Fallout: Equestria - Red Glare

“What lies behind us and what lies before us

Are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The storm overhead started to die out and the sunlight started to burst through the clouds, I could hear this faint beeping from my bags, stopping and pulling from it my pipbuck. Looking at the interface I could see that a text at the bottom was flashing, saying “LEVEL UP”. Shrugging to myself I selected the option.

Looking through what it had displayed before me, I picked one ‘Storm Riders’, shrugging again before I put it back in my bags and continued onwards.

“Hey, was that a Pipbuck you were just messing with?” Cee said, quickly catching up and walking beside me.

“Yeah, why?” I said with a shrug and a chuckle. “Everyone from the stable has one, I’m just the only one that doesn’t like to wear it.”

“Because that is an amazing piece of tactical gear, on the fly inventory management, and with the Eyes Forward Sparkle you can see everyth-” Cee started to say before I simply stopped him and shook my head.

“The EFS is a pain in the flank, and relying on its inventory management and what not just makes you soft and forget how to survive without one. I prefer it the old fashioned way - with no fancy magical overlay on my eyes.” I said with a frown. “It’s distracting, and the effects it has on a pony’s sense of awareness when it’s gone is disabling.”

“You know with the right tweaks you could disable the EFS, right?” Cee said with a chuckle and a shrug, pausing as he directed my attention to the fence before us, written on it ‘Two Brothers Skyport’, and before it lay a massive structure, even larger now that we are upon it.

“So, Where do we go now?” I said, looking to my Pegasus companion. He just chuckles. “You go on in, I’m gonna start heading back to where I belong”

“Wait, you said you lived here, you said this was home.” I said, glaring at him “You lied to me, didn’t you”

“No sweetheart, I didn’t - I live here in Whinnyapolis, I don’t live in the Skyport. There’s a hospital a few miles down the river, that’s where I hang my hat.” Cee said, chuckling and pushing my things from the wagon before he took it and started down the way

I just stood there, staring in disbelief as that pegasi walked away, taking a deep breath and levitating my bags back to my back, rifle affixed to my side, I started past the gate. A few steps in and two ponies come rushing to me.

“Halt! Stay right there!” One of them yells, the other just lifting his rifle and pointing it at me. “What brings you to our Skyport.” He said.

I just groaned, I felt like Cee had just dumped me into a trap with more slavers or raiders or something. Thinking for a few moments I just sighed. “I’m a traveler, I came from Somnambula, I travel alone and was told to come here to refuge.”

“Do you have any wares?” The other said, tentatively lowering his rifle.

“Wares? Like, things to trade?” I said, looking at him confused.

“Aye, wares, things to trade, got any?” He said again, keeping his rifle half lowered.

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” I said with another side. “I have nothing of value on me, not unless bits are of any value to you.”

“Bits? Like, pre-war money? Lass, no one has used bits in decades around these parts” He said, chuckling, lowering his rifle all the way. “You must be from a stable, never heard of one out that way but you’re welcome nonetheless.”

“Of course not, why would anything be that easy,” I said under my breath, before smiling back to that guard. “Yeah, absolutely from a stable - was it really that obvious?”

“Let’s just agree, that stable dwellers aren’t exactly like most covert of ponies, especially in a place like this.” The guard chuckled a bit and looked back at the Skyport. “So you got a name stranger?”

“Solstice,” I said, looking back to see what he had been looking for. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry bout me, though it’s nice to meet you Solstice.” He said, relaxing a bit, putting his rifle back on its sling. “Just gotta wait for the welcoming committee to show up, as much as I’d like to see you in, gotta keep my post.”

“As strange as it might sound, I do know what you mean,” I said, taking a seat and taking a deep breath. Taking a moment to look around at all the piles of debris and wreckage around the area. “So… Are the storms what did all this? Or did a bomb play a part?”

“Just the storms, if a bomb was meant for here it never done went off.” The guard said, chuckling a bit more “Not many ponies care much what caused this much damage to our little gem.”

“Well, I’ve read books that detailed Whinnyapolis as a crown jewel of Equestrian society, one of the most modern cities built in Equestria,” I said, smiling a bit at that guard. “Of course I’d like to know what happened, Not every city gets a rags to riches story, then gets reduced back to rags.”

“It’s still got its charm, though I gotta admit I owe a lot to those ministries. Not only did they invest big in Whinnyapolis, but they also put those ministry row protections on some of the city’s most iconic structures, the Skyport for example, the mall, hell even a hospital a couple of miles up the river has it.” He said, leaning back against the fencing and giving a sigh. “We’d be all dead and gone, or stuck in some other hell hole worrying about raiders if not for them.”

“Really?” I said, surprised that such high powered enchantments would be used on seemingly innocuous structures. “The enchantments on Canterlot were rumored to be able to sustain everything short of all-out Armageddon, the fact they’d use them here is… both fascinating and alarming, do you know why?”

“They Skyport because of its importance to cloudship production most likely. Heck until recently we had a few husks of unfinished cloudships in the construction bays, cleared em out for increased living space.” The second guard said, finally saying something making me spin round to face them. “And the mall and the hospital? Who knows why they were protected.”

“Does anypony live in the mall or the hospital?” I said, looking back and forth between the two.

“The mall is connected to the Skyport, so yeah, a lot of us have quarters in the mall and use the Skyport as sort of the flea market area.” The first guard said.

“As for the hospital, there were some ponies in there, but they stopped responding to us a while back, figured they either moved on or the storms finally got them.” The second one added.

“I see… Maybe worth checking out if I get the chance?” I said, but before the two could answer another two armor-clad ponies came to the gate.

“This way Ma’am,” they said, before turning round to guide me to the Skyport. Taking a moment to wave and bid goodbye to those two gate guards before following them in.

00000

They lead me along the perimeter of the fence, getting close to what appeared to be a bridge, though it had piles of rubble either side that seemed to shelter underneath. Emblazoned on the size of the bridge, two unicorn stallions that appeared to be shaking hooves.

“Who’s that?” I said, taking a moment to pause and examine it closer.

“The Flim Flam Brothers.” One guard said.

“They donated a large sum of bits to the construction of both the mall and the Skyport, encouraging this bridge to be built so that travelers from the Skyport could come over to the mall.” The second one added.

“The Flim Flam Brothers? But, they were scam artists, weren’t they? Always looking to make a quick bit and not really caring about quality or customer satisfaction? Why would they want to give money up?” I said a bit confused.

“There’s been a debate about that, some say that it’s because they owned a large portion of the mall, and to allow travelers easy transit from the Skyport to the mall would allow for higher sales and thus they get a quicker return on their investment.” One guard said, taking off their helmet.

Taking a moment to examine this guard, I could see that she was most definitely a mare, no horn, and wings so likely an earth pony. Cream-colored coat and a brownish colored mane. ‘Finally, some way to tell who’s talking’ I thought to myself.

“Okay, that makes sense,” I said with a chuckle. “They weren’t responsible for that bridge were they?”

“Responsible how? That they designed it or whatever?” The second guard said with a chuckle, “Nah, they just gave the Engineer Corps the bits, they built the bridge, it’s not even protected by the enchantments, it just refuses to come down.”

“Impressive” I muttered, before smiling to the guards. “Let’s get inside, hopefully, it's dryer and warmer in there.”

I hadn’t noticed it until that moment, but my clothing was absolutely soaked. I wasn’t sure if it was from the rain, or if I had sweated through it all, but one thing was certain I really could use a quick drying off.

The guards nodded, and quickly made their way to a nearby unblocked door, opening it and letting me in first - I could hear the sounds of laughter and talking inside, no one seemed even bothered that this place just took a direct hit from a tornado. Walking inside I realized this area was the main terminal, the tall vaulted ceilings, and balconies overlooking the main seating area still intact.

“Okay, just wow,” I said as I stopped and gawked at the prewar equestrian architecture, this room was definitely built to impress and show off the best that Whinnyapolis had to offer.

“Like it? We just painted it.” The mare said with a chuckle.

“Seriously?” I said, looking to her surprised for a moment.

“Nah, this paint is as old as the structure, those enchantments keep it fresh.” She said, chuckling a bit more. “Anyway, it’s this way to check-in, and over the radio I heard that you have some bits, you can convert them over in the market, though the bit to cap ratio is a bit bad right now, not too long ago it was three or four caps for a bit so it might be a better idea to hold onto them.”

“Well, is there odd jobs I can do or something to earn some… caps?” I said, pausing a moment as it finally sunk in, they were using old discarded bottle caps as a currency, eventually, I hoped to find out why.

“There is a task board over by the outfitter, most jobs are tough pickings though - too many ponies not enough work I’m afraid.” The second guard said. “If you are really desperate for caps, we do have a bar here that’ll take walk-ins for escorting or dancing, if you’re any good at either of that.”

I paused and considered my options, to trade in the bits I had for a small pile of caps that wouldn’t last me very long, wait and scope out the job board to hopefully get a good-paying job or to simply go to that bar.

“We’ll see,” I said, shaking myself out of it. “So, You said that there is the outfitter, I suppose that’s where I can get clothing and armor?”

“Yes ma’am, all the shops are easily identifiable, just look for the sign.” the mare said with a chuckle “And if you can’t tell what the sign is, you can ask the shopkeep, they usually don’t have much problem talking your ear off if given the chance. Hell, ask them if they have any work - never know, might get lucky.”

“Is there anything else I should know before you two let me free?” I said, smiling a little nervously.

“Only one thing. Don’t piss off Aria, pissing her off is an easy way to get your flank thrown out of here.” The mare said with a sigh. “Not much a fan of her, I have to say, but she’s been the leader this place needed ever since she took it from our sleezelord.”

“So, don’t annoy the big boss, got it.” I said, nodding and smiling to the two before they stopped next to a door marked ‘guards only’ and turned to face me.

“Alright, check-in is done, you can go about the market.” The guard still wearing their helmet said.

“Wait, but we didn’t do anything,” I said, looking at them, then to the mare who was getting ready to put her helmet back on. “Is that really it? Just the tour?”

“Pretty much.” She said, smiling at me. “Get the guests orientated, make sure they know where everything is and what services are available to them, make them feel welcomed and valued, once that’s done we get to go back to the barracks and wait for the next one.”

“So, now I’m all alone?” I questioned, looking between the two. They both simply shrugged, waved to me then disappeared behind the door. I took a deep breath and turned around. Facing the loud, noisy hall in front of me suddenly I felt much more overwhelmed.

“Alright Solstice, you can do this, just maintain composure, it’s not like you’re Celestia knows how far away from home, in the ruins of a city that you’ve never been to and essentially broke… You’ve faced admittedly worse, you just need to stay strong.” I said to myself under my breath as I started to feel a bit of panic washing over me. “... But why alone?”

00000

I took some time to get my bearings, wandering around the marketplace just trying to feel my way around. Pausing outside a store that has a large neon sign in the shape of what looks to be a rifle. Coming up to the counter, an older stallion turned to face me, he looked grizzled and beaten, scars adorning his face and upper body like he had seen his fair share of battlefields.

“Ay there lass, what can I do for you.” He said, Smiling at me as he leaned over his counter.

“You’re a weapons merchant, right?” I said, taking a moment to return the smile, albeit mine was far more nervous and even a bit scared.

“Aye, that I am.” He said, chuckling and motioning behind him at all the weapons racks covered in various weapons and piles of ammunition.

“The sign said you offer the best conversion rate for bits to caps?” I said, smiling a little more nervously as the stallion’s eyes narrowed at me for a moment before he’d give a belly laugh.

“Aye, willin’ to be giving a cap for every two bits.” He said, giving an idle scratch at his face.

“That sounds backward if you don’t mind me saying,” I said, taking a deep breath and trying to maintain composure.

“Lass, I said what I meant, two bits for a cap.” He said, his expression turning more stern.

“Oh, I see,” I said, nervously looking around.

“Would have been better if you came in yesterday, caravan came through last night, apparently made it into an old bank vault, saturated the entire Skyport with so many bits ponies don’t know what to do with them.” He said, his expression returning to that more carefree and friendly expression it was before.

“So, how about jobs? Do you have any task I could do for you?” I said, smiling a little more earnestly.

“Not that I can th- wait no, actually, I do have somethin' you could be doing.” He said, chuckling and pointing across the way to a door. “Some Bloatsprites got in my storage shed recently, clear em out and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“What’s the pay?” I said, taking a deep breath.

“150 Caps” He said with a chuckle.

“150? That’s all? That doesn’t seem like much…” I said, sighing a little to myself.

“Fine, I’ll give you 200, that’s it any higher and it ain't worth the goods they’re blocking,” He said, giving a sigh of his own.

I paused and looked at him confused, I wasn’t even trying to get an increased price, just seemed like 150 caps was so low, 200 wasn’t much better but I wasn’t going to complain.

“Sure, you have yourself a deal,” I said, holding my hoof out to him, he paused and looked at it a second before he chuckled and shook it.

“Not every day a pony likes to seal a deal with a hoofshake,” he said with a chuckle “anything else I can do for you?”

“Yeah, What are bloatsprites?” I said with a nervous chuckle.

“Flyin critters, what happened to the Parasprites from before the war, but they’re all mutated now. Pretty mean too if you ain't careful.” He said, chuckling “Will that be it?”

I paused and thought to myself, before I nodded and smiled “Yeah, that’ll be all, I’ll be back when I finish clearing them out.”

With one final wave I moved on to the next stall, seeing a young mare and a robot by it, She was wiping down the counter while the robot was organizing and stocking the shelves. Coming up to them they both perked up and smiled at me.

“Hey, welcome to Skyport Supply,” She said with a cheerful smile. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before, you new?”

“Yeah, just blew in,” I said, to which the mare gave a bit of a laugh.

“Well then, what can I do for you?” She said, pushing the rag she had been handling before off to the side of the counter.

“Do you convert bits into caps?” I said with a smile.

“Oh absolutely! One to One in fact!” she said; cheerful as ever.

“That’s great to hear,” I said, smiling and breathing a sigh of relief. “Though I don’t suppose you can do better than one to one?”

“Nope, sorry, most places in the market aren’t even going to offer one to one,” She said, her cheery demeanor never dropping. “Most of 'em come to me with 'em anyway, I’m the only pony here that knows smithing.”

“Smithing?” I said, curiosity peaking for the moment.

“Y’know, melting down metals, casting them into other things. Most bits aren’t made of much worthwhile stuff, but I can cast figurines or ministry mare statuettes outta it.” She said, turning around and showing off a full set of the figurines, shimmering and polished bright. “Some of the trading caravans that come through really like 'em pays a good bit of caps for one.”

“Do you still have the originals?” I said, looking at those cast statuettes. “I heard that there were a very limited number of them made if you had the original set still that’d be something to be proud of.”

“Unfortunately not, just knew how to make the molds when I got my hooves on them one at a time, never got to keep them. Creepy items them, they seemed practically indestructible” She said with a chuckle. “I swear I heard voices when I had em.”

“Voices huh? Suppose you believe in ghosts then?” I said with a chuckle, she just laughed and shrugged. “So, anyway how about work, do you have any tasks I could do?”

“Not that I can think of, sorry! Maybe check back later, I tend to run out of things all the time and could use help getting more!” She said, I sighed and nodded, and turned to walk away, after a few steps she called out “What about the bits?”

“I’m going to hold onto them, I’m sorry,” I said, and for the first time, she frowned, and just went back to wiping down the counter. I just paused and looked at her for the moment, that robot never turning around or trying to interact with me at all.

Moving on again, stopping at a stand with a pony in a long white coat, a green cross logo in neon on display.

“Hey!” I said, walking up.

The pony jumped and turned around to face me. Seeing a young stallion’s face smiling at me.

“Howdy! When can I do for you?” He said, nervously chuckling. “Need patching up? Maybe want to change your looks? Spice up your life?”

“Ah, a doctor?” I said, chuckling a bit. “No, not at all.”

“Oh, I see… What do you need?” He said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Actually, I’d like to see the supplies you have, if any are for sale,” I said with a smile, I wanted to judge the price of things.

When he opened a nearby cabinet, inside a display with healing potions, an assortment of bandages, as well as rad-away and radsafe. Going through and checking the prices, namely the healing potion, 20 caps for just one.

“Is 20 caps the best price for healing potions?” I asked, to which he just shrugged. “Seems caps aren’t exactly the same value as bits used to be… this might be problematic.”

“What was that?” he said, with a smile. When I backed away from the closet he’d swing the door shut. “Nothing catching your eye?”

“No just browsing, just… checking pricing is all.” I said, giving a smile back to him as I waved and moved away, coming back into what I would assume is a commons area, from the young fillies and colts running around and playing, and a number of ponies sitting and talking.

Staring at the door that leads to that shopkeep’s storage shed, thinking it couldn’t be so bad, I mean I have my rifle and if push comes to shove I can just deal with them with magic, why was it so terrifying to even consider?

“If you can’t even be bothered to go and clear out a shed full of bugs… how are you ever going to do anything else, I mean, come on, you squashed radroaches all the time in the stable, why would killing bloatsprites be any different” I said to myself, taking a deep breath and sighing.

“Was I in over my head? Should I have demanded to be brought back home? Even if I did, would those Griffons from before let me go or would they want to take revenge on me? Could I ever go home again without being followed and risking the whole stable?... Dear Celestia… what have I done?” I muttered to myself as I walked towards the shed, stopping at the door and checking my rifle one last time. “Guess this is my life now…”

Pressing my hoof to the door and taking a deep breath, the first thing that hit me as the door swung open was the absolute stench that came from within, Instantly my eyes started to water and I started to second guess myself, but I pushed forward.

“You’re going to need caps Solstice, you have to do this, no matter how bad it gets…” I said to myself, before covering my muzzle with a hoof. “... though a gas mask would help..”

I took a few more steps before I couldn’t take it anymore, bolting out the door and slammed it behind me.

“Nope nope nope, all of my nope,” I said, rapidly shaking my head.

“Did I forget to tell ye?” I heard that old stallion’s voice from before. “Bloatsprites stink somthin’ fierce.”

“Yeah, you forgot to tell me that,” I said as I shot him a glare. “Anything else you want to tell me?”

“Ye, there are supplies in there that have been abandoned for years, kill the bloatsprites I’ll let you take it for free.” He said with a chuckle.

I just stared at him for a moment or two, eye twitching ever so slightly before I let out a sigh. “Fine fine… do you at least have a gas mask?”

“Nope, those went extinct here ages ago sweetheart” he chuckled, turning around and heading back over to his stall. “Good luck though.”

“That old bastard..” I muttered under my breath, taking a moment to look back at the door I stood and shook my head, no way am I going in there, not yet.

Going back to the central seating area and plopping myself down into one of the seats, I took a deep breath and sighed. “This is a mess… maybe I should just go to the bar and see if they have any places for an escort…”

“A lovely mare like you? Escorting, now that’s funny.” I heard a stallion say from behind, caught off guard I turned to face him.

“What do you mean, isn’t that the kind of mare they want?” I said, frowning at him.

“You’re above that, I can see it in your eyes.” He said with a smirk. “Chestnut, Chestnut Chase, Grandson of the great Walnut, perhaps you’ve heard of me.”

“I… What?” I said, holding back my laughter. “I’m sorry, but I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“.. You’ve seriously never heard of us?” Chestnut said, his face turning to one of disbelief. “I thought everypony around here had heard about my Family… My grandfather was the elected official responsible for this community starting!”

“Ah, you see, I’m not from around here,” I said, snickering a little. “So, you’re all named after nuts? Is it because of your profession, or something else?”

“We used to be nut farmers before the storms got too intense and destroyed our fields.” He said, starting to scowl. “Perhaps I was wrong and you wouldn’t like my sponsoring.”

“... Sponsoring?” I said, looking at him confused.

“You clearly have nowhere near enough caps to survive in this area, and I was willing to give you a generous donation if you’d agree to a few set things for me,” Chestnut said, his calmer almost regal demeanor returning.

“You just... Want to give me money?” I said, even more confused. “And what would you want me to do in return?”

“Attend a meeting later with me, my father is afraid I will never sire a grandchild for him to live on the legacy and if you can pretend to be my marefriend for one night he’ll leave me alone,” Chestnut said, sitting beside me and sighing.

“That’s it?” I said, laughing a little. “I just have to help you get your dad off your back?”

“It may require some… kissing and touching, mind you, my family has always been very forward and open with our relationships, it was not uncommon to find father and mother in the lobby… going at it. If you get what I mean.” He said, nervously chuckling.

“So, there is a chance you might want to… with me… so you basically want me to be an escort for you, but to pretend to be your marefriend at the same time?” I said with a deep breath. “And how many caps are we talking here?”

“I’m afraid so.” He said, with a deep sigh.

“So much for being too lovely of a lady for escorting, huh?” I said with a chuckle.

“I would believe a total of three thousand caps would be more than enough for your service, would be ten times more than you’d get per client at the bar.” He said, trying to regain composure.

“Three thousand? That’s it? Really?” I sighed “is that all my company, and potentially my body, is worth to you?”

“Five thousand?” He said, nervously. “Wait no, Eight! Eight thousand?”

“You’re really desperate for this, aren’t you,” I said with a chuckle, “Fine, you have a deal, Eight thousand caps, upfront, paid right now.”

“Yes, ma’am!” He said, pulling out a satchel of caps and dropped them in my hoof. “I look forward to later!”

I had half a mind to take the caps and run, but a part of me really feels that doing so would just be a disservice to me and other stable dwellers like me, and I really didn’t want to be the cause of an entire settlement being untrusting.

“How bad could it be…” I muttered under my breath, chuckling a little and shaking my head. “Knowing my luck, daddy dearest is going to expect him to pin and rut me at the dinner table.”

I paused at that, thinking to myself a little more, reconsidering the idea of taking the money and running, but where would I run to? Trying to escape the area looked like it would be suicide, between unstable rubble and unpredictable storms, simply not worth the risk. Maybe I should just accept it and do as expected.

I took a deep breath, looking at the satchel of caps in my hoof, bouncing it, throwing it a few times. Contemplating my options and the choices that soon I would definitely have to make.

00000

Minutes seemed like hours as I sat there fiddling with that heavy satchel, taking a moment to stop and peer inside. The pile and weight of these bottle caps were impressive, but I still wondered their worth. Shrugging I slipped from my seat and put the Bag into my bags.

“Okay, let's not dwell Solstice, you’ve made worse decisions in the past and never doubted yourself like this, why start now,” I said to myself, brushing myself off and taking a quick look around. “Maybe, it’d be a good idea to get something to eat…”

Wandering my way back into the market area nearby, taking a look at multiple stands before sighing, wondering to myself if I’d ever find something that looks palatable before a familiar smell caught my attention. Following my nose to a corner stall and ducking my head under the curtain, I saw a young stallion standing there, levitating and handling some fresh noodles.

“Oh thank the goddesses, are you open?” I asked as he looked at me with a slightly confused look.

“Nan-ni shimasu-ka?” He said, tilting his head

“I.. uh… what?” I said, staring at him about as equally confused.

“Dunno, we used to have a robot that would only say that.” He said with a chuckle. “What can I get you?”

Slipping into the shop and taking a seat at a stool nearest to the young stallion. “Sure… uh… how about…” I said, pausing to look at the menu, none of these names looked or sounded familiar at all. Scratching at my chin for a few moments before I simply smiled and said “Uh… how about the house special?”

“Good choice!” He said, still handling the fresh noodles he had been pulling as he turned to tend to and mix a pot full of, what I believe to be a soup of sorts.

“What is the house special?” I said, nervously

“Oh, it’s a mixture of our secret blend of herbs and spices, with a helping of our fresh pulled noodles, and chunks of radroach to liven it up and get some extra protein in,” He said without missing a beat. “Not every pony has the stomach to eat them, but those who do say it's actually not that bad.”

He said, turning around to face me, the way he looked at me I would swear my face was literally green. My stomach doing somersaults at the idea of eating anything related to radroaches.

“Uh… we do have a soy substitute if you don't want the radroach?” He said, nervously.

“Yes, please,” I said, nodding rapidly before breathing a sigh of relief.

“Should have told you that when you ordered huh?” He said with a chuckle. “Sometimes I forget that not everypony can stomach some of the harder stuff.”

“It’s not that, I’m sure when I adjust to food out here I’ll be fine,” I said, sighing a little. “Food in the stable was never so… eccentric, for lack of a better word.”

“Stable huh? You didn’t strike me as a Stable Dweller, felt you were more like maybe an estranged steel ranger or maybe really bad enclave spy.” He said with a chuckle.

“Steel Ranger? Enclave? What the hay is that?” I said with a huff.

“Two militaristic factions of the wasteland, authoritarian, their way or no way kind of bunch.” He said with a chuckle. “Then you have the New Canterlot Republic and the Free Roam Alliance, those two are… about as ‘eccentric’ as our food.”

“Are they around here?” I said, taking a moment to look over my shoulder.

“Enclave’s been sniffing at our door for a while, they really want to get their hooves on the Skyport, but thanks to the storms they’ve never been able to get close. Think its bad down here? It’s worse up there. High-level winds strong enough to rip a Thunderhead apart.”

“A what?” I said I could feel my eye twitch a little.

“Uh… a large Warship, bad news, very bad news.” He said with a chuckle. “They’ve sent spies to try and undermine us, to destabilize our community, really anything they can to try and get us to leave, or make us so weak a ground invasion doesn’t get wiped.”

“Definitely sounds like a nasty bunch,” I said with a sigh. “So, is there any other factions I need to work with, around, or worry about?”

“Nope, other than us.” He said. Placing a bowl on the counter and spooning some soup into it.

“Us? As in everyone in the Skyport and mall?” I asked.

“Yep, that’s about our limit, we used to be a much rougher and tumble kind of bunch, but then old man Walnut started a small trading outpost, it grew, attracted attention, eventually grew big enough the storms were a threat, cleared out the alicorns that set up shop here and hung our flag at the door.” He said, pushing the bowl over to me.

“Alicorns? You mean there are more than the four?” I asked, straightening my back a little and looking at the soup, despite what was supposed to be in it, I had to admit it looked quite attractive and tasty no less.

“Yep, a bunch of Alicorns run the wastes now under the flag of a monstrosity that called herself the goddess.” He said, stepping around the counter and sitting next to me. “Though if the rumor is right, the goddess is dead and Maripony is a smoking crater now.”

“Are they a threat? The alicorns?” I said, taking a spoonful of soup and examining it more closely.

“Nah, they are pretty docile unless you threaten them, at least around these parts. They like to preach a lot though, get pretty annoying.” He said with a shrug. “Was tempted to join them for a little while, but then I found out if I went through with it I’d be turned into a mare, and well - I’m pretty much attached to how I am now, been this way as long as I can remember.”

I paused my examining of the soup to look at him, wondering in the back of my mind if that was an attempt at a joke, or if he was hinting that he hasn’t always been the stallion I see before me. His goofy smile being a bit of a telltale sign it was a bad joke.

Giving a little laugh myself, before absent-mindedly taking that spoonful I had been looking at and stuffing it in my mouth. Freezing the instant it hit my tongue, contemplating the taste now literally filling my mouth. The only thing that came to mind, wasn’t gross, wasn’t disgusting, but it wasn’t delicious either, it was SPICY.

I eventually broke free of my stupor and pulled that spoon from my mouth, looking at him as he smirked and laughed a little.

“I guess I should have told you that most of those herbs and spices are pretty hot.” He said, reaching over the counter and grabbing what looked like a small vial of cloudy fluid. “Here, this should kill some of the spice.”

He gently uncorked the vial and put the fluid in my soup, mixing it for a moment before he motioned to me to taste it again.

Once again, taking the spoon in my aura, taking a spoonful of liquid to my nose, taking a sniff and definitely smelling more of a citrus smell, before tentatively taking a sip from the spoon, the spice was still there, but a bit more tolerable, though there was definitely more than a hint of lemon in it now.

“Lemon juice?” I said, looking at him.

“Not quite, it’s in the same family from lemons, but we’re not sure what to call it - really it's just a mutated lemon that grows like an orange,” he said with a shrug. “Citrus counters spice, so a little of it and it can calm the burn.”

“I see,” I said, before more eagerly taking another spoonful of soup. “You must be big on culinary arts if you know stuff like that.”

“Not really, keeping in mind most ponies around here like a bit more burn for some reason, but not every trader that comes through enjoys a mouth of fire every bite.” He said with a shrug. “This is just where I’ll be until I can get a trader caravan going the right way towards my dream.”

“What’s that?” I commented, chuckling a little.

He just walked to a nearby window and pointed to the three towers looming in the distance. “To get there, to see what is there, who is there, those towers are protected better than the Skyport and mall, somepony has to be there, but they’re too far away to travel on hoof.”

I stared out the window at those towers for a few moments, they looked ominous against the wasted skyline of the destroyed city, yet even the lights on the antenna reaching high into the sky and clouds glowed brightly.

“What then? Where are you going to go afterward?” I said, turning back to him.

“Don’t know, maybe find a mare, settle down, have a few hellraisers to carry on my legacy,” he said with a laugh, getting up and going behind the counter. “And don’t worry about the soup, it’s on the house.”

I stopped and looked at him in confusion once more.

“Technically, we’re closed for the evening - The register is locked and even if I wanted you to pay for it, it’s not proper to ask a lovely young lady to pay for her first meal,” He said with a smile. “You going to be at the bar later?”

I paused and looked at him for a few moments. “Do you think I’m an escort?”

“Nope!” he said cheerily “I was hoping I would find you there and we could talk some more. Not every day you have a blank slate that has literally no clue about anything”

“I see,” I said, taking another spoonful of soup before I smiled at him. “That’s very sweet of you, but I have a… for lack of a better word, a date later with Chestnut Chase.”

“Him? Why him?” He said, almost sounding insulted.

“Well, he offered me eight thousand caps if I agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend and got his dad off his back,” I said with a sigh. “Really, having second thoughts about that.”

The shopkeeper's eyes went wide at the mention of the value “Guess he’s running out of options, huh?” He said, chuckling a little. “Wonder when he’s going to tell his dad, he’s gay.”

To that, my eyes went wide and I looked at him. “You’re joking? He’s gay? I had no idea…” I said, taking a moment to peer back at the satchel of caps.

“Well, in my more adventurous times before deciding stallions aren’t for me he was a flame of mine.” He said with a chuckle. “When you’re young and questioning a lot of things, you think that may be a good choice in partner could be other guys”

I gagged a little on the soup at that, stifling a chuckle.

“So, you’re telling me - if he has to… with me tonight, to get his dad off his back…” I said, snickering a little under my breath.

“He’ll never be able to complete.” He laughed a little. “Trust me, he’s as gay as they come, I see him eyeballing a lot of the traders that come through, I think he’s planning on diving out with one of them and running away.”

“Huh, sounds romantic,” I said, snickering a little, feeling a little more confident with his laugh.

“Like one of your fillyhood books, right?” he said, laughing a bit more. “It’s the wasteland, anything can happen, even twisted versions of foal’s books.”

The two of us laughed at this for a short while, before I’d quickly finish up my soup, despite him saying it was free giving him quite the generous tip and waving goodbye to him as I slipped from the shop.

Pausing to look at a clock, taking a deep breath as I noticed the time.

“Almost showtime,” I said, sighing a little and adjusting my bags one last time.

00000

Only a few moments passed before Chestnut would come and collect me, leading me along the halls and corridors of the Skyport, pausing every now and then to look at his watch.

“So, I heard you’re gay,” I said, rather blatantly.

He froze in his tracks and turned to face me. “Who told you?”

I swear if the color from his coat could drain away, he would be as white as a ghost right now.

“Shopkeeper at the noodle bar?” I said, with a nervous smile, not expecting it to be something so intense.

“I see..” He said, taking a deep breath and sighing. “You haven’t told anyone have you?”

“Why would I? I only found out when I said that I needed to pretend to be your marefriend tonight and was worried you’d want to go all out with me.” I said, breathing a short sigh.

“It’s not in my hooves, what father says goes, and if he demands I do it, I have to,” Chestnut said, sighing and shaking his head. “I hope he doesn’t, I could never… produce… for a mare.”

“I guess that’ll be a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it,” I said, chuckling a little. “I used to be convinced I was into mares, I tried my hardest to get and keep a marefriend, never could keep them,”

“Could you please them?” Chestnut said looking at me, looking a little concerned.

“Like, in the sack? I mean, I’d hope so… the last one I could really get going.” I said, shrugging. “But it’s like we never clicked, you know?”

“Oh absolutely! It was like that when I tried to get a marefriend and convince myself I'm not what I am” He said, starting to relax. “Though they really wanted me to… you know, and I could never actually do it no matter how we tried.”

“They just didn’t really get you going, huh?” I said, looking at him with a smirk.

“They got me going just fine, but I just… couldn’t complete, okay? I couldn’t produce for them and that left them dissatisfied” He said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Hey, Look at it this way, if you and I need to for your dad’s sake, at least I don’t need to come and visit in eleven months,” I said with a laugh.

“Silver linings, huh?” He laughed back.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed a lot of that recently, for every dark storm cloud I’ve run into today, there has always been a silver lining to it,” I said with a chuckle. “I never really believed there could be good even in the worst of the bad, but today is proving me wrong.”

Chestnut went to say something before a set of large doors in front of us swung open, standing there a very stern-looking older stallion, with what appeared to be what some would call a trophy mare beside him.

“D-Dad!” He said with a nervous laugh before he motioned to me “This is my marefriend S… uh…. Sol?”

“Solstice,” I said, reaching a hoof out to that older stallion. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Solstice huh?” He said, looking me over for a moment, pacing around me. “Why have I never seen you around here before?”

Chestnut looked like he was about to panic.

“Trader Caravan sir, offer my security services any time I find one heading this way so I get to spend more time with your son, sir,” I said, falling back on my military training more than anything.

“Impressive, a mare that can fight.” He said, his tone condescending. “Ample breeding stock from the looks of it too, nice wide flanks, lithe and lean barrel.”

“Sir, may I request that you do not talk about my aptitude for having foals,” I said, resisting the urge to tell him off. “When Chestnut and I decide we’re ready, you can rest assured we will definitely consider it.”

“Y-yes! Absolutely” Chestnut said, just trying to play along and work with me.

“If you are to be with my son, and become a part of my family, I want to know that my son has good taste and is not bringing a barren hag into my family. We’re a proud and wealthy group, and only the best are fit to join.” He said, standing in front of me. “Though you do have the gall to stand up to me, and speak your mind, I respect that.”

The next few moments were admittedly quite tense, between his father looking at me, still checking me out I could tell as his eyes wandered around, Chestnut looking like he was about to burst, I can feel my frustration mounting, pushing me to want to yell at and tell this stallion off for this poor behavior.

“And here I was afraid you were going to just go and throw a bag of caps at some floozy in the promenade to get her to pose as your marefriend, glad to see that I was wrong.” He said, moving back over to his trophy wife of a mare. “She is acceptable.”

Chestnut breathed a sigh of relief and looked like the weight of the world had been pulled from his shoulders. A few moments later his father went back to what appeared to be an elevator and disappeared behind the doors.

“So, you going to tell me why you didn’t stand up to him and get him to back off when he was checking me out,” I said, turning to Chestnut with a frown.

“I’m too scared of him to dare tell him what he’s doing is wrong,” Chestnut said, with a sigh and gently rubbed the back of his neck. “As I said, it's best to just do what dad says and let things be as they are, then tell him off and try and make him stop.”

“I’ll try, but I’ll have it be known speaking my mind is something I’ve always been an advocate for,” I said with a sigh. “So where to next?”

“My room to prepare for dinner, I have a dress that I hope to the goddesses above will fit you,” Chestnut said, giving a soft smile at me before giving a sigh and shaking his head. “I hate this, I really hate this, I hate pretending to be somepony I’m not just to appease my dad.”

“We all have to do things we don’t want to do, it’s a part of growing up,” I said, shaking my head with a sigh “Though pretending to be something you’re not is a new one to me, are you sure he’d be so against if you told him you’re gay?”

“Back when Grandpa ran the Skyport, any time a pony came out as… well, like me, they were put out and usually, the storms got them.” Chestnut said, sighing a bit more. “Dad was always looking up to his father for that, I think if given the chance he’d do it too.”

“But your dad isn’t the boss?” I said, tapping a hoof. “He can’t put you out and let the storms kill you, others would surely let you back in, right?”

“I suppose, but I’d be cut off from my mom, my family, my money, why in Equestria would I want to do that?” he said, standing and starting to walk to a nearby door.

I just sighed to myself, shaking my head and following him, a sinking feeling that tonight is about to get a whole hell of a lot longer.