Fallout Equestria: Slice of Life and Death - Winter Bloom's Story

Chapters

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 2
Winter Bloom's Story - Part 3
Winter Bloom's Story - Part 4
Winter Bloom's Story - Part 1

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 2

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 2
"If that is victory, woe unto the victors!"

"Winter Bloom isn't cut out for it, she couldn't hurt a bloatfly."

"That is not what I hear. I hear she's proven herself quite capable."

"You're not putting her on guard duty."

"You are testing the very last thread of my patience, Hazel. You may be one of my best scouts, but you do not tell me what to do. Don't forget who is in charge here."

"Of course, Deadeyes. You're the boss."

"Don't get smart with me. She's not a good rock breaker. She can fight, and she's going to."

"And if she dies..."

"Red Eye is tightening the noose. It's only a matter of time now before he makes his move, and I am not having this discussion with you. You know what you need to do, you can either do it, or get lost."

Hazel stepped out of Deadeyes' office, and as soon the door closed behind him, his entire demeanor of confidence and defiance sagged into something more resembling resignation. His ears drooped and he looked down towards his hooves, but his attention was on something far beyond them. Before he took more than a couple steps, Winter Bloom was standing next to him, frowning unhappily.

"What were you doing in there?" She whispered angrily under her breath.

"Oh, come on." Hazel moved to get away from Deadeyes' office. "You were listening in. What did you think I was doing?"

"Why are you trying to sabotage me? I can't believe you talked to Deadeyes behind my back." She was upset, but her voice ended up sounding more hurt than angry.

"Sabotage?" For a moment, Hazel was truly surprised, and couldn't help but look over to Winter Bloom in shock, while he scrambled to think of something to say. "I'm trying to help you. You don't want patrol duty."

"You go out on patrols all the time." Winter Bloom took advantage of Hazel's slow pace and trotted up in front of him, turning her head to look him in the eyes.

"That's right, so why don't you believe me?"

"You don't have to do this alone, you don't have to take care of Tail Wind and me all by yourself, I can help!"

"Look around you, Winter Bloom, what do you think is going on here? You can't tell me you don't know what we do to keep this place running." Unwilling to look Winter Bloom in the eyes, Hazel focused on keeping his voice down in spite of his anger. "It's better that only one of us gets our hooves dirty."

"Well, maybe we can put a stop to it. Topaz says..." Winter Bloom was quickly interrupted by Hazel.

"Oh sure, Topaz says he doesn’t approve, but when has he ever lifted a hoof to stop it? I mean damn, if we hadn't heard his voice on the comm, I'd have thought Deadeyes was making him up. Well, if you ask me, actions speak louder than words."

"And how am I supposed to act? What does it say if I don't try, if I don't do anything at all? This place is never going to feel like home if we don't do something."

"This place, home?" Once again, Hazel found himself struggling to find any words at all. "This place is a prison. It always was, and it still is, even if the doors open from the inside. It's a prison for desperate ponies who can't survive any other way. That's all it's ever gonna be."

"Why won't you believe me?" The anger had all but faded from Winter Bloom's voice, "I've been trying to tell you that we can change it, we can make it better."

"Not while Deadeyes and Topaz are in charge, we can't."

Hazel wasn't about to concede the point, but when Winter Bloom lagged behind and spoke in a sad voice, he felt his resolve waiver. "I thought you'd be happy for me... I finally realize what I'm supposed to do, and you're still treating me like a little foal."

"You're not supposed to..." Hazel stopped and finally turned towards Winter Bloom, ready with a blistering retort, but when he saw her face, resignation once again took hold. "I, uh... Damn, I am an idiot."

Drawing to a halt, the two ponies stood in awkward silence. The rhythmic clinking of metal against stone and the unusually gentle pitter-patter of rain wasn't nearly enough to fill the sudden void in the conversation. Hazel stared down at his hooves, only occasionally glancing at Winter Bloom, waiting for a reply that wasn't coming. Winter Bloom's cheeks burned with embarrassment, frustration, or some mixture of the two, she wasn't sure which. Unsure how or why, somehow she knew she'd struck a deeper blow than she'd intended, and in spite of how angry she had been at him, she already regretted it. I just want him to understand. Why does this have to be so hard?

"So, I guess there's not much time before I set out." Winter Bloom didn't notice Hazel taking a step closer when she decided to break the silence and say something, anything, even if it wasn't really saying anything at all.

"Yeah." Hazel stopped mid-step and looked around to see who else might have been listening.

"I wonder if you'll be around when I get back." Winter Bloom tried offering him an easy opening.

"Maybe..." Hazel however, looked lost in thought and didn't take it, at least not right away. As the silence crept back in between them, he blinked and pulled himself back to the present, "... I sure hope so, anyways."

"They said I should only be gone a couple of days, maybe three. Just a quick loop of the Eastern Range." Winter Bloom forced herself to breath slowly, trying not to sigh as a new set of feelings twisted themselves up inside. They weren't arguing anymore, and she couldn't help but feel relief, but they were practically talking past each other instead, and she wasn't sure if that was any better.

"Come on then, we'd better make sure you're ready."

New and yet the same, Winter Bloom found herself walking into parts of Shattered Hoof that she'd never been in before. The walls of the armory were the same rust spotted and chipped concrete as the rest of the compound. The windows showed nothing but the same stone canyon walls and featureless sky that every other window did. She imagined though that the crates and boxes that rested up against the walls held bullets, guns, and dangerous things, rather than the hammers, blasting powder, and the other dangerous things that were stored elsewhere in the compound.

Most of all, Winter Bloom was seeing new faces, or at least old faces up close for the first time. Notes of excitement, anxiety, and nervousness struck a chord on her heart as Hazel and she caught the attention of three other ponies who had been standing around looking bored. They didn't look particularly friendly or pleased, and Winter Bloom quickly noticed that Hazel was the recipient of most of the hostile and wary glares. So how do they know each other?

"Well lookie here. If it isn't Hazel, coming to pay us a visit." One of the ponies, a tan colored unicorn with a dark brown mane, took a step forward and spoke up in mock deference.

"Cut the crap Quickfire. I'm here with Winter Bloom, and as long as she gets treated fair, you can screw off however you like for all I care." Hazel stared Quickfire down, but the unicorn just rolled his eyes and turned his attention elsewhere.

"You must be the new gal. I hope you're ready to rumble, cause we are kickin' it outta here soon as we can."

"Yeah, that's me." Winter Bloom tried to smile, even if the introductions weren't at all going how she hoped. "I'm almost ready. I mean, I still need to get my supplies."

Winter Bloom's voice trailed off when Quickfire stopped paying attention to her and turned to watch Hazel. With a smug grin on his face, he waited to speak up just long enough for Hazel to open a cabinet across the room and start looking through it. "We already got her supplies picked out, just thought I'd save you the trouble, ya know?"

Quickfire motioned to one of the other ponies, who proceeded to shove a pile of leather and canvas into the center of the room. Hazel set his jaw and slowly closed the cabinet again. Walking back across the room, he didn't respond to Quickfire's rhetorical question, and Winter Bloom could tell he was trying to stay calm. The realization made her heart sink a little further. So much for a good first impression. Not that he’s making a good one either.

"Hey uh, Quickfire was it?" Winter Bloom worked to keep her smile. As distasteful as he was acting, she knew she would have to try to get along anyways, if they were going to work together.

"That's the name, but don't wear it out."

"Right. I was just wondering if there’s anything else you need me to do? Anything not in the plan?" Winter Bloom tried to make herself look non-threatening enough to offset Hazel’s aggressive posture.

"You're the rookie here, so for now you just need to watch and learn. This nut job over here is Buddy..." Quickfire motioned with one hoof at the dull grey Earth pony mare leaning against a box.

"It's River Bolt!" the mare shouted, kicking a loose stone in Quickfire's direction.

"Like I said, you should call her Buddy. That's her name, and don't let her tell you any different. You're new, and she might try to pull one over on you, but just remember that I'm in charge, and I'm telling you her name is Buddy. For everything else though, just do what she does and you'll do fine."

Winter Bloom felt her smile faltering, but quickly nodded, not wanting to appear contrary.

"And this sad sack in the corner is Summer Wish." Quickfire pointed with his other hoof at a light blue unicorn mare who was only paying attention out of the corner of her eye. "I'd keep an eye on her, I guarantee she'll be keeping an eye on you. It's always the quiet ones."

"Seriously, would you give it a rest?" Summer Wish rolled her eyes, sounding thoroughly unimpressed with Quickfire, then went back to minding her own business.

"Everypony, say hi to Winter Bloom," Quickfire didn't give anyone the chance before he continued. "There. Now we're all a big happy team. Grab your stuff so we can get a move on."

Winter Bloom nodded and moved to gather up her new saddlebags, pausing for a moment to put on a stiff, layered leather jacket. It wasn't much, but it was the first time she had worn armor of any kind, and it took a little bit of fumbling, fidgeting and help from Hazel to get it on right. While it wasn't a bad fit, it had clearly been made for a larger pony, and Winter Bloom felt a little bit odd wearing clothes at all.

Trying to get used to the weight and the texture, she briefly wondered where the leather had come from in the first place. Did it used to be a pony? It doesn't have any color, maybe it was a monster? Something that used to kill ponies, and now it's keeping me safe.

She wasn't sure which thought made her more uncomfortable, but she didn't get a chance to think too deeply about it, as Hazel caught her attention. His sharp voice was directed at Quickfire though. "There's a healing potion and food in the bags, but what about, I don’t know, a weapon? You weren't planning on taking her outside completely defenseless were you?"

"Oh ye of little wit. Do you really think I would be so... irresponsible?" Quickfire's horn glowed a dim orange, and while Hazel nodded affirmatively to his question, he grabbed a spear off of a weapon rack with his telekinesis. "Here, an old guard spear. Deceptively simple, strong, still sharp after a hundred years. Probably enchanted with some unicorn nonsense. Besides, from what I hear, she's talented with her hooves."

Winter Bloom felt a little flustered at the compliment, not entirely sure her scuffle with Limelight was something she wanted to be remembered for.

Hazel's frown only deepened. "Horse apples. That's a piece of junk. I know for a fact that you've got an energy lance and you never even use the damn thing."

"That's right. I've got. As in mine. And I'm not about to just give it away for free, what if I need it someday?" Quickfire spoke with insincere indignation.

"Technically, all this stuff belongs to Mr. Topaz. You're just borrowing it." Hazel took a menacing step forward, much to Winter Bloom's dismay.

"You might have Deadeyes' favor, Haze. Might, I should stress, since I hear you've been burning that favor up real fast, ever since you were clued in on the Red Eye plan." Quickfire's mocking smile suddenly became similarly menacing, "But I am still in charge of my team, and that means I get to decide who gets what and who does what."

Winter Bloom noticed Hazel's ears twitch nervously, even though he was keeping an otherwise straight face. He stopped advancing, but held his ground. "If she gets hurt on account of you, all the favors in the world aren't going to make a lick of difference."

"It's fine." Winter Bloom edged Hazel out of the way with the broad side of her shoulder, forcing her way in between the two, "I'll be fine. Come on, Hazel, I've been through worse, remember?"

Seeing Hazel get pushed around drew snickering from River Bolt and a dry, triumphant laugh from Quickfire. "See? She says she's fine. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got a route to patrol."

Quickfire turned his back and walked out towards the main gates. River Bolt trotted along merrily, as if the confrontation didn't even happen, while Summer Wish lagged behind. Winter Bloom had just finished picking up the spear and strapping it down to her saddlebags, business end pointed safely towards the ceiling, when Hazel placed one hoof firmly against her neck, right above the shoulder.

Looking her straight in the eye, he quickly had her full attention. "Look, I know you don't think much of me, but I just want you to be safe, ok? Watch your back. Watch the sky. Always pay attention to where the nearest cover is, and the next after that. Don't wander off and get lost. Don't let anyone on your team wander off and get lost. Don't assume anyone you see is your friend. Don't assume that your friends will recognize you if you lose sight of each other. Look out for your team, but don't assume they're going to look after you. And whatever you do, do not try to impress anypony."

Winter Bloom wanted to say "I don't think that at all," but she forced herself to pay attention. As much as she wanted to dismiss his concerns out of a determination to carry her share, she was no stranger to how dangerous the wasteland could be. And then all the sudden, he wrapped his hooves around in a big hug, and her heart began hammering against her chest.

"You come back in one piece, alright?" The tension in Hazel's forelegs was mirrored in his voice.

Winter Bloom struggled once again to think of something, anything to say, trying to ignore the burning in her cheeks. "...You too."

"Hey, come on Rookie, we don't got all day!" Quickfire's voice was a bucket of ice water.

Winter Bloom pulled away and cantered for the exit, slowing down long enough to look back and say, "Wish me luck!" but she was already gone before Hazel had a chance. The clip clop of her hooves against the concrete drowned out everything else.

Gentle but constant rain fell as Winter Bloom and her patrol team departed Shattered Hoof, just as it had the past few days. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable itself, lacking the driving winds of a wild storm, and it was relatively warm for something in a world deprived of the sun. However gentle though, the rain had turned the Earth into a layer of mud, and every stone outcrop into a slippery obstacle. Winter Bloom's hooves sunk in almost an inch with every step, taking that much more effort to pull back out for the next. The resulting trail was painfully obvious for anyone or anything else to follow, should they happen to across it.

Quickfire and River Bolt's constant chatter made listening for danger difficult, and the misty rain wrapped in close around them. Winter Bloom tried to follow Hazel's advice even though they weren’t really expecting trouble so close to home. She kept a close watch on her surroundings, but in the uneventful monotony, her thoughts kept returning to the same place. You too... ugh. Couldn't have said something that wasn't super dumb. No, of course not.

"Hey Winter Bloom!" River Bolt's sudden shout caught Winter Bloom in a moment of distraction, and she nearly leapt straight up in the air.

"What?" Looking around for any signs of danger, all Winter Bloom could see was River Bolt Snickering and Quickfire looking at her, clearly unimpressed.

"Damn girl, you are jumpy." Quickfire rolled his eyes, putting his whole head into the motion. "You need to relax a bit or you're going to burst."

"Sorry. I, uh, guess I haven't been outside in a while." Winter Bloom looked around nervously, but when she saw that River Bolt was grinning like a fool, and Summer Wish was hardly paying attention, she relaxed a little and tried to brush it off with a smile. "I mean, the last time, I almost got burned, shot, blown up, and sold into slavery. In no particular order. And I was the lucky one."

"Great. Just make sure you don't come undone on us, ok?" Quickfire rolled his eyes and started walking again. "I'm gonna need you standing front and center if anything goes down, not shivering in a heap."

Winter Bloom mumbled something vaguely affirmative and nodded along, even though Quickfire wasn't paying attention to her anymore. Before her mind could wander off again, River Bolt trotted up alongside with a great big self-satisfied grin on her face.

"You should have seen the look on your face. Totally. Priceless. Am I right?" River Bolt looked over to Summer Wish, who simply made a noncommittal shrug.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Winter Bloom muttered dryly, trying not to sound agitated.

"Absolutely." Bolt's grin only got bigger.

"And I take it I should expect more of the same, right?"

"You catch on pretty quick." River Bolt's smile turned a little more sympathetic as she spoke. "Quickfire isn't wrong though. You need to relax a little. All this is peanuts compared to what's out there waiting for us."

"Yeah, I suppose it could be worse. I mean, we're supposed to be looking for Red Eye's slavers right? I'm not even sure what we're going to do if we come across them. My instructions were a little bit vague."

"That's easy. We run away." River Bolt tried to make it sound like the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a shame too. If I could get a spot in his little army, I'd be raring to join up. But no, I'd probably get shot, or put in chains and stuck working the factories, and that is even worse than breaking rocks."

"You're joking, right? Red Eye is a real monster. Why would anypony want to work for him?"

"How do you know? Let me guess, you heard all about him on the radio, huh? I wouldn't believe everything ol’ DJ Pon3 says. You should hear what he says about us. I tell ya, only maybe half of it is true."

"I don't believe everything I hear on the radio, I'm not a complete foal. I've heard other ponies talking about him too."

"Just ignore her, she's trying to get under your skin." There was an edge of warning to Summer Wish's otherwise flat voice, but when it set River Bolt off laughing, she turned her attention elsewhere again.

"Haha! You are just way too easy." It took a little while for River Bolt's snickering to subside, but eventually managed to calm down enough to form a complete sentence. "Oh, my. Seriously though, you gotta admit Red Eye's got style. There’s somepony getting things done. If you ask me, we should be the ones expanding. But no, Topaz has got his little corner of the world and he doesn't care about anything else."

"What would you do if you were in charge?" Winter Bloom felt her ears drooping and struggled to avoid sounding defensive, "I mean, forget Topaz and Red Eye. If you had it all, what would you do?"

"Ha! I dunno." River Bolt looked up to the sky with a far away, but vaguely pleased look on her face for a while before coming back down to reality, "I guess I'd probably eat, drink and sleep, like a super ton, till I turned into a giant bloatsprite or something. Guess its a good thing I'm not in charge, huh."

"Right..." Winter Bloom didn't really know what she was expecting, but River Bolt left her speechless anyways. Is there anything that she takes seriously?

River Bolt gave Winter Bloom a triumphant grin and trotted back up to Quickfire, casually splattering mud all around, where they proceeded to go right back to chattering endlessly about seemingly trivial topics, like whether a peanut was a pea or a nut. Summer Wish had gone back to walking silently nearby leaving Winter Bloom alone with her thoughts again, but this time she was worrying about how to get along with her new companions.

Walking all day long on dry ground had been tiring enough, from what Winter Bloom could remember, but walking through the mud was an ordeal. The group had to take frequent breaks to rest, and as night was falling, they had not yet reached the border of Mr. Topaz's domain. The rain had slowed to a series of intermittent sprinkles, but even if it stopped entirely, it would still be a day or two before the ground dried enough to walk easily, so Quickfire decided to set up camp on the first patch of rocky ground they came across.

A thin, rolled up mat and sheet of waxy cloth were Winter Bloom's only shelter from the elements, but as tired as she was, she suspected that she could fall asleep on the barren ground. Not good. I've got to be able to stay awake for my watch tonight.

Winter Bloom made a futile attempt to wipe some of the mud off of her hooves before she settled down on her mat, and before laying her head down, she took an equally futile look about the surroundings. A heavy fog had moved into the area since the rain started tapering off, and working in concert with the fading light, it prevented her from seeing more than a few pony lengths in any direction. At least it'll be hard for anything to spot us too.

As if on cue, the silence was broken by a blast of music. Quickfire had turned on an old music player as loud as it would go, and whatever protection the dark of night provided was stripped away by an old coffee tin filled with liquid fuel. Winter Bloom resisted the urge to rub her eyes with muddy hooves, but she couldn't help but stare in shock as Quickfire and River Bolt pulled out bottles of something hard and started whooping and shouting along with the lead vocalist of the frantic guitar and drums monstrosity.

"Shouldn't we stay quiet and try to get some sleep?" Winter Bloom found herself nearly shouting to be heard over the racket.

While Quickfire moved to turn down the volume on the music, a little, River Bolt laughed and waved her hoof to dismiss Winter Bloom's concerns. "Didn't I say you need to relax? Relax already." River Bolt popped the cap off her bottle and took a swig before continuing, "Besides, this'll scare all the wasteland critters away."

"And it'll let Gawd and her mercenaries know where we are." Quickfire had a smug grin on his face, as he stalked his way around the fire and came head to head with Winter Bloom. "You wouldn't want them thinking you were a spy."

Winter Bloom tried her best not to look intimidated, but she ended up shrinking back anyways. "Um. I guess not."

She could tell that Quickfire was trying to get a reaction out of her, but she couldn't figure out exactly what or why. Before she could decide whether standing up to him would earn respect or a hoof to the jaw, River Bolt caught his attention. "Oh, and don't forget the best part. Since this is Gawd's turf, if we get killed, she'll get in trouble for it! Ha!"

Quickfire laughed along with the apparent joke and trotted back over to his own bottle. "Buck Gawd, and buck Deadeyes and Topaz too. Out here, we get to do what we want to do." He picked the bottle and drained it down without stopping for breath. "Ah, I have been waiting for this. If you don't like it, Little Bloom, you can go keep watch with Summer Wish. She's better at that anyways."

Winter Bloom glanced over at Summer Wish, who was sitting near the edge of the rocks on her own little mat, staring off into the fog with an expression on her face that suggested she was contemplating murder.

Turning away, Winter Bloom decided not to push her luck any further on the first day, her own weariness drawing her head inexorably down to sleep. I spent a year keeping my head down and staying out of the way to get here, I'll have another chance get on their good side tomorrow.

She adjusted her saddle bags so that she wasn't lying on anything big, but she didn't bother readjusting her spear. Compared to the uneven rocky ground biting into her side, she barely noticed the wooden pole, and on some level, keeping it close was a comfort. Even with the jarring music, her companions' laughter, and the ever-present clammy dampness that seemed to infiltrate everything and everywhere, Winter Bloom found herself drifting off to sleep.

*Thum thathum* *Thum Thathum*

Winter Bloom awoke with a start. Her eyes flew open but she quickly froze in place. Already the memories from that same old dream were swept up in the sudden panic of waking up someplace unfamiliar. Looking around as best she could without moving her head, she could see the fog had grown even heavier as the night waxed ever colder. She could see the coffee tin, no longer shooting flames out the top, but still lit by an inner fire. The sound of music and chatter, more subdued and perhaps a little slurred reached her ears and finally she remembered where she was.

*Thum thathum* *Thathum Thathum*

A faint tremor coursed through the rocks underneath her, traveled from her hooves, up her legs to her spine, and with her head still lying against the ground, an unfamiliar sound blossomed in her ear. The hairs on her back stood up, and she felt a sudden, inexplicable fear.

Whatever weariness she had felt before was replaced by the prickling of adrenaline under her skin and she bolted upright. "Did... Did anyone else hear that?!"

Caught in the middle of a yawn, Summer Wish rose to her hooves and started a slow pirouette, trying to get a sense of something, anything at all through the fog. Quickfire, contrary to his namesake, took time in pulling his rifle out, holding it unsteadily in his telekinesis.

River Bolt just blinked in surprise. "Huh? Hear what?"

"I thought I heard hoofsteps." Winter Bloom glanced around nervously as she readjusted the balance on her saddlebags with one hoof.

"You thought? Are you sure it wasn't..." Quickfire was getting ready to work himself into a full blown rant, but Summer Wish cut him off with a sharp hiss.

"Shut up! I hear it too. Something's coming, big. Damn, where is it?"

*Thumtha-thumtha-thum*

The sound was clearly audible, getting louder and closer. Winter Bloom tried pressing the fear down to the bottom of her stomach as she looked around in a frantic attempt to figure out which direction it was coming from, but it echoed off the nearby rocks, and seemed to be coming from everywhere at once.

Whether by chance or some unconscious intuition, Winter Bloom turned her head just in time to see a massive silhouette materialize in the fog. Whatever it was, it was moving fast, charging straight at Summer Wish, who was looking the other way leaving her flank unguarded. Before she could even discern what it was, Winter Bloom's hooves were in motion, trying to close the gap before the thing could reach her teammate.

Hooves not yet firmly planted, spear halfway in position, Winter Bloom was thrown backwards as the creature made contact with the spear tip, still held in place by a strap around the barrel of her chest. The creature shrieked and roared in pain as the spearhead pierced its hide, and twisted violently, trying to shake Winter Bloom off.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Winter Bloom, and her surroundings disappeared. She didn't notice the creature knock over the coffee can, spilling burning oil across the campsite, but in the sudden burst of light she could at least see the creature clearly. A giant, furious rad-hog, at least twice as tall as any pony.

After being tossed to one side like a rag doll, Winter Bloom hit the ground hard and she felt herself being dragged for a short distance before the butt of her spear caught in a rocky crevice. The sudden stop wedged the spear further into the thick mass of muscle between the creature’s shoulder and jaw, and it roared out in pain again.

Winter Bloom could feel the tension in the spear shaft as it reverberated through her side, she could feel every little stop and start as it began working its way out of the crevice. With it, came the realization that she hadn't yet been trampled to death, and so she scrambled to keep the spear held in place. Wedging one hoof into the crevice behind the spear, she stopped it from slipping, but moments later she heard the crack of splintering wood. With time running out, she reached down to try to unhook the belt clasp that was trapping her in place.

"Hold it steady, will ya?" Winter Bloom barely heard the voice beside her over the creature's furious wailing, but even that was drowned out by the ear splitting thunder of gunfire.

*k-krak krak krak*

A salty tinge of red mixed in with the already misty fog as the massive rad-hog cried out one last time and toppled over. The spear trembled in her grip. Dutifully and without complaint, it gave its all, then snapped in half as the creature slammed into the ground next to Winter Bloom.

Although the whole ordeal had felt like an eternity, it had only taken a few seconds. River Bolt and Summer Wish hadn't even the time to unholster their weapons.

Quickfire let out a victorious shout and went over to hoof-bump River Bolt, but in their inebriated state they missed on the first two attempts, and burst out into laughter on the successful third try. "That's what you get when you mess with us!"

“Yeah, don’t mess with us!”

Winter Bloom worked back to her hooves and forced herself to look away from the wall of gnarled hide in front of her, while the world stopped spinning. Coming down from the rush, she still managed to feel a sliver of surprise when Summer Wish walked up to her with a genuine smile on her face.

"Thank you..." Words didn't come easily to Summer Wish, but she pressed on anyways, "You saved my life."

Almost instinctively, Winter Bloom shook her head. "It wasn't anything special. I didn't really have time to think."

Winter Bloom frowned as she tried to remember what happened. None of it seemed real, and if it weren't for the ache in her rump where she was slammed into the rocks and the dull throb of spent adrenaline, she might have been able to dismiss it as nothing but a nightmare. She replayed the fight once again in her head, but it seemed just as unbelievable as the last time. Why... Why did I rush in like that?

"Well, thanks anyway..." Summer Wish had an understanding smile on her face, but there was a faint note of melancholy still clinging to her voice. "Whatever you did, you did good. On your first time out, too."

"Hey heeey!" Before either of the two could say anything more, Quickfire staggered back over to Winter Bloom and sent Summer Wish retreating back to the sidelines. "I knew it. I knew it all along, you're gonna work out just fine. Hey, did you see me take the shot? It was all *bam bam* and it was like, 'I'm done.' Ha!"

Winter Bloom hadn't really been paying attention to Quickfire at all, but she nodded along hesitantly. The smell of alcohol on his breath adding a bit of nervousness to the whirlwind of emotions already running around her head.

"And just look at this thing. Tomorrow, we can make a quick detour by a griffon outpost. They'll pay big caps for this sucker, and I'll make sure you get a few, don't you worry." Besides just being drunk, Quickfire gave Winter Bloom the impression that he was talking past her more than to her. She hadn't been worried about getting a fair share until he mentioned it, but suddenly Hazel's warning from earlier in the day came back to her.

"Well, if we're going to carry this thing, maybe we should get some sleep?" Winter Bloom finally willed herself to look at the creature again, taking in its size, its look, and inescapably, its smell. It was bigger than all four of them put together.

"Hey, if you can keep spotting things in your sleep, you can have all the sleep you want." Quickfire gave Winter Bloom an uncomfortably firm slap to the withers with one hoof. "Just don't forget to grab your spear. Who knows if there's any more of these things out here."

"About that." Winter Bloom took a step back, her ears downturned. "It kinda broke. I'm sorry."

"Haha! Don't worry about it. That was just a piece of junk anyways. Here, you can take my lance. Now that I know it won't be wasted in your hooves."

"Oh? I thought you knew all along." River Bolt's voice echoed out from somewhere on the other side of the carcass.

"Shut your mouth!" Quickfire hurried away to strike up a heated argument between himself and River Bolt, interrupted frequently by laughter and juvenile name calling.

Winter Bloom stood and stared at the giant creature for some time, trying to sort out the jumble of emotions she was feeling. She felt relieved and glad to be alive, thrilled by her victory, although the thrill was slowly fading. There was some elation from being praised, along with some embarrassment from the fact that she still couldn't explain why she put herself in harms way like that. I saved Summer Wish, but was that really it?

Staring the creature in its lifeless eyes, Winter Bloom felt a swell of anger too, but the more she looked, the more pathetic it looked, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity as well. It tried to kill us, it's just nerves. I can't let this get to me. Everypony else can do it, I can too.

As the last slivers of the overturned fire died out, Winter Bloom sat back down and to her own surprise, drifted off to sleep again.

Woken up several times during the early morning to gunfire and bloatsprites who had been attracted to the increasingly horrid stench, Quickfire set everyone back to marching as soon as the faintest glimmer of light started filtering through the clouds. Winter Bloom got a chance to test out her new lance as she sliced up a pair of old, dead trees to use as a sled for dragging the rad-hog's corpse along with them.

The rains had stopped though, and the fog that obscured the night was beginning to lift. While the ground was still muddy, it was slightly easier to walk across it. That and the occasional strain of unicorn telekinesis made dragging the sled possible at all. They still had to go around each and every stony obstacle in their path, but true to Quickfire's word, there was a griffon mercenary outpost nearby.

Winter Bloom had never seen many griffons up close, and Quickfire had insisted that he be the only one to do any of the talking, so once again it was her job to keep her head down and stay out of the way.

Still, she couldn't help but smile and wave at a small group of griffons who had been watching her off to the side, apparently tasked with doing the same thing she was. One of them smiled back and more than one scowled, amongst other mixed reactions. After that, Winter Bloom endeavored to pass the time by carefully studying the patterns in the mud at her hooves.

As they left, saddlebags a little bit heavier with supplies, Winter Bloom looked back to see the griffons already getting to work carving up the beast. She didn't look back a second time.

No longer dragging a massive weight behind them, the group began covering ground at a casual pace. Quickfire and River Bolt kept right on chatting about nothing in particular, and Winter Bloom was surprised to find Summer Wish walking alongside her.

"Hey. I wanted to say thanks again for saving my flank last night." Summer Wish had a tired smile on her face as she spoke. "Its been a while since I've seen somepony jump in front of an oncoming train like that, and you pulled through without a scratch."

"Well, if Quickfire hadn't stepped in, it might have turned out differently." Winter Bloom looked down at the ground as the same confusing mix of pride and uneasiness welled up from her heart again.

"I suppose those two aren't completely useless. Most of the time though, I do the hard work, and Quickfire gets all the credit. I guess that's just how life goes, huh?"

"I'm not sure I want that kind of credit." It was only after she blurted it out that Winter Bloom wondered if she was leaving herself exposed by talking about feelings she didn't understand herself.

Summer Wish made a faint chuckle and shook her head. "Don't say that out loud then. The wasteland might be listening."

Winter Bloom and Summer Wish chatted for a while, the topic drifting to trivial past experiences, but it didn't take long for them to reach a rain swollen river at the border of Topaz's domain. The river made for an impressive natural barrier to anyone without wings, and they had to work their way along the riverbank until they came across an old pre-war bridge that was still mostly intact. After spending a long time watching for any signs of an ambush waiting on the other side, they crossed one at a time. Winter Bloom could feel the bridge swaying ominously under her hooves as it was battered by the flood waters, but it managed to hold together.

Once on the other side of the river, much to her surprise, the chatter from Quickfire and River Bolt died out, and they managed to look serious. Winter Bloom tried to follow Hazel's advice, and never stopped watching her surroundings, but as the day dragged on, she found it increasingly difficult to stay alert and focused. Occasionally her mind would drift back to the night before, and she would redouble her efforts, but it seemed that for a second day in a row, there was nothing to see.

The most exciting find of the day was a discarded tin can, which looked like it was only a few days old. Summer Wish still made a point to note when and where they found it, but with the recent rains, any hope of finding some tracks had been thoroughly washed away.

Daylight was bleeding fast as the recon party slipped through an underpass and started heading towards a nearby farmstead. Winter Bloom felt a wave of unease wash over her when she saw a light coming from inside the house. She looked to her companions, but none of them seemed very concerned. Quickfire looked the most anxious of the three, which wasn’t much, and Summer Wish looked away indifferently.

"Hey..." Winter Bloom spoke quietly, trying to get her companions' and no one else's attention. "I don't remember any settlements on our route, I think we might have taken a wrong turn."

"Just a little detour. Don't worry about it." Quickfire spoke in a more conversational tone. "As long as you don't do anything stupid, that is."

Summer Wish moved up alongside Winter Bloom and whispered in an almost resigned voice. "Whatever happens, just try to roll with it, alright? This'll be over before you know it."

Winter Bloom got the feeling that they were trying to be reassuring, but there was some unspoken subtext that she couldn't quite put her hoof on, and it ended up putting her even more on edge. The fact that everyone else calmly drew their weapons didn't help, and she quickly followed suit. The grip had a vaguely bitter, dusty tang, but the apparent looming danger pushed such trivial concerns aside. Not like there's anything in the wasteland that doesn't taste awful.

With every step towards the old, patched up farmhouse, the tension grew, and one horrible possibility after another ran through her mind. But when Quickfire opened the door with a flare of unicorn magic and casually walked inside, the most horrifying fears faded away. Though no longer worried that some monster might be waiting for them inside, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was still very wrong.

The four ponies quietly filed into a sparse, but clearly lived in entryway, then spread out as they moved into the living room. A single earthpony stallion sat on a patched up old sofa, and with old steely eyes, he stared at Quickfire contemptuously.

"I was wondering when you'd show up next, Quickfire." The stallion spoke in a measured tone, but a hint of anger worked its way into his voice anyways. "Still alive and kicking, I see."

"Don't get your hopes up Iron Sight, I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, and since you aren't either, I expect you to make good on our deal." Quickfire spoke with the same false sincerity that Winter Bloom saw earlier, when he was dealing with Hazel, making the two ponies' dislike for each other clear.

Winter Bloom took a step back, trying not to freeze up, get in anypony's way, or otherwise mess everything up like she was warned against. She turned her head to Summer Wish pleading for help with her eyes, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, Summer Wish cut her off with a stern glare and a slow, deliberate shake of her head.

When Quickfire called out her name, it was a jolt of electricity. "Winter Bloom, you can handle yourself in a fight. Why don't you keep an eye on him while we look around? Make sure he doesn't try anything. Don't let his looks fool you either, he's a tricky one."

She hastily nodded and the other three ponies split up, working their way through the house. Quickfire rummaged around the living room for a little while, searching under and inside furniture for something, while Iron Sight tried tried talking him out of it, though his voice was too angry to be pleading. "I'm telling you, I've got nothing."

"Then you won't mind us taking a look around, will you?" Quickfire made one final jab before walking into the kitchen.

Alone in the living room with a total stranger, Winter Bloom found Iron Sight's baleful stare directed squarely at her. It felt as if a physical weight were pressing against her, and she had to remind herself to push back, standing up tall and holding her ground. I can't just move out of everypony's way forever. I have a responsibility to... well, maybe they're my friends. They're helping me.

Winter Bloom held her lance at the ready, but uncertainty was still written across her face. The sounds of something being overturned upstairs caught her attention and with it came a realization. Are we... Are we robbing this pony?

"You've already taken everything else..." Iron Sight leveled the accusation straight at Winter Bloom. "What is there left to take? Are you going to take my life, or just leave me for the wasteland to finish off?"

"I'm really not trying to..." Winter Bloom tried to speak, but her words were badly muffled by the grip held between her jaws.

Before she had the chance to try again, River Bolt's voice called out from a nearby room, "I found it! A false panel in the bottom drawer."

Winter Bloom turned her head for a split second, and in that moment, Iron Sight lunged from his seat, straight at her. Moving reflexively, she turned her head and bit down on the grip. The tip of her magical energy lance sparkled to life with a neon pink glow, and sank deep into her attacker's chest. Anger mixed with pain as his eyes went wide, and then lost their focus entirely. Winter Bloom pulled back, trying dislodge her lance and get some distance. But as soon as he was no longer propped up, Iron Sight crumpled to the ground, and the smell of burnt flesh assaulted Winter Bloom's nose.

Loosening her grip on the lance, the tip winked out with a sizzle of vapor, but she held its sharp point out in front of her cautiously. Iron Sight didn't move though, didn't even breath in or out. She stared in disbelief, and before the fatal implication had a chance to sink in, whether it was seconds or minutes she wasn't sure, Quickfire and River Bolt walked back into the living room.

"What was that you were saying about not having..." Quickfire's triumphant speech trailed off as he surveyed the scene, but instead of looking dismayed, his smug grin made a comeback. "Daaaamn. You really bucked him up. Did he try to run, or pull some kinda trick, what’d he do?"

Winter Bloom couldn't find her voice, so she simply nodded along with Quickfire's last guess, replaying that moment over again in her head. If I hadn't looked away...

River Bolt slapped a hoof across Winter Bloom's withers and chuckled, "That's what you get when you mess with us. Course, no one ever learns."

The sudden jolt brought Winter Bloom back to reality and she carefully slipped the lance back into place under the strap of her saddlebag, giving her a chance to talk without a grip in the way. Winter Bloom felt a nervous smile creep onto her face unbidden as it became clear that everyone else in the room seemed happy about the unexpected turn of events. "Yeah, heh. I guess."

"Well, we got what we came for, but now that this old nag isn't around to complain..." Quickfire gave Iron Sight's corpse a little nudge with one hoof, and Winter Bloom felt her stomach lurch to see the way it flopped limply onto its side. "...we might as well help ourselves to the rest. Take whatever you like."

"I think I'll go look around outside..." Winter Bloom didn't wait for a response before turning and heading back out into the twilight.

Moving unsteadily, she tried to banish the memory of the accusing look in his eyes, the pained faraway stare, and she realized she couldn't tell if she was remembering his eyes, or her parent's. What color were they?

She had only just made it around the corner of the farmhouse when her stomach lurched again and she was forced to stop. Moments later, she painted the dirt outside the now abandoned home with all that was left of her dinner.

The urge to run pressed at the back of her thoughts, but a heavier weight held her in place. The feeling wasn't like loss, she had lost enough friends and family to know that, although it threatened to overwhelm her all the same. Whatever it was, it hurt, and she knew she wanted the feeling to go away. This has to be a dream. There's no way this is real. Please, let me wake up. Wake up.

Before she could compose herself, she felt the presence of somepony standing behind her. Wiping her mouth with a foreleg, she turned to see Summer Wish watching her with an expression that might have been sympathetic, if it wasn't also disappointed.

"It'll get easier for you, trust me." Summer Wish looked down at Winter Bloom, but there was a gentleness in her voice. "You've got to try to get used to it. If you don't, well... You're a nice pony, and this world isn't kind to nice ponies. I know."

Winter Bloom turned away, unable to look her in the eye. "How? How am I supposed to that?"

"I don't know, maybe you can tell me once you figure it out." Summer Wish shrugged and turned to leave. "Just remember, it's us or them out here."

Standing alone, Winter Bloom eventually found the strength to move again, but since she had nowhere to go, she just walked back to the front of the farmhouse and waited.

Winter Bloom stared up towards the sky and the setting sun. That was what her parents called it anyways, but it didn't look anything like the sunsets she read about in the old books. Somewhere beyond those clouds was a great, warm disk of the purest light, but all the could see was an intimation. If it didn't light up the sky, it might as well have been a shadow, for all anyone on the ground could tell.

It didn't feel right to her. Nothing felt right. Sitting outside on her own, more or less, the certainty that gave her focus the morning prior was as obscured as the sun. Is this really my destiny, or is there something else that I'm supposed to be? Is there a better world out there, just beyond the clouds, or am I just kidding myself?

She turned her head to look at her cutie mark, but stopped herself. What am I thinking? Nothing's changed, and it's covered up anyways.

"Alright, we want to get back across the river before we camp for the night, so lets make some tracks." Quickfire caught Winter Bloom's attention as he pushed his way through the front door, and the others followed close behind.

Leaving the farmhouse behind, the group of ponies worked their way back to Topaz's territory. Once again Winter Bloom fell into a monotonous pace. Once again, the journey proved uneventful, and once again, she tried to focus on keeping track of her surroundings. But the memory she was trying to avoid was very different than the one she left Shattered Hoof with.

Hazel was gone by the time Winter Bloom got back to Shattered Hoof, and bringing dinner to Tail Wind was a short and awkward effort. Winter Bloom tried to put on a smile, but the whole time she felt like Tail Wind was looking past her facade, watching and judging.

After exchanging pleasantries, she made up an excuse to leave, and that was how she ended up in the mess hall with a little tin cup of apple whiskey in front of her.

"Hey, there you are!" Rosebud had a great big grin on her face as she sat down next to Winter Bloom. "Celebrating your big win, eh? Everypony's talking about it, you know."

"Heh, yeah right. More like Quickfire's enjoying the sound of his own voice, I bet."

"You can believe whatever you want." Rosebud turned up her nose in mock indignance. "If you ask me, you should seize the moment. You're much too humble for your own good."

A part of Winter Bloom wanted to set the record straight, wanted to explain how she really felt, but her drink left her with a warm and comforting feeling, like an old blanket, and for the moment her concerns felt small and far away. Instead, she just shook her head gently and took another sip. When she turned toward Rosebud to reply, she spotted Misty Blue and Chase walking in their direction, and she braced herself.

"Don’t think you’re anything special, and don’t think you have to like it." Misty Blue didn't pause, she just said her piece and kept right on walking.

"What was all that about?" A suddenly confused Chase asked as he followed Misty Blue to the far side of the mess hall.

"I guess ponies really are talking about it." Winter Bloom could hear the resignation in her own voice as if someone else was talking, as she turned back to her drink.

"Hey, don't get all mopey on me now." Rosebud gave Winter Bloom a playful jab to the shoulder, "This is a good thing. Seriously, I'm a little bit jealous. Being able to kick flank and take names, that'll win anypony respect."

"Respect, huh." Winter Bloom looked at her now empty cup and moved to stand up. "I'm getting another, you want anything?"

"Oh, no you don't. You're the one celebrating here, the next round is on me."

Winter Bloom and Rosebud's celebration when on into the night, growing in size as River Bolt and Summer Wish showed up, and growing in volume as the drinks piled up. As the night went on, her concerns slowly fell by the wayside, but even the jokes and the laughter didn't banish them completely.

Author's Note

The line between slice of life and adventure seems a little bit blurry in a setting where daily life can involve life or death struggles.

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 3

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 3
"There I stood upon the mountain, with all the world below to see. I felt not like a giant. I felt very small."

"...And on this spot, we consign Tail Wind's memory to the pages of history. May his soul rest in peace."

"An empty spot of dirt and a metal pipe. *sigh* How is it that this is all that's left of Tail Wind's life?"

"There's more than that, you know. There's you, you're his son, and you and Winter Bloom turned out alright, right? That counts for something."

"Thanks..."

"He was a good stallion, Hazel. Even though life dealt him a bad draw, he never gave up. But at the same time, I know he wanted you to be able to live your own life, not to be stuck caring for him forever. Going peacefully in his sleep, that's better than most ponies can ask for."

"Oh, Winter Bloom, is there anything you want to say? I..."

"This... isn't the first time I've lost family, and it still isn't easy. All the ponies who said he was useless, that he was a waste of space because he couldn't walk. They didn't realize how lucky they were. I... I'm sorry."

Solemn silence hung in the air between Winter Bloom and Hazel as they walked back to the compound. Winter Bloom had a lot of things on her mind, but she felt she could work through them herself. She was certain that Hazel was taking his father's death harder than she was. Having lost family before, the coldness gripping her heart was familiar, but Tail Wind wasn't her real father. Even though she knew he had tried his best, there was no replacing the real thing. Every time she thought that she had it easy compared to Hazel, she immediately felt guilty. This isn’t a contest… Could I have tried harder?

Inevitably, such thoughts brought her back to the things she had been doing while out on patrol. She never talked with Tail Wind about them, and he never asked, though she was certain he knew she was holding back. At the time, she thought that it was for the best, but now that he was gone, she found herself wishing that she had asked him for advice. And now I can't...

Making their way to the mess hall for dinner, Winter Bloom was eager for the chance to take her mind off of unpleasant thoughts. When River Bolt waved her over to sit with a small group though, she wasn't sure if company would be a good alternative. Promise me you won't forget how to smile. Hrmm, I shouldn't need to remind myself to smile for my friends. What is wrong with me?

Wellspring and Rosebud had been sitting close together, but when Winter Bloom approached, Wellspring quickly finished the last of his food and excused himself. Winter Bloom couldn't really blame him for not wanting to get on Limelight's bad side, she knew what it was like. Thankfully, Rosebud and River Bolt didn't seem to mind, and Summer Wish was her usual distant self.

"How are you getting along, Hazel?" River Bolt spoke with a casual tone, the kind one would use to discuss the weather.

"I'll live..." There was an edge of anger in Hazel's voice, but it wasn't directed at River Bolt, "But still, it pisses me off that they won't even tell me what they did with the body. That just ain't right."

"It was a shame." Rosebud spoke up reassuringly, after finishing an apple slice. "But it's the same thing that happens to everypony who dies in Shattered Hoof. They all disappear without a trace. I'm sure it's nothing personal."

"Maybe they don't want to spread disease or something." Winter Bloom nibbled at her own meager can of apple slices, not feeling thrilled by the topic of conversation.

"I hear Mr. Topaz sells them to the griffons, so they can eat 'em." River Bolt's little smirk was a sign she knew she was pressing buttons.

"Well, I hear that they're used to make more healing potions. Certainly that isn't such a bad thing." Rosebud took the bait.

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever..." River Bolt was in the middle of what was sure to be an irreverent masterpiece, but Winter Bloom thumped her hoof against the table and cut her off.

"Can we not do this right now?" Winter Bloom held the hoof up to her forehead and closed her eyes with a sigh. "Look, it's a little bit too soon. Sorry. Can we maybe talk about something else?"

"Did you hear the latest news from DJ Pon3?" Summer Wish spoke up quietly, not bothering to look up from her meal.

"Whoa, she does speak!" River Bolt chimed in with mock disbelief.

"The one about the Stable Dweller that went and gave Red Eye a black eye before taking a dive off a cliff?" Hazel jumped in, apparently happy to switch topics too.

"Yeah, that's the one." There was a hint of disappointment in Summer Wish's voice, "Sounded like a decent pony, and it would have been nice to have someone distract Red Eye for a while longer, can't be long now before he makes a move."

"Or, maybe she was just nuts." Winter Bloom's remark got an approving nod from River Bolt but a confused look from Hazel and Summer Wish, so she continued. "I mean, anypony who thinks it's a good idea to go blasting their way across the wasteland, claiming to be some sort of Heroine from the Stables, or whatever, isn't exactly right in the head if you ask me."

"And all the ponies she saved?" Hazel pressed the question with an intense look.

"Sure, she might not be all bad, don't get me wrong." Winter Bloom held up a hoof defensively, "But you remember how well that other heroine from the stables turned out. Even the DJ says that every hero falls eventually, so I don't know why he was getting his hopes up."

"I dunno, you're always helping ponies out around here, Winter Bloom. Maybe you'd better be careful too." Rosebud said it as a joke, and even got a chuckle out of River Bolt.

Winter Bloom took a deep breath, gave Rosebud a deadpan stare for a few seconds, then very deliberately turned her head and changed the subject again. "So, Bolt. Do you know when we're going out on patrol next? I haven't heard anything in days."

"I don't know either." River Bolt shrugged, appearing unconcerned. "Deadeyes is being real tight lipped lately, I can't get anything out of him. How about you Hazel?"

Hazel set his jaw and pressed his lips together into a thin line, which caused River Bolt to light up with excitement. "Ooooh, you do know something! Tell me, tell me, tell me, what's going on?"

"Yeah, I do know something. But I'd like to keep my head on my shoulders, so if Deadeyes doesn't want you to know, then I'm not about to piss in his coffee by telling you."

River Bolt slumped back and scrunched up her face into the sourest possible expression, which got a giggle out of Rosebud, who tried to change the topic yet again. "So... I hear they're gonna play an old film reel tonight, I think it's supposed to be the one about making weather in Cloudsdale. Are you going?"

Having finished his food, Hazel stood up onto all fours and shook his head. "I've got some work left to do tonight."

"Fair enough. Anyway, it was nice talking to ya again, Hazel." Rosebud nodded politely as Hazel started walking away.

"Likewise." Hazel stopped as he was passing by Winter Bloom and turned to her as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Winter Bloom, there's something I need to talk to you about. Could you come find me later? Maybe after the film, or something."

"Sure." Winter Bloom nodded, and watched as Hazel trotted out the door.

When she turned back to her other friends, she got a big, conspicuous wink from Rosebud. "So you're not a helpless little filly anymore, eh? What's the story between you two now?"

"Between us? Whaa-a?" Winter Bloom felt her face turning red and quickly dodged the question. "What about you and Wellspring? You two seem to be getting along pretty well these days."

With that, the discussion quickly became animated, as the three of them make a game out of poking fun at each other, while Summer Wish just rolled her eyes and quietly listened. They continued on like that until some ponies started setting up the projector and they had to move to a different table to get a better view of the film.

The film was as ridiculous as ever. No matter how many times she watched it, she still couldn't imagine a bunch of pegasus ponies up in the clouds crafting snow by hoof. Spending time with her friends did help distract her from sad thoughts, but it was only a temporary reprieve. She could distract herself and ignore them for a while, but that never made them go away. Seems they’re always waiting just around the corner.

Winter Bloom stepped lightly down the hallway in Hazel's cell block, not wanting to wake anypony who was already asleep, and as she got closer to her destination, she tried to focus on the present. Hazel seemed more like his usual self after the memorial service, but she wondered how he was really feeling. He was there for me, I need to be there for him.

The door to Hazel's room was open, and Winter Bloom peeked her head inside. Hazel was sitting on his bed with a clipboard and pen, writing something down with an intensely melancholy look on his face. Unlike his usual calm and collected self, she saw a sort of vulnerability in him that made her heart ache, and made her want to give him a great big hug.

Her hooves took a step forward before she even realized what she was doing, and then it was already too late to stop. Hazel noticed her and looked up, and she stepped forward and wrapped her forelegs tightly around his neck, pressing her cheek against the back of his mane. She hadn’t planned to do that, but when she realized what she’d done, she felt a flutter in her chest.

Letting go and pulling back, Winter Bloom was preparing to apologize for thoughtlessly barging into Hazel's personal space like that, but when she looked him eye to eye, there was no sign of anger. There was something else, somewhere between hope and pleading, but words failed her entirely. Before she had a chance to second guess herself, she closed her eyes and leaned forward.

Lips met and parted. Winter Bloom didn't know what to expect from a kiss, the taste wasn't exactly pleasant, but the texture and the gentleness were something else entirely. It felt good, and the ache in her heart was pushed away somewhere deep inside. She wanted to hold onto that feeling, but only a moment later, Hazel gently pushed her away.

"... We shouldn't. Neither of us really wants this." Hazel looked down, trying to hide the guilt written across his face.

"But... I thought we..." Winter Bloom felt like she'd just drawn a breath of freezing smoke, and the words choked up in her throat. "I thought you liked me, like you know..."

"I do. I do..." Hazel struggled to find his voice too, and Winter Bloom held her breath, waiting for him to say something, anything. "You're beautiful, and smart, and maybe we'd be a good match if only... Come with me, Winter Bloom. We can leave tonight. It's only a few days to Manehattan, and there's probably caravans running that we could join up with."

Time seemed to stand still as Winter Bloom tried to process what Hazel was saying. "You don't mean... You can't be serious. You're really leaving? B-but, what about our friends? We can't just abandon them."

Hazel wrapped a foreleg around Winter Bloom's shoulder and held her close, not daring to look her in the eye. "You see? We're just not going in the same direction, and if we get too close, I would have to stay. And I can't stay here Winter Bloom, and you can't leave. We both know it."

"I don't understand." Every time Winter Bloom felt like she could grasp what was happening, comprehension slipped out of her hooves. "Shattered Hoof isn't perfect, but they took us in when we had nowhere to go. We owe them..."

"You don't owe them anything! Except maybe a friendly smile. Not Deadeyes, not Mr. Topaz. They don't get a medal for not killing us." The harshness in Hazel's voice left as suddenly as it arrived. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm sorry."

Winter Bloom could feel tears building up at the corners of her eyes, and she started to get up, hoping to escape before they burst free.

"Wait. Please..." Hazel held her close again, and when she saw the tears already running down his cheek, she gave up trying to flee. "Please stay. Just like this... for a little while."

Leaning into the embrace, Winter Bloom rested her head on his withers. She listened to the sound of his heartbeat, the sound of his breath as it slowed and deepened, and smelled the unique combination of dirt, ash, and sweat that was unmistakably Hazel with each breath of her own. As their tears dried and they drifted off to sleep, Winter Bloom thought she heard a voice whisper, "You of all ponies, deserve a place to call home."

Diluted morning light pressed gently against Winter Bloom's eyelids, but when she lazily opened them, an unfamiliar sight jolted her wide awake. She hadn't been plagued by dreams the night before, but waking up in a vaguely familiar, yet unfamiliar place left her searching for danger.

Memories of the previous night returned to her slowly as she began to calm down. The room looked like her room, it was a cell and they all looked similar, none of her things were there because it was Hazel's room, but none of Hazel's things were there either. She felt the hairs on her back stand up as she looked beside her. Hazel was already gone, and in his place was a carefully folded slip of paper. Holding her breath, she carefully unfolded the note and read.

Winter Bloom, by the time you read this, I will already be gone. I am heading to Friendship City, where I aim to sign on with a caravan. If you should change your mind, look for me there. I'm sorry I couldn't stay any longer, but something big is going to happen in the next few days, and I need to stay ahead of it. Stay strong, stay safe, you deserve to be happy. I hope we will see each other again someday. Love, Hazel

Winter Bloom felt her face scrunch up into a scowl. She crumpled up the note and tossed it against the wall with all her strength. Being a piece of paper, it simply bounced harmlessly back onto the bed.

"Jerk."

Several minutes passed as Winter Bloom thought about what to do next, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew she wasn't going to go chasing after him. Instead, she un-crumpled the note, carefully folded it back up, and wedged it behind her ear. Then she got up and unlocked the cell door, determined to carry on the same way she always had. It's not the first time I've lost family...

What should have been an ordinary day, by Winter Bloom's estimation, started with a rude awakening and was only getting worse from there. When she left Hazel's room, she didn't get past the neighboring cell before she heard somepony calling out to her, "Hey, Winter Bloom. If Hazel isn't interested, I can show you a good time."

Shame and anger punctuated each hoofstep as she stormed out of the living quarters, and made her way to the mess hall. Damnit, they must have heard everything we said last night. Could today get any worse?

As if on cue, another stallion whose name she didn't even know, trotted up beside her. "I hear you're looking for a real stallion, so how about it, sugar cube?"

"You heard wrong. Go away." Winter Bloom scowled and picked up her pace.

The nameless suitor stopped following her, but he did take the time to call out, "Bitch!" before trotting away himself.

She was late arriving in the mess hall for breakfast, and there wasn't a lunch scheduled that day, so she was at least able to avoid the crowd. For once in her life, she found herself actually grateful for the Meal Mare's surly demeanor. Snickerdoodle placed a can, a biscuit, and a small packet of oats on the counter, one of the perks of being a scout. "Pears, biscuit and a ration. Next."

Winter Bloom felt a swell of empathy for the tired old mare, and though tired herself, her "Thank you," was as sincere as it had ever been.

She hoped that finding a seat in the corner would help ward off any unwanted company while she ate, and with the way she was feeling, any company promised to be unwanted company. Without any orders from the boss, she was planning to gobble up her food and then go hide in her room for the rest of the day. So when she saw Rosebud walking in her direction, she just closed her eyes and prayed. Please. I can't do this today. Can't I just have one day?

"Winter Bloom!" Rosebud had a hesitant smile on her face as she sat down at the same table. "I heard you went to see Hazel last night. So, what happened?"

"Nothing happened." Winter Bloom focused her attention on the pears, hoping that Rosebud would take the hint. She didn't.

"Did he shoot you down? ...Or did you shoot him down?" Rosebud continued on, not picking up any of the clues that Winter Bloom was trying hard to hide, and missing the hints she was trying to drop.

"I don't want to talk about it Rosebud." Winter Bloom groaned wearily.

"He... He didn't hurt you did he?" Rosebud misread Winter Bloom's expression and straightened up menacingly. "If he did, I'm gonna..."

"Will you just shut up!? He's gone, alright?" Winter Bloom hurried out of the mess hall, leaving Rosebud and a half eaten breakfast behind.

"Sorry I asked."

For Rosebud, Winter Bloom's words stung. She'd only been trying to help, but the burning indignation was tempered by an equally painful sense of guilt. Part of her wanted to chase after Winter Bloom and tell her off, tell her that's what you get when you care about someone, but as Rosebud watched Winter Bloom storm away, another part of her knew that she did care, and she couldn’t change that.

Scooping up Winter Bloom's uneaten food, she decided she would need to apologize, but only if she got an apology too.

Winter Bloom had been worried earlier that she might start crying in public, an unacceptable show of weakness in a place like Shattered Hoof, but as angry as she was, those worries were a distant memory. Feeling like a stranger in her own home, she tried her best to avoid running into anyone, especially anyone she knew.

"So, I heard Hazel tried forcing himself on you last night, and you had to fight him off. Weren't you into him, or are you into mares or something?" Summer Wish caught Winter Bloom completely by surprise, trotting up from behind while she was focused on avoiding any obstacles ahead.

"Arrr, for crying out loud. No! That's not how it..." Entirely too late, Winter Bloom noticed her friend's poorly concealed hope turn crestfallen, and a bunch of dots suddenly connected in her mind. "I... Sorry. I'm just not... I didn't realize you..."

"No. Its my fault, I shouldn't have thought..." Summer Wish looked absolutely mortified, and it was a bucket of cold water on Winter Bloom's anger.

The two of them trotted along side by side for most of the courtyard in awkward silence, but when they finally reached the cell block, Winter Bloom turned her head and grumbled. "I'd better go. I need to find a dark hole to curl up and die. Cry. Curl up and... ugh, forget it."

After the two parted ways, Winter Bloom walked through the familiar corridors towards her room, but they no longer provided any sense of comfort or security. Instead, they felt like they were boxing her in. She didn't even want to think about what kind of rumors were circulating about her, but she felt like the walls had eyes and ears.

She didn't pay much attention to the confused looks of ponies not used to seeing her so upset. Those few ponies who smirked at her and made cat-calls, they were hard to ignore. Most of the ponies didn’t treat her any differently though, and for once, she felt thankful for all the cold-hearted bastards who wouldn't have cared one way or another. At least they leave me alone.

Once Winter Bloom got to her room, she locked the door closed and threw herself onto her tattered old bed, and tried to hang onto the sliver of anger from earlier as if it might keep her afloat. They couldn't have at least waited a day? Summer could have said something before, it's not like I'm Hazel's property. I don't belong to anypony. ...I don't belong.

"Hey Winter Bloom, we got orders." It was River Bolt speaking through the door, but Winter Bloom didn't really hear what she said.

"That's too damn bad. I'm busy." Winter Bloom curled up in bed and tried to block out the world.

"Oh... kay then. I'll, uh, just come back in a few hours, and uh, we'll go from there. Ok? Good. Glad we could talk." River Bolt slowly backed away and left Winter Bloom to herself.

Finally alone, Winter Bloom found that she wasn't in much better company after all. She tried to think of anything other than the memory of Tail Wind's piercing stare, and once again her mother's words came back to her. Promise me you won't forget how to smile.

Only this time, there was no burst of courage and determination. The words simply rang hollow in the back of her mind. Why am I the one who always has to brighten every else's day? Don't I deserve a little happiness too?

Iron Sight's angry, accusing eyes stared back at her the moment she closed her own. She tried pressing her face into the mattress, as if that would block out the unwelcome memories, but her mind only jumped track to the memory of his lifeless body, flopping against the floor. Do I... Do I deserve this? Do I deserve to have friends?

The memories of snapping at Rosebud and Summer Wish drew in a pained breath. I do have friends that care about me, and look how I repay them. Why aren't they enough? What makes Hazel so special? They were trying to help, and I... I am a terrible friend.

Winter Bloom started out trying to think how she would approach her friends and apologize, but the fantasy quickly jumped the rails and before long she was envisioning herself rising up to lead Shattered Hoof, discovering lost magic to clean the wasteland, and locking away all the wicked ponies in a prison on the moon until they could learn the error of their evil ways. Slowly, the line between daydreams and dreams blurred away.

The sound of somepony knocking on her cell door jolted Winter Bloom from her sleep. She felt less terrible and more grounded, like a fog had been lifted. Her head was no longer a jumble of conflicting thoughts and feelings all vying for her attention simultaneously, and she immediately scolded herself for losing her composure. I can't be throwing tantrums like a little foal, and I can't go around feeling sorry for myself. As long as I'm alive, I can worry about everything else later.

The knocking rang out louder, accompanied by a familiar voice. "It's been a few hours. Do you need me to call the doc?"

Winter Bloom rolled out of bed and unsteadily lifted herself to her hooves. Seeing River Bolt standing in the doorway, she groaned and held a hoof against her face to prevent her brains from leaking out. "Uhg. Sorry about that, I'm feeling better now. What's going on?"

"Heh, don't worry about it." River Bolt laughed it off like nothing had happened. "I told Quickfire you were hurling in the bathroom, and he totally bought it. Just hurry and get suited up, we're on guard duty soon."

"Guard duty?" Winter Bloom blinked as tried to make sense of it. She had been on a few patrols, but scouts didn't usually get picked for guard duty. Although, with Red Eye breathing down our necks, everyone is getting nervous. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

"Yeah. Apparently there's going to be a live concert tonight and everyone's invited." River Bolt grinned at Winter Bloom's confusion and clarified "Yup, even the griffons. Everyone."

"You're pullin' my tail." Winter Bloom smiled nervously, waiting for the punchline.

"I kid you not. I swear, I heard Deadeyes talking about it, and he actually sounded excited." River Bolt shifted to a mocking impression, "If she's as good as advertised, I can't wait."

"Deadeyes? Excited? Now I'm really worried." Winter Bloom's nervous smile didn't fade, the cause of her anxiety just shifted around a little.

"Ha! That's more like it." River Bolt tapped her hoof on the bars again for emphasis. "Now grab you gear and get a move on. They're already getting things set up in the mess hall.

Tables and furniture were moved around, extra tables brought in for the big performance, and an early dinner was being served as the crowd started filing into the mess hall turned auditorium. Winter Bloom felt that she was once again playing an unfamiliar role, someone other than herself. Still accustomed to stepping out of the way, she was instead supposed to get in the way and order people around, telling them what to do and where to sit.

Unfamiliar as it was though, Winter Bloom found herself enjoying the opportunity to be someone other than herself, especially after the events earlier that day. Not that anypony made any comments about it this time, as far as she could hear. Instead, everyone was talking about this Velvet Remedy, and her supposedly amazing voice. Would she really hold a candle to Sweetie Belle? Easy come, easy go I suppose. I'll just have to try harder to stay out of the gossip circles from now on.

When she first regrouped with her team, Winter Bloom tried to apologize again to Summer Wish, but her friend acted like nothing happened and pretended she didn’t know what Winter Bloom was talking about. Not keen on another argument, Winter Bloom forced herself not to think about it. I can worry about that later, but for now, work.

Dinner was served, a surprisingly more generous meal than usual, and afterwards, those ponies and griffons with caps to spare bought drinks. Once everyone had settled down, the curtains opened and standing on the stage was a mare with charcoal colored fur, a bright mane, and a dazzling dress. A murmur rolled through the crowd like a wave, and Winter Bloom felt a twinge of jealousy, she was gorgeous. Most of the stallions and some of the mares are probably feeling a twinge of something else right now.

"How can I fix this? How many times must I try?
Please, this time, let me get it right..."

When she started to sing, everything else fell away. The murmuring of the crowd, now sitting in stunned silence, and Winter Bloom's own train of thought was replaced by an intense focus on the moment that was happening right in front of them. It was like something she'd heard on the radio, an echo of a better happier time, melancholy as it was, only it was happening right then and there. Not some distant past, but the present.

Winter Bloom felt something tug at her heart, and suddenly, tears were running down her face. For a moment, she didn't recognize the feeling, it had been so long since she felt it, that she couldn't remember the last time. Hope. Hope that maybe the next day would be better than the last.

When the song ended, Winter Bloom quickly glanced around for her friends, trying to see what everyone else thought of the performance and hoping that no one noticed her crying. She caught a glimpse of awe from the crowd, and more than one other pair of misty eyes, before the room erupted into cheers and applause. Winter Bloom could scarcely believe what she was seeing and hearing. Shattered Hoof, dreary, sarcastic, unfriendly, everypony-for-themselves Shattered Hoof was coming together to support something positive, something beautiful.

The second song was full of energy and passion, and roar of the cheering crowd only got louder. If Velvet Remedy had come along one day earlier, Winter Bloom might have been shouting along with everypony else, but today she was content to just sit back and smile. Buoyed by an almost tangible positive feeling surging throughout the room, the crowd was half the experience.

"...Don't be lazy; just go crazy!
Why don'tcha get that it's a PARTY?"

BLAM!! BLAM!! KRA-KATHOOM!!

The stage exploded, sending fire and slivers of wood in all directions. In an instant, hope turned to despair, despair was quickly shoved aside to make room for rage, but as she reached for her lance, a sudden realization stopped her. Rosebud was in the front row!

She rushed forward, pushing and shoving through the throng of ponies stampeding the other direction. Some of the guards were running out to fight, while almost everyone else was running for shelter.

She heard ponies and griffons shouting, some in panic, some trying to mobilize a coherent response, but generally failing. "It's the slavers! They're attacking early! ...Remember the plan, lure them into the courtyard. ...They're already coming in!"

When she finally reached the front, she saw carnage. Over a dozen ponies had been cut down in an instant, while others were still moaning pitifully and writhing on the ground. She wasn't the only pony to come to their aid, but there were far too many injured and far too few to help, if there was anything that could be done to help at all.

Winter Bloom saw Rosebud lying in a heap to the left of the stage, and hurried over to her, trying not to think about the bodies she was stepping over to get there. Rosebud was still breathing, unconscious, taking shallow, ragged breaths, but somehow still alive.

"Luna's unrequited generosity." Winter Bloom reached into her pouch and pulled out her healing potion. She realized she might have needed it later, but her friend needed it immediately.

As she forced the warm red potion into Rosebud's mouth, she looked around at some of the others nearby, she looked one stallion in his pleading eyes, but she only had that one potion. Winter Bloom furrowed her brow, trying to mask the worry that was worming its way around her. "Stay there, I'll get help."

Crouching down and grabbing hold of Rosebud's tail, she draped the still unconscious mare over her back and raced towards the infirmary, holding her fears at bay with a brand of burning anger. Whoever did this is going to pay!

On her way to the infirmary, Winter Bloom passed by a couple of ponies who were just standing around in a state of shock, rock breakers no doubt. She tried yelling at them, hoping to get some help moving the injured to the infirmary, but they paid her no attention and she didn't have time to stop. I just hope this makes a difference. Doc isn't the worst doctor in the world, but it would be nice to have someone with a gift for medicine.

The infirmary itself was already filled with ponies, most of them having dragged themselves in, but Doc was nowhere to be seen. The only pony that looked uninjured was Wellspring, and he was dashing back and forth, trying to help out, but looking entirely overwhelmed.

Winter Bloom gently slipped Rosebud onto the ground, in as comfortable a position as she could. To her surprise and relief, Rosebud opened her eyes, but Winter Bloom felt herself cringe when she noticed that one of those eyes was dilated wide, and the other was a normal. She didn't know what that meant, but something in her gut told her that it was very wrong. "Rosebud? Are you ok?"

"There's something I need to tell you." Rosebud's voice was weak. "You are a mean old hag that delights in ruining everypony's mornings with your incessant, demonic cheerfulness... But I think you're losing your touch, you look so sad."

Winter Bloom choked on a laugh that got caught in her throat. "And you're a wicked, evil mare, who likes to toy with the hearts of helpless little fillies."

"I brought your breakfast. You left it behind earlier." Rosebud was speaking in a daze, seemingly unaware of the screams and gunfire echoing through the open door.

"Nevermind that. I'm sorry. Just sit tight and rest, I need to get to work." Winter Bloom forced herself not to look at her friend as she stood back up.

She didn't want to leave her side but the thought of her other friends fighting the slavers out there, needing her help, spurred her along. She was about to make a dash for the courtyard when the memory of one stallion's pleading eyes, and her promise, pushed its way to the front of her thoughts. "*sigh* ...damnit."

Winter Bloom turned to Wellspring and shouted to get his attention. "Hey! Do you have any healing potions left?"

"Do I look like I have any bucking healing potions left?" Wellspring had a frantic look in his eyes as he tried to pull a piece of shrapnel out of an unconscious pony's leg.

"Bandages?" Winter Bloom was grasping for straws. She knew that the guards carried most of the healing supplies with them, and she would be hard pressed to find somepony willing to give theirs up, if they hadn't already used them.

"Here!" He tossed a small bundle of cloth across the room. Winter Bloom caught it, stuffed it in a pouch, and nodded in appreciation before galloping back to the mess hall.

Winter Bloom was almost to the mess hall, but when she turned the last corner she saw two griffons with talon markings on their armor, taking cover in the doorway. The one with brown feathers was sprawled on his back, wincing in pain as he rummaged through a satchel for something, while the one with grey feathers took potshots through the doorway with her rifle. Realizing the danger ahead, Winter Bloom skidded to a stop and ducked back behind the corner.

From that vantage point, Winter Bloom couldn't see much. The crowd had plenty of time to clear out by then, but the chaos from the courtyard had spilled inside to fill the space. She saw one Shattered Hoof guard pinned down behind the serving counter, but she couldn't get a clear view of anyone else, including the ponies near the stage. There's no way I can reach him like this, if he's even still there.

Her strategy suddenly felt like a losing battle, the wounded were piling up faster than she could reach them, and she wasn't sure if she could help them even if she did. As she tried thinking about her other options, she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she took a deep breath trying to shore up her courage. I'm not a coward, I'm not trying to avoid my responsibility. I'm not. I killed somepony before. I... I can do it again.

"Hey, Talons!" Winter Bloom called out the griffons, trying her best to sound confident. "There's a balcony over on the left, we might be able to use it to get behind them."

The griffon at the doorway gave Winter Bloom a quick glance out the corner of her eye. "Whoa there. There's no we in this plan. As soon as I get an opening, I'm getting out of this deathtrap and into the sky where I can move. Whose idea was to come in here anyways?"

"Don't start." The griffon on the ground growled, then pulled out a couple of pills from his satchel and swallowed them in one gulp. "If that sniper is still out there, you're going to have a real short trip."

Winter Bloom poked her head around the corner for a second, pulling back just as a bullet went zipping past her ear. The guard behind the counter hadn't moved. If I can just reach him, we could do... something.

"If you can give me cover, I'll try to return the favor. What do ya say?" Winter Bloom took another quick look, trying to determine the best path across the mess hall.

"I'd say you're crazy. But if you want to get yourself shot at, who am I to argue?" The griffon paused to reload her firearm, then gave Winter Bloom a nod.

Bolting into the open, Winter Bloom jumped the corpse of one of Red Eye's slavers, and made a sharp turn around a table. Out of the corner of her eye, another slaver leaned out from behind an overturned table and took aim, only to be thrown backwards, apparently hit by a long shot from the griffon. Several others saw her and opened fire, just as she was sliding to safety behind the sturdy metal fixture.

"Are you alright? We need to..." Before she could get started, Winter Bloom was interrupted by a terrifyingly loud noise.

Echoing off the stone walls from somewhere nearby, it was something she had never heard before, never even imagined before; a deep, furious roar that made her want to cover her ears. Moments later, a wave of flame burst over the countertop, followed by thick smoke and a swarm of glowing embers. The heat was a slap to the face, and even though she immediately slammed her eyes shut, they started to water anyways.

Screams of agony followed close behind, as ponies friend and foe alike were undoubtedly burning nearby. The guard pony and Winter Bloom were spared the worst of whatever just happened, but the smoke and heat were already threatening to smother them, protected by cover or not. Memories of being trapped in a hot, cramped space came rushing to the front of her thoughts, and her heart became a jackhammer.

"Run. Get out. Get out!" Her thoughts became the words on her lips.

Winter Bloom opened her eyes and looked out over the countertop, searching frantically for a way out. The way she came in was blocked by a burning table, and the exits weren't much better. On the opposite wall was a clear path to a flame free hallway, and without thinking, she jumped the countertop and galloped for the opening. Her panicked mind didn't stop to think why the burning debris had been pushed out of the way to make the clear path, and the faint voice pleading for her to wait didn't register.

Once she was away from the inferno, Winter Bloom's panic started to fade. She was working her way through a part of Shattered Hoof that she'd never been before, one of Deadeyes' restricted areas. The tunnels under Shattered Hoof were so much bigger than she thought possible, and after searching a while for another exit, she only found herself lost. Damn, this is getting worse by the minute. What if there was only one way out? I could be trapped down here.

She had felt a short lived flicker of hope when she came across a massive vault door, but with no way to open it, it was useless as a refuge for survivors, and any weapons inside might as well have been a pile of shattered hopes and dreams.

She was just passing by a familiar half collapsed section of tunnel when she heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from up ahead. With no way to know who it was, she pulled out her lance and held her breath. Whoever it is, there must be an exit that way.

Just then, someone stepped around the corner and she came face to face with a young mare in a vaguely familiar blue and yellow outfit. Dozens of thoughts and feelings raced through Winter Bloom's mind in the blink of an eye, shock, surprise, confusion, and the memory of Rosebud's wounded form, but were swept quickly away by one simple deduction. She's a stranger, she's not supposed to be here, she must be one of them!

"Wait..."

The short mare spoke, but Winter Bloom was already in motion. A quick thrust with her lance caught the stable dweller off guard, staggering into a nearby wall as the glowing tip glanced across the side of her neck. The mare cried out in pain and Winter Bloom felt her heart skip a beat to hear it. Taking a step back, Winter Bloom willed herself into motion, knowing that any hesitation could spell the end for her. She couldn't let herself fall for any tricks.

The stable dweller ducked underneath Winter Bloom's swing and tossed a set of saddlebags at her face with a quick burst of unicorn magic. Stumbling backwards, she felt a bubble of panic well up from her heart, and an old memory surfaced unbidden. Winter Bloom, taking cover in a tiny drainage ditch, watching a small unicorn standing over her mother's body, while Hazel prodded her to keep moving. It can't be the same mare. She died!

Winter Bloom quickly pushed her fear back down and focused on the mare in front of her. Whoever she is, she's still my enemy, and my friends are counting on me. Don't run away, not again.

The stable dweller had pulled out a wicked looking weapon of some kind while Winter Bloom was recovering, and had almost brought it to bear. Winter Bloom didn't recognize the specific model, but it appeared to be some kind of advanced magical energy firearm, and she didn't dare let the short mare get a shot off with it. Winter Bloom made a quick thrust at the mare's head, desperately hoping to end the fight quickly, but the mare deflected the blow with her own weapon. Adrenaline surged as yet another strike missed it's mark. She's too fast!

She reeled, putting her whole body into another swing. A fraction of a second too late, she realized her mistake as the stable dweller charged in close.

Winter Bloom felt something slam against her chest, knocking the wind out of her, and then a moment later she felt a strange pressure against her chest. When she tried to inhale though, her world was replaced with fire and agony. She opened her mouth to scream, but all that did was drop her lance to the ground, leaving her defenseless. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she'd been stabbed, but all she could do was push away, trying frantically to escape the sudden indescribable pain.

The stable dweller pressed forward with her though, twisting the wound deeper. Some thread inside her chest snapped, and suddenly her whole body turned against her. Every movement of her legs bundled up a new tremor of agony and clubbed her with it. After the first convulsing aftershock, all she could do was let herself go limp.

Stepping back, the short mare let Winter Bloom collapse to the ground. Moving and escaping were forgotten as she focused instead on breathing in and out, and even that simple task took effort. Winter Bloom looked up and saw the mare, covered in her blood, looking down with an unexpected expression. Is that pity?

Bracing herself against the pain of exertion, Winter Bloom drew another breath and tried to speak, but all she could manage was a weak whimper. "...I don't want to die..."

"It's too late. I'm sorry." The mare spoke in a soft voice, "I can't save you."

The short mare stepped over Winter Bloom and out of sight. She considered turning her head, not wanting to let her foe out of her sight, but didn't dare move so drastically. Instead she focused on applying pressure to the wound and listening to the mare's hoofsteps as she walked away. Moving her legs hurt more than she expected, but while the pain in her chest never dimmed, she realized she was also losing the feeling in her extremities.

A sudden shiver of cold worked up her legs, but was driven back by something warm and soft, gently pressing down on top of her. Winter Bloom didn't bother opening her eyes to see what it was, looking at things was only distracting her. Gotta apply pressure. Gotta. Pressure.

Steeling herself for the inevitable, she pressed against her chest, and the darkness spun in around her.

A glimmer of awareness dawned upon Winter Bloom as she heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching from somewhere far away. At least I won't die alone... Or am I already dead? Mom, dad, is that you? Is this real?

There was no reply, no sensation, but a familiar memory floated up to greet her. Promise me you won't forget how to smile.

The glimmer was fading, and darkness descended upon her one more time, but she had no good answer for herself. Mom... I think I made a mistake...

Author's Note

To be clear, this chapter draws heavily from Kkat's Fallout: Equestria. This was, in fact, the seed from which this entire story sprouted. The character of Winter Bloom, who was she, and why was she there, was the question that got stuck in my mind. I can only hope that the answers will prove interesting to you.

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 4

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 4
"I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too... And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that this cruelty shall end, and that peace and tranquility will return once again."

"Winter Bloom? Winter Bloom! Hey, she opened her eyes."

"Whoa, I'm coming. Winter Bloom, can you hear me? I need you to listen, ok? Just focus on breathing. Breath in, breath out. Damn, I don't think anyone's home upstairs."

"Hang in there, Winter Bloom, come on. You can do it."

"She's slipping again."

"Hey, wake up! You've gotta stay awake."

"Stop. ...I said stop! Shaking her like that's just going to aggravate her injuries."

"Sorry."

"Let her rest. She might pull through, or she might slip into a coma... I hope she's got some fight left in her, cause that could be what makes the difference now."

Darkness shrouded the edges of Winter Bloom's vision as she tried to open her eyes. There was a grey blob in front of her, or above, or below her, she couldn't tell which. All she could do was look straight ahead and guess what the fuzzy, indistinct shapes in front of her were. She didn't feel her eyelids as she tried and failed to open them wider, she didn't feel her ears when she tried to wiggle them, or her legs when she tried to move them. All she could feel was a throbbing ache coming from somewhere below her neck. She could hear voices, they sounded like they were coming from far away.

Inescapably clear however, was the smell, like rancid fruit mixed with urine. Holding her breath failed to block it out, and with every breath, Winter Bloom felt like she was expelling it from somewhere deep inside. No matter how hard she tried to force it out, there was always more to take its place, and a queasy feeling welled up alongside the stench.

Trying to move only amplified the ache in her chest, so she resigned herself to simply lying on her back, and after a while, she began to realize that she was lying on her back. Once the spinning started to subside, she tried opening her eyes again and was able to see that the grey blob was a concrete wall and ceiling, and the indistinct shapes were shelves.

Turning her head didn't hurt quite as much, so she looked over toward the sound of voices. A group of ponies was standing near a doorway, chatting dispassionately amongst themselves.

"What's going on?" Winter Bloom's voice was cracked and dry.

The three ponies stopped talking and slowly turned in her direction, taking a few moments to register what they were seeing. Once realization dawned on them, two of the ponies hurried over to her side.

"Welcome back." Hazel's unforgettable voice brought a smile to her face, and she realized he was smiling too.

"I was gone?" Winter Bloom didn't really remember going anywhere.

"Just about." Wellspring was standing next to her too, somehow looking nervous and relieved at the same time. "They say your heart stopped for a minute. You were lucky we had an expert at hoof's length back there. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

"That doesn't..." Winter Bloom started to dismiss the question, but as she thought about it, memories started drifting up to the surface. "...There was fire, and... we were attacked!"

Her memory of the stage exploding made her try to jolt upright, but before she even got a fraction of the way there, the pain in her chest flared up in opposition. Wellspring hurried to hold her in place. "Whoa, easy there. Easy. You're still hurt. It wasn’t the worst, but out of everyone that survived, you’re certainly healing the slowest. Just don't do anything to make it worse, ok? Everything’s going work out."

"How... How long was I out?" As the memories of that day started coming back more clearly, Winter Bloom finally started to comprehend what was going on.

"It's been days." Hazel spoke in a clipped voice, his smile replaced with a guilty look.

"You came back... for me?" Winter Bloom felt a flicker of warmth in her heart that helped dull the edge of the pain a little.

"Yeah. I stopped by one of the guard posts on my way out, you know, but there was no one home. I knew something was wrong so..." Hazel sighed as he switched tracks. "I thought you would be safe here, but I was wrong."

"But you did come back. You saved me, right?" Winter Bloom's memories of that day were getting clearer, but beyond a certain point she was still having trouble recalling anything.

"I'm sorry..." The guilty look on Hazel's face only deepened. "I wish I could say yes, but by the time I got back, it was already over."

"Then who?" Winter Bloom barely found her voice amidst her confusion.

"No one knows." Wellspring spoke up after Hazel hung his head in silence. "Someone dragged you to the rockyard, and by then, Velvet Remedy had organized a..."

"Velvet Remedy, the singer? She survived?"

"Yeah. I guess luck must have been on her side or something." Wellspring shook his head in disbelief as well. "Anyway, she helped patch you up once you got dragged out, but in the chaos, nobody remembers who did that. No one's taking credit either, and Hazel's been asking."

Winter Bloom replayed the memory a few times in her head, each time she was certain she saw the singer on stage blown to pieces. Did I blink and miss something? How could anypony survive that? Another memory pushed its way to her attention, the memory of a bloodied pony lying crippled on the ground, staring at her with pleading eyes.

"There was another pony, in the front row. Do you know if he made it? He, uh..." Remembering that there were at least a dozen ponies in the front row, Winter Bloom struggle what he looked like. "I think he had maybe green eyes?"

"That doesn't really narrow it down much." Wellspring tried his best not to sound condescending. "Maybe. You should have seen this place a few days ago, it was wall to wall in here with injuries."

"I know, but I need to find out." Winter Bloom knew she might not be able to recognize the pony if he walked right up to her, but that didn't change how she felt.

"What do you care?" The pony who had been standing in the doorway took that opportunity to speak up with a cynical barb. "You don't even know who it was."

"I just do." Winter Bloom looked over and realized that Limelight had been standing there the whole time. She felt a pinch of surprise, seeing her childhood bully wrapped in bandages from her neck to her shoulder, but surprise was quickly replaced by anger. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

Hazel twirled around to confront Limelight, but Wellspring quickly jumped in between the two. "Just give me a minute here, and I'll be along. Ok?"

Limelight rolled her eyes, turned her head, and walked out of the room without saying another word, leaving Wellspring standing there, scratching the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. "I don't blame you for hating her, and I uh, wouldn't blame you for hating me."

"It doesn't matter what I feel." Winter Bloom stared up at the ceiling, silently wishing him to leave. Wished for or not, Wellspring slipped out of the room, pausing only briefly to let her know he'd be back to check on her later.

Winter Bloom and Hazel waited in silence. The usual background noise of ponies hammering away at rocks outside was noticeably absent, and other than the sound of her breathing, it was quiet enough to hear the faint hum of the sparkle powered lamp sitting in the corner. Hazel pretended to busy himself with looking around the room, waiting for an opening that wasn't coming. Winter Bloom found herself wondering and dismissing a flurry of questions that she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answers to. What am I going to do now? Will I be able to... will I have to go back to guard duty? Who didn't make it?

"So, what happened to you? Do you remember?" Urged onward by curiosity, Hazel finally broke the silence.

"I'm... not quite sure. There was fire? And I think there was a pony..." Winter Bloom strained to remember what happened after the concert, but everything was a jumbled blur. "Uhg, I don't know. It happened so fast. At least, I think it did. What does it even matter?"

"I guess it doesn't. You're here, and you're alive. That's what matters." Hazel placed a comforting hoof on Winter Bloom's shoulder.

"What about you? You're here, but are you going to stay?" Winter Bloom looked away, not daring to hope.

"We can figure out what happens next once you're back on your hooves again." Hazel gently brushed Winter Bloom's mane out of her face, then stepped back towards the doorway. "I should go let the others know you're awake. We've all been real worried... Oh, I can get you some food too, you must be hungry."

Winter Bloom nodded her head, not willing to admit that she felt like throwing up instead of eating. She wanted to see her friends. Hazel stepped quietly out of the room, and Winter Bloom found herself trying to guess what each of her friends might say, as if imagining it might improve the chances of her friends walking through the door alive and well. Her imagination gradually gave way to dreams, as she drifted off to sleep.

Lying in bed for days got old quickly for Winter Bloom. Many of her friends would come and visit when they could, Rosebud and River Bolt stopped by frequently, and even a few people she didn't know very well stopped in to give their regards. She heard that Summer Wish was alive, even though she hadn't come to visit, and the few strangers who came by to gawk were easily ignored in light of the steadily growing pain in her chest. Wellspring was rationing her painkillers, giving her a little bit less each day, and she didn't want to think about what it would be like when they ran out.

Most of the time though, there was no one around and absolutely nothing to do but stare at the wall and wait for time to crawl by. Is this what it was like for Tail Wind? Every day exactly the same, just sitting and waiting.

Several days had already passed by when a distant rumble caught Winter Bloom's attention and rattled her bed. It was over too quickly to be thunder, though it was just as loud. A second rumble came only seconds later, and Winter Bloom realized what was happening. Explosives! We're under attack again. What do I do, is there anything I can do?

Winter Bloom tried calming herself down as the sounds of fighting got closer, and frantic, shouting voices echoed into the infirmary from the hallway. Carefully shifting her weight, she started scooting towards the edge of the bed. She wasn't sure where she would go, but she knew she didn't want to stay exposed and vulnerable, lying down in the open. I made it all the way to the bathroom yesterday... with Rosebud hanging onto me. I can reach something.

Pain flared through her body as she rolled onto her side and reached over the edge of the bed with her legs. After pausing for a few seconds to focus on breathing, waiting for the pain to subside, she pushed off the bed and stood up on wobbly legs. She didn't get more than a few steps before a nearby roar of gunfire, just outside the infirmary, broke her concentration. Staggering up against the wall, a fresh burst of pain sent her sinking to her knees.

Just then, two figures burst into the room, looking around frantically. They wore dark plated armor so masterfully sculpted, she couldn't see any gaps. At first she mistook them for griffons on account of their wings, and her eyes widened in shock when she realized they were ponies. Are these really pegasi, like in the old children's books?

One of them noticed her immediately. The dark, armored mask spoke malice and danger, but the voice behind it struck Winter Bloom as surprisingly vulnerable and almost frightened. "What tha blazes is this? A hospital? There ain't supposed ta be nothin' like this here. Intel didn't..."

"Damn the intel! You better fly straight if you wanna get out of this alive. Up ahead, that's our exit." Even muffled behind the mask, Winter Bloom easily picked up on the speaker's helpless rage.

The two were just moving past her when Winter Bloom heard another voice coming up behind them. "This way! Second door on the right."

One of the pegasi heard it too and twirled around. Pulling a small metal apple off their breastplate, the pegasus kicked it into the hallway then dashed for the other exit. "Chew on that, you catbird bastar..."

*F-THOOOM*

Winter Bloom managed to duck just as she saw a flash of green light, and watched as a nearby bed flipped on its side and rushed up to meet her, pinning her to the ground. Her mind barely registered the sound of buckling concrete over the the pain. The last thing she remembered as the pain reached a crescendo was feeling something wet and warm spreading across her chest.

Trying not to think about stabbing, searing pain was on the forefront of Winter Bloom's mind as she worked to stay rigidly still, lying in her own bed after another patching up by Wellspring. She still had to breath though, and that meant moving a little. She also tried not to think about how unfair her situation felt, and that proved almost as difficult.

Under the leadership of a griffon mercenary, Shattered Hoof survived a sudden and unprovoked attack by some group of pegasi that Winter Bloom had never even heard of before. I never did anything to them, are there no decent ponies anywhere? I can't do anything, and I can't not do anything. What am I supposed to do?

"...and that's when I said, maybe you haven't been drinking enough!" River Bolt was talking, and Winter Bloom was having a difficult time deciding whether her stories were a welcome distraction, or just grating on her nerves.

"River Bolt, what are you even doing here?" Winter Bloom gritted her teeth as she talked, undoubtedly sounding more angry than she intended.

"Talking to you." River Bolt brushed off the question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't get hit on the head, did you? Oh, maybe this is all a dream. OoooOOooh, spooky."

Winter Bloom couldn't help but chuckle, an act which turned out not to be the best idea. She still managed to speak up with a little humor in her voice, in spite of the pain though. "Ow... I thought all you cared about was eating, drinking, and sleeping a super ton. How does sitting around in a boring old room fit in with that?"

River Bolt took the jab in style, her grin growing wider. "What's there to understand? You're fun to hang around, so I'm hangin' around. It's not magic surgery or anything."

"Maybe it is."

"Hah! Behold River Bolt, the master magic surgeon." River Bolt reared up on her hind legs and kicked the air in front of her dramatically. "With a resume like that, I might just be able to convince Gawd to let me stay."

"What? You've been here way longer than I have, why wouldn't she let you stay?"

"Changing times, my poor, bed-ridden little friend. The new management of Shattered Hoof has some very different ideas about how this place should be run, and I got a feeling I won't fit into Gawd's plan. But for now at least, she's got bigger problems to worry about."

"You are not a problem." Winter Bloom grimaced, remembering her own thoughts just a moment ago. "I didn't mean it like that, you know. I really am glad that you're here."

"You're too kind. Everypony knows I'm a leech who half-asses everything. It's so much easier to get someone else to do the hard work, and now that Quickfire is gone..." River Bolt sighed, shaking her head. "Those mercenaries are serious, and I don't think they've got much use for dead weight."

"What are you going to do if you can't stay?"

"Heh, I dunno." River Bolt shrugged and smiled, her mask of nonchalance back in place. "Maybe I'll strike out on my own. You could come with me. For all we know, you might get booted too, once you're on your hooves again."

"Oh come on. That's just ridicu..." Winter Bloom had a solid response lined up, but all of that was forgotten when she was caught by an unexpected bout of coughing. She avoided crying out in pain, stifling it down to a pitiful whimper.

"Hey, Winter Bloom... You don't look so good." River Bolt rose to her hooves and looked around nervously. "I'm gonna go get Wellspring, don't go anywhere."

Winter Bloom nodded her head, even though she knew nopony was watching. She could hear River Bolt's hoof steps as they went from a cautious walk to a full gallop once she was out in the halls. From the back of her mind came the urge to reach for her chest and pull whatever was stabbing her out, but she knew that nothing was there, and she tensed her limbs to hold them in place. She tried counting breaths until someone came back, but she kept losing track. Eventually, she heard the sound of galloping hooves drawing closer.

"For the last time, no. I didn't do anything. We were just talking, she started coughing, and she went pale as granite all the sudden."

River Bolt darted into the room first, skidding to a halt just past Winter Bloom's bed. Wellspring and Hazel followed along right behind her, and wellspring went to work immediately, looking increasingly worried with each passing second. After checking the dressing on her wound, he placed a hoof on her forehead. "There's swelling around the wound, and she has a fever. This is not good... Does it hurt?"

All Winter Bloom could manage was a groan and a nod of her head.

"I've got something I can give you for the pain." Wellspring rummaged through his bags, pulled out a small needle, and jabbed it into Winter Bloom's shoulder. "This might help a little."

"Is that it?" Hazel was pacing back and forth, but when Wellspring motioned that he was finished, Hazel moved to prevent him from leaving.

"First the dragon and those slavers, and now this. We're scraping the bottom of the barrel for supplies already." Wellspring shook his head and looked down at his hooves. "I stopped the bleeding, I cleaned the wound as best I could. There's not much more I can do, Hazel."

"What do you mean, 'there's not much more I can do?'" Hazel took a step forward, and Wellspring took a nervous step back.

"L-look, her wounds are beyond healing potions. I'm not a doctor. I'm not Velvet Remedy. Before Doc disappeared, I spent most of my time picking up crates and setting them down. I'm doing my best, alright?"

"Are you? I remember the crap you and your friends used to pull on Winter Bloom."

"Stop!" Winter Bloom couldn't shout, but the painkillers were working at least enough to let her gather her wits. "Will you two stop? Wellspring, I know. Believe me. Sometimes your best just isn't good enough. It happens. Thank you... for trying."

Winter Bloom glanced over to River Bolt, who had surprisingly remained silent. River Bolt was watching her with an intensely worried look, and only after a long silence did she speak up. "So. What now? Don't tell me that's it."

"I don't know." Wellspring shook his head. "There's always a chance it might get better on its own."

"But not a very good chance." Winter Bloom dared Wellspring to refute the claim, but when he only shook his head in silence, she slumped her head back and stared at the ceiling. "I wonder. Will I see anyone on the other side? Dad used to tell stories, but I don't really think he believed them."

"Don't say things like that. You're gonna make it." Hazel was at her side in an instant, placing a comforting hoof on her own.

"There were things I wish I could have told Tail Wind." Winter Bloom made a point of ignoring Hazel's reassurances. "I never told him about what I did. If I see him, is there anything you want me to tell him?"

"You can't just give up. That's not the Winter Bloom I know."

"What's the point? I failed. It's all messed up, and I can never get it back."

"You lost your home before, and you started over. Do you know what? You inspired me, back then. I wished I could be as tough as you, never letting anything get you down."

"Yeah! Not even a giant, raging rad-hog can stop you." River Bolt chimed in from across the room.

"That's just it!" Winter Bloom would have shouted if she could, but instead her voice came with a raspy cough. "It's not about my home. I messed up me. What would Mom and Dad have said if they could see me now? Apparently all I'm useful for is hurting people. Have you ever heard of anypony changing their special talent? I haven't."

"Damnit Winter Bloom, you don't really believe that, do you? Your special talent is only what you make of it." Hazel stopped himself, stood back and sighed in frustration. "Sorry for yelling. I just..."

"If you’re worried about what happened that day, maybe I could talk to Limelight for you?" Wellspring asked hopefully. "She wasn't always so bitter. Maybe once some time has passed..."

"I wish it was just her, I really do." Winter Bloom braced herself for a stabbing pain as she brought her hooves up to cover her face. "That pony at the farmhouse. What did he ever do to me?"

"You can't blame yourself for that." River Bolt sounded completely shocked. "That was Quickfire's deal."

Winter Bloom tried and failed to hold back her tears, settling instead for just turning her head to face the wall. "Please... Just leave me alone."

Hazel was about to say something, but Wellspring prodded him towards the door. Winter Bloom could hear the sounds of shuffling hooves as her friends left the room and walked a short way down the hall. However, their voices still echoed clearly down concrete walls.

"Damnit, Wellspring. There's gotta be something you can do."

"I'm sorry, I really am. I can't fix this."

"Then I'm going to find someone who can."

"Hey, wait up! I'm coming with you."

"Then hurry up and get ready, cause we leave yesterday."

Days began to blur together for Winter Bloom, as she waited for Hazel and River Bolt to return with help, and her health continued to deteriorate. The coughing and aching slowly got worse, her legs felt like ice, while the rest of her was burning up, but some days were better than others. New groups of griffons were trickling in to Shattered Hoof, and occasionally they had some extra supplies to spare. With some sort of big operation in the works though, there was never enough to go around. No small number of ponies and griffons expressed their displeasure with the idea of wasting effort on an obviously lost cause, but they couldn't stop anyone else from accepting some caps in exchange.

On the good days, when Winter Bloom was lucid enough to be aware of her surroundings, she looked forward to having someone to talk to. The bad days were lost in a pain fueled delirium, and she would have lost track of time completely if no one was around to tell her what day it was.

It was on a good day that Winter Bloom found herself staring out the window of her cell, practicing not coughing in spite of the ever-present urge, and contemplating how peaceful and quiet Shattered Hoof felt. If it weren't for the occasional echoing of hooves down the hallway, the place might have seemed abandoned. This place has been so busy lately, I wonder what it would be like if no one was here. Would it still hang onto its bad memories?

A sudden flash from outside made her slam her eyes shut, and a moment later an ear-splitting blast reverberated through the room. The sound was over almost as soon as it began, but Winter Bloom could see the light still shining through her eyelids as shouts started echoing from down the hallway. Not again, not again!

Winter Bloom tensed up, fearing the worst, but slowly she began to realize that what she was hearing wasn't shouts of panic, but shouts of excitement. Then she heard something rare and precious in the wasteland, genuine laughter. Squinting with her eyes, the light coming from her window looked like someone was shining a spotlight on the rocks outside. What is going on?

"Winter Bloom, did you see it?" Rosebud burst into the room, almost bouncing with an excited trot over to the window. "Oh, you can't see it from your bed. I'll go see if Wellspring will help carry you outside."

"Whoa, slow down. I don't understand. What’s going on?" Winter Bloom still felt worried about the pain that would come with being moved, if not about another attack on Shattered Hoof.

"It's the sun! The clouds opened up and you can see the sky, oh wow, you won't believe how blue it is." Rosebud practically cantered in place, as if she couldn't wait to run back outside.

Rosebud didn't notice that her excitement was having the opposite its intended effect, and that Winter Bloom's look of concern was only growing deeper as she talked. Winter Bloom wasn't immediately sure why she felt terrified, but her thoughts raced towards an answer. I've dreamed about this since I was little. What's the matter with me? So what if it doesn't live up to my imagination.

"Rosebud, sorry. I'd rather not go. I'll be ok right here."

"Oh." Rosebud immediately stopped dancing in place, and walked gently over to the bed. "Is this a pain thing? Hey, don't worry. If it happened once, perhaps it will happen again, when you're feeling better."

"I don't want to see it." Winter Bloom turned her head to face away from the window and her friend, and thanks to some painkillers it only hurt a little bit.

Rosebud placed a hoof gently on Winter Bloom's cheek and spoke in a worried voice. "Are you feeling alright? I'd have thought you'd like it. It really is nice, the perfect fit for a nice pony."

"Those pegasi. They've been living up above the clouds all this time, haven't they." It was a rhetorical question, and Winter Bloom knew Rosebud didn't know any better than she did. "There's no paradise up there, beyond the clouds. Ponies are the same no matter where you go, rotten, cruel... *cough cough*"

"I see a good pony right here." Rosebud gave Winter Bloom's shoulder a gentle nudge with her hoof. "So there must be good ponies no matter where you go too."

"I'm not so sure about that." Winter Bloom sighed. She didn't want to talk about it, but felt obliged all the same.

"Of course you are, don't be silly." Rosebud gave another gentle nudge, then stepped back. "I know it was you who pulled me out of the mess hall right before it went up in flames, you didn't have to save my life, but you did."

"Sorry. I guess I'm not feeling myself right now." Winter Bloom turned her head to look at Rosebud. For a moment, she thought she saw tears in her friend's eyes, but then she blinked and they were gone. "But listen to you. Now you're the *cough cough* ...you're the optimistic one. How did that happen?"

"I learned from the best." Rosebud wore a sad smile, but it was a smile.

Winter Bloom nodded her head and tried to suppress a chuckle that was threatening to crash against her already battered chest, and the two stayed silent for a minute, watching the daylight filter in through the window.

"I guess..." Winter Bloom spoke up hesitantly. "I still don't want to get up. I should *cough* ...try to get some sleep while the meds are still working. You go enjoy it while you can."

"Ok. You take care, and I'll be back for dinner."

Winter Bloom nodded as Rosebud turned to leave, rested her head back on the pillow, closed her eyes, and failed to fall asleep for a long time.

Wounded griffons and ponies started piling in the next day. With the infirmary still damaged, Winter Bloom's cell block took its place, since Wellspring already had his supplies set up there. A griffon with broken wing and some horrible burns was put in the bed next to her, and she could hear the groans and cries of others all the way down the hall. Whatever had happened in Fillydelphia, they were the victors, but the word on everyone's lips was how high the price had been. There were many more who weren’t so lucky.

Unable to sleep before, all the commotion continued to prevent Winter Bloom from getting any rest, even though she was starting to feel fatigued. The sharp pain in her chest was at a low ebb, but instead she felt a stale sensation of being roasted alive, and found herself turning to the closest available distraction.

"So, *cough cough* what happened to you?" Winter Bloom winced at the effort even a simple question took.

"Grrr..." The griffon clamped her beak together, riding through a wave of pain herself. "Got careless. Caught the tail end of a missile strike. Next thing I know, I'm tumbling tail over talons. Not enough altitude to pull out, you know?"

"I've never flown before, but I think I understand." Winter Bloom made a point not to gawk at her new roommate's injuries.

"What about you? You look like a ghost." There was just a hint of sympathy behind the griffon's disgust.

"I got stabbed. By a pony, I think, back when the slaver's attacked. *cough* ...At least I didn't get burned alive." Winter Bloom closed her eyes, trying to remember through the haze.

"What? That was weeks ago, you don't mean..." The griffon had to pause to let Winter Bloom get through another bout of coughing. "Don't tell me you're the pony Hildagarde was talking about."

"Who?"

"A pal of mine, grey feathers, gold eyes? She told me how she met a pony outside the cafeteria just before it went up in flames. Charges right in through a crossfire like it was nothing, doesn’t get burned to a crisp by a dragon, and then gets run through by a unicorn of all things."

"I guess that's me. *cough cough* Small world, huh. I'm Winter Bloom."

"Agatha." The griffon replied with a polite nod toward the ceiling. "Damn, though. From what I hear, you're lucky to be alive."

"For now, at least. Some luck."

"Hey, you listen up." Agatha's voice took on an urgent tone. "Never give away anything for free. Not the gear off your back, and definitely not your life. You understand me?"

"What *cough cough* ...What about your advice?" Winter Bloom peeked out the corner of her eye to see if she had offended her roommate.

Agatha just rolled her eyes. "I suppose there's always exceptions to the rule."

"And there are some things that dirty old bottle caps can't buy." Somepony standing in the doorway spoke up, catching the attention of both people in the room, although from Winter Bloom's position, she couldn't turn far enough to see more than a blur. "But I do expect to compensated for my work."

"You will be. Talons keep their word." A steely eyed griffon stepped into the room. "Assuming you can handle it, that is. This isn't scrapes and bruises here."

"A fair concern, and one I've shared. What experience does delivering foals and watching ponies die of old age give anypony?" There was a tone of bitterness hidden inside the pony's contemplative voice. "Don't let appearances fool you, I have some experience with this."

"Hey, we contacted him and we escorted him here. Which was no picnic, by the way." Hazel's angry voice drifted into the room, and moments later he squeezed his way through the door and motioned towards Winter Bloom. "She's the one we hired you to help. Don't forget that."

"I will, but there are people who need immediate attention." The pony spoke more confidently.

"And how long is that going to..." Hazel wasn't backing down, but a bout of coughing from Winter Bloom interrupted him.

"Hazel. It's ok." Winter Bloom shook her head, hoping he could hear her weak voice. "He's here to help, right? I think I'll be here *cough* ... for a little while longer. Don't worry about me."

A few tense seconds of silenced passed by before Hazel conceded. "Sorry. I can't help it. I'm... going to go. Go and have some words with whoever Gawd left in charge here. Don't take too long, she's been waiting for days now."

"Then I'd better get to work. If you'll excuse me."

Closing her eyes, Winter Bloom waited for the small crowd to disappear. She had been waiting for Hazel to come back for days, but now that he'd returned, she felt nervous. Part of her said that it was just the fever, and that she wasn't thinking clearly, but that didn't help answer the questions rattling around in her head. Will this really work? If it does, what next? What am I going to do?

Pained voices, talking, groaning, and occasionally crying, played an uncomfortable harmony that worked to distract her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to block it out. Before long, she gave up trying, and turned to her roommate. Agatha seemed eager to talk about what happened in Fillydelphia the day before. As bad as things were for her, Agatha seemed morbidly pleased that the other side had it worse. As the horror stories started piling up, Winter Bloom felt a little bit more like the lucky one, but a little bit guilty about it too.

As the night went on, hour by hour, the cries of pain began to subside, undoubtedly the work of whoever Hazel found to help. Agatha had run out of recent stories and was going through old ones, and prodding Winter Bloom for some stories too, when Hazel finally returned.

"Hey Winter Bloom, sorry I took so long. I..." Hazel pawed at the ground with one hoof reflexively. "I had some things to do, but it's your turn soon."

"I understand if you don't want to hang around. I'm not very good company, am I? I've *cough cough* ...been nothing but trouble." Part of her wanted to hold back, not say anything, but a louder part worried she might never get another chance.

"What? No!" Hazel looked more embarrassed than shocked, then hung his head with a sigh. "I mean, ok, maybe I've been avoiding you a little, but I just didn't know what to say. It seems like all we've done lately is step on each other's hooves... but I do think you're important. I wouldn't have done this for anypony else."

"You shouldn't have had to. I was wrong." Winter Bloom stared up at the ceiling, not willing to look Hazel in the eye. "Stubborn. I bit off more than I could chew, and I tried to drag you along."

"No. No, I was wrong. I shouldn't have made you go it alone."

"I know no one asked me..." Agatha's voice seemed to catch Hazel by surprise. "But it sounds to me like none of this was either of your fault."

Winter Bloom couldn't see Hazel's glare, but Agatha rolled onto her side facing away from the two, and pretended to fall asleep. Winter Bloom didn't think anyone was really fooled by the act, but the pretense of privacy seemed to be enough. Hazel reached out and gently rubbed Winter Bloom's neck with one hoof, and it felt nice in spite of the aching pain, but it didn't do anything to assuage that nagging guilt. I shouldn't have said anything, I'm just making things worse.

Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of hoofsteps entering the room. Craning her neck, she saw a surprisingly young looking pony wearing what had been a long white coat, freshly stained from hours of work. "Miss Bloom? I will be with you in a moment. I just need to make sure your friend's wing is set properly. Wouldn't want it to heal wrong, would we?"

"Of *cough cough* ...of course not." Winter Bloom looked to Hazel for some reassurance, and relaxed a little to see that he wasn't getting angry at this pony for helping someone else first.

He got Agatha to relax her wing out along the length of the bed, then poked and prodded at it for a few minutes while they watched. Agatha clamped her beak shut and gritted her way through it without making a sound, and when it was over, the pony gave her a small flask filled with an almost luminescent red liquid to drink.

"There. That should do for now. No flying for a few days though." He exchanged a polite nod with Agatha, then walked back over to Winter Bloom's bed and put on a reassuring smile.

"Hello, Miss. My name is Happen Chance, but everyone calls me Chance. Don't you worry, I'm a highly trained professional from Stable Two, so you can..." His voice trailed off as Winter Bloom's eyes went wide with fear. "Oh, is there something wrong?"

"Damn, I should have said something." Hazel looked between the two nervously, and pressed his hoof firmly against Winter Bloom's shoulder. "Her folks were killed by a stable dweller. It's, um, a long story."

"Oh. Oooh..." Comprehension dawned slowly on Chance, but after a few seconds he gathered his wits. "I think I understand. My apologies."

"No. It wasn't your fault, I was just *cough* ...surprised." Winter Bloom took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Hazel trusts you. Just don't do anything... wrong to me."

"Not on my life." Chance placed one hoof over his heart solemnly.

Winter Bloom felt herself trembling as Chance towered over her, and Hazel pressed down firmly with his hoof. Noticing her anxiety, Chance started talking his way through his work for her benefit.

"I'm going to put a thermometer in your ear. Ok, elevated temperature, that's what we expected. Now I'm going to check the dressing, and... sweet merciful moon and sun." Chance couldn't hide his disbelief, but he quickly pulled a mask of professionalism back on. "Pardon me. This is quite a serious infection. Fortunately, I came prepared with some of the most potent medicine around."

Chance reached into his saddlebags and started pulling out the workings of an intravenous drip. A bag of clear liquid was hanged from a shelf, and he very carefully inserted the needle into her foreleg. "This will sting for a moment, aaaand there. Now try to get some rest. I'll be back to check in on you after this has a chance to work its magic."

"That's it?" Hazel sounded skeptical.

"For now. These sorts of things need to heal from the inside out. Trying to go in from the outside would probably just make it worse. Not very impressive, I know, but the treatment will need to be monitored closely."

"Thanks, Doctor Chance." Winter Bloom fidgeted a little, trying not to mess up the IV in her foreleg, even though it made the limb feel uncomfortably cold.

"Heh, it's just Nurse Chance, but you're welcome." Chance glanced over at Hazel with a wry smile, "It is funny though. Where I come from, there were never any big disasters, but I didn't have the certification. Out here though, things are so much more demanding, but ponies will take whatever works. Is that ironic, or just fitting?"

A moment of awkward silence was the only answer to Chance's question, and he chuckled nervously. "I guess you had to be there. Anyways, I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. Is that ok?"

Winter Bloom was about to say something, but a raspy cough pre-empted it. Instead she just nodded her head. Chance adjusted the feed and she felt a brief burning sensation, then the pain in her chest floated away. For the first time in weeks, sleep came easily.

In the two days after Winter Bloom's treatment started, the other patients in her cell block were released in groups. Healing medicine let most of them get back on their hooves and paws with little more than a good night's rest on the side. Agatha's broken wing was in good enough shape by the end of the first day that she was able to move around, even if she couldn't fly. She still poked her head in every once in a while, though, while Winter Bloom drifted in and out of sleep.

The sound of concerned voices woke her up, but she didn't bother opening her eyes. "Look, the treatment is working, just slower than expected. I hate to say it, but I don't think her heart's in it. Believe it or not, that's something we do see a lot of in ponies trapped underground for their entire lives."

I'm just causing more trouble. Maybe I can just go away and nobody will have to worry about me ever again. Winter Bloom groaned inwardly as bits and pieces of their conversation filtered through the haze of waking up. She tried to block it out by imagining herself going somewhere far away, where nobody would ever find her.

"Is there anything else you need? You're not running out of supplies are you?" It was Hazel's voice.

"No, I think I'll have enough. Besides, with the relocation project starting up soon, we won't need quite as much of a hike to get help, I would think. Just be patient."

"I feel like I need to do something." Hazel sounded agitated. "I'm going to head out for a bit."

Winter Bloom waited for Hazel to walk away, listening as his hoof steps faded into the distance. When she opened her eyes, she saw Happen Chance in the corner, busying himself by cleaning out a pile of empty vials, while humming a barely audible tune.

"Happen Chance. Got a minute?"

"Oh! Sure." Though startled, Chance quickly regained his composure. "I didn't wake you did I? I get carried away sometimes."

"It's fine, and... I wanted to ask you a question. Is there something wrong with me?"

"That's quite the question." Chance chuckled gently to himself. "That wound of yours very nearly got your heart, you know. Half an inch to the left, and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"You know that's not what I mean." Winter Bloom made a halfhearted scowl. "You don't have to lie to me."

"There's no one answer for that, I'm afraid. Oftentimes healing an injured body is foal's play compared to healing a wounded heart and soul. You never really know." Chance smiled gently. "I'm here to help though."

"Just tell me what I need to do." Winter Bloom idly scratched at her IV. "I was always so certain about what to do, and now I haven't got a clue."

"You can start by not fussing with that." It was an attempt at humor, but Chance's smile quickly faded to a more serious expression. "Look, I don't know the whole story, so take this with a grain of salt. Usually I would suggest you try to make amends with the pony you hurt, but if they've already passed away, the only person who can forgive you... Well, is you."

"And what if I don't deserve it?"

"You don't." Chance's matter-of-fact tone caught Winter Bloom off guard. "That's what forgiveness is, though. It's a gift that you give to someone who doesn't deserve it."

"That's not very reassuring."

"But it's also not a lie." Chance looked away as the sound of approaching hoof steps echoed into the room, and he hurried to finish the thought. "If you can't believe in yourself, then trust me when I say that you can still make a difference."

Winter Bloom was expecting Rosebud, River Bolt, or even Wellspring stopping by for more lessons, but she never expected to see Summer Wish knocking on the door. Chance took a step back and nodded politely before excusing himself, leaving the two with some privacy. They waited in silence for a while, but eventually Summer Wish tried breaking the ice.

"So. You're still alive." Summer Wish stood at the far end of the room, looking out the window as she talked.

"And you." Winter Bloom managed to roll onto her side without wincing in pain. "It's been a while. I didn't think you wanted to see me. I still want to be your friend, if you'll let me."

"Are you sure? You're not..." Summer Wish hesitated, glancing at Winter Bloom before going back to looking out the window. "I'm not easy to get along with."

Memories of the past few weeks welled up in Winter Bloom's mind, leaving another moment of gloomy silence between them before she spoke again. "Neither am I, apparently. But I think. I think I still want to try."

Summer Wish nodded slowly, taking her time to consider what to say. "Is another friend really what you want, or is it just better than nothing?"

"You were kind to me. I know I'd feel awful if you weren't."

"But it's not going to make you truly happy, is it. I mean, you see other ponies who look like they're right where they want to be. Would that be too much to ask for?"

"Maybe not... but maybe. I wonder, how do you need something if you don’t know what it is?"

"So, I'm being selfish, then." Summer Wish bowed her head wearily. "Wanting something I've never had. Someone to care about who doesn't disappear, someone who cares about me."

"You can't mean that. Surely somepony..." Winter Bloom didn't get far before she was cut off.

"You went and risked your life to save me, but you didn’t want anything from me in return, did you?"

"It wasn't like that. But what are you supposed to do, if somepony cares about you, but not the way you want them to?"

"It might not seem like much to you, having one more friend. You're good with people, you always seem to know exactly what to say." Summer Wish looked Winter Bloom eye to eye. "But I've never had any real friends, so if you mean it, it would mean something to me."

"I don't always know what to say. Right now for instance." Winter Bloom furrowed her brow, suddenly feeling foolish. "It's probably just luck."

"I wish I had your luck."

A laugh forced its way unexpectedly to Winter Bloom's lips along with a shudder. The wound in her chest ached, but not as much as the sudden ache in her heart, and just then she felt tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Somehow, Winter Bloom knew what to say, even if she didn't know whether she was saying it to her friend or for herself, or why. "Don't give up..."

"After you." Summer Wish turned and walked out of the room.

Without knowing why she was crying, Winter Bloom wiped her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. She didn't feel sad, but her heart still ached anyways.

Promise me you won't forget how to smile. That's what Mom said. But I always took it for granted. How could anypony forget something so basic? But it's not just the shape of someone's mouth. A real smile needs happiness, laughter, fun. Of course it wasn't always going to just happen for me by chance, I've got to make it happen.

"Like the orchard back home... If something was drying up, it needed somepony to water it." Winter Bloom didn't expect anyone to hear or understand, but she felt like it needed to be said.

Grey. It had been almost a month since Red Eye's attack, and Winter Bloom had little to see but the grey of stone and concrete in the infirmary and her room. As her wounds finally began to heal, she felt a steadily growing determination to get up and do something, anything, other than lying around. Chance continued to admonish her not to overexert herself, but she was finally getting to the point where she could stand up again, if only for short periods.

So there was only a mild amount of surprise when Rosebud came in one morning to deliver breakfast, and found Winter Bloom sitting on the floor, halfway to the door.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Rosebud set down the napkin wrapped biscuit and can of peaches. "Wait, I know what this is. You're trying to get yourself hurt again, aren't you? Then you can keep everypony catering to your every whim."

"I've been found out." Winter Bloom gasped in mock fear. "Whatever must I do to persuade you not to reveal my sinister plan?"

"You can start by eating your breakfast. And then maybe you can tell me what you're really doing sitting on the floor."

With a little assistance from Rosebud, Winter Bloom got back up to her hooves and sat in bed to eat her biscuit. "Really, it looked like a bright day today, I thought if I could walk to the bathroom, maybe I could reach the courtyard. I guess I was hoping I could, you know, see the sun."

"Why don't you let me help. You carried me, I can carry you."

Winter Bloom gobbled up the canned peaches in nearly a single bite, then stood back up on her wobbly hooves. "Aren't you worried that you'll lose your aloof and untouchable reputation, helping poor old me?"

"Oh, I'm prepared for that." Rosebud grinned as she stepped alongside Winter Bloom, getting ready to catch her in case of a stumble. "That's what blackmail is for."

A bout of snickering almost sent Winter Bloom sprawling to the ground, but true to her word, Rosebud reached out and caught her with a single forehoof. Together the two ponies worked their way towards the courtyard, and Winter Bloom only stumbled a couple more times, but the pain in her chest got a little bit worse and they stopped to take a breather.

*BOOOM!*

A strange rumble shook the ground and Rosebud grabbed hold of Winter Bloom to keep her from falling. Winter Bloom felt a moment of panic, and was just adding another check mark on the list of mysterious, unexplained explosions in the distance, when she saw a flash of rainbow color. It passed straight through the wall, raced down the hallway, and went straight through her.

Instead of pain, she felt warmth. A soft, hugging glow, like being wrapped up in grandma's quilt, sitting by the fire when she was a filly. As the sensation faded, Winter Bloom felt the pain in her chest was almost gone, but what really made her seize up in shock was the smell. The rancid smell of wasting away and old chemicals that had been her unwelcome companion for months was gone.

"What was that?" Rosebud gasped in astonishment, then panic as Winter Bloom started cantering for the courtyard. "Hey wait!"

As Winter Bloom ran, she could feel that her wound was not yet fully healed, but the fog that had descended over her head while she languished in bed felt like it had been swept away. She felt compelled to see what happened, in spite of the minor pain. Rosebud only just caught up to her when she burst through the door and out into the open air.

Blue skies were the first thing that Winter Bloom saw, and she felt her heart skip a beat as she ground to a halt. Slowly, she turned to see the source of the warmth that was pressing against her fur, almost like the sensation she felt just a moment ago. She had to squint her eyes and look away from the sun after only a glance.

"I still don't want to see the sun." Winter Bloom felt her eyes watering up as she chuckled to herself. "But it's not because it doesn't live up to expectations. It's just too damned bright."

"You don't even need to look." Rosebud nodded along, "You can feel it all the same."

Just then, the sound of someone crying out wrested Winter Bloom's attention back to Earth. The fear that someone had been hurt raced through her mind, and she turned to see a pony doubled over on the ground, weeping. She took a few steps forward before she realized they were tears of joy.

Sticking right up out of the ground next to him, was a little sliver of the softest green.

"No way..." Rosebud saw it too.

As if in a daze, Winter Bloom staggered over to a patch of dirt and bent down close. Her mind could barely comprehend that the unclean smell of dust and ash, which she had long ago gotten used to, was totally gone. Instead the ground smelled good, like something she might want to dig her hooves into and roll around in, rather than wash off at the very first chance. She hesitated to try, but curiosity won out as the shock wore off. With a gentle brush of her hoof, she exposed a tiny little sprout to the sunlight.

"Rosebud." Winter Bloom stood up straight and stiff, her eyes wide with shock. "I have to go somewhere."

A cool breeze drifted up from the valley, swept far and wide by the lazy bands of rain brushing along the ground in the distance, and played counterpoint to the warmth that the late afternoon sun pressed into Winter Bloom's fur. After hours of walking, she was starting to recognize landmarks here and there, even though the whole world appeared changed. An oddly shaped boulder she had only seen once before caught her eye, even though it now had a tuft of grass obscuring the base, and an old gnarled tree looked familiar, though it had lost a few limbs and gained a coat of green moss and lichen.

The small group had kept up a good pace all day after leaving Shattered Hoof, and there were only a few tense moments when they had to chase off small critters or take cover until some unseen danger passed by.

"I swear, it's going to take some time for me to get used to the color green meaning anything but 'toxic danger, get away.'" River Bolt grumbled after dodging around a small patch of leaves that had just started sprouting out of the dirt.

"For me, it's the sky." Agatha swooped down from her lookout position, "Us griffons are taught young to avoid going past the clouds. Or else. The thought of blue skies always made me nervous."

"I keep waiting for the other horseshoe to drop." Summer Wish added with a wry smile.

"About that. As wonderfully inviting as this all is, I find that I must stop and remind myself that there are still dangers all about. I mean, I don't even know what that is over there, but I'm getting the urge to eat it." Rosebud pointed to a small green stalk with a tiny colorful bud that hadn't yet bloomed.

"Probably a good idea to check and make sure it is edible." Happen Chance eyed the little flower warily. "But honestly, I haven't found any traces of radiation or harmful toxins since that... rainbow. So, ten to one, it's probably safe."

"But all the big horrible monsters? Whatever that was didn't get rid of them." Winter Bloom nodded to Hazel who had been quietly pulling a small cart in the middle of them. "I guess the trade caravans will still need a tough pony like you to keep things safe."

Winter Bloom had hoped to get a smile out of Hazel, or at very least an affirmative nod, but instead he looked even more downcast. Before the silence got too awkward though, he spoke up in a tired voice. "That's really not what it's all about."

"Oh!" River Bolt reared up and clapped her forehooves together excitedly. "Let me guess, it's the pony pokey!"

"Huh?" Half the ponies present stared at River Bolt in confusion, and Agatha asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know. You reach your right hoof in, you reach your right hoof..." River Bolt pantomimed a few shakes of her hooves but then stopped and shook her head. "Oh nevermind."

Winter Bloom couldn't help but giggle, while Summer Wish who was apparently immune to River Bolt's antics, spoke up tersely. "So what is it all about then?"

"Trading. That's what I'm good at." Hazel glanced at Summer Wish, but she was back to looking straight ahead. "My special talent I mean. It's not about having stuff. It's about bringing ponies together. You know, letting them work together when they're not together."

"Like coming to find me, just when a whole lot of people needed a doctor." Happen Chance's voice was almost a question, but he noticed Winter Bloom looking in his direction and smiled. "And one pony in particular."

"That was more than a little bit of luck, but yeah." Hazel nodded his head, but was still looking gloomily at the ground in front of him.

"So what's the matter?" Agatha spoke up nonchalantly. "You did good, everyone lived, cue victory dance in three, two, one, right?"

"I guess I'm having doubts about what I should do. Someone out there helped us with all this, and we never even met them. Are there places I'm supposed to be?" Hazel looked over to Winter Bloom apologetically. "Or places that I want to be. Do I have to choose between a bunch of friends, and one good friend?"

"Hey." Winter Bloom trotted over to Hazel's side and gave him a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "Look, you don't have to justify yourself to me. I'm... I understand, alright? I want you to be happy too."

A tinge of relief filtered through Hazel's new found smile. "Heh, right. Listen to me. The wasteland got scrubbed clean in less than a day, and I'm moping about like it's the end of the world."

"Well, I wasn't gonna say anything." Agatha added with a chuckle.

"You know. There's talk of people from my stable and Shattered Hoof building a new town at a junction not far from there." Happen Chance spoke up hopefully. "They'll probably need lots of help."

"That's right." River Bolt chimed in with a grin. "A day or two there, and a day or two back. That's not much different from going out on a patrol back at Shattered Hoof, is it?"

"To be perfectly honest, I was thinking about moving there myself." Rosebud glanced over her shoulder towards where they came from. "After all, it's getting harder and harder for a mare with my talents to get by in Shattered Hoof."

"That's because Gawd isn't a pathologically corrupt sleezeball." River Bolt's grin got even bigger.

"Why you little..." Rosebud's face turned a shade of bright red for a moment, then she turned her nose up and closed her eyes. "Hmmph. What about you, Winter Bloom? Shattered Hoof may be a more respectable place under Gawd's esteemed leadership, but I get the feeling that fighting isn’t your favorite thing."

"I don't know. For some reason, leaving feels like giving up. I almost gave up once."

"I suppose it depends on what you were trying to do in the first place." Hazel looked to Winter Bloom, looking for some sign of comprehension. "Is it really giving up if you find a different, better way to reach the goal?"

"Maybe..." Winter Bloom started, but her train of thought derailed when she saw something she recognized up ahead.

Buried into a trickling stream was an old culvert. It looked so much smaller than it had when she spent the night huddled inside as a filly, but she recognized it instantly and broke into a gallop.

"Careful! Don't strain yourself." Happen Chance called out after her.

Winter Bloom barely heard him as she rushed over to the charred ruins, only now starting to be wrapped up in lush vines. It was a place she had once called home, though now all the ponies who had lived there were long gone. She knew everything inside would have been consumed by the fire, but when she circled around back she felt a pang in her heart and tears once more threatening to spill out.

Standing at the base of a ruined old tree, was little green sapling, healthy and proud. The hope that she scarcely dared to hope had come true right in front of her.

Without breaking her stride, she raced over to it and started frantically digging around it with her hooves. Someone approached from behind, and without looking to see who it was, she shouted. "Lend me a hoof! We've got to take this with us."

She heard River Bolt say something about telling Hazel to bring the cart, but all her focus was on the delicate little plant. It was a pear tree, she could tell by the leaves, once her misty eyes cleared up. She didn't stop digging until she had finished making a narrow groove around its roots and lifted the whole thing gently to one side. Another pear sapling stood a couple meters away, and a lemon sapling just beyond that, but she didn't worry about all the work she had to do. How? How did a flash of colored light bring this back to life?

The group of ponies worked in varying degrees of helpfulness as the sky and clouds turned golden orange, harvesting young trees from the skeletal remains of an orchard, while a griffon kept watch overhead. When the cart was almost full, Winter Bloom urged her friends to stop. It just doesn't feel right to take everything.

"So, just what are you planning to do with these... plants?" River Bolt asked with genuine curiosity, wiping her brow with one hoof as though she'd been working hard.

"I... don't know." Winter Bloom answered uneasily, the exhilaration from earlier having worn away. "Maybe I'll plant them somewhere I can keep an eye on them."

"You know." Happen Chance chimed in. "That offer for help at the junction still stands. We were already planning on moving some of the stable's orchard there. They might need somepony who knows a thing or two about tending trees, and they might be looking for something besides apples."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, and Winter Bloom found herself biting her lip, trying not let her excitement show. "I'll... have to think about it some. That's a big decision."

“It’s ok. We’ve got some time.”

"So, back home?" Summer Wish asked, casually kicking a clod of dirt.

"I suppose so." Winter Bloom answered with a smile. "Still, I wonder what'll happen next."

"I don't know how anyone could possibly guess." Rosebud took a long look around.

"Everything else is completely, off-the-walls different out here, but we're not any different are we?" Agatha shrugged her wings.

"Maybe we'll just have to figure it out as we go then." Hazel nodded, looking relieved.

"Well, what are we just standing around for?" River Bolt practically danced in place. "Let's get a move on!"

Author's Note

And they all lived happily ever after, the end.

I want to thank you for reading, or even if you just skipped through to see the end. This was a very personal story, and if you enjoyed it even a little, then that is awesome. If you didn't enjoy it, that's understandable too. If it weren't for the unintentional encouragement of a good friend, I might never have finished this, let alone worked up the courage to publish it.

So, Thank you!

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 1

Winter Bloom's Story - Part 1
"Sometimes, nothing is more necessary than the unnecessary."

"Maybe if you hadn't gotten yourself shot up, but Doc says you're never gonna walk again. So what the hell am I supposed to do with you? Does it look like we're in the business of giving out food and shelter for free?"

"You can toss me out an’ leave me to die if ya want, but not my boy or the filly. They... *cough cough* they're hard workers."

"Tch, the filly? Its been hours, and she's still just blubbering uselessly in the corner. Why, I..."

"I'll work hard enough for all of us! I will! Don't throw my dad out. Please let us stay."

"Now now Deadeyes, I think we can afford to give them a chance to prove themselves. And besides, we lost quite a few in the attack. We need to think about replenishing our numbers."

"Grrr...fine, you're the boss Topaz. You can consider yourself lucky, runt. But don't think your luck is gonna carry you any farther. Mr. Topaz may have a soft spot, but I won't tolerate freeloaders around here."

"Thank you..."

Winter Bloom awoke with a start. Bolting upright, her eyes flew open, only to slam shut again. Sitting in the space between asleep and awake, she wasn't sure if she was trying to hold on or let go. Whenever she dreamed at all, it was always the same one, muddled by time, but no less painful. The sensations of fire, choking, thunder, and unanswered cries faded away with each slow deliberate breath, and as always, the sensations of the present marched in to take their place.

Once her breathing calmed down, she opened her eyes again and looked out the one narrow window in the wall of her room. All she could see through it was a dim grey light, barely enough to illuminate the room inside, but it was enough to know that night would soon be over. Even though she didn't hear the sounds of anypony else up and moving around, she knew she couldn't risk laying back down and oversleeping. Not if I want to eat, she mused gloomily.

With a rueful sigh, she carefully lifted herself off of what qualified for a mattress in Shattered Hoof and gently planted her hooves on the concrete floor, careful not to wake the pony sleeping on the top bunk. The whole place had been a prison once, and other than the slow decay of time, not much had changed. I guess the only difference is we keep the doors open now, unless we're trying to keep somepony out.

After getting her bags, Winter Bloom slipped out into the hallway, and tried not to think of the times she'd had to slam those rusty steel bars shut and wait for the angry ponies outside to give up and leave. She had work to do before she got to work, and she made an effort to focus on that instead.

The groggy, grumpy cloud that drifted over her head fell by the wayside and the stiffness in her limbs loosened up as she got moving. There was no line at the restrooms when she went to relieve herself, another perk of waking up early, and she made another mental check-mark on her list of good fortunes that she wasn't on the detail that had to clean up after the ponies who decided to find some corner rather than waiting their turn.

Chill morning air added a sharpness to the smell of dust, the same stale tang that permeated everywhere and everything not diligently scrubbed be hoof, as she stepped out into the courtyard and made her way towards the mess hall. The air was cold enough to draw a shiver along her back, but since she didn't have anything to wear, all she could do was pick up her pace. Save for her hoofsteps it was quiet outside, and judging from the sky it would be another hour or two before the rock breaking started in earnest. The only ponies awake must be me and the guards.

There were always guards.

Winter Bloom was almost right about being the only pony awake, but not quite. A few ponies had already filed into the mess hall ahead of her, and were waiting around for somepony to start handing out the rations.

The moment she saw Misty Blue's short cropped mane, she turned her head to avoid making eye contact. Unless Limelight or Chase were around, Misty usually left her alone, but she didn't want to take any chances. Instead she carefully studied the armor adorning one of the guards, trying to imagine what kind of creature the carefully tanned leather was made out of. When she noticed the exhausted look on the mare's face, she stopped staring and forced herself to look at her hooves instead.

Ratting on a guard for skipping out on their shift early would be a foal's mistake for someone in her position, and in that case, even paying too much attention would be taking a chance. Oh sure, Deadeyes would be furious, but he wouldn't lift a hoof to stop somepony from getting revenge on whoever blew the whistle.

Keeping one's head down was a skill that the small, the weak, and the unimportant had to learn quickly in Shattered Hoof. Mercifully, the Meal Mare arrived and spared her the trouble of trying to look pre-occupied.

With only a few ponies ahead of her, she was up to the counter in no time, behind which stood the Meal Mare, a surly mare who's real name was Snickerdoodle. Winter Bloom pondered once again what might cause a pony with laughter in her name to be so grumpy all the time. Is it because everypony complains about not having enough to eat? Is it because ponies make fun of the way she looks, or because they talk about her behind her back, saying she eats more than her share? Is it because everypony calls her Dude, and she hates it?

"Applesauce and a biscuit. Next." The mare said in the same unenthusiastic voice she used the first time they met, and just about every other time in between, as she levitated an unopened tin can and a rock hard thing that could only generously be described as a biscuit onto the counter.

With one hoof, Winter Bloom swept breakfast into her bag and smiled, "Thank you!"

She always said "Thank you," ever since day one. Her parents had taught her good manners after all.

And just like on day one, and every day since, Snickerdoodle rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever. Next."

But on this day, unlike the first time, Winter Bloom saw a hint of a smile on her face. And like every day before it, she was certain it was bigger than the last.

The sky was noticeably brighter when Winter Bloom made her way back across the courtyard, but she kept her eyes on the other ponies who were starting to make their way towards the mess hall. The wake-up call sounded out loud and clear, a hammer against an old steel plate, and she knew to be careful during the morning rush. Being the small one, it was her responsibility to step out of the way.

The nightmare that awoke her was entirely forgotten by the time she ducked back inside, and she put another check-mark on the list for getting breakfast early.

While the rest of the herd trudged by, Winter Bloom found herself needing to stop occasionally and press herself against the wall to avoid being shoved, trampled or bowled over, but she was going against the flow. She had to find the one pony undoubtedly still in bed.

"Good morning Tail Wind, I brought you breakfast!" She lifted the can and the biscuit like object out of her bag and set them on a short stand next to the bunk.

As soon as he heard her voice, Tail Wind shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep. Winter Bloom knew he was awake, but she played along anyways because she also knew that he didn't like being thought of as lazy. It must be hard having a special talent for running a caravan and not be able to walk. Not that I know what its like to have a special talent in the first place.

Winter Bloom gently prodded his good leg with one hoof, pretending to try waking him, and in return he mumbled and groaned as he pretended to wake up.

"Winter Bloom?" He faked a yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, good morning. I reckon Hazel's still on patrol?"

"Yeah. It'll be another day or two before they check in again." Thinking about Hazel brought a hint of a smile back to Winter Bloom's lips, and Tail Wind let go of his held breath, grateful that his pretense wasn't exposed. "They should be out by the southern outpost right now. Deadeyes has been ordering more patrols, something about slavers from Fillydelphia? I don't know."

"I hope he's ok." Tail Wind looked longingly out his own window, even though all he could see was another stone wall. "I can't help but worry every time he goes out."

"Me too. Oh, I almost forgot!" Winter Bloom perked up and her smile returned in full, "When they radioed in last night, they said your old caravan buddies showed and left something with Hazel, but I think its for you."

"Hmph. Everyone's fussing over an old stallion who outlived his usefulness." He waved his hoof at the food on his stand. "What's all this?"

"Breakfast?"

Winter Bloom grimaced nervously. He's going to be difficult today, isn't he?

"You didn't have to bring me anything, you know its enough that I can eat dinner. Don't work up much of an appetite sitting around." Tail Wind looked over at the food in front of him and shook his head. "And what about you?"

"Oh, I already ate. They had, you know... extras today." She struggled to keep the smile on her face.

"You're as bad a liar as your father was."

"Alright, alright." Her ears drooped, but she pressed on. "I'll eat some of it, if that'll keep you from complaining."

She had been ready to share the meal from the start, but oftentimes she had to be tricky in order to get Tail Wind to cooperate. As much as he complained about being useless, he was getting quite skilled with his telekinesis. Some of the other Earth ponies would even throw a few caps his way to get his help with whatever small object was giving them trouble.

Winter Bloom watched patiently while he expertly removed the top of the can and used it to cut the wannabe biscuit in two. The rock hard bread product didn't give up without a fight, but eventually Tail Wind floated the bigger piece in her direction, and there was much chewing involved before she was finished with it.

Winter Bloom was polishing off the last of the applesauce when Tail Wind closed his eyes and wondered aloud. "What have I done to deserve such wonderful family?"

"Don't say stuff like that." Winter Bloom recoiled in shock. The words stung, but it took her a few moments to figure out why. And when she did, her words were sharper than she intended. "You don't need to do anything. You don't think I did something to deserve losing my family, do you?"

Tail Wind turned to her, suddenly very serious. "No… Listen to me. You've got to get out of this place, Winter Bloom. Get out of here before it's too late."

"What? No." Winter Bloom snapped, still feeling indignant. "I can leave as soon as you can. Besides, its only been what, a year?"

"Almost two. But the days sure blur together, don't they?" Tail Wind sighed, trying to soften his tone, "This place is getting to me, Winter Bloom, and sooner or later it's going to get to you too."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind again." Winter Bloom took a step back, unconsciously putting some distance between them.

"I know how you feel, but you couldn't have saved Lemon Honey, believe me. You'd have been killed too."

"You don't know that!"

"Getting help was the best thing you could have done." Tail Wind already knew where the conversation was going, but he had to say something anyways.

"Well, it wasn't enough."

Winter Bloom turned around and stormed out of the room, struggling to hold back tears. She didn't want to let anyone see her cry, her reputation was already bad enough.

Standing in a small room whose roof had collapsed ages ago, Winter Bloom stared skyward and tried not to think about the argument she just had with the pony who was doing his best to be a second father for her, one of the only ponies that cared about her at all. Instead she tried to imagine what the sun might look like on the other side of the clouds. The foal's books she'd read when she was little always showed a bright cheerful circle against a background of solid blue, but every time she tried to conjure the image, it always felt unreal.

Still, the thought made her chuckle, and she took it a step further by imagining a herd of pegasi painting the scene onto the clouds themselves. What do pegasi even look like?

She shook her head to banish the thought, before any fantasies of peg-legged pegasus pirates or pastel pegasus pony painters could distract her from the task in front of her. No point in putting it off any longer.

There were piles of filthy rags, clothes, and bandages to clean, and if it was like any ordinary day, she'd have to do it by herself. Ever since she started, nopony else got saddled with washing duty unless they were being punished, but since she didn't have her cutie mark yet, it was one of the only things she was allowed to do.

It was easy work for Winter Bloom, soak, scrub, press, rinse. But it was also tedious and more than a little bit gross. Most of her effort was spent trying not to think about where each article had been before she had to pick it up.

After less than an hour of toil, she was surprised by the sound of a doorway opening into her own little private world. She recognized the mare who slipped through with a gloomy look on her face, a tan colored Earth pony with a red mane. As much as anypony from Shattered Hoof had been a friend to her, Rosebud had at least shown her some kindness.

"Hey Rosy, what are you doing here?" Winter Bloom stopped what she was doing and looked genuinely curious.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rosebud grabbed a washboard, kicked a second bucket into the center of the room and sat down. When she saw the expectant look on Winter Bloom's face, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I got caught trying to bribe one of the guards, as if that doesn't happen all the damn time."

"Well hey, at least we can keep each other company while we work." Winter Bloom's smile only deepened Rosebud's scowl.

"I hate doing this crap."

"At least it beats cleanup duty."

"I hate to break it to you Winter Bloom, but this counts as cleaning."

"Sure, sure." Winter Bloom nodded along, but she was already back in the zone, scrubbing some unidentifiable stain, trying her best to ignore her new co-worker's gloomy attitude. The last thing I need is to get into another argument.

As her mind drifted though, she unconsciously started humming to herself, and that was how she ended up foiling her own plans. A loud thwap, followed by a frustrated nicker, caught her attention as Rosebud forcefully threw a freshly rinsed towel into the clean pile.

"Could you find it in your heart to be a little less cheerful? It is simply too early in the morning for cheerful."

Winter Bloom bit her lip and tried to put on a serious face while focusing on her work, but she couldn't help glance out the corner of her eye. Rosebud shook her head and sighed with an exaggerated weariness.

"You know what your problem is?" Rosebud puffed herself up and took on a haughty tone of voice, but there was a hint of a playful smile as well. "Your problem is that you're a good pony, and you think that all you gotta do is be yourself, and all that nonsense, and everyone else will eventually realize the truth and magically start liking you. You think ponies are good inside. They're not. They're greedy, horrible monsters. What you need to do is learn to give a little, and then take a lot in return. That's how you stay on top."

"So, laundry detail is being on top?"

Rosebud grumbled and gave one hapless shirt an extra hard press. "Even when you stack the deck, the draw doesn't always go your way. After all, everyone else is trying to cheat you right back. Like I said, ponies are monsters."

"So why are you nice to me, hmm?" Winter Bloom made a sour face and stuck out her tongue.

Rosebud struggled to come up with a response, and before long, the look on her face had Winter Bloom struggling to reign in a flock of giggles that threatened to burst free.

"... Alright, go ahead. Laugh it up. Savor this little victory, because it won't last."

"I would never. You're a good pony too."

"And now she insults me." Rosebud turned up her head in mock indignation, "My poor, naive little filly, I am definitely not a good pony."

"You know what your problem is?" It was Winter Bloom's turn to act haughty, although between the two of them, she was by far the worse actor. "Your problem is that you pretend you don't care about anyone, but I know better."

"See, this is what I mean about being too cheerful. Its unnatural. Ponies are going to start thinking you're up to something."

Winter Bloom tilted her head to one side and spoke in as dreary a voice as she could. "So, what dull and unhappy things would you rather talk about? Maybe we should talk about the food. Oh wait, I know. Weren't there some slavers spotted near the borders, or something? Those have to be not-good ponies."

"Oh yeah, those assholes." Rosebud turned a few shades more serious, but it was the sort of thing she was used to talking about and she didn't miss a beat, "They were working for Red Eye, from what I hear. I tell you, he is getting to be a real problem. Somepony's gonna have to deal with him sooner or later."

"Red Eye? I've heard about him on the radio, I think. Its hard to believe someone that crazy could be a big problem." Winter Bloom spoke cautiously, struggling to remember the details.

"You really don't get out much, do you?" Rosebud's voice was mock condescension, and already there was a smile on her face again. "I just hope he comes here, then I could buck him right in the face."

"Don't say that!" Winter Bloom knew Rosebud wasn't being serious, but she couldn't help feel a little shocked, "What if someone gets hurt?"

"Eh, they'd probably deserve it. Besides, I don't see why you'd care. It's not like run with anyone here. You barely even hang around that colt you came in with, what's his name, the brown one."

"Hazel." Winter Bloom felt a little flustered bringing him up, "He's just out on patrol most of the time, so I don't see very much of him."

"Or maybe its because you're only ever looking at one half of him. Practically all you do is stare at his flank when he's not looking."

Willow Bloom knew she was being baited, but she still managed to get taken completely by surprise. "Wait, what? No, thats... Thats not how it is at all."

"Oh really?" With the train of thought derailed and Winter Bloom on the defensive, Rosebud grinned the grin of ultimate confidence. "So you don't have your eye on him, then you won't mind if I make a move."

"I didn't say that, I just..." The soapy, dirty water in her bucket was nowhere near clear enough for Winter Bloom to see her own reflection, but she was sure she'd just turned a deep shade of red. "I'm just a little filly to him. Thats all I am to anypony around here, a helpless child. Maybe when I have my cutie mark."

Rosebud wasn't sure what she was expecting, but Winter Bloom spilling her heart out certainly wasn't it, so she eased up a little. "Hey, look. Cutie Marks don't really mean anything. He's younger than you, and he's got his, right? Hell, I must have been half your age when I got mine. Fat lot of good it did me."

"Maybe you're right." Winter Bloom didn't sound very convinced.

"I know I'm right. Besides, I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not looking back."

"You're full of it."

"Am I? I guess you just need to look the next time you're not looking."

Looking while you're not looking... Winter Bloom found herself laughing at the absurdity of it. She couldn't help herself, even though she knew she was the butt of the joke.

"I take it back, you're not a good pony." Still trying to reign her giggles in, there wasn't a sliver of malice in Winter Bloom's voice, "You're a wicked, evil mare, who likes to toy with the hearts of helpless little fillies."

"I take it back too, you're not a good pony either. You're a mean old hag that delights in ruining everypony's mornings with your incessant, demonic cheerfulness. I'm going to have to work twice as hard to make sure I never get sent back here, as this is truly the worst punishment."

"Well, if you're in such a hurry to escape, I've got an idea." Winter Bloom's smile turned mischievous and she looked around to make sure no one else was around. There wasn't. "I know a trick that'll get this done in no time. Its a secret technique passed down from generation to generation."

"What's that?" Rosebud couldn't help but be curious.

"I challenge you to a race." Yet another surprise from the quiet mare who stayed out of everypony's way.

"A what now?"

"A race. If you can clean more than me, then... then your next drink is on me."

"And if I can't?" Rosebud narrowed her eyes, readying herself for the catch.

"Then you have to say you're sorry for calling me a mean old hag."

"You are so going down."

And with that, the race was on. It wasn't long before it changed from a contest of who could get through items of clothes faster, but who could point out the most missed spots on the other's work. More than one passerby peaked their head in to see what all laughing and shouting was about, but they each quickly went on their way, unable to make heads or tails of what was going on. In the end, they didn't go that much faster, and might have even gone a little slower, especially since calling a foul resulted in them throwing their work at each other on more than one occasion. But by the time they finished off the pile of dirty clothes, neither of them could say they'd done much work.

Promise me you won't forget how to smile. Those were her mother’s words, something she'd said near the very end. Winter Bloom hadn't really understood what she was agreeing to at the time, but in the days and months after, those words kept coming back to her. Every time, she found the courage to keep going.

Winter Bloom walked back to the mess hall, lost in her own little world. As fun as the race had been, a sinking dread was forming in the pit of her stomach. She knew she'd have to face Tail Wind when she brought him dinner, but she was at a loss for what to say. She'd meant what she said, but she also felt like apologizing for it, and reconciling those two conflicting feelings was proving difficult. She was so lost in thought that she forgot that it was her responsibility to step out of the way.

The sudden impact of bumping into someone sent her stumbling and scrambling to stay standing. No gentle nudge, she rushed to get her bearings, adrenaline burning its way underneath her skin.

Eyes wide, Winter Bloom had to force her jaw shut to avoid gaping in horror. Not only had she just run into Limelight, a pony that had bullied and harassed her ever since she arrived in Shattered Hoof, but she had knocked the mare over. Winter Bloom's ears flattened back and she bowed her head low, her legs unconsciously stepping backwards as the older unicorn lifted herself back up. Limelight was furious.

"If it isn't Weepy Bloom. You think can push me around, do you?" Limelight wasn't much taller than Winter Bloom anymore, but she still stood an imposing figure. Without taking her eyes off her target, Limelight levitated a stone off the ground and held it menacingly.

"I'm sorry, I was..." Winter Bloom went quiet as she backed into someone else.

"Hey, watch where you're going. Do you think you can get away that easy?" Winter Bloom didn't need to look behind her to recognize Chase's voice. He followed Limelight everywhere.

Winter Bloom couldn't make herself look any smaller if she tried, but her heart managed to sink further. Glancing around, desperate for a way out, she saw Wellspring and Misty Blue boxing her in on each side. She was trapped. Every time she dared to take a step towards an opening between them, they moved to cut her off.

"Why are you in such a big hurry? You should stick around." Limelight tossed the rock against Winter Bloom's forehead to get her attention, then picked up another one. "You obviously wanted to spend some quality time together, I mean, why else would you think you could even touch me?"

Limelight tossed the next rock, more forcefully than the first. Winter Bloom couldn't help but wince as it drew blood and a laugh from the pony behind her. Wellspring and Misty didn't laugh, but they didn't let her go either.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was stupid and wrong." Winter Bloom hoped that insulting herself would get them to ease up, but Limelight clearly wasn't in a good mood.

"Oh, am I not good enough for you? Is that it?" Winter Bloom knew that any answer she gave would be the wrong one, even staying silent, but that was the best she could do. She closed her eyes and flinched as another rock hit her in the face.

"Come on Limelight, lets just go eat." Wellspring's voice was like a lifeline, a ray of hope that she might avoid a trip to the infirmary. "If she gives you her dinner, that'd teach her a lesson, right?"

"I suppose I can let this insult slide, in exchange for a meal." Limelight let the notion hang, as if she were seriously considering it, but Winter Bloom could tell from the look on her face that the other horseshoe had yet to drop. "But she still hasn't paid us back for all our friends that died saving her ass from those bandits."

"It wasn't my fault, please let me go."

"Let me go, let me go." Chase was parroting her words in mocking imitation of her voice, "Why don't you just run on home where you belong."

"I am home."

She hadn't meant anything by it, but as soon as she said it, she realized it was true. And with that truth came a clarity that she hadn't felt in a long time. Back when Mom and Dad were still alive, I took Home for granted, but it didn't just magically appear, they had to work for it. Maybe anyplace could be Home, if I make it happen, if I work for it.

In the tense silence that followed, Winter Bloom belatedly realized that she had just back talked to her tormentors.

"What was that?" Limelight's eyes narrowed, and her taunting smile shifted back into a scowl. "I don't think I heard you right, cause it sounded like you said, 'I am home,' but that can't be."

Winter Bloom closed her eyes, bracing herself. She'd been beaten up before and she knew she wasn't going to be able to talk her way out of it this time. She could hear Limelight stepping closer.

"Maybe what you meant to say was, 'I miss my widdow mommy and daddy, boo hoo.' Isn't that..."

*crack!*

Winter Bloom reared up and slammed her hooves into Limelight's face. She didn't think about what she was doing, the flash of anger was so sudden and intense that, even after opening her eyes, the entire world had narrowed down to one pony. It was like she was watching the unicorn crumple to the ground through a tunnel, and she managed to get one more good stomp on the barrel of her chest before Chase struck her from behind.

Her back flared up in pain and she went tumbling to the ground in a snarl of swinging hooves and biting teeth. They each scored some decent hits, but Chase was bigger, stronger and clearly more experienced, and the struggle only lasted a few seconds. Winter Bloom never saw what took her out of the fight. All she saw was an explosion of colors and shapes that followed a sharp pain on the side of her head, just below her ear. She tried to continue kicking and struggling, but she couldn't tell which way was up or down anymore, and her hooves didn't seem to move where she wanted them. Several more sharp sensations bit into her side, but each one was only a small drop into a vast sea of pain and disorientation.

"Chase, that's enough!" Somepony's worried voice brought the fight to a halt, but she didn't recognize who. It took some effort to move her head, but she could see Misty Blue was standing over Limelight with a look of deep concern on her face. Misty hardly ever spoke.

"I'm not through with her yet."

"I'm serious. Get over here and help me lift, we need to get her to the infirmary. Now."

"Looks like today's your lucky day." Chase growled as he pulled himself up to his hooves, then he gave Winter Bloom one last kick to the stomach. "Nice cutie mark by the way. Looks like you're doomed to shrivel up and die."

Winter Bloom didn't notice Chase trot away, and she didn't see what happened to Limelight. The stallion's words had set her world spinning with renewed vigor, and after a few false starts, she collapsed once more to the ground. From that vantage point, she could see others standing around and gawking, but nopony came over to help.

The spectacle was over, and with it went any interest the onlookers had. They started shuffling away a few at a time, as hungry stomachs pulled them towards more important matters. She didn't blame them, not after what she'd done. I must have looked like a mad mare. What is wrong with me? I never wanted to hurt anypony.

"Winter Bloom, do you... do you need help?" It was only after the crowds had dispersed that she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

She could hardly believe her ears, but when Winter Bloom rolled over and sat up, Wellspring was standing next to her looking genuinely concerned.

"No." Winter Bloom wasn't going to take any chances. Wellspring looked worried about her, but she couldn't be sure that it wasn't some kind of a trick that they'd planned for revenge. "I'll be fine, I just need a minute."

The thought of Misty and Chase returning worried her, but Winter Bloom knew she had to take things one step at a time. With each deep breath, the world around her stopped wobbling a little bit more, and although her legs ached and protested, she eventually managed to stand up.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I feel bad about what happened." Wellspring looked away as he spoke, perhaps not wanting to bear witness to her vulnerability, or perhaps not wanting to help if she fell again. "Limelight took it too far this time. I'll try... when she wakes up, I'll try talking to her, but try to stay out of her way, ok?"

"Thanks." Winter Bloom didn't really know why she said it, or what she might have been thanking him for. He was one of the ponies that bullied her, wouldn't let her escape, but it just seemed like the right thing to say.

With some effort, she started making her way towards the mess hall, and her legs loosened up as she walked. As she made her way through the lines, she tried to ignore the fact that ponies were looking at her, either openly staring, or inconspicuously glancing. I must look terrible. No point in going to the infirmary though, not with Limelight's friends there. Even if I do get patched up, they'll just catch me as I'm leaving.

By the time she finished eating her own dinner and had Tail Wind's meal safely tucked away in her bags, her left eye was swollen almost completely shut, and the burning sensation in her back had turned into a full-on throbbing ache. The sky was beginning to dim and she stuck to the shadows as best she could, making her way back to the cell blocks.

Most of the workers were still at the mess hall, and the hallways were nearly empty. After dinner was when the drinking would start, and Winter Bloom reminded herself that she'd need to go back later to make good on her bet with Rosebud. Not that she felt much like drinking at that moment, but sleep would have to wait. She tried to ignore the sounds and smells of ponies engaged in other forms of recreation and partaking in harder substances as she walked down the hall.

Peeking her head around the bars, she looked into Tail Wind's cell and saw that he'd pulled himself out of bed and was doing pushups with his one good leg while balancing a bowl of water in midair with his telekinesis. He might not have been able to walk, but he never could sit still for long.

"Tail Wind?" She spoke up hesitantly, "I brought dinner."

Tailwind almost dropped the bowl, but managed to catch it again before it hit the ground, instead coming to a gentle rest on the stone floor. With a couple quick motions, he dragged himself over to the side of his bed and propped himself upright against it. He looked thoughtfully at Winter Bloom, but he didn't say anything.

Winter Bloom still didn't know what to say, so she busied herself by setting out Tail Wind's dinner on the short stand next to his bed. The uncomfortable silence pounded in her ears, but then she heard something strange. Tail Wind drew in a ragged breath that almost sounded like a sniffle. She turned her head as fast as the bruises would allow and saw tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I..." She started to apologize, thinking that she had done something to hurt his feelings, but she stopped when she realized he was smiling. They were tears of happiness.

"It looks wonderful," Tail Wind's words came out pinched by emotions and still short of breath, "Your parents... Your parents would be proud of you."

Nice cutie mark by the way. She stood blinking in confusion for a moment, and then Chase's words came rushing back to her, words she had forgotten about in the pain of the moment. Stupidly, she craned her head around to look, but with her eye swollen shut she couldn't see anything. She winced in discomfort, unable to open her eye, then turned around the other way.

There it was, a bundle of pear blossoms connected by a branch, just like back home. Just like my old home...

Excitement, joy, disbelief, and fear danced across her heart as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. She didn't even think about the words she blurted out, "You don't even know what it means."

"It's not a severed head." Tail Wind closed his eyes and tried to wipe away the tears. "It's not a bloody knife or a body, nopony killed, maimed or beaten, but flowers... they suit you."

Winter Bloom felt something icy and cold grab hold of her heart and twist. Fear and uncertainty bubbled up to the top and she had to force a smile. I did beat someone up though. Was it because I hurt Limelight that I finally found my special talent?

"I need to go, I..." Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find a way to excuse herself. "I'll see you in the morning.""

"I understand. Go, get some sleep, and have good dreams."

Winter Bloom laid in bed. Unable to sleep, she stared into the blank nothingness of the night outside. She'd had more to drink than she usually did, on Rosebud's insistence, but her thoughts wouldn't stop running around in circles. She had really hurt someone. Rosebud had praised her for it, and she received a lot more attention than she was used to during her impromptu celebration, but she didn't feel like she deserved praise. The last time she struck out at anyone was back as a petulant foal, but even that was hardly the same thing, just a childish act that she'd long since outgrown. What does my cutie mark really mean, is this what I'm supposed be?

Once the memories of her day were worn out, her restless mind started conjuring up visions of the day to come, running through every imaginable possibility both wondrous and horrifying. By the time she saw the first hints of light through the window, she was certain of only one thing. I'm going to have to do real work now.

Author's Note

It is hard to believe that it has been over three years since I first had the idea for this story. I almost decided not to complete it, but a good friend of mine convinced me to pull out my old notes and try anyways. I hope you are enjoying the story, in spite of the underlying dark themes.

I have tried to make this story require as little knowledge about Kkat's Fallout: Equestria as possible, but given how closely it follows certain events and settings, it is impossible to make it totally detached. If you have not read Fallout: Equestria, there is a good chance that some things in this story will not entirely make sense.