Chapter 11

--- Friends ---

Funny, I thought the afterlife would feel calm and serene. All I felt at the moment was exhaustion, with a hint of nausea. I was hoping to see the goddess Luna when I opened my eyes, but unfortunately, I was met with the face of Doctor Cactus, who had a look of disappointment. I groaned and tried to get up, but found that I was strapped to the bed. I struggled to free myself only to hear the doctor clear his throat.

“Afraid I can’t let you move Shadow, not until we’ve finished our examination,” Doctor Cactus said, walking to the other side of the room and picking up a clipboard.

I thought about struggling more, but my body felt heavy. So I chose to just fall onto my back, my head on a rather comfortable pillow. Memories of what had happened flooded back into my mind, the bloodwings, the cavern collapsing.

“Where is Ratchet? And that thestral mare? Did they make it out?” I asked, looking to the doctor for answers.

He glanced over at me for a second, then went back to his clipboard, scribbling away. “They are fine, now be quiet.”

My head shot up from the pillow, “I need more than that! Where are they? How did I make it out of that cavern? I should have bled out!”

Right after I said that, Nurse Lotus Blossom stepped in. She immediately looked to the doctor and nudged him outside the room, rather forcibly. Once he was gone, she walked up to the side of my head and smiled.

“Glad to see you back in the realm of the living Shadow. We’ve been worried,” Nurse Lotus said, feeling my forehead with a hoof.

“Thanks, but I still don’t understand why I’m still alive. The cavern was collapsing, I lost so much blood,” I said, trying to relax as she pulled her hoof away.

“Oh you were in bad shape, that’s for sure. But thanks to your friends, you got here safe and sound,” Nurse Lotus said, putting a comforting hoof on my shoulder.

I nodded, starting to relax again, but snapped my head back to her, “Wait, friends?”

Just then, the door opened again and I thought Doctor Cactus had returned, but as I turned to see who it was, I was shocked. Standing in the door frame, wide-eyed and petrified, was the thestral mare I nearly killed in the caverns. She quickly hid behind the door and after a few seconds poked her head out, looking at me with one eye.

Nurse Lotus giggled, and got up, “Well, I’ll let you two talk it over. I’ll go tell Ratchet and the Mayor that you’re awake, Shadow.”

Nurse Lotus walked out the door, and as she moved past the thestral, she bumped her flank, causing her to jump into the room.

For the first time since we met, I could get a good look at her. She had a charcoal coat with a black and white mane, done in a braid. Her tail, shorter than most mares I’d seen, only came down past her flank to her knees. Her gray leathery wings folded at her side. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of ocean blue.

We locked eyes for what felt like a long time, not knowing what to say. I finally caved and sighed.

“Look, I know I really scared you back in the caverns, I feel terrible about it. But I promise, if I had known what you were, I wouldn’t have attacked you like that.” I said, not able meet her gaze.

She was quiet for a while, but after a minute she finally spoke, “I know you meant no harm. I should have revealed myself, but I couldn’t tell if you were hostile or not.”

Her voice was soft and comforting in a way, with a hint of a foreign accent that I couldn’t place. Thestrals used to have many colonies throughout the region, no telling where she came from.

Another question came to mind, “Why did you save me from that bloodwing?”

She tensed and looked away, visibly shaking.

“You could have been hurt or killed, I nearly killed you, you owed me nothing. So why?” I asked, looking at her with confusion.

“I… I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. When you apologized for the first time, and gave me those healing potions, I could sense your kind spirit. I had to do something,” She said, slowly gaining the confidence to look me in the eye, but she was still shaking slightly.

“You saved my life, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Perhaps we can start over?” I said holding out a hoof towards her.

“My name is Shadow Strike, may I ask for your name, Miss?”

She seemed to loosen up and slowly walked towards the bed, gathering the courage to shake my hoof. “Moonlight Song, it is an honor and a pleasure, Sir Shadow.”

“That’s a beautiful name, and the honor is all mine. But please, Shadow is fine.” I said, earning a blush from her.

I openly winced as a stab of pain lanced through my hoof and down my side. She immediately lost all timidity and held my hoof.

“Seems your muscles are still stiff, you shouldn’t move around very much. You are still recovering from the trauma and blood loss. Possibly a concussion as well.” Moonlight said, looking me over with a careful glance.

“You seem quite knowledgeable, do I detect some medical training?” I said, smiling as her face flushed red in embarrassment.

“A bit, I’m not a licensed doctor, at least in a broad sense. I do know a thing or two about herbs and natural remedies,” Moonlight said, still trying to hide her blush.

That was surprising news, not many still believed in natural remedies, most tended to focus more on modern medicines these days.

I then smelled something faint coming from my bandages, something so faded that most ponies wouldn’t smell it. But with my heightened sense of smell, I could still make out the herb.

“Did you perhaps use yarrow to stop the bleeding in my wounds?” I said, still looking at my bandages.

She looked shocked at my question, “Why yes, I did. But how could you know that?”

“I recognize the smell, it has quite a few uses if one knows what they are doing. A very useful herb,” I said, looking back to her.

She looked confused, “That’s quite the nose you have, it’s been days since I’ve applied it.”

“You’ll find there are many things about me that don’t make sense,” I said, leaning back into my pillow. “I am curious where you found yarrow in a desert?”

Moonlight looked away again, “I didn’t. I’m not exactly from around here.”

“I guessed as much. From what I’ve read, your kind kept to the north and spread out across Equestria after the fall of Nightmare Moon. Only a few tribes returned when Princess Luna was freed from her banishment,” I said, surprising her yet again.

“You know of my kind?” She asked, looking nervous again.

“Only what I’ve read, the thestrals were loyal to Princess Luna, acting as her personal guard,” I said, trying to keep a friendly smile.

She looked at me again, “You are probably the only pony I’ve met in this land that doesn’t call us bat ponies.”

“I’ve read enough to know that your kind hated that term,” I said, giving her a grin.

She smiled at me, and wow did she have a cute smile.

I rubbed the back of my head nervously, “So, you got me out of the caverns, then?”

She fidgeted with her braid, “I did. Your earth pony friend couldn’t get past the falling rocks, so I flew in and grabbed you. By the time we got you outside, you’d lost a lot of blood. I needed to act fast.”

“That was dangerous, but very brave Moonlight,” I said, smiling gratefully at her.

“Yes, though your friend was skeptical of me at first. He thought I wanted to suck your blood,” she said in disgust, sticking her tongue to emphasize her point.

I laughed a little at that, “That is a common mistake ponies made. Most thestral tribes have more in common with fruit bats rather than vampire bats.”

“Bloody hell, it’s about time somepony figured that out!” Moonlight said, her accent thickening a little.

She realized what she said and blushed profusely, “Terribly sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

I laughed at her embarrassment, but only a little. “It’s ok Moonlight, I’m sure it's frustrating having ponies call you a vampire when you would rather eat a mango than a pony.”

“Well personally I prefer tangerines,” Moonlight said, licking her lips.

We both laughed, and it seemed so odd to me. Not long ago she was terrified of me, now we were laughing together.

As we were laughing, the door to the room opened again, revealing Ratchet.

“Well looks like you two patched things up. Reckoned it would take a bit longer, you must have quite a way with mares Shadow,” Ratchet said as he sat down on the opposite side of my bed.

We both blushed at the comment and Moonlight looked away, fidgeting with her braid again. I gave Ratchet a deadpan look.

“Haha, very funny. I’m guessing you’re no worse for wear,” I said, still giving him a disappointed look.

“Nah, just a few cuts and bruises. Had to drag your flank back to town. Can’t have the town hero dying on his first big quest,” Ratchet said, puffing out his chest.

“As I recall, you were complaining about carrying him until I flashed my fangs at you,” Moonlight said, giving him a smug grin, showing her fangs.

Ratchet deflated, “Now that ain’t fair. Not my fault he’s so heavy.”

I glared at him and hit him in the face with a pillow. He looked ready to retaliate, only to receive another pillow to the back of the head, courtesy of the filly in the doorway.

“Be nice Ratchet, or I’m gonna fine you,” Lemon Swirl said, strutting over to the bed, jumping on it and sitting next to me.

Ratchet rolled his eyes, “Darn cap grubbing filly.”

Lemon hugged my leg, “Glad your awake Shadow, I told Miss Moonlight that you would be ok. You’re too tough to let a silly old cave-in beat you.”

I stroked the filly’s mane, “Sorry I worried you. How long was I out away?”

“Two days. It took us a while to get you back to town. Your wounds kept opening up,” Moonlight said, sounding more confident than she was earlier.

“She kept fussing over you like a mother with her filly. Made us stop and change your bandages, twice,” Ratchet said, looking to Moonlight with a smirk. She blushed a bright red.

One look from Lemon and Ratchet kept his mouth shut. More ponies walked into the room, Mayor Wrangler and his wife Chili Pepper.

“Glad to see you up and about Shadow, had us worried there,” Wrangler said, sitting down in front of my bed.

“You promised you’d come back in one piece, and here you are, right back in the hospital,” Chili said, smacking me on the back of the head.

“Ow! Jeez, Chili that hurt,” I said, rubbing my head.

“Miss Pepper please, I ask you don’t hit his head. He might still have a concussion,” Moonlight said, holding a hoof in front of me.

“Right, sorry. But you scared us half to death. Thank goodness this deary was there to help you,” Chili said, looking to Moonlight with a smile, causing the thestral to blush yet again.

Doctor Cactus came in again, looking annoyed that so many ponies were crowding his clinic. “Alright, alright, this is a clinic, not a clubhouse. Everypony but myself and Lotus, get out so I can get this examination over with.”

Nurse Lotus came in after him, scowling at his behavior. Everypony shared in her scowl but relented and did as they were told. Moonlight was the last one out, and she hesitated, looking back at me over her shoulder. We shared a brief glance before Cactus closed the door on her.

“Alright then, your vitals are back to normal. You sustained a small concussion, but nothing too serious. I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day, but seeing your track record, I doubt you’ll heed that advice” The doctor said, looking at me in disappointment. Guess saving his daughter still didn’t earn many points with him.

“We can give you some medication for the pain if you want?” Nurse Lotus said, smiling at me.

“I appreciate the offer Nurse Lotus, but I prefer my own brews. Plus I don’t have enough caps to pay,” I said, slowly getting up from the bed.

She nodded and helped me to the door. I slowly got the feeling in my legs back and waved goodbye to her as I left the clinic. Outside I found everypony waiting for me.

“That was quick, now how about some grub everyone?” Wrangler said, pointing his hoof towards the saloon. We all nodded and moved in a group towards it. I could see more ponies looking our way, but strangely not all were looking at me.

I soon learned who they were looking at as Moonlight moved closer to me, seeming really nervous about all the attention. She had warmed up to me in such a short amount of time, despite our initial meeting. It actually made me relieved.

“Don’t let all the attention get to you Moonlight. They just haven’t seen a thestral before,” I said, giving her a comforting smile.

She smiled back at me but stayed close.

Ratchet looked over to us, “What’s a thestral?”

I looked at him with a deadpan expression, “It’s what Moonlight is. Most others would prefer the term bat pony, but the proper term is thestral.”

“Oh ok, first time I’ve heard it, but if you say so partner,” Ratchet said, shrugging his shoulders.

The rest of the trip to the saloon went pretty uneventfully, ponies still staring at us. As we walked inside, we were brought to a large table which could seat all of us. We all sat down and the waitress left to bring us all some water. Moonlight seemed to stick close to me even as we sat in the saloon. She was still nervous around other ponies it seemed, making me wonder how long she had been in the wasteland.

“So Shadow, how did Bloodwing Caverns go?” Chili asked with a smirk.

I groaned, “Ok, it was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. The creatures used their environment to their advantage. If I had encountered them outside their cave, It would have been easier.”

Ratchet chuckled, “Yeah, like having them fly several feet in the air makes them easier to kill.”

I glared at him, “They have to attack directly and up close, so with my reflexes I could dodge their attacks and counter them before they can get any distance.”

Lemon giggled, “I bet you could. Don’t listen to Ratchet, it took him a whole clip of his rifle to hit one of them on the ground last time they attacked.”

Ratchet turned on her, “Hey, there was sand in my eyes, that’s all.”

Moonlight chimed in, “Why didn’t you use those goggles of yours?”

Ratchet blushed and turned his head away.

“He was so scared that he forgot they were on his head,” Lemon said, giggling even more.

Wrangler jumped in, “Alright y’all, that’s enough. Poor Ratchet here is outnumbered, and that ain’t fair.”

We all laughed, even Ratchet joined in after a while. The waitress came back with our water, and took our orders. I again avoided the meat selection, Moonlight also growing a bit pale at the thought of eating meat.

Ratchet, however, had no issues getting a radhog pork chop, making us question his palette.

As we waited for our food, we had some small talk, nothing truly important. Our food arrived and we enjoyed a nice meal. The door to the saloon opened and Blackberry and Raspberry walked in, moving up to join us at the table.

“Mommy, Daddy! Did you finish up?” Lemon asked her parents with a smile.

Blackberry chuckled, “Sure did. And boy did they come up great.”

Raspberry walked towards me and hoofed over my weapons and barding. The tears and dings in my barding were completely repaired, and looked even better than last time. Venta and Umbra in pristine condition, cleaned and polished. I put on my barding, it fit perfectly as usual.

What I did not expect was the sawed-off shotgun that I picked up in the caverns. The weapon almost unrecognizable, due to the fact that had been repaired and restored to pretty decent condition. Picking it up in my magic, I turned it over and saw again that nearly every part was replaced and restored.

“What is this?” I asked, looking to the family in confusion.

“We found it in your holster, and it was in pretty bad condition. We had a lot of spare parts lying around and figured you needed a decent gun for your adventures.” Blackberry said, wrapping a hoof around his wife.

I looked at them and Lemon and I couldn’t help but smile, “You three are too kind. I don’t deserve this much kindness, honestly.”

Lemon jumped on my lap, “No way, you saved us and took out the Bloodwings. You’re a hero, Shadow.”

I flinched at the word “hero,” but I still brushed the filly’s mane.

“Thanks, Lemon, but I’m no hero,” I said, looking away slightly.

Before anypony could say anything about my statement, the door to the saloon opened again with a loud swing, an earth pony with spiked armor walked in and moved to stand on one of the tables.

“Hey you fuckers, I hope you’ve been having a nice day. My boss sent me to tell you that we will be your new neighbors.” The earth pony said, a crazed look on his face.

Wrangler got up and made himself known, “Neighbors? And who might you lot be?”

“Just the toughest gang in the west. Don’t worry though, we ain’t looking for trouble. In fact, we would like to offer our protection for your town. Let’s say 1000 caps a week.” He said, smiling at Wrangler.

Wrangler snorted, “And what if we ain’t interested in your protection?”

The raider smirked, “Well, you never know what could happen in the middle of the night.”

Wrangler growled and the raider was about to pull out a 9mm pistol, but I quickly grabbed Umbra and threw it at him. It hit his weapon, and knocked it from his mouth. My dagger landing in front of him, digging into the table. He glared and looked over to me, following where the dagger came from.

What was odd was that as soon as he saw me, his face went pale. His superior smirk from earlier was gone, replaced with an open maw. He shook as he kept his eyes on me.

I moved to get closer to him, but he broke out into a sprint, running for the exit. I quickly moved to pursue him, barely hearing the others yelling after me. He burst through the door of the saloon, me not to far behind. He ran like a manticore was right on his tail, and in his situation, he had a better chance if it was a manticore.

He turned down an alleyway, knocking over boxes and other objects in an attempt to escape me. Unfortunately for him, I did not give up that easily. I jumped over the obstacles and kicked off the wall, propelling me enough to tackle the raider. I pinned him down, my full weight on his back, a hoof holding down his head.

“Nice try dirtbag, now you and I are gonna have a little chat,” I said, putting pressure on his head.

“I don’t know anything, nothing.” He said, trembling under me.

“You ran after you saw me, care to explain that?” I said, giving him some slack so he could talk.

“Shadow!” I heard behind me.

I turned around and saw Ratchet, Moonlight, and Wrangler running towards me. I didn’t let up on the raider, pressing him harder into the ground.

“Talk! Why did you react that way to me?” I shouted at him.

“Ok ok! I saw your barding, it’s got the same stable number as the one we hit a few days ago.” The raider shouted back at me, clearly scared.

That sentence made my blood boil, “So you’re part of the scum that attacked my home?”

He nodded his head violently, and with that confirmation, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck with my magic and threw him against the wall, pinning him to it.

“Where is the rest of your crew?” I yelled in his face.

“They’re a few days west of here. They sent me here to give the town that message.” He said, visibly shaking as I held him by his neck.

“Is that cloaked mare there? Or a red unicorn with dual sabers?” I said, pressing him harder into the wall.

“Ow, ow, I don’t know. They disappeared after they got us out of the stable. Boss said to not worry about them.” He said.

I heard somepony run up to me, “Shadow, please. Put him down. You’re gonna break his neck.”

I turned my head to see Moonlight looking worriedly at me. I relaxed slightly, but did not let him go. I turned back to the raider and glared.

“How many of my people did you kill?” I asked in a low tone.

“I… I didn’t kill anypony. I was just doing what the boss told me.” The raider said, but I could tell he was lying.

I slammed him into the wall again, “Lie to me again, and I’ll cut out your tongue!”

“Ok ok! Just a few, I can’t remember how many. I was just doing what they paid me!” He screamed.

I was just about to break him in two, but not in front of everypony. So instead, I dropped him to the ground. He coughed and sputtered to breathe and looked up at me with fear.

“As much as I would love to put you in the ground for what your gang did to my home, I have a use for you after all.” I said, lowering my head to look him in the eye.

“You are going to take a message back to your boss. Tell him this town is off-limits, and that I’ll be paying him a visit very soon. And when I find you all, every single one of you who spilled blood in my stable will pay for it with your own.” I said, my voice dark and stern.

His eyes grew wide and I could see a puddle forming under him, he had pissed himself. He then got to his hooves and ran outside the alleyway as fast he could. I followed him out and watched him run out the town gate and into the wastes.

Satisfied with his departure, I turned to see everypony looking at me warily. I didn’t want them to see me like that, but it needed to be done.

Wrangler walked up to me, “Shadow, you doing alright there partner?”

I tried to give a friendly smile, “Yeah, sorry about that. I hope I didn’t scare you all too bad.”

Ratchet spoke up, “Well, yeah ya kinda did. Poor feller pissed himself.”

“I am sorry you had to see that. But that pony does not deserve your pity. He wanted to take control of your lives here, and he and his gang attacked my home.” I said, not able to look them in the eye.

I could hear hoofsteps moving towards me. Looking up, I saw Moonlight staring at me with worry in her eyes. She had already been scared of me, now I just made it worse. But she put a hoof on my shoulder.

“It was a bit scary, but now that we know why you acted like that. It’s ok, Shadow.” Moonlight said, her voice so gentle. She truly was too nice for the Wasteland.

Wrangler jumped back into the conversation, “Alright. Enough being all mopey, let’s get back to the saloon.”

I nodded and we all made our way back to our table, our food waiting for us along with everypony else. Lemon had asked what happened, but Wrangler saved me from that discussion by telling the filly that it was grown-up stuff, to which she pouted adorably.

Once we were all done eating, Chili looked to us.

“So Shadow, I’m guessing you need a place to stay for the night. We’ve arranged for a room at the local inn for you.” She said, finishing her water.

“Oh Chili, you didn’t have to.” I said, her generosity surprising me yet again.

“But I wanted to. After dealing with those raiders and the bloodwings, how could we possibly make you pay for lodgings?” Chili said, smiling at me.

“Well thank you for your hospitality. I’m afraid I can only stay one night. I need to head west to that compound and deal with the raiders that invaded my home.” I said, finishing my own water.

Ratchet looked at me, “Partner, I’ve heard of that compound. It’s twice the size of the one you busted the mares out of. You can’t go in by yourself.”

“Don’t have a choice in the matter Ratchet. They took something from my stable, and I’ve been tasked with getting it back.” I said, getting up from my seat.

Moonlight moved to my side, “Um, Shadow, would you mind if I stayed with you tonight? I don’t have any caps to pay for a room.”

Ratchet rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah I kinda need a place to sleep tonight too. My shack is still in pieces.”

“I don’t mind. It’ll be nice to have some company tonight.” I said, smiling at them both.

Lemon then latched onto my foreleg, “Do you really have to go so soon Shadow?”

I picked her up and held her, “I’m afraid so Lemon. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

She nuzzled into my chest, “Promise?”

I stroked her mane, “I swear by the light of the moon that I will return, one day.”

She giggled and nuzzled me again. Then her mother took her in her hooves and she and her husband stood before me. I nodded to both of them in thanks.

As I prepared to leave the saloon, the radio was suddenly turned up.

“Everypony! Athena is on!” The bar pony said as he turned to the radio.

A feminine voice came onto the radio, carrying both an energetic, motherly one.
“Good afternoon my darlings, it’s Athena coming at you live from Olympia! I hope all of you are having a lovely day in our beloved Badlands.

Now strap in my listeners, cause have I got some news for you today. Reports are coming at me like bullets from a minigun up north. Seems there’s some excitement going on near the quiet town of Hydra Junction. Raiders had apparently kidnapped the entire female population of the town and were ready to be sold to the slavers.

But little did they know that a mysterious stallion would appear out of nowhere and not only save the mares and fillies, but also wipe out the raiders at the old military outpost to the east of Hydra Junction. I’m not kidding my dears, one stallion went in, killed all of them and none of the mares were killed. Unbelievable I know, but it’s true. And here’s the icing on the cake, the stallion had stripes and a horn. That’s right listeners, a zony. Quite the rare sight here considering ponies and zebras shoot each other on sight.

And he didn’t stop there, oh no my lovelies. He went to Bloodwing Caverns, you know that place infested with blood-sucking bat monsters. And he once again proved his badassery as he blew up their nest and destroyed the whole flock. That’s right people, no more Bloodwings in the north, for the most part.

So you all have heard of the heroes up in Equestria. The Stabledweller around Manehatten, and Security around Hoofington. So I thought, if DJ-PON3 can give these ponies cool names for their deeds, why can’t I join the trend. I thought long and hard about this, a stallion that appeared like a guardian angel for these ponies, so why not call him The Badlands Guardian!

Now, that’s all I got on our new guardian. Other reports are pretty much the same as they always are. Negotiations with the other major cities in the Badlands have been met with the door slammed in their faces. Neighcropolis refuses to associate with Olympia, and Aquatica seems to be uninterested in any trade routes or cooperation.

You all know it is my hope to see us unite one day, and that is one reason why I speak out to all of you. My children across the Badlands, we must stop these petty squabbles and work together.

Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have my lovelies. Be safe, and remember that you have a voice of wisdom in these trying times. Until next time, this has been Athena, your guiding light in this bleak Wasteland.

The broadcast ended and was replaced with music. I stood there with my mouth gaping, unable to process what I just heard. Then I promptly slammed my head into the table.

The room I was given was pretty decent, two beds and a chair off to the side. Pretty comfortable despite the cracks in the walls and ceiling. The place wasn’t in the best of shape, but it’s the Wasteland. I laid back on one of the beds, groaning from the pain in my head.

“Come on partner, what’s so bad about being on the radio?” Ratchet asked, sitting in the chair.

“I was supposed to keep a low profile. Now everyone in this wasteland is gonna wonder where this “Badlands Guardian” came from. They might find my stable, and who knows what might happen.” I said, sitting up to look at him.

“Shadow, please calm down. It’ll be alright. No one knows you came from a stable. Athena never mentioned it.” Moonlight said, lying down on the other bed.

I sighed at her words and relaxed a little.

“You’ve got a point there Moonlight. But what I don’t understand is how she can know so much about me.”

“Well, no one knows quite sure how Athena gets her information. Some say she’s got little micro cameras all over the place. Others say she’s got spies that keep track of every part of the Badlands.” Ratchet said, a hoof on his chin in thought.

I thought for a minute, and realized something. If Athena had eyes and ears all over the wasteland, she might know where to find Saber and that cloaked mare, or at least reports of where they had been sighted.

I turned to Ratchet, “Hey Ratchet, where is Olympia?”

He looked at me with a confused expression, “It’s way down south. Near the center of the Badlands. Quite the journey from here. Why you ask?”

“If these raiders don’t have the information I need. I’ll need an alternate plan of finding the ponies I’m looking for. Athena seems to be the pony to go to for information about anyone in these lands.” I said, looking to him with a serious expression.

Moonlight chimed in after I said that, “Who are you looking for exactly?”

I hesitated at the question, but I relented after some thought. Moonlight and Ratchet were trustworthy, even if It hadn't known them too long.

“Raiders attacked my stable, killed a lot of innocents there. One of our own betrayed us and let them inside. His name is Swift Saber, a red unicorn with dual scimitars.”

Both of them looked shocked at my words. Ratchet spoke first, “A traitor huh? Well I’m guessing you were sent out to bring him back then.”

I shook my head, “No. My orders are to eliminate him, he knows too much about the stable and has caused too much suffering.”

Ratchet looked a little pale at my cold words but nodded.

“And who else were you looking for? I heard you ask that raider about a cloaked mare.” Moonlight asked, shocking me a little.

I nodded, “The one leading those raiders was a cloaked mare. She stole some important data from our mainframe. My orders are to retrieve the data or destroy it if necessary.”

Ratchet looked sideways for a minute and muttered something under his breath. Before I could ask him about it, he shook his head and acted like nothing happened.

“So you are to find these two ponies, steal back the data and eliminate them?” Moonlight asked, looking me in the eye.

“Yes, those are my orders. I wasn’t supposed to draw attention to myself, but no turning back now.” I said, getting off the bed to stretch my legs.

“Well, no worries. I’ll help ya get back what was stolen from your home. No bunch of dumb raiders is gonna keep us out.” Ratchet said, his confidence returning.

I blinked and turned to him, “What do you mean, “us”?''

He smirked, “Well I’m coming with ya o’course. We made a pretty good team in Bloodwing Caverns and you’ll need a guide to help you through the wasteland.”

I looked sternly at him, “Ratchet, I appreciate your help in the caverns, but this isn’t your concern. The debt you owe the mayor was resolved. There’s no reason for you to follow me.”

Ratchet looked at me with a smile, “Come on partner, nothing wrong with getting a little help. Besides, there’s nothing really keeping me here.”

“This is my mission, and I can’t guarantee your safety. Saber is almost as strong as me, and this cloaked mare is something else entirely. My friend cut off her head and she grew a new one.” I said, trying to convince him.

He rounded on me, “Then you definitely need backup. If they got ponies like that with them, you can’t take them all on alone.”

I groaned and held my head in my hooves in frustration. Why couldn’t he understand?

It was then that I felt a hoof on my shoulder. Looking up I saw a pair of blue eyes looking into mine. Moonlight had come to my side, she smiled at me.

“Shadow, you don’t need to do things alone. Let us help you.” She said, her voice still so soothing.

I looked to her and shook my head, “Absolutely not. You are most certainly not coming. This is much more dangerous than a cave full of bloodwings. You need to stay here, Moonlight.”

Her ears folded and my heart pained at the look she gave me, both worried and hurt at the same time.

“But, you are the only pony I know out here. I won’t be a burden, I’m knowledgeable in medicine. I can keep you healed and healthy.” She pleaded.

“Moonlight, you can make a life here. Nurse Lotus will surely love your help at the clinic, or you can open your own business. You don’t need to follow me into danger.” I said, hoping she would understand.

Her eyes started to water, and then Ratchet spoke up again, “Shadow, you need us. You can’t fight all the evil in the wasteland on your own. Even the Stable Dweller has friends. Heroes need back up, it’s common sense.”

I rounded on him in a second, “I am not a hero!”

My outburst made both of them jump in shock. I realized what I had done, and my head drooped, hiding my face from them.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled. I just… I’m no hero” I said, voice loud enough to be heard but still low.

Moonlight put a hoof on mine, and I immediately looked to her. She was smiling again, curse that smile. It made me feel warm in this cold wasteland.

“Shadow, why do you think that? You saved so many ponies here. Chili Pepper and Lemon told me what you did for them.” She said, trying to, me feel better. And damn it, it was working.

“I did that because it was the right thing to do. I’m not a hero, I’m a guardian. It’s my duty to protect the innocent from creatures of evil intent.” I said, closing my eyes.

“Hero or not, it doesn’t matter. You saved so many in this short amount of time. Heck, even the Desert Rangers don’t work that fast. You need to give yourself more credit.” Ratchet said, cheerfully as always.

I sighed, and smiled at them both. I had not known them for very long, but they were growing on me. Ratchet and his cheerful humor, and Moonlight with her kind and gentle nature. Both were such good ponies.

“Ok ok. I give up, you two can come with me.” I said, relenting.

Both cheered in their own way.

“But, I want to make something perfectly clear. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to leave me to die to save yourselves, you better do it. Understand?” I said, pointing a hoof to both of them.

Both looked at me and to each other for a second, but nodded shortly afterward.

I nodded to them, “Alright, let’s get some rest tonight. We leave first thing in the morning. I’ll give you both time to gather whatever you need.”

Both nodded to me and I got comfortable on my bed once again. Moonlight took the other bed while Ratchet had agreed to take the chair. We all slowly drifted off to sleep.

The night was coming to a close, the guards at the gate close to changing shifts. Most were either asleep or getting close. With the cloud cover, there was no sun to mark the coming of the dawn.

Unknown to the guards and the town, a shadow moved through the gates and out into the desert, silent as the night itself.

I moved to the hills outside the town, and looked back one more time at the town where I had spent so much time, and met so many wonderful ponies.

“I’m sorry my friends. But I can’t let you risk your lives for someone like me. I don’t deserve you. Please be safe, and I hope that you’ll forgive me one day.” I said, before disappearing into the desert.

Footnote: No status change

Author's Note

Hey there guys, Hades here. Another chapter down.

And introducing the thestral from last chapter. Moonlight Song.

S:3
P:7
E:4
C:6
I:8
A:6
L:3