Chapter 4
REDACTED

I awoke with a start and flopped off the couch, making an awful racket when my armored body impacted the wooden floor. Thinking back, I don’t really know what startled me. I wasn’t dreaming, nor had I heard anything, I just felt a sort of jolt in my body and fell off the couch. I quickly scrambled to my hooves and looked around the room, everything was as I left it the evening before.

I strode to the window and peered outside, leaning on the windowsill as I did so. The sky was reddening with the rising sun and the shadows of the trees stretched far across the clearing. The lake was beginning to shine with the sun’s light and it would have been beautiful had it not been for the atrocities that had occurred here. With a sigh, I pushed myself away from the window and stretched, feeling a satisfying string of pops run down my back.

I headed outside and knelt in the moist grass, the morning dew slicked across the metal plates on my knee and leg with a few soft squeaks. Had I moved my leg any farther forward I probably would have slipped and made a fool of myself. I waited for the light of the rising sun to touch my face and bowed my head in prayer, thanking Luna for the restful night and Celestia for bringing the sun once more.

I knelt in silence longer than usual that morning… My prayer almost felt hollow… Something was wrong but I couldn’t place what it was, I felt like I was losing my connection to the Sisters and the stars. I would need to visit the Sanctuary soon to be purified and blessed. That would help. I hoped…

The numbness had returned… I vaguely remember chewing on some more of the flatbread as I searched through the house for anything I could make use of during my travels. I managed to find some rope and a net, I figured I’d need the rope eventually, and the net could be useful in a fight. They had an axe for chopping firewood, I ended up taking the shovel as well so I could make half-decent campsites. I hit a stroke of luck when searching the house a second time, I found a set of camping packs. One for each family member…

For reasons I can’t quite explain it was difficult to take one of the large ones from the quartet. I almost felt their energies on the packs, I imagined them hiking through the woods together, camping, laughing, being a happy family. Whatever caused this would pay, that much was certain.

The pack made it easier to carry everything I had taken from the house, I even managed to find a dull brown sleeping bag. It would blend nicely out in the wilderness. On the way out I couldn’t help but wonder how else they were living out here, there had to be another source of food somewhere nearby. I was right, there was an overgrown garden I hadn’t noticed the previous day, the only things that had survived were root vegetables. Everything else had either rotted away or been strangled out by the wild field grass.

I took a moment to gather a few carrots and potatoes, most of the beets had been eaten by pests but there were a few good turnips. After salvaging what I could I quickly departed the area. I gave the clearing one final look from the edge of the forest, part of me wanted to burn it all down in hopes of purging the awful memories, the sensible side of me willed my emotions away along with the idiotic notion.

I wandered through the woods for a considerable amount of time with very little happening. I wanted to get to Canterlot but I noticed for every step north I took, I took another [REDACTED], like I was starting a massive circle. Part of me dreaded what I would find when I arrived, but I couldn’t delay.

After a few hours of traveling [DATA EXPUNGED] I noticed a few shapes in the forest, I could see another clearing in the distance. I froze as a new feeling washed over me, that awful sixth sense… Someone was watching me… I lowered my stance slightly and flexed my arms, the blades sprung from my gauntlets and I grabbed the emergency release buckles on the straps of the pack. I took a few slow steps, cursing myself for not being more cautious. My eyes frantically scanned the woods for whatever was hunting me, I forced myself to breathe calmly and slowly. My heart unfortunately took no such orders from me, neither did my adrenaline glands.

For a moment I considered running, but that was probably exactly what this thing watching me wanted… A chase… I stood there for what felt like hours, my ears turning and straining to hear anything over the buzzing of insects and the occasional chirping of birds. This particular part of the forest seemed more alive, and none of the other animals seemed concerned by the presence I could feel watching me. I wasn’t being watched by a demon, but a survivor. Hoping they could be reasoned with I took a chance.

“I’m not infected! Come out and I won’t fight you!” I called out to the forest. A cicada nearby began buzzing loudly and made me jump. “Fucking bug!”

I heard and felt a whoosh of air behind me along with a flap of wings, they sounded massive. Had I found a griffon? I turned around to face empty forest and arched an eyebrow in confusion. “What?”

I then heard a pair of hooves land behind me, the direction I had originally been facing. Whoever this was, they were skilled at flying.

“Hands up handsome,” a stallion’s voice said. It seemed oddly familiar… “Turn around nice and slow…”

Obeying the voice I slowly raised my hands and turned around. What I saw honestly surprised me.

In front of me was a vermilion Pegasus who would have stood nearly eye-to-eye with Celestia. He was wearing what looked like old cammies with some thick leather armor on the shoulders and forearms. In his hands was probably the biggest rifle I’ve ever seen a pony carry and a bayonet was affixed to the end. The blade protruded nearly two feet from the end of the muzzle and ran back along the underside of the barrel for at least another foot. It was thick like an axe and had a sharp edge all the way to the base. It was a bolt-action from what I could see, and it looked like it was magazine-fed.

Looking up from the barrel of the rifle and taking in more of the Pegasus behind it, I saw what I could only describe as the biggest set of wings I had ever seen on a pony. He was wearing wingblades as well, they had to be custom-built to fit such a large frame. He had a very young looking face and large blue eyes that shimmered with amusement. His yellow mane was surprisingly well-kept for someone living in the woods. Then it hit me, the cammies, the face, the rifle and wingblades, I knew this Pegasus!

“...Patches?” I asked. His eyes lit up and a massive grin stretched across his face.

“Holy fucking shit Alex! It’s good to see you!” He immediately looped his arm through the sling on his rifle and moved it to his back. He threw his arms out and swept me up into a hug. “Fuck! I knew I’d see you again someday!” In spite of my squirming he didn’t let go.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Patchesletmego!” I bellowed as I pushed against him. For his lean build, he was as strong as a damned ox.

He finally relented and dropped me, just beaming with that big dumb smile of his. “Shit, man how have you been?!” He rested a hand on my shoulder and yanked me along as he turned toward the clearing I noticed earlier. “Come! Let’s walk, talk and go get something to eat and drink! But seriously, how have you been?!”

“Uhm,” I stumbled over my words, not used to such friendly treatment during these times. “Well, the world is kind of neck-deep in shit and I’ve had a few run-ins with these demons that want to bite me and drink my blood… Seen some pretty fucked stuff in the last week or so… Why are you so trusting? You’re the first pony who hasn’t demanded to see me naked to look for bite marks.”

He chuckled a bit as we entered the clearing and the structures came into view. He had a decent sized house next to the river, a windmill maybe a hundred feet away and a water mill churning away in the river. “You see, I figure if there’s one group of ponies that can make it through this shitstorm, it’s the Rustwing family. Your family has been serving since Celestia and Luna were foals right? That’s like some giant old oak just sitting there getting the shit kicked out of it during a storm, sure it might lose a few branches, but the roots run so deep a tornado wouldn’t be able to uproot it...” He paused for a moment and got a strange grin on his face. “I still might take you up on that naked thing though…”

I yanked my shoulder back and punched his arm. “You fucking pervert!” I yelled with a laugh… “Holy shit I just laughed…”

Patches simply smiled and raised his eyebrows. “Hey, we might be in a rough patch of history but that doesn’t mean we can’t laugh now and then right? You remember the shit the weather team used to do back at the desert right?” He shrugged and turned out his palms. He was always really animated when he spoke, one of those ponies who wouldn’t be able to speak if you made him sit on his hands.

“You certainly have a very unique way of looking at the current state of Equestria Patches,” I said with a smile. He had a strange way of bringing comfort to everyone around him no matter the situation. “So am I getting the grand tour?” I asked whilst gesturing to the buildings.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said with a smile. and a sweep of his arm at what had to be at least a two bedroom house. “I had this place built about two years ago, I planned on using it as a vacation home… I’ve kinda built on it since then,” he mentioned, pointing to the lightning rod sticking off the top of the house.

“Patches are those?”

“Yes, Masters,” he said before I could finish asking my question. The playful tone in his voice was gone, his expression had gone cold as he looked up at the five charred forms impaled on spikes above his house.

“Suddenly I feel a lot less comfortable around you,” I muttered.

He chuckled and his expression brightened. “They work pretty well at scaring off other vamps! Masters are the tough ones! When they come here and see those five up there, and those over there,” he pointed to a neatly organized row of petrified Gargoyle heads on his porch. There had to be almost a dozen there. “They usually take the hint and leave my place alone,” he said with a wink.

“Alright I’m impressed, what is all this? Do you have power out here?” I asked as I looked at the windmill and watermill.

“You bet your sweet ass I do!” He said with a prideful swing of his arm. I really wished he’d stop talking like that, but that was like asking the sun to stop shining… Poor choice of words I think… “Between the watermill, the windmill, and the lightning rod from storms I kick up, I’ve got enough energy to run damn near anything I want in my house!”

We reached the porch and he opened the front door, sweeping an arm along. “After you,” that same smile still glued to his face.

The smell of coffee greeted me as I crossed the threshold of the door and entered Patches’ house. I stepped into what looked like the living room, an overstuffed couch sat in the middle of the room, a pillow tossed to one end of the plush thing. In front of it was what I guessed to be a cherry wood coffee table, I noticed a still steaming cup of coffee on the table. The two pieces of furniture rested atop an old but thick rug that looked very soft. The couch faced a fireplace made of rounded grey stones, a pair of logs were waiting to be lit. To the right of the fireplace was a bookshelf that nearly touched the ceiling and it was nearly overflowing with books for every skillset or interest I could imagine. Next to the couch was a brown reclining armchair with a book placed where someone would sit, the chair was backed slightly off the large rug that dominated the center of the room.

There were a few pictures framed and mounted on the walls. I thought I had done a lot of traveling in my time, Patches seemed to have been damn-near everywhere in Equestria. Some of the photos were definitely taken outside the country as well. I spotted one of his weather team at the Changeling Desert, it was taken a week after they arrived. He even had a picture with the Sisters! The wall behind me had two windows that allowed us to see out onto the porch, hung up were a set of brown curtains with warm little red accents in them.

A half wall on the far end of the living room separated it from the kitchen. He had a sink, an oven and even an icebox! I walked over toward the kitchen, leaning over the half wall. “This is nice!” I declared as I looked at the black tile floor and the granite counter tops There were several cupboards that were the same dark red wood.

“What can I say? I wanted a nice place to come to and relax,” he said with a shrug.

“Is all of this wood cherry?”

“Mhmm, stained it a bit to make it darker as well.”

“You have food in all those?” I asked as I pointed to the cupboards with a raised eyebrow. “What the fuck Patches, did you KNOW this was going to happen?”

“Actually I figured it was going to be zombies,” he said completely deadpan. "I’ve been learning how to can food as well, once winter shows up I won’t be chowing down on MRE’s again, it’ll be canned veggies and fruits!” He smiled and rubbed his hands together. He then gestured to the back of the couch. “Drop your pack and I’ll show you the rest of the house.”

I slipped the pack off my back and carefully set it down against the back of the couch, it was a relief to drop the extra weight. I turned and faced directly away from the couch and could see the hallway that lead to the rest of the house. There were four doors, two on each side and there was also a trapdoor that lead up to the attic.

“The two doors closest to us are the guest rooms, the far door on the left is the bathroom, the far door on the right is the master bedroom. The guest room on the right is pretty much just used for storage,” he said as he cracked the door open to reveal a room full of boxes. It looked like he had labeled them all with sticky notes, I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at that.

“Guest rooms, they see much use?” I asked casually.

“Actually, I befriended a few deer a couple months ago and they stop by every two weeks or so for a visit,” he said with a smile.

“How do they stay safe during all this?”

“They keep moving really, they have a couple of circuits that they travel, mixing it up all the time. The one consistent thing they do is visit here and trade with me,” he said with a shrug. “Well, that and you know,” he grinned and elbowed me.

I sighed and shook my head. “You haven’t changed a bit.” Gender and species never meant much to Patches, if you were an adult and you gave consent, you were fair game to him.

“Neither have you,” he taunted as he showed me the guest room that wasn’t being used as a storage closet. A full-sized bed sat against the wall to the left, it had a plaid bedspread and several puffy pillows. The wall opposite the door had a window that also could see out onto the porch, the curtains in here matched the ones in the living room. The right wall had a four-drawer nightstand with a little wind-up clock sitting on top of it.

“Pretty basic,” he said with a shrug. “Guess I kind of like leaving it open to a little personalization for whoever is staying.” He stepped away from the door and headed down the hall. “Restroom,” he said as he pushed the door open. Directly opposite from the door was the toilet. To the right of the toilet was a sink with a medicine cabinet over it. Along the right wall was a bathtub and shower combo. On the same wall as the doorway was a towel rack with a pair of white towels hanging from it.

“That is impressive,” I said with a nod. “You have running water everywhere…”

“I got hot water too!” He boasted.

“Bullshit,” I turned to him and saw that damned grin. “You’re so fucking full of it.”

“No on my honor there is hot water,” he said as he raised his right hand. “I got a dark tub up top that heats up during the day. It only holds a few gallons, but it is hot water!”

“Alright lets see the master bedroom then,” I turned and pushed the other door open. My eyes widened slightly at the sight.

He had a four poster bed against the left wall made of that dark red cherry wood he seemed to fancy so much. The sheets were all the same reddish-orange color he was, and he must have had at least six pillows. Flanking the bed were a pair of matching nightstands made of the same dark wood. A lamp stood atop each nightstand and a windup clock was sitting on the one to the left. On the same wall as the door to the hallway was a closed door to the closet. Opposite the door was a desk and another collection of books. The wall to the right was obscured by a large set of dressers with a massive mirror that spanned most of the wall.

“Holy shit Patches,” was all I could really think to say.

“Vacation home,” was his simple response.

After a few moments of silence Patches spoke up. “So, late lunch?” He offered.

“Definitely.”

I have to say Patches is damn good at cooking, we had this vegetable soup and I got the idea to dip my flatbread in it. That was probably the best idea I’d had since I showed up in his neck of the woods. He offered me some coffee but I refused, never had it and I didn’t intend to start. That stuff is addictive.

“You gonna show me the watermill and windmill after this?” I asked between bites of soup-soaked flatbread.

“Not unless you really wanna see ‘em,” he responded with a shrug. “You’re not really missing much, just some turbines and gears and storage sheds… Coupla wires too,” he looked to the side and up as he thought. “Some batteries, and a water pump. So nothing really exciting,” he finished with another shrug and a half frown.

We chatted for about an hour or so and I got drowsy, so I layed on the couch for a nap. “Wake me up if some crazy stuff happens,” I said before drifting off. I hadn’t been this relaxed or comfortable in a long damn time.

“Will do buddy,” Patches said as he grabbed his rifle and stepped out the front door.

Author's Note

Boom, enter Patches. He's a pervert and a joker. But he's a good guy. I'm glad I got this chapter all typed up, I'm unhappy I pulled an all-nighter to do it and I literally have to go to work in like 3 hours...

-Jake