The Last Watcher: Neighagra Falls

"I pray for the safety of all good ponies, but we can't expect the Sisters to do all the work."

Yesterday's walk had been a long one. I'd managed a pretty early start, being the only customer in the market meant getting supplied was quick and painless, and that meant a full day's worth of travel. Nothing particularly eventful had happened, passed a barge headed back down from Manehatten. Didn't have much time for chatting, but they did say they weren't carrying any medicine. Not a surprise, it was primarily caps that came back from Manehatten. They also said they hadn't seen any signs of an attack.

I cleaned out my guns carefully but quickly, contemplating my plans. It's hard to miss a barge abandoned in the canal. Signs pointed to this being a long walk to Manehatten. Couldn't say I was happy about that, I didn't like getting too far from home. It meant no support if things went bad. I berated myself for the thought, it's not like I had support in any case. And whose fault is that?

"Not mine." The low voice made me jump before I realized it had been me. But the sudden distraction had pulled me away from the meticulous details of my 5.56 and I realized my gut was trying to get my attention. Something was wrong. I looked around my campsite. It wasn't along the canal itself, that was too well worn a route. Never knew what pony was going to come upon you, and sometimes they weren't friendly. I was nestled low between some hills. It made it more difficult to be seen, but it also meant that right now I didn't have a view of anything around me. Nothing jumped out as an immediate sign of danger.

I set the pieces of my rifle down and drew my 10mm. Standing up, I turned a slow circle. There was nothing but the dirt mounds that were meant to hide me and some scraggly brush that I wasn't even sure was alive. Other than the light wind, everything was almost eerily silent. I'd already checked around before setting up camp last night, so I was sure there weren't any mole rat holes or the like nearby. I sat back down again, giving one last glance around. I could feel the eyes on me but had no idea where they could be. I set my pistol down.

"Hello, Longshot."

I about jumped out of my skin and whipped around, raising my pistol. Nothing there. My brain caught up with where my ears reported the sound coming from and I looked up to see a parasprite bot floating over my head.

"You," I growled. I didn't give him the satisfaction of using the name he'd given himself. The name he'd stolen. Explained my gut feeling though. My subconscious must've been aware of the bot's music and heard it cut off after I'd spoken.

"I didn't mean to spook you," came the mechanically flat voice. "Maybe you should look up when you're checking around yourself, though."

"I don't need advice from you." True enough. It was a reminder Watchers were given often. Pegasi, griffins, even dragons and hippogriffs. They were rare but not unheard of, and it only takes being surprised once. Technically I didn't need the advice, even if it was a good reminder.

"I remember. It's been awhile and I wanted to check in."

"Weapons. Armor. Got 'em. Had 'em the first time," I said dismissively, turning back to my rifle and ignoring the Sisters-damned imposter.

"Friends." The word was drawn out. Without inflection, it sounded more like the bot was malfunctioning. It took me a moment to realize whoever was on the other end was trying to give emphasis.

"I have plenty of friends," I said, trying to ignore them.

"You have customers and acquaintances. I know sometimes you team up with somepony, but you never stick with them for long."

"I didn't want your advice the first time, or the second. Why do you think I'd take it now?" I tried my best to focus on the rifle, but it felt like Fire was trying to claw its way out of me.

"I think you're one of the good ones, Longshot. I just." The bot didn't so much trail off as cut off. "I'd rather not see that change."

"I'm not your concern." I snarled. I just wanted the bastard to go the buck away.

"Maybe not then. But I am concerned from somepony else."

"You going to hire me?" I bit at them sarcastically. "Watchers do the work themselves, imposter."

"There's a pony not too far up the canal from you," they said, ignoring my comments. "You could use their help."

"I could use their friendship, could I?"

The imposter ignored me. "Raiders found her in a vulnerable state and she joined them for lack of choice but she wants out. Last night she took a chance to slip away, but some enemies she made in the group have decided to hunt her down. She thinks he's escaped, but-"

"She doesn't know they're coming." I rested my head against a hoof, holding it there. The son of a mule knew how to push my buttons. I wanted nothing to do with him but, if any of this was true I couldn't willfully ignore it. Compassion, Integrity, Generosity. Even Loyalty had its say. They were all in agreement on this one. It was a no-brainer. But I was not okay with letting this imposter tug me around.

"This particular raider group recently got their hooves on a couple crates of medical supplies."

"I hate you so Luna-damned much, you know that?" I spoke through gritted teeth.

I didn't get a response, just the pop of static as the music came back. The bot floated off, disinterested. I only kept from screaming at it in frustration because I was pretty sure the bastard could still see and hear me if they cared to. I cut my cleaning routine short, piecing the rifle back together as fast as I could. Something urgent had come up. Lives couldn't wait.

Unfortunately, the imposter hadn't mentioned how close 'not too far' was. It was midmorning before I realized that I could be going for many hours yet, but I wasn't willing to slow my pace too much. I couldn't afford to be late, even if my lungs protested. Thankfully, Wind made a good companion on long hikes like these. Granted I couldn't keep the pace it would like, it always itched to run. It still kept me going faster than I would have without it.

It was sometime after midday that I started hearing gunshots. They were far, too far for comfort if they were who I was looking for. I took a deep breath and started in at a gallop, I could feel the joy from Wind as it pushed me along, thrilled to finally be going at full speed. It was hard not to feel buoyed by the rush of joy and freedom, but I needed to focus.

It was a long time before I got close to the fighting. Gunshots can be heard from a long way off, especially in the quiet of the wasteland far from any settlement. I was hardly on the edge of hearing, but even a few minutes is an eternity in a firefight. The shooting was sporadic though, so whatever was happening, both sides were being cautious and slow. There was an explosion before I got into visual range and it worried me, but gunfire picked up again a moment later.

I came across the remains of a little old-world village, the ruins of buildings still upright but crumbling. Plenty of places to find cover, and not somewhere to walk in blind even when there isn't a firefight going on. I found myself a hill with a nice vantage point and settled down. I considered dismissing Wind but decided if I needed to move I was going to want to do it quickly. It was also going to help my breathing, well worth it making me antsy. A quick request for help and investment of magic and I had Light in the scope of my .32 once again. The glow might give me away, but the day was as bright as the wasteland got, so it was worth the risk.

After all that hurrying there was a lot of waiting. My breathing settled with a minimum of coughing. It was hard to keep still, with a pony who might need my help so close. I wasn't going to walk into close quarters with no intel though, not without a combat shotgun anyway. Muzzle flashes and the sound of gunfire kept popping up, but I couldn't get a visual on the

combatants. There and gone in a moment. Someone would occasionally shout something, possibly taunts but it was impossible to tell at this distance.

Finally, I got a visual. Truth be told I almost pulled the trigger as soon as I saw them out of simple habit until I remembered what I was looking for here. The mare was as plain as an earth pony could be, brown on brown. If it weren't for the raider armor they wouldn't be memorable at all. She carried a baseball bat in her jaw, but as I watched she tucked it into a strap to hold it in place and pulled out a small metal disc. I recognized the frag mine as she activated and dropped it in the alley she was running down. She took cover on the side of the building facing me, clutching the bat again and ready to swing.

Her pursuer came around the corner and, armed with foreknowledge, it was easy to tell the difference between the two. The new guy in my scope was wearing the same sort of patchwork, scrap armor but his mane was done up in that wild raider style and he had much more scarring. This was a lifelong raider, the one with the bat was clearly new to this particular game.

Whatever else I could say about him, the imposter didn't lie.

The idiot full of bloodlust somehow failed to notice the bright red light on the ground, or just failed to register it as important. The mine went off directly under him. After a brief moment of flight, he dropped like a sack of potatoes. Theoretically, he might've survived, but that was a worse case scenario for him. I doubt his friends would be willing to stop and spare some potions or Hydra before he bled out.

The next pursuer laughed, a mare levitating a beat-up 10mm pistol along in front of her, enjoying the battle frenzy. I wondered if she heard the shot that killed her as my bullet, guided by Watcher training and Light itself cleanly put her down. Likely a better end then her 'friend' just had.

That definitely put a stop to things. The pony I was here for clutched at her bat and looked around at the sound of the .32. You didn't have to know guns to know that wasn't the kind of retort that had been part of the fighting previously. She didn't seem to spot me though, and one of her pursuers called out loud enough "Where the tartarus did she get a gun?!"

There wasn't much movement after that. The mare was checking around the corner from time to time but there was no sign of the one who’d called out a moment ago. When she was looking out toward me I raised my rifle up into the air and waved it. No longer looking down the scope I couldn't tell if she'd seen, but I stood up and started moving toward her anyway. I kept my rifle in the air and waving and hoped she got the message I was friendly.

A brisk trot with Wind at my back had me there in no time. I could see her watching me warily as I approached, but neither of us said anything until we were at a reasonable distance to talk. Though I did stay a good few strides away. Her only weapon was a bat and possibly some explosives, no reason to take unnecessary chances.

"You okay?" I asked as I came to a stop.

"Why did you help me?" She'd pulled her bat out of her mouth and held it against her as she sat, looking at me suspiciously.

"You needed helping."

"No pony helps raiders."

"You're not a raider," I couldn't help smirking before getting back to the topic at hand. "Are you hurt?"

"I wasn't shot but, do you have any food to spare?"

I didn't quite let my guard down but I did approach and offer her a tato. I saw her eyes go wide as if she were excited, which confused me. But then she bit in and seemed much more surprised then she did when she saw it.

"Bleeaaaa..."

I chuckled. "Haven't had a tato before?"

"A what?"

"You just tasted one so you know about as much as you need to, I think. It'll keep you from starving at least."

She made an unhappy noise and took another bite, reluctantly.

I was about to speak again when I heard a strange noise and my brain went on high alert, much too late. Around the corner of the building this mare had taken cover behind came another raider carrying a section of pipe.

My rifle was no good in this situation so I went for my pistol, but he swatted at it as he closed. He easily knocked it out of my magic field and sent it skittering across the ground. I tried to back up and go for my last resort, a simple combat knife, but he was too close and too fast.

Thankfully, I was tall for a pony. It put my head at an awkward angle for him to swing at. I was not so grateful for where it put my knees, however. My leg buckled under the impact and I fell forward. I tried to turn it into a roll to get away from him but I got another crack from the pipe for my efforts.

I went to grab hold of my knife again, accepting that I was going to take another hit in the process and having to hope I didn't lose concentration when another crack came like the sound of thunder right on top of me. I expected from the sound a bone to be broken at best and waited for the pain. Until a scream came that wasn't mine.

Another impact, this one much wetter and I rolled to my hooves, and quickly letting off the injured leg, and saw the mare I'd come to save rearing up for another swing at my attacker with the bat. His back was at a bad angle, had she broken it? Worse, his skull was... clearly not whole. It only got worse as the bat came down again.

It came up for another swing and I grabbed ahold of it in my magic. "Woah, woah. You got him."

She looked at me, her eyes wild and I had a moment of fright. She collected herself though, letting go of the bat. "Sorry..."

"It's alright. Looks like we're about even now. Thanks." She smiled weakly at that and I returned it. "Was anypony else attacking you?"

She shook her head. "There was four, but I got one earlier.

That would be the other explosion I heard. I'd have to see if she had more mines. "My name's Longshot by the way."

"Bittercup," she offered.

"Nice to meet you, Bittercup. You still alright?"

"I'm not the one who was hit with a metal pipe."

Sarcastic already. "I didn't get hit by a bat, so I think I came out pretty well in this fight. I'll get the leg wrapped in one of my charmed bandages to keep the swelling down and I should be fine."

"What were you doing out here?"

I hobbled over to the wall. Sitting down and leaning against it, I dug out a bandage. It was a good excuse not to look at her as I worked on wrapping myself up, appear nonchalant. "Looking for a missing shipment of medical supplies. Could've been stolen, or maybe it had never been shipped to begin with."

"Oh. It was traded for safe passage."

That caught me off guard. I paused in my work to look up at her. "Traded?"

"Yeah, I guess some trader has a deal with, ah, that group. They leave supplies every so often and get to go by untouched."

I went back to wrapping. "I don't suppose you know where those supplies are now?"

She hesitated before answering. "I want you to escort me to a town. A real town, not like them."

"What, you're offering a trade?" She nodded. "No deal."

"What?" she looked startled.

"I would've done that anyway. We don't have to make that into a trade."

"Er, oh." She didn't know what to say to that. I wasn't surprised. It was a common problem for Watchers actually, ponies not believing that anypony would be Generous. I sighed internally, but let her work out how she felt about it for herself. "So. How about I help you get the shipment and then, unrelated, you help me back to town."

"You want to help?" I asked, now my turn to be skeptical.

"I helped them ambush ponies. Maybe I can undo some of that by helping get that medicine back."

That wasn't how that worked, but I could understand the instinct. "Alright then. Let's see what we can do."

In Search of Salves
-(Optional) Rescue Bittercup: Complete