Chapter 3-1: 100 In Three Darts

[Making up for lack of skill with creative vigour.]

The former contents of my stomach caused the snow to sizzle as they dripped from the chocolate-furred griffon’s claw. I stood frozen and open-mouthed. She was silently glaring. Seconds ticked by without a sound.

Then her mare friend burst out laughing. As did Bosco. My cheeks turned scarlet as I stammered out an apology. “I-I didn’t mean…”

Still frowning, she wiped her claw in the snow. Only when she was satisfied that it was clean did she look at me fully. “I’m docking you one favour for that.” Her rough voice was tinged with embarrassment since her friend hadn’t stopped laughing.

I spat out the last of the bile and gave her my most sincere look. “I’m really sorry about that.”

Her voice was under control now. Only a slight tinge under her face-feathers indicated any unease. “No harm done. Though do it again and I’ll shoot you.” Her tone was not-quite-joking.

With our friends still laughing, the situation remained awkward enough to keep us silent. Eventually I summed up some courage. “Um…I’m Snowflake. What’s your name?”

Before she could answer me her friend spoke up in a deep accent that was rife with amusement. “Oho yesss, please do tell her your name.” She gasped out between laughs.

“Sh-shut up Schwarzwald!” The griffon’s blush was back in full force.

“She’s still waiting.” Schwarzwald responded in a sing-song voice.

“I’m...Wings. You’re Snowflake. Introductions over!” The griffon commanded to me.

I looked between the two, confused. “What’s wrong with ‘Wings’? It’s cute.”

This set Schwarzwald guffawing again. “Oh you simply MUST tell her now!”

Wings had morphed from chocolate-and-cream to chocolate-and-cherry now. “No! No I don’t! Listen, uh, Snowflake. I’m gonna drop another favour and let you and your friend…uh...”

“Bosco.” The charcoal colt finally joined the conversation.

“…right, Bosco. Snowflake, you and Bosco can have these fools’ gear. We don’t want any of it. We gotta get moving.” She turned to her wide-smiled friend. “Ain’t that right, Schwarzwald?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Oh very well, you spoilsport.”

“That’s exactly what I am. Now let’s go. We got places to be, don’t we?”

Schwarzwald apparently wasn’t done with her fun. A sly grin spread across her face. Her next words emerged in a purr. “Yes, we do. You’re quite right, Gi-“

“DON’T YOU DARE!!” The griffon had her claws clamped over the mare’s muzzle before any of us could blink. She literally dragged her companion away. In moments they were out of sight.

“Uh…” Bosco and I said together as we stared after them.

Bosco snapped out of it first. He turned back towards the battlefield. “Right then, let’s get to…it…” I hadn’t turned around but I heard his sharp intake of breath.

“What’s up?”

His voice was strange when he answered. “N-nothing. Y’know on second thought, why don’t you scout around a little to make sure there’s nopony else around. I’ll handle this.”

“What do you mean?”

I heard him suck some more air through his teeth. Something was definitely up. “You probably shouldn’t be here for now. I really think it’s best if you take a little walk and leave this to me.”

I frowned and turned back to him. “Bosco, are you trying to pull someth-“

The scene before me stalled any further sound.

Bosco looked away. “Dammit.” He muttered under his breath.

The adrenaline haze had worn off. Now I saw, really saw, the twelve bodies strewn out on the ground. I found that I’d achieved a terrible clarity. I could count the number of eyeballs…noses…faces left between the twelve. Each total was less than twelve. These ponies, or what had been ponies, were twisted and broken into horrifying shapes. Bones and flesh and charred fur jutted out from beneath their leather attire. The…bodies lay still. Only the occasional creak as the leather cooled gave them even the faintest glimpse of activity.

Wordlessly I found my eyes drawn to a sight I wished wasn’t familiar. The orange Unicorn stallion’s…corpse lay where Wings had shot him thrice. Shockingly, that wasn’t what drew my attention. The ice chunks that were all that remained of his weapon had my focus. More specifically, the frozen blood staining them did.

“Red ice.” I managed to whisper, appalled. I’d seen it before with the Molar Bear. The blood of two creatures stained the white because of me.

I stood stunned. Tears began to run down my eyes. “I did this.”

Bosco grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and looked me right in the eye. “No. You didn’t do this. You acted to keep yourself alive. Nopony would fault you for that.”

Someone did. “A tempting thought isn’t it, Snowflake?”

Startled, I whipped around, the world fading around me. 10 paces away stood the Overmare. Still wearing her disapproving expression, she continued: “Self-defense. Such a neat justification for killing isn’t it? Old Equestria loved the idea. They went to war with it.”

Distressed, I turned back to Bosco. He was 10 paces away too. I was exactly in the middle. His mouth was still moving but I didn’t hear a word. I sat in between the two. Had I moved so close to Old Equestria already?

Could I still go back to the way I was?

The Overmare repeated her words from the Stable but now they were a mocking sneer. “You won’t be alone, Snowflake.”

NO! Give me another chance! I’m not like that! I’m still Stable 61!

A bitter wind blew around the Overmare and into me. I stumbled back a step, hearing a CRACK! under my hoof. I looked down and saw red ice, blood seeping up through the fissures. Had that inadvertent step doomed me? I wasn’t in the middle anymore. I had further to go to get back to the Stable. The wind was still blowing.

Would they even take me back?

The Overmare’s voice was impassive. “Chances are rare, Snowflake. And finite.”

A shotgun shell bubbled up through the blood. I shrieked. The scene faded away.

“SNOWFLAKE!” Bosco’s hoarse cry cut through my misery.

“B-Bosco?” I blinked away tears.

He managed a smile. “Good, you’re back. I don’t know where you went but we can’t stay here forever. Now, do as I say and sit down. Tend to your leg and I’ll gather the Raider gear.”

I numbly complied. Bosco had brought some stimpaks with him from Cefar. I managed to disinfect and dress the gash on my shin. It hurt a lot more now that the battle was over.

Everything hurt a lot more.

Bosco finished within a few minutes. I didn’t watch as he divided up the take. I didn’t care. He could have it all if he wanted.

This place and everything in it were poison to me.

~~~~~~

We’d been walking in silence all day before Bosco spoke up. “We’re about half a day outside of Lethbridle now.” When I didn’t respond he lapsed into silence again.

I finally opened my mouth ten minutes later. “Why do Raiders exist?”

“What’s that now?”

My head stayed down and I didn’t look at him as we plodded along. “Raiders. Why are they here? What happened to them to make them like that?”

I heard his shrug more than saw it. “Same thing that happened to everypony else. The megaspells.”

I slowly shook my head. I found that ‘slow’ was my only gear right now. “Everybody would be Raiders if that were true. What happened to the Raiders?”

“Snow, remember our talk about luxuries?”

“Please, Bosco.”

He looked away, uncomfortable with the conversation. “Nopony knows. Raiders are just part of the Wasteland. They’ve been hunting travellers for as long as there’s been a Wasteland.”

“That’s a sad thought. 200 years and nobody’s tried to understand them.”

“Oh, ponies have tried. The Raiders cut ‘em down before any understanding can be done.”

“…when did people stop trying?”

He turned his gaze skyward, letting out a long breath. “A long time ago, most likely. That kind of response gets around quickly. They’ve been given a wide berth since then. They hate us. We hate them. They kill us. We kill them or die. There’s no other way.”

“So hate is all they have left?”

Bosco cleared his throat irritably. “Snowflake, don’t do this to yourself. You couldn’t have stopped what happened back there.”

“…I didn’t even try.”

“Yes you did! You told Wings and Schwarzwald to run.”

“Then I started killing Raiders. Just like that. I didn’t try to get us away or talk the situation down. I just picked up the gun I never owned until yesterday and started shooting. I gave in to hate.”

I stamped my hoof then winced as pain shot up my bandaged leg. “I’m pathetic.”

Bosco’s voice had again lost its softness. “Snowflake, you can’t talk down Rai-“

“I DIDN’T EVEN TRY!”

“IF YOU HAD YOU’D BE DEAD! RAIDERS DON’T EVEN LIKE RAIDERS! You saw how that mare gunned down her ally when he lost his gun!” He recognised the mounting horror on my face and threw his hooves up in exasperation. “Ah shit! You’re gonna blame yourself for that one too, aren’t you?”

“I have to be held accountable for my actions! If I don’t hold myself accountable, who will?”

Bosco’s patience ran out. “NOPONY WILL BECAUSE THIS ISN’T YOUR WORLD, SNOWFLAKE!”

He realised too late what he’d said but didn’t take it back. We just stood staring daggers at each other.

I tried to keep my voice calm. “Thank you for saying that, Bosco.” He wouldn’t understand but I didn’t care. Right now I just needed his words. “But...I still have to live in this world. That means I have to find my own way. I’m sorry but I can’t just do as you do. Two people and an animal are dead because of me and I can’t just forget that.”

~~~~~~

My Pipbuck pinged. The location of ‘Hoofshine Harlots’ was stored. I cast a sideways glance towards my companion. “Don’t get any ideas.”

He managed a chuckle at that. It served to break the tension a little. We entered the abandoned brothel. Bosco immediately headed for the office to look for supplies while I went for a much needed drink at the bar.

For a place with such a graphic sign outside it was surprisingly low-key and tasteful inside. Laminated reports of cleanliness and health adorned the walls. There was even an old clipping about the place being reputed “in the top 10 of job satisfaction in Equestria”. Apparently the management took care of their ‘working girls’. That was…good?

Shaking my head, I moved behind the bar. The place had been cleaned out. The shelves were bare. I found the cellar door still locked shut, though the scratches on it showed that somebody had tried their hand at picking it. I gave an experimental tug. It still held solid.

“Bosco, you any good with locks?” I called out into the hall.

“Nah, don’t have the control to pick ‘em,” he called back. “Look around for a terminal, there might be an override.”

“’kay.” I scanned the area. No luck. A little put out over the lack of a drink, I kicked out at a crate with my good leg. It clattered away, revealing a backlit screen.

Good call, Bosco.

I crouched down in front of the terminal and “synching with device” appeared on my wrist. I’d had to take off the goggles once the swelling around my eye got too bad. Another reason I wanted a cold drink. I didn’t feel up to magic-ing up an ice pack. I’d felt completely drained from the tiny effort I’d put out in the fight. I was gonna have to start really small with my horn.

The two devices finished communicating and a screen popped up on the terminal. A password was needed. I glanced at the options available.

Pleasure? Maybe. Allnight? Hmm. Goodtime? Nah. Hither? What’d she do? Nostrils?! No, that’s out of place. Well I’ve got three chances and five options. Let’s give it a try.

I tried ‘pleasure’ first. The screen flashed a negative. Two tries left. Would it be something thematic or a ruse to throw a thief off? No. This place was straightforward and honest in its business. I tried ‘goodtime’ next. Another dud. I was down to my last try.

Would it be ‘Allnight’? Those other two seem kinda random since the first three are all connected.

I took a moment to look around again for some more clues. My eyes fell on a short article pinned up behind the bar:

[Miss Match – What a catch!

The charm of the mistress of the Hoofshine Harlots is matched only by her beguiling nature. Everypony who visits has a different theory. Is she an Earth pony? A Unicorn? Pegasus? Is Mismatch (or ‘Miss Match’) actually a very feminine stallion? Barely adult or middle-aged? A zebra? Nopony knows because nopony has ever seen her face.

She spends hours each night with her patrons (whose names have been withheld for decency) while they wait for their escort for the evening or just enjoy a drink in the wonderfully atmospheric bar. Covered tip-to-tail in tasteful veils she provides a significant portion of the establishment’s allure.

Even if nopony can agree on who she is, they can all agree that she is a fantastic host. Witty, sultry, playful, and entertaining, she’s guaranteed to put a smile on a pony’s face. (Just don’t try anything with her or her girls. She’ll have you out the door upside down before you can even leer). The regulars wouldn’t look kindly on it either.

Through her personality and discrete nature (no client is ever named in earshot of another) she had gained many friends. The title of this piece is the catchphrase of the brothel. Everypony knows it and everypony respects it.]

‘What a catch’ indeed. What would she put as a password? Definitely not ‘hit her’ that’s for…wait a second. There’s another ‘e’. Hi there! That’s definitely worth a try.

Without hesitation, I entered my final attempt. I was rewarded with the soft click of the latch unlocking itself.

“Bosco, I unlocked the cellar! You coming down?”

I didn’t have long to wait before the charcoal colt turned the corner, stuffing some Radaway into his pack. It looked fit to burst. “They had a fully stocked supply of meds here. Finally managed to get it open a second ago. Stimpaks, Fixer, Rad-X, the works. All on ice. They really took care of their people.”

“So I see. I’m gonna see if their booze supply is as impressive. Wait here until I get to the bottom and check if it’s safe.”

“Alrighty.” He settled down at the bar and began perusing the clippings.

I gently made my way down the steps, making sure not to put too much weight on my gashed leg. The guardrail helped. As did the automatic lighting that hummed on as soon as I reached the bottom step.

What I saw was very impressive. The room was more spacious than I thought, it must run under the entire tavern area. It was as tastefully decorated as the rest of the brothel. An enormous bed took up one corner of the room along with some clothes cupboards and a not-tiny walk-in bathing pool. It was empty but a quick test of the faucets revealed them to be in perfect working order.

I could get a bath! Oh happy day!

The far side of the room yielded the real treasure though. A wall-to-wall walk-in freezer, still running perfectly and packed to the rafters with every what I could only guess was every kind of liquor ever. This wasn’t any Stable moonshine either. Brand names abounded. They meant nothing to me but they sure looked impressive. A not-unsubstantial supply of food was present too.

Heck Mismatch, I’d marry you just for this room.

“Bosco, come on down. It’s fine.”

The colt ambled down the stairs and whistled. “It certainly is fine. Should we stay for the night? It’s getting dark and we’re safe as we’re going to be here until we reach Lethbridle.”

I was more than happy with that idea. “Definitely. Though what if someone comes in during the night?”

His smile betrayed some pride. “I took a look at the terminal while you were down here. We can change the password for this room to whatever we want. We lock ourselves in for the night and nopony else is getting to us.”

I nodded, satisfied. “Sounds good. We’ve got food, drink, an honest-to-Luna bath and a very comfy looking bed. Which side do you want?”

Bosco’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “W-what? Oh no. You’re taking the bed, I’ll make do with the floor.”

Aww, that’s adorable.

“Oh come on Bosco, this won’t be the first time I’ve shared my bed with a boy.”

The colt’s blush covered his entire face.

“Sometimes three at once.”

Bosco was going cross-eyed. No doubt his imagination was working in overdrive. It was hilarious to watch. “Three?!”

“Well the other two would get jealous if I only had one in my bed. They were my little brothers after all.” I winked and stuck my tongue out at him.

Bosco lost it. “I…you…gyah!”

I burst out laughing. After a moment Bosco joined in. I realised it was the first time I’d laughed since I left the Stable. It felt good to let it out.

“Seriously though, which side do you want?”

~~~~~~

After a meal and a few drinks, plus a bath worthy of Celestia, I was more than ready for the oh-so-soft bed. Bosco was already in and had chosen to face the wall. I didn’t really care at this point. I was only interested in slipping under those velvet sheets and getting some blessed sleep.

It didn’t come. Try as I might I couldn’t fall asleep. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the bodies. I saw the Raider mare gun down the stallion whose gun I’d exploded. I saw Wings triple-blast the leader stallion after I blocked his shot. I saw the Molar Bear fall as I led it to its destruction. It would have killed me but that’s what predators do for food. I couldn’t fault it. I could only lead it and the two Raiders to their deaths.

Over and over.

I felt the pillow grow damp beneath my cheek. Mourning was the very least I could do. I would do more from now on. Make sure that I didn’t cause the deaths of more “monsters”. I was the only monster I needed.

A slight sound distracted me from my reverie. I held my breath, the tears still falling, as I listened for a repeat.

It came. A shaky, uneven sob rebounded off the wall. I felt Bosco stir and closed my eyes as he turned. I didn’t want him to know I’d heard. It didn’t matter if he saw my tears, I’d shed plenty during the day.

Seemingly satisfied that I was out, he rolled over again and the sobs resumed, quieter now. He was trying so hard to keep it secret. Was it simply a boy’s pride or something more? I’d come across all of my brothers like this at one point or another, even Buff. None of them were happy I’d seen them in that state. Al had been the worst. He always had been the most emotional. Lo was the easiest to cheer up. A long hug usually did it. Bosco? I didn’t know what a hug would do for Bosco. It would also be inappropriate. He wasn’t my brother. Still, I came close to doing it anyway after a big sob resisted stifling. I had to will myself to draw my hoof back.

I turned away lest I falter. It would preserve his dignity this way. I closed my eyes and thought of my brothers and the Stable. Facing my past was easier than facing what I’d done.

Hopefully I could sleep this way.

~~~~~~

I awoke mid-morning feeling much more energetic. A quiet relaxing night could apparently work wonders. I yawned widely and loudly while enjoying the warmth of the covers and the pillows and the soft fur I was snuggled up against.

Ah, right. Bosco. He probably wouldn’t be happy to wake up like this.

Taking care not to wake the sleeping colt, I gently slipped out of the covers and padded over to the bathing pool. I probably wasn’t going to be back here for a while and planned to make the most of it.

After running the bath, I slipped gingerly into the perfectly hot water and stretched out my waking muscles. I sighed in satisfaction.

“Enjoying yourself?” The colt was still on the bed, his head hanging upside down off the edge. His face seemed more relaxed too.

I gave him a big smile. “Most definitely. It’s wonderful what a little time off can do.”

He nodded in agreement. “Take your time. I’ll get us some breakfast then we’ll head off. We should reach Lethbridle about mid-afternoon.”

I took in his bedhead and dishevelled fur. “You’re not going to wash up? The water’s great!”

He coughed and stepped towards the stores. “I’ll...I’ll go in when you’re done.”

I shrugged, too relaxed to care that much. “Whatever you say. Call me when breakfast’s ready.” I sank down into the water so that only my head and horn poked above the surface.

Hmm. Might be a good idea to practise a little now that my magic’s back.

Shutting my eyes and bringing my ears under the water to block out all distractions, I focused only on my horn. I didn’t want to force anything so I tried putting only the faintest amount of energy into it, hoping for a response. Nothing. Not even a tingle. I cracked an eye open momentarily. Nope, no glow either.

Maybe I need something to concentrate on.

I held up a hoof. A droplet of water sat in the centre. I willed myself to move it even a millimetre with my horn. Nothing happened. I tried again and again until I was gasping for breath. The drop only moved when I slapped my hoof back down into the water in frustration.

Looks like I better put on some muscle if I want any heavy lifting done. Now let’s see if I can keep my cool.

I lifted another drop and stared at it without blinking. I didn’t hold back this time. I put everything I had into it from the get-go. My horn glowed weakly but I pushed through. I never took my eyes off the drop.

Freeze.

The outer edge of the drop began to shimmer.

Freeze.

It gradually began turning white.

Freeze!

My hoof began to feel colder where the drop sat.

FREEZE!

With an almost inaudible crinkle the drop froze in the palm of my hoof. I managed a small smile before my vision went black.

~~~~~~

Something smacked my back hard. I opened my mouth to cry out but gagged as water surged up my throat instead. I was struck again as I retched up the liquid.

“Come on Snow, get it all out.”

“Bosco?” I managed to cough before another surge of water followed the word.

“I’m right here. You’re okay. What happened anyway? I found you floating face down in the pool!”

I didn’t respond for a little while until I was sure that no more water was going to come out. “I dunno. I was practising my magic and then I woke up here.”

Confusion laced his words. “Didn’t you say your magic was gone? Is it back now?”

I spat the foamy dregs from my mouth. “Pleh! Not like that’s any use if freezing one measly drop knocks me out cold!”

“What about levitation? Can you do that?”

I should my head ruefully. “No. I tried that before the frost spell. Damn drop didn’t move at all. Some unicorn I am.”

Bosco nudged my shoulder supportively. “Hey now, don’t be like that. These things take time. You’ll get better before you know it. You can get your practise in while doing things the Earth Pony way for a while.”

Breathing slowly through my sore throat, I gave a little chuckle. “Thanks, Bosco. You’re a real pal.”

He scratched the back of his head apprehensively. “Yeah well...you may not think so after this. Truth of the matter is we ARE going to come across more Raiders and we ARE going to have to fight. I know you don’t wanna hear it but that’s the way of things. We should be alright to get to Lethbridle but at some point in the future somepony is going to shoot at us and we’ll have to shoot back.”

“Bosco...” I didn’t like where this was going at all.

“I’m sorry Snowflake. Without your magic you ARE going to have to learn to shoot a gun.”

“No, Bosco.”

“Yes, Snowflake. You learn or I leave you in Lethbridle. It’s not worth travelling with dead weight.”

“Dead weight?!”

“You said yourself you still have to live in this world. Well this is how you keep on living in this world.” His voice softened, “Learning to shoot doesn’t automatically translate into putting a bullet in somepony’s brain. If you really are so against it you can use shots to cover an escape. It’ll make things a lot harder for you though.”

I swallowed uncertainly and immediately regretted it as my sensitive throat protested. “Bosco...I don’t know...”

“Please, Snowflake. Just give it a try.”

“...okay.”

We set the new password as “Cefar” in the terminal. Thankfully we were even able to link the outer doors with the same code. Hoofshine Harlots would be closed to everybody except us...unless they just blew the door off or something but in that case no password would have helped either way. We’d just have to hope they didn’t find the bath-I mean the bedroom.

Out in the snow, Bosco marked a few Xs in some nearby trees with his knife. “Try to hit those. Closer ones first, then further away.”

I was still unhappy to be here. “Do we really want to waste the ammo?”

He gave me a smile that my mind made positively sadistic. “Nice try but you’ll be using a Raider gun. None of our ammo will fit it and we’ll be leaving it behind here since it’s near junked already. I cleaned it up though so it’ll do the job for this.”

I didn’t take the offered weapon. It looked awful and no matter how much it had been ‘cleaned’ I still didn’t want to touch it. “This wasn’t one of the ones that I...”

“No. That crazy mare Schwarzwald gets credit for this one. I’ve never seen a pony with more holes that than poor bas-” He stopped when he noticed my queasy expression, “Right, sorry. No, not one of yours.”

I quietly whined but Bosco just stood there holding out the gun. Having no other choice I took it in my mouth and sighted up the first target.

Bosco stood off to the side offering advice. “Alright. Take your time. You’ve got a couple of shots for each target. Remember to hold the gun still after you have your target and squeeze with your tongue. One at a time or you’ll get blisters.”

I tried to pay attention to all of this information but found myself feeling lost almost instantly. How I’d managed to shoot back in the fight I don’t know. Must’ve been the adrenaline.

Same reason why my magic worked, I guess.

I thought I had a good shot so I pulled the trigger. I instantly regretted it. My bite had been too loose and the kickback sent my teeth rattling. “Ow! Dammit!” I dropped the gun and whimpered in pain.

Bosco seemed undaunted. “Not bad for a first try. Only a little off.”

I looked up in exasperation. “Oh come on! I didn’t even hit the target?” I looked up to see the bullet embedded in a thick branch half-a-dozen hoof lengths from the target.

“Sorry but no. You need more practise. Try it again.”

“Ugh...”

~~~~~~

10 out of 60 was being optimistic.

I’d drained the ammo we had for the dilapidated Raider weapon and managed to hit 2 targets total. Only one of which I’d been aiming at. Eventually even Bosco had agreed that I would have to find a different way to fight. We’d set off for Lethbridle shortly after leaving the busted pistol buried in the snow and tearing the marked bark from the trees.

“We don’t want to leave a sign that ponies have been here.” Bosco had explained when I’d asked. I hadn’t even considered what kind of trail I might be leaving.

After all, I thought grimly, nobody is coming to find me.

We were walking through a narrow pass between two walls of earth and blanketed all over with trees heavy with snow. There was no wind but the path wound enough that we couldn’t see much further than a few dozen meters. The path appeared well travelled. Bosco was walking ahead of me and stopped at a corner. He turned back to me with a smile.

“We’re here. Come and see.”

Intrigued, I trotted up level with him and turned the corner.

Cefar this was not.

Lethbridle ate the view in front of me. A massive wall stretched out in both directions. It must’ve been a mile wide! The solid barrier was imposing. The guards patrolling along the top didn’t help either. Their weapons were most certainly NOT junk. Even from our position a few hundred meters away we could tell they meant business. Painted in stark white letters 10-feet high was the message “LETHBRIDLE WELCOMES YOU”. I couldn’t see past the wall but the noise of the city was apparent even from this distance. Voices and sounds rang out in a cacophony of noise. It reminded me of the Stable in a way.

Bosco nudged me, breaking my gaze. “Yeah it’s a nice wall and everything but come on. You should see the inside.”

A huge smile broke out on my face. This was true civilisation. Cefar was the plot-end of nowhere and places like Hoofshine Harlots or Snow Pegasus Park were empty reminders of the world before this one. Lethbridle was, well, it wasn’t home but it was closer than anything else I’d seen so far out here.

I couldn’t wait. I wanted to grab Bosco and gallop down to the gate right now but I forced myself to take it easy. The guys up top with the shooters might not like me charging their gate. It was a long, arduous few minutes until we were within 50 meters of the gate. We joined the back of the queue of pony travellers. Still all Earth Ponies and Unicorns I noticed.

Where are all the Pegasi?

I turned to ask Bosco about this but he interrupted before I could. He discreetly pointed to my Pipbuck hidden by the fabric. “Make sure that’s completely out of sight. It’s valuable and we might run into some unfriendly types who might want it for themselves. Like the Steel Rangers.”

I recalled his graphic description of how the Rangers might go about removing my Pipbuck and nodded. I made sure that the Pipbuck was completely covered and that jostling wouldn’t remove the sleeve inadvertently. Just as I finished the line moved so we hurried to catch up.

“Try and let me do the talking until we get inside. The less ponies who know you’re from...not these parts, the better. Make sure you’ve got your money ready to pay the toll. It’s 20 caps.”

I fished out the requisite sum. “I’ve got a couple of hundred Old Equestria bits too. Can I use them?”

“Not for the gate. Some merchant inside might take ‘em. I still see a few in circulation but they aren’t worth as much as caps. Best stick to them from now on.”

A commotion at the front of the line forestalled any further conversation. There was a yelling match going on.

“WHAT, YOU DON’T LIKE CAPS OR SOMETHING, JACKHOLE? LET ME IN!”

“YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE CAPS IN TENPONY TOWER AND I STILL WOULDN’T LET YOU IN, STRIPE!”

Bosco frowned. “A Zebra?”

I brightened. “A Zebra?”

“I’VE GOT MORE CAPS THAN YOU’LL MAKE IN A YEAR, GENIUS. DO YOUR MONEY-GRUBBING BOSSES WANT ME TO TAKE THEM SOMEPLACE ELSE?”

“YES! EVEN ONE STRIPE IS BAD FOR BUSINESS AROUND HERE. I HIGHLY DOUBT YOU’VE GOT CAPS ENOUGH TO OFFSET THAT!”

“UGH, THIS IS SO UNFAIR! I NEVER DID ANYTHING!”

The guard apparently got himself under control. “You’re not getting in and you’re making a scene. Leave before we open fire.”

The Zebra stomped her hooves in anger but turned away and stalked back down the line. All her but her snout and jade-green eyes were obscured by the heavy cloak she was wearing. The occasional tink tink as she walked hinted at jewellery beneath her shroud. Bosco purposefully avoided eye contact but I waited until she was level with us before speaking up.

“Mua leija.” I remarked off-hoofedly.

She instantly rounded on me, wide-eyed. “W-what’d you say?”

Ignoring Bosco’s unbelieving stare, I gave her a big smile. “Sorry, was my pronunciation off? I was trying to say bad luck.”

She continued to look bewildered. “N-no I got it. Why do you know Zebra tongue though? No Ponies spend enough time around Zebras to learn it.”

I shrugged. “Well I’ve spend my entire life around Zebra but I wouldn’t say I know the language. Not fully anyway, I’ve got basic phrases down but I never found the time to become fluent.”

Her eyes narrowed as she regarded me warily. “Who are you?”

I kept on smiling. “I’m Snowflake. Iyanda tunyel roga.”

Finally she smiled back. “Roga bagata! I never expected to meet somepony out here who I could speak to like this.”

“I’m happy to help. What was all that about up at the gate?”

Her smile immediately faded. “Ugh, that. It’s so unfair. They won’t let me in because I’m a ‘stripe’. I wasn’t gonna cause trouble. I’ve got a package waiting for me. I just wanted to pick it up and leave. I didn’t want to spend any more time in this plothole city either but they wouldn’t even let me do that. I need that package!”

Bosco was still looking down the line, apparently uncaring. I wanted to help though. This filly seemed to be in the much the same situation as me. She was just trying to survive in a place where the rules didn’t allow her to act as she wanted to. “I can help if you’d like. I can get your package and bring it to you.”

I didn’t exactly get a glowing reaction to this. “And why would you do that for me, huh? What’s your angle?”

I kept my hooves open. “No angle, svara. I just want to help.”

This got a role of the eyes. “Sure, I’ve heard that one before. Prove it.”

How? I mulled this over for a second before digging into my pack. I removed the 400 bits I’d been given by the Stable and held them out to her. “Collateral. A sign of trust. You hold onto these for me until I get you your package back. I don’t get you your package? I don’t get my cash back. Sound good?”

The jade-green eyes boggled at me. “You’re serious? You’re just giving me money? Just like that? You’re giving a complete stranger all this money?”

I couldn’t stop the emotion from pouring into my voice here. “Yes. I am. I need to. I want to show you that I trust you. I have no reason not to. The war’s been over for 200 years. Even if it was still going, it’s not MY war.”

Gingerly a hoof emerged from under her cloak and inched towards the bits. She reached for them, pulled back, reached closer, pulled back again, hesitated with her hoof on them and finally took them from me. They disappeared back under the cloak considerably faster. “I...I’ll trust you. Please, bring me my package. I’ll wait at the East entrance for three days. Once your three days are up, your bits are gone, understand?”

I smiled playfully and rolled my eyes at her tough act before nodding. “Deal. Remember that trust goes both ways though. I’m trusting you with my bits but you’ve gotta trust me to bring you the package. I promise I won’t let you down. Please don’t let me down, svara.”

I held out a hoof. After a moment’s hesitation she bumped hers against it. “In three days, I might call you that. In the meantime, you’ll find my package at Nightcap’s place. It’s a bar on the west side of the city. Say you were sent by Two-tone. He’ll know it’s me. ”

“Got it.”

Bosco cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt, ladies, but the guards are giving us evil eyes. I don’t think they like you talking.”

The Zebra glanced first at Bosco and then at the guards. Her eyes fell and she pulled her hood further down over her face. “Right. I’ll...see you in three days then, Snowflake.” Without waiting for a response she turned and took off running along the city wall.

We watched her go then headed towards the barrier. Bosco seemed pensive. “So I’m guessing svara means ‘friend’?”

“Yeah. I hope I can help her out.”

“I’m not sure you should bother. I mean you don’t even know her name. I noticed she avoided telling you. Tch, Two-tone, funny.”

I gave him an admonishing look. “I said I was gonna trust her and I’m trusting her. End of story.”

He sighed and dropped his caps into the toll box. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

I followed suit. My ‘thank you’ surprised the guards as they let us pass. “It’ll be fine. You said yourself that those bits weren’t worth much.”

“No, I said bits weren’t worth as much as caps. 400 bits is still a fair amount of money to part with on trust. You could still live it up for a week with what you gave her.”

“Uh...”

“Well it should be fine so long as you trust her.” His grin at the very least bordered on smug.

Any response I could give halted in my throat as we emerged into Lethbridle proper. The streets were full of ponies moving back and forth about their business. They were chatting and laughing and shouting and running.

It was perfect. The crowd, the activity, the noise, everything. So many people all working all at once. It was almost as if I were back home in the Stable. “Bosco this is great! Look at all these people!”

“Yeah it’s a little bit livelier than Cefar for sure. You want to look around a little bit or just go straight to Nightcap’s?”

I waved my hoof excitedly. “Come on, we’ve got 3 days! Let’s go look around!”

Bosco smiled knowingly and gave a little bow. “As the lady wishes. Let me start with a basic outline.”

He spread his hooves, indicating the area we stood in. “Now this is the northern quarter where all the residential areas are. Not much to see except for the gate which gets little traffic.”

He turned and pointed in the other direction. “In the southern quarter are the majority of businesses and the government buildings. Makes sense to have them at that end since the rest of the Wasteland’s that way. Easier to bring in the caps and keep an eye on them when here.”

He turned ninety degrees. “The military is housed in the eastern quarter. They keep Plottawa slavers from getting ideas about raiding the city for new victims.”

He made one last about face. “Finally we have the entertainment district in the west. The pubs, clubs, and other delights will be found there. That’ll be our last stop. Now unless you’re really interested in talking to soldiers or bureaucrats what’s say we go shopping?”

~~~~~~