Chapter 5: Happy at Your Service

"Yeah, but sometimes his 'help' isn't all that helpful..."

*****

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed..."

The colt stirred beneath the covers of the lumpy straw cot. That voice. He knew that voice.

Head cloudy with sedatives, he cracked open an eyelid. Gradually, his vision began to adjust to the darkness around him. He was in a room, that much he could tell. He could hear the whistle of the wind passing against the thin walls outside.

The voice continued to sing.

"...Drifting, drifting off to sleep, leave the day behind you. Drifting, drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you..."

The word "joy" seemed to catch in his mother's throat as she quietly recited the lullaby. His eyes could finally make her out now, her pale coat shimmering in the dim light that filtered in from the next room. Her slight frame rested along a bench at his bedside, stroking his foreleg beneath the blankets.

She looked exhausted. Her cheerful, green eyes were sunken and worried, both fixed on the empty space at the foot of his bed.

The colt snapped his eyes shut and remained silent. Had she seen him?

Cautiously, he cracked open his eyes for another peek. Nope. Her gaze was still distant. She hadn't felt him wake.

Opening his eyes a little further, the colt took the opportunity to study her in silence. Slowly, his ears began to droop.

She didn't think he had noticed the changes happening to her over the past few months, but he had. He wasn't that little anymore. He noticed things. There was a tiredness that just never seemed to leave her, one that slowly ate away at her body, wearing her thinner and thinner. Whenever he had asked her about it, she had just told him not to worry.

The colt frowned.

But he did worry. Despite her reassurances, he had made it his mission to do everything he to help her feel better. Drawing her pictures. Cleaning up the dilapidated two room shack they called home. He'd even gone so far as to start sneaking her extra scoops of his oats when she wasn't looking—the village only had so many rations to go around.

But, her condition had only grown worse. He was running out of ideas.

That's why he had went into the forest in the first place.

The colt's eyes traveled silently over to his mother's cutie mark. The delicate image of a flower stared back at him, its white petals shining brightly against the blue of her coat.

A water lily. His mother had told him the story once. How she had seen one when she was a filly. He loved that story.

He had thought that, if he could just find another one for her to see, another lily, maybe she would stop being sick. Maybe she would even start to get better.

His frown grew deeper as the memories resurfaced. Instead of finding the flower, he had gotten lost in the woods. And chased....and the voice...

The colt's body tensed as phantom laughter echoed through his mind. He hadn't heard the voice since Doctor Fleet had given him the shot, but its memory still frightened him. He shivered a little.

His mother's hoof slowed at his sudden movement. Brow raising in alarm, he quickly screwed his eyes back shut. The mare's stroking stopped entirely. He could feel her eyes pass over him.

The colt held his breath. After a few long moments, the feeling passed and he could sense her hoof resume its gentle motions.

He sighed in relief. Close. It didn't feel right to disturb her. He didn't want to be a problem.

The colt tried to take a second look, but his eyes remained shut. It felt as if his eyelids had suddenly been laden with sandbags, too heavy to move. Fatigue began to reassert itself with a vengeance, blurring the thoughts of his mother in his mind.

The colt sighed. Taking a few deep breaths, he allowed himself to sink deeper into the covers.

Tired. So tired. He could rest for a moment.

He'd figure out how to help her tomorrow.

*****

Happy couldn't sleep.

The buck's eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, amber irises boring holes into the roof panels hanging over his small, darkened room. The corrugated metal just sat there in grim silence, its metallic sheen long since lost to the passage of time. All that remained was now a resigned looking sheet of dull, gray metal that stared down at him—a patchwork quilt of grime and rust.

Cracked. Ugly. Just like him.

Raiders are bad ponies.

Serenity's voice echoed through his mind for the thousandth time. In the quiet darkness of the bunkhouse, it seemed to ring off the walls, meeting his ears from all directions.

He knew he should tell her. But he couldn't. What would she do if she knew?

Raiders are bad ponies.

Was he a bad pony?

Bad. Happy had never given the word much thought before now. He knew he'd heard it enough times before from Deuce and Rowdy. Happy bad at this. Happy bad at that. Bad weather. Bad buck cakes. Bad idea. Bad. Bad. Bad. It was everywhere.

But when Serenity had said it...

Happy's ears drooped in confusion.

His life was all instinct, impulse. He never really thought about what he did. Not like this. But now...it was like the yellow mare had woken up something inside of him. Feelings. Doubts. Memories he didn't remember having.

The buck shook his head, trying to make sense of things. It was all so confusing. Why did he feel like this? Why did it suddenly seem like he had done something wrong? He wasn't alone anymore. Why wasn't he...happy?

Happy rolled onto his side, curling himself into a tight ball. The cot wobbled beneath him, groaning with the sudden shift in weight. He closed his eyes. He had to focus.

Think. What to do, what to do...

Slowly, the basic lines of an idea began to form, intertwining like wisps of smoke.

If being a raider—doing what the voice said—made him a bad pony...

Happy drew up an image of Serenity from memory. Blue-green eyes. Braided mane. Bright yellow coat. Warm smile.

She would want him to do better.

Determination swelled in the buck's chest. He opened his eyes.

If being a raider made him a bad pony...he just wouldn't be a raider anymore.

A small wave of relief finally broke over the buck's tense muscles. He sighed and loosened up, sending the cot into another chorus of creaks and groans beneath him.

Happy nodded to himself. Tomorrow he would start over as Happy the not-raider and everything would work out from there. Serenity would think he was a good pony, and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the ponies in town would start to think so, too.

The buck's eyelids slid shut as the pleasant thought finally allowed him to relax. He smiled and tucked his hooves underneath his head, quickly feeling himself begin to fall away. It had been a long day.

As sleep overtook him, he was only dimly aware of the faint, dripping voice whispering to him from the back of his mind.

Happy will see, now. Happy will see.

***

"RIIIIIIIISE AND SHINE THERE SLEEPIN' STALLION!"

Red's voice seemed to come out of nowhere, exploding near the sleeping buck like a mirthful thunderclap.

Happy instantly jolted upright, his legs quickly becoming entangled in the thick mass of blankets surrounding him. With a bewildered grunt, he pitched forward, tumbling off the cot into an awkward heap.

Whumph.

"Zzzz-hmmmph?"

Happy rubbed his eye with a sleepy hoof. What time was it? From the chilly air and quiet chirp of rad-crickets, he knew it couldn't be daytime outside. Not for a while yet, at least.

The buck sighed in frustration. How could anybody be so cheerful before day-sky?

He buried his head in his hooves, trying to hide himself from the massive stallion.

Maybe if Red didn't see him, he'd get bored and go away.

Yeah. That would work.

The stallion chuckled heartily, his words finding Happy's ears through the wall of fabric and stuffing.

"Nnnope, none of that there, son. Time to greet the day and get to work."

Or not.

The sound of heavy hoofsteps echoed through the room and suddenly Happy felt himself lifted up—blankets an all—by a tree trunk sized foreleg wrapped around his waist.

"Noooooooooo!"

Waving his legs feebly, Happy struggled to break free of the stallion's grasp, but it was like trying to free himself from a vice. Groaning in futility, he reached back to the room below.

The bed! It was so close! So comfy!

The buck stretched his hooves as far as his body would let him, pawing helplessly in the cot's direction.

Must...move...toward...the bed.

Without warning, Red released his grip. Happy paused for a moment in confusion—why did he suddenly feel weightless?—before plummeting the five hooves to the floor below.

Whumph.

Happy groaned. A ring of pink ponies had flooded his vision, bouncing giddily around his spinning head. Rising wobbly-legged onto all fours, he did his best to blink them away.

"There's a good stallion! I knew Ser was right to pick you out." Red's drawling voice sounded again as he patted Happy's back with a hoof.

The smaller buck gasped as the air was promptly forced from his lungs. Red didn't seem to notice.

"Now let's get you on over to the boxcar. You'll be learning inventory with Warehouse this morning. Got a lot of orders that need filling today and he could use a hoof carting 'em back and forth."

Out of breath, Happy simply nodded. A satisfied look on his face, Red smiled and turned on hoof, walking toward the front door of the bunkhouse.

Happy cast a last, sidelong glance the to the room behind him. He could hear the bed calling to him.

"Haaaaaappy...Haaaaaappy...."

The buck sighed and turned, following the larger stallion out the door.

Outside, Happy could see that his earlier instincts had been right—it was dark. The small ring of caravan homes stood like statues around him, each casting long, dark shadows in the dim, irradiated night. The scene was eerily quiet. Only the sound of his and Red's hoof-falls broke the silence.

Happy slumped his shoulders and let out an irritated snort as they trotted along. Nopony else had to be awakey-wake right now.

If Red overheard his grumbling, he didn't acknowledge it. Cheerful as ever, the red stallion led him to the far side of the village where the railcar stood, propped up on a dense pile of crumbling bricks. Approaching from the front, he lifted a hoof and rapped on the steel door.

"Warehouse! You still up in there?"

A muffled, scuffling noise drifted out from the boxcar, quickly followed by the voice of an irritated stallion.

"Hold on Red, hold on. I'll be right out."

The scuffling resumed, working its way closer to the sliding door. But, before it could be pulled open, a loud clanging noise echoed throughout the boxcar's interior as something—or a stack of somethings from the sound of it—toppled onto the floor.

"Goddesses damned sunova—"

Red chuckled as the buck inside let out a string of nasty sounding words, none of which Happy was familiar with.

"Good ol' Warehouse." The stallion lifted his hoof to punch Happy's shoulder. This time the smaller buck was ready, crouching down at the last second to absorb the brunt of the impact.

It helped. A little.

How was it Red never crushed Serenity with those hugs of his?

Happy shook his head, shifting his attention back to the boxcar. After a few more lines of cursing, the heavy door finally rolled open on its treads. A tannish-brown earth pony in old hoofcuffs—the same stallion Happy had met the day before—emerged, brushing some imaginary dust off of his faded red tie.

"I swear, one of these days—" Warehouse froze mid-sentence, green eyes widening in surprise as they locked onto the gray buck.

"Oh..uhm...helllo."

From the stallion's expression, it seemed he'd been expecting somepony else.

Happy shrugged at the thought, smiling broadly in return. Surprises could be fun, too.

The tan stallion's expression didn't change. If anything, it became a little more distraught.

Red broke the awkward silence a moment later, oblivious to the rising level of discomfort.

"You remember Happy, dontcha there, Warehouse? Ser told me she introduced you two yesterday."

Rubbing his forehead with a hoof, Warehouse finally nodded.

"Ah...yes. We had the...pleasure...of meeting yesterday."

Sighing in resignation, he waved feebly in the buck's direction.

"Hello...Happy."

Happy lifted his own hoof in response.

Waving! Waving was good! Waving was friends!

Pshh, the buck thought to himself. This not-raider stuff was easy. Serenity would be so proud when she found out that he was already making friends.

Happy paused at the thought.

Speaking of Serenity....where was she?

He glanced around the darkened settlement.

Was she still asleep?

Red's voice jarred him from his stupor. He pointed a broad hoof in Happy's direction and motioned to the tan stallion.

"Happy here is gonna be your inventory assistant this morning."

Warehouse's forced smile fell another notch.

"Oh. Great."

Red didn't seem to notice his discomfort. Smiling, he turned on hoof, glancing back over his shoulder toward the two of them.

"Allllright boys, I've got to go make the rest of my rounds. Got a whoooole town to wake up. I'll leave you two to packing things up."

The stallion gestured toward an empty wagon parked beside the boxcar.

"Don't want those New Appeloosans gettin' all huffy that their shipment's late now, y'hear?"

With a cheerful nod, Red trotted off back toward the ring of homes, disappearing into one of the smaller ones on the right. A few moments later, Happy heard his booming voice echoing through the thick walls.

"Clover! Midnight! Riiiiiise and shine there, sleepin' stallions!"

A heavy sigh escaped into the air at Happy's side, his head swiveling at the noise. Warehouse sat perched on his flank beside him, kneading his forehead with a hoof and muttering under his breath.

Happy watched him intently.

First rule of friendship: know your prey.

After a few moments, Warehouse finally seemed to notice Happy's gaze. Taking an awkward step back, he offered a strained smile in Happy's direction. The corners of his mouth twitched as he took a moment to compose himself.

"Well...um...Happy..."

He gestured toward the open boxcar.

"...Have you ever worked with inventory before?"

Happy just stared at him blankly, eyebrow arched.

"Inventory? Counting things? Numbers? ...Do you know numbers?"

Happy's blank stare persisted.

Warehouse furrowed his brow. Letting out a long sigh, he trotted over to the boxcar, disappearing inside. A moment later, he returned, carrying a worn looking frying pan in his teeth. Transferring it to his hoof, he held it out in Happy's direction.

"Inventory? Goods? Like frying pans? Inventory? In-ven-tor-ee??"

Confusion giving way to curiosity, Happy tilted his head forward, studying the piece of cookware. Grabbing it up in his own hooves, he sat back on his haunches, looking over it thoughtfully.

Curious.

After a few seconds, he glanced back at Warehouse, playing the term back over in his mind. The word tasted foreign to his tongue.

"...In-ven-tor-ee?"

Warehouse nodded. His expression seemed to light up, almost hopeful.

"That's right, inventory!"

He tapped the red boxcar for effect.

"We store the whole caravan's supply right here. Red and Valentine work out the deals, I set up the shipments."

Happy shook his head in acknowledgement. Turning back to the object in his hooves, he whispered the word to himself in a hushed voice.

"Inventory. Inventory."

A flashbulb went off in his head.

Ohhh. Inventory! Happy knew inventory. No wonder Warehouse was giving him strange looks.

The buck giggled at his own silliness. He did inventory all the time!

Wrapping a hoof around the handle, Happy flipped the metal pan atop his head with a dramatic flourish.

"Ta-daaa! Happy Inventory!"

The ensuing thud of Warehouse's hoof meeting his forehead was surprisingly loud, echoing throughout the darkened village. Dragging his hoof down the side of his face, the tan stallion sighed and trotted back inside the boxcar. Without looking back, he waved a hoof over his shoulder, motioning for Happy.

"Okay, Happy, let's...let's go."

Happy smiled. This was going to be fun!

Frying pan still perched atop of his head, Happy bounded after the stallion, hooves clacking on the rusty metal surface as he landed inside. It took a few moments for Happy's eyes to adjust to the dim atmosphere—the only real source of light came from an old silver lantern that hung from a hook on the ceiling—but, eventually, he could make out the rest of the room.

Happy gasped. There were so many things!

Far larger on the inside than Happy would of guessed, the red boxcar was chalk full of prewar goods stacked away into neat rows of boxes and crates. Frying pans, plates, barding, turpentine, cram—there were more things here than he had seen in his life!

Warehouse began the official tour, lifting a hoof toward a small desk in the back corner. A few heavy looking tomes were spread about its surface, along with stacks of loose paper and pencil stubs.

"Okay, Happy, this is the accounting chair. This is where we keep all of the forms, documents, shipment manifests—"

Happy snorted distastefully at the lesson. Boooorring. Ignoring Warehouse, he continued to admire his surroundings, glancing over the various odds and ends. Strangely enough, all the containers seemed to be marked with the same symbol, a small open circle with a squiggly looking "V" running sideways across its center.

He studied the image for a moment. It almost reminded him of the river bend in the village. Maybe there was some sort of connection? Like a village flag?

Oh!

His ears perked up.

Could it be a treasure map?

After a few moments of pondering, Happy's excitement died. Too much thinking. For now, the mark would just have to remain another mystery. Shifting his attention to the piles of treasure before him, he rubbed his hooves together, a mischievous grin breaking across his lips.

"Heh heh heh heh heh..."

Time to have some real fun.

Giggling impishly, Happy lowered himself to the floor. This was going to be good.

Letting loose like a coiled spring, he leapt forward—

"Stop RIGHT there!"

Warehouse's shout managed to take Happy by surprise. Freezing in mid jump, the buck hung in the air for a moment before crashing back onto the metal floor.

KADUNGGGG.

Luckily for the rest of Happy's body, his face cushioned the better part of his fall.

Warehouse seemed to rush in out of nowhere, breezing past the fallen buck and throwing his body in front of a nearby tower of strange, wired devices like a pony shield. Happy peeled his muzzle from the floor with a loud pop and studied him in confusion.

Warehouse stared back at him with a look of dismay.

"Ohh nononono. No. Those conductors are worth at least 30 caps a piece!"

He swept his hoof horizontally in front of him.

"No touch."

Happy could feel his ears droop. There had to be something here he could play with. Glancing at a pile of glass jars next to him, he raised an eyebrow in question.

Warehouse followed his gaze, leaping in front of the buck a second time.

"Oh no, not these. This is 200 year old Sweet Acres Zap Apple Jam. Do you know how hard it is to find these days?"

Happy narrowed his eyes. He pointed his hoof toward a tower of dusty prewar books.

Warehouse shook his head.

"Nope. Complete set. Too valuable."

Stack of pots. No. Pile of irons. No. Box of assorted rifle ammo. No.

Without warning, Happy grunted and stood, pointing determinedly at a large glowing box in the back corner of the room. It was mostly red, with a few white markings—words Happy figured—scrawled across its top half. A line of five rectangular buttons were arranged vertically on its front side, resting above a small tray that jutted out into the air. Plastered across the box's bottom half was a picture of two ponies, a buck and a mare, sharing a fizzling orange drink with two straws.

Warehouse slowly met Happy's determined gaze with a firm stare of his own.

"Absolutely not. That's a classic, never-been used, factory fresh Sparkle-Cola Vending Machine. You have no idea what I had to go through to get that."

Happy jabbed his hoof at the machine a second time. He wanted to touch it.

"No."

Grunting, the buck took a defiant step toward the Sparkle-Cola box. He stretched a hoof toward the top button.

Warehouse's voice was like ice.

"Don't even think about it."

Step.

"Happy...you better not touch that."

Another step.

Warehouse was sweating now, panic mixing in with his usual, frustrated tone.

"Happy...if you lay one hoof on that machine...then so help me..."

Click.

Without warning, a low rumbling noise filled the boxcar as the string of lights bordering the front of the red machine began to flicker on and off. Sounds of gears whirred to life within, followed by the light jingle of magic as the selection matrix went to work inside. A few seconds later, the rumbling stopped, followed by a loud clink as a shiny glass bottle was deposited into the waiting tray.

Happy glanced back at Warehouse. The stallion's face was frozen in horror. Slowly, he turned to face the gray earth pony, his breathing heavy.

His eye twitched.

"You..."

With a giddy screech, Happy grabbed up the glass bottle in his teeth and bolted toward the exit.

Tag was his favorite.

Whizz! Happy giggled and ducked instinctively, narrowly avoiding a flying iron to the face. The metal slab sailed into a stack of dishes instead, sending a shower of glass dancing against the boxcar's wall.

Katshhhh!

Warehouse growled in disappointment and grabbed a cooking pot off the ground, tossing it over his head like a boulder.

Ka-dung! Crash! It too missed its target.

"Heeheehee!"

Happy's screeched excitedly as he narrowly dodged the ensuing avalanche of falling vacuum parts. Spinning on hoof, he shot beneath Warehouse's legs like a bullet, sending the surprised stallion tumbling face-first into a small, open box.

Snap! Snap! Snap-snap-snap-snap-snap!

"YEEAUGH!"

Warehouse flailed wildly, desperately pawing at the hoof-full of mousetraps that had latched onto his face. He attempted to shout something at the buck again, but one of the traps had managed to find his tongue.

"Thwy thwould thwose even bwe thet!?!"

Happy doubled over on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Warehouse sounded ridiculous! It was all the buck could do to keep from choking on the glass bottle he held clamped between his jaws.

Warehouse stumbled to his hooves, mousetrap still hanging from his tongue, and locked his eyes with Happy.

"Thyme guhnna beath thu thentheleth!"

"Yipe!"

Happy giggled. Time to run again.

Rolling back onto his hooves, Happy attempted to bolt, his eyes widening as he suddenly realized he wasn't getting any traction. Looking down, he could see that a stack of prewar magazines had somehow appeared beneath his hooves, their glossy covers too slick for his hooves to find purchase on. Instead of moving forward, the buck remained fixed in place as a shower of colorful, laminated pages was sent flying out behind his spinning limbs.

"Goth-tha!"

Warehouse took the opportunity to spring forward, wrapping his hooves around Happy's midsection and tackling him to the ground. The two somersaulted through a pile of prewar relaxed ware, flinging satin shirts and nightcaps in all directions.

Happy grunted. He could feel his muscles start to tense as they each vied for the upper hoof. His giggles began to peter out, replaced by intermittent growls as he and Warehouse plowed through the piles of scattered inventory.

Crash! Bang! Katssh!

Without warning, another voice joined the chorus.

"WHAT IN THE HAY IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

Both bucks froze instantly. Happy was on his back, gnawing at one of Warehouse's legs. The tan buck had him pinned, his foreleg raised in mid swing. Turning as one, their gazes met the doorway.

A very uncheerful Red stared back at them, his square jaw set in a disapproving frown.

Silence settled over the room. Nopony spoke.

Without warning, a quiet creaking noise began to sound from their right. Both bucks turned to look.

Next to the entrance, one of the wooden shelves storing sacks of pre-war flour was listing, its contents tilting precariously to one side. One of its support beams had been snapped in half, no doubt another casualty of Happy and Warehouse's little romp.

As if on cue, the topmost bag of flour began to slide, working its way toward the edge of the shelf.

Both Happy and Warehouse's eyes shrank to pinpricks. Lifting their hooves in slow motion, they opened their mouths to call out a warning.

Too late.

Paff!

The five pound sack exploded on top of Red's head, sending a plume of white powder billowing across the room. Once it had settled, only Red's bored, half-lidded eyes were visible through the thick layer of white.

Warehouse's face went white as the flour. At a loss, he resorted to staring dumbstruck at the massive stallion, still unable to speak clearly through the metal clamp on his tongue.

"Thbut, thbut, thbut..."

Finally, he went quiet and lowered his eyes. Red merely sighed.

"Eeyup. That's what I thought."

***

Red and Happy walked alongside each other through the settlement, the latter doing his best to keep up with the larger stallion's strides. It was morning now—early morning, but still morning—and the rest of Creek Bend's inhabitants had finally started to emerge for the day's activities.

As the two strode in and out of hoof traffic, Happy couldn't help but notice the wary looks the others continued to give him. A few of the younger colts and fillies had even been shushed away by their parents for getting too close. Their smiles from his arrival had largely disappeared, the argument with the town doctor leaving them cautious. More appraising.

Happy frowned. Outside of Red and Serenity, he was starting to think most ponies here didn't like him.

"So—" Red began, pulling Happy back from his thoughts. "—call me crazy, but its looking like inventory assistant might not have been the best job for you after all there, Happy."

The stallion chuckled, stopping as they passed outside the ring of homes. He raised a hoof, pointing toward the surrounding ridgeline.

"I think working with cattle might suit you a little better though. Lots of space to move around and use that energy of yours."

Happy smiled in agreement, following Red's hoof with his eyes. Happy liked to move around.

As they move to trot up the hill, Happy paused, a stray thought entered his mind from earlier.

Serenity. Where was she?

The buck glanced over his shoulder, scanning the village. He didn't see her in the crowd.

As if reading his mind, Red spoke up again.

"Now usually I'd have Serenity here to teach you something like this. She's good at working with foalks who are, uh..."

Happy tilted his head as the red stallion seemed to search for the right words.

"...ha, well, the foalks like you and me who could use a little extra explaining."

He offered Happy a wide grin. The buck returned it.

"But," Red continued, "she's out this morning meeting with Stripes again—there's some business the caravan needed taken care of—so I'm going to have Mabel teach you the basics."

The red stallion chuckled again.

"She's a tough old bird, that Mabel, but she'll get ya where you need to be. Been working with brahmin for years."

Brahmin. Happy knew about brahmin. Most of the caravans that he, Deuce, Rowdy, and Scalper had came across had had at least one of the two-headed creatures bringing up the rear.

Happy frowned and shook his head at the memory. It would be better to forget about things like that.

But Brahmin? Here?

The buck glanced around. Other than the village behind him, the small bowl-shaped clearing was empty. No brahmin in sight.

Red seemed to pick up on his confusion. With a knowing smile, he pointed back up to the ridge as he had before.

"We don't keep 'em in the settlement, too dirty. There's a little pasture we keep just over that ridge. Not much for grazing, but its enough to keep them from keeling over."

Happy nodded.

Brahmin. Over the hill. Got it.

Letting out an excited giggle, he raced ahead of Red, scrambling up the crumbly slope.

Before he had made it ten steps, he noticed it.

Movement. Above.

Happy instantly assumed a low crouch, his keen eyes scanning the skies.

There. Again. A dark speck shooting between the clouds. Something flying.

The fur bristled along Happy's spine. His smile quickly dissipated into a low snarl.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"

Red's voice called out in alarm from behind him.

"Hold your hooves, Happy. What's wrong?"

Happy turned partway in stallion's direction, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the silhouette above. Every few seconds it would dart from cloud to cloud, its shape barely visible against the gray sky.

Memories of a muzzle flash and cold pain played through the buck's mind like an old movie. He growled. Whatever it was up there, Happy wasn't about to let it out of his sight.

Red followed the buck's eyes, a look of dawning comprehension suddenly setting over his face. He trotted over to Happy and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Happy didn't flinch.

"Don't worry there, son. They're with us. They're friends."

Friends? They?

Happy finally broke his gaze with the sky, meeting Red's face with a confused frown.

Lifting a hoof to his lips, Red whistled loudly. Happy glanced up. The dark shape that he had been tracking suddenly changed course and began to descend, swinging in wide circular loops towards the ground. To the buck's surprise, a second figure emerged from the clouds behind the first, following it towards the earth.

Almost soundlessly, the two creatures landed in front of him and Red. They weren't ponies—that much Happy could tell. They were more like overgrown eagles with a set of lion-like hindquarters attached at their backs. Both figures were clad in ruffled gray fatigues, each of which sported dozens of pockets, pouches, and leather straps that crisscrossed their bodies like a grid.

The two were nearly identical as far as Happy could make out. The only difference he could see was that one of the figures wore a pair of flight goggles across its forehead while the other had painted a thin red streak underneath its right eye.

He also couldn't help but notice the fierce looking rifles each had slung over their back.

The buck bristled. Bad memories continued to play through his thoughts.

Noticing Happy's unease, Red waved a hoof in reassurance.

"Happy, this is Victor and Vera. They're Talons. They keep an eye on the place."

Happy continued to glare at the two, ignoring Red's introduction. The two griffons returned his look with steely eyed stares of their own. Their sharp eyes betrayed no emotion.

Silence.

Finally the bird creature with the goggles spoke up. His voice was deep—tinged with a strange accent—but surprisingly lighthearted for the serious expression chiseled into his face.

"I like zis one."

He smiled. Or at least Happy thought he did. It was hard to tell with beaks.

The creature offered a talon in the buck's direction.

"Victor. Griffon sharpshooter."

Happy stared at the outstretched claw as if it were a waiting cobra. Cautiously, the buck tilted forward, booping his nose against it.

The griffon chuckled, nodding toward its partner at the same time.

"Zat's Vera. Been working recon together since vee vere hatchlings."

He grinned over his shoulder, holding up a talon to feign a whisper in Happy's direction.

"She's zee, how do you say, 'stick in zee mud' of our operation."

The other griffon narrowed her eyes and said nothing.

Happy felt himself start to relax. Though their presence was still a little off-putting, the two of them seemed to check out.

Sensing his shift in mood, Red chuckled and trotted over to Victor's side.

"Victor and his sister here have been with Creek Bend the past coupla years. Managed to steal them off an old colleague of mine."

He nudged the griffon playfully, sending the Talon staggering forward in surprise.

Happy grinned. He was glad to see he wasn't the only one affected by Red's overzealous back-pats.

"Never had a better pair of eyes on the job."

An accented, female voice interrupted his.

"Looks like you have tree sets, now."

The three males turned to face the second griffon. Her tone was even—strictly professional—but Happy could still sense the displeasure radiating from her voice.

Red raised an eyebrow.

"Say what now, Vera?"

Her face remained impassive.

"Ponies can't see shit."

She shot an irritated glance toward Victor.

"Even scouts who jump posts like hatchlings should be invisible to ponies zat high up."

Victor shrugged sheepishly as Vera turned her gaze toward Happy.

"Zis one, zhough..."

Her voice trailed off. Silence fell again as the she and happy locked gazes. Her eyes were a sharp, glaring yellow, much like his own.

Happy's tension resurfaced. He knew those eyes. A hunter's eyes. His eyes.

Victor took the opportunity to cut in again, ruffling his wings with a sigh.

"Zat's enough, Vera. So he sees vell. Contract doesn't say you need to like him."

Contract.

Vera scowled, her head swiveling in his direction as soon as the word had left his beak. Flaring her wings, she took a step forward.

"You don't get to mention my contract. You gave zat right up vhen you broke yours."

Her face started to grow red beneath her feathers.

"If vee veren't related—"

Vera paused, stopping mid-sentence. Happy watched as she fought to restrain herself, screwing her eyes shut and inhaling deeply. After a few moments, she settled back onto her haunches and turned to Red.

"Apologies. Red. Victor. Happy."

Nodding to each of them in turn, she spun around and took off into the air, her powerful wings quickly putting distance between her and the group. Happy followed her flight path until she reached the same perch as before, disappearing into the cloudy folds above.

Victor let out a sigh and turned to face the two.

"Sorry about zat. Vera has been a little...tense...lately. I'll go see vhat I can do. It vas nice meeting your happy pony."

Grinning as he gave a light bow, the griffon spun around and took to the air as his sister had, quickly disappearing into the clouds above.

Red shifted on his hooves, smiling as he sighed.

"Sorry about that, Happy. Vera's good foalk if you get to know her. She's just a little uptight."

The big stallion motioned up to the sky.

"Luckily we've got Victor to keep her from getting too ornery. Not many griffons like him around. Most of 'em live and die by their contracts. Not Vic though. Loyal to the pony, not the paper."

He smiled broadly. "Enough about griffon politics, though. Let's get you over to Mabel. Those Brahmin aren't gonna wait around all day for us."

Happy nodded, Red's reminder igniting his earlier excitement. The big stallion chuckled in response.

"Allllrighty. Right this way."

Falling in line behind the larger stallion, Happy followed Red up and over the ridge. After walking a few hundred hooves, another bowl like depression appeared before them, about half the size of the valley the settlment rested in. The same, winding creek seemed to run through it as well, with low, brown scrubs growing along its bank.

Happy's eyes were quickly drawn to the two headed figures dotting the field. There were twelve of them, yellow skinned and bloated, braying mindlessly as they searched the scrubs for edible foliage.

Brahmin. Big ones. Well fed.

Happy felt his stomach rumble. It had been forever since he'd last eaten.

A fog seemed to settle in over his mind.

Hungry.

Grinning menacingly, Happy crouched onto his stomach and began to slink down the hill.

"Uhh, Happy?"

The buck froze mid-prowl, turning toward the source of the voice with a look of surprise. Red stared back at him, eyebrow raised.

"What exactly are you—"

The stallion didn't finish his thought, his eyes lighting up as they seemed to catch sight of something over Happy's shoulder. Raising a hoof into the air, the larger pony waved and let out a shout.

"Why there ya are, Mabel! Mornin' to ya! Got you some fresh hooves to help watch the herd!"

Happy swiveled his head toward the object of the stallion's greeting. Trotting up the ridge in their direction was unicorn mare who looked a few years older than Red himself, her turquoise mane pulled into a tight bun and flecked with streaks of gray. Her overall expression was cross between that of a librarian's and a drill sergeant's—the most intimidating aspects of both wrapped up into one feisty looking scowl. As she drew closer to the newcomers, Happy could make out a black, whip shaped cutie mark set against her dark blue coat.

For some reason, the fact that she had the image tattooed on her flank made Happy giggle.

"Well it's about time."

The mare grumbled, stopping a few hooves in front of him and Red. Her scowl deepened as she focused on the gray buck.

"Where's Desert Blossom?"

Red waved a hoof back toward the village, his cheerful demeanor not hindered in the least.

"Oh she's not feeling the best today. Seems to have come down with a little case of the rads from that trip upriver. Fleet Hoof's got her resting at the clinic."

He swept his hooves over to Happy like a salespony showing his wares.

"This here is Happy, though. He's the new buck Serenity brought in the other day."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh. Him. The crazy one she picked up."

Red stepped forward, a little bit of extra authority sinking into his voice.

"Now Mabel—"

The mare raised a hoof before he could continue.

"Fine. Fine. I'll do it. Just send him down."

Sighing deeply, she turned on hoof and started back down the hill, muttering under her breath.

Red turned to Happy, offering him a small smile.

"Sorry about that, Happy. She'll warm up to ya. Promise."

Happy nodded, not entirely convinced. Mabel seemed kinda...grumpy. Still, not wanting to disappoint Red, he did his best to offer a smile in return.

Red chuckled, tussling the stallion's mane with a hoof. Happy could feel his brain rattle around at the touch.

"That's a good buck. You're a little strange, but I knew Ser made the right choice bringing you in. Just make sure and stay outta trouble this time. If you thought Warehouse had a temper..."

The towering stallion trailed off, casting a wary glance down the hill before continuing.

"....Just try to stay outta trouble, ya hear?"

Happy smiled. Raising a hoof in salute, he bobbed his head eagerly.

Red smiled and nodded back.

"Glad to hear. I'll leave ya to it, then."

Offering the buck a final nod, the stallion sauntered off, leaving Happy alone at the top of the ridge.

Happy nodded to himself as his thoughts drifted back to Serenity.

Right. Be good. No trouble.

The earlier incident with Warehouse leapt into his mind.

Well, no more trouble.

A sudden shout from below pulled Happy from his thoughts.

"Hey. You're not here to sit around and daydream, young stallion! Get down here this instant!"

Happy sprung to his hooves, eyes darting back down to the valley below. He could see Mabel scowling up at him from the bottom of the hill, tapping a hoof impatiently. Smiling weakly, he gave a quick wave of acknowledgement and started forward.

Or rather, tried to. Happy's first step immediately sunk into the ground, slipping into a small divot just wide enough to accommodate his hoof. Grunting in surprise, the buck pitched forward, somersaulting down the hill in a cloud of dust and rocks.

"Ooof! Auff! Eeef! Umph! Ugh!"

Happy's tumble quickly escalated into outright bouncing, each impact punctuated by a sharp grunt. Finally, after flopping from head to rump some forty-odd times, he reached the flat below.

Whumph.

More dancing ponies.

Happy shook his head, giggling despite himself.

Today sure was a tipsy-fally kind of day.

Mabel, however, didn't seem to share his sense of humor. She glared at the buck with cold eyes. Happy immediately scrambled to his hooves, the grin sliding off his face.

The mare nodded.

"That's better."

Mabel lifted eyebrow and began to look Happy over. After a few moments she nodded again, satisfied with her examination. Turning on hoof, she began to pace in front of Happy, her head high and eyes closed. How she could see where she was trotting, Happy could only guess.

"So, I have been instructed to teach you in the art of brahmin herding—" she began, not even bothering to hide the condescension in her voice, "—a task for which I am most qualified. However, before we begin, there are three rules that you must know and follow. One!"

She raised a hoof in the air, eyes still closed.

"Do not speak until spoken to. I am the teacher. You are the student. You will answer when instructed to do so, and not before then."

Happy nodded intently, just in case she could somehow still see him through her closed eyes.

The mare continued to pace.

"Two. You will follow my directions to the letter. Brahmin are dangerous creatures that require a trained hoof to handle properly. You will not approach them unless explicitly directed to do so."

Happy raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the herd. The two-headed cattle continued to graze mindlessly at the creek's edge, oblivious to everything around them.

Dangerous?

"Three."

The edge in Mabel's voice caught Happy's drifting attention. He turned back to the mare.

"In addendum to rule two, you will not—I repeat, will not—willfully 'aggravate,' 'tease,' or 'harass' any of the brahmin. This herd is the explicit property of the Creek Bend Caravan and any damages assumed through your mistreatment will be punishable by immediate expulsion from your position and damages liable up to fifteen-hundred caps."

What.

Happy's ears drooped in confusion. The graying mare had lost him at "three."

Ignoring—or simply not noticing—his bewilderment, Mabel turned to Happy, tilting her head forward in her best librarian's stare.

"Do I make myself clear?"

Happy gave his best reassuring smile and nodded eagerly. But not too eagerly.

Mabel closed her eyes and stepped back.

"Good."

With a curt nod, she turned away from Happy and started toward the nearest brahmin. It continued to graze obliviously as she approached, munching away at a coarse, low-lying shrub. Trotting up to its side, she looked over her shoulder and motioned for Happy to remain where he was.

"The first lesson is basic movement. Brahmin require a firm hoof and proper motivation to guide them from point A to point B."

Turning back to the oblivious bovine, Mabel trotted up to its side and gave its haunch a firm tap.

One of the two heads lifted casually in her direction. It stared at her blankly for a moment, still chewing its cud, before lowering its gaze back to the ground.

Mabel frowned. She tapped it again, this time a little more forcefully.

The creature didn't respond.

Shooting a quick, red faced glance in Happy's direction, Mabel spun around and shoved her back against the creatures backside. She dug at the earth with her hooves, grunting in effort as she tried to move the creature with brute force.

It didn't budge.

The mare let out a low growl. Without warning, her horn began to glow a dazzling blue. There was a faint humming sound and, out of nowhere, a long snake-like whip shimmered to life above her head.

Happy's jaw dropped. So sparkly!

The mare narrowed her eyes. Snapping her head forward in one fluid movement, the whip arced out before her and into the open air.

KRAKOW!

A sound like a gunshot rang out across the clearing. Both heads of the stubborn brahmin immediately shot upward, the low shrub forgotten. Braying in distress, it lumbered forward as if stung, only stopping after it had put fifty hooves between itself and the noise.

Mabel smiled. Closing her eyes, there was a flash of light and the glowing whip disappeared. She trotted over in Happy's direction, beads of sweat breaking out across her brow.

She motioned to another one of the nearby brahmin.

"Now you. Don't be surprised if you don't get it on the first try."

She held a hoof to her chest in pride.

"These things take time."

Happy nodded. He could do this. He'd show Red and Serenity that he could be a useful pony.

The buck took a determined step forward, sizing up his opponent. The brahmin looked identical to those around it, its heads scouring the dusty clearing for food.

Happy felt his own stomach rumble again.

Hungry.

No. Happy chided himself mentally and dropped his gaze. He was pretty sure Serenity wouldn't like it if he started to bite Mabel's brahmin.

Good pony. Good pony.

Taking a deep breath, Happy lifted his gaze and approached the creature. The ground crunched loudly beneath his hooves as he trotted forward.

It took a few seconds, but eventually the nearest head seemed to notice his presence. Casually glancing over it shoulder, it swept its gaze in the buck's direction.

Upon meeting the gray buck's eyes, it immediately froze, eyes widening into saucers. Its companion head seemed to notice its partner's tension a moment later and turned, meeting the buck with the same frozen stare.

Happy's hoofsteps slowed to a stop.

Huh? This wasn't how the other brahmin had reacted to Mabel. Was he doing it wrong?

Then he smelled it. Unease. Anxiety. Not quite full blown fear, but a potent enough discomfort to recognize.

Testing the waters, Happy took another step forward. The brahmin let out a distressed sounding moo and backed away, waving its tail warily. The unease in the air began to spike toward fear.

Happy grinned and circled wordlessly to the creature's backside. The brahmin let out another worried grunt and started forward.

Happy's muscles tensed. It was all he could do not to jump the creature right then and there.

Happy good. Happy good. Happy good. Happy good.

He chanted the words in his mind. It seemed to help.

Within a few moments, Happy's brahmin had taken its place near Mabel's. He veered off. The thick skinned creature shot him a few more wary looks before finally returning its attention to the ground before it.

Happy could feel his chest swell with pride. He grinned, tongue lolling happily out the side of his mouth. He glanced over at Mabel expectantly.

It was the unicorn's turn to look flustered. Brow furrowing in shock, she made a few weak attempts at speech before finding her voice.

"Y-you...that..."

The mare paused for a moment, collecting herself.

"That—that's acceptable. Next lesson."

Happy nodded. He was ready.

Morning and early afternoon passed swiftly as Mabel demonstrated technique after technique. Basic herding. Rounding. Dividing. Leading. Resting. Happy mastered each like he'd been born for it. With little more than a well placed glare, the brahmin would do whatever he wanted.

The buck couldn't help but smile as he worked. He was almost as good at herding as he was at inventory!

Mabel, however, didn't seem to share in his enthusiasm. If anything, she seemed to grow crankier with each success.

Finally—after Happy had taught one of the brahmin how to roll over and beg—she cracked, pointing an angry hoof in Happy's direction.

"That's—that's wrong! I-I didn't tell you to do that! Training failed! We're done for today."

Wrong?

Happy stepped back, confused. He thought he'd been doing a good job.

The mare continued to bark at him, pointing her hoof in the direction of the village.

"Go. Back to Red. Done. We're done. Just—just go!"

Happy's ears drooped. Bowing his head, he nodded and slunk off. He could hear Mabel mumbling under her breath as she turned, trotting off back towards the herd.

"Stupid buck. Thinks he can just come in here and take my job. I've been here for years! No goddesses damned idiot tribal is gonna...."

Her voice trailed off, leaving Happy alone with his thoughts. He began to plod his way back up the ridge, kicking away clumps of loose earth with his hooves as he went.

Dumb rocks.

Happy sighed and slumped onto his stomach.

Figures. He was finally starting to have some fun and somepony had get all angry and ruin it for him.

He snorted. Dumb Mabel and her dumb rules.

Wait a second.

Happy lifted a hoof to his chin.

Dumb rules...

Mabel's voice played across his mind like an old record.

...You will not—I repeat, will not—willfully 'aggravate,' 'tease,' or 'harass' any of the brahmin...

...tease the brahmin...

Happy's head swiveled on instinct, surveying the valley below. Mabel stood, hooves crossed, at the opposite end of the clearing, looking over a yellowing journal laid out at her hooves. Her back was turned, leaving the herd momentarily unattended.

Happy glanced at the brahmin. The bulky creatures just stood there—chewing their cud as they always did—entirely ignorant to the world around them. Calm. Content.

Unsuspecting.

Poof!

There was a flash of light as—out of nowhere—a tiny gray pony suddenly appeared on Happy's shoulder. It looked just like a miniature version of himself, save for the two stubby red horns protruding from its forehead.

The mini-Happy stared up at him with a devilish grin, a little red cape and tiny pitchfork completing its impish ensemble. With a nod, it began to speak, its voice light and distinctly chipmunky.

"Happy go chomp chomp. Happy knoow Happy waaant to."

Happy let out a dramatic gasp. Shocked at such a disgraceful accusation, he looked around in mock surprise before placing an innocent hoof to his chest.

"Happy?" he asked, trying to sound incredulous.

The devil pony nodded eagerly and trotted forward, nudging Happy's shoulder and raising an eyebrow.

Happy shifted his eyes toward the ground, rubbing his foreleg with a hoof. Red's warning still lingered in his mind.

"Happy no know....Red say say..."

The little pony rolled his eyes and stuck out its tongue.

"Pllththtb...Red no think say. Happy herd brahmin good anyway."

The mini-pony held out a foreleg and glanced casually at his hoof.

"Mabel no Red anyway."

Happy narrowed his eyes.

Tiny Happy was starting to make a lot of sense. Why did she get to make the rules anyway? She wasn't Red.

Poof!

Another flash.

A second pony appeared on Happy's right shoulder, this one with shimmering white wings and a little gold halo circling its head.

Hovering up to eye level, the angel pony nodded in agreement.

"Happy a big buck. Do what Happy want. Go chomp chomp."

Yeah. Yeah! The other Happys were right. He didn't have to listen to Mabel's rules. He was a better herd-pony than her anyways. She was just jealous.

An evil grin slowly spread across Happy's face. Crouching on all fours he began to slink back down the hillside. Stealthily, he drew within a couple hooves of the nearest brahmin, crouching down out of sight behind a low-lying rock.

The two little Happys on his shoulder giggled in excitement, prancing up and down on his shoulders. Happy shushed them with a hoof to his lips, struggling not to burst out laughing himself.

Cautiously, he shot one last glance behind himself to make sure Mabel hadn't returned. She hadn't. He swiveled his neck back towards the unsuspecting Brahmin.

This was gonna be good.

"HAPPY BOOO GRRR ROAR PONIES!"

Happy bounded out from behind the rock like an oversized rabbit, diving in front of the brahmin with his hooves wide and teeth bared.

The effect was immediate.

"MOOOOOO-AUUUUUU!"

The startled brahmin immediately let loose with a loud bellow and tumbled backwards onto the dusty ground. Scrambling frantically to its hooves, it took off at a surprisingly fast clip for its bulk, racing off toward the rest of the herd.

Happy stumbled back onto his rump laughing, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. The little Happys followed suit, bumping hooves triumphantly.

Brahmin tipping! Why hadn't he ever thought of it before?

Take that, Mabel.

Suddenly, another bellow blared out across the clearing, grabbing Happy's attention. Another bellow soon followed. Then another.

"Hmmm?"

The ears on all three Happys perked up at the rising commotion. Turning as one, they glanced toward the source of the noise.

Uh oh.

The pasture was in chaos. Frightened bellows had spread from brahmin to brahmin, and now the entire herd had risen to its hooves. Clouds of dust had already begun to form in the air as individual cattle stumbled into one another in terror.

However, even in the rising cloud of debris, Happy's gaze managed to lock onto one set of eyes in particular.

Mabel's.

Double uh oh.

"HAAAAPYYY!"

The mare's roar echoed through the clearing, overpowering even the deafening rumbling of bovine hooves. Letting out a squeaky little yipe! in unison, the miniature ponies on Happy's shoulder jumped into each other's hooves and poofed out of existence in a cloud of smoke.

Happy really wished he could do the same.

With a reluctant groan, Happy raced forward into the cloud of dust. He could see that Mabel had already cast her whip spell on the other side of the clearing, but even its loud cracks barely registered above the growing din. The brahmin continued to stumble about in panic.

Happy nodded to himself. It was up to him.

He redoubled his pace.

It took a few moments, but eventually the scattered brahmin noticed his presence and began to form up, channeling their random stampeding into a single direction of panic. He could hear Mabel cry out in alarm, but her words were impossible to make out. He'd figure it out later. For now, his plan was working.

Happy smiled to himself. Instead of running in all directions, now all the brahmin were going the same way! One giant line that was headed straight for—

Happy stumbled on his hooves, almost tripping forward. His eyes widened in sudden realization.

The settlement.

Happy took off as fast as his hooves would carry him. A familiar sensation set over his limbs, veins throbbing, muscles screaming. He'd felt it countless times before. Adrenaline. But this time, it wasn't excitement that fueled his hooves. This time, it was dread.

Happy intercepted the closest brahmin halfway to the top of the ridge, throwing himself forward with desperate force. Grunting, he landed heavily atop the creature's back. Immediately, it began to buck wildly beneath him, whipping Happy's smaller frame in all directions.

Crrrk!

A sharp pain tore through Happy's back leg as something in it snapped. He ignored the sensation. Clamping down on the creature's hide with his teeth, he held himself tighter. He could feel his body temperature begin to rise in frustration.

Kill.

Happy shook his head fiercely, fighting the urge to bite harder. No. Not the voice. Not now. He could do this. He could fix this.

Crawling hoof over hoof up the brahmin's spine, he slowly pulled himself to an awkward sitting position at the base of its neck. Readying himself, he crouched onto all fours.

This had to be perfect.

With a last grunt of effort, he vaulted forward, using the brahmin's neck like a springboard to propel himself to the next one in line.

"Ooomph!"

Happy latched on with distance to spare. Behind him, the first brahmin groaned in surprise and tumbled headsfirst into the dirt, sending up a plume of dust.

Happy nodded to himself.

One down, eleven to go.

Working his way up the next brahmin, he repeated the same process. Crawl, bite, crouch, spring. Two. Crawl, bite, crouch, spring. Three.

Reaching the back of the fourth brahmin, Happy stole a quick glance ahead. His eyes widened. The lead brahmin had already reached the top of the ridge. The buck glanced back at his hooves. There was no way he could take them all down before they hit the settlement.

Think, Happy, think. He could feel the gears clicking and smoking inside his head.

If he couldn't stop them from stampeding...

The buck's ears shot up as a crude, crayon drawn schematic of a solution appeared before his eyes.

If he couldn't stop them from stampeding...maybe he could lead the herd away! That's what herd ponies were supposed do anyway, wasn't it? If he could just get to the front of the herd...

Happy nodded to himself. No more focusing on individual brahmin, he had to get to the front, now. Rising onto his hind hooves like a circus pony, he sprang with catlike agility onto the back of the next brahmin. The terrified cow brayed in confusion, but Happy ignored it, steadying himself just long enough to make the next jump. And the next. And the next.

Finally, with a heavy oomph, Happy landed atop the lead brahmin just as they crested the hill. He could see Creek Bend now, just down the slope below.

As if on cue, Happy watched as the heads of the townsfoalk turned towards the rising commotion. One by one, their looks of curiosity melted into expressions of silent disbelief.

After a few awkward moments that seemed to stretch on forever, a green unicorn mare broke the silence, throwing a dramatic hoof across her forehead.

"The horror! The horror!"

The village erupted in panic. Ponies began to run wildly in every direction, knocking down carts, carriages, and other villagers as they tried to clear the way.

Whoops.

Happy latched onto the bovine beneath him with newfound urgency, yanking at both sets of horns in a desperate attempt to steer. The right head quickly turned in compliance, but the left continued to strain forward, cancelling out the effect. The sloping hill had increased their pace—Creek Bend was only a few hundred hooves off now. He had to hurry.

"MR. HAPPY!?!"

The unexpected shout managed to grab Happy's attention. He looked up.

Oh colt.

Standing just ahead of the raging herd, hooves frozen in fear, was a little red earth filly. Gilly. She stared forward with wide blue eyes as the stampede grew closer and closer.

Before Happy could react, she screamed. Her voice pierced the air like a high pitched whistle, carrying every ounce of her confusion and fear.

Happy's perception of time slowed to a standstill. He could feel his mind fracture in half, the dark thoughts inside him finally bubbling to the surface.

Oh no.

His eyes dilated.

Kill!

Happy's body began to shake violently, muscles expanding and twisting as the changes started to take over. All restraint gone, he began to thrash, digging his expanding hoof claws into the terrified brahmin below. The creature's braying was lost on him.

All he could focus on was the rage that had burst to life in his chest.

KILL!

Angry. So angry. A familiar red tinge set in at the edge of his vision. He lifted a half formed paw, rearing back to swing—

—and stopped. His ears twitched on their own accord.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to rest your sleepy head—"

Those words.

Slowly—impossibly—Happy pulled himself back from the brink. Every muscle in his body fighting to do otherwise, he turned head toward the source of the sound. There, at the edge of the village, was a yellow mare, her eyes closed and mouth moving in song.

Serenity.

Happy's eyes widened. Her horn was glowing a fiery red. Faint wisps of magical overcharge circled her body in a crackling sphere of energy. Inside, her mane and tail floated in an unseen wind, as if she were suspended underwater.

Happy reeled at the conflicting sensations. Her voice seemed to be everywhere at once, her soft words flowing through his mind rather than his ears. It was almost if they were coming from inside of him.

A wash of calmness spread throughout his body as he listened.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed."

The brahmin beneath him seemed to experience the same sensation and slowed, coming to a stop several hooves from Gilly's frightened form. Entranced, they slowly settled onto their stomachs, simply basking in the glow.

Happy could feel the darkness dispelled from his chest as he laid down to join them. His half-formed claws begin to retract, his shifting muscles popping as they slipped back into their relaxed state.

Happy could hear the dark voice inside him screaming for retribution. But it was quieter now. Tiny. Serenity's voice was so much bigger. So much nicer.

Happy sighed, a wide, cheesy smile settling over his features.

So much more peaceful.

Taking one last, deep breath, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a blissful sleep.

***

"Happy, wake up."

Happy stirred, his blurry eyes attempting to adjust to the darkness around him.

"Hey there, you. Morning."

The pop of a crackling fire punctuated the voice's words. Slowly, Happy pushed off against the ground beneath him, shaking the sleep out of his eyes.

Half a moment later, he stopped, quickly realizing there wasn't any sleep to shake out. In fact, he felt...incredible. "Well-rested" didn't even begin to describe it.

He prodded at his face with his hooves.

His mind felt clearer than it ever had, a happy, tingling sensation buzzing pleasantly in his hooves and spine.

A soft laugh sounded from his side.

"Feeling better?"

Happy knew that voice.

He turned, coming face to face with Serenity, who was laying on the ground beside him. The two were gathered around a small fire just outside of the village—night had already set in over the wastes. Squinting, the buck could make out a few pony shaped figures still milling about in the dark.

Happy's mind flashed back to the stampede. Fear, screaming, darkness, rage, the voice.

He cringed at the memory. What had he almost done? And what about Serenity? Had she seen him...change?

Nodding hesitantly, Happy gave his best reassuring smile. To his relief, the mare seemed to take it in stride.

"Good."

Happy let out a sigh of relief. She didn't seem to notice.

"Happy...Red and Mabel told me what happened today."

Oh no. Here came the mad.

Happy quickly averted his eyes, trying to shrink away into nothing.

However, the harsh words didn't come. Serenity simply sighed.

"I know you tried, Happy. If anything its my fault for not being here. I told Red you'd probably need more than a crash course the first day, but," she chuckled, "he's got a way of forgetting the little details. More of a big picture pony."

Noticing that Happy's gaze was still set on the ground, Serenity lifted a hoof to his shoulder.

"Hey, it's nothing we couldn't fix. Red's not mad at you either. Warehouse got the shipment out in time and nobody got hurt by the brahmin." She gave him a comforting nudge. "You didn't do anything wrong, Happy."

The buck flinched. An unfamiliar feeling settled into the pit of his stomach. Sadness? Embarrassment? Guilt?

That was it. Guilt. She didn't know what he'd almost done.

Happy nodded slowly, doing his best to hide his reaction.

Serenity seemed to buy it. Glancing off to her side, she levitated another piece of scraggly brush onto the fire. The waning flame took to it eagerly. Happy didn't pay it much mind though, he was too focused on her horn. Images of her surrounded by tendrils of red, glowing energy flooded back into his recollection.

What had she done to him back there?

Glancing back in his direction, Serenity noticed him staring. She followed his eyes to her forehead.

"You're wondering about what I did to stop the brahmin, aren't you?"

Happy nodded.

The yellow mare sighed, casting her eyes on her hooves. Happy could have swore he saw her blush.

"Remember when I told you I help ponies feel better?" she started, her voice unsure. She seemed embarrassed.

"It's like that...but a little more...powerful."

She looked up into Happy's eyes. Staring back, he could almost hear the melody of her voice again, echoing softly in the back of his mind. He bobbed his head in acknowledgement.

Serenity seemed to relax.

"It comes in use with situations like that—calming down brahmin and newborns." She flashed him a grin. "It usually doesn't affect adult ponies like that though. Put you to sleep like a foal."

Happy grinned. He didn't mind the jest. He'd never slept so well in his life. In fact—

His ears perked up in excitement.

—he felt like he could go and run around right now!

Shuffling his hooves beneath him, Happy attempted to rise.

"Wait! Happy, stay still." Happy grunted in surprise as the mare planted a hoof on his chest, restraining him. She motioned to his back leg, which Happy now noticed had been wrapped in a layer of thick white cloth.

What was that doing there?

Serenity shifted into triage mode.

"Happy, you fractured your leg in that stampede. A few of the splinters even broke through the skin. I had to set it while you were asleep."

Happy remembered the sharp, biting pain from the stampede.

Ohhh. Broken. That made sense.

Smiling, he nodded in agreement and rose to his hooves anyway.

"Happy!"

Serenity started forward to hold him down a second time.

"It's going to be at least a month until you can—"

She stopped short as Happy managed to rise before her, equal weight resting on all four hooves. A confused expression slowly lit across her face. Eyeing Happy almost warily, she lifted her hooves to his leg and began to unravel the tightly bound fabric.

Happy watched intently. Her eyes widened as the last spiral of cloth fell away.

"Happy..."

Serenity trailed off, unable to respond.

Hmmm? Happy followed her eyes to his leg.

His fur was matted with dried blood, but the leg itself looked normal. He returned her curious look.

Was there something he wasn't seeing?

Serenity seemed even more baffled by his indifference.

"Happy? Is this...is this normal?"

The buck shrugged and nodded. He could see the yellow mare's mind trying to process his response.

"But you—they—we didn't even give you any healing potions! Our medical stores have been low ever since the ministry med center was scavenged out."

She slid back onto her rump, an incredulous look on her face.

"Happy, are you telling me you always heal like this?"

Again, Happy shrugged. Did other ponies not?

Serenity sighed and lifted a hoof to her chin in thought. After a few moments, she seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Happy, I think we need to figure this out. This isn't even regular healing magic for a unicorn here, and you're an earth pony! Regeneration magic that powerful could be having some serious side effects on you that we not might be able to see."

A little lavender unicorn in his head rolled her eyes. If she only knew.

Thinking for a moment, Serenity glanced back up, offering Happy a weak smile.

"I know it's going to be a long shot to get him to cooperate...but we need to talk to Fleet Hoof. He used to work with the the Institute before Red picked him up. The stallion knows his magic."

Fleet Hoof. Happy's happy expression dropped a notch at the memory of the grouchy doctor-pony. That wasn't going to be fun.

He sighed.

But...if Serenity thought it was best...

He nodded. Serenity rose to her hooves.

"First thing tomorrow, then. And don't worry, I'll be here this time."

She nodded toward the settlement.

"Head in?"

Happy giggled in affirmation. Sleepy or not, the memory of his comfy new cot was more than enough of an incentive.

The mare grinned and turned, taking off at a slow trot toward the ring of homes. Happy stepped forward to follow.

Twitch. Twitcha-twitch. Happy felt his ears shift.

Somepony was watching him.

Happy instantly swiveled his head toward the far ridge. The firelight didn't do much to help his nightvision, but, for an instant, he could have swore he saw three sets of eyes flash in the dark. Or had it been two sets? It had almost looked like there were only five pinpricks of light staring back at him across the way

Happy blinked. The eyes had disappeared.

Grunting, he stared off into the distance a moment longer. The points of light didn't return.

Happy shrugged. Must have just been his imagination. Smiling broadly, he turned around and trotted to catch up with Serenity.

A certain green blanket and pillow were calling his name.

*****

Perk Achieved!

Attention Deficit - For you, the struggle to pay attention is a conflict as old as war itself. However—despite your tendency to lose track of the task at hoof—your short attention span often allows you to notice things that others would usually pass right by.

When searching for loot, your LUCK statistic is increased by 1, and shiny objects now appear 20% more luminous.

Author's Note

Wow. I'm sorry for the major delay on this one, I'd meant to get it out last week sometime. Turns out this chapter took a lot longer to compose and edit than I had imagined. School and work have been a handful.

I'll do what I can to update more often in the future, but just know that it might be a few weeks before new chapters make it out.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! I'm always happy to hear any of your feedback down below.