Shadow of Equestria

by Darkstorm619

Chapters

Chapter 1: Conundrum
Chapter 2: Assemble
Chapter 3: Conquer
Chapter 4: Anomaly
Chapter 5: Ponyville
Chapter 6: Crimson
Chapter 7: Proposal
Chapter 8: Understanding

Chapter 1: Conundrum

Author's Note

A very special thanks to the talented Kydois. Who had fixed my writing and gave it life.

And to those who have helped in making this a reality!

Chapter 1: Conundrum

My eyes fluttered open.

I shivered violently on the muddy ground. The rags I wore were of little protection against the cold winds blowing over me. A horrible smell stung my nostrils, an acerbic mix of unused diesel and copper.

I groaned as I laboriously leaned my head over. A couple of meters out, a vehicle was engulfed by a roaring blaze, charcoal smoke billowing into the somber morning sky. Dead ponies were strewn across the field, unmoving, their identities unknown to me. Their clothes mirrored my tattered and ragged outfit, and I assumed that I had been one of them before whatever happened... happened.

Where was I? Was I part of a battle that I managed to live through? Had I been violently flung from that truck?

I caught a lone figure poking and prodding around the bodies, completely hidden under a worn cloak. A survivor? Or perhaps just a looter. They turned towards me briefly, and I saw a few of their features, though only enough to recognize it as she.

I reached up with my hooves and rubbed my sore eyes, slumping back into the mud. My brain hurt as if someone had beaten me to a pulp with a sledgehammer. I racked my brains trying to think of how this whole dream started, but I found little to remember. Neither who I was nor how I came here popped to mind, and I soon found myself drifting off into unconsciousness again.

I woke with a start, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The warmth of a scratchy blanket and the uncomfortable spring mattress reassured me that I was in relative safety. I breathed a sigh of relief, but even then, it was hard to completely loosen up. I may be safer now, but there was still too much that was unknown.

It was a bunker of some kind. That much was evident by the stone enclosing me on all sides. There were cans of old food and candy wrappers decoratively placed on the floor, while old furniture, mostly beds and tables, appeared to have been used recently by the residents, wherever they were.

What I wouldn’t do for a bottle of Daisy Vodka right now. It would’ve taken this horrendous pain away, helped ease my aching head, and let me celebrate the fact I was still alive. I heaved a defeated sigh as I stared up at the cracks in the concrete ceiling.

“Rise and shine!” A voice echoed from the doorway across the room.

It was a mare. She wore a familiar cloak, except this time, her face wasn’t hidden in a giant hood. She was a unicorn of average build, her golden harvest coat and blonde mane blemished with a few dirt stains. She had a peculiar scar across her left eyelid, which I realized, upon further inspection, took the shape of an “F” whenever she blinked. Her yellow eyes were tired. Weary.

“Are you alright?” she said, stepping towards me.

“I… I guess,” I rasped out, coughing as I made an effort to sit up.

“I see.” The mare stopped a respectable distance away from me. Her horn glowed a soft orange as she floated an old luggage case into my view.

“My name is Pathfinder. What’s yours?”

I stared at her in awkward silence, massaging my sore foreleg. My name… What a question. What was I supposed to say?

I sighed. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

She breathed out in exasperation. “Okay. That’s off the table.” She floated out a slim, pocket-sized rectangle from one of her pockets. “You know what this is?”

At first, I didn’t recognize what she showed me, but once I saw the acronym “PDA” etched into the side of the silver rectangle and the worn scratches over it, I knew. It was a PDA, and not only that, it was my PDA. I lunged at Pathfinder and snatched it from her aura, startling her. I stared at the device in my hooves, relieved that I got it back again.

There was a quick motion, and I looked back up at Pathfinder. She was pointing another object at me. A gun.

“Start talking,” Pathfinder growled quietly.

I swallowed, clutching my PDA to my breast. “I-I don’t remember anything,” was all I could say.

“Bullshit,” she snarled, her eyes boring into me. “You clearly know what’s on that PDA.”

“I don’t!” I tried to wriggle further away on the bed.

“Stop playing around. I know what I saw on there. You want to kill a pony named Gray Steel.” She snorted. “You mercenaries never stop amazing me.”

Great.

I fidgeted, squirming back into the wall as I continued to look down the barrel of her gun. She was still staring at me intensely, unflinching. Her pistol was unwaveringly still in the silence.

“Whatever. Pull a fast one on me, and you’re going to catch one of my bullets,” Pathfinder grumbled as she let her gun settle along her side. She composed herself with a heavy sigh. “I’m calling you Dossier.”

My brow furrowed. “Dossier? Why?”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “You want to tell me your real name?”

I didn’t answer and quickly came to terms with my new name. Dossier… It was a little catchy when I repeated it back to myself.

Pathfinder set the luggage case next to my bed. “You can keep the items in that case. Try to get along here in Rookie Haven,” she ordered before she left the bunker.

I was finally alone. My mind was overwhelmed with vague information and new outstanding questions, yet I was too afraid to ask Pathfinder just now for help, too afraid to even ask a simple question out of fear she would shoot me in the head.

I shook my head. I couldn’t linger on such thoughts, or I’d be here all evening.

I looked down at the device in my hooves. My eyes closed and I concentrated on the PDA, drawing on a basic, instinctive spell. Telekinesis. Every unicorn was a natural with this fundamental spell, and even I couldn’t mess it up that badly. I opened my eyes and saw my brilliant white aura levitating the device in front of my face.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out how to operate my PDA with a few probing button presses along the black glossy surface. The little piece of technology whirred to life and the black was soon replaced with a basic interface with four tabs: Map, Tasks, Encyclopedia, and Diary. I started with the Tasks tab. The device chimed with my selection, and the four tabs were replaced with another separate interface.

There it was. The aforementioned task with my supposed target.

ELIMINATE GRAY STEEL

I stared blankly at the screen of my PDA. That name… it looked familiar. The letters were burned into my shattered memory. I knew this pony, but at the same time, I didn’t.

I knew for a fact I needed answers to my questions, and Gray Steel was likely the pony to answer most of my questions for me. It was the best plan I could come up with on short notice, though it was impossible to tell if they were going to be hostile or indifferent to me.

I continued on with my PDA, looking through the Diary and Encyclopedia. There were no entries in either of those tabs that could’ve been of use to me, so I nonchalantly opened up the Map tab. The screen turned black for a moment, and the map of the area loaded slowly, piece-by-piece like a puzzle until it displayed the entire area.

I was in the Undiscovered West. Upon closer inspection of the screen, I realized there were small yellow dots nearby. I counted at least seven, including a dot for myself.

Interesting, those yellow dots must’ve been the residents of the bunker.

I put my PDA to sleep and set it aside. I already learned what I needed to about it, and I couldn’t help but smile at the peculiar piece of tech.

I concentrated on the luggage case next, levitating it over to a free spot on my bed and popping the latches open. I didn’t expect Pathfinder to give me any life-saving items, so I kept my expectations low as I opened the case.

I was surprised when I found there was actually a decent number of items inside.

I pulled them out one by one, starting with the thick cotton jacket, a Telogreika. One of those coats the communists wore back in the war. It came with fall weather fatigues to wear. Though old, they were much better suited to my current circumstances and certainly much better than running around in rags. I folded the pieces of clothing and laid them on another free spot on my bed and continued pulling more items out.

At the bottom of the case sat an old military pistol, which I identified as a PM. The old piece was caked with rust and had pitting along the slide and frame. It might still be functional. Might.

I pulled the remainder of the items out: a dull silver bayonet, cans of food and water, a pouch of machine bolts, and a strange yellow device. I lifted it closer, turning it around. It was crafted with very old durable plastic with bits of exposed metal here and there. There was a screen with some sort of readings on it, though none of it made sense to me when I looked at it.

I set it aside. Though I didn’t want to gloss over it, I also didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time on it, so I moved on.

As I started undressing myself to slip into my new clothing, the thought of Gray Steel came back to taunt me. Why Gray Steel? Why? Why the hell does your name make me want to scream until my voice was gone? I grumbled quietly to myself as I zipped the cotton coat closed. The outfit was uncomfortably scratchy in a few places and hooked into my fur like velcro, but it was cozy, at least.

I heaved another sigh and stored most of my items away into my pockets. My knife and firearm went into their respective holsters, and I fancied that I looked like an able soldier now.

Finally, I got out of bed, though I nearly collapsed when my wobbly legs came in contact with the concrete floor. I instinctively widened my stance and breathed in slowly. Nice and easy.

Slowly, but surely, I inched my way to the exit of the bunker, limping pathetically until I reached the first step of the staircase.

I glared at the stairs before me, seemly extending far into the distance. I took a deep breath to steel myself and began my ascent, leaning on the wall for support as I took step by step. The cold breeze seeped its way into the stairwell, brushing past me, and the clammy air filled my nostrils as I neared the outside world.

I emerged from the bunker. The rain was still present, just as chilly as it was when I was lying on the muddy ground. An icy gust of wind blew my mane into my face as I walked out of the bunker to have a better look at my surroundings. I was in a village. The houses appeared to have been abandoned a long time ago. Age had already taken its toll on many of them. Some houses were simple skeletal frames with the barest of brick to show they were once complete while others leaned to the side, ready to give in to gravity at any moment.

Rookie Haven.

Laughter and distant voices caught my attention, making me wonder if the ponies of this place were friendly. Even Pathfinder was only at best apprehensive towards me. In a small community such as this, her assumption that I was a mercenary could have carried over to a lot of ponies very quickly. Uncertain, I continued on anyways, approaching a nearby group huddled around a campfire with a bit of hope that they were at least somewhat friendly.

A beefy mare laughed loudly in unison with a group of six others. “What do you think of that new pony Pathfinder brought? Looked pretty nimble, eh? You think border patrol blew her up or something?”

“Hell yeah. Those damn ponies at Islet Equestria never learn about staying on their own island. The Zone ain’t no place for a little girl.”

“Uh… you know we’re all pretty much Islet folk, right?”

They fell silent for a moment before one of them chuckled. “I keep forgetting, but still, we have these chumps coming in every day.”

“Quit talking all that crap. You’re a fucking ‘chump’ too. Remember when you got shot in the ass? You were crying the entire time we were trying to find help for you!”

They burst into laughter, one of them clapping the embarrassed mare around the shoulders heartily. I took a few more steps forward, and one of them finally noticed me.

“Hey, look. It's the new meat,” a yellow pegasus said aloud.

The group fell silent as they peered over at me, their faces a mix of disgust and surprise. My ears instinctively folded back against my head, and I backed a few steps away, looking around for friendlier faces.

I caught sight of Pathfinder, who idled near a dilapidated house. She motioned with her hoof, signaling me to make my way over. I limped over to where she stood and kept my ears folded flat against my head, still feeling the disapproving stare of the group of ponies behind me.

I stopped next to Pathfinder, and she chuckled under her breath. “I’m surprised.”

“What for?” I frowned. “The fact I’m treated like a freak?”

“No no no, I don’t want to wish that on you, Doss. I’m more surprised you hadn’t tried to massacre everypony here.”

My frown only deepened. “What do you mean by that?”

She shrugged. “We don’t know anything about you. You came from a death truck. You’re the only known survivor of a death truck.”

Death truck. That name was strange to me, just like any other phrase. The Zone. Gray Steel. None of it made sense, but I know there was a connection between all of this.

“Me surviving a death truck is strange to you ponies?” I rolled my eyes. “You have my word I won’t try to ‘massacre’ everypony here.”

“I don’t know, Doss,” she said evenly. “Trust is a rarity.”

I let out a defeated sigh. This was going to be too much of a headache to pursue further, so I decided on trying to figure out where to go from here. I didn’t want to dump most of the questions I had on Pathfinder, but one mystery that needed to be answered was the pony named Gray Steel.

“Pathfinder, I need your help. Or, at least, just partial help.”

Her jaw shifted slightly and her eyes flickered briefly to look somewhere to the right, presumably at the group of ponies behind me, though I could tell from her ears that she was still listening.

“Please,” I said in a hushed voice. “You’re the only pony who might know where I can start my search for Gray Steel—”

“Okay, stop. Before you make me feel horrible.” She looked over my shoulders one more time before she rested her hooves on my back and pulled me uncomfortably close to her. “My boss Money Bags calls the shots here in Rookie Haven. Go talk to her for solid info. Don’t get on her bad side, or she’ll have one of us kill you.”

Pathfinder let me go and pointed her hoof at a bunker across from the one I emerged from. “She’s down there.”

My shoulders slumped a little more. Another pony to meet here as if the ones I had already met were welcoming enough. I tried to clear the lump that had grown in my throat and turned around. With another steadying breath, I forced myself forward and limped my way over to Money Bags’s bunker entrance.

Making my way down into the depths of her bunker, the smell of body odor, cigarette smoke, and alcohol combined into something truly revolting. My gut turned and I nearly fell into a fit of dry heaving, but it only became worse and worse as I went further down.

I found the source of the smell. A fat, dirty, unkempt mare sat behind a makeshift safety gate. She grinned at me, her hooves resting on her bulging belly as if expecting me.

“Welcome to my humble shop,” the fat mare delightfully said. “What can I do for you, girl?”

Right. Get on her good side.

I stood there like a fool as I tried to structure the words in my head carefully. Of course, the first thing I needed to tell her was my peculiar new name.

I cleared my throat, trying not to inhale too much of the toxic air. “I’m Dossier. I have a question to ask you if you have the time to answer it.”

She held a hoof up. “Hold on, Dossier. First, you’re going to retract that statement of yours. Second, we’re going to discuss my plan. Lastly, help doesn’t come ‘free.’ You work your ass off for it.”

Damn it. I knew this wasn’t going to be a cake walk. I hoped there were other options later on, but for now, I had to roll with Money Bags and see if she would give me a boost in my search.

“Okay…” I said cautiously. “Do you want money?”

She let out a barking laugh. “Oh, hell no. I need physical work done, but let’s discuss the gritty details now.”

I remained composed, though I knew when I was about to be royally fucked.

“What is it that you’re after?” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Gotta know before I send your pretty little tush out there.”

“I want info about where I could find a pony named Gray Steel.”

Money Bags grinned at me, leaning forward a bit. “Yeah, I know her.”

My eyes widened a touch. “You do?”

“Yeah. I’ll tell you more once you do a fun little mission for me,” she said, leaning back with her biggest grin yet.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Of course. “What is it?”

She chuckled, amused at my disappointment. “Some low life punks calling themselves the Bandits nabbed one of my couriers, Fox Meat, while she was traveling here. She carried some precious cargo. Bring that package safe and sound here, and I’ll see what can be done about the Gray Steel situation.”

What have I gotten myself into? I felt anger boil up into my chest, but I couldn’t tell what I was supposed to be angry at. Was I supposed to accomplish all this by myself?

“Dossier?”

I jumped a bit, yanked back into reality. “Oh! I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll agree to the mission.”

“Perfect!” Money Bags clapped her hooves together. “Now get out of here.”

The order caught me off guard, but I turned and hightailed it out of there as soon as I could.

Behind me, I heard her voice echo up after me. “Good hunting, stalker!”

Chapter 2: Assemble

I was apprehensive about the legitimacy of Money Bags’s info, stemming entirely from my forced reliance on this fat mare. Surely, she’d find some way to fuck me over, one way or another. When I reached the top of the bunker, a thought crossed my mind. She never gave me specifics about where to find those bandits.

Damn it.

She gave me a mission and probably thought I was capable of finding out where these bandits were. How could I have missed the most important detail of any job? I heaved yet another sigh, feeling quite annoyed and toyed with. Maybe I could ask Pathfinder where these bandits were hiding out.

My search for Pathfinder ended as soon as it started when I spotted her waiting expectantly a few paces away from Money Bags’s bunker. The look on her face told me she wanted answers again, and I hoped it wasn’t about my identity. We’d already been through a traumatizing first impression.

“Did you finish your chat with her?” Pathfinder inquired.

“Yeah. She’s sending my ‘pretty tush’ on a mission,” I said with a snort. “Wants me to bring back some precious cargo that somepony named Fox Meat was delivering.”

Pathfinder grunted, raising a hoof up to her temple. I wasn’t sure if she simply had a headache or if she hated what I told her. Maybe it was both.

“Yob tvoyu… You’re with me and the gang over there,” she said finally, lowering her hoof.

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Pathfinder shifted uncomfortably and mumbled, “Unfortunately.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, biting my bottom lip with a vengeance. Why the fuck does everypony have to be so difficult? Is it really that hard to try to pretend somepony else isn’t just a stain on their lives?

“Are you alright?” she asked cautiously.

“Yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a hiss. “I’m fine.”

“Alright…” she said, though it was clear that she wasn’t convinced.

“I need some time alone,” I said, stepping around her. I certainly needed time to think. There was just too much on my mind to keep myself sane, especially amidst the clear animosity towards me.

A tug at my tail stopped me in my tracks. “Hof’ ahn,” I heard Pathfinder say before she spat my tail out from her mouth and groaned in disgust. “I understand you feel obligated to hide, but some of these ponies actually want to talk with you. Make an effort, if only for the sake of unit cohesion; they won’t care for a pure stranger’s life in the thick of things,” she said without a smile. She was likely being honest. I liked that. At least I could trust her to be true and dour instead of false and cheery.

I took another deep breath, bringing my own hoof to my forehead and trying to rub away the irritation and distaste. Maybe I was just acting like a foal. I’m sure nopony else would want to be treated like a menace just because they didn’t know you. What would others have done if they were put in my horseshoes?

As we approached the group, my legs wobbled uncertainly, perhaps out of nervousness, perhaps out of fear. Their eyes turned on me again once I came within spitting distance, and I froze, though only for a short moment before I felt a gentle jab against my rear. I tried not to make eye contact as I stepped closer, but everywhere I glanced, there was a pair of eyes that met my own.

“Hey! New Meat! Salaga!” a voice called out to me. A yellow pegasus with a blue mane and a wide grin waved frantically at me, her hoof a blur. Once she got my attention, she set her hoof down, still bouncing excitedly. “Come sit near me!”

I hesitated, of course. One wrong move and I could send each of these ponies into a hissy fit. I maneuvered cautiously across the many tin cans and lunch plates scattered over the dirt, taking special care not to disturb anything. It felt almost as if I had stepped into a dragon’s den. Once I had gotten close to my destination, I leapt and landed beside the yellow pegasus without touching any pony or thing that belonged to them.

“Wow,” was all she could say.

I squirmed under her stare. “Did you need something?” I hesitantly asked.

“Nope. I’m just amazed! Oh, wait, I got a lot of questions to throw your way!” The yellow pegasus fidgeted weirder than usual. Her expression twisted and morphed before my very eyes. I anticipated what she was about to ask me, preparing a classic I-don’t-know, or a few eyebrow raisers. So bright without reason. Was she mocking me?

The pegasus’s face lit up and then she leaned uncomfortably close to my face. “Where did you come from? Did you kill before? You came from the Impassable East, right? You have to tell me as much as you can. Just tell me everything you know, or wait! I have a real question.” The yellow pegasus took a deep breath of air. “Do you want to kill us all?”

Called it, she’s mocking me. I had to restrain my irritation; her accent told me she’s not from where I was. Maybe she thinks this is just how you make friends?

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed discreet movement from the ponies across from me, and I could feel sweat crawl down my brow. Oh, sweet Celestia, my life was dependant on this question. What was I going to say? What were they going to believe? Pathfinder thought I was lying. There’s no way they were going to believe me.

“Uh, New Meat?”

Fuck.

“No, no, no. I’ve never considered trying to kill. I just don’t really remember anything, let alone what I’m supposed to do. I don’t know what to say.” I tried not to stumble over my words as I replied.

The yellow pegasus raised an eyebrow and giggled.

I felt a gentle tap on my back. I looked up to find a beefy purple pony with a humble smile over her lips. She wore an eyepatch, her one rosey eye gazed at me with peculiar attentiveness.

“Don’t mind my sisters, we as a group can come across as hostile.” Her soothing voice relaxed me to a certain degree. “Sisters, put your weapons away. She’s a guest.” The purple pony looked at each of her sisters with their brandished weapons, then she glanced at the yellow pegasus sitting beside me. “Lofty, leave her alone.”

The yellow pegasus named Lofty drooped her ears and said quietly, “Sorry, Trotty, I was just a little excited about our new friend here.”

“I’m excited too, my eager beaver.” The purple pony named Trotty peered downward, then looked up to me with a relaxed smile. “My gut hasn’t complained about her yet. My stomach tells me a lot about ponies. It’s a gift of mine.” She said with pride.

Lofty looked over and pointed a hoof at me. “Always trust her gut, New Meat.”

“Her gut’s a bunch of horse shit,” A unicorn across from me said under her breath,

Lofty snapped her head to the unicorn. “Hey, Kosher, Why don’t you stop being such a stuck-up bitch?” Lofty hissed.

Kosher’s face twisted into anger as she glared at Lofty. “Okay, you know what? Fuck you,” she snarled.

“Hey!” a booming voice came from behind the group. It was Pathfinder. “Cut the fucking bitching!”

Kosher crossed her forehooves together and cursed, and I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. Almost as kind to me as Money Bags, she was. The encounter with all of these ponies gave me a decent impression about how they saw me though. Some were cautious, some were hostile, others were indifferent. I was somewhat reassured, but I wasn’t going to feel any more comfortable sticking around with them.

I couldn’t wait to see how well we all cooperated in a fun teamwork exercise together.

With all the chit chat out of the way, the preparations for the upcoming battle were rather slow. I unpacked my old rations and had an unappetizing meal with my new group. It was a rather quiet thirty minutes around the fire. Nopony spoke much to each other, but when there was conversation, it was little more than a hushed murmur, followed by a close-mouthed chuckle. Maybe it was a joke targeted toward me? I couldn’t tell.

The group’s awkward silence was broken by the gruff voice of Pathfinder. “Okay. Start packing your shit, ladies!”

Each pony packed their stuff away, wrapping up their tins and other trash laying around into dirty cloth sheets. Watching what they were doing, I looked over to Lofty and levitated my trash over to her and asked, “Hey, mind if I put my trash with yours?”

“No prob!” she replied all too cheerfully.

I stomped on the two cans, turning them into crude discs before placing them on top of Lofty’s fine looking mess. Tartarus, even her trash looked better than mine. I grimaced at the aftertaste of my metal-laced lunch.

“Can you tie it for me?” Lofty asked. Wordlessly, I tied the piece of cloth neatly in a tight bundle and placed it into the blazing campfire, just like everypony else had done with their trash.

“Open your ears,” Pathfinder said, clapping her hooves. “We’re going to go over our plan of action one more time with Dossier over here—”

Kosher groaned loudly and rolled her eyes.

“Excuse me?” Pathfinder turned to Kosher. Despite not being the target of her gaze, I could still feel the intensity of her glare.

“We’ve heard it about eight times now. I’m sick of hearing shit that I already know!”

“Did you hear what I just told you? This is for Dossier. She needs to know.”

“To hell with her.”

Pathfinder didn’t say anything. She just strode up to Kosher and clocked her clean across the jaw with a resounding crack. “Next time will be with my stock.” That seemed to shut her up, and she simply heaved a deep breath before crossing her forelegs.

With the silence, I cleared my own throat and spoke. “If it makes you feel any better. I’m planning on leaving this place once I get my information,” I said, trying to reassure Kosher and the group.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” Trotty replied.

Lofty nodded her head in agreement. “Please stay, Dossier.”

I grimaced. It was strange how these two were acting… Well, it didn’t matter if I disappointed these two ponies. My search for Gray Steel had to come first.

“Okay,” Pathfinder grumbled, “let's get back on track. Fillies, eyebaaaallllllls!” Everypony else and I looked up at Pathfinder, who paced impatiently in front of us, not stopping until she knew she had everypony’s attention. “Here’s the plan: we split into two groups, one with the more experienced of us, and the other with the ponies who haven’t fought at all. You girls know who belongs in each group. Dossier, you’re with me and Lofty.

“Our objective is one of our outposts, an old radio tower that we turned into a lookout. You can’t miss it heading east. When we arrive at the outpost, we’ll position ourselves just outside of the tower. The rookies and I will head in first as a distraction. Get ready for my call when we make our move.

“If we do this right, we should be back home for a nice big bowl of carrot and pea soup.” Pathfinder explained.

A roar of cheers made me jump in surprise. They really liked that plan, astonishingly enough. Even Lofty seemed to approve, despite the fact that she and I were two of the ponies up front, risking our lives. This plan made my stomach churn, but I kept the concern to myself.

The girls sitting around the campfire broke apart and set out to prepare. I simply sat there, fidgeting with my gear. My knife and pistol were the only things I had to defend myself for now, and I had little in the way of preparations to make. I tried to make myself comfortable while I waited for everypony else.

Pathfinder trotted past me. “Hey, Doss. I know Money Bags didn’t give you proper gear, so I’m giving you one of my pieces,” she stated, walking into a nearby house. She came back out a few minutes later, levitating another object in her telekinesis.

It was a rifle. That was obvious enough. It looked to be nearly as old as my Telogreika. The rose wood was scarred and cracked, and the metal of this ancient bolt action rifle had no protection from the elements. It certainly had seen a lot of action, judging by the numerous stains and scratches. As she brought it closer, I recognized it as an M44 carbine. Bolt action, 5 round magazine, 7.62x54mmR. She said, “Don’t carry chambered hot; no drop safety -- just load four and run the bolt if we fight.”

Classic.

Pathfinder gave me the rifle along with a hoofful of cartridges, enough for a few magazines. They were every color from golden brass to something like bronze to a weird yellow to steel grey to even a kind of dark brown. Different tips and bands adorned them. I’d need an armorer to tell me what they all meant. I inspected the primers. All good. I stared down at the M44 with a grimace. Holy crap, this firearm had never gotten a single coat of oil on it. I almost didn’t want to look down the bore. It was probably worse than the exterior. If I shot this thing, it would likely explode in my face and kill me.

Still, I became acquainted with my new toy. When I cycled the bolt a few times, it was surprisingly… smooth.

Good old Ponipole hardware.

The girls didn’t take very long preparing for the battle. In a few short minutes, everypony met up by the campfire again. They were well equipped. Earth ponies had a type of blade device attached to their foreleg and sported a vest with throwing knives in tiny little holsters.

Pegasi were armed to the teeth with makeshift grenades, knives, and even the foreleg knife device. There was a select variety, not too many items, but enough to keep themselves defended against attackers while remaining mobile.

Unicorns were very minimal. Two unnamed unicorns of the experienced group had simple semi-automatic rifles slung at their side. They wore a tactical rig with what looked to be kevlar or a steel plate carrier and without helmets to not obstruct their horns. It was tough to tell.

They looked to be ready for a small scale war. Here I am, without any of their gear and going into this with a peashooter and an old rifle. I needed an armored vest and a helmet.

Yup. I was going to die.

“Get moving, Alpha group. I’ll call once we get into position,” Pathfinder said.

Half of the Rookie Haven residents started leaving the village, one by one, Alpha vanished, en route to their ordered location. It was rather quiet afterward. Just Me, Lofty and Pathfinder remained.

There wasn’t anything noteworthy to see outside the village. The walk was rather tame, and when we reached the old concrete road, I spotted the radio tower off in the distance. Despite the vast open space, I found myself feeling a touch claustrophobic. My head was on a swivel -- left, spotting nothing more than a couple of tall trees. Then right, only to see more trees, left again, trees, again right, more trees. I sigh as quietly as I could. My ears twitched at what sounded like muffled chopping in the air, I glance backward, and I caught a glimpse of something black flying through the air in the distance.

What was that?

I guess it wasn’t anything too alarming. I’m sure the girls would understand if I didn’t alert them of the black object, or will they? It’d be a feasible decision. I opened my mouth to speak, but before even my voice could escape, a distant howl from an unknown animal made the fur on my back stand up. My contemplation was broken. I took hold of my gun, keeping my rifle at the ready just in case things went south.

I watched the road carefully. There was a tiny incline ahead of us, the barking came from beyond that way. Pathfinder raised her hoof. She started moving to the right side of the road, once her hooves were on the dead grass, she tiptoed further toward the forest. Lofty and I followed along. Pathfinder made us disperse ten feet apart so we couldn’t all be killed by one attack.

“We got a pack of mutts up ahead, probably just leathery bags of skin and bones. Just be ready to fight if we need to.” Pathfinder whispered. “Fix the bayonet; they aren’t worth the ammo.”

There’s a bark once again, accompanied by tapping against the concrete road. Pathfinder has her firearm ready, she has it fixed where we couldn’t see. I mimicked her, drawing my old rifle, and peering down the iron sights to scan the incline. Where were these assholes?

And finally, they revealed themselves, cresting over the hill and snarling. Five medium-sized creatures with brown leathery skin and swollen eyes prowled toward us, only passably recognizable as dogs.

“Okay…” Pathfinder said cautiously. “We might have to get rid of them. How did the other team miss these freaks?”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Lofty mumbled as she unsheathed a short blade from the device around her foreleg.

I needed something semi-auto for this encounter. I yanked the M44’s spike bayonet forward and pointed it at the closest dog, aiming down the stock and barrel. I exhaled quietly, attempting to keep my breathing steady. It would jump at me and I would catch it.

Suddenly, my PDA hissed static, and a voice crackled through the speaker.

“Hey, look. We got a group of stalkers down there. Let's light them up.”

“Hold up, who the hell was that?” Pathfinder remarked.

Before any of the blind dogs could come any closer to us, the chopping sound from earlier became thunderous and deafening, the air blowing down on us tossing up dirt.

Pathfinder bolted into the forest, Lofty followed suit like a scared puppy. I didn’t ask, just followed, think she’d know better. I threw myself against the muddy ground, right beside a couple of trees that would presumably protect me from their assault. When I landed, I rotated myself onto my stomach and remained perfectly still, anticipating what would come next.

I was able to hear their voices over the behemoth aircraft blades.

“I think we best save our ammo,” a smoother male voice replied, “Our next trip ain’t gonna be for a while.”

“Right.”

“Our boys will take care of them stalker folk down there.”

I didn’t glance up, instead, I listened closely. The helicopter’s thunderous chopping became but a muffled thumping. Where did it go exactly? In the words of Lofty: Don’t know, don’t care. I wiped away the perspiration buildup at my forehead and turned my attention to my teammates. Lofty and Pathfinder were already off of the ground, they shifted uncomfortably as they walked together onto the road.

“Who were those guys?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Military,” Pathfinder said, and then audibly gulped. “We could’ve been a pile of ground pony meat if they decided on that plan.”

“Score one for scrawny budgets and corruption,” Lofty murmured.

“We’re lucky they didn’t,” Pathfinder said with a nod before looking closely at my bags. “Your PDA can pick up communication devices?”

“I didn’t know,” I replied, picking myself up from the ground while dusting off leaves and chunks of mud off of my coat.

“Could be pretty useful, Dossier.”

Hard to disagree with that, though I still felt some frustration. I had wanted to keep the full capabilities of my PDA to myself, but at least she didn’t know my PDA could also detect other devices. No one has to know that for now.

“We should probably meet up with the other group before something worse happens,” Pathfinder suggested.

“Yes, Pathfinder,” Lofty said with a wide grin, snapping off a quick salute.

Pathfinder rolled her eyes and expelled a long disappointed sigh. “Just… shut up. C’mon, let’s go!”

“Okay, Pathfinder!”

I shook my head and chuckled to myself. I found it odd that Lofty didn’t take any of this seriously.

“Don’t encourage her, Doss,” Pathfinder said sternly.

“Oh, come on!” Lofty gave a forced groan. “I’m just playing.”

Our travels took us further down the vast open road. I noticed as we traveled, the more it became littered with old vehicles of a distant time. As we approached a vehicle, my ears caught the noise of a gentle ticking within one of my pockets. I pulled out that yellow device and glanced as I attempted to keep up. The thin tapered needle pointed to a zero at first but slowly rose to the first number that came after zero and continued to crackle timidly.

I remembered… it was radiation. Radiation. A horrible invisible enemy that poisoned the land of Equestria. Where it all came from? I've yet to remember that part. But, radiation was something I wouldn't ever forget. I tried to reach into my shattered memory again, nothing came of it. My face scrunched up. I thought it’d help me remember any more useful info, but all that accomplished was a mild headache and a twinge of disappointment. I sighed, pocketed the yellow device, and looked up. The outpost tower was only a few meters away.

We made it to the outskirts of our destination. The radio tower had been haphazardly constructed from rusted sheet metal and pipes, nothing too impressive from where I stood. In fact, it looked just about ready to collapse at any moment. There are walls around the base of the tower, which could give us cover from any hostiles inside should we need it.

Pathfinder led us to an area just a few meters away from the outer walls, right behind a few bushes. Once everyone was well hidden, Pathfinder motioned to us with a hoof, and we huddled together. She pressed a button on the walkie-talkie strapped to her chest, causing a small red light to turn on.

“Trot, can you hear me?”

No answer. Pathfinder frowned at her walkie-talkie before pressing down the button again.

“Trot, are you there?”

Silence, again. Pathfinder waited a moment, and eventually, the familiar monotone voice from earlier came through.

“Yeah.”

Pathfinder snorted and rolled her eyes. “Jeez, Trot. What the hell is up with you?”

“Sorry. I was having trouble with the walkie-talkie.”

She let out a huff. “Let’s get this fire started.”

“Okay.”

Pathfinder took her hoof away from her chest and glanced at Lofty, and then me.

“Ladies?”

“I’m ready,” Lofty replied.

“I… I guess I’m ready.” I nearly stumbled in my own words.

Pathfinder left the bush, followed by Lofty, and then me. My legs nearly trembled a hoof’s length away from collapsing and stopping me from going any further. Even though I hated the idea of being tossed into a wolf pen unprepared, this is what I needed to do, no matter how horrible my decision was.

Blood would be spilled today, and I could only pray that it wasn’t mine.

Chapter 3: Conquer

Here I was, along the outskirts, charging head-on into the heart of danger itself. Of course, I had to lie about being scared, but my teammates most certainly saw through my mask. They saw my legs tremble in fear, my breathing quicken whilst standing idly by a heap of old bricks that once served as a wall.

I pondered the possibility of those bandits anticipating our arrival.

Oh, how imaginative my mind ran during those moments of uncertainty.

For now, I waited. My blood ran cold, and my legs continued to tremble for obvious reasons. I couldn't redirect my thoughts, the bandit threat like a permanent stain on my mind.

Pathfinder crouched nearby. She peered at me for a second before turning her head away, but in the few seconds we stared at each other, I was surprised to see a glint of fear in her eyes. There was a hairline crack in her hard exterior, and I had a chance to peek through it in that fraction of a second. She hid her anxiousness so well—so perfectly, in fact, I was a touch envious of her hardened nature.

Pathfinder paid no attention to what I witnessed, busying herself with the plan. During her preparations, she removed her submachine gun from around her body. I studied it and even recognized the piece. A Ponipole firearm. More accurately, a kedr. She glanced at the safety, nodded, and then carefully craned her neck out of cover. A few seconds passed, and then Pathfinder lowered herself back down into safety.

“There’s one bandit,” she whispered. “Dossier, I want you to handle this one.” She lowered herself onto her stomach, and then crawled over to where I was.

“You want me to handle this!?” I whispered back, my eyebrow raised and my tone raised a few decibels, though hopefully not enough to grab unwanted attention.

Pathfinder's face scrunched into a grimace, and she fiercely tapped her lips with a hoof as she shushed me; having no chance whatsoever to discuss such a plan burdened on me. I couldn't help but grumble after she quieted me in such an immature fashion, but then again, I signed up for this. I was the one who wanted to find Gray Steel, and the least I could do was follow through on it.

I cursed under my breath as I crawled on my stomach toward Pathfinder's previous position. Carefully, I pulled myself up from the ground and readjusted myself until I was comfortable. With careful movement, I made no noise—none—as my head craned over the heap of bricks and surveyed the outpost. My eyes widened upon sight of a distant figure, who sat in front of a satisfactory fire inattentively. My heart thumped gently in my chest, perhaps even a little quicker than before.

He clothed himself in black. His outfit consisted of leather, cotton, and rubber layers, though they were somewhat obscured in the low light. I nearly missed the patch sewn into his leather jacket: a black emblem resembling a pony skull.

I laid my rifle between a wedge in the bricks and leaned beside it. The butt of the stock pressed into my shoulder firmly, and with careful motions, I leaned my cheek against the scratchy wooden stock and focused my telekinesis spell on the bolt, cycling a fresh cartridge from the magazine. The clicks and grinding of metal couldn't be bypassed.

“Fire!”

Pathfinder’s sudden harsh whisper tensed my muscles. I closed my left eye and peered down the iron sights. I adjusted my aim, the muzzle pointing at the bandit. This was it. One trigger pull would cause an explosive series of events, the results of which I couldn’t even guess. I made minor adjustments and shifted the post-sight at the button on his chest pocket. The trigger creaked, followed by a deafening explosion that rang in my ears. The shot resounded along with the bandit’s wail of pain, piercing the silence.

He flopped around, fighting the claim death had made upon him for just a few seconds before falling limp and lifeless.

I killed one of the bandits!

I had shot another pony!

Was that the right thing to do?

Perhaps it was, but why do I feel so grungy, like I hadn't taken a shower in months?

I rested a hoof on my chest. My heart battered underneath as if it desperately wished to leave and find someplace to live that did not make it feel that way.

“We got company!” a gruff voice boomed from the interior of the outpost walls, and then came a low rumble.

He was charging at us, no doubt.

An explosive pop followed by an uncomfortable whistling made me jump to the ground. I covered my head with my hooves and became acutely aware of how erratic my breathing became in just a few seconds.

Down! Down! Oh, sweet Celestia! I hugged the ground and thought about digging into it like a mole. I lied here, too paralyzed by fear to move an inch of my body.

My blood felt so cold. Shit...

I hesitantly pulled my head up from the ground and spotted Pathfinder. She sprayed her weapon at somepony I couldn't see over the heap of bricks. The low rumble came to a halt, followed by a flat thump. Another bullet whizzed by, which sent Pathfinder down onto her stomach.

It was then I noticed she had cracked a devilish smile and said something under her breath.

She must've killed him. Killed without a thought.

Now, the plan from earlier was in full effect! Additional gunfire joined in as the sounds of war intensified.

“Lofty, get some smoke out there. We’re going to need it!” Pathfinder thundered.

“Gotcha, Pathy!” Lofty gazed at me and smirked. “It’s okay, fair maiden, we, er, I, Lofty, have the magic of the fog on my side!” Lofty reached behind her back and pulled out… soda cans? “Bombs away, shitheads!” she screamed. Grinning like a mad mare, Lofty flipped a small switch on each soda can before lobbing them haphazardly over our cover. Nothing happened at first, but as the seconds passed, a heavy smoke settled around the area where the battle took place.

"Come on girls, let's move up," Pathfinder ordered. She suddenly vanished over the heap of bricks. Lofty followed after Pathfinder all too confidently. I remained on the ground like a coward.

Okay, okay, okay. I can do this! All I need to do is run and find them, that's all. This will be over soon!

I psyched myself up, pulled in air through my nose, and hastily exhaled. My legs quit trembling, and that provided me with the paper-thin confidence to push forward. I picked myself up from the ground and bolted in the dark direction of Lofty and Pathfinder. I closed the distance between us, but I was far from reaching them. Bullets flew at me and I flung myself to the ground with a thud.

Ow!

Was I shot?

I quickly patted myself down, every pat came with the anticipation of spotting fresh crimson on my hooves. However, every time I brought my hooves up, the dreadful suspense had been incrementally snuffed.

I wiped away the perspiration on my face with a loose sleeve. Relief had been very much welcomed in my senses, but it had no intention of staying for more than a few seconds. Fear clambered back, my blood chilled once more, and my breathing became slightly panicked.

I barely mustered the nerve to look up, but when I did, I saw Pathfinder inclined around a wall, taking pot-shots at an obscured enemy. As she fed her enemies with fresh lead; her hoof suddenly came down and waved frantically at me.

Was that a signal for me to move?

Whatever it was, I knew for certain I would need to move my ass, and I wouldn’t waste this open window of opportunity.

I scrambled off the ground as fast as my body would allow me and dashed forward. Once I was in jumping distance of my partners, I stopped mid-run, dug my hooves into the mud, and propelled myself forward. It felt like I was gliding, but my short experience of flight fell flat, just as I did.

Oof! I made it!

The firefight continued, gunshots became lesser, and it was then I realized that only minutes had passed since our initial attack. Only minutes into this deathly battle... and our numbers already slimmed down. Why did it feel like hours to me?

Eventually, the gunfire ceased. Somepony cursed amidst the smoke. Another howled out in pain. A few voices exchanged insults.

Pathfinder and Lofty ran into the smoke, leaving me alone once again.

What the Tartarus? They left me again! Fuck!

I pulled myself from the ground once more and followed at my own pace. I moved slowly, looking over my shoulder every four paces. A shuffle of movement to the right made me react in such a way that surprised me; my M44 snapped in the direction of that noise, my aim on-point. A series of gunshots pounded at my eardrums, and suddenly, somepony shrieked.

“You mother fucker!”

Somepony crept in the smoke to the right of me, I aimed again, and briefly studied my target. They weren't a foe. It was a friend. The mare was part of the Alpha team. Before I'm able to call out, a series of ear-piercing cracks resounded which sent me on the ground.

I heard an agonized scream come from my newfound partner, her cries were quite audible among the chaos. She sobbed for her mother until her voice vanished amongst the gunshots. I started to cry, too.

Where was anyone? I didn’t know what to do! Fuck, fuck, fuck!

There's a sudden pause in the constant cracks. Somepony cursed, a metallic clack caught my attention. I pulled my face up from the mud and stared forward. My eyes widened, and my heart pumped hard. I could feel it in my throat at this point. I waited, counted the seconds as I tried to keep level-headed. Somepony was near the tower. I heard it. I knew I did. I was right. A feminine figure strode into view, clad in black; the outfit of a bandit.

That’s all I needed.

I chambered another cartridge without hesitation. Then immediately aimed down the sights and lined them up with the bandit. The mare crept in the clearing smoke and briefly surveyed the area for any other victims. She swept the gun in my direction but was unaware of me.

You’re going to pay.

One trigger pull, a bang, and red mist was all I saw and felt. No screams this time. I concluded I shot a vital spot, made quite evident when she flopped to the ground face first. My heart skipped a few beats, and I victoriously sighed. With shaking hooves, I pulled myself up from the ground. At the same time, I cycled yet another cartridge from the magazine. Carefully, I strode up to my second kill of the day.

She wore armor which looked to protect her from a pistol caliber.

You didn’t expect me to have a rifle caliber, did you?

I spat on the ground beside her and noticed the gleam of another gun. That was undoubtedly an AK-74. No time to see the condition. I levitated it off the mare and slung it around my body.

“Dossier!” Lofty ran up to me appearing white as a ghost. “Trotty and Pathfinder…” she wheezed and pointed a few paces away. I saw Pathfinder on the ground, for some reason, that made me lose hope. Before I’m able to analyze her thoroughly, heavy footsteps of another pony charged toward me, which yanked me back into action. Almost immediately I fixed my rifle in that direction; a silhouette rushed toward me. I fired, the pony stopped and dropped to the ground.

“D-Don’t shoot!” the stallion cried.

I cycled the bolt one more time and moved a few inches back. I didn't dare move the muzzle off of the bandit. My brain gave me a nudge in the right direction; pull the trigger, be done with this scum. Before my rifle can go boom, another figure dashed toward me. It was another bandit, this one female. She stopped dead in her tracks upon spotting me. I glanced at the blade visible underneath her leather jacket; a blood-stained knife, dripping fresh with crimson. Her eyes flickered and she glanced down at the dripping steel before she looked up with a frightful expression.

The dripping knife fell to the ground with a gentle thud, at that moment, she gave up. I glanced over at what little teammates I had before I brought my attention back to bandits. I wasn’t sure what to do. Before I could decide on their fate, Lofty stomped her way to the two Bandits. I thought she was going to knife one of them.

Lofty punched the male bandit in the face. He fell over pathetically and defensively raised his hooves. Lofty didn’t stop, she continued with her assault.

“Leave,” she snapped. When the bandit didn’t move, she screamed. “Get the fuck outta here!” she picked him up and pushed him.

“Okay, stop. I’m going!” he choked out as he stumbled.

“Tell your buddies never to come here again. Otherwise, our crew will kill every one of you bastards!” she shouted with a cracking voice.

The two bandits fled as fast as they could. Where they went? I don’t know. Might not want to know, but it looks like they ran for the forest not too far from here.

That was it. No more bandits. Gradually, I lowered my guard and sat on my haunches. I chuckled nervously and rested a hoof on my chest, my damned heart continued to pump on, akin to a train, chugging relentlessly. After pulling myself from disbelief, I took the responsibility of checking up on Lofty, who breathed heavily and trembled in anger.

"Lofty?" I asked hesitantly.

She barely looked back at me. “Dossy, you should check on Fox Meat. I’m going to go see Trotty and Pathfinder.” Her voice seemed strained from screaming as loud as she did.

Slowly, I raised myself from the ground and nodded in response. And so, my search for Fox Meat started, albeit it ended the moment it started when I heard a muffled pretty-voiced mare screaming for help atop the tower. Well, now, looks like things have almost moved into the classic fairytale knight saving the princess.

What next? Will I have to kiss a frog?

I cautiously ascended the tower, testing my weight on each thin platform in increments. Who knows, such a structure could collapse if not careful, and I could bet that breaking my legs won't end well for me, especially since I was on the lookout for Gray Steel, the mare who mocked my very existence with her photo.

With snail-like steps, I arrived at the top of the tower. The bound pony calling for help was tied to one of the support beams of the metal structure. Her appearance told me that she was the only pony to take care of her appearance. The few specks of dirt on her jacket and fur didn’t subtract from her beauty. Her long charcoal black mane was tied in a ponytail, her eggshell white fur was mostly free from any ugly stains that would have driven any clean pony nuts, and her lavender eyes were now red from crying.

“Can you hurry up and help me?” She said with a groan.

Whoops.

I levitated my dull knife from its holster and approached her. The edge pressed against one coil and I moved my knife in a sawing motion. It took at least a minute or two when it finally separated. I furrowed my eyebrows, heaved a sigh, and loosened the ropes the old fashion way. That was quicker than cutting them with that dull knife.

Who would’ve thought?

The mare yanked the rag from her mouth and spat. Her hooves instinctively rubbed at her rope burned forelegs. During that process, she composed herself and looked up to study me. Her curious eyes met my own. That frightful look on her face vanished and was replaced with a beautifully warm smile which warmed my heart.

“Thank you. So. So. So. Much. I thought those bandit idiots were going to kill me.” She uttered before she cleared her throat and thankfully gazed at me again. “What’s your name, Hero?”

“It’s Dossier,” I smiled back. “You’re Fox Meat, right?”

“The one and only!”

“I was under the impression you were delivering a package?” I looked her up and down, but any sort of gear she had been dropped or stolen by the bandits. “Do you have a package for Money Bags I can take off you?”

Fox Meat grimaced and exhaled through her nose. Her hoof explored inside her suit pocket, it wiggled aimlessly until she pulled it out. Something firm grasped my foreleg and I was pulled forward. Fox Meat glared into my eyes and rested a hoof on mine, her opposite hoof tightened around my foreleg.

In my hoof sat a compact USB. I returned my gaze at Fox Meat, who continued to glare at me. Despite how petite the mare looked, she pulled me down to her level with surprising strength.

“Don't lose it,” Fox Meat growled. “That took a lot of work to get. You make sure it gets to that fat bitch.” The grip around my foreleg gradually loosened and I slipped my hoof away with the USB in it. When Fox Meat let go, she slumped against the support beam she was tied to and stared off at Rookie Haven with a disdainful expression.

I backed away from her and examined the USB in my under hoof. The USB wasn’t anything special, at least from what I can see. I pondered over what could be so important about this little piece of tech? I guess I’ll know when I give it to Money Bags.

Fox Meat snapped herself out of thought, picked herself up, and then straightened her posture. It was then that I noticed she was much shorter than I expected. I must’ve towered over her by five or ten extra centimeters. Fox Meat gave me an odd look and wordlessly limped toward the staircase. I couldn’t help but stare at her as she descended the tower. Each step became quieter, and quieter until I heard nothing but the breeze.

That was rather strange, but I guess I would also want to get out of here as soon as possible after what she experienced.

I soaked in silence for a minute or two watching Rookie Haven, before finally stepping back a few paces. A grin crept along my lips. Something in my chest was burning, and it certainly wasn’t negative in any way. Suddenly, I bounced up and down and screamed at the top of my lungs, wanting to celebrate without the dead silence.

“Uraaah!” I bellowed as loudly as I could. My voice became strained, but I did it for my victorious feat.

I wanted my team to hear me.

I needed the whole Zone to hear me.

Gray Steel, I’m coming for you!

After I had my moment of triumph bellowing. I soon readjusted my attitude when I realized that I still had teammates down below. Pathfinder, she could’ve been dead. Trotty, certainly dead. My heart ached the moment I started thinking about what happened. Wow. I’m so selfish.

I shoved the USB in one of my pockets and hastily moved to the staircase. No longer did I have any concerns about the integrity of this structure. I speedily descended the tower. The further I descended and came ever closer to the bottom, my heartfelt sore.

I didn’t exactly do this alone. I couldn’t have. Pathfinder and whoever else joined in the battle risked their lives to capture this place. That would’ve been for nothing if a majority of them bit the dust during the fight.

Finally, I made it to the base of the tower and I searched the battlefield. I incrementally scanned the ground with the anticipation of seeing my companions dead. There was one corpse dawning a signature black outfit, followed by another, and another. Their wounds were similar, riddled with bullet holes and had the occasional slit that gushed fresh blood.

Then that’s when I saw two of our teammates. Their bulletproof vests didn’t protect them in the slightest. I didn’t want to look anymore, so I walked around the corpses and continued my search.

Laughter caught my attention.

My head snapped toward the source of the cheerful banter. Pathfinder, Trotty, and a few of the other survivors huddled together. They were laughing and holding each other by the withers.

They’re alive! But how?

Pathfinder weakly waved her hoof at me and said. “Hey, Doss,”

“How are you two okay?” I asked, my bewilderment couldn’t be contained at that moment. I had to know how they lived.

“These first aid kits,” Pathfinder showed me a small dark blue plastic case that sat in her hoof. On it was a red cross symbol on the top. “Equestrian Military healing kits come with instant healing cream. It helped us. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll heal everything. My skin is on fire right now.” Pathfinder replied while she gingerly massaged her chest with a wince.

“Well, that’s good that you’re okay,” I said with an exhale. “So, what now?”

Pathfinder chuckled and rested a firm hoof on my back and gave me a playful shake, “Now, it’s time to go back to Rookie Haven! I promised all of you a cooked meal, did I not?” Pathfinder turned her attention to the whole group. “Listen up ladies, I’m going to need three of you to stay behind. Make sure those bandit fucks don’t come back in the night. After that, come to home base for dinner!”

Everypony confirmed with a cheer. It surprised me to see how much these ponies listened to Pathfinder—not that there’s anything wrong with her methods—I think that’s respectable for Pathfinder to lead these ponies. Who knows what road any of these girls would take without her. Even I feel inclined to follow Pathfinder, to see how far I can get without Money Bags. But, Money Bags has all sorts of information she can provide me, so I’m stuck with a tyrant of a leader.

After the whole ordeal with the bandits, Pathfinder told us to loot whatever we could.

I did so, wordlessly.

I stepped over corpses and made a simple route to where I popped the first bandit. I rolled the bandit onto his back and rifled through his things. Notebooks, PDA, Cigarettes, No… Nothing useful. However, I kept the cigarettes. Now, I can check the AK mare.

I hurriedly trotted toward the corpse of the AK mare. The mushy mess of the mare’s head caught me by surprise. There were bits of brain and bloody chunks everywhere. The sight alone almost made me relinquish my metal-laced lunch. Hesitantly, I bent down and pulled out the pockets of her suit. A sizeable pouch plopped onto the ground, followed by another pack of cigarettes. I promptly shoved them into my pockets.

While studying the dead mare head to hoof, there wasn’t much else besides a harness rig.

A devilish smirk crept over my lips as I unbuckled it from her body. It was caught on the mare, but I remedied that by rolling her corpse onto her belly. This way I was able to work the harness off her.

That was successful, and now, I have a harness rig. It had the sweet stench of iron lingering on it, but that would probably subside later on.

The rig was easy to understand. This went around my chest, wrapped around my belly, and tightened via straps and buckles

Click. Click. Click.

Yeah, there we go. I looked down at the rig pockets and found extra loot in the pouches. There were two thirty-round magazines for the AK, a half-eaten candy bar, and a soda can—Oh, wait. That’s a homemade grenade—The etched words on the can proclaimed it was a smoke bomb.

An odd satisfaction came from grave robbing. I couldn’t exactly put my hoof on how I felt about it. All I know is that a pleasantness came from doing so. With a snicker, I stared down at the body. A dead pony doesn’t need their belongings anymore. When I finished looting, I was surprisingly proud of myself.

It was time to go back to home base. Trotty, Lofty, and another unnamed pony were ordered to stay behind. I noticed how they were reluctant at first but quickly changed their attitudes when the carrot and pea stew was on-the-line. There was nothing more powerful than a warm meal.

Our trot back was silent. I continued to be vigilant, even after our victory. There were dangers all around us. Popping a few bandits wouldn’t have made this place any safer. There was still a present problem: mutants. They were still roaming the Undiscovered West, so it would be a wise decision to not drop your guard.

I noticed how Pathfinder seemed disconnected from reality at the moment. She was in her world and she remained silent our whole trot back to Rookie Haven. Even when a rustling came from the woods a few meters away, she didn’t shoot a glance. It was as if she were lost in thought. Perhaps she was thinking of other ways that she would have approached the outpost. Maybe she was lingering on miserable thoughts. Or maybe she believed it was her fault that a few members of her crew croaked. I wouldn’t know…

I kept thinking about the ponies I killed. Even pondering over the other members who weren’t among the living anymore. Somehow, I thought it was my fault. If I were given a better gun, or… maybe if I stayed in decent proximity with my teammates, we could’ve taken out our deadly opponents with ease. I found myself losing focus and quickly disregarded it for now.

We were back in Rookie Haven in no time. I stopped and noticed three new additional ponies. They looked at us curiously and waved at us in a friendly manner. I took note of their clothes. Their jackets were unwrinkled and brand spanking new. Unlike our clothes, which were stained with questionable substances. I assumed these ponies were from that place called Islet Equestria.

Pathfinder greeted them rather briefly. I understood the expressions on each pony, they were confused about what to do. She appeared in no mood to deal with these ponies. I decided to let Pathfinder do what she did best. Figured it was time to visit a certain fat mole anyway.

I hesitantly trotted to the entrance of the toxic bunker and dove in, involuntarily breathing in all of the fumes through my mouth. The smell was something that I wasn’t going to get used to.

Couldn’t she keep up with cleanliness?

How could she?

Considering how fat and lazy she was.

My head drooped as I walked up to her desk. Expectantly, there was a self-confident smile forming over the fat mare’s greasy lips. Her chair groaned as she leaned forward with her hooves rested on the desk, eagerly awaiting for me to give her the package.

“Here it is,” I pulled the USB from my pocket and waved it teasingly at her.

“Dossier, you sexy, amazing, pony.” Money Bags half-heartedly cheered, the tone made it quite evident that she faked her sincerity. She was just a few inches from grabbing it when I moved it out of reach. Her hideous grin morphed into a deep frown. Slowly, she slumped back into her chair and glared up at me. Her face became red and I caught the noise of her grinding teeth.

I was taken aback at how she composed herself in mere seconds.

Money Bags spoke calmly. “Doss-”

Before she could continue, I spoke up and interrupted her. “If this is so important to you, it would be in your best interest to give me my information first.” A sternness in my tone caught me by surprise, it didn’t sound like me.

That taunting smile spread across her face again, followed by a forced wheeze of a laugh. She must’ve laughed at my face for about a minute before she composed herself and revised her glare.

“Listen, you Ponipole mongrel. Give that device to me and I assure you that you’ll receive the information you so desperately need,” Money Bags replied in such a way that chilled me to the bone. Her tone changed, it became gruffer and intimidating. She leaned toward me. “If you don’t give it to me?” Money Bags paused and grinned. “This pony hunt of yours will die along with you.”

I furrowed my eyebrows and my heart rattled. It wasn’t because I was scared, it was because that boiling anger finally spilled out. I soon found myself breathing unsteadily through my nose. The urge to assault her with an onslaught of otherworldly expletives had to be suppressed. Otherwise, she would’ve had my head on a pike after I finished. I hadn’t noticed it at first, but I gnawed my lower lip so much that I got a taste of iron.

Why did it get silent? It became deadly quiet. The hum of her computer behind her desk stopped. Money Bags’ laborious mouth breathing became silent. Now, it was just me and her in this room. The other sounds around us vanished. One of us was going to get what we wanted.

The more and more we dueled in silence, the more it became painfully obvious that Money Bags was right with her statement.

I would die.

What could I lose anyway?

Nothing.

I clenched my eyes shut and released my telekinesis spell. The USB clattered onto the desk, followed by a victorious snort, which came from the cow sitting in front of me.

“Good girl,” she said with a chuckle. “Now, we can talk,”

I exhaled calmly and massaged my chest, trying to ease my heart back into stability.

“Doss, I’m going to be real with you. I don’t have any proper info on Gray Steel, but that doesn't mean I’m not going to help you,” she said as she pulled a cigarette, seemingly out of nowhere. “While you were at the Outpost spilling blood, a stallion—who goes by the name Swift Wings—has made questionable claims. He said he aided Gray Steel in her operations, and that’s all he alluded to.”

“Where can I find him?” I stepped up to Money Bags’s desk eagerly.

“Ponyville—that’s where he was last seen,”

“Good, thank you,” I replied, glancing downward with a smirk, before looking up again. “What do you know about Gray Steel?” I stared into her eyes, waiting for an answer.

“There's a lot of information flying about,” Money Bags replied as she turned her attention to a computer monitor, “this is the most popular and most realistic story: Gray Steel formed a small team consisting of three other ponies. They broke through the Impassable East together. They found the legendary Wish Granter. However, after that, no one knows what happened to their team.” Money Bags explained, only pausing to take a drag from her cigarette. A toxic cloud exited the fat mare’s nostrils and she continued on, “some say they died... Others say that Gray Steel killed her entourage. The trail went dead after that.”

That answer was unexpected and dark. Hopefully, both of these stories were riddled with lies. I wouldn’t want to mess with a pony who killed because she was a greedy, sack of lies. However, if a lot of these stories alluded to a similar end. They weren’t too far-fetched. In conclusion, I was dealing with a killer who had a knack for killing her teammates out of greed. I hoped Gray was a reasonable mare.

My questions about Gray Steel had been sated for now. But, another question decided to make itself known. It was not of Gray Steel, but the Wish Granter.

“What’s the Wish Granter?”

Money Bags shot a questioning glance at me and shook her head. “It's a myth. Mostly,” she said flatly.

“Do you know why Gray was after it?”

“Dunno, probably wanted to make a wish?” she said with a roll of her eyes. “End of discussion…”

Okay… Rude…

“Well… thank you. I’m going to go look for Swift Wings,” I said, with half-cocked hoof ready to wave goodbye.

Money Bags chuckled and glanced at me from the side, “Hold on, giiirl, I’m not done with you,” she said jovially.

“Oh,” I grumbled, drooping my ears and placing my hoof on the floor.

“I got a new mission. Hopefully, your other meaningless goal won’t interfere with mine. That USB you gave me had classified information about getting through to the Impassable East; do you happen to know anything about this place?”

I gave it some thought, but nothing sprung to mind, and so I said, “No, no clue at all.”

“This place has a dark history, I’ll keep it brief,” Money Bags turned in my direction and placed both hooves on her bulging belly. “The Impassable East is a barrier of some kind, one of which we cannot penetrate by normal means. This barrier is special but in a horrifying way. When you go into this barrier, your brains will boil. And not only that, you’ll be nothing more than a husk of a pony, stumbling and mumbling nonsense under your breath until someone puts a bullet in your head,” Money Bags took a breath, unintentionally adding suspense to her sentence. She exhaled and finally said, “We call this place the Brain Scorcher.”

The Brain Scorcher...

Why did… why did it make sense again?

Why so suddenly?

I must’ve zoned out. Money Bags’s lips moved but I heard nothing more than the beat of my heart and an annoying monotonous buzzing that emanated from somewhere.

“Doss, are you listening to me?”

Money Bags slammed both her hooves on the desk to snap me out of my thoughts and when I did, I stammered something under my breath before looking back at her.

“Sorry...” I stuttered and placed a hoof at my temple. There was a sting at my eyes. My emotions were taking control, it felt as though something in my head was trying to claw its way out, like a rabid animal that was entrapped in a metal cage.

“Ooookay...” She mumbled before getting back on topic again. “Dossier, this is your new mission until further notice. I have important leads and new information that can get us through the Impassable East. I don’t trust a whole lot of other ponies to go through with this mission… besides, you’re expendable to me. This mission is perfectfor you.” Money Bags awaited my answer by taking a strong pull from her cigarette.

Hmm… Well, it’s not the best plan. And… expendable? Really? Wow, okay. Bitch. However, the more I thought about it. Running into Gray Steel was a high possibility. She was rumored to be operating around the east. It would be perfect! It is perfect! Okay. I’m going to do this. No turning back now...

“I’ll do it,” I said firmly, sealing the deal.

“Alright, good on you, Doss.” She said with a wide grin. Her eyes widened and she leaped out of her chair. “I almost forgot!” She laboriously made her way to a back room. She came back a minute later with two clear bottles inside a basket. She placed it on the desk and pushed it toward me. “Your reward for dealing with those bandits.”

I glanced at the contents.

Hold on… is that... what I think it is?

I must'vebeen dreaming for sure.

The bottle wasn’t particularly huge, it was a reasonable size for any pony to down in insane gulps. Inside the bottle was a homebrew from Ponipole. One of the best and smoothest vodkas in the realm. The label on the bottle even boasted about it.

Ponipole prides itself on having the best homebrew vodka in the entire realm. Nothing can outclass the freight train that is…

DAISY VODKA

I couldn’t help but stupidly grin.

The bottle was simplistic in design. It has a few sentences in a dark grey. The only image on there was a cute daisy that replaced the dot over the ‘i’.

“They aren’t for pleasure,” Money Bags added, “you’ll need it to combat the rads you’ll encounter in Rookie Trials.”

My grin instantly fell into a frown and my ears flattened back against my head.

“Rookie Trials?”

Money Bags rolled her eyes once again and briefed me on the whole ‘Rookie Trials’ name. The Rookie Trials is a forest that borders Ponyville and Rookie Haven. Rookie Haven was surrounded by the forest. All too confident rookies traveled through this forest, sometimes they never return. On very rare occasions somepony will come back to visit. I assumed the Rookie Trials was where your journey into the Zone truly began or ended if you’re unlucky.

“Before you go. Would you like to buy some equipment?” Money Bags asked with a wide grin on her face.

“Why?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Don’t you want to extend your time in the Zone?”

I took a minute to ponder over my options, and I found there were none to be found. More supplies equal extended life in the Zone. I grimaced and cast my telekinesis spell and dug around in my pockets for things I could use for barter. The sack that I picked up earlier rattled and shook as I was moving to Rookie Haven, which I suspect has coins in it.

With the sack in my aura, I unraveled the twine holding the sack closed and peered inside, with the hopes of finding bits in it.

And… Score!

There were flattened coins inside. They were originally gold, however, it looks like these coins were no exception to time’s effects. They were stained in rust, but I was able to make out the horseshoe indent over the stains. I noticed how these coins were stamped with the number one hundred.

I assumed they added up to one hundred, which was convenient.

Money Bags stepped aside and introduced me to her wall of goodies. Everything had been labeled with a price, cans of food, candy bars, small ammunition boxes, firearms, and literal junk. I calculated the cost of three boxes of AK-74 cartridges in FMJ, one military ration, a bandage, and a few bolts.

Well, there goes all the money I had.

Money Bags became giddy and gathered my requested items. It didn’t take her long to give them to me. She pushed them toward me and they nearly tumbled over as she did so. I levitated one of the packages from the desk and ripped the top to peer inside.

A copper bullet head peered back at me. There must’ve been twenty inside this small little package.

Good, I guess.

I gathered the remaining items and shoved them into my free tactical rig pouches.

Money Bags and I shared a bitter goodbye.

Once again, she shouted. “Good hunting, Stalker!” as I was departing.

My hope had been rejuvenated.

I felt more alive than I had ever felt when I woke up.

Swift Wings. That’s the name I won’t forget any time soon. He knew something. And I wouldn’t stop until I found him. Surely, he’ll give me the info I’ve been desperately searching for all this time.

I cracked a smile and basked in the rain for a good while. I kept my eyes closed as I enjoyed the chilly pecks of the rain. I hesitantly opened my eyes and stared up at the somber sky.

I reached into my pocket and pressed a button on my PDA. The screen illuminated.

8 PM.

The time never lied, it would be dark soon.

I trotted for the exit of the village, ready to travel further east.

There was a fire inside me, a fire in my heart that wouldn’t be snuffed. The Zone’s horrors were nothing to me. They should fear me. I’m going to find you Gray Steel. And if you can hear me?

I hope you’re ready.

“Dossier!”

One of the more recognizable voices ripped me from my thoughts and I glanced over at the pony calling my name.

It was Pathfinder.

She quickly trotted toward me with a pained expression. She stopped in front of me and took a moment to compose herself before she widely smiled at me.

“Yes?” I tilted my head.

“Aren’t you going to stay the night?”

Wow. Suddenly, there’s a strange warmness in my chest that forced a smile over my lips. I turned my head away slightly, so I could hide my smile. “I suppose,”

“You shouldn’t travel at night. Plus, you can’t leave with an empty stomach!”

My stomach growled when Pathfinder said that. I chuckled and followed Pathfinder toward the campfire.

I was served carrot and pea stew in a big wooden bowl. My mouth instantly watered when my nose caught the luscious aroma coming from the stew in front of me. I rubbed my hooves together and didn’t hesitate to stuff my face.

I ate, and I ate. Ponies gave me a curious glance when I was eating like a pig, however, Pathfinder was quite pleased with my display. Remarking on how ponies should follow my example. But in all honesty. I didn’t care. I loved the food, I loved that Pathfinder gave it to me for free. It was so much better than what I had for lunch earlier in the day.

When I finished my meal. I used a part of my suit to wipe my messy face and I was even comfortable enough to lounge with all these new unfamiliar faces around me. Without the other ponies, it felt a bit lonely. I wondered where the other girls were, but the question answered itself when the three mares came back to have Pathfinder’s delicious stew.

“Hey, Pathy,” Lofty said. “We just got back.”

“Mmmm, mmm. I smell stew!” Trotty walked over toward the campfire and sat on her haunches.

“Hold up, won’t the bandits come back?” Pathfinder asked. It almost sounded as though she were about to yell at the trio.

“No… I made sure that there was a fire there, made it look like we’re still occupying it.” an unnamed mare intervened.

Pathfinder tapped her hoof impatiently at the ground before she dismissed her concern.

“Okay then. Grab yourselves a bowl,” She said and took a spot beside me. “Now, listen ladies. Don’t waste any of it. Food like this is rare. So. Eat up!” she ordered and clapped her hooves together quickly.

Our campfire was much more lively with the older additions. I listened in on the stories and jokes which I laughed or smirked at on occasions. Most of the jokes were aimed toward Islet Equestrians, or other Stalkers who I don’t know personally. After the laughter died down and silence crept in. Trotty sat up from her spot and held out a large glass bottle up in the air, the clear liquid within tickled my nose and I caught the strong stench of alcohol.

“We forgot to honor the dead. We should never forget, because if we forget, then our sisters would truly be dead,” She spoke, her voice trembled and sounded less monotonous. “To our fallen sisters.” She took a quick swig of the liquid inside, her face twitched and she shook her head. She passed the bottle to her neighbor, Lofty.

“To our fallen sisters,” Lofty said. She took a swig also. Her face scrunched up and she wagged her head wildly as she clamped her hooves over her mouth.

Everypony chuckled and then the bottle came around again. It was passed around until it reached me.

“To the fallen,” I said softly and took a quick swig of the liquid. The alcohol was quick to burn the inside my mouth, but I downed it without any issues. I felt the fire liquid finds its way into my stomach and I exhaled while massaging my chest.

Oof! What a hit.

After the bottle had been passed around at least once, certain ponies were nodding off. Specifically, Lofty. She was cuddled against Trotty, who held her close in a warm embrace. I watched them with a warm smile, before turning my attention to the orange flame in front of me, which provided me with a cozier warmth during the night.

Sleep was calling. I gave a silent yawn and stood up from my spot. I gave a wave to my new friends, who in turn, waved back at me.

“Night, Doss,”

“Goodnight,”

“See you in the morning!”

They chirped. And after that, I sent myself off to the bunker. I didn’t expect to come back down here after today. I’m grateful for being allowed to. The thoughts of spending the night out there made me frown. My imagination was odd in that regard. I was able to see myself huddled under a tree, or sleeping inside an irradiated vehicle, only to pass away during the night. I shook the grim thoughts and basked in the present.

I entered the bunker and noticed a small lump laying in one of the beds. Looks like somepony turned in early. I trotted slowly to what I now deemed my bed.

I prepped for slumber by taking my gear off of my body. The tactical rig came first. I unbuckled it and unfastened the straps, and then I placed it down on the ground. Then came the holsters and firearms. Using my telekinesis, I hid them underneath the bed. The blanket served as a curtain of sorts. Before I decided to hide away my Makarov PM, I used my foreleg to cuddle the holster against my breast.

This is sleeping with me tonight.

Everything else except my fatigues went underneath the hiding spot and I smiled wearily.

Now, it’s time for bed. What an awful day.

Quite loudly, I crawled onto the spring mattress which moaned and creaked, as I shifted and readjusted my position. A voice startled me.

“Ey. Keep it down will you?” A familiar pretty-voiced mare grumbled.

“Fox Meat?” I took a stab at the dark.

It was quiet before I heard her reply, “Dossier... Right?”

“Yeah. The one who saved you.”

“I know who you are, Silly.”

I forced a giggle and scratched an itch at my grungy mane.

“So, you doing okay?”

Fox Meat waited a moment to answer me, she sighed softly and gave me an all too obvious fake chuckle. “Yeah... somewhat. I had a lot to drink after I got back. So... technically... I’m fine?” Fox Meat sounded uncertain.

“Ah,” I mumbled.

Silence crept in, small talk was a mood killer. We didn’t say anything for about three agonizing minutes. I wanted to talk to her more, considering I haven’t gotten that chance up at the Outpost Tower. But, what was I going to talk about?

Instead, she broke the silence first.

“After you delivered the information to Money Bags. What did she tell you?” She asked curiously.

“We discussed my next mission. I’m looking for a pony named Swift Wings. He supposedly can help me in my search for another pony named Gray Steel.”

Fox Meat didn’t reply. I saw movement in the darkness as she sat herself up. “You’re looking for that scum?” She sounded offended.

Her sudden change of attitude caught me by surprise. I raised myself from my bed and stared at her through the darkness. “What’s wrong with him?” I asked, with a tilt of my head. “Gosh, I hope it isn’t bad...” I thought out loud.

“He’s a compulsive liar.” Fox Meat muttered. “You’ll never know when some pathetic lie will pour out of his mouth.” She said, pausing for a second to exhale. “A year ago, when I decided to take up the guide business. He and his friend tried to scam me out of a free trip through a dangerous place. I got three hundred bits for the trouble, as opposed to the fifteen hundred I demanded.

“I would be careful around Swift Wings if I were you... Well, to be honest. You should develop a paranoia when you meet ponies. Stalkers tend to be deceitful and will always try to stab you in the withers any chance they get!” She explained, becoming quite bitter as she mimicked a stabbing motion with a hoof on her last sentence.

Wow. At least I knew who I was dealing with at that moment.

I now just realized I forgot yet, another important detail regarding my mission. Since Fox Meat was here. I could ask what he looked like.

“Do you know what he looks like?”

“Definitely,” she replied all too cheerfully. “He’s a really good looking stallion. If you hadn’t guessed already... he’s a Pegasus. His coat is light gray, his mane is silver, with a white streak in it. He has a real fancy-sounding voice. Quite smooth. When you see him, you can’t miss him. He stands out among crowds due to his impractical appearance.” Fox Meat explained.

That was worth jotting down in my head.

“Thanks, Fox Meat,” I replied and smiled.

“No prob...” She hummed quietly to herself and asked. “Where might you be looking for him?”

“Ponyville,”

Fox Meat went quiet and she shifted uncomfortably. “You do know what’s happening in Ponyville... right?”

“No...?”

And so, right then and there. I was given new information about Ponyville that didn’t come to light when I was chatting with Money Bags. Fox Meat told me a quick rundown of what was currently happening there. Ponyville was a warzone. Loners and Bandits are fighting to capture this place and ensure that it would be open and run by whoever was victorious.

Now, that got me thinking. Was Swift Wings a fighter helping the Loners out in this war?

And... where do I fit in all of this? I knew I was a Loner because I didn’t join any faction, yet. However, I knew a bandit would love to put a bullet through my head whenever they got a chance. Well, whatever the result is. I’m going to be ready for the bandits. I’m going to train my brain to shoot when I see the familiar black outfit of a bandit.

“Say... you don’t mind teaming up do you?” Fox Meat inquired.

“Uhh...” I muttered, scratching an itch at the back of my mane again. I figured it was an instinctive ‘I don’t know’ reaction.

“Look, I owe you. You saved my life. And in return, I can help you. A business mare like myself needs to repay her debts... otherwise... who knows what will happen to me if I didn’t.”

“I... guess?” I replied, still unsure of this. “Why not?”

“That’s the way to go!” She cheered. “Anyway... I’m sticking around until we reach the outskirts of Ponyville. After that. We can head our separate ways.” She was leaning closer at this point and she wagged her tail with an odd eagerness.

It would be easier to have a teammate, her eagerness to go was a plus. I couldn’t say no. We shook hooves to seal the deal. I officially had a partner to face the horrors of the Zone for a short time. With that over with, I finally nestled into my bed and drifted off into the dream world.

Chapter 4: Anomaly

Another day came. Snoring ponies woke me up within the bunker. I sat up with a grunt and attempted to rub the grogginess from my eyes. I shifted my attention to the splayed out ponies on the ground, and their forms moved as they breathed. I averted my eyes and was stricken with a memory that made me squeamish. The dead ponies left at the wreck, their lifeless husks left to rot in the field, no pony was going back for them. Whoever they were, their resting place was that wreck site.

I pressed my hooves against my forehead and heaved a weary sigh. It was time to carry on before I ended up regretting that I lived through that wreck. I wasted some minutes considering what my options were. I wanted to stay here, but at the same time, I wanted to leave to find Gray Steel. While I weighed the two thoughts, I decided that it was time to leave the bunker and prepare for what awaited me out there. I didn't want to be unprepared, especially after what I encountered.

I glanced over to where I last saw Fox Meat. I expected to see her, but my hopes became immediately dashed after her empty bed greeted me. She even tidied her bedding before she left. At first, I was angry and felt my chest tighten up. I wanted to scream. I wanted to kick something so hard that it shattered, but as I stood there in silent fury, I stopped to question why I was angry. Maybe she figured out how dangerous I was to be around. I never really did understand why ponies were so cautious around me. Did I carry sensitive information in my noggin?

With that incident fresh on my mind like a laceration, I did what I could to push it aside and not let it get in the way of a developing routine. I exhaled and went to grab my items. I lowered myself onto my forelegs, not only did that incident bother me, but a suspicion itched and bit at my ankle. Were my items stolen? I pulled the blanket aside and noticed immediately that my belongings were a-oh-kay.

I levitated each item out from underneath the bed and wasted no time throwing on my gear. Now, I was ready to start another terrifying day in the Zone.

I confidently stepped through the threshold of the stairwell. A gust of freezing wind brushed passed me and cooled the hot and stuffy air around me. When I found myself outside again, the first thing I did was take a drag of the stale, cold air–There's nothing like the Zone's damp air to jump-start the mind.

"Good morning!" a cheerful voice exclaimed. I turned to the owner of the all-too-familiar voice. "Sleep well?" Fox Meat inquired.

I chuckled and ran a hoof through my mane and grumbled. "Not in the slightest,"

"Are you sure?" Fox Meat looked up at me with a grin. "You had the oddest snore I've ever heard. You sounded like a little gerbil." She joked and stared back into her cup. I pretended to laugh the joke off. Her comment made my face feel warm. I scratched a fake itch at the back of my mane.

"I'm going to have breakfast and a bit of water," I replied and took a seat across from Fox Meat.

Fox Meat's eyes were half-lidded as she gazed at the campfire. Her face showed the definition of relaxed. I couldn't help but crack another smile. She carried on drinking out of a beaten-up tin cup. Sipping and swishing the contents around in her mouth as if she were tasting wine. Finally, she finished with an audible gulp, and a dreamy sigh escaped from her as she melted right on the spot–Whatever was in that cup. It lifted her spirit.

"Make your breakfast quick. We're going to head out in a few minutes here," Fox Meat looked up from her cup again. "I want to leave Rookie Haven at nine AM and make it into Ponyville before noon."

"Why? Don't want to deal with bandits?"

"Yup," Fox Meat took another swig of the liquid in that cup. She rested a hoof at her chest and sighed again. "I'm so glad I bought coffee."

"You lucky mare," I grumbled. Why did Fox Meat go on showing off that coffee of hers like it was a prized trophy? I shook my head and attempted to pay her no mind. I didn't exactly have much to look forward to here. I glowered at the old rusted can that sat a few inches away from me—that miserable, metal-laced, shit. I bought a fresh MRE. However, I wanted to save that for last. It was the best thing I had, and I had no intention of using it right away.

I pulled the can out with a grimace and kneaded my lower lip. I would've just tossed it or smashed it when I had a chance, but it was food. Nopony was about to give me a full course meal for free—Well, maybe Pathfinder would've—I took my bayonet and punctured the top, wasting no time disconnecting it from the can. Below me sat my new menace: old carrots and peas, with a dash of rust and mold for seasoning. I expressed my displeasure with a gag and went straight for it. The glob barely touched the tip of my tongue when the stench and offset taste hit me like a pallet of bricks. I retched and tried to hold back a series of gags that piled up.

I finished that wicked meal, and in the end, I was overwhelmed with relief. It felt as though I climbed the highest mountain and survived to tell the tale. I raised my hoof in the air and flexed it–Good. Fucking. Riddance–Those rations were turning. Now they festered in my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Fox Meat, who watched my predicament as if it were theatre to her.

"You know, you could've asked me for bits. I could've bought you a bread loaf," Fox Meat chuckled.

"No, thanks. It's probably better I worked for my food…" I said dismissively. It was a kind offer, but with every offer, there had to be strings attached.

"If you say so!" Fox Meat shrugged and carried on tasting her coffee. Taking her sweet time relishing the pick me up in her hoof—what a tease.

There was more time for me to sort through my inventory. I remembered from yesterday's excursion. I acquired new items, and not only that, I had to top off my firearms. My M44 needed cartridges. I bolted the gun and caught the round that flew out, and it didn't get far from its position as I clicked it back in the magazine. I sorted through the variety of cartridges from my pocket and snapped them in—four in the mag, one in the barrel. Satisfied, I closed the bolt and pulled the firing pin back and to the left.

The AK-74N came after. I levitated the rifle off my back and examined it. My heart nearly stopped when I saw it. Holy crap. It was in gut-wrenching condition. A lot of exterior components were missing. How in Celestia's forbidden land did this bandit mare keep this tool operating?

I hesitated when I pulled out the bakelite magazine from the mag well. Unsure of how many cartridges were inside. I levitated out at least six rounds from my pouch and snapped them in. The last one wouldn't cooperate. It was already topped off. Once I finished, I became immediately aware that the amount of ammo that I bought wouldn't cut it for my expedition.

Fox Meat and I had spare time to clean up the mess we made while we had prepped for our journey. By the time we finished, it was 8:58 AM. I surveyed the area with satisfaction. It appeared as though we were never here.

"Alright, let's go!" Fox Meat chirped as she broke out into a trot.

"Right behind you!" I called after her and followed along.

Rookie Haven had become but a speck from where I stood along the outskirts. I couldn't help but look back. Rookie Haven was becoming further and further away. A thought crossed my mind. Should I have stayed? I suddenly fantasized about staying with the group of stalkers. I saw myself enjoying meals with them, telling stories, and sharing victories with them. As I continued to ponder over my odd fantasy, my smile faded, and I frowned.

For a moment, I hesitated, and even considered spending the rest of my time at Rookie Haven, but, something irked me. I could only describe it as a terrible, terrible itch I couldn't get. It was deep that it drove me mad. I knew instantly, that I had to discover my origin. I yanked myself out of the Rookie Haven fantasy and focused on my primary mission: find Gray Steel.

Goodbye, my comrades.

"So, this is a shortcut?" I asked with an accompanied cock of my brow.

"Yup!" Fox Meat chirped and bounced forward.

My patience was a little thin this morning, especially after that horrible meal I had to stomach. Fox Meat had promised that this route we took should take us straight to Ponyville. However, the way she phrased it made me a touch skeptical. I glanced at my map periodically as we marched on through the forest we entered. I noticed something off on my PDA. Judging by the map, Ponyville was about two hours away on foot. We took a lengthier route, as opposed to a shortcut. What did she mean by a shortcut?

"Come on, Doss! We'll be there in two hours!" she shouted back at me.

She wasn't wrong. We would be there in two hours. However, I couldn't help but feel as though Fox Meat deceived me in some way. I lowered my head and flattened my ears back, grumbling quietly.

If this was the Rookie Trials, it sure as heck wasn't impressive. I thought I would see out-of-this-world flora. In my mind, I saw tall, healthy oaks that jutted into the sky and surrounded us under their shadow. Strange new bushes that bared poisonous berries that have yet to be studied by scientists. New species of creatures that became irradiated and hostile.

Instead, it was the opposite. The oak trees that were healthy, became sick, and they bared no leaves. Every tree was a scraggly mess of horror. Bushes were pointy shrubs that would likely pierce your hide if you walked into it. And there was no wildlife, though, I dismissed this when I heard the sound of something small scrambling off in the distance.

I stopped now and then to listen to something. A snap off in the distance, wind rustling something nearby, the dead trees moaning and creaking as the gusts of wind stirred them. Every little rustle, crack and snap made the fur on my back stand-on-end.

"...Yeah, that's why I know it's a safe way to Ponyville," Fox Meat finished.

Oh, fuck. I hadn't paid attention to anything Fox Meat said the entire time. I nodded at her while I wore my best, fake, warm smile. "I see," I said softly as I lowered my ears flat against my head once again.

"Oh come on, Doss. Trust me. It's the safest and fastest way to Ponyville."

I lost track of time as we continued to march through this dreadful place. At this point, mud began to build up at my hooves. The extra weight muddled my movement, and it felt as though dumbbells were attached to the tips of my hooves.

We made our way through a clearing and came upon something sticking out of the ground. At first, I thought it was part of a broken fence because I noticed a rotten village home not too far off from this thing. Upon closer inspection, it was a wooden cross with words carved into the aged planks. Before we passed it, I decided to read the words scratched on them.

Serenity; The Singer

"Good Vodka, Good friends, and my guitar is all I need to stay alive in the Zone."

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. I guessed whoever was responsible for putting Serenity to rest must've been the very same pony to carve the words into her cross. My mind wandered and juggled with the thought of losing a friend near and dear. She had it good. Serenity seemed to know how to live, and if I guessed correctly? She wanted to pass on her knowledge of living.

We must've trotted at least an hour and a half. Fox Meat led me to a pathway surrounded by dense bushes. It was break time for us. I trotted a few paces away from where Fox Meat stood and gazed off through the sea of trees ahead. I turned, and turned again, but saw nothing resembling a pony town. Eventually, I glanced over at Fox Meat, who anticipated my questions. "No, we aren't there yet," Fox Meat said with another grumble before she shook her head and smirked. "That's a habit that won't ever die when I guide ponies."

"Sorry," I mumbled and decided to stay quiet.

Fox Meat placed a hoof over my withers and gave me a playful shake. "Hey, don't worry about it!"

After our breather, we trotted east, toward Ponyville. We came upon a clearing in the woods, which showed a straight path toward cresting hill in a field. When we found ourselves at the peak of the hill, I spotted an even denser forest ahead.

"Welcome to Rookie Trials, Rookie!" Fox Meat exclaimed as she gestured to the forest.

I stared in bemusement when I saw the town of Ponyville off in the distance or at least part of the town. I made out tall structures that jutted out from the top of the evergreens that bordered us from Ponyville.

"Wait," I scowled at Fox Meat. "That forest back there wasn't the Rookie Trials?"

"Heck, no!"

"Then... what was all that about?" I ground my teeth together.

"As I said, it's a safe route. We didn't run into those huge boars or any of the mutts wandering past the outpost." She turned to me and smiled innocently.

I stared at the little mare in front of me and snorted in response. In return, Fox Meat grinned like a mini version of Money Bags. At least she was nothing like the pig I knew. Far from it, in fact.

I examined the entrance of the Rookie Trials. I noticed this place had a ton of wood planks nailed into dead oaks. I couldn't see the message at first, but as I squinted. I saw the crimson, dried paint, along with the ominous message scrawled across it.

Rookie Trials

Whoever made these signs wanted ponies to steer clear from this area. Fox Meat stared at the forest ahead with a smile over her lips. I wondered what was going on in her head. She must've come through this place for the hundredth time and was once again happy to see it. I felt I couldn't take her seriously with that smile plastered on her face all the time.

I turned my attention back to the forest and spotted a grizzly sight that sent a chill through my body. There were skeletal remains scattered along the entrance of the Rookie Trials. It saddened me to see that not one pony took the time of day to bury these unfortunate stalkers.

Fox Meat ambled along and hummed a melody. I trotted uneasily a few meters away from her and watched the tree line. Somepony indeed waited for us. Unknown to Fox Meat, I readied my firearm and lagged. If Fox Meat or I were to get shot, at least I'd be able to return fire.

Fox Meat stopped and turned to me. "Stick close. Follow any order I give you—even if that means licking the underside of your hoof." She said with a soft snicker. She turned to the forest with a confident grin slapped across her mouth. "I'll lead, you follow—Easy." and with that, she marched ahead of me and moved in odd patterns. Her path took her right, then left, and then diagonally. It appeared as though she were searching for something on the ground.

She stopped dead in her tracks and glared down at a pile of leaves. I stayed behind her and peered over her shoulder. There was something within the pile of leaves—rusted, metallic jaws. Fox Meat grabbed a large fallen branch and threw it onto the pile.

Snap

The powerful jaws clamped down on the stick and eviscerated it. Fox Meat glared down at the trap and grumbled. She glanced back at me and noticed my bewilderment.

"Bear traps," she simply said.

"I know what they are," I said with a roll of my eyes. "Why are they out here? Who sets them?"

"Bandits," Fox Meat huffed. "They're doing what they can for easy loot. Let's call them Hooftraps, instead of the traditional bear trap."

"Scum…" I said dryly.

What a menacing device to set out here for rookies, I supposed that would be a notably compelling message for the bandits to spread.

Fox Meat straightened her posture and motioned her hoof. "Well, let's go!" she took off again.

We were well on our way to Ponyville at this point. Thirty minutes left in our trek, and I had already felt exhausted from all the marching. Occasionally, we would stop to deactivate those devious Hooftraps, while also doing our best to avoid the radiation hot spots.

Our Geiger counters did an outstanding job of ensuring the safest route across the forest. Whenever it ticked wildly, we would diverge from the main course. Rookie Trials didn't seem all that difficult to traverse after a bit of familiarizing.

My PDA chimed and caught my attention. A voice belonging to a familiar, fat, trader mare crackled through. "Hello? Doss, can you hear me?" Money Bags droned.

I noticed that Fox Meat drooped her ears and hung her head as she continued down our route. I sighed softly and used my magic to levitate my PDA from my pocket. I moved the device close to my mouth and spoke.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Oh, good. How's my little money maker doing?" Money Bags asked. I hummed and didn't answer. "Terrible, I presume?"

"We're almost to Ponyville," I forced myself to sound confident.

"You never gave me your contact info. I went and added myself to your PDA friends list while you were out of it. Hey, at least now I'm able to communicate with you and send you further instructions." Money Bags explained as she heaved a throaty cough. "Anyway, I'll keep you posted." My PDA chimed once again.

At first, Fox Meat and I walked in silence until she glanced back at me and asked. "Couldn't find a way out of her deal?" her voice became cold. "Doss, I thought you were capable of getting yourself out of something like that."

I didn't expect Fox to say that. I lowered my ears and glanced off to the side of the trail. "I tried," I mumbled. "I should've left once I got the USB to her, but she knows more than I'll ever know. She has contacts, an understanding of what's going on out here, leads, shit that I wish I had, but don't. My memory isn't doing me any favors by fogging up." I replied.

Fox Meat drooped her head and sighed softly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to say that so rudely. You know you don't deserve what Money Bags is doing to you. I feel like you could've done better."

"Understood, Fox Meat. I'm doing the best I can. I mean, what is a mare like me going to do without any proper gear? Any definitive knowledge of the Zone's horrors?" I asked, picking up my pace and trotting alongside her.

It took Fox Meat a moment of stutters and hums before Fox Meat articulated her words. "I don't know, honestly. I wish there were other options for you." Fox Meat stopped in the middle of the trail. I walked passed her.

"My options are limited. Money bags is somepony I can tr—"

"Stop!" Fox Meat screamed as she yanked on my tail and caused me to fall flat on my face.

I massaged the pain that shot through my nose. I used my sleeve to wipe away the mud that smeared my mouth. Slowly, I glanced back up at Fox Meat begrudgingly and growled. "What's the big idea?"

"You didn't see what was plain, right in your face?" Fox Meat countered.

"No! What the Tartarus are you going on about?" I picked myself up from the ground gradually and huffed.

"Anomaly! There's an anomaly right in front of you. You nearly walked right into it!" Fox Meat helped me up and did her best to wipe away any mud on my face. But, before she could continue, I swatted her hoof away and gritted my teeth.

"Step off," I growled and attempted to clean myself up.

"You'll thank me in a moment…" Fox Meat grumbled as she dug out a pouch from her saddlebag. She fiddled with the string and managed to untie it. Carefully, she pulled out one rusted machine bolt from within the leather pouch. I watched out of curiosity as she chucked the machine bolt forward. What happened next was unexpected.

BOOM

A violent, force of gravity expelled right in front of us. It kicked up dust, stripped nearby bushes of their leaves, and left what looked to be an indentation in the ground. My heart drummed in my chest as I gawked at the oddity. The leaves and dust that had gotten kicked up, finally settled. Bewildered, I turned to Fox Meat for answers again.

I didn't expect it, but she stared at me with the same amount of bewilderment. "You don't know what those are?" Fox Meat asked with genuine puzzlement.

"Anomalies, right?" I repeated what I heard earlier.

"Correct," Fox Meat snorted and smirked at me. She dropped another machine bolt into her hoof and presented it to me. "Here. Try. Find us a safe route." I stared into her hoof and levitated the bolt away. I glanced up and stared where the anomaly left an indentation in the ground. The bolt had to go in another direction, not in the same spot Fox Meat threw. I took my time and decided to throw it only a few meters left from where the anomaly was clearly in front of us.

The bolt landed safely on the ground. No explosion.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Walk over to the bolt and repeat the process," Fox Meat replied.

"Really?" I glanced back at Fox Meat, and then back at the anomaly.

"Yeah!"

I furrowed my brow and huffed loudly. And so, I crept forward. I moved like a snail. As I inched across the ground, a gentle beeping caught my attention. The source of the noise came from within one of my pockets. When I drew nearer to the anomaly, the device in my pocket chirped wildly at me.

"Doss, you're too close!" Fox Meat shouted.

"What do you mean I'm too close?" I exclaimed.

"You're going too close to it. It's going to pull you in!"

"Then help me! Stop yelling at me!"

"Okay, calm down then!"

"I am calm!" I glared back at her.

"Alright, Doss, listen closely," Fox Meat paused and then hummed. "Move on over to the left side of the anomaly. Do not trot forward."

Her instructions seemed clear enough. I stepped back some paces and then moved leftward. The device in my pocket wailed for a brief second. I couldn't help but clench my eyes shut.

Oh, goddesses! Help me!

With hesitant steps, I slid blindly left. The alarmed chirping of my device lulled into silence. My hoof kicked something on the ground, I knew what I kicked. It was the bolt. A grin spread across my lips once I found that I made it to safety.

"Okay," I exhaled, "what do you want me to do now?"

"Rinse and repeat; find us a route." Fox Meat said out loud, unable to contain a hearty chuckle, presumably at my predicament.

Trial and error. I threw one bolt, and an anomaly exploded, it kicked up dust and shot a rock toward me which I promptly dodged. The pouch of bolts truly did aid in my survival. I levitated one bolt and threw it away from the direction of the second anomaly. Another path revealed to me.

I trotted forward and took care, listening hard for the chirps of my device. Bolt after bolt, anomaly explosion after anomaly explosion. I created what looked to be the strangest path known to a pony.

Fox Meat navigated my crude pathway and caught up with me in only a few seconds. My jaw dropped when I witnessed her reckless maneuvering. She didn't even need the device I used! She passed me, with a wide, amused grin plastered on her lips.

"Come on, Doss!" She called out to me. "Losing daylight and all that!"

Speechless…

I gathered the bolts up and then shoved them into the pouch and tightened the string. No way I would be wasting these! Especially after I bought them with my hard-earned bits.

"These anomalies, what are these things anyway?" I asked as I trotted alongside my partner.

Fox Meat glanced at me and smirked. "The only thing you need to know about anomalies is that they hurt. They hurt bad.” She droned.

"Yeah, but… I'd like to understand," I fixed my gaze elsewhere and stared at the rows of dead trees that we passed. "You said something earlier about it would pull me in, but I noticed that it explodes. The thing you've mentioned about pulling seemed to be non-existent."

I waited at least a minute before Fox Meat responded, and she said, "Anomalies are different. The specific one we came across was called a Springboard. I didn't pick the name. The Lunar Ecologists were the ones to give it this scientific name."

"Ah, so there's more," I grumbled and scowled.

"Yeah, look, Doss… I can't explain every single anomaly to you even though I'm an experienced mare. I still have a lot to learn out here."

"Nah, I get it," I pulled away from the trees and gazed at Fox Meat. I noticed that she looked away the moment I turned my head to her. "How many anomalies do you know?"

"Lots, but I can tell you the common ones I come across when I frequent this area."

"That would be helpful."

Fox Meat started on a common anomaly. It was just as deadly as the Springboard. Stalkers called it a Vortex. It was capable of pulling ponies within its fifteen-meter radius. This violent and terrifying anomaly was the taker of many ponies' lives. She told me a gruesome story of when she was witness to a pony who had died in one recently.

She told me that the stallion was a cocky friend of hers. He would always boast about not needing the use of bolts or devices to track anomalies. His fatal mistake was challenging Fox Meat to see who could get through a Vortex minefield. She did not agree, and her friend went ahead without her, calling her out on her lack of confidence.

She described his death as utterly disgusting. His body was pulled into the anomaly instantaneously. The vortex constricted his body into nothing more than a lump, followed by rising him up into the air. His screams were the most haunting. She described them as a dog in indescribable agony. It wasn't over after that. His body exploded in a gory mess. Fox Meat wouldn't elaborate on what happened after the anomaly finished with his body.

She shuddered and grimaced after that story. After I listened and visualized what happened, I couldn't stomach another account such as that. The poor bastard. Despite Fox Meat's discomfort. She carried on with information about the anomalies. She was brief about them.

I learned that there are a variety of worrisome anomalies. Such as fire, chemical, electricity, and the most concerning of them all, reality-bending. Fox Meat explained that she knew nothing specific about them. There was too much to remember for her.

At the end of her lengthy explanation, I thanked her for telling me, and she thanked me for listening.

It wasn't long until we reached Ponyville. I stood along the treeline, where it was safe. When I looked over at Fox Meat, I instantly felt something off.

"Well, I guess this is it," Fox Meat said softly.

"Yep, It appears so." I flashed a warm smile at her.

"You going to be okay out there on your own?"

"Hopefully." I chuckled softly and scratched at my mane.

Fox Meat barely moved. She looked back at me, concern visible over her face. She opened her mouth and said, "I'm heading on over to the Castle, if you're in that area, don't hesitate to give me a call!"

"The Castle?"

"A safe zone for ponies looking to trade or take a load off. I'll probably be hanging out over there if you want to come chat, like last night."

I chuckled half-heartedly and traced my hoof in the muddy ground. "Yeah, sure. Any way I can contact you?"

"Oh!" Fox Meat exclaimed.

Fox Meat sat herself down on the mud, raising her forehoof and revealing her PDA. It was attached around her foreleg crudely with a velcro strap, but it worked wonderfully for her, after a few probing presses of her PDA, my device chimed once again.

My horn illuminated, and I delicately levitated my PDA out of my pocket. I stared at the screen and spotted Fox Meat's profile picture displayed on the interface. Above her portrait was a prompt, one that I could reject, accept, or ignore a contact request. Of course, I went ahead and pressed the green to accept button. A new interface has made itself known on my device.

Contacts.

"Alright!" Fox Meat breathed out. "Good luck looking for Swift Wings."

"Good luck getting to the Castle."

Fox Meat walked backward, her warm smile stirred up my emotions. She backed away until our eyes broke contact. Then I heard the muffled thumping of her running off in the distance, which became quieter within a few seconds.

She was gone.

Chapter 5: Ponyville

Ahead was the infamous town that scared half the population in the Zone, Ponyville. I studied the decrepit ruins of this once lively place. Before I considered stepping out there, I wanted to scope this place out—didn't want to get too cocky—as I surveyed the town. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Foliage and trees had taken over the town's ancient houses. Strange, spiked vines hung from the trees and dangled below like nooses. A mob of crows squawked and circled overhead, ominously waiting for their next meal. What struck me as odd ended up being the absence of battles.

Unimpressed by Ponyville. I stepped back into the forest and contemplated my next move. The first thing that came to mind was vodka. I needed to take the edge off, and I had to flush the radiation from my system. I cast my all-too-reliable levitation spell and maneuvered the bottle out of my pouch. That cork flew off with a satisfying pop, and with that, the bottom went up.

My vodka was feisty, it didn't cooperate with me at first, but after I pushed past the burning sensation, my lovely drink dove right into my stomach. I sighed dreamily, corked the bottle, and shoved it back into my pouch.

I levitated my AK off my back and stared down at its rough exterior with a grimace. I swapped a bakelite magazine for a worn black magazine that I knew was topped off. Once again, I turned to Ponyville and exhaled softly. My blood curdled with dread, as it did back at the Outpost. I mouthed a prayer and marched ahead with no ounce of hesitation.

I jogged forward, unsure of where to go. But, I knew I had to go somewhere. I spotted many pathways leading into the town of Ponyville. I had no choice but to pick the one ahead of me.

My hooves clip-clopped against the eroded, concrete road. I didn't stop until I reached an alleyway. My heart thumped in my throat as I braced my rifle against my breast and aimed down the sights. As I turned the corner, the alleyway stretched ahead with a slight bend. Along the sides of me were the damaged and abandoned homes—I made it.

Suddenly, my PDA chimed, and a hiss of static crackled through, and then a voice spoke, "Hey, word of advice, Rookie. Stay away from Ponyville. You don't want to end up like the rest of them." a husky-voiced male droned.

The sudden warning bemused me. I levitated my PDA out of my pocket at a newfound speed. I had nearly broken the response button when I crushed my hoof into my device.

"Hello? Who's this?" I stuttered a response. "Hello?" Silence. Even the static vanished. I frantically scanned the vicinity, desperately looking for whoever contacted me. I made the hasty decision to head into a house. I shoved my PDA into my pocket and trotted to the closest home. The door laid on the ground, somepony must've breached it at one point in time. I made my way inside and prepared for a fight if I had to—thankfully, no pony built a camp inside.

I swept the rifle muzzle in every corner and crevice of the moldy living room. It didn't hit me at first, but a pungent, musty smell scraped the inside of my nose. I heaved a gag and grimaced—Yeah, no way anypony would be hiding away here—Unsatisfied with my poor judgment. I decided to clear the stairway. A revolting smell wasn't going to keep most ponies away from a smart hiding place.

I sailed across the rotted floor and immediately cleared the upstairs—It was clear because the damned roof caved in—All tension unwound from my body once I ensured this place was empty.

I took a breather and mulled over what happened in the short run. My mind juggled with questions. Who the hell was that? Why didn't they shoot me right away? Are they, my friend? I wished he spoke to me at that moment. I had to know if he was on my side. I paced inside the house for some time until I realized I was wasting daylight. I concluded if he already saw me, I would've been dead already. So, maybe he's on my side?

I inhaled and exhaled rhythmically, steeling myself to head back out there. All I had to go off of was my theory. I trotted across the room and toward a door that led to the opposite side of the alleyway. I stepped out of the doorway and crept along the sides of the houses. Stopped seconds apart to listen for any unusual noises. When everything seemed clear, I carried on walking through the eerie maze-like alleyways.

I made my way into another house, cleared it, and stayed away from the windows as I checked my PDA. My PDA provided me with a new map interface that showed a variety of shapes, ranging from circles, squares, and rectangles. I knew these were buildings. The shapes were spaced apart and clumped together tightly. I noticed the center of the map showed a large circle. I decided if I were to find stalkers out here, they would be there. And so, I knew where to go.

Once more, I stepped outside and pushed through the alleyway. One of my devices chirped at me. My device reminded me of the anomalies. I crammed my hooves into the ground and stopped dead in my tracks—Where the Tartarus was it?—I squinted and surveyed my surroundings.

I stared ahead and didn't see any fluctuations in the air, nor did I see any indentations to signify there was an anomaly. I looked to the left and stared at an unusual collapsed house. The massive hole in the house appeared to take the shape of a sphere, and then I saw the air fluctuate—Found it! What the fuck? This must’ve caused all of the damage to the house. I found it notably fascinating, these anomalies moved around.

I knew this anomaly was no threat to me, and so I pressed forward. I reached the end of the alleyway, using one of the houses as a means of cover before I walked out into the open. I shimmied along with the building and briefly poked my head out to survey the area.

CRACK

Something struck the building beside me. I cursed and scampered backward into cover where it was safe. I never knew I could move that quickly. My heart rattled in my chest as I levitated my AK upward and pointed it toward the alleyway I knew I nearly got shot.

"Come on out, bandit scum!" A deep voice bellowed.

He thought I was a bandit? What the fuck?

"Don't shoot! I'm a free stalker just passing through!" I cried.

"Bullshit!"

"I'm telling you the truth! I came from Rookie Trials with somepony named Fox Meat!"

There was silence at first. I heard another distant voice. Whoever else was down that alleyway, they quarreled with each other. They must've argued for a few minutes, but to me, it felt like hours. Eventually, another voice sounded in.

"Come on out," a soft, feminine voice ordered.

I shakily picked myself up from the ground and stumbled toward the next alleyway, when I trotted into their view, I spotted a young earth stallion sitting behind a stack of sandbags, accompanying him was a unicorn mare.

I eyed the firearm both out of fear and curiosity. This had to be one of the strangest guns I've seen. The trigger guard design was comically massive, and that wooden furniture was also out of proportion from a standard firearm. I guessed it was a custom firearm to make firearms available to those who desired to use one.

"That's far enough," a slim mare barked. The tall mare studied me at a distance. She raised a hoof and pulled off the hood over her head. I took my chance to study her and her partner.

The unicorn mare was incredibly slim and tall. She didn't have much in terms of gear. She was wrapped in a soaked cloak, and I saw that she wore beneath it was a protective NBC suit with a bulletproof vest. The only weapon I saw was an old TOZ double-barrel slung at her hip.

Her partner was a disheveled, muscular earth pony. He also didn't carry much besides a saddlebag and a protective suit with a far larger, bulletproof vest. His Stetson was tipped forward, and a cigarette hung at the side of his lip. A muscle shifted in his jaw as he scowled at me.

"Who are you?" The slim mare asked.

I gulped and exhaled and said, "Name's Dossier. I'm looking for a pony named Swift Wings, have you heard of him?"

The stallion’s blue eyes lit up and he perked up. "Yeah. He was here. Got caught by them bandits. Been tryna free 'em for a while. Not just him, but our whole crew." The stallion replied.

"You said you were just passing through?" The slim mare stuttered. "We need extra hooves and horns back here. We're barely holding off the bandits as it is. We haven't rested in two days."

Oh, no. I didn't want any more trouble with those bandits, but on the other hoof, I would get to Swift Wings easier. I stood silently, contemplating my response.

"Dossier, you in?" The stallion asked as he tilted his head.

"I don't know," I scratched an itch at the back of my neck and suddenly felt heavy with guilt.

"Are you sure?" The stallion cocked his eyebrow.

Fuck.

"Okay… fine, I'll help." I huffed.

"Alright then!" The stallion exclaimed, slapping his hindleg. He stood up, and the moment he did so, his firearm clattered to the ground. The slim mare glared at her partner and struck his foreleg.

"Careful, damn it!" she growled.

He laughed heartily, scooped his firearm up, and slung it around his barrel. "Get over here, Doss. Got lots to explain." He motioned his hoof and trotted away from the sandbag pile.

I cautiously made my way toward him. The slim mare hadn't moved from her spot. She stared at me, still studying me, but I paid her no mind once I made my way past her and caught up with the stallion. He trotted hastily toward the center of the town.

A battered fountain covered in vines and graffiti stood in the center of this place. A few meters away, I spotted the building, which was the large circle on my map. It looked to be a town hall. The doors were missing, and I spotted several ponies hanging out inside the dimly lit structure.

"By the way, mah name is Stroke-a-luck. Mah friend, back there, is Marvelous Targeter." He looked back and pointed his hoof at Marvelous Targeter, "We been holdin' up here at the town square. Those bandits are comin' from the east and northernmost areas of Ponyville, and they just keep comin' we don't know what to do about 'em."

"Can't do much about it, can you? I'm not sure how I can help," I replied with a frown.

"As far as I know, no," Stroke-a-luck slowed to a saunter and stared wistfully at the town hall building, "Lot of us don't know what to do anymore. Losin' hope here, and any day those damned bandits will attack." He spat out his cigarette onto the ground and snorted.

Stroke-a-luck and I arrived at the town hall building. We trotted up to the decrepit structure, and I gawked at the improvisations that kept this place secured. Sandbags lined the windows. A rusted scaffolding sat in the center of the town hall building, and when I glanced up, I spotted a pegasus with one of those comically massive firearms. I assumed he was on guard duty.

I counted heads, three earth ponies, two pegasi, and one unicorn. I hated these odds. How did they expect to fend off a group of bandits without substantial numbers? I was skeptical at that moment, and I wanted to tell Stroke-a-luck that they were fighting a hopeless battle.

As we trotted across the floor, I heard quiet clinking beneath my hooves. I looked down, and my mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Shotguns shells and rifle cartridges of varied colors made a new floor. Now, I wondered how many battles happened here?

Stroke-a-luck stopped. He brought up his hoof to his mouth and whistled, catching the attention of his partners. "Hey, Y'all," Stroke-a-luck exclaimed, "this is Dossier, she agreed to help fend off them bandits. With the extra help, I'm sure we can kick their tails out of this place for good after this!"

Every pony, much like the ponies back at Rookie Haven, roared in cheerful whoops and stomping. Their positivity grew on me. I found myself smirking as I readied my firearm for whatever came next.

Stroke-a-luck hastily dumped information on me before he left. He explained that I had to watch the northern and eastern sections of Ponyville, with my PDA in my magic, and a bit of uncertainty, I set up my post and prepared to look out for anything unusual.

The free stalkers typically had individual bandits come and scope out the town hall, but unfortunately, these stalkers weren't that well trained with firearms. One pegasus told me they knew how to point and shoot, but their speed could be compared to a trotting elder.

"Dossier, you see anything?" A pegasus asked below me.

I looked down at him and shook my head in response. He nodded in return and immediately left the town hall building. They put me up on the scaffolding—the guard tower, although crude, seemed safe enough. At the top of the tower, the guard was surrounded by thick steel plates welded onto the windows. There was only one thing the guard could shoot and see-through, a small slit, appropriately sized for the muzzle of your gun to slot into.

As I stood guard, my mind wandered after this shtick became painfully sluggish. Was Ponyville as dangerous as others made it out to be? It couldn't have been. Maybe it was safe to leave? I'm sure nopony would notice that I vanished. Grey Steel is still out there, and they have all the answers I need.

For a while, I scanned the rows of decrepit houses. East, stood an eerie forest with a limited amount of Ponyville homes. North was the direction I watched meticulously. There were so many houses up north that I would've been able to miss anything if I looked away for a second—which, of course, I didn't.

I spent about an hour or two surveying, both the eastern and northern areas of Ponyville. In the distance, I stared at an old factory off in a mist, almost seemed like a factory where otherworldly beings would work. Above the dark clouds, sat another type of factory, by the looks of it, it was a sky factory. I'm not sure what it produced while it operated, but it was obviously abandoned like the rest of the structures.

Something tapped me on the foreleg. A pegasus clambered onto the scaffolding and pointed at the bottom. "Aight, off it then," he ordered. "It's my turn to do watch,"

"Alright," I said dismissively and climbed down.

That wasn't too bad, I perked up and trotted outside. The moment I stepped out to take a breath of the stale-air, a chill droplet of water pecked my cheek, followed by another, and then another. Eventually, the sky was sobbing. Nopony moved from their post, and here I was standing there like a buffoon.

North of the town hall, beside a pile of sandbags, stood Stroke-a-luck and different mare. They huddled together and used a makeshift umbrella. I swear, I saw the gentle glow of Stroke-a-luck's cigarette in the dimness of day, accompanying that was the puff of smoke.

I trotted over to both of them and made my presence known, so I didn't scare them.

"Hey, you two!" I called out.

Stroke-a-luck jumped as I called out. He glanced back at me but immediately turned his attention to one of the alleyways. No warming welcome. Oh, boy. It seemed they weren't as friendly as Rookie Haven ponies.

I stood a respectful distance and watched Stroke-a-luck. His eyes had bags, and he looked droopy from the last time I saw him.

"What is it, Doss?" He grumbled.

"I just came to say hi," I replied with a chuckle. "I didn't see anything out there. You two should go to the town hall and rest up while I take over," I suggested and patted the sandbags roughly.

Stroke-a-luck glanced at me and shook his head wearily and said, "Time ain't up yet, still got an hour left," he mumbled and fought to keep his heavy-eyes open.

"Look, I'm still awake, it'd probably be better if I took over." I stepped forward confidently.

Stroke-a-luck turned to me slowly, spat his half-finished cigarette on the ground, and pointed a hoof at my face. "Don't be tellin' me what to do, Doss. If I say I got this, I got this—aight?"

I thought it would be far better if we had conscious and aware ponies helping with this fight. But, the way he snapped at me pushed me into a corner that I couldn't get out of. I gnawed at my lower lip, took a step back and nodded slowly. "I thought it would be helpful if we had more situationally aware ponies, you know?"

"I get it—" I heard something whizzing before Stroke-a-luck's head exploded right in front of me. Fragments and chunks of his head sailed across the air and got on me. I heard the shot reverberate throughout the town.

In a split second, I fell to the ground and forced my head down low—Fuck! What the fuck!?—I stared wide-eyed at the corpse of Stroke-a-luck. The mare climbed onto his corpse and guarded his body with her own.

"Luck? Luck! Oh, no, no!" the mare sputtered and sobbed on—who I presumed was her dead friend.

"Get off him, hug the ground!" I screamed at her. "You're going to—"

Another bone-chilling whizzing. The mare was struck in the back, she howled out in pain and violently rolled around on the muddy ground. I covered my ears, hyperventilating. My heart battered in my chest so hard that it felt like it would climb out of my throat and plop on the ground.

What came next was an eruption of gunfire from all sides of me. I had to wait. Otherwise, if I pop up any time, I'll surely be shot dead. I levitated the mare's writhing body over to me and out of clear sight—At least she was safe.

"Are you alright?"

The mare tried to respond, she hyperventilated and blubbered uncontrollably as blood pooled beneath her. Her hooves desperately reached for me, and I couldn't do much more, but helplessly watch her die. I couldn't hold any tears back. My lower lip quivered as I looked away.

Somepony made their way around the sandbags. The first thing I spotted was the black bore of their twelve-gauge auto-loader aimed at me.

The unicorn stallion grinned and sauntered over. "Don't try anything funny," he sniggered. He glanced down at the dying mare beside me and sighed disappointedly. "Shame could've used her to pull around those wagons we got," what came next made me jump out of my skin. He changed his auto-loader muzzle direction and landed on the mare.

BOOM

I screamed and covered my head with my hooves. The sound of pouring blood made my skin crawl. The blood pooling beneath me made my stomach churn, and I couldn't help but gag. I dared not to look at the damage done to the mare. I know she didn't make it right then and there.

"Get up," the stallion ordered.

"Fuck you!" I bellowed.

"Get up!" he repeated.

He chomped down on my mane and pulled me to my hooves, forcing me to walk toward the old town hall building. What I witnessed next made my heart sink into my stomach. The remaining five of my teammates were hustled out of the town hall building with firearms at their heads; they led us to the fountain and circled around us.

"Barb, we got ‘em," The bandit who captured me spoke into his walkie-talkie around his foreleg. "Of course we're waiting for you. I rounded them up as soon as we could, and it went well, though we lost at least two of them." The bandit's face twisted and turned as he listened to what his leader had to say. After he finished having a chat with the pony on the other end, he groaned with a frown.

"Oi, listen up. We'll be taking all of your shit now. Don't try anything stupid," he intoned. He motioned with his head, and two female bandits trotted up to us with their pistols drawn.

I was the first pony to have my stuff stolen. They started grabbing, levitating, and pulling whatever they could get their greedy magic on. They took my guns, my rig—everything. I was only left with the clothes on my back. Those bandit scum also stole my dignity.

Much later, they had an ample amount of our belongings piled on the ground. A lot of us lined up were similar to each other. We were only left with the most casual looking clothes. Each pony in the row wore a blank expression, while some ponies watched with a fearful glint in their eyes. I was feeling a bit of both. I was angry and afraid of what would happen next. Not even a few hours in Ponyville, and I didn't last long.

"Hey, alright!" the stallion exclaimed. "Look at all these weaklings put in their place. You shouldn't have ever left Rookie Haven. A place like Ponyville is for the more elite ponies, ponies who know what they're doing," he said matter of factly.

The bandits laughed and chuckled after somepony in the crowd made a joke about our strength. I ground my teeth together. I glanced at the pile of firearms, and I knew what I had to do. I was prepared to concentrate my magic on my automatic AK—these fucks were going to die. But, before I could act, Marvelous Targeter rested a hoof on my foreleg and shook her head somberly. I looked up at her and then back to the pile.

I managed to suppress my urge to kill these fuck heads. When I finally got a hold of myself. I lowered my ears and clenched my teeth—well, fuck. We would’ve all died if I tried it.

"Hey, if you think I'm the monster, wait until you meet Barb," the bandit stallion cackled.

Chapter 6: Crimson

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7: Proposal

Author's Note

This chapter is mostly unedited. I changed a few things here and there, but I wanted to keep the story moving along before I forgot. There will be more updates soon, I hadn't forgotten about the promises I made!

I'd like feedback as I don't have editors to help me out with the errors!

Chapter 7: Proposal

I sat in silence, listening to the blaring buzz in my ears. I thought of various ways I could escape from this hole. From finding a loose brick to use, or spotting a design flaw, anything that could get me out of this place. Though there was nothing that I could see.

I heard soft whimpers to the right of me. When I yanked myself out of my thoughts, I panned over to see Marvelous sitting right beside me, her hooves covering her face. She tried to suppress her weeping.

For a few minutes, I sat in silence, staring at her with a frown. I had this urge to say something to her, but as I tried to open my mouth to say something, nothing came out. I slowly slumped against the wall and continued to stare at my surroundings, trying to figure out how to get myself–and everypony else–out of this mess.

I forgot how much time passed. We've probably been locked up in here for hours. Most ponies under these circumstances would've been driven mad. However, a lot of us were collected, reserved, and patient. That middle-aged stallion from before paced from one end of the concrete room to the other. Other ponies around me sat in the dark, nearly motionless, I would’ve mistaken them for dead if they hadn’t shifted on occasions.

My ears flicked at the sound of a metallic squealing that came from a nearby staircase. Daylight shot down the staircase and illuminated the ground. Multiple footsteps battered in my ears as six bandits marched into the cramped basement, flashlights beamed into our eyes, blinding us.

"Good morning!" Somepony chimed in from behind the flashlight beam. "It looks like I'll be providing you ponies with spectacular new jobs!" The light melting my face off shone elsewhere. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw the bandit leader, Barb standing tall and proud in the middle of the room. "You are no longer free stalkers. You are now affiliated with my group. You'll all be working until you feel your bones crack, and until you can no longer carry your own weight. Only then will I grant you mercy." Barb explained as she panned around to stare at all of us. "Do I make myself clear?" She asked and waited for answers, but to her dismay, there were none.

"No pony wants to contribute?" She asked with a peculiar sweetness sprinkled in her tone. I surveyed the room and the faces of my new comrades. Nopony spoke, and nopony wanted to acknowledge Barb.

"Diamond," Barb deadpanned.

A female unicorn perked up and turned to Barb. "Yes?" The small mare inquired.

Barb closed her eyes and huffed through her nose. "Will you show these ponies why they should open their fucking ears?" She requested.

BOOM

Before anypony could react in time, a thunderous explosion reverberated inside the room. A shriek of terror clawed its way into my ear canals and drenched me in dread. I barely looked up, my heart raced in my chest and throat, and I spotted one of the Loners crumpled on the floor. The concrete wall had fresh crimson splattered against it. One of the pegasi from earlier was on the receiving end of a shotgun blast. Barb stood there with an expressionless face, her eyes still shut. She paced herself, taking a lingering breath through her nose before she exhaled.

"Okay," she said simply, "do you ponies understand what to do now?"

"Yes!" each of the free stalkers sounded off frantically.

I immediately resented my choice to ignore her when Barb's menacing eyes opened up. Her eyes shot toward me and bored through my soul. She ambled over. I did my best to squirm away, but my back pressed against concrete. Barb stopped a few paces away and gazed down at me with a sly smile.

“Wild Flower!” Barb barked, peering at Marvelous from the corner of her eye, and then gave the bandit an inconspicuous nod. “You know what to do.”

“No, wait!” I shrieked and watched helplessly as one of the unicorns strolled over with purpose. The bandit pointed a small pistol at Marvelous and then came the bang.

Marvelous went stiff and slid to the ground. She howled out in pain, bucking her hind legs wildly. The poor girl clamped her foreleg over her hip. Her eyes were filled with undefined rage, her pinprick pupils rattled as she sneered up at the bandits.

“You fucking cunts!” she screamed out in anguish.

“Whoa!” Barb exclaimed, grinning like a mad-mare. “Instead of cussing us out, you should be thanking me that she didn’t kill you!”

I caught my breath after a series of gasps and panicked shrieks. I realized that I was still alive. I was dumbfounded that I and Marvelous were alive after that. Barb stepped back into the center of the room, she seemed content by my cowardice. Barb composed herself and went on smiling as nothing had happened.

“Let’s try that again!” She exclaimed and slowly surveyed the room. “Are you ready for work?”

“Yes!”

Everypony—myself included—replied frantically to Barb’s question. I hoped Swift Wings’s plan would play out. Whatever it was.

The bandits hustled everypony out of a decrepit schoolhouse which now served as a makeshift prison for Stalkers. One of the more familiar bandits, Prancer, probed me with his shotgun muzzle as he led me outside.

The rain came down much harder than before. It pelted my back and drenched my mane and tail in a matter of minutes. I closed my eyes and let the downfall wash away the crimson and muck. And that’s when the tears came. I tried to fight it, but I would soon break down, joining the others in their sorrow.

So much has happened. Luck’s head exploding right in front of me, hearing the devastated cries of Luck’s friend before she was ultimately killed by Prancer, Barb ordering around those bandits and killing those who weren’t useful to her. Reality caught up to speed and ran me down like a steam roller.

Barb stood in front of us with a relaxed smile on her face. We waited in silence as she started pacing again.

“Your first job is to lug around loot for me. You ponies will be forced to take it to the abandoned hospital just north of here. Any pony who tries to flee will be shot and killed,” Barb explained with a booming voice. “You got that?” She turned to us and seemed excited for a response.

“Yes!” A lot of us replied individually. As I felt the yes escape my mouth, I realized that the yes that I hesitantly got out wasn’t of my own doing. I fought to say something else. I even fought the urge to run right then and there. Dying could’ve been a better option for me. For anypony.

“Good!” Barb stomped her hoof in the ground. She gave a small nod at her bandit buddies. Four of them approached us with leather harnesses. One of the bandits stepped up to me. I heard what sounded like tearing before I felt him wrapping it around my horn. He was using duct tape to ensure that I wouldn’t be using my magic any time soon.

The bandit stepped back and admired his craft before he chucked the leather harness over my barrel. He tugged at straps on the harness, securing it firmly. The leather was so tight that it felt as if a snake was coiled around my body.

Without any warning, something shoved me forward and I stumbled toward Barb. With wobbling hooves, I straightened my posture and glowered back at that grinning asshole who pushed me. Barb trotted up to me, her foreleg wrapped around my withers as she faced me toward my group.

“This pony has the right attitude!” Barb ruffled my mane and stared into my eyes. “What’s your name?”

I gnawed at my lower lip and shook my head somberly. Barb frowned and used her awful stare to coax the name out of me.

“What’s your name?” She repeated.

“Dossier…” I choked as I yanked my head away from hers.

“Good mare,” Barb snickered. She then pointed at a pile of crates. “Load her up!”

Once more, I was forcefully led to where they wanted me to be. A bandit mare filled an empty rucksack full of goodies like magazines for guns, military MRE’s and crackers, armored vests that covered the body. I was dumbstruck by how much loot they managed to gather.

“It’s something ain’t it?” Barb chimed in, she leaned against my back and put all her weight on me. I felt her bones digging into my sides. “Managed to take out those red bastards that were holed up at the hospital,” Barb chuckled and stared at her bloody hoof. “Duty is supposed to be made up of ex-military soldiers and stalker vets, but they’re all the same to me: easy pickings.” She secured four bags to my harness. The weight added on and I felt two times heavier than before. In my weakened state, my legs faltered and I sank to the ground.

“Oh, for—” Barb groaned. “Can somepony get that pathetic bitch patched up?”

“On it!” A random bandit replied. The bandit pony stepped up to me and helped me to my fatigued legs. Her pink face was riddled with scars. She glowered at me and sat on her haunches. The pink mare dug around inside her bag until she pulled out a small orange case.

As I stood there, my legs once again gave out on me. My strength was gone entirely. I couldn’t keep going like this.

“Just… kill me.” I muttered to the pink mare.

“Can’t lassie,” she deadpanned.

Those words hurt a lot more than what would surely happen. I shakily exhaled and wiped the tears staining my face. Suddenly, there was a prick of pain that shot through my neck. The pink mare had just stabbed me with something. I couldn’t help but jerk away, the moment I did so, the mare glared, unamused by my actions.

“That was for yer pain,” Pink said with a growl. “Don’t be tryin’ that again.”

“Fuck you…” I said with a rasp.

“Sure, lassie!” Pink said with a wide grin. “What time would ya like to mash clams?” She caressed my cheek with her hoof. I frowned, threw my head back, and smashed my forehead against her face. I heard and felt a loud thunk. Pink’s head snapped back as she recoiled.

“You damn cunt!” Pink spat and rolled herself onto her hooves with surprising agility. “I’ll let you have that one, but we aren’t done, lassie…” She stuffed wads of bandage into her nostrils and stormed off.

I didn’t realize right away, but my body stopped aching and relief washed over me like warm water. I couldn’t help but sigh dreamily. As I looked down, I spotted the syringe used on me—so, she wasn’t joking about helping. Before I could react, a unicorn mare used her magic on me. My limbs locked in place and I was lifted up and forced to stand up again. No longer did I feel fatigued... I didn’t know how to react to whatever was used on me...

Those bandits loaded us up with plenty of gear. It took them thirty minutes to load our harnesses up. I listened in on a conversation the bandits had. One of them talked about how they accumulated so much gear. He mentioned there were plenty of groups raiding and robbing ponies in pathetic ambushes along the frequently traveled roads. Often they would kill the ponies they rob, something their leader, Old Barbarous—who I now know the name of—disapproved of, but it’s not like that mattered much to her, considering she ruthlessly murdered a mare back at the school.

I got tasked to head north with two bandits, Prancer and Pink. We started off on our journey. One led, while the other lagged behind me to ensure that I wouldn’t try anything ‘funny’. I stared at the ground with a blank expression.

Pink snickered and then said, “Damn, Barb messed you up good?”

“Piss off,” Prancer groaned.

“Never seen her do that to any other pony.” Deathwish snarked.

“I said piss off, Deathwish!”

“Pal, can’t I have a wee bit of fun with you?”

“No,” Prancer growled, “and I’m not your pal, get that in your thick head,”

“Another time, pal,” Deathwish chuckled. “Look we’re almost there.”

When I looked up, we were approaching the aforementioned hospital. The building was impressive. It hardly looked like it aged at all. Sure, there were a few vines that snaked along the sides and into the windows, but this was the most intact structure I’ve seen. The bandits must’ve fortified this place. There were rusted sheets of metal bolted on many windows on the first floor. A tattered flag above the hospital swayed back and forth in the wind, I could barely make out a red crosshair symbol spray-painted on it.

Prancer and Deathwish led me inside. The interior wasn’t as impressive as the exterior. The wall’s paint was chipped and covered in graffiti, the ceiling was moldy and water dripped from above, the wooden floor sagged and crunched underneath our hooves as we trotted inside.

“Should we take her to the morgue?” Prancer asked as he trotted over to Deathwish.

Morgue? Oh, goddesses. It wasn’t going to end like this. Not like this.

“We got to unload the gear from her, remember?”

Prancer wordlessly pointed his gun at me and motioned it down the hallway. “Head on over to the staircase. Don’t make me splatter your brains on the wall.”

I said nothing as I trotted down the hall. Their conversation made my blood run cold, but I managed to steel myself. It sounded like they still needed me around for their slave work. As I trotted down the hall, I heard guitar music in the room to the left. I caught a quick glimpse of ponies huddled around a kettle. I guessed they were another set of bandits. I didn’t get enough time to see what they were up to because Prancer shoved me forward.

I came across the staircase. There was an upstairs of the hospital and the aforementioned basement. Immediately, I made my way down into the basement. The basement was much different. The floor changed to shattered tile. When I stepped forward, I heard an audible cracking, as if I were walking on bones.

Once more, Prancer pressured me to move again. I was led through maze-like corridors. Prancer and Deathwish exchanged insults at each other, arguing about which direction the morgue was. It took them a few minutes of bickering until we finally reached a steel door with an enormous padlock on it.

Deathwish dug out a rusted key from one of her pockets, shoved it into the keyhole, gave it a clockwise turn and the gigantic lock disengaged and clattered to the tile floor.

Wordlessly, Deathwish yanked me toward her and shoved me through the door which sent me flying to the floor.

Fuck!

As I examined the room, my jaw immediately fell to the floor. There were many firearms, backpacks, canned food, and dizzying, miscellaneous items, irresponsibly strewn about the room. Padlocks were installed on the morgue freezers. I suspected that they must’ve kept loot in those things as opposed to bodies. My mind started to wander on how long it took for these bandits to gather all of these supplies.

“Stay down,” Deathwish growled, “Prancer, watch her horn. Shoot her in the head if it glows.”

As much as I hated this. As much as my blood boiled. I had to wait for an opportunity. Being gutsy like before wasn’t getting me anywhere anytime soon. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for them to finish taking off all the gear on me. The backpacks were tossed to the side without consideration.

After they finished unloading the loot from me. I was promptly pulled to my hooves and hustled out of the morgue.

“Right, let’s keep this up!”

The bandits strapped barrels of food and water on my harness and I could feel the leather digging into my skin. I had to follow Deathwish and Prancer around, along with a couple of bandits. I had no clue what happened to the rest of my comrades, but I assumed it wasn’t good. For hours, we trotted around the town carefully.

The layout of this area was familiar to me. My stomach lurched when I remembered meeting Stroke-a-luck here. Prancer glanced back at me with a sly smirk.

“Remember this place, twat?” He asked, rubbing salt in the wound.

I lowered my ears and ground my teeth together. It didn’t take long for the sweet stench of death to overwhelm me. My nose rebelled, at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel that this horrendous stench felt familiar. Deathwish brought her nose up and gave a sharp inhale through her nose.

“That’s the stuff. Nothing like that fresh smell of death to keep ya goin’!” She snickered.

“I certainly don’t work like that,” Prancer grumbled softly. “Weren’t you some kind of famous murderer?” He continued to trot toward the town hall building.

“Famous is one way of puttin’ it. My favorite place was the Bloodbath Arena before they dissolved it.” Deathwish replied.

“They still got another arena at the Castle, but seeing as you’re with us, I doubt those red bastards would let you in,” Prancer glanced back at Deathwish and smirked, “why don’t you go get captured? I heard that’s the only way into the arena. They capture bandits like us. We’re either lined up and shot, hung, or forced to fight in the arena. Either way, you get fucked.”

“Don’t feel like botherin’ with another arena, besides ponies still fear me,” Deathwish said coolly, “I’m like a ghost story with one of them chants you use to summon me. Don’t be callin’ me, otherwise, you won’t like what I have in-store.”

“Last I checked, no pony talked about you the way you think they do,” Prancer replied, half-chuckling through his speech.

“At least I’m recognizable in the Zone, unlike you.” Deathwish snorted.

“Fuck off with you.”

I and the group of bandits decided to take shelter in the now-abandoned town hall. They removed the large barrels of food and water off of me and placed them down on the empty bullet casing floor. My skin burned severely once the weight was lifted. I rolled on my side and groaned out in agony.

“Fuck!” I cried out and glared up at Deathwish, who cracked a devious smile at my misery.

“Told ya this wasn’t over, lassie,” Deathwish said coldly, “if anythin’ you should be so lucky to be alive. Not a lot of ponies can appreciate livin’.” Deathwish turned, raised her hindleg off the ground, and gave my barrel a hefty kick that knocked the air out of me. I furrowed my brows and glared daggers at my captors.

You’ll get yours eventually. It’s only a matter of time before then.

My back, limbs, and head felt as somepony pressed burning coal onto my skin. One of my teeth wiggled as I tried to wet my dry mouth with my tongue. I weakly glanced over at the open doorway not too far from where I sat.

The bandits boisterously laughed and sang a song in unison, relishing their victory. At least they were distracted. I hoped to sneak by while they were busy smashing heads. I figured now was the time to go, before they noticed anything amiss. I carefully rose up from the ground with trembling hooves and limped for the exit. The open door was a few paces away. I tried to break out into a sprint, but the moment I did so, I tripped over something.

“Where ya goin’, lass?” That all too familiar voice pelted my ears. “Nowhere, I bet.”

I strenuously rolled onto my side and glared up at the deranged pink mare. She stared back at me with an ugly, toothy grin. Without warning, Deathwish grabbed a hold of my tail and swung me across the floor. I cried out in pain as I rolled a couple of meters and hit the wall.

“Fucking, bitch!” I screamed as I struggled to climb to my hooves.

“How about you behave for a few minutes? Much as I enjoy throwin’ you about, it gets tiresome.” Deathwish replied as she strolled over to me.

“I’d rather die…” I growled through clenched teeth.

“Kill her, Deathwish!” I heard somepony from the audience call out.

“Yeah! Do it, you pussy!” Another pony screamed.

“Shut up!” Deathwish bellowed as she snapped her head over to the group of bandits. “Barb asked us to keep these ponies alive! Get off my fuckin’ back!”

That alone shut the group up. There was an awkward silence that settled after Deathwish lashed out like that. It was then that she turned to me, miniature fires blazing in the blacks of her eyes. She stomped over to me, before I could brace myself, there was a blinding flash of pink, and then blackness.

A deafening bang brought me back to life, and I realized that I was still alive, save for feeling like shit again. My whole head hurt this time, my face throbbed in pain.

Fuck… Where am I now?

I blindly moved my hooves around the small room, attempting to get an idea of where I was. I realized this wasn’t even a room, they shoved me inside a cramped box. I was left with absolutely no room to move around freely. My back and neck were in an odd position. My forelegs and hindlegs barely got enough space to extend fully.

As I continued to feel around the stuffy box, I realized how panicked my breathing became.

Oh, damn it! I need to get out! I need to get the fuck out of here now!

I dug my rear hooves into the ceiling, but that gave me no leeway. I was made painfully aware of how uncomfortable it was inside after a few minutes of testing the walls and ceiling. As I sat there, the worse the pain got in my neck and back.

“Let me out of here!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I pounded at the walls to the best of my ability. “Please! Get me the fuck out of here!” as my strength withered away. I screeched loudly and attempted to find a better position to get into, but to my dismay, I was forced to suffer in this position.

I went through different phases as I attempted to break the box. For a while, I sobbed and wept like a foal. I was relieved once my whole body suddenly became numb, moving caused me a great deal of pain, so I stopped entirely. I became oddly intrigued by the blood running through my ears. I imagined that there was a train beneath me, rolling through a subway station without stopping.

I also became angry at one point, screeching and roaring up a storm, pounding my hooves on the inner walls. After a while, I strained my voice and tired myself out. I could do nothing more than remain in this nightmare-inducing box.

My ears twitched at a peculiar noise beneath me. Something shuffled across the floor, and before I could figure out what that noise was, the box moved.

“Hello?” I frantically clawed at the box ceiling. “Please, get me out of here. I’ll do all your work!” my voice became brittle as I begged for freedom. I tried to push aside the thought that they wouldn’t let me out, but the ceiling top creaked open. A pony wearing a gas mask peered inside and tilted their head.

“Good morning!” the pony chirped and pulled me out of the nightmarish box.

“Thank you! Holy fuck, thank you so much!” I babbled and then stood up straight. My neck and back didn’t feel like my own. It took a while before the blood started flowing, but the moment it did so. I couldn’t help but take great pleasure in being able to stand up straight and walk around freely.

I forgot about the pony who saved me, it was then that I glanced at the pony. Their whole body was covered head to toe in a trench coat. They couldn’t help but watch me. I imagined my savior grinned ear to ear behind that gas mask. My savior reached for their gas mask and pulled it off their face. Once their mask came off, I frowned deeply upon seeing who it was.

“Lassie, you’re not free yet.” the bandit mare from earlier said and then chuckled under her breath.

I glowered at the mare in front of me. It was Deathwish. I swallowed the lump in my throat as my blood began to boil and my head started to throb harder. Without hesitation, I lunged forward at a newfound speed, my hoof clenched as I prepared to strike at Deathwish. But, when I expected it to connect, she followed up by grabbing my foreleg. She jerked me so hard that it felt like my foreleg would pop out of its socket. In an instant, she wrapped her hooves around my torso and body-slammed me against the floor with an audible thud.

I lied there motionless for a moment, I couldn’t breathe, it took me a full minute before I was able to catch my breath and gather what just happened.

“Holy fuck...” I rasped. At that moment I started wondering why she hadn’t killed me yet.

“Lassie,” Deathwish sighed. “I’m tryin’ to help you!”

“That’s horseshit!” I had no strength to fight back, but my hatred for this mare was alive, much like a blazing fire. I had to eliminate her.

“Okay, how about we put you back in the box?” Deathwish asked as she glanced back at the wooden crate they stuffed me in earlier.

“No!” I shook my head wildly. “Don’t do that! Don’t put me back in there!” I uttered as tears began to stream down my face.

“Right, then listen,” Deathwish glared down at me, her gaze didn’t break contact. “I knew when I first saw you and yer horn, I knew that I'd need help.” she paused, took a step back, and gave me some space to breathe.

Completely dumbfounded by this. I stared up at Deathwish wordlessly, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. I couldn’t tell if she was fucking with me one last time before she finally slit my throat.

“So, what do ya say? Want to help me?” she asked, her voice nearly inaudible. “You best be takin’ my offer, lassie. Otherwise, I’m going to have to kill you.” She added and took a step forward.

I sat there with too much on my plate. I made a few indecipherable noises as I tried to give her a straight answer... and then I finally found my voice.

“What’s going on here?” I asked hesitantly.

“A proposal.” Deathwish said with a chuckle as an unnerving grin crept across her lips.

Chapter 8: Understanding

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