The original city of Neighara Falls was one centered around a cluster of three distinct falls. What was known as the ‘Horseshoe Falls’, because of its distinct shape, was the largest and most visited. It was a major tourist attraction, which in turn molded the city around it to make everything more tourist accessible. When the megaspells hit, Neighara was one of the cities that wasn’t attacked directly.

However, because of Neighara’s popularity, pre-war and during, ponies fled the city. They were unsure of their safety. A nuclear power plant on the edge of the city didn’t have the horsepower needed to keep it running safely, and suffered a massive meltdown as the consequence. A large section of the city was heavily irradiated, and fallout soon occurred. What was left of the city’s residents fled or died in the streets, making the nearly untouched city a treasure trove to those who ‘rediscovered’ it years later. Everything was available: raw materials, technology, information, and much more. Neighara was made even more attractive because of how few feral ghouls there were.

In comparison to the rest of the wasteland, Neighara was like a paradise. So settlers decided to create a settlement as far away from the nuclear power plant as humanly possible, which was coincedently right beside the falls themselves. Harnessing unfinished technology that had been uncompleted before the megaspells dropped, the ponies of New Neighara powered their city.

It was remarkable at all how New Neighara had flourished considering the odds. New technology with little-understood mechanics, a hot-spot for gangers and raiders of all kinds, and the threats of everyday life while simply existing in the Equestrian Wasteland. In all, it was a miracle that New Neighara was still a settlement town and not some slaver hub.

As Comet listened to Thunder tell the story of New Neighara and her people, he was reminded as he often was, of his Stable. New Neighara relied on thick, strong walls, and strong ponies, to keep itself running. Comet’s Stable, Stable 43, had similar ideals.

It hadn’t always been that way, not according to the terminals and locked files Comet had broken into, but it was what Stable 43 had descended to when system failure after system failure made it more difficult for ‘weak’ ponies to survive. Comet himself was an exception to the rule: his smarts and skills had made him an asset to the Overmare.

“You okay, kid?” Thunder asked suddenly, jerking Comet out of his thoughts.

“I was just thinking about the Stable.”

“Oh yeah? Still haven’t told us much of what happened.”

“I’ll tell you about Stable 43 if you two will tell me about where you’re from.”

Ivory snorted, “Fillydelphia is a shithole ruled over by a crazed earth pony who believes in supremacy for his tribe. The worst kinds of ponies are in power, and everyone suffers the consequence.”

Comet blinked, “Really? Can’t anypony do anything?”

“Ponies have tried, but the most anypony has done is gotten themselves, or their families, killed. No point. Red Eye is too persuasive, too powerful. He knows how to root out insurrection.”

“He’s the leader?”

“Tyrant, but yes.”

“The Overmare ruled over us. She killed the previous Overmare,” Comet said suddenly, eyes downcast, “I was too little, just a colt. I don’t know exactly what happened. After that things got...rough for ponies like me.”

“Like you?”

“Not built like a truck. I have a brain.”

Ivory nodded slowly, “Fair enough. Clearly you managed though.”

Comet snorted, “Barely. I don’t think I could ever go back now, they’d kill me on sight.”

“Why?”

“I broke into the Overmare’s terminal and downloaded all her files onto my PipBuck. I snuck out of the Stable after knocking out the guard near the door. I stole supplies too. All punishable offenses.”

“Shit, kid.”

Comet shrugged, “I had to. I couldn’t stay down there anymore.”

Ivory nodded, “I know that feeling.”

“Wow. I’m so boring compared to you two. I grew up on a farm.

Ivory scoffed, “Better than Fillydelphia. Why do you think my lungs are ruined to shit?”

“Years of smoking cigarettes?” Comet prompted.

“No. That causes a whole other list of problems, and isn’t the main cause of my shitty lungs. Red Eye is using Fillydelphia to manufacture things: bullets, infrastructure, weapons. He’s trying to make it the industrial giant it was during the war. When I left, he was really only beginning to make an impact on Filly. Apparently, he’s got most of the city under hoof now.”

“So...your lungs?”

“Dirty air. Smog, smoke, cramped and filthy living conditions. Bad hay. Lots of things added together over time.”

“Oh,” Comet replied quietly.

“Hey you two, keep it sharp. Lots of fighting going on nearby, and we don’t want to get caught in anything.”

“Fair enough. Any idea on how we’re getting into the city?”

“A couple ponies will remember me from my merchant days. I could probably claim one of you as my ‘assistant’...dunno if they’d let all three of us in.”

Ivory and Thunder shared a look that made Comet feel immediately anxious.

“Manoeuvre twelve?”

“Manoeuvre twelve,” Ivory agreed.

“Do I want to know?”

“No. Just act natural.”

Comet nodded, pressing his lips together in a firm line. He’d been out of the Stable for months; but there were many things he still needed to learn. Apparently, this was one of them.

Trying to keep his cool through the trek through the ruins outside of the settlement was difficult. Distant, and not-so-distant firefights were around every corner and every back alley that could provide some cover. Picking through rubble without stepping into the middle of a firefight was difficult enough, much less trying to avoid snipers and patrols.

Thunder led the way, since he knew where he was going. Thankfully there were plenty of houses and shops to duck into to hide from moving bands of raiders and gangers. Why none of them stopped to loot houses Comet didn’t know; he was stuffing everything of value into his bags.

Thunder was too, while Ivory just rolled his eyes and kept a keen eye on the entrances. He seemed more tense than Comet had ever seen him.

Eventually, after nearly four hours of creeping, hiding, and waiting, Thunder peered around a ruined wall and smiled.

“Alright. We’re here. Careful here, there could be an ambush.”

“Just outside the gate?”

“You’d be surprised,” Ivory murmured in reply.

Comet swallowed, nodding, “Okay…”

Thunder eased out of cover, trotting over to the large gate. Comet followed after, nearly stumbling over chunks of ruined concrete. Ivory was a little more cautious, his ears swivelling around to catch any noises.

Stopping before the gate, Thunder stared up at one of the guards standing with their guns ready.

One guard in particular, her coat a dirty off-white colour. Her protective helmet masked most of her face while a black bandana covered the rest. She shuffled the bandana away from her muzzle, “Thunder Hooves!? We thought you died!”

“Takes more than an ambush to kill me!” Thunder replied, smiling up at the various guards.

The mare opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when Ivory started to cough. Stumbling and half-collapsing against Thunder for support, Ivory lifted his breathing mask up, and fumbled for one of his inhalers.

Guns were pointed at them, “Is that the plague!?”

“No, it’s heeves!” Thunder shouted over the chattering of the guards, “He was at Filly, Orchid! I’ve been travelling with him for years. I would have caught it if it were anything el-”

Ivory coughed again, legs folding underneath him from the force. Choking and gagging, he vomited in between heaving coughs. Thin, watery oatmeal splattered against the torn concrete, and Comet winced.

Thunder, in a practiced movement, slipped out of his saddlebags and hoofed them over to Comet. Comet stumbled over the weight, but remained firm. Thunder somehow got Ivory slung over his back, still coughing harshly.

“Orchid, please!”

“Goddamnit, this better not be an ambush, Thunder Hooves! Open the gate, quickly!”

Ponies moved, and the gate inched open, just wide enough to allow entry, “Inside now!”

Thunder scrambled inside, Ivory nearly falling off of his back at the suddenness of the movement. Comet was right at Thunder’s heels, wincing as the door was almost slammed onto his tail.

Ivory hadn’t stopped coughing, his entire body jerking and trembling with the force.

“I’ll take you to Emerald Days, he’s the new doctor. If he can’t help your friend, nopony here can.”

“Thank you, so much Orchid-”

“Don’t thank me until after your friend here can-eugh.”

Ivory had vomited again, eye streaming. Somehow, he avoided puking all over Thunder. Thunder looked genuinely worried, and Comet couldn’t help but try to stamp down his own alarm.

“Is-is this normal?” Comet croaked.

“No, kid it isn’t.”

“Follow me, you two. Keep up.”

Thunder followed Orchid closely, his size clearing a path for Comet who followed after. Past the high metal walls, New Neighara was a nice place. Fairy lights were strung up from building to building, lamps were lit, and every building seemed to have some sort of electricity.

It was a short walk to the doctors, which was a good thing because Ivory was looking worse every second. Orchid didn’t bother to knock on the door, which screamed the fact that this was an emergency.

A tired looking stallion, with a bright blue coat and teal mane and tail jolted from where he’d been asleep at a desk, “I’m aw-oh goodness, is that heeves? Set him down on the bed here Thunder. Long time no see, we thought you were dead.”

“Almost was. Ivory here saved my life,” Thunder grunted, gently sliding Ivory off onto the bed, “Please take care of him, Doc. I haven’t seen him like this in a long time.”

That being said, Thunder moved away, looking concerned. After Comet shot him a helpless look, Thunder sighed, “Doctor Emerald Days is one of the few doctors that can actually help, beyond maybe some Stable doctors. He has electricity to help him with some of the old machinery. Ivory will be fine. Now, let’s go sit over here out of the way while the doctor does his work.”

Comet sat down on a hard chair, staring down at the floor between his hooves. All the while, he could hear Ivory’s whistling breathing from across the room.

“Here. I’ll give you some Med-X, that’ll knock you out so you will relax and your lungs will ease up. There we go, I see an inhaler in one of your pockets, is that your medication? You’ll have one dose now, and I’ll make sure you keep taking some so your lungs don’t seize up again...”

Orchid turned away from Emerald Days, “Alright you two, let’s get you settled at the motel, then we’ll chat some more in the morning. Hope your friend feels better.”

Thunder nodded, rising to his feet, moving to follow Orchid. Comet felt torn.

“Should we leave him?” Comet asked tentatively.

Thunder smiled reassuringly, “He’ll be fine here. Doc will have him up and moving by tomorrow no doubt. We won’t do any good waiting all night and cluttering up Doc’s space. C’mon. We’ll come over first thing.”

Comet cast one look at the unicorn, who was already unconscious and seemed to be resting more peacefully, “Okay.”

“I’ll hang his saddlebags over the end of the bed. Lad’s skinnier than he should be, but that’s no surprise. I’ll make him comfortable,” Doctor Emerald Days said, striding over, “I promise. He’ll be much better by morning.”

Comet nodded, needing to take solace in the doctor’s words. He reluctantly followed Thunder out of the clinic, and down the winding ‘streets’ of New Neighara. Soon enough, Orchid stopped at a large building, and gestured to the ramshackle door.

“Here you go. Honey Drop will set you up quick. Just tell her I sent you. I gotta get back to my post. Tell your friend I hope he feels better.”

“Thank you for this Orchid. If you need anything, just let us know. We’ll do our best to help.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Orchid smiled, “Have a good night.”

Comet watched as she turned tail, and walked away back toward the gate. He barely had a second to back up away from the door that Thunder swung open.

Thunder rolled his eyes, “C’mon, keep up.”

Comet followed, trying to keep the disappointment off his face when he saw how dirty the interior of the motel was. Tomorrow will be better.

A terrible weight was pressed into his chest, and he couldn’t breathe no matter how hard he tried. It was sweltering, and freezing, and he could feel sweat soaking his coat.

In the misery, moments of clarity surfaced: the taste of his medicine, the sting of a needle, lights above him. Everything was blurry and harsh, and made no sense to his fever-stricken brain. His mind was a minefield, turning his greatest asset into a weakness. Memories, out of focus but so vivid played at the edge of his vision.

“We don’t have collars, Ivie. I promise you that I won’t let that monster have you.”

Water. Water surrounding him, trying to tug him under the surface. Skin itching, coat falling out from the high concentration of rads. His lungs giving out just after climbing onto the slippery bank somewhere on the other side. Finding his saddlebags still on him, thankfully, and taking out a pack of RadAway, and fumbling to find a vein like the medical journal he’d read taught him to. Lying there, near the lethal river, trying to ignore the alarming clicking of the geiger counter in his bags. Everything hurt, he couldn’t breathe-

Soothing, gentle hooves. The taste of the medicine, and everything settled. He could breathe.

“Sleep now, if you can, son. Goddesses know you need it.”

Ivory felt himself drifting away into sleep.

Ivory struggled into wakefulness, able to breathe but confused as to where he was. He remembered the gate of New Neighara, and remembered puking all over the road into the city. After that, things were more muddled.

“I see you’re awake,” A raspy voice commented.

Ivory, heart in his throat, spun around so quickly that his head spun.

“It’s alright, son. I’m Doctor Emerald Days, call me Doc. Your friends brought you here after your episode last night.”

“Ah,” Ivory was at a loss about what to say otherwise. “Thank you,” Ivory tried to ignore the fact his vocal cords sounded like they had been sent through a shredder.

“Your saddlebags are at the end of your bed there. Take your time, your friends said they’d come get you. I have some food, and I’ll be more than happy to give you a physical if you’d like me to.”

Ivory shook his head, “No...thank you. I’m certain there’s nothing more wrong with me than the heeves.”

Doc chuckled, “Right you are. Beyond some malnutrition, but that’s normal for the wasteland. C’mon, I’ll cook us breakfast and you’ll eat it before your friends come. Hopefully they won’t show up before then. It’s still pretty early,”

Ivory scoffed, “Depends. Knowing, they’ll wait until when the shops will open. That’s why we came here, after all.”

Doc nodded, “A lot of ponies want to trade here. Neighara is a scavenger’s paradise.”

“That’s true enough,” Ivory agreed, “Lots of cities are.”

“I’ve got some fresh bread and some canned soup. It’s not quite breakfast food, but it’s all I’ve got-”

“It’s fine,” Ivory got to his hooves, deliberately keeping his breathing steady, “Thank you for this. How much?”

“For the treatment? Fifty caps. For breakfast? Nothing. You’re clearly in need of some food.”

Ivory levitated his saddlebags to himself, counted out fifty caps, and hoofed them over, “Here then, so we don’t forget. I have no idea what set me off, I was okay before I swear-”

“Probably the falls. The humidity and water content of the air can exacerbate chronic lung problems.”

“That makes sense, actually. Oh! I have several books about medicine, if you’d like to barter for them. Caps, or goods will do.”

“I’d need to see them first. No point in paying for things I’ve already memorized.”

“Obviously.”

“Breakfast first. Sit down. You’ll likely be weaker than normal for a few days. I’d suggest taking your medication more often while you’re near the water, and don’t be afraid to use that breathing mask of yours.”

“I will,” Ivory replied, sitting down at the rickety table.

Doc prepared the meal, which was shared over bargaining for the medical books. Once, Ivory had to use his inhaler during the discussion, and Doc had the tact not to mention it.

Just after Ivory had helped clean the dishes, Comet opened the door and poked his head in. At seeing Ivory, he entered the clinic fully.

“You feeling better?”

Ivory nodded, “Yes. Thank you. Thank Doc for that. Now, I assume our deal has been settled here.”

Doc nodded, staring at the two journals that he’d bartered for, “Yes. Have a good day, and if any of you need a hoof with anything, let me know.”

“Will do. Have a good day,” Ivory offered a smile, levitated his belongings to himself, and left the clinic after Comet.

Ivory squinted at the sunlight that was filtering through the clouds above, looking around for the first time at the city of New Neighara.

Walls made of scrap metal, wood, and whatever else that could be used surrounded the city on three sides, the other side being flanked by the waterfalls. The houses and buildings were a mishmash of prewar and postwar buildings, patched together and built up with whatever was around. Fairy lights were strung between buildings, and lampposts were erected at the street junctions.

It was a mishmash, it was a mess, it was loud, but it was life. Life that was rare in the wasteland, even if it was constantly under threat by outsiders who wanted to tear it all down to the ground.

Following Comet down a street to the left, Ivory was brought into a courtyard, where market stalls and stores were squeezed together in an amalgamation of noise and architecture.

Without even realizing it, Ivory slipped the breathing mask over his muzzle. Comet looked more excited than Ivory remembered feeling in his own life.

“Are all marketplaces like this?”

“Each city is different, so no.”

“It’s way bigger than I thought it would be. Now where did Thunder get off to? He said he’d-oh there he is!” Comet pointed, and Ivory could see Thunder’s hatted head above the other ponies in the marketplace.

Ivory rolled his eyes, “Let’s go before he sells everything to the first vender he sees.”

“Why does he do that, anyway?”

“He’s a merchant,” Ivory replied dryly, “And not one with a super-strong planning ability.”

“How did he make a living before he met you?”

“He almost didn’t,” Ivory entered the courtyard, trying to spot Thunder’s hulking figure above the crowd.

Comet scurried to keep up, desperately not wanting to be separated from his friends. Getting lost in the middle of the settlement was less dangerous than getting lost in the wasteland, but it could still cost him his life.

“Lughead!” Ivory called over the crowd, “Don’t sell everything all at once!”

“How many times am I going to have to hear that from you!?” Thunder teased, “That was once, almost five years ago!”

“I’m never letting you live it down,” Ivory replied, a smirk evident in his eyes.

Thunder shook his head, “Been able to breathe for less than a few hours and you’re already making fun of me. What kind of example does this set?”

“Sarcasm is life,” Ivory replied dryly.

The merchant, who had been patiently waiting, coughed politely, “That would imply I would buy everything. I’m a scrap merchant.”

“So any scrap bits of metal or salvage would be greatly appreciated.”

Comet, who had already been nosing through his saddlebags, lifted his head triumphantly, “Ha!”

Clutched in his jaws was a small sack filled to the brim with bits of scrap electronics and non-rusted out pieces of metal. Plopping it onto the counter, he smiled brightly at the merchant.

The merchant laughed heartily, “Aye. That, with yours there, is well worth a hundred caps.”

As Comet tried to sweet-talk the merchant, with limited success, Ivory nudged Thunder over a few steps, away from Comet.

“I’m...sorry about yesterday. Manoeuvre twelve got too real there.”

“Considering you actually have heeves it’s not too surprising,” Thunder replied wryly, “I’m just glad they let us in.”

“No kidding. Would have been a rough night for you guys. So, do you think he can be trusted with the manoeuvres yet?”

Thunder shook his head, “No. He’s still too fresh. He can’t bluff to save his own coat, much less anypony else’s.”

Ivory nodded, looking over in time to see Comet finish the transaction. Comet walked over to the pair, grinning. He tossed a bag of caps at Thunder, who somehow managed to catch it.

“Where next?”

“I’ve been asking around. There are a lot of places that haven’t been explored yet, but their dangerous. This place is ripe for scavenging, but we’ll need extra ammo.”

“Maybe an extra weapon, with all the raiders around,” Ivory mused.

“Is there anything else to worry about that isn’t just raiders?”

“Some ghouls, but not as many as compared to other places. Ever since ponies started trying to get into the main power plant, there’s been more of them, but that’s to be expected. We’ll need to be careful.”

“No shit,” Ivory replied, “We always need to be careful. We don’t want anypony getting themselves sick by slicing themselves open on a shard of glass.”

“That was once, and I’d been out of the Stable for less than a week!”

“In spite of everything, he’s been pretty lucky.”

“Only because we ran into that travelling doctor who needed what we had.”

“Still lucky.”

“Weapons next, then. Let’s go. We’re blocking ponies here.”

Comet kept to himself while the trio crossed the busy square. At this time of day, the fairy lights were off, and what looked charming after dark looked sad and depressing against the grey skies of daytime.

Thunder opened the door to the cobbled together shack, and entered the store. Ivory and Comet followed after. Comet wasn’t sure what to expect as the number of merchant shops he’d been in numbered less than ten, and each of those ten were vastly different from one another.

He was ecstatic when he realized a lot of shelves were up, displaying various types of weapons and their ammo. A small magazine rack held several ratty magazines and stained books. Drifting over to them, Comet idly looked over the selection. Big guns, small guns, one book about battle-saddles, and two magazines about hoof-to-hoof combat.

Comet didn’t care about hoof-to-hoof combat, big guns, or battle saddles. Small guns though, that was a skill he needed. Bullets and You: The Art of Giving* was fity caps. A little more than Comet was expecting, but worth it.

As Ivory browsed the rows of guns, and Thunder talked to the owner, Comet continued to look at the array of weapons. Ammo, guns, melee weapons, and even some armour were spread across tables, shelves, and racks. Comet had never seen such a wide collection of weapons before, and was astounded at the variety and quantity.

“You gonna buy that?”

Comet almost jumped out of his horseshoes, “Er...yes, please.”

The grizzled looking merchant rolled their eyes, and held their hoof out for the payment, “Like the sign says: 50 caps.”

Fumbling momentarily, Comet rooted through his saddlebags to find where his stash of caps were (according to his Pipbuck), and hoofed over the caps. The merchant eyed them warily, but nodded, “Good.”

Comet turned away from the merchant, and nearly dropped the magazine: Ivory was standing directly behind him, almost nose to nose.

This close, Comet couldn’t help but see the exasperation on Ivory’s face, “Just. Move. Over.”

Comet chuckled weakly, and moved to the bench beside the door, idly flipping through the magazine. He was greeted with faded words, a few scribbles in the margins, and faded advertising for products that were over two-hundred years out of production. Some things were jumping out at him already, especially how to hold guns in his mouth more effectively. Absorbed in the words of the magazine, Comet almost missed Ivory sitting down beside him, affectionately examining his new pistol.

“Is it a good one?”

“It’s in better condition that my current one. Your magazine?”

“Good. It’s gonna be helpful.”

“Did you get any extra ammo?”

Comet looked up from the magazine sheepishly. Gently resting it in his saddlebags, he went back to the merchant for several minutes before coming back, “I do now.”

“Good. Few things suck worse than running out of ammo.”

“I can imagine. Has it happened to you?”

“A few times, before I met Thunder. I’ve never been a tire-iron type of pony, but I made do.”

“With what?”

“Anything I could find, usually. Bits of concrete, pipes, baseball bats. Anything that would help me survive long enough to get more ammo.”

“Have you ever run away from a fight?”

“More times than I can count.”

Thunder plopped himself on the bench on the other side of Comet, “So I’ve been asking around, and there’s a few places that seem promising.One of them is surrounded by feral ghouls. One has some protectrons. The other seems suspiciously quiet, so nopony has gone near it.”

“That’s...reassuring.”

“Sounds suspicious to me. How do we know these ponies aren’t lying? Could be a trap?”

“Nah. These ponies know me, and if we clear the places out it opens opportunities for locals. Scavenging and stuff, you know. Raw materials and the like.”

Comet nodded slowly, “I suppose so.”

Ivory shrugged, “They’ve got nothing to lose, sending us. Anyway, let’s get going. The sooner we get started the better-”

“Where are we even going?” Comet interrupted, moving so Ivory stayed seated, “We need some kind of plan!”

Ivory blinked, “Pick the closest location, and go from there. Scout it, and if it’s too dangerous, go elsewhere.”

“Something more concrete than that, please.”

“Kid’s gotta point,” Thunder rumbled, “Remember last time?”

“We promised to never speak of it again.”

Comet looked between the two stallions, then shook his head, “I don’t even want to know. We need to plan this out. What if you have another episode, Ivory? What if we can’t rush you back here? What do we do?”

“Have Thunder shoot me between the eyes,” Ivory replied dryly. At Comet’s alarmed look, Ivory shook his head, “Sometimes you’ve just got to wait. Wait until the coughing eases, then force me into taking some of my medicine. If nothing else, some Med-X usually works.”

“What if we don’t have any? Or you don’t stop coughing long enough for us to give you some of your medicine?”

“If Steady is around, use it. If not, shoot me. I will die of heeves eventually; there’s no way around it. Just don’t let me die suffocating. It’s...not quick.”

Comet nodded, apparently speechless. Ivory offered a bitter look.

Thunder coughed, “Seriously, though. Which place are we going?”

Ivory shrugged, “Bring up your map. We’ll plug the coordinates in and we’ll go from there. Deal?”

Comet nodded, sitting back down. Thunder loomed over his right shoulder, as Ivory peered around Comet’s left.

“So, first place is the Tower Hotel. It’s the one that has lots of ghouls nearby. It was this fancy-schmancy place that overlooks the falls. Probably some personal belongings in there, and who knows what else. Probably a good place to go before we go to Tenpony.”

A little beep, and the location appeared on Comet’s map. It was over the wall, across New Neighara. Opposite from the gate. Comet sighed. Figures.

“Next one is Twilight Sparkle’s Believe It or Not. Supposed to have lots of relics and stuff inside. She was a Ministry Mare, and-”

“Ministry of Arcane Science,” Ivory stated, “She was...incredible. From the bits and pieces I’ve seen, of course. A lot of it is just rumour, but...she did a lot to try to help. She accomplished so much-”

“Bits and pieces huh? Sounds like you idolize her.”

Ivory shot Comet a look, “She was one of six Ministry Mares. She ran an entire department that was supposed to come up with new magics and-”

“We get it. It’s the one with the protectrons.”

“Then there’s got to be something good inside! She wouldn’t have wasted that level of protection for nothing!”

“One problem, guys,” Comet said quietly, “It’s uh...kinda near the power plant-”

“Then we get some Rad-X, RadAway, Med-X and be as quick as we can!”

“You’re gonna make us go whether we like it or not aren’t you.”

Ivory smirked, “Damn right I am. Consider it payback for all the Good Pony stores you two have dragged me into.”

“The last one is the old city hall. It’s the one that’s been quiet.”

“Surviving records could be worth something to somepony,” Ivory mused, “Maybe an old armoury or something could be left. Worth a look, at any rate.”

“It’s technically closest. We’ll have to cross the river, but there’s a big bridge here.”

“Too risky. Is it the only bridge?”

“Only one nearby-”

“Are you three going to buy anything else?”

All three stallions froze, turning at once to face the owner.

“We were just going, so sorry for taking your time,” Thunder tried to soothe. Clearly he fell short, and Ivory stood up.

“One question before we go. Where is the best place to buy medicine around here? Emerald Days had his supply, but it wasn’t for sale-”

“Other side of the square. Peachy Keen will give you what you need, so long as you’ve got the caps. Now stop blocking the door!”

“Thanks!” Ivory shot the owner a charming look, and sauntered out. Comet scrambled after, and Thunder followed more calmly.

“What was that for?”

“Well, we need medicine for general purposes anyway. We’ll price whatever this Peachy Keen has and go from there. Maybe she’ll trade. No harm in going and taking a look.”

“Spoken like a true wastelander! I’m so proud,” Thunder beamed down at Ivory who rolled his eyes.

“So...that’s the pharmacy there?” Comet pointed to a building that had Pharmacy painted over the door in large letters. At least Comet figured, it was supposed to be pharmacy. It actually read Faarmasea.

The building was old, possibly one of the oldest in New Neighara. The paint was peeling, so Comet hoped that the writing had been done decades before. The thought of ponies not being able to do a simple thing like read was deeply unsettling.

Comet followed Ivory across the square. Alright, let's see if this Peachy Keen can help.

Author's Note

I'm sorry this took so long, but I just wanted to try to push through the stuff you guys have already read to get to the new stuff I'm excited to show you. So excited for what comes next.

Hopefully, the next chapter won't take me so much.