Chapter 1: Scavengers And Bandits
Frostbite walked closer to the edge of the platform, looking at the vast plains below. He gazed at the desolate space below for a while longer before continuing up the towering mountain. The stallion had a blue coat and navy mow-hawk-like mane and tail with black highlights. His muzzle was considered feminine by all, though he was still noticeably male by the more squared shape of said muzzle. He donned a black shirt and pants that were loose, almost baggy. He also wore a gray “bullet-proof” vest, which had equipment he needed to reach quickly in dire situations. An AS-50 sniper rifle sat on his back as he marched along the worn and rocky path.
Frostbite eventually reached a campsite which sat atop a flat area on the side of the mountain. He walked on the center pathway which ran through the camp, passing by several ponies busy with cleaning and cooking. He then headed towards a tent off of the main pathway, behind several other tents. Entering the shelter, he set his belongings on a sleeping bag.
“Back already?”
Frostbite looked at the pony who spoke to him. A mare his age stood at the entrance. She was an earth pony with a red coat. Her mane was short and lighter than her coat, with a yellow headband holding it back save a bang hanging over her right eye. A tail reaching her ankles hung in a small mess. She wore a regular gray vest and a watch on her left hoof. Her cutie mark was of a flame on a shield.
“Yeah, there wasn't much to salvage where I was,” Frostbite said.
“Well, guess we’re going to have to look elsewhere for supplies,” she responded.
“Guess we are,” Frostbite agreed. The mare began to leave when Frostbite asked, “Hey, Pyre, did anything happen when I was gone?”
Pyre looked back at him and said, “Not much, just some ponies decided to start a fight over food earlier, but that was it.”
“They’re fighting over food again? I thought we had a stable supply at the moment.”
“Apparently it wasn't enough for those ponies.”
“Well, at least we know two ponies aren't getting their usual rations nest time.”
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Frostbite and Pyre trotted down the path towards the base of the mountain. There, they would stand guard until the next team came to relieve them from guard duty. The two scanned the plains near the path. Suddenly, Pyre heard a whizzing sound fly by her ear and rocks eating the bullet.
“Get down!” she screamed. Frostbite then dropped behind the stone barricade that he had stood beside and primed his rifle. Then, they heard a voice from the plains.
“Give us what you have, and we might just let you live,” the pony demanded.
Frostbite carefully got into a defensive position behind his only protection. He scanned the area before him for the pony that they heard. Several ponies were laying down with their own rifles ready to fire, with one pony having a revolver strapped to his left hoof.
“I’ll ask you one more time, give us what you got, and we’ll leave you alone,” the standing pony said.
Pyre held her sub-machine gun above her cover and sprayed lead at the bandits. She heard screaming as the cover-fire hit several ponies. Frostbite then used the distraction to finish off any ponies that Pyre didn't hit. When Pyre stopped firing, the two looked at the bodies for any survivors. To their dismay, the pony that had spoken wasn't among the dead. Suddenly, gunshots were fired from behind the two. They spun their heads around to find the same pony pointing his firearm at them. They finally got a good look at him: a light-brown Pegasus with a black winter-coat, shades covered his eyes and a cap sat atop his head.
“Now, who wants to die first?” he asked.
“How about you?” The Pegasus turned around, only to have a bullet tear into his jaw. Stunned, he held the wound with his hoof. Then, consciousness quickly left his mind as he collapsed on the spot from damage to his neck. Another Pegasus walked over to the dead pony as he headed towards Frostbite and Pyre. He had a teal coat and a blue mane. A shirt covered his body, making it impossible to see his cutie-mark, and a stitched vest covered his front. Sweat bands were wrapped around his hooves. “What happened here?” he asked.
“Bandits,” Frostbite replied.
The teal Pegasus looked over at the corpses that lay in the dry grass. “Looks like you two didn't have much trouble,” he said.
“Well, glad you came here in time, otherwise, that guy would've gotten us,” Pyre said to the Pegasus.
“So, Torrent, where’s your partner?” Frostbite questioned.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be here,” Torrent answered casually. Just then, another pony came running down the slope.
“What happened?” He said, panting.
“Meh, according to them it was just bandits,” Torrent said.
“Well, alright then. You two can head back up now,” Torrent’s partner told Frostbite and Pyre.
With that, the two ponies headed back up the mountain. When they reached the camp, they headed towards their respected tents. Frostbite dropped off his rifle and other supplies before heading out towards the head of the camp to report the incident. After arriving, he noticed that Pyre had already reached the old building. He entered and saw Pyre talking to several other ponies about the attack.
“Yeah, several of them, last I checked,” she told them.
“Did any get away when the fight started?” one of the ponies asked.
“Not from what I could tell.”
“Good, we don’t need a full blown raid on this camp,” and with that, the ponies dismissed Pyre. She then ran into Frostbite on the way out.
“Hey, don’t worry, they already know.”
“Alright,” Frostbite replied as they left the run-down building.
“Hey, I've been meaning to ask you this: how far have you been away from this camp?” Pyre asked him.
“Not far. In fact, I have never left the plains before,” Frostbite said as they walked the dirt path.
“But you’re one of the scavengers, aren't you? Why haven’t you left the plains or the mountains? Wouldn't the supplies have diminished a long time ago if you haven’t left?”
“Well, I’m not the ONLY scavenger, plenty of other ponies have left the area.”
“Then why haven’t you gone with them?”
“I honestly don’t know, they've told me to just look in this area and leave the rest to the other scavengers.”
“If you say so,” Pyre said lastly before heading towards her living space.
Frostbite continued down the path before reaching his own place. After cleaning up his belongings, he settled in his sleeping bag before dozing off.