Game of Circumstances

Chapters

Chapter one: Crappy Day
Chapter three: for a bunch of strings...
Chapter four: I need to get out of here!
Chapter five: Hope and ruins
Chapter six: Preparation
Chapter seven: A day through the ruins.
chapter eight: Hellhole
chapter nine: Mutants
chapter ten: the blind wizard
chapter eleven: Happiness
chapter twelve: reunion
chapter thirteen: Market day.
Chapter fourteen: Cultism
Chapter sixteen: Reaching the point of no return
Chapter seventeen: The Happiness' incident
Prologue
chapter two: I need money
chapter fifteen: breakfast at the bar

Chapter one: Crappy Day

Chapter One: a crappy day

I swear that there are some days on witch I would stay in bed if I could, or if I had a bed. This day wasn’t an exception.

I woke up.

It was… well, I didn’t know, because the sky was an empty black layer above me since I was born. Yeah, I’d never seen the fuckin’ sun! It was just black as always. It was kind of depressing, you know? At the top of my nineteen years on this blasted, grey Earth, I’ve known only that. Some pre-apocalypse books spoke of a beautiful blue sky, but I could only imagine it. Yeah, I could read. It’s one of the things my parents taught me before being killed by some druggy bastard on the road to the Canterlot’s ruins. I could barely read only, but it prevented me of coming insane or killing myself. That was like: ‘rather than blowing your head with your gun, blow it with acknowledge!’ What? That wasn’t funny? Aggh… People today… don’t know what a good joke is. But I’m deriving…

Yeah, so, I had just woken up. I had slept in some School ruins for two days, and it was time to move. I mean, I didn’t want to wake up with somepony happily swimming in my entrails, no? I looked quickly at my watch. Some old thing too, took on my father’s arm with few things I could get before running away. Ten hour in the ‘morning’. I don’t really know if I can call that morning, but…

I redid quickly my long blond mane and got up. My back ached a bit. Normal when you sleep on the ground in a school’s ruins, would you say. I don’t know if I can call that ruins. I mean, there was still a roof! I quickly ate some magically grown apples, the last ones still growing in the Ash Desert. Have you even eaten one of them? Yeah, sure you have, that’s the only food that you can find here in the wastes that is a fruit. So, you’re with me when I say that it taste awful, like somepony injected bleach or something like that in it. So, still, I checked my bag: my 44, my knife, some bullets and some of these blasted apples, nothing more, nothing less. Bah… I was used to live like that.

I closed my bag and put it on my back. I didn’t know where I was going to go, but I really hoped I could find some secured ruins of maybe a town! A town with real beds, supplies, others things to eat than apples…

I exited the classroom and walked quietly toward the front doors of the building. And then I heard it. Screams and gunshots coming from behind the doors. Shit. I took quickly my 44 in my bag and checked that it was loaded. Six bullets. Perfect. I reached quickly the left side of the doors and, sticking my back against the wall, pushed one of them slightly, allowing me to see what was going on.

Pillagers attacking defenseless ponies. Three, visibly. What do I do? Running away by the back doors, or putting up a fight? The odds were against me, but…. Oh, and fuck the odds, let’s go kill some pillagers. Yeah, you can say that. I didn’t care what could happen to me. After? Yeah, I found me stupid for doing that after, but it’s not the matter now. I punched hard the door and shot right on the nearest of these bastard. Three shoots. Two of them went missing in our national beautiful landscape, and the third bullet went right in the head. Boom! His head exploded in a big spread of blood, skull and brain melted. Sweet Celestia, it was disgusting. Just after, I learned that standing still in a gunfight was a fuckin’ bad idea. And that a bullet in the left foreleg hurt more than a little. I jumped behind the wall, but I knew that these bastards would be in there in less than a minute. I grab my revolver again, and stopped moving, breathing, all. Big technique I’ve learned while scavenging, focusing on the hoof steps is a good way to prevent being captured or surprised.

I barely respired. Three, two, one… The pillager passed the door. He was wearing light leather armor with some steel plates covering the chest, the forelegs and the neck, and was carrying what seemed to be a baseball bat. He saw me, but had barely the time to move as my right hoof met with his jaw with a disgusting crack. Blood stained my fur, and this bastard fell on the ground, letting accidentally his bat falling away from us. I punched him on the face again, but he reacted, passed under me and kicked me with both his hind legs right in the chest. I let my air escape from my lungs as I was send against the nearest wall. I felt my ribs crack. Oh Celestia it was the most painful thing that happened to me. I tried to take a breath, but he was quickly on me and punched me in the face. I felt blood in my mouth for the first time of my life. I tried to move, but he kept punching me. I can still see his horrible, scarred face, his sadistic grin as he punched me, that strange look in his eyes.

For the first time of my life, I was near to the dead. But I was too young, I knew that. At least too young for dying without a last bravery, so I make it. I kicked him right where it really hurt, and he got off of me with a scream of pain and rage. ‘’ That’s all you got, bastard?’’ I shouted at him, splitting blood on the ground. He’d surely break my muzzle. ‘’ Oh, come on, my granny was more dangerous than you!’’. It was stupid, because I’ve never known my granny, but he couldn’t know.

I think that here that he lost all sense of reason. He charged me. I dodged at the last second, rolling on the left side, and took his bat, that was still on the ground. He charged again, still blinded by his anger. I dodged again, and this time, I hit him right in the face with the bat. Blood stained the bat and his grey coat. His nostrils bled. I hit a second time, this time right on the neck. The bat broke instantly, so did his neck protection. I swore and launched the destroyed bat away, ready to finish him in a hooves-to-hooves fight. But he stopped, tottered, and fell on his left side. I approached the now lifeless corpse. Suddenly I saw. When his neck protection’s broken, a part of the steel plate’s stabbed him right in the neck. Blood was going out of the ugly injury. Yeah, like a fountain. It was really disgusting.

And then, something fell next to me and exploded. Fuckin’ third pillager, I’d completely forgot him and he had a frag grenade! I was cursed. I went right in the wall for the second time, but it was much more painful this time. Have you ever be touched by a grenade explosion when you don’t wear armor? No? I hope you’ll never have to. I couldn’t move, all my limbs hurt, and blood dripped out of me from everywhere. I think it’s a miracle that I survived to this. I heard hoof steps. I turned my head, burning my last energies to see dead coming in front of me. It was the pillager. He was carrying a strange gun. My eyes blurred. He aimed at my head. I closed my eyes, there was a big noise and all became black.

__________

‘’ Hey, sleepy head, will you wake up someday?’’

That’s what I heard when I woke up. It seemed to be distant, deafened. But I recognized a stallion’s voice, resembling to my father’s. ‘’ Hey!’’ He said again. ‘’ Will you move, or must I get you off of this bed?’’ That’s when I found out that I was in a REAL bed. It was so comfy I could just stay in it and slept forever. But he had another plan. I suddenly felt a needle entering my left tight.

‘’ AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEE!!!’’ I yelled, bolting out of the bed. Strangely, my voice was way high-pitched than my normal voice, but I thought it was because I yelled. I faced the stallion. He was a grey unicorn with a short black mane and looked at me deadpan from behind his glasses. He was also wearing an ex-white blouse and his cutie mark was a red cross, surely the city’s doctor.

‘’ Are you finished, miss?’’ He said, raising an eyebrow. And there, I knew something was up that wasn’t usually. My brain finished understanding what he’s just said, and I made the only thing possible. I checked.

‘’ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! But… but… when? How?’’

‘’ Stay calm!’’ He shouted. I kept screaming with my new high-pitched voice. He was covering his ears, I think, and after, he took something and stuck it in my left thigh again. I think it was a tranquilizer, because I remember that I felt really cool after. I wasn’t screaming anymore, but I wasn’t sleepy. ‘’ Better now?’’ He asked.

‘’ Yeah, thanks…” I answered.’’ Just…’’

‘’ Yeah?’’

‘’ You know how this happened? I mean, I wasn’t a mare the last time I was woken up.’’ I said.

‘’ Nope, sorry, miss.’’ He answered. ‘’but if you excuse me, you’re fully healed and I am plenty of patients needing a bed. Oh, and, welcome in New Hope! I’m Doctor Sirius, the healer of the town.’’ He leaned a hoof. I shook it. He seemed friendly.

‘’ Well, thank for healing me, Doc.’’ I said. ‘’ I’m Callixus.’’

‘’ I think I can call you Cal?’’ He said with a little smile.

‘’ I guess it is okay.’’ I answered. He took a paper and noted something on it with a pencil he’d just took in his blouse.

‘’ Well, if I was you, I’ll go to the town’s saloon, the ‘Wanderer’s paradise’. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of people there, like the town’s sheriff. He surely has something for you to make some bits.’’ I looked at him quizzically. I think I would have been much happier if the answer never came. ‘’ After all, you owe me one-thousand and thirteen bits.’’ So I made the only thing possible.

I passed out.

Fuckin’ crappy day.

Chapter three: for a bunch of strings...

Chapter three: for a bunch of strings…

I stood up just before the town’s limits. I had requested a map and the coordinates of the music shop just before to the ‘scrap supplies’ owner. I didn’t take anything else, because he was pretty creepy, cleaning his 9.MM while crying.

I was wearing my new armor. It was pretty comfy, surprisingly, and it fitted perfectly my new body. And, as always, I had this ol’ bag of mine on my back, containing all my ammunitions, my –still very limited- weaponry, and, of course, my map and my provisions. I think I was ready to kick some flank.

‘’ Let’s go!’’ I said, and passed a hoof over the town’s limits.

Back again in the Ashes! I could have run away, and never come back, never paid the medic, never did the job for Gibbs, but, I don’t really know why, I felt that I had to make it. And, of course, that was better to be in good terms with everypony who’s not trying to kill you when they saw you. Yeah, that helps to survive. You can’t, all alone down there.

So I was walking quietly, as I am usually, to my target of the day. According to the New Hope’s inhabitants, it lied three kilometers to the west of New Hope. No too far, you’ll accept. After all, I spent all my childhood walking maybe twenty kilometers a day. The bad news is that the recent attacks on the town came by the west, so they supposed that the raiders’ basement was located near to the shop where I was supposed to find the strings that Gibbs needed. Hmmm… maybe the things I had ‘purchased’ would be useful, finally.

I passed the whole time looking for something interesting or reflating the presence of raiders while I was on my way to the shop. And all I saw was ashes, ruins, and grey. Grey. I hate this color. I spent my whole life in a fuckin’ grey world. The only thing I hate more than grey is a bastard colored in grey that lie in ambush for me. And I swear that happened more than one time. Some of them had even dyed their fur and mane for that.

Bitches.

What? Oh yeah… the story. Where was I again? Ah! Yes, when I reached the shop, or, basically, the barrier that prevented everypony from entering. Annnnnd guess what was written on it? No? Not any idea?

Well, on it was written: ‘Black Eyes property. Nopony enters without authorization.’ With blood, of course. ‘’ Shit’’ I said. If I could, I would have charged right on them and killed them all, but I wasn’t equipped to fight a whole package of sons of bitches. Seemed and still seems impossible to do alone. But I am not the kind of pony who gives up the first time they encounter a complication.

So I took some time to think about what I could do. Rush at them? Nope, that was silly. Make everything explode? I didn’t have the explosives. So I had one more idea. Let’s play a little sneaking game with them! Without the same objectives, of course. Here, you’re not the one who count when you’re first spotted. I made quickly the turn of the barrier, looking for an entry. I stopped when I saw the principal entry. It was protected by five or six of these ‘Meany pants’, like one of my friends would say. Luckily, they weren’t making a very good job, speaking, joking and using some drugs that could stop a mutant like they were drinking water. I took my chance, and crept through them, silently thanking the fact that they weren’t attending somepony and totally dreaming with the drugs, and, of course, that we were still in an eternal dark world.

But one of them saw me.

I swore silently, but, instead of pounding me with his submachine-gun, he said happily: ‘’ Oohh… Why… is the ground colored and moving?’’ And he fell on the ground. Hope it was an overdose, bastard! Hmm… note to self: if I ever have guards, thinking about checking that they’re doing their job and not killing themselves with pre-apocalyptic medicines.

But who am I to complain about it? I didn’t care, seeing that I could pass. The rest of the raiders were obviously in the big building that was the music shop. And what a shop! For me, it looked more like a commercial center, but specialized in music and instruments. It’s here that something came in my mind. It would take me hours to find where the strings were located, and hours in something filled with psychotic killers are rarely good time to pass.

At least, they weren’t outside, so I could pass by the backdoor without being seen. I opened the door, whimpered, and said: ‘’ let’s go sneaking…’’, pulling my knife out of my bag. It was much more discreet than a pistol, and I am quite skilled with it.

I closed slowly the door. Of course, it didn’t change anything about the light in the room, because this wasn’t much lighter outside, and everypony was used to live in the dark. So I could see perfectly how the room was arranged, even if I couldn’t see all in the details. I couldn’t give me the luxury of lighting a lamp or even a match. Plus, I hadn’t brought matches with me.

I remained silent as I walked the less soundly possible through the room, which was obviously not used by the inhabitants of this basement. It was plenty of dust everywhere, and there were cobwebs on the roof and between the pieces of furniture that were still standing on the floor. I put them out of my way, happy to not have to deal with their creators. According to the webs’ size, they were pretty big. And I don’t want to know how they looked like.

I finally reached the door on the other side of the room and silently opened it. I took a slow, controlled breath and stepped in the other room. It seemed to be more used, although it was still pretty dusty. I looked for the next door to use. There were two of them. One wasn’t so dusty, reflecting that it was obviously more used by the raiders. I choose to continue by this one. After all, what was the worst that could happen to me?

Be spotted. Yeah, you’re right.

I passed the door, and arrived right in what I think is a shop. Uh? What was in sale? I heck don’t know! Do I look like I play music? It looked like a guitar, but was big, and it was something looking like a bow with them… Eh? Cello? If you say so…

Whatever were these ‘cello’, it was a pretty big shop, with dozen of departments full of the same thing with different looks and colors. Of course, Raiders aren’t known to be music-lovers, so they had just changed them into training targets.

I looked to the left. There was a counter, changed into an alcohol reserve, visibly.

I looked to the right. There were all the departments; the entry of the shop was at the bottom, and something was moving.

Wait… Something was moving? ‘’ Shhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiii…’’ I swore as I dove behind one of the departments, next to an old cello that has been used like a target for shotguns. The hoof steps. I had to focus on the hoof steps. I stopped moving. They were getting closer. I grabbed nervously my knife that I had dropped on the crackled tiles of the shop while I hid me.

He/she was close to me now. I took a deep breath and hold it. He/she was maybe a three meters.

I took a very little time to think about how I was going to neutralize the raider before he/she even had the time to scream for help or in pain. Two meters.

One meter. I started counting in my head. Three, two, one…

He appeared. I got up, jumped on the raider and stabbed him right in the throat. Blood sprout everywhere, I stabbed again. More blood jumped out of his shattered neck. He looked at me surprised, and went flaccid in my hooves. I was recovered in his blood now. At least, he didn’t have the time to give out a noise or take his gun.

Well, that was still one less bastard to deal with. I bend down to him and turned off his flashlight. I waited some more time, but nopony showed up his muzzle. I decided that it was secure and continued my silent walk. My current objective was to find some fuckin’ map of the place. Could be useful.

In the meantime, I would be wandering randomly. It was rather not helping me to find these strings. The sooner I would get them, the better it’ll be. I entered another shop, which was next to the cello shop. There was… it was lyres, I think. And then, I noticed my mistake.

I had not checked the ground. Something clicked, and one second later, I was hanging above the ground in a net. I was

trapped.

Fuck.

________

Author’s notes:

This one was pretty quick to make because I had an idea for it since I was writing the chapter two.

Thanks to everypony who read it and (maybe) likes it. Of course, if you find an error or anything that bother you, I won’t mind being assaulted about my grammar or my syntax, or even on how the story is written.

Thanks again, Sinrar

Chapter four: I need to get out of here!

Chapter four: I need to get out of there!

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. Why can’t I think about the trap before stepping right in it? Find something to escape, now. Oh, yeah, I still had my knife! I took it and hit the net several times. Shit, it was too resistant for me to tear it open. A strange noise came then to my ears.

Somepony was lowering the trap.

They were here. Now, I was really trapped. As they opened the net, four of them took one of my limbs, neutralizing me. It’s the first time in my life that I feel fear. Real, oppressive, creepy fear. The one that make you useless, prevent you from doing anything.

I could hear my heart pounding at an alarming rate.

They carried me from the Lyre’s shop -I think it was called the ‘Heartstring’s heaven’ or something like that- to the central hall where they had established residence. A big fire burned in the middle of the tents and the bench they had disposed in circle. They transported me a few more time, to a shop that had been transformed into a cell. I couldn’t help but think that even if they were criminal scums, they were the reutilization’s masters.

Visibly, they lived three or four a tent. What? No, of course, their boss lived alone in a tent bigger and much less worn than the others. Leader’s privileges, I think.

I winced as the shop improvised doors were sealed by outside. They had taken my armor and all my stuff before throwing me in that room closed by the biggest sheet metal-made wall I had ever seen.

I quickly analyzed the few I could see of the room. It was dark, even darker that I was used to. I couldn’t see anything. It was like there was a black screen between me and … hmmm… guess I can call that a cell? Ok, so, a black screen between me and the rest of the cell.

I walked cautiously. I finally reached a wall, knocking my muzzle on it. By Celestia, that hurt. I stifled a hideous swear word, and sit, putting my back against it. I had to escape from there before they came back and make whatever they planned to do to me. I didn’t want to die! And I still don’t, of course.

And then, somepony turned the lights on. I swear that I thought I had nails in my eyes because of how these lights were dazzling. ‘’ SURPRISE!’’ The same pony yelled. I couldn’t see anything with this light. I think that being in the dark was better, because it hasn’t been hurting my eyes.

‘’ With you turn these stupid lights off?!’’ I yelled. ‘’ I don’t want to be blinded!’’ He/she lowered the light power, so I could see perfectly without having my eyes burning as I was looking in something brighter than a fire.

‘’ Rohhh… ‘’ The pony said. She was definitively a mare, not much older than me, with a bright red curly mane and cream-colored fur. She had also this kind of big, blue eyes, which are so cute on a female.’’ Did I hurt those big, purple eyes of yours?’’ She was kind of… what? Yeah, strange, that’s the word. But you’ll see pretty soon that this mare could be added in the dictionary as a synonym of the word ‘strange’.

‘’ Surprise?’’ I asked, my a-little-over knocked brain finishing processing what she had said.’’ What kind of surprise?’’

‘’ Your surprise welcome-in-the-cell party, duh!’’ She replied as it was an obvious fact.

‘’ A surprise party… because I’ve been caught by these sons of bitches?’’ I said, raising an eyebrow. ‘’ Are you kind of crazy?’’

‘’ Of course I am! If I wasn’t I couldn’t have survived three years there!’’ She said, wearing an impossible smile on her face.

‘’ Oh, great…’’ I muttered. ‘’ I’m locked in a cell with a crazy pony.’’ I swear that when you have reached this point one time, there are only a few things that can still surprise you.

‘’ I’m Happy Pie, from the Pie clan, professional party goers since the 1st Sonic Rainboom!’’ She claimed happily. Sheesh, she didn’t have stolen her name. ‘’ And you?’’

‘’ I’m Callixus, standard wanderer in the Ash Desert since I was born. And what in hell is a ‘Sonic Rainboom’?’’ I asked. That reminded me something my parents used to tell me when I was younger to get me to sleep. Her family name too, by the way.

‘’ I’m sure you know it!’’ She said, smiling even more widely. ‘’ You know, these stories with the harmony things that your parents used to tell you when you were young!’’ I couldn’t believe she had really said that. Was she reading my mind?

‘’ Wat.’’ I managed to say.

‘’ Oh, come on! I know you liked these stories! There’s even my grand-grand-grand-grand-grandmother in it!’’ She replied. And there, it was becoming odd. ‘’ You know, the pink one, Pinkie Pie!’’

‘’ Are you telling me that you’re a fictional character’s descendant?’’ I asked.

‘’ Of course not! They really existed! Two hundred years ago!’’ My mouth hanged open. She suddenly moved with a bullet speed and pushed something down my throat. I swallowed, taken by surprise.

‘’* cough* what was *cough* that crap? *cough*’’ I said, violently coughing because half of the thing was stuck in my windpipe.

‘’ What? It’s a cupcake, don’t you see?’’ She said. ‘’ It is leather flavor!’’

I won’t lie to you, it was probably as good as the time where I was stuck three weeks under a rock and I had to feed myself with a rotting corpse. Yeah, disgusting, isn’t it?

‘’ It’s… uh… not so bad!’’ I lied.

‘’ You don’t like it, do you?’’ She said.

‘’ Uh… no?’’ I said, faking a smile.

‘’ Bah, we’ll have plenty of time to taste plenty of other flavors! Rusted nails, dust, I’ve got everything!’’ Here, a piece of my mind died. One of my eyes itched. I had to restrain myself with all my mental strength to not run on the door and knock on it while yelling to the raiders to kill me, anything they wanted, at least as long as they got me out of there.

‘’ And what if…’’ I was interrupted by the opening of the door.

‘’ You, the new one! Come here!’’ It was a mare with an armor covered in spikes and old blood. I walked to her. She slapped me right on the face. Now, that was something I hadn’t been prepared to. I yelped in pain as I went directly on the ground. ‘’ You have five minutes to prepare yourself, and then I will come back to take you!’’ And she closed the door, knocking the left side of my head. I think I know for what they needed me, and I can only wonder how my ‘new friend’ could have supported that kind of treatment for three years.

That’s here that I have to add something about Hap’. Even if she’s definitely crazy, she’s one of the best friends you could even dream to have. And she seems to like being friend with everypony she meets. It must be some family trait. What? Oh, yeah, Hap’s her nickname.

So, yeah, Hap’ helped me to get back on my hooves, and, suddenly, out of nowhere, she took a surgical tape and put it on my wound, where the door had knock. ‘’ But… how?’’ I said.

‘’ Shhhh…’’ She said, still healing me. ‘’ It’s one of the good side effect of being a Pie’’ she answered. I never asked about the bad effects, but I didn’t know that I’ll be answered pretty soon… and trust me, I’d rather preferred never have seen that.

She finished. I made then something simple, normal, but that had the strangest effect I’ve ever seen: I smiled. Suddenly, she stopped moving, sat up, looking at me. And then, she jumped to the roof, yelling her joy. ‘’ WHO HOOO!!’’

‘’ What the hell…?’’ I said. I came back to reality. I had something to do, and I’d got to focus on it. I headed to one of the toolboxes that still lied around in the shop. These raiders weren’t really good cleaning up messes. I opened it, and I’m sure you know what I was looking for.

A screwdriver. I smiled as I put one of them out of the box. The party mare had for long stopped yelling and was looking at me as I got the tool out of the box. ‘’ Stupid raiders…’’ I said.

‘’ What’s that for?’’ The creamy pony asked, pointing a hoof to my screwdriver.

‘’ Today’s lesson’’ I said, putting my back against the wall, next to the door. ‘’ How to kill a pony with a screwdriver. Please turn off the light.’’ She nodded. I smiled as the dark took over the cell again.

I took the tool as a dagger. The raider opened the door. ‘’ What the buck...?’’ She said. I didn’t let her any more time and pushed the improvised weapon under her head. Her eyes widened in surprise as the tool made its way through her brain, killing her instantly. I quickly searched her. I smiled as I took the rifle that was on her back.

Quite damaged, but it could make my affairs. I took all her ammunitions too, of course. And I said to my fellow ex-prisoner. ‘’ Let’s get out of this shit!’’ She nodded ‘’ Run in three, two, one! NOW!’’ I yelled. And we galloped the fastest we could. The raiders had heard us, of course. I accelerated as the bullets began to stifle around us.

We passed a door that I closed behind me, being slower than her. I took my new weapon, reloaded it and stopped just a few seconds to catch my breath before beginning to run again behind the party pony. I could feel my adrenalin rate getting up. Bullets again. I stopped, turned to face our chasers, and shot a quick gust at these bastards. One of them fell on the ground with a horrible scream. One other let unintentionally his weapon fall with a yelp as his left foreleg was performed by a bullet.

I put again the rifle on my back and galloped. The party pony was exactly doing what I told her to do, and not waiting for me. I was all alone again, but I think I recognized the place. It was the … oh, shit, how did you call that again? Oh, yeah, cello…

It was the cello shop! Salvation wasn’t too far! But some of the raiders were cleverer than their allies, and had blocked the passage. I took the assault rifle, jumped above a pile of old, broken cellos, made a quick roll on myself and emptied a load on the nearest of these…

He went face right on the ground as it was reddened by his blood. I reloaded, turned and dodging luckily a knife aimed at my neck, then shot my attacker right on the face. Blood sprout everywhere as his head exploded in a disgusting ‘plop!’ I used the corpse that was falling on me to protect me from the bullets of another raider, took one of the numerous knives that hanged on his belt, and throw it on the last one, who was reloading. He saw it coming, thought, and dodged it. I rolled behind the counter. The raider shot again, destroying their precious drinks.

I jumped again over the counter, shooting while I was again in the air. The raider couldn’t make anything other than see the death coming as one of the bullets ripped his hind leg off in a big spray of blood. I approached and finished my load in his head. As he stopped convulsing, I quickly searched if there was something interesting on them. I took a knife, some ammo for this rifle that I was really getting to like, and I even found a grenade.

I must say that at this very point, the strings were out of my mind. I opened the door, putting the rifle on my back again, and I made my way through the two first rooms that I had originally traversed the first time. And I finally bucked the last door and stepped out of this hell.

And something hit me on the chest. I was sent on the ground, and I opened my eyes to find a raider visibly much cleverer as the normal in front of me. Who knows, maybe wasn’t he even drugged? Hmm, no, it’s not possible for a raider. They got standards, after all.

However, I was still on the ground and this bastard aimed at my head. ‘’ Bad end, hero!’’ He said. ‘’ I assume that the others don’t know this entry, these stupid drunks.’’ He smiled, revealing his trimmed-in-fangs teethe. ‘’ So… given that I found you first, I think that I can be the first having fun with you!’’ He smiled even more wickedly. I swallowed hard.

Suddenly, the raider, who was still above me, stopped smiling. And something warm and sticky stained my fur. He coughed a few time, and he fell on his left side. I looked to the pony that had just saved me. I’m sure you know who it was. Yeah, it was Hap’. With a fire axe. Don’t even ask how she got it, I fuckin’ don’t know. But she had just saved my flank, in more terms than you might think.

‘’ You were right!’’ She said. ‘’ It’s so fun to play this game!’’

‘’ Uh… you know, this ISN’T a game. Plus, I’ve never said that it was fun.’’

‘’ Whatever.’’ She replied, still smiling – and quite covered in blood, I noticed-. ‘’ It’s still fun!’’ I had given up any chance to understand her for long now, but she was damn right when she said that she was crazy. We quickly reached the gate.

Surprisingly, all the raiders that protected the entrance of their territory were dead, with horrible wounds on them. I prefer to not tell you, because it’s really, really horrible. Some of them had tried to run away, but they had all been caught by their killer. There was blood and other gory things everywhere.

‘’ What the hell..?’’ I whispered.

‘’ Oh, these? I needed a quick training.’’ Happy Pie answered. I swallowed hard. Great. Did I just set free a psychopath on the wastes? I asked myself. Turn out that she’s perfectly able to restrain herself in public, but in fight it’s still the most horrifying nightmare you can think about.

Still, we were free, and even if I have lost my stuff, I had found somepony to help me and I was still alive. Things could have been worse.

Right?

Author’s notes:

That was much funnier to write than I thought it’ll be.

Added Pinkie in the Characters because Hap’s quite the same pony, although she’s not able to see the 4th wall and she’s not half as good as her ancestor in cooking.

Hope you liked this! To everypony who has read it, have this song !

Chapter five: Hope and ruins

Chapter five: Hope and ruins

I smiled softly as I saw the cream-colored mare trying to jump from wall pieces to wall pieces without touching the ground while humming a song.

After all, who said that you couldn’t play when you’re all grown-up? I don’t know why, but I think that if I had a daughter someday, I want her to play like that in the ruins. Who knows, maybe I’ll hire Hap’ as her foalsitter?

But I ain’t here to speak about my future. I’m there to tell you my past.

We were heading right on New Hope, because Hap’ seemed to know perfectly where it was located, so I didn’t need a map. I said it already, but I’ll say it on more time: she’s weird. Like, real weird.

I contented myself to follow her through the ruins and the ash toward New Hope. She was born with a GPS thing in her head, I guess. You know, the Global Positioning Spell, that staying spell that helps you by giving your position in space by a magic net recovering the wastes. Hmmm… maybe you don’t know, but I swear you’ll like to have one. Maybe I’ll buy you one someday.

‘’ Hey, Hap’.’’ I said. Yeah, it’s here that I began to call her like that. She faced me with a smile and stopped humming her song. ‘’ How do you feel? Breathing real air again, not being confined in a dark, little room covered in dust?’’ She smiled wider.

‘’ Ooh, it’s so awesome!’’ She squealed in delight. ‘’ I’m gonna threw myself a welcome party once we’ll be arrived in New Hope!’’

‘’ How do you even know the city’s name?’’ I asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘’ Well, I heard the raiders speaking about it, duh!’’ She replied. ‘’ We’ll be arrived soon, and I’ll make a big party for everypony, and my family will be proud of me, and…’’

‘’Cut it off, Hap’.’’ I stopped her. ‘’ Go back playing in the ruins.’’ And, surprisingly, she did what I had said.

At least, she’s dropped her axe and her psychopathic side after exiting the Black Eye’s territory, and looked nearly like a naïve and innocent child playing in the ruins, although she was covered in blood. Break a little the child’s picture, I guess…

Quite quickly, we reached the surroundings of New Hope. And there, you’re smart enough to guess that, of course, things are not going to take place as they would have been. I remember mostly one thing.

The silence.

It was too quiet, if you want my opinion on the matter. Even Hap’ had shut up by herself, and by Luna’s round flank, I swear that it happened only a few time.

I stopped and took my recently acquired rifle. Nothing. I allowed me to breathe, and Happy to move. She nodded and began to trot… uh… guess how? … Well, happily, duh! Ah, I’m pretty sure you didn’t saw it coming. You did? I’m impressed.

I followed her quietly, checking the surroundings. When it’s quiet, you’ve much more percent chance of being attacked. Like, seventy, something like that. It’s a friend that studied on the matter who told me that. Yeah, I’ve got only friends a little ‘strange’, but it’s fine.

But, this time, we hadn’t been attacked. But, you bet it was too late for New Hope. We stepped into town.

‘’ Uh, Cal?’’ Happy said, raising an eyebrow. ‘’ Where is everypony gone?’’

‘’ Do I look like I knew?’’ I replied.

‘’ No, but I figured that you might know.’’ She said. ‘’ Ooh! I know!’’ She suddenly said, looking excited.

‘’ What?’’ I asked.

‘’ I’m sure they’re hiding from us and they’re going to make us a surprise party!’’ She squealed.

‘’ Uh…’’ I started, but she didn’t hear me.

‘’ And there will be punch, and cupcakes, and cookies, and…’’ She continued.

‘’ Hap’…’’

‘’… and balloons, and candies, and music, and…’’ She continued, ignoring me.

‘’ HAPPY PIE!’’ I yelled. It had the attempted effect. She stopped saying stupid things at an alarming rate and looked at me. ‘’ They’re not gonna make us a surprise party!’’

‘’ Ooh… but… why?’’ She said, sad-looking.

‘’ I don’t know.’’ I admitted, and it was the whole truth.

‘’ See? You don’t know!’’ She said, smiling again. ‘’ So they could have been preparing a surprise party for me while you were saving me!’’ I facehoofed. It was too much for me.

‘’ Don’t you UNDERSTAND when I’m speaking?’’ I shouted. ‘’ I didn’t know YOU were in there! NOPONY knew! I was down there in this SHIT because I had to find…’’ I stopped, as I realized something. I hadn’t taken the strings. ‘’ … oh SHIT! The STRINGS! I forgot about the strings! Oh, I’m so dumb… How am I gonna pay the doc now? They’re gonna make me works for free at the bar, and I’ll have to do favor for stallions, and…’’ I threw myself on the ground, both hooves on the head. Happy was looking at me like I had grown a second head. Although I understand her now: I must have been looking so ridiculous just then.

‘’ Uh… Are you okay?’’ She asked me. Visibly, she didn’t care that I had just been yelling at her ten seconds ago. But again, it was Happy Pie, the only pony I know that is capable of making you a party when you bought you a soda and call it a You-bought-yourself-a-soda party. I swear it happened.

‘’ NO, I’m NOT!’’ I sobbed. ‘’ My life is OVER!’’ Tears were running down along my face.

‘’ Oh, come on.’’ She tried to comfort me. ‘’ I’m pretty sure they’re not going to make that to you…’’

‘’ Of course we’re not!’’ A voice shouted from behind me. ‘’ At least, I’m not going to make it, and I appear to be the only one survivor in this shit, so you can consider you safe.’’ I turned my head to face the stallion that had just spoken.

Doc Sirius. He seemed tired, his medical blouse stained with blood and dust, but smiled warmly to me, holding a pistol with his magic. You know what? I’ve always thought that unicorns were cheaters with their fancy magic.

And then, what he had just said made its way to my brain. Yeah, I’ve always been slow to understand things.

‘’ E-everypony’s dead?’’ I stammered, surprised. ‘’ How…?’’

‘’ Raiders attacked.’’ The Doc said. ‘’ We’ve been taken by surprise. They killed everypony but me and this Gibbs, who has mysteriously disappeared when you came back.’’

Uh? This ‘Gibbs’ is strange? You don’t say…

‘’ He let you a message.’’ The doc said, launching me a little piece of paper with a little bag.’’ All’s here.’’ I think I still have the paper, wait… ah, there it is:

‘Dear Callixus,

I know I’ve been quite the jerk when we met, calling you a prostitute and all, but I’m still pretty happy that you actually accepted to satisfice my request. If you’re reading it, I assume that you’ve meet Happy Pie, the last descendant of the well-named Pinkie Pie, last element of laughter.

If you don’t have taken the strings, I don’t care; it’s not even like it mattered. If you have, keep it for our next meeting. Who knows, I could use a few more strings. Here are the promised bits, a bag in the case of you lost yours, and the doc Sirius is still alive.

Take care of you three,

Gibbs

P-S: If I was you, I would go to Happiness.’

I’ll be honest. At this very moment, I was totally surprised. How did he know? What was the meaning of all of this?

‘’ What the hell…?’’ I mumbled.

‘’ You see, somepony knew about me!’’ Hap’, who had been reading above my shoulder, said. ‘’ But I don’t understand how he knew…’’ She added.

‘’ Doc?’’ I said, facing Sirius, who had put his gun at his side, letting it hanging up to his medical belt. I put the bag plenty of pieces in front of him. ‘’ I think there’s enough in this bag?’’

‘’ You know, you can call me Sirius if you want.’’ He replied. ‘’ And, given our current situation, I think that you don’t have to pay me.’’

‘’ Well, thanks Sirius.’’ I continued. ‘’ Do you know where is Happiness?’’ He grimaced, and scratched the back of his head. You actually don’t know him, because if you did, you’d know that when he do that, things are not gonna be okay. You’ll see it soon enough.

‘’ Hmmm…’’ He began. ‘’ Yes, I do, but…’’ Uh… but. I hate this word when it’s at the end of a sentence. Because that always announce that our current situation suck. Or that our conversation buddy isn’t sure of himself, which is even worst.

‘’ But…?’’ Happy, who’d sat up behind me, said.

‘’ Come in…’’ He sighed. ‘’ It’s a long way, I need a map to show it to you, and I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that I saved what I could from the Supplies and the Bar.’’ And he entered his clinic, me and Hap’ just behind.

He led us to his desk, just next to the bed where I had come back to reality two days ago. Things ran pretty fast in the Canterlot’s wastes. In two days, one town had been depopulated; I had met some strange guitarist, who seemed to know more about me than I do; I had also teamed up with a crazy mare and we had killed half-a-band of raiders.

The doc put the map that he had managed to find in the chaos that was his desk on the table. It was an old one, visibly corrected with a pen by somepony’s hoof. On it were written the principal towns of the Canterlot’s desert. In the middle was New Hope. Far, far north from there, near of the Royal Pony Sister’s castle, was written ‘Happiness’. Sirius put a hoof on it.

‘’ Happiness…’’ He sounded inexplicably quite sad. ‘’ … is far away from our, current position, down here.’’ He moved his hoof to New Hope. ‘’ If we want to go there, we’ll need ammo, food, mental strength and a whole bunch of luck.’’

‘’ Why?’’ I asked.

‘’ We’re currently only twelve kilometer far from it at pegasi’s fly, but no one of us appear to be a Pegasus, so we’ll have to walk. The road isn’t really helping it. We’ll have to pass by Hellhole…’’ He said, moving his hoof to the named town. ‘’… The Canterlot’s train station, the Royal Canterlot Theater, and we’ll have to stop by the Royal Grocery and the Royal Canterlot Hospital too.’’

‘’ Is everything Royal in Canterlot?’’ I asked. Even now, I’m pretty much with myself. These pre-apocalyptic ponies of Canterlot were just snobby bastards that cared only about themselves. I swear that if it was possible, I’ll make come one of them from the past to the Canterlot where I spent my childhood to watch him –or her- struggle with the daily horrors I’ve grown used to. It would be funny.

‘’ You know, it was the Princesses’ residence down here before the Breath.’’ Sirius answered.

‘’ Pfff… what a band of snobbish selfish ponies!’’ Happy, who’d been listening surprisingly quietly to us, said. ‘’ Having two princess living in your town don’t make you better than everypony!’’

‘’ Actually, I’m not the one who’s going to contest it.’’ Sirius replied. ‘’ But how boring and selfish were the old Canterlot’s inhabitants is not the current matter to discuss.’’

‘’ Hm-m.’’ I nodded. ‘’ Let’s talk about this trip to Happiness! Currently, how much time?’’

‘’ Hmmm, I’ll say five days if we stop to sleep every day, but it would be only three if we stop only when we can’t make another step.’’

‘’ I see.’’

‘’ Ooh, ooh! Can I make the muffins for the road?’’ Happy asked. I winced.

‘’ Sure! Why n…’’ Sirius started.

‘’ NO!!!’’ I cut him. ‘’ Sorry, Happy, but we really don’t have time for this. ‘’ I said.

‘’ Okie-dokie!’’ She said, jumping outside. ‘’ If you’re looking for me, I’ll be playing outside!’’

‘’ Why?’’ Sirius asked.

‘’ Because you don’t want to die poisoned.’’ I replied. ‘’ The last time she fed me with her cooking, it was leather taste.’’ He grimaced.

‘’ Oh.’’

‘’ Yeah, oh.’’ I finished. ‘’ You said it was the raiders that killed everypony here?’’

‘’ Eeyup.’’

‘’ Coming from where?’’

‘’ The music store.’’ He answered.

‘’ What?’’ I asked.

‘’ Yes, the music store.’’ He confirmed. So that’s how we could escape. They were only half of the raiders in the base! I felt much less heroic suddenly. The silence took over between us.

Minutes passed. We could perfectly hear Hap’ playing like a foal outside. I smiled softly. I had only switched gender two days ago, but I felt already like a mother with an exuberant foal. A little like my own mother and me. And you can’t say that Hap’ is a full-grown mare, all the things like that. She may be, but she’s stayed a foal in her head. I still think that it’s the only one thing that saved her from dying in this hell that was the raider’s basement.

So yes, she’s a little like the foal I’ll never have. What? Yes, I could have a foal with any pony I want. Look, you… Ah, sheesh, I was JOKING, for fuck’s sake! Jo-king! Do… Do you even know what this word means? Oh, you know what? Whatever, I don’t care. I have a story to tell.

‘’ So,’’ I said, breaking the silence. ‘’ You said you had saved some interesting things from being pillaged?’’

He smiled, showed me a door with a hoof and said: ‘’ Just by there.’’

Chapter six: Preparation

Chapter six: Preparation

‘’ Oh… by Celestia…’’ I mumbled.

In my hooves, I squeezed the most beautiful shotgun I’ve ever seen. It was some of these old pre-apocalyptic caliber twelve shotguns, chromed like it was getting out of the factory, with written on it: ‘the saver’. I figured that it was the gun’s name.

‘’ You like?’’ Sirius said. ‘’ It’s an old one, but I think I’ve got the ammunitions.’’

‘’ You bet I do!’’ I replied, still squeezing the shotgun like a foal its gift for Heart Warming Eve. It was a love at first sight. ‘’ Where did you find that?’’

‘’ Oh, it belonged to my grandfather.’’ He answered. ‘’ He was royal guard, and he was even pretty well known, I think.’’

‘’ It was your grandfather’s? I can’t take it!’’

‘’ Of course you can! I’m not the type of pony that uses shotguns, if you want to know. Too heavy to use medicine at the same time and I’m a medic.’’ I smiled a little like Hap’ uses to do.

‘’ Thankyouthankyouthankyou!’’ I shouted as I hugged him. He looked at me surprised. I looked at him, surprised by myself. I released him. ‘’ Uh…’’ I said awkwardly, blushing slightly.

‘’ Hmm…’’ He mumbled, blushing too. An awkward minute passed.

‘’ Sorry for that…’’ I apologized, turning my head away.

‘’No,that’s… fine, I guess.’’ He answered. ‘’ Here’s the ammunitions for the gun. It’s a 12. Caliber shotgun from… Sun. INC, if I remember. Six rounds a load, remember to eject the case after pulling the trigger, because it will jam itself if you don’t.’’ He passed me a small pile of boxes. ‘’ Remember that when you reload, you have to put every bullet one by one in the cartridge clip.’’

‘’ Thank.’’ I said, taking the boxes and putting it in my newly acquired bag, with my bits. ‘’ Oh, and, for the hug, can we… just, y’ know, pretend that it has never happened?’’ He nodded. I sighed with relief and got out of the piece. Hap’ was playing outside, like she’d said.

‘’ Wanna play?’’ She asked when she saw me. I shook my head. ‘’ Aw, come on!’’

‘’ Sorry, but I and the doc are a bit trying to organize our trip to Happiness and…’’

‘’ Happiness!’’ She shouted suddenly, cutting me in the middle of my sentence. And she actually managed to startle me a bit too.

‘’ Gah! Happy, don’t startle me like that! I’m way too young to make a cardiac arrest! Plus, why did you shout for?’’ She looked… overexcited.

‘’ Happiness!’’ She repeated. ‘’ Ooh, a town named like that can only be the MOST AWESOMEST SUPER DOPER AMAZINGEST THING POSSIBLE!!!’’ I winced. Ouch, my ears. I’m not even sure that she used terms really existing.

‘’ Happy, could you just STOP yelling?! I don’t want to be deafened too!’’ I said. ‘’ Oh, by Celestia… why did I took her out of the cell?’’ I added, whispering. I had plenty of aggressive thought toward Gibbs just then, given that he’d clearly sent me in that store only to free Happy Pie, the fuckin’ noisiest, craziest and buckin’ weird pony in ALL OF EQUESTRIA! NO, I’M NOT LOSING MY COOL!

…

Well, maybe I’m still a little upset at Gibbs for that, but given how things turned, I forgive him. Even if I had the desire of beat the shit out of his sorry ass when I met him again.

Whatever.

Where was I again? Ah, yes, thanks. So, I had made her shut up, and trust me, it’s quite as difficult as dodge a shot in the head when the gun’s cannon is touching your head and you’re tied to a chair.

I am rather proud of myself usually when I manage to do one of these things.

‘’ Thank, Happy.’’ I said. She smiled to me. Aah, my ears…

‘’ Thank!’’ And she hugged my hooves like some foal would usually do to her mother. Like I used to do with mine, and, obviously, you with yours. What, you didn’t know yours? Sorry, I speak too much. Less chatting, more storytelling!

She released me. I don’t know how she felt, but I felt like a buckin’ mother in front of her foal. I patted her head absent-mindedly. ‘’ Uh, Calie?’’ She said.

‘’ Yeah?’’ And then I noticed what I was doing. ‘’ Oh, sh- sorry, Hap’!’’

‘’ No problem, Calie!’’ She said, and then she returned playing. I chuckled.

A real foal stuck in a mare’s body.

‘’ Calie, uh?’’ A voice said behind me. You have surely guessed that it was Sirius. I faced him. He looked at me. I looked at him. Hap’ passed between us, rolling on a dust ball. A second later, I was rolling on the ground, laughing the shit outta me. Sirius too, I think. It lasted for quite a long time, until I had so much laughed that my stomach ached. And, by the way, it you try to call me 'Calie', I make you eat your tongue.

‘’ Aah… please, nopony make a joke for the ten next minutes, I don’t think I could survive it…’’ If a raider had the idea of coming here, he could have killed both me and Sirius without encountering resistance from any of us. After, Hap’, it’s… not the same. Her, she laugh when she kills.

Anyway, let’s get back to the story.

The day passed quite quickly, and I and Sirius managed to pack everything we needed –our weapons, the chems and the map- before the dinner.

‘’ Anypony wants something to eat?’’ Sirius asked from his office. I and Hap’ were sitting up around a camp fire that I had lit in the operation’s room.

‘’ Yeah, what do you have?’’ I asked.

‘’ Hmmm… Apples?’’ He replied, coming in the room with a big box of apples in his fore-hooves. My eyes grew wider as my still poor beaten brain processed the information.

‘’ What…? It’s ALL you saved? No, no,no,no,no, there must be an error! Please, tell me it’s a prank!’’ I was desperate. He made me a fake smile.

‘’ Well…’’ He began.

‘’ Apples, always apples… why Celestia, why keep you doing this to me?’’ My fellows chuckled in front of my despair. ‘’ This is not FUNNY!’’ I shouted. ‘’ You don’t know how it feels, to eat these damn apples every day at breakfast, lunch and dinner since you were born!’’ They were clearly laughing at me now. ‘’ Ah, ah, funny…’’ I said, diving further in my despair as in began to eat an apple. ‘’ Behh… As good as it used to be. Now, can we just… drop the subject and speak about more important matter?’’

‘’ Of course!’’ Sirius said. ‘’ What do you want to talk about?’’

‘’ I don’t know, how about: what are our steps till’ we reach Happiness?’’

‘’ Hmmm…’’ He patted his chin. Hap’, equal as herself, dived in the box plenty of apples and began to eat one of them without using her hooves. ‘’ Which steps?’’

‘’ What is this Hellhole you’ve spoken of?’’ I asked, remembering the road he had showed us.

‘’ Hellhole…’’ He stopped. ‘’As far as I remember, it’s a small inn that welcome the wanderers. They called it like that because there are mutants and others bitches all around it, but we can’t follow the road without passing by.’’ You’ll see,

there wasn’t only that in that zone. But he wasn’t so far from the reality, thought.

‘’ Aaahh… I see.’’ I said. ‘’ Other important steps like towns or things like that?’’

‘’ No, but if you want to know, the hospital and the grocery are things that we mustn’t avoid from our road, although we’ll have to pass by, because some more chems and medical supplies are always welcome.’’ I nodded. It’s obvious for a wanderer like me that supplies and food are important. There’s never too much of that, until you can’t make more of it enters your bag. ‘’ But for now, I am more for getting some rest than to go on the roads.’’ He yawned.

I felt pretty tired too. Notice that I had not slept since I had left New Hope to the music store. I made myself a place, like I used too when I was a normal wanderer, and… nothing. I was insomniac.

‘’ Fuck…’’ I whispered. ‘’Why that kind of stuff always happen to me?’’ The others were already asleep, Sirius sleeping on a couch that he had recuperated from the raider’s attack, and Hap’ was rolled over herself and snorting softly. ‘’ Aaah…!’’ I whispered again, hitting myself with my improvised pillow, which was my bag. Have you ever been awoken for two whole days? No? Well, it sucks.

I passed all night looking at the ceiling with murderous desires. And I swore a lot, too.

Finally, looking at my watch –the raiders hadn’t taken it to me, yay!-, I saw that it was five A.M. ‘’ Fuck. I’ll prepare breakfast…’’ I sighed.

I took three apples out of the box, washed them, peeled them… what? Yeah, yeah, I know that most of the vitamins and the anti-ox… ocyj… whatever are in the peels, but I didn’t know just then, and I had nothing other to do.

Finally, maybe… what… thirty minutes later, Sirius woke up, soon followed by Happy. He yawned.

‘’ ‘morning, Cal’’ He said. ’’ For how long have you been awake?’’ He added, surely seeing that I looked rather tired.

‘’ ‘morning… fifty-two hours.’’ I said, feeling miserable, and mostly, too tired to formulate an entire sentence. ‘’ Fuckin’ insomnia…’’ He chuckled. ‘’ I made breakfast…’’ I said, showing the apples.

‘’ You… peeled and cut the apples?’’ He asked.

‘’ had nothin’ to do…’’ I replied. ‘’ Have some of them, I already ate…’’ Before you ask, I had really eaten; I just skipped it because I’m sure you don’t care about me eating apples with insomnia.

They ate quite quickly, Hap’ being the winner if it was a running, eating the whole apple without even munches it. And me? I had taken vitamins that the doc had been willing to pass me. It felt damn good, but Sirius commanded me to not take plus than three pills a time, and never more than two times a day. He said that it was because it acted a little like a drug, because of the dosage in each of them. Pfff... even when they're good, the medicines have side effects. This sucks.

Finally, we checked one last time our bags, took our weapons, and exited the ruins of New Hope to enter one more time the ash desert.

Chapter seven: A day through the ruins.

Chapter seven: A day through the ruins

‘’ Well.’’ Sirius said. ‘’Welcome on the 3rd highway. It’s been so long since in wandered there for the last time…’’ He sighed. ‘’ We’re only twenty kilometers far from Hellhole, so we’ll be there in… hmmm… five hours if we walk reasonably fast, counting the fact that we’ll have to sneak a little to dodge raiders and others dangers that are numerous in this part of the Canterlot’s wastes.’’

We had quitted New Hope for one hour now, the time needed to reach the highway. The 3rd highway was the biggest road in the Pre-apocalyptic Canterlot. It’s long, and makes its way through all Canterlot, passing by all the most important buildings. Of course, the earthquakes after the Breath destroyed a majority of it, so the road is horribly longer. Although following this road is the only one way to reach the upper town.

But still, we were in the ash desert, so it matched damn well its name. It was well, grey, with an old tarred road crackled, surrounded by old ruins and covered in ashes. Again, I have to emphasize how beautiful this landscape is.

It’s boring.

I brought up the rear, Sirius was quietly walking before me, carrying our food, and Hap’, well… was being Hap’, bouncing and humming a song before us. I always wondered how she bounced.

Anyway.

I caught up with Sirius. He seemed to tire under all the food.

‘’ Need help, partner?’’ I asked.

‘’ No… pfff… I’m pff… fine…’’ He said, gasping for air.

‘’ Yeah, yeah, I trust you…’’ I said, taking one of the food bags and putting it on my bag. It was damn heavy! How did he do to walk one hour with three bags like that on him…? Something made its way from my memory. ‘’ Hey, Sirius?’’ He seemed to have much less difficulty to breathe right now.

‘’ Yeah?’’ He replied.

‘’ You seemed annoyed, like sad, when we talked about going to Happiness, why?’’ He winced.

‘’ Well… it’s a rather sad story, and I don’t want to ruin your good mood, so…’’

‘’ Oh, come on!’’ I cut him. ‘’ All is better than to look at this ugly grey landscape for four hours. THIS is sad.’’ I said, pointing at our surroundings. He seemed ready to say ‘no’, so I took my better teary puppy-eyed face –memory from when I was a foal-, and said with a little voice. ‘’ Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?’’

I kept using this face and this voice, spamming him with my cutest ‘please’. Cuter than that, you would have mistook me with Fluttershy! What? You don’t know Fluttershy? Oh, come on, I’m sure you’ve read this story about the magic of friendship. Ah, remember now? You see that this expression is perfectly adapted.

Finally, he gave up, and turned his head away.

‘’ Okay, okay! I give up!’’ He said. ‘’ But I must warn you. It’s a sad story.’’ Hell, he wasn’t lying when he said that. After, he mumbled something, but I caught only the words ‘cuteness’ and ‘forbidden’.

‘’’ It was… ten years ago.’’ He started. ‘’ I was ten, and I had just got my cutie mark. My parents and I had been wandering in the ruins of the upper town for long, as far as I can remember. One day, we settled in an old ruin, near from the Royal Pony Sister’s castle. Quite quickly, other wanderers came and built their house here. In three month, happiness was founded. We were already fifty in town, with a doctor -I was an assistant at his cabinet-, some bars, and a supply shop.’’

‘’ Three other month later, the town counted three-hundred-and-fifty-five residents. It was known around as the last freedom bastion in Canterlot. The town had well-grown, and counted its own repairer, and its own town guard.’’

‘’ But, as always down here in the ash desert, you run out of luck someday. The town was getting bigger and bigger, and it started to interest the rotten apples of this blasted town. Discord’s cults started to root themselves in town. Raiders, pillagers and other mutants attacked the town. The outside attackers were beaten each time, but they kept coming. The insiders were another problem.’’

‘’ Six month later, all the important ponies in town were corrupted by the cults, apart my parents and some others, like Blood Rain, the town guard’s chief, a Pegasus. The town’s councils were becoming a battlefield, each pony waiting for an excuse to jump at each other’s throats.’’

‘’ Six other month later, happened a fateful night for Happiness. Somepony opened the town’s doors to the Black Eyes, and they began to raid inside town. But, the horror reached its summit as the town’s guards, instead of fighting the raiders, started to pillage as well. The last loyalists were outnumbered, but they fought with the inhabitants, prying for this nightmare to end.’’

‘’ Blood was staining the houses and the streets as the town was ravaged by an urban war. You couldn’t trust nopony, apart your family. One by one, the town’s defenders were being killed, or raped, for the mares. My father was killed in the firsts, when the town’s guard betrayed, shot dead in the back. My mother and my little sister were raped, then tortured to death by raiders and guards that they thought they were friendly.’’

‘’ And me? I passed all night crying, hidden under my bed. Like the coward I was. I could hear them calling for help, I had a gun, but I didn’t move. I was frightened.’’

‘’ Finally, the next morning, I was discovered by Blood Rain. He was severely hurt, and he had lost his faith. It’s the only one time in my life that I saw my father’s best friend cry. He cried tears and blood as well, but he had still his mind clear. He told me that my family was dead, that I had to move from this hell, escape from here before they found me.’’

‘’ I followed his order. I ran away, and I wandered along this road for years, before finally move in New Hope. I heard by visitors that Happiness had been saved, the cultists killed, and the raiders chased out of town by the Ash Rangers. I heard that Blood Rain lived without a spine and his hind legs because of a grenade, and that the town was being rebuilt.’’

‘’ And here we are.’’ He ended. I noticed that tears were rolling down his cheeks, but I’m not going to complain, I could, and still can, understand why he was crying.

‘’ I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake up these painful memories.’’ I apologized. ‘’ Or, rather, I meant to, but I didn’t think it would be that painful.’’ My awkward apology had at least the power to make him smile slightly.

‘’ No, it’s fine…’’ He paused. ‘’ I think I needed to speak about it. Plus, it was long ago, so I’m getting used to this, even if it still hurt.’’

We walked silently from that moment to the lunch, where Hap’, seeing our faces, even if I’m pretty sure she had hear the story, made jokes and other funny things that launched us cheerful on the road.

Two hours later, we were still talking about things like the weather, that would have been sunny if there was a sun, and other useless things that you speak about to avoid boredom.

‘’ Hey! HEY!’’ Hap’ shouted suddenly. We stopped and looked at her. ‘’ There’s some funny ponies that are camping just before us!’’ I looked to see what she had called ‘funny ponies’.

Shit, mutants! Three of them.

‘’ Shit! Mutants!’’ I said. Too late, they had spotted us. I took the saver, ready to put up a fight; Sirius took his pistol with his freakin’ magic, and Hap’ put out a baseball bat from nowhere. The mutants, as ugly as they are usually, began to rush against us. I loaded my shotgun, took a comfy position to fire, and…

The mutant head exploded suddenly before I could pull the trigger. Blood began to rain everywhere as the other mutants knew the same end, their beheaded bodies falling against the tarry road as their blood recolored it red.

I looked at my partners, but no one of them seemed to have done something.

‘’ What the hell…?’’ I asked.

Suddenly, a pony got out of the ruins on my left, soon followed by others. He had a sniper, so I figured that he was the one that had saved us. He threw his forelegs in the air, and said:

‘’ Welcome in Hellhole!’’

chapter eight: Hellhole

Chapter eight: Hellhole

I got up and put my shotgun on my back.

‘’ Who the hell are you?’’ I asked. The stallion, who was facing me now, was wearing the same old duster that the other wore. He had a sand-colored fur with a bleached-bone colored mane cut short falling on a side of his head. Under the duster, a steel armor could be seen. He had also a blindfold on his right eye, and his left hind leg had been replaced by prosthesis.

‘’ Sergeant Lycan Raveus, Ash Ranger. And these are my companions, Burned Apple…’’ He showed a brown stallion with a blond mane. ‘’… Broken Jewels…’’ He showed a grey stallion with a silver mane. ‘’… Bloody sword…’’ A blood-red stallion with a brown mane. ‘’ …Camellia…’’ A mare with a white coat and a light-purple mane tied in a ponytail. ‘’ … and Sapphire.’’ He ended, showing a… well… sapphire-blue colored mare with a pale blue colored mane. ‘’ And you? I’m sure I already saw you before.’’

I was both surprised and happy. Surprised because we had just been saved from mutants and I really didn’t expected help, and happy because I had finally managed to find that Raveus that I had been looking for.

‘’ I’m Callixus, but you can call me Cal.’’ I said. ‘’ I saved you in the ruins three days ago. And you saved me after.’’

‘’ I’m sure you remember me, Sergeant.’’ Sirius said.

‘’ Of course I do, doctor Sirius.’’ The ash ranger replied. ‘’And yes, I remember you too, Miss Callixus.’’

‘’ You can drop the ‘miss thing’, sergeant.’’ I replied.

‘’ Ooh! Ooh!’’ Happy said, overexcited as usually. ‘’ I’m Happy Pie, but you can call me Hap’, like she does, or just Pie, but it’s boring, and… we should totally do a party!’’ She began to bounce happily around us.

‘’ Is she… always like that?’’ Burned Apple asked with a strong southern accent. He was an Apple family member, after all, so I guess it’s normal.

I sighed. ‘’ Unfortunately, yes…’’

‘’ Tha’ trip to Hellhol’s’ gonna be long...’’ He mumbled, though I could hear him perfectly.

‘’ Well, the presentation are finished, so what are we waiting for?’’ Raveus asked. ‘’ Let’s go!’’

And the now eight of us started to walk along the greyish road of the 3rd highway.

‘’ Sergeant!’’ I shouted as I caught up with him. Sirius was speaking with Camellia, that happened to be the squad’s medic, and Hap’, well, was visibly annoying randomly the rest of the squad, and was the only one that didn’t noticed it. She’s like that. Always happy and smiling, but bloody annoying.

REALLY annoying.

Anyway.

‘’ Miss?’’ Raveus replied, still leading the group to Hellhole.

‘’I said that you could drop the ‘miss’. Uh… I wanted to know…’’ I started. ‘’ You know, four days ago, I wasn’t a mare.’’ He rose an… uh… well… his only eyebrow. ‘’ I was a colt until that last pillager shot me in this old ruined school.’’ He continued to walk, without saying a word.

‘’ That’s... weird.’’ He finally replied.

‘’ Yeah, you can say that.’’ I said. ‘’ So, I was wondering if you… remembered something.’’

‘’ Hmmm… well, now that you speak about it, I do remember something.’’ My face lit up. ‘’ The pillager was carrying a strange weapon that I would qualify as a prototype, with a beautiful Sun.INC scripted on it. I would do research on it when you’ll be arrived to Happiness, if I was you. I heard that there was a Sun.INC laboratory not too far. Of course, if Happiness is your destination.”

‘’ It is.’’ I replied. ‘’ Thank.’’

‘’ You’re welcome.’’ The trip finished in silence, apart Happy and the mumbling of Burned Apple, who looked ready to use Hap’ as a training target.

I can easily understand him, though.

We reached Hellhole quite quickly and without encountering other problems like mutants or raiders.

‘’ It’s that, Hellhole?’’ I said. In front of us lied a big hotel, entirely built in scrap-metal and other rusted things.

‘’ Eeyup.’’ Burned Apple said loudly. I sighed. I saw him more after, and it confirmed my impress when I first saw him. His gun is cleverer than him.

‘’ It was purely rhetorical...’’ I replied.

‘’ I guess we’ll see the three of you in Happiness?’’ Raveus asked. I nodded. ‘’ Well, goodbye then. I and my rangers have got to move to Happiness without stopping if we want to be in time for the annual council where I must give my rapports on how the 3rd highway is doing. Oh, and, tell me how was ou night here, I've never got the chance or the time to sleep here, and never got any reviews from customers too’’

‘’ Well, good luck!’’ Sirius said. And the three of us entered the big inn as the rangers continued their way to Happiness.

‘’ What’s with their ‘annual council’?’’ I asked.

‘’ I believe it’s the moment where all the rangers are in one place to get to the high command their rapports on how the zone they had to watch for the year is doing: raiders activities, wanderers, mutants, towns, all that stuff.’’ He answered. ‘’ They got the whole capital’s ruins covered with that.’’

‘’ Wow.’’ I muttered. I can assure you that it takes lots and lots of rangers to cover this whole ruined shit. How I know? I saw them, duh!

Anyway, that’s not the matter for now.

The hall where we had entered was big and quite empty. There was a counter in the middle, and behind the counter was sitting a grey stallion with a crimson mane that seemed to be bored. When he saw us, his face lit up, and he said:

‘’ Oh! Welcome in Hellhole, travelers!’’ I nodded in return. ‘’ What it’ll it be for you? A room? A meal?’’

‘’ No, we’re here for a room.’’ Sirius answered.

‘’ Ah, a room!’’ He said. ‘’ How much night?’’

‘’ One.’’ I replied. ‘’ And I’ll skip dinner. I’m tired tonight.’’ I wasn't hungry.

‘’ Well, it’ll be twenty bits for each one of you.’’ He said. Twenty bits a night by pony?! Mighty expensive, for an Inn in the middle of nowhere! But I put my bits on the counter. The pony checked that they were reals, and allowed me to go upstairs.

‘’ Room number forty-five.’’ He said. I waited. ‘’Well?’’ He asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘’ Aren’t you going to sleep?’’

‘’ I was waiting for a key or something like that.’’ I replied.

‘’ Oh! Sorry, I am distracted lately.’’ He said passing me a key with the number forty-fife incrusted on it. I thanked him and got upstairs, found my room, and threw me on the couch. I wasn’t the big luxury, but it was rather comfy, and there wasn’t any roaches to bother you. But there was a strange smell in the air, like blood…

‘’ Bah,’’ I said. ‘’ It’s probably because of the mutants. They must have killed some of them lately…’’ And I closed my eyes.

Sleep would make me only good, I figured. How wrong I was…

Skipping dinner was okay, given that I ate a lot of these blasted apples at lunch and I had still a few of them in my bag, with my bits and my bullets. Being the paranoiac wanderer I’ve always been, I had my shotgun with me on the couch, in case of attack.

And I had still this damn insomnia.

I looked at my watch.

Eleven hours and fifty minutes in the evening. Wow, time had passed much quicker than I thought. Guess that the others were already sleeping in their rooms. Oh, yeah, another thing to say, all rooms were single.

Still, I’ve been here cursing my bad luck while looking at the ceiling and thinking about all the things I had found odd in this Inn. I took my bag. Given that I wasn’t going to sleep, taking vitamins would help me to keep my mind clear and think properly. I searched quickly the bottle in my medicine pocket, through the sterilized needles of painkillers and healing liquids created by spells.

I finally reached and opened it, before taking two pills and putting them on my tongue. I then took a water bottle and swallowed them. I think it’s psychological, but the fact that I had took vitamins made me feel a lot better.

Hoping that I wasn’t becoming addict, I put all back in my bag and put it where it was before.

With my mind cleared of all tire but still insomniac, I was going to stay here watching the ceiling for a long time. Or, I thought.

Midnight was passed since five minutes now. Something squeaked. Having nothing other to do, I focused on the sound.

Wait a minute. It was hoof steps on the floor! Bah, probably just somepony going to the toilets. Stop being paranoiac, Cal, it’s maybe just your imagination.

There was a noise of something metallic. Like a knife. Okay, here, you can ask yourself question. I uncrossed a foreleg from behind my head and put it on my shotgun. The door squeaked as somepony entered the room. Used to see in the total darkness, I could saw clearly that the somepony that had entered my room had a knife.

Okay, here, you can panic.

I uncrossed my second foreleg and extended it to reach the light. I turned the lights on, closing my eyes to protect them from the raw light.

‘’ Aaagghhhh…!’’ My attacker, a grey stallion with a crimson red mane, shouted, blinded. I opened my eyes, and, without hesitating, bucked him on the chest. He let go off his air, and was sent right on the door. Without hesitating more, I took my shotgun, aimed, and shot. His head exploded in a big red cloud, staining the iron door with blood. His beheaded body fell slowly on his side, a fountain getting out of his neck. I turned on the flashlight on my shotgun, took my bag, opened the door, and got out.

I froze in surprise.

All the residents were fighting for their lives and butchered by members of the staff!

I ejected the case off of the shotgun. Another member of the staff noticed me and charged. I shot, and his left foreleg flew away in a big sprout of blood. Without his fourth leg, he fell, and his muzzle hit the ground. Before he had even a chance to lift himself from the ground, I knocked him off in the face with a hind leg. I passed him, ejecting the case, and shot another staff’s member who was butchering an innocent traveler.

What the hell was going on? I didn’t know. But my mind told me only one thing: escape this nightmare. No, I couldn’t now! I had to check my friends! I dodged a knife and hit my attacker in the face with the shotgun’s butt. His muzzle cracked, surely broken, and he joined his colleagues on the ground, unconscious.

Where were my friends? The revelation knocked my mind. I didn’t know! I couldn’t see the whole Inn, there were too much members of the staff. It was the chaos. I got downstairs without encountering resistance, having killed or neutralized all he staff’s members on the 1st floor.

I rolled and hid myself behind the counter. I took a deep breath. Something was sure: If my friends were here, they weren’t on the 1st floor. Maybe they had got the time to run away from this hell, after all. But for now, I had got to run.

Three, two, one…

I jumped above the counter and began to run to the front doors. I bucked them hard, but there was nothing to do, they were locked.

‘’ Here! She’s here!’’ Somepony yelled. Bullets stifled around me. I winced in pain as one of them pierced my left foreleg. I threw myself on the ground, and rolled, and got up, passing the first door I saw. I had entered the kitchen.

And then, I saw it. I understood from where came this odor of blood.

Cannibals!

I dodged a cook, killed another, and passed quickly the door on the other side, giving to another corridor.

Cannibals!

I tackled a member of the staff, and shot him right in the head while he was on the ground, reddening the blue carpet.

Fuckin’ cannibals!

I passed another door, giving on a small room. I could hear my chasers behind me. I faced them, shot two times, killing one of them, and rolled on my back.

Run!

I passed another door, knocked the staff member who waited behind it, reloaded my shotgun, and passed another door.

Come on! You can do it!

I brock the jaw of another of these monsters with the shotgun’s butt, stomped with my hind legs on his chest. Finally, I passed one last door, and I got out of this nightmare. IO closed the door, and ran away. I disappeared in the shadows of the eternal moonless night.

I was safe, but my mind wasn’t. I know I’ll never forget what I saw in this kitchen, and you’re lucky that your food isn’t arrived yet because you’ll be puking right now.

I was alone again in the wastes, without a buckin’ map.

And you know the worse in all of this?! No?

It cost me twenty bits!

chapter nine: Mutants

Chapter nine: Mutants

My foreleg hurt. I was hungry. At least, I wasn’t lost, given that the road was going in only one direction. I had just escaped hours ago one of the worst situations of my life. I was miserably limping along the road. There was a scratching noise, and blood stained again my fur.

‘’ Shit…’’ It was bleeding again. I took my bag, and opened quickly the medicine pocket. I had rather preferred drip the blood with some medical tape, but it kept reopening itself. I took one of the syringes plenty of this healing liquid, something with ‘heal’ in it, but I can’t remember the name… Heal-1ng, I think.

Whatever.

Without hesitating, I plunged it in my hurt foreleg. I winced a little when the cold needle penetrated my flesh, and then emptied its content. All the muscles of my forelegs contracted at the same time. I yelped in pain. A green light was pulsing under my skin. For a second, I had a buckin’ flashlight instead of a limb, and then it went limb, and the light disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

‘’ The hell just happened…?’’ I whispered, hoping that nopony had seen me. I quickly inspected my foreleg. The hole that traversed it has disappeared with the pain. Sheesh, a healing thing that make you suffer before healing you!

Later, I’d learn that it’s normal, because it recreate the missing muscles, skin, bones and veins.

I closed my bag, put it on my back and began to walk carefully at first, testing my newly healed foreleg. Seeing that it worked perfectly –why not, after all- I took again a standard speed.

What can I say? The landscape was still as crappy as I was used to, and the air stank. I mean, it stinks usually in the closed buildings, but here, I was outside, and I wasn’t above some sewer. Still, it smelled various things, and mostly, there was that smell, that horrible smell of decomposing flesh…

Yeah, you got it: I was near of a mutant’s camp. They were legions on the 3rd highway. No kidding. I noticed it when I heard a noise. It was like somepony snoring, but much lower. It was a growl.

‘’ Oh no…’’ I muttered, before the mutated hoof met my left cheek. I went in a wall and all became black.

When it snapped back to reality, I was tied. That’s bad. I hadn’t my stuff. That sucks. And moreover, I was in an old kitchen, plenty of ash and dust, on the table. I turned, and yelped. A freakin’ pony’s skull! ‘’ Celestia…’’ I groaned. I started to struggle against the rope that tied me to the table, but nothing was to do. I was definitively cursed. ‘’ Shit! Why everything I meet on this blasted road tries to eat me?!’’ I shouted.

Bad move. One of the mutants walked in the kitchen. He was big, biggest than a normal pony, and he had tentacles. Six tentacles, getting out of his bag. It was disgusting. He was also green without any mane of tail, but I’ve never seen a mutant with that before. Guess it’s because of the magical fallouts. ‘’ Will you shut up? Food doesn’t speak!’’ He said.

‘’ Yeah, yeah, go brush your …’’ He slapped me before I could finish my sentence.

‘’ What did I just say?!’’ He shouted. ‘’ shut up, meal!’’

‘’ I won’t shut up because I’m not food, you son of garbage!’’ I yelled. He hit me again, and got out a knife.

Uh oh.

I could see where this was going, and you guess that it didn’t please me. I shrugged again. ‘’ Hey, ugly face?’’ I said. ‘’ I got another plan.’’

‘’ What?’’ He said.

‘’ I escape, and you die.’’ He laughed.

‘’You’re funny, piece of food.’’ He said. ‘’ but I barely see another thing to eat today.’’ My situation sucked. Hard. He leaned the knife above his head. And then he stroke. I turned my head just before the knife touch it, and it pursued freely his road, cutting the rope. And my chest. At least, it freed one of my hooves. I screamed in pain, blood spreading out of the injury, and punched him right in the head with my free hoof, sending him flying against the wall. Yeah, I got a Celestia’s goddamned punch.

I liberated myself, and jumped on the ground. The mutant was already up again.

They are made tougher than a normal pony, you know? And he was taller than me by four good inches. He tried to hit me with a hoof, but I dodged. And then, I noticed that I had forgotten something.

Tentacles.

I swore as my hind legs were suddenly tackled by one of them, and another squeezed my throat. ‘’ You’re not going to surrender, pony?’’ He said. ‘’ I will make you die.’’ He squeezed harder. I hit him with one of my hooves, and he let me go off. I rolled, dodging another of these darn tentacles, and passed behind him, before buck him hard with both hind legs. He went on the wall again, but he was still willing to fight.

‘’ Shit!’’ I shouted, coughing and spitting blood. ‘’ Will you just die?’’ He snickered, and tried to hit me again with his awful mutated members. I dodged, but one of the tentacles hit me hard in the stomach. I fell through the table, breaking it. I yelped in pain and tried to get up, but it was too late. A second later, he was above me and strangling me again. This guy had to have the tentacle strangling fetish. Sigh…. Why, on all the mutants I could fight, I had to be the one with freakin’ tentacles?

I gasped for air, and shrugged to escape his mortal embrace, but he was sitting on my belly, preventing me from even trying to buck him again. Suddenly, one of my fore hooves met something I recognized with a smile. The mutant frowned when he saw me smiling, and didn’t saw the knife coming and cutting the tentacles that strangled me. Green blood stained my fur and he backed up with a stifle, but couldn’t do anything before I dug the knife in his stomach. I retired it, and stabbed him in his opened mouth, ending his miserable life.

‘’ I hope you’ll root in hell.’’ I said. I put the knife off his torn palace with a tearing noise and a real tidal-wave of green

blood.

I had still my stuff to find. I wasn’t going out there severely hurt as I was and without decent equipment, or I would have been dead right now and now speaking with you.

I pushed slightly the door. Bless Celestia, these stupid mutants were deaf. But they were four, big, ugly, and four healthy horrors directly coming out from a mad scientist’s plan against one normal pony already hurt and only equipped with a kitchen knife wasn’t really in my favor.

Sneaking was totally the best option. I crouched and began to creep in the ashes, staying the less soundly as I could, holding my breath to not alarm them, even if I could only wonder how they didn’t hear the infernal racket of my battle with the tentacle-full pony. I passed the nearest door, and closed it behind me.

‘’ Okay.’’ I whispered to myself. ‘’ Now, find my stuff, and I’m out of this shit.’’

I got up, and began to walk slowly, preventing me to walk on the things that could make noises or….

Clap!

I stifled a scream of pain. I had forgotten about the traps! And I had just stepped in a bear trap hidden under the ashes.

Oh, by Celestia. I swear it hurt more than you can imagine. The trap hadn’t cut my left hind leg, but it was close. Cautiously, I opened the trap, letting go a yelp of pain as blood escaped the injury. I couldn’t move correctly my leg, so I was limping again. I could really use some painkillers and this shit that regenerated your flesh right now.

I was letting a real trace of blood behind me, so sneaking was now out of purpose, and I could just pry Celestia to not encounter another of these mutated sons of a trash bin.

‘’ Shhhiiiii-‘’ I muttered. ‘’ I’m really not taking the right way to quit this hell.’’ But givin’ up wasn’t on purpose, and being cooked by mutants either. I ventured myself in another room, empty.

‘’ Fuck!’’ I shouted in despair. ‘’ Where is that equipment?!’’

Still, I must emphasize on how these mutants were deaf. I had successfully killed one of them, mutilated me, swore filthy words, limped in two different rooms, and shouted without being noticed.

It’s not really common. I took another door.

Empty.

‘’ Oh, C’mon!’’ I yelled, losing my temper this time. ‘’ It has to be somewhere! They’re not the kind of … whatever they are… that thrash a bag full of bits, ammunitions and food, are they?’’

I dodged another trap, cleverly using that beautiful blond tail of mine to brush the ash and the dust out of my way. I love my tail. It’s so useful! You can make plenty of useful things with a tail.

Anyway.

I had to go out, but I felt like sleeping. Or, sleeping was a bad idea, given that there were still hostile nearby, and that it would be my dead. I had lost so much blood. My chest, my leg, my neck…

All hurt so badly, If only I could sleep and never wake up… No! Cal, you are not gonna let you die stupidly on this cold ground!

Hey! My though are stealing my lines! Uh…? Oh, sorry…

My vision began to blur. I couldn’t think right, and I was tottering randomly in the room. At some point, I bumped into something that strangely looked like a pony, but I couldn’t see. Finally, I fell on the ground, and unconscious as well.

chapter ten: the blind wizard

Chapter ten: The blind wizard

I opened my eyes.

Where am I? Good question. I obviously wasn’t changed into a piece of meal in a mutant’s stomach, since I was in a bed.

A proper, white, comfy bed.

How did I get there? I don’t know. I tried to move, to find out that I was bandaged quite everywhere. I leaned my left

foreleg before my head. I couldn’t move correctly my hind legs, although it seemed to have been healed till I slept. Hmmm… ‘healed’ seems to be a big word for that. Let’s say that it had been stuck up with glue and bandaged. And they had also added a beautiful piece of metal to make it stick correctly. In a sudden effort, I sat up on a side of my bed. Oh, Celestia, it was painful.

I tried unsuccessfully to get up from the bed, but my back ached too much. It wasn’t the only one part of my body that ached, though. I had strangely the impress of being stabbed everywhere with overheated needles. And I was totally parched.

Ouch…

So, if you hadn’t caught it up before, the god news was that I was alive, and the bad was that my body ached even in places that if doesn’t had to hurt.

I let my eyes wandering though the room, exploring my immediate surroundings. I was in a quite well lighted room, visibly an ex-clinic room. And when I say clinic, I say real clinic, real buildings built before the last breath, not the scrap-metal thingy where officiated Sirius back in New Hope. Okay, I admit that it was a bit dusty, but, eh, that’s not like there was an apocalypse! No, seriously, it was quite well conserved, had still its four walls, a real wooden door, and a freakin’ real bed.

There was even an old water fountain that seemed to be still functioning. ‘’ Gosh, today’s my lucky day…’’ I said. ‘’ Or, maybe not…’’ I added, shrugging against the pain to get up. I finally won this silent argument with a wince of pain. ‘’ Oh, Celestia, I could use painkillers right now…’’

Hesitantly, I tried to make a step. Instantly, pain goes back through my foreleg. ‘’ C’mon Cal, I know you can do it!’’ I cheered myself. I made another step. ‘’ Oh, Celestia, this is gonna be long and painful…’’ Again another step, followed this time by a yelp of pain. ‘’ If you continue like that, you’re not gonna make the day…’’ I said to myself.

That was long, that was painful, but I finally reached the water fountain. I dug my head under the water tap and activated it. Water began to pour itself in my dried throat. I swallowed, and swallowed, the more I had drunk, and the better I will be. After all, it’s not like the water had been contaminated by the magical fallouts.

Once I was satiated, I stopped the water and let out a satisficed burp. ‘’ Ups, my bad…’’ I apologized, although there was nopony in the room. ‘’ Alright…’’ I said. ‘’ ... now that the water problem is fixed, let’s go thinking about my situation.’’

First, I obviously haven’t sleepwalked here and patched me up all alone. Somepony must have saved me. This led us to the second point, who is this somepony? I do remember bumping in something before passing out by lack of blood, but that’s all. And there is a third point:

How the buck did this somepony find out my stuff and put it in this very room?

Because just next to the door, against the wall, laid my bag, visibly untouched. And as far as I can remember, there are only a few ponies that do that for you in the wastes. Usually, when somepony found another pony in such bad shape as mine, they end their misery with a good ol’ bullet, and they usually take their stuff too, saying to themselves that, in anyway now, the poor buddy cannot use it now.

Such a miserable excuse for a miserable practice that was the looting on bodies in the ash desert, if you want my opinion regarding this. At least, they could bury the bodies.

Anyway, here’s not the point. I walked with difficulty to my bag, and sat down on the dusty floor. I opened it. All was here. Ammunitions, apples, vitamins, painkillers…

Speaking about painkillers, I cautiously took one of them and removed the plastic protection around the needle. Without any kind of ceremony, I emptied its content in my left tight. I smiled, lost in bliss as the medication sprout itself through my organism. Oh, Celestia, it feels good! As the pain was replaced by that post-drug consummation state, I got up, trying myself. I tottered a little, like tipsy, before the bliss went away, giving me my mind back.

Okay. I still couldn’t run everywhere, but it was going to be ok. And here, I noticed something. I limped. My injured hind leg was healed, but it could never be the same. ‘’ Oh… ‘’ I said. ‘’ It sucks!’’

And it’s how I got myself stuck as a young mare with a lame leg.

I put my bag on my back, and it’s here that I noticed that something other was amiss.

My shotgun!

I searched through the room.

Nothing.

‘’ What kind of pony take the gun but not the bullets?’’ I asked myself. ‘’ Some retard, maybe…’’ Here I was, telling that somepony that had saved my rump was a retard while speaking to myself.

After checking that there was nothing more in the room, I pushed the door and got out. I found myself in an old corridor that seemed to have suffered from the years of dust and ash.

It seemed to be a quite big hospital, so I decided to use an old wandering technique: reaching the ground level, establish if this building was secure, and get out after a little searching, maybe sleeping in for a few days before moving.

I quickly reached the floor’s stairs. On the wall was an old sign saying that I was on the second floor. I went downstairs and continued my road to finally reach the ground level, which consisted in a big hall with old wooden benches and a big counter with old computers.

The front of the hospital consisted in what was a glasses wall, with glasses doors, but it was now only an empty space, the glasses having surely be broken with the apocalypse, or the constant looting that was surely victim this hospital from both the wanderers and the raiders, slavers or other ponies living in the hell that is the ash desert.

As I inspected in details the hall, something reflected the light of my flashlight on the counter.

My shotgun!

I smiled. Not that I liked killing other ponies, but heck, life is never going the way we would like, no? Especially in the ashes. Here, if you’re weaponless, you’re dead.

I limped to the counter and put a hoof on the chromed weapon. Much to my surprise, two shining purple eyes opened themselves in the dark.

‘’ What in hell…?’’ I said. I moved my flashlight, and it revealed the strangest pony –apart Gibbs and Hap’- I’ve known in my life. ‘’ Wh… who are you?!’’ I asked, my voice quivering more than I wanted it to. The … pony? At least it looked like a pony, gave me a little smile and spoke with the strangest voice I’ve ever heard. It was low, and rough, and even high at the same time. Yep, strange.

‘’ You do not have to fear me, stallion-in-the-body-of-a-mare. I will not bite, hit or kill you.’’

‘’ What are you?’’ I asked.

‘’ I have got plenty of names.’’ It replied. ‘’ But here in this ravaged land, they call me the blind wizard.’’

‘’ Yeah, that’s cool, but what are you?’’ I repeated. It chuckled.

‘’ I am plenty of things.’’ Heck, this… thing is the thing that never answers your questions in the sense you asked it.

‘’ I don’t care about that!’’ I shouted.

‘’ If so, why have you asked this question two times?’’ It seemed amused.

‘’ Celestia…’’ I facehoofed. ‘’ Wait… you said that they called you the ‘blind wizard’… how could you know how I look like and who I am?’’

‘’ I know lots of things. But I am in a good mood, so I am willing to answer your questions. I am effectively blind, because of that.’’ It leaned a hoof to show me its bright purple eyes. ‘’ For answering to your precedent question, I am a pony like you, and a unicorn. But years of playing with magic might has turned me in a lot more powerful thing.’’ He, because it was a stallion, smiled weakly. ‘’ Back to the times where I was your average magic searcher in the Celestia’s university for gifted unicorn…’’

‘’ A-are you saying that you… you knew the world how it was before this whole end-of-the-world shit happened?’’ I asked, dumbfounded. How the hell did he survived?

‘’ Sadly. I think I might know how all of this happened, but it’s only a theory. Anyway, I was near of the explosion’s epicenter, and all the magical fallouts kept me miraculously alive although I was in the first lives that had been consumed by the catastrophe.’’

‘’ So, basically…’’ I frowned. ‘’ You’re dead… but alive?! H-how can it be…?’’

‘’ I do not know, although I looked for an answer for years, but yes, I am dead but alive. My magical power has decupled, and my eyes tend to do this purple light. I cannot turn off this magic, sadly, and my horn is not more than a lantern now, but my corpse is so full with magic that it do not root, and I can use my power everywhere on it.’’ He lit a purple fire on his hoof, which I noticed with surprise that it burned around the hoof, without really burning it.

‘’ Oh boy… what a paradox…’’ I said.

‘’ It is quite amusing to see your calling me by one of my nicknames.’’ He said, chuckling slightly.

‘’ You’re really fucked up, guy.’’ I said. ‘’ And one of your nicknames is paradox, you say? How surprising…’’

‘’ How rude.’’ He replied, still snickering. ‘’ After all I did for you? Saving you, finding your equipment and re-breathe you your life?’’

‘’ It was you?’’ I said, scratching the back of my head. ‘’ Er…well… uh… thank you, but that won’t prevent me from thinking that you’re an odd one.’’

He smiled. ‘’ I am okay with that. I take that you were going to Happiness?’’ I nodded. ‘’ May I join? There’s somepony that I must meet down here, somepony that I hadn’t seen in years.’’

‘’ Uh, I don’t really know, I mean, that entire fire thing, that’s cool, but…’’ He lit himself a cigarette with his hoof, causing me to jump literally in the air. Yeah, yeah, you can say everything you want, that guy’s a real creep. He scares me.

‘’ I take that as a ‘yes’ ‘’ He said, laughing slightly. Even when he laughs, he’s scary. But, even if I wasn’t the happiest pony in Equestria, he had saved me, and he hadn’t tried anything against me, so I guess that a helping hoof is always welcome in the desert, mostly on the 3rd highway.

My stomach grouched. I figured that I had surely not eaten something since this lunch before the hellhole’s incident.

‘’ Well… it’s nice to save me, all that, but… if you don’t mind, I would eat something. ‘’ I said. ‘’ I have some difficulty to think when my stomach’s empty.’’

‘’ Do, Stallion-in-the-body-of-a-mare.’’ He said. ‘’ Personally, I do not eat given my shape, so I think you will understand the fact that I will not eat with you.’’ I winced. Celestia, what is this crappy name he gave me?

‘’ Uh… you know, I have a name, mister paradox.’’ I replied. ‘’ You can call me Cal.’’

‘’ Well, Callixus, if you want me to call you by your name, I will appreciate that you call me Dark Hawk, and not mister Paradox. Good lunch.’’ And he disappeared suddenly in a purple flash.

Dumbfounded, I looked the place where he was a second ago. How did he know my real situation? And my name? I had given him only my nickname.

‘’ What a freak…’’ I muttered. I took absent-mindedly an apple in my bag, wincing in disgust as his usual flavor came back on my tongue. But I don’t know why, I always complain, but I always eat these apples. Must be cursed.

I finished my lunch quite quickly, assembled my stuff, and got out of the building, my flashlight in the mouth. There was a purple flash, and then he was back.

‘’ I take that you are ready to go?’’ He asked.

‘’ Y-yes…’’ I don’t think he saw it, but he really, was near giving me a heart attack, and he would have been good to save me one more time.

He smiled, and we began to walk on the old, tired road of the 3rd highway, toward Happiness, where I really hoped to find my friends alive and if possible, in a good shape.

chapter eleven: Happiness

Chapter eleven: Happiness

‘’ Well, we are not so far from our destination, Callixus.’’ Dark Hawk said.

The day had passed much quicker than I thought it would, although it had been like traveling with a grave: silent and boring.

We hadn’t been attacked by nopony, even if I was wishing it just to get a little adrenalin and do something other than limping miserably through the ruins with a dead. And I wanted to see how the old blinded zombie kicked their ass with his magic.

He had led us on the dusty road for hours now, part because he seemed to know perfectly the way, and part because my crippled leg prevented me from walking at a normal speed. Oh, Celestia, I am so slow! It’s… horrible, you can’t know how it feels to be passed by everypony.

Of course, I’m quite used to this now, but before…

‘’ How can you be so sure of that, Hawk?’’ I asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘’ Without being mean… you’re blind.’’

‘’ I told you already. I know lots of things, and the road to Happiness is one of them.’’ He replied. I rolled my eyes.

‘’ Don’t make you a bigger head than you already have…’’ I muttered. ‘’… show off…’’

‘’ I heard you.’’ He said, snickering. I glared at him. Reminded me Hap’ in a way: he laughs at everything, and both are real freaks.

‘’ So,’’ I dropped the subject. ‘’ You said that we were near of Happiness?’’

‘’ Affirmative.’’ The undead nodded. ‘’ I think we are approximately one kilometer far from our goal.’’

You know what always impressed me in this guy? I mean, apart the fact that he’s undead, he can make magic with every freakin’ cell of his body and he has big glowing purple eyes? The fact that he seems to know perfectly where he is and what others do around him.

Anyway, he was right, because maybe… five minutes later, Happiness appeared in front of our… my impressed face.

Nothing is to be said apart that it was big. Really big. Visibly, they hadn’t been lazy when they had rebuilt the town.

Oh, yeah, and, there was an enormous wall all around the town, preventing raiders attack and other problems like that. There were also enormous doors, obviously well defended. I guessed that it was the only entry and exit of the town.

As we approached them, I noticed a guard sitting on a rock. He was brown, with a blond mane. He was also wearing a tire armor that was red years ago, when it was in a good shape, the Happiness guard’s trademark. He had also a rifle in his hooves that he was aiming at us, ready to change us into Swiss cheese if we had bad intents.

‘’ State name and occupation.’’ He asked, still aiming at us.

‘’ Callixus.’’ I stated. ‘’ Wanderer in Canterlot.’’

‘’ Black Hawk.’’ The undead, which had closed his eyes and put on a cloak that I hadn’t seen him taking, stated.

‘’ Hm.’’ The guard replied, narrowing his eyes like he didn’t trust us.

‘’ We are friendly, Gold Idol.’’ Dark Hawk said. Of course…

‘’ H-how do y-you know my name?!’’ The guard stammered, surprised.

‘’ Gold Idol?’’ I asked.

‘’ Not everypony has a clean mother. ‘’ The guard replied. ‘’ Mine was addicted to this drug.’’

‘’ Oh, and for my… friend here knowing your name….’’ I said. ‘’ He… is darn good at guessing things.’’ I did my best fake smile.

‘’ Your… friend is odd, miss.’’ The guard said.

‘’ You don’t say.’’ I muttered, still smiling. I cleared my throat, reporting the guard’s attention on me. ‘’ Could you please get us entered?’’

Teary puppy eyes, lower lips quivering…

‘’ Okay, okay!’’ he gave up, looking away. ‘’ Tellion!’’ He yelled. ‘’ Open me this fuckin’ door!’’ A muffled ‘okay’ came to my ears. ‘’ I thought this kind of face was forbidden…’’ He muttered. ‘’ Celestia, I could use a drink right now…’’. ‘’ Hey, Tellion!’’ He yelled again, as the doors opened. ‘’ Say to Trig’ that it’s his turn to stay outside!’’ And he entered with us in the gigantic town.

As I stepped inside, my first sight of the inner town confirmed my thoughts. It was big, entirely built in scrap-metal, and overpopulated. There were ponies everywhere, ash rangers, foals playing, wanderer buying supplies, merchant selling supplies, guards, suspicious ponies…

‘’ Oh, by Luna…’’ I whispered. ‘’ How am I going to find Hap’ and Sirius in this maelstrom?’’ Good question, myself. I turned to face Dark Hawk. ‘’ Well, I’m gonna look for my friends. And you?’’

‘’ I am going to meet an old friend, like I already said.’’ He answered. ‘’ If you search the tavern, it’s on the other side of town, at the other end of this street.’’ He said. ‘’ If your friends are there, they will be in this tavern. And I guess that somewhere to sleep is good for you.’’ I turned my head to look at the way that he had showed, and when I turned to him again, he had disappeared. Urgh… I really hate when people does that.

I decided to give the dive a try. After all, the old zombie was right: I was in need of somewhere to sleep tonight. And I could use a drink stronger than water right now.

I began to wal… limp through the crowd. Something hit me: I knew there was their ‘annual council’ thing, but that much of Ash Rangers… Wow, just… wow.

They were everywhere, nearly as numerous as the town guards were. These ones seemed pretty aware of that fact, and I could sense tension between the two powerful military forces that were populating Happiness. The Rangers and the guards were exchanging glares, suspecting looks… only a few of them had broken the ice, and talked quietly, joking and telling each other stories.

Something was odd about this town. Maybe it’s the fact that it was the biggest in the post-apocalyptic Canterlot, but it was rotten in the inner, as the first town was. Sirius had told me about these cults of degenerated ponies worshipping Discord, but I couldn’t believe my eyes. It wasn’t even a taboo in this town. Everywhere, ponies were freely carrying their cult’s icons. Even in the town guard. It was… disturbing.

I dodged a cloaked pony carrying a sculpture of Discord, and entered the foresaid dive, well named the ‘source of joy.’ How appropriate in a town named Happiness.

Outside, it looked awful, but inside… they had the freakin’ walls patted! It wasn’t like the dive back in New Hope, plenty of smoke, and seeming ready to crumble on your head. It seemed… nice. The air was proper, allowing me to see the well-built inner bar, with a counter –there’s counter everywhere.-, a big reserve of every kind of boozes, going from old apple cider –obviously two hundred years old-, not too much alcoholic- to actual apple cider – one glass to be tipsy, two the coma-, passing by whiskey and other ‘nice’ brews that could make sure that you’ll wake up with the biggest hangover of your life the next day.

For the anecdote, usually, actual apple cider is consommé for drinking duals, never just like that, apart if you have suicidal impulses.

Personally, I don’t.

I made my way to the counter. The barman, who was busy seducing a young mare, visibly a waitress, ignored me.

‘’ Hmmm… barman?’’ I asked. He kept seducing the mare. I rolled my eyes. Celestia, why do they have each time to make the Casanova applying for this job? I don’t know. But that was annoying me, I was crippled for life, I needed a drink, and I don’t give a shit about what he was doing, but I decided to stay polite, tipped softly his shoulder and cleared my throat. He turned to face me, clearly annoyed.

‘’ What? I’m busy.’’ He said, visibly annoyed. Hmmm. Not as annoyed as I was, thought.

‘’ I wanted to buy a drink.’’ I replied, trying to stay calm. He sighed, and let go the waitress.

‘’ What do you want?’’ He asked, lowering his tone, taking a glass and putting it in front of me.

‘’ I’m looking for two ponies…’’ I whispered. ‘’ The guards told me that I could find them here.’’

‘’ And they are…?’’ He whispered back, before saying: ‘’ Old apple cider, calvados…’’

‘’ Hmmm… ‘’ I paused a second to think. ‘’ Old apple Cider for me, please.’’ And I added, whispering: ‘’ A stallion with a black mane and a grey fur, green-eyed, wearing medic’s outfit, and a party pony with a creamy fur and a crimson red curly mane, blue-eyed. Doc Sirius and Happy Pie.’’

He patted his chin as he poured me my cider. ‘’ I think I saw them here. But my ears ain’t good: did you gave the price?’’ He whispered, before adding louder: ‘’ four bits, Miss.’’

I sighed, and put a dozen of bits on the counter. He smiled. ‘’ Ah, I think we’ll be getting along well, miss…’’ He whispered. ‘’ third room, second floor.’’

Excuse me: when I said that all barmen I’ve met are Casanovas, I forgot about their tendency to sell everything they have, counting information.

And he returned to his business with a chuckling waitress. I took a sip of my cider. Damn, it was good! Way better flavor than the actual apple cider, I think. Hmm, at least, it really tastes like apples, not like tennis balls filled with bleach.

Somepony sat up next to me and ordered a whiskey.

‘’ Hey, Callixus.’’ The pony – a stallion- said. I stopped drinking.

I know this voice!

I turned my head.

Next to me was my acquaintance in the ash ranger..

chapter twelve: reunion

Chapter twelve: Reunion

‘’ Sergeant.’’ I said. ‘’ I knew you were in this town, but I didn’t know I would meet you that early!’’

‘’ Well, the council is in two days, so we wander in town, joke with some acquaintances, and drink a glass at this tavern tend to help things.’’ Raveus replied. ‘’ Even if I find that most of the guards and the rangers don’t get along so well, I try and break the ice with some of them to have some good reviews of the rangers in town. When I saw your friends coming in town without you yesterday, I feared the worst.’’ He paused. ‘’ After all, you saved my part-metallic rump back in these school ruins, and I didn’t really returned you the favor.’’

What? Bring me to Sirius wasn’t considered like saving my life?

‘’ While I was there with my teammates, I asked here and there if somepony knew something about some Sun.INC factory in this part of the Canterlot’s waste. And I found this… Gibbs…’’ He paused as I stifled a sigh. Gibbs. This pony’s everywhere. ‘’ He said that he knew you and your friends, and that he was the one that had asked you to come in Happiness. There’s something odd with this guy…’’

‘’ You don’t say…’’ I finished my cider.

‘’ Anyway, I’m happy to know that you’re alive, but I think your friends will be much happier than me, especially the smiling one.’’ He finished his whiskey and paid the barman. ‘’ Plus, I have a meeting with the town guard’s chief. Keep you in one piece.’’ And he got up, leaving me alone. I got up myself soon after: I had friends to meet up with.

I passed in the Inn part of the building, still very stylish in the interior. A pleasant flavor glided. I quickly climbed the bad-shaped stairs –eh, not all can be perfect- , stopping when I reached the second floor.

Third door, uh?

I stopped in front of a wooden door sporting a big, incrusted three on it, and knocked. Yeah, being a wanderer didn’t prevent my parents from teaching me good manners.

‘’ Yeah, who’s there?’’ A well-known voice answered. Sirius.

‘’ It’s me, Callixus!’’

‘’ Ooh! Ooh! Lemme open the door, Sirius!’’ I smiled.

Happy Pie…

‘’ Calm down, Pie!’’ Another voice shouted. Was that…? Yes, you guessed well. Gibbs! I knew he was the one, who had asked us to come here, and I died to ask him why, and mostly, how the fuck did he know about Hap’.

‘’ Hmmm.’’ Somepony should open this door, no?’’ Another voice asked. Dark Hawk?!

Wat.

Suddenly, the door opened, and…

I found myself buried under a cream-colored pony, which was squeezing my neck in a strong embrace.

‘’ CALIE! I’M SO HAPPY! They didn’t kill you to change you into food! I was sooooo worried I couldn’t eat because I feared that you were in my food!’’

I won’t make any comment.

‘’ Happy… I’m… happy to… see you too… but could you… just let me breath?’’ I suffocated.

‘’ Okie-dokie!’’ She sang, letting me go. ‘’ Ooh! Are you ill? Doc! Doc! She’s ill! Look, her face is green!’’ Everypony –apart her- in the room facehoofed at the same time. ‘’ Ooh! It’s a new game?’’ She facehoofed too. ‘’ Hey! This is fun!’’

‘’ By Celestia…’’ I mumbled.

‘’ Why did everypony stop? I was beating my record! Look! Three, four, five…’’ She whined, knocking her head with her foreleg.

‘’ Somepony stop her, please…’’ Sirius said.

‘’ Happy Pie, would you just stop, sit, and listen to me?’’ Gibbs said. ‘’ I have got something interesting to say…. Hey!’’ He yelped as I took him by the collar of his suit, nearly knocking off his fedora. ‘’ What the hell?!’’

‘’ I think you owe me an explanation …’’ I said. Everypony had stopped moving to look at us two. Oh, by Celestia, I wanted to hit him, to make his sufficient look goes off his face, but I still wasn’t the one that hit before asking.

‘’ Well, if you started by putting me down, would you?’’ He asked I let him go, and the other ponies continued to talk between them, even if I’m pretty sure they were listening. ‘’ Alright… what do you want to know?’’ I rolled my eyes.

‘’ Well… maybe, to start, how did you know for Hap’ in this raiders basement?’’

‘’ Hmmm… I-I heard about her, but nopony wanted to save her, and I’m pretty sure you’d have refused if I had let you know that I wanted you to save a crazy pony from a raider’s basement.’’ Well, I can’t say that he’s wrong for that. But when you wander, it’s you before the others, it always worked that way.

‘’ Okay…. Two: how the buck did you know that I would return alive from that basement?’’

‘’ Hmm… I-I… I don’t know.’’ He answered.

‘’ You’re a bad liar, Gibbs.’’ I replied, withering him. He began to sweat.

‘’ I- I mean… I let the message in case you returned to New Hope.’’ He said.

‘’ Well…’’ If he didn’t want to tell the truth, I wouldn’t force him to do so. I caught the whole ‘I knock, you speak’ thing later. ‘’ But about Happiness?’’

‘’ I was going to tell you why I called you and the others there before you interrupt me!’’ He defended himself, looking half-offended. ‘’ Now that this… different is resolved…’’ He stopped, cleared his throat and shouted: ‘’ Please Everypony! Listen to me!’’ As smiled slightly as all the ponies in the room faced him. ‘’ Alright. Take a seat, and open your ears wide, because it’s important.’’ I sat down next to him. He cleared his throat again. ‘’ I’m sure each one of you wonders why I called you here, or how I know some things that nopony else knows.’’

‘’ Well, I can answer to a part of your questions. Each one of you has his personal reasons to be here, and I have, of course, a reason myself.’’ He tipped his fedora. ‘’ I came with a proposal, that will satisfice my reason, and yours too.’’ I was puzzled, and visibly, no other ponies in the room, except Gibbs, seemed to understand more than me where he was going. ‘’ I, not too long ago, found out about a secret fabric, near of the Royal Castle. A Sun.INC laboratory, apparently. Of course, you knew about this, Hawk, but nopony else knows here.’’ The blind pony nodded. ‘’ As most of you know, Sun.INC was the biggest corporation before the catastrophe. They produced guns, healing materials…’’

‘’ But I’m sure that except Hawk, nopony here knows that they were also working on prototypes ordered by the Alicorn Princesses. I, personally, knew about that for long, but it stayed a secret project. Each one of you can refuse, but in this fabrics is the solution to your problems, and I… we can’t do this without you.’’

‘’ Now, for the part staying in Happiness, it’s because I’m currently expecting another pony to join, and we have to wait a bit for him to get a reason to tag along with us to our target. Any other questions?’’

I basically don’t like Gibbs: too self-centered, mysterious, and he’s got something odd with his fedora. I mean, even when he sleep, he keeps this on his head! But I can’t deny it: he’s got a good speech skill.

Nopony seemed to speak out, so I took the floor.

‘’ I’ll do this, if it can help me to know how I ended up like this…’’

‘’ I don’t think I’ve got a reason, but it seems funny so I’ll join!’’ Hap’ shouted.

‘’ I’ll do this.’’ Sirius said. ‘’ You’ll need a medic for a dangerous trip like that.’’

‘’ I am not disposed to reveal my own reasons for now, but you can count on me.’’ Dark Hawk finished.

‘’ Perfect!’’ Gibbs’ face lit up. ‘’ I wasn’t expecting any less of you four. But for now, I have to put on a little show so the Inn will pay me. Have a good night!’’ On these words, he lowered his fedora on his head, and exited the room.

‘’ I let you three fest your reunion.’’ Dark Hawk said. ‘’ Have a good night.’’ And in the usual purple flash, he disappeared. Pfff… Typical to the gifted unicorns, if you want to know. Too powerful to take the stairs, I guess. Tssk. Nothing’s better than to feel ground under your hooves.

‘’ Well,’’ Sirius said. ‘’ I’m happy to know that you’re alive, Cal.’’ We both smiled.

‘’ Me too, doc.’’ I replied. ‘’ And you too, of course, Hap’!’’ I laughed, punching slightly her shoulder, the party pony having started to pout, being forgotten like that.

She smiled too, and tried to hug me again, but I knew better than to let her do, this time. I dodged, and proposed:

‘’ What about a meal together to ‘fest our reunion’, to paraphrase the old wizard?’’ I snickered.

‘’ Okay.’’ Sirius nodded.

‘’ Ooh! Ooh! Can I throw us a ‘we’re-together-again’ party?’’ Hap’ squealed.

‘’ Hap’…’’ I started. ‘’ Ugh… I’ll regret it, but… okay.’’

‘’ YES!’’ She literally jumped to the ceiling, got down, and forced both me and Sirius in an iron embrace. ‘’ GROUP HUG!’’

Ouch.

At least, she didn’t break our neck or suffocated us to death.

Eventually, she let us go, and I proposed to eat at the tavern, given that it was in the same building, it seemed nice, and that I hadn’t intended to drag myself into town for the day. They accepted. We fixed some conditions with Hap’ about the party she wanted to host too, and got out of the room.

We chose a table at the bottom of the tavern, where nopony was.

‘’ Hm.’’ Sirius said. ‘’ That’s nice here.’’

‘’ Yeah.’’ I replied. ‘’ Surprising to see that they can make an interior looking that good when the exterior looks the same as any other scrap-metal built houses in this town.’’

‘’ They’re good!’’ Hap’ said. ‘’ Maybe I should ask them how, for when I’ll have my house!’’

‘’ Anyway.’’ I replied. The waitress, that I recognized being the one that the barman was seducing, came to us.

‘’ What it’ll it be?’’ She asked.

‘’ An old apple cider for me, please.’’ I said.

‘’ whiskey.’’ Sirius said simply.

‘’ Ooh! Ooh! Everything you have!’’ Hap’ squealed.

‘’ Wh-what? Are you crazy?’’ I asked, dumbfounded.

‘’ Well, yes!’’ She answered. ‘’ I thought I had already told it to you it this sinister cell? Bah, you can be a really silly pony sometimes, Calie!’’ She patted my head.

If she’s right on ONE thing, that’s that she’s crazy. Celestia, she’s really a Pie clan member.

‘’ hey, Cal?’’ Sirius asked.

‘’ Yes?’’

‘’ You didn’t told us how was your trip and why you knew that blind freak.’’

‘’ Uh… well, after I had escaped Hellhole…’’ I must mention that it match well its name. ‘’ … I fell on a Mutants’ nest. They wanted to cook me, but I a bit killed the cook – tentacles, brrr!- But then I walked in a bear trap that nearly ripped one of my hind legs off…’’ I leaned my crippled hind leg for show them the makeshift splint. Sirius winced. ‘’ I lost too much blood that I passed out, but then I was saved by Hawk, or the ‘blind wizard’, that is a zombie overloaded with magic since the Breath, and then we headed to Happiness, where I caught up with you.’’

‘’Wooooooooow…’’ Hap’ said. ‘’ Soo cooooool…’’

The waitress came back with our drinks. I looked at the amount of glasses at Happy’s place.

‘’ You sure you can handle that on your own?’’ I asked.

‘’ Of course!’’ She shouted, throwing back her old apple cider. I took, myself, a sip of mine.

Sirius, him, had his eyes closed and savored his whiskey.

‘’ Aah!’’ He said, smiling. ‘’ Nothing’s better than that after a hard day.’’

‘’ Hmm.’’ I chuckled. ‘’ I believe you didn’t tell me how the two of you reached Happiness?’’

‘’ Well…’’ He started, Hap’ finishing her own whiskey. ‘’ … it’s not as interesting as your story. We escaped Hellhole thinking that they might had already killed you, thank to Happy, because she killed all our attackers with her fork and table knife. Although it was incredibly gore, she saved my life –and hers too- and then we ran off, and I finished the trip with a despaired party pony. Strangely, her hair had gone flat and straight till Dark Hawk came by to meet Gibbs and telling us that you were alive.’’

For the hair things, I saw it a couple of time, I think. Seems to be happening to all the Pie clan members. Strange thing, a pony with a haircut reflecting her emotions, uh? Hey, what do you want? I’m only telling what I saw.

‘’ Hmm…’’ I said. ‘’ Quite interesting.’’ While the doc was telling me that, Hap’ had finished all her brews except the worst one: the actual apple cider.

Seriously, don’t drink that, never, ever. One: it’s so dosed in alcohol it can be used to cauterize wounds. Two: it’s disgusting. Seriously! It tastes like actual apple. No, nothing’s better than old apple cider.

She focused on the tiny glass – only 5 cl pro glass-, both eyes locked on it like a griffin with his prey, licking her lips. She rubbed her hooves against each other. Suddenly, her took the glass and threw back the tiny glass, before putting it back soundly on the table.

‘’ Hey! That’s good! All of you must try!’’ She shouted. ‘’ Waitress! Waitreeesssssss!’’

The waitress came back, looking both annoyed and surprised. Surprised because she was as surprised as me that the cream-colored pony had survived all this booze without being at least tipsy –or, at least, she didn’t look so.-, and annoyed because I’m pretty sure she was missing a certain stallion.

‘’ What?’’ She asked.

‘’ Another actual apple thingy for me, and for my friends!’’

‘’Three actual apple ciders, incoming.’’ She noted, and then got back to the bar. Several minutes later, she came back with three apples and three of these blasted ciders.

‘’ Uh?’’ Sirius said. ‘’ We didn’t ordered apples, miss.’’

‘’ You wanted to eat here, didn’t you?’’ She asked, putting an apple and a cider in front of each other.

‘’ Hmm, yes, but…’’ I started.

‘’ The caravan are not arrived for now, so all we have is apple.’’ And she left us three alone with our mutated apple products. Again, apples. APPLES. WHY ALWAYS APPLES?!

Sigh… I must be cursed…

Accepting my fate, I began to eat the hated fruit.

‘’ I hate my life…’’ I mumbled, much to my friend’s amusement.

Finally, I put my half-eaten apple back on the table and took a look of the cider. It was totally opaque, and amber-colored.

Have my soul, Celestia…

I took a sip of the deadly brew. Instantly, my throat caught fire. ‘’ Ack! Ack! Oh… my… water… I need… water…’’ I coughed, squeezing my shattered throat between my hooves. Finally, the fire passed. ‘’ I’m gonna have one of these headaches tomorrow…’’ I said.

‘’ Ohhhh… Stop faking Calie!’’ Hap’ said, smacking my back hard with a hoof and gulping the whole liquid horror like it was water. ‘’ You want yours?’’ She asked Sirius, who had cleverly waited for me to start to see the effect on a normal pony.

He shook his head, and she swallowed this one too.

I finished my apple, my throat itching now, and found out that the real apple is far better than this horror that could make a safe door melt simply by spraying with it.

Then, the evening continued with me and Sirius drinking less dangerous alcohol –iced water for me- and Hap’ drinking half the bar’s reserve of cider, after that, we came back to their room, where Hap’ managed to found out a bed and install it, allowing me to sleep in the same room. I slept late, because one of the neighbors was whining something about his bed.

But, if you want to know, the next day was much more exciting.

chapter thirteen: Market day.

Chapter thirteen: Market day

‘’ Hey! C’mon! Wake up!’’

‘’ Whaaa?’’ I grunted, opening an eye. Instantly, pain flooded my brain. ‘’ My head… Hap’… you will pay for this…’’ I put both hooves at each side of my head. I felt like my head was gonna pop between them. ‘’ Celestia… this thing… it is liquid death…’’ I heard a chuckle coming from above me.

‘’ Well, waiting for make Hap’ pay, maybe you wanna get some breakfast?’’ Sirius, because it was him, asked.

‘’ Gosh… actually, I could use whatever you have against hangovers…’’ Another chuckle. ‘’ What? I’m being serious! You don’t know how it hurts…’’ Pain. Pain everywhere. I mean, even blinking was painful. ‘’ Painkillers, maybe?’’ I asked hopefully.

‘’ Hmm… nah.’’ He answered. Sheesh. And he dare call himself a medic… ‘’ I won’t take the risk of you being addicted. Here, take that.’’ He put me a glass filled with whitened water, like somepony had dropped flour in it.

‘’ Whazza?’’ I asked again.

‘’ Aspirin. Now, take a deep breath and throw it back. I want you to swallow everything. Do not drop any centiliters.’’ I nodded hesitantly and began to drink the water. Beeh, tastes bad. But eh, I’ve never heard of a medication having a good taste. Hmm. Maybe it’s to prevent the patient from being addicted.

Hmm. At least, it worked. I felt my headache going away. I retire what I’ve said; this guy’s a good doctor.

‘’ Thank.’’ I said, still rubbing my head with a hoof.

‘’ No problem. Just, try to not be like that every day, I’ve got only four of them, and it’d annoy me if you wasted them in the same number of days.’’

‘’ Got it.’’ My stomach rumbled. ‘’ but I think I’ll be way better after a quick breakfast. Your offer’s still?’’

‘’ Yeah.’’

Half-an hour later, we exited the tavern, our hunger calmed. Apples, of course, but you eat what is on purpose when you are hungry. Hap’ had joined us a quarter hour after, and she seemed to be in great form, despite the … forty-eight glasses she had drunk the previous evening. I still don’t understand how she survived this.

And no, finally, I didn’t make her pay, because she’s only a child in her head, and she’s scary when angry.

No, seriously. Do you know any other pony that can kill five enemies armed with hatchet and other sharp things when armed with a fork? Not me.

I hadn’t seen that much light outside in my whole life before that moment where we stepped out of the tavern. It was the ‘morning’, nine O’clock, I think. And boy, they had lighted up the streets. We could see perfectly each details, things like that. I guess that the town’s lighters had passed by.

The town lighters? In all the big towns of the wastes, there’re suspended light bulbs and big fires at all road cross and important buildings. The lighter’s job is to light and maintain all day each of them. They are often unicorns, but I think I already saw some Earth Ponies and even a Pegasus wearing the town lighter’s outfits.

Anyway.

It was like a real day, but, of course, there was neither blue sky nor Sun in it.

‘’I think I’ll go buy me some ammos. Wanna join?’’ I asked. Hap’ shook her head.

‘’ No.’’ Sirius declined. ‘’ I must go buy medical supplies. ‘’

‘’ Ok. We catch up here for five?’’ I asked.

‘’ I’m okay with that.’’

‘’ Okie-dokie!’’

I nodded, and then each of us went its way.

Hmm… Where can I buy ammunitions in that town?

I resolved myself to wander through town and look for any supplies shop signs. After all, it was surely easy to find in a town like that. I continued to limp through the already numerous crowd that populated the streets.

‘’ You!’’ I turned my head to face a purple unicorn with a mustache. ‘’ Yes, you!’’ He confirmed. ‘’ Come here!’’ I walked to the pony. I know, I know, he could have been an assassin or a thief, but…

‘’ What do you want?’’ I asked.

‘’ Well, I was opening my store, and I saw you. I said to me: ‘hmmm, don’t know this one.’ So I figured that you were a wanderer passing by the town searching for chems and ammos! Or, I am myself owner of one of the only supplies shops of Happiness!’’

Wow.

At least, I didn’t have to search for the day.

‘’ What do you sell?’’ I asked. He made me enter his shop.

‘’ Everything, why?’’ He answered.

Okay, bad question. Let’s reformulate this.

‘’ What kind of ammos do you sell?’’

‘’ Caliber 12, 5.56 Mm, 5 Mm… all from the pistol to the sniper rifle.’’ He passed behind the counter. ‘’ What can I sell you?’’

‘’ Do you have any good flashlights? Or explosives bullets?’’

‘’ For the flashlights, I have this one…’’ he said, putting a small flashlight on the counter. ‘’…not too ravenous in electricity, illuminate like a real lamp on fifty meters. Or this one…’’ He put a bigger flashlight, totally chromed, with a beautiful Sun.INC on it. ‘’ … designed to be attached on weapons, slightly more potent. The two are battery-powered, the first using only one of them, against two for the other. In another way, the second has a longer lifetime.’’

‘’ I’ll take the Sun.INC one. How many?’’

‘’ One hundred bits.’’ He replied. I winced. Expensive. But I had got the bits, so I put them on the counter. He smiled at the amount of bits.

‘’ And, for the explosives bullets, I’ve only got a box for shotgun. Twenty bits a round.’’ Wow. More expensive than the flashlight. Sighing, I put… one hundred-twenty bits with the rest. Now, it was really a hill of bits. I could barely see the seller behind it. He passed me my purchases. I said good bye and exited the shop.

Now, you don’t buy anything else, Cal. Or you’ll be ruined in ten seconds flat.

I must say that it was totally right. When there’s a newcomer, they all try to sell you anything.

ANYTHING.

‘’ Forks, forks!’’

TOTALLY anything.

‘’ Interested in windows?’’ I facehoofed.

Do I look like in am going to buy all of their useless shits?

‘’ Please, leave me alone!’’ A mare’s voice said.

Wait a minute… that wasn’t one of these money-grubbing’s cry, that!

I pushed one of the merchant.

‘’ Step back, you fools!’’ I shouted. I glanced through the crowd, looking for the mare.

Here!

Four ponies were surrounding a poor white mare with a blond mane. Hm. Bastards.

‘’ Hey bitches! If you want to fight, fight somepony who can fight back!’’ One of them turned to face me. He was green with a brown mane.

‘’ That’s not your affairs, you crippled wanderer.’’ He said.

‘’ Are you threatening me, bastard?’’ I replied. ‘’ I might be more dangerous than your actual prey.’’ I slammed the ground with a hoof.

‘’ Hey, guys, look at the three-legged bitch who thinks she can beat us!’’ He laughed, and the other too. Till my left hoof met with his jaw. He fell on the ground, and the laugh stopped abruptly.

‘’ You know, I think I can manage three phonies and a vomit-colored pony.’’ I snickered.

‘’ What did you just said?’’ He asked. He, looked like I’d just found his weakness point.

‘’ That you were ugly.’’ I answered. ‘’ You stink, too.’’

He screamed and tried to hit me on the face. You know, being enraged isn’t the best way to fight in a hoof-to-hoof combat. Attacks too obviously. I dodged his hoof, letting him pass me with his dash, and tackled him. He fell on the ground another time.

The crowd gathered around us chuckled at his miserable fall. He got up, his nose bleeding, and tried to punch me another time. I dodged, throwing me on the ground, landed on my back, and knocked him in the stomach with both hind legs. He let go his air out of his lungs as he flew shortly. He went right in the nearest stand, destructing it.

‘’ My stand!’’ Somepony in the crowd yelled.

He got up again. He limped to me -he had broken his left hind leg in the fall- and tried again to buck me, but he was visibly exhausted. I dodged his weak punch easily, and punched him right on the muzzle. I heard something cracking, and blood spattered from his nose. He tottered a bit, and fell on his side.

I turned to face the three others.

‘’ Okay! Who’s next?’’ They stepped back a bit, before running away, screaming like little fillies. ‘’ Pfff… bitches.’’ I approached the mare, which had been rolled on her during all the fight. ‘’ Hey, that’s okay, they’re gone now.’’ She poked her head out and looked at me with big, green eyes. I helped her to get up. Around us, the crowd began to disband.

‘’Th-thank…’’ She stammered, visibly still in shock state.

‘’ Come with me.’’ I replied. She began to follow me through the street. ‘’ Do you know where is the Guard’s basement? Or do you have family here?’’

‘’ I… I used to live with my uncle, Blood Rain…’’ She said.

Strange, that name… remembers me something...

Of course, I’m sure you know of who I speak, don’t you? Aww, that’s too bad. C’mon! I’m sure you know him! He was in Sirius’s story. Personally, I can’t well remember names till I saw the real pony.

‘’ Where does that uncle lives?’’ I asked.

‘’ … Um… he… he’s in the town guard… just in the 6th street.’’ She said, cowering behind her mane in embarrassment. I rolled my eyes and sighed. I saved her! She could be at least feeling better!

Hmm. Maybe I’m too much of a badass and people sense my awesomeness overpassing them. What? I’m a show off? Oh, c’mon, I was joking.

Whatever.

Ten minutes later, we finally reached the basement, guarded by two ponies in the characteristic old red armor of the guard. They first moved to prevent us from entering, and then one of them let go a surprised cry.

‘’ Miss Rain! Where were you? Your uncle was so worried!’’ Hm. Ouch, it smelled the incoming family argues. And it seemed that I was going to be taken by the storm too.

‘’ Hm… ‘’ She said. ‘’ I… I wanted to wander a little in town, but… ponies … attacked me… and… and… she saved me.’’ She leaned a hoof to show me to the guard. He nodded.

‘’Well, miss, seems that you prevented the captain from another rage crisis. Seems that we won’t have to call the doc this time.’’ He chuckled. ‘’ You can pass.’’ He nodded to his fellow guard, who knocked on the door. Soon after, somepony came and opened it.

‘’ Welcome in the town guard basement.’’

The basement was a big plain of dust, with sheet-metal barracks surmounted by names. The shy pony led me to the biggest of them.

‘’ It’s the… the place where are locked prisoners. My uncle works here.’’ She said, seeming to have gained a bit ease to speak with me. And then, she opened the door, and I froze.

I was facing two well-known ponies.

Chapter fourteen: Cultism

Chapter fourteen: Cultism

‘’ Hap’?! Sirius?!’’ I shouted, surprised. ‘’ What on Earth are you doing here?’’

Hap’ seemed totally despaired, crying and all, her hair flat and straightened, while Sirius, who had his blouse a little creased, tried to comfort her. He leaned his head to face me and he made a bothered wince. You bet that he could.

After all, they were inside a cell.

‘’ Um… Do… do you k-know these… ponies?’’ The shy pony asked.

‘’ Yeah, they’re acquaintances.’’ I replied, without even bothering to face her to answer. ‘’ Now, Sirius, explain me how the fuck you got yourself and Hap’ arrested?’’

He scratched the back of his head. I sighed and rolled my eyes in desperation. Suddenly, a strange noise came from behind me. I turned.

A half-pony looked at me from his wheelchair. No, seriously! He lacked his two hind legs and the major part of his back.

He was wearing a red armor that matched perfectly his red coat, and looked like a stallion. He had also an electric blue mane cut short. He smiled as the filly hugged him. I figured that it must be her uncle.

‘’ Autumn Rain!’’ He said, hugging her back.

‘’ Uncle!’’ the foresaid filly said. She finished hugging him, and placed her on his left side.

‘’ Who are you?’’ He asked, looking at me. ‘’ How did you passed the guards?’’ I figured that he spoke about the guards at the entrance.

‘’ Uncle!’’ Autumn said. ‘’ Be kind with her! She’s the one who saved me!’’

‘’ ‘saved’ you?’’ He sighed. ‘’ Autumn, I thought I had said that the market days were dangerous for defenseless mares like you are. But if you saved her, I think I can thank you.’’

‘’ Oh, It’s nothing.’’ I answered. ‘’ Just, could you explain me how these two ended locked up here?’’ I asked, showing Hap’ and Sirius with a hoof.

‘’ These two?’’ He patted his chin with a hoof. ‘’ Poisoning, I think.’’

Poisoning?!

I facehoofed, guessing how this had happened. I faced Sirius, who was wearing a weak smile and still scratching his neck.

‘’ Seriously…?’’ I deadpanned. ‘’ I thought I had said something about cooking, Hap’.’’ The despaired pony looked at her hooves. I turned again. Blood Rain was totally laughing, while Autumn Rain looked at me quizzically.

‘’ This is rich!’’ The captain laughed. ‘’Anyway, I was bringing good news. These two, I assume that they’re your friends, are free to go, given that the poor victim has woken up from his cupcake-induced coma.’’ On that, he nodded, and a guard, coming out from nowhere, opened the cell’s door.

My two companions got out, Hap’ gaining her curly mane again as she passed the door. I had only the time to sigh before she buries me under more cream-colored pony.

I made my way out, ignoring the snickers and chuckles of quite anypony in the room except Hap’ and Sirius. I combed my mane quickly, and got out.

Nopony spoke as we left the basement and came back to the streets.

‘’ What flavor?’’ I finally asked, surprising everypony and breaking the silence.

‘’ What?’’ Sirius replied, frowning.

‘’ I asked: what flavor?’’ I repeated. There were several minutes of silence.

‘’ Stone.’’ Sirius finally answered. ‘’ She was making stone-cupcakes. ‘’

You know, when I told you that Hap’ lacked a bit the cooking skills to make something good? I forgot to add that she tend to use everything that is in her sight.

‘’ But how…?’’ I started.

‘’ I don’t know.’’ He said. ‘’I arrived when the pony she forced to taste it turned green and died on place. Hm. Well, he seemed dead. Looks like he isn’t.’’ I let go off a chuckle. Hap’, seeming untouched by the fact that she had nearly killed somepony, bounced happily –as she usually do- around us.

‘’ Where are we going?’’ She asked. I looked at my watch. Quarter past twelve. Eh, looks like it is lunch time.

‘’ Hmm.’’ Sirius, who had looked on his watch too, paused to think. ‘’ Why don’t we…’’

I never knew what we were going to do, because somepony interrupted him.

‘’ Hey, Doc! Callixus! And … uh, the bouncing one!’’ We turned to face the newcomer. Although we were in a street. It was an Ash Ranger, wearing a metallic helmet that covered his entire head, with two big yellow lenses glowing slightly. He was also wearing the usual duster that wears every one of them –I’d learn later that the grade is differenced by how shaped is the duster and the armor that they’re wearing underneath.-, and carrying what seemed to be a sniper rifle.

He caught up with us and stopped to remove his helmet. He was blood red-colored with a brown mane. I recognized him as one of Raveus’s buddies.

‘’ Caporal Bloody Sword. I serve under the Sgt. Raveus’s order. We met before you arrived at Hellhole. About that, I think the high command would like a report on this Inn, because we never had the luck to meet somepony that had stayed there.’’

Of course you didn’t! This thing is filled with fuckin’ cannibals!

I wanted to scream, but I contained my inner rage. Killing an Ash Ranger would not help my relation with them.

‘’ Well, about that…’’ I said. ‘’ … it’s a long story, and we haven’t got the time to eat yet, so…’’

‘’ No problem!’’ He shouted. Gosh, must be a habit for him to cut people in the middle of their sentences. ‘’ We have got a good cook at our place. I’m sure he won’t mind you to eat with us while you tell us that story.’’ He put back his helmet on his head. ‘’ Hey, c’mon, follow me.’’ He added with a now metallic voice, before starting to walk.

I looked at Sirius, who shrugged, and followed the ranger. I sighed, and followed the group, Hap’ still bouncing happily around me and Sirius while humming a song.

Celestia… Please… tell me you installed a switch on/off on this pony…

Thirty minutes later, we reached a door on the left side of Happiness. This door was protected by Ash Rangers, this time. Without any questions, they opened the door to Bloody Sword and us.

‘’ Here we are!’’ Sword shouted. ‘’ I gather the squad and we’ll go eat something.’’ I nodded, and he let us alone.

‘’ Well, this was unplanned.’’ Sirius said. I nodded again, and my stomach grumbled.

‘’ Where’s Hap’?’’ I asked, frowning. Suddenly, my sight was obscured by the party pony, which suddenly spawned in front of me. ‘’ Yaaahh!’’ I yelled, falling on my back. ‘’ Please…’’ I put a hoof on my chest, sensing my heart beating at an alarming rate. ‘’ Don’t try to give me a heart attack, Hap’. I’m way too young to die like that.’’

Sirius snickered as he helped me to get back on my hooves.

The entire ranger squad came to find my frowned, Hap’ being Hap’, and Sirius laughing at me.

‘’ … Are we interrupting something?’’ Raveus –I recognized his voice despite the helmet- asked. Behind him were his five teammates, all wearing the same helmet.

‘’ No, no…’’ Sirius stifled between two laughs. I punched him on the left shoulder. ‘’ Ouch! What was that for?’’ I sighed.

Yeah, I sighed often, with these two.

‘’ Nothing.’’ I answered, withering him. And then, facing the rangers. ‘’ I heard that you had a good cook here?’’ Raveus nodded, and then led us all to the mess.

We sat up at a table. The rangers removed their helmets, putting it on the table.

‘’ Kitchen Knife! ‘’ Raveus yelled, getting the attention of a ranger wearing an apron. ‘’ Eight portions here!’’ The cook – I guessed it was him- nodded and then got back to his kitchen.

I was sitting on a side of the table, next to Raveus and in front of a mare that I identified as Sapphire. She smiled at me. I smiled back.

The cook came quickly, disposing a dish filled with a kind of… soup, I guess, in front of each pony at the table, with a bottle of water. I stared at my… maybe it was porridge, finally. It seemed to stare back.

What the hell is that greyish thing?

To be honest, it looked like damp plaster. I gulped. How is something looking like that even supposed to be edible? I poked the dish to see if it was solidified, but no.

I heard a chuckle and turned my head to Sapphire.

‘’ You know, ‘’ she said, guessing what I was thinking. ‘’ This is edible, or we’d all been sick like dogs since we arrived at the camp, and Knife would have been dismissed.’’ I decided to trust her, and gave the… thing a quick lick.

Damn it, this horror is good!

I dug my muzzle in the dish, putting a hoof at each side and eating all. I dropped the emptied dish on the table and licked my lips. All the rangers burst into laughing at my strange behavior.

‘’ You’re really a funny one, are you.’’ Broken Jewels observed.

We stayed for an hour or so, telling each other stories, laughing about stupid facts, until Raveus slam the table, shushing everypony.

‘’ Well.’’ He said. ‘’What about Hellhole? I have still to report on that to the High Commander.’’ I and Sirius winced, and Hap’ hid under the table. ‘’ Was it that bad?’’

‘’ Well…’’ I started, scratching my neck. ‘’ …cannibals.’’

‘’ Ah.’’ He said. ‘’ Now, that will be a problem that I’ll have to clear when we’ll get back to our posts. Good bye, I have a report to give.’’

Each of the rangers retired themselves after, apologizing for being such a bad host, till we were only three at the

table, with Hap’ still hiding under the table.

‘’ Hm.’’ Sirius observed. ‘’ Guess that we can head to the tavern now.’’ I looked at my watch and nodded.

In fact, it was already four in the ‘afternoon’. We got on our four hooves, with Hap’ still looking totally frightened who followed us while shooting worried glance at everypony that passed too close of her. This pony is random.

We got back to the tavern one hour later, because I’m slow, and I managed to get us lost for thirty minutes in that maze.

‘’ Pffew!’’ Sirius sighed, finally pushing the tavern’s door. ‘’ It’s the last time I let you guide us, Cal.’’ I rolled my eyes.

‘’ Oh, C’mon, we arrived there, no?’’ I replied.

‘’ Yeah, after I decided to ask somepony where the tavern was.’’

‘’ Hm. I put my bag in the room, and I’m back here.’’ I said. I quickly made it to the room, where I launched my bag on my couch, and I returned to my friends, who had sat up around the same table as yesterday.

We ordered our apple ciders -of course, actual apple cider for Hap’-. Not having that much things to tell, I let Sirius deal with Hap’, who was visibly annoying him about random subjects, and glanced through the bar. I took a sip of my cider.

Eventually, Gibbs showed up and began to play. I don’t like him, but he surely knows how to play the guitar. I smiled and took another sip of my cider.

I wasn’t really hungry, so I figured that I would eat later. I relaxed myself on the wooden chair, and…

The door slammed open, and several ponies entered. Two of them seemed to be town guards, and the others were cloaked. All of them had their face hidden behind a helmet or a mask.

Everypony hushed instantly, apart Hap’ and Gibbs who was still playing.

I stared at the newcomers. They seemed armed.

One of the two that were guards approached the barman, who glared at him as he did so.

‘’ Give us eight whiskey, you bitch.’’ He said. The barman withered him, but he poured them their whiskeys and gave them.

Apart Gibbs, everypony was silent.

‘’ You, the idiot with a guitar, shut it, okay?’’ Gibbs snickered and continued to play. ‘’ Are you listening, you freak?’’

Celestia, why did I put my weapons in our room…?

‘’ HEY!’’ The guard shouted. ‘’ LISTEN TO ME!’’ Gibbs stopped playing. ‘’ Aah… Glad to see that you’re reasonable…’’

‘’ And why do I have to stop?’’ Gibbs asked suddenly.

‘’ Why? You ask me WHY?!’’ If Gibbs’s objective was to piss off that bastard, then he had succeeded. The foresaid bastard approached him. ‘’ You don’t ask, you do!’’ Gibbs smiled, and then put the guitar on the ground. He tipped softly on his fedora, and punched simply the guard in the face.

I know where this is going…

I sighed and got up. Sirius and Hap’ too, of course. The guard got up too, his muzzle bleeding.

‘’ What? Yo-you dare…’’ Gibbs punched him again. This time, the guard stayed on the ground.

K.O

‘’ What do you want, you three?’’ One of the cloaked ponies asked as I reached the bar, next to him.

‘’ Oh, nothing…’’ I said. ‘’ Just a little cleaning up.’’ I suddenly took him by the neck, reaching it through the cloak, and slammed his head against the counter several times, before throwing him on the ground.

I dodged a hoof aiming at my jaw, and turned just to see my attacker being hoof wrestled by Hap’, that is still awesome when things get to fighting. She totally surpassed him, and then jumped in the air. She slowed herself, and suddenly accelerated to put him a hind leg’s hoof in the face, sending him crash in the bottle reserve.

Never understood how she managed to slow her jump. Sirius was still using his medic’s skills to hit his opponent in all the sensible points. He knocked him in the parts before punching him in the face.

Four down, four to go!

I was sent flying as a pony that I didn’t saw coming punched me on the jaw. I got up, rubbing my hurt jaw, and spitted blood. It was the second guard. He rushed at me, and I just couldn’t resist my desire to use my favorite technique. I threw me on the ground and punched him with both hind hooves, even if the armor slowed it down; he was sent flying too, and landed on a table. He didn’t move after. I tackled another of these morons, who fell on the ground and just had the time to roll on his back before Hap’ jumped on his belly, knocking him unconscious.

Gibbs smashed a bottle on another of the cloaked ponies. I put an elbow in another’s stomach, and Sirius took him by the mane just the time I needed to aim an uppercut at him. The cloaked pony flew briefly, before hitting one of the walls and then the ground.

Pfffew…. t’was the last one…

The bar’s staff was looking at the mess we had caused with a horrified look. The waitress fainted. I made an awkward smile.

I saw then the first guard that Gibbs had punched trying to get out of the tavern without being spotted.

‘’ Hey, you!’’ I shouted. He froze in place, and Hap’ literally teleported, closing the door in in face. He fell on his back again. I reached him, and put a hoof on his chest, preventing him from fleeing. ‘’ Who are you?’’

‘’ As i-if I would say it to you, bitch.’’ He coughed, spitting blood.

‘’ What about ‘you say it or I repaint your armor’?’’ I asked. He laughed.

‘’ You don’t need to know me, bitch.’’ He paused. ‘’ the Discord’s cult here in Happiness do not forget ponies like you, who thinks they can stop us. Ha! You will die all, and these idiots Ash Rangers my ass will be defeated as well. Two days! Two days, and this town will be dedicated entirely to Discords, His opponents slaved.’’

‘’ You insane bitch.’’ I muttered, before punching him one last time in the face. I sighed. ‘’ Sorry for the mess.’’

The barman nodded, having heard the cultist as well. Gibbs put a little bag of bits –always wondered how the fuck he had all these bits- on the counter, and we all retired us to our room.

I reached my couch, and for the first time till one week, I slept like a rock.

Chapter sixteen: Reaching the point of no return

Chapter sixteen: truth revealed and the Happiness’ incident.

“C’mon!”

For the tenth time in less than five minutes, I perked up.

Hmmmpf. Just two foals playing. Nothing more.

I returned to my silent walk through the strangely desert northern part of town. I had walked for twenty minutes already, and the only things I had saw were foals playing innocently and guards patrolling.

A strange tension could be felt thought. I was more than sure now that something would happen in the next days, if not today.

As I reached a crossroad, a voice, lowered to a whisper, reached my ears. Two guards were sitting in a dark path on my left, and whispering things I couldn’t hear correctly from my actual position. The most discretely I could, I approached them. They didn’t seem to notice me and pursued their conversation. I approached them a little bit more.

“They did what?! “ The first guard, a big red stallion with a purple mane, looked incredulous.

“… I told you they were idiots!” The second guard, a tiny purple mare with a pink mane, replied.

“I knew it, but giving our plans to the ones that knocked them out is worse than stupid!”

“Calm down, you’ll finish to alert some of these rangers my ass.” Saying that, she glanced in my direction, and I stuck myself

against the wall, holding my breath. “The chief punished them anyway.”

“He did well.” The stallion approved. “These idiots could have ruined our plans if they had been beaten by Ash Rangers instead of random wanderers.” Couldn’t hold it anymore, I took a silent breath and cursed myself for having only an old knife in my bag. “And that stupid council?”

I began to get away silently.

“The spy we have in the rangers said they were going to advance it for today’s evening to prevent any tentative of attacks. These idiots don’t even check on their own soldiers.”

A spy in the Ash Rangers! Gosh, I really needed that right now.

Could you believe it? At least I was sure that something was planned for the council, and that would be important. I finally reached a distance I considered sufficient and took a deep breath.

Instantly, I got away the fastest I could with my ever crippled hind leg, limping energetically to the southern town, letting the two guards in their discussion.

I must find Sirius and Hap’, and tell them what’s goin’ on here!

___

I felt so unsure of what to do when I passed the giant doors that led to the southern town. Right now every inhabitant of the town seemed like enemies to me, apart the foals, of course. Foals are cute little ones, not mature assholes that try to take over the others by using all possible means, including raw murders and violence.

I mean, what could I do? I didn’t know who the spy was, so I couldn’t warn any ash rangers I would meet down the streets. After all, even if I didn’t fell upon the spy, the others would think I’m some retard imagining things, laugh at me, and order me to get away.

No. I had to see the great, commander… whatever was their chief rank, I don’t know anymore, but I had to see and tell him. Oh, and make sure that I wasn’t telling ghost stories too.

However, even if I actually gained his trust, I wasn’t even sure he would or even could do something about it. Maybe post more guards, but they would just slow down for a while the cultists.

Anyway, I still had to find my friends, and that wasn’t the easier thing to do in this gigantic town.

“Miss! Hey! Miss!” I turned on myself to face the Ash Rangers that had just spoken. Bloody Sword, again. He had his helmet off this time, and was smiling as he caught up with me. “You’re fast for a crippled pony.”

What do I do? Should I trust him? He could be the spy!

Come on, Cal, don’t be such a paranoiac.

I’m not paranoid, just being prudent.

Shut up and take a thought about it.

You, shut up! I’m still master of MY mind, thanks!

Oh yeah? And who’s talking to herself right now?

“Uh? Miss?”

“SHUT UP!” I blew out suddenly. Seeing the offended look he had now on his face, I made myself smaller, smiling sheepishly.

“The he… sorry, I didn’t mean it for you, I was just thinking…”

He kept looking at me with an impassible face for several moments.

“Whatever,” He said. “The sergeant sent me to find you and your friends and bring y’all back to the basement.” He came closer and added, whispering: “The council is advanced to today’s evening, and the sergeant got from the High Commander that you’d make a report on Hellhole.”

“Wait,” I asked. “Are you saying that Raveus got us a meeting with your chief?” The caporal nodded.

Well that might be easier finally…

“Alright then,” The Ash ranger said. “Your friends are already arrived in the basement, so I think we just have to go right there.” I nodded, and we began to walk towards the Ash Rangers’ basement. Something bothered me about this Ash ranger, but eh, right now they all seemed like they just were sneaky bastards for me right then.

“And how is organized that council?” I asked, fighting my condition to catch up with the trained soldier he was.

“Well,” He paused, thinking. “It’s, like, the biggest things you'll ever see in Canterlot!”

Gee, thanks, I didn’t notice!

“All the squad leaders come to see the High Commander and his counselors around a great table, and tell him what happened under their watch in the sixty-two districts of Canterlot, how the towns are doing, what big problems are still to deal with, and report him the raiders activity. And after, the High Commander comes out and pronounces a little speech about what we Ash Rangers have to do next year and our assignments.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.”

Finally, we reached the door still guarded by the two helmeted Rangers – or were them others ponies? I don’t know, they all look the same to me with this helmet on -, and they let us pass. They were way too confidant to stop a bloody spy to open the door to the cultists tonight.

“Hey,” I asked Bloody Sword. “What’s time is it?”

He stopped to look at his own watch, and answered:

“It’s Half past seven in the afternoon. The council begins at eight and the High Commander is still waiting for you and your friends to do your rapport on Hellhole.” He pushed me to a big, red tent. “What are you waiting for? Your friends must be in there.”

I nodded, and passed the two rangers who were protecting the tent’s entry.

In there was, like the caporal told me, an enormous table with, around it, all the high-graded rangers and stuff. But he had forgotten to tell me how numerous they were.

Half-a-hundred rangers were looking at me through their faceless helmets. One of them had a golden and shining armor, and I guessed who it was. Although I was feeling a bit nervous now with all these anonymous ponies staring at me like I had grown out a second head. I had at least the sense of bowing in front of the High something.

“You may raise, wanderer.”

“I heard you wanted to see me and my friends?” The golden-armored pony nodded. I glanced quickly through the present ponies, but there were only rangers. I frowned. Where were my friends?

“Affirmative, wanderer.” With an authoritarian hoof, he made clear to the sergeants and others rangers that he wanted to be alone with me, and his volunteer was fulfilled in seconds. “C’mon, take a seat.”

I sat up in front of him, although I was still meters away from him.

“One of my sergeants told me about the fact that you visited that dive…”

“Hellhole.”

“Yeah, Hellhole, and that you saw something interesting for us.”

“You mean the cannibals?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes.” He paused, and rested on one of his forelegs. “I need to know everything you can remember. Every detail: enters,

exits…”

“ Well, it was dark, but I remember numerous entries and exits all around the building. It was big, filthy, and the staff wasn’t

the best I saw in my entire life.”

“Ha ha. Jokes apart, are there anything more I should know?” He asked. I scratched the back of my head, and began:

Okay. Tell him now!

“Where are my friends?”

“What friends?” He asked back.

Okay. Now this is odd. But you tell him now or never, and if you don’t…

“Well, that’s kind of disappointing.”

“I’m sorry, wanderer, but none other wanderers were allowed in this tent.”

C’mon! Just tell him!

“Sorry for wasting your time. I was misinformed.” I apologized.

“No need to apologize.”

COME ON!

“ Yeah, I had… other information…”

“About?”

“The annual council tonight…”

“Of course you’re allowed!” He began to laugh as he got up. “Now, if you excuse me, I have a speech to claim.”

“No! I… I…” Without even listening to me anymore, he got out of the tent. “… fuck.”

Now, we’re fucked.

I got out quickly. That hadn’t turned out like I wanted it to. Not at all. Now, we had a buckin’ thick headed high commander going to his own dead, a spy freely walking in the basement, and my friends were nowhere to be found.

We’re so fucked.

The amplified voice of the High Commander reached soon my ears. “Ash Rangers! This year’s…”

I had to save everypony, and I was all alone.

___

I know, I know, I'm a lazy person, but eh, I got homework to do! And that's the first time in my entire life I work six days a week! No, I'm not whinning.

I'm complaining.

I perfectly know that doesn't excuse me because I've had the chapter finished for over one week, so I apologize to anyone that is actually waiting for that story to update. (Fortunately it's not overknown, or I would get PM'd everyday.)

Also, hope you liked that chapter, it's nearly 3 hours in the afternoon here, and I wish you a good day!

Sinrar

Chapter seventeen: The Happiness' incident

Chapter seventeen: The Happiness’ incident.

I think you understand by now that I had given a new meaning to the world ‘crap’.

The commander was speaking calmly with his soldiers, there was a spy somewhere, and my friends had disappeared. Oh, and some cultists were planning to crash in the council and shoot every rangers they’ll see on sight.

I hate how I seem to attract all the worse situations possible on me.

Hmmf. Anyways.

I don’t think I could freak out more. I had like, you know, that awkward feeling that make you think everything’s about to crash and that you’re the only one to save the day.

But in this case, it wasn’t only a thought. Everything was messing up, and guess who’s the only one up to clean the upcoming mess? Me. It's always been me.

I hurried through the camp, ignoring the stares I was getting from the few rangers still out to guard the rest of it while their big chief was being assassinated. Okay. I am a little bit fast here, he wasn’t dead yet. But his life could literally be counted on the hooves. And it’s coming from the one that never learnt whatever the hell is two plus two.

There! Something had moved on my left. I turned quickly. Sadly, it was just an empty bottle that had fallen to the ground.

C'mon, Cal, c'mon!

I hate to say it, but I knew it was over already. I wouldn't be able to find that spy before he did something that uncovered him, and that thing would probably be the moment where the cultists joined the party.

Hmpf. As if I didn't have already too many lives to save by myself.

Sometimes, I just want to sit, grab a cool cider, and watch the events unfold around me without doing anything. But I guess I can't. If everypony count on me to save their asses, I just have to shut up and save them. I'm too kind with defenseless peoples.

An acrid smell reached my nostrils. Blood. It was blood. Looking to the ground, I saw that I had stepped right in a red puddle.

Fuck.

I quickly found out from where the aforesaid liquid was coming.

"Oh my..." I cursed. The two guards at the entry had been slaughtered. That was gruesome, to be honest with you. One of them had a gore wound coming from ear to ear, and the second had been... How to say? Pinned to the wall. The knife was still in his chest, making him stand still as he was slowly emptying himself on the reddened ground.

Urrgh. Why am I not surprised?

The spy had begun his deadly work. Shit just got real, would have said a friend of mine. I agree with him.

Okay, Cal. Think fast! If I was that Celestia Damned spy, what would I do after killing the guards?

Hmmm. Disappear in the crowds of ponies wearing the same fuckin' armor he is obviously wearing.

Great.

Looking for a spy isn't usually the easiest thing to do usually, but finding a spy in hundreds of ponies wearing the same damn armor is like searching a particular needle in a whole mountain of needle.

It's. Fuckin'. Impossible.

No other words can describe it.

So now, what do I do?

Wait. That's the only thing I could do. I looked up at the scene, where the High Ranger finished his speech.

"... And I say, that for Celestia, Luna and Equestria, we'll clean that wasted land!"

Cheers erupted in the crowd as the rangers applauded their chief, who saluted.

And then a loud noise rang, and the ranger's head exploded, projecting brain and blood on the shocked assistance. There were screams of horror.

In a frenzied yell, the cultists attacked.

___

"Fire! Fire!"

It's hard to describe how quickly the rangers reacted to the newcomers.

In a swift move, they had taken out their guns, and several seconds later, what was a peaceful crowd - okay, in armor and with weapons - had become a fantastic army ready to fight.

Me? I sneaked out the engaging melee when I had the opportunity. It was their fight, after all. I'm not an Ash Ranger.

However, the cultists didn't seem to care with who I was. A bullet passed next to my head, causing me to jump behind a wall.

I cursed. Why did I have to let my weapons in that stupid hotel room? I advised a weapon on the ground, two meters away from my current hiding place.

Something exploded, blowing up a part of the wall.

"They got explosives!" one of the rangers next to me yelled, firing on the cultists.

I used the diversion to jump on the gun. It was an old pistol, some 32. Caliber, but it still had its six rounds.

It was way better than my hooves to put up a fight.

The fight here was worse than I thought it would be. Everypony was shooting on sight, there were explosions, yells and other noises that I guess you hear usually only on battlefield.

But in less than two minutes, it had actually turned in a battlefield. A small, but yet deadly battlefield. I needed to get out of there before getting shot stupidly.

I looked at the principal entry. It was in the middle of the fight, and I didn't feel like running through the bullet rain.

But, unluckily, it was the only one exit.

Fuck.

I muttered some praise to Celestia, assured my hold on the 32. Caliber gun, and got out my cover.

What happened next happened slower than before.

A ranger next to me took a bullet in the face, and fell dead to the ground. I aimed at his killer and fired two times, touching him to the head, which caused him to fall down, dead.

Four rounds to go.

I took another respiration, and started to run towards the entry.

Instantly, the cultists next to it fired at me. I rolled on my back, dodging it, and got up to shot two of them dead.

One more round to go. I dodged a pair of fighter engaged in a hoof-to-hoof that were just right next to me, and held the cultist by his forelegs the time for the ranger to knock him out with a strong punch in the teeth.

I turned on myself, knocked another cultist in the face with the pistol's butt, aimed at his head, and pulled the trigger.

The head exploded, repainting me with brain, blood and bones. I threw myself to the ground to dodge a knife aimed at my

head, got up behind the cultist, took his neck between both forelegs and crushed his throat. I turned, and used him as a living shield as another cultist equipped with some sort of submachine gun tried to change me into Swiss cheese, and then launched his corpse to his buddy, took the fallen knife, closed the distance and plunged the knife right in the other cultist's throat, killing him instantly.

I let the now dead cultist fall down, the knife still in his throat, and took the submachine gun before emptying its cartridge right on the few other cultists still preventing me from exiting this trap.

They fell down with surprised yells, totally not seeing it coming, and I soon past by their bloodied corpses.

Nopony was still between me and the door to Happiness, thus I exited the camp, still holding the submachine gun tight.

I was in the streets now, but fights were still going on. All town was under attack, visibly, not only the rangers.

Several buildings were on fire, and cultists were fighting the other residents anywhere I looked, but nopony seemed to have taken notice of my presence, so I quickly took a little street. I didn't know where it would let me, but it was the less crowded of these streets, and I'd rather get lost than get shot.

"Cal!" I turned to face with Blood Sword. He seemed despaired, and there was blood everywhere on his armor. He was also holding a nice assault rifle. "I'm with you! Together, we'll have better chances than alone!"

At this point, I didn't give a damn anymore about who the hell was the spy, so I nodded. "We go to the Inn first!" I shouted back, because of the battle sounds. "I got some stuff to grab there!"

"Okay! Let's move then! I know how to go there by here!" I nodded and reloaded my submachine gun.

"Right behind you!" I shouted with what I hoped was a ferocious expression. The battle sounds were getting louder.

And then we disappeared in the dark streets of Happiness, towards the Inn.

What I hoped now was that my friends were still alive somewhere.

It was my only chance.

___

Author's note:

Seventeenth chapter!

Wait a minute... I got a referral from EscapefromMA?

Wat.

~Sinrar

Prologue

Games of circumstances

Prologue

It happened a beautiful day of summer in Equestria.

Sun shined, birds sang, foals played, grown-up attended to their affairs… In short, life followed its course peacefully. Not any clouds in the beautiful blue sky.

And then, all stopped. The birds flew away, the foals stopped playing and everypony frowned when they heard this noise, this loud, overwhelming, end-of-the-world like noise of thunder. And then they all ran for their lives as the wall of fire, smoke, flames and magic came to devour them all. Only the luckiest survived this hellish blaze, later called the ‘Last Breath’. And the earth quaked, the volcanos erupted, and horrible illnesses stroke the survivors.

The Equestria’s neighbors gathered their best magicians to create a magical shield that locked the survivors in the now destroyed land that’ll be called later the ‘Wasteland’, or the ‘Ash Desert’. But very soon, they discovered that without the Alicorns princesses to raise the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, the world was going to be only surmounted by a black and empty sky forever.

Fifty years later, the world was still plunged in the dark. With the magical residues, the surviving species like parasprites or bears mutated. The survivors were divided in factions everywhere in Equestria, and pillagers, slavers, mutants and Discord’s cultists were also here to make life crappier, if it was possible.

As incredible as it can be, my story begin here, fifty years after the Last Breath, in the middle of the ruins of Canterlot. I was nineteen, but it was already five years that I used to live alone in ruins, since my parents were killed by some pillagers. If you’d met me just then, you would have seen a young earth pony stallion with a filthy orange fur and a blond mane never cut and washed before wandering in the ruins with a 44 pistol in his bag.

My name’s Callixus, but you can call me Cal. Don’t know why, but everypony’s always called me like that.

chapter two: I need money

Chapter Two: I need money

So, you see, I was in deep shit. I had to pay the doc for healing me, I had switched gender and I fuckin’ don’t know how, and, as for mock me one last time, I was moneyless. At least, somepony managed to kill the pillager and saved me and my bag. After I had woken up for the second time in the Clinic’s bed, the doc explained me that it was an ‘Ash Ranger’ that I had saved, called Raveus, and he was eager to meet me.

Of course, I asked where I could find him, and the answer was… guess what? Yes, you’re right, It was the ‘Wanderer’s Paradise’. So I headed to it. I looked at my watch. Eight PM. And I pushed the old fire door that was used as the front door of the dive.

The atmosphere in this pile of old steel and rusty iron welded together randomly was quite oppressive. There was smoke everywhere, muffling the lamp that hanged on the roof, I could barely see. And the ponies… yeah, there were drunk, drugged too, obviously, and, of course, the kind of suspicious ponies that you better don’t like to be stick with in a blind alley.

So, I made my way through the smoke, pushing some drunks bothering me, to the counter. The barman, some big, strong stallion Earth Pony, looked at me. He was red with a… a toffee-colored mane cut short. He stopped pouring liquid in glasses for a short time when he saw me. ‘’What it’ll it be for you, miss?’’

‘’ Uh… what do you serve?’’ I answered. Dunno why, but he seemed pretty handsome… aught… What was I thinking? I think he took me for some junkie first, considering that I was staying in front of him and blushed stupidly.

‘’ Y’ know,’’ He said. ‘’ The bed services are upstairs and I’m not paid for it. I’m just a barman.’’ I understood what he was thinking.

‘’ No, I was just thinking…’’

‘’ Naughty thoughts, uh?’’ A voice said behind me. Yeah, like that, somepony sneaked on me. And no, I wasn’t as good with my survival reflexes as I am now, so I just turned to face the pony that has just spoken. Another handsome stallion, who hoo. I swear that I was cursing my new female’s hormones. He was tall, and had a sand-colored fur. He was also wearing an old duster. His mane? He had a short white one. And there was a big gold star on his chest. The town’s sheriff, I guessed.

‘’ Uh… No…’’ I managed to say, still cursing me. ‘’ I… I guess that you’re the town’s sheriff?’’

‘’ Eeyup.’’ He answered, nodding eagerly. ‘’ And you, you must be the one that this Ash Ranger brought to doc Sirius claiming that you’d saved his life?’’ I nodded. ‘’ Well, in this case, I presume that you were looking for him?’’ I nodded again. It was the only one way I had to restrain my hormones, which were visibly partying hard in my brain. ‘’ Well, sorry, but he’s left with his squad yesterday in the evening.’’ Shit. I had figured that he was the one who saved me from the last of these sons of… What? Yeah, I was also looking for him because I hoped that he knew, or at least, had seen, how I had switched gender instead of dying. ‘’ The doc told me that you were hurt pretty bad when you were brought to him.’’

‘’ Yeah’’ I answered. ‘’ I think the last one had grenades, or something like that. And one of them was pretty good at boxing, until his neck protection decided to say ‘hi’ to his vertebras.’’ The sheriff grimaced at the thought. What? Oh, come on, this is nothing compared to the time somepony tried t… Oh, sheesh. I’ll say it, it doesn’t matter if you want or not. It’s my story, okay? Well.

‘’ By the way… I assume that you’re in need of money to pay the doc, aren’t you?’’ He asked. I grimaced. Was it this visible on my face?

‘’ Uh… yes and…’’ I began.

‘’ …and he told you that I might have a job for you, no?’’ He completed. I nodded. ‘’ Hmm… Cid’?’ The barman looked at him and said:

‘’ Yes, sheriff?’’ ‘Cid’ put the glass that he was cleaning on the counter.

‘’ Do you know if there’s somepony in there who’s looking for help or something?’’ The barman scratched his chin with a hoof.

‘’ Hmm… maybe…’’ He paused, tipping on the counter with his other hoof as he searched in memory. ‘’ Oh, I know!’’ He said. The only thing that missed to the picture was a lighted bulb above his head. ‘’There was this one, the guitarist… Uhhh… How did he call himself again? Ah, yes, Gibbs. I think it’s only a stage name, but nopony mind. He’s here, he play guitar, everypony’s happy, the boss pay him, story end.’’ That Cid has really a simple manner to consider things. ‘’ Go speak to him, he’ll explain you everything.’’

‘’ And where can he be found?’’ I asked.

‘’ He’s usually backstage before his little session. You see the door here?’’ He said, showing me an old, rusted iron door at the bottom of the bar. ‘’ It’s the door that lead to it.’’ I thanked him.

‘’ Well’’ the sheriff, who has been sitting next to us while the barman answered to my demand, and was quietly drinking some old alcohol, said. ‘’ Seems that you got you something to help paying the bills.’’ I smiled. Yes, I know what smiling is, because I used to smile a lot when I was just a little foal. Yes, I have been a foal! By Luna’s plot, what were you thinking? That because I was born in the middle of ruins, I had to scavenge to find old, disgusting food? Eehh… In this case you’re right. But I was a foal, and nopony attacked us, so I was happy! Until this day when my parents died…

But it’s neither the moment nor the place to speak about my parents. Let’s… let’s just speak about me, okay? Thank, I knew you’ll understand. So, I was about to tell you how I met Gibbs. I thanked the sheriff for helping me, and headed right on the door to the backstage. I opened it slowly. It opened in an end-of-the-world-like squeaking. I grimaced. Wow, when that’s rusted, they’re not joking down there!

So, yeah, it was too late for the discrete entrance. With a noise like that, I had been heard in half the Canterlot’s waste. At least, I had caught the guitarist attention directly. He looked at me, so did the others musicians who were packing their affairs and instrument, but they focused again on packing. I faced the only one who wasn’t packing, a quite tall earth pony. He was marshmallow-white with a brown mane, and was wearing an old hat. I think it was a fedora. He has a guitar in his hooves, and has a note as Cutie Mark. I figured that he was this Gibbs. He looked at me with his big green eyes.

‘’ Hi…?’’ I said. He said nothing. ‘’ I heard that you needed some help…’’ I approached. It worked. He opened his mouth and said:

‘’ I thought that the prostitutes weren’t allowed in the artist’s room?’’ Owww, it hurt. I had made him speak, but it was not what I wanted to hear.

‘’ I’m not a bitch!’’ I answered. Yeah, even in these times, I was quite direct. ‘’ I’m here because the barman said that you needed help for something!’’ His face lighted up.

‘’ Ah, finally somepony to help me!’’ He said, putting his guitar against the nearest wall. ‘’ You see…’’ He said, lowering his voice. ‘’I need help for something very, very important for me…’’ He paused, and I nodded, allowing him to continue. ‘’ As you surely know, I am a musician.’’ I nodded. ‘’ And all musicians need a functioning instrument. Mine’s a guitar.’’ He said, showing me his guitar. ‘’ And I need something for it, that’s not sell in this town or anywhere else in the Canterlot’s waste.’’

‘’ What do you need?’’ I asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘’ I need strings.’’ He said simply.

‘’ And where can they be found?’’ I asked again.

‘’ I heard that there was an old instrument shop down there in the wastes. The ‘Pony play music’.’’ He paused. Yes, they didn’t know how to call their shops before the Breath. ‘’ Ask the people to know where it is, because I don’t know myself. But, if you bring me what I want, you’ll be well paid.’’ I smiled. Yes, again. Because all my problems might be solved. I had just one last question.

‘’ May I have an advance?’’ I asked.

‘’ To run out of this town with my cash and never come back? Who are you trying to kid, miss?’’ He said, staring at me like I was a foal who just had said some big stupidity.

‘’ It’s just that I need some ammo to travel through the Ash Desert, boss.’’ I said ironically.

‘’ Ah!’’ He said. ‘’ If you need ammo, do see the guy who run the supplies in this pile of rusted metal that they dare call a town. He owes me a lot of money. Just say him that all you’ll buy is on my tab and it’ll be perfect.’’ I nodded, saluted and got out quickly. This guy was strange, for sure. A little… pretentious, I think. But he was willing to pay me after I have done the job, so I didn’t give a shit. I passed right through the bar and finally exited the dive.

Outside was still the outside I used to know. Dark and cold. Somepony was quietly walking through the biggest –and only- street of New Hope. ‘’ Hey!’’ I shouted. The pony, which was a blue unicorn with a silver mane, faced me with a scared and shocked expression. ‘’ Hey!’’ I repeated, less loud this time. ‘’ Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Just… could you please indicate me where’s the supply shop?’’ He nodded.

‘’ You see the clinic? Just next to it, the big thing with a head of missile on it.’’ I looked at him, deadpan. ‘’ Disarmed, of course.’’ I thanked him… Yes, I am polite, fuck! So, I thanked him and took off to the ‘thing’. You know what, this fancy-magic-user wasn’t lying when he said thing. It was neither more nor less than a scrap metal pile with a door and a nuclear missile’s head on it. On the aforesaid missile was written ‘Scrap supplies, for all your supplies needs!’ in red painting (or was it blood?). I can only say that the name was perfectly chosen.

And I pushed the door, which, surprisingly, opened on to a well-built room, perfectly rectangular. With a big counter cutting it in two. All the stuff was behind it and the seller, who was looking at me with a strange smile. ‘’ Hi!’’ He said happiness in his voice. ‘’ What do you want, humble adventurer?’’ I don’t know why, but this remembered me something. ‘’ ammunition, weapons, outfit… I’ve got everything here as long as you got the cash for it!’’ That was interesting! I love when they make you an offer.

‘’ Actually, I was there to buy ammo, but I could use some protection.’’ I said.

‘’ How wonderful!’’ He said, still smiling from one ear to the other. ‘’ What kind of ammo? What kind of a fighter are you? Sneaker, brutal, sniper… I’ve got everything for you! And, of course, how will you pay?’’ What? Yes, you bet he didn’t like how the thing turned.

‘’ Actually, I’m looking for 44. Ammunitions, I don’t know anything about fighting, and all my purchases are on Gibbs’s tab.’’ Here, his smile disappeared mysteriously to let place to a mid-sad, mid-horrified face.’’ What? If I know how much he owed to Gibbs? Uh…. oh, yeah! Something like thirteen thousand bits or something like that. They used to play poker together, I think.

‘’ Ok… ‘’he said. He looked like he was going to cry. ‘’ How much bullets do you want?’’

‘’ Give me six loads.’’ I said. I knew that it was called like that because my father called it a load. He was at the verge of tears as he put the boxes plenty of ammo on the counter. I took it and put it in my bag. ‘’ And… What kind of light armor do you sell?’’

‘’ I…I sell… leather armors…’’ He said. It was a pitiful show.

‘’ Give me one of them, please.’’ He left for the back of the shop, and came back with a light leather outfit with metallic shoulders and chest protection, with knees and elbow plates too. It wasn’t the ‘top fashion’, but it was pretty cool. I took it and put it in my bag too. ‘’Good bye!’’ I said, before exiting the shop. I think I heard him crying. Poor thing.

I came back at the ‘Wanderer’s paradise’, that happened to owe bits to Gibbs too. Yeah, I heard that he played fuckin’ well at Poker. Bah, at least, I used it to sleep.

The next day would be really funny…

chapter fifteen: breakfast at the bar

Chapter fifteen: Breakfast at the bar

You may say I’m insane, you may say I’m stupid, but I never slept that well.

Dunno if it’s the comfy bed or the idea of dying in two days, thought. Bah, you don’t care for that.

So, back to the story, I woke up approximately at three in the freakin’ morning, although there wasn’t the sun to annoy you and wake you up because you didn’t close the curtains. Yes, that already happened to me.

Everypony was still sleeping - and sneezing - , so I decided to get out of bed, because staying awake in your bed while you’re just looking at the ceiling is pure shit, and staying in bed with everypony sneezing around you is worse.

I quickly got me out of the hotel room and went at the bar, which also served food for breakfasts.

They had cleared the mess we had caused yesterday’s night during the night, and the bar was back to normal, without the blood everywhere, the broken tables had been replaced by new ones…

In short, all was like it was before we passed by.

I saluted the barman, who responded by a quick head movement. I noticed that he seemed sleepy. Hmm. Normal when you actually passed the rest of your night restoring what some ponies had just destroyed, no?

I choose a bar seat in front of the barman, and sit down.

“Hey,” I said to him. “Still sorry for yesterday.”

“Bof,” He responded. “I’m not the owner of this Inn, and I have the habit to sleep only two or three hours by night.”

“So we’re cool?”

“Let’s say that.” He said. “You came for something? Or just to ask me if destroy the bar is a problem?”

“Oh, yeah, I would love to eat something.” I said. “Other than apples, please.”

“Of course!” The barman said, wearing a rather nice smile. “The merchants came by this morning and sold us everything we could afford. We got pancakes, tea, anything you want to eat!”

I smiled at his display and ordered a couple of pancakes. Didn’t know what it was, but why not?

Soon after, he posed in front of me a plate with, in it, the most beautiful thing I ever laid eyes on in my life.

So, that’s it, ‘pancakes’?

Two rounds, golden, of these things. A heavenly flavor reached my nostrils, and I suddenly I noticed that I was salivating, and that the barman was slightly chuckling.

“You should see your face!” He said. “Hope you’ll like it as well as you seem to enjoy their smell. Anyway, that’s my specialty, and usually, ponies do enjoy what I cook.”

I smiled, and took a mouthful of the first pancake.

Gosh.

I can’t describe how I felt after that. Pure bliss, I guess. I just remember that I instantly closed my eyes and savored the flavor for, like, one good minute, or at least until the flavor left my tongue. I floated in an ocean of pure pleasure.

When I snapped back to reality, the barman was totally laughing in front of me.

“You’re a funny one you,” He said, still half-laughing while I withered him. “That’s the first time somepony react like that to my pancakes.”

I ignored him and ate my pancakes in silence.

Y’know, you can say whatever you want on these pancakes, but ‘till you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what real life is.

After that, I ordered an apple juice – I assured myself it was an old apple juice before -, and let the barman attend to his affairs. He surely had better to do than to speak with me.

Five minutes after, I heard noises coming from the Inn part of the building, and the door creaked open, revealing a still sleepy friend of mine, Sirius.

“’Morning.” He said before sitting on the chair next to me.

“Good morning, Sirius;” I said, taking a sip of my juice.

“Morning, doctor.” The barman said, coming back in front of us. “Want something too?”

“Depends on what you got.” Sirius responded. Spotting my empty plate from where was still coming the smell, he smiled.

“Pancakes?”

“Of course,” The barman answered smiling. “Give me a minute, and you’ll have your pancakes.” On these words, he slipped back to the kitchen located behind the bar. We remained silent, until Sirius let go out a huge yawn.

“Gosh,” He said, putting his head between his hooves. “I slept like a shit.”

“Bad luck, Sirius.”

“That’s it, laugh at my sleepy face, I’m not the one with sleeping troubles.”

“Bah, eat your pancakes and all will be better.” The barman who had just got out of the kitchen with Sirius’s pancakes said, posing them in front of him.

He ate his pancakes in silence, waiting for the barman to quit us. Soon after he did, Sirius looked at me and said:

“It’s as good as the last time I got in this Inn, ten years before.”

“You know him?” I asked.

“Of course. But nopony here seems to have recognized me.” He said, taking a mouthful. “Have I changed that much?”

We remained silent again, him eating and me thinking, head resting on the forelegs.

Something was odd with this town, and yesterday’s evening incident was not to reassure me on the real motivations of the inhabitants, and peculiarly the town’s guard. The ones we punched weren’t the only two corrupted elements here, I was sure of that. In fact, the more I stayed in Happiness, the more I felt like I had just stepped in the No pony’s land between cultists and rangers.

The Ash rangers weren’t that clear either. Why had they chosen this town precisely? There was something odd here too. I didn’t think that they had just chosen Happiness like that. They had surely other reasons that they were not disposed to reveal to me or anypony that was stranger to them.

I felt sorta like I was stuck between two unstoppable jaws. This town was a time bomb, and if I heard myself, I would have been gone for long already. But I felt also like whatever was going to happen here in the two next days was important for me, and Gibbs wouldn’t move before this thing happens.

I snapped back to reality to find myself surrounded by a well-known party pony that was also a bunch of mental problems by herself.

“CALIE!” She yelled, still hopping around me. I sighed and facehoofed.

Why, why, WHY by all of the Alicorns Princesses that lived, why did I save HER?

In fact, that was another point to add to the strange behavior of Gibbs. After all, that was him who sent me save that thing.

I ignored the usual blabbering that was going out of her mouth and finished my apple juice.

“And then I woke up, and I saw you weren’t there, so I was like surprised, and after, I told me that you were surely here, and I jumped out of the room and…”

“Hap’…”

“Yes?”

“Just shut up. I’m thinking.”

“Ok.” I must have a power on her, because I’m the only one that can do that.

“Hey, Cal?” I turned to face Sirius. “What do we do after that?”

“We try to learn what’s going on here. This town looks like a big trap to me.” He nodded.

After that, we paid the barman and got ourselves to our room, where we took the small weapons we had and got us prepared to wander in town. We reviewed one last time the plan – Sirius and Hap’ together in the southern town, me alone in the northern -, and we finally got out of the Inn.

I watched them as they took the big street, and began myself to walk through town. There was surely something interesting to spy somewhere.

It had to.