“Casa-del-Scotchy” Ponyville
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.30 6:30 AM

“You got everything you need?” Butterscotch asked me.

It was time to get to work. Lilac had arrived to pick me up for our job today. “I’m all set, yeah. Thanks again for letting me borrow your jacket, it’ll help a lot.” We were leaving early, hoping to have the job done by the end of the day. I had to agree, I’d rather be home by nightfall.

“Okay,” Butterscotch said with that concerned look I never liked to see.

I sighed. “Scotch, I’ll be fine, I promise.” I looked out the door where Lilac sat in her truck, waiting for me. “I better get going. I’ll see you tonight.” I turned to go, but had a thought. Before I reached the door, I turned back around and gave Butterscotch a hug. It made my heartrate increase, for some reason.

“Okay, be safe. Good luck,” she said, hugging me back.

And with that, I left for Whisper Hollow.

…

When I joined Lilac, our greetings were brief. She explained – or tried to – that she hadn’t had enough sleep and wouldn’t be fully operational until she got a cup of coffee. I simply agreed and rode along in silence as we went to pick up Walnut.

Ash’s residence was visible from the road below the mountain, and as we began driving up the gravel road, Lilac again reached down and switched the vehicle into four-wheel-drive. I’d chosen not to sit directly next to her this time, so I got no hooves between my legs this time.

Walnut was already waiting outside on the porch when we approached, and he quickly got into the vehicle. He carried under his wings the rifles and ammunition that Ash had provided for us. “Morning, girls. Y’all ready?”

Lilac gave a non-descript grunt, and I nodded genially. “She’s not quite awake yet, I’m afraid,” I said to Walnut as he got into the vehicle after stowing the rifles and ammo in the back of the truck.

“Well she better get there soon,” he replied, bumping the back of Lilac’s seat. “You ain’t gonna fall asleep behind the wheel are you?”

“Coffee,” Lilac said.

“Rolo first, then coffee,” Walnut replied.

“Coffee…”

…

We picked Rolo up from a local hotel. Apparently he didn’t have a residence in Ponyville, but preferred this town all the same. He spent most of his time overseas doing work for the Equestrian military. He was waiting for us outside the hotel, and when he saw us he waved, then went back inside. A moment later, he came back out, along with a young employee who was pushing a cart which held a large duffle bag.

“Best for last?” He asked Lilac as he trotted past her open window. She simply looked over to him, then turned to the front again. “Yeah, me too.” He levitated the bag into the back of the truck, then got in with Walnut in the back seat.

“Coffee,” Walnut said to Rolo.

“Coffee,” we all agreed, and Lilac drove out the parking lot of the hotel and down the road towards a gas station.

“I’ll stay here with the gear. You all go get coffee. Large cup for me, nothing in it but coffee,” Rolo said from the back seat as we pulled up to the station. Lilac nodded agreement, and shut the engine off after putting her truck into park. We all got out, sans Rolo, and went inside. The mare at the counter was old but attentive, and looked at each of us as we came in. Nopony else was in the station.

On the far side from the entrance was the coffee machine. It had several different kinds, like espresso and cappuccino. We each got cups of the regular variety, plus one for Rolo, and went to the counter. “How y’all doin’ this mornin’ all bright and early?” The mare at the counter asked.

“Coffee…” Lilac mumbled.

“We’ll find out in about half an hour, once the coffee kicks in,” Walnut replied.

“That all for ya’ then?” She asked. Walnut nodded and paid the mare, and we left. Rolo was standing outside the truck, and I floated his coffee over to him. He took it in his glow and drank from it.

“Okay, get a couple sips of that in you, then we need to discuss the plan,” I said to Lilac.

She stared at me, then at her coffee, and then back to me. I gently lifted the hoof she had her coffee in towards her face, and she took the hint, drinking from the cup. She then took a few more sips, and looked more directly at me. “Okay.”

I looked to the others. “Rolo and Walnut, you’ve been to this place before, what can you tell us about it?”

“Well, it’s like this, see. Folks out there take care of their own. If you ain’t their own, you ain’t taken care of, ya get me?” Walnut began explaining. “They’re good ponies, they just don’t take too kindly to outsiders. Less so as of late, what with the refugee crisis, and all that.”

“You can stop into any shop or restaurant there and get what you need, you’ll be served just fine. But don’t expect any more than the bare minimum.” Rolo looked down at his cup as he spoke. “They’re not fond of prying eyes, either.”

“Okay. So then, we just mind our business, get the job done, and get out. Just like Ash said, yeah?” I hoped it would be that simple. I suspected it wouldn’t be.

“We can try. Worry is, they may not appreciate us coming by,” Walnut said, and looked to Lilac. She was still fairly out of it, not really paying attention to us. “It’s a good thing featherbrain here is the driver, they won’t recognize her truck.”

“Speaking of…” I looked to each of them. Two pegasi, two unicorns. “Seating positions. I need to be behind the driver.”

“Why’s that?” Rolo asked.

“Because if we’re tailed, and they want to stop us, they’ll pull up to the driver side. So we also need somepony that can take control if the driver is disabled.”

“Whoa now, it ain’t like we’re goin’ to war, Blue!” Walnut exclaimed.

“No, but I like to take precaution. This is the sort of work I did for a living back in the day.” I was enjoying it, I found. Discussing the plan. I smiled. “I don’t guess we have a R-O-E to go by, do we?”

Rolo chuckled. “I’ll ride co-pilot,” he said, looking at Lilac, who was sat on the pavement staring at me. Her eyes were not directed towards mine, however. She didn’t seem to be aware she was looking at my rump, but rather that was simply where her eyes were directed at the moment.

I turned to face her. “Are you good to go? You’re up for this, right?” I lifted her chin with my hoof and her eyes met mine.

She took a moment, then looked past me at my rump again, then blushed. “Oh gosh, sorry Blue!” She shook her head and looked back at me. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, sorry I kinda spaced out there. Uhm… I’ll drive!” She exclaimed, waving her hoof in the air.

“I don’t know, girl. You’re kinda out of it. Maybe sit in the back and take a nap, let me drive,” Walnut said, tapping his hoof on the metal cab of the truck. “I’ll treat her good, don’t you worry.”

“Oh no you don’t!” Lilac shouted, and lunged at him, her coffee forgotten on the pavement.

“So, Lilac’s driving, Rolo is passenger front, I’m driver rear, and Wally, you’re passenger rear. Sound good?” I asked, looking to each in turn.

Lilac looked over at me from where she was trying to force-feed Walnut his own hoof. “Oh no, I want you up front with me, girly.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because you’re cute,” she replied.

…

Equestria
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.30 7:15 AM

“After a certain point your GPS ain’t gonna work, so I’ll just direct you from there,” Walnut said. We’d begun our journey to Whisper. It was a long way apparently, and according to Walnut, not all of it was mapped.

“When I looked it up on the internet, it showed directions,” I said to him. He’d ended up behind me, in the back seat on the passenger side.

“Oh yeah, it’ll get you there. But where we’re going in Whisper sure ain’t on a map. Don’t worry, it’s not far into the territory, maybe just a few miles in.”

“You’ve never been, Lila?” Rolo asked once Walnut was finished speaking. He was sat behind Lilac.

“Nope, afraid not. Place sounds like it’s a little too… back-woods for me. I’ll stick to Ponyville, where things make sense. Mostly…” Lilac winked at me. She had her phone plugged into a charger, and had propped it up in one of the many cup holders in the vehicle. It showed a map with a highlighted route for us to follow.

We’d gotten our rifles and put them in the cab, below our seats. They were loaded, safeties on. Thinking of the rifles brought something to my attention. “When we get there, we should keep our rifles on us,” I said. “It’s not a good idea to leave them behind.”

Lilac glanced at me. The others looked at me, Rolo with a raised eyebrow and Walnut with a perplexed look. “It ain’t like we’re goin’ into a warzone girl,” Walnut said. “You’re really takin’ this seriously, huh?”

“Should I not be?” I asked him.

“No, you’re right. It’s a good idea to keep our weapons with us,” Rolo said. “Last time we were here, there were… complications.” Rolo looked at Walnut, who looked away. “Let’s also make sure the driver stays with the vehicle. At least until we get there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Lilac agreed.

…

We rode on for some time, the scenery largely unchanged. Long, boring roads and bare trees on either side, with mountains in the distance. Occasionally we’d go through a tunnel, or over a hill, or through a small town.

We talked about inconsequential things like buckball and racing sports. Then, Walnut asked Lilac a peculiar question.

“So, when you gonna ask her out on a date?”

Lilac stiffened up and focused on the road ahead. “Don’t know what you mean,” she said in a tone not at all like her usual self. I looked back at Walnut and Rolo. They were both grinning.

“Yeah you do. You did tell her to sit up front with you after all.” Walnut said.

“Because she’s cute, you said,” Rolo added.

Lilac’s nostrils flared, and her face went a shade of red. I simply looked at her, then to the other two in the back seat. Rolo grinned at me. Walnut gave me a wink. I had an idea.

I unbuckled from my seat, lifted the center console up so I could sit in the middle, and did just that, buckling in right next to Lilac. I made sure to brush up against her too. She was warm to the touch, and her wings twitched as we came into contact. I patted my hooves against my knees idly, feigning innocence.

“Okay okay, let a mare have her fun damn it!” Lilac said suddenly. “I just like to pick on Blue because she’s so…”

“Cute?” I offered, saying it right next to her ear. We nearly drifted off the road as Lilac appeared to have fainted.

…

I’d decided to return to my seat on the other side of the cab, once we’d made sure Lilac wasn’t going to burst a blood vessel. “You’re pretty knowledgeable about this sort of thing, Blue,” Rolo said to me. “Lessons learned from previous occupations, I presume?” Did he talk like that on purpose, or was it just a slip?

“It comes with the territory, I guess,” I answered. “Need to know how to push somepony’s buttons. Besides, Lilac set herself up.” I looked out the window. There weren’t many other ponies on the road, and for the most part the mountains appeared uninhabited. Occasionally we’d see power lines traveling across the landscape, vast swaths cut through the vegetation below them. For the most part, it was beautiful, if a little eerie. “All of Equestria isn’t like this, is it?” I asked, gesturing to the surrounding environment.

“What, mountainous? No. We have mountains, plains, swamps… you name it. “Lilac looked out her own window. On her side was a sheer mountainside, which appeared to have been blasted out to make room for the road. “In fact, Ponyville is one of the younger settlements, believe it or not. Only about four or five generations have lived there since it was founded. Most of Equestria’s population lives on the coasts.”

I remembered what Ash had said about civilization, how nature should take it all back. “Do you think it’s right?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“Is it right to turn all this into cities and towns?” I asked, gesturing out the windows.

“She had the talk with Dad,” Walnut groaned.

“Oh, that. Don’t worry about it Blue, it’s all the same in the end. We can’t exactly be expected to live like animals, now can we?” Lilac laughed and we drove along. I watched the scenery.

…

Somewhere in Equestria
D3-08 “Blue Moon”
997.05.30 9:45 AM

We’d exited the freeway some time ago and had begun traveling along a two-lane road that had all but been reclaimed by nature. We were in a valley, following the twists and bends of a nearby river. Eventually we came upon a sign that was entirely illegible, damaged by weather and by time. Beyond it, the road lead in to what could have been described as a town. It could have also been described as deserted. There wasn’t a soul around. The battered and crumbling sidewalks were dusted with snow, and there were no tracks on them. The skies overhead were overcast grey, and I couldn’t see any pegasi. “Where is everypony?” I asked.

“They are all indoors. Look at the windows,” Rolo said. I did as he said, and sure enough I could make out silhouettes of ponies. Some of them stood close enough to the windows I could make out their faces. Their coats were mostly dull colors, the males had short manes and the females had theirs up in buns. None of them seemed pleased to see us.

“Take the next right,” Walnut said to Lilac. At the intersection, Lilac was about to take the turn, but didn’t. “What’s the hold up?” Walnut asked her.

“Bridge is out,” she replied. I looked over, and sure enough the road just stopped dead and dropped off into a river below.

“Damn, gotta take the other way. Keep going down main street.” Walnut blew out his nostrils. “If the bridge is out, it’ll be a miracle if the other way in is still there.

We drove on, keeping our eyes on the windows of the structures we passed. Sometimes we’d catch a pony looking out their window at us, but never anypony outside.

“They knew we were coming,” I said. “Scouts maybe. Or somepony back home told them. We’re definitely not in friendly territory.”

“No we ain’t,” Lilac said, and sped up a little.

“Don’t do that,” Walnut warned. “Keep goin’ at a regular pace, don’t wanna spook ‘em.”

“Shit, I don’t like this. Whatever.” She slowed back down. We were going maybe twenty miles an hour now. After some time, we reached another bridge, which was intact. We crossed it without issue. Looking along the river, I could see several rope bridges going over the river further downstream.

“Next two rights,” Walnut said. Lilac took the turns and we started heading back along the river on the other side, going the other way. “Left ahead,” Walnut said next, and Lilac took that turn as well. We passed by what looked to be a school. Yellow busses were parked neatly along one side of the structure, and a field in the back told me the school had a hoofball team. There were no signs of activity, but that wasn’t surprising.

We followed this road for a while, until we came to another intersection, with a group of ponies around a utility truck parked at the corner. One of them waved for us to stop, and we did.

“What y’all doin’ out here?” He asked after Lilac rolled down her window. He was tall, and bulky. His eyes were searching each of us in turn. “Lines’re out, ain’t no power up yonder. Y’all gonna want to go back where ya came from.”

“Jussa passin’ through, need to get to Jack Ass Holler,” Walnut said in a rather convincing replication of the linebuck’s accent. “Heard Momma Withers needed a new couch.”

“Aight, be careful though. Folks up there been mighty weird lately. Lotta new faces.” He let us pass.

“What?” Lilac blurted once her window was up.

“I second that,” I said, looking back at Walnut.

“Momma Withers is kind of the authority up this way,” he explained. “Her name usually gets things moving again if I ever get in a bind around here. Take the next left, before the bridge.”

To our left was sheer mountainside, and on our right was slowly encroaching another branch of the river. Once we’d come to the bridge he’d mentioned, Lilac turned on to the next road, which appeared to have once been paved, but was now merely gravel. The power lines were cut between each pole. I pointed that out.

“A little excessive, no?” Rolo said. “Breaking the circuit in one place would be enough.”

“Not if you want the repairs to take an eternity,” I said. I was getting an uncomfortable feeling about this job. No wonder it was worth so much.

“Follow this road. Don’t take any turns. Follow it until it ends. We’ll come up and over a hill, and you’ll take the last right turn into Jack Ass.” Walnut was all business now. I guessed we all were.

“Why’s it called Jack Ass?” Lilac said with a laugh. Three out of four?

…

The road we followed was barely a road at all. It was largely eroded and barely wide enough for us to fit down in Lilac’s truck. Looking out my window, I could see there had once been a road down next to the creek that ran below us now, but it had long since been over grown and reclaimed by nature.

We’d stayed on the broken road for some time, and I was about to say as much when we began traveling downhill. Soon we reached the old road I’d noticed before, and joined it, traveling right next to the river. On either side of us now I saw nothing but steep mountainside, with thick flora all around. We passed through a particularly tight section of the ravine we were now in, and came into a glade of sorts. On the left was a pasture, with an ancient structure of some kind on one side, and on the other was another road going uphill. The road we were on ended ahead.

“Take that turn there,” Walnut said, gesturing towards the road going uphill. It looked like it went deep into the woods.

“We’ll be able to get the trailer out of this mess, right?” Lilac asked. “That was one nasty route we just took, Wally.”

“We’ll make it. There’s another way in here, but there ain’t no sense in taking it considering the bridge is out.”

…

Traveling along the road going uphill, we were quickly surrounded by dense forest on all sides. It was dark, and the air smelled sweet. It set me on edge. “Relax,” Lilac said to me, patting my shoulder. “You’re all tensed up. Was she like this on the last job y’all did, Wally?”

“Nah, she was all cool then.”

I forced myself to relax, breathing in deep and slow. Letting out my breath, I looked to my right. I couldn’t see very far into the woods at all. Same case for the left side. “Don’t like this. It’s so perfect for an ambush. This whole area is like one natural fortress.”

“Why do you think the folks that live here don’t want to leave?” Walnut said. “It’s perfect for them. They like their way of life, and don’t plan on changing it.”

“I can respect that,” I said. I continued to watch the forest, the innumerable trees, the thick underbrush, the way the leaves overhead seemed to drain all the light from the world. I really didn’t like it. Then we came to another opening. On the right was a small pond, with a millhouse on the far side. On the left was another pasture with a well-kept wooden fence around it. Ahead were several structures, all ancient looking, yet well-kept. They were timber framed houses, I could see three. One directly ahead, and two up a drive to the right, beyond the one ahead of us.

“Pull up to the back of the house there,” Walnut said, gesturing to the road that lead up to the two houses above the one directly ahead. “The trailer is up there.”

“Don’t see it,” Lilac said. “But okay.” She drove up the gravel road to where the houses were.

I noticed something in the air. “It’s snowing,” I said, maybe more to myself than to any of the others.

“Yeah, this part of the country isn’t really monitored by the weather management. Occasionally you’ll get a stray cloud or even a wild storm. Doesn’t matter to these folks though,” Walnut said as Lilac pulled to the back of one of the structures and sure enough, there was the trailer. It was made of corrugated aluminum and looked to be brand new. “There it is. Don’t hook up yet, we gotta stop in and say hi. Would be rude not to.” He got out of the vehicle once Lilac put it in park. “Bring your rifles with you, leave everything else here. Leave the doors unlocked too. Don’t worry, they won’t take anything.”

“Easy for you to say, ain’t your damn truck!” Lilac exclaimed. She still did like he said though, bringing her rifle with her and not bothering to lock the vehicle. “I’ll clip your wings if there’s a damn thing wrong with this truck when we get back, you hear me?”

“Need to check to see if everything’s there,” Rolo said. “I’ll be quick.”

“Can’t do that without the key. We gotta go inside.” Walnut began walking back down the gravel road towards the first house.

I noticed despite the snow, I didn’t feel all that cold. “There’s no wind,” I mentioned, following Walnut.

“Can thank the tree cover for that,” he replied.

“You gave her all that trouble for taking this too seriously, and now look at you,” Rolo chided Walnut. We reached the door to the house. It was a screen door. Behind that was a wooden door with the tree of life painted on it.

“I recognize that,” I said, gesturing to the painting. “Didn’t know you had mythology like that here.” The others just looked at me, bewildered. I shrugged, and Walnut knocked on the door with his hoof.

“Keep your rifles low, don’t do anything dumb. Y’know, obvious shit.” We waited for a short while, then the door opened. Behind it was what looked like a pony, only different in every conceivable way. Their fur was grey and rougher than a pony’s, their mane choppy and dark. It had on a pair of black overalls and a white button up under that. The not-pony looked at Walnut, then me, then the others. Then back to Walnut.

“Wally! Get in here, you’re early!” His voice was deep, like splitting stone.

“Everypony, this is Jack.” I realized Jack was a donkey. “Jack, this is Rolo, who you’ve met, and that’s Lilac,” he gestured to Lilac. “And this here is Miss Blue Moon. She’s our newest member.” I nodded to the donkey. Was there any creature on this weird planet that wasn’t sentient?

“Nice to meet you, Jack,” I said in my best American accent. The others all looked at me, again with bewildered expressions on their faces. Jack looked pleased with the greeting.

“Well get on in here, ‘fore you freeze your tails off,” Jack said, opening the screen door for us. I noticed the wood door opened inward, but the screen door opened outward.

We all trotted inside and were met by the sweet smell of cooking. There was the deep, regular tick-tock of a grandfather clock which stood in the corner to the right. Immediately in front of us was a fireplace, which was not lit, yet the house felt warm all the same. The floor was hardwood, old and creaky, yet firm. There were two matching plush couches sat facing each other, adjacent of the fireplace. To the left of the fireplace was what appeared to be a kitchen, and to the right of it was a staircase leading up. Looking up I saw that there were weapons of all kinds mounted to the rafters. Modern weapons of war, ancient hunting rifles, even spears and clubs and the like. Peculiar.

“Welcome, welcome!” An elderly woman’s voice came from the kitchen. I couldn’t see who was speaking, until she stood up from behind one of the counters. She held a pot by her mouth and set it on the countertop. “Y’all sure are early, ain’t ya? Well come on in and sit down, I’m sure you’re tired from the long drive over here.” She was also a donkey.

“Hey there Momma Withers, it sure is good to see you,” Walnut said, walking over and giving the old donkey a hug. She had on a flowery dress and an apron. “Y’all been doing all right out here? Heard the power’s out.”

Walnut walked over to join the rest of us near the fireplace. “Well you know we don’t need no electricity up here, Wally. No, it’s those damn rough-ridin’ cunts from up north. They came in ‘bout a year ago, well you know. Well they’ve decided they want control over the power now too, so they went and snipped all the wires!” Momma Withers was chopping various vegetables now with a knife she held in her mouth. She was speaking past it clearly all the same, even as she did her work. “They don’t come up here none, though. Guess they know who’s really in charge,” she said, winking at us.

“Things haven’t really improved here, then,” Walnut said. “That’s a shame.”

“Well, if they’d stop rushing down here and muckin’ up our country and start fightin’ for their own, there wouldn’t be a problem. But I guess they don’t make ‘em up there like we do down here,” Jack said. “But enough about shit what don’t matter. Y’all are here for the steel, ain’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Walnut replied. “Looks like a pretty good order this time, too.”

“Aw, shucks Jackie, we ain’t loaded it all yet. Didn’t know y’all would be here so early,” Momma Withers exclaimed. “Tell you what, I’ll get the boys to load the rest up now. Give ‘em something to do besides sitting around like a bunch of lumps.” She trotted over to a nearby window and opened it. “Go ahead and load it up, make sure it’s all in there,” she said as if there was somebody just on the other side of the window. She then shut the window and went back to doing her thing with the veggies and the knife.

“Well, I hope we’re not being a nuisance ma’am,” Walnut said to Momma Withers. “Here, how about we help you in the kitchen?” He offered, standing up.

“No, no, y’all stay put. I like doin’ this sort of thing.” She was putting water in the pot now from a nearby faucet. “Tell me about these two young mares you got with you!”

Walnut looked to Lilac and me. We were sitting together on one of the couches, the one facing towards the kitchen. “Well, Lilac has been a good friend of mine ever since I got out of the service, and her uncle is a real good family friend. Blue here is a recent acquisition, just started working for us last weekend. Believe it or not, they’re here because the shop they worked at burned down.”

“I think I remember tell of you, Lilac,” Jack said to the mare in question. “Your uncle visits occasionally. Damn quick flyer he is, don’t guess you’re any like him, are you?”

“yes sir, quicker even,” Lilac said, beaming. “I learned from the best and made it better. Served in the air guard same time as Wally. Never worked with him while I was in, but I met him the day I got out and he’s been chasing me around ever since.”

“Don’t guess he can keep up, ‘cause it don’t look like he’s caught you yet,” Jack said, grinning at Walnut.

“She’s interested in mares, Jack. Total dyke, don’t listen to her.”

“Yeah well, I think I’ll just snatch up Blue here and then you’ll never have a chance,” Lilac said, throwing her wing around me. I raised a brow at her.

“What about you, Miss Blue? What’s your story?” Jack asked me. Everypony was looking at me now. Well, everyperson. Everyass?

“I’m just a mercenary, really. Been round and round, done just about everything. Ended up in the Everfree during a wild blizzard, and this doll saved my life, along with a friend of hers. So now I stick around as a good gesture.” I nudged Lilac in the ribs with a hoof. “She’s kinda fun, too. Sometimes. Real dull in a fight, though.”

“So, you been doing this sort of thing long?” Jack asked.

I knew lying to Jack would be a really dumb idea, so I decided to tell the careful truth. “Started when I was twelve, lost a sister and decided I’d roam around until I found her. By the time I was old enough to drink, I’d gotten so used to this kind of life I never wanted to do anything else.” I looked at the fireplace. “Home wasn’t somewhere I could stay. Just wasn’t viable. Sometimes I miss it, but I think home is what you make it to be. And,” I looked to the others. “I think I can make a home here. This crew isn’t too bad.”

Jack nodded. “Makes sense to me. You seem like the sort that’s been through enough to teach me a thing or two. Say, where is your home, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Don’t rightly know. It’s been so long, and when I ran off I had no idea where I was going. Honestly, even if I found the place again someday, I probably wouldn’t recognize it. I think the open road is the closest thing to a home I have. That and a good rifle.”

Jack grinned. “Yeah, you’re definitely the right sort for this crowd. Welcome to the crew, lass. You’ll like it here.”

…

We spent the better part of the next hour chatting with the Withers, whom were very hospitable. They seemed genuinely glad to see us. Momma Withers offered us coffee, which we politely accepted. Jack regaled us with tales of fancy. Fighting against changelings, encounters with beasts known as wendigos, and other things.

By around noon there was a knock at the door, and Jack let the pony in. It was a young buck with a sandy coat and a blonde mane. He seemed like he would rather be anywhere but right there in the doorway. “Got it all loaded up boss, just like you asked,” He said to Momma Withers, without stepping inside. “Anything else we need to do?” His voice cracked on more than one occasion as he spoke.

“No, no I think that’s everything,” Momma Withers said, looking to us. “Give the key to old Walnut there.”

The young buck stood there for a few seconds, then slowly made his way inside. I could tell something was off. The buck got about halfway to where we were all seated and reached into a pocket on the front of his overalls. He pulled out a key.

He took a few more steps closer, then fell to the floor as a shot rang out and a hole formed in his throat.

Something was definitely not right here.

Author's Note

Here we go.