out of the Ice hold, Hardcase’s nervous smile popping up right behind her. “But if she’s already ahead, then Solomon can’t be too far behind. And I have a bad feeling that he’s pushing his crew to not waste time at stops like we have so he can catch up.” Looking over to Happy, who was still sitting on the couch and coddling his ukelele, she frowned deeply. “Time to put away your toys, Happy.” She said, pointing down into the Ice hold. “We’ve got ourselves a safe to open.”

Author's Notes:

Again, many thanks to Kkat for making this wonderful wasteland in the first place, and allowing us all to build our own adventures in it!