From the Author: Hello everyone. If you saw my little blog the other day this is going to be a trial run since I hate how long its taking to get out a new chapter of this story. This is completely unedited. See how you like it and let me know in the comments. If it goes well we'll continue and if not then I'll go back to getting editing help.

I knew this area, a dark and empty stretch of nothing, save for hard brown dirt. This wasn’t the first time I had been here, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. My gut was clenching as dread began to fill me, and no matter what I did I could not suppress it.

This isn’t real, you know this isn’t real... I tell myself, but that knowledge does nothing to help me, especially as I hear the groans begin to rise from behind me. Wanting to stop, but unable to, I turn around and see what I had known I would, and what caused the dread in me to grow. Shambling forms of all kinds, each face housing dead eyes frozen in expressions of horror.

These faces I knew all too well, for they were all people I had killed in the years past, and even now I could see the wounds I had inflicted on them; from bullet holes and stab wounds, to fire and shrapnel. They groaned as they shambled towards me, arms outstretched to grab me. Unable to contain my fear any more, I cry out and turn to run but my feet feel like they’re encased in lead, and any sort of safety seems so far away.

Nearly tripping, I look down at my feet knowing what I’d find, and sure enough there are the hands gripping my ankles through the dirt that is now turning to mud . They begin to slide beneath the dirt again, and my feet go down with them. I twist, turn, and struggle but to no avail as the shambling corpses catch up to me and add to the weight dragging me down. The mud rises to my waist, then my chest, and finally I feel it beneath my chin. I reach up to try and grasp any form of safety but there is none to be found. As the mud finally begins to close over my sight I scream in terror.

I scream in terror and bolt upright frantically trying to get away from hands that don’t exist, but only after a few frenzied seconds do I realize that I am awake again. My skin is soaked in sweat and my hands are shaking. The terror sticks with me and my heart is so heavy that I want to cry but I can’t; I’ve spent so much time trying to hold my emotions in check that I can’t let them go when I need to.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had this dream, and it won’t be the last. In fact, I have a nightmare every night—either that one, or another one along those lines. Consequently, I hate sleeping now because I know those dreams are coming, but nothing I’ve tried makes them go away. I want them to go away so I can get some sleep and maybe even a sense of peace during the day, but they won’t leave me alone.

Knowing that to try and sleep would be pointless because it would only invite more dreams like that, I get out of bed and throw some clothes on. Since I’m up, I might as well go see how my guest is doing and check her dressings. Grabbing my holster belt from a nightstand and my gun from under my pillow, I put them on and head downstairs. Fortunately, the pegasus is still sleeping and she’s not bleeding anymore—in fact I don’t even need to change her dressings.

Satisfied that she’s fine—at least for now—I head over to my computers and call up the hub to start looking for information on caring for ponies, and also anything that can help restore lost blood. Unfortunately, pretty much all I found on pony care boiled down to ‘take them to the damn vet often’, which was less than helpful. At least I was able to find some information on restoring blood through food, so I began to gather some food for her to eat.

On a large plate I put some apples, spinach, and broccoli. And in a bowl, I poured some milk then placed them on the table in front of the couch. Since daylight is still a ways off, now is as good a time as any to head over to the nearby town, and continue watching the ponies to learn what I can. Grabbing the rest of the weapons I had previously, my coat and packing another small meal I head out.

This time, I decide to save myself some time and utilize one of the many functions available on my gauntlet. Flexing my wrist, I hit one of four buttons on the front of the gauntlet with a knuckle, causing the nanites encased within to configure it to a batman style hookshot. Raising my arm, I fire the hook into the side of a tree and begin my trip. I have to admit there is a adrenaline thrill to be had whenever I travel this way; hook shooting my way from tree to tree almost like Spiderman only without the swinging bit.

This cut my travel time down considerably—to under an hour in fact—which was good, because I saw the sky beginning to light up, although the sun hadn’t yet made its appearance. Looking through my binoculars, I saw ponies beginning to leave their homes—though not many of them. Most likely business owners or first shift workers going to get their businesses ready for the day. In this I was proven right, as most of the ponies I saw up and about made their way to some stalls and began what was likely a daily routine for them.

As time went on, other ponies began their daily routines until the town in front of me was bustling with activity. A faint pang of nostalgia hit me as I was reminded of a small town back on earth. Below, ponies stopped to chat with one another, their forelimbs and heads obviously being used for gestures—the same way I would use my hands—before continuing on their way. Some stopped to get a bite to eat at various eateries, some sitting outside to talk while they ate.

This brought on memories of my own from when I used to be a part of such a routine myself. I could recall getting up, going to work, seeing the people at work that I considered friends—or at least close enough to enjoy talking to and seeing when I was there. The feeling of going home at the end of a long day to play video games and then dinner with my family. As I remembered these things, I had to shake my head. Stop it, I told myself. You know where this leads. It only ends in pain. Stop thinking about the past, and focus on the present.

Hard as it was right then, I knew I was right; that way led to pain, so only the thing to do was to bury them deep, and forget all about them as best as I could. Setting aside my thoughts, I continued to observe, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, which begged the question of what else I really could learn by just observing. My stomach rumbled as I realize I hadn’t really eaten anything since the day before, so I took a sandwich made of cooked salami, hot and spicy ham, and pepperoni slices and bit into it.

After some thought, I decided to head back to my cottage, as I really didn’t see what else I was going to learn by sitting here; and I really didn’t feel like going down into town just yet. As I got up and began my journey back, I found myself wondering how my next meeting with the pegacorn I had met last night, Luna, would go. She seemed like a decent enough person- er, pony I guess. I had to respect someone who could knock me down by sheer voice volume alone.

I also had to give her props for coming to check up on her subject’s health, though how exactly she knew she was hurt I didn’t know. Belatedly it hit me as I began to hook shot my way back to the cottage, that I probably shouldn’t go too far from the cottage since I have a hurt pony to take care of. The fact that I didn’t even think of that before, is a good reminder if I ever needed one on why I’m not part of a group and tend to stick to myself.

Like the trip over, the trip back was much shorter than the previous day, and I was back before midday, at least I think it was before midday. Walking through the door, the first thing I noticed was the pony was now awake, and looking at me with those huge ass eyes. Looking down, I saw that she had eaten everything on the plate, which gave me a sense of satisfaction. It seemed to have helped at least; she was looking more alert than she had been the previous night.

Now that nothing was going on, at least for the time being, I had a chance to actually get a good look at her. Her coat was a lime green, while her mane, which was cut about shoulder length, was silver with pink streaks, as was her tail. On her flank—thank you internet, for telling me what that was—was some kind of mark comprised of three wavy black lines that looked like how a cartoon would depict wind moving.

Her eyes were a color of purple that was actually somewhat closer to red, and in those eyes I read both fear and curiosity. If things were more normal, I would probably say ‘morning’ or something like that, and try to put her at ease—but like I said, I hadn’t had guests in a long time, so what normally came to mind for me was not what others would think of. Without a word, I picked up the dishes and took them to the little kitchen area, then came back and sat in front of her on the table.

Trying my best to not look like the town psycho, I tried to smile and asked, “How are you feeling today?”

She flinched a little at hearing my voice but seemed to take some comfort at the question as she answered, “Ok, I guess. I don’t hurt as much as yesterday though it still hurts and itches a bit. Thank you though, if you hadn’t found me I could have died out there.”

“Yeah, well I’m glad I found you then. What happened anyway?”

Her face turned to the side and scrunched up as she concentrated. It was easy to see when the answer came to her as her eyes got wider, and she turned to face me. “It was another pegasus. I was flying to clear my head, and I was distracted by the scenery below me when I heard somepony shout ‘look out!’ and when I looked up, I had just enough time to see another pegasus coming right at me. We crashed into one another, and I fell. I tried to correct my fall, but by the time I stopped spinning I was already at the tree line.”

That sounded painful, and to be honest, I was surprised she was alive and said so. With a nod, she opened her mouth to resume her story, then stopped as something seemed to hit her. “Oh Celestia! The other pegasus! She could be hurt! Or dead! Oh Celestia, please don’t let her be dead! We have to find her!”

I blinked and held up my hands as she began to try and get off the couch. “Whoa whoa whoa! You’re in no condition yet to go out there and look, and we don’t even know if she crashed or even where. We could search for days and never find her, easily in this forest. She might not even have crashed, because all I heard was a single crash, and that was you, and you were lucky enough that you crashed near me, or else I probably wouldn’t have found you.”

She looked down, worry easily read in her eyes, though she wasn’t arguing; probably knowing that what I was saying was true. An awkward silence passed, then she looked up at me again. “She may be in trouble, so we can’t just sit here and do nothing. I can’t walk or fly, at least not yet, so you must go and get help for her.”

Frowning I said, “Go to the nearby town? I don’t think that’s a good idea. First of all, I don’t know anyone, and second, based on your initial reaction to me, I doubt I will be well received. And third, I have no information to give them.”

Leaning forward, she pointedly put a hoof on my chest and looked me directly in the eye, a determined look on her face. “It doesn’t matter, because somepony’s life could be in danger, and we must do what we can to help. I’ll tell you what I know, and you can pass it on to the townsponies. Please?” With that, her eyes got larger and very reminiscent of a puppy’s when they beg.

Stupid as it sounds, I found my resistance crumbling and sighed. “Fine. Tell me everything you can, and I’ll see what I can do.” Smiling widely, she began to tell me everything she knew; that the pegasus was a mare who had golden eyes that were crossed when they had hit and that they had been over a place known as Whitetail Woods—good to know where I lived now—when they collided last night. She also informed me that the town was called Ponyville.

Now that I knew everything there was to know, what little that was, I stood up to leave but stopped and turned back to her. “Before I go, in case they need a name or something, I should ask what yours is.”

Her cheeks turned a shade of pink under her fur, I guess in embarrassment for not telling me her name sooner and said, “My name is Windfall. Nice to meet you Mr.?”

Fighting a sense of déjà vu I replied, “John Tracker. You can call me John, no mister, okay?”

She smiled the most I had seen her yet and said, “Thank you, John. Now go and get help!” Putting two fingers to my forehead in salute, I left, and proceeded to make my way back to town, using my gauntlet again to speed up the process. It wasn’t too long before I stood within spitting distance of the town, and to be honest, my stomach was in knots. It wasn’t too different from the feeling I get before going into a fight, though I really hoped I wasn’t going to take it too far and accidently shoot some poor pony because they startled me or something.

You’d better not, John.

Ah, I was wondering when she’d make an appearance... I hope not too, Sheeva. It’s just…I wasn’t planning on this, at least not this soon, and we both know I’m not a social man, by any means. If it wasn’t for Windfall and those damn eyes, I’d say heaven take the poor pegasus and let me remain in the background.

You’re all heart, human.

Says the demi-goddess who sent me here without a choice.

Oh, do we really have to retread this argument?

No, and I don’t feel like it honestly, just saying you aren’t all heart either.

Whatever you say. Now, are you going to go in there or just stand there?

I’m going, I’m going! Sheesh, can’t even have my thoughts to myself anymore! Though to be honest, charging a dozen guys with guns almost seemed like a welcoming prospect to walking into that town, but I had promised—more or less—so I was going to at least keep my word. As I strode up to the edge of the town, where the manicured grass stopped and the first buildings that stood side by side started, I kept my eyes moving for anypony to give the information to.

Fortunately for me, I heard some conversation coming from my right, where two ponies came out of a side alley. They hadn’t noticed me yet so I went over to them and tried to keep my voice calm as I interrupted, “Excuse me?”

They both turned to me, one saying in a feminine voice, “Yes?” Then they got a good look at me, and like Windfall the night before, got this look of fear in their eyes. That did not sit too well with me honestly. Yes, I do want to inspire fear but only in the people I’m hunting down and shooting in the head—not the innocent people around me. To be fair though, I am almost twice their height with their heads coming to just above my waist.

It’s not just your height that’s intimidating John. Remember that I’ve been watching and studying you, and how you interact with others.

Ok so what else is it? I’m not openly carrying weapons nor am I giving them threatening looks or anything. Even as this conversation was going on, the ponies were already running away from me, making me wonder just how friendly these ponies really were.

Body language and your eyes John. Your eyes have the look of a predator about them; always watching everything and everyone and evaluating, even unconsciously their threat level and how you might kill them if the need arises. The body language comes in the way you stand. Your legs are spread farther apart than most people would stand, and are slightly bent at the knees like you’re going to suddenly start running. Then there’s your arms; you hold them away from your body, slightly bent at the elbows as if you’re going to suddenly need to either block an attack or throw one of your own.

Ok so I kinda look like I want to attack everything around me, or at least suspect that I may be attacked by everything around me. They’re quadrupeds though... how do they get put off by that?

Your body language speaks on an instinctual level, to both your species. Like a wolf raises it hackles and shows its teeth to warn off an opponent, your body language is telling them not to mess with you because you will attack them. Most ponies never have to worry about dealing with anypony who wants to hurt them, so seeing someone who is trying to look lethal, is scary to them, to say the least.

Sighing, I start walking again, heading deeper into the town, hoping that somepony will be willing to at least hear what I have to say before they freak out. I never even got the chance to find out as all the ponies ran inside before I ever got the chance to say anything. Before I knew it I was standing in the middle of the deserted street looking a little foolish, and feeling more than a little annoyed.

As if that wasn’t enough, I could see all the ponies through the ground level windows, staring at me with the same fear that Windfall had displayed previously. Throwing up my hands in frustration I shouted, “I’m not going to hurt any of you God dammit! I’m just looking to get some help!”

Turning to go with a sigh, I was stopped by a voice above me. “Hey! I like to help! I want to help!” Looking up I saw a pony sitting on a cloud that had golden eyes…that were crossed. “Irony, I hate you so much.” She—or at least that what I was assuming at this point, because all the ponies I had seen looked the same in shape and had all sounded feminine—had grey fur and a golden mane.

Sighing again I said, “Actually I think I was supposed to be looking for help for you. Did you run into another pegasus last night while flying over the Whitetail forest?”

She got this downcast look on her face, and looked away from me, causing me to feel something unusual, at least for me. It had been so long since I had felt it, that I had to take a moment just to figure out what it was—it was sympathy. As far as I had seen, she was friendlier than any of the other ponies, since she was willing to help a total stranger and wasn’t screaming and running.

On top of that, she just seemed to have ‘loveable screw-up’ written all over her; someone who wants to be helpful and nice, but somehow always manages to get it wrong. This was reinforced when she said, “Yeah, I did. I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to get home and was thinking about enjoying some muffins with my daughter, Dinky. I didn’t notice the other pegasus until it was too late.”

That feeling of sympathy continued to grow as she looked like she was about to burst into tears, and I found myself softening my voice without even thinking. “It’s ok, mistakes happen, right? She was actually more worried about you, believe it or not. As far as she knew, you were badly hurt so she sent me here to try and get help.”

The cross-eyed pegasus smiled and looked up again, “Aw well I’m fine, so don’t worry about it. I’m Derpy by the way, Derpy Hooves. Nice to meetcha.”

“John Tracker, nice meeting you as well. I’ll let her know that you’re ok then.”

“Yeah! Thanks! Wait, what’s her name? I wanna give her a muffin as thanks, and I need to know who to give it to.”

“Her name is Windfall, and I’ll let her know you want to give her something.”

I turned to go but was stopped by a shout, “Wait a minute! You’re not going anywhere yet!” Whipping around, one hand going to hover near my coat in case I had to draw my gun I searched for the sound of the shout, though that answer wasn’t long in coming. A rainbow streak raced up to me and stopped to hover in front of me, resolving itself into a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail.

Her wings were flapping quickly as she hovered in front of me, her large pinkish eyes glaring at me with suspicion. While it was a bit of a novelty to be able to look a pony directly in the eyes without moving my head, I felt myself bristling a bit by her manner towards me. Trying to keep my voice even at least for the time being I said, “Yes? Is there something I can do for you?”

“Yeah there is. Where’s Windfall? How do you know her? Who are you? Where are you from?”

Snorting I replied, “Well that’s a lot to cover, so I’ll give you the short version; she’s at my place, I found her after she collided with Derpy. I’m John, and I’m something of a traveler. Now it’s my turn. Who are you, and why do you care about any of that?”

Her glare deepened and she shoved her face against mine, as if to make the glare somehow more frightening, or to throw me off by invading my personal space. Nice try sister, but I’ve been there; done that, got the t-shirt, the tattoo, and the foam finger; and I’ll let you guess which finger that is. “I’m the one asking the questions here wiseguy!”

A smirk made its way to my face, “Well, I’m wiser than you for sure. I don’t go getting in the face of something that’s twice my size.”

She jerked back, then began to growl, her teeth showing through a suddenly ridiculously large mouth. She reared back like she was going to punch me in the mouth, “Oh you think you’re so funny, do you? Let’s see how funny you are with a few teeth missing!” Oh good; one day into my time here and I’m already about to get into a fight. Yes, this is working out so well so far.

Before she could do anything I would make her instantly regret, Derpy cried, “Wait! Please don’t hurt him!” Both of us looked over to see her hovering near us, fore hooves held out and waving frantically like a human would do to try and get someone to stop whatever it was they were doing.

The cyan pegasus frowned. “Why not? I don’t trust him, and he’s making fun of me.”

“Says the pony that got up in my face and started barking questions at me, and then refused to answer any in return,” I reply as I lean back like I don’t give a damn and cross my arms over my chest.

She shoots me a glare, but before she can do anything else, Derpy moves closer, her crossed eyes giving the other pony a pleading look. “He didn’t do anything though; he was just coming to see if I was alright, so he’s a nice pony.” If she really thought that about me, then her character judgment was as crossed as her eyes.

For a moment, I thought the other pegasus was going to get right back into fight mode, but she sighed and came down to my level again; though outside my personal space this time. “Fine. I’m sorry I got in your face, I guess.”

Standing straight again, I decided to not push for more, though I really wanted to verbally stick it to her. Instead I said, “I forgive you. Now, I’ll ask again, who are you and why do you care about Windfall?”

She straightened up and got a proud look on her face. “I’m Rainbow Dash, and I’m the fastest and the best flyer in all of Equestria. I’m the Element of Loyalty, so I care about everypony I meet. Windfall was here a day or so ago looking for a job as a weather pony, but I had to turn her down; we didn’t have any positions open, and I should know since I run the local weather ponies.”

“Ah, I see,” I said then turned to face Derpy. “What about you? You ran into Windfall but you seem to be ok.”

She smiled, “I’m fine, thanks!”

Fighting the urge to facepalm, I said, “No, but I mean, you ran into her and she crashed into the forest, so I’m assuming the same thing happened to you, but you’re ok.”

Rainbow Dash answered instead of Derpy, “Yeah, that’s not surprising. She seems to have something happen to her all the time, so she’s probably just used to it by now.”

For her part Derpy was looking down at the ground her eyes sad, “I don’t mean to, honest. I just want to help ponies.”

Without even knowing I was going to, my left hand reaches out and gently pats her on the head and I said, “That’s a good attitude to have, Derpy. I’m sure many ponies appreciate it.”

A big smile lit her face, and she looked at me like she was going to hug me, but didn’t, which I was ok with, to be honest. Her eyes were still crossed, and it was starting to creep me out a bit, even compared to looking into Sheeva’s third eye. Even so, I still had a question I wanted answered. “How did you manage not to get hurt, though?”

“Well, like Rainbow Dash said, things like this happen to me a lot, so I’ve gotten a lot of practice at recovering from a fall.”

“Ah, I see.”

Dash prodded me with her hoof to get my attention. “Okay, now it’s my turn again. Where is Windfall? I know you said that she’s at your place, but where the hay is that? You keep asking Derpy how she isn’t hurt, so does that mean Windfall is hurt?”

Well at least she was being more polite this time around, and they were good questions, considering the circumstances. “My cottage is a couple of hours away from Ponyville on foot, in the Whitetail Forest. Unfortunately, she was hurt; not by me, but by the fall. Like I said earlier, I heard her crash and went to investigate, and I found her on the ground. She was cut up pretty bad, and when she saw me, she was afraid I was going to kill her or something. I calmed her down and took her to my place, which was nearby and took care of her wounds.”

They both looked surprised and concerned as I told them what happened, Derpy’s fore hooves flying to her mouth. Rainbow Dash recovered first and asked, “Why not take her to the Ponyville hospital?”

Before I could even think, a sarcastic, “Oh please tell me I look like I’m from around here! Go on, please say it,” came up my throat and was out my mouth. Predictably, Rainbow looked like she was about to hit me in the face so I threw up my hands. “Sorry, sorry, that was uncalled for, I know. I just couldn’t resist. To answer your question, I don’t know the area very well, so I didn’t even know there was a hospital around here—and in her condition, trying to move her that far would have been a bad idea anyway, especially with my place nearby.”

That seemed to mollify her, and I decided it was time I left before anything else could happen, and I said so. She just nodded and backed off a bit, still watching me, but less with suspicion and more like she wasn’t really sure what to do at this point. Derpy on the other hand waved cheerfully at me and said, “Thanks for coming to see if I was ok! Tell Windfall I’m sorry I ran into her and that I’m glad she’s going to be okay.”

“I will. Good day.” With a wave, I turned away and headed out of town, my breathing getting easier with each step I took away from it. One thing troubled me, and that was a few of my actions during the last two days, starting with when I found Windfall. It had been a long time since I ever felt the need to help someone, and even longer since I had tried to give them some comfort or feel sympathy for them.

Yet when she begged me for her life, I couldn’t help but try to comfort her and help her with her wounds. Maybe I could rationalize that, thanks to the memory it brought to mind, but what about when I tried to comfort Derpy? No memory had come to mind when she looked so sad, and yet I couldn’t stand there and do nothing. This was worrying to me, though to most it would probably be normal.

I’m not normal though, I thought to myself. I’m completely messed up compared to normal, to the point where I don’t even give a shit about myself anymore. How can I suddenly care for these ponies I don’t even know? No matter how hard I thought about it, I could come up with no answers so I eventually shook it off and went back to taking the faster route home. As I came in the door, Windfall smiled, looking eager to hear what I had to say.

“Well? Did anypony agree to look for her?” She asked.

I shook my head and sat down in front of her. “Not exactly. Unsurprisingly, the ponies of Ponyville found me rather frightening and fled to the safety of their homes, rather than find out what I had to say. However, I did end up finding the pegasus in question herself. Her name is Derpy, by the way, and she’s doing fine. She says she’s sorry she ran into you and is glad that you’re going to be okay. Apparently, her getting into accidents like that is not an uncommon occurrence, so she’s become something of a pro when it comes to recovering from them.”

Windfall breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank Celestia! I was so worried that somepony was seriously hurt or dead because of me.”

“You’ve mentioned Celestia several times now. Is that a local deity?”

Cocking her head to the side while her eyes looked upwards, and putting a hoof to her chin, she took a bit to answer, “More or less. She is one of the rulers of Equestria, and the one who raises the sun in the morning and lowers it at night. She’s an alicorn, so she lives a very long time and her magic is stronger than anyponys. She’s also supposed to be super nice and caring from what I’ve heard, though I’ve never gotten to speak with her myself.”

That answered one question and created several more, “Ok, hold on a second. She’s one of the rulers of Equestria? How many are there? Also, what is an alicorn, and how does she control your sun?”

Giving me a surprised look she said, “Well she uses her powerful magic to move the sun. You don’t have something similar where you’re from?”

“No, in fact I can personally guarantee that this is the first and only place I’ve heard of that happening. Everywhere else gravity does the job for everyone.”

“Really? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Oh well. To answer the rest of your questions, an alicorn has both wings and a horn, and is usually larger than other ponies around them and stronger too. There are two rulers of Equestria; Princess Celestia is one, and her sister, Princess Luna, is the other and she’s an alicorn too. She controls the night.”

I hate irony, but it’s madly in love with me. “Yeah, I met her last night after you fell asleep from blood loss. She came here to make sure you were ok and knocked me on my ass with her voice.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, “You got to meet Princess Luna? Wow, how awesome was that?”

“Um, well, it was definitely a different experience. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to talk to royalty before, and while it was a bit rough at first it was okay for the most part.”

Tilting her head to the side she asked, “What do you mean?”

Choosing my words carefully, I replied, “She startled me and I instinctively got ready to fight if I had to, and she took that as a challenge and knocked me to the ground with her voice, of all things.”

If it was possible for her mouth to hit the floor, I think it would have. “You tried to challenge the princess?”

“No, I just wasn’t sure what was happening at the time, so I was prepared for anything and she took it as a challenge. She informed me she was here to check on you and make sure you were okay, after which we had no more trouble.”

“She came to check on me? I’ve never gotten to meet any of the princesses. Princess Celestia was in Ponyville the day I crashed, and I had hoped to get to talk to her, but so did everypony else.” As she said this, she looked away from me and at the ground, her eyes growing somewhat watery and sad.

This surprised me since up until now, she had been cheerful and curious, so I asked, “What’s wrong, Windfall?”

She sniffed and I found myself resisting the urge to go over there and give her a hug, which again was worrying me. “I came to Ponyville a few days before my crash trying to find a job with the local weather ponies, but they didn’t have any openings and I was almost out of bits. In fact, the night I crashed was the last night I had anywhere to stay. When the princess showed up, I hoped to talk to her and see if she could give me some advice, but I never got the chance.”

With that, she began to cry, and for some reason it made me want to cry too. Not knowing what else to do, but knowing if I did nothing then I probably would end up crying. I went to the couch and sat beside her. Somewhat awkwardly, I put an arm around her and gently tugged her towards me, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted. Instead, she surprised me by seeming to launch herself against me, crying her eyes out against my shirt.

At least she’s not soaking my trenchcoat, I thought. Wet leather is a pain in the ass to work with, and it takes forever to dry out. Her forelegs were now hooked around me in a powerful hug and her body was wracked with sobs. I tried to be comforting, though what I could say beyond, “It’s ok, it’s ok,” was beyond me and even that sounded trite and unfounded, since I had no idea how it was going to be ok.

My right hand was gently patting her head while the other comfortingly stroked her back. Both her mane and her coat were super soft, but underneath I could feel powerful muscles which made me wonder what it would be like to have to fight a pony in hand to hand combat. A few moments went by before she calmed down, and was able to let me go and returned to lying on her stomach.

I gave her a few moments to collect herself. When she did, she looked up at me, her eyes still glistening with some tears but she gave me a smile and thanked me for trying to comfort her. Nodding, I said, “You’re welcome.” As I said that another memory came to mind:

It had been days since I had gotten three meals a day as I had to ration what little money I had left. I had no job and nowhere to live, and even if it had been an option, I certainly had nowhere near enough money to charter a ship back to Earth. Ever since parting from my temporary partner, Brenda, I had taken what she had given me and had tried to find a job. This wasn’t Earth though, so I was both an alien and unfamiliar with their culture and how things were done.

Having never gotten the chance to finish college, I didn’t have a lot of marketable skills, but thanks to my former captors I had some experience as a mercenary, even if it was as a conscript merc. So far though, none of the groups I had approached were even willing to give me a trial run to see if I was worth taking on, and now I was nearing the end of my rope. Up ahead was one last stop for the day, after which I wasn’t sure what else to do.

Trying to look confident, I strode up to the door and pushed a small digital button that functioned as a doorbell, and waited for someone to come to the door or to tell me to open it. A low gravelly voice came from within telling me to enter, so I did. In front of me was what looked like a combination lobby and office. A large projector, the holographic version of a television sat in the front of the room, with two big couches facing it in a v-shape.

At the back was a large wooden desk with a large chair behind him and sitting in that chair was a large wolf anthro. He had a red lightning bolt scar running across the right side of his muzzle. Three other wolf anthros were standing around the desk or leaning on it, though there was nothing remarkable that stood out to me at the time, even though they were all watching me. The big wolf behind the desk spoke with the gravelly voice I had heard outside, “Who are you?”

Trying to sound confident but not arrogant I said, “My name is John Tracker. I’m looking for work.”

His eyes narrowed a little in disbelief as one of the others laughed, “You? No offense pal, but you don’t look like you could handle the work we do.”

Not a promising start, but I persisted, “I’m not as weak as I look. I’ve been on at least ten missions before with another group, and as you can see I survived them. Not as support, either, I killed my fair share of targets and I know my way around a weapon.”

The big one spoke again, “What group were you with?”

That question made me cringe, because this was usually where I was told to leave when I told them who I had been with. It was tempting to lie, but I was a terrible liar and I never really liked to lie anyway, so I went with the truth, “I was a part of the Stringent Income crew; though not one of the voluntary members.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I can believe it. I’ve never seen you before, which usually means you’re one of the poor bastards that got taken from your world to ‘serve’ on that ship. You’ve also got that look of someone who’s been beaten down until you’ll do whatever they want to make them stop hurting you. Am I right?”

Surprise blossomed within me, followed by a strange sense of relief. Many of the other merc groups had heard of David Starling and his ship, the Stringent Income, but none had ever had such a good idea of what went on aboard that ship. “Yes sir, that’s exactly what happened. How did you know?”

With a half growl, half chuckle, he answered, “Mr. Starling is well known for his practices, though I have no time for him or the way he operates. Still, I’ve seen enough of his former conscripts to have a pretty good idea of what to look for. The first and easiest is if it’s somebody from a race I’ve never seen. I’ve been all over the galaxy, so there’s very little that I haven’t seen yet, at least from the space faring races. Next, there is a specific look that someone who’s been broken has in their eyes, and you my friend have it.”

“I see,” Well, I was impressed to say the least, and he hadn’t immediately thrown me out, like some others who had figured out who I used to ‘work’ for.

The wolf got up and came around to lean against the front of the desk, his eyes still locked onto mine. Crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, “Now I’ve never heard of anyone managing to escape from Mr. Starling, so I assume you survived long enough that he let you go. If that’s true, why didn’t you go home?”

I sighed and slumped my shoulders, looking down at the ground, “I tried. My people are cautious, however, expecting the worst while hoping for the best, so when I came back they treated me like the possible vanguard of an invasion. They studied and interrogated me, and if it wasn’t for another former crew member, I would have died there. Now I can’t go back because they won’t just let me live, so I’m stuck out here.”

A sniffing sound caused me to look up, wondering if they were near to tears or something because of my story but it was simply the boss wolf sniffing me. He looked thoughtful as he said, “I don’t smell any fabrication from you so you’re telling the truth, or you’re really good at controlling your odor, but I haven’t seen any sign of that, so I’m going to assume the former option.”

Not sure if I should have been insulted or relieved, I said, “Thank you sir.”

As if he hadn’t already proven how perceptive he was, he asked, “How many other groups have you tried before this one?”

Gulping, I replied, “At least a dozen.”

“Let me guess, they threw you out, figuratively anyway, after they found out you were associated with Mr. Starling, am I right?”

“Yes sir.”

Pity filled his eyes, and after another moment of silence, he said, “Alright kid, we’ll give you a shot. I can’t stand to see someone as down on their luck as you. You better measure up though, or else. Down on your luck or not, you’re outta here, understood?”

Relief swept through me and with a smile I exclaimed, “Thank you so much! I won’t let you down, I promise!”

He chuckled and held out his hand to me, “Welcome to our team then Mr. Tracker. I’m Colonel Jason MoonHowler.”

Looking down at the pony on my couch, I felt some of those old feelings coming back, and with a sigh I told her, “Look, if you want you can stay here, free of charge, until you find something.”

She looked up at me with surprise, “You mean that? I mean that’s okay, and not a problem or anything?”

“Yeah, its fine. I’ve been where you are, so I know what it’s like to need someone to help you, even if only a little.”

Her injuries not seeming to slow her in the least, she threw her forelegs around my neck and hugged me hard, making it harder to breathe. Her soft fur was now pressed against my cheek; though it wasn’t a sexual hug, but merely a friendly and very happy hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I didn’t know what I was going to do, so thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

I carefully put my hand on her sides, awkwardly returning the hug. Before I could say anything though, her stomach rumbled audibly, and with it pressed against my body I could feel it rumble too. With a sheepish grin, she pulled back and looked away from me, “Sorry. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.”

“Yeah, come to think of it I only had a sandwich today myself. What do you say we get some dinner?”

“That sounds great.” She got off me and sat back down while I got up and went to the kitchen area.

On the way, it hit me; she had moved really quickly back there, although not far, but still with her injuries she shouldn’t have been able to move like that at all. Turning around I said, “Hey, you were too injured to walk earlier, how were you able to suddenly move like that just now?”

Flexing her leg and wing a little she said, “Well, it does still hurt to move, but it hurts less than it did, and I wasn’t moving very far—only a foot or two really. Besides that, we ponies are fast healers, pegasi more than others, due to our history. In a day or two I’ll probably be able to walk again at least, and hopefully be able to fly soon too. I hate being grounded.”

Turning back to the kitchen I replied, “I suppose if I could fly I would as well. What do you like to eat?”

“Hay, different kinds of flowers, vegetables, fruits, and grains. I’m personally very partial to apples and carrots. How about you? What does your kind eat?”

As I set out some vegetables and some apples, actually the few I had left, I said, “We’re omnivores so we eat, fruits, vegetables and grains though we don’t eat hay or flowers.”

She seemed to be intrigued by this, “Wow. You kinda remind me of griffons; with your dexterous hands and the ability to eat meat, as well as fruits and veggies. I’ll bet they’d love to hear of another sapient race that’s similar to them.”

The mention of griffons stopped me, and I turned my head to face her, “You have griffons here? Anything else I should know about?”

Raising a hoof as if she was going to tick off points on fingers that didn’t exist she tapped it with her other hoof for each point. “Well we have dragons; big, scaly and scary. Although they’re a rare sight, for which most of us are glad. We have the diamond dogs; bipedal dogs that have a love for gems. Nopony knows where they come from or why they love gems, but they often kidnap ponies to make them work in their mines.”

That sounded like a slaver ring to me, which made me wonder if perhaps I was going to get to do some vigilante work while I was here. She wasn’t done yet, however. “We recently made nice with another country called Saddle Arabia, which seems to be dominated by horses, though I don’t know much other than that. Another country known as Zebrica is home to the Zebras, though I don’t know much about them either. I should warn you about the Everfree Forest though.”

“What’s the Everfree Forest?”

“It’s a very old and spooky forest to the south of Ponyville, and west of here. It’s unnatural, which is why everypony is afraid of it. Why they ever decided to build a town next to it I will never know. There the weather takes care of itself and the animals fend for themselves, with no help from anypony. Plants grow wild and untamed, and nature has no direction from anypony whatsoever.”

Blinking at the implications of that statement, I had to interrupt. “I don’t get it. That sounds perfectly normal to me. It’s certainly normal where I come from, and everywhere else I’ve ever been. Are you telling me that you ponies control the weather and nature around here?”

“Why yes. Do you really not have that where you come from?”

“Closest thing we have is on farms and in areas where humans inhabit, though even then we don’t control much of the animal population outside of pets and farm animals.”

Confusion colored her eyes, “Humans?”

“Yeah, that’s what my kind call ourselves. Humans being short for the more scientific Homo Sapiens. Anyway, was there any other reason you needed to warn me about the forest, or was it just that it controls itself?”

“The creatures that live there are dangerous, and should be avoided, which isn’t hard if you stay out of the forest. It’s the most likely place to find dragons and water lizards, which is a good enough reason to stay clear of it. There are also manticores and timberwolves that are really dangerous and like live prey to feast on.”

Wow, for being such a place of supposed harmony and friendship, this planet sure had some dangerous denizens. My pistol now seemed woefully inadequate, though whether or not Sheeva would let me use a rifle was in question. If she wouldn’t, I had another option, but I put it off for another time since I wasn’t going anywhere tonight. Taking her food and some juice to her and setting it down, I said, “I’ll be careful then and try and avoid that place. Do you mind if I eat meat at all or will it make you uncomfortable?”

She shook her head, “No, I’m fine really. In Cloudsdale, where I come from, we have griffons all the time, so I’m used to their eating habits. Other ponies might get weirded out by it but they likely won’t do anything about it, and if they do, you can just point out that it’s a dietary requirement of your species, and they’ll stop bugging you about it. You’re going to have a hard time getting more meat here though,” She pointed out.

Well that was a bit of a problem, because my tendencies when it came to meals was much more carnivorous than herbivore, or even omnivore. “Do you know of a place I can get meat? Like Cloudsdale?”

Chuckling she replied, “You could get it at Cloudsdale, but you’re not a pegasus and only Pegasi can stand on clouds and not fall through them.”

“You can do that, too? Geez. What else do you do?”

“Remember how I said that we ponies control the weather? That’s what weather pegasi do. We schedule it, and then move clouds where and when they’re needed.”

“Wow, sounds like an important job. I know weathermen back home would kill to have the ability to know when and where the weather would hit.” As I talked, I began to get out some bacon, sausage, and eggs. I began to cook them in a pan as I went back to my earlier question, “So, any place other than Cloudsdale that I could get meat?”

“You could probably find someplace in Canterlot that would get meat for you, but that’s at least a few hour’s journey by train if you can’t fly. Maybe you should try a more vegetarian diet and skip the meat if you can.”

I shook my head vehemently, “No way. Not meaning to be rude or anything, but I like meat way too much to do that.”

“Ok then. The only idea I can think of is to find one of the larger retailers in town and see if they can bring in meat from the griffon kingdom for you.”

Nodding, I slid the eggs off the pan and onto a plate, “That’s a good idea, thanks. I’ll need to go into town again anyway if I’m going to get more food for you. Now, if I can somehow keep every pony from running away the moment they see me, then we’ll be good.”

The rest of the night passed without incident or breakdowns. We conversed a little more, but nothing really worth talking about. At least now I knew more about this place then I had before, and I had my first taste of dealing with the ponies more directly. What tomorrow would bring I didn’t know, but I would face it head on, as I always do.