In the dull evening twilight, I could barely make out my forehoof as it sat gently upon my mother’s smooth coat. Even so, the shafts of light which permeated the jagged roof of the train car provided enough illumination for me to make out the deep blue hue of my mother’s hide as it shifted.

"I think I just felt something!" I laughed giddily as her swollen midsection kicked.

I'd known for a few weeks now, ever since she'd accidentally spilled it to me while on another angry tangent about how my friends were a bad influence on me. Yeah, sure they were not perfect, but the older unicorns were teaching me some neat stuff, not to mention they told me how to take good care of 'Zap'. Unfortunately, my mother had drawn the line last week when we'd 'accidentally' found ourselves too close to some radiation pit at the back of the town.“We shouldn't have been back there,” she'd said, “they're a bad influence on a young filly like you.”

Firstly, I wasn't a filly, I was twelve and while I still didn't have my cutie mark, I could definitely look after myself. I mean, I didn't even get close to the glowing barrels so there was no way it could have done anything to me, especially with the amount of RadAway she forced me to take afterward. Even so, I was condemned to stay here in this tin can of a car unless supervised, no matter how much I protested or begged. Admittedly, after the first few failed escape attempts, I just accepted it. All the while I continually told myself that she was the only pony I'd be this nice to. I mean, after that misunderstanding with Dodge, I'd felt I was being a too little hard on here, especially when she had the new foal to think about.

It was funny really, I'd sort of an idea of where foals came from before this, but my mother had never had a stallion, not outside of work anyway, and traveling about so much saw that even relationships with them were fleeting. I'll admit, it was embarrassing to think that I might have ended up like her.

That was if I and Dodge actually done anything. My thoughts added.

I was still trying to convince everypony that while I knew that I may be reckless, I wasn't that stupid.

"Urg ... Yes, dear, they're not one for sleeping, but could you please do me a favor and just get some sleep yourself?" My mother groaned wearily, rubbing her squirming belly with a hoof.

I looked round at her, my forehoof still rubbing the smooth surface of her stomach.

"But mom, I want to talk to my new baby brother," I protested, forcing my voice into a fake whine.

The blue unicorn smiled warmly, as if she couldn't resist.

"You do know this foal could be a filly, right?" she asked me casually as I felt another kick beneath my hoof.

I thought about that for a moment, but my mind wasn't one for focusing on one thing for too long.

"Nah, he's gonna be a colt, I can tell. If he were a filly he'd be like me, and I can kick way harder than that," I stated proudly, puffing up my chest.

My mother rolled her eyes.

"Don't I know it," she replied, then sighed.

My look turned somewhat curious, I couldn't imagine how it felt to have some pony moving about inside you, then again, I certainly wasn't getting in line to find out. I mean, I loved my mom and all, but this... She was kind of a bitch while pregnant. She looked at me casually before shaking her head slowly, laughing to herself subtly. My ears perked, my head cocking to one side, and an eyebrow rose in confusion. Was this another mood swing? She'd just been telling me to go to bed a moment ago, now she seemed okay with my just sitting here prodding her. Or was it a craving? She'd already sent me to get her ten packs of sugar apple bombs this week. By Celestia, she was gonna be a pain when we had to move again.

"Mom, you okay?" I asked skeptically, my hoof still stroking her coat almost subconsciously.

She gave another thoughtful laugh before looking back up at me.

"You're right, they are no better than you," she said, rubbing her hoof in my scruffy mane.

My concern washed away.

Why was I worried anyway? She'd been through this alone with me after all.

I gave her an appreciative smile.

"Ha ha, I'm just glad I never have to put up with somepony kicking about inside me," I boasted cheerfully.

With that, my mother stopped ruffling my mane and instead moved her hoof to mine, gliding it across her belly gently. I looked at her curiously for a moment, but her focus was on where our hooves fell upon her swollen stomach.

"Oh?" she asked knowingly, not sparing me a glance.

"What do you mean, oh? Have you seen what this is doing to you?" I exclaimed bluntly.

She just gave another sweet chuckle.

"You know, one day you might not say that," she replied, her tone one of motherly amusement.

"No, I think that I’ll leave that to you," I laughed, as our hooves stopped on a rising bulge.

"There he is, I can feel him!" I looked up to my mother eagerly to find her once again shaking her head, her smiling expression somewhat matronly.

"Yep, that's where 'he' likes to lie. Right in the ribs." She grunted as she put extra emphasis on the irritated tone of voice of her latter statement.

My attention was far too occupied with the soft mass beneath my mother's smooth coat, however. My brother, I was gonna have a baby brother... Or a maybe sister. But I was convinced it would be a brother.

"Mom, I'm gonna be the best big sister ever, you'll see," I declared proudly, looking up at her with an equally wide smile.

She paused looking at me with motherly affection.

"I'm sure you will," she said, rubbing the same spot with her hoof. "I'm sure you will," she repeated to herself thoughtfully.

"You'll make a great mom too," she added, as if teasing. "I mean you're reckless, disobedient and the like..." she added jokingly.

My eyes narrowed as a whimsical scowl adorned my face.

"But you're loyal, caring, and your heart is always in the right place," she added with pride.

"Yeah, it's in my chest!" I snarked wittily, pointing a hoof to the same spot on my body. "But I'm still fine with leaving this mushy stuff to you."

She shook her head once more. It was like somehow she thought I believed it was her job to have every foal in the wasteland.

I mean come on that was a stupid idea, right?

"It's not just about this, you know, Astral, there’s a lot more to it. Like love," she replied.

My ears perked curiously, one of my eyebrows rising.

"But you didn't love anypony, certainly not any of those stallions you had back here. I mean, you were kicking them out the next morning," I told her giddily, waving a hoof to the door.

She paused for a moment, blushing slightly. Her crystal blue eyes looked as if they were staring right through me, then she sighed.

"No, but I love you more than anypony," she replied with a warm grin, and I smirked challengingly.

"Even more than him?" I countered, rubbing her belly softly.

She laughed slightly as her as my hoof returned to the squirming mass of foal within her.

"Well, maybe you'll have some competition soon," she corrected.

I spat out my tongue in playful disgust, I was certainly wasn't getting in line to go through this lovely-dovey crap.

"Hey now, you need some sleep," she swiftly added, looking to my bed on the opposite side of the train car.

I glanced in the direction of the ragged pile atop the mattress.

"But mom," I whined, hoping it would provide me with the same response as my former attempt.

I saw her eyes roll tiresomely.

"No, Astral Fire, go to bed. This foal isn't going anywhere for a few months yet," she told me wearily.

I was about to protest, yet recalling what I'd told myself about being somewhat of a jerk. I instead gave in with a frustrated huff.

"Good night little bro," I said reluctantly, before hesitantly pulling my hoof from my mother's belly and trudging over to my bed.

Oh, well at least I could actually get some sleep, without a party going on inside me. I thought wittingly, the idea a silent form of retaliation.

Not that I'd ever have to worry about it. Yet, the more I thought about what my mother had said, the more I began to wonder, what more was there to it? The idea of not knowing was strangely peculiar, almost like my curiosity was instinctive. Yet, I assured myself having somepony inside me was just weird. Besides, I didn't want to get that fat, I'd lose all my colt friends for sure if I was that fat.

Yep, it was probably for the best. I mentally repeated as I settled down into my bed.

"Well, you seem to be fine," Bone Meal said flatly, tapping on a flickering medical screen with a hoof.

It was a familiar sight for me, the clinic that is. I usually found myself in Marrow's back in Churn, and she had almost everything except one of those auto-doc things I'd heard so much about. I'd never really paid much attention to the stories about the small iron coffins with cutting arms, syringes, saws and lasers ready to take a pony apart. To me, it sounded like a stable, only miniaturized. I much preferred the more open approach of a clinic, even if needles were one the only things I was still terrified of.

I know! I know! It was such a foolish attitude. I'd been shot, beaten, and subjected to goddesses know what else so many times, and yet some little needles frightened me. But I'd seen worse, I once knew a pony who was afraid of balloons, the poor buck fainted at the sight of an M.O.M building full of the things, even before any of us realized they were actually just sprite bots painted like balloons, straggly freaky balloons at that.

I shook my head, that was way off topic.

Was the clinic really that boring? Considering, I wasn't here for myself, then yes, yes it was.

The long room before me was made from what was previously a pre-war clothing shop by the look of the dressing rooms at the far end. That was another thing about pre-war ponies I'd never understood. They didn't wear clothes, so what oh so fabulous equine had the idea to make a dressing room?

Wow, this place really was boring enough to bring that to my attention.

Even so, the previously pointless dressers had been converted into curtain covered hospital beds around which sat a whole plethora of medical screens and equipment. Three ponies occupied the beds. Many more beds were backed against the left and right walls between us, where the store's shelves had once been. Most were occupied by the slaves we'd rescued. In fact, it had surprised me that another pony in this town was willing to help them. Bone Meal, it seemed, did have the same caring tendency as his sister, even if it did take a little 'convincing' from the town authority to have him accommodate most of the recovered population.

I overlooked that latter part, however, simply wanting to look beyond the ‘coercion’ involved to see that there was another good pony out here. After all, he did need at least some caps to get by, so it wasn't too hard because I did the same thing in a manner of speaking, no matter how kind hearted I thought I was. Bone Meal himself was a unicorn buck, boasting a white surgical robe. He wore glasses over his brown coat and white mane and was standing beside the bed closest to me. Cherry was laid nervously atop the old metal frame. Even after last night, it had been a struggle to get her in here, never mind get her to lay still while a buck with cold, metal utensils did his work. If she'd not been so tired, I doubted I'd have persuaded her to do any of this, that in itself didn't make me feel good about myself.

Abusing the fact she'd failed to get much sleep certainly wasn't the best way to leave an impression, especially considering in the moments in which she did get some rest, it was fleeting and plagued by traumatic night terrors. On top of that, there was my own brief moments of sleep, the likes of which had also been plagued by similar dreams. It seemed all the talk I'd been having with Star, as well as the incident at the Ironshod factory, had left a grave impression on my restless mind, the likes of which I could not escape even in unconscious. For a long while, I was freighted that somepony would come to investigate Cherry's unconscious cries. Yet Cocktail didn't seem to care about her 'waitresses' enough to even raise an ear. Not to mention the fact I'd had to sneak Cherry out of the back this morning to avoid the bitch. Finally, on top of all that, I was hungry. All I'd been able to eat was some old sugar apple bombs from my bags, and worst of all I'd not even had a chance to look at my spare energy rifle. I shook my head, this place really was boring enough for me to lose myself entirely.

It's all for the better, Dragon. I assured myself. No, it's all for Cherry. I corrected.

As for the mare in question, she seemed to be physically fine, or at least Bone Meal told me she was. I stood up from the old stool that sat at the bedside as Bone Meal looked over a clipboard suspended by his magic.

"Hmm... I see," he mumbled as I peered over his shoulder to look at the information on his clipboard.

"So she's okay, right?" I asked, looking down at the random medical gibberish on his clipboard.

He looked back, staring over his glasses.

"Well yes, no infection, internal damage or signs of conception," he explained in an emotionally detached, clinical tone of voice as he levitated the clipboard to the side.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Although I'd tried to assure Cherry she'd be fine, after I'd brought it up she had begun to indeed worry and I couldn't have been truly sure she was fine. Hearing it from the doctor just banished the doubts of my own reassurances as he laid those fears to rest.

"Yes, apart from some vaginal bleeding and some pelvic pain. Nothing a simple healing potion won't fix. She should be fine," he reassured as he finally placed the clipboard down on a medical cabinet filled with refrigerated chem to his right.

Then he turned to Cherry while looking at her thoughtfully.

"Mental and emotional traumas on the other hoof may be far more complicated to treat. Though I’m no shrink, that shrink might warn that she’ll never really recover from the traumas inflicted upon her after she left town."

I nodded, signifying my understanding regarding his disclaimer about Cherry’s mental and emotional health.

Goddesses! I felt like I was her mother or something!

Regardless, I tried not to think about what the raiders’ abuse might have done to her head. The physical examination and less than simple blood tests had been uncomfortable enough to watch, especially after what she'd said to me last night. But she knew Bone Meal and he was no raider. I on the other hoof, knew that most ponies working in places such as this were out to help, not abuse, though their help required a significant amount of caps. Yet medical supplies weren't cheap in the wasteland. A moment later, Bone Meal struck a switch on top of one of the screens before trotting back behind the medicine cabinet.

"Well, physically all I can advise is some healing stimulus. Restoration potions should do the trick, then she should rest," he advised as Cherry cautiously sat up.

I turned towards her, smiling kindly. I felt strangely proud of her bravery. Only yesterday a raider had been where the doctor was, yet she'd not faltered too much at the examination. I'd like to think she was regaining her trust, if not of other ponies, then at least, I hoped, that she might place her trust in me and to an extent and Bone Meal too. That said, the prescription didn't feel completely accurate. Don't get me wrong I was no medical pony, but a healing potion or two may repair her body, but it would do nothing to fix her mind. That was gonna take far more than just chem. That was a fact I knew all too well.

That realization hit me sometime last night, and at its conception, another thought had swirled into existence.

No, brain I can't! I hissed at my mental thoughts feeling an aching, twanging sensation within my chest.

Yet, a dusty old part of my mental mechanism had indeed sparked into life and it was slowly shedding the layers of filthy cobwebs as it once again began to churn out ideas.

No, I can't. I mentally protested again, as if that part of me were a foal begging for a new toy.

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stay here and take care of her for any longer than today. I still had a job to do and there was no way I was letting Star go to that place alone. On the other side of the bench was the dangerous side of my mental conflict. I didn't have it in me to tell her.

"I'll take two healing potions then," I told Bone Meal almost subconsciously as I leaned over his counter.

The brown stallion stared at me for a moment, I must look so strange dressed in this battle-hardened gear while spending my caps on somepony else for no reason.

That would be the reputation my line of work earned a pony kicking in then? I assumed.

If you were a merc, you were in it for the caps and nopony else. I just sighed at the stereotypical thought, just as I did every time I was presented with it. It was as if the whole wasteland was against me. I'd taken one of its leading occupations and was using it to break the mercenary stereotype and my habitual mercenary mentality certainly didn't like me for that.

Well, you know what wasteland? Fuck you! I mentally shouted at the cursed entity that was this post-apocalyptic shit hole of a world.

Regardless, in my thoughtful stupor, I'd failed to notice the Bone Meal as he began calculating the cost, tapping his hooves upon the pre-war cash register.

"Well, she's one of the slaves, subtracting that, while adding the cost of a full body analysis and healing potions and we come to... One hundred-twenty caps." He concluded, looking up from the cash register.

Well Dragon, you knew it wasn't gonna be cheap. My mind told me in a tone that only said 'I told you so'.

Still, it was a lot cheaper than I was expecting, even if she'd had been raped and tortured to qualify for the discount. I grumbled at that implication setting my subtle frustration on it like a pack of hungry Radwolves. But at least it drove my focus away from the irritation regarding the minor expense as my horn flared, the respective amount of caps swiftly levitating onto the counter. At least it wasn't all of them. I still had a few hundred or so left, not that they would get me much in these parts. Bone Meal smiled generously, before sweeping the caps into the register with a hoof.

"Thank you," he added, in what was an honest and appreciative enough tone, unlike his greedy neighbor across the yard.

A moment later two healing potions replaced my caps on the desktop.

Well, he was happy and Cherry was safe. That said, the mare was still nervously twitchy, not to mention she clung closer to my tail than any other pony I knew ever dared.

"Thanks," I groaned, trying to be as appreciative as possible.

It wasn't Bone Meal's fault that I was slowly leaving myself stuck with this mare.

"Hey, I know it's none of my business, but if you want my advice, you should stay around give her somepony to talk to. She clearly suffering from minor PTSD. Talking about it is the best treatments, especially considering how Cocktail usually treats her ‘employees’ over there," Bone Meal whispered, gesturing in the direction of the saloon.

My ears flattened.

Okay, so that part was his fault. But he was right.

I wasn't just gonna leave her back at Cocktail's, even if I knew it would be so much easier to simply move on. A part of me wondered why he would let her go back, yet the saloon owner was an 'important' slav... I mean pony in the town, and I doubted his opinion would make any real impact. I sighed to myself quietly. No, I couldn't leave her, my mind wouldn't let me without twisting my insides up with guilt. But out there she wasn't safe, even if she thought she could handle it like the last time.

Damn, it Dragon what is it with you? I cursed myself.

Then I just stopped, evaluating my plethora of problems. Firstly, I had a job to do. Secondly, I had a mare I couldn't bring myself to abandon and third, I had a friend I didn't wish to disappoint. No solutions presented themselves to my mind.

Come on, brain, you friskily little fucker, give me some solutions!

I had a home back in Churn where I could take her! Yes, but the mental mechanism that provided the idea was equally swift at shooting it down, I'd no time to backtrack. Star could be very patient, but I wasn't doing that to him.

"Err, hmm," Bone Meal's interjection swiftly shook me from my thoughtful stupor only for me to realize that all this time I had been just leaning on his counter.

Stepping back with a slight hint of embarrassment I shook my head.

"I'll keep that in mind," I told him as he looked at me peculiarly.

Before he could question, however, I retrieved the potions and trotted out of the door. Cherry darted after me, her shivering hoof steps unmistakable upon the rickety wooden floor.

"Feeling any better?" I asked the moment we were both outside.

From her shy expression, I could tell she was still rather uncomfortable with admitting to me the whole ordeal even happened. Nevertheless, her ears tweaked upwards at the sound of my voice.

"Yeah, I... thanks," she stuttered in an unemotionally monotone tone of voice.

Alarm bells were already going off in my mind, I recognized what was once anxiousness was swiftly developing into a noticeable depression.

Damn it, Dragon! You're a mercenary, not some damn psychologist! Yet, Bone Meal hadn't been much help in that regard either.

'Give her somepony to talk to?' Yeah, I could do that, but not forever, not for as long as she needed me to.

You could do it right now. My mind stated dryly.

I sighed. Right, of course.

"Hey, remember what I said last night? Just try to think about what makes you happy," I forced.

Really Dragon? That was the best you can come up with, did you even consider the fact she might be afraid to think about the one thing she told you made her happy?

Thank you brain, you're such a supportive friend.

Cherry looked up at me.

"Thanks, but I don't think that will do me much good around..." her sentence trailed off into an uncomfortable silence as her eyes leveled with the Saloon.

A portion of my anger exhibited itself as I ground my teeth in anger, the muscles in my limbs flexing and relaxing as I breathed heavily and exercised every ounce of my self-control to not storm out of the town, capture a raider, and use a potato peeler to release all of my hatred and fury for what their treatment of Cherry had done to her. By Celestia, if I could I'd drag Cocktail out into a raider den and see how she like to spend a day with them, I'd be a far happier pony.

She'd probably feel just at home among those scum as Mister Red enjoyed using them like chess pawns. To be exploited to the fullest extent and then sacrificed when he no longer needed them, I assumed.

That wasn't the point brain.

Regardless of my vendetta against Cocktail, Cherry still looked terrified of returning to her old place of employment. Furthermore, it seemed she thought she wasn't good enough for even that. If I left her here I'd spend every moment resenting myself for plunging her back into that degrading and diffident-enhancing environment, not only that, but I’d be leaving her to suffer alone with the extra mental baggage of being a raider victim. I really hated that long-dormant part of my consciousness.

"How'd you end up there anyway?" I asked as casually as possible, dragging my thoughts away from the previous subject as I began to trot across the muddy town yard.

She looked slightly shocked that anypony was interested. Nevertheless, she began to follow me. Then she sighed, her eyes glowering at the dirt.

"My family were traders. My mother, father, and sisters were all earth ponies, so it was quite the surprises when I came along." She smiled at that memory, moving around to my side instead of being my shadow.

I slowed slightly, focusing my full attention on her story.

"I have some skill when it comes bartering for things like guns and other combat related stuff. My sisters were really good with all the fine little things, locks in particular. My father taught them and even though they were earth ponies they could get into anything. But when it came to teaching me..." She trailed off and then proceeded to snicker slightly. "Well, if you're taught how to handle fine things by hoof, then precise levitation only triples those skills."

She appeared almost giddy for a fleeting moment at the latter part, like it was some great graduation. I felt strangely happy for her, even if such a talent had obviously been discovered years ago.

Picking locks? I had to admit for all my magical skill and weapon tinkering lock picking was not something on my list of abilities, not high anyway, but I'd try anything.

"Soooo, say I had a safe... oh I don't know, locked in a vault. Could you use your lockpicking skills to open it?" I asked casually, waving a hoof in the air in a vertical, circular motion like I was turning one of those rotating vault mechanisms.

For some odd reason Griddle's micro stable came to mind as I asked. Cherry's smirk widened, smilingly unable to hide her pride.

"I've cracked a few safes before. It would depend on the vault door style, its locking mechanism and the time constraints I’d be working with. So my results will vary depending upon those kinds of factors," she told me, my heart fluttering again to see her become so vivacious.

She was just so adorable I could…

Brain no. I stated refusing to yield to whatever thought my willful mind drudged up this time.

"Well, it's not something I couldn't do," I admitted, "But if Star asks I'll deny it," I added with playfully fake embarrassment.

Still, I could swear the pink mare laughed, or at least raised a hoof to her muzzle and closed her eyes for a second.

"It's true, seven years of merc work and I have never picked a lock."

Oh, sure you've tried. My egotistical mind added swiftly, but I merely showed it away.

Cherry was smiling and that was enough to sustain a positive set of thoughts, these positive thoughts held back the other less positive thoughts.

"You've been going out there for seven years?" she asked, gesturing to the town gate and I nodded.

"Most of my life actually, crossed half of the damn Wasteland," I added cheerfully.

Ahead I noticed that our seemingly random walk about the center of town was directing us towards one of the structures at its edge, specifically the weapons store, aptly named 'Ratchet's' after the sales pony I knew who worked there. I'd been a customer once or twice, but the caravans that supplied this place were the same ones which supplied Churn, the latter getting the better business due to its greater size and population. So I really only ever used Ratchet's store to sell off junk and repair and upgrade my own weapons.

Glancing at Cherry I realized that she'd failed to answer my question as to how she ended up here in the first place. Though it wasn’t something I was gonna force out of her. If she didn't want to tell me, then she didn't have to. A moment later and we both found ourselves staring at the glass front of what had once been a cake store, and where once there had been savory desserts there were now many varying weapons, ammunition, and spare parts, all of which were locked behind a metal grid that covered the tattered glass from the inside.

'Warning: This establishment is protected by anti-magical charms! All attempted break in will notify the authorities' was written in faded yellow upon a tattered pre-war sticker on the top left of the metal grid.

I couldn't imagine the warning had any weight to it anymore, not that I was gonna put it to the test. I was an opportunistic scavenger, not a straight up thief. Not that any of the stuff in there was worth stealing anyway, most of it was either broken, overpriced or not all there at all. That, and they were all boring old bullet flingers. Cherry, however, was looking at the array of guns in a strangely different light. Wait no, she was looking at the guns, but also something else. I glanced round to see her expression mirrored by a dull reflection in the glass. Beside it, my own confused doppelganger looked to her.

"You okay?" I asked carefully as the pink unicorn stared even more into her reflection.

She snapped back sharply, before backpedaling slightly.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine..." Her words were lost in a sea of stuttering before she finally stopped and sighed. "I... It's just. I saved up a lot for a chance to get out there and when the chance for me to do something came... All I could afford was a lousy revolver and, well..." She glared back up at the window, her reflection staring back at her with disapproving eyes. "And well, you saw where that got me."

Before I could even say anything however, she stamped a hoof on the ground weakly.

"Sweet Sun and Sugar Cube were the only friends I had in that stupid saloon and I let them down. Just like I let everypony else down."

Her voice grew slowly weaker as that final confession left her. She'd had to pay to help ponies? I didn't know why (Considering I had to pay myself) but for some reason that made me furious. I could almost imagine the fabulously voiced entity of the wasteland telling her

"Oh, yes dear you can indeed help your friends, but first I want this, and this. Oh, and that too."

I hated that entity with a fiery passion, it stole everything from a pony, even if all that pony wanted to do was help.

That's why you don't go around and being a hero. My mind warned, dousing the flames of my anger nonchalantly.

All that left me physically was a grumble then I looked to Cherry and put a hoof...

Wait. No. I shouldn’t touch her unless I can do so without expecting anything from her. I really shouldn’t touch her while I have ulterior motives regarding her! I retracting my forelimb, and instead lowered my gaze to hers.

Good, you're in prime position, now kiss!

Brain no! Just shut up!

She was on the verge of crying, and the memory of the two mares I'd failed to save, who could have made coping with Cherry’s feelings of failure and uselessness so much easier for her, was only making me feel worse.

Damn it, if I hadn't gone back for Star or if I'd not have fucked about with that mare in the alley back then...

Then you'd have had no support, or any idea of where anypony in the factory was.

Fuck you brain! I mentally hissed as the irritatingly rational and logical thought crossed my mind.

"Hey, Cherry. Look, don't blame yourself so much. You were the only pony around her who was brave enough to do something," I assured her comfortingly.

She sniffed seeming to hold back tears.

"Yeah, and I got what I deserved for being so reckless," she countered in a despondent tone of voice, wiping her nose with a hoof.

Oh, Celestia, where was the smiling Cherry I'd seen just a moment ago? I thought to myself as my heart sank at seeing her hurting like this.

Damn it Dragon! Buck up, you got her there a moment ago. You can do it again! My mind told me firmly.

"You said you wanted to get out there and make a difference?" I asked, hoping dearly that she would not suspect the vague chance in conversation.

She looked me, her expression almost bringing my fears to life, but then she nodded.

"You think you can?" I pressed, trying to make my words as admirable as possible.

Unfortunately, her look turned skeptical. I'd imagine her recent experiences had dashed her hopes of becoming a pony that could make a difference. I took a step back, raising my head. Expectantly, hers slowly followed, now we were both looking at our reflections in the glass and the guns beyond.

"You know I've never met anypony who can pick a lock, and I rarely find myself on the winning end of a deal."

Okay, so that last one wasn't wholly true, I could get most bucks to part with as many caps as I wanted if I tried, mares less so, but my attempts were still admirably embarrassing for those involved."

"Look Cherry, the point I'm getting at is that no matter what anypony else about this town thinks about what you did, knowing you did it means the world to ponies like me," I blurted out.

The mere idea that there was somepony out there, excluding myself and Star, who'd run into a raider den to help somepony else, occupied much of my thoughts. As I looked back to her she appeared dumbstruck, even her encroaching depression could not hide her shock for long. I'd no idea whether it was because I, a big scary mercenary pony, had admitted it or the fact that I, as a pony who wanted to do right by other ponies, had admitted it, but she seemed to have returned to me not depressed and miserable, but curious.

I on the other hoof must have looked like a hopeful filly who'd just found their special talent and was now sure there was nothing standing between me and the fame and fortune said talent would bring. Was I really that wrapped up in this, saving ponies? I mean yeah, it was right but... I didn't want to become a paragon of goodness, I didn't want to be a hero. Cherry sighed, turning back to the glass window and pressing a hoof against it.

"You really mean that?" she asked as if desperate for me to say yes, but expecting nothing other than no.

I took a deep breath.

"Of course! Like I said, it's been a long time since I met anypony who would do what you did," I admitted softly, scuffing my forehoof against the floor.

Brain ... Wait, no. This was me! I was behaving like this! Goddesses, now it was like I was coming onto her or something!

No, I had to stop. This was not the message I wanted to get across. I just wanted her to be happy and away from this stupid town. I just...

"Cherry how good are you with an actual gun. A real proper thing not...?"

I stopped without adding mention of that revolver she'd brought up, both because I had a nagging fear that it was the same one by which Mister Red had used to kill her friends and by extension threatened to kill her, and the investment she'd slaved in that whore house Cocktail was running for goddesses know how long to make. She glanced down over the array of weapons. Part of her seemed lost in disbelief, the other bore a small hint of regret and guilt, yet most of it was fought back by a firm determination my words had seemingly relighted.

"I have some skill… though it's a bit rusty. I mean, Cocktail didn't let us practice, but I can shoot... let's see; rifles, revolvers, obviously. Oh, and I did fire a magical energy weapon once or twice," she stated, pointing a hoof to my weapon-laden barding.

I smiled warmly, she was like some little foal subtly listing all the reasons they were responsible enough to stay home alone or look after some wearied pet they'd dragged home. I looked back to the window with a sigh, my reflection looked back at me, as did those of my many firearms.

Damn it Dragonfire. I cursed myself, looking at the reflection of a white unicorn looking back at me. You better not regret this.

I looked back to Cherry, noticing the long pause had caused her to deflate ever so slightly. But I was sure my next words would fix that.

"Cherry what would you say if..." I paused the words catching in my throat, her ears perked.

Damn it. Do. Not. Regret. This!

"How would you like to come with me when we leave?"

Footnote: Level Up

New Perk Added: Quick Thinker (Level One) - You're almost as quick with your brain as you are on your hooves. Gain +5 Intelligence.

Companion Attained: Cherry Pin - What's taught with one's hooves is only improved by one's horn. Gain +5 to lockpicking and bartering skills when traveling with this companion.

Updated artwork for this chapter kindly provided by: Pridark.