Rise of the Night/Run of Night

The desert was blessedly cooling as the sun began ducking below the horizon. Lyla welcomed it. The lupus were made for the cooler weather, not this bloody heat. Her shirt had been peeled off and wrapped around her head in an attempt to keep cool. Her skin was still baking warm, even as the temperature around her dropped slowly.

She'd be tan as hell by the time she found Shadow. The tracks were at least easy to follow. For now. Once the sun went down, she knew she'd lose them.

Luckily, as she breached a tall hillside, she paused to get a good look at the landscape. And there in the distance she saw it, a run down set of buildings. Wind and sand blasted, they nearly blended in with the surrounding rock they were taking shelter beneath. Horses were grazing nearby, enough to signal a much larger group than Lyla could handle alone. The outcropping hanging over them looked like it would make a good starting point. If she could get there.

She sighed and started down the hill, making to go around the encampment and come down onto the outcropping. Then she could get a look around and do some recon before making her next move.

And rest, she thought, her legs aching as she continued on. You're no good to anyone like this.

Still, she pushed on.

Making it around the camp was easy. But once she reached the edge of the hillside the camp was crouched against, she spotted a scout. He was smoking, looking around lazily with a gun at his side. She hid down amid the rocks and watched him until he turned away. She moved out from the rocks and darted across to another set of rocks.

A stone tumbled down as she skidded to a halt and she froze, sucking her breath in. For a moment, there was silence. Then the sound of a gun being cocked as slow footsteps moved towards her. She cursed herself and tried to edge around the rock as he moved closer.

But he had gone around the other way and caught her roughly by the shoulder, the gun pressed between her eyes.

"And what's this?" he drawled. "A sand fox? Y'all shouldn't be out here."

"Really?" she growled, baring her teeth in a sharp smile. "And here I thought this was a hotel."

He leaned close to her, smiling back. "Is that so... Well, I know there's at least one bed available for a pretty thing like you." Lyla slowly moved her hand, intending to find a way to knock the gun from his hand. He caught her wrist with his free hand and clucked his tongue. "Nice try, little sand fox. But ah think not."

He whistled a long low tone, then a higher quicker tone. There was an answering whistle and another man was soon coming around a corner, gun drawn.

"Awww, c'mon now," the second man said, lowering his gun. "Call me over fer this?"

"She's been sneakin'. Bring 'er to the boss," the first one said. "Might be he'll have som'thing ta say ta ya if you don't."

The second one frowned. "Fine."

He shoved her roughly down the path he'd come up, gun trained on her back.

"Now don't ya go tryin' nothing, miss. We put bullets in the backs o' anyone what deserves it, man or no."

Lyla glared at him but behaved. At least she was getting in the building and with any luck, she'd end up in the same place as Shadow. They plodded along, Lyla struggling with the terrain and making the sentry laugh a little. When she fell and slid down in the dirt, landing in a heap of dust and coughing he jogged after her, laughing uproariously. Lyla snarled and knocked the legs out from under him when he approached her.

He went down with a shout of "fuck!" and a solid thump. He recovered quickly, half sitting with his gun pointed at her face.

"Still funny?" she asked boldly.

He broke out laughing again and climbed to his feet, offering her his hand. She hesitantly took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Ya, it's still funny," he said, grinning, then poked her with the butt of his pistol. "Now get ta walkin'."

They continued down into the buildings, passing another sentry who opened a hole in the floor for them. They walked down a set of steps and took a left to enter a larger room than the main floor boasted together.

At the far end sat a man, dressed similarly to the sentries. His hat had an ace of spades tucked into the brim and his leather pants were worn heavily. The white shirt was dirty and stained with sweat and dirt. He was looking down at some papers.

When he looked up, Lyla couldn't help but frown in confusion. He had dark brown hair, lightening at the tips. His eyes were a peculiar dark orange and his ruggedly handsome face was set in a bemused smirk.

The sentry shoved her into the room, causing her to stumble to her knees as she stared. It couldn't be...

"What's this, then?" he asked the sentry. The voice was unmistakable.

"Sand fox, as best ah can figure, Wildcard" the sentry said. "If she's a spy, she ain't a good one." Lyla pulled herself to her feet, still staring. Wildcard? No... That wasn't his name.

"...Lucky?" she asked quietly, still frowning slightly.

There was a flash of surprise in his eyes and he seemed to physically jerk away slightly. It was enough. It was him, she was sure of it. She practically tackled him, knocking his hat off as she embraced him with a squeal.

"Don't call me that..." he said meekly, as if no one had called him that in so long he didn't know how to respond.

Lyla pulled back a little, still hugging him as she beamed. "I can't believe it! What're you doing here?"

"What the fu..." he trailed off as the recognition dawned on him. "Lyla?!"

He laughed and stood as he hugged her, swinging her around in a circle.

"By Celestia, Lyla! It's been, what, ten years?" he said, laughing and putting her back on her feet. "I could say the same of you! I thought you were in Manehattan?"

"I was, but the gang's in Ponyville while things cool down. And I lost Shadow. I followed the trail here."

"Shadowstep?" He grinned, the same easy going grin she knew as a child. "You're in luck, it so happens that he's a... Guest of the Crimson Saddles."

"...you were hoping to ransom him, weren't you?"

He shrugged, still grinning. "Maybe, maybe not."

Lyla rolled her eyes. Lucky... Apparently Wildcard now, had been her childhood friend before she lost everything and Congo took her in. The small town she had grown up in had been a mix of earthen and lupus, hard working folks who didn't deserve what happened. She tried not to think about it too often.

When she was 16, Congo had let her go back to what remained of the town, hoping to settle some old ghosts. Instead, she'd found the young man she thought had perished along with everyone else. They'd both been young and surprised to see the other still alive. After spending time catching up and sharing their survivor stories, they'd parted ways again. Lyla back to Manehattan and Lucky into the desert again. They'd lost contact after that. She never told Shadow, preferring to leave her friend in the past that Shadow knew nothing of.

"You look good... Wildcard," she said, stumbling over his new name. "It's been too long."

"It has," he said, draping an arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the room. He smelled like dirt and horses. Not entirely a bad scent. "Never thought I'd see you out here. Not exactly your style."

"It's not, trust me."

"And who is this Shadow guy to you anyway?"

"He's my..." Lyla scrunched up her face. Boyfriend sounded silly and trivial. "Well... He's my... Person."

"...your person."

"Yes. My. Uhm. Boyfriend. I guess."

Wildcard shook his head. "How blissfully romantic. Follow your wanted lover deep into the desert to free him from brigands and outlaws."

"Shuddup," Lyla said, laughing.

They came upon a door and another sentry. Wildcard dismissed the man with a look and opened the door, striding in with his arm still around her shoulders.

Shadow sat in the cell, looking exhausted. She darted over to him, lifting his face with her hand on his cheek.

"Shadow? You okay?"