Chapter 14

-- Sandpit --

Another day of walking in the sand went rather boringly, with no encounters or problems whatsoever. With how my last few days had gone I thought I’d run into another monster or at least another sandstorm. It felt odd, like a calm before the storm. Something was on the horizon, and it wasn’t good.

“Hey Shadow, you doing ok there partner?” Ratchet asked, breaking me out of my trance.

“Oh sorry Ratchet. Guess I got lost in thought again.” I said chuckling as I rubbed the back of my head.

He laughed a little, and I could swear I heard a giggle from behind us. I peeked behind my shoulder and Moonlight squeaked as soon as she noticed me. She took to the air a little, getting a view of the path ahead.

“So how much farther to this Sandpit Ratchet? I could kill for a decent meal and less sand in my ears.” I said, shaking my head to get the sand off me.

“Not much further if I’m not mistaken. Don’t that pipbuck of yours have a map?” Ratchet said, smirking as he pointed to the device on my foreleg.

I facehooved as I realized he was right, I could have just checked the map function. I brought my hoof up and activated the map, seeing the icon for Sandpit really close to the west of our position.

“Shadow! Ratchet! I see a town in the distance!” Moonlight said, confirming how close we were to our destination.

As Ratchet and I made over another dune, we saw it too. I was rather impressed to say the least. The town looked more like a city compared to Hydra Junction. Large buildings lining side by side, some ruined more than others. A large square in the center of town leading to a three story structure. A fountain was placed in the center of the square, with what looked like a statue.

“Yep, that’s Sandpit alright. Largest settlement in the Northern Badlands, well if you don’t count Fort Trough down near Tantabus Pass.” Ratchet said.

I turned to him with a curiosity, “Fort Trough? That’s where the Desert Rangers are based isn’t it? And what’s Tantabus Pass?

“Right you are there Shadow. The Desert Rangers turned the old pre-war fort into their base of operation, and a nice sized settlement for their families. With Lake Trough right next to it being the largest source of freshwater for miles around, they made a caravan route for all the Northern Badlands.” Ratchet said.

Moonlight landed next to us, “I wondered where ponies get their water in a desert. Is that the only source in this part of the wasteland?”

“There are occasional oasis and old aquifers that ponies use, but a good majority comes from either the mountains, or Lake Trough.” Ratchet answered.

“And this Tantabus Pass?” Moonlight asked.

“It’s one of the only ways into the Southern Badlands, other than going over the mountains or into the forbidden jungle.” Ratchet said.

“Fascinating, but we better save the questions for later. Let’s get down to the town before the wind stirs up again. One sandstorm is enough for me for a while.” I said, pressing forward.

They both followed me and the town gate was within our sight in no time. As we approached, two guards were standing on either side of the gate, seeing our approach they readied their battlesaddles.

“Halt, state your business in Sandpit.” One of the guards, an earth pony with a tan coat and gray mane.

“Hey there partner, we’re just passing through. Wanted to get out of the sand for a few days.” Ratchet said, pulling ahead of me and Moonlight.

“Hey, aren’t you the pony that fixed our fountain a few months ago?” The other guard, a unicorn with a light blue coat and navy blue mane said.

“The very same partner. Now how about letting me and my friends on inside?” Ratchet said, putting a hoof to his chest in pride.

The guards looked to him and then to us, their eyes growing wide at the sight of me and my thestral friend.

“What’s that stripe doing here? And the hell kind of pony is that? She’s got fangs!” The earth pony guard yelled as he and his friend pointed their weapons at us.

Moonlight yelped and hid behind me as I pushed forward, not showing them fear.

“I would appreciate it if you stopped threatening me and my friend. We aren’t here to cause trouble. Like my friend said, we’re just passing through.” I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could with two guns aimed at me.

“Woah woah there guys, they’re alright. The mare wouldn’t hurt a fly, and the zony is the Badlands Guardian from Athena’s broadcast.” Ratchet said, putting himself between us.

“The Badlands Guardian? Yeah I remember Athena talking about that. She said he took out a nest of Bloodwings, and a whole raider camp by himself.” The unicorn guard said.

I groaned at the mention of that title given to me by this Athena. I didn’t want to be seen as some kind of legend or messiah, but if it got us out of this situation, so be it.

“What’s going on here?” A voice rang out behind the two guards as another pony came out from the town gate.

He stood a bit taller than me, an earth pony with a dark grey coat with an ash white mane. He wore a uniform with several medals on it, and a battlesaddle with an impressive looking rifle on it. He had a scar across his left eye, giving me the impression that he had seen a lot of combat.

“Captain Slate sir, we got three newcomers. One’s a stripe and I don’t know what the other one is.” The earth pony guard said as he and his companion saluted the new pony.

He turned to us, “So I see. Well well, Ratchet, come back for more work?”

“Not this time Captain, just passing through like I tried telling these bucks. Please let me introduce my friends, this is Moonlight Song.” Ratchet said, gesturing to Moonlight who was starting to come out from her hiding spot behind me.

“Greetings Miss, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony like you before.” Captain Slate said.

“I’m… I’m a thestral sir.” She said meekly.

“A thestral? Yes I believe I’ve come across that term, but only in old pony tales.” The captain said.

He then turned to me, “And judging by your appearance, I’d wager you’re that zony that Athena keeps ranting about on the radio.”

I bowed to him, “Shadow Strike, an honor to make your acquaintance Captain.”

“Well it seems you have manners, that’s a nice change from the usual riff raff we get from the desert. I am Captain Slate, head of security here in Sandpit. I trust you’ll not cause trouble in my town?” He said, giving us all a stern look.

“No sir. We just wanted some rest and to resupply.” I said calmly.

He smiled, “Then let me officially welcome to Sandpit. You two, back to your post. I will escort our guests inside.”

“Yes sir!” The two guards said in unison as they quickly went back to their post.

As we began walking through the gate, I noticed at least three snipers along the wall, giving us a wary look. This place certainly felt different from Hydra Junction. Though the ponies there were more open to me due to me saving a majority of their citizens from raiders. I was a complete stranger here, other than the stories Athena told. Personally I preferred not to be noticed.

“Sorry about my guards at the gate, they were only doing what they thought was necessary. We’ve been having some raider trouble, and you can’t be too careful out here.” Slate said.

“No need to apologize. I’d do the same if our roles were reversed. I take it we can move about as we please then?” I asked.

He turned to me, “Yes, as long as you don’t cause trouble. Also, I feel I should warn you. Despite Athena’s broadcast, ponies here won’t hesitate to harass you for being a zebra, even if you’re only half.”

“Not the first time I’ve been discriminated against sir. But thank you for the warning. Good day.” I said, walking past him and into the city proper.

My friends following at my side, I looked to the vast sea of ponies walking through the streets of Sandpit. True to its name, sand still blew through the air as the wind blew. Shops and other establishments lined the streets leading to the center plaza.

Ratchet moved to the front of our group, “Well my friends, what do you think of Sandpit?”

“It’s so big, so many ponies in one place. I didn’t think places like this still existed.” Moonlight said as she took in the sights.

Some ponies took notice of us, giving us looks ranging from disgust to curiosity. Most kept their distance, not wanting to take a chance with strangers like us. Honestly it didn’t bother me much, but looking at Moonlight, every time she tried to smile, ponies fleed. Most likely due to her fangs. Her ears flattened against her head, her eyes drifting down to the dirt in despair.

I put a hoof on her shoulder, “Don’t let them get to you Moonlight. They aren’t used to seeing your kind out here. They just need to get to know you.”

She looked to me, eyes seeming to gain a little life back to them, her smile bright and cheerful again.

“Alright, ‘nough of this sadness and horseapples, let’s eat. I know just the place too. My friend runs it.” Ratchet said, gesturing to a building just across the street.

Following my friend, Moonlight and I soon found ourselves in a saloon, similar to the one we saw in Hydra Junction, but much bigger. Nearly twice as many tables, and a bar that stretched around the corner into another room. Ponies were seated everywhere, even a few non-ponies. A minotaur, a griffin, even a donkey way in the back.

As we came close to a table, “Well well well, look what the desert blew in.”

We all turned to see a unicorn mare with a red coat and green mane, her eyes were also green and she was wearing a cowpony hat. She smirked in Ratchet’s direction and moved her foreleg for a hoofbump, which Ratchet accepted.

“Red Delicious Apple, been a long time. How goes the business?” Ratchet asked.

Red smiled and puffed out her chest, “Booming. Ponies have been coming in like crazy. Apparently something big going on between the caravan companies.”

“That so? Typhon Company trying to buy out the competition again? Cause I sure as Celestia hope not. Bunch of bloodsuckers.” Ratchet said, spitting at his last words.

“Yeah, but we all know it ain’t gonna happen. The Water Merchants sure as hell ain’t gonna sell when they got the Desert Rangers backing them. And I heard the Storm Riders tried to partner with the Sand Talons.” Red said, keeping her voice down for the last bit.

“Shut your mouth. Sand Talons working with them? Not a chance.” Ratchet laughed.

“Uh, Ratchet? Little left out back here.” I said, getting their attention.

“Oh yeah, sorry about that partner. Red, these are my new friends. Shadow Strike and Moonlight Song.” Ratchet said as he introduced us.

“It’s nice to meet you ma’am” Moonlight said, smiling for a bit, but soon covered her mouth with her wing.

Red chuckled and moved the wing away, “Honey, don’t ever feel like you need to hide anything about yourself. Some fangs in a pretty smile ain’t gonna scare little ol’ me.”

Red gave her a wink and Moonlight seemed to brighten from the mare’s words. She then looked at me.

“I bet my apples that you’re that Badlands Guardian that Athena’s been on about. That right hon?” Red asked.

I groaned and shook my head, “Yes. Though please don’t call me that. Just Shadow will do.”

She laughed at my reaction, “Alright then. Now get your rumps in some seats. Bet y’all are starvin’ after traveling through the desert.”

We all nodded and sat down at a table off to the side, as to not be bothered by the many patrons that were staring at us. One gave us a particularly foul look, but one glance from Red and he quickly found his glass of water more interesting.

“‘So, what can I get ya sugarcubes?” Red asked, getting out a notepad and pencil.

Looking at the menu, I noticed it was similar to Hydra Junction, but much more variety. It still had a meat section that I steered clear of. They actually had fresh fruit and vegetables.

“Carrot soup and water for me please.” I said, passing her my menu.

“The usual for me Red.” Ratchet said, passing his menu as well.

Moonlight took a while to look at the menu, but eventually looked up from it.

“Do you have any tangerines by any chance Miss Apple?” She asked.

“First off hon, just Red is fine. Second, sure as sugar do. It’ll be a bit more expensive seeing as the only orchard is in Olympia.” Red said, giving Moonlight a friendly smile.

“Then I’ll take a couple tangerines and some tea please.” Moonlight said brightfully as she passed her menu.

“Alrighty then. I’ll have those out for y’all in a jiffy.” Red said, moving through the crowd as she left us.

Looking back to Ratchet, “So, what were you guys talking about? Caravan companies?”

“Yeah, caravans tend to band together to run trade routes across the Badlands. The Water Merchants for example come from Fort Trough and trade water from the lake.” Ratchet said.

“That sounds interesting. Though from the way you spoke, I take it this Typhon Company aren’t the most delightful ponies to work with?” Moonlight asked.

“That’s an understatement. Typhon Company runs the largest caravan company in the Badlands, with branches running all the way from here to Olympia down south. But they ain’t exactly kind about it.” Ratchet said, spitting again.

“What do you mean Ratchet?” I asked.

“I mean that if you don’t pay, you’re dead. And if you try to move in on their territory, they either buy you out, or you go missing.” He said.

“They sound dreadful.” Moonlight said.

“Yeah, they are. Thankly they’re based in Scrap Town down south. So hopefully we won’t run into them.” Ratchet said.

Red arrived with our food and drinks, all of it looking delicious as we dug in. Ratchet’s usual turned out to be a radhog kebab, making my stomach turn. My soup was hot and tasted better than the stuff we got in the stable.

Looking over to Moonlight, me and Ratchet looked kinda horrified as she bit into the tangerine with her fangs and started sucking out the juice. She got a look of bliss on her face before seeing us stare at her.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing” We both said.

As we were still eating, some noise came to my ears as I looked up from my food.

“Hey you striped whore, come back for seconds? Can’t blame ya.” A stallion’s voice rang over the saloon.

A dirty brown earth pony stallion with rotten teeth and a wispy mane was grabbing a zebra mare by the shoulder and licking her neck. The mare was pressing against him trying to get away.

“Get away from my mother, asshole!” Another mare’s voice yelled out getting my attention. What I saw was something I only read about in books.

The mare had a grayish brown coat on most of her upper body, but what really got my attention was the stripes running around her legs. All four legs had zebra colors, with stripes moving across them. A long tail with a black bush of hair on the end, much shorter than a zebra. And the most distinguishing feature were two long ears on the top of her head. Her eyes were brown, just like her mothers.

Shaking myself out of my curious stupor, I got up from my seat and moved towards them. I could hear Ratchet and Moonlight shouting at me to wait.

“Hey! Get your hooves off of her!” I yelled at the stallion as I made it to their table.

He turned to me with a look of disgust, “The fuck you want? I’m busy.”

“I said get your hooves off of her, you waste of skin!” I said.

He was distracted enough by my words for the mare to push him off of her and move to her daughter’s side. She desperately wiped his spit off her face.

Having lost the mare in his hooves, he got up and stood in front of me. “You got a death wish Stripe?”

“You couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone me. So how about you get out of here?” I said, my voice still stern and dark.

“You wanna bet?” He said, moving his hoof to strike at me.

I simply moved to the side of his sloppy strike and pulled him into a headlock. I held him there for a minute or so, him struggling in my grasp.

“Now here are your options. You can leave and promise never to bother these two again. Or I can break your neck right here. Just one little twist and SNAP!” I said, giving his head a little jerk.

He stopped struggling at my words and nodded his head the best he could, “Ok ok. I get it. I promise. Just let me go.”

He sounded so vulnerable, completely different from before. Typical. I looked down to see that he had pissed himself. Maybe I put on a little too much.

I let him go, and he quickly ran out the door. Everyone was staring at me, some with fear, others with interest.

“All right, parties over. Nothing to see here ya bunch of scavengers. Back to your own business!” Red yelled out across the room as she approached me.

She looked at me with a glare, “Now I ain’t gonna kick you out for standing up for others. But there is no fighting in my bar. Is that clear Shadow?”

I nodded solemnly, “Yes Red. I’m sorry for causing trouble, but I couldn’t stand still and watch that.”

Her glare turned into a smile, then she turned to the two striped mares. “What about you two? Y’all ok?”

The zebra mare looked timidly at Red and I, moving her head to whisper into her daughter’s ear.

The daughter nodded, “Mother says thank you for helping her with that jerk. But I’m afraid we don’t have much in the way of caps for a reward.”

“I don’t need your caps. I didn’t do it for a reward. There is some room at our table if you’d like to join me and my friends.” I offered, pointing back to our table.

Both mares looked at me and to each other, and after a while both nodded and followed me to our table. My friends both gave me looks of concern.

“Wow Shadow, that was… scary to say the least.” Ratchet said nervously.

Moonlight didn’t say anything at first, but eventually she spoke up, “You didn’t have to threaten his life Shadow.”

My ears folded back as I could hear the disappointment in her voice. I didn’t really think about how they'd react. I just did what felt natural in a situation like that. Dealing with Granite for so long, I didn’t see the wrong in it.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare either of you.” I said quietly.

“Please do not blame him. He was protecting us, and that stallion was the one who struck first.” The younger mare said.

Moonlight looked surprised at the mare’s sudden rush to defend me, but sighed and nodded to me.

I turned to them, “Thank you. I don’t think I caught your names. I am Shadow Strike.”

“It is an honor and a pleasure Shadow Strike. I’m Sasha, and this is my mother Zaheera.” Sasha said, gesturing to her mother who bowed her head.

“The honor is mine. These are my friends Ratchet and Moonlight.” I said, gesturing to my friends.

They both waved at our guests, and Moonlight spoke up, “Forgive me for asking but what are you? I don’t think I’ve seen anypony like you.”

“No worries, I doubt any of you have seen a zonkey before.” Sasha said.

“Zonkey? Like a donkey and a zebra?” Ratchet asked.

“Yep. The ears are usually a dead giveaway.” Sasha said, putting her hooves to her ears.

“I thought so. It’s nice to see I’m not the only hybrid in the wasteland now.” I said chuckling.

She turned to me, “I agree. Judging by the horn, I figured you had some pony in you. Though the color scheme is something I didn’t expect.”

“Neither did my mother. The scientist back home said it was a recessive trait in my genetics. I like to think it makes me unique.” I said, smirking.

“Yeah, cause a zebra with a horn on his head isn’t unique enough there, eh Shadow?” Ratchet said laughing.

Moonlight giggled at his joke and we all ended up laughing. Red brought Sasha and Zaheera some fresh veggies and some water to eat as we talked.

“So Zaheera, are you from Equestria? Or did you come here from Zebrica?” Moonlight asked.

The zebra mare looked up from her meal and got a look of sadness on her face. She turned to her daughter, speaking in a thick accent. Moonlight got a look of confusion as she couldn’t understand what the mare was saying.

“Mother says she wishes not to talk about the homeland. But yes she did come from there. She hopes you’ll understand.” Sasha said.

“Why can’t she talk to us? We ain’t gonna bite.” Ratchet asked.

“Mother doesn’t speak Equestrian very well. I know it because of my father and books. She has had difficulty learning since we came here.” Sasha said, her mother looking away in embarrassment.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m half zebra and even I’m not fluent in all their dialects. I can tell from her accent and stripe pattern that she’s Carnilia. Am I correct?” I said.

Zaheera looked up to me with shock and smiled a little, nodding her head.

Moonlight looked to me with curious eyes, “What are the Carnilias known for Shadow?”

“They were some of the first zebras to develop agriculture in Zebrica. Not too different from earth ponies, but without the latent magic that ponies tend to have.” I answered.

Zaheera nodded again, her smile widening. She turned back to her daughter and spoke to her again.

“Mother thanks you for your kind words, Shadow. It’s nice to know that others still know the history of our tribe here in Equestria. She also wishes to ask about your tribe.” Sasha asked for her mother.

My ears drooped and I couldn’t bring myself to look at them, “I’m sorry but I’m really not supposed to discuss my tribe with outsiders.”

They looked disappointed but nodded. Zaheera whispered to her daughter again.

“Mother and I understand. But she does wish to say she doesn’t recognize your stripe pattern. Even for a zony, you are an oddity. Mother knows most of the tribes, from the swamp dwelling Orah to the nomadic Eschatik.” Sasha said.

I rubbed the back of my head nervously and tried to give them a convincing smile. We all ended up laughing and enjoying our meal. After we paid Red for the meal, we headed out of the saloon. Sasha and Zaheera stopped on the streets to turn to us.

“I’m afraid we must take our leave. Mother needs to rest and I need to do some shopping. We hope to see you all again.” Sasha said, waving to us as they made their way down the street.

We said our goodbyes and paid our bill. We started walking in the opposite direction that Sasha had taken.

I turned to Ratchet, “So what should we do next?”

“I reckon we go to a junk dealer and get some caps for all the scrap we’ve picked up in the wastes.” Ratchet said, gesturing down the road.

“That sounds like a excellent idea. We don’t have many bottlecaps. And we will need them for supplies.” Moonlight said.

“True. Alright Ratchet, lead the way.” I said.

Ratchet took us a few blocks down the road to a building that had a large hole in the side of it, leaving a room exposed to the elements. The roof didn’t have any holes but plenty of wear and tear. We entered the door, only to dodge a flying pony. The pony was an earth pony who looked like he desperately needed a bath. We looked back to the door to find a minotaur coming out holding a large axe. His coat was a light red, except at his bottom half, which was a darker red. Two large horns on his head, with a nose ring. He wore no barding except for a strap that reached around his torso and shoulders. Most likely it had a ring or clamp to hold his axe in the back when not in use.

“If Mercer catches you stealing from here again, you’ll lose a leg next time!” The minotaur bellowed at the pony, who got up and ran in fear.

Ratchet looked up to the minotaur, “You know Mercer, if ya keep throwing ponies out, you’ll scare off your customers.”

Mercer looked down at my friend and his eyes grew wide. He quickly moved to pick up Ratchet in his large arms after putting down his axe.

“Ratchet! Greetings my dear friend! Mercer is overjoyed to see you again!” Mercer exclaimed, squeezing the life out of Ratchet.

I chuckled at the sight, and I could hear an adorable giggle from Moonlight as well.

“Mercer… Can’t breathe pal.” Ratchet said, struggling to breathe.

Mercer released our friend and put him down, “Apologies my friend. What brings you to Mercer’s shop? Mercer thought you found a place in Hydra Junction.”

After recovering, Ratchet answered, “Yeah I kinda got into a bit of debt and the shack may have exploded a little.”

Mercer laughed loudly, “You have not changed my friend.”

Ratchet rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and then gestured to us, “Anyway, Mercer these are my new friends. This is Shadow Strike and Moonlight Song.”

Mercer turned to us and I gave a little wave with my hoof, a little intimidated by his size. I had read about minotaurs, even seen photos, but never in the flesh. I barely came up to his waist. Moonlight seemed just as nervous, but still gave a small wave of her own.

“New friends!? What a glorious day! Any friend of Ratchet is most certainly a friend of Mercers!” He proclaimed.

“It’s nice to meet you Mercer. We were hoping to sell some scavenge for some caps?” I said.

He beat his chest in pride, “You have come to the right place, new friends. Mercer is the best dealer in Sandpit. No cheating or rip offs in my store. Come come.”

He gestured for us to follow him, picking up his axe and heading inside. We all followed and found an arrangement of shelves and boxes waiting for us. It seemed Mercer had just about everything. Guns, ammo, scraps, barding, etc.

“This is quite the assortment you have Mr. Mercer.” Moonlight said, looking at all the shelves.

“Please, Mercer is fine. Mister makes me sound old. Now let us see what you have.” Mercer said as we came up to a table.

“So Ratchet, how do you know Mercer?” Moonlight asked.

Ratchet turned to her, “Oh we go way back. I got into a bit of trouble and Mercer let me work here in the shop for a while. Let me tell you, he takes vending very seriously.”

Mercer laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, “Ah those were the days. Mercer remembers meeting his old friend so long ago. A little pony with nowhere to go and no caps to his name. Got into trouble with slavers and Mercer had to bail him out. We had many great years in this very store.”

“Slavers? Who’d you get into trouble with them?” I asked.

Ratchet suddenly frowned and looked away, “Sorry Shadow. I don’t like to talk about that. Sorry.”

“No no, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” I said.

Mercer steppen in, “Enough about slavers and the past, let’s do business.”

We set out all the scrap we had managed to salvage. Spark batteries, sensor modules, and other junk that I only knew because Ratchet and Mercer had named them off as we put them on the table.

“Hmm, a good haul my friend. Mercer likes what he sees. Got a buyer who cleans Mercer out of spark batteries every week. So 10 spark batteries, 10 sensor modules, some scrap iron and wonderglue. How does 600 caps sound?” Mercer said.

“Shoot Mercer, that sounds like a good deal.” Ratchet said.

Mercer handed him a bag of caps, taking the stuff off the table and into a box nearby. That seemed like a good deal, enough for some supplies and a place to stay.

Moonlight then walked up to the minotaur, “Umm, Mercer? I have some pre-war bits. I know no pony out here uses them, but back home we did. Are they worth anything?”

He looked to the thestral mare with a grin, “Sure they are. Ponies use them for old vending machines and other machines. How many do you have?”

Moonlight reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a hefty sack of bits, making all our eyes go wide.

She looked at all of us with confusion, “What?”

“That is quite a few bits there Moonlight. Were you some kind of royalty back home? Ponies usually take days to find that many.” Ratchet said.

Moonlight eye’s grew a look of worry, but only for a moment. She quickly composed herself and cleared her throat, “No, like I said, we still used bits back home. I just happened to save a lot of them when I left. I had no idea they weren’t still in use out here.”

Mercer opened the bag to find 1500 bits, “Normally pre-war bits go for about 10 bits per cap, but since there are so many and you are new friend, Mercer will give a better deal. How does 300 caps sound?”

Moonlight nodded her head and Mercer handed her a bag of caps.

“Thank you Mercer. Mind if we look around the store?” I asked.

“Of course my new friend Shadow. Look around.” Mercer said, putting Moonlight’s bits in another box.

Looking around the store, we found some water and canned food we could take for the trip to the Raider base. I also found some ammo for Desert Rose and my shotgun. Ratchet found some new tools to replace some old ones of his, as well as some more spikes for his railway rifle.
Mercer came by me and had his axe in it’s strap, reminding me of a question I wanted to ask.

“Mercer, that is a fine blade you have there. Where did you get it?” I asked.

He looked at me and removed his axe from his back, holding it in front of him.

“Yes, Mercer’s axe is the finest axe you will ever see. It was made by Hephaestus himself back when I lived in Olympia.” Mercer said proudly.

“Really? What brought you up here to Sandpit then?” I asked.

“Too crowded down there for Mercer, and too many politics. Mercer prefers the simple life.” He said.

After a while, I decided to check on Moonlight, and see what she had found.

When I found Moonlight, she seemed to be disappointed, “What’s wrong Moonlight?”

“I don’t see any medical supplies, have you seen any?” She asked me.

Mercer came up from behind us, “Ah yes. Forgive Mercer, but all medical supplies in Sandpit go to Doctor Lovegood. He is in charge of the clinic, but Mercer is sure he would be willing to sell some supplies.”

“Alright, we can make a stop there on the way to find a room for the night.” I said, giving Moonlight a smile.

She smiled back and was about to say something when Ratchet shouted from across the room, “Hey Moonlight! Come here a sec.”

We both looked confused and moved to the back shelf of the store. We found him looking through a bunch of guns. Pistols, shotguns, and a few laser weapons. I hadn’t seen one since the stable.

“Got some decent weapons for ya. We can probably start you off with a 9 mm. Or if you prefer laser weapons, I can probably talk Mercer into giving us that laser pistol for a better price.” Ratchet said.

Moonlight looked shocked and then paled a little as she looked at the weapons, “Thank you Ratchet but I don’t think that’s necessary.”

I turned to her, remembering the fight with the ghouls, “Moonlight, you need a weapon to protect yourself.”

She shook her head, “No, I’ll be alright. I can fly, and you two are pretty strong.”

“Flying is good and all, but it ain’t gonna save you from a sniper or a machine gun. Moonlight, just pick a gun and I’ll teach ya how to use it.” Ratchet said.

She shook her head even more and backed away from us, shaking a little. I could see the start of tears in the corners of her eyes.

“Ratchet that’s enough.” I said, moving towards the thestral.

She trembled even more as she heard me come towards her, but froze when I put a hoof on her shoulder, “Moonlight, why didn’t you defend yourself back with the ferals?”

She looked away from me, her head low, “I just… can’t.”

“Moonlight, you will need to fight in order to survive out here. So far I’m guessing you just hid and relied on others. Friends are good, but eventually you will need to fight for yourself.” I said, my voice soothing and calm.

She looked at me, tears streaming now, “I just can’t take a life.”

“You saved me from that Bloodwing back in the caverns.” I said.

She shook her head again, “Monsters are one thing, but those ghouls were ponies once. I just can’t take a pony’s life. Or any sentient creature. I trained to be a healer. I save lives, not take them away.”

She finally broke down, collapsing on the floor crying. I leaned down to hold her, and she immediately buried her head in my chest.

“I understand Moonlight. You are a gentle soul, one that shouldn’t have to live in this wasteland. Your talents are a blessing from the Goddesses, for saving lives is far more important than taking them.” I said, stroking her mane to try and calm her down.

“But you are here in this wasteland, and the ponies around you need you. I won’t force you to take a life, or hold a gun. But eventually, you will need to overcome this fear. Ratchet and I cannot always be there to protect you. Someday, you will need to fight. Killing is not something to be proud of, but is necessary to protect others. I learned that a long time ago.” I said.

She eventually calmed down and got back to her hooves, “I’ll… try Shadow.”

I hugged her one last time, which she returned quickly.

A cough behind us made us both turn. Ratchet and Mercer stood a few feet away.

“I guess I can understand ya Moonlight. But that kinda thinking won’t keep ya safe out here. But I won’t force ya either.” Ratchet said.

“Well I guess that’s the last of what we need here. Mercer, thanks again.” I said, smiling to the minotaur.

“Thank you Shadow. You and your marefriend are always welcome in Mercer’s store.” Mercer said.

My mind blanked for a second, then my face immediately went red with embarrassment. And from the “eep” to my side, Moonlight was also caught off guard by that comment.

“She’s not my marefriend! She’s just a friend!” I yelled.

I turned to see Moonlight had hidden herself behind her wings again, probably to hide her blushing face. Ratchet was rolling on the ground laughing.

“Oh sorry, it’s just you two had that cute hugging moment, and the comforting.” Mercer said.

“Alright thank you again Mercer, we’re going now!” I yelled out, making my way to the door.

Ratchet and Moonlight quickly caught up to me, and we made our way back out onto the street. Taking a deep breath, my face had returned to its normal color. That was unexpected.

Ratchet, still chuckling a little was on my right side, “You know, you two did look pretty cute back there.”

I groaned, “Shut up Ratchet and take us to this Doctor Lovegood.”

Footnote: No Status change

Author's Note

Hey guys, Hades here with another chapter. Welcome to Sandpit. Lots of fun new characters.