“I thought we were going to Shady Sands…” Melody whined after she noticed (roughly two miles into our trip) that we were walking south back towards New Pegasus rather than north.

“That was back when we were in pursuit of Scaley here.” I replied, nodding towards the stallion in question who waved with a wide grin at Melody. “Now that we found him, we don’t need to go all the way to Shady Sands to try and find him anymore. Besides, Scaley’s tools and materials are back at his stall and I really need to talk to Cogsworth about maybe/hopefully getting his help in renovating and fortifying that place up so we can move in.”

“Wait, what?!” She gasped, zooming around in front of me and walking backwards just so she could see my face to tell if I were lying or not. “We’re gonna live there?!”

“Is that a bad thing…?” I asked hesitantly knowing the state we left it in made it much more a tomb than a home.

“What? No! Am I gonna get my own room?! How big is it gonna be?! Can I paint the walls blue?! Wait! No! Magenta! Wait!” She screamed in the purest form of joy I had ever seen that was more than enough to make my legs wobbly and my head swim.

“Calm down sweetie!” I laughed, giving her a playful little bop on the nose to shush her down a bit. “Yes you can paint the walls whatever color you like. Well, as long as it’s not brown. Brown is a really ugly wall color, especially in the desert.”

“Yeah, speaking of.” Scaley commented, glancing over his shoulder towards the apartment building that was out of sight behind us lost to the haze of the desert sun. “What’s a place like that doing all the way in the middle of the fucking desert?”

“I can answer that actually!” I chimed in, grateful that I enjoyed history enough to take notice of the changes in the world around me as the years rolled on.

“Of course you can…” Cypher muttered under her breath though I wasn’t certain if she was intentionally loud enough for me to hear her.

“This area up here actually used to be a lot greener.” I explained, gesturing to the area immediately around us and certainly as well behind us. “Go ahead and scuff the ground off the side of the road, tell me what ya get. Gold looks like he could use the breather anyway.”

Even as I spoke the poor Ghoul slowed down breathing heavily and stopped altogether at my mention of stopping for a minute. Melody volunteered to go do the scuffing and after kicking the ground and creating a massive dust cloud informed us with an enthusiastic grin that it was more dirt than sand. All the while her relatively clean coat got a light powdering of light tan dust as did her mane making her look a little grey with age though the lack of any wrinkles whatsoever was a dead giveaway.

“Dirt like this just doesn’t exist where there’s been no vegetation.” I continued, brushing her off while Gold chugged away at my lemonade. “This place used to have a lot more green. You couldn’t call it prime grazing pasture but it was definitely a prairieland of sorts. Well, until radiation from the Megaspells and Balefire Bombs abortion punched the shit out of the soil itself so nothing but the most resilient of surface plantlife, like cacti, can grow these days.”

“Wowie…” Melody commented, looking around us with a sad expression. “Wish I could have seen it. I bet it was way prettier than...well, this.”

“Oh believe me it was!” I replied as Gold drank his fill and gave it back to me if reluctantly. “This is the E-15 which goes as far North as Bordertown and then snakes back West to meet up with the E-90 near New Pegasus which continues the Southbound trend to Old Appleloosa. Over a thousand miles of asphalt and most of it in NER hooves. Well, the E-15 at least."

"Damn...have you walked the whole way?" She asked. "A thousand miles...wowie."

"In one go? Hell no, my hooves would be killing me after a walk like that. But, I've gone as far North as the Great Lake which is...well, not as great as it used to be let me tell ya."

"Lake??" She gasped, Gold likewise showing some interest as well. "Can we go swimming sometime?? I've always wanted to try!"

"Heh, maybe sometime hun. It's only been in the last like twenty years the water has been deemed safe to use at all. Gotta love that the only fresh water to survive the War is coming from underground aquifers though it took quite a long time for the tainted water to evaporate and run off."

"Oh common, Crete." Scaly laughed. "You really think the Republic will let you take a dip so close to Camp Nine-Iron?"

"Probably not but I think it could be fun. If they get pissy then I can just give them the ol' one-two and be on my merry way. Had enough run-ins with those fools for us to have a mutual understanding of sorts."

"You and me both! In fact, I got something perfect to get my point across when I need to intimidate little bitches." He chuckled in response, sitting back and scissoring his forelegs in an outward motion causing a shower of sparks that ignited his hooves in bright orange and red flame.

“Cooooooollll!” Gold exclaimed, gawking at the true form of the Flaming Hooves of Fury. “How do you do that?!”

“Certain portions of Dragonhide are very abrasive like sandpaper. These parts are where the Dragon needs more texture to its wings in order to reduce aerodynamic drag and promote extra lift during flight so this is generally found along the wing bone. This hide is also very thick so as to both protect the bone as well as pad it and give the light, more flexible hide on the wing itself a solid anchor so it doesn’t tear away during heavy winds. Thing is though this hide produces a lot of heat when rubbed against itself and I discovered that latent magic still resides in Dragonhide that allows it to retain its toughness and self-repair. This magic comes out as fire produced from the heat generated from me rubbing that special hide against itself. Truly wicked shit.”

“T-that’s awesome! But...h-how are you going t-to put that o-out?” Gold asked, looking around as if searching for a fire extinguisher.

“I’m...still working on that part…” Scaly admitted, going over to the side of the road and following Melody’s example by kicking up a pile of dirt to smother the flames which took more time than I expected.

“Yo Scale...that’s not real Dragon fire is it?” I asked as he trotted back towards us with smoking sleeves. “That flame was pretty red there.”

“Sadly not…” He lamented as we continued forwards back home. “It’s just Cinders, latent fire magic that permeates their hide so they’re fireproof. So far this is the only method I’ve found of triggering it and I only think that’s because the heat and the friction are somehow transferring thermal energy into the leather and giving the Cinders a little bit of the bellows if you know what I mean. That’s my theory anyway; best one I can come up with at least.”

“Have you found a use for that yet though?” I prodded. “It’s a neat parlor trick but is it handy in a fight?”

“Yes actually!” He declared immediately. “Not only is it a huge intimidation factor but it burns the hell out of people’s faces when you punch them. Got to test that a couple weeks ago against that one asshole who thought he could cut into my Feral business by stealing some of my breeders. I’m hoping I can find a way to increase the thermal output of the flame so I can at least have something more substantial...at least that way I could melt lead just by holding it in my hooves. Right now, the best I can do is melt tin and burn paper. But hey! Still fucking awesome, am I right?”

“You think that's cool? Guess who found an Inferno Ring?” I asked, beginning again on the road after he stood up and nodded that he was ready to go.

“Seriously? That’s a rare find that.” He replied as I showed him the little gold and red Ring attached to the chain around my neck that contained my dog tags as well as several dozen other little trinkets. "Doesn't look like any of the ones they make in the Market so this has to be an original piece! Hot damn..."

“Wait, you actually know what she’s been talking about?” Cy asked incredulously, looking back at us from her place at point with a look of skepticism.

“Well sure!” Scaly responded immediately as if this knowledge was common, which it was in the Dark Market where he spent 95% of his time. “Even if you ain’t seen one, you gotta know about Equestria's dabbling with Infused Gems. Right?”

“You forget Scaly. Melody and Gold have only been to the Dark Market once and that’s hardly enough time to learn all the itty bitty details of the Underworld that you know from decades of living there.” I reminded him. “And Cy here’s never even been to the Market and, as far as I know, this is her first time even hearing about it.”

“What did I tell you about calling me that?” She bristled, glaring over her shoulder where even the fur on her cheek was standing on end.

“Look Cy...long as you tag with me, I’m gonna keep calling you that. ‘Cypher’ is too long to say, no matter how awesome a name it is, and I like the sound of Cy better. Makes you sound more Equine than that faceless mercenary façade you keep trying to shove down our throats.”

She fumed silently for a second before whipping her head back around to face forward and ignore us. Or, more specifically, me. Her attitude was really getting on my nerves and I was reaching the point where I could not be logically held responsible for anything I ended up doing to her. Any sane pony would get tired of her cold shoulder and quippy, sarcastic mouth faster than I did and probably would have already blown a hole through her ass. So...if any hypothetically sane pony would do what I planned to do...did that make the choice a good one?

“Cy. Or Sia, I don’t fucking know your name yet.” Scaly groaned as he rubbed his eyes. “I don’t even know you yet and already I think you’ve got a stick up your ass. My girl Crete here is a gem and you better start treating her like that or you’re gonna answer to me.”

“Well thanks, bro.” I laughed, smiling at his compliment even though I knew it was yet another cleverly disguised flirt. “Though next time you want to try getting under my tail, maybe try not to be so obvious about it? I’ve met shy, horny twenty-year-old's who’ve shown more tact than you.”

“Oh common Crete…” He groaned as he rolled his fully functional eyes. “Every time I try to compliment you, you spin it on me so it looks like I’m trying to flirt with you. Can a guy just compliment a girl without you guys getting all defensive and shit? I really think you’re one-in-a-trillion Athena. I really do. Why else would I expect you to be the one to rescue me from that bullshit? Sure as hell wasn't gonna expect anyone from the Market to come and save my sorry ass.”

“I’m just playing with you Scaly!” I teased, giggling alongside Melody who seemed to think it was the funniest thing in the world. “Can’t ya take a joke?”

“I just got my balls ripped out and had thirty-grand worth of black leather stolen from me.” He muttered in a shaky voice that was unlike him to do. “Oh, and the entire Happy Trails Caravan I decided to pack travel with? Yeah, they’re all rotting in the desert behind me. So, if you’re done fucking around Crete, I’d like to enjoy my newfound freedom and eyeballs please.”

“Sorry…” I mumbled in response, turning my attention forward feeling stung from his outburst and unable to say anything more.

I noticed a smirk forming on Cy’s cheeks from my angle and I bit back a debilitating comeback for the sake of maintaining harmony amongst the pack. She could enjoy her smug expression all she wanted...I would be happy to just dump her ass on the side of the road and let her figure her own shit out. I got what I came all this way for and so had she. Far as I was concerned, our partnership was over.

“I’m wondering...how did you end up in there in the first place?” Melody piped up after several minutes of silent, awkward walking.

“I’m not even sure myself…” He replied with a heavy sigh. “A week ago I joined up with the Happy Trails Caravan as they were passing through that toll station to the North of New Pegasus. It’s the smart thing to do when traveling across long stretches of open road, especially the ones most traveled on since the stragglers aren’t usually capable of showing enough teeth when cornered by a gang. There were about thirty-six of us total; plenty of bodies with plenty of teeth to bare plus six extra guards hired by the Caravan just as added guns. On our first night we stopped about ten-ish miles from the toll station and that’s when shit started happening.”

“Thirty-six total? Wow, that is pretty large for a caravan group.” I admitted, watching as another caravan of about twelve individuals passed us by followed by a group of three and a single Brahmin.

“It was the bulk of their operation actually.” He corrected. “They were running a massive shipment of ground Razorgrain flour, that special variety that’s really dense, to Shady Sands to shore up their granaries. Apparently their communal farms suffered a drought this year thanks to the expected rainfall not happening this season and they’re starting to panic at their dwindling supplies of even the simplest of food like bread. They haven’t told everypony in the Republic yet though since they’re trying to avoid a food riot like happened a while ago.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that. That’s the last time they tried to invade the Dark Market isn’t it?” I responded, trying to accurately recall memories that were over twenty years old.

“Yep.” He said immediately with a scowl. “They still call us Underworld Inc. you know. An untouched well of monetary and material wealth as well as arcane might and influence ripe for the plucking. That’s the last time anypony has heard from House too remember?”

“Is that right?” I asked, fascinated by this new tidbit as I had been away over by Manehattan at the time. “I didn’t know that. I thought the last time he said anything himself was like...five or six years ago when the NER needed that new Gate added into the wall just to access their Embassy?”

“Oh that’s right, you were out by Fetlock hunting down that Spectre...oh, speaking of, Xeri finally got around to testing its blood for the Sanguine Rituals and she tells me it’s the most potent shit she’s ever seen; even better than Dragon or even Alicorn blood. Something about it manifesting as drops of liquid Darkness so black she wanted to call it the Blood of the Abyss.”

“ Oh really? That's saying a hell of a lot for a Shaman...” I asked, completely oblivious we had started on an entirely different train of thought than before.

“She said she didn’t want to call it that until she could prove it since she’s never seen anything like it. In her words, ‘You can’t tempt Fate to prove you wrong by naming something before you even know what it is.' Honestly, not a bad idea.”

“Hey wait, I wanna hear about the NER attack!” Melody whined, followed soon after by Gold’s similar pleading.

“Oh, I didn’t know you kids were into history.” Scaly replied as he looked back at them with another grin. “Well, I suppose the Ghoul makes sense since they like having dates to remember so they can remember when their birthday is.”

Gold opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it with a look of defeat.

“Heh, can’t deny that now can you?” He laughed before proceeding. “Well, it’s pretty simple really. Apparently the NER had learned through confidential informants as well as interrogating merchants at The Pile that a second, secret ‘Dark Market’ existed below The Pile that was full of all sorts of valuable stuff. No one could be specific because no one there had ever actually gone inside but they all knew where it was. Everyone knows where the Gates are. The tricky part is getting them open. You need to have sworn a Blood Oath to the Gatekeeper to be allowed access. Sucks for the NER because they stayed so long trying to break down that door and disrupting business in The Pile that Freeside, the Queens, even Mr. House and the whole Stirrup rose up and kicked them out of the city and trust me, they didn’t go quietly.”

“Why did they want in though?” Melody asked.

“Why not?” Scaly and I both replied in unison. “The Dark Market is brimming with gold and thousands of arcane artifacts that could alter Reality itself if used by the right person. Take the Abyssal Catalyst that Xeri has. You get someone with a dark enough imagination and an Abyssal Tome together with that thing and you could very well be seeing the NER raising a literal army of the dead. And considering how full of skeletons Equestria is...there would be no shortage of bodies to be drafted to the cause.”

“To give context to the situation, the NER had been through a five-year drought a good twenty years back and were getting desperate to feed their citizens.” I stepped in to explain. “So, they turned their eyes on New Pegasus because of the seemingly endless wealth it offered thanks to its casinos and other attractions that survived the Great War. Problem for them is they bet against the house and the House won which resulted in the NER’s presence getting completely restricted to a single Embassy in the far corner of the Stirrup. Troopers are still allowed to visit when on leave in order to gamble their pay but they’re not allowed to post guards anywhere but at the Embassy nor carry firearms outside its walls. And that’s how it remains to this day. Things have gotten a bit better between the Stirrup and the NER these days so that’s been nice. It’s kept things pretty quiet in Freeside for the most part. Nothing the Queens haven't been able to handle usually.”

“Wow...and you said they’re having a drought right now?” Melody asked with concern.

“Yep. And they’re trying desperately to subsidize their grain reserves with trade which brings me all the way back around to what happened to me out there.” Scaly continued. “We got attacked in the middle of the night by a bunch of ponies. We couldn’t tell who they were with so little light outside so we just ran hoping to increase our chances of survival as well as to increase the likelihood that at least some of the flour got through to Shady Sands. Unfortunately...our pursuers were relentless and had us outgunned and outnumbered. I ran with whomever I could find that were going the same direction as we slowly got picked off one-by-one by automatic fire. I’ve never shot one before but the sound of an M-16 service rifle is unmistakable and the only ones employing them in large number is the NER. By the time I was cornered inside that apartment building, it was sunrise and I saw that about a quarter of the ponies attacking us were NER troopers who were just as ruthless, if not even more so, than the actual fucking Raiders. After that, they tortured me for the next few days until you guys came along and fucked them up nice and good. Honestly the heartless fucks deserved more than just a bullet in the dome but...eh...better compost than alive.”

“Wow...so there’s more than just that one trooper in on this?” I asked, wishing I could kill the Sergeant again a few more time just to vent my anger at the situation.

“Oh yeah, there’s dozens in on this.” He grunted, pausing just long enough to light up a cigar. “Most of them are junior officers who have itchy trigger-hooves and empty pockets with big debts to pay off from gambling in New Pegasus. They organized local gangs in the seedier portions of NER towns around Shady Sands and turned them into a sort of cash mule for the troopers. Most of the time they just have the gangs ‘attack’ from the desert while the troopers ‘fight’ them off in a brilliant ‘battle’ so then they can charge the ponies they’re protecting even more for ‘risking’ their lives. Total fucking racket.”

“I know where they got that idea…” I sighed, getting a sudden urge to smoke myself though I preferred Red Berryl over tobacco. “A few of the bodyguards-for-hire at the East Gate of Freeside started charging twice the average rate and ponies were willing to pay it for their ‘exceptional services’. Just like the NER, these guys hired local thugs to act like an ambush and then boom, they would gun them all down in a glorious tour-de-force and continue on their way. Turns out they learned that the Gun Runners sold live blanks to people who wanted the feel of a gun but didn’t want to deal with the flying ball of ballistic lead that came with normal bullets and bought a bunch to plan the ruse. I’ve seen blanks used for military training and by casual shooters alike and yet, somehow, ponies have found a way to make even blank cartridges hazardous to the general public.”

“How long ago did that start?” He asked curiously. “Because these kind of attacks have been going on for a couple of years now and are only getting worse the worse the NER’s economy gets. Soldier’s paychecks ain’t cutting it anymore for even single adults let alone heavy gamblers so this kind of behavior is only going to get worse if their GDP doesn’t improve. It’s the fucking Pegusi. Again.”

“W-why you blaming the P-Pegusi?” Gold asked pointedly, something I too was interested to know as well.

“I take it you’ve never been around the NER core colonies.” He replied softly before resuming. “The Pegusi above Shady Sands and about a dozen other smaller settlements throughout the heart of NER territory seem to have a little more compassion than the rest of their Enclave and have, for the most part, kept NER crops well watered every growing season for the last century or so. From what I hear, it started out as an act of goodwill from the Pegusi but now its devolved almost into a sort of politically charged religious ceremony throughout the territory. Tribute in the form of food and alcohol is required from the NER and in exchange the heavenly Pegusi let the heavens open and allow rain to fall upon their crops like the blessed tears of a benevolent Princess long lost to the skies in search of her Sun...”

The disgust in his voice over the religious nature of the yearly tradition were evident as he despised Pegusi far worse than even I did and he hadn’t even been alive for the events as they had happened.

“You k-know I’ve always wonder how t-they grow food up there…” Gold commented, glancing upwards curiously.

“Cloud farming!” Scaly declared proudly. “They were doing it even during the War but decided not to divulge that fact to the government so they could keep the extra resources for themselves, though not without good reason from what I hear.”

“What reason would they have of withholding their food from the rest of Equestria?” Cy asked suddenly forcing me to remember her bitch ass was still with us.

“If you knew what was going on back then, it would make more sense.” I answered her. “I’m not defending those winged assholes’ decision to shut out the sky but you have to understand that they had been at the forefront of the War from the earliest of days and had suffered the worst casualties for it. With the Pegusi population dropping significantly over the years, the government decided that the same level of resources that had originally been allocated for the Pegusi would be better suited for supporting the Earth and Unicorn populations since they were both numerically bigger and made more babies. Pegusi always had the worst birth rate...”

“Well that is tactically sound, I don’t see why that would be an issue.” Cy replied looking more confused than before.

“Well in concept it’s smart but in practice they didn’t account for a little something called the M.O.M factor. The Ministry of Morale was ironically made the agency that oversaw food management for the entire population rather than the well-established Department of Agricultural Affairs and shit went sideways real fast. Corrupt officials from various towns and cities worked in tandem alongside M.O.M to repeatedly slash the Pegusi food budget and redistribute it amongst those places that simply had more mouths to feed than the Pegusi did. Places like Stalliongrad and Manehattan for example.”

“So wait...they kept it secret because they had to?” Melody asked with a gasp of surprise, looking up at the cloudy sky with renewed respect.

“Yep, pretty much. The government kept taking their food imported from the farmlands below and so they had to adapt in order to survive. Problem is they can only grow certain kinds of plants on certain types of clouds and from what a friend named Dark Blaze told me back in the day, the Weather Factory can only produce minute quantities of the kinds of clouds they need. Don't ask me how they work or what they do to make them potable, I've never been to a Pegasus town.”

“What kind of crops can they grow up there, I’ve always wanted to know.” Scaly asked with intense interest now that he knew I had some vicarious first-hoof experience with cloud farming.

“Far as I know they can only grow wheat, rye, parsnips, green beans and horseradish up there. That would explain why they’re demanding alcohol tributes. Pegusi were never very good brewers to begin with so local breweries never took off in places like Cloudsdale and distilleries were completely absent. That’s why you’ll never see any brand of alcohol that says ‘Made by Pegusi’ on the label because it doesn’t exist. Brewing is an Earth pony tradition that’s been perfected over the centuries and distillation of spirits is a result of Unicorn science taking the brewing process and adding their own extra steps to it to create an entirely new, very potent form of alcohol.”

“Wait, how do you even make alcohol?” Melody asked, her face alight with excitement for learning.

“Same way you make bread, it’s just the kind of yeast you use is different and you want it to go bad in a controlled way rather than sticking it in the oven.” Scaly explained, himself a home brewer for dark ales of his own recipe.

“It’s spoiled bread? Ewwwwww…” Melody gagged, spitting on the ground to get the imaginary favor out of her mouth.

“Heh, not quite sweetie. It’s a liquid chemical made from when yeast consumes the sugars found in grains that’s allowed to sit and get more potent with time and some other chemistry stuff you don’t need to know about. Hard liquors like whiskey take that process one step further by distilling the low-quality alcohol and collecting the really potent stuff that’s only made when the yeast and grain and stuff are boiled.”

“Wowie...that’s interesting! I wonder how ponies came up with that?” She hummed.

“Trial and error and undoubtedly some balls of steel to try and drink the sickly sweet smelling mystery fluid bubbling from their old dough to see what happens.” Scaly answered in what I considered to be the most logical answer I had heard yet for the existence of alcohol.

“What kind of f-food does the NER give to the Enclave?” Gold asked, his trademark stutter hardly showing its face which was a bit odd.

“Well aside from all the different fruits and vegetables that can’t grow up there? Cheese.” Scaly replied with a grin. “Can’t have Brahmin in a place where they’ll fall right through the ground below them so they satisfy their cheese craving through the tributes. I honestly think the reason the Pegusi aren’t letting it rain is because their usual tribute of cheese was probably smaller than it usually is and they got pissed off or something.”

“Well isn’t cheese considered a delicacy, even in the Wasteland?” Cy asked raising a very interesting point.

“Well sure, but we still have somewhat easy access to it down here. The NER especially has a strong dairy industry thanks to its Brahman barons. Sure, it's expensive down here but up there? All they have is what they get from the tribute and they've been getting really greedy letting their weather manipulation powers get to their fat heads. Same with the alcohol too; I guess the Enclave has a bit of a drinking problem. Even though they probably have the comfiest lives in the entire Wasteland far as anypony down here is concerned. All they gotta put up with is each other and any Griffins that are stupid enough to poke their heads above the clouds in their territory.”

“They also had to sacrifice all their dignity and the respect of other ponies in order to get that comfy life.” I retorted. “I’d rather die with my dignity intact than live with my pride broken and have my race be the object of abject hatred from everyone else who lived underneath me.”

“Can’t argue with that!” He chuckled in agreement, pulling out a silver hip flask from under his coat and taking a long draught. “Ahh...thank the Goddesses for alcohol!”

“What you rocking there?” I asked him, thoughts of the Badlands Bourbon in my saddlebags filling me with a strange thirst for a stiff drink.

“Crystal Empire Vodka.” He said with a burp, offering the flask to me which I took even though I didn’t really like vodka at all. “The clear stuff, not that watered down shit Xeri gives out during price negotiations. This'll put some zing in your life.”

“Eh...I always hated the clear stuff…” I whimpered as I lifted the drink to my lips and swallowed a larger mouthful than I had planned leaving me gagging for air on rotten potato juice that was only special because the potatoes had been grown in the Crystal Empire. “Agh! Always hurts your teeth, goddamnit!”

“Hmph…” Cy huffed in pride as she took a swig without so much as a grimace.

“I don’t drink that often so don’t give me that oh-so-mighty attitude. Unlike most Hitmares, I can claim the only drug I regularly use to get me through the day is sex and Red Berryl.”

“So you’re not a Chem Head, you’re a whore.” Cy surmised which was just the insult that took me over the edge with her bullshit.

Without even thinking I kicked her legs out from under her and pounced onto her chest as she fell, slamming her upper body into the asphalt with a loud crash of armor against armor and body against solid ground. Centuries of muscle memory knocked the shotgun out of her grip and magic ripped her revolver and power drill from their respective holsters and out onto the sandy dirt on the side of the road. She was all mine with hardly any effort on my part proving to myself that for all her attitude and talk, she was still just a rookie in the game.

“Oh look, I finally broke you.” She chuckled grimly. “Make it quick would ya? Least you could do is save me from having to listen to some long ass speech about who gives a shit...”

“Mom! Don’t do it please!” Melody begged me as she tugged with all her might alongside Gold on my coat tails trying to pull me off her.

After a few deep breaths and more pleading on Melody’s part I finally got off of her and stood to the side looking away feeling absolutely wretched from how much anger I had bottled up towards her. As skilled a fighter as she was, she was rude, condescending and a major bitch to just about everyone including Melody who I felt it was impossible to be even slightly rude towards given how adorable she was. There weren't enough 'fucks' in the book to describe how much she prickled my anger.

“I don’t know Ranger…” She sighed, ignoring Gold’s offer to help her up and standing on her own with a grunt. “If what you’ve said about your history is even the littlest bit true, then these kids of yours are holding you back from your real self. Least that’s what I can tell. You ask me, you're gonna lose touch with the game and be left behind if you let these little shits tag along with you everywhere you go.”

“Better to be held back with a happy attitude about life surrounded by people who love me than to be someone like you.” I retorted, digging into my bags for my money purse to get rid of our killjoy of a companion. “Here, take the six-hundred for the job, another fifty for your goddamned trouble and get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me!”

I tossed a bag of 750 caps onto the ground beside her and pointed in the general direction of anywhere but next to me. She had crossed a line and I was doing my best version of diplomacy I knew how that didn’t end up with her at least very seriously injured. I had anger issues and the Wasteland had only made acting out on them easier and easier. Now that I didn’t have a superior officer or an official from M.O.M constantly watching over my every move, I was free to shoot whoever the fuck I wanted for really whatever reason I wanted to come up with. There even was a time where I would shoot whomever I came across while alone out in the Wasteland just for laughs though I had thankfully outgrown that stage of my mental instability. Instead I contented myself with shooting asshats like Cy who thought they could mock me with impunity after many attempts to put her in her place with words and a friendly attitude.

“Excuse me?” She asked in a very dangerous tone as she eyed the bag of caps.

“You heard me.” I growled. “You’re only here for the money so why don’t you just take this payment and get the fuck out of my hair before I fuck you up for being a punkass bitch. I've had it up to here with your constant bitching and snarky bullshit so why don't you just take the money and go back to wherever the fuck you came from before I keep the change and take your head instead. You should know by now I am not a mare to fuck with on this shit.”

“Your insults just get worse and worse…” She sighed, scooping up the money and tossing it casually into her bags. “Fine. Good luck to you, you sorry fucks. Hope a Hellhound shits on your graves...”

She began to walk away, still headed down the road we were traveling as Melody begged her to come back. When Melody had to run to catch up to her, she stopped just out of earshot and listened to whatever Melody had to say before she ran back and enveloped me in her red violet magic looking disappointed and irritated though with whom I was hesitant to say. I didn’t resist as she tried to lift me and only managed to get me a few inches off the ground but unperturbed by her lack of telekinetic strength, she dragged my ass back towards Cy who stood waiting looking as murderous as I felt. Though you couldn’t see it, you could tell her horn was sparkling and she was firing every single shot she had on her person right into my face. The feeling was more than mutual and I was half-tempted to fight off Melody's control and turn her ass into paste on the asphalt.

“Alright you two, make up.” Melody commanded, setting me down half a foot from Cy who looked everywhere but at my face. “You two are acting like little pussies and it's fucking pathetic! I don’t care what you have to do to make up but we are not leaving until you two settle this beef between you, do you understand me?”

She glared up at us with such passion and fury that I was far more scared of her than I was of Scaly, Cy, even the entire NER combined. It seemed that I too had crossed a line though mine was with Melody who was doing a way better job of containing her anger than I was. With another glare she yanked all our weapons off our bodies with surprising ease and trotted away with them back to where Gold and Scaly stood rooted to the spot in shock and fascination. And really, who could blame them as a filly disciplined two adult mares on how to get along with each other. It was fucking ridiculous...

“Your daughter is a real piece of work, you know that?” Cy grumbled as she sat down and folded her legs looking away with a huff. "Fuckin' little bitch thinks she can tell me what to do?"

“Why do you think I adopted her, jackass?” I growled in response, glancing towards the filly who stood aways off surrounded by floating weaponry like a strange crib mobile. “Look...she has a point alright? We're at each other's throats over petty insults.”

“Maybe you are…” She hissed, looking directly at me like I were a gigantic waste of her time, a sentiment I was all too happy to concur with.

“The fuck does that mean?” I growled lowly, my fur standing on end at the sheer vile contempt in her voice.

“Oh please…” She groaned, holding her head in exasperation. “Look at you! You’re a traveling circus! A grown ass Hitmare taking her two ‘adopted’ kids she just met on a dangerous road trip to find some weirdo with a Dragon fetish? Some great parent you are. Look, if you want to be an embarrassment to parenthood, do it somewhere I can’t see it alright? Already seen enough of bad parenting from my own mother.”

It was at this time diplomacy was temporarily deleted from my vocabulary and was replaced by the word anger as well as all its applicable synonyms. My pride had been deeply wounded and I was at a point where I only knew of one way to work it out of my system. And that way involved beating the living shit out of her using every martial art I had learned over my career. I lost track of how many punches and kicks I landed, not even taking a moment to feel the impacts as my hooves slammed against her armor. All I knew in those moments was fury. Fury and wounded pride. When I finally stopped wailing on her a few minutes later, she lay in a crumpled heap in the dirt twenty feet off the side of the road barely moving and breathing sporadically. I felt amazing finally getting the chance to put her in her place but at the same time...I felt absolutely terrible looking at Melody who looked on with such a look of disappointment I felt as if I was the one who had been on the receiving end of a beating.

“Did you work it out of your system, mom?” Melody asked sharply when I timidly returned to where she was sitting waiting for me to finish.

“Y-yes.” I whispered, feeling like our roles had been reversed somehow.

“Did you kill her?” She asked pointedly.

“N-no ma’am.” I squeaked.

“Good…” She sighed in reluctant relief, scooping up the MTK that lay open on the ground in front of her as she seemed to have been reading the instructions while she waited. “I’ll go patch her up…”

Without another word she stalked away towards Cy and started to hook her up to the MTK as the state I had left her in required something far stronger than anything you could buy over the counter. I knew from experience what it felt like to break other ponies’ limbs and could say with great certainty that of the roughly 205 bones that made up the average pony’s anatomy, I had broken at least half of them. For all her talk and prowess, she was barely worthy to eat the dirt off the frog of my hoof in an all-out brawl.

“Oh right...you’re not the kind of mare to piss off. I forgot.” Scaly laughed nervously as a bright blue glow came from Cy’s body and she spasmed violently, the snaps of her bones jumping back together audible even from where we were standing.

“Y-you think?” Gold said with pride, hugging my leg affectionately which was new for him but not unwelcome. “She’s t-the best!”

“Oh you don’t have to tell me. Who do you think got me my spot in the Market? There were already three other Dragon handlers there by the time I got there but she got me a spot next to Amaris and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. Now...I’ve got a thriving monopoly and nopony even thinks about challenging me anymore.”

“That’s just because you treat your Dragons like actual creatures and not just the commodities they are and people respect that, even in the Market. Besides, happy, healthy Ferals make the best leather and hide don’t they?”

“W-wait...isn’t hide and l-leather the same t-thing?” Gold asked bringing semantics into play which were, and always will be, important.

“If you’re talking semantics then no.” Scaly replied matter-of-factly, Cypher sitting up looking defeated and shell-shocked from her ordeal but otherwise healthy. “Hide is any and all parts of the skin that have been removed and at least partially treated. Leather is hide that’s either been boiled or tanned and treated and is ready for applications like belts and armor. Hide is generally more flexible than even lightly treated tanned leather but is kind of flimsy and thin making it piss-poor protection against even knives. Basically kid...I use hide rarely because the bulk of my business rests on treated leather. Coats like the one you’re asking for use a combination of soft leather, hide and fully treated leather. Soft leather for flexible areas, hide for the inner lining and treated leather for everything else. By itself the coat will keep you safe from most small-arms fire but the version Athena has definitely improved on that.”

“Oh? W-why?” Gold asked me, picking up the tail of my duster and feeling how thick it was between his hooves.

“Sewn in under the leather are sections of long-fiber Kevyarn with a layer of short-fiber facing outwards. The layers are too thin to add much additional protection from bullets but as a flak jacket it works wonderfully. You’ll find that grenades suddenly become a bit less of an issue when 65% of your body is covered with a glorified anti-shrapnel ballistic cape.”

“Oh man...I can’t wait to get m-mine!” He grinned, feeling the matte black breastplate that had been custom tailored to fit him. “I’ve almost g-got the full set!”

“Won’t have to wait long. At our pace, we should reach New Pegasus by evening. You know, barring any further cat-fighting from these two.” Scaly grunted, nodding towards me with a mixture of a smirk and a scowl.

I remained silent as the two of them made their way back towards us, Cy keeping her head down and looking literally everywhere else than at me. After a quick exchange of apologies, Cy offered to go and stand guard at the apartment until we came back with Cogsworth. When asked why, she only stated it was the best restitution she could make under the circumstances and it would give her some time alone to think over things. I wasn’t entirely too sure what kind of things she felt the need to think about but her change in attitude was a welcome relief from earlier. It only went to prove the lesson mom taught me when I was just entering fillyhood and was starting to develop as a young mare. Sometimes the best lessons are taught through completely beating the shit out of those that stand in your way after all other avenues of diplomacy have failed. To have mom put it, ‘A good punch to the dick is all you need to drop a douchebag boy to his knees after trying to handle it like a lady has failed. Technically it’s still diplomacy! You’re just exchanging the language of reason for the crude and simplistic language of violence.’ Turns out it works on mares too and is gender-neutral in who it decides to fuck up.

“What do you stand to gain by doing this?” I asked her, thinking about the caps I had given her earlier. “We could be a few days if the Laws of Irony keep the same level of influence over our lives.”

“Just...stop asking questions alright?” She sighed exhaustedly. “Can I go now or are you just gonna break my spine again for talking too much?”

Gold looked at me with shock which then turned to even greater pride while I did my best to ignore him and maintain a calm and collected exterior. It did give me some satisfaction to know at least he was proud of me for breaking her spine even if no one else was.

“Not until you give me another reason to.” I replied, waving a tired hoof back the way we came to indicate she could start walking any damn time. “Go on...we’ll try to be back in the next couple days if we can but no promises there. I did a quick assessment of the building as we went through and if my list of shit to do is even half as long as I think it is, we could end up having to make multiple trips. Not exactly covert if we're trying to avoid the NER but...well, it'll happen eventually.”

“Wait, you’re trying to make that deathtrap a home?” Scaly asked incredulously as if I were suddenly entirely insane which, let’s be honest, I kind of am.

“Didn’t you hear me as we were leaving?” I asked him. “Now that I’m a parent, my little hole in the wall ain’t gonna cut it; not for three people. That apartment building is the perfect place to set up a new home! Surrounded by open desert for miles around, tall with a 360 view, lots of extra space and best of all! Very secluded! I mean, it's a good few miles from the road and unless we lit the place up like New Pegasus at night, you can’t see it until you get close to it. Cy can confirm that even at night, we didn’t see it and I’ve got night-optics as well.”

“That’s all great and shit but you’re still in NER territory. Fuck, you’re not even fifteen miles from the fucking capital! You really think you could just move in there without anypony noticing? What’ll you do when they come kicking in your door with a couple dozen troopers because you didn’t legally purchase the property from them and you’ve failed to pay their high land taxes?”

“Deal with them the same way I always have.” I replied simply. “Eventually even they’ll have to give up trying to squeeze me for money. It hasn’t worked for them so far and it won’t ever work on me. The Equestrian Revenue Service got my tax money because I respected the institution. The NER ain’t getting a cap out of me because as I have proven to them many times...the ‘protection’ they offer isn’t up to par for the lifestyle I pursue. If the one being guarded is worth more in a fight than the six ponies protecting her, the protection money they forced her to pay is just adding insult to injury.”

“Wow...are they that pathetic in a fight?” Melody asked, skipping a rock up the road and then charging forward to catch up with it.

“Eh...depends on the trooper honestly.” I shrugged, smiling after Melody and her antics. “I’ve seen Sergeants like that last guy who can’t put up any sort of a fight and I’ve seen newly minted Privates attack like a goddamn Hellhound and everything in between. When it comes down to it, the survival instinct plays out differently in all of us and to varying degrees of severity. Some fight for their lives, some turn tail and run and the rest either succumb to fear and get killed or crumble under the pressure and kill themselves. It pisses me off but I understand why they do it. Still...they deny me the satisfaction of winning the fight. Few feelings can beat that of basking in the adrenaline of a well-earned kill.”

“You one crazy bitch, you know that?” Scaly chuckled. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you’re a Raider bitch at heart and you actually kinda like it.”

“Who says I’m not?” I countered with a grin. “I’m a bit of a loose cannon Scaly. I can take a life as easy as I can take a breath and my version of Paradise is an endless One Mare vs. The World scenario where everything is a giant medieval fantasy RPG and I’m the twin-faced Grey Goddess.”

“Gray Goddess? What you smoking Crete? I want some of that.” He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yeah, I know it sounds stupid but you do one better huh? At least in my world I get to play Goddess and be either the gracious and caring Monarch or the malevolent and deranged Warlord. Whatever suited me in the moment I’d do. Help this little filly out, burn this city there...anything is possible! Oh, and I get to wear dope-ass armor too and none of this poly-ceramic bullshit. No, I’m talking Celestium Steel plate armor like what we used to wear to battle! You know Cogsworth’s got the right idea. Melt down modern armors and reforge them the old-fashioned way is a brilliant idea and I think I might do it sometime. I think I could rock a nice set of plate and chain.”

“Well, do you like what I did to my Battle Coat then?” He asked proudly, waving a hoof over the steel scales that lined his duster with much flourish.

“I do!” I exclaimed, feeling the smooth, hard bumpy texture scraping against my combat boot. “Let me guess, you stole this idea from Cogs too?”

“No.” He huffed, brushing my hoof away indignantly. “I got the idea from Dragon scales stupid. Where else would I get the idea?”

“Survey says fish, snakes, butterfly wings, Radigators, lizards and traditional scale-mail skirts and/or knee-high faulds. Still being a jackass? I’ve got more you know.” I said with a smug smirk before continuing. "Sea Serpents, tortoises, pangolins, alie-”

“Alright! Shut up….” He grumbled, hanging his head and sighing. “I got the idea from studying my Dragons and how their scales bend and flex over areas that need a lot of mobility like say their haunches. Unfortunately, the hide that sheds off every now and again from their bodies is nowhere near as fascinating because what I’m holding isn’t scales bound to hide, it’s just hide. I’d have to skin one of my Dragons in order to get scale-bound hide and that’s something I just won’t do to a live animal. If they die of natural causes then sure, I’ll skin ‘em. The organs are valuable to the Azad tribe, the blood is literally worshiped by the Cult of Ogbunabali and the bones can be sold to just about anyone because their number of uses is huge. Even if I lose one of my boys, I can still make as much off selling its body for parts as I can get from its hide during the first forty years of its life. Far from a bad trade-off but...it's always hard to say goodbye to one of 'em.”

“Hey bro, I was just playing with you.” I laughed, bumping him in the side with a smile. “But that’s actually good info to know since now I know where the Azad keep getting Dragon organs on a somewhat regular basis. How many Dragons do you go through a year?”

“Well ever since that Spectre blood was used, a chasm to the Abyss has opened above the Market and it’s having a very negative effect on the longevity of my Dragons. My oldest stock are all dead now and most Hatchlings don’t make it past the first few months. Those that do either don’t make it past the Sparky phase or make it up till the time their wings start to really grow in and then succumb just after the Wingaling stage.”

“I’m sorry but...Sparky and Wingaling stage…?” I asked him incredulously, hoping he was joking.

“Yeah I know it sounds stupid but it’s an easy way to remember the different stages of their growth cycles.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly. “Sparky is when their spark sacs develop and they can start breathing fire everywhere and Wingaling is again when their wings come in and they start trying to figure out how to fly. After that it’s the Bitey stage when their adult fangs grow in and they have the urge to eat metal and stones in order to sharpen them naturally. About this time they're young, hot and horny like you wouldn’t believe so that’s when I have to start separating all of them from each other. If I didn’t they’d be humping each other till even the males were somehow pregnant. After that fun mess, they go through the Uppity where they grow exponentially towards their species’ full size and really start to mature both in temperament and libido. At this point they’ve become an adult and nothing really happens for the next fifty to a hundred years when they start really getting big during the Titan stage. By two-hundred to two-hundred and fifty years they’re as big as they’ll ever really get and that’s what I call their Final Form.”

“Wow...I had no clue that was their life cycle.” I admitted slowly. “So you’re saying you once had Dragons older than even I am? Jeez...”

“Oh hell yeah!” He boomed. “Mrs. Nesbit was my oldest clocking in at nearly three hundred! Until she died of course...but hey, I’m still rolling in the caps from selling her for parts so it’s not all bad.”

A pebble bounced off the tip of my combat boot with a loud clack and I looked up to see Melody beckoning me to play skip with her. Without even apologizing for leaving, I took off towards her and hugged her tight after I had caught up. She was sweating heavily in the midday sun but she didn’t look uncomfortable as she grinned up at me seemingly at peace with the world. After selecting an appropriately sized skipping rock, we kept it going down the highway until we could see the toll station approaching in the distance. Gold had tried to play as well but his stamina wouldn’t allow it. I felt bad he was stuck at the same level of fitness he had been when he was first Ghoulified but I felt it wasn’t time to start training him. I knew from observation and some scattered conversations with Ghouls that they could gain muscle mass similar to normal ponies but the process took longer and was more painful as many muscles can be exposed on a Ghoul’s body as a result of their skin falling off in places. I didn’t know enough about their physiology to make the assumption that simple protein and vitamins were the only key to muscle mass but I did have an idea that, at least in my mind, made some sense.

My idea was simple. Instead of having him drink purified water during a workout, I would give him irradiated water since the water of course would keep him hydrated and the radioactivity would act to stimulate his regenerative abilities. That way his pain tolerance would go up so he could theoretically work-out harder and thus get into shape quicker. I had irradiated water in my bags (since purified or not it didn’t harm me) and I could whip up a fresh batch of lemonade for him to chug. The only problem would be if he didn’t drink all of it and I forgot about it until after Melody or someone else not immune to Rads had already taken a huge swig. I knew myself too well. My trains of thought hurtle about like spaghetti and little details like that would go unnoticed. Not that the negligible amount of Rads in the water were going to do much of anything even to Melody, it’s just the concept of forgetting something important that could end up killing somepony that was unsettling. No...the great water experiment would have to wait until things had settled down which could take awhile given the pace of changing events.

“Oh look...the Ranger is back.” The NER trooper sighed as we approached his desk inside the main office. “How wonderful... Let’s get this shit over with...I’ve got a pack of faggs in my locker I wanna smoke.”

“I actually have somethin’ to say about your fellow asshats, asshole.” Scaly growled across the desk to our slightly disgruntled trooper.

“Of course you do...alright, what is it this time? Let me guess, you got roughed up by one of our desert patrols? Ran out of water on the way? Stubbed your poor wittle hoovsies?”

Without a word I pulled the thin chain from around my neck and tossed it with a loud clatter onto his desk before him. On one of the two pieces of steel that were attached was the embossed horseshoe, stars and wings of the NER while on the other was the name and serial-I.D of the trooper we had killed in the apartment.

He glanced at it for a moment before looking back up at us and asking, “Dogtags? Congrats, you win the scavenger hunt. I’ll return these to whoever this is when they report back in, thanks.”

“You don’t get it do you?” Melody groaned. “Dude’s dead.”

“And how, pray tell, did he die?” The trooper countered, glowering over her though she didn’t back down as I had expected her to.

“With this.” I replied, tossing the long, empty brass case of the .45-70 round I had used to end the rogue trooper’s life. “I’m the one who killed him. Why? Because he and a bunch of other NER fucks like him ganged up with some of your local gangs and slaughtered an entire caravan of thirty-six people.”

“Now hold on, that’s a pretty huge fucking claim.” He protested, sitting fully upright in his seat while the rest of the office went deathly quiet as they listened in. “Where’s your proof?”

“Me.” Scaly declared with an angry grimace on his face. “Scaly Fang, Dragon leather merchant. Trader-I.D #5092769419. I registered here six-days ago traveling solo but right after me was the Happy Trails Caravan bringing a shipment of Triple-O quality Razorgrain flour from Barkerville. I added my name to their crew manifest while they were registering and we made it about ten miles outside of this fucking booth when we were jumped in the night. We ran blindly into the desert and got casually gunned down along the way. I was tortured and held captive for two days before she came and rescued me. I can take you right to where all the bodies are scattered across the fucking desert.”

“Cool story bro.” The trooper snickered as he leaned back in his chair. “But all you’ve got is your word. There’s no bodies you can show me unless you somehow stuffed them up your ass.”

“You f-fucking asshole I s-swear I’m-” Gold started, his magic wrapping around the grip of his Sequoia which I quickly waved off.

“Gold! Behave yourself!” I scolded him, giving him a slightly stinging bop on the muzzle. “Look, radio the Customs Agency in Shady Sands. Ask them if the Happy Trails Caravan checked in and declared their cargo and crew manifests.”

“And why should I bother?” He sighed, reaching into a drawer in his desk and retrieving out his aforementioned pack of cigarettes. “I’ve learned more about you since you last passed through here and I'm not so sure I should believe you.”

“Whatever ‘dirt’ your superiors had to offer on me is beside the point right now.” I countered, doing my best to maintain a calm state of mind. “Look, if you wanna prove that I’m a liar or whatever you need to do in order to satisfy your dick of an ego, call your fucking buds in Customs and prove me wrong. You’ve got yourself an audience so go ahead. What do you have to lose huh? Prove the bitch wrong at her own game.”

“Hmmm…” He grunted as he sucked on the end of a cigarette in his mouth. “Aight, fine. I’ll prove the bitch wrong. Listen up everypony! I’m gonna prove that the so-called Lone Ranger is a fucking liar.”

His announcement was wholly unnecessary as everyone including his fellow desk jockey had already long ago abandoned any effort to continue on with their own business. With an overly sarcastic flourish he whisked the receiver from his HAM radio and dialed in the Customs Agency in Shady Sands.

“C-A this is TS-E15-S. Have you guys checked-in the Happy Trails Caravan yet?”

There was a static filled pause before a chipper young stallion replied, “No sir! No record at all! I have them here on my itinerary from last week's update but I haven't seen mane or tail of anyone from Happy Trails. You know speaking of Corporal, I actually have more than a few names on here that haven’t checked in yet like at all. Scaly Fang, the Silk Road Caravan, Brass Tax Caravan, some chick named Cypher and a couple others. Some of these are over two weeks old. Know anything about that? I thought it was weird but you know how the Lieutenant is about asking questions...”

The receiver dropped from his hoof as his eyes twitched and went wide with shock and terror. I didn’t allow myself to feel smug as the situation was extremely sensitive and had to be handled with care. I was no friend of the NER but that didn’t mean I was their enemy; not yet at least. Until such time as they had crossed a serious enough line with me to warrant me going to war with them...I was to at worst remain neutral in their eyes. Sure they pestered me but not enough for they nor I to actively call each other the enemy.

“C-copy that…” The trooper stuttered as he dug through his log book for the exact records of the ponies and caravans in question. “Please forward a message to Colonel Autumn regarding these missing ponies and inform him that I will have some terrible information to discuss with him. I will need to send a snap patrol out to go and search for them to confirm but make sure he's on stand-by. There's some serious shit going on.”

The stallion on the other end acknowledged and assured that he would forward the message personally before the line went dead and the trooper was forced to deal with us personally once again. The rest of the office remained in silence as everyone seemed to realize the gravity of the information we had reported. Somehow, even despite my own prejudices against them, this level of degenerate behavior seemed outside the scope of reason even for a disgruntled trooper of the NER. Extortion, maybe even some petty theft sure but straight up murdering thirty-five ponies all for some lousy bread flour? (The leather I could understand because of its extremely high value but…)

“Private Daisy? I need to leave immediately to inspect the evidence, you have the station until I return. Use one of the other Privates to assist you with the paperwork and proceed as normal. If any messages come from Command, please write them down and try me on the short-wave radios.” He said slowly, looking towards his subordinate with a hushed tone.

“I’ll accompany you.” Scaly stated, not as a demand but as a statement of fact that the trooper seemed reluctant to argue with. “You’ll need my statement for your report.”

A small bell was rung using a button next to the radio and a few moments later six more troopers entered the station at attention. After relaying instructions to them, they and the rest of us were directed to go outside. A wall of heat greeted us as walked outdoors and I could see through the haze in the distance another caravan on its way North towards us from most likely New Pegasus or Barkerville. As loathe as I was to lose Scaly so soon after finding him, he had a duty to report the atrocities he and the others had gone through and witnessed. Gold was gratefully understanding of the situation and reassured both of us that he was more than happy to wait a little longer for his duster to be made. When all was said and done, it was time for us to continue towards home numbering no more than when we first came to the toll station meaning we hadn’t really lost anything while likewise not really gaining anything either.

“Well...this was fun.” Melody sighed as we once again trekked south along the open highway past a long caravan of Brahmin, ponies, Griffins and, surprisingly, a pack of Wolves and a few mountain cats.

“Fucked u-up but fun!” Gold added looking mighty pleased with himself. “We should go on trips more often!”

“Well we have to come back this way soon so you’ll get your wish. We’ll be traveling in a caravan of our own this time though!” I exclaimed excitedly as I had remembered how much I enjoyed traveling in large groups across dangerous territory.

“You really think Cogsworth is gonna help?” Melody asked, cocking her head to the side a little. “I mean, what does he have to gain?”

“Well for starters, a great site to set up more production capacity for his business located fifteen miles from one of his largest clients.” I responded instantly. “He’s been complaining for years now on how he’d like to have a bigger operation like the Gun Runners have with his own employees but he just hasn’t found anyplace big enough or cheap enough for him to set up shop. That and he owes me a LOT of favors that I've been stockpiling for a time like this.”

“So...what do you have in mind for our new home, mom?” She asked curiously. "It's not like we had a long time to explore that place."

“Well, when it’s all finished I want it to look like a smaller, less gaudy version of Tenpony. By that I mean I want it to have a high steel reinforced concrete wall around it with automated turrets and a gate and everything!”

“So, to quote Cogsworth, you want a castle?” Melody giggled.

“As close to one as I can get, yeah.” I replied with a smile. “I’d also like to build a firing range out back so you two can practice your aim. It's a lot of space to fill on the lower floors but...eh, I'm sure we'll find something to do with it. That top floor area with the communal rec room would be perfect living quarters though, especially with that access to the roof."

“That sounds nice.” She squealed softly, shivering with excitement at the thought of her own room though I secretly wished she would bunk with me so I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore when I slept. “I can’t wait! Common! The faster we get there, the faster we can get started on cleaning the new house!”

Yet again she charged forward eagerly and while I easily caught up to her and her shorter legs, Gold as ever lagged behind out of breath and constantly begging for another shot of lemonade to keep him going. So much so I almost reconsidered refilling my next round of lemonade with irradiated water just to help him along. The sooner we got home, the sooner I could get the poor sap into shape and put his enthusiasm to good use.

The lights of New Pegasus intensified like a miniature, festive sun the closer we approached and the darker it became. Even Melody with her surprisingly expansive stamina was wearing down as the road got harder and harder to see with every passing minute eventually forcing me to put my helmet on and flick on the tactical LED light attached to the side of my helmet with my radio. Despite being a tiny bulb, the thing put out a lot of light allowing us to navigate in the dark fairly well as long as I took point to eliminate shadows. Though it didn’t quite compare to a street lamp, it was more than enough to light the way and bring us safely into Freeside where everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief to be off the open road and surrounded by buildings again. I was a wanted mare here but...it still was nice to be amongst 'civilization' again.

“Hey look, it’s the Queens!” Melody said excitedly as we passed the first few blocks of demolished buildings and entered the more inhabited part of town.

I looked up at her mention and saw dozens of black leather jackets gleam in the street lamps along the street before us. The Queens were out in full force again and it was a relieving sight as it meant I could leave Freeside in good conscience without feeling guilty that I had left them at least mostly defenseless against any more bullshit from without or within. They acknowledged me rather graciously as we passed mostly giving me a curt nod or, as with a group of stallions, a couple wolf whistles which I was happy to take over a street brawl with them. Things actually seemed the calmest I had seen them in awhile. Most ponies were off the street except for the Chem Heads out looking for their next fix and the local thugs hiding in the shadows waiting for their next payoff. As a public service, I would sometimes take enthusiastic walks around the worst areas of Freeside at night and intentionally leave myself open to attack just so I could do some weeding of the public menaces while everypony else was in bed asleep. It wasn't much but it was honest work.

“It’s so bright!” Melody squealed in joy as her wide eyes drank in the light of the Stirrup that not even its high wall could snuff out. “So many colors….”

“You would have loved this place in its prime then.” I giggled, standing beside her so we could watch the flickering multicolored lights wink on and off in the glow above the city for a few moments. “Anyone who owned stock in neon knew this place was a fucking goldmine. There were enough colors here to give even the great Rainbow Dash color envy. The best places for a great light show of course are the casinos since they’ve got the most building space to flaunt but in my opinion the best places for good mood lighting were the strip clubs. The Kinky Kitty was our favorite place to go to whenever we were all on leave together. Nothing but red, blue, purple and pink lights everywhere with the occasional black light in case you wanted to see just how much of a mess you really made.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Melody asked followed by Gold.

“Oh...heh. Um...well, blacklights are special light bulbs that only shine with UV light which lights up anything phosphorescent like a glowstick. In this case...jizz is phosphorescent too and glows kind of a faint yellow/white where it lands. ‘Running a Black Light’ is what we called standing under a blacklight after getting kinky with a hooker to see how much cum we got on ourselves. The messiest at the end of the night was the BitchLord for the month.”

“Let me guess...you were BitchLord more often than not?” Melody giggled, giving my ear a playful nip which sent shivers down my spine that were strong enough to make my tail flick and twitch behind me like a cat crouched for the pounce.

“Heh...yep! BitchLord 2074-75 and I was on my way to reclaiming my title for 77’ after Buck Beak stole it in 76’ but that’s when shit flipped sideways and I had to say goodbye to everything going on at the time. But anywho, yeah. I held the title the most. Had to do some crazy shit to pull it off but I did it. Spent a fucking fortune too. Let me tell you, New Pegasus hookers charge you out the ass for sex. They might as well charge you a leg or a nut with how much they charge for three minutes of heaven. Fucking ripoff but it's their business, not mine. I'm more for the free stuff that comes from a relationship.”

“Why do I get the feeling they still charge that much today?” Melody sighed, standing up and stretching her sore legs.

“Last time I heard they did but the last time I was on the Stirrup was hell, like three or four years ago.” I replied as I hoisted the exhausted and snoozing Gold onto my back and followed alongside Melody as we trekked back towards The Pile. “I don’t gamble and if I ever need a nip of rum or whiskey then I can just get some locally in Freeside where it’s way cheaper. I’ll admit I haven’t paid for sex in over twenty something years. For awhile now I just can’t get off with other people like I used to and after I found a vibrator and had Cogs fix it up for me, well...I’ve just stuck with that, my hooves and my mouth ever since.”

“Oh…?” Melody asked softly, her voice carrying through the hushed street where nary a pony walked about. “You’ve...been that lonely huh?”

“Sadly yes…” I sighed, looking at her out of the corner of my eye and biting my lip nervously as that loneliness was now long since resolved but I was afraid to pursue it to its fullest. “But...I think that’s changed finally.”

She looked up at me shyly and bit her own lip as well. Goddesses she was the cutest thing I had ever met… Huckleberry would probably hurt me but...goddamnit, it had been 206 fucking years since I lost her. I finally found someone who made me feel just as special and peaceful as Huckleberry did and I wasn’t about to hold myself back by remaining faithful to the memory of a mare I loved. She...would have wanted me to move on. I mean, common...I had proven I would never forget her nor my love for her. It was high time for me to stop being selfish with my love and start giving it freely again. This little mare needed a loving mother and I was the perfect candidate. I had money to support us, weapons and skill to protect us and enough stories and memories to share to last us years. Perhaps I wasn’t technically the ‘perfect’ parent but I goddamn well was going to do my best to be. I didn't feel all that selfish in wanting this.

“I love you mummy.” She cooed softly as she leaned against my leg sleepily when we had come in sight of the brightly glowing lamps lining the exterior of The Pile. “I’m sleepyyy…”

As her voice trailed off she sank into sleep and slid down to the ground in a sleepy heap. I had to carry my AMR in my magic so I had enough room on my back for both Gold and Melody and I continued in a happy silence past the bleary eyed guards and into The Pile where the last of the merchants were finishing their final transactions and putting their goods away for the night. It was a strange time to be wandering The Pile as it still had some noise happening throughout but it was faint and echoed loudly throughout the otherwise empty building. It was eerie but not quite to the point I would describe it as Kenopsia. It certainly helped to feel the weight of my two kids on my back as theirs was as comforting as seeing the five-round magazine of my AMR hovering in front of me like my own armed escort.

“Don’t know about you but I for sure don’t want to be stuck waiting in line at the E-10 NER toll station. Latest reports just in say that the NER was surprised to learn from an eyewitness source that several dozen of its troopers were involved in the illegal slaughter and robbery of several caravans along the E-15. Amongst the missing and presumed dead is the Happy Trails Caravan that was purportedly traveling with a substantial quantity of some of the finest bread flour money can buy. According to the eyewitness’ account, these troopers massacred the good ponies of the Happy Trails Caravan and then robbed their corpses of the precious flour in order to sell themselves on the black market in Shady Sands.”

I recognized the deep, booming tones of DJ-PON3 from anywhere as it hadn’t changed once in the hundred-and-seventy-five years he had been on the air. There was a radio on somewhere and I had to go shut the fucking thing off before Sapphire Shores had a chance to start singing her cursed song one more goddamn time during my lifetime. But wait a minute...it had been talking about the whole shady shit situation the NER that I had helped uncover. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be a little slow in finding whoever had their damn radio turned on just so I could hear more and relish just a little in my good deed. Sure, I had killed a lot of ponies including one for-sure trooper but that just added to the fun of the whole experience. Wouldn't hurt to listen to at least the news broadcast right...?

“Oh, and before old DJ-PON3 forgets!” The radio continued off in the distance a little to my left aways. “None of this would have been possible including the eyewitness if it weren’t for the help of a little someone the West side likes to call the Lone Ranger. Not a lot to say about this girl but I've heard from very reliable sources she's a hell of mare. On behalf of the Wasteland and those poor souls lost in this catastrophe, I thank you for bringing these foul deeds to light.”

I knew I had a reputation, one that even reached from here to Manehattan to the point I was a household name at one point, but I never thought it was enough to end up under the unsettlingly clear gaze of DJ-PON3. It was...almost unsettling to hear about myself over the radio, especially when it was actual good news about me. I had done more than enough to deserve my reputation as a heartless killer so it was...very weird to be hearing me be associated with something good. Well, as good as the wholesale slaughter of hapless merchants can be...

“Wherever she is, I hope she knows ponies everywhere will start thanking you for this good deed as soon as they hear the full story. Whoops! I gotta take a break everypony. But don’t worry, I’ll be back! In the meantime, let me leave all my faithful listeners with the company of the lovely Sapphire Shores!”

“NO!” I shrieked as my gentle trot turned to a frantic gallop as I caught sight of the Gun Runner’s kiosk and the warmly glowing radio resting on the corner of their counter.

The opening notes to the song began to play and I dove forward far too early, my hooves spread out in front of me waving every which way as I tried with all my might to somehow make myself close enough to the accursed object to silence it before Shores got stuck in my head for weeks. I didn’t know if I imagined it or what but the air in front of my hooves seemed to fill with faint glowing lines and the next second I appeared in front of the heavily armored kiosk and the radio which had been broadcasting over the external speakers was off. Whatever I did freaked the shit out of the Mr. Handsy robot that hovered behind the counter as he exclaimed something and wobbled around like he had been hit. The glass separating him and me was two inches of the rare Titanium Quartz used only by the most wealthy of merchants. The fucking Gun Runners kiosk were the insane bastards blasting the radio...

“I say, young lady!” The robot chided me in his rich Canterlot accent. “Do show more decorum when in public! Did your mother teach you no manners?”

I simply turned and stared at him, my throat entirely devoid of any words. I had just teleported myself. Without using Unicorn magic. How?!

“Are you even listening to me? I dare say!” The robot continued, his tone growing more and more disgruntled and gruff.

“Oh shut it.” I sighed, turning and facing him completely while pushing what happened aside for the time being. “I’d like to buy some ammo please. You know damn well who I am by now, Woolsey...”

The Runner's kiosk was by far The Pile's greatest storefront both in terms of the quality of its products and service as well as its nigh-on impregnability. Built around an old maintenance room with a service elevator leading to a tunnel that connected to their New Pegasus manufacturing plant, the damn thing was a fortress of reinforced concrete, Celestium armored plating and of course, Titanium Quartz windows. With a bank teller style drop box and a built-in cap counter, it was a marvel of commercial shopping and was perhaps Cogsworth's greatest project to date earning him enormous respect from The Pile at large. But...seeing as it was past 8pm, Sergeant Buckwheat had already gone home leaving me to deal with Woolsey. Not that he was a problem or anything...he just didn't have nearly as much charisma as the old NER armorer who ran the store during normal business hours. Not to mention his sense of humor...

“Why of course I do!” He chuckled, his demeanor immediately reverting back to the factory settings the moment I mentioned the word ‘buy’. “Welcome back, Miss Crete! What can we interest in you today young lady?”

“I’m 236 years old you stupid machine…” I grumbled under my breath before examining my inventory of ammo and making a mental list of what we were lacking. “I’d like two boxes of .45-70 Celestia, six boxes of .308, and as many .45-70 speedloaders as you’ve got in stock. Oh, and I've got an old M1 Garand we just came into the possession of not too long ago and I was wondering if you guys might have a suppressor in stock for it. Oh, and any en-blocs in .308 if you've got any. Long shot I know with such a limited run firearm but you guys have yet to disappoint.”

“One moment, please! Allow me to peruse our stock...” He boomed, retreating from sight into one of the two caged rooms in the back where their goods were kept under extra lock and key. Well, those they kept in the store; everything else went down the elevator and out to their fortified manufacturing compound outside the city.

After a few minutes he returned with his eight legs each holding a bit of the order, setting everything down in a neat line on his side of the glass and showing them off one at a time to confirm I wanted them. One by one everything was deposited into the large sliding deposit box before him including the surprising inclusion of the suppressor. Sadly, they didn't have any en-bloc clips in .308 caliber but he assured me that he would send a manufacture request and I could pick up a batch of fifty in a couple days. The total purchase came to a little over two grand but as I was their most loyal and repeat customer, I was granted a special discount. One I loved to use even if I could afford the normal price since there were few ways to make a girl feel special than an exclusive discount for being a #1 customer.

“I would like to use the Bang! Pow! Boom! Discount, please.” I instructed with a smile, an almost lewd feeling of satisfaction washing over me as I saw the final total roll back to just 955 caps which I promptly paid; dumping a bag of a thousand into the small hopper drawer with a counter lit in red numbers rolled backwards until it hit zero and the excess diverted into a small cubby like the coin return slot on a vending machine.

“Thank you for your continued business, Miss Crete!” He chuckled as I walked away. “If not for you, however would we pay our bills?”

I laughed to myself at his little quip and reached Cogsworth’s warehouse in time to catch his own Mr. Handies closing the outer doors for the day. They let us in graciously and even escorted us back down the stairs and across the store to Cog’s Workshop where he was as always busy at work on one of his many creations. Sparks cascaded from his welding stylus as he seemed to put the finishing touches on the Mr. Gutts robot with the flame paint job we had seen earlier.

“Hail Cogsy!” I called out to him making sure he heard me so I didn’t catch him by surprise and inadvertently ruin his project.

“Greetings and salutations to you as well, Athena!” He hailed back, setting down his welding mask and stylus and getting up. “Did you find our friend?”

“I did! However there’s some crazy shit that happened on the way that required his attention so he’ll be returning soon-ish. Meanwhile, remember how I asked you about helping me clean my new place up once I found it?”

“You located one so quickly?” He asked without any surprise. “It figures it would happen thusly given your luck. Yes, I would be most willing to assist you in this effort! It will give me and my robots a challenge for once! Please tell me you went to the effort of at least preparing a suitable list of that which is required? Even a preliminary expectation is a suitable place to start.”

“I did actually! I even wrote it on my PipBuck so you can read it at your leisure after I upload it to ya. It’s gonna need a lot of love and materials if you’re still up for it.” I replied as I sent the list of things I wanted/needed repaired plus my wish list of features like the thirty foot concrete walls and the structural reinforcement of the main building with steel and concrete.

“A fact I can plainly see…” He mumbled as he received the list and scanned over it. “Good gods are you certain Athena?”

“Well...you asked for a wish list didn’t you?” I said sheepishly. “This is what I want done to the place!”

“When you spoke of wanting a castle, I thought you were merely jesting…” He sighed as he rubbed his eyes and returned to looking over the list. “Luck favors you highly Athena. I can do the alterations you seek but I ask in exchange for-”

“For a place where you can do more of your science projects and make an assembly line. Don't worry, already took that into account the moment I had a mind for this place.” I finished for him, slapping him on the back reassuringly. “Common, you know you wanna do it.”

“You don’t need to persuade me Athena. I am happy to be of assistance. I will need until the morning before I am ready to make my first journey to the building. I will also need to hire some armed guard to keep watch over my store until I return.”

"Awesome, the map marker should also be attached to the file I sent. And before you go and tell me it's too close to Shady Sands, I already know that. They won't like it but if we can get a hoofhold there and get you set up, I think they'd be willing to overlook us. Long as you keep them supplied with tech and robots."

He flipped to the map tab on his PipBuck and frowned.

"Fifteen miles...? Well...that would make deliveries to the Republic far more cost efficient...still, I cannot help but express concerns about the proximity to the capital. I know they and thee are at odds."

"Don't worry about me, Cogs." I assured him. "I'll take the heat for whatever bullshit they throw our way. At this point, they should know better than to blindly try and force shit outta me. They aren't using the place so as far as I care, it's free game and I can set up shop all I want. Squatter's rights as it were."

"Very well...I will also exert whatever clout I have proffered with them. I doubt even they would be so bold as to deny themselves of my wares were I to develop a larger production facility. There is much to prepare Athena, I must beg your pardon so that I may attend to them. Your beds are ready and awaiting your arrival in the Stable. Go and rest now, we will continue this come morning."

I nodded and left him to it, waltzing into the Stable with aching knees and a pair of exhausted foals that needed to be undressed for bed. While I could manage a nap in my armor if I needed to, that was thanks to decades of getting used to the whole ordeal and just learning to put up with it. They were young and deserved to enjoy the full comfort of a good night’s sleep without waking up with aching backs and shoulders from sleeping in armor. With the utmost care, I got both of them out of their armor and snuggled into their own respective cots while I got undressed and prepared myself for bed properly. It was an odd feeling exposing myself to danger in such a way around others but...well, we were family now. It was my own small way of showing trust towards them, even if they weren't awake to see it.

The cool air-conditioned breeze running through the Stable made me shiver as my bare coat tasted air for the first time in a few days. A heavy chain tinkled gently across my breast as I set my coat and armor down in a pile next to the foot of my cot. I felt the chain against my hoof as I ran it over each and every trophy that adorned it. My Chain of Remembrance as I came to call it after it started getting noticeably heavy around my neck. The chain itself was the same that carried my dog tags but it also contained little trinkets; trophies of war taken from my most dangerous or influential hits across the decades. Earrings, rings, cufflinks, even a few teeth; all of these dangled from my chain as testaments to my past achievements as mementos of those who had taken more than normal to kill. That is...all except for one. An engagement ring.

I unfastened the chain and lifted the small black ring to my eyes. A one-karat amethyst carved into the shape of a star was set in the center accompanied by two flanking half-karat sapphires cut into crescent moons on either side and two half-karat rubies cut in a navette shape on top and bottom, all on a Lunar Steel band as black as onyx. A strange and exotic engagement ring but then again it was intended for a very strange and exotic mare. It cost almost as much as my Sequoia did but that was only because the amethyst was of an extremely rare variety called the Tears of the Weeping Sun and the band was some of the most heavily enchanted Lunar Steel available. The so-called Tears of the Weeping Sun came from a geode said to have formed from the tears Princess Celestia cried when she had realized what she had done to her younger sister in having to banish her to the moon commemorating the hope that Princess Luna would one day be saved. In the dim light of the Atrium, the large jewel glowed with a soft purple light that reminded me for of a Dark Gem but seemed to have a warm, comforting feel to it. There was some kind of magic within the gem but it wasn’t that of evil...if anything it felt like love. A gentle, calming love that never faltered and gave a small sense of hope that was just enough to cling on. And....cling to it I did.

“I’ll never forget you, you know that right?” I asked the ring in the silence of the Stable. “I’ve never been with another mare after you. Not...in a relationship at least. I love you Hucks...I always will...but I’ve gotta move on. For all I know Hucks...this is you back from the dead. Reincarnated or...something. She needs me. But...if I’m to be there for her, really truly be there for her...I need to let you go. That way...I can focus everything I am with her. You know it’s the best choice...it’s a real chance for me to pick up where we left off. I haven't felt this happy to be alive since...well, even before you died. It's just...this is my shot at finding something worth living for again. I know you better than anyone...I ask for your blessing on this...please.”

There was no noise that I could hear with my ears and no sight for my eyes to see...but I could feel her lips upon mine and her voice whispering in my ear that everything was going to be alright. That I had her blessing to continue on my present course that I had set. I had a lot to live up to...but with this load off my heart, I felt up to the challenge. It took me a long time to say goodbye. Too long in fact. Too long to the point the memories were beginning to inevitably fade. It was hard to cling to a past that had nothing more to substantiate it than just mental snapshots and a few mementos...

“Mummy…?” Melody called out softly into the dark. "W-where are you...?"

“I’m here darling. Be just a sec.” I replied shakily, putting the ring back onto the chain around my neck and turning to see Melody climbing in with me and immediately snuggling warmly into my chest.

“Thanks for being a good person mom.” She sighed happily as she dozed in my arms.

“Oh? What do you mean…?” I asked her tentatively.

“You saved your friend’s life and you exposed all those bad people and the horrible stuff they did. A bad pony doesn’t do stuff like that. They only make things worse.” She replied, looking up at me with a soft, loving intensity.

“Even though I shot that trooper right in the head?” I asked, that being the only detail I was worried she might protest over as I knew the Raiders in the building would get no sympathy.

“Oh he fucking deserved that.” She said matter-of-factly. “And more. He was even worse than those ugly old Raiders...nopony like that deserves to live. Stop worrying mom. I know you’re not always going to be the best pony...but at least you know that too and you seem to be trying to be better. You have a heart of gold and everyone can feel it.”

“Not to mention a Soul of Grey it seems.” I replied without even thinking.

“Yeah, I was wondering about that...what does that mean? Is it bad?” She asked, rousing very similar questions in my own mind that had remained on the backburner in light of our search for Scaly.

“I’m not really sure to be honest, Mel.” I admitted, giving her a little kiss on the cheek while wrapping a hoof around her back and another around her head cradling it. “Far as I know that Color doesn’t even exist and I can only guess what it means.”

“And that is...?” She quiried, nibbling on my chest and breathing slowly.

“Well...what is grey as a color anyway? It’s a mixture of black and white. We view the world mostly as a matter of black being bad and white being good but life is far from being so clean cut like that. But, as far as the realm of Souls go, there are such things as Black Souls that are inherently violent and 'evil' and the occasional White Soul that is incorruptible, pure and 'good'. Grey however? Well...it's not like I'm an expert on the topic but as far as I have read and been taught, such a Soul has never been seen before. What it means well...that's something I don't even know where to start on figuring out.”

“So...you’re like half angel and half demon? Cooooooool!” She grinned, nipping at my neck playfully and pawing at my chest with the tips of her hooves. "Half Black Soul, half White...only thing that makes sense."

“For lack of proper understanding on both our parts, that’s the best explanation we’ve got right now. Maybe it means...I’m like....neither good nor bad?”

“Well that certainly sounds like you mom.” She replied with a giggle.

“Heh...if you say so hunny...I'd say at best I'm a dark charcoal grey. There's a lot of black in me.” I sighed, settling in and closing my eyes, giggling softly as I felt her tail flick around on my stomach and tickle my thighs. “Cheeky filly.”

“Heh...sorry...I can stop if you-” She apologized before I shushed her with a kiss.

“Please don’t.” I assured her gently. “I find it really adorable. You’re very snuggly, you know that?”

“Am I?” She squealed softly as I tickled her and nipped at her ears.

“Only the most snuggly and adorable.” I cooed in her ears causing her to shiver heavily against me sending shivers down my own spine. “Mummy’s big old kitty cat.”

“Mew!” She giggled, licking my chin and trying to purr in her throat though it came out as a cute guttural growl.

“Awww...such a cute kitty!” I swooned, petting her back which arched under my hoof.

“Meww…” She mewled again, this time much fainter and muffled by a yawn.

“Go to sleep now kitty.” I crooned, petting her back continually. “Mummy will be here if you need her ok?”

“Okey mummy…” She yawned happily, giving me a good night kiss on my nose before curling up on my chest and falling asleep.

“Goodnight darling.” I purred in her ear, closing my eyes again and welcoming the embrace of sleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter Thirty-Four: Out of the Frying Pan Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 45 Minutes