While the others spend the night sleeping in the half buried wagon that Swift had found, Gearing keeps an eye out for any sign of trouble. But, given all of the problems he’d had recently, he’s decided to keep his EFS on. More to help him stay aware of his surroundings with less effort, while he does what he really wanted to do, than anything else.

Which was, and is, to try and figure out what in Tartarus was going on with his PipBuck and his implants. Before his eyes the unique enchantment connecting him to his implants works with the matrix that displays the EFS over his vision to show him lines of code and alerts.

So many alerts.

But, despite his best efforts, he’s been left frustrated. The only thing he’s been able to glean out of the garbage being shown to him was that his PipBuck and internal implants seem to be under the impression that they have been breached. Hacked. That their security has been compromised. They are screaming at him via alert bombardment about the security failure that has been detected. But, they can’t tell him when, who, or where it took place. Only that it’s recently been discovered.

And, worst of all, it seems to be locking out segments so that even he can’t access them. It’s going on full lockdown mode and has been quickly working to try and hide its own existence as it partitions entire segments into apparent oblivion. Not that most of it was even working currently anyway; thanks to whomever it was that blasted him with that weapon that knocked him out for two centuries. But, it’s still a concern. He’s going to need access to those hidden files eventually. It’s only a matter of time before that becomes important. Critically so even. But, thankfully, not everything has been spirited away to digital hell.

Some of his lower security protocols are still active, and valid. But, even more frustratingly for the situation, he can’t figure out why they won’t physically manifest. From everything he can tell, which he readily admits isn’t much, the system should be working. There’s nothing wrong with it as far as he can tell. It’s almost as if the system is waiting for something before it gives him what he wants.

But, unfortunately, he’s not a mind reader. So he doesn’t know what it wants him to do, or needs from him, before it starts working again. So they are at an impasse. With the pair waiting on each other, or, possibly, something else. Something else that hasn’t happened yet.

Feeling rather frustrated, and hoping to find some kind of outside inspiration, Gearing starts using his inventory sorter to double check everything he has on himself. To make sure he hasn’t forgotten anything. He’d left quite a bit back at Megamart because he didn’t want to be bogged down. And, like had happened at Megamart, his eyes entirely jump over one entry in his inventory list as he disregards an item he has on himself out of pure training. But, this time, he actually realizes what he just did and goes back to it again.

He selects it and quickly removes it from the top of his bag, where the sorting enchantment had placed it, to look it over.

Gearing starts slowly turning the little module between his hooves by holding it by opposite angled corners and spinning it along that awkward axis slowly. He’d pretty much forgotten he’d had it. He got it from that caravanner as an extra bonus for something. Something that still doesn’t make sense to him. He’d simply brushed it off at the time since he’d gotten what he wanted and she seemed happy with what she received in exchange. But, now that he actually thinks about it, that entire interaction was strange.

Several other caravanners, shopkeepers, and individuals he’d met this side of the apocalypse cross his mind’s eye. Some of them he’s gotten to know better than others. The ghoul mare is definitely in the latter category as he wonders if she’s also connected to The Finders in some way. He’d run into Short Road down that way, and he was a Finder, so Gearing knows it’s not unheard of.

Although, he realizes he never even got her name. So he can’t use that to ask anyone. And going by description alone feels like a slimy way to go about it.

Connections are important. For a variety of reasons. And while the little module has done nothing but add weight to his pack and take up space, he’s sure it’ll come in useful sometime in the future. He’s aware it’s not as good as one of the Zebra cloaks. And this little thing only has enough of a charge for maybe an hour before it expends its single use. As well as a whole lot of other drawbacks that make Stealthbucks technically and functionally inferior to their zebra counterparts. He’s aware of all of that. But, he’s also aware that it might tip the scales in his favor when careful movements and noise discipline won’t be enough. A time when he truly will need to disappear from sight.

Especially given all of the failures he’s having with his implants. And the problems they are causing for him because of that fact. And he knows, without a doubt, that support won’t be available to help him out of any jams he may get into. He’s already made his last call for reinforcements he’s ever going to have answered. He’s lacking equipment. Knowledge. Options. Practically everything he’s used to having at his disposal. All gone. He’s on his own. And there’s no one left anymore that he can ask for help.

Well, he could ask, technically, but when you already know what the answer is, what’s the point?

He continues mindlessly twirling the module with his hooves as he returns to the vast array of complaints from his alerts and mentally swears at the universe, What I really need is someone that can do what I can’t…

It’s times like this when he really misses his support team. Because, as good of a technician as he is, he simply can’t work on himself. Especially to the degree he really needs.

For some unidentifiable reason, both Handy and Swift slept in exceptionally late. And Gearing was so focused on dealing with his own issues, while keeping watch, he didn’t bother checking the clock while he waited for them to wake up. And with the constant overcast sky, the amount of light cutting through the clouds that are perpetually threatening rain makes it hard to judge time. So because of yet another late start, by the time they are getting close to the area where Chapel is supposed to be the day is already well underway and getting closer to night than morning.

Swift looks at her PipBuck as she trots along not far from the other two. She’s taken the lead for a short period, as the trip, and general lack of action, is starting to make her antsy. She pauses and looks over at Handy and Gearing as she comments, “We’re getting close. It’s supposed to be around here somewhere. Can’t miss the church. Apparently its top can be seen from a distance.”

Gearing likewise pauses and looks at the map of the local area on his PipBuck. He zooms in and scrolls around a bit as he tilts his head one way and then the other. And something nags at him as something about the topography strikes a chord with him. He zooms out a bit more, to get a better view of the region in general, and a smirk crosses his muzzle as it finally dawns on him.

He scrolls over to an area not far away, and starts chuckling as he stares at the map. His giggle fit draws the attention of the other two, and makes them look over at him as they were just in the middle of a quiet conversation between themselves before he started impersonating a quiet hyena.

Swift smirks as she looks him over and asks, “Hey, Gearing, what’s so funny?”

Gearing points off to the side as he chuckles. “Oh… I just realized where we are… Someone I know lives around here… well…” he chuckles a bit more and shakes his head. “Knew and did live around here… You get what I mean, right?”

Handy looks at him and has a slight smile on his muzzle before asking quietly, “Good memories?”

Gearing nods and looks off to the side towards where he’d pointed as he chuckles. “Yeah. One of the best, really.”

Swift’s ears droop as she asks, “Friend of yours? Sorry.” Gearing looks over at her with a raised eyebrow and she waves it off with a forehoof. “Oh, sorry, I don’t mean to dredge up painful memories when you just had a nice one to think about.”

Gearing pulls his cowl back and grins widely at her as he asks, “Friend? Are you kidding?”

Handy sits down as he asks, “More than friends? Family?”

Gearing tilts his head back and laughs loudly, echoing off the local ruins of a few buildings before he goes back to looking at them. “Oh hell no!” He snickers a few times. “I hated that pompous fucker.” Both Swift and Handy’s eyes jump wide and Gearing offers, “Oh, yeah. Hated his guts.” He holds up a forehoof and winks at them as he says, with an oversized grin plastered across his muzzle, “I tried, repeatedly, to get that bastard arrested for treason!” He shakes his head. “I tell ya, that whole family was trash. From the bottom up, and regardless of how distantly related they were.” He chuckles some more as he tilts his head and looks at them. “But when you’re dealing with nobles, you have to make sure everything is more than adequate for the conviction. Otherwise they won’t even bother.” He waves a hoof off to the side towards the mansion in question, pointing right towards it through the nearby rubble and over the horizon. “And that disgusting slimy weasel always managed to squirm out of trouble… too much ‘reasonable doubt’… always had an excuse.” He snorts and looks off towards the family’s estate as he narrows his eyes at it. “Conveniently so…”

Handy and Swift look at each other for a second before looking at Gearing again and Swift asking, “What the hell’s so funny then? If you hated the prick so much, how could there be any pleasant memory to that?”

Gearing looks over at her and grins again as he waves a hoof off in the distance again. “Well, one of the times I thought I had his ass was connected to an assassination attempt on one of the ministry mares. They almost succeeded, she was bad off for awhile. He got out of it, but he still had a hell of a lot of explaining to do and they ran his ass through the ringer that time because a friend and business partner of his was blatantly guilty beyond all reasonable doubt for sure. On the very night of the arrest they were conspiring together, and the one moron tried to kill the agent investigating him. But, luckily for Blueballs, he’d already left before all of that went down. And while he was involved in some shady dealing, it wasn’t treasonous levels… so, being the noble he is, he got a slap on the hoof and sent on his way… again…”

Swift’s eyes practically sparkle as she asks, “His name is Blue-balls?!”

Gearing giggles and grins at her widely. “That’s what I call him… and, trust me, there’s a great story behind that one too!”

Handy tilts his head as he narrows an eye and asks, “What’s a repairpony doing with investigations and trying to get ponies arrested?”

Gearing looks at him and smirks as he asks, “Handy, come on now, you of all ponies, being a repairpony yourself, should know better than that…” He looks over at Swift as he throws out his wings and strikes his high winged, light scattering pose for the first time in a while. “There’s a reason they say never to piss off a nerd with admin privileges… and that fucker got on my list the first time I heard about him. Before I’d even met him.”

“Yeeaaah… dirty little secrets are easy to dig up for someone that knows what they’re doing when they’re on accessible networks,” Swift comments as she looks at Handy. She shakes her head and giggles some more before she turns and continues walking. “Can we get a move on though? I’d love to hear more about this Blue-balls noble, and where the hell that name came from, but later. We’ve burned too much of the day already.”

Gearing nods as he starts following. “Yeah, sure. His ass is good and dead by now. Otherwise I’d probably stop by just long enough to introduce his face to a shotgun. Repeatedly.”

Handy walks alongside him as he asks, “You’d really just walk up and shoot him if you saw him now?”

Gearing looks at him sideways before letting out a long agitated sigh. “Handy, look. It’s purely hypothetical. He’s dead. Long dead. If you knew anything about nobles, being a noble would be all you’d needed to know. But, besides that, I know that buck’s quality and character. I know what kind of buck he is. His greed and selfishness. How he only cares about himself and his own image. The shit he’d gotten away with. If he were still alive, without a government to worry about retaliating on him, he’d be a horrible monster.” He waves a hoof dismissively as he adds, “Knowing him the way I do, I bet he’d have no problem with slavery, and murder… hell… he already thought everyone else was beneath him back then… Can you imagine what someone like that would be like in a world like this?!” Gearing snorts then shakes his head again. “So, yeah, I would…” He turns his head to look at Handy just long enough to add, “And I bet you bits to doughnuts it would barely take a cursory look afterwards to find out it was fully justified… because bucks like that…” He stares ahead as he snorts and narrows his eyes. “Never change.”

Handy keeps looking at him for a few moments before he nods. “I believe you. Ponies that get stuck in that ‘the world is all about me’ mentality typically are pretty horrible.”

Gearing looks over at him, and sees the deadpan expression across Handy’s face. Gearing gives a slight dip of his head before rising back up as he’s replacing his cowl. “Thank you!”

Handy nods as he goes back to walking alongside him and looking ahead towards where Chapel is supposed to be. “Yup.”

The little dark blue winged Big Macintosh knock off in Gearing’s head starts hopping around and waving his hooves to get Gearing’s attention. ‘Hey! Hey! Besides that Blueballed asshole’s house, remember what else is around here? Huh?! Huh?! Huh?!’

Gearing’s eyes go a bit wider as the realization strikes him.

The little pegasus bounces around on the tips of his hooves as he begs, ‘Can we go to the museum? Please?! We never had time before!’

It probably got trashed by the bombs, Gearing mentally groans in reply.

‘Well… then…’ The little blue pegasus looks at him with big soulful eyes. ‘Maybe that means we can… get some free souvenirs?’ He sheepishly taps his forehooves together. ‘Like, maybe, a couple whole exhibits worth? Or whatever’s left?’

Loot the museum!?

The little blue pegasus puffs up his cheeks and looks off to the side as it says, ‘Well, not like anypony else would want it… and better in our hooves than left to rot… right?’

Gearing can’t help but admitting the little pony in his head does have a valid point. Which sends the little blue pegasus cart wheeling in his mind space in excitement. But that gets tempered into disappointment when Gearing mentally adds, If there’s time, sure.

The little blue pegasus flops down onto its haunches, folds it forelegs across its chest, and scowls at him with a massive pouting lower lip as it mutters, ‘You always say that… and there’s never time…’

“You alright, Gearing?”

Gearing shakes his head and looks to his side as he sees Handy staring at him rather intensely. “What, Handy?”

Handy waves a forehoof at him and repeats, “You alright? You seemed to have gotten lost in thought or something. Wasn’t sure if it had to do with what we were just talking about or something else.”

Gearing shakes his head again before waving it off with a forehoof. “Oh, nah. I’m good. Just thinking about what to do once we’re done with all of this nonsense.”

Handy lets out a small chuckle as he tilts his head and gives Gearing a crooked smile. “I try not to do that… Plan too far ahead and things always crop up and screw it all up.”

Gearing snorts in amusement as he nods. “Ain’t that the truth… but, if I don’t work on something, even just thinking things through, even if it turns out to be a complete waste of time… I’ll go nuts.”

‘Short trip’, the little blue pegasus in his head comments bitterly as he folds his forehooves tighter across his chest.

“I hear ya there!” Handy says with a chuckle.

Gearing looks at him sideways and shakes his head as he chuckles in mutual amusement. But, after a few moments, he looks over at Handy and asks, “So, what’s going on? Really? Are you okay?”

Handy looks at him and raises an eyebrow as he asks, “Uh, yeah, why?”

Gearing waves a forehoof at him and replies, with a slight chuckle, “You’re acting like you’re not thoroughly disgusted with the fact of my mere existence…” He tilts his head and leans away from him a bit, while still walking and looking at Handy. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was almost as if you actually liked me.”

Handy hangs his head and lets out a grumbling groan as a scowl appears across his muzzle.

Gearing points a wingtip at him through the ratty blanket and chuckles, “Now see, that’s more like it!”

Handy looks at him sideways and mutters, “You’re a real asshole sometimes, you know that?”

Gearing chuckles some more as he peeks out from under the cowl at him and grins. “Only ‘sometimes’? You ill or something?”

Handy rolls his eyes then looks straight ahead as he replies, “Look, Gearing… I don’t hate you, alright?”

“Coulda fooled me,” Gearing quips.

Handy avoids looking at him as he adds, “Gearing, you scared the shit out of me.” He looks over at Gearing and frowns as he says, “I had no idea what the hell you are-“

“I told you,” Gearing replies as he narrows his eyes at Handy. “Blatantly, and from the get-go. Repeatedly at that.”

Handy shakes his head as he scowls. “Dammit, Gearing! We’ve dealt with the Institute… They’ve been after us ever since we escaped!” He points a hoof at Gearing. “You’ve run into at least two of their trickery bullshit. With Bradoak, that synth of Scarlet, and their damn teleportation pad inside the stable.” He shakes his head hard. “And that’s just part of what they are capable of. For all I knew you were another of their tricks. Another of their machines sent to screw us when our guard was down-”

Gearing snarls, “I’m not a fucking machine-!”

“I know!” Handy cuts him off, earning a startled look from Gearing for once. Handy lowers his head and groans as he says, “I get it now, okay? I’m sorry!” He looks over at Gearing as he replies softly, “I’m sorry I treated you like that. I’ve thought it through, and everything that’d happened, and I’ve realized just how badly that must have been for you.” He grits his teeth as he grumbles. “I feel like shit over it already, okay?!” He looks over at Gearing and scowls as he says, “Dammit, I’m trying to apologize here, Gearing!”

Gearing stares at him for a few moments, as he sees the conflict across Handy’s face. Not just anger. But that may be directed at himself and not Gearing or anything else. Especially with the slight tinge of embarrassment and sadness mixed in. Gearing takes in a deep, unnecessary, breath before letting it out in a sigh. “Okay, Handy, apology accepted…” Handy’s face instantly lights up in response, but, just as quickly screws into pure confusion as Gearing finishes, “Conditionally.”

Handy shakes his head a few times before asking, “Conditionally? How the hell do you accept an apology ‘Conditionally’?” He tilts his head. “What kinda condition too?”

Gearing smirks at him as he says, “On condition that you actually remember that fact, and treat me as such. If I’m an asshole because I’m being an asshole, then call me an asshole. If the horseshoe fits… wear it… But don’t go treating me like some damn machine. I never have and never will respond well to that bullshit. Deal?”

Handy opens his mouth to say something in reply, but gets cut off as Swift lands next to him from where she’d came back and started circling over them while they were in the middle of their discussion, “And that applies to Sable too, Handy.” Handy looks over at her and raises an eyebrow so she shrugs and replies, “Sable’s his special somepony… his marefriend… You’ve seen them together.” She points a hoof at herself as she adds, “Think of how you’d feel if somepony was constantly questioning my right to exist.” Handy’s eyes jump wide open and she smiles as she asks, “Sound familiar?”

He nods, so she does as well as she replies, “Good… so keep that in mind when dealing with Sable.” She looks off to the side as she mutters, “And maybe she’d be less inclined to ash you…”

Gearing looks over at Handy sideways as he says slowly, “I would… appreciate the consideration… for her… as well…if you would.”

Handy groans as he slaps a hoof over his face. “I’ll try, okay? That’s all I can promise. So, please don’t get pissed at me if I make a slip… I mean, after all, my grandfather designed and built her chassis and I modified it… so it’s hard not to think like that.”

Gearing smirks as he directs his face towards Handy. “Yeah? Well, I guess all we can ask for is that you make the concerted effort…” Handy nods, so Gearing adds, “But, after all, we all know changelings are far more than they appear… but focusing and keeping mindful of what they currently are is far more beneficial for them… And, like that, the effort to keep it in mind is important…” He looks between the two as he asks, “Right?”

Handy’s eyes go wide as they dart around quickly. He looks off to the side as he snorts and says softly, “Uh… yeah… I guess so… strange analogy though.” He lets out another sigh as he says, “I’ll try. I’ll really try. I promise.”

Swift giggles as she leans over and kisses his cheek. “Look at you being all sensible! And, are you blushing?! You’re adorable too!” She leans over and licks his cheek, startling the flustered look right off his face as he reaches up with a foreleg and wipes off the excessive slobber. While Handy is trying, in vain, to recompose himself, Swift points a forehoof ahead and comments, “I think that’s Chapel up ahead there,” and then starts leading the way.

The little blue pegasus in Gearing’s head greedily rubs his forehooves together as his grin turns comically massive and sinister. ‘So, how are we doing this? Long distance tag? Or, maybe, an old fashioned snatch and grab so we can throw them a personal Party Warty and find out all their dirty little secrets?’

We’ll figure it out after we scope the place out and confirm the little monster’s identity, Gearing mentally promises.

As they approach the small community built along the Fillydelphia turnpike, Gearing isn’t entirely sure what to expect when he gets into the ‘town’. In his mind he’d been expecting the place to look like some sort of raider den. More spikes. Maybe some dead ponies strung up or on spits as a warning to others to follow the rules. Like those raiders in the Hoofington Police Department district headquarters. Something that would fit his mental image of a scummy immoral pony that has no problem with exploiting and preying upon small foals for their own benefit. A slaver like those at Tower’s Towing. Something sinister.

Something other than what greets him as he’s led into the small settlement of a half dozen buildings.

It looks like one of those towns that you blink and you miss while flying overhead. There seems to be a post office, a church, and a couple other buildings. All bounded by a picket fence. Scattered around the structures are even tiny gardens in raised beds. Each with some form of covering made of canvas or tarps. Whether it’s to protect the crops from being poached by airborne wildlife, or from Hoofington’s bitchy weather, Gearing can’t tell.

All that he can tell is the town seems quaint. Even if most of the buildings are in real need of some serious work. And definitely not at all like the wasteland-chic prison-like menacing fortress he’d imagined the place to be.

His mind zips through various lines of thought. Second, and triple, guessing everything he’s seeing. No where in the wasteland is untouched. Nothing wholesome. He’s been accused of the same. So something has to be up. But, then again, isn’t he proof of the exact opposite? That kindness and goodness can exist in Equestria again? He likes to think so. But then again, that’s not a fair comparison, as somepony here is definitely exploiting children.

And the sheer number of youth in the town seems to confirm it. He doesn’t see any adults. Although, the blue flag with the rearing white filly fluttering in the breeze doesn’t really inspire fear in him. It doesn’t seem to be designed with the same sort of malice behind most of the raiders’ and gangs’ emblems he’s run across so far. But, then, where are all of the adults? Where’s this loan-shark they’re looking for? His confusion and anxiety simply grows with each step that answers are withheld.

Gearing stays hidden under his cloak, peeking out back and forth side to side as they travel while he debates on the best plan of action. He could simply wait outside of the town, out of sight, and take the shot from there. He’s confident enough in his aim that he knows he could buy the children’s freedom with a single round of ammunition. But, before that, he needs a good look at his target. Needs to make sure who he’s going to be taking down. He hasn’t told Swift yet, but this loan shark’s life expectancy has been rapidly dropping the closer Gearing’s gotten to Chapel. He’s not sure how she’d feel about premeditated murder of an otherwise noncombatant. He doesn’t want to get her involved. By not telling her he gives her a chance at plausible and real deniability. He’ll even admit it if it comes to the fact. But, he’s not going to let this continue. Equestria needs to get better. Not worse. And loan sharks practically enslaving children with immense debt is helping nopony.

Nopony but the loan shark obviously.

Swift motions towards the white church as she looks back towards Gearing and finally gets his attention. “Hey, you alive back there?”

Gearing shakes his head and looks at her from behind the cover of his cloak. “Uh, yeah, sorry, what’s up?”

Swift frowns and shakes a hoof at the Church again. “I’m going in there to see if I can find out who we’re supposed to talk to.” She shrugs. “A church is as good of a place as any to start… Coming?”

Gearing looks over at the building and his eyes start sweeping over its exterior. A lot of the windows in the church have been boarded up. But then again, the wooden boards have a half decent coat of paint. Maybe an improvised white wash?, he ponders. It’s the best taken care of building in the whole settlement as far as he can see. Though that’s not saying much. At least it’s had some work done on it since the apocalypse. Far more recently too. His eyes trail over it slowly. But then they stop. And his whole body freezes as he stares at one of the windows.

There, above the door, somepony has let their creative juices flow. A hoofmade mosaic composed of small pieces of semi-transparent glass demands his attention. Given the meager supplies that must have gone into making it, and the world as a whole, it’s pretty well done. Especially as the image of the pony looking back at him is unmistakable.

Luna.

She stares out at the world with a sort of calm and confident look that Gearing is quite certain others might find comforting. Maybe even endearing. But, as he stares at it, he feels like she’s staring down at him. Smugly. With a condescending note.

As if she were saying, Yes, you foolish clockwork, I know you’re here. Dare you enter?

The little blue pegasus in Gearing’s head had already jumped back into its steam chest at the first glimpse of the window’s occupant, and is currently in the process of rolling itself towards the void of Gearing’s mind in a desperate bid to escape.

Swift can’t help but look up at what Gearing is staring at, and a smile crosses her muzzle. She admires it for a few moments before looking back at Gearing. “Coming in, or deciding if you want to make one too?”

Gearing blinks, and then slowly lowers his head to look at her as every other facet of his body has completely locked up. A moment later, and without blinking again, he replies, “No. To either.” He abruptly turns, blocking his view of the entire building with his cloak as he says, “I’ll be out here…”

Swift nods and smiles before continuing on through the door, with Handy not far behind her.

Camped outside, Gearing looks around at the young colts and fillies that are walking around within the town. Many are tending to the gardens. A few are playing here and there with each other or one toy or another.

And he can tell all of them are keeping tabs on him as he walks away from the church. Life in the wasteland is rough. And these children know better than anypony that you can’t trust everypony.

A small group of kids playing with a variety of toys catches his attention as he’s aimlessly walking down the old road.

A gray colt in the group lets out a sad annoyed sigh. “Awww… the wheel broke off…”

One of the fillies shrugs as she replies, “You say that like you’re surprised.”

The colt frowns as they hold up the little wagon with the wheel held on with, and dangling by, a piece of wire. “I thought I’d fixed it…”

Another colt gets the others’ attention and nods towards Gearing as he’s heading in their general direction. They get up, and quickly scamper off, a couple leaving behind the items they’d been playing with in the process of making good on their escape. All of them zip into the post office and peek out at him from the safety of the building. For someone taking such pains to hide themselves so thoroughly must be hiding something. Something they most likely want nothing to do with. Caution has served them well thus far, so they see no reason to abandon good common sense at this point in their lives.

Gearing’s cloaked form continues on right through where they just had been. Not missing a stride as he walks straight through and among the toys they’d abandoned on the side of the road. All of them watch him closely, seeing if he’s following them, and paying attention to little else.

None of them notice that the broken wagon, with its dangling wheel, had simply vanished as the cloaked figure walked over it.

Gearing curves around and sits down in the middle of the road. Outwardly he’s seemingly keeping watch down the path towards the Hoofington Core as he settles down and gets comfortable. Although his cloak moves every now and then, betraying the fact that he’s not entirely immobile under there.

A few moments later Swift calls him to get his attention, causing him to turn his head back around to look at her.

She points towards the post office and says, “They’re in there.”

Gearing nods but doesn’t get up. He waits until she’s closer before he even starts walking towards the door, but even then at a slow pace, as he lets Swift and Handy go in first. He enters the door of the post office a few paces behind them and quickly starts scanning the interior. Once inside he carefully takes note of the entire layout while he’s looking for this horrible pony that’s supposed to be in charge.

His target. The proverbial candle that needs snuffing out.

The inside of the post office seems to be one part shop, one part flop house, and one part foalsitting center. There are a variety of toys scattered around on the floor and Gearing can’t help but wonder if that’s one of the selling points to get the kids to stick around. He spots the little gray colt that had the wagon, as the youth is currently watching Swift and Handy intently with his friends. The little group looks back and forth between Gearing, and the other two adults, as they try to assess the situation.

Swift puts on her widest smile as she waves at the little filly behind the counter. “Hi! You’re Charity, right?”

The yellow filly’s eyes jump wide open and practically sparkle as she looks back and forth between Swift and Handy. “Welcome to Charity’s! What are you buying?”

Gearing’s head whips up quick enough that the cowl on his hood lifts up and off him momentarily before fluttering back down over his head as he gawks. He jabs a hoof out at the small yellow shopkeeper as he blurts out, “That’s Charity?!”

Swift looks back over at Gearing and nods as she confirms, “Well, yeah?”

Charity leans sideways, looking around Swift, and grins at Gearing. “You need something too? Buying or selling?”

Gearing’s head flops down loosely from his neck as he starts muttering to himself.

The little blue pegasus in Gearing’s head comes flying out of the void, sending its steam chest flying through the air, as it hops over and points at Charity in disbelief.

One by one the mental images he’s pictured of what Charity looks like manifest in his mind’s eye, and then shatters. The ‘might makes right’ raider leader. The snobby noble wearing a dress made of gems and money. The bulbously fat mare using foals as a mobile throne. They all shatter into a million pieces.

And, in their place, is a little yellow unicorn filly eating a lollipop.

The real Charity.

The little blue pegasus in his head looks back and forth between Charity, and Gearing as it repeatedly throws its forehooves out in her direction. It obviously has a hard time grasping what’s going on as its eyes have grown larger than his head and his jaw has fallen down so far it has circled around Gearing’s mind space and is currently actually dangling above the little pegasus’s own head.

Gearing agrees. This is unexpected. Unprecedented even. Ever since he’d run into the quartet, and found out about their ridiculous debt, he’s been plotting the murder of a loan shark. Of a practical slaver that had burdened children with such an outrageous amount of debt they’d probably never be able to pay it off. Thus keeping them permanently in their debt and under their hoof. Only to find out that this mastermind. This horrible individual. This antithesis to their own name.

Was a youth herself.

Gearing quickly realizes he needs to reevaluate his plan of action, and figure out what he’s going to do. He spins around in a circle and starts heading back out of the door as he keeps his head low. “I gotta go… I’ll be back,” he mutters as he quickly makes his way back out of the old post office.

The gray colt jerks, then looks down at his side where he just felt something bump his haunch as he sat on the floor a respectable distance away from the adults. He quickly grabs the wagon, as it’s rolling backwards away from him, and lifts it up with his forehooves. He brings it up to his muzzle and closely inspects it, and then starts rolling it around on the floor in front of himself before he looks at his friends next to him with a confused expression of absolute shock on his face. “It’s fixed!”

The others with him look at it, and then out at the mottled cloaked figure that quickly disappears into the street.

Charity nods towards Gearing’s direction and asks, “What’s his problem?”

Handy just waves it away and chuckles. “That’s just Gearing. Don’t bother trying to figure him out, you’ll hurt your brain.”

Swift scowls at Handy and then looks over at Charity as she says, “He’s probably just off looking for something to fix. He doesn’t like being bored… And, since we got in here first, he probably didn’t want to seem rude by cutting in line.” She flashes a wide smile and looks at Charity as she hopes she can butter up the little yellow filly enough to at least work with her.

Charity shrugs then looks at Swift. “Well, what are you looking for anyway?”

Handy looks her over with a frown as he says, “Was told we should talk to you about Andante and his sisters; you know them?”

Charity’s eyes go just a bit wider before they zip back and forth between Handy and Swift. She gives them another quick appraisal as she asks, “Are you their parents?”

Swift quickly waves it away with a hoof. “Nothing like that. We’ve known them for a while, but hadn’t seen them in months.”

Charity narrows her eyes at them and slowly looks back and forth as she asks, “What do you want with them?”

Handy shakes his head. “We aren’t looking for them. We know where they are. They’re the ones that told us how much they owe you.” He tilts his head as he looks her over. “What’d they do to owe you so much? They break something? If that’s the case we might be able to fix it for you.”

Swift nods and waves towards Handy. “There’s two very good repairponies here. If the kids broke something I’m sure between the two of them they can fix it. So, is there any way you’d be willing to lower their debt?”

Handy mutters, “I still wanna know what the hell was worth so much to saddle a group of foals with that…”

Charity lets out a sigh and frowns at Swift. “Look. It wasn’t about the caps…” She looks over at the other children and nods to a group sorting through a box of salvage they’d just brought in from outside. “They didn’t know what they were doing, but we could help them figure it out. Those four came in here and I could just tell they had all the sense of a stable pony.” She shakes her head. “They were too carefree and not really paying attention to anything. Always too busy singing. They didn’t want to stay. They just wanted some supplies so they could carry on going where they’re going. They’d said they can’t stay in one spot too long… I figured someone might be after them, or they’d run away from home.” She looks back and forth between Handy and Swift again as she keeps monitoring their reactions.

She frowns as she adds, “They didn’t have any caps, so I put it on their tab, and told them they could help the others and pay it off that way.” She shrugs. “I figured while they were trying to pay me off they could learn how things actually work outside of a stable. That they could stick around and have a safe place to stay while they sorted it out.” She looks at Swift and frowns harder. “Instead, they left a note and said they’d be back when they had the caps…”

Handy looks over at Swift as he shrugs. “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about looking for rare parts for something they broke… Got a long enough shopping list already.”

Swift smirks as she momentarily glances at him before looking back at Charity. “Would you be willing to work with me to sort out payment for the supplies they got?”

Charity leans towards her and gives her a wide smile. “I don’t suppose you’re their rich relatives that are just here to drop off the two-thousand caps and be on your way? Huh?” Her eyes dart back and forth before she lets out a little huff and the oversized grin falls off her muzzle. “Yeah, didn’t think so. Not with you starting off by asking if you just could fix whatever they broke.” She shrugs and waves it away with a hoof. “Yeah, we can sort something out.”

---

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