Chapter 10

Boats and Oh No’s

Shady, Zakk, and the entire crew of the White Rose woke up on the nineteenth day, and set back to work, today the boat would be reunited with the water for the last time. As the sun crested the horizon, the entire crew finished off their breakfast, and set about their jobs. Trees were felled, and stripped of their branches and rounded off. Shady and the rest of the Crew did their best to right the ship, and build cross bracing to keep it sitting up while transporting it. It took the better part of the day, getting it upright, and on the first set of rollers.

There plan was to roll it along toward the river, over five hundred meters west. The ruling theory as to how the boat made it this far inland, was that when the bombs landed, the waves along the river picked the ship up and deposited it in the parking lot. Whatever really happened, was a moot point, all they knew was that they had to roll her to the river, and that would be a tedious process. Shady took the lead, grabbing the longest rope in her mouth, and put tension on it. Every pony did the same, except for the five ponies standing guard. But they too helped, adding their magic to the pulling as they held their weapons in their mouths.

Hours ticked by, and the ship only made it twenty meters. Every pony was exhausted, but they just weren’t strong enough to tug the heavy ship the rest of the way. Ponies collapsed, breathing hard, and muscles spasming, but Shady and Captain Salt lick kept pulling despite their progress being next to zero. But an unlikely set of hooves joined in the effort, grabbing the fallen ropes all at once, and giving a mighty heave, which made the ship lurch, and begin rolling faster. Zakk had joined in, and was using his supernatural abilities to drag the ship forward. Concrete cracked and buckled under the forces exerted by the stallion, but he never stopped.

Shady’s eyes widened, but she never stopped helping, and neither did Salt. Then more unexpected help came, purple magic enveloped all the logs left behind the ship, and placed them in front yet again. Shady looked for the source amongst the crew ponies, but those who were still pulling, none had purple magic. Then her eyes were drawn to the skies, where a large purple Alicorn was flying overhead. Shady knew this pony, so did Zakk. It was Rogue, and he was circling around the ship, moving logs, and adding his magic to the pull team. Despite all this supernatural help however, it still took them an hour to cover a hundred more meters, and by now even more ponies had collapsed, leaving a small hoof full of crew, and Shady, Zakk, Salt Lick, and Rogue. All of them were tired and sore, and pouring sweat from their backs as they heaved.

Another hour passed, none of the remaining ponies willing to give up in their fight against the heavy ship. With a little over two hundred meters left, the rested crew ponies jumped back in, either pushing or pulling the tons of steel. Shady snarled in defiance of being beaten by an inanimate hunk of steel and wood, her hurt leg screaming at her to stop, yet she didn’t waiver.Salt Lick was crying, tears streaming from her eyes, she was in just as much pain as the rest of them, but her determination was unyielding. Zakk was laughing and telling jokes, all the while trying to keep the ponies moral up. Rogue was panting hard, and shaking from the mental effort it took to use his magic for so long. As if Celestia and LittlePip themselves took pity on the struggling party, a swift tail wind aided them in their efforts, and cooled their bodies. Then, the load crew lighter, and the terrain changed its angle by less than a degree, but now the ship was slowly rolling down hill, and building momentum.

The last one hundred yards was the easiest of the day, the sun was slowly beginning to fall on the western horizon, and by the time it had finally dipped below the edge of the world, the old hull touched water for the first time in over two hundred years. By now every pony was in physical pain, and bleeding from multiple open wounds caused by the coarse rope. Shady’s mouth was dripping blood from the strain on her teeth, and the rope cutting her tongue. Every pony was thirsty, the air feeling like sand paper every time they inhaled, yet their spirits had never been higher as the ship coasted on its own momentum down the slipway, and into the murky river. Soft cheers slipped from the pony’s mouths as they collapsed on the bank of the river, but Rogue had enough sense to land on the deck, and kick the engines to life just to keep it from crashing into the other side of the river.

And just like that, the old tub was sitting on the water, for the first time in two centuries, she was free to sail Equestria once again under the leadership of Captain Salt Lick. Now Shady was able to stop. She released the rope she had been holding for the entire day, took a long lick at the ship, and with a satisfied smile on her lips, she collapsed into the dirt and rocks, panting hard. She had succeeded. All the worries she felt over the two and a half weeks was entirely worth it. She had made this old boat float once again, and her part of the plan had succeeded. Her only worry now, was where Moonshine and Cherry were, and hoping they were alright.

Velvet, Gawd, and Cherry were all sitting in the sky wagon, Quick Shot was hooking himself into the harness, and getting the vehicle ready to fly us to meet up with Shady. It had been a total of nineteen days since we had left the Tower, and just as long since I had seen my friend. Secretly I was hoping she didn’t go crazy from her time alone. I took a step onto the wagon, and then turned to look at the old Shack that had been our refuge for the last three days. It had once belonged to Steel Hooves, and like all the others thus far, I had a feeling that the old ghoul’s soul had been present here while we worked, and that he had opened his door to us to try righting the wrongs of his life. I took a long look at the old home. And then smiled, before softly whispering, “I forgive you.” Hoping some part of Steel Hooves heard the message, and could find just a little more peace in the afterlife.

I turned from the shack in a final farewell, and closed the hatch behind me, and took a seat across from Velvet. Quick Shot wasted no time is starting the levitation talisman that allowed the vehicle to fly, and then like that we were off and in the air again. Gawd had slumped her head on the window, and promptly fell into a deep sleep, something she desperately needed after the last few days. Cherry was looking green, and about to barf again, but Velvet had done some more magic to sedate my friend, and allow her to rest as well for the remainder of the flight.

That just left Velvet and I in perpetual silence save the sound of wind from outside. For a time, I was more than content to leave it at that, and just sit back and relax for a time. Velvet though, was studying me. I tired ignoring it, but the longer she looked me over, the more self-conscious I felt. Finally I sighed, and sat back up and stared at her. “What, what are you staring at?” I ask, not happy about it. She jumped a little, apparently not aware of the fact that she was staring. “Sorry, I was just thinking.” She said, and looked out of the window and to the terrain that was passing below.

“About?” I press, sure she was staring at me for a reason. “About much you’ve changed, yet some things haven’t she said cryptically. I raised an eyebrow, wanting her to continue. “I remember the look you gave me all those years ago, and how you wore the same look when we met again after Respite fell. In all of the years I spent in the wasteland after that, I never once met another pony who held such hatred toward my friends and I.” She said. And I rolled my eyes. “Most of the ponies who would carry that hatred like I did were killed off by you and your friends.” I said, and the flinch I got from her made it worth it.

“Still, I’m not used to it.” Velvet finally said a minute later, and looked back out the window and sighed. “You know, I heard what Gawd said to you a few days back, you’ve changed in so many ways. When we met the first time in Junction Town, you were hurt, angry, confused. But now, you are so much more confident. You are doing things I couldn’t when I began traveling with LittlePip, and despite what you think, you are making a difference. You are helping the NCR, despite a rogue group destroying your home, and what you went through at the dam. Yes still, you are working with the NCR.” She said, and gave a small shake of her head.

“You are wrong.” I said, looking her in the eye. “I am not helping the NCR, they are helping us. Gawd said it earlier, we were dragged into a political war, two splinter groups vying for control of the NCR. One through abundant chem use, keeping them docile and hooked. The other, I can only guess why they want control of the water so badly, but it can’t be good if the NCR is trying to create a stable economy with water at it’s core. But I don’t care about that. Grunt tried to have me, and my friends, killed over a suit of armor, but Phanes… That beaked piece of shit will die, and I will shepherd his soul to hell myself.” I growled. Making Velvet’s eyes widen from the tone of my voice.

I said little else on the subject, the conversation had rekindled the flames of my anger, and Velvet knew it would not be a good time to talk to me any further about it. I sighed after fifteen minutes of silence, and looked back at Velvet. “You are right though, I have changed. Unlike in Arbu, I actually have the ability to protect the ones I care about.” I said in a low voice, and then caught myself looking at Cherry. Velvet caught the look, and nodded. “Your friends must be important to you.” She said rhetorically, but I still answered her anyway. “Yeah, they are. They are the closest to family and emotional security I’ve had since Arbu.” I said somberly. Velvet Nodded, and gave me a sad look. “She opened her mouth to say something, but I held up my hoof and cut her off. “I swear if you try to apologize I will kick out of this wagon, and you will experience ‘Fly Like You’ for yourself.” Velvet closed her mouth, and tried to say something again, but finally decided to remain silent and look out of the window for the rest of the flight.

I Sat back again min my seat, and closed my eyes, letting the gentle up and down of the sky wagon lull me into a soft nap. We all wound up falling asleep, and remained that way for the remainder of the trip. It was understandable though, seeing how all of us save Quick Shot had worked with minimal sleep. I was finally stirred awake by Cherry moving in her seat. She had woken up just a few minutes before me, and was struggling to hold her lunch in. I moved aside, just in case she decided to retch again, and rubbed my eyes. I didn’t realize we were slowly dropping altitude until my ears popped, and I looked out the window. The boat had just entered the water based on the waves in the river coming from the ship. I also saw nearly twenty ponies scattered around on the river bank, some cheering softly, the others just flopping into the dirt.

I watched as Shady looked at what she had accomplished, before suddenly flopping onto the ground. I knew that wasn’t good, and I quickly woke Velvet and then lifted the window leading to the area where Quick Shot was pulling us. “get us down there now!” I shouted. If Shady was able to give him instructions like this, then so could I. I braced as he suddenly dived, and the ground came rushing up quickly. I struggled back into the cabin, and addressed Velvet as Cherry puked in a corner. “Shady just went down, when we land go make sure she is ok!” I shouted over the rush of wind from the open window. Velvet nods, and quickly we land. Gawd drew her shot gun, and the second the wagon touched dirt, GAwd kicked the door open and stepped from the cabin, sweeping the area with her gun.

Crew ponies shouted, and fell to the dirt or tried to run away, but their exhaustion got the better of them and they collapsed into the dirt. I stepped from the wagon behind Gawd, and pushed her shotgun up, and shook my head, letting her know that there was no threat. Velvet trotted out, and went right for Shady, following the direction of my pointing hoof. Cherry and I chased after her, and surrounded my friend who was passed out. Velvet gave her a once over with her scanning magic, and then sighed in relief. “She’s alive, just exhausted, and dehydrated.” She said and levitated from her bag, a bottle of water. I took it upon myself to wake Shady.

I slid my helmet onto my head, and nudged her hoof with my own. “Shady… Shady wake up.” I said shaking her gently. Cherry knelt beside her, and made her sip one of our healing potions to stop the bleeding from her muzzle. With no response, I shook her a little harder, and poked her cheek. “Wake up dumbass.” I growled, but still no response. Finally, I pulled out my trump card, and leaned close to her ear, and shouted. “Shady they’re taking your caps!” Shady jerked, her eyes wide as she stood up, knocking Cherry and Velvet onto their asses. “I’ll kill ‘em” She shouted, and began stomping around and snorting. I watched on amused as Velvet shook her head, and Cherry face hoofed. Then Shady’s exertion caught back up with her, and her bad leg buckled before she flopped to the ground hard. Velvet and I rushed over to her, her eyes were shut tight, and she was hissing in pain. I look to Velvet, who nods, and begins doing her thing, trying to ease Shady’s pain with her magic.

I watched as she relaxed, and began to breathe easier, then when her eyes finally opened, she looked to me, and her eyes widened and she nearly knocked Velvet on her ass as she tried to get away from me. “Shady, Shady relax, its me!” I shouted at her. While she stopped thrashing, I pulled off my helmet, and looked into her eyes. Honestly, I shouldn’t have put the damn thing back on in the first place. She struggled to put two and two together, and I rolled my eyes and pulled off my hood as well, and shook my messy mane until it fell back into place.

Shady’s mouth tried to form words, but her brain couldn’t properly process what was going on. So I slapped her a little to make her focus. She flinched, but when she looked back at me, I saw the look of confusion slowly change to one of anger. “You ass, why did you slap me?” She asked and rubbed her jaw. I sighed and gave her an apologetic look. “because you were stammering and stuttering like a broken record. Things tend to work better these days if you apply just a tiny amount of violence to them.” I said with a wry smile. Shady shakes her head, and moves to sit back up, but wincing as her bad leg strains to hold her weight.

“Easy Shady, easy.” Velvet says as she helps Shady sit up, and return to fussing over my friend’s injuries. Shady though, couldn’t help but focus on me, and my new armor.” Moonshine, why do you look like a Ranger?” She asked after a minute. Before I got a Chance to answer, another voice cut me off. “Because I made him one.” Said Gawd. Shady snapped her head over to look at the Gryphon, and Gawd smiled and re-slung her shotgun. “Well not officially, I believe you both called it an unofficial Ranger?” She said and kneeled beside my friend.

Shady looked back to me, disappointment in her eyes. ‘Moonshine, you sold us out?” She asked, a look of resignation in her eyes. I growled and slapped her face again, making her jump. “Of course not, you idiot. Gawd knew everything, and not only outfitted us, but she is also going to Hoofington with us.” I said, and Gawd nodded in agreement. Shady rubbed her jaw again and scowled at me. “Fine, but will you stop slapping me?” She asked, and I smirked, ‘yeah, when you start using your brain again.” I fired off and together we shared a light laugh.

Cherry came over, now followed by Zakk, both of them looking confused at our laughter. But Shady’s new confusion over shadowed theirs. “Cherry what the fuck are you wearing? You look like one of the mares in Moonshine’s old magazines.” She said, and I immediately turned into a blushing wreck as Cherry cast a suspicious look at me. And Zakk smirked and tried not to laugh. I just wanted to turn into a puddle.“alright, enough. Let’s get these ponies aboard, and get the sky wagon on deck, then we can head out.” Gawd ordered. It was only at this point that I noticed the rest of the crew ponies milling around, confused and a little spooked. I stood up and looked each of them in the eye, giving them all a chance to recognize me.And Zakk was sitting in front of the group chanting “Speech, speech, speech!” I just looked at him flatly and stated, “No.” To which, Zakk points a hoof at me accusingly and shouts, “You’re not nice!” I then look back at the rest of the crew, “You all heard the cat, get your asses on board and let’s go! I shouted

Every pony looked to each other skeptically, until a shaky and clearly worn out Captain Salt Lick shouted at her crew. “You heard that Stallion, quit stalling you fools and get on that boat! Last one on board will give up their rations for a month!” And with that, every pony jumped and ran to the river bank and jumped into the water and swam for the ship. Quick Shot also hooked back up to his wagon, and we all loaded up before he flew us to the deck which was large enough to accommodate the wagon with more than enough room to spare.

Once on deck, I was greeted by a familiar and welcome sight. Rogue had guided the wagon to a spot to land, and had walked to the door tiredly, before opening it for us. I ran out and looked at the large stallion. He looked exhausted as well, but despite that he wore a small smile. “Hey Rogue, why are you here?” I ask, not unhappy to see him, but seriously confused about why he was here. “Homage.” He said softly, and I rolled my eyes. “Of course.” I say in a small bit of annoyance. Homage hadn’t lived up to any bit of her part of the plan. Instead she had told Gawd, and Rogue what we were up to. It’s safe to say I was annoyed with her. But I would have to figure that out later.

Three bandits knelt upon a hill just out view of the ponies down below. They had stumbled upon this group just as they had succeeded in getting an old boat into the river. Honesty, the leader of this small group, slid down the backside of the hill on her belly, and her cohorts soon joined her. “So Honesty, what’s the plan?” One of the bandits asked, this one a slender Earth Pony Stallion with a wrench on his belt. “Can it Wrench, I’m thinkin’.” Said Honesty, the Unicorn mare. The last of the trio kept his muzzle shut, not out of respect for Honesty, but because he was the type to keep his own council. “I didn’t see much of value on those ponies, only a few rusty weapons and some tools.” Said the mare as she rubbed a hoof along her forehead, which was a habit she had gotten into when thinking.

Wrench though, had already reached his own idea, and being the newest bandit in the history of equestria, he was a naïve idiot. “How ‘bout we steal the ship.” He blurted out, making Honesty stop in mid rub, and crack open a single bloodshot eye at the young stallion. “What did you say?” She growled dangerously, making it known she wanted him to back down, but wrenches didn’t catch the hint. “I said we could…” Honesty cut him off with a wave and closed the distance between her and him. “I heard what you said, what I want to know is why you said it.” She seethed. Slug, the large silent pony watched on quietly, but he had the bit to his battle saddle well within reach of his muzzle. Wrench, in his simple mindedness didn’t register that Honesty was a threat. “We could steal their boat, and then sell it. It would bring more caps than anything we could get from the ponies themselves.” He said chipperly, and his energy even managed to cool the anger welling up in Honesty.

Honesty places her hoof on Wrench’s shoulder and spoke in a low and cool voice “Look Wrench, we are bandits, what is it that we do?” Asked the mare. Wrench had to think for a second, before his eyes lit up. “We kill ponies and loot their bodies.” He answered happily, making Honesty nod. “Yes, and where in that description does it say that we steal boats?”She questioned, making the young stallion scrunch up his face in thought. “Umm, if we kill the ponies on board, we would still be looting them by taking the boat.” He said, and even Honesty was taken aback by his suggestion. Slug remained silent the entire time, but he had to nod in agreement with his little brother’s logic.

Honesty had to shake her head and try to put her hoof down. “WE ARE BANDITS, WE KILL PONIES AND STEAL SHIT WE CAN CARRY!” She shouted, before clamping her hoof over her mouth and hoping the ponies on the other side of the hill hadn’t heard them. Slug shook his head, and placed his hoof on his brothers back in silent support, thinking he had a good idea. Honesty shook her head, knowing she was fighting a loosing battle between the two brothers. If she even tried to attack Wrench for his stupid idea, Slug would make sure she didn’t make it home in a jam jar.

“look, we kill ponies and steal their shit, what is so hard to understand about that?” Honesty asks, and Wrench turns his head in thought. “Actually, if we kill them, it’s not stealing, its more like collection.” He said, making Honesty’s anger flare up again. “What did I tell you about semantics!” She whisper shrieks and Slug shook his head. He had heard this conversation before, and had little interest in hearing it again. Instead he shimmies back up the hill to watch the ponies, but they had already boarded the ship, and were already beginning to power up the river. “Oh shit.” He whispers to himself before standing up and looking at his brother and the leader. “um, they are leaving.” He said softly.

The others weren’t listening, instead Honesty was pretending to humor Wrench’s idea. “Okay, say we go along with this idea, how are we going to overpower them, and steal said boat, and might I remind you, THERE IS A FUCKING ALICORN ON BOARD!” She shouted, and Wrench just smiled. “Easy, we wait until they are asleep, bind them, and toss them overboard.” He said, and Honesty shook her head. “I mean how are we gonna get onboard then genius.” She asked, and Wrench thought for a second, then lit up once more. They have to drop anchor eventually, we can climb up that.” He said, and Honesty could no longer deny he had a sound plan.

“they are leaving.” Slug said lowly again, and this time Wrench heard him, having grown up with his older brother and familiar with his soft spoken nature. “WHAT!” He shouted and rushed up the hill, Honesty right on his tail. Once there, they saw that the ship had powered up river by half a kilometer. “Just as Honesty was about to tell them to forget about the ship, Wrenches ran down the hill, trying to catch up with the boat. “Oh for fucks…” Honesty whispered as she and Slug both ran off in pursuit of Wrench, who was trying to run down the boat.”

We had been on the boat for less than ten minutes, and the tired crew ponies were unloading cargo from the sky wagon. Quick Shot and Calamity had loaded up food, new beds, and other supplies. Apparently, Homage had really thought this through before she decided to add her own improvements to the plan. Which still bugged the fuck out of me. If only I could talk to her, to see what else she had changed. That was when I had remembered the radio receivers she had given us, and I dug mine from my bag, and slid the headphone into my ear. A song by Whiney Hendrix was playing called ‘Purple Hay’, one that I personally liked. I sat through a few more songs, and finally, the voice I had been wanting to hear came over the radio.

“Hello Children, that was Velvet Remedy performing ‘Dare Master”. I seriously hope that wasn’t a song referencing her husband. Anyway, as most of you are aware by now, we have a group of ponies that many of us in Manehattan are placing our hopes in. Anyway, as I told you all, these ponies are on a secret mission I was asked to help out with, and they should have contacted me by now. But that being said, I hope at least one of them hears this broadcast. Every one of these ponies is safe, and last I saw they were headed to the rendezvous spot. There was a slight change of plan though, and I sent the reasons why with one of our very own personnel. If any of you ponies are out there, I could really use some reassurance from you all, its been nearly three weeks, and not one of you has sent me a sign.”

I cursed myself, of course Homage would want to know we were safe and sound, despite my irritation at her for changing my plan, I had to admit it worked in our favor. I stood up from where I was sulking, and moved to the decking. Homage had given me another tool, one that I was supposed to use when we all reunited to signal we were on our way to Hoofington. I pulled an old flare gun from my bag, and quickly fired it. It left the barrel almost silently save a soft thump. Then, forty meters in the sky, it lit up with a bright blue flash. I knew there was no way Homage could miss it, she had one of her cameras pointed over here at all times, and on one of her larger monitors. I knew she would instantly know but would keep radio silence about it.

“That all being said, let’s get back to the music. Coming up we have…” I turned off the receiver and set it aside. Homage had really stepped up and helped out, although the plan didn’t go how I thought, it turned out better than I hoped. All of my friends were safe, and we had more allies who would help us during the fight that was sure to come. I still had bad feelings about Velvet joining us, but if nothing else, we could use a healer if everything went bad.

I was then left thinking, that if Velvet had been with us the first time at the dam, Shady’s leg would have been healed properly, and she wouldn’t be below decks right now with Velvet looking her over. I slumped against the wall of the wheel house, looking out to the night sky. It had been over a month since the horrible events of the dam, and while I was handling it much better, I still saw every face of the ponies I killed. Every detail was permanently etched into my brain, and I doubted I would ever forget as long as I lived. I then jerked and shook my head. There was no use dwelling on what had happened, there was no way to change it. But I could do my best to avoid doing it again.

I sighed, and hung my head. It had been a crazy month, and only now, just this minute, was I getting a proper chance to sit and relax. No craziness, no gun fire, no shouting. Just silence, only broken by the monotonous whine of the boats engine.My thoughts were broken by a small yawn, and I stood to shake some energy back into my body. I couldn’t go falling asleep now, I wanted to witness the ocean again at night. Like I had the last time. With a final stretch, followed by several pops and creaks from many joints, I decided to try taking a walk around the deck, if only to keep an eye on the banks of the river.

As soon as I came around the wheel house though, everything changed. Zakk was leaning on a rail, looking out onto the river. Honestly it was the most calm and relaxed I had ever seen him be. But it actually wasn’t him my attention was focused on this time. It was Gawd. She was slowly and quietly stalking toward the back of the stallion, a wicked looking knife held in a talon as she closed with him. Just as I was about to say something in warning, Gawd lunged, silent and predatory. Her knife thrust was the epitome of perfection. Striking the area behind his head, where the skull was thinnest. Well, that’s what would have happened, but one second Zakk was there, looking calm, and the next he was ten meters away, staring at Gawd with glee and mirth in his eyes.

I didn’t say anything after that. How could any pony hope to injure a pony that could freaking teleport at will, let alone kill them? Gawd snarled and whirled on the stallion. Not even a hint that she was willing to back down now. “No, after everything, with everything you’ve done you are going to die. Not tomorrow, not later, I am going to kill you now!” She shouted and charged at my friend, her knife leading the way. Zakk just kept smiling, and with seemingly little effort, knocked the knife aside, and then playfully shoved Gawd. She sparwled as her strike went wide, but she recovered well, and hurled the knife like a dart. Zakk didn’t even flinch, and caught the blade between both hooves. If I didn’t know what Zakk could do, I would claim that impossible, but this was Zakk I was talking about, impossible seemed to be his middle name.

Zakk then dropped the knife, and then kicked it right back at Gawd. She didn’t even have time to react. But the knife didn’t even make contact wither body, neither hair nor feather were so much as bent from the knife. Instead, it slit through her armor, and pinned her to the deck. But Zakk held his ground, not moving in for the kill. “What was that you said about killing me?” Zakk taunted, making Gawds face contort with pure rage.” Celestia damn you Zakk. We have been trying to get you ever since we found those bodies in the Ever Free forest! You are going to pay for all of those bodies…” She growled, before forcing herself back up, her knife forgotten. Instead she whipped her shotgun free from the sling on her back, and faster than I could follow whipped it toward Zakk’s head, and pulled the trigger. But Zakk was already in motion, he lunged toward her, dipping under her raised weapon, and sliding under her belly.

Gawd howled as if she were being eviscerated, but Zakk only blew raspberries against her belly before they parted once more. The Gryphon was the definition of crazed anger, and Zakk, was treating this like a game, which only fueled Gawd’s rage even further. She stalked closer, circling around him. And he never took his eyes from hers. Then she moved, trying to use the gun like a club as she closed with my friend, and tried to pummel him. He stood on his rear hooves, and batted away every strike directed at him with no strain evident. Then Gawd suddenly pulled the gun back, and blasted another slug at point blank range. Zakk anticipated it, and had stepped aside, a clean miss.

I stood mesmerized as they continued, Gawd trying so hard to batter Zakk, but even still her trained composure stayed true, every attack was perfect, but Zakk was just too fast. Each attack was either dodged or knocked wide. But one thing I noticed, he never struck back, even with multiple openings he never hit her. Sure he would mess with her, on one occasion kissing her cheek, and on another he actually gave her a kiss. But even as this went on, Zakk’s motions were calm and simple, like a gentle breeze over a small river. He dodged, spun, ducked, and moved gracefully.

Every pony was on deck now, taking cover from the random gunshots fired in their general direction. But every time, Zakk made a fool of Gawd. Finally, she managed to barely hit Zakk’s face with the barrel of her gun, then pulled the trigger, not realizing they were positioned just perfectly for her to unknowingly be aiming right at Captain Salt Lick. Zakk reacted fast enough to lift the gun just barely get the barrel pointed up. The slug tore through the top of the windshield and embed itself in the metal rafters supporting the roof. Every pony was in shock, and for a no pony moved. Then Zakk got right in Gawd’s face, and spoke for the first time since the battle began. “You can’t shoot that, that’s the captain.” He laughed, before booping Gawd’s beak and then letting her slump down.

Whatever her reasons for wanting Zakk dead, she didn’t want it to result in an innocent pony dead. The gun fell from her talon as she came to grips with what she had almost done. Zakk just skipped away, not even a care in the world as he went below decks. Cherry ran over to check on Gawd, making sure she would be ok. The rest of the crew went back to their jobs, and that left me standing there, lost for words and more than a little confused. I looked up into the wheel house to see Salt Lick looking back at me, her eyes wide and her hooves shaking on the wheel.

I walked inside, to stand next to the mare, who had only seconds before been staring down the barrel of a modified shotgun. I knew better than to ask if she was ok, if it had been any pony other than Zakk, she would be dead right now. I couldn’t think of anything to say right then, so instead I just patted her shoulder, and wore a look of understanding. We remained like that for a time, her shaking all but gone. I took out a cigarette from my pack and gave one to the Captain. We both sat there, silently smoking as we tried to come to terms with what we had just seen. Cherry was still talking to Gawd, who had slumped against the railing, a thousand yard stare in her eye as she thought about what had happened. Cherry looked over her shoulder at me, and slowly shook her head in awe over the entire situation.

Honesty was slowly closing the gap on Wrench, they had been running for nearly twenty minutes. Wrench was trying to keep up with the boat, but he didn’t have the endurance she did, though her repeated threats spewed at him probably didn’t help her cause any. Still, she could tell he was slowing, and when she caught up to him… well she didn’t know what she would do, after all Slug was keeping pace with her, and she couldn’t even hear him gasping for breath. By the time she was with in reach of grabbing his tail, a sudden blue flare was fired right above their heads, and even Wrench had the good sense to drop to the ground. But he fell so suddenly that Honesty tripped over him and skidded to a stop about a meter away. Slug too hit the dirt, and all eyes were drawn to the boat where the flare had been fired from. Then about a minute later, gunshots echoed from the boat, and the three bandits crawled into a small depression to have some cover.

“Do you think they saw us?” Wrench asked his brother, who just shrugged in response. “If you saw three ponies running their asses off along the banks of a river you would shoot too.” Panted Honesty, who wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of the young stallion. But there more she thought about it, there was a lot of good gear on this ship. From the distance they had covered, she saw a sky wagon, and a few ponies with decent gear. While she didn’t want anything to do with the boat, the gear that was on board would be worth a shit load of caps. She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but Wrench’s plan wasn’t looking bad anymore. Well besides the sudden gun fire coming from the ship.

“They aren’t shooting at us, and it sounds like it’s only one gun, a twelve-gauge shotgun to be exact.” Said Slug in his low voice, making Honesty jerk her head back to look at him. His head was confidently over the berm, and he was watching the ship closely. His confidence made Honesty poke her head over the edge and confirm for herself. There were no pockmarks from bullets, no clouds of dust either. “What do you think it means?” Wrench asked as he joined the others. Slug just shrugged and stood up, dusted himself off, and helped Honesty to her hooves as well. “Either way, it means they don’t know we are here, and so I suppose your plan is still good.” Said Honesty, but she kept her real motivations to herself, that one small blue pony had a way she could even out the odds against the two brothers, that is if she could get her hooves on those shiny ballistic hooves she saw him wearing.

Wrench swelled with bride, proud that Honesty had seen sense. “So, do we keep running to keep up with the boat?” he asked, and Honesty sighed and nodded, this was part of the plan she hated, but there was little she could do about it right now. Well, that would have been true if three rad scorpions hadn’t unearthed themselves surrounding the trio, their pincers snapping in anticipation for the kills they would be feasting on shortly. Wrench shrank back, hiding behind his brother. Slugs composure had cracked now, and Honesty could tell he was now afraid. If not for him, then his little brother. “Fuckin’ scorpions.” Honesty whispered. And slug just gave her a questioning look. “We gonna rock them like a hurricane?” He asked, drawing a confused “What?” From Honesty, before she shook her head and faced off with the scorpions. “Just shut up and stay back, I got this.” She said before stepping close to the monsters.

Ten minutes later, the trio of scorpions ran along the river bank, and slowly closed the distance with the boat. Rad scorpions were simple minded creatures, only wanting to eat and breed. Only those two things motivate the monsters, and that was exactly what Honesty had promised them. All three bandits were riding the backs of the scorpions, sitting comfortably while the beasts did the hard work. “Wow Honesty, I didn’t know you could speak scorpion!” Wrench exclaimed as lay comfortably on the back of the scorpion. Slug had reclined against the tail of the one he rode. “Neither did I.” Honesty stated as she sat up on her own mount. “All I did was chitter my teeth as I made the deal. I didn’t actually think it would work.” She admitted. Truth was she actually hadn’t meant to ask them that, but that was how things worked out. As soon as she said the words, all three scorpions had charged, and instead of killing them, scooped them onto their backs and begun running after the boat. While it was a shock, it really made the lives of the bandits easier.

Now they just had to figure out how to get on the boat.

I left the cabin after Salt Lick had calmed down, and Gawd didn’t look like she wanted to tear any ponies head off at the moment. I planned on fixing that really quick. I walked over to Cherry and the Gryphon. Cherry saw the look in my eyes, and sighed, before stepping aside as I stepped close to Gawd, and got in her face. “The fuck were you doing? Do you even think before you act!” I shouted into her face. Gawd reeled, not expecting my outburst. Too bad I had more to give. “You are supposed to be the leader of the NCR, that does not give you the right to be an executioner.” I snarled. Gawd didn’t quite know what to make of the situation. Over the last few years, she had probably gotten used to ponies and gryphons kissing her ass.

She made to speak, and I wanted to hear what her excuse would be, but her words caught me off guard. “Do you even know anything about that pony you are traveling with? Do you know what he’s done?” She asked, and there was a sound in her voice, almost like pain, remorse, and revulsion all wrapped up into one. “I sigh and rub my face before responding.” I don’t care, Zakk is a pain in the ass, but he hasn’t done anything to us that would warrant his death. Besides, you should have known killing him that way was going to fail.” I said, and she sighed. “yeah, but I had to try. If you knew him like I do you would have done the same.” She said and I face hoofed. “Gawd, I don’t particularly like him, he is annoying, and has the propensity to piss off every pony he encounters, but Shady is walking because of him and Cherry, and I will not sit back when I owe him so much, so I am going to say this once, while you are on this boat, you will do nothing to put any pony at risk again.” I state with all of the command at my disposal.

It seems I crossed a bit of a line though, because she snapped her head close to mine.” Did you forget who you are talking to?” She asks, and I actually smiled in her face. “No, I didn’t, but you aren’t exactly in your jurisdiction anymore.” I say as I pull the hammer back my new revolver. When Gawd had moved her face close to mine, my wing reacted on my instinct, and had the gun pressed to her forehead. If I hadn’t been attached to them, I would have missed the motion entirely. Gawd looked up at the polished bore pressing against her skull, and one of my growing primary feathers twitching on the trigger.

Gawd’s eye was wide, I think this was the closest she had come to getting a bullet to the brain in quite a long time. “Zakk may not be a good pony, he may have done some fucked up stuff in the past, but none of us here are good ponies Gawd. If I remember right, you have some skeletons of your own you would like to keep buried. Zakk may be the most annoying asshole I have ever met, but I will not let anyone hurt my friends again if I can help it.” I growled as I un-cocked the revolver and slid it back into the holster before helping Gawd to her feet and then turning and walking away. Of all the ponies sitting and watching the whole ordeal, Quick Shot and Rogue were the ones nearby who I wanted to talk to right now.

I walk to the pair, leaving Gawd to think about what I had said. “Come with me.” I say to the pair before leading them back behind the wheel house, where I took a seat and relaxed. But I couldn’t, I hissed in pain, and pressed a hoof to my back. The wing that had lifted the revolver felt like it was on fire, and it hurt like hell. I grit my teeth and gingerly rubbed the new muscles that were growing, trying to get rid of the pain I was feeling. Rogue and Quick Shot watched on, silent but concerned. “Q…Quick Shot, is this normal?” I asked through clenched teeth as I tried to ride out the flare of pain in my new wing. The young Pegasus just shrugged, unsure, but Rogue nodded. “Life Bloom said this could happen. He told me to keep an eye on you before I flew over to the boat.” Said the Alicorn, and I nodded, wanting him to continue. “The muscles are weak, and he knew that in situations of extreme stress, your wings would more than likely react.” I nodded softly, hoping I hadn’t done any detrimental damage to the muscle or bone. “Likely this is a pulled muscle, it tends to hurt more when they are, ya know new.” Rogue said, and then set down their saddle bags, and pulled out a syringe of Med-x.

I looked away as Rogue injected me, the poke of the needle nearly unnoticeable from the pain I was already feeling. But almost immediately it slid away, leaving a dull numbness in it’s place. “Thanks Rogue.” I mutter as I flop back against the wall, and sigh softly. Quick Shot just watched on, saying very little as I took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. But despite the medicine, I couldn’t stop myself from shaking now. I had nearly blown Gawd’s damn head off because she scared me. I needed to get some control over these wings, or I would accidently kill one of my friends if they startled me. ‘Do either of you have a hard time controlling your wings?” I ask as I try to calm myself down, hoping that us talking would be a decent distraction.

Both of the ponies muttered and gave each other awkward glances and blushing a deep red. “well umm. You see it’s like this ummm…” Quickshot started, but Rogue finished his thought for him. “It’s pretty common for those with wings to uh, lose control in a certain regard.” He said, trying to step around the subject like it was a radioactive crater. “What situation?” I ask as I look back and forth between them in confusion. Then Quick Shot buried his face in his hoof and Rogue coughed and looked aside. “Umm, arousal. It’s called a wing boner.” Rogue finally spat out, and I could then understand why they felt uncomfortable talking about it “Oh umm ok, any other times?” I ask, trying not to think about the public ramifications of a wing boner.

“Uh yeah, they react to a pony’s flight or fight response. Basically, when your adrenaline spikes, your wings are flooded with more blood from your heart pumping faster. If you are afraid, or in a combat situation, your wings will pop open, kinda like what just happened between you and Gawd, you reacted to a situation on instinct, and your wing grabbed the pistol. You should be able to control it once you get used to it.” Quick Shot explains, and I nod, glad to clear that up. “Still, it scared the shit out of us, when that gun just showed up near her head like that. I thought for sure you were going to blow her brains all over the deck.” Quick Shot laughed, but the look I wore shut him up.

“You should know me better than that by now. I don’t want to kill any pony.” I said, but with the way things were going, they words were beginning to sound hollow. I shook that feeling away and focused on my friends. “So, these wings are going to take more getting used to than I originally thought.” I muttered to myself, but Quick Shot replied with a soft “Duh.” I rolled my eyes and the sighed as I returned to massaging the sore muscles. “Anyway Rogue, our mutual friend tole me you had a message for us about the plan changing, but it’s a bit late now seeing as how everything is already different.” Rogue nodded softly in agreement.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes, relaxing and digesting what had happened over the last day. With the Med-x in effect and the stress from the last few days, and the supreme lack of sleep was finally catching up with me. “Rogue can you help me below decks, I don’t think I can walk right now.” I say as I try to stand, but my wobbly legs were already threatening to drop me to the deck. Rogue nodded softly and wrapped a wing around me, which was preferable to being carried in his magic and helped keep me stable as I walked down the stairs and flopped into a bunk. I didn’t even bother trying to remove my ballistic hooves. I rolled onto my belly, the growing wings made it impossible to lay on my side or my back.

In a bunk not far away, Shady lay, her leg propped up on a stack of pillows, and a fluids drip set into her foreleg via a needle. Velvet Remedy was busy working over her, making sure she would be fine. I knew she would be, but Velvet was a perfectionist. I wrapped my hooves around the pillow and pulled it tight against me and I lay my head down, eager for some proper sleep. But just as I was on the verge of giving myself over to Marepheous, some pony hovered close to my ear. I cracked open a bleary eye, to see Zakk near me. “What.” I said shortly wanting nothing more than to pass out.

Zakk didn’t notice though and smiled down at me. “I heard what you said to Gawd after I left, and I just gotta say, calling me an annoying asshole, you just say the sweetest thing…” He was cut off suddenly by my pillow slapping him across the face. “Go away Zakk, we can talk after I get some sleep.” I grumble, and Zakk took the hint before trotting off to bother some pony else. I put my pillow back where it was and tried yet again to fall asleep. This time, it worked, and after a few relaxing breaths, I knew no more.

The best part of a dreamless sleep is that even your mind takes a break from the tortures one carries through their lives. Sadly, I didn’t have one of those nights. My brain, once again, conjured the images of our battle at the dam. The smell of cordite, and the heat coming from the barrels baking my face. I saw ponies torn to ribbons from the staccato of minigun fire, and a pony dead in the dirt, his guts spilling out from buckshot. I then saw my confrontation with Gawd, where instead of holding back, I pulled the trigger and spattered her brains into the river below. I was tormented by my sins, and those I could have committed. Needless to say, my night was anything but restful.

I awoke with a jerk, my heart pounding in my ears, and my breath coming in short gasps. Sweat beaded my brow, and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I lay there, eyes wide and darting back and forth, as I just lay there, coming to terms with the fact that I was safe and sound on a boat headed for Hoofington yet again. I took a few minutes to compose myself, and rubbed my hoof against my forehead, wiping away the sweat. Then some pony moved right beside me, making me tense and turn. My side flared in pain due to the pulled muscles in that wing, but I didn’t care.I turned to look at the pony beside me, only to come muzzle to muzzle with Cherry. She was sleeping next to me when I woke up from my nightmare. Despite the sleepiness in her eyes, I reassured her with a small kiss. “Go back to bed, it was just a nightmare.” I give her a small smile and then move from the bed and pull the blanket back over her. She just mumbles and grabs my pillow before cuddling it and falling back asleep.

I smile softly, despite my pounding heart, and slowly walked away. My legs felt heavy, and my sore wing throbbed, but it was more tolerable than before. I moved slowly and stiffly up the stairs, before reaching the deck and yawning softly. The sky was a deep purple, the sun was just beginning to rise on the eastern horizon. I must have only had a few hours of sleep, but it felt better than none. The air was cool and there was a soft breeze coming from the sea, making my developing wings flutter despite my attempts to stop them. I stifled another small yawn with a hoof, and moved to the railing, before fishing out my pack of cigarettes, which were only slightly crushed from sleeping on them, and quickly lit one.

During the night, we had only made it a few miles upriver. But that was to be expected with such an old boat. We were moving even at a slower pace than the original white rose had. Still I didn’t mind, the longer we took, the more time we had to get ready for the fight that was sure to wait.

I stood there, letting the wind cool my sweat as I allowed my self to wake up. The remnants of my vivid dream clinging to the back of my mind. Then a welcome distraction came in the form of Shady Acres, her swearing making the seagulls hovering overhead fly off in alarm. I smirk as I lock eyes with her, whose were narrowed in agitation, and her bad leg hitching, causing her to limp. I guess the exertion she had put it through the day before still a hinderance. “Well well, if it isn’t metal mare herself.” I teased, making her scowl deepen. “Shut it dumb ass. If I wanted to hear an ass hole, I’d fart.” She growled, and the mental image was almost too funny. Well, it was to me.

“Anyway, what are you doing up so early?” Shady asked, a little concern in her eyes. I quickly struggled to hide the look of fear I was sure I was wearing. “oh um, no reason, just a bad dream.” I said, before looking away and back out onto the water. Shady though, perceptive as she was noticed the evasion. “You mean about the dam?” I nodded softly, and then looked back to her. “I still see it. The bodies of all those ponies after I… Killed them with the minigun.” I admitted shamefully. Then I was caught off guard as Shady placed her hoof gently upon my back. “it’s ok, I know what you mean. I still see the lives I took in Respite the night it fell. But I realized that what I had done was necessary, if not wrong.” I nodded, listening to her talk, just taking comfort in the fact that there was a pony I could share these thoughts with.

“Ya know, we are probably heading back into a situation where we will have to do it again.” She said, and I let out a shaky breath. “I figured as much, but this time we are going in with a plan. Not to mention, we have Gawd on our side, there is a distinct possibility this could end without bloodshed.” I said hopefully. Celestia knows I hoped it would anyway. Shady then pauses and looks back at me, anf then at the weapons I still wore. “You say that, but you are armed to the teeth.” She said, and I smiled then looked at my ballistic hooves. “These are filled with blanks, I only want the boom and flash.” I said softly and Shady smiled.

“You really take this whole no killing thing seriously huh?” she asked, and I fixed her with her own “No shit.” Look. She smiled and waved me off with a chuckle. “Ya know, I couldn’t be happier to hear that. As long as you hold on to the desire to not want to kill, then I think I did a good job civilizing a savage.” I knew she was joking about my past, but it still hit a raw nerve.” At the look crossing my eyes, Shady held up a hoof. “Hey sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” She said defensively and I nodded. “You really need to get that temper of your’s under control, Luna knows we can’t afford to have you flying off the handle every time someone even hints at Arbu.” Once more I nodded and sighed. She was right of course, but it was difficult.

“I am trying Shady. Really I am. But when you hold on to something for as long as I have, and used it to fuel your desire to survive, it is hard to let it go.” I say softly and take a pull on my cigarette. Shady places her hooves on the railing beside me and looks out to the water as well. “I know what you mean. There are still things I haven’t told you all yet about my past, and I am not ready to, but I know what you mean.” I remained quiet, not even sparing her a glance. I knew she understood. You don’t survive in the wasteland as long as she had without experiencing your fair share of horrors.

We remained silent, looking onto the water well until the sun crested the horizon, and warmth began to creep into our bodies. Then Shady broke the silence with a short cough to get my attention. “Anyway, we have some work to do, lets get started.” She then made to move from the railing, and I followed her in confusion. But she knew me too well and explained before I could ask. “I thought about things all night, and one thing keeps coming back to my mind. We are not a team.” She said softly, catching me off guard, and her words hurt. “Uh yeah we are, we work together to accomplish things we couldn’t do alone.” I said defensively. I mean she wouldn’t have gotten the boat ready in time if it wasn’t for Zakk getting the crew of the original White Rose.

Shady shook her head, and then spoke again. “You are right, but we don’t work well as a team in a fight.” She elaborated, and I couldn’t argue with her words. I mean Cherry and I did alright at the dam, but that was blind luck, and I had to react on instinct more often than not when she tossed me a weapon. I followed her to the middle of the deck, where Gawd, Velvet, Rogue, Zakk, and Cherry waited. When we joined them, Shady cleared her throat to explain why we were all here.

“Alright, Velvet, Rogue, and Gawd, you three are on one team, while Cherry, Moonshine, and Zakk are on another. You will all fight each other; the goal is to build some understanding of your team’s skills and build a strategy around each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Velvet, you are late term pregnant, so your role will be support. Use only your magic.” Velvet nodded, but she was just as bewildered as the rest of us, well except Gawd who had probably done similar training in her time as a Talon.

“Wait, why aren’t you participating?” I asked, and Shady smiled before rubbing her nose. And winking at me. “You’ll see.” Was all I got out of her, and once again, I knew she wouldn’t elaborate further. “You each have two minutes to formulate a strategy. Its like tag, one hit, and you are “Dead.” She said making air quotes. We all nodded, and then separated to different sides of the deck to discuss our plans. I pulled Zakk and Cherry close and started pitching my idea in a low whisper.

“Shady put us on a team for a reason, and knowing her it’s not obvious. So here is my idea, Zakk, Gawd will go after you, she wants to hurt you, but let her, and focus on Rogue, he is afraid of you and maybe we can use that to our advantage.” Zakk nodded and smiled, seeing this as only a game. “Cherry, you will have to take care of Velvet. Her magic is more varied than yours, but the last thing we need is to be hit with an anesthetic spell. Use your flames to keep her moving, and hopefully will make her cast her bubble shield which will render her useless.” Cherry nodded and got her game face on. “I will take on Gawd when she is distracted with Zakk, hopefully I can tag her before it becomes a brawl, her experience will out weigh my own.” Cherry nodded, understanding the idea, and Zakk just looked off to the side, probably planning how he would mess with Rogue.

Alright, get ready!” Shady yelled, and all six of us got into defensive stances. All of us with a serious expression and trying to read our opponent. Gawd’s group was standing much closer, protecting Velvet who was already in the midst of spell casting. I spared a glance at Cherry to see she was likewise preparing her own magic. I knew Shady would give us a count down, but you never got that in a real battle, so I whispered to Zakk so only he could hear. “Go now, we will be behind you.” Zakk nodded, and in a flash, he was gone. But this time he didn’t disappear entirely, he was keeping himself held back so his opponent, Rogue could see him. Shady looked taken aback at the sudden attack, but Gawd anticipated it. She charged him, like I thought, and Rogue flinched.

I trotted after Zakk, and closed on the Gryphon, who’s attention was entirely on the speedy stallion. I snarled and rammed into her side, knocking her to the deck. She rolled to gather herself, but I pressed my attack, and threw hooves left and right. Gawd growled and it was all she could do to defend herself from the blindside. Then I let up the pace just a touch, and Gawd too the window to lash out with a punch of her own. but my opening was a fake, and she realized it immediately after my right hoof slammed into her belly, knocking the wind from her lungs and her onto her floor again.

“Out” Shady announced and Gawd dragged herself clear of the fight to recover. I looked at my companions to see how they were doing with their opponents. And I was pleased to see how everything was going according to plan. Cherry had Velvet cocooned in her bubble shield, and Zakk was terrorizing Rogue who was dodging Zakk’s playful strikes. I knew if Zakk wanted, he could have tagged the Alicorn at least ten times before I could blink. But it made my opening easier as I charged and slid under Rogue on my back. I then lashed upward with a punch, catching him on the belly and likewise knocking the wind from him. “Out Shady called again, and Rogue slumped to the deck. I shot Zakk a small smile as we closed around Velvet, circling her shield. Cherry eased up on her flames, keeping her horn alight just in case.

Velvet, within her protective barrier took a second to scout out her surroundings, and quickly realized she was surrounded, and the second she dropped that shield, one if not all of us would tag her. But playing it safe, she looked to Shady. “I surrender.” She said softly, but surprise was etched across her face. “Out!” Shady sounded, and we all relaxed. Velvet dropped her shield and moved over to join her team. Shady was smiling as she waved us over as well, and we walked over to join them.

“I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say, Moonshine’s team had your numbers before the fight started.” Shady said with a chuckle, and Gawd glowered at me. I smiled back confidently which only made her eye twitch. “To be fair, I didn’t expect Moonshines crew to pull it off so easily, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Knowing your opponents will give you a serious advantage in a fight. And Moonshine had more than enough knowledge to know what you all would do before the fight started. Rogue, he knew you were afraid of Zakk, so you would be distracted by him. Gawd, he knew you would go after Zakk, especially after you attempted to kill him last night. And Velvet, he had you down the most because of your exploits in LittlePip’s book.”

All three of them nodded. Velvet wasn’t surprised, Rogue was eager to learn, but Gawd was furious. Most likely at herself for forgetting her training. Alright, this time we will go again, but the teams will change. Gawd, Moonshine, Zakk, you three on a team. Cherry, Velvet and Rogue on the other.” She said, and we all separated yet again to plan our movements.

“Gawd was looking at me, grumpy but putting it aside for now. Zakk didn’t seem to care either way. “Alright Moonshine, since you had us so easily pegged in the last round, how are we going to beat them this time. All three of them have magic, and we don’t.” She said, and I took a moment to think. How about this. Velvet will try and be more active, using her magic to try and stop us. Cherry will protect her with her flames, and Rogue… he has the wings, so he will probably come from above. Gawd, you have the wings, you go up, Zakk, you have the speed, you distract Cherry, I will go after Velvet. “Gawd and Zakk nodded, and together we got into position.

Cherry’s group conferred for another minute, but then they too lined up. Then like before, Zakk took off and I followed right behind as Gawd took to the air. I followed behind Zakk, letting Cherry have eyes only on him, and when he went right, I went left. Cherry was right in front of Velvet who was charging up a numbing spell of some type. So far, the plan was going well, and I ran up to Cherry. By the time she noticed, she was too late. I gave her flank a firm slap, making her whinny in surprise. “Out!” Shady shouted again. And cherry dropped to the ground in the most dramatic way possible, faking a death rattle.

Velvet then saw me as the bigger threat, and then hit me with a numbing spell. I dropped to the ground, unable to feel my anything. I then noticed I was laying beside Cherry who was smirking playfully. I tried to smile back, but my tongue rolled out onto the deck, making her laugh. I rolled my eyes and returned to watching the fight just after Shady called “Out” once more. Zakk had flanked Velvet and patted her back gently, making Shady call her out as well. Then once again a second later as Rogue landed on the deck, sporting a bruise on his cheek.

“Out” Shady shouted again, and then Gawd landed beside Rogue, and offering him a talon up. Rogue stood up, rubbing his cheek and giving the Gryphon her thanks. Cherry stood up as well and levitated me up and moved me over by Shady, who snickered at me. I sighed and rolled my eyes again, unable to talk. “I think he means to say “yeah yeah, laugh it up metal mare.” Cherry translated for me. Then Shady got a jab back at Cherry. “Oh yeah, I’m sure you learned to understand him when his tongue is otherwise occupied.” She teased, making Cherry blush brightly, and Velvet to join her. Then some crew pony below decks shouted loud enough to be heard. “Got her!” making everyone chuckle. Well except me that is.

“Ok, so another win for Moonshine’s team, but you lost a pony, she said and gestured at me. Gawd and Zakk looked back at me, Gawd understanding the implications of Shady’s words better than any pony here. Zakk also looked somber for just a moment, but then it slid away in typical Zakk fashion. “Losses will happen in battle, it’s unavoidable, you all knew that, but it is an important lesson to learn. “Shady lectured and everyone but me nodded silently. Velvet even shed a tear, and I knew she was thinking about Steel Hooves.

We waited over half an hour for Velvet’s spell to wear off enough for me to move once more. It was an unpleasant feeling, like every part of me was being stuck with pins and needles. But it was enough to be able to stand again. Then Shady laid down the next round, Rogue, Velvet and I on a team, Gawd, Cherry, and Zakk on the other. This time, things looked more even, but I had to remember that Zakk was on their team. I didn’t see a clear victory this time, but that didn’t stop me from trying. “Ok, Zakk is going to be the distraction. Gawd will probably want to come after me for knocking the wind out of her earlier, but Rogue, I want you to handle her, and I will take on Cherry. Velvet, Zakk will probably try to distract you up front, and then zap behind you to tag you out. Let him get close, and the second you sense his move, kick back behind you.”

Velvet nodded, and the Rogue asked. “Gawd beat me once before, how do I get her this time?” He asked, and I smiled. You have magic, don’t you? I asked, and he nodded. “Then use it, don’t go in close, just try and grab her telekinetically and throw her back to the ground. “Rogue nodded. Ok let’s throw in a little strategy here to off balance them. Rogue you move for Gawd, Velvet for Cherry, and I will go at Zakk. Then we will switch after five steps and hit our real targets.” My team mates nodded, and we got ready, while Gawd’s side were already in position.

We got ready, and Gawd charged, followed by the others, I ran to meet them, running right at Gawd who had her eyes locked to mine. I smiled as I ran in, then at the fifth step, I plantd a hoof, and lunged right, while Rogue lunged left. Gawd looked stumped, before Rogue got her attention and together they flew up into the air again. I closed with Cherry, who thought she was going to be going after Rogue and had to think on the fly. I closed the distance by the time her horn flared to life after her initial hesitation.

She bathed the ground before me in flames, hoping to keep me at bay long enough to come up with a plan, but I gave her no time. Instead I leaped through her magic, getting a few blisters and singed fur for my trouble. Cherry looked bewildered and at a loss as I ran up and gently booped her nose, which caused her magic to falter, and her to look taken aback and shocked. “Out!” Shady called, and cherry moved over to the side, still unsure what happened. The fight wasn’t one sided though, and Velvet was taken by surprise when Zakk faked going behind her, when he actually stayed there and poked her chest. “Out!” Shady yelled, and Velvet fell beside Cherry, looking just a shocked. Then Gawd and Rogue flopped to the ground, both of them being called “Out” I blanched as I realized it was just me versus Zakk. And I knew he would easily wipe the floor with me.

Every pony now tensed and paid attention to the fight about to go down. I felt helpless as I looked at the stallion, knowing at any instant he would tag me. But when he refused to come on, I gathered my thoughts, and buried them under a cold resolve. While my eyes were once wide in surprise, they were now narrow as Zakk and I began circling to the left. “Ya know you could have already won this round if you wanted too. Why are you holding back?” I asked, and Zakk smirked. “You are too.” He replied simply, and I nodded. “I don’t want to hurt any pony.” Came my retort, and Zakk nodded as well. “Neither do I.” Gawd faked a laugh which we both ignored as we faced one another.

“Plus, I wanted it to be fairer for every pony, where is the fun in just zipping around and tagging ponies who can’t even see me.” He explained, and I could somewhat understand his logic. “I guess. Then I have no reason to hold back here then?” I asked, and he shook his head with a smile. “I will scale my self to you.” He said, and I grumbled. Feeling like shit that he had to still hold back. Then it began, Zakk came at me, faster than I expected, and I barely had time to move aside. This fight would be unlike the one I had with Shady, here was a pony who was much faster than me.

I planted a hoof, and charged in this time, making Zakk take a step back in defense. I pressed my attack, throwing punches left and right, and middle. Zakk knocked them all aside, and did nothing but defend, which pissed me off to no end. I started growling as I spun, punched, and kicked at him, pushing him around the boat. Then Zakk got bored, and started hopping around the boat, jumping from walls, and trying to attack, but still holding back. I dodged and parried his moves, and we continued like this for a time, hopping around and trading attack for defense.

We moved along the railing, over the wheel house, back to the deck, and till we fought. But as we did I came to realize that Zakk wasn’t trying to hit me, he was teaching me, every time his attack would break my guard, he would hold off, and pointedly let me know to keep an eye on that kind of stuff. I said nothing, and our fighting grew more intense as we both sped up, our hooves and legs a blur, but no attacks landed. Not for lack of trying on my part. Zakk was just having fun through it all, and even I began to enjoy it.

Zakk launched a high kick at my head, his hooves leaving the ground. I at the same time, ducked and rolled under him, but when I lifted my head to look up, he was standing above me. His hoof was inches from my muzzle, but he held it there steadily. “I win.” He said calmly, as if the last few minutes didn’t tire him at all. I however was panting and sweating, but also smiling. “Actually, it’s a draw.” I said as I tapped my read hoof against his inner thigh, letting him know he almost became a eunuch.” He looked down past his belly, and I could tell I rattled his cage. “Jeez Moonshine, you really went there?” He asked in surprise and I chuckled. “Fights are a life or death kind of thing, I have no time to care about the decency of not kicking a buck in the nuts.” I respond, and he just shook his head. Before helping me to my hooves.

Once up, I looked over his shoulder to see every pony and gryphon with their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide. Even Shady looked surprised, and she was the one among us who knew what I could do. I looked around the deck, to see even the entire crew was on deck, and every pony wore the same expression. I began to feel extremely self-conscious with all the yes on me. I had, after all, lived my entire life not drawing attention to myself. Zakk just smiled and bowed before them all, but every eye was on me, and Zakk then turned and looked at me too. “Looks like you can learn after all.”

I flushed deeply as I rubbed a hoof along the back of my head. “Umm can you guys stop looking at me like that? You are creeping me out.” I muttered and Shady was the first to recompose herself, followed soon by the others. “Uhmm it’s a draw.” Shady stammered, but even still no pony cared about the training now. “You… how did you do that?” Gawd asked, looking at me in a whole new light. I just shrugged, unsure why they were so shocked. Then Cherry spelled it out for me, and I could get a grasp of the situation more.

“Not only did your steps stay true, but you never tripped or slid, even while fighting on the railing your balance was perfect. And don’t get us started on your speed.” She said, and my eyes widen. Then Zakk walks up and puts a hoof on my shoulder. “Interesting to know what a fighter can do when he isn’t over thinking, and letting his instinct take over.” I nodded, unsure what he meant, but still if every pony else was surprised, then so was I. Shady then wrapped a hoof around me and pulled me off to the side so we could talk privately. The look in her eyes told me she was surprised as well, but a little more was veiled behind it.

“What?” I asked, growing nervous at the treatment I was getting. “Moonshine, I taught you how to fight remember? She asked and I nodded. I still practiced her lessons when I had the chance. “I taught you basic moves, but you not only mastered them, but your instincts allowed you to just now match Zakk. You two were hard to watch with the speeds your moves were reaching. What the hell have you been doing when we aren’t looking?” She asked, and the concern in her voice made me even more nervous. “Nothing honest, besides the fights we have been in and the training you gave me I havn’t done much. Just my…time with Cherry.” I said. At first Shady seemed to dismiss the words, but then a thought popped into her mind, and she looked around quickly to make sure we weren’t being listened to.

Quietly she whispered so low only I could hear. “what kinds of things have you and Cherry done?” She asked, and I narrowed my eyes. “Now isn’t the time to be prying into my sex life Shady.” I growl back, but she waves the words away. “I’m not, it is very important you tell me what kind of moves has she taught you?” I blush, a few standing out immediately and others filtering in after. I told Shady quietly everything I could remember, there was a lot of it. Through it all Shady kept her professional composure, and when I finished, she nodded and spoke. “Without knowing it, she taught you balance, maneuverability, flexibility, improvisation, and training muscles you didn’t even know existed. Because of your… time… with Cherry you became better fighter. Cherry probably doesn’t even know what she did.

I look over at the red mare, who was talking and laughing with the others, but she caught me looking at her, and gave me a curious look. I motioned her over, and soon she joined us. “What’s going on?” Cherry asked, looking between Shady and I. Shady looked awkwardly at my friend, and I just chuckled. “Shady I got this, go take a seat before you give yourself a head ache.” She nodded and accepted the joke stoically before walking off to join in with the others. I told Cherry what Shady figured out, and despite her slight anger at telling Shady, she was even more surprised that our…fun... had secretly made me a better fighter.

“Wow, its hard to think that our fun could technically classify as training.” She said softly while looking to the water, an unreadable look in her eyes. I smiled and nodded as I join her, sitting beside her quietly. Then an idea popped into my head, and I just had to tease her a little. “Well you know what?” I asked, and she looked at me questioningly. “I think I need more “Training” if I am going to survive the rest of the wasteland.” I said jokingly. Cherry though turned beet red and her eyes widened. I knew she liked the idea, but not about me making light of it.

A few minutes later, Cherry finally stopped trying to beat me to a pulp for embarrassing her like that. And I just sat there laughing as she finally sat back down with a small snort of annoyance. “That wasn’t funny Moonshine.” She pouted, and I flashed a toothy grin at her. Which made her playfully shove me. We sat there for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company, then Cherry’s eyes lit up as an idea struck her. “Hey, wait here for a few minutes.” She said then got up and ran below decks. I watched her go with confusion, and Shady gave me a similar look. I shrugged at her in response as I waited for Cherry to return.

When she finally did, her saddle bag was on her back, and she wore an awkward look. I sat confused, as she took her set beside me again and set her bag between us. “You mentioned wanting to train more, and it reminded me of something. Despite wanting to make another sex joke, I bit my tongue as she continued. “Well I may have something that would help.” With that she sighed and opened her bag, and dumped four familiar hoof weights on the deck. “Cherry are these…” I asked, and she nodded softly. “I kept them incase we needed them again. She said looking pointedly at Zakk. I nodded in understanding. But still wore confusion about the weights. “Why do you think these will help? It wouldn’t take long for me to get used to them.” I said, and Cherry shook her head, a somber look in her eyes. “I tried to put them on, thinking they could strengthen my legs. But they held a surprise.” She said cryptically, and I raised an eye brow at her. “Just try one on.” She said, and I shrugged before sliding it over my hoof. As soon as it locked in place I realized it, I immediately felt weaker. I even had a hard time sitting up. It was if I had, at the flick of a switch gotten sick. Cherry quickly unlocked the weight, and as soon as it fell off, I felt like myself again. “Zakk wore four of these, and he was strong enough to shove two full grown ponies off their hooves!” I said, and Cherry nodded. “These weights are enchanted to limit your power to one fifth if you wear all four.

I shook my head in disbelief, if Zakk was so strong with one fifth of his power available, what limits did he truly have? “Alright put all four on me.” I said, and cherry gave me a concerned look, but nodded and did as I asked. Once all four were on, I tried to move a foreleg. It worked, but only just. It felt like I had all of Shady’s weight on the end of my hooves. With a lot of effort, I did manage to stand up, but at the end of it I was panting, and sweaty from the exertion. “What the hell are these things made out of.” I groan as I struggle to stand. Even the normal tiny muscle movements used for standing felt weak, and my balance was severely weakened.

I went through the rest of the day wearing these, every movement, even talking, took all of my concentration. Every pony was concerned for me and kept making sure I was alright. I hated it, I hated wearing these things, but if I could use them to get stronger then so be it. Then Zakk came by and use the advantage of me being hardly able to move to give me a noggie. I grumbled and growled as he did, but I couldn’t stop him either.

The second day was a little better. I felt sore with them on, but I could also move just a little easier. One of the things I was learning through this experience, was that I made a lot of unnecessary motions in my every day life, and I was sure even more while fighting. It would take a while to get to the point where I could fight properly while wearing these, but that didn’t stop me. I asked Shady to spar with me, and for a few hours in the morning, I got my ass royally handed to me. But I didn’t give up, and I had even managed to get Shady a few times, but nothing special.

Shady’s training also continued through out the days and even deep into the night. We learned strategies, and proper team work in a fight. We learned the extent of our weaknesses and worked together to overcome them. Cherry was physically slow, but her magic was not. I was quick, but weak. Shady was slow but tough, and Zakk was… well Zakk. Gawd was precise and quick but her physical attacks were weak. Rogue was agile and somewhat powerful, but not used to being in combat. He tended to flinch at either gun fire or shouts. But we all learned how best to work together. Even Gawd and Zakk were getting along, well mostly any way.

But one pony was left out, and on the third day, I asked about it. “Why isn’t Quick Shot joining us?” I finally asked. But Shady just smiled, and pointed up into the sky, where I saw the small dot of Quick Shot up there. Then I jumped as a paintball hit me square in the forehead. “He is joining.” She said, and I easily figured out that he was sniping.

That night, for the first time, the ship truly showed its age. The hasty repairs made while on dry land finally fried the poor motor. But the captain was skilled and wise enough to move us close to the bank and drop anchor. We were a few miles yet from the sea, but with the engine running on it’s last leg, we didn’t want to push our luck. I trotted into the wheel house and walked up to the captain. “What’s going on?” I asked, and she hit the lever to make the anchor drop. “We lost all power to the propeller, no Idea why, but I have an engineer looking into it right now.”

I nodded and took a seat outside. This would either be an easy fix, or it wouldn’t, no point harassing the Captain over it. Still, it took the better part of an hour for them to figure it out. “The V-Drive is broken, and cylinder number three isn’t getting fuel. Most likely cause is valve slap or a broken valve spring. Either way we need to replace the head and get another V-drive.” Said the mechanic, who had a parts list, and the parts by his hooves. “it really wouldn’t hurt to get a new engine for it, might be easier to find a whole motor than the individual parts.” Captain Salt lick placed a hoof over her muzzle and groaned loudly.

“Looks like we need to send some pony to the nearest town to search for an engine or the parts we need.” She said with a sigh. I looked around, and Shady looked eager to volunteer. I looked back at the captain. “me and my friends will go, Shady Cherry and Zakk will go with me, but we will save time if Quick shot can fly us.” I said. Every pony nodded, and we set about getting geared up. I slid on my ballistic hooves and made sure everything was loaded. Cherry slid into her armor, and Shady tried on her new combat armor for the first time. We got the fitting close, she just needed to tighten the adjustment straps.

Zakk sat in the wagon and doodled with some crayons. Where he got them I am not sure, but we all gave up asking how or why when Zakk was involved. Quick Shot hooked himself into his harness, and powered up the wagon, then Gawd came over with a map, and gave him general directions to the nearest fishing town. And then tossed a bag of caps to Shady. “Should be enough, come see me if it isn’t.” Gawd ordered, then in no time, we were air born and soaring across the wasteland again. Cherry was laying down, her head buried in a barf bag, and I sat there, just patting her back until she recovered.

“Where do you think we are headed?” I ask Shady and she just shrugs. “There aren’t many town between Arbu and the sea. If we had broken down close to Hoofington that would be different. But if I had to place my bets, it would probably be Star Board. A little village just inland of the river to avoid flooding.” I nodded and slump back in my seat, patting Cherry’s head and thinking about what we were heading into. “By the way, it was a good call to leave your helmet back on the boat, don’t need any pony’s thinking we are the NCR looking to expand their territory.” Shady offered, but I looked around and then face hoofed. I had actually planned on bringing my helmet, it was nice having the heads up display. “Guess its no big deal, we shouldn’t get in a fight here, we are just on a parts run.” I said, still wishing I had my helmet with me.

Shady just shrugged and leaned back in her seat and rested her head on the window. Zakk was sitting beside her, being on good behavior for once. He was looking through the other window, watching the land disappear below us. “If you keep being good, I will get you a present.” I say, hoping to appeal to his childish nature. “Really you mean it!” He said, either sarcastically or genuinely excited, I couldn’t tell. I smirked and nodded, letting him get back to looking through the window.

We all sat quietly for the rest of the trip, it honestly wasn’t that far from where we broke down, we were just happy we didn’t have to walk. I rested my hoof on Cherry’s back and closed my eyes for a bit. The floating feeling of the wagon making me relax in a way the boat just couldn’t. I almost fell asleep too, but then I felt the wagon dip as Quick Shot began his descent toward the town. I looked out of my window and saw our destination.

It was a town made up of empty containers, and small wooden buildings, possibly made from the floor boards of the ship, which was sitting on its side not far away. All of its cargo had fallen either into the water or managed to tumble onto the river bed. I saw quite a few boats dry docked down below, some looked operational, others looked to far gone to be of any use outside of shelter or scrap metal. It looked like a simple little place, probably had a water purifier to drink from the river. But one thing I didn’t see were crops. I leaned to the other side, hoping to see a small farm or a green house, but I saw nothing. I felt a twinge of familiarity at the scenery now.

Arbu was set up the same way.

I pointed this out to Shady, who understood my concerns better than any pony. If there wasn’t a farm, these ponies either lived off of the fish they could catch, or by trading for fresh vegetables and fruits. I seriously hoped the did trade, otherwise this would be another town on the water front that relied on meat. I roused Cherry and spoke to my friends. “Be careful what you eat. This town may very well rely on fish from the river. There is no telling what we could be exposed to here.” I warn, and every pony catches the tone of my voice.

Honesty and the other bandits had ridden on their scorpion mounts for over three days. Rest was rare when the beasts were skittering over the broken terrain. Through it all, Honesty never took her eyes from the boat, keeping an eye out incase they changed direction. But suddenly, she saw from the shore, the boat had dropped anchor a few hundred meters from the coast. Either they were fishing, or something was wrong with the ship. “Whoa there.” She chittered to the scorpions. They all came to a stop, letting their charges slip down into the dirt. Honesty and the others stretched and massaged their cramped muscles. Riding on a scorpion was a better way to travel, but it didn’t do much for comfort.

“What do you think they are doing?” Wrench asked, and Honesty shrugged. “No clue, could be fishing, getting some rest, or they broke down.” She said while looking at the boat. Slug though interjected with his monotonous voice. “They are broken down. I’ve seen this before. The captains keep the ship out in the water, so no pony can try boarding without permission while they try to fix it.” He said, and Honesty sighed. This journey was taxing their supplies, so far, they had followed this ship for three days and had nothing to show for it. But this was turning out like she hoped it would.

“So, we just swim out there and sneak aboard by climbing the anchor.” She said and made for the water, but Slug bit down on her tail and pulled her back. She looked at him incredulously, and through a mouth full of tail he said only one word that chilled her bones. “Sniper.” She looked back to the ship once again. If she was in their place, she would have some pony on look out to make sure nothing unwanted came their way. “What should we do then?” She asked, letting Slug’s expertise take over. “One of two things will happen, either they get it fixed on the water and set of again, or they send a smaller boat with a crew to scavenge for parts. When the crew is on land, the boat goes back to prevent any ponies from taking it and coming their way.” He said softly, and once again, Honesty couldn’t argue with the logic.

Then something happened that none of them expected. The sky wagon they had on board lifted into the air, and made south west, back the way they had come. “Do you think they are going to that town we saw a little ways back?” Wrench asked, and Slug just offered a shrug. “Mount up.” She said and hopped back onto the scorpion she had occupied for the last few days. “That way.” She chittered and pointed in the direction the wagon was going. In short order, all three of them were in pursuit of the wagon. If they had any hope of getting on board, they were going to have to take the wagon, and the Pegasus flying it hostage.

They managed to keep the wagon in sight, until it began to descend. Honesty saw the old hulk of the container ship resting on the river bank where it had beached itself when the bombs fell in Manehattan. Just on the other side of town the wagon landed, and Honesty and her retinue freed themselves from the scorpions for hopefully the last time. ‘I kept my word, there should be fish, and other wildlife that will keep you fed for a while.” Honesty chittered to the scorpions, hoping they would find the arrangement to their liking. The alternative was worse.

They chittered for a few seconds, trying to say something to Honesty, but she couldn’t understand them, all she hoped was that it was their thanks. Then they turned and skittered away to find a place to live, and hopefully survive the next few weeks. Honesty felt something then, something she hadn’t before. A sense of self-worth. She caught herself though and shook the feeling of pride away before it interfered with her goal. “let’s go.” She ordered the brothers, and together they snuck around the side of town.

Quick Shot touches down just out side of the village, and we quickly disembark. I cast the town a weary look, before we all set off. We all walked casually into town, but my wing kept brushing against the ebony bit of my revolver, just incase I needed it. I wasn’t trying to pre-judge the town, but after my experience and knowledge of Arbu, it would be foolish to go in without caution. Shady flagged down one of the passing ponies and asked her where we could find boat parts. The mare pointed us in the direction of a wooden building just down the road, and she seemed nice enough, but I was still on my guard. We all trotted toward the shop, and so far, there were no hooded figures jumping out to grab us, and no pony casting us hungry eyes.

We entered the building, there was a small chime set above the door, small pieces of scrap metal clinked together to announce our presence. An older stallion, graying at the muzzle with a combed over mane to try hiding his balding head, greeted us warmly. “Hello there, welcome to The Hold, the only place in town to have your boating needs.” He said cheerily. Shady and I walked over to him, his warm nature making us relax. But I caught myself, thinking that that was how ponies wound up missing. Shady though did the talking for us, using her skills with honeyed words to work over the old buck.

“Good afternoon Sir, how are you?” She asked, adding just a little flutter of her eyes at him. I knew she was using her feminine whiles to butter him up. I had seen her do this many times in Respite. “Oh, no need to call me Sir, it makes me feel old.” He said with a small chuckle. This was how the friendly banter typically went when Shady bartered. Cherry walked around, looking at the equipment hung haphazardly through the building. There were spears, harpoon guns, actual guns, ten-pound cannons, fishing nets, and a large assortment of different things. There was honestly so much here, it would take a week to see everything in here. Zakk was inspecting a spear, turning it every which way, but being careful not to cut himself on the jagged tip.

I shook my head at the stallion, and he just smiled and left it alone. Shady and the store keep were busy chatting, but there was one thing I had to know for certain before we made any agreements. “Excuse me, can I ask you something?” I asked, making Shady cast me a grumpy scowl for interrupting her ritual. “Sure, I don’t see why not.” He said and leaned on the old counter, giving me his full attention. I looked him deep in they eye and began. “This is a fishing town?” I asked, and he nodded, not even bothered by my line of questioning. “Is fish all you eat? I didn’t see a green house or a farm.” I ask, and that question garnered a response I didn’t expect. He crinkled his nose and shook his head. “Oh Celestia no. no pony here eats anything caught in that river. We trade it. Those gryphon guards over at Arbu prison need a steady diet of meet though. So, we catch fish for them, and they in turn supply us with fruits, grains, and veggies grown by the prisoners.”

I nodded and relaxed a touch. If this buck was telling the truth, then we had little to worry about. “Still I find it ironic that Arbu was once again taken over by those who eat meat.” He said with a chuckle. “Not like the previous owners are around to complain though.” He said with a hearty laugh. Shady cast me a weary gaze, but I just smiled and gave a hollow chuckle. “Yeah, Ironic.” I said softly before turning away and letting Shady get on with her business. Cherry was giving me a worried look, but I shook my head and sighed. She smiled at me sweetly, before returning to looking around the store with Zakk.

We remained like this for a time, just waiting for Shady to work out a deal with the old stallion. From what I gathered, he didn’t have the parts we needed to fix our engine, but he could procure another engine and V-drive for us. Said it would work great in our old tub. Whatever a V-12 was, Shady seemed pleased. “A V-12 is much better than the old V-8 we have in our ship. It will be faster and be more reliable.” I shrugged, not understanding what she was talking about, but happy she did. Shady then went about haggling with the old buck over prices. I tuned it out, numbers larger than the hundreds just boggled my mind.

As soon as I moved away from the counter though, Zakk’s eyes lit up as he saw what had been hidden behind my form. He ran over and picked up an old mason jar filled with an amber fluid, and some pony had written “NG” on the glass with permanent marker. “Is this nitroglycerine? He asked and gave the jar a very hard shake. Every pony in the building froze, eyes wide as we looked at the crazy buck. If what he had in his hooves was what he thought it was, we were all in danger. Zakk danced around with the jar, looking at it like a lost lover. “I haven’t seen this stuff in a long time!” He said happily as he did the tango with the jar. I felt brain cells dying at the sight, trying to figure out why we weren’t dead yet.

This continued for a few seconds, before my brain jumped into gear first. And I cautiously approached my friend, stopping him by the front door. “Zakk, you need to put that down, you could get us all killed.” I said carefully as I gestured at the jar. Every pony else was holding their breath, even the shop keep was too afraid to try hiding under his counter. Zakk looked at me carefully, wondering why I was so scared. “What’s the problem bud, this stuff is harmless.” He said chipperly before the door to the shop burst open, admitting a little foal. The jar was knocked from Zakk’s hooves, and it went flying toward the ceiling. “Oh no.” Zakk whispered before disappearing. The son of a bitch had run off.

We all watched in slow motion as the jar bounced off of the counter, and then hit a shelf. We all struggled to get to it to stop, but it set off a chain reaction all around us. The shelf it hit was littered with loose screws, which fell. One such screw hit a mouse trap that was laying on the ground, sprung it, and it sent the screw hurling at the very spear Zakk was messing with. It in turn tilted and fell, before landing on the trigger of a loaded machine gun. It sputtered out its full magazine in less than three seconds. The entire time, we were all crawling behind cover. Shady had the little foal in her hooves, trying to protect him from the hail of bullets.

I peaked around the side of a set of wooden chairs, to see the bullets tearing holes through the wooden paneling on the wall. The vibration shaking loose the screws that held the jar of nitro, which rolled the increasing angle. It too fell and landed on another mouse trap. I winced as it flung it back into the air, where it landed on a chandelier that was being used to hold many different instruments of death. Spears, saws, heavy chains, and metal pipes all began to rain down on us.

The machine gun ran out of ammo by this point, and we all scrambled to our hooves to dodge the falling tools. Shady keeping hold of the frightened kid, and letting one saw glance off her armor, which sent her down to a knee. “Hot tato!” She yelled and then tossed the screaming child to Cherry, who caught him easily, and barely managed to dodge a spear to her back. Shady scrambled out of the way as a heavy pipe landed where she had been. Cherry dipped and weaved through the shop, holding the kid close to her chest. I spared a quick glance at the rolling jar and saw the spires of the old chandelier had loosened the lid, and its contents splashed ono the floor, soaking it in nitro.

Cherry managed to avoid another spear but ran out of room to run. Seeing me, she made up her mind and chucked the kid toward me, throwing him between a falling saw, and pipe. I caught the kid just in time to turn my back and let the heavy implements glance off my back while I shielded the child. I spared yet another look at the jar, which had chosen to roll down one of the pipes it had dislodged, take a few spins on the counter top, before coming to a final rest, right where it had been before Zakk grabbed it.

The entire event probably lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, the falling equipment came to a rest, and the loud clatter of steel pipes finally waned, and all was quiet once more. Slowly every pony pulled themselves from cover. Battered, bruised, but no serious injuries. Even the old shop keep was unscathed. “I.. Is it over?” He stammered, and I shrugged off the pipe pinning me to the floor. I looked down at the little foal, hoping he was alright. He was scared, but otherwise unharmed. I stood up, holding the kid to my chest as I took stock of my friends. Cherry was shaken, and Shady was wincing as she rubbed her bad leg. I groaned softly as I moved through the wreckage of what used to be the shop. “Is everyone alright?” I said loudly, making sure I was heard past the ringing in all of our ears. “Safe!” Cherry called out through the dust. “We’re good!” Shady said, waving a hoof to make sure we saw her. I nodded, relieved that no pony was injured, but furious at Zakk for being the catalyst for this mess, and angry at the shop keeper for keeping live and dangerous weapons loaded on the other side of the counter.

I made to say something about it to the old stallion, but a small flash caught my eye. The bullet holes caused from the machine gun had punched holes in the walls, which were letting fresh sun light into the shop. One said beam was passing right through the glass jar, and the re intensified beam was pointing right at the nitro that had been spilled on the ground. “Oh, shit every pony ou…” Was all I managed to get out before the floor exploded, blasting me onto my back and knocking me out. Shady had filled in the gaps for me.

The old stallion grabbed the crying child from my limp hooves and ran through the door. He had braved the flames to keep the kid safe. Cherry and Shady though had another issue. Me. I was lying on the floor knocked cold. Shady’s leg would barely support her weight, and Cherry was too far into the burning shop to be much help. Then all hell broke loose, the old wood caught ablaze too easily, like an over sized tinder box. The massive support beam holding the entire building together caught fire from the heat, and quickly collapsed.

In no time the whole building was on fire, and thick smoke choked us all. Shady told me that what happened next surprised her, and everyone involved.

Honesty watched the ponies disembark the sky wagon. One of them ran ahead and she didn’t get a good look at them, but they wore no gear of any importance. However, the other three ponies grabbed Honesty’s interest. All three of them were wearing custom barding. But the one she had eyes for was the smaller blue pony. His armor was higher quality, and the weapons he wore would more than make this trip worth the effort. Plus, it would give her an edge, not only with her companions, but her whole band. “Come on.” She said and followed the group, Wrench and Slug following suit. “Wait, weren’t we going to take the wagon?” Wrench asked, and Honesty shot him a look that made him shut up before he said more. “if we are going to take that boat, we will need armor to protect us while we deal with the Alicorn on board.” Honesty whispered.

They followed the group, sneaking and hiding in the shadows. They watched as the troupe asked for directions, and then followed them until they entered an old wooden shack that looked like a store of sorts. Honesty had her companions hide out nearby, waiting for when they all came out. If there was ever a proper time to rob a pony, it was after they had completed their shopping. They sat there for over twenty minutes, waiting patiently. Then they watched a little foal chanting about candy ran into the store. There was a gust of wind shortly after the door burst open, followed by shouts of alarm and a staccato of gunfire. Honesty hit the dirt as a rapid burst of bullets tore over her head.

Her shout of panic was drowned out by the noise coming from the shop. Loud banging metal came from within, and it all lasted only a few seconds. Honesty lay in the dirt, peeking over her hooves as everything went quiet. She heard ponies inside communicating, but their voices were muffled. Then one clear shout echoed from the building. “Oh, shit every pony ou…” then there was a flash and a boom as something inside exploded. Seconds later, and elderly buck, trailing smoke and sporting a few bruises burst from the building, the terrified foal in his hooves.

Honesty didn’t want to let her one chance go up in smoke, so she jumped to her hooves, and yelled to her compatriots. “Get in there, grab what you can!” watched as Slug ran in, smoke billowing from the burning shop. Wrench ran if after his brother, and Honesty either hoped they grabbed the good stuff, or the fire would consume them too. Either way her problems would be over. Then Slug re emerged from the building, dragging the large gray mare free of the building. Then wrench came out, struggling to pull the red unicorn free of the wreckage. Slug helped him and dropped the coughing and gagging mare onto the dirt next to her friend.

“There is another in there, get him!” Honesty yelled at Slug as she ran over to investigate the two mares. One was heavily muscled and could probably squeeze her until she popped. The other was a very pretty and petite unicorn. Her hair singed, and a small cut on her cheek. “Please, help moonshine.” She croaked past her coughs. Honesty had never seen another pony wear the look the unicorn gave her. It conveyed just how much she cared for the pony named Moonshine who was still trapped inside. Then the mare fell to the dirt, unconscious next to her friend.

Honesty felt a new feeling then, it was worry. Some part of her was hoping Slug got the blue pony free of the fire and could reunite him with this beautiful mare. But she squashed it too and returned her gaze to the doorway. There was a few swears shouted from Wrench, but finally, after a few agonizing seconds, Slug came back, and dropped the blue pony to the dirt next to the unicorn. Wrench came stumbling out after his brother, empty hooved. “Didn’t you grab anything else!?” Honesty whisper shouted at him as she knelt to try removing the armor from the pony named moonshine.

“I would have, but everything else was on fire!” He shouted back as he set about trying to remove the armor from the lager mare. Honesty didn’t chastise him though, she had what she wanted right here, and they had to get it, and get out of here before more help came along. Just as she thought she was home free, she just couldn’t figure out how to get the armor from the stallion. It had multiple securement points, and she just wasn’t familiar with this type before. “Wrench gimme a hoof here.” Honesty whispered, but when she glanced up at him, he was looking behind her, a look of horror on his face. She whipped around and came muzzle to muzzle with a slender light grey pony. His mane and tail a royal blue. Every bandit knew this pony, hell most of the wasteland did. His name was Zakk, but every bandit had another name for him. The Laughing Ghost.

He was standing there, looking at the three of them. A plate in one hoof, holding a slice of cake. Where he got cake, no pony could guess. But there he was, holding that damn plate. His eyes were calm, if a little mischievous. “Were you robbing my friends?” he asked, and then took a small nibble of his dessert. Every bandit knew better than to lie to The Laughing Ghost, and Honesty just nodded her head, unable to wrap her brain around the fact that he was here, right now, and catching three bandits red hoofed while trying to rob those he called friends.

“Neat.” Was all he said before taking another bite of his cake. Seriously where the fuck did he get that? Honesty asked to herself, before looking back at the stallion before her. Honesty looked to Slug and Wrench, who were both horrified to see this stallion, but Honesty felt much different. She looked back at the pony, and removed her metal helmet from her head, letting her blonde mane free for the first time in over a week. “My kind, we tell stories about you all over the wasteland. You are a legend to us. “She said calmly, before setting her helmet on the ground before Zakk. Then her voice changed, and an excited light lit her features, a sight neither Wrench or Slug thought she could make.

“Please Mr. Laughing ghost, please stomp on my helmet!” She asked, sounding like a filly asking for a Hearths Warming gift. Zakk was honestly putt off by such a request, but he didn’t see a problem with it. So, he lifted a rear hoof, and stomped upon the helmet, turning it into a perfectly flat metal disc. Honesty was beyond thrilled, she was acting like a little foal. She scooped up her crushed helm and held it out to Slug and Wrench. “Look, its like a metal pancake!” She said happily.

Zakk paid her no more mind and snacked on his treat. He could tell Moonshine and the others were alive, he had no reason to hurry this along. Thou he did know Moonshine would probably chew him out for disappearing, but who could blame him, there was delicious cake!