Equestria [#2341-1776]

"Ah've been fightin' this here feud fer as long as ah can remember. I ax'ed ma an pa why we fightin and they cain't give a straight answer. Sos' I ax'ed their ma an pa an then their ma an pa but they couldn't give me an answer neither. So many ponies fightin' fer somethin an not even know why. Oranges an Apples? Last ah heard, they both fruits through an through, why we gotta be fightin for somethin an not know why?"

The desert winds were harsh and unforgiving beating down onto the cloaked mare marching through the wastelands. Accompanied by the unrelenting sun and the mare's cargo she was dragging in a weather beaten wagon, everything was counting against her. She was walking through the wastelands at high noon, and for what? The mare asked herself that question over and over, but it never stopped her legs from carrying her further. Piercing the gusts of wind came the faint buzzing sound, almost like an angry wasp. The mare tilted her head to the side and felt something hot and sharp graze her cheek. She tilted her hat up and noticed an old barn off in the distance. The mare squinted her eyes just enough to make out what looked like an elderly green mare peeking out from the attic window. The silver haired mare was holding a longrifle and shouting through a megaphone.

"Ah can shoot th' fleas offa diamond dog's backside from TEN THOUSAND hoofs away. If ya know what's best, gon an' git!"

The orange mare carefully slid under the wagon's harness and trotted to the back of the wagon. She pulled at a blanket, revealing a badly injured red stallion before addressing the silver maned mare.

"Got a injured soldier down here. Said he was akin' to ya."

"Big Red? Ah jus got his papers in th' mail three days ago! Thought he went to th' big orchard in the sky!"

"No ma'm jus' found him in the trenches yesterday. Ah ain't the type to leave a pony out fer dead, sworn enemy or otherwise."

"Now ain't that mighty nice o' ya! Go head' an' leave em right there so's I can pick em up. In the meantime, git off mah property!"

"I was hopin' we could talk-" The mare was interrupted by a small pillar of sand rising up from taking a step forward. It was apparent that the elderly mare wasn't going to take any chances.

"Listen here missy. Ah've been protectin this here Smith Acres before your daddy was a twinkle in HIS daddy's eye. Ah ain't gonna start invitin' no citrus suckin' claim jumpers on this farm!"

The orange mare picked up a mound of sand and let it slide out of her hoof.

"Don't see to much o' farm land round these parts..."

"That's it'! Last warnin' missy, MOVE YER CABOOSE!" The elderly mare shouted, sending another bullet into the ground, right in front of the cloaked pony. The orange mare tilted her hat back down and spit into the ground before walking away.

"You know what? To Tartarus, with it. Matter o' fact, to Tartarus with this war too..."

The older mare looked through her scope at the pony leaving and headed downstairs to the front door. Stepping out on the porch, the silver maned pony looked around at her farm. There was nothing green in sight. Just endless hills of sand with rows of dead trees lining the fields. A single tear ran down the mares cheek as her wrinkled lip quivered.

"Now hold on there missy!" the elderly pony called out. "Gon' and bring em round back. I'll put some coffee on th' pot."

The cloaked mare turned around confused. Before she could say anything the elderly mare said something else before heading inside.

"An while yer' at it, stay on th' beated path. I got mines all over this farmland..."