Author's Note

Warning: this story has many Dark things that can be disturbing to some people. For example, Suicide, mental and Psychological trauma of characters, and child abuse. Even if it doesn't appear in this chapter. Doesn't mean it won't be in the next. Don't blame me for not warning you

Ambush

"Mister Radar, are you and miss Dew a couple?" I look at a few fillies walking next to be. I didn't think we even looked like one. So the question struck me as odd. I look ahead at Dew, she's walking ahead of me, talking to the other fillies and colts. My eyes go down to her flank, her cutie mark was a maple leaf with Dew drops on it. It was actually relaxing to look at.

"Like what you see big boy?" Dew spoke sweetly which took me by surprise, "you were staring at my flank."

"Actually I was looking at your cutie mark. It's strangely relaxing to look at."

"I get that a lot, it's a rather silly special skill to have, but apparently just being around me can relax ponies are help then emotionally feel better." I hadn't realized, but she wasn't wrong, I feel more level headed around her.

"Its not silly, your a walking moral support. That alone helps me be level headed." She smiled gently, but there was still doubt in that expression. I look back at her relaxing cutie mark. I can't be in a relationship, I have to many sins to atone for first. We finally arrive at Heatworm, it was a quiet looking place, small too. The tavern was also the Inn and med station. Then they have an armory that was almost empty and a few houses. I had know idea how to stop a whole Raider group with no way to even barricade. Dew takes the children somewhere and I go for a drink. A rather large, fat brown stallion with a white apron.

"Something strong, I could care less about the cost." He tried to pour the bottle, but I snatched it and started taking a few large gulps. I then pay him for the whole bottle.

"I'm Rumor, you have a name partner?" He had a gritty tone in his voice that makes him seem like the friendly father figure of the town. I just tell him my name and took another drink.

"You gonna help with the Dog Claw Raiders?" I gag on the alcohol, not expecting him to know about it. Rumor laughs a deep, but jolly like laugh. Glad somepony taking amusement in the fact I was choking on my drink. "I guess it's a yes, but you looked like you couldn't figure out how. I always hear the latest news, no matter where it starts, it always reaches me. That's why my name is Rumor, well it's not like they can ambush us if we know they are coming."

"That's it, ambush the ambush." It makes sense, but we need to prepare. I take a bottle of whisky, open it and put a clothe inside. "Molotov cocktails, that's how we'll win."

"I don't follow, how does it make us win." I smile, it's a fact that when a body is on fire, it burns the skin to nothing within seconds. So even if they try anything, it won't help them win. They'll burn to death in seconds.

***

Everything was ready, Rumor and I made more then enough Molotov cocktails. I have my sniper rifle prepped for even quick reload as I lay on my stomach on the roof of one of the homes here. Rumor is on the roof of the, well the building I've dubbed TIM. Since its the tavern, inn and med station. It's simple and takes shorter amount of time to say. Dew is inside, keeping the ponies calm. The other buildings are rigged to go boom if they try to seek shelter. Even mine is rigged, but not with anything big enough to put me in any danger.

"Radar, you hear me?" Rumor insisted we use these children walky talkies, since they are on there own frequency. "They are coming, from all sides."

"I figured, so I left a surprise for them." Out in the distance, large explosions go off. The raiders stopped moving, but it was only for a few moment's till they ran in. I have made mines with the supplies in the armory, but I could only make a couple and they had already triggered them all. I aim, looking through the scope. It's not easy hitting a moving target, since you have to put in many factors. Like wind, distance and possible point of entry for starters. I take a deep breath and fire, two seconds later, I see blood explode off the raider's head. I can't miss any shots, so I took a drink of whisky and fired again. I watch another raider fell to the ground. I'm not killing enough, I take a deep breath. I can't second guess my shots. I fire twice as fast, missing shots, but killinging half as they reach the village. They throw granade up to my roof, I expected this might happen. I used my shot gone as a baseball bat and hit it back. Only one exploded, but they were now in range for a molotov to the face. I throw one in there direction. Missing them on impact, but some were caught in the area of effect and started to burn to death, within seconds they died.

I heard a molotov being use near Rumor, so there was some there as well. The trap at the armory blew up, exploding what ponies tried to get in. I glance out, over the edge of the flat roof I'm on. A bullet grazed my forehead, my warm blood ran over my right eye. I throw a molotov at them, at the same time another bullet enters the same wounded shoulder. It frighten hurt like hell, but I don't have the opportunity to remove the fucken bullet. They won't enter the building yet, not till I'm dead. I have four Molotov cocktails left, and I have no idea how many enemies right now, I'll get shot the moment I look. An explosion happened under me, that means they sacrificed somepony to get inside. I took a molotov and looked down the stairs that's required to climb to get up. The moment I see a raider, I threw the Molotov at him, lighting him and the stairs on fire. I run fast and put my sniper rifle back away, since the shotgun and pistol are already away, then grabs a molotov in my mouth and lights it. I jump off the two story roof and land on a raider to cushion the impact. I use the force of the fall to smash his head into the ground as hard as I can, then I threw the Molotov in the doorway. Setting the building on fire from both sides. Trapping the raiders inside to burn to death. I sit and lean against the another house, the fall sprained my back left leg and the damn raider shot me in the stomach as I was falling down. The fact I still hear gunfire and molotov cocktails being used means most of them are by Rumor. He seems to have it under control, at least it sounds like it. I pull out my sniper rifle and pointed it at the burning door.

"You can't kill the leader of the Dog Claw Raiders!" He jumps out to find a sniper in his face like I had already anticipated would happen.

"Oops." I smirk as I fire the sniper rifle, point blank into his face. I'd love to see a pony survive that shot. I open a whisky I had on me and drink. If I'm gonna die from a shot to the stomach, I rather die drinking some damn alcohol.

***

I don't know when I passed out, but I woke up in a nice bed. Actually I felt fucken fantastic, for a pony who got shot and sprained his leg I supposed. Dew was in a bed next to me, which confused me since she looked fine and I sorta figured I'm in an infirmary. Probably in TIM somewhere, which also means we won.

"She wouldn't leave your side, I didn't do much, but I remove the few bullets you had in you and patched you up. We need a real doctor to patch you up. So we send somepony to fetch somepony we used to know who's good at fixing ponies." Rumor had just walked in, he doesn't seem hurt, so that means they never got in TIM. That's at least a relief.

"So I'm gonna be in bed for a while, well I suppose I should be thankful. Though what bugs me is how my body feels good. I'd expect something to be hurting." He chuckled his deep, jolly laugh and patted my back.

"We used Radaway to rid your high levels of radiation. I expected you'd ask since you were pretty sick. You were out for a day and a half. The lass had a few skimpacks, which helped save your life." I look back at Dew, sleeping soundlessly. I suppose it wasn't so bad meeting her.

"Rumor, I need a drink. I don't care what it is, as long as it is hard."