With it already being late in the evening, Patches decides to go ahead and close up shop. She’s pretty exhausted by this point; with everything she’s done during the day it isn’t any wonder. On top of normal daily stressors, and dealing with a certain green winged individual, there’s also the entire fiasco surrounding Lodestar. That whole situation spread through Megamart like a wildfire. Most creatures in the building already had the gist of the situation before security even arrived on the scene.

But the potential ramifications of it have everyone in Megamart stressed.

So Patches is extremely eager to get to bed and sleep away the rest of the night. She’s hoping a night of rest will be able to put it out of her mind long enough for it to sort itself out instead of hanging over her head. Which is a tactic that many ponies routinely fallback on when faced with the realities of the wasteland. She lights up a cigarette and is just taking her first drag from it as she finishes closing the front of her booth.

A mare caravanner, that Patches only vaguely recalls seeing before, walks by her as she finishes closing up the booth and asks, “Hey, Patches, you’re still up?”

Patches nods as she steps away from her booth. “Been a long day. I’m exhausted.”

The mare giggles before she says, “I bet you are…” She continues on down the aisle as she gives Patches a mischievous smirk. “Business must be pretty good for ya.”

Patches nods as she starts walking the opposite direction of the caravanner. “Yeah, actually, it’s been really good lately.”

The comment just makes the mare giggle even more as she shakes her head and continues on her way.

As Patches is walking down the aisle, she notices that a couple of the other ponies standing around, talking among themselves, seem to glance in her direction. And a telling smirk crosses their muzzle as they notice her. At first she didn’t notice. But then she did. And after a bit, and it seems like nearly everypony she’s passing has that same smirk on their face, she starts getting a little self-conscious. Like there’s a joke that she’s the butt of and doesn’t even know about yet. Except, not quite: as none of it seems malicious and rather it all seems based in amusement.

But it still confuses her to no end.

As she’s rounding a corner to head towards the stairs up, she sees another caravanner mare walking towards her. The mare, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, takes one look at Patches and her eyes bug out.

Patches can’t help wondering if she’s got something on her face or what could be causing these reactions. Especially after this mare gets the exact same smirk on her muzzle a moment after recovering from some kind of shock.

The mare slows her trot as she asks, “Patches, how are you even awake right now? Your endurance has gotta be ridiculous!”

Patches raises an eyebrow, and then shrugs as she smiles. “Get used to long days after a while. Just gotta take it in stride.”

The mare’s eyes bug out again as she snorts a laugh so powerful that it seems to hurt her. She slaps a hoof on the ground repeatedly as she laughs and says, “Well, some of us can’t afford to ‘take it’ like that.”

Patches shakes her head a bit before she says, “Well… I don’t know what to tell ya… I guess not everypony’s built to handle it.”

The mare just laughs louder as she carries on down the aisle. “Oh how I envy you, Patches!”

Patches continues on as she’s looking back at the laughing mare. “What is up with these caravanners tonight? They get into the good hooch or somethin’?”

As she’s almost to the metal staircase that leads to the roof, she catches sight of an orange unicorn mare coming back from the direction of the bathrooms. A moment after catching sight of each other, the orange mare gets the same ridiculous smirk on her muzzle, and causes Patches to narrow her eyes suspiciously at her.

The mare picks up pace just enough to get closer before she asks, “Hey, Patches, I heard you’ve expanded into working with professionals.” She gives Patches a wide grin as she continues strolling up to her.

Patches blinks a couple times. “Huh? I mean, yeah. But, what?”

The orange mare waves a hoof as she has the same cheesy smile on her muzzle. “You know… that green winged golden stud you serviced?”

Patches casually puffs on her cigarette before she says, “Oh, yeah. Him… To be honest, I don’t know who’d really be the one providin’ who service there. That buck knows what he’s doin’!” She waves a hoof. “It’s awe inspirin’, honestly.”

The orange mare tenses up as her giggle changes a few octaves and she fights herself from exploding at the thought. “Oh you!” She puts a hoof to her mouth as she giggles a bit more. “So I’ve heard!” She trots over closer before she asks quietly, “So, uh, I’ve got a bit of a bet going on… What’s something like that run?”

Patches slowly takes a drag from the cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she stares at the mare. The conversation really seems a bit weird. Even more so as she can’t figure out why the orange mare’s cheeks had suddenly started getting flushed. After shrugging and thinking that it’s probably alcohol kicking in, Patches replies, “Well, we just worked somethin’ out. Bartered on the specifics on what would be done and how long it was gonna be.”

The orange mare’s jaw drops as a sudden thought explodes into being in her head. “You mean it doesn’t have to be straight caps?!”

Patches shakes her head as she smiles lightly. “Nah. Not at all… I mean, caps talk. But salvage, equipment, hell, even information can count and be bartered towards the price.”

The orange mare’s grin spreads from ear to ear as she practically squeals, “Sweet, Celestia, that’s amazing!”

Patches raises an eyebrow before she blows out a puff of smoke. “I mean… if you think so… But it’s just good business practices really.”

The orange mare prances in place before she starts quickly trotting off towards the Megamart cots. “Thanks for the info, Patches! I can’t believe I actually might be able to afford it!”

The giggling mare quickly gets out of sight and Patches calls after her, “Uh, yeah, just swing on by the booth when you get a chance!” but the giggling mare doesn’t hear Patches as she’s too lost in her own world.

Patches continues on and starts up the stairs as she says, “I guess she’s really been wantin’ a new suit o’ armor… Can’t blame her with the way things have been going to hell lately.” She pauses on the stairs and looks back and down in the direction the mare had gone. “But what was with her getting’ all flushed about it though? Embarrassed to ask or somethin’?” She shrugs and continues on. “Oh well, I’ll figure it out later.

As she emerges onto the roof of Megamart, she sees a pair of mares not far from the entrance hoof wrestling. Judging by their physique and attire, she’s pretty sure they’re guardsponies for the caravans. As she’s turning to head towards her private crate, what amounts to her home like many of the other merchants here, the two mares look over at her. The sudden movement makes Patches look over at them as she feels the stares directed at her.

And a split second later both mares develop the same cheesy grin that she’s been getting subjected to since she left her booth tonight.

Patches rolls her eyes and starts trotting away faster as she shakes her head. She’s going to have to ask someone about this tomorrow. For sure. This can’t be a coincidence. She knows there’s got to be something going on, but she’s too tired to deal with it tonight.

As she’s approaching her metal crate, she slows as she sees a light coming from the inside shining out of a couple cracks and holes in the sheet metal. Very faint light, but very noticeable considering how dark it is now. “Shit, did I forget to turn a lamp off this mornin’?”

She opens the door, which groans with a metallic squeak. And she stops as she sees the cloth curtain she has set up just inside the door. She pauses because she knows for a fact that she’d moved it out of the way and left it open when she left this morning. But, here it is, closed and doing a modest job of providing privacy inside.

But before she gets a chance to say anything, a noise from the inside draws her immediate attention.

“Eeeeh heh heh heeeh…” the unintelligible voice groans with a giggle from beyond the curtain.

Patches scowls as she takes in a deep puff from her cigarette, causing the ember at the end to flare up red and give an excellent visual for the spontaneous rage that’s sprouted up within her at the realization that somepony was in her room.

Her horn flares as she steps in, and the cloth curtain gets thrown back by her magic, as she starts yelling, “Who’s-” but she stops as the curtain is yanked back and the perpetrator is revealed. But, what has more to do with her sudden silence is the unmistakable whiff of what gets wafted into her face from yanking the curtain back and accidentally using it as a fan to circulate the air. She takes a side step, as the smell’s rather overpowering, and she tries to fan it away from her face. “Gah! Smells like sex in here!”

Indeed the smell is so powerful she feels like it’s actually thickened the air like some type of fog.

She props the door to her crate open, and starts using the curtain to fan and vent the miasma with her levitation magic as she looks down at the obvious cause of the reek. Although the anger’s gone and has been replaced with straight confusion. “Dandy!? What the hell!?”

Dandy lays sprawled out on the makeshift bed, belly down, with her head turned to the side and still giggling here and there as she drools lightly. “Ehhh… hehehe… Hiiii Patcheeeeees… Heh… hehehe…”

Patches keeps fanning the room, doing the best she can even though the place is rather small and without any other bigger holes to bring in fresh air through. “I said you could use my room when you really needed, but what the hell is this?! What happened to you?!”

Dandy giggles some more, then a shiver crosses her pelt starting at her shoulders and working its way down to her tail. “Heh… I… I don’t know…” She rocks her head ever so slightly, weakly at that, and looks up at Patches. “I don’t know what he did to me… But… I’m exhausted… I’m spent… I can’t move…” She giggles a bit weakly as she looks at Patches with her eyes barely open and drool escapes her mouth. “I think I might die… but I think I’m okay with that… heh… hehehe…”

Patches smirks and finally walks in as she comments, “I haven’t seen you like this since you got that big bounty las’ year, and spent the whole thing in Flank.”

Dandy giggles as she looks over at Patches. “Oh… this is better… sooo much better…”

Patches walks over and lies down on the bed next to Dandy, propping her head up with a hoof as she looks Dandy in the eye. “Oh? How so?” She looks her over as she says, “Besides, your sweat already seems to be dryin’, but you still seem to be breathin’ heavy…”

Dandy turns her head to face Patches as she giggles. “He… he just drained me… I don’t know how…” She tries to lift a forehoof to point at her head, but it shakes a bunch from the futile effort before flopping back down. “He did something to my h-h-horn!” She gasps at the thought and her buddy shudders. “Felt like he sucked the magic right out of my horn… I’m spent.” She giggles. “Magic’s so weak now I was barely able to lift a bottle of water to drink from…”

Patches eyes go wide as she asks, “Wait, you’re almos’ burnt out?! From a hornjob?!”

“Spent… I’m spent…” She giggles and smooshes herself into the bed a bit as she groans and closes her eyes. “In all of the best ways possible…” She opens an eye and says softly, “I… I just needa rest a bit… Then I can go… I… I just can’t move… now…”

“Oh?” Patches asks with a grin.

“Uh huh… I’m too weak.”

Patches grins as she leans in. “Oh. If that’s the case…” She floats her cigarette out of her mouth and puts it out into an ashtray nearby as she leans over and gives Dandy a kiss right below the ear before she whispers into it, “I could totally take advantage and punish you for wreckin’ my room and getting’ it all smelly. Hmmmm?”

“Noooo… I’ll die,” Dandy moans. A shiver travels down her whole body as Patches gently nibbles on one of her ears. “Murder… it’ll be murder… I’ll die…”

Patches giggles as she says, “Oh, look at you, already leanin’ into it…”

Dandy moans, “Can I have a raincheck? I’ll pay you back… promise…”

Patches stretches out her legs, wraps them around Dandy, and gently pulls her in. “Nuh uh, I needa pay you back for this nonsense.”

“Awwww,” Dandy groans as she gets physically manipulated to lie onto her side, with her back towards Patches. But she can’t help but smile as Patches wraps her up in her legs and she gets turned into the little spoon for a very welcome cuddle session. After they’ve been laying down for a bit, Dandy lifts her head just enough to ask, “So… are you gonna kill me?”

Patches smirks as she stares at the side of Dandy’s face. “Are you bein’ hopeful about it, or…?”

Dandy smiles weakly, then slowly scoots back into Patches a bit more. “I’m tired…”

Patches lets out a sigh as she relaxes. “Me too.”

Dandy asks softly, “Talk about it tomorrow?”

“Better believe it, filly.”

Dandy smiles and relaxes to the point of practically becoming a fluid as she goes entirely limp.

Patches uses her magic, turns off the small lantern that’s still on, and then locks the door to her crate. All while keeping Dandy wrapped up in her hooves. As she’s settling back down she asks quietly, “What did he do to you?” and then she giggles as she feels Dandy’s entire body shiver at the thought of it. “That good huh?”

Dandy grins as she says softly, “Totally worth the risk of death… totally…”

“You’re cleanin’ my room tomorrow,” Patches says flatly as she quickly starts dozing off.

Dandy lets out a groan before she waves a hoof limply. “Fair… that’s fair…”

Footnote:

Reminder about the half chapters: they can be skipped and you lose nothing from the main story, but they do provide extra information and clarity to bits. In THIS case, it helps the reader straighten out a few things that has been mixed up with the characters in verse. This short chapter also gives a bit of a hint of what ACTUALLY changed with Gearing, whether he realizes it or not.