"Note to self: don't drive out of a falling weather machine again," I said to nobody as I got up from the sand. A quick glance around found Bumblebee, intact and unharmed, not too far behind me. Further off was the weather machine, stuck in the ground, fires and explosions showing occasionally from the side I could see.

After making my way over to her, I sat down and opened the backpack to check its contents. Once I saw sure that nothing was harmed, I let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark, and I suddenly remembered something about deserts: While they were hot during the day, they got cold during the night.

A flicker of light against the darkening landscape caught my attention, so I started making my way over to it on Bumblebee. Worst case scenario, it was a bandit camp, and if I had to, I could fight them off with the Ember Celica retracted.

I was stopped from getting too close to the camp by a pair of big male buffalo with Native American style headdresses on them, both with a few red feathers spread out to look intimidating. “You will not pass us!” the one on the right proclaimed.

“Especially me!” the left one added.

I sighed before tiredly responding. “Can I please just talk to your, um, chief? Whoever your leader is? I’m tired, getting cold, and just need a warm place to rest. Not even food, just rest for the night.”

“You will not talk to Strongheart!”

“Please?”

Before either of the buffaloes could respond, they were pushed aside by a smaller, lighter colored buffalo with a more impressive headdress, sporting many white feathers. “What is going on here?” The female buffalo sternly asked before she caught sight of me and broke into a big smile. “Oh, Yang Xiao Long! I never thought you would visit us!”

I dismissed the praise with a hand wave and got straight to the point. “Yeah yeah, look: I just need a place to rest for the night. Are you in charge here?”

Her expression dropped a bit. “I am. Follow me.” I did as she said and followed her into the camp. She lead me past the warm fire in the middle and to the largest teepee. I parked Bumblebee next to the entrance and went inside.

It was much warmer in the teepee thanks to a small fire in the middle, and I almost collapsed in relief on the rug next to it. “This is good.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Strongheart started preparing something in the back. “I’ll be honest: you’re a bit. . . snappier than I heard you were.”

I thought back a bit before answering. “Yeah, sorry about that. I just got through a very tough fight and I’m tired. It’s also getting cold, and that doesn’t help me.”

“I see. Were you fighting that thing that fell from the sky?”

“A mad scientist that was sealed in it. Things got a bit. . . explosive towards the end.”

Strongheart didn’t answer as she finished putting everything together, then brought me a bowl of some kind of mushy tan food with apple slices on it. "Go ahead, eat up."

I sat down on the ground and cautiously smelled the bowl's contents. "Is there any kind of grass in here?"

"There is tumbleweed, if that counts."

"I can't have it, then." I held the bowl out for Strongheart to take. "Grass makes me sick if I eat it."

"Oh, sorry." Strongheart quickly took the bowl and set it back where she had prepared it. “Would an apple be okay?”

"Yeah, that would be okay.” My host made a little show of balancing an apple on her snout before flinging it over to me. “Thanks.” I took a bite of the apple and it was delicious. “Mmm, that's good. Where did you get this?” As far as I knew, apples weren't usually found in the desert.

“We trade with the Appleloosans not too far from here. I can show you the way there in the morning.”

“Thanks.” I continued eating the apple, feeling better with each bite. After I was done, Strongheart took the core and snapped it up in one bite. “So, where should I sleep?”

“You can sleep in here. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pillows or blankets you can use. Sorry about that. . .”

I was just about to slump in defeat when I remembered my new backpack and the loot inside it. “I think I’ll be fine, actually.” I set it on the ground and rifled through it, pulling out a couple pillows and the heated blanket. “Do you mind if I sleep on this rug?”

“Not at all. Go ahead.”

I’d only been comfortable for about a minute before sleep quickly claimed me. The warm blanket, soft pillows, and softly crackling fire nearby did absolutely nothing to keep me from the dream realm.

“Yang, if it’s alright, may I-”

“Not now, Luna! I’m tired and just want to sleep in peace! Out!”

“Very well, then.” Luna left and I was back to peacefully sleeping.

A hoof gently woke me from my sleep. “Up and at it, Yang. It’s morning.”

I yawned as I slowly sat up, the warm blanket making it difficult. “Mhmm. Mhrg.” Sunlight lit the inside of the teepee, and I could tell that the air was already getting warm. With another yawn, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “I guess I’ll be going, then.”

“You don’t want to stay and talk?” Strongheart sadly asked.

“No, I don’t.” I stood up and did some stretching before packing up my pillows and blanket. “Besides, I don’t know what we would talk about.”

“I . . . I suppose that’s alright.” She stepped outside, briefly letting in more sunlight. After I had everything packed up and the backpack in place, I went outside and met her. “You see the bit of green out on the horizon that way?”

I squinted as I looked out across the desert. “Yeah, I see it.”

“That’s the Appleloosa apple orchard. There’s a stampede trail through there that will lead you to Appleloosa itself.”

“Thanks again.” I made my way over to Bumblebee and got on her. After putting the kickstand up, I turned back to Strongheart and the gathering buffalo and said, “You may want to stand back a bit. The bike can get pretty loud.” After they had all heeded my warning, I started her up and drove off.

The drive across the desert was pretty dull, but the wind in my hair felt great, and helped wake me up a bit more. I kept the greenery in my sight, and before long, I found the path going through it. As I got on the path, I remembered that I had no money on me, so I wouldn't be able to just buy a train ticket. I'd need to do something to earn it.

I found a saloon, the Rusty Horseshoe, around noon and parked Bumblebee just outside. Next to the entrance was a couple of Wanted posters. One was for a unicorn outlaw called Speedy Slinger, wanted for causing panic, mayhem, and kitten disturbance with a reward of 500 bits for his capture. The other one was for a week’s help at the saloon, specifically a barmaid. "I could do that. Besides, I think I could use a bit of time away from the Carne Den. A working vacation. Better than asking for bits."

I went inside and it looked like a saloon straight out of a wild west movie, only with ponies instead of people. The smell of alcohol, food, and a thin haze of smoke was in the air, card games were being played at a few tables, showmares were dancing to a lively piano tune, and there was one seat open at the bar. “This busy this early? I guess it’s just different here.”

As I made my way to the lone barstool, the activity started to die down. Everyone was looking at me, mostly in awe. When I sat down, the bartender, a light brown earth pony stallion with a fancy mustache, came over, apparently unfazed by my presence. "Need somethin', Missy?" he asked in a gruff, irritated voice.

"I saw you needed a barmaid for a week," I said over the tension I was feeling around me. "I have some experience, and I need the bits."

"Promise not to drink on the job?" The stallion seemed unfazed by the tension.

"Only water. I guess you've had some trouble with that?"

"Last three all did it and had to leave without pay. You get what Ah'm sayin'?"

"Crystal clear, sir."

"Good." The stallion turned to the showmares. "Hey, Silk! Ah got another one for ya!"

One of the showmares, the only unicorn in the group, stepped off the stage and came over to the bar. "Yang Xiao Long," she said with no shortage of admiration. "This'll take a bit longer than usual, boss. I don't exactly have anything in her shape."

"That's fine, just get started with her."

"Alrighty. This way, Miss Xiao Long." I followed Silk backstage, upstairs, down a hall, and into a room. The room was a combination of a bedroom and workshop. A few pony mannequins were lined up against a wall, a changing screen was in the corner, a bed was up against the wall, and a workstation took up another corner. A window with light filtering curtains let in sunlight without letting anyone see through. Silk went behind the changing screen and took off her dress before coming back out. Her cutie mark was a bolt of white silk. “Ya mind if I look ya over for a bit? Can’t make it right for ya if I don’t know what to do, after all.”

“Sure.” I set my backpack down and went to the middle of the room.

Silk walked around me and started doing what she needed. “Anything ya want me to know before I start?”

“Be careful with the hair, I don’t want the neckline much lower than what I’ve got now, and can I keep the dress when I’m done here?”

Silk gently levitated my hair up so she could see my back. “If the boss says it’s okay, ya can have it. I still have the dresses I made for the last three. Considering how they performed, I wouldn’t be surprised if he says you can have it.”

I felt a blush as she lifted up the half skirt to look under it, but didn’t move. “So, why is the position only temporary? Not complaining, just wondering.”

“Sweet Cider went into labor three weeks early. That was a month ago. She’ll be back on Monday. Her little colt’s a real cute one, if a bit rowdy. If ya make it to the end, she’ll be thrilled to see that ya helped cover for her, and lasted longer than the other three.”

“I’m sure anybody would be.” As Silk kept looking me over, another question came to mind. “So, where would I be staying? I don’t exactly have any bits right now.”

“Just down the hall. Mr. Tender offers rooms for his employees here. Houses are a bit of a rare thing around here, after all. Ya mind taking a seat on the bed for a moment so I can look at your legs? I’m getting an idea.”

I sat down on the bed and took my boots, socks, and bandana thing off. I didn’t care as Silk looked over my legs and tested their range of motion, the feeling of air on them after so long in the boots was just so good. “So, anything interesting happen recently?”

Silk started testing a foot as she answered. “Well, there was this big metal wheel thing in the sky yesterday. Passed right overhead like a big cloud before it started exploding and went down past the buffalo lands. It’s been all the talk since it happened. You?”

I giggled a bit when Silk accidentally tickled my foot. “Oh, ha, well, I fought a mad pegasus yesterday. Got a little too enthusiastic in the fight and kind of blew a few of his things up. I ended up near a buffalo camp and spent the night with them.”

Silk stopped messing with my foot as she started piecing things together. “You brought that thing down yourself?”

“Yep. Oh, that reminds me.” I expanded the Ember Celica and took the rainnuke shells out of them and put them in a belt pouch. “Gotta be careful with these. I don’t want to blow anything up for a while.”

The mare’s eyes slowly started to get smaller. “You’re saying. . . ya could have blown the whole saloon to bits on accident? Along with everypony in it? This whole time?”

“If I got into a fight with the gauntlets expanded.” I put the Ember Celica back into their compact forms. “Now they’re just fancy metal bracelets. Oh, if you could make the dress work with them, that would be great. I like having them with me.”

“Ah, yeah, sure.” Silk shook her head for a bit before getting back on task. “Could ya take one of them off for me, by the way?”

“Sure.” I took both of the Ember Celica off and set them off to the side. Moments later, Silk was cautiously looking over my arms and hands. “So, how did you start doing this?”

“Dresses or dancing?”

I waggled my fingers a bit so she could see their range of motion. “Either or.”

“Well, before I found my talent in tailoring, I was waiting tables here.” Silk seemed to relax as she started talking. “One day, we were short a dancer for a show and he had me cover for her. I did pretty well for my first try, but it didn’t earn me my mark. The dress I wore bugged me, though, so I brought it up here to what was the workshop. I spent all night restitching the bodice and tweaking the design. In the morning, one of the dancers found me here as I finished working on it. I had her try it, and she said it fit and felt much better on her than the other dresses did.”

“And you earned your mark then and there?”

“No, it was after I improved a few more dresses that I realized my talent and got my mark.” She finished with my hand and looked back to me. “Ya mind taking your shirt off for me?”

“Yes, I do mind,” I defensively said as I looked to the wall next to me, then sighed. “Just be quick, and no. . . no touching, okay?”

“Sensitive area?”

“You could say that.” I quickly undid my shirt and took it off, along with the short yellow tube top underneath it, leaving me only with my bra.

Less than a minute later, Silk said, “Alright, you’re good.”

I quickly put the removed pieces of clothing back on with a relieved sigh. “Thanks for being fast.” After that, I started putting my footwear back on.

“No problem. Anyways, I’ve got a good idea now. If ya want to take a shower, they’re down the hall. Nothing but warm water, though. No tubs, either. A cool bath just sounds divine out here, ya know?”

“Hot water all the way for me. Cold hurts.”

Silk pursed her lips for a bit before shrugging and grabbing a bolt of yellow fabric with her magic. “Whatever works for ya. Now shoo, I need some privacy for this.”

The bathroom was. . . interestingly designed. There were three showers on the left wall, each with a small foyer-like area, two clean stalls on the right wall, two sinks against the back wall and a pair of benches in the middle. Clearly, it was made for more than one person to use at once.

Each of the foyers had two privacy curtains, letting them turn into changing rooms, while also blocking out water from the shower. One wall had shelves and hooks to put clothes on, or so I presumed, while the other had towels hanging on racks. The towels were a drab brown, and weren’t as nice as the ones at home, but they would work just fine. If they could dry off a pony with some effort, they would work on me easily.

As I left the bathroom, not interested in showering, I realized something. “I’m going a week with one set of underwear and two changes of clothes. Not even sleepwear. That’s going to be gross.”

Heading back downstairs, I went back to the bar and took a seat again, the stallion still behind it. “I presume you’re the owner here?”

“Ah am,” he said. “You want a drink before you start, or somethin’?”

“Just a glass of water, a question, then I’d like to start learning what’s what behind this bar.” At his silence, I continued. “Is there a place I can store my bike? I don’t want it just sitting out front.”

“The best Ah can offer is the back of the building.” Moments later, I had a mug filled with clear water in front of me. “Have you ever had a drink before?”

I enjoyed a sip of slightly warm water before answering him. “Only on a few occasions, mostly after tough fights.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two stallions looking like they were about to get in a fight. “Before you ask, no, I won’t drink after any fights I get in here, if that happens.” I took another sip of water. “Why are you so worried about drinking on the job? Bits? Performance?”

I slowly drank the rest of my water as Mr. Tender answered. “Both. The last three all got into drinking competitions pretty quickly. First one broke half the mugs in her stupor. Second one blacked out pretty fast. Third one drank a hundred bits worth of beer.”

I finished my water and set the mug down, feeling refreshed. “I see. I’ll be back in a moment, then.” I went out front, got Bumblebee, and pulled her around to the back, setting her in a slightly concealed corner before going back inside and to the stool I’d left. “So, the bar?”

“Come on around.” I did as the stallion said, and was soon learning the layout of the bar and what was what. I did not expect salt blocks, which didn’t make sense to me, being out in the middle of the desert, but it apparently was a thing out here.

It didn’t take long for me to get used to the bar, and within an hour, I was going on my own.

Author's Notes:

Imagine I said something witty here.

Now, it's just a matter of time before I upload chapter 100. Just gotta wait on a little something I commissioned for it.