Chapter 23

-- Nature --

Ratchet landed our airship on the edge of the swamp, between two large rock formations. We wanted to keep the ship out of sight just in case someone tried to sneak off with it or scavenge it while we were gone. Ratchet took out a small device from the mechanism that held the steering wheel of the ship. He said it was a key of sorts, and that the ship couldn’t move without it.

Saskia and I fashioned a makeshift stretcher out of some extra bedding and wood from the storage of the ship. We lifted Moonlight in our magic ever so carefully onto the stretcher and wrapped her in blankets. It took a while to get Moonlight out onto the deck of the ship, due to my magic still being a little unstable. That last fight still had it on the fritz.

When we finally got Moonlight off the ship, Ratchet took the front of the stretcher on his shoulders while Saskia took the back. I volunteered to be the guard of this little troop, as I was the most skilled in combat. And while they couldn’t move very much, Ratchet could still fire his railway rifle, and Saskia still had magic.

“Alright, have we got everything?” I asked.

Saskia secured the stretcher onto herself and Ratchet, “Ready to go when you are.”

“Anything we need to be aware of before we head into the swamp?” I asked.

“Watch for tar pits and quicksand. Don’t go in the water, it’s radioactive.” Saskia said plainly.

“Understood. Any clue where we can find this Artemis?” I said.

“I’m afraid not. I know she’s in the swamp. But I’ve never been here myself.” Saskia said.

“So if you’ve never been here, how come you know her?” Ratchet said, looking back at the mare.

“I met Artemis when she was living in Olympia years ago. She left the city and told me she was coming here with her daughter.” Saskia explained.

“Alright, talking about this won’t find her. Moonlight doesn’t have much time left. We have to find her as soon as possible.” I said, rushing out of the conversation.

They both nodded and we left towards the edge of the swamp. The trees were even larger up close, and the closer we got, the smell of the bog became more apparent. My senses were going crazy with all the new smells. The moisture and humidity was like nothing I had experienced before. And we hadn’t even gotten inside yet.

“How could a swamp be right next to a desert?” Ratchet asked.

“The rain accumulates mostly in this area of the Badlands. Other than the Forbidden Jungle and the high mountains to the south.” Saskia said.

“So the humidity will be higher than you are used to. Be prepared to sweat.” I said.

“Wonderful.” Saskia said, sounding slightly annoyed.

We soon moved into the swamp, past the trees and into the darkened wetlands. The ground certainly felt softer than the desert. Strange how all this vegetation and moisture just stops at the treeline. We continued making our way through the bog, going around pits of tar, mud holes and other disgusting sights. Why did this Artemis want to live here?

Moonlight started coughing and I immediately halted our group. I took out my canteen and was at her side in an instant. I gently turned her head to me and helped her take a sip of water. She coughed a little more, but I tried again and she was able to keep some of it down. This environment would not help her condition. She needed help, and soon.

“How is she, partner?” Ratchet asked looking back at me.

“Getting worse. I don’t know if the humidity here is making it worse or not. We have to keep moving.” I said.

A nod from my team and we were off again. The terrain was difficult to navigate. Without my pipbuck map function, we would surely get lost. The ground was uneven in a lot of places. Some spots were so slick I had to help Saskia keep Moonlight at level so she didn’t slip out of the stretcher.

We kept moving further and further into the swamp, hearing all kinds of insects and amphibians along the way. I wondered if the radiation had mutated some of these creatures as well. On second thought, I didn’t want to know. With my luck, a giant toad would appear and try to eat us.

Croak

You have got to be kidding me…

The ground shook a little as a large beast jumped out of the foliage in front of us. The creature was large, bigger than Mercer was. Bigger than anything I had ever seen. Warts covered its body, brown skin so dark it looked almost black. Large eyes that stared directly at us as it let out another croak, bloating it’s throat wide.

“Get back!” I yelled to my friends.

The toad hopped again, closer to us as my friends backtracked and hid behind a large tree, out of sight of the creature. The beast turned its attention to me, croaking at me and opening its mouth, revealing blackened flesh inside.

Suddenly, a tongue rocketed out of its mouth, making me jump quickly to the side, avoiding it just in time. It impacted the ground and dug up some dirt before retreating back to its owner. Yeah, gotta avoid that. It croaked again and I dodged yet another strike from its tongue.

I drew Venta and lunged for the beast, attempting to slash at its large throat. But the creature was faster than I gave it credit for. It leaped away from my blade and croaked again. No tongue this time, it simply jumped at me, attempting to crush me under its weight. I dodged it just in time, the impact leaving a dent in the wet ground.

Getting in close was dangerous, but the only gun I had left was Desert Rose. I cursed Achlys and Algea for destroying my other weapons. Six shots, that was all I had. No way this thing would give me the time to reload. I lifted the gun up and fired, aiming for one of its eyes.

Remarkably my bullet hit its mark, the eye of the beast exploding in a torrent of messy gore. It groaned in pain and made a gurgling noise as it reared back. But after only a minute of pain, it was back to attacking me. It was more furious in its attacks now, barely giving me any time to dodge or counterattack. I think I made it mad..

I entered SATS and lined up two more shots on its other eye. I released the spell and one bullet found its mark, ripping its other eye clean out. It thrashed about violently, hopping everywhere. I kept moving away from it, hoping that it wouldn’t go in the direction of my friends.

After a rather big leap, we both landed in the water of the swamp. My pipbuck began to tick, this water had medium levels of radiation in it. I quickly got out of the water, to avoid any more radiation. But the toad seemed to enjoy the water. And then something unbelievable happened before my eyes.

Its eyes grew back..

The eyes that I had shot only moments ago regrew in less than a minute of it being in the water. All the damage I had done, gone in a minute. What was this creature?

“Shadow, get it out of the water! It’s a ghoul!” Ratchet yelled out over the swamp.

I turned to where he was with Saskia and Moonlight.

“Ghouls heal from radiation! Get it away from the water or you’ll never kill it!” He yelled at me.

Ghouls heal from radiation, now that is fascinating. But there was no time to be interested in a new revelation of the wasteland that I just discovered. The toad was coming at me again. Bullets wouldn’t do the trick. I had to give it a killing blow. Strike at its heart or something more vital. But that would not be easy. Especially while it’s in this little pool of healing radiation. I fired another shot into its side to get its attention. Perhaps I could piss it off again and make it follow me out of the pool.

But no luck as it just shot its tongue out at me again. In fact, it seemed to be getting faster with its attacks. The radiation must be enhancing its other abilities besides healing. I fired my last shot and it missed. I tried to take out more bullets but the beast did not let up. Tongue strike after tongue strike, it didn’t slow down. But I sure was.

Fatigue was starting to get to me, and the humidity of the swamp wasn’t helping. My breathing was getting ragged, and I was sweating profusely. The sweat was causing my mane to get in my eyes. I couldn’t keep this up for long. Why won’t this thing just die?

I dodged yet another tongue strike from the creature, and sure enough, my luck ran out. I slipped on the mud of the swamp and fell to my side. I tried to get up, but the beast was already jumping towards me. I tried to get up and made it on my hooves sword at the ready, but I had no time to dodge. This was gonna hurt.

But the pain never came, as the beast howled in pain from something. I didn’t see what it was, only a bright flash of light. I took the opportunity to move away from the toad, moving to the right side to see what had happened to it.

What I saw made no sense, as its back was bleeding profusely. What could have caused that?

My answer came with another flash of flight, striking the toad once again. This time, I saw a shape with the light. Almost like an arrow?

I ran to my friends as the toad turned towards the direction of the arrow. Another arrow of light flew through the air, striking the toad in the eye as I had. It looked like it came from the trees. What was going on? Was someone helping us?

The toad hopped towards the source of the attacks, giving me time to get my friends and Moonlight to a safer place. As I led them away from the water, I kept an eye on where the arrows were coming from. All I could see from this distance was a shadow in the trees. The toad struck the tree with its tongue, but the figure leaped to another tree and fired another arrow into its eye. The beast was now out of the water, chasing after the being.

“Come on!” I said, helping the others through the muck.

We moved through the swamp, not far from the toad and its opponent. I still couldn’t see who was fighting it, but they were helping us, so I guess they were friendly. As we reached a clearing in the swamp, with no water, only grass and tree roots, the toad stopped and looked like it was tired.
One more arrow struck it in the face before it seemed to lose its patience and leaped all around, firing its tongue in multiple directions in a desperate attempt to grab whatever was attacking it. The flailing was making the ground shake due to the immense size of the beast, but it was for not.

One last arrow struck right as it stopped hopping, and this time it landed right between the eyes of the beast before piercing outside the back of its head. It stopped moving after that, and fell over, the arrow having pierced its brain. Blood dampened the ground as the creature lay defeated.

The figure in the trees was visible, but still only as a shadow. It looked in our direction, seeming to observe us. I held up my hoof to tell Ratchet and Saskia to stay put while I investigated the being who saved our lives.

As I moved forward, I said, “Hello there.”

All I heard was an “eep” and the figure soon fell over out of the tree, making me panic and run towards it. Fearing that I had frightened them, I quickly made my way to the tree, looking up to see if they had caught themselves on a branch. But that is not what greeted me soon after looking up.

The figure fell down right in front of me, tangled in vines and upside down. And right then, I could see who our savior was. Or rather, what they were.

The figure was equine in basic shape, but it was clear this was not a pony I was looking at. Her auburn mane was thick, wrapping all around her head and some of her neck. Her eyes were a golden brown, not much different than my own. Her coat was green as fresh grass on a plain. Then I started noticing some differences, like how her tail was longer, like a zebra but a lot more hair at the end. Her hooves were also different, more like a deer than a pony. Then there was her horn, nothing like mine, looking more like a tree branch, brown with white patterns near the base. And she had scales, golden yellow scales running along her muzzle and her back.

This was not a pony. This was something I had only read about in legends back home.

“Are you… a kirin?” I asked.

She squealed and tried to escape from her vine prison, only succeeding in flailing her hooves around and spinning in place. She almost hit me with her flailing, almost.

“Here let me help you out of that.” I said.

I lit my horn and she froze as the vines were pulled away, leaving her in my magical grip. I levitated her down gently. As I did, something fell from the tree and hit me in the head. I rubbed at my aching head and looked to find a bow laying between me and the mare. It had her color scheme, painted and well maintained. The wood looked high quality, seemingly having no flaws at all. The bow string looked like it shined in the light of the trees. I went to pick it up with my magic, but a golden aura grabbed it before me, making me look up. The mare was holding it in her magical grip, keeping her distance from me.

She didn’t look scared, but nervous.

“Please, I won’t hurt you. I just wanted to thank you for saving…” I said, before I jumped back, barely dodging a magical arrow.

But the mare didn’t fire it. I looked to the source and saw another being running towards me. She stopped next to the other mare, glaring at me with her bow raised.

This mare was taller than the other, looking older and more mature. Her coat was teal blue, her mane was a fiery orange, her eyes were the same as the other mares. Her horn had more of a red hue to it, a bit longer than the other mares too. Her scales were a turquoise color, the ones of her back seeming thicker.

“What are you doing here?” The taller kirin asked me.

“Please, I mean you no harm.” I said, raising my hooves.

“Yes, because those who come into this swamp always come with good intentions. And I ask again, why are you here?” She asked.

“Lady Artemis, wait!” Saskia shouted from behind us.

The mare looked towards my friends immediately after hearing that. Was this the Artemis we were looking for?

Saskia and Ratchet stopped right next to me, panting as they tried to catch their breath.

“Lady Artemis, thank Celestia we found you.” Saskia said, wiping the sweat off her brow.

Artemis put her bow down, but not away.

“Saskia, it has been a long time. Why have you brought ponies into my home?” Artemis asked.

Saskia bowed, as much as she could with the stretcher hooked up to her, “We have journeyed here to seek your aid Lady Artemis.”

“I do not aid ponies. You know this. I told you never to speak of my whereabouts to anyone.” She said, anger seeping into her voice.

“I understand that, and I do apologize. If there was anyone else, I would have never come here.” Saskia said.

Artemis put her bow on her back and turned to the younger mare, “Meadow, why are you out here? I sent you home.”

The mare, now identified as Meadow, looked away sheepishly, “I’m sorry Mother. They were attacked by a swamp toad and I couldn’t just leave them.”

Artemis sighed, “Your heart was in the right place my child, but your head was not. What if they were slavers, or worse?”

Meadow’s ears drooped, “I’m sorry Mother.”

Artemis simply sighed again, “No matter. Come, we are leaving. Saskia, take these ponies out of my swamp.”

She started to walk away with Meadow before I stepped forward, “Wait!”

She didn’t stop.

“Wait! Please!” I said, sounding desperate.

She again, did not stop. She simply kept walking. I moved to follow her, trotting to keep up with them.

“I said wait! We need your help!” I shouted.

She did not acknowledge my words as she turned a corner on the path. My anger grew as she continued to ignore us. Moonlight’s life was in the balance and the one person who could help her was giving us the cold shoulder.

“I SAID WAIT!” I shouted louder.

Umbra flew through the air and landed in the tree in front of her, making her finally stop. She slowly turned to look at me, pulling my knife out of the tree with her blue magical aura.

“You dare throw a weapon at me?” Artemis said.

“We need your help. We didn’t come all this way so that you could ignore us!” I shouted in rage.

“I do not help ponies! Nor do I appreciate your tone!” Artemis said, walking back towards me.

We both walked towards one another until we were right in front of each other. She was a head taller than I was. But I didn’t back down.

“We need your help. Why won’t you help us?” I asked.

“Because I don’t trust ponies. I live here in solitude so my daughter and I can have peace. Ponies bring ruin and death wherever they go!” Artemis yelled in my face.

I looked shocked at her statement, and the look in her eyes. Somepony must have really hurt her.

“Mom!” Meadow shouted from behind me.

Artemis and I turned to see Meadow with Saskia and Ratchet, looking over the stretcher.

“Meadow, get away from them!” Artemis said, running past me and towards the others.

When she reached them, she grabbed Meadow by the foreleg, “I said we are going home. What on earth made you come over here?”

Meadow pulled away from her mother’s grip, “Mom, look at this!”

Meadow pulled Artemis’ attention to Moonlight, who was panting on the stretcher. I arrived next to everyone just as she saw the state our thestral friend was in. Her expression softened a little, reaching out with a hoof to Moonlight’s forehead.

“Fever, cold sweat, respiratory difficulty. This is Basilisk venom.” Artemis said calmly.

I was shocked, “You can tell that from one look?”

She didn’t turn to me, “I’ve seen this many times in my lifetime. Where did you encounter the beast?”

“We didn’t. A mare shot her with a dart covered in venom.” I explained.

Her head then turned to me, “A mare who weaponized this type of venom?”

“Yes. She seems to revel in making ponies suffer.” I said.

Her head slowly looked back to Moonlight, and just under her breath, I swear I heard “Achlys.”

“What did you say?” I asked, with shock on my face.

“Nothing. Now how long has she had the venom in her system?” Artemis asked sternly.

“About five days.” I answered.

“Then there is still time. Meadow, scout ahead and make sure nothing is in our path. When you get home, get a fire going.” Artemis said to her daughter.

“On it!” Meadow said, running ahead.

“You three, we must get her to the house as fast as possible.” Artemis said, walking out in front of us.

I nodded and helped Ratchet and Saskia move quickly through the swamp, dodging any obstacles that got in our way. This was it. We could finally get Moonlight help.

After about an hour of walking through the swamp, we were starting to wear down. I had switched with Ratchet, helping to carry Moonlight and give his shoulders a break. Saskia seemed to be doing better but still had a layer of sweat about her. She never complained and kept going.

“Here we are.” Artemis said as we came into a clearing.

The land was flat and without any tar pits or ponds. The grass was green and seemed to be teeming with life. And at the center of the clearing was a tree that was larger than any we had seen so far. The roots stretched out from left to right, thick as a canyon wall. The tree looked tall enough to almost touch the cloud layer. And right in front of the base was a two story cottage, smoke coming out of the chimney.

“What is this place?” I asked in awe.

“This is my home. The heart of the swamp. That tree is the oldest of all the trees here. Its roots span the entire swamp.” Artemis said as we walked towards the house.

The door opened as we approached, Meadow poking her head out, “Hot water is ready and all your tools are sterilized Mom.”

“Excellent. Now get her inside on the bed.” Artemis said, moving into the home.

The interior of the house was full of plants, herbs, potions, and chemistry equipment. An alchemist’s dream home. The living room had a large bed in the middle where we could set Moonlight. Not too far away was a fireplace, burning hot with a hanging pot of hot water I’d imagine. Stairs in the back led to the second floor of the house.

We set Moonlight down gently on the bed, making sure she was comfortable.
Artemis came up to the bed and set her tools aside.

“Wait outside. I need to concentrate.” She said, not looking away from her tools.

“I understand. Please help her.” I pleaded.

She nodded, but did not say anything.

Saskia put a hoof on my shoulder and guided me, Ratchet and Meadow out of the cottage. When we were outside, we all collapsed, the strain and tension of our journey finally catching up to us.

“You all look exhausted.” Meadow said next to me.

“It’s been hell trying to get here.” I said.

“Tell me about it. Of all the places to live, why all the way out here?” Ratchet asked.

“It’s really not that bad once you get used to it. It’s actually pretty cool.” Meadow said, smiling.

“Cool? Living in this place? With giant ghoul toads!?” Ratchet exclaimed.

“Swamp toads usually live further inside the swamp. Not sure why that one was so close to the outer edge. Just bad luck that you guys ran into one.” She said.

I reached out a hoof to her, “We got off on the wrong hoof back there. Thank you for saving us. My name is Shadow Strike.”

She was surprised but accepted my hoofshake, “Meadow Glade, and you’re welcome. You were doing pretty good yourself against it.”

“I wouldn’t really say that. My gun was useless and it just kept healing. No way was I going to get closer to that thing.” I said.

“Yeah, not the best idea to hit it close up. They weigh a ton, and that tongue is pretty quick. Best chance is to go for the eyes and try to hit their brain. The rest of the body is too thick to get to any other vital organs.” Meadow explained.

“Probably helps to keep them out of the water as well.” Saskia said, her horn lighting up.

Saskia’s body glistened and all the mud and gunk was out of her coat and mane, making her look like she’d taken a bath. Guess that explains how she looked so clean.

“That’s a handy spell. If I wasn’t so useless at magic, I’d bet you could teach me a lot.” I said.

Saskia blushed, “I’m not a great teacher. But yes, the spell does come in handy. A lady has to look her best after all.”

“I’ll say. That’s pretty handy. You unicorns are lucky.” Ratchet said.

He then looked over to Meadow, “Speaking of unicorns, what kind of pony are you?”

“She’s not a pony Ratchet, she’s a kirin.” I said.

Meadow was surprised and looked at me, “You know about the kirin?”

“Well you’re the first one I’ve ever seen outside of books. Back home, we had a few books about your kind. Though it said you come from a place called The Peaks of Peril. Though I imagine that was a long time ago.” I said.

“First I’ve heard of it. I was born in Olympia. Mom and Dad worked there for Lord Zeus.” Meadow said.

“Working under the big man himself? Now that is something.” Ratchet exclaimed.

“Lord Zeus? Who is he?” I asked.

“King of Olympia of course. I’ve never seen him, but he rules the biggest city in the Badlands. One of the three brothers who settled the Southern Badlands.” Ratchet explained.

“The three brothers?” I asked.

Saskia stepped in this time, “Several decades ago, the Southern Badlands were just as desolate as the Northern. But the three brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades brought their tribes together and created Olympia. But some time after, the brothers fought over leadership. Eventually, Poseidon and Hades left to form their own cities, which became Aquatica and Neighcropolis.”

“Wow, I never imagined something like that could happen in the Wasteland.” I said.

Meadow looked at me, “This should be well known to everypony in the Badlands. How do you not know anything about this?”

I rubbed the back of my head, “I’m from a stable. I don’t know much about the politics or society out here.”

Her eyes widened, “I’ve never met a stable dweller before. Mother said our family came from a stable way up north, but I’ve never been there.”

“Oh? Perhaps that’s how the kirin survived the war. Are there more of you in the Badlands?” I asked.

“Never seen another kirin other than Mom and my Dad.” Meadow said.

“Oh? Where’s your dad?” I asked.

Meadow’s ears drooped, “He… died. It’s why we left Olympia.”

My ears flattened against my head, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. What happened?”

“Riots broke out in Olympia fifteen years ago. No one knows how it started or why, but many people died. Ponies and non-ponies. My dad was right behind us when a stray bullet hit him.” Meadow said.

“I remember that day. Lady Artemis helped me escape the chaos. We couldn’t carry his body. She was devastated.” Saskia said.

“She’s been so cold since that day. She rarely smiles. She’s just not the same.” Meadow said, looking in the direction of the hut.

“So that’s why she doesn’t trust ponies.” I said solemnly.

“Yes. We haven’t left this swamp ever since we came here. She wants nothing to do with the outside world.” Meadow said.

“I can understand that. I heard about those riots. Awful thing.” Ratchet said, his head low.

“I suppose even in the most established cities, chaos runs rampant.” I said.

I turned to look at Meadow, “How old were you when you lost your father?”

“Five years old. I can still remember him. But I can’t remember much before we got to this swamp. I’ve lived here most of my life. Mother never let me leave Olympia either when I was little.” Meadow explained.

“So you’ve never seen the outside world?” I asked.

“Not really. I’m pretty happy with our life here. Besides, the outside world is too dangerous for someone like me.” Meadow said.

I could hear her words, but something was off. Like she wasn’t telling the whole truth. I could sense the fear in her voice, but there was something else. Something buried beneath the fear. I couldn’t quite place it.

“All of you! Come!” Artemis yelled from the house.

We all ran back towards the house and entered quickly. Artemis stood by the bed that Moonlight laid upon. As we moved closer, I could see Moonlight had an IV in her foreleg. She was breathing a little better, but she still had a sweat.

“How is she?” I asked.

“I’ve stabilized her, lessened the pain. But the venom is still killing her. She needs an antidote within three days for her to survive.” Artemis answered.

“Can we make it here?” I asked.

“It is possible. But it will be very dangerous.” She said, checking the IV.

“I don’t care about the danger. Just tell me what you need.” I demanded.

She looked at me with that same expression, but with a hint of something else. Something I couldn't place. Then she levitated a book over to me, flipping the pages to a certain page, depicting a plant. It had a long stem and a long end, looking almost like a cattail.

“This herb is called Leviathan’s tongue, it is very rare. I only know of one place with a chance of finding it.” Artemis explained.

“I’ve never heard of this herb. Can one herb truly cure this venom?” I asked.

“It can, because it only grows from soil where a Basilisk died and decayed.” Artemis answered.

I was stunned, the conditions for such an herb would explain why I have never heard of it. But where in Tartarus would you find that kind of environment?

“You said you knew where there was a chance of finding it? Not guaranteed, I assume?” I asked.

“No. I cannot be certain. But it is the best chance for you to find one. We must take it.” She said.

“Where then?” I asked.

She looked straight into my eyes, “Stable 59.”

My eyes widened, “A stable? Out here? Why there?”

“I came across it not long after we settled here. Curiosity got the better of me, so I explored the entrance. I never went past the first room. But I found a terminal there, and it told me some of the details of the stable. Apparently it was designed to house different creatures and plant life, trying to preserve some of the fauna of Equestria from the radiation of the balefire bombs. On the list of creatures was a basilisk. It most likely died long ago from starvation, and the Leviathan’s tongue can survive on no nutrients for at least 250 years.” She explained.

“So if the beast truly was there, the corpse could have produced the herb.” I said.

“Correct. It is your only chance.” Artemis said, looking back at Moonlight.

“Then we have to go there and find it. How far is the stable from here?” I asked.

“About four hours to the north of here. I haven’t been there since my first exploration. There is no telling what awaits you. The creatures of the swamp tend to avoid that area. Which means they fear what lives there.” Artemis said ominously.

“Then I have no time to waste. I’ll go get the herb.” I said.

“Hold it partner. I'm coming with you. No way am I letting you go into an old stable without some backup.” Ratchet said.

“I’m afraid I require both you and Saskia to stay here.” Artemis said.

We all looked at her in confusion.

“The killing of that swamp toad will rouse the predators of this swamp to expand their hunting grounds. Beasts might come here, so I will need capable warriors to fend them off while I tend to my patient. I will also require Saskia’s magical expertise.” She said.

“You can’t expect Shadow to go alone through the swamp into an old stable without any backup!” Ratchet said, raising his voice.

Meadow stepped forward, “I will go with him to the stable.”

Artemis looked at her daughter in shock, “Out of the question!”

“Mom, I can lead Shadow through the swamp easily. And I can fight just as well as anyone here. I can do this.” Meadow said, determination in her eyes as she stared down her mother.

Artemis hesitated for several seconds before she sighed and closed her eyes. She walked to her daughter and nuzzled the top of her head.

“If you must go, I will not stop you dear. But come back to me in one piece.” Artemis said quietly.

Meadow nuzzled under her mother’s chin, “I will Mom. I promise.”

Artemis then looked over at me and came up right to my face, “You see to it that she returns to me. Or there will be Tartarus to pay.”

I flinched back a little, but stood my ground, “I swear I will do my best to keep her safe.”

She looked me in the eye for a few seconds before pulling back with a nod. She brought over a map from one of her tables and explained to Meadow and I where the stable was located. My pipbuck beeped, the map function indicating that Stable 59 was added to the icons.

“Now, hurry. The longer it takes, the less of a chance your friend has to recover from this.” Artemis said, moving back to Moonlight.

I walked over to Moonlight as well, running a hoof across her sweat soaked mane, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I will save you Moonlight. Just hold on.”

As I turned back to my friends, Ratchet came up to me.

“I don’t like this. But if I’m really needed here, then I’ll stay. I won’t let no varmint touch her.” He said with a confident smile.

“I know you will Ratchet. Keep everyone safe.” I said.

I turned to Saskia next, “That goes for you too Saskia. Keep all of them safe, and watch over Moonlight until I get back.”

“I will. But keep yourself safe. Meadow as well.” Saskia said.

Then they both hugged me, something neither had done since I had met them. It felt… warm. Like back home with Grindstone and Silver. I closed my eyes and returned the embrace.

When we separated, Meadow was looking at all of us with a warm smile. Her bow was tied to her side with a hook on her saddlebags. A quiver was also attached to her other side, feathered arrows visible.

“Ready to go?” I asked.

She nodded and we headed out the door and into the swamp.

The journey through the swamp was exhausting, but nothing I couldn’t handle. The terrain was much easier to navigate now that I had an expert with me. Meadow was very knowledgeable in every aspect of the swamp. Signs of creatures that even I couldn’t see were completely visible to her. We had encountered no creatures since we left her house around two hours ago.

“You really know your stuff Meadow.” I said.

“Well, when you’ve lived here for most of your life, you tend to pick up a few things.” Meadow said, jumping between large tree roots like a filly.

“I must say, living in this environment must be challenging.” I said.

“Oh, not really. Mom and I grow most of our own food, we get pure water from the underground springs, and there is lots to do around here. Exploring, helping Mom with her research, seeing so many different types of creatures.” Meadow said.

“I was wondering where you got clean water. All this water is full of radiation.” I said, looking around at the hazardous pools around us.

“Yeah, you definitely don’t want to drink that stuff. Unless you’re a ghoul or something.” Meadow said.

Suddenly, her mane started to stand on end and she held out a hoof in front of me. I stopped and started to notice something was wrong as well. The sounds of the swamp were quiet, no frogs, no crickets. Nothing. Something was stalking us.

Meadow then grabbed me with her magic and pulled me up one of the large trees, sitting us down on a high branch. When I was finally able to breathe after being pulled up the tree, I looked down to see something in the mud of the swamp. Three figures crawled out of the mud, looking kinda like feral ghouls. The mud had blackened their hides, no fur remaining. They didn’t seem to move very fast, only crawling on their bellies, their forelegs dragging them forward.

“Ferals?” I asked, looking at Meadow.

“Yep. Swamp Ferals, that’s what I call them. The mud is so thick on them they can’t walk very well. Some not at all. But that mud is also like thick armor. Tough to get through, even with my arrows.” Meadow explained.

“Best to avoid them then.” I said, looking in the direction my pipbuck was indicating.

I leaped to the next branch, enjoying the feeling of the wind in my mane. Meadow was right behind me as we continued from branch to branch.

“I didn’t expect you to be this good.” Meadow said, jumping past me.

“I’ve had my share of physical training.” I said, making a longer jump than others before.

“You’re a natural. Are you sure you’ve never been to a swamp?” Meadow laughed.

“Not in this lifetime. Maybe I have some Orah in me!” I said, jumping one last time before we stopped.

“I have no idea what that means, but we should be ok to get down to ground level now.” Meadow said, pointing down.

I nodded and she helped me down from the tree. A normal sized tree would have been easy for me to get down, but these trees were enormous. Meadow’s golden aura carried me from the last branch to the ground, leaving her to jump from the branch to land next to me.

“Show off.” I said grinning.

“Hey, when you have skills, you get to show off.” Meadow giggled.

We both laughed and continued onward, tracking through the mud and trees. Meadow truly was a joy to be around. She seemed to have this aura that just made me happy and carefree. I almost forgot about the worry and panic I had when we left her home. It was still there, but this was a nice distraction.

As we made it through a line of trees, we came into a clearing with a large mound of rock and stone. And as we got closer, something came to my attention. Plants that seemed out of place among the foliage of the swamp came into view. And the closer we got to one side of the mound, the thicker the plants got. Soon, we were staring at an alcove in the rock, the plants having grown thick and very green around it.

But what truly got my attention was a large familiar circular door, seemingly pushed open by the plants. But the number was clear as day… 59.

We had found it. We were one step closer to saving Moonlight.

Footnote: No status change.

Author's Note

Hey guys, Hades here.

Another chapter down, first of the new year! New friends! And a new stable to explore! What will Shadow run into this time?

See you guys next time!