Chapter 2

Screams, Past and Present

I fell into a chair. My heart, while still beating, was also breaking. The young Pegasus who was our ride flew faster and harder than he probably had in a very long time, right into the carnage that was sure to be waiting for us. I had seen violence before, hell everyone in the wasteland had. But still it affected me. Right now, people who I had lived with, and some I had grown to know were dying, and it was all because some pony had their eyes set on our water.

While I was falling into a pit of despair and fear, Shady was the exact opposite. Her swearing would make LittlePip blush had she heard them. She was currently pacing around the cramped quarters of the sky wagon, a sizeable ball of rage right now. “That conniving, twisted, charismatic, maggot infested, sly, COCK WHISTLER!” She shouted, all the while stomping her hoof onto the deck, denting it. I pushed back further into my seat, I had seen her mad before, but this was a whole new level.

“If I ever see that beaked pile of shit again I swear I’m gonna geld him with a rusty spoon.” She swore, then fell silent after that for a moment before turning her attention on me. “And you, are you just gonna sit there and quiver like a little bitch? Huh!?” She shouted at me, spittle landing on my cheek but I just shriveled more into the seat. She flung up her hooves in exacerbation and went back to pacing around.

A few minutes passed like this. The only sound coming from the wind outside, and Shady’s aggravated stomping. Only then did she look at me once more, only to see me quickly trying to wipe my eyes. “Are you…? Oh, my Celestia you are. You’re crying.” Her words were not accusing. Behind her anger was a tone of concern.I finish wiping my eyes, and look down, ashamed. “Yeah. I am.” I choke out. Truth was I was very afraid. Here I was about to leap into a fight, and I was crying like a young filly.

Shady pauses in her pacing and takes a seat beside me. I looked back at her, and then to my hooves. “I... I just don’t handle conflict like this very well.” I admit, a fresh set of tears building behind my eyes. Shady kept her gaze on me but said nothing. Instead she placed a hoof on my shoulder in a small attempt to comfort me. “Look, I’m not sure how bad it will be when we get there, hell it could all be fine. But if it’s not, and we have no choice but to fight, I want you to stick close to me. I know this isn’t your thing, but for the sake of your home, I need you to try.”

I nod and do my best to regain some control. Truth be told I was still terrified, but unlike last time, I had some pony to help me. “Oh, and if we survive this, you will need to tell me what happened to you to spook you so badly.” That stunned me more than it should have. I mean, I didn’t exactly hide the fact this was bothering me, but I just assumed that was how normal ponies dealt with fear. Apparently, I was wrong, and Shady’s way was normal for the wasteland.

“Sure, if we make it through, I’ll kiss your clit. But don’t expect too much help in a fight, I’m worse than useless.” I comment. And the blush that lit Shady’s cheeks almost made it worth it when she hauled off and slapped me. I jumped in surprise more than pain, and we both shared a moment of shock as we looked at each other. A heartbeat later, we both laughed. Not a full heartfelt laugh, more of a soft chuckle given our current circumstances. Still it was enough for us both to reset and get our heads back in the moment.

A few more minutes passed, as we both grew tense again. Her from rage, and me from fear. As Respite grew close, Shady leaned out from the forward window, and shouted some instructions to the Pegasus. I couldn’t hear what was said, but a stiff nod came from our pilot, apparently a confirmation to Shady’s instructions.

I didn’t have to wait much longer before the staccato of auto fire and screams began to filter through my ears. Down below, the town was a mass of confusion. Ponies ran around terrified, clinging to their loved ones, or any few possessions they deemed too important. On the other side, came an entire platoon of NCR soldiers. They fired their rifles into every dark alley way, and shadowed corner they could. Even from this height, I saw several ponies gunned down, and collapse in their own blood. But if that horror wasn’t enough, I saw ponies trying desperately to fight back.

Some had rusty bits of pipe, others were using makeshift firearms made from old pipe and chunks of dried and cracked wood. Others still, were tossing cocktails. Alcohol filled bottles with rags stuffed down the necks. Each rag was on fire, and when the bottle was tossed, it would land and engulf anything it hit in intense fire. I saw one unicorn buck step before an NCR soldier and move to toss one cocktail. Instead I watched as he was gunned down and his magic went wild in his last moments of life.

The fire bomb flew off in a random direction and struck one of the wooden shacks. In no time at all it was fully engulfed in flames, soon it spread to the other buildings next door. Ponies who were using the shelters as cover ran from the building inferno and straight into the crossfire between the two fighting groups. My insides twisted at the scene of carnage. Too many memories were resurfacing, and I was facing the demon of my past once again.

I was shocked from my mental breakdown a moment later by the sky wagon banking hard to avoid a hail of gunfire from below. Once we leveled out again, I looked down to see the shop where Shady and I worked come into view. Whatever command the Pegasus had received, it obviously included dropping us off here. Without warning, Shady took my hoof in hers, and pulled me from the door and into the air. The free fall was probably less than a second, but it still sent my stomach into a series of flips.

Shady and I toppled onto the roof in a tangle of hooves and legs as our chauffeur banked and flew higher into the night sky. I quickly lost sight of him as he disappeared through a cloud of smoke. “C’mon dipshit, we gotta get inside.” Shady shouted into my ear and pulled me to my hooves beside her. Together we ran toward the only entrance from the roof. A shattered and broken skylight that had been set above the office room. I paused on the edge, not wanting to leap into the darkness below, but a bullet buzzing past my ear made the decision for me, and I leapt into the pitch black.

A few meters below the edge, my rear hooves caught on something made of steel. I screeched in surprise as I was flipped upside down. A second later I came to a hard stop, having landed on the dirty concrete floor. The wind was knocked from my lungs upon impact, and I managed to hit my jaw hard enough on the ground to chip a tooth. Groaning and trying to inhale, I rolled off to the side if only to clear the way for Shady.

“Hey, hurry up and hit a light down there, I’m a sitting duck out here!” She shouted down to me. I gasped for air, not even capable of being angry at her right now as I fumbled around. I knocked over so many things sitting on the floor, I think one was a bucket, but I couldn’t be sure. Finally, my hoof brushed a wall, and I pushed my side against it as I searched for a door. Seconds later I had bumped into a door knob and knew there would be a light switch beside it. I gave it a flip, and immediately dull yellow light flooded the room.

Finally, my breath was coming back, and a dull ache was making its way across my jaw. I turned to look back up, hoping Shady was jumping down, but instead I came face to face with a metal pony face. It was like something out of a nightmare as I screamed out and fell back, my hooves struggling for grip on the cement. Rings of rust surrounded pupil less eyes, and heavy braided hoses snaked across to its muzzle, and one large light dominated the left side of its forehead.

I had seen that mask before, almost every pony had who lived in the wasteland. That was the mask of a Steel Ranger, and it was usually the last thing many ponies saw before meeting death. This time however, it just stared down at me, Unmoving, and emotionless. Tentatively, and with a shaking hoof, I waved it across the eye lenses. But it didn’t react at all, in fact it remained completely motionless. “Uh um hello?” I whispered in a quivering voice. Then it spoke, it felt like it had shouted right into my ear.

“BOO!” It shouted, and I screamed again before flopping and flailing as I tried to get away from it. Only when I started to hear laughter did I pause in my escape long enough to look back. And there, laying before the motionless Steel Ranger, was Shady. And she was laughing so hard she snorted. “Oh, Goddesses you should’ve seen your face. Holy shit that was priceless!” She roared with laughter. It took all of three seconds for my mind to catch up and put two and two back together.

“You… you have no idea how close I just came to a fucking heart attack. What the hell is going on here, and why is there a suit of power armor here?” I nearly shouted at her as I eyed the inactive suit suspiciously. Truth was I was more terrified of the suit than I was the NCR soldiers outside. But I shook my head and pushed those thoughts aside for now, after all my home was in danger... again.

Shady reclaimed some of her composure, as she sat and placed a hoof on the armor. “This here is how we are going to run the fucks out of town.” She dead panned, as if it was the most obvious thing. But unlike most other operational suits of power armor, this one was rusted through in spots, and many of the panels were pieced together with welded on scrap. In truth, the more I looked, the worse it got. I saw so many of the moving parts were nearly rusted solid or missing all together. Worst yet, all the weapons systems were missing. The damn thing didn’t even have a pistol. I was beginning to understand Shady’s plan. But it was just beginning to look suicidal.

“I know what it looks like. I’ve been working on this thing for a long time, and I almost had it back functioning properly. But after seeing how you reacted, this only reinforces my confidence.” She nods as she investigates the visor and looks back at her own reflection. I shook my head, and glanced around, hoping she had some other alternative in this room. When none presented itself, I sighed instead and looked back at her.

“Ok a few things come to mind right now. One, where the actual hell did you get a suit of power armor. Two, and this is the important one, who is going to be operate it, and three, do you have any weapons for it?” I ask, my confidence in Shady fading fast. I had to look away from the suit, or I would continue to see faults in it.

“I will tell you the story of how I got this later, but as for who will operate it, it will be you.” I snapped my head back to look into her eyes. She had just told me to climb into a tin can of death and go charging straight at those who wanted to kill us over water. “You can’t be serious, that thing looks like swiss fucking cheese, and I don’t know how to operate it.” I complain, really beginning to dread my own existence right now. “I’m kidding, I know how to run it, and I will teach you another time, for now just hold tight while I get this beast up and running.” She said, and I shook my head once more.

“One day you will have to tell me what the fuck you’re even on about.” I grouse, only a little happy that I wasn’t going to have to wear that thing. “As for weapons, we have none. At least right now. But you let me take out a few of those NCR Bastards, and we can get what we need.” She almost sounded excited, as she began the process of suiting up. Which consisted of turning a large wheel on the back, and the suit creaking with rust as it opened like a flower.

I watched as Shady climbed a small step ladder and begin lowering herself into the suit. “Stay behind me, let me absorb the bullets. As soon as I take down one soldier, take any weapons and ammo they have, and stick with me.” I nodded as she slipped into the rusty armor. The suit closing around her with a series of loud, metallic squeals. I heard power begin to surge through the suit, probably reacting to her presence inside and that sparked another question.

“Umm Shady, how long will the power in that suit last?” I asked as I watched her slowly articulate each joint. The occasional pings and groans of rotten metal didn’t ease my nerves. “Oh, I have about fifteen minutes of juice, twenty at most.” She stated, without a trace of worry. Honestly, I wish I could read her mind right now, because this was getting crazier by the second. I nod once more hesitantly, as she begins to slowly walk around. The suit clopping hard upon the old cement it stood upon. I decided then and there, if this was going to be crazy, I might as well make it complete. I opened the door to the office, letting the dim lighting pour across the dingy workshop within. I looked around for a moment, trying to get my bearings, when I finally spotted what I was looking for.

Sitting on the table I had left scant hours before, rested the hammer I had used for the last few years. I recognized its pitted head, and metal handle as if I had made it myself. I quickly scooped up the tool into my mouth and scampered back toward the office where Shady was waiting within. “You about ready, I think we have been here long enough” She dead pans. I clench my teeth around the handle to my hammer and nod an affirmative before gulping and hoping I really was ready.

The side of the old sky wagon repair shop exploded away from the rest of the building. Knocking four NCR soldiers off their hooves. Before they could register what had happened to them, a bright spotlight illuminated them in its intense glow. All four ponies froze, momentarily blinded by the light. A heartbeat later, a mechanical terror tore into them. I heard bones crack and shatter as Shady mowed them down. Their screams of pain only mixing with the rest of Respite.

I charged out behind Shady. Pausing only long enough to look at a buck who had one side of his face caved in, and his back legs splayed at odd and broken angles. The saddest moment came, when I realized he was still alive. I looked down at him, and without a shred of hesitation… I stepped over him and left him to his fate. I really didn’t feel like helping those ponies who were attacking my home. I didn’t want to kill them, though I had no reason to worry about them either.

Shady continued her charge, knocking any pony aside, who was dumb enough to get in her way. Not wanting to get left behind, I high tailed it after her. Ponies littered the roadways, most having been residents who had been gunned down and only a few NCR. As I ran to keep up with the tank on hooves, I kept tripping and sliding over spent brass, and tangled limbs.

As her and I rounded a corner however, a large squad of NCR bucks and mares froze at the sight of the armor. Time stopped for the briefest of seconds, before several ponies, and Shady screamed at one another, and charged. I fell behind a corner for cover, as Shady met with the soldiers. What ensued was both horrifying, and beautiful all at once. Shady, despite the ragged condition of the armor, was fighting with a fury that both surprised me, and scared me. I saw her wrap one leg around a mare’s middle and spin her around to slam against three of her fellow soldiers. Even over the mayhem, I heard the mare’s spine snap before she fell limp upon her comrades. Shady was literally beating one mother fucker, with another mother fucker.

I shrank back into the darkness a little, as one of the bucks took pot shots and Shady’s flank. The bullets did no real damage besides dent the heavy metal. Shady didn’t seem to notice at all as she started battering her hooves against any pony before her. I grit my teeth around the handle in my mouth and swung it hard toward him. In my defense, it was dark, and he was moving around a little, so it was a complete accident that my hammer head crushed his groin. I winced as he dropped the gun in his mouth, and fell to the ground, clutching his loins and screaming in pain. I felt a little bad, I hadn’t wanted to hurt him like that. But I didn’t have time to show him sympathy, so I cracked my hammer across his helmet just hard enough to knock him out. At least I hope I had. I still really didn’t want to kill any pony no matter how much they deserved it.

I stuffed my hammer into my belt quickly and scooped up his fallen pistol. It was a simple nine-millimeter, hardly enough to destroy armored plating, but it proved more than enough to distract the rest of the NCR ponies. I took empty shots into the dirt close enough to their hooves to startle them. And once I had their attention, Shady would pounce on them and quickly dispatch them. It was a nasty trick, but it was working, and still I hadn’t killed any pony. I had to admit, my confidence was growing.

The group was thinning out now, only a few remained standing. I felt secure enough to move to a different place of cover, while letting Shady do the hard work. I leaned against a trashcan, breathing hard. This was way out of hoof, Combat was way beyond my paygrade. Before too much longer, Shady had dealt with the remaining troops. I took a little time to scavenge any more nine-millimeter ammo. Shady paused, and I could tell was looking at me through the visor with a questioning gaze. I sighed and quickly explained to her what I was doing, and she nodded in appreciation before we moved on.

I followed her into yet another group of NCR, but this time things were hammered home with the level of violence and carnage I hadn’t seen yet. NCR soldiers were firing on a group of ponies desperate to fend off the invaders. Things weren’t going well for them until Shady rounded the corner. Both sides froze, and one of the few towns ponies I had seen around, took a shot at Shady as she ran toward the NCR. “SAME TEAM, SAME TEAM!” she yelled as she closed with the NCR. They hesitated at Shady’s shout, just long enough for her to tear into them as well and begin battering them to death.

I cowered behind a mail box, watching the action, before a sudden loud wail caught my ear. I jerked my head to the side to see the two brothers I had seen earlier fighting and wrestling. One was cradling the other’s head, crying and wailing over his brother’s corpse. “No! No! You can’t leave me yet! Come back you irritating little shit!” He sobbed. I choked up at the sight but made a move anyway to get the one surviving foal to safety.

I only made it half way before his body went ridged, and his eyes crossed. A spray of blood coming from one side of his skull, where the bullet had left his brain. I watched in slow motion as he fell into the dirt beside his own brother, and the last light leave his innocent eyes. I stood, wide eyed and traumatized at what I had just witnessed. Then, a figure darted past, a leather duster trailing behind them as their revolver barked twice more, presumably taking more lives. I fell into the dirt, unable to fully comprehend what I had just seen.

I don’t know how long I lay there, but by the time Shady had finished off with the NCR group she probably killed, I had shed even more tears. When she moved over next to me, and comprehended what I was staring at, she swore under her breath, and I could practically feel the rage boiling from her. Then the matter grew even worse when one mare stepped from the crowd Shady had saved, and with a tortured scream of horror and pain, she ran over to the two brothers, and wept over her dead children. The rest of the survivors moved over to the mare, not only to comfort her, but also get her and her dead foals out of harm’s way.

Shady gave me a few more moments to mourn the children before she picked me up and made me walk off with her. We encountered a few more groups like that, and just as before I took cover and provided some distraction, but my heart wasn’t in it. I kept replaying the last moments of the foals life through my head. By now, Shady’s armor was looking worse than before and I could tell some of the bullets had only just penetrated. I’m sure she was in a fair bit of pain behind that helmet, but I also knew she would never show it. Especially since she could still draw breath where many others couldn’t. One of the now dead bucks had a healing potion on him, and I hoofed it to her despite my broken heart. “Thanks, but we might have another problem,” She admitted before pulling her helmet off, and downing the potion sadly . I looked at her, and I knew already what she was talking about.

“You’re already low on power, aren’t you?” I asked, as I sat up and slid a new magazine of rounds into the pistol. She nodded and tossed the empty bottle aside. “I just hope Quick Shot was able to get the surviving towns ponies to safety.” She said dryly before replacing her helmet on her head. At my confused look she amended. “The Pegasus, ya know the one who flew us to that bullshit party?” I nod, finally able to have a name to go with the face.

I hear the helmet click back into place, and the spotlight over her head flicker back to life. I bite down on the bit to my pistol once more and rack the side. Shady and I slowly begin to trot through the burning and collapsing areas of town. Most of the fighting had died down, between Shady’s massacre of the NCR forces, and the fact that most of the survivors had hopefully loaded into the sky wagon and were on their way to safety. Still there were some small bursts of gun fire, then all fell silent once again. Shady’s helmet lamp continued to flicker, and we slowed to a walk just to try and save some power.

Shady and I keep close as the entire town falls eerily silent, save the crackle of burning wood, and the sound of a soft breeze billowing through the streets. I tensed, and I could feel Shady do the same as a singular figure slowly began to appear in the flames ahead of us. Only the silhouette of a pony could be seen, a long-barreled revolver floating beside them. I slowly backed around to the back of Shady, using her armored body as a shield. I knew just how much damage that gun could cause, seeing as it was the very same I had seen take the life of a child earlier.

A single shot rang out from the mysterious pony, but the bullet wasn’t aimed for us. Instead it hit a single beam behind us, and the building on that side of the road collapsed and toppled across the road. Now I knew we were screwed having been completely cut off at this point. I glanced around Shady’s bulky form, just in time to see the shadowed pony look at us, a deep red glare falling upon us. No not a glare. A visor.

Slowly the pony shape drew near, and I began to make out their shape. They had a long leather duster covering their back and haunches. Heavy armor plating underneath, and a thick military helmet melded with a red visor and a respirator. Truth be told, they looked just as formidable as Shady in her power armor. Only this one wasn’t so beaten up.

“Goddesses plow my southern fields.” Swore Shady, as she looked back to me. “That’s a fucking NCR Ranger. One of their elite. They specialize in high priority targets and every one of them is a crack shot. I’m sorry Moonshine, but I don’t think I can win this fight.” My ears drooped as I heard those words come from her. Never in a thousand years could I imagine that I would hear such defeat in her voice. There had to be something we could do, I mean I jumped out of a fucking sky wagon. I jumped into a black pit and got scared by an empty set of power armor. I had hit a poor buck in the nuts, and gotten shot at, and witnessed horrible injuries and the death of a foal!

I think I had enough for one night, don’t you?

“With respect Shady, fuck that.” I declare and move to stand beside her once more. “Armor or not, NCR Ranger or not, I didn’t go through all of the fucked-up shit in my life, to get taken out by some twat waffle with a fucking revolver. It didn’t happen then, and I won’t let it happen now.” By this point I was furious. I felt my heart thundering in my chest, and the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I was not about to go out like a bitch.

And then the NCR pony shot me. Of fucking course he shot me. The bullet hit me so hard it knocked me into the dirt. So yeah. I got taken out like a bitch. I couldn’t even scream in pain as the bullet tore through my chest and exited through my rib cage. At first, I didn’t feel anything but a slight burning sensation, but when I looked down at my chest and saw the hole I knew I was fucked. I began to feel it then, as my hot blood began to pool around me, mixing with the dirt. I coughed a little, but only more blood came up. Fuck it really hurt, I could feel my heart thudding, but it only made the bleeding worse.

I then heard a scream. Not one of fear, but of pain and rage. I managed a small glance at Shady, who was shouting through her helmet at the NCR Ranger. Her anger was so powerful that I could have sworn she would break the power armor with her muscles alone. She suddenly charged the Ranger, knocking them to the side as her superior weight tossed them around. All the while, she kept shouting, her steel-clad hooves chipping the concrete as she forced the dying power armor to continue.

“You callous cunt! You come into my town…” As she shouts she begins to batter the armor of the Ranger, who takes it all without a grunt. “You kill my neighbors…” She struck one hoof across the Ranger’s helmet, and I swear the visor flickered a little. “And you shoot one of the nicest Ponies I have ever known! He was going to finally talk to me!” The Ranger wasn’t going down without a fight and was trying hard to get a shot at her with the Revolver, but every time Shady made contact, their magic faltered a bit.

“I had to watch him for years, knowing there was something eating at him, yet he never told any pony what. I had to see him carrying this pain, yet he bore it stoically. HE WAS GOING TO FINALLY TELL ME!” She shouted so hard the speakers in the helmet screeched with feedback. Apparently, the Ranger was hearing it to, because their magic failed entirely, and the revolver clattered to the ground. My vision was beginning to go dark, the pain was so intense I just wanted it to end. But I couldn’t I had made a promise to Shady after all. So, as she fought for her life, so too did I.

Shady began to pummel her hooves on the Rangers helmet. Deep dents began to form, and the Ranger lost a little ground. But Shady was having problems too. Her helmet light was but a small, dim spot inside the lamp, the last of her power beginning to fade. I saw her stagger, as one of the armored legs failed to hold the weight. As I was on the verge of losing consciousness, a small flicker to the side caught my eye. It took me several seconds to realize what I was seeing, but when I did I knew I had to act fast.

The servos on Shady’s power armor were beginning to sound weaker, and her attacks held less force. And the Ranger knew it too, they managed to back away enough to clear their head and were willing to wait for the armor to run out of power. I wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction. I slowly dragged myself through the dirt. My chest feeling like it was on fire, as I forced myself to crawl forward. I knew that at any moment I would start going into shock, but I couldn’t yet. Instead I focused everything I had on moving. Using my anger and pain as a fuel to just stay conscious.

Finally, the light to Shady’s armor flickered for the last time, and the suit died. It slowly creaked open, dumping a very exhausted and sweaty Shady Acres into the road. Her leather dress had several bloody holes torn through it, and she had a number of visible bruises. The Ranger showed no reaction, or emotion to the sight of her looking so tired. Instead they used their magic, trying to reach for the revolver they had dropped, but the resistance of something pulling against it caused the Ranger to look over.

And there, they saw the revolver, clutched in the bloody grimace of a dying pony. I looked back into the emotionless visor, my vision filling with black, and my entire body going numb and cold. I saw the foal dying again, and this time, with no hesitation…I pulled the trigger. The bullet tore through the Rangers mask and blew a golf ball sized hole from the back of their head. I dropped the revolver as the corpse landed before Shady, and I finally fell into oblivion.

Soft music was playing nearby as my dry eyes creaked open. Bright light entered my retinas but not enough to hurt. I was laying on a soft mattress, and I was covered in soft silk sheets. Never before had I felt something so soft, and gentle when it came to bedding. I sat up slowly, my body stiff and sore. Glancing around the room, I was able to notice that everything looked clean and new. Not like it was refurbished junk, but freshly unboxed and cared for new items.

The radio on the dresser was shiny, and the light behind the dial was bright. The whole room felt alive, as if this was how Equestria was supposed to be. Even my Earth pony instincts were buzzing with the sensations of nature being… well right. I continued to look around the room, everything was fine, but I had the nagging sense something was off, and I couldn’t put my hoof on it. As I wracked my brain, I moved out of the bed. Stretching slowly and groaning happily as stiff joints popped.

Unsure of what I was missing, I moved nearer to a full-length mirror, and looked at my reflection. Gone were the creases and bags under my eyes, my mane, while messy, was trimmed up and clean. Cleaner than I had ever seen it. My coat was shiny and well groomed, my hooves were un-split and polished. Even the hole in my chest was… Then it clicked. I had been shot! I quickly rubbed the spot where the hole should have been, and even turned to look at my side, where the exit was. But all I saw was healthy hide, and a well-fed belly. I had never been well fed, bordering on malnourishment my whole life. The pony looking back at me wasn’t who I really was.

As my mind began to fire across all its limited capabilities. I began to see cracks in the illusion. Areas where bits of the wasteland shifted places with their new counterparts. I knew something was off. And here it was. I had been shot, and now I was in a posh and clean room. Is this where ponies went when they died?

“Oh, you’re not dead yet.” I heard a voice, and I snapped my attention around the room, but the only pony I saw was my own reflection, and it was smiling at me. I was not smiling, so how could a reflection smile? “Because this is all in your head bud.” This time I saw the mouth of my reflection move, and I heard the words enter my ears.

“You mean I’m going crazy?” I ask, looking angrily at the smug reflection. “Oh no not at all. This is just your brain, your real brain creating a dream, so you can’t feel yourself dying. Out there, you are bleeding to death, and you have a hole in your chest.” I reeled back, it was one thing to think I was dying, but to have it confirmed by my own brain?

“What if I refuse to die right now, what if I try to fight for my life?” I stare hard into my reflection’s eyes, making my question carry the weight I knew it would. It shrugs with one hoof, and points back at me. “You can, and I would recommend it. But not now, your friend is currently trying to save your life. If you regain consciousness now, you can cause more harm than good, and neither of us want that. You’re fucked up enough in here as it is.”

I watch as the reflection shifts and shows a bit of my past. Watching my home burn alive as the town around us is consumed. “Stop that, stop that now, you have no right to bring that up!” I shout at my reflection. It just smiles and raises an eyebrow. “I believe I have all the right, as much as you do. After all, I’m also you.” I glare again at it for just a minute, before running my hoof across my shaggy mane. I wanted nothing more than to wake up right now, go back to feeling alive instead of trapped inside my own dying brain.

Finally, I sigh, and try to get my heart rate under control. Several deep breaths and letting myself relax a little helped. “What should I do here then, I mean is there a magazine or a book to read?” I ask. After all, nothing was worse than waiting at a hospital with nothing to do. My reflection leans its head and places a hoof on its chin thoughtfully. Finally, his eyes brighten a little, and he clops his hooves together. “How about this.” He whispers before the mirror shimmers a little, and I look hard at my own proper reflection, the expression of confusion matching the one I felt on my face. What the hell had my own mind just done?

Perplexed, I turn my attention from the strange mirror, and begin to move around the room once more. Idly I poke some of the items scattered around the place, I even fiddled with the radio and changed the station. Hearing nothing, I liked, I clicked the radio off, but music continued in the room next door. I sighed and moved to turn off the other radio. The door swung open easily and noiselessly, and the music grew louder as well as the sound of splashing water.

Great, even in my own mind pipes were leaking or something. The music was coming from behind a thin plastic curtain, which I pulled aside quickly.I jump slightly as there was apparently more than just a radio in there. I had come muzzle to muzzle with Shady Acres, and she was busy washing inside of the shower. And the source of the music was her humming. “Holy shit I’m sorry I thought there was a…” I was mercifully silenced by a gently touch of her hoof to my lips.

“Shhh its fine, I was just waiting for you.” She whispered softly, making my cheeks flush with color. This absolutely had to be a dream, there was no way Shady would ever flirt with me like this. Before I could utter even the simplest of replies, she had pulled herself halfway out of the tub and wrapped her fore legs around my neck. Before I knew what was happening, she pressed her lips to my own, and pulled me harder into the kiss.

Before I could rationalize any actual thought, I wrapped my arms around her back, and pulled her wet body even closer to my own. I felt no hesitation on her part as we pushed against one another hungrily, both of us clearly enjoying the contact. We broke apart, only to catch our breath, and now my face wasn’t the only one flushed with color. I looked deep into her half-lidded eyes, and slowly began to stutter some attempt at protesting what was about to happen. Even though it was just a dream, it felt wrong to think of Shady this way.

Instead of kissing me once more to shut me up, she did something far more devious. She placed her hoof softly upon my unmarked chest, and slowly trailed it south, as she leaned in and playfully nibbled on my ear. Any remaining doubts in my mind trailed away as her hoof reached the one place she was searching for. I shivered softly as a soft moan slips through my lips. “Shady pulls back a little and looks at me with a mischievous grin on her lips. “Did you just do what I think you did?” She purrs softly.

I blush even brighter, and my ears fold back on my head. “No… it’s just the water from the shower.” I lie, hoping she would buy it. She didn’t. “If just a simple touch can do that to you, I think we should see what you can do to me.” She teases, before letting go of my neck. “Umm what?” I stammer as she slips back into the tub and begins to turn around. “You promised me, that if we survived the night, you would kiss my clit. Time to make good on that.” She playfully growled, and I felt a surge of energy in a region I hadn’t properly experienced. Instead of denying, or trying to find some excuse, I simply blushed even harder and nodded. “Uh ye…yes Boss.” I stammer, and quickly got to work.

“Good boy.” She moaned out.

An undeterminable time later, Shady and I were curled against each other on the bed. I rested with a hoof across her side, as I breathed in. even though I now knew this to be a dream, I still felt awkward after doing…well what we just did. The only reason I went along with this craziness my brain was conjuring, was because I was afraid to go back. I knew I would either be in incredible pain, or I would be dead. Neither option really sounds great when you think about it.

“I need to wake up soon don’t I?” I ask, knowing that this version of her knew what I meant. “Yeah ya do. You promised to talk to me as well remember?” I nod, and open my mouth to begin doing just that, but she silenced me with another small peck on the lips. “No dummy, you need to tell the real me, not just some fragment of your brain.” I nodded once more and tried to put on the bravest face I had. “Yup, I’ll do that.” I promised again, and slowly pushed myself to my hooves.

I felt Shady’s eyes on my flank as I moved to stand before the mirror once again. This time, no reflection came. Instead it grew dark and through it I heard just the barest hints of the real shady calling out to me. I needed to go, but a large part of me didn’t want to. “This will hurt won’t it?” I ask, as I stare at the mirror. I didn’t need to see the dream version of Shady to know she was wearing her “No shit.” expression. I sigh softly and close my eyes as I push my body into the mirror.

Everything gets all hazy, like my head was filled with cotton. I was acutely aware of sounds growing louder, and the sensation of movement. Other than that, I felt almost nothing. Only a small discomfort in my chest and side. I blinked, hoping my vision would clear, but all that lasted was the darkness. My mind was so slow and groggy, that even with the lack of eyesight I couldn’t find the energy to panic. I did however try to stretch and move into a more comfortable position, but something incredibly heavy was weighing me down and resisting my movements.

“Wait, I think he’s awake.” I hear a muffled voice, followed by another more familiar one. “You fuckin think? We both saw the leg try to move.” I could not place the first voice, but then again, I was really out of it. So, I decided to try and talk. “fuck my life, this is easily the second worst night of my life.” I groan out. And even though it probably wasn’t more than a whisper, I immediately felt the warm pillow I was laying on get pulled out from under my head.

I was still with it enough to recognize the glow and smell of a nearby campfire, and to realize the pillow I was laying on and blinded by wasn’t a pillow at all. It was the helmet of Shady’s power armor. While that normally would have freaked me out, I had just gotten shot, and apparently almost died. I had reached my limit of things that could bother me by this point. I look away from the helmet and my eyes fall upon the worried gazes of Shady, and the Pegasus Quick Shot. So that was the other voice I had heard.

Shady looked like crap, two black eyes, and a possible broken nose. I could only imagine the rest of her looked just as bad. Quick Shot looked haggard and tired, if a little dirty he had no noticeable injuries. I try to focus back on Shady as I give a small yet lopsided smile. “Hey, did we win?” I ask, and I could see the look in her eyes that told me something was wrong. “Not exactly. We lost over half of the towns ponies, and we also lost Respite. When you went down, I had just enough time to stuff you in the suit before Quick Shot picked us up. As we were taking off, three more Rangers were sighted. So sadly, we had to get out.”

The look she wore told me that wasn’t the entire story. “Oh, umm ok, let’s talk about the elephant in the room here.” I mutter as I look back at her, trying to convey what I couldn’t with words. “You’re pretty bad bud,” Quick Shot spoke up, looking at me sympathetically. A sharp glare from Shady, which promised immeasurable pain, shut him up pretty quick. She then sighed and look back at me, before running her hoof across my forehead. “You have a collapsed lung, and two holes from a large caliber bullet. You took a bad hit to the head when you fell, so you’re probably concussed.” She whispered sadly.

I nod softly, I knew I was pretty messed up. I mean my brain literally protected me the best it could. That counted for something right? “We had to use two syringes of Med-x on you and had to bandage the holes in your hide. If you were sober now, you would probably be begging for me to shoot you again.” Shady half laughed, half cried as she spoke. “Quick Shot, will you give Shady and me a moment?” I ask him as she looks to the side for a moment. Probably to wipe her eyes and pretend she wasn’t crying at all.

“Oh yeah, sure thing, you got it dude.” And like that, he got up and left, moving far enough away to give us some privacy. I turn my eyes back on Shady, not speaking, just waiting for her to speak and finally she did. “I… I didn’t want any of this. I should have been there, to stop them at the beginning.” I could see the anger in her eyes as she turned to look in the direction of the campfire. “You got hurt because of me.” I saw her eyes water again, and her lip quiver only a little before it stopped. “You saved my life Moonshine. You were dying. Bleeding out on the road. Yet you still saved me. After all the times I called you dumbass, made you work late, hell even making you go to that fucking party.”

She paused again and looked at me. Her eyes asking the one word I knew they would. “You want to know why huh?” I look up at her and try to take a deep breath. That…didn’t go so well truth be told. Instead I just focused on talking as much as I could right now. “One reason, I promised I would tell you why I don’t deal with violence very well. And the other reason… I just wanted you to keep going, even if I couldn’t.”

She nods, and leans closer just a bit, so I didn’t have to speak so loudly. “Let me answer your question to me with another question. Have you ever read the story of LittlePip? A book called Fallout?” I ask her. Upon her look of recognition, I knew she had, and I nod before continuing. “I was in that story.” The look on her face told me she was trying to do the math. “But that would mean you were just a young colt then, what happened?” her eyes were genuinely curious, but I recognized a slight apprehension from her. There was no easy way to put this, no proper lead up, and no preparation. So, I just told her.

“I was a child of Arbu.”

Shady Acres

S: 9

P: 4

E: 6

C: 5

I: 5

A: 2

L: 5

Total points: 36