"Running away will never make you free."

"Breakfast Sweetie, time to get up."

A raspy but gentle voice roused me from the slightly disturbing dreams I had been having about exploding ponies. I opened my eyes to find something just as horrible hovering over me.

"YEAAGH!"

I recoiled from the corpse that somepony had propped up next to my bed as some sort of sick joke. In my sudden terror, I jumped up on the end of the bed, sending it vertical and catapulting me to the floor in a tangle of sheets and mattress.

"Oh dear, let me help you."

I looked up in horror as the corpse spoke and moved. As it bit down on the sheets, I squeaked, and promptly passed out in terror.

A terrible smell awoke me from my stupor. I opened my eyes as they tried to uncross themselves. I found myself staring into the faces of the guard from the previous night and the zombie pony. I'd like to say that I bravely fought off the zompony and singlehoofedly saved the town of Driftwood from a zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, I cannot. Instead, I did something really, really stupid.

"Pleasedon'teatme. I taste terrible."

The walking corpse giggled. Giggled, shaking its head before smiling kindly at me.

"Oh, doncha worry none 'bout that, I'm not that far gone yet." Wait, yet? Somehow that didn't do much to reassure me. The guardpony poked the zompony in the side.

"Uh, Granny, I don't think you're helping."

"I can see that. I'm not blind, doncha know?"

"Look, just get breakfast ready, I'll explain things to him."

"Now doncha go wanderin' off now." The corpse that had been named Granny waved what used to be a hoof at me before traipsing through the bedroom door. The guard, a mottled green and grey unicorn with a dark green mane shook her head. She ran a hoof through her mane. "Yeah, sorry about that. Yer from a Stable, aren'tcha?"

I nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?"

The mare giggled. "I kinda figured from the way you'd never seen a ghoul pony before. That, and your armor is practically brand new."

I frowned at the mare. "Ghoul pony?"

"Uh huh. Yeah, back when the bombs fell, it left a lot of magical radiation in the air and in all sortsa shit. And a lot of ponies were caught out in it. For some reason, the radiation didn't kill some of the ponies, and it just turned 'em inta walkin' corpses. A lot of 'em went crazy, they're the ones you gotsta look out for. But some have been around since the end of the war, and haven't lost it yet."

I motioned to the door the ghoul had left through. "She was alive during the war?" I could hardly believe that anypony could have survived the hell that was brought down by the megaspells and balefire. The mare shook her head no though.

"Naw, Granny Goody's been around for only about a hundred years now. Became a ghoul when she hid from a pack of bloodwings in a radiation soaked crater. Well, so she says. She's really quite nice."

"I see." Oh great, now I felt like an ass for freaking out before. I suddenly realized that I didn't know the name of the mare standing in front of me. "I'm Spark Chaser, by the way. But everyone I know just calls me Sparky."

"Oh, sorry, I'm Mountain Dew. Can you believe my parents named me after their favorite moonshine?"

"Really? Why'd they do that?"

"Dunno. Never got to ask."

"Why not?"

"They got cornered by hellhounds about a year after I was born."

"Oh." Shit. "I'm sorry."

Dew waved a hoof. "Nah, it's okay. They went out with a bang. Heard they took out quite a few while they were at it. Still, you have no idea how happy I was when I got my cutie-mark and it wasn't alcohol related."

I looked at her cutie-mark, a red cross that was broken in half by a speeding bullet. "What's it mean?"

She grinned at me, a wide, toothy thing. "It means I'm just as good at taking 'em apart as I am putting them back together." She nudged my flank. "How 'bout yours?"

"I am very spontaneous. I just get ideas from nowhere."

"I see. Well comeon, let's get you properly introduced to Granny."

"Yeah, alright. Ooh." I groaned in discomfort as I realized how stiff and sore I was. Dew tilted her head as I tried to stretch. "Sore?" I nodded. At least that didn't hurt. "I'm not surprised. Take a look at your armor." She floated over a portion of my armor that lay in a heap in the corner. My eyes widened as I saw the extensive gunfire damage the ballistic plates had sustained. I hadn't felt any of those hitting me during the fight at the school. But boy was I feeling it now. I quickly gave myself a once over to look for bullet wounds, but thankfully I came up negative. I mentally thanked Blitz for the armor. Strangely though, while the rest of the armor was torn up and battered, the helmet was unscathed, not even a scratch marring the matte-black finish. I shuffled that tidbit away to think about later as I gave up trying to work out the kinks in my joints and hobbled for the door. "Well, guess it's time to meet Granny, huh?"

Granny Goody was quite kind, and told me to not to worry about it when I apologized for my reaction to seeing her earlier. "Oh, doncha get yer tail in a bunch now. I've had much worse reactions from ponies, doncha know? Least-wise you didn't try to shoot me, eh?" I soon found myself sipping from a steaming mug of tea. "This should get rid of those pesky kinks in your joints, doncha know?" To my pleasant surprise, I could indeed feel the tension in my body melting away. I sighed in contentment as Dew turned on a radio. The radio played the tail end of an unfamiliar song. A bombastic voice replaced the music.

"Yo yo yo, DJ Nite here, how's it going Baltimare? News out of New Apploosa. That Stable Dweller my colleague DJ Pon-3's always going on about has done it again! This time, the little mare raided the slaver town of old Apploosa, taking on the entire town of slavers to save every last slave there. Reports say she took out not just one of the so-called 'goddesses,' but two! That little unicorn took out the first one by dropping a freight car on it. But that isn't the end of this story, oh no. The Stable Dweller then flew the train off a cliff, and lived. Damn. I don't think anything can slow that mare down." There was a small cough and a shuffling of papers. "But that ain't the news of the day, folks! Baltimare's got her own Guardian Angel now! This guy walks out of nowhere and completely takes out the slaver den at the old Springvale Elementary. The icing on the cake though, comes when this guy frees the foals taken for ransom by the slavers and takes them back home to the little town of Driftwood. Right on guy, right on! Expecting more great things from ya dude! This is DJ Nite, and that's all for the morning news. Oh, before I forget, the weather ponies have called for more rain from the east off the coast, so expect to get wet tonight. DJ Nite, signing off!"

I stared at the radio as a twangy song about happiness and sunshine started playing. I took a sip from my mug, sighing as the tan liquid worked its magics on my aches and pains. I shook out my mane as I thought about the radio broadcast. "Stable Dweller, huh? Good to know Stable Sixteen's not the only one that survived. So, what's a goddess? Sounded like taking even one out's a big deal."

Dew shook her head. "You'll know 'em when you see 'em. Just remember, if you do see one, run. Trying to fight one is a death wish. Nothing short of a hellhound's claws or balefire eggs can get through their shields." Huh. Ominous. I really hoped I wouldn't run into a 'goddess' or one of those hellhounds ponies kept mentioning. I went to take a sip of tea, but stopped just short of my mouth when I saw the looks of incredulity on Dew's and Granny's faces. "What?"

Dew opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "So how 'bout that 'Guardian Angel' the DJ was talking about?"

I shrugged. "Sounds like a decent guy."

Dew gave me a long, measured look before burying her hoof in her face. "He was talking about you."

"He-wha?" I stared at Mountain Dew, but she was dead serious. "Really?"

"Well, yeah, how many other ponies came out of nowhere and rescued a bunch of foals from slavers last night?"

"Oh...right." Well, now I felt really stupid and embarrassed.

"Well, let's go." Dew stood up from the table.

"Um, where?"

"The mayor wants a word with you." She leaned close and whispered into my ear. "By the way, I think your horn is cute. The white really brings out your eyes." Wait, what?

"Okay, just let me, uh, wash my face first." I didn't really need to wash my face, I just needed to see what Mountain was talking about.

I went up to the room that was temporarily mine. I entered the bathroom and looked into the broken mirror hanging above the sink. I looked at my horn, and found that the top inch or so had turned purest white where the lightning had struck it the night before. I gently poked and prodded at my horn, before tentatively trying a spell. My horn lit up, sending a spray of pigments into the sink. Okay, so I could still use the spray-paint spell. Least I wouldn't be getting lost in any mazes anytime soon. I left the bathroom and considered my armor. After some thought, I decided to put it on, because I was in a strange and hostile place, and though the locals seemed friendly, their neighbors may not be so nice. Finishing with the armor, I strapped on Krieger and my new knife. Plopping my helmet onto my head, I made my way back downstairs. Dew whistled. "Lookin' good, handsome."

I blushed behind the visor to my helmet. "Uh, thanks." Was it getting hot in here? "So, let's, uh, let's go meet the mayor shall we?"

I followed MD out the door, Granny Goody's voice following me. "Y'all are welcome to come back anytime, doncha know?"

As I followed Dew down the street of Driftwood, I noted how well preserved the buildings seemed to be. I sniffed the air, noticing a slightly salty quality to the air. However, my inquisitive nature was soon overshadowed as I became aware of all the ponies staring and pointing at me. All the attention made me uncomfortable, I'm not sure why though. After what felt like an eternity of being stared at by everypony and their uncle, Dew came to a stop in front of a rather unassuming two-story structure. She pointed at the front door. "We're here."

"We are? I was expecting something a bit more...mayory."

Dew giggled. "Naw, Mayor Lonestar doesn't go fer that sorta thing. He likes simplicity, really down to earth that guy." Dew knocked and opened the door to the home, leading me inside. Once inside, she led me to a small, cozy study. The walls were covered in bookshelves and cabinets, full of knowledge and records. A massive desk occupied the center of the room, and sitting behind it was the oldest pony I had ever seen. Well, not really old, but he had an air of wisdom around him, one that said he had seen it all. His fur was the color of wet slate, his mane and tail a salt and pepper grey, with bushy eyebrows and mustache to match framing his wrinkled brown eyes. His cutie mark depicted a pair of crossed revolvers, cocked and ready to fire. I could not tell if he was an earth pony or a unicorn, for he wore a light grey stetson that was as old as he was, as was the faded red bandanna around his neck. When he spoke, it was with a slow drawl, as if every word that came from his mouth had great weight. "So, you're the Guardian Angel that brought home our young'uns." He extended a hoof. "My name is Colt Lonestar. I am the mayor and elected sheriff of the town of Driftwood."

I took the hoof in mine and shook it. "My name is Spark Chaser, sir, but please, call me Sparky. It's an honor to meet you."

Lonestar smiled warmly. "Thanks, but I ain't no 'sir.' Just Colt or sheriff will do. I can't thank you enough for rescuing those foals yesterday. I doubt the slavers had any intentions of honoring their promises."

I shook my head. "No, sir-er, Sheriff. I heard a pair of them say they wouldn't."

"Well, then, my thanks are doubled. Feel free to stay in Driftwood as long as you like, son." Colt pulled a bag out of a drawer and laid it on the desk. "This was to be the ransom for the young'uns. But, seeing as it was you that brought 'em home, it seems only right that you receive it instead."

I opened the bag to find that it was full of old bottlecaps. I looked up at Sheriff Lonestar. "Bottlecaps?"

Colt nodded. "It's what's used for currency out here in the wasteland. Don't bother askin' me why, I never got a straight answer out of anypony either. There's one thousand bottlecaps in there. I hope you spend them wisely." Colt stood up. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have business around town to attend to. Miss." He tipped his hat to Dew on the way out. Dew took me back outside and closed the door. "Comeon, let's get you to the market, see about getting that armor of yours fixed."

I nodded. Maybe I could sell some of the stuff I had scavenged from the slavers and maybe get a holster and some ammo for the .38 revolver I'd gotten from them as well. I followed Dew into the heart of the town.

The market was a simple affair, several open tents situated around an open plaza. I found a stall that would fix my armored barding, and I left it there to be picked up that evening. Another stall had a holster for my 'new' .38, and Dew had me pick up a really crappy one for a dirt cheap price, telling me that she'd show me how to strip a weapon for parts that were good and make repairs. We had split up to search for a particular stall, one where I could offload some of the weirder stuff I had taken off the slavers, when a gunshot rang out in the market. I screamed in pain as a bullet sank into my right flank just below the cutie mark. I looked up from where I fell to find myself staring down the smoking business end of a ten-millimeter pistol. My blood ran cold when I saw whose aura was holding it.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Moose's and Iron Discipline's stooges and a disgrace to the security force. Narrow faced and long-jawed, Lock was known by Stable Sixteen's mares as a handsome devil of a unicorn. His red fur and black mane along with his piercing black eyes had many a filly in a swoon. However, his cutie-mark of a locked padlock revealed his true possessive and cruel nature. Shock was a tall and skinny witch of a unicorn, her purple fur and straggly dark purple mane hated by many. Her blue eyes held contempt for anypony she considered less intelligent than her, which was pretty much anypony that wasn't her. Her taser cutie-mark reflected her sadism. Barrel was aptly named, a round, short earth pony with a grin that was too wide to belong to a pony. His pale, bone-white fur contrasted with his sickly green mane. His cutie-mark of a brick showed just how dense he could be, but interestingly, he may have been the smartest of the three. Now, normally, I wouldn't give those three the time of day, but they had shot me, and now held me at gunpoint as I bled on the ground.

Lock spoke in that damnably smooth voice of his. "So, Spark Chaser, thought you could just run away, did you?"

Shock snickered, her high-pitched voice grating on my ears. "Yeah, thought you were so clever, didn't ya?"

Barrel grinned, his perpetual smile somehow getting nauseatingly wider. "But you forgot that we had your PipBuck tag, huh?"

Lock pressed his pistol into my eye, forcing me to shut it tightly as he cocked it. He stood over me, gloating over the power he had in his hooves as he pressed down on my neck with one. "Spark Chaser, for the murder of Moose Puncher, you have been sentenced...to......death." Lock froze as the sounds of dozens of guns being cocked filled the air, the trio finding themselves staring down gun barrels as every citizen of Driftwood in the market plaza drew on them. For the longest time, nopony moved, the cry of a bird overhead the only sound in the market. Finally, the crowd separated, revealing Mountain Dew and Colt Lonestar. The sheriff cooley regarded Lock, Shock and Barrel with a practiced eye. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

Lock spoke up, not moving as he kept the gun poking my closed eye. "This pony is a wanted fugitive from Stable Sixteen on a count of murder in the first degree and escaping justice." He raised his voice, emboldened by the silence coming from the townsfolk. "As such, I demand he be put into our custody."

Colt merely looked at a guard standing nearby. "How did they get in?"

The guard shuffled his hooves uncomfortably. "Said they was lookin' for Sparky. Thought they was friends of his."

"I see." Colt returned his attention to the standoff. "You won't get nothing from us."

"Wha-?"

"You come into my town, and shoot a citizen of my town, and you expect to get what you want."

Shock snorted. "Since when is this loser a citizen of anything."

Dew snarled at the witch. "Since he saved half a dozen of kidnapped foals, bitch."

Lonestar nodded in agreement. "As a citizen of Driftwood, nopony can arrest Spark Chaser while he's in town unless you are me or one of my deputies."

Barrel spoke around the gun held in his mouth. "So, deputize us and we'll be taking Sparky with us."

Colt shook his head. "You don't get it. Three non-citizens just assaulted a citizen of Driftwood. That makes you the criminals here." I watched as Lock, Shock and Barrel's expressions went from ones of confidence to ones that said 'oh, shit.' Lonestar let that sink in. "As such, you are all under arrest. And per Driftwood law, all of your belongings shall be forfeited to your victim. 'Course," he gestured to the armed townsfolk. "You can always take your chances with the town folk." He gave a slow smile as the trio of troublemakers slowly dropped their guns, nodding to the three deputies standing amid the crowd of guns and knives. "Take 'em to the jailhouse." As the deputies moved forward, Lock hissed into my ear. "This isn't over, by far." As the three were led off cussing a blue streak at me, the sheriff moving to disperse the crowd as Dew sat next to me, lighting up her horn as she examined my wound.

"No major tissue damage, no major blood vessels cut, bullet intact..." Dew's horn flashed, and a bloodied bullet was hovering next to her. "Bullet removed. Administering healing potion." She poured a purple liquid into the wound. "YIPE!" Holy shit, it burned! Dew glared at me. "Oh, pipe down, it's not that bad."

"It feels like you're trying to burn my leg off!"

"Oh don't be such a big baby." Dew put the empty potion bottle away and patted my flank where I'd been shot. "There, good as new."

Sheriff Lonestar walked up to me, a stern expression on his face as the crowd dispersed. "We need to talk." I swallowed and followed Sheriff Lonestar to his office, Dew right behind me.

~~~~~

Colt Lonestar sat impassively behind his desk as I finished telling my story. I sat nervously in front of him, unable to read his face. Finally, he sighed and sat back. "Son, I would have done the same in your situation."

"Really?" He nodded. I swallowed and licked my suddenly dry lips. "So what now?"

"Now, we go over to the jailhouse to collect your property."

I blinked. "Pardon?"

Lonestar looked at me over the reading glasses he was wearing. "You are a citizen of Driftwood now, thanks to your rescue of our foals, part of your reward. Was going to tell you later, but those three forced my hoof. And since they attacked you, being non-citizens, the belongings on their persons now belong to you. Do you follow?" I nodded. "Good. Well then, shall we?"

The sheriff lead me outside where Dew was waiting. "Well?"

"He's good. Had a bad hand dealt to him. Trying to make the best of it."

I looked between the two ponies. "I'm right here you know."

Colt and Dew smiled. "We know."

We walked in silence to the jailhouse, where a unicorn deputy stood waiting for us outside floating a bundle. A horrible racket could be heard from inside the jail. The sheriff tilted his head to the side as he regarded the deputy. "Why are you are here, hm?"

The deputy shook his head. "Oh Luna, Sheriff, it's horrible. As soon as we put those three miscreants into cells, they just started bickerin' an' screamin' at each other, blamin' each other, sayin' it wasn't their fault, it was th' others'. It's been so bad, we've been taking shifts ta watch 'em. Ah just finished mine." The poor beige pony shuddered. "Ah really can't wait fer them ta be run outta town in th' mornin'." A particularly loud stream of invective punctuated his statement.

Colt shook his head. "You've got the stuff, I see."

"Yup." The deputy turned to me. "Here ya go." He started floating things over to me as he listed them. "We gots three sets of armored security barding, two ten-millimeter pistols in good condition, three sets o' hoof-cuffs, three batons, one .38 pistol in excellent condition, rations, water canteens, various assorted ammo, four grenades, and three o' them fancy leg computers. All yers."

I thanked the deputy before putting most of my new belongings into my saddlebags, save for the three sets of barding, hoof-cuffs, batons, and PipBucks. I floated the items back to the deputy, keeping one of the PipBucks for the moment. I turned to Sheriff Lonestar. "Um, here, I don't have much use for these right now, and well, it would just feel wrong if I didn't give these to you guys to help protect Driftwood."

Sheriff Lonestar nodded graciously. "Thanks, son. These will make things slightly easier on the town guard."

I floated the last Pipbuck over to Mountain Dew. "Um, thanks for, ah, pulling a bullet from my flank. I really, um, owe you one." Sweet Celestia, why was it so hard to speak with this mare? "So, um, here."

As Dew took the PipBuck from me, I felt an electric tingle run down my spine as her red aura momentarily touched mine. She looked at me. "Aww, thanks. Nopony's ever gotten me something this nice before." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I suddenly found myself turning a very bright shade of red as I hemmed and hawed. Dew giggled at my discomfort as Lonestar shook his head at our youthful antics. "Ah, to be young again."

I shook my head, sighing as I did so. "Well, I've got to go get ready to leave in the morning."

Dew frowned, Lonestar merely lifting an eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong with Driftwood?" Dew glowered at me as she demanded an answer.

I held up my hooves, shaking them quickly. "No, no, it's not that."

"Then what?"

"Before they were taken off, Lock told me that 'it wasn't over.'" Dew looked thunderstruck. "Stable Sixteen security has my PipBuck tag. They'll know where I am and everywhere I've been. I thought that once I was outside, I'd be safe, but if they sent Lock, Shock and Barrel after me...If I stay here, I'm putting all of you in danger. You don't know Iron Discipline like I do."

Lonestar nodded. "Son, I understand that you're doing what you feel you need to do. But remember this, running away from your problems will never set you free." He sighed, suddenly seeming like the world rested on his shoulders. "Before you go, come see me, there's some things you'll need to know if you are to survive out there." He gestured out above Driftwood's buildings and walls.

I nodded, then excused myself to go procure supplies for my trip. As I headed back to the market, I could vaguely hear Mountain Dew arguing animatedly with the sheriff. I put it out of my head. I had a journey to get ready for.

Author's Note

If you really want to know what Mayor Colt Lonestar looks like, just look up a picture of Sam Elliot in Ghost Rider or The Golden Compass.