“Hey, Fuschia,” Boiler asked as she rooted around in one of the large piles of junk. As she did, Howitzer and the tank ghoul strolled in from outside, and did their best to squeeze themselves in among the various piles of rusted junk. “I saw this thing in here last time.” With a grunt, she hefted the rusted form of… something out of the pile. Whatever it was, it happened to be nearly half the size of me, and quite alien looking. “What the hell even is it?”

As I slipped into the grenadier saddle the old ghoul had sold me, I studied the odd object in Boiler’s hooves. It looked like a sleek silver fish if it were flat instead of how they normally were. A wide intake of some sort reminded me of a mouth, while two small inset lights on it glowed dimly in the dark interior of the traincar. A pair of housings holding hover talismans sat off on the end of each of the fish’s ‘fins’, and looked like they were meant to swivel in the same way a vertibuck’s engines did. Lastly, a prominent V-shaped set of tailfins stuck out above it. It also featured lines that ran along the back of the tailfins like those parts of the tail could be used as flight control surfaces. Overall, it was just a strange little object.

“Oh, that weird drone thing?” The ghoul snorted. “Some traveler claimed to shoot it down a decade or so ago, and I was stupid enough to buy the damn thing, because at the time I’d never seen anything like it.” As her magic cleaned off galina’s shotgun with a rag, she looked across the room with a disgusted glare at the thing. “That guy was full of crap though with his ‘shot down’ story. Couldn’t find a damn dent on it. Sure it’s a bit rusted, but there’s no reason whatever it is shouldn’t be working right now. Might be some internal issue, but I could never bring myself to dismantle it because I thought somepony might want it as is.”

“Hey, I think I’ve seen some of these before…” Howitzer squinted as he put his broad muzzle right up in front of the machine. “Sometimes I see one of these loitering over the settlements we stop at now and again. They only seem to observe and then move on, so I thought they might be related to those annoying sprite bots and never really thought twice about them.”

“Maybe Hispano or her father know?” I asked, pulling a shrug from Howitzer as he stepped back.

“So since you mentioned it, interested in buying it?” Fuschia’s eyes lit up with hope right until the moment Boiler tossed the thing back in the pile and shook her head. “Well, it was worth a shot.” She chuckled as she worked behind her counter to gather the few submachine guns she said she had. “How’s that rig fit, kid?”

To be honest, the fastened straps were a bit loose, and they felt like they were a bit more abrasive around me then my last rig. However, the bit that I held in my muzzle felt better than the old forged one I had, and the mechanism that worked the grenade harness didn’t have any slack to it. Of course, I wouldn’t know if it held up until we were in combat, but it actually felt good to be wearing one again. Not as good as a dress, mind you, but just enough for me to feel like I could make a difference in a fight.

“With a few small alterations, I think it’ll work out nicely.” I spoke up as I spun myself around to let Boiler and Howitzer get a good look at it.

“Looks in decent enough order. Probably going to take me a few days to get the reload mechanism swapped around to the foreleg due to your odd flight style, but it shouldn’t be too bad.” Boiler gave a quick nod before nearly throwing herself back into the junk pile again. “I can make any other adjustments for ya as well when we get back to Bertha. Just gotta pick out some bang to go with it!”

“Alright, so, as for submachine guns, I’ve got three here for you to look at.” Fuschia used her magic to drag the first of them up from behind the counter. “First, if you want a beginners automatic firearm, than look no further than this authentic Singer submachine gun!” It was a blocky thing, with a square wooden foregrip and no rear stock at all. “Manufactured in the first ten years of the war by the world renowned Singer sewing company, it's solid steel construction is all original, easy to maintain, and absolutely foolproof!” Setting it down on the counter, her jubilant gaze studied me for my reaction.

“It’s a terrible choice.” Howitzer grumbled. "See, 'original' construction means it's insides are going to be corroded to all hell, ease of maintenance means it's going to be a pain to find any original working parts for it," Now that he mentions it, I don't think I've seen anypony else using or even selling one of these. And while I haven't seen everything in the wastes, there's probably a reason I don't see these. "And lastly, while it is 'foolproof', it weighs ten pounds. The Bison weighed half as much and it looked like it might as well have been an anchor for the poor kid."

“Well I'm sorry if it isn't what you're looking for.” Fuschia’s eye twitched as she used her magic to shove the blocky gun off the counter and onto the floor with a thump. “Alright, if weight is your concern, how about this Yak built Y-41? With all stamped parts, it’s guaranteed to…”

“One of those!?” Boiler shouted as she pushed herself off the junk pile. “Those stamped things are easier to break than a wet noodle! One bullet, one errant piece of shrapnel and now the whole gun is bent out of shape. Not to mention the fire rate of them means you’re not going to hit anything but the ground around the target while burning through piles of caps’ worth of ammo.”

“Fine.” Fuschia raised her voice over Boiler, but paused as the room fell silent again. With a deep breath, her magic pushed what I had assumed was the gun away from behind the counter and straight onto the floor.

“Say, Fuschia?” The tank ghoul spoke up from behind all of us. “Perhaps do you still have zat Kurtz-5 sitting around here?”

“Yes, that’s what I was going to offer next. Thank you.” She gave him a flat glare before using her magic to pull up the last option from behind the counter. “Look, considering you’re all already doing it, I’m going to let good ol’ Rhymey sell you on this piece.”

“Dankeshon.” The tank ghoul smiled, ripping the gun from her magic and floating it over to me. Holding out my hooves, I sat down and let him drop it into my grasp. “The 'Kurtz-5 model A2' was the most reliable submachine gun ever built in Germaneigh, and though it may be slightly heavier than your old Bison, it is because it’s quality machined steel. Zat, along with the polymer furniture, means it will withstand more corrosion and damage than any of the other two. It will not fail you for decades if you treat it well and keep it maintained.”

It did feel a bit heavier in my hooves, even though overall it was a bit smaller than the Bison was. The only things that threw me off were the odd, slightly curved magazine that stuck out from it’s bottom, and the ‘polymer furniture’ of it. The latter was mostly because it felt like it was the same sort of material as some of the newer magical energy rifles were built from back in the Enclave. Still, while it did seem to be my best option, the length and curved shape of the magazine concerned me because it was a lot less compact overall than my Bison was.

“Tell you what,” Fuschia chimed in, practically falling over the counter she was leaning so far over it. “Two fifty for the gun and three mags, and one hundred for the Saddle.” Her lipless grin widened as her eyes locked on mine. “Walking out of here with all that and a hundred fifty caps isn’t a bad deal.”

Yeah, that was true. However, ‘Bombay’ didn’t think it was the best deal…

“Eh, two fifty for the gun is good, but...” I sighed, shifting about in the saddle harness as I looked down at it. “I’ll give you eighty for the saddle. It’s definitely going to need some work done on it before I can effectively utilize it.”

“Dammit, fine.” She groaned. “I’ll go eighty seven for it and not a cap lower.”

“Sounds like a deal to me.” I nodded as another smile parted my muzzle. Damn, if I spent any more time smiling today, I’m pretty sure none of the others would ever believe it was the real me that made it back to the convoy.

However, that smile only lasted a moment. Like it was getting back at me for ignoring it earlier, the pain in my socket flared up from out of nowhere, and twice as bad as normal. Fucking hell I was getting tired of this shit.

“Hey, you alright there?” Howitzer asked as he reached out and put his hoof on my side.

I gave him a nod as I forced my forehoof against the socket again. No, I was not fine. Fuck, I needed to have Buck figure out just what the hell was wrong with it that made it hurt this bad. Maybe I gave that hack in Leachate too much credit for patching me up, even if it was on Solomon’s wallet.

“Let me guess, you just recently lost it?” Fuschia pulled my attention to her as she pulled out an old pack of cigarettes and lightly tapped it against the counter. “It’s probably just because it’s still healing, but if you’re still having problems after a few more days, you might want to look into getting a prosthetic.”

“What would you know?” I snapped as the pain felt like it was drilling into the back of my mind. Fuck, that was a bit too far for the mare who just helped you, Night. “Sorry, just... “ I seethed and pressed my hoof harder against my head. Fuck, it normally started to feel better by now. “Still getting used to it.”

“Hey, I get it. Had to deal with it to you know.” She shrugged as I looked up at her. Without any hesitation, she reached up and gave a few taps at her left eye. “It’s not the best fit, but I’ve had it for a long time, and trust me, it helps.” So that’s why her eyes looked off to me before. “In fact, I could help shape one if you find a suitable object you want. I don’t have anything here at the moment, but lots of materials will work. Porcelain is prefered, but any ceramic will do, as well as glass, or hell, if you can buy one off of those pretentious striped bastards up north, even a crystal ball would work if you…”

My brain stopped listening and muted the rest of her words, and even the pain in my eye became background noise. Instead, I focused on the one thing that came out from the depths of my mind like an echo from a dark cave. Like you, this token has it’s own fate, and that fate lies with you. Madam Mystic’s voice resonated in my thoughts, and the image of her crystal ball hung in my mind. It has it’s own purpose that will be revealed to you soon enough.

“You… okay, kid?” Fuschia’s voice pulled me back into the here and now.

“I… I just need some air.” Turning around, I hoofed the subgun to Howitzer and pushed my way past the others. My hooves carried me out through the door, and the moment they were on the cold dirt, I stopped myself. The pain in my head flared up again with a vengeance, and I let out a loud whine as I felt like I was going to collapse to the ground.

No, curses I could believe in, but this was impossible. There’s no fucking way she could have seen the future. Because if she could, she would have fucking told me about Galina’s trap. None of this shit would have had to happen. I know I said that I needed to move on, but if that was true? Things… they could have been different.

“Hey, are you alright, Night?” Boiler spoke as she came up beside me. Softly, she wrapped her hoof around me and pulled me against her warm fur.

“I went and saw that zebra, back at Pink Mountain.” I spoke at almost a whisper, feeling as my hooves trembled under me. “She gave me her crystal ball. Said that ‘in time’ I’d know what it was for.”

“Well… she has a gift. That’s why I thought you should go see her.” Boiler’s words were filled with hesitation and good intent, but that’s not what I needed right now. “But hey, if you still have it, then you’ve got the prosthetic you need!” However well meaning she was, she’d missed the point.

“Don’t you fucking get it?” I snapped and pushed myself out of her hold. “If she could see this coming, why didn’t she warn us about the pass? About Violet!? With a warning, we could have saved her!”

“You don’t know a single damn thing about magic, do you, Miss Bombay?” Fuschia spoke through the hazy cloud of cigarette smoke she blew out between her bare teeth as she climbed down onto the dirt.

“What the fuck does that have to do with anything?” I should have held my tongue, but I was far too done with excuses and bullshit. If that old mare could have helped me save her…

“Because,” She snapped back at me, “There are fucking rules to it. Sure I can’t do what they can, but I know zebras well enough to know that the foresight some of them are known to have tends to border on arcane magic that I can’t even comprehend as a unicorn. And sometimes when using that kind of magic, there are things you don’t get to know. Sometimes it’s exactly how a spell will work, and other times it’s the consequences of using that spell. But I can only assume in this case, that they can’t see everything when they look to the future.” She paused, taking another deep drag of her smoke through her lipless muzzle. “So maybe you should calm yourself down, and realize that there are just some things that nopony can change.”

“I…” She had a point, and I couldn’t hide from it as it took all the wind right out of my anger. “I’m sorry. I just wish I could have done something. Anything to save her.”

“You have to let her go.” Howitzer spoke up as he stepped down from the train cart. As I listened to his words, finally the pain in my head started to wane, and with it, I felt my own body straining to keep upright. “You have no idea how much I wanted to shoot those bastards on that mountain. But Delilah stopped me.”

“Why.” I whimpered as my legs began to shake under me. What the fuck was wrong with me? I made it back here. I’ve saved Hardcase, I helped Salt. Why couldn’t I just fucking be happy for once? Why did I constantly have to hate myself for what happened? “Why did you listen to her?” I looked up with my one trembling eye and glared at him. “You could have blown Galina out of the sky before I tried. Delivered the justice that I failed to.”

“Delilah put her gun up against my head and told me not to fire or she’d kill me.” Howitzer’s expression hardened as his words sunk into my mind. “She was right to have threatened me, cause I wouldn’t have listened otherwise. And worst of all, if I had pulled that trigger? It wouldn’t have changed a damn thing.”

“It wouldn’t have…” I growled and shoved my hoof against my eye socket. “I wouldn’t fucking be like this if you had! Why the fuck are you so okay with this?” Both Boiler and Howitzer recoiled as I shouted. He just didn’t get it, nopony did. “I pissed off Galina. I caused her to take up that stupid fucking grudge. I got Violet killed.”

For someone her size, Boiler could move extremely quickly, and I barely had time to see her hoof before it came down hard on the top of my head. My vision went white for a moment before the swelling pain of the bruise that was forming ebbed just like my eye had been.

“No.” Boiler snapped back at me. “You of all ponies should know by now that this is how the wasteland is. It’s not fair, and ponies who don’t deserve to die get to do just that every fucking day out here. But none of that is your fault. Violet and the whole damn crew knew that this would happen one day. We accepted that.” Stepping forward, she reached out and pulled me into an unexpected hug. “And while we all thought we had more time, all we can do now is pick ourselves up and carry on with our job.”

“Well I’m not going to do that.” I grumbled as I pushed myself from her grasp. “Not until Solomon and his lackeys are dead and buried.”

“And Delilah has a plan for that, you know she does, even if she hasn’t told us.” Howitzer spoke up again as he walked up beside me. He didn’t move to hug me, or even comfort me at all. Instead he made a nod toward the other end of the market and gave me a pleading look. “Come on, let’s get back to the convoy. I’m sure the Doc’s back by now, and I know he’ll be happy to see you again. Boiler can finish up here, and she can bring your gear back when she is.” Glancing over, he smiled. “Right, Sis?”

“Yeah, of course, I won’t be long. Just… things will be alright, Night.” She nodded before turning around and heading back toward the entrance to the shop again. “Even if they aren’t? Well, you’ve got us right there with you to help you get through it.”

I didn’t need help to get through things. I simply needed to stop screwing things up. And while I’d had a good day yesterday, what the fuck was stopping me from ruining something today? Fuck. I’d even felt good earlier. Lilac pushed me to be Bombay and it actually fucking helped for once. But that fucking stripe…

It’s not her fault, Night. Don’t pin this on her, she was just some drugged up old zebra. You only have yourself to blame for what happened to you.

Flopping down on the old rec area picnic bench, I stared up at the repaired tarp that once again blocked the sunny blue skies above. Of course Buck hadn’t yet returned, and Howitzer had gone back to whatever it was he does in Bessy all day. Though, I did manage to find the bottle of aspirin that Buck kept in the drawer of his desk and took a few. Well, after I fought back the urge to smash something because of what happened in Leachate of course. I had to say, that after using chill and med-x for when I’ve been hurting, aspirin barely felt like it helped at all anymore. But it would have to be enough for now.

So here I sat alone. Well, it wasn’t really alone with the memory of that mystic still bouncing around in my mind. Might as well have had her here next to me this whole time just whispering in my ears.

Still, she was right. Even if she couldn’t see how or why, she gave me that crystal ball because she knew I’d lose my eye. So what else was she right about? I mean just because I’d accepted my curse, didn’t make it true… until now. Did that mean what she told Hispano was true? What about what she’d told Lucky? There were already too many problems with all the outcomes that might, could, or will end up being that I desperately needed a distraction before I fell into a pit of ‘what ifs’ deep enough that I wouldn’t be out of it for the rest of the day.

Reaching up my forehoof, I flicked the radio switch above me into the on position and clicked the mode switch button. The rhythmic tunes of some DJ PowerColt song filled the air, saving me from the deafening silence around me that had only helped to keep me trapped in my head. Focusing on the music definitely helped to clear my mind of thoughts, and it felt like almost no time at all before the song had ended and the smooth, deep voice of the DJ himself came over the airwaves.

“Haha, I hope all you cool cats out there really jived with that one, cause I know I did. But you know what? I think it’s time for a short break to rest our dancing hooves with a little bit of news from around the north.”

Oh, while I hadn’t really cared about anything over the last few days, seeing as how we’d be on the move again shortly, I figured I should listen in. I just hoped that what he had to tell was good news for us, but somehow, I doubted we’d get that lucky.

“Some of you folks these last few days might have been asking, hey, what gives with all the sky raider attacks? Well thanks to yours truly, wonder no longer. After a two week long struggle, the split between the skyraider leadership has finally resolved itself. Foul Line has assumed the role of king, and is set to exile the previous king, Double Delta, any day now. Recent attacks against various settlements seem to have been a show of force by the new leader, so for all of you out there and within their range, keep your eyes on the skies, and get to runnin’ if you hear the buzzin’.”

Well, there’s one of my recent questions knocked out for the time being. Though, more sky raider attacks was far from good news for us. If it weren’t for the fact that Hispano was going to be up in the air with me, I’m not sure what I’d do if a group of them found their way to us.

“Now in slightly better sky related news, it looks like another deal between two faction leaders has finally been reached. Sanctuary, the settlement south of Cantercross that was swarmed and seized by Enclave refugees, has officially been absorbed into what is now calling itself the ‘Spectrum Federation’. Both refugees and town council members have voted in a joint session to name a leader, and oh what a blast from the past they chose! One commander Laika, a diamond dog from the old Ministry of Arcane Sciences cosmodrome program. How is she still kickin’ after two centuries, you’ve got me. But she’s got herself some new digs in the old cloudship currently moored above the city, and the fancy new title of Sky Marshal. Here’s hoping the ‘Spectrum Federation’ can play nice with us northerners. Well, nicer than the old Enclave did anyhow.”

Fucking really? That whole idea of pulling rank on the Enclave was just a joke! But I guess it must have worked if they made her their leader. Then again, after the way the Enclave ran things, and from the way most things down here are run, I’d fucking pick her to lead any day. Still, part of me was glad to hear that she’d found a place down here. At least maybe now she’ll be able to help everyone like she wanted to do so long ago.

“And now back to the smooth tunes to keep your hooves moving all day long. Here’s another…”

I flipped the radio off again, dropping the rec area back into a lonely silence. Staring up at the fluttering tarp above me, I finally felt the rest of my thoughts in my mind recede. For once, the inside of my head felt as quiet as the air around me. But like all good things, it only existed for a moment before it was taken away. The pitched whistle of a train, as well as the calls of some of the railyard workers crept back into my world, and thrust me back into it. Along with the noise, the ebbing ache that felt like it existed just behind my empty eye socket pushed through the aspirin.

“Fuck.” I groaned as I pushed myself off the picnic bench and rolled back onto my hooves. Lifting my forehoof, I pressed it up against my socket. Like it had originally, the pain drifted away with the pressure, and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

Maybe the others were right. If Madame Mystic gave me that crystal ball because she knew I’d lose my eye, maybe she did it because it would help stop the pain in it. As much as I wanted to turn this convoy around myself to go back and ask her if she knew about Violet, I couldn’t. I needed to move on. From Mom, Dad, Four Peaks, and Violet. And that started with going to see if Lucky still had that crystal ball. Walking over to his container, I raised my hoof to the door. However, I hesitated.

What if Happy was in there? Is he angry about getting sucker kicked last night? Oh who am I kidding? Of course he’d be pissed about it, I mean, I would be. What do I do or say to him?

“Come in…” Lucky’s voice came through the door with an air of uncertainty about it. “Night? You there?” He… knew I was still alive?

Pushing at the door, it opened slightly until it caught on the ring latch that secured it. Flaring my wing, I slid it between the door and the container wall until it lifted and released it. Stepping inside, I was greeted by a healthier looking, but still lightly bandaged up Lucky laying on his bed. Lines of stitches and deep red scars criss crossed his body, while only a few wraps of gauze were still around his barrel and the stump of his rear leg. Curiously, his eyes were also still bandaged up, but while that was odd, what felt more out of place was the thickening growth of scruff lining around his chin. Never really pictured him as someone who cared for a beard...

“H-hey.” I spoke up softly. “How are you doing, Lucky?”

“Managing, I guess?” He flashed a nervous smile in my direction. “Going to be honest, I’ve been going a bit stir crazy in here. I've been waiting for you to come talk with me since you got back yesterday morning. Not like I've got much else to do with my time but wait. I mean, who knew you could even ever get bored in the wasteland, right? Being trapped on Bertha all day in what might as well be darkness has been an absolute nightmare for me, but hey! At least I'm not dead, right?”

“Yeah...” I couldn’t really argue with that.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” He groaned, plastering his forehoof against his face. “It’s too soon to be venting shit like that to you. Maybe I should just be locked up here all day like I’ve been…”

“What do you mean? Doesn’t Gearbox hang out with you?” From the way he acted when Lucky was hurt, you’d think he’d be here every moment he could.

“Well yeah, but that’s going to change when we get back on the road. Plus, he’s got his own life to live with Boiler. Even as a brother, I can’t ask him to stay with me all the time.” Lucky shook his head, surprising me as a small smirk grew on his face. “Actually, you just missed him when you came back. Gearbox only just stepped out to try to score me some wave. He figures that drug induced hallucinations will at least partially help me cope with the blindness.”

“So… how well are you healing? Have there been any complications?” I mean, he looked like he was getting better, but still, I’d have thought he’d be up and about by now. Buck did what he could with the supplies we had at the time, but he should have gotten everything he needed here to finish fixing him up, right?

“Doc said I’m healing up fine, except for my eyes of course.” He tapped at the side of his head, pointing to the bandage wrapped around it. “He said that the inflammation from my head injury caused some sort of temporary blindness, and that I'll be able to see again in a week or so. But... I still can't feel my legs... so there's that.” I guess he was paralyzed then. And here I am complaining about one fucking eye… “But honestly, between us, choosing between being able to walk and being able to see, I’d rather be able to see.”

“Why’s that?” That… wasn’t something I’d expected from him. Then again, talking about what limbs or senses you’d rather be forced to lose wasn’t something anyone should ever have to talk about at all.

“Without sight, I could walk myself right off a cliff! Or into a land mine, or a raider ambush…” His smile widened as he wiggled back into his bed a bit. “Then again, I’d have every excuse to walk into all the mares I’d want. ‘Hey, sorry, my name’s Lucky and I’m blind. My, what an exquisite flank you seem to have!’” He gave a soft laugh. “Yeah, that’d be the perfect icebreaker. But alas, that’s not how it’s going to be. Instead, Boiler said that she’d rig me up some sort of wheeled harness to let me pull myself around, so I shouldn’t be immobile forever. Guess I’ll need to find a different excuse to meet mares, huh?”

“I don’t know,” I couldn’t help but share a bit of his optimism, because Celestia knows I needed it today, “Maybe we could work as a team. I’ll bump into them, and then you could sweep them off their hooves.” Fucking smooth analogy to make with him, Night. Really working to cram that whole paralysis thing down his throat, Good job. “Er, you know what I mean.”

“Wait, why would you...” His smirk died down as he turned his head toward me a bit. “You didn’t lose your eyes somehow, did you?”

“Well, that’s actually the reason I came in here to talk to you, Lucky…” I sighed and sat down next to his bed. “You remember when I asked you to hold on to that crystal ball? You don’t still have it, do you?”

“Of course I do.” He nodded softly, reaching over and stuffing his hoof down between his bed and the container wall. After a moment of rummaging around, he dragged the cloudy looking sphere up in his hoof and presented it to me hesitantly. “What happened to you? Night… are you alright?”

“In our fight, I took out one of Galina’s eyes, so she thought it only fair to take one of mine.” Reaching out, I grabbed onto the ball with my hoof and attempted to take it from him. However, he wouldn’t let it go.

“That’s only half of what I asked.” He deadpanned at me. Well, as much as he could with cloth wrapped around his eyes. “Scars are something you seem to grow more of by the day, and even then, those will eventually heal over time. However, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, er... I will be.” I nodded to him. “Banged up a bit, both physically and mentally. The loss of Violet, the fight with Galina, the shit I had to do to even make it back here... Even with all that, I’m still trying to fix what damage I’ve caused around here. I was an idiot to leave, but I think I’ve started to get things on the right track again.”

Hoping that it was the answer he was looking for, I waited for his grip to release the orb so I could put this all behind me. Instead, I felt him yank it back toward him, and in the process, pull me in as well. With a sharp smack, his forehoof wrapped around my back as he dragged me into a tight hug.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s going to be alright.” He offered softly as he held me. Though I didn’t believe his words in the slightest, I had to accept that he was right. “Even so, things might not be okay for a while, and there’s still a lot of work to be done until they are. So just try to focus on working forward until things get better.”

“Heh, yeah.” I nodded and gave him a firm pat on his bandaged back that drew a soft whine from him. “Oops, sorry.”

“Alright.” A tired sounding voice resonated through the open door behind me. Immediately I felt my mane stand on end as it sunk in. “Let’s see how you’re doing today...” Buck’s voice drifted off through a yawn as he stepped up the rec area stairs and toward the doorway. Hastily, I broke off the hug with Lucky and turned around, watching as Buck’s massive body darkened the doorway as he stood in it. “Oh, hey there, Night.” Buck’s tired eyes washed over me as he spoke, almost missing me.

However, he froze like he’d been hit by a bolt of lightning. His eyes strained as he widened them, and his jaw opened as he stared at me. I felt my cheeks flush, and a grin wider than before parted my own muzzle as his eyes met mine.

“Night…” He wheezed my name out as it sounded like his breath had just been stolen. With a light thump, his medical duffle bag and folded up lab coat dropped to the floor. “you’re alive?”

“Yeah.” I nodded as my legs began to wobble. Goddesses, it was like I hadn’t truly made it back home until right now. Where I knew that this wasn’t simply some sort of too good to be true dream. But before I got swept up in my own emotions, I knew I needed to explain everything to him. “And before anything, I need to tell you, I killed others to get back here. Innocent ponies that didn’t…” Of course I was cut off as I found myself quickly scooped up and pulled against his warm chest.

But oh Celestia, I didn’t care.

Squeezing my hooves around him, I basked in the radiant warmth he gave. The pains in my body drifted off as he slowly wrapped his own paws around me. Carefully, he sat back on his haunches and held me tightly, and for the moment, it was everything I’d been longing for since waking up in Solomon’s convoy. So of course, it didn’t last.

Buck whimpered and trembled. Tears dripped down onto me as he softly sobbed. Looking up, I’d expected to see a jubilant expression across his muzzle. However, instead I found one of shame and regret as he squeezed his eyes shut and cried.

“Buck… what’s wrong?” Fighting to loosen my grip around him, I pushed myself far enough back to force him to look at me. When he did, immediately he turned his head to look anywhere but at me. “I’m here now, everything’s alright.”

“No, everything’s not alright.” He whined, slowly lowering himself backwards down to the floor. Rolling slightly onto his side, he curled himself up as I did my best to hold onto him. “I… I can’t do this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” But… I thought he’d be happy. I mean, I hadn’t even told him what I had to do to get back here and… I didn’t know where I’d gone wrong. “Talk to me, Buck… please?”

“Don’t you get it? There’s no helping anypony out here.” Looking up at me, he wore a sharp, scared look in his tired eyes. “I knew it would be bad out here, but… no matter how much I try, I… I never seem to make a damn difference.” Slowly, he brought up a paw and wiped at his eyes. “There was a foal, two days ago, brought to us bloody and broken. Her mother was screaming for those at the hospital to help her.”

“Some bastard,” He snapped, “some raider, had rigged up a spritebot to explode like a mine. Set it to find the closest target. She... never had a chance to even grow up, Night.” His soft sobs returned as he curled himself tighter and pulled his tail between his legs, holding it in his paws. “Then there were the sky raider attacks, the slaughter at the bar settlement to the east… no matter however many, how hard I tried. I couldn’t save anypony.”

“Was there anything you could have done differently?” I… don’t know why I asked that. Buck would never give anything more than everything, and I knew that. But still, it’s something that perked his ears, and so I knew it had to be something worth asking.

“That’s not the point!” He snapped, slamming his paw against the floor. His claws dug in slightly, tearing gouges in the plywood flooring of the rec area. “I don’t know how you can live with yourself after what you’ve done, Night. Just being able to kill like you do…” His words drifted off as they hit the both of us. So, that was what he thought? That I just killed ponies without repercussions? Without thought or regret? The fucking nerve just to insinuate... “Oh, Celestia, that’s… I didn’t mean…” He almost went completely white as he tried to force out the words.

No, Night. You don’t get to be angry at him. You know why? Cause he just fucked up by saying something he didn’t mean, which is something he’s forgiven you for a dozen times already. So you’re going to understand that, and take it in stride before helping and supporting him like you need to.

“It’s alright.” I nearly collapsed onto him, once again squeezing my hooves around him as if I’d never see him again if I ever let go. “I know it’s been hard for you, Buck. But you once told me that you were happy that I hadn’t let the wasteland break me.” For good measure, I flared my wings out and did my best to wrap those around him as well. “You’re stressed, and you need to rest, alright? But just because you couldn’t help those recently, doesn’t mean you didn’t try your best, or that they were saveable at all.” Slowly, Buck opened his watering eyes and looked up at me. “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, and it doesn’t make you a failure. Just that you have to pick yourself up, and try again tomorrow.”

“He’s right, you know.” Lucky spoke up, starkly reminding me that he’s been listening in on our reunion this whole time. “Doc, you’ve already done more to help than most in the wasteland ever could. And while it’s an ugly, terrible place, the wasteland needs more doctors like you in it fighting to make things right.”

“I…” Buck hesitated as he again wiped at his matted muzzle fur, easing out of the curled form he’d become. “I’m sorry to put this on you. On the both of you.” He looked up to me again, and while the shame he’d held when he looked at me before was gone, the regret still lingered in them. “And you have no idea how happy I am that you…”

That was as far as I’d let him make it before I darted forward and pressed my muzzle into his. My legs wobbled again as I let my mind drift off with the feeling of just being back with him, and I felt his paws grip around my sides to steady me through the kiss. With the worries of the past quickly drifting off, I felt light headed as I broke off and let myself melt into his firm grasp.

“I’m happy to see you too, Buck.” I smiled and gave a soft kiss on his broad black nose.

Over the next few hours, I recounted to the two of them what had happened to me. From a condensed version of the fight with Galina, to the events of Leachate, to stealing Solomon’s car and being forced to work for him. And well, while Buck seemed disappointed by what had happened with the sheriff and his son, he didn’t do anything but hug me again.

However, it was about at that point where I realized that instead of helping out Lucky, both of them had instead been wrapped up into listening to me carry on. While I was glad that they were interested, I felt like maybe I should stop distracting them and get back to being useful somehow. So with the crystal ball tucked into the saddlebags that Spring Leaf had given me, I decided to go and grab the caps Boiler had brought back, and headed over to the trader again.

“So, the kid with the backbone returns.” Fuschia’s degraded eyebrows perked up as she leaned over her counter again. Rheinmetall poked his head out from behind her and the junk covered counter as well, but only for a moment. What in the hell was he doing back there?

“Yeah, I brought that crystal ball back…” Strained groans almost drowned out my words as I spoke, and before I could speak again, there was a soft panting coming from behind the counter’s junk pile where Rheinmetall had been. “Am I… interrupting something?”

“Nah, just proving a point.” Keeping her smirk across her muzzle, she nodded to my tucked up wing. “I’ll take that for ya. Shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes to get it down to the right shape.”

“That fast?” Lifting my wing, I opened my saddlebag and gripped around the crystal orb. Slowly, I extended it out to her and let it get wrapped in her magic. I don’t really know how long I’d expected it to take, but it was honestly a lot longer than a couple of minutes…

“Well, after two hundred years of tinkering and crafting, you get pretty good at working with anything.” She gave me a wink before stepping away from her counter and disappearing into the unseen back area of the train cart. Which of course left me with the odd grunts and panting behind the counter.

Hesitantly, I stepped forward. I couldn’t fight my curiosity as the odd symphony of noises continued to play out. Slowly, I put my forehooves up onto the crowded countertop and peeked my head over to take a look.

There on the floor, was Rheinmetall, curled up much in the same way that Buck had been when he broke down. However, instead of tears, beading sweat dribbled down his dried and cracked fur. In his forehooves, sat a yellowed sealed jar of… something that just seemed to refuse to open. After a few moments of twisting and straining at the old metal lid, his hooves slipped, and the old jar rolled onto the floor and just out of his reach.

“Scheiße!” He muttered under his breath as he watched the jar roll away from him.

“Are you alright?” I asked, finding his attention quickly shift to me. Which was funny, because as he looked up at me, my mind reminded me of the sharp piece of bone sticking out of his forehead. “Why don’t you just use your magic to open it?”

“The bet is that if I can open it without magic, then I don’t have to pay for it.” A determined smirk worked his way across his muzzle as he rolled himself onto his hooves. Walking over to the jar, he wrapped his forehoof around it again and walked it back over to the counter. “I am more than willing to pay for it, and yes, it would be quite easy to open with magic. Either way, I’ll get my beloved, delectable kraut! However, it’s the principle of the challenge to not use magic to open it. I relish a challenge, pun intended, so I’m compelled to at least try!”

“Kraut?” I understood the idea of being up for a challenge, but… I had no idea what was in the jar, or what seemed to be the pun he spoke of...

“Ja! I know it’s a bit stereotypical, but only when you have gone as long as I have without it, will you truly understand.” Lifting the jar in his hooves, he looked at it the same way that I looked at Buck. However, he caught my more than awkward glance at him and perked his ears at me. “You know, from vhat happened earlier, I have to wonder. You have not been down here long, have you? In ze wasteland, I mean.”

“Yeah, it’s only been....” I shook my head, trying to recount just how long it’s been. How many weeks, or was it months now? “Just... not very long, but I’m adjusting as best as I can.” Looking back down at him, he studied me now as if he were trying to figure me out. But the more I looked at him, the more I wanted to figure him out. “Were… you around at the end of the war? How did you adjust?”

“Bah!” He bat his hoof at me and rolled his eyes. With a groan, he picked himself up off the floor and pulled the jar of ‘kraut’ into his magic. “I’ve had time on my side to adjust. Still have to every decade or so. The wasteland is not so simple as to stay the same for very long.”

With a sharp pop, his magic twisted the lid from the jar with almost no effort on his part.

“If adjusting to the wasteland is your goal, then you are going about this entirely the wrong way.” In his magic, a great big glob of stringy yellow… something floated from the jar. “What you should be asking, is how do I live in the wasteland.” Whatever it was both looked and smelled completely repulsive, but he stuffed it into his muzzle all the same. “Meine Göttinnen, I have missed this flavor!”

“I’m not sure I follow...” I spoke up, not quite sure what he even meant by that. How is living any different than adjusting? “How… do you live in the wasteland?” With a heavy gulp and light belch, Rheinmetall let out a contented sigh.

“How do I live? I’m glad you asked!” He smiled as he closed the jar up and set it down on the counter. “With plenty of help from friends, of course! But you seem to keep pretty good company with those Buffalo und their convoy. From what I hear, their group is one of the more pleasant and agreeable ones that we’ve ever had coming through Maple Station.”

“Did I hear you open that jar?” The voice of Fuschia from behind the junk piles was quickly joined by the sound of her hoofsteps. “So what, do ya owe me or not?”

“Just stick with them, and you’ll do fine down here.” Giving a wink to me, Rheinmetall pushed himself off of the counter and used his magic to pluck a dozen caps or so out of the pocket of his old military greatcoat. “It’s not that I gave up. I just couldn’t possibly wait another moment to savor the delectable rarity I’ve so greatly missed.” Picking the jar up again, now it was his turn to disappear into the back, leaving me with Fuschia.

“Alrighty, Miss Bombay.” She chuckled as she used her magic to shift the caps Rheinmetall left under the counter. As she did, she extended her hoof out to me. Tightly gripped in her rotten fetlock, was the crystal ball, or what was left of it. “You’re going to need help getting it in at first, but once it’s in, the shaping spell I’ve put on it should let it conform completely to your socket. On the off chance you were looking to end up with something flashy, being crystal, you can’t really paint it without causing problems. So it’s going to be kinda bland, but it’s still better than nothing. Try to avoid getting it dirty, and above all, don’t let it get scratched. It’ll tear up your socket pretty badly, and let me tell you, it’s a pain to deal with if that happens.”

“Alright…” Reaching out with a hoof, I took what was left of the ball into it. Looking at it, it’s almost like it had been cut in half, but without any marks. The whole thing felt a lot smoother than before, as well as slightly warm for some reason.

“So… it’s also got some sort of latent magic in it.” She leaned across her counter, staring closer at the crystal. “Not sure what it is, but I didn’t put it in there. It’s probably nothing though, just some zebra mumbo-jumbo, so you shouldn’t worry about it.” She smirked and gave a quick tap of her hoof on her counter. “Just so we’re clear, if it is something bad, I ain’t liable for whatever it is, alright? I don’t want your friends coming to me and blaming my ass if your head explodes or anything.” Wow, that makes me incredibly comfortable putting this inside my head now! Thanks so much for that image...

“Okay?” So… there was some sort of other magic in here. Right, best not to think about it and just let Buck help me put it in. Reaching my wing into my saddle bag, I dropped the eye inside and plucked my cap sack out. “So, what do I owe you?”

“You’re buffalo friend already left the caps for it out of what I paid you for the shotgun.” She smirked and propped her head up in her hooves on the counter. “You’re all paid up.”

“Well, alright then. Thank you.” I nodded to her and slipped my caps back into my bag. A thought ran through my mind that pointed out a sharp realization. Thank you? That’s not what Bombay would say, was it? “It’s been good doing business with you, Mrs. Fuschia. Maybe I’ll come back sometime and sell you some of the other oddities I come across for more than you’re comfortable paying for them.”

That brought the brightest possible smile across her muzzle, which was saying something considering again, she had no lips to speak of.

“Hey now, Mrs. Fuschia was my mother.” She gave a dainty wave of her hoof. “But I’d wondered where that confident mare I’d bartered with earlier had gone. Hope that eye helps you keep that confidence. Cause if you do come back, you can bet I ain’t going to fold nearly as easily next time. But I look forward to it all the same.”

Turning around, I headed out the door, and back toward the convoy. Alright, so now that I’d gotten to know some of them, a single thought kept popping up and bothering me as I walked. Why the hell did so many ponies seem to hate ghouls? Sure, there were feral ones like the ones at Four Peaks, or at the Depot in Destruction Bay. And of course there was the odd one out like Short Wave, but that was hardly a reason to condemn all of them.

Maybe the hatred of them was simply something like the brainwashing that Tephra was doing to this city? Perhaps it was more like with the raiders, where the north wasn’t the best example of the average. Or maybe everypony else in the wasteland was fucking crazy and didn’t even give them a chance. Who knew? Certainly not me, and honestly, I’ll admit that I don’t care if I ever found out.

Oddly enough, as I returned to the Hauler, I found Delilah outside speaking to that Ranger griffon and the odd mare who was looking at Laika’s pod earlier. The charred wreck of the sky raider craft, as well as the other rangers, were strangely absent. Delilah shot me a dismissive look as I headed onto the convoy, and I figured that meant she didn’t want to be interrupted.

Looking around, I managed to find the missing rangers not too far off. They were over toward one of the entrances to Roundhouse. A dozen or so ponies were carefully loading the wreck of that skyraider vehicle into a large traincar that reminded me of Double Drum’s road machine. It was a grey box twice as big as any of the other train carts around here, and painted in a dark blue color on it’s backside was what looked to be the symbol of the ministry of wartime technology.

There was a stubby black exhaust pipe that ran straight into the air off the top of the machine, and a set of squat windows sat toward the front of the heavy looking bunker-like cart. It didn’t seem to have any visible weapons, and unlike Double Drum’s machine, it only had that one pipe on the top of it. Even it’s open armored side looked like it would be flush once they closed it up again.

Among all the vehicles I’d seen so far in the wasteland, this one stuck out as the least… threatening to me. Sure it was big, but that was about it. Maybe that was just how the rangers did things? I don’t know, and frankly, it wasn’t my concern so I didn’t fucking care.

Climbing up the steps to the reactor deck and opening the ice hold, the sound of the crew talking met me through the roof. The open hatch to the rec area let in some of their conversations as well, and from the way they were talking, they sounded like they were all relaxing. For a moment, I just stood there and listened to it. It felt good to hear them talk. It was almost like it had been before… well, before Drake Pass.

Trotting through the hold, I passed the stacks of junk that Boiler had accumulated around the old ship safe. In it, I saw that the ‘jump pack’ she’d shown me with Hardcase had actually been cleaned off a bit. It was currently hollowed out and missing parts, but I’m guessing now that she knew I was alive, she and Hardcase would be working on it again. Continuing, I trotted to the stares and climbed them up into the Rec area.

“Hey, Night’s back!” Howitzer called out as my head poked up through the hatch.

Everypony had truly gathered in the rec area, and they all raised the various alcoholic drinks they held in their hooves to me. Hell, even Happy did, even if it was with a pair of black eyes and a nervous look that was absolutely bleeding with regret. Before I could even say anything, a talon tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to find Cora offering me a bottle of Sparkle Cola from his medical satchel. Just staring at the dusty bottle made me realize that I was actually fairly thirsty. Popping the top off the cola, I lamented the fact that it wasn’t the painkiller I’d certainly need here soon, but wetting my parched throat was a good start

“Hey, man, where’ve you been?” Gearbox gave a relaxed laugh from atop Boiler’s back. “You were gone so long that we thought you’d died.” His eyes were just as bloodshot as ever, but I have to say, it felt good to see that damn druggie again. As well as everyone else on the crew altogether for that matter.

“I almost did.” I spoke and watched as Buck peeked his head out from our container. Feeling a small nudge from the back of my mind, I spoke up as Bombay. “But actually die? You know me better than that!” Flashing a wide smile to all of them, I shrugged and played it cool. “Please, not even Galina could put me down. Bombay’s back, and I’m here to stay.”

They all gave a revelrous cheer at that - well, all except for Buck. But I don’t think he’d heard a word I’d said. He was too busy showing me the kind, gentle smile I loved to see across his muzzle. Taking another sip from my cola, I carefully tucked it between my feathers and walked over to him. Pressing myself up against his warm and fuzzy goodness, I wrapped a hoof around his waist and nuzzled at his chest fur. Goddesses it felt good to be back with him.

“So… did you get it?” He asked softly, perking my ears. I was a bit confused as I looked up at him, so he canted his head and nodded to my saddlebags. “The eye?”

“Oh, right!” I nodded and quickly used my other wing to flip open my bags. Carefully, I drew it out. “The merchant mare said that I should get help putting it in the first time, or at least until I get used to doing it myself.”

“Alright.” Buck carefully reached in with his paw and pulled out the crystal eye between two of his claws. Again, I didn’t really understand how he could do that.

“How… do you control it?” As always, the words slipped out of my muzzle without my approval. “Your claws I mean. You can rend through metal or stone, but you can also hold something as fragile as glass or cloth.”

“Well, it’s… sort of hard to explain...” Buck began.

“Let me easily answer that by saying.... magic.” Hardcase spoke up from his seat next to the radio. “To put it another way, Bombay, besides the problem you have with your wings, how is it that you don’t just go flying away off into the sky all the time?” Taking a sip from his beer, he offered me only a smart ass smirk.

“Well, if I don’t want to fly, I just…” I paused and blinked a few times as it hit me. “Oh. I just… don’t.” I mean, it was well known that pegasi magic was what allowed us to fly, but it was a choice that could be made. As I’d grown up to understand it, it’s like a reflex, and your body just sort of knows when it needs to not fall. Looking back up to Buck, he gave a shrug. “I guess that works then!”

“Like I said,” Hardcase chuckled before downing the rest of his drink. “Magic.”

“Regardless of that,” Buck gave a lighthearted laugh that helped to perk me up in a way that I feel like I hadn’t in ages. “Why don’t we try to magic this into your socket and see how it feels? I’d much rather find out if you need to have more work done on it now, than to find out when we’re already back on the road.”

“True, that’s probably a smart move.” Looking up at him, I sat down and put my forehooves on my face to steady myself. “Alright, go for it!”

“First of all,” Buck spoke softer as he lifted the claws with the eye closer to my head. “I’m sorry if it’s a bit uncomfortable. It’s going to be a learning experience for the both of us.”

“Oh, come on, Buck.” Hispano grumbled as she gave out a long yawn and strained to sit herself up on her bed. She looked even more like hell than before, with parts of her skin looking more baggy than usual. If I had to make a comparison, I would have to say she almost looked deflated. “Just shove it in there. Night’s been through worse already.” Still, even with how worn out she looked, she still held on to the happy look across her beak, and the glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Buck’s other paw wrapped around the back of my head to steady me further as he slowly brought the crystal eye up to my socket. I’m not going to lie, it felt… fairly uncomfortable to have it slipped in. A small whimper escaped my muzzle as part of it pressed sharply against the inside of my socket. But as that unexpected jab faded, Buck pulled back his paws, and I felt something… odd.

There was a soft crackling coming from my socket, like that of glass. I felt as the magic Fuschia had imbued in it ran it’s course and the orb conformed to fill the emptiness. At that same moment, the pain in my socket flared up again, and only a single solitary thought of my head exploding from it crossed my mind. However, the crackles quickly faded away, and when it did, so did the aching pain. Blinking a few times, I smiled even wider because for as much trouble as that fucking pain had become, it was just… gone.

“Woah…” Buck gasped as he looked down at me, looking absolutely perplexed for some reason. “That’s… odd...”

“You’re tellin me!” Hispano gave a few panting laughs as she too wore a really contorted look of confusion on her beak. “But regardless of that, it’s fucking awesome!”

“What is it?” Confused, I turned around to see if anyone else could explain what the hell was going on. However, they all shared the same expression as Buck and Hispano as they looked at me. To be honest, I’d begun to feel like the butt of a joke that nopony would share…

“Here…” Hardcase spoke as his horn flared to life. A small mirror floated out of his container, and hovered in front of my muzzle.

Immediately, I noticed that the short mane I’d acquired over the last few weeks had indeed not done much to affect my softer features. In fact, I pouted slightly as the previous remark of looking kind of butch only rang home at this moment, even moreso when I considered all the scars all over me now as well. Lifting my forehoof, I tweaked the mirror downward slightly so that I could use my good eye to look at the crystal one. When I did though, I found the same confounded look the others had, written across my own damn muzzle.

The crystal eye had indeed conformed to fill out the same shape and size of my old eye. However, it wasn’t nearly as bland as Fuschia had said it would be. Inside it, floating just below the surface and matching the movements of my good eye, was a roughly oval shaped, sharply cut emerald.

“What the hell did you have her do too that ball?” Cora snorted as he walked up to get a closer look. “I’ve never seen magic that acts like this before. I mean, can you actually see out of it?”

“No?” I blinked again a few times and looked back at the mirror. It was… oddly well matched in color to my good eye. There were even tiny flecks of gold in it that were barely noticeable in my real eye. “I mean, Fuschia said she only put the resizing spell on it, but that there was also some other latent magic inside she couldn’t figure out.”

“Fascinating…” Buck spoke as he reached his paw under my muzzle and dragged it around until I was looking up at him again. “I think it’s the most… beautiful emerald I’ve ever seen…” His words drifted off as his furred cheeks nearly burned rose red with a blush.

“Well,” Boiler blurted out, “you did say that Madame Mystic gave that to you because she knew you’d need it. Maybe that magic was part of it?”

While I didn’t like that she might have known about Violet’s death, it was a more valid explanation for it than anything I could think of. Not to mention, it’s a bit more positive of an explanation than thinking there’s still some other magic still in it that could make my head explode or something! But, even so, the pain was gone from my socket, and that was more than enough for me.

Almost on cue, the aches and pains from the other injuries I’d been recovering from flared up. Not nearly as sharply as my socket had been, but still enough to make me wish I had some chill. I was about to ask Buck and Cora for some when the sound of the ice hold door opening under us perked all of our ears.

“Alright, listen up.” Delilah’s sharp voice demanded our attention as she climbed up the ice hold stairs. “Change of plans. Now that we’re all back, we’re leaving the city today, and we’re taking a shortcut.”

“A shortcut?” Happy asked as he sat up quite uncomfortably from his place on the couch. “I thought that Highway five was the only way south from here?”

“That’s not exactly true.” Another voice came up from the stairway as Delilah walked up into the Rec area. I recognized it, and Hardcase recognized it, but as that griffon ranger perked his head up, Howitzer gave a loud snort and stomp. “We can take the Galloway mines transit tunnel all the way to the compound. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but I believe this vehicle will have clearance.”

“What the fuck, Delilah!” Howitzer nearly shouted as he sharply pointed his hoof to the now cringing ranger. “You’d let the rangers onto our convoy? Into our home!?”

“I know it’s not something you and your sister are comfortable with. I’m sorry, but this is necessary.” Delilah’s seething tone made it obvious she was heavily restraining herself from speaking her mind, but she was too careful to say anything she’d regret. “We need to utilize every advantage we can against Solomon, so you will be either be alright with Pastel and his rangers for now. Or, you and your sister can stay here in Mare’s Lake.”

“It’s fine, ma’am.” Boiler grunted as she put her hoof against Howitzer’s shoulder, keeping her eyes on him as he looked like they were about to shoot beams of magic out and melt the nervous griffon ranger. “Just make sure they know to keep their grubby hooves off our shit, and their own muzzles shut.”

“Hun?” Gearbox sighed as she squeezed around the back of Boiler’s fuzzy form. “I know you two don’t like them, but they aren’t the same ones from home.”

“Doesn’t mean we have to trust them further than we can throw them.” Howitzer huffed and sat down hard.

“Which simply means it won’t be hard to boot them off the convoy if need be.” Delilah snorted as her own glare burned from behind her glasses. “But I expect us all to work together until we reach Galloway with them.” Looking back to the griffon commander, she gave a small nod. “Captain, if you’ll follow me to my office.” Turning her gaze across us all, unexpectedly, she stopped on me. “Night, you will join us as well. You have something we need to discuss with the rangers.”

Welp, while I didn’t know what to expect from this turn of events, at the very least, I was back home. No, that’s not really enough. With the regrettable exclusion of Violet, all of us were finally back home.

Author's Notes:

As always, many, many thanks to TheFurryRailFan for his help in fixing up the chapter before it goes live. Thanks for keeping the quality control top notch, buddy!

And of course, thanks to Kkat for letting us all play around in these wastelands!