Fallout Equestria: Medicine & Mail

Chapter 4

“It’s a long road we all have to travel.

I cannot guarantee it will be pleasant.

Best to find good company and fast.”

For every blessing the Wasteland bestows upon someone she takes twice that as payment.

I may have lived my life traveling the desert routes, but it was a sheltered existence within Copper Shard’s caravan. After coming to terms with losing the only world I knew, I thought that perhaps I had grown some with the knowledge that the Wasteland truly wasn’t a good place, and that because I could put on a brave face and stare her down that she would let me pass freely as I pleased.

It was arrogant of me to think that I could brave the Wasteland alone.

The only things that matter in this blasted world are the friends who will stand beside you and catch you when you’ve stumbled.

A trader tipped me off to a new route run by a coalition of freelance caravanners in the old Commonwealth lands east of here and Vitia was headed in roughly the same direction. At the time, I couldn’t begin to fathom why Vitia would choose to come searching for me, or follow me for that matter, but it was her choice and she was very adamant about it.

Uneven snoring from the two occupied bunks echoed through the room and I stared at my empty bunk, its dirty sheet messily hanging off to the side.

Vitia had retired to her bunk earlier that night while Luminous told me more of how the freelancers within Paint co-existed until he, too, turned in for the night. I was reassured the situation in Cancy would be taken care of. That Hammer would be okay.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall, but try as I might, sleep would not come so easily.

Still no closer to figuring out what to do in this new Wasteland that I was thrown into, I waited, hoping that the answer would somehow come to me. The minutes passed and quickly became hours, when a smell that surely had to be the cross between a rotting carcass and burning tires drifted into the cramped two-now-three bunk room.

My nose scrunched at the offensive smell and I stood, squinting against the brightness behind the ratty curtain-door.

The early morning sun filled a corner of the room as I carefully pushed aside the curtain-door and paused to steal a brief glance at the two sleeping figures in the back. Leaving 144 without them quickly crossed my mind, but Vitia would likely come searching for me again and Luminous would have little problem tracking me down if asked. Not to mention there’s safety in numbers. Had Luminous not been there when I ran into those raiders—I shuddered and quickly left towards the source of the smell.

An unfamiliar caravan had rolled in unannounced during the night. Two unicorns sat near a large half-rusted vat placed over a roaring fire, the light from their horns glowed dully off the lackluster metal as they took turns stirring and dumping bags of what looked to be foodstuffs into it.

I walked up to the pair, watching them as they went about their duties.

“Can I help ye?” The stirring one asked in between rounds. “Kin’a busy mixin’ up th’ day rations.”

“I didn’t recognize which company y’belonged to. Figured I’d come over and ask.”

“Pah, companies. Ain’t nothin’ good about ’em ’cept to bleed a pony dry.” The bag-floating unicorn snorted. “We’re free ponies, ain’t tied to no useless company. Belong to the Coalition of Free Traders we do.”

Isn’t that basically the same thing? I cocked my head to the side, not wanting to pick a fight. “Coalition of Free Traders, huh. Can’t say it rings any bells.”

I took a quick glance into the pot and immediately regretted it; the contents appeared to be some sort of thick grey sludge-like matter that vaguely resembled rotting oats. It was a struggle to keep from gagging. Maybe they just haven’t hired a respectable cook yet.

The stirring pony laughed, nearly splashing grey ooze out of the vat. “Can’t rightly expect some company trader to know—”

“No, not a company pony or with any caravan,” I said, quick to interrupt the unicorn. “Just didn’t recognize your caravan from around here is all.”

“Oh. Y’sure yer not a company pony? Y’look it wit’ that fancy harness.” The unicorn scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Well, don’t matter none. We come in from out east, jus’ past the divide. There’s a string o’ settlements out along that ol’ stretch-a road to Flankshaft.”

“Flankshaft.” A grin played across my face, “Don’t tell me—”

“A’yup, tail an’ chems. Far as th’ eye can see.” He flashed me a toothy smile. “Well, there’s more t’ th’ place.”

The bag unicorn wobbled on his stool as leaned towards us. “Oh ’ere he goes again ’bout them ass bucks. Ain’t nothin’ worth th’ scrap it’s on.”

“Ah, shush you. It’s a right proper town, they even got this here fancy money they call a Flankbuck.” He floated a few bills from his pack over to me. “Here, have a few in case y’head out that way. Y’look like y’could use it, missy.”

How…charming. The bills floating in front of me were square cut from scrap cloth and denoted their value by the number of stylized flanks stamped on the front.

“I see, well thanks for the information.” The floating bills were stuffed into an open pouch on my barding as I smiled nervously and made to walk back to my room. “And the, ah, money. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind if I head that way.”

“Sure y’don’t want any of this mornin’ grub? Been good company an’ all.” The unicorn asked as he dropped the spoon in a nearby pile of filth, shook the refuse off, and resumed stirring.

The two old cooks cackled as I hastily retreated towards the west side of 144.

I wound through the twisting ramshackle housing of the Junction at brisk canter. Newly placed ramps jutted up towards the sky, loosely connected to whatever small home could be stacked on top of previous tenants, some three or four high.

It feels like forever ago that I was last here. Things change around these parts so fast.

I rounded the corner and up a nearby ramp to find the aging sunset-orange pegasus I was looking for. He was tending a small raised garden on the roof, his coat lightly grayed from age and heavy stress.

“Oh!” He smiled warmly and continued to tend a small crop of cacti. “If it ain’t Lil’ Bit. Caravan’s a bit early this cycle, innit?”

“Hey there, ’Beam.” I waved, trying to cover my grimace with a smile. “How’s the junction life been treatin’ you?”

Sunbeam chuckled lightly. “Y’got a conundrum goin’ on up in that noggin o’ yers. Can tell,” he nodded. “Y’ain’t ever been one for small talk unless y’got somethin’ goin’ on.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“Ain’t like I haven’t known y’since Hazy popped ya out or nothin’.” He lifted his nose towards the sky for a brief moment and smiled wide. “Smells like it’s gonna rain soon. Let’s finish this inside.”

I nodded and we headed towards the door nearest the ramp.

“Y’know,” Sunbeam grinned at me as we left the garden, “There ain’t a whole lot tyin’ me to this place, but y’just can’t get that smell of desert rain up in a patch-a cloud.”

I glanced around his home; he had done little to decorate it. Tools, rifles, and ammunition were neatly sorted into appropriately labeled boxes, and windows were left unadorned. Always was on the practical side. No mess, no fuss, no waste.

Sunbeam pushed a plate of suspicious looking mystery crisps across to me as we sat down.

I stared at the plate for a moment. “Last time I remember you trying to cook, you managed to melt Applesauce’s pot.”

“Yeah, well, when you live the junction life, y’got just a lil’ bit o’ free time.” He nudged the plate once more. “Made ’em from barrel cactus seed out in the garden. Go on now, try one and tell me ’bout this problem o’ yours.”

I cautiously bit into one of the crisps, fully expecting something vile. It had a surprisingly pleasant taste. “Huh, this is pretty good. A little bitter, but good. Vitia would really hate these; she’s got a huge sweet tooth.”

“Oho, Lil’ Bit’s got ’ereslf some filly problem—”

“No,” I interrupted him. “It’s not like that, we’re just traveling together. Willow has actually taken her under wing, so to speak.”

“I take it the Matron of Cow-Whores is doing well for herself these days then,” Sunbeam said flatly. “She ain’t a ’taur, is she?”

I frowned at the usual disapproval of Willow. “Nah. She’s a unicorn.”

“So, we gonna talk about the zebra in the room here?”

I laughed nervously. “Short version? I tried to stop somethin’ large with my face. Vitia patched me up.”

“And the long version?”

Sunbeam rested his chin on his hooves and leaned forward as I briefly recounted most of what happened the last couple weeks.

“Huh. Sounds like you’ve had a hell of a time, Bit. Well, ain’t like it’s the end of the world or anything.”

“It…sort of is.” I sighed. “Unlike you and Hazy, the routes were all I had. The Caravan is the only life I’ve ever known.”

“Well, ya could always take this chance t’ explore some.” He nodded. “Spread those wings y’got, Bit. Ain’t proper for a pegasus to stay grounded for as long as you do.”

“You know I can’t do that, Sunbeam.”

“What, spreadin’ them wings or givin’ the life you’ve always envied a go? Not much a difference there, I s’pose.”

“I—” I couldn’t answer and sat there staring silently at the plate of crisps.

“Oh, don’t act so shocked. It was never much a secret ’round the caravan. What nopony could figure out is why you never actually left.”

“Fear,” I mumbled softly at the plate.

“Lil’ Bit, you volunteered to work the courier lines. Y’spent more time on the road by yerself than with a caravan, how could a little travel possibly scare ya?”

“It shouldn’t, but it does. Because my little existence was safe and I was too much of a damn scaredypony to buck up and go.” The plate jumped slightly as I banged the table with a hoof in frustration. “I—I lost everything, ’Beam. And it terrifies me to know that the only solid thing I have to grasp at is some unreliable rumor from a couple third rate caravanners.”

“Yer mother, Luna bless her, she was a firm believer in things just having to play out as they came sometimes. Good, bad, or otherwise, I doubt that mare ever regretted her fortune.” Sunbeam looked up at the ceiling and frowned slightly. “But, even her luck ran out eventually. She wouldn’t want to see you like this, Lil’ Bit. Wastin’ away on envy and silly fear.”

“I know, Sunbeam. As ashamed as it makes me to admit it, I know, and I wish I had done something about it long before I lost my way.”

“That’s alright, Lil’ Bit. I’m sure she’d be proud of ya all the same,” Sunbeam nodded. “But enough of that, did Hazy ever tell you that before we joined up with ol’ Copper an’ his caravan we first touched down out east of here, past the divide?”

I shook my head. “Aside from the clouds, she never mentioned much of what she did before, well, Copper, and I never really thought to pry.”

“Mhm. Them caravan rules they pounded into that noggin’ o’ yers.” He chuckled softly. “Well, they’re not bad rules, but they don’t rightly apply much out adventurin’.”

I laughed. “Uh-huh, well, we’ll see.” Drops of rain pattered unevenly against the tin room and I glanced out at the sky. The light grey cloud cover had mostly broken allowing the late morning sun to shine through. “I should get back to my friends, Sunbeam. I don’t want them thinking that I wandered off without them. Again.”

Which is exactly what you did. Again, the little pony in my head chided.

“Alright then, Lil’ Bit. Come ’round sooner next time, I enjoy these infrequent chats we have when yer here. They remind me of the times I used to have travelin’ with her before she, well—” He coughed and rummaged through a nearby cupboard. “Oh! Here. Take some o’ this for yer filly friend, preserved sweet barrel cactus fruit.”

“She’s not my—” I sighed crossly and smiled while placing the jar in my pack. “Thanks, ’Beam. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Bit Flip,” Sunbeam called out in a sober tone as I headed for the door, “We ain’t good on the ground or cooped up. Consider spreadin’ those wings while y’still can.”

I turned around to look at the aging pegasus. One of his wings was raised in a salute; I could see where radiation and energy weapon damage had clearly taken its toll.

“I’ll…keep it in mind.”

The curtain-door to our room had already been pinned to the side. I saw Vitia packing her bag, her medical coat was pulled taut against her tiny frame with pockets bulging; she had picked up provisions for the road while I had stepped out. Luminous was sitting against the wall cleaning his rifle and whistling a merry little ditty.

“Nice to see you two up slightly before noon.” I coughed and put on a sheepish grin.

“Bit Flip!” Vitia nearly yelled out, “Where have you been? You were gone when we got up and I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“Told ya she didn’t go anywhere.” Luminous said, not having looked up from his work. “She left her guns here, after all.”

“Relax, I promise I won’t run off again, Vitia.” I sighed. “You two weren’t up when I went to go visit somepony I knew, so I just slipped out instead.”

“She might not have been awake, but yer no Errant. ’Bout as noisy as a ’taur bangin’ pots together tryin’ to call down the rain,” Luminous joked.

“Okay, well one of you wasn’t awake. That aside though, I brought y’somethin’,” I conceded, rummaging around my pack for the jar of preserved fruit. “Not sure if you like sweet things, Luminous, but I was given this for you two.”

Luminous shook his head slightly. “More of a bitters stallion, m’self. Glasses though, he’d probably wrestle y’for it.”

I cringed at the thought of getting bowled over by the massive earth pony for a sweet.

Vitia rushed up to the table as I placed the jar on it, her eyes lit up at the mention of food and sweet.

“So, what is this?” She said excitedly, trying to twist off the jar’s lid unsuccessfully. “Stupid hooves. Oh, damn it. How the hell do you do this without telekinesis?”

“Magic.” I shrugged and sandwiched the bottle between two hooves before giving a firm twist. “You’d think they’d have, I don’t know, made easier to open jars back before the end, but I guess not.”

Luminous coughed from the back of the room. “I hate t’ be the one to break up this riveting discussion on jar openin’ techniques but we should take off sooner ’an later. We’re not exactly stayin’ here on good faith.”

Vitia looked up from the jar; she had already managed to make a mess of her face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I had completely forgotten about the exchange with Keys from last night. “I may have, ah, colored a bit of persuasion when getting a caravan room with bunks last night.”

“So you conned your way into a room?”

“Sort of?”

Vitia shook her head and sighed.

“What?” I asked defensively. “It’s not like the caravans pay for lodging here and I’m not about to sleep outside in 144.”

“I guess we should get a move on then.” She agreed.

“Speakin’ of movin’, what were you doin’ out this far east again anyway?”

“Same as when we first met.” Vitia looked at her hooves as she spoke. “I’m…searching for someone from my home. Well, Desert’s Edge, my old home. She left for Buffalo Ridge so abruptly that things ended on a weird note.”

“Closure, then?” I cocked my head to the side and stared at the mare, “Willow know ’bout this?”

Vitia nodded. “She does. We had a chat about it before I left.”

“Oh.” I shrugged, “So, when do we leave?”

“Wait, just like that?”

“Willow ain’t a filly, she knows what’s best for her. Besides, I’m headed past the divide to get a look at the Commonwealth for trade anyway.” Better late than never and now’s a good a time as any.

“I see. Well then, Luminous Beacon, was it?” Vitia looked over at the stallion. “It would seem that we’re off to Buffalo Ridge.”

“The Ridge, eh? Fair warnin’, lass, it’s not a pretty sight these days. There ain’t a whole lot out that way except rubble and ruin anymore.” He secured his rifle to his barding. “Sure you want to take this route out east, Bit?”

“Yeah, it should be fine. I’d rather not have to swim across the divide anyway. Or deal with the raider bands down south near the ferries.”

I stared into room’s mirror, its large cracks and dirty surface making for poor use as I strapped my guns into place.

Just take it as it comes, huh? Even if yer not around anymore. I smiled at the distorted reflection and nodded.

“Thanks for the advice, Hazy,” I said in a small voice before making for the door.

I rattled my canteen around near my ears and frowned. There was barely enough water inside to make a swishing noise.

The three of us had left shortly after my return. The sun had already neared its peak and I regretted not leaving later in the day, but Keys was beginning to ask some uncomfortable questions around camp and caravan news tends to spread like wildfire out in the desert.

Our little party had followed the roads east out of 144 before cutting out into the desert further and avoiding the northern roads. Luminous seemed to think it was the safer route. My dwindling ammunition and water supply argued otherwise. I asked him why and the stallion’s mood soured immensely.

He and Glasses had been hired to clear out a camp north of the highway nestled in the side of the crags some fifteen years ago. The residents had gone bad, turned to violence the reports had said, and were running their town as a gladiator camp of sorts. Blood sports, torture, and tyranny were the order of the day. They were making slaver runs on the surrounding settlements and forcing them to fight each other for their amusement. Might makes right was an idiom the settlement took to heart.

During that job they had found a young Errant hiding off in the stores. It was clear she had been there for some time and daily survival had affected her terribly. Something she will have to live with the rest of her life, likely.

“Glasses and I weren’t part of Paint’s infrastructure back then and things were a lot different. We had to abandon the assignment and retreat after takin’ Errant.” He shook his head. “Rotten place, that. Who knows if they’re still around, but better safe than sorry, I say.”

“Huh. Every time I think I’ve heard or felt the worst of it, the Wasteland just keeps getting worse.” Vitia remarked.

“If the occasional story y’hear from the DJ on the radio is true, it sounds much worse wherever they’re broadcastin’ from.” I shrugged. “Do y’regret leavin’ Desert’s Edge?”

“No. Maybe? I’m not sure.” Vitia frowned.

The rest of our detour through the desert passed by uneventfully, save the occasional critter that attacked us. If Luminous’ story was anything to go by, I was certainly happier to put down the rare critter or two instead of shooting at ponies.

We reached the outskirts of Buffalo Ridge early into the evening; the low hanging sun cast an ugly hue on an already decaying landscape. Despite the relatively short distance from 144, our detour away from the main road cut deeply into our travel time, but Luminous insisted that safety was paramount out here in the eastern basin.

The dregs of a once thriving town wandered between broken buildings, and a curious few stopped momentarily to stare at us before moving on

“Ah, Vitia, y’sure this mare yer looking for said Buffalo Ridge and not, y’know, some other Ridge?” I asked hesitantly. “’Cause this place doesn’t look like somewhere a pony comes to thrive.”

“Bit’s right. Buffalo Ridge isn’t so much a town now as it is a smoking, chem-infested hole in the ground full of whatever lost souls unfortunate enough to stay when the chemists moved in years ago.”

“It doesn’t look like I expected,” she said, fidgeting. “But they have to be here. I just don’t know where.”

“We could check the buildings. Might uncover something useful.” I frowned at the nearby structures. Stucco had fallen away in chunks and rebar jutted out at odd angles on many of them. “Maybe.”

Luminous and I followed closely behind Vitia, with loose cement crunching underhoof as the three of us picked our way across the uneven streets to the nearest building. We nosed about several hovels along the street, each yielding even less than the last. What small amount of daylight we had left was long spent and Vitia’s demeanor had become none too pleasant.

“Great. Locked. Who the hell locks anything out here?” Vitia complained as she banged on the door.

“I can pick the lock?” I cringed at the sound of hooves banging against metal. “Besides, locked doors always have something important behind them.”

“You say that, but—” Ancient stucco gave way as Luminous floated a piece of rebar from the ground and twisted it between lock and wall, “Ain’t nopony got time for that.”

“Errant’ll be happy to know that karma is alive an’ well,” I groused as Vitia impatiently shoved me aside and yanked wide the door. “Probably nothin’ here though, just like the last four.”

Rusted countertops and dilapidated shelves lined the room, and whatever contents they held had long since escaped their containers. Busted terminals sat piled high in a corner and cables running in every direction littered the floor.

“Looks like another dead end.” I sighed and rubbed a hoof against my ear. “This place looks like an abandoned workshop, ain’t much here but scrap and wires.”

Vitia threw her hooves into the air as she spun around, “You’re the one that wanted to waste time in here, Bit!”

“Hey! None of us here pissed in yer rations, so don’t you go snappin’ at me about wasted time.” I pressed a hoof against my ear again. “And what the hell is that noise?”

“It’s the sixty cycle hum of an electrical...transformer?” Vitia cocked her head to the side and listened intently. “Oh, Bit, you wonderful featherbrain, that’s it!”

“I—Wait, what?” I looked to Luminous.

“Don’t look at me, this is Errant’s kind of thing.” He shrugged, “I just shoot stuff.”

I watched with mild annoyance, hoping that Vitia would explain herself as she scurried about the room shoving aside boxes and tables near the walls. Bits of grime and a small colony of dust bunnies clung to her mane when she finally surfaced for air.

“So, can anypony tell me why there’s live cable running from the wall in this dump?” Vitia held up a thick black cable and looked as if she could barely contain herself.

My ears perked at the familiar snap of a holster and the scraping of metal against leather to my side.

“Well, whatever the explanation is y’better get on it ’cause it’s lookin’ like the locals are gettin’ right nosy.”

I glanced out at the streets from behind shuttered windows. “Guessin’ we just boxed ourselves in, didn’t we?”

Several small packs of emaciated ponies had gathered nearby, no doubt brought around by our arrival. They milled about near buildings we had come from; some looked around vacantly for instruction while others argued amongst themselves. Few looked armed and even then with only the most base of weapons, crudely fashioned shivs at best, but it was the size of the group that had me concerned. While not the most elegant of weapons, I had a feeling sharpened rebar would have little trouble passing through my harness and Vitia’s medical coat wasn’t even a question.

“Hey you two, I found something—”

“So what’s the plan, Luminous?” I ignored Vitia for the moment, since dealing with our new found friends would have to come first.

“Seein’ as the door ain’t locked anymore, I figured we could move some of the shelves and make a bottleneck. Shoot ’em as they come in.”

“If you two would just listen—”

“I was hoping for a plan a little less violent.” I recalled the hanging mare and frowned. “Something that doesn’t involve liquefying pony heads, perhaps?”

“Yer still upset about splattering those two raiders?” Luminous asked. “Can’t say I blame ya, but with the way we’re boxed in, fightin’ is probably the only way out.”

Vitia whistled loudly from behind us. “Hey! Listen to me when I’m talking.”

“Now’s not really a great time, Vitia. We’re stuck here in here and—”

“Seeing as I found an exit while you two were arguing, I think now’s a pretty great time.” Vitia pointed to a trap door. Wires had been bundled off to the side to expose it and a terminal screen flickered at the base of the heap. “Struck me as odd to have cabling like that in here, and it turns out I was right.”

“Well, there’s your non-violent alternative, Bit. Don’t know where it leads, but I hope she can open it ’cause they’re headin’ this way.”

Luminous and I began piling shelves and scrap in front of the door to fashion a crude bottleneck and some cover. Vitia was behind us frantically tapping away at the terminal, every few moments she would swear loudly about hooves, magic, and bad design.

The distant murmurs of the crowds had turned into a dull roar; they couldn’t have been more than a couple doors down by now. I found myself staring at the entrance with no small amount of trepidation and hoped that by some grace of the goddesses they would not realize this room had been opened and move on.

“Bit,” Luminous reached out and placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Stop, they’re going to hear you if you keep doing that.”

“Doing…what?”

“Y’were doin’ it at the gun runner camp too.” He nudged my leg. “Gotta stop fidgetin’ this here leg when yer nervous.”

“Sorry, it’s one of those things.” I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “It’s hard to not remember what happened and this ain’t helpin’.”

“Well, ain’t no love lost for a dead raider, that’s what I always say.” Luminous leveled his pistol at the door and looked at me. “Besides, they long had it comin’ and I think you know that. Even if you don’t like how it went down.”

“I know. I just wish there were another way.”

“Yep, you’d fit into Paint just fine. Some of the groups there try to rehabilitate the ones they can. But, y’know, Bit,” Luminous smiled and looked back towards the door. “Ain’t no rehabilitatin’ some o’ these scumfucks.”

A deafening roar filled my ears as Luminous fired his pistol. The massive round punched a clean hole through the thin metal and straight into the pony’s midsection on the other side. I felt a tug on my tail, and turned to see Vitia motioning towards the open trap door. I shouted for Luminous to come but I don’t think he heard me over the repeated gunfire and din of the crowds outside.

“We need to leave, Bit,” Vitia nearly screamed at me. “The security door’s on an internal timer and will only be open a few moments longer!”

I felt my hooves scoot roughly across the floor as she repeatedly yanked on my tail. I yelled once more for Luminous before heading towards the trap door and hoped he was right behind me as the thick metal door creaked shut and sealed us underground.

A few gunshots rang out from behind the door before a voice broke through. “Don’t know if you can hear me kiddo, but go on and stay safe under there. I’ll see you on the other side.”

I shouted at the door but the staccato report of carbine burst fire was the only reply until it too died down, leaving only silence in its wake.

“We need—” I pushed against the trap door. “Open this door, Vitia. We need to go get Luminous.”

“There’s no terminal on this side, Bit. I can’t open it. The only way out is to keep moving forward.”

“Maybe if I can just get a hold of Errant.” I mashed at buttons on the makeshift Pipbuck in an effort to switch the broadcaster on. Static broke the horrible silence and I felt my heart sink.

“Perk up, Bit. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He seemed to know how to handle himself in tight situations. It’ll be fine.

The room was little more than a barren metal four wall basement with a vented door at one end and the trap door above. A vile smell lingered about the grates along the wall.

“Yeah, it’s fine. We’re fine, everything is just fine.” I closed my eyes and held a deep breath for a moment and then another before finally exhaling away the anxiety. “I s’pose I should get this door open then.”

I inspected the lock, which didn’t appear to have anything special about it, but I was in no mood to indulge and placed the barrel of a shotgun to the doorjamb.

“We’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that.” A polite voice sounded from the other side as the lock clicked open. “Welcome to Buffalo’s Ridge.”

The door slid into a recess and it wasn’t the ratty unicorn in colorful rags on the other side that caught my attention first, nor was it the curious group of onlookers to the side. No, it was the three shotgun barrels pointed at eye level.

“Startin’ to think I liked our old friends more, Vitia.”

Vitia and I were led through labyrinthine corridors of rock and steel before being deposited into a small, sparsely decorated room. By all appearances, and what little information we could coax out of our escorts, we had broken in to the maintenance entrance of the Buffalo Ridge sewer system. Though, for the life of me, I could not figure out why they kept referring it to as Buffalo’s Ridge and figured it may have been a touch rude to ask given our current predicament.

“Bit Flip and…Vitia was it?” The stallion looked at both of us in turn. “I apologize for the rather impolite welcoming, but we have our community’s safety to look after. Though, having said that I am going to need you to disarm yourself and submit to inspection before we allow you to freely roam the halls.”

I stared at the two guards that followed us into the room. They kept their weapons trained on us at all times. It wouldn’t take much to outgun us down here and despite their outward appearance the guards looked as if they’d fit in just as well guarding a caravan.

“And if we decline?”

“No harm will come to you, but your possessions will be forfeit and we will escort you topside.”

“This feels more like robbery than an inspection, but go ahead.” I sighed. “S’pose we don’t have much choice.”

Vitia helped me fumble out of my harness and barding. Despite letting me keep my under cloth, I still felt rather naked and more than a little claustrophobic down here, but at least our new found friends were nothing if not polite.

After a deluge of questions the stallion finally introduced himself as True North and explained that it was his job to ferret out any smugglers, raiders, or others of ill intent among the new arrivals. One of the guards motioned to him and held up my pouch of bobby pins.

“What were you intending to do with these?” He asked me flatly.

“Nothin’. Scavenged those on the way into the Ridge. Figured I could sell ’em.”

“Strike one.” He pointed to his cutie mark and explained that much like his name implies, his talent lies in the detection of deceit through magic.

“Fine, can’t blame a girl for having a hobby,” I groused. “And be careful with those, I don’t want any broken.”

True North pulled my shotguns from the pile. “Why are you so heavily armed?”

“Heavily armed? You should have seen the pony we came in with. Had a gun that could put a hole the size o’ yer head through a goddesses-damned metal door.” I laughed at the suggestion. “Look, I’m just a wandering trader and she’s a medic.”

“Fair enough, last question before we decide what to do.” The guards returned all of our belongings to their pouches. “What is it you plan on selling?”

“As you can see, we travel light so not a whole lot.” I could almost see the gears in his head spinning and smiled wide. “Buyin’ things for a cap, sellin’ ’em for two mostly, or offering what medical aid we can.”

“Every fiber of my being tells me to not trust that, but the horn says you aren’t lying so I’m going to let it slide.” He squinted at me before making a dismissive snort. “For now, we would have you wait here while we consult with Buffalo.”

Vitia inched up beside me as the three ponies left and whispered, “What the hell was that load of brahmin-shit back there?”

“I don’t get what you unicorns do with that horn o’ yers, but lyin’ ain’t so straight forward that it’s black and white.” I shrugged. “I doubt he trusts us but at least we pass the sniff test. ’Sides, they didn’t strike me as the type to just let two outsiders roam about.”

With most of our gear returned we were lead off to the buffalo’s chamber for an assessment while True North briefly explained the ground rules for the duration of our stay.

Transients such as ourselves were usually allowed to come and go so long as we adhered to a few rules, but seeing how we broke in we would be counted as new arrivals and be made to work for our keep until the maintenance area was fixed.

“So who is this mysterious community leader anyway?” Vitia inquired from behind.

True North’s demeanor immediately brightened. “Not to sound like some kind of worshiper, but the great Buffalo is largely responsible for setting a good majority of this up. He was around well before the Ridge’s fall and keeps these sewer lines hospitable.”

I couldn’t fathom how a buffalo would ever fit down here. “Must be a real saint, this buffalo. So, does he have a name or do we refer to him as Buffalo all the time?” I said absentmindedly.

The flooring of the sewer lines had transitioned to grated steel catwalks underhoof, and our walking echoed and mingled with the faint sounds down the hallway. I glanced into an archway as we passed by. A few mares and a stallion were tending to foals scribbling along rough stone walls.

“Kind of an odd place to have a nursery,” I noted.

“Yes, well, I’d rather they be kept further down in the residential areas, but Buffalo likes to pop in every once in a while. Says it helps him stay focused.”

True North tapped out a short rhythm on thick pipes as we were shuffled down the corridor. I heard the scraping of steel against steel as we were ushered around the corner and down steps into a large atelier. Pipes of varying size traveled along the walls and ceiling with hoses and nozzles at set intervals pointed into long bins. Three ponies shuffled about between the rows of bins at the direction of a fourth in similar colorful rags.

Both Vitia and I stopped and gaped at the rows of bins. Each contained things you wouldn’t normally find topside in the blistering heat of the desert, nor most settlements unless they were very well connected. Vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants, abundant enough support a small community if they had three or four more rooms like this. Unlike the rest of the tunnels we’d walked through, the room had a clean, almost fresh smell to it, like that of a desert rainstorm.

“Sure is something, isn’t it?” The pony in colorful rags rasped out. “Lily, Lilac, Laelia. If you would leave us for a moment, please.”

They skirted around us on the wide stairs almost as if we would bite them. True North nodded to the pony in rags before following the three assistants.

“So, you must be the stray medic and trader that crashed through one of the sealed entrances.”

Feeling a bit sheepish and more than a little awestruck, I simply nodded to the question.

“Well, that’s okay. Doesn’t take too long to fix those, though as I’m sure North has explained already, you’ll be working it off in the interim.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, we were supposed to be meeting with somepony down here.” Vitia stared at the stallion. “A leader of sorts?”

“Yes, that would be me. Buff Aloe.” He let out a wheezing chuckle. “You wouldn’t believe how many times newcomers think they’re meeting some kind of buffalo down here.”

My cheeks felt as if it would catch fire at any moment. “That’s a very unfortunate name you’ve got there.”

Vitia nudged me in the ribs. “Bit—”

“No, it’s quite alright. My parents, they always did have a strange sense of humor. Well, of what I can remember anyway.” He explained. “It’s always hardest to remember things from before balefire set a good portion of Equestria ablaze.”

“Wait, you mean to tell us you remember how things used to be?” Vitia pulled away from the nearest plant and stared at the earth pony ghoul.

“Like the taste of a fresh apple or the snap of a carrot?” He shook his head. “No, these are pale imitations of vague memories at best. Mostly, I remember my engineering skills from a rebellious youth and a knowledge of plants.”

The three of us spoke at length about their community, general news from topside, and ourselves as well. Short of the accidental visitor or two the settlement of Buff Aloe’s Ridge kept to themselves, rarely venturing out and only dealing with the few traders they trusted. Long before the chemists had moved into Buffalo Ridge, when it was still a thriving settlement, Buff Aloe had worked to maintain the sewers and help provide for the town. The chemists had moved on, but the town and remaining ponies were in no shape to ever recover so they persisted under it and sealed themselves off as best they could. He explained the long work all these years kept him grounded, gave him a focus, something to keep him from going feral as ghouls are wont to do when they lose their purpose.

Buff Aloe examined a bed of stones. “Have you ever heard of a living stone?”

“Can’t rightly say that I have; rocks aren’t exactly my thing.” Vitia and I exchanged glances.

“Oh, these aren’t stones at all. They’re plants. Excellent medicinal value, but hard to cultivate.” He sprinkled a bit of water on one causing the stone to unfold.

We looked closer at the stone, and its mottled gray flesh parted to reveal a budding white flower inside.

“It disguises itself as a stone in the hopes of tricking predators.” Buff Aloe turned to look at me. “You know, one thing I can’t figure out is how you pulled a fast one on True North.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” I tensed up, and my wings itched something fierce.

“You see, Vitia here, she’s of the medical profession through and through. Or at least has a thorough understanding of it.” He nodded. “However, in all the time we’ve gotten to know each other not a single peep about profits, trade, or the like from you. So which is it, are you a stone or a plant?”

“I lived with a caravan for some time. Learned to trade with them and worked their courier line.” I sighed and answered plainly. “Was only really ever good at delivering packages.”

“Ah, so a half-truth then. I always tell him to trust his instincts more than that horn.” He rasped out another wheezing chuckle. “Nevertheless, we all earn our keep down here and unfortunately there’s just no need for a mailmare. Though, by the looks of that harness, can you do a fair bit of repair?”

“I can learn,” I nodded.

“That settles it then. Bit Flip, you’ll be working the maintenance shift and Vitia will be assisting the good doctor down in medical.” He said through a toothy grin before turning to Vitia. “Ah, but where have my manners gone. I’ll need to make sure the good doctor is informed of your horn suppressor. I’m sure he’ll enjoy getting that troublesome ring off. ”

Vitia and I were shown to our quarters down in the transients’ hall for the night, a sparse but not uncomfortable two cot living area with running water and plumbing that would make even the engineer’s guild in the Crags jealous. Vitia was ecstatic, buzzing with an energy that would make even the most hyperactive foal seem lethargic. Losing a part of yourself like that, something integral to what makes up who you are, I could only imagine how much it must have hurt. A knock sounded from the hallway as we settled into the room.

“You two must be famished.” The pale violet mare poked her head through the archway. “Buff asked me to look after you tonight, so I brought along some food from the garden.”

I looked at the basket she was carrying, lush green leafy vegetables folded over the edge with a few apples off to the side. Mostly I used it as an excuse to stare at her. She was cute with her silver mane tied back in a braid like that, but what stood out most is she looked healthy and unscarred by the Wasteland as if she had never stepped a hoof out of here in her life.

“We couldn’t possibly accept this, not after all you’ve already done for us…” Vitia paused for a beat and tilted her head.

“Lilac. Lily and Laelia are still in the hydroculture centers working. Besides, it’s fine. One or two more mouths to feed isn’t such a strain that it will break us.” She smiled at us and began laying out the basket on the counter. “I hope a quick salad with apples and peppers will be fine.”

The three of us shared a spirited meal together. Lilac was eager to hear about the happenings up top while the two of us asked about where we’d be working for the duration of our stay. Vitia would be down in the residential areas making house calls and working in the lab with Doc Scope while I’d be placed down near the hydroculture centers working with Bolts to shore up some of the piping they use to pull in and purify ground water for the gardens.

Despite the overly hospitable nature of our hosts and the comfortable surroundings, I did not sleep well. Luminous still weighed heavily on my mind and I could only hope he made it out alright.

A loud thunk sounded and startled me from the light sleep. I opened my eyes to near blindness as bright fluorescent lighting flooded my view. The light murmur rose to a raucous chatter from outside the hallway door. I glanced at the empty cot across the room, the spread neatly folded off to the side. Vitia must have left early.

I pulled on the straps of my barding and snugged it tightly into place while repeating Lilac’s directions on how to get to the pump house where I’d be meeting Bolts. I fished around my pouch for some leftover bit of rations and opened the front door. A veritable stream of ponies coursed by in front of me, they all had the look of workers wearing thick canvas overalls and tool bags. I barely had time to close the door to our accommodations before the stream swept me down the hall.

I stepped out of the crowed and cantered my way down the marked maintenance tunnel, largely unsure if I had followed Lilac’s directions correctly. The rough stone flooring had once more given way to grated steel catwalks. The low rumble of rushing water carried up on the mists and mingled with creaking steel. I glanced down at the myriad pipes crossing along the abyss.

“Best not to look down if yer uncomfortable with heights, lad.” The voice sounded from above. “Ye must be one o’ th’ new colts everypony’s been fussin’ about. Go on down the hall there, first door on th’ left. Meet ye in my office.”

I glanced up at the earth pony in the hoist. Flecks of something flew off him as I passed by and he looked covered head to haunch in slime.

“Yep, be there—” He grunted and pulled on a slick looking strap with his teeth, causing the steel cable hoist to creak as he was slowly lowered. “In a moment.”

I stepped into Bolts’ office and sat down on the nearest bench. Wrenches lined the walls along with nuts and lugs of every size in clear labeled chests. A small recessed basin and overhead shower sat unoccupied in the furthest corner of the workshop.

Bolts pushed opened the door and tromped into the room slinging muck about as he marched towards the basin, stripping off his clothing as he went. Water gushed from the head above as he stepped into it.

“Well, least ye ain’t a prude. We’re both stallions ’ere, I reckon,” he yelled back at me. “An’ sorry t’ say, lad, but I got me somepony already.”

I shook my head at the sheer audacity of the stallion and waited impatiently for him to finish, tapping a hoof lightly on the bench. This old coot blind? I might not be Willow or Errant, or any of the Daughters, but damn it, I do not look like a stallion.

A steel colored pony stepped out from the shower and shook out his short cropped blonde mane. “Right, introductions. I’m Bolts, chief engineer ’round these parts. Second only to ol’ Buff himself.”

“Bit Flip. What is it we’ll—”

“Yer gonna want t’ toss that slipshod harness y’got on into one o’ those lockers and grab a pair of coveralls ’fore we set out for the rounds today.” He pointed near the basin to a row of low set storage lockers. “Hope yer as useful as Buff says ’cause the last pony that got sent down here was none too careful and fell into that drain y’were starin’ into back there.”

“You work this shift by yerself—”

“Wasn’t pretty, that. Fell out of the harness. Broke them hindlegs in a few places, Scope says he may never walk again.” He glanced back at me. “What’re you waitin’ for? Go on now, get yer work clothes on.”

I half-stumbled over myself to the lockers and stripped out of my harness before pulling out the closest fitting uniform I could find. “Great, no room for wings,” I groused.

“What is that yer grumblin’ about over there? No matter, c’mon, we’re behind schedule.”

I followed Bolts out of his office and down a twist of corridors. “So you’d probably know, ’bout how long is it gonna take to fix that sealed entrance?”

“What, ye mean the one you and yer friend broke into? Eh, shouldn’t take more ’an a day or so barring any weirdness.” He stopped and looked at the ceiling for a moment before continuing across the catwalk. “Careful, now, this one’s a touch rickety. Haven’t gotten to fixin’ it jus’ yet.”

The suspended bridge swayed and creaked loudly with each step he took. I tested the bridge with a hoof after he got off. It seemed solid enough if it could support his weight and I was glad pegasi were the lightest of the three races.

“Hmph, lighter ’an y’look.” He eyed me before walking off.

Moisture levels had risen significantly, something I was largely unaccustomed to out in the desert. Despite the generally cool air down here, the lack of airflow made for an uncomfortably stagnant experience. The further down in the tunnels we traveled the more algae took to growing on the walls. Every few hundred yards Bolts would have me scrape a fungus or two into sample bags to tie up and be sent off to the labs. Pipes lined the walls of the tunnel we walked, most of which leaked slightly around the seams furthering the moisture in the air. I peeked into an archway as we passed by. Pipes lined the walls and ceiling, ponies in coats flitted back and forth between familiar bins.

A fair share of my first day was spent following Bolts around and hefting spare pipe for him to wrench into place or doing other menial labor. One of the waste water return vats in the gardens below residential had been stopped up with algae. I don’t think I’ve ever gained a finer appreciation for the desert in my life. I could only hope Vitia was having a better time in medical than I was in engineering.

“C’mon, lad, y’done fine for yer first day. Made a right mess o’ yerself in that algae tank, but otherwise fine.” Bolts called out from behind. “Finish wrenchin’ that pipe up, ye don’t want to be down in these halls when the night lights come on.”

He was right. Bolts had kept me so busy that I had little time for anything else and didn’t notice the rapidly thinning crowds. I stopped for the first time all day to look myself over. Stringy bits of congealed matter were tangled in my mane and tail leaving them more green than blue. Bolts’ engineering coveralls may have been treated with water sealant but that didn’t mean they were water tight, and I could feel bits of muck and damp squishing around my hooves. The stench of rotting algae and sewage rolled over me, and I fought to keep from emptying what little I had put into my stomach.

“A right mess, indeed. Can always tell how good a worker y’got by how much a mess they are.” Bolts cackled as he walked by. “Let’s get you cleaned up ’fore we turn in.”

We returned to the workshop after a few short stops into gardens on the way. Bolts explained that unlike most of the departments and the general workforce of Buff Aloe’s Ridge, engineering played by a bit of a different rule set. Largely on account of it being Bolts and a small hoofful of other ponies working around the clock with minimal breaks to keep things running down here, most ponies tended to look the other way when they would occasionally pull a meal directly from one.

Back in the locker room, I carefully peeled the muck covered outfit away from my slicked coat and dumped it into a nearby container, trying not to further spread the filth that had seeped through. My harness still sat in the same locker I left it. It looked so much smaller without my shotguns. I made a mental note to ask Buff Aloe or True North about their return.

Bolts pointed out the nearest set of rinsing basins just outside of his workshop. Before I could ask any further questions he nudged me out of the room and locked the door. A few ponies milled about the area and unwilling to shed my under cloth for the sake of privacy, I sighed and rinsed off as best I could before walking through the corridors back to our room.

Crowds of equally weary ponies trudged back to their rooms in much a similar fashion to me. I didn’t even think my day was all that bad, just long and kind of gross. I could only imagine what would cause them such fatigue. The fluorescents still flickered brightly overhead, their deep thrum a constant background noise amidst the low chatter of workers.

The door to our room was left slightly ajar and I nudged it open. Vitia was standing in the corner of the room with a distant look as she stared into the room’s single polished steel plate on the wall. It wasn’t the best of jobs and the reflection was marred and blurry, but it would suffice in a pinch. She was wearing an unfamiliar frilly white and pink outfit; I could only assume Willow had picked it up for her back in the Crags, it certainly fit her choice in clothing.

“Well, at least she found someone who can appreciate her taste in clothing,” I smiled. “She tried that whole thing with me, and, well, don’t gotta look pretty to deliver a package.”

"Oh Bit, you're back. Great, come on,” Vitia turned to look at me. “Let's go—oh, oh my. Let's, get you into the shower, yeah."

Vitia took my harness and placed it on a chair before nudging me into the adjoined washing basin. It was a wide rectangular room with a similar door opposite ours. Likely the tenants next door, if there were any, shared this area as well. Several shower heads affixed to long rubber hoses dangled loosely from the ceiling.

Vitia appeared after a short moment without her lace outfit. “Let’s get that off you, Bit. We’ll wash it later, but first we need to get this junk untangled from your mane and tail.”

Vitia helped me pull the damp cloth barding over my head, and it hit the ground with a wet slap as I stepped under one of the shower heads. The water wasn’t hot—it wasn’t even very warm—but I welcomed it all the same, and relaxed my wings beneath it. I held my tail as the water fell across my back and ran my hoof through it. Bits of congealed algae fell from it and rolled into a nearby drain, long streaks of light green dyed through the hair.

“Guess that’s why Bolts has a short mane. Well, at least this color change isn’t permanent.” I frowned at my tail. “Mane’s probably gonna to do the same.” I ran my hooves roughly through it and watched more bits of muck drain away.

Vitia procured a couple bits of soap from a nearby box and gave me one. It didn’t lather well, but it would have to do. I stuck my head under the stream and ran it through my mane while Vitia worked on my tail. My thoughts drifted to yesterday’s events and hoped once more that Luminous was okay. I needed to find a way to get close enough to the surface to get a signal out to Errant.

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander with my wings spread under the water, letting it run down and rinse the day from me. An almost ticklish sensation ran along the inside of my wing and I leaned into it slightly with a light whimper when a jolt of pleasure raced through my body and shocked me back to reality. I yelped at the surprise and jumped into the air, grasping at the showerhead.

For the second time that day I was glad pegasi were the lightest of the three races.

Vitia apologized profusely between fits of laughter, and continued to as we went back to our room.

With the same thunk from before, the overheads cut taking with them the constant thrum of electricity leaving only the night lights in their stead. Vitia had packed her outfit back up and was rummaging around her bag in the dim light searching for something, then turned, having found a brush.

I ran a hoof through my mane and tail once more. “It’ll fix itself eventually. No need to bother, Vitia.”

“Oh, Bit.” She cantered back carrying a comb.

“Don’t you ’Oh, Bit,’ me.” I eyed her suspiciously. “Ain’t gotta pretty myself up to go gallivantin’ ’round the Marejave now.”

“Don’t give me that. Go on now, sit. Your tail and mane aren’t going to untangle themselves.” Vitia put the comb in place at the base of my tail and tugged.

“Yer startin’ to sound like Willow.” I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “Takes me back, though. Willow and I used to fuss an’ tumble about it back then. She’d always want to comb out my mane before the caravan left.”

“Don’t you miss it? I mean, not just Willow, but comfort like that?” Vitia tugged at the comb once more. “I don’t know you Bit, not very well at least, but I’ve never seen you take to anypony else. You’ve always been business first.”

“Ain’t no lover like a fat sack of caps, or at least that’s what the caravan would teach us.” I laughed. “Truthfully though, I wouldn’t even begin to know how. After Willow and I fell out, it’s just…I don’t know.”

Vitia stopped combing and sat there silently for a moment before wrapping her arms around my neck.

I shrugged and tried to break the tension by changing the subject. “So I see you got yer horn all fixed up. Bet that’ll make it easier on Willow when she does that horn thing.”

Vitia sputtered loudly at my teasing and stammered a few unintelligible words.

“Good. Payback for earlier.” I curled my tail under me before she could reach for it again. “So how’d you end up in Wing Haven back then, Vitia?”

Vitia sat up and tried to pull at the base of my tail. “Ah, well, much like now, I was searching for Silver Sheen. Had a pretty rough time of it all, honestly.”

“Y’don’t have to talk about it if yer not wantin’ to.” I squirmed away from Vitia’s pawing hooves. “I never thought to ask about it, even though we keep bumpin’ into each other. I was just curious is all.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just a bit unpleasant is all, but it’s okay.”

Vitia explained what she did in Desert’s Edge before she left, going into detail about the people she left behind. She briefly recounted the month leading up to her first near disastrous steps out into the Wasteland proper and her encounter with a traveling caravan that sold her off to a brothel in Fleshgrove.

She looked up at the ceiling and frowned. “The short of it is that I got caught in a restricted area looking for information on Buffalo Ridge.”

“All of this for a mare, huh? She must be mighty important to you.”

Vitia was silent for a moment before mumbling something.

“Hm?”

Vitia shook her head. “Nothing. Enough about my past, though. There’s something I want to know about you, Bit.”

“What is it?”

“How did you and Willow get together?”

“It’s not really—” I paused and stared at the mare for a moment before shaking my head. “No, it’s not really something I’m fond of talking about.”

Vitia scooted closer and made another pass for my tail. “I tried to ask her, but she wouldn’t say a whole lot on the matter just that it was something like young love.”

I stared at her. “You’re not going to let it drop are you?”

“If it bothers you that much, I won’t push you.”

I exhaled sharply and stared at my hooves. It’s…fine, Bit. She’s just curious and she seems to care and Willow trusts her. I swished my tail out from under me hoping to get her to on combing it instead.

“Young love, that’s not really accurate.” I felt my ears flush with heat. “It wasn’t very long after Hazy, ah, my mother—” I choked on the words and pushed away the memories again after some pauses. “Copper, he was always hooves-off after that. Hell, prickly ol’ Doc was more of a father than he was.”

Vitia continued to silently stroke my tail with the brush. Despite my reluctance, I had missed these sorts of things. I had forgotten how comforting they could be, it reminded me of how Willow and I would talk back then.

“I figured that maybe Copper thought me useless or baggage, so I aimed at getting’ my own seat proper. No handouts, no easy rides. Deliverin’, gamblin’, or tradin’ junk—I let business take me from everything.” I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts. I felt Vitia scoot up and take the brush to my mane. “Drunken tells are the easiest to read, and I started to amass a small fortune at the Church.”

I smiled briefly at the memory. “Anyway, met Willow soon after. Wasn’t more than a little filly then, and she was about my age now. We hit it off, but, largely for the wrong reasons.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“She and I didn’t meet by chance, I know that now. And maybe even part of me knew did back then too. Her duty has always been to the Church as long as I’ve known her, but,” I fidgeted uncomfortably. “It didn’t matter at the time.

“It was an affection thing. Hers was the first real kind of affection I had ever gotten besides Hazy and I mistook that.” I sighed and felt a sense of shame well up inside. “Eventually things turned romantic. A friend—”

“A companion—” Vitia added. I could see her trying to piece things together.

I shook my head and stared at the floor, my ears drooped slightly. “A mother.”

Vitia pulled the brush carefully along my mane but remained quiet.

“She was caring and affectionate and loving and everything in the caravan that went missing after Hazy died,” I didn’t want to poorly color her perception of Willow and paused for a moment, unsure of how to phrase the next part. “I didn’t understand what it meant for her to be a Daughter at the time and felt betrayed when I saw it. Saw her.”

Vitia quietly leaned against me. Her head rested on my shoulder and neither of us said anything for a short while, the quiet buzz of the night lights the only sound in the room.

“I avoided her for a very long time after that. I was just too young to realize why.” I leaned forward on my hooves and shook my head. “It’s something I came to terms with a long time ago but still deeply regret just as much as if it were yesterday.”

“But,” I said with a smile as I stood and walked to the steel plate. “We’ve made up and she’s probably one of the very few ponies in the Wasteland I trust.”

Vitia walked up beside me as I stared into the blurry mirror. “Yep, a different mare entirely. All brushed out and the colors are even right again.” She giggled. “Even straightened out most of the curls.”

I looked at her and frowned despite being pleased with it. “They’re just going to go back to being messy tomorrow.”

“I’ve got a fix for that.” Vitia sauntered off towards my barding and dug through the pockets a moment before producing my pouch of pins. “Not like you use these anyway, right?”

I fussed and grumped at her about personal property and privacy as she affixed bobby pins to my now straightened mane.

“There. That should hold for a while.”

Despite my objections I reluctantly welcomed the activity. Anything to get my mind off of the worries floating about unvoiced in the back of my mind.

The heavy thrumming of the overheads and the noise of the crowds woke me once more and again Vitia was nowhere to be seen, her blankets folded neatly off to the side of her cot.

Either I sleep too much or she sleeps too little.

Despite my worries, I couldn’t recall last when I slept so soundly. I gave one last look at my straightened mane and tail in the fuzzy reflection and sighed before making the twisting journey down into the bowels of the Ridge to meet with Bolts again.

“Oi! Who’s this gussied up filly they sendin’ me now?” The workshop shook with laughter as I closed the door. “Where’d that last colt they sent me go? Looked like he ain’t cut ’is mane in months, but he worked ’ard.”

I felt the slow creep of embarrassment slide its way up my backside and to my face as muscles tensed. I broke out in a cold sweat. I wanted to die. Or find the nearest pile of muck to go dive into and hide. He caught me completely off guard and I could only sputter a half-reply.

“S’alrigh’, lad. Everypony likes to feel pretty now an’ then. ’Specially after yesterday.” He led me to the back of the workshop. “I got things t’do so yer gonna be paired up with one o’ them shit scrubbers still laughin’ out front today. Sendin’ you out to wrench on a pipe that idiot you replaced never finished.”

“Yer gon’ want t’ watch yer dangly bits when ye strap into the harness, lad.” Bolts offered as he gave me a quick rundown on how the harness operated. “Sometimes it catches an’ when y’strap up, well, it ain’t pretty.”

He paired me up with an earth pony in charge of the south section of the Ridge. Daisy they said his name was. I didn’t know if they were serious or if the poor stallion had been strapped with an unfortunate nickname on account of his coat and mane color. Whatever the case, he didn’t bother to correct them.

Daisy led me through a series of turns until we reach yet another similar catwalk. I had no idea how these ponies got around down here without landmarks of some kind. Without a word he pulled a long braided steel cable from his saddlebag. One end was hooked and a pulley with a loop through it ran along the length of the cable. He slid the pulley to the hooked end and threw it up past a pipe.

With a loud click from somewhere above, the hooked end of the cable slowly returned without the pulley. A few deft movements later that would make any unicorn jealous he lashed together harness and cable then motioned for me to come closer.

I gave a little squeak as he cinched the harness tight and pulled on one end. My wings ached as the straps bit into them through the undercloth and work uniform. He yanked hard on his end once more and I felt myself lift into the air. My wings pressed against my body and struggled to open while my legs flailed about. A leg clipped against the railing and sent me into a spin.

“No, no-no-no-no.” This felt seven shades of wrong and my body knew it. I squeezed my eyes tight and tried to push away the memory of the mare hanging from chains.

Before I knew it I was sprawled out on the grated catwalk, legs splayed in every direction. My chest heaved and I had broken out into a cold sweat. I struggled against the harness and bit at the strap ends succeeding only in tightening them.

“Hey. Hey, now.” I heard a voice rumble above me. “Y’alright. Jus’ take ’er easy, let me get that strap undone, yer pullin’ th’ wrong way.”

Daisy planted a hoof on my back and yanked on the quick-release strap. The entire harness slackened and fell to my hooves as I stood up.

I nearly tripped stepping out of the harness in such a hurry. My face contorted as I kicked at it with a heavy grunt.

“Now how we gon’ fix that pipe?” Daisy drawled as the harness pinged off pipes below us.

A further sense of dread intensified with each pinging sound below. “Aw, ponyfeathers.”

I didn’t want to travel back to the workshop to get another harness. I didn’t care if Daisy had another harness on him. If the alternative meant showing my wings, so be it. I wasn’t putting it on again, not after that.

“It’s fine. Just give me the damn wrench.” I said while stripping out of the work uniform. “I got this.”

Daisy hefted the wrench from his pack and leaned it up against the railing as I kicked away the coveralls and stood there in my undercloth with my wings outstretched.

“Ah, hell, yer like Scope. Why’d y’let me put that harness on you anyway?”

“Long story, and not one I’m inclined t’ share.” I wrapped the wrench strap around a hoof and kicked off, beating my wings and taking to the air.

The cool, moist underground air soon gave way to dry, warmer air as I reached the tall ceiling, I could barely see the catwalk in the murky darkness below. The pipe Bolts was talking about sat off to the side with the cover hanging loosely off a lug. A short blast of desert air hit me as I neared the opening.

“Told you it would just get messy again.” I pawed at my mane lightly before touching down inside the grungy pipe.

I heard the distant skitter of something down the pipe and EFS only showed a couple markers ahead of me. Desert air regularly blasted at me as I traveled through the dark expanse. I tapped a button on the Pipbuck in the hopes of finding myself within broadcast range but I was rewarded with static.

I continued down the pipe until I could travel no further. The opening was only a few hundred yards out but a thick welded grate blocked my path. I stuck the Pipbuck through a hole in the grate and tried repeatedly but it seemed the device was still too weak down here to pick anything up.

Daisy called up to me as I floated down and asked if I had buttoned up the pipe when I finally touched down. I mumbled a reply about missing nuts for a lug and shoved the wrench at him before heading back down the way we came. I wasn’t fully listening and didn’t much care, I had more important things to worry about.

“Hey! If it isn’t Daisy and th’ new colt.” Bolts greeted as we walked into his workshop. “Take it that pipe’s all fixed ’en?”

Daisy nodded silently and stalked off towards the back room.

“Bolt,” I began. “Know I asked you yesterday, but has there been any progress on that tunnel? I’d like to be gettin’ on my way here soon.”

“Ah, ’bout that. Ol’ Buff wanted me to tell ye there’s been some trouble top side. Buncha raiders and the folk up there been goin’ at it.” He coughed and covered his mouth as he looked away. “Work’s been done but we might not be able to get to it for a while yet.”

I wondered if knew he covered his mouth like that when he was nervous. “I see. Well, keep me updated if y’will.”

I was busy repacking my harness with supplies I nicked from the gardens on the way back to our room. We’d have to eat these soon enough—fresh doesn’t last long out in the desert.

Vitia returned shortly after the overheads switched to night mode.

“Hey, Vitia.” I turned to her. “Change of plans.”

“I think we need to pay Buff Aloe a visit in the morning.”

“Oh. Yeah, that.” I tried not to sound disappointed at having my thunder stolen. “Bolts fed me a line this afternoon about something topside and not being able to work on the tunnel, that we’d be here a while yet.”

“You don’t believe it?”

“Doesn’t take a whole lot to see when you’re gettin’ dredged through brahmin-shit.” I shook my head. “Anyway, what do you need to see Buff Aloe for?

“I spoke with Silver again today.” Vitia said wearily. “She’s in a bad way and I want to offer her a way out. To come with us.”

“I’m not sure if that’s such—” I stopped myself. “I’ll think about it, Vitia.”

Rest came and went, and felt entirely too short down here without an accurate gauge of time. I blinked away the sleep from my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. The chilly touch of stone crept along my body as I lay there sprawled out on the floor. Vitia looked down at me and shook her head.

I guess I sleep too much, but did you really have to roll me out of bed?

First Light had yet to come but neither of us knew exactly how much time we had and departed towards Buff Aloe’s atelier.

The flower sisters milled about the entrance to his workshop as we crested the stairs to the catwalk. Lilac and Lily called out to us. We explained to them that we had some questions about the Ridge we’d like to talk to Buff about. Vitia mentioned she was interested in studying the plants more from a medicinal point of view as well. Laelia looked between her two sisters in conversation and shrugged before leading us through the door.

“Ah. Laelia, Lily, Lilac. Good morning.” Buff Aloe called out. “Oh, and I see Bit Flip and Vitia have come as well. Good, good, I had wanted to talk to them anyway.”

I glanced at Vitia, but she didn’t seem put off in the slightest by Buff Aloe’s demeanor. “Gonna cut to the chase here, Buff.” I stared at the ghoul for a moment, hoping to glean any sort of change. “When can we leave?”

“I’m afraid that’s just not possible at the moment. There’s a whole town of squatters up top that are fighting amongst themselves.” He shook his head. “It was in the community’s best interest that I had them put off repairs for the time being. We get to survive by following these rules and staying off the map.”

I could certainly empathize with that sentiment having lived under the Caravan rules all my life, but things change and my worries were a far more pressing issue than not causing waves.

“Best time frame then?” I tried to bait him into changing his position, even a little. “We’ve done a fair share of work, and I’d even be willing to throw caps in to cover what we haven’t.”

“No, no, we don’t need your money, and you two have been doing excellent work. Bolts and Scope have said nothing but good things.” He looked up at the high ceilings for a moment. “We can probably restart construction on the tunnel in a few days at earliest. Sometimes these little territory fights they have just drag on. We’ll send someone to let you know when it’s safe.”

I frowned at his answer and Vitia stepped in. “There’s another matter I’d like to discuss, actually.”

“Yes?” His reply sounded short, as if we’d overstayed out welcome. “What is it?”

“There’s a resident here, Silver Sheen, and I’d like to see that she be released into our care instead of being sent to your detainment area for simply not fitting in.”

Silence.

“Surely it can’t be that much of a request, we’ll simply take her with us when we’re able to leave,” Vitia pushed.

“Oh, now I remember,” Buff Aloe began. “That upstart. We shuffled her around to so many different places and all she did was bicker, argue, and cause unrest within the harmony of our community.”

“Yes, I am painfully aware. This is why I—”

“We’ve already sent her away from us before she could cause any more harm.” He looked back at his plants, clearly disinterested in our plight. “She’s been topside for some time now, sent with food and water to last her to a good while.”

I nudged Vitia as she opened her mouth to protest and shook my head slightly before whispering. “We should go.”

Vitia followed me closely out of the atelier and back to into the main tunnels. We struggled to reach our room as we moved against the crowd of workers heading out at First Light. A few of the ponies in the crowd gave us a strange look as we ducked inside.

“Wasn’t a damn bit a truth comin’ off that jerkied tongue of his except that he did send your friend away. This whole thing smelled rotten from the start.” I kicked at a nearby chair. “He probably sent her off without supplies, too.”

Vitia paced the room, visibly worried. We kicked ideas back and forth, but with no weapons, no contacts, and outside help barred, each seemed destined to fail. Silence lingered while we scraped for a solution.

“Need to get out. Shouldn’t be too hard to walk out the front door, I’d imagine, but they won’t just let us leave.” I thought out loud. “We need a face, someone local to open that door for us.”

Vitia stopped to look at me. “I—” She caught herself and took a breath. “There is one that might work. There’s this crude colt that showed me around before.”

“Honestly, Vitia, that doesn’t sound very workable.”

“He said he goes up on scavenging runs every so often. And, well, I think I can entice him into helping us. We just need a face, right?”

I cocked my head to the side. “Entice?”

Vitia fidgeted uncomfortably and played with her hooves. “Yeah, caught him staring at my backside a few times. Should be easy, right?”

“Vitia, don’t be offended, but yer ’bout as smooth as a Hell Hound’s ass. You sure about this?”

“No, I’m not sure. I don’t know if I could do it, if I could even go through with it.” She sighed. “I’m not Willow or one of her Daughters. I only know what Spice showed me, and even then…But we don’t have time. What other choice do you see?”

“None,” I shook my head at the mare. “Spice really knows her stuff, so at least you had a good instructor.”

Vitia carefully pulled on her white and pink frilly lace outfit. I wish I had a better solution for her. It was clear that dress meant a lot to her just on how carefully she treated it.

Time rolled by. The seconds turned to minutes, and each moment felt like it dragged on longer than the last.

Eventually, Vitia wobbled through the doorway. Tear streaks stained her face and she hiccupped lightly with each breath.

“Oh, Vitia.” I rushed to her side and leaned her against me. “I’m sorry. I’m—”

“Garden two. Quarter hour.” She pushed off me and continued wobbling into the showers.

——