The Long Road Home

by The Midnight Stalker

Chapters

Prologue
Town
Preparation
Leaving Out
The First Leg
Second Leg and Arrival
Confrontation and Employment
A bit to show I haven't given up

Prologue

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

The Silence is deafening.

It pervades everything. He's gotten used to it, so it doesn't bother him anymore. He's had a long time to get used to it, after all.
They always say the the Wasteland is a cruel unforgiving place... He's found a lot truth in those words, but it isn't the whole truth. Even in the depths of his despair he's always found hope; Hope for the future. Hope for himself. And above all, Hope for Them. And if Hope is ever truly lost, there's always The Silence.

Lonesome...

That's what he is, so that's what he tells others when he's asked for a name. It's simple and it's true. Like The Silence, he's gotten used to it. Many have travelled with him, but none have ever stayed long. He's glad for that; He doesn't want to drag them down with him. So, he remains what he is. Lonesome.
A traveler or a wanderer of the Wasteland... He doesn't care what he calls his chosen profession. To him it doesn't have a name; He does what has to be done, nothing less and nothing more. He'll help you if it helps him, if not he'll wish you luck and be on his way. It's the way he is and the way he prefers things to be done.

Time...

Time is something he once thought he had plenty of. Now he knows time is a commodity like anything else. It isn't sold or bartered by any mortal hoofs, but by whatever higher power watches over us. For better or worse he accepts that as the way things are. Not that he could change it if he wanted... Oh, how he wants to change it...

Them...

He does everything for Them. He hasn't seen Them in a long time... It's why he remains Lonesome, even after all these years. He still has Hope for Them, but he's a realist; He knows that he may never see Them again and it leaves a hole in the soul of his being. So he marches on, simply trying to survive. For Them.

The Boss...

He works for The Boss. And The Boss works for him. Like himself The Boss doesn't use his real name either, and he's okay with that. He understands. He and The Boss are a lot alike, so that's why he works for him. The Boss has his goals and Lonesome has his. So as long as they both work towards the same goals they will work together. The Boss is his only real regular contact with others, and that's okay. The Boss is the same way. That's why he likes The Boss, and that's why The Boss likes him.

Complex...

Yes, he's a Complex pony; He knows it. Others know it too. The few he sees more than once know not to ask questions. Especially about The Boss or Them. The one asked most often, 'Why call yourself Lonesome?', is always met with Silence. Yes the very same thing that drives lesser ponies to insanity. But, not him. He lost his sanity once and still bears the scars, but he's better for it... It's part of what makes him Complex.

Authors Note: As stated above this is indeed my first foray into the FoE verse created by Kkat. I've tested out seveal ways to write a story and this seems to be the best way for me. I hope you enoy this story for I have poured my soul into it. Ok not ALL of it. As we all know that would just kill me, So only part of my soul is within this work. May it survive the ravages of time.

And another shout out to Cascadejackal, who has asked to be my editor. Thanks man.

Town

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

The sun was setting just as he reached the edge of town. It had been a long, hard trip, but it was well worth it. He hadn't gotten what he had left for, but he was closer to his goal... He hoped. Now all he wants to do is rest; Three days with little or no sleep is hard on a fellow. It didn't matter how tough you are. He knows that he has things to do, but for now he just doesn't care.

He slowly makes his way towards his house. It isn't much, but he doesn't care. It doesn't matter anyway. As soon as he was done here he would be moving on, as he's always done. Being a Nomad is who he is; He was and always will be a wanderer of the Wasteland.

He enters his house. It will always be just a house to him, never a home. He has his reasons as to why, and anyone who's smart knows better than to ask why. Ask once and you will be warned, ask twice and you'll be met with a punch to the face. And if you're dumb enough to go on, you'll have the shit beat out of you. Thankfully most ponies are smart enough not to ask too many questions.

He's glad for that.
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After a long day he's just glad to be back. The last week was rough, but it's something he's used to. Really, he enjoys the work. He likes helping others, but only The Boss truly understands him. As only he truly understands the Boss. They both have a past that they don't wish to speak of and both know not to ask. But he'll worry about The Boss later. Now, it's time for sleep.

Sleep seldom comes easy for him and tonight is no exception; His head is filled with thoughts of Them. They haunt him all the time, but it's always the worst at night. Not even The Silence can comfort him then... Soon enough, though, he does drift off to sleep.
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He wakes up with the sun, like always. He is, as are most ponies, a creature of habit. That's okay. Life is easier that way. But for now he isn't concerned with thoughts like that. For now his focus is breakfast.
As he leaves his house others look at him, curious. They didn't see him as he came in last night. He gives them a smile. A few smile back. Some continue to stare at him, but he ignores them, trudging his way to the market in the center of town. Today he has plenty of Caps, so he thinks he'll buy himself something good.

He walks up to a familiar stall with a familiar, kind looking mare. She's a nice mare. He likes that, but not all are nice.

"Morning there. How're you doing?" Asks the mare in question. She a lovely mare, he admits, but nothing more.

"Fine "

"You sure?"

"Yes"

"Oh! I swear, I'll get you to say more than that yet. Now, what can I do ya for?"

"Well just give me some eggs and a few of those." He points over at something wrapped up in foil. She nods and grabs a few along with the eggs in front of her.

"Okay. Sounds good. That'll be 60 Caps"

He digs out some Caps and gives them to her.

"Will this be enough?"

"Yes, plenty. Now how about sneaking in last night? Oh don't look away. You know how the Mayor is about stuff like that. She doesn't want the whole town going crazy just because you don't-" He holds up his hoof, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Enough. It's my business, not yours. Now, goodbye."

With that he leaves the dumbfounded mare. She may wonder about him, but he won't tell her anything. Ever.

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He trudges back across town to his house. He takes care to avoid others, but isn't outright rude.

His house wasn't anything to look at, but it was his... For now.

When he enters, he looks around and sets everything down.

"Well, hello. I see you're finally back."

Standing in the doorway to his room is a midnight blue pony with a silvery gray tail and mane; The Boss. The Boss is an enigma amongst ponies. Nopony know much about him.

"Hello, sir. Nice to see you. Sorry I haven't came by yet; Been busy getting resettled. Long trip, too. I was kind of tired last night."

"Oh, I understand. That's none of my concern, I'm just glad you're back in one peace." The Boss smirks as he says this.

"Thank you. Now, I assume you're here on business. You're not the type for a social visit, after all."

"Yes, you are correct. I am indeed here to see how things went."

"Well I would love to tell you that I found it, but I didn't." With that a frown forms on The Boss' face. "But I do have a lead. It's a long shot, but about three days south of here is a good sized town. Not sure of the name off-hoof, but there are some old ruins nearby that haven't been touched yet."

"Astounding! Not touched in 200 years? Why not! Why think of all the valuable things in there!"

"Well... The locals won't touch it because the place is supposed to be haunted. And anyone else who's gone in there hasn't come out. Personally, I think it's just something to do with the local conditions; Like how Hoofington has enervation, but something different."

"I guess that makes sense. So, when are you going to check it out?"

"Not for some time yet. I need more information on the place first; Like where in the ruins it might be, or If anyone knows why the place is taboo to start with."

"Ah! I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"So... How about your end of the deal?" That makes the Boss grimace.

"Well, I'll be honest; I haven't got a single solid clue or lead. I think I'm close to finding out what may have happened, but that's about it. Nopony is really sure what happened afterwards. Sorry, Lonesome. "

"It's alright" Looking rather less enthusiastic he looks away. Then he looks up when The Boss speaks again.
"I know we agreed not to pry, but it would help if I knew exactly what you're looking for."

"I know, but I just can't speak of it. And you know that. "

"Okay. I'll leave it be... for now. I promise to keep looking, but only if you can promise to find it."

"I will. I'm leaving again tomorrow. I'd hoped to stay longer this time, but there are more pressing matters out there. Now if you'll excuse me I'v got a breakfast to make. Stay if you want, but I really don't care."

"I'd like to but, as you said, there are more pressing matters afoot. I do have other obligations that those to you. Farewell."

With that, The Boss goes to the front of the house and out the door, leaving Lonesome to his breakfast.

Preparation

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

Starting the day early is something that's been ingrained in him since his youth. His father had always believed in a hard days work and it showed in his childhood upbringing. Now with the sun high in the sky he's been out for several hours doing what has to be done. Simple mundane chores for now. He had swung through the market getting food for the trip ahead. Mostly dehydrated and prepackaged foods. Where he's planning on going luxuries like refrigeration aren't available. But it's all for the better he assumes. Best not get too soft, or the wasteland will eat you up.

Now he's headed for one of the local armories. This particular on is his favorite. He's been doing business with them for quite some time, and it shows. They know what he likes and he knows what they need to get the job done. It's an agreement of sorts he has with shop owner, a unicorn by the name Mallet. Sure he's aware of the archaic nature of the name, but he doesn't care. The fact that the pony gets the job done is all that's important.

As he walks up he greets the pony at his place of business.

" Morning Mallet"

" How're you doing this fine day?"

" I'm doing just fine Mallet. I'm here to see about getting my barding fixed." He gets out the barding in question. As Lonesome hand it over, Mallet takes a look at it. It looked like something took a bite out of it.

" What happened this time?"

" Got attacked by a radigator 3 days out. Bastard thought I'd be a fun to chew on I guess. To bad for him I had other ideas."

" Thank Celestia you got out of that alive Lonesome! I don't know where I'd find another costumer to replace you."

Lonesome chuckles at that. " Well I'd hate to leave you high and dry like that. I guess I'd better be more careful."

" You know I'm kiddin', but still, you are my best costumer." Mallet flashes a quick smile "Just come back later for this. I'm going to assume that you're heading out again."

" Eeyup. I am. I've got some leads on something and I need to follow them up. The Boss' been getting kind of restless here lately, so I need to find something soon. "

" Gotcha. Well, See ya"

With that Lonesome walked off. Now he was at a loss as to what he should do. He had already finished everything he'd been planning for today. Now what am I going to do, He thought to himself. There was always something going on in town, but he didn't feel like socializing. Apart from the few ponies he bought stuff from he really didn't talk to anypony. The fewer ponies he talked to, the less who asked questions. He didn't like questions. Lonsome simply decided to wander the town. He could always try and find someone to help, but he'd rather not.

The town really was a marvel to behold. Unlike many towns around the Wasteland this one didn't exist bofore the Bombs fell. It was a recent addition to the landscape. It had been founded about 30 years ago by some enterprising traders. There had always been a rest stop here for travelers and such, but it was never a place to stay. About that time some mercenaries blew through and killed off most of the raiders and such. Didn't mean there weren't any still around, they were just smarter about not coming around. After that some ponies stared settling down around here.

Looking about the dusty landscape, it was amazing to see what could be accomplished in such a short span of time. While it wasn't a large town, it did have a few stores and such. Hardware, a grocery and a general market. Like any respectable town there was a good bar right out on the edge of town, called the Hangnail. Owned by a Griffon by the name of Dead Eye. The Hardware and the grocery were owned by The Boss. The market was onw by whoever the hell wanted in. A community sort of thing. ya' know? All in all, not a lot happened here. Besides the store, there were a few houses down the main drag. Everypony else lived completly outside of town. There were a few ranches and farms near by, growing who knows what. but they sold it at the market and it was edible, so nopony was going to complain. Aside from a few rest houses and decent hotels there wasn't much else to the town. The only thing keeping it all together was the trade that came through.

Since the Raiders were gone trade was safe again. Several towns south of here finally saw a way to get some goods and the traders north of here was a new place to sell. Naturally a trading town sprung up. It was the perfect place. Situated along several trade routes it got plenty of business. It also had the benifit of being situated along the only way north to the larger cities like Manehatten and the like. It was right in front of the only passable trail around the Great Canyon for miles around. In that way the town was reminencant of Canterlot of old, because the town hugged the rim of the canyon. Not a pleasent idea to vistors, but the townsponies were just fine with it. It offered good protection on one side of the town. It also gave you one of the most breathtaking veiws you could ever imagine. The only thing that could make it better would be if the damn pegasi would clear the skies and let some sunshine through.

____________________________________________________________________________

Looking out on the canyon below was Lonesome. He didn't come here often. Normally when he had time to himself he would find the nearest pub, go in and proceed to get drunk. Some days, however, that wasn't appropriate. He felt that today was one of them. He needed to think. He needed to plan. He had a three day trip ahead of him. He knew the conditions that he would face. He would be crossing a hot, bleak, desert wasteland. To most this wouldn't be a problem, because most ponies travel in groups. He did not. he knew it was dangerous, but he didn't care.

All he cared about was that he needed to go south. He hoped he would learn the name of the town on his way there. The more information he had the better off he would be. He knew that he probably wouldn't find his objective on this trip, but who knew? Maybe the great powers above would look down and smile upon him for once. Sometimes he wishes he knew what The Boss wanted with it, but that would lead to questions, and neither he nor The Boss liked questions. For now, all he knows is that it's a device of some sort and the key to many mysteries. Not a literal key, but one just the same.

Not for the first time he wondered if, just maybe, it could help him. Perhaps it could. He's sure The Boss wouldn't mind. Especially with all he's done for The Boss. He didn't know how it could help, but maybe The Boss did. The Boss is better with that sort of thing anyhow.

Now that he had time to think he realized it was probably a good time to return to town. It was starting to get dark now. He had been out here longer than he had thought. A good two hours at least. Not that it mattered. He had all the time in the world. As he headed out he remembered that he still needed to pick up his barding. He debated briefly if he wanted to go and get now, or wait until tomprrow. He decided now was as good a time as any.
As he worked his wayback into town he looked around. Everywhere he looked he saw life, love, and laughter. He was envious of them for that, but it mattered not. Perhaps one day.....

He was headed to the house now. He longed to get some sleep. He knew there was a long trip ahead of him tomorrow. He had already stopped by the armory and got his stuff. It was in perfect shape now. Mallet really knew his trade, so he paid extra. The caps were wearing a hole in his saddlebags anyway.

As he went into the house he noticed something was off. He didn't know what it was so he brushed it off as nothing, for now. He went about and put up his barding and straightened up a few things. Then he realized how tired he was.
He went into his room and got ready to got to sleep, when he spotted something. It was a black object that wasn't there before. He immediately knew what it was though. It was a Pipbuck. He'd seen them before, but what was it doing here?

Then he saw the note.

Thought you might want this. Dunno if you'll use it or not, but why not. Just found it and it didn't need it.
Have a good trip.
~~~The Boss~~~

He didn't quite know what to think, so he just put it away for now. After a while, he finally drifted off to sleep.

For those who are brave enough to read this you've noticed this has been in present tense. I'v decided that from here on out i'm writing in past tense. Why? Well to be blunt present tense is kicking my flank. Please bare with me and continue to read. And done be afraid to let me know what you thank

Leaving Out

]The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

He woke with the sun. Normally he would've got up earlier, but after last night he felt a little extra sleep was deserved. And with the day he had ahead of him it probably wasn't a bad idea either way. He had spent all day yesterday preparing for the journey he had ahead of him.

Now up he stared to go about getting everything to go. There wasn't much to do really though, he did most of it yesterday. Now all he had to do was collect everything. All he had to do was grab his saddlebags and his rifle. He went ahead and tossed in the pipBuck that The Boss had given him. Maybe he could find somepony who could help him figure it out, or he could always trade it for something a little more useful if it came down to it.

The pipBuck reminded him that he should stop by and let The Boss know that he was leaving. He needed to go to that side of town anyhow. The Boss Lived on the south side of town, so it was perfect. He started to make his way to the other ponies house. As he walked he saw that a few other ponies were already up. While this didn't surprise him, it was nice to see that others took enough pride in their work to go and take the time to do it right.

To them, though, the sight of Lonesome was an eerie one. He was the town's resident hermit, coming out only when necessary and rarely in town to begin with. He wasn't hated by the others, but they were wary. They had good reason to be. After all it's not every day you introduce yourself to a town by taking out the local gang leader. Not that it was much of a gang. Just a few local punks trying to extort money from passing trade caravans, but the leader was a crook who came out here from one of the big cities, probably Manehatten. He likely would've wound up running everything around here if Lonesome hadn't shown up. After he was challenged when he walked into town, Lonesome just lifted up his rifle and blew the other guys head off. A pretty grisly sight. It didn't really endear him to the townsponies, but they let him stay so as long as he doesn't kill any locals.
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While Lonesome was working his way across town The Boss was busy as well. He was in a meeting with an old colleague. The Boss needed information and he'd decided to call in an old favor to get it. After all it's best to knew who you're working with, and Lonesome was an enigma, even after all this time. So he called in his "friend", a fellow who was acquainted with others who could get nearly anything and find anypony. It made him cringe at the thought of some of the things these ponies were willing to do to get what they want. Thinks that even he, The Boss, wouldn't approve of.

"So what do you need, Flaky? You have a lot of gall calling me all the fucking way out here. I have things to do, you know." Said a dark blue unicorn pony.
"Damn it, I told you not to call me that. Now shut up and listen! I've got a good lead on the Robonco Gadget..."

"So, then why do you need me? If you've found it then let me go home." Retorted the other pony.
The Boss scowled. He didn't like being interrupted, but he held his tongue and continued.

"I haven't found it, but I got a guy looking for it for me. Call's himself Lonesome."

"Sounds stupid to me." the other pony interrupted again, "but it's not that bad."

"Be quiet." The Boss glared at the blue pony. "Here's the thing, he's not doing this for caps. In return, I'm supposed to look into something that happened out near Fillydelphia about 10 years ago. I'm not really sure what we wants though, he never gave me much to go on."

"And now you want me to dig up some dirt on this guy, right? Find out who he is?"

"Yeah. I need a better idea as to what his angle is, ya know?"

"Sure, I got you. Look, it may take awhile, but I'll see what I can do. You said Fillydelphia?" The Boss nodded. "Good. I've got a few contacts out that way. I'll talk to 'em and see. Might tell them that you got a good lead on the Widget too. They've been wanting it too, ya know."

"Who in the wasteland doesn't want it?"

"True. Now, when's this fellow supposed to leave? You said he had a lead, and I'm assuming that means he's leaving town.'

"Yeah he is. I'm not entirely sure where he's going, said something about heading south. Probably leaving today. Never stays longer that he has to." There was a tapping noise at the front of the building "Probably him now. He always stops by before he leaves. Likes let me know when he's gone so i can keep other ponies away from his house."

"Well in that case, I shall leave. Good seeing you again, old friend. Perhaps next time we can simply visit?"
"Perhaps. Now, please take your leave."

Then the mysterious blue pony left out the back. Lonesome was just entering the front.
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He knew something was up the minute he walked up, but that didn't surprise him. With The Boss there was always something afoot. He knew that The Boss had someone over right now. He could hear snatches of their conversation.

"Be quiet... working for free... out near Fillydelphia.. sure what we wants... gave me much to go on.."

"And now you want me to dig up some dirt...."

"Yeah. I need a better idea.. ya know?"

"Sure, I got you. Look, it may take awhile... I've got a few contacts out that way. I'll talk to 'em and see. Might tell them that you got.... They've been wanting it too, ya know."

"Who in the wasteland doesn't want it?"

"True. Now when's this fellow suppose to...? you said he had a lead. I'm assuming that means he's leaving town."

"Yeah he is...sure where he's going...heading south. Probably leaving today. Never stays longer that he has to."

Then he heard hoofsteps and some silence. It lasted for a minute before he heard something approach the door. Then it opened. In front of him was The Boss.

"Come in, come in" He motioned for Lonesome to enter. " How are you this evening?"

"I'm doing fine. Just came by to let you know that I'm leaving town. Make sure that you keep my stuff safe."

"I will, like always. You can count on me. Now if you'll excuse me I have a mess to clean up." Lonesome started to leave, but The Boss waved a hoof at him. "Oh, don't rush off. I can talk while I'm doing this."

"Okay." The Boss noticed Lonesome looking around.

"If you want to know, I just had an old friend over. He just left. We had some business to discuss."

His curiosity sated for now, Lonesome spoke. "Whatever. It's your business, not mine. Anyhow, I'm going to be
gone for quite some time. The journey there is three days, four at the most. So I'd say I'll be gone at least two months. Likely much longer."

"Thanks for telling me Lonesome. I'll be a little lonely without you, but I think I'll be okay." The Boss gave Lonesome a little grin.

"Well, I guess you'll have to suffer. I have to get going. It's already noon, and I need to leave before it gets any hotter."

"I understand. Farewell, Lonesome. I hope you make it back. From what Mallet was saying, you had a close call last time. Almost didn't make it back."

"Well I did. That's all that matters." Lonesome said as he started out the door.

The Boss looked back to say something else, but saw that Lonesome was gone.
_
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He quickly left town after leaving The Boss' house. He silently cursed himself for waiting so long to leave. He had hoped to get some distance between him and the town before it started to get hot out. It was Barely past noon and it was already hot. Lonesome figured it was probably well over 100 Degrees by now. He silently sent a prayer to those above that it wouldn't get too much hotter. Sadly, he knew there wasn't anything he could do about it. Hopefuly he won't see any mirages. Last time he saw one of those it wasn't pretty.

He had wandered all day towards what he thought was a large pond, one that was always just a little further away. At some point he had collapsed. Luckily, he was found by a Merchant who got a few of his workers to drag him along till he woke up. It could've been worse. He might've been found by Raiders or never found at all. So now if something seems a little off, he ignores it. He'd learned a valuable lesson, after all: Don't always trust your eyes.

Now he was trudging along the dry, cracked desert landscape. As he looked ahead, he really didn't see anything but the dry parched ground stretching out in front of him. He hoped that he would see somepony soon. Maybe somepony who could tell him a little about the town he was headed towards. He needed to know how the town was set up, who was in charge and the like.

Several hours later the heat of the day had passed. Lonesome hadn't made as much progress as he would've liked, but he had gone far enough. He could travel through the night, but he know he would be tired in the morning. He didn't need that. He planned on getting up early so he could some some distance before the heat came back.

He had been lucky today. He hadn't encountered anything remotely dangerous. That made him worry about tomorrow. His luck was rarely ever this good. He had spotted a coyote at one point but it ran off before he got close. Now that night was upon him he had to get ready for it. He knew from experience that it often got cold at night, especially in the desert, so he had packed a tent for shelter and a warm sleeping pad. He often liked to sleep under the stars, but he set up the tent anyway. You never knew when the weather could take a turn for the worse out here. A dust storm could come up at any time, or you could get caught up in a flash flood. You never really knew.

It was starting to get cooler now. Lonesome could tell it was going to be a real cold night, so he started gathering some of the scrub grass and bushes. Soon he had a small fire going. He laid out his sleeping mat, then he lay down himself.
As he lay there, he thought about his life. He thought about the choices he had made and all his decisions, both right and wrong. It was a rough life, but he did what he had to do. That was the plain and simple truth. Finally, and not for the first time, he wondered if it was all really worth it. He didn't know if they would like him after so long. He wasn't the same pony he used to be, after all... Maybe it was just a waste of time.

Then he decided, not for the first time or the last, that it didn't matter. He'd do it anyway. Clearing his mind, he contented himself with gazing at the everpresent clouds, and wondering if Luna's silver moon was shining down on the wasteland from somewhere high above, where no pony could see it.

The First Leg

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

She didn't know who he was or even why he was out there. All she knew was he was there and she needed help, but she couldn't be sure that he would help her. She was lost and didn't know how to get back to town.

She had gotten separated from her friends while out looking for something to salvage. They had traveled for a few days before they finding a suitable area to search and set up camp. She'd seen something gleaming off in the distance and went to investigate on her own. It turned out to be an old aluminum cart, half buried in the sand. It was too heavy to move by herself, so she went back to get help. It could at least help them haul some things home. But when she got back her friends were gone. Surely she hadn't gone that long? Then she noticed how the ground was disturbed and that they had left their supplies behind. She knew they wouldn't do that, so something must have happened.
She'd immediately gathered what she could and set out, heading back to town for help.

That was a few days ago, and now she was running low on food and water. Oh, she hoped that he would help her. Still, he might not. He didn't look like a raider, but that rifle he'd been lugging around couldn't have been just for looks. The guy had probably killed a few folks, and he might even have been a mercenary. If she ever got a chance to approach him, she'd have to be careful.

Then there was the problem of where he was headed. Since she had no clue where she was, she may not be anywhere near town. She thought she may have been going south, but didn't know for sure. They were scavenging north of town so she should have found it by now. Maybe she had walked by it in the night. It had happened a few times. She'd seen the bodies of those who didn't find town in time. A few were less than thirty minutes away. Right now it'd be best not to think like that, though, and focus on what she had to do.

Since she thought she'd been going south, she was sure he was going north. And if she really managed to miss the town, then that's where she needs to go! She made up her mind. She was going to go talk to the stranger and find out where he was going.

Taking a deep breath, she got to her hooves and started to approach her best hope of getting home, trying to be as quiet as possible until she had a better idea of how dangerous he might be. Unfortunately, her hoof caught a small stone, sending it bouncing noisily against a larger one.

She quietly cursed and flattened her body against the sandy ground. "Shit... I hope he didn't hear that."

The pony in front of her stirs, sitting up, and she groans.

"Dammit."

He woke with a start. Something had disturbed his sleep. It really didn't take much. He was a light sleeper. It was just one of many habits and skills honed to perfection by the wasteland. If you didn't react quickly you might wind up dead.
He got up, looking around around for anything that looked off. Nothing seemed unusual, but he knew better. He never woke up like that without a reason. But since nothing immediately seemed odd, he brushed it off for now, He needed to get moving anyway. It would be day soon and that would mean heat. As tough as he was, the desert heat would still get to him if he was out in it for too long.

So he started to gather up his few things. First, he rolled up his tent. He was glad he didn't have to use it, it made him feel restricted, and that wasn't something he enjoyed. As he packed it away he occasionally glanced up to see if anypony was there. He felt like he was being watched, so he knew they had to be there, but he still didn't see them. He wasn't worried though. They'd show themselves soon enough. He'd deal with them then like he always did.

Soon he was ready to go. After he had packed the tent, all he had to do was get his bedroll and his bags. Then, after dispersing the ashes from his fire, he set off again. This time, well before the heat of the day began to set in. He felt he would make good progress today, especially since he got up fairly early. Whoever was watching him, he was going to thank them for that before he dealt with them. He hoped that whoever it was wasn't looking for trouble. He didn't like to kill unless it was necessary... Or he was just pissed off. Whichever. Thankfully for the residents of the wasteland, it was normally the former rather than the latter.

She had decided to wait for him to get everything packed up before she walked up and asked him if she could come along, but now she felt something was wrong. From the way he acted it was like he knew she was watching him. She couldn't fathom how, but the fact was that now she could not ask him like she wanted to.

Resigned to this she decided to simply follow him. At least then she would figure out where he's going. She really wanted to talk to him, though. It wasn't that she had taken a particular liking to him, she just needed to talk to somepony, anypony. After all, a full two days in the desert by yourself would drive almost anypony crazy. How did he do it? It didn't matter. She didn't have to be happy with her situation, she just had to make the best of it that she could.

It had been several hours since he had packed up and headed out. Getting up early had been a good idea, just like he knew it would be. He had already covered almost the same distance he had yesterday and still had quite a few hours left to go. That was good. It meant he might get to his destination a bit quicker. With that he picked up the pace a bit, his stride lengthening into an easy trot, one he would be able to keep up for a good long time instead of the patient walk he'd been moving at so far.

He knew it also meant whoever was following him could keep up as well. He still didn't know who it was, but earlier he'd gotten a quick look at them. He or she thought they were clever for following him like they did, but they didn't know that he could easily lose them. He didn't want to, though, not just yet. He wanted to know who was following him and why.
The few things he did know didn't tell him much. The pony had clearly been out here before, but didn't seem too
experienced. So, they had to be young. They were fast and nimble, with a small silhouette, and that meant either a small male or a female. he didn't know which, and he wasn't gonna make a call on that one. He wasn't sexist like some ponies were.

All of that told him whoever it was wouldn't be much of a threat, and that was a good thing. He hoped he could simply scare them off. He really didn't want to harm them, especially if it was a foal or a mare. He knew they could be as dangerous as any stallion, but that doesn't meant he liked killing them. Maybe they'd come up when he stopped to rest and eat. They had to be hungry. As far out as they were, it was more than likely they were either out of food or running low, and any opportunity to learn more about his pursuer was welcome.

He slowed over the course of several minutes, before coming to a stop and pulling out an old timepiece he'd had for years. It was a rarity, one that predated even the war. He could probably sell it for quite a few bits if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. It was given to him a long time ago, and you didn't simply get rid of a gift like that. Somehow, despite the centuries, it stayed true. Probably some kind of unicorn magic. He didn't know or care, as long as it worked, and right now it was telling him it was a quarter past two. About time to stop and rest. With that in mind, he stretched his legs and started to get out his lunch. Some cram, a few crackers and some fruit that could at least pass for edible. Not the best meal, but it was food.

It seemed like he would go on forever. Maybe that was his plan, exhaust her and then kill her. She was sure he knew she was there. He had caught a glance at her a while back, and that wasn't good. He'd probably already planned out what he's gonna do to her. Or not... She flattened herself and crept up behind a large boulder, peeking out from behind it.

He'd just stopped, sitting down and going through his bags. Probably getting something to eat, she thought jealously. She'd eaten the last of her food last night and now she was really hungry. Just thinking about food made her stomach growl even louder. She had some water left, but not much. Even after she had taken her friends stuff she still hadn't had enough to make it home. Well, she would've had enough if she hadn't missed town all together. She hoped that her friends were okay. She felt bad about taking their supplies, but she didn't know where they went and she needed it.

Soon, she figured he must be about done with his food, and that they'd probably be moving again. She hoped not. She needed to rest a bit. Maybe he wasn't a bad pony after all. Maybe she was simply paranoid after her friends had vanished like that. She sat there, conflicted, for a moment. On one hoof she was hungry and he had food. On the other, he might simply kill her. Still she may die out here anyway. It would be a slow death, too. At least being killed by him would be quicker than starvation, or dying of thirst.

She made up her mind to approach him and hope for the best. Maybe he was really a kind guy who just fell on hard times, or he just looked tough to scare off other ponies. If either was the case this might not be so bad. She slowly got out from behind her cover and made her way towards the stranger, creeping along, ready to run if he started shooting. The entire time, doubts about him plagued her mind, but she willed herself to go on. Soon she was less than 10 feet away from him. If he had noticed her approach at all, he didn't show it.

Now that she was closer she could see that he almost definitely wasn't a Raider. That was a good sign. Other than that she couldn't really see much. He was covered in some sort of black barding from head to hoof, or he would be if his helmet wasn't currently off. His coat was hard to see at this angle but she could see his mane. It was a dark blue or maybe an odd shade of dark purple. She didn't know. She could never tell dark blues and purples apart, black gave her some trouble as well. He seemed to be relaxed right now, so it was probably the best possible time to get his attention.
She crept closer and spoke up.

"Um.. Hello?" She didn't see any movement. Maybe he sleep? Some ponies can sleep sitting up, can't they?
"Hello!" She called out again, this time a bit louder.

"Took you long enough. Been wondering when you'd show up. you really need to work on your stealth if you're going to make this into a profession."

She almost jumped when he spoke. So, he was awake. And he'd been waiting for her? Well, that was a good sign... maybe.

He spoke again

"Cat got your tongue? Hope not. Saw that happen once. Poor guy can't talk anymore. So, who are you? And why did you follow me?"

It took her a second to get her nerve up enough to talk again.

"Well... I'm lost" Her voice was shaky. She was a bit scared now. "I was out with some friends when I got separated from them. I've been out here almost a week now."

"Figures. So, where are you headed. I only know of two towns around here and I came from one of them."

"I think it's north of here. It's named after some old ruins, called Whispering Sands."

Since all she could see was his back, she couldn't be sure, but it looked like he tensed up. Then he quickly stood and turned around. Next thing she knew, she was staring into a pair of cold blue-grey eyes. Her mane stood on end and she did her best not to just turn and run. The stallion was a little... intense.

"Did you say ruins?"

"Um, yeah! There's this big ruined city near my town, a couple weeks north of it. My friends and I have only been there once, and we found some really cool stuff, but it was really creepy. They say the whole place is haunted. Why?"

"Lets say I'm interested in them. That's why I'm going to...Whispering Sands, did you say?" She nodded her head at that. This was going better than she had hoped. "Is that the name of the ruins, as well as the town?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Well, I'll let you tag along with me, but only on one condition: you tell me all you can about both the town and the ruins."

"S-sure. Um... Can I have something to eat? I haven't eaten all day, since I kinda... ran out of food yesterday..."

"Sure. All I have is some cram and crackers. Is that ok?"

"Yeah. I've eaten worse. I'm Cinnamon by the way. What's your name?"

His eyes hardened and he frowned, becoming much more serious all of a sudden. "Don't ask questions, please." She nodded her head. "But if you really need a name, you can call me... Lonesome."

"Okay."

Lonesome now had some information. It wasn't much, but it was more than he had when he woke up. The least he could do for this mare was feed her and get her home. After all, he wasn't a mean guy. Hell, he probably would've helped her anyway. After all ,she did seem like a nice pony. if a bit naive.

They started moving again as soon as she was done eating. They still had plenty of daylight left. Why waste it?

Note: My editor did an AWESOME job on this chapter. I can't thank him enough. His Name is Cascadejackel check out his stuff here.

Second Leg and Arrival

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

The light was failing and soon it would be dark. Lonesome was glad that they would have to stop soon. He was exhausted after today. It normally wouldn't have been that bad, but now he had to keep his new companion in line. She wasn't bad, he just wasn't used to travelling with others. He's always been a loner. She had been silent for a while now which was odd. She had been talking almost nonstop the entire day. He had always been so focused on his thoughts he hadn't notice the silence... until now. He's gotten used to it, but now that she's here he realizes how much he's missed talking to another pony on these trips.
As nice as it is, though, he knows the weaknesses that traveling with others brings. Distractions are one of them. Listening to others can keep you from seeing or hearing subtle clues that something is amiss. He's seen the remains of groups taken out by the smallest things. One time he saw a couple of unicorns get into an argument over some water and get slaughtered by a mutant manticore they didn't see coming until it was too late. But he was more observant then they were, so he should be able to keep her safe. At least until they get to town; after that she's back on her own.

That may seem mean or callous, but he really didn't need anypony traveling with him. He'd more than likely get them killed, so it was best that she stayed in her own town. True, she still might die soon, but at least then it wouldn't be on his hooves.

They had walked quite a bit today and now it was time to stop for the night. He looked over to Cinnamon and saw how exuasted she was. She was clearly use to taking frequent breaks. It didn't matter, though. He'll probably never see her after he leaves this town.

He looks over to her. "Alright, time to stop for the night. It's gonna get dark soon."

"About time. I thought my legs were about to fall off. I've never walked that far ever in one day."

"Whatever. I really don't care. We just need to get some sleep tonight. We're getting up before dawn. We should reach town tomorrow about noon that way. I'd likely get there sooner alone, but I've got you to keep up with."

"Sorry if I'm slow, I'm just not used to walking like that, how do you do it?"

"I just do. No more questions. Help me get this tent out. It's where you're sleeping tonight."

She went over to Lonesome and helped him get out his tent. It didn't take all that long really, it simply popped into place. Then Lonesome got out his mat and set it down before getting comfortable on it. He noticed Cinnamon looking at him a bit funny when he sat down outside the tent.

"I prefer to sleep outdoors. I don't like tents much. I have it just in case I need it, or if it rains."

Her curiosity sated for now she turned to the tent and went in to look at it. She saw it was an old war time tent. Probably
military issue, but she didn't know. She really didn't care about stuff like that. She just needed to know what was valuable and what wasn't. She was sure this tent could probably bring in a few caps, but things like this weren't her expertise. All she knew was her craft and that was it. That, and a bit about scavenging.

That made her think of her friends. She was worried about them and had been for the last few days. Hopefully they were okay, but she knew, realistically, that they were more probably dead. If they weren't, she knew that she hadn't made things any easier for them by taking their food and water. She knew she should get over that, but still it felt wrong. Then, a thought occurred to her, Maybe she could talk to Lonesome about it. Surely he's had to make a few hard choices! But then again she got the feeling he doesn't travel with others often, so maybe he doesn't care what happens to others. No... if that was the case he'd have left her to die! And he did say not to ask questions... That meant he was hiding something or hiding from somepony. Either way it was probably best not to ask.

He assumed she had already gone to sleep. That was a good thing, as he wouldn't have to deal with her until morning. That left him to his own thoughts, though. Most nights he would simply fall sleep almost immediately, but not tonight. His head was abuzz with thoughts of how he was going to handle things when he got to town tomorrow. He really didn't have any idea. Normally he didn't plan things out, he just improvised as he went. This time, that might not fly.

Then there was the issue of The Boss' visitor. While he hadn't heard the entire conversation, he had heard enough to tell The Boss was trying to get information on him. That had left him a bit puzzled. Why had The Boss betrayed the agreement like that? They both had agreed not to pry. No that wasn't right. They had agreed not to ask questions. So, that meant The Boss hadn't violated the letter of the agreement, but he had still broken it in spirit. While that had Lonesome mad, there wasn't anything he could do. Even if there was something could do he wouldn't do it. He had invested too much time into looking for this thing. He wanted to see it, even if The Boss decided he didn't. Not like that was likely. It still troubled him, though. He didn't want anypony digging into his past. It was bad enough he had to relive it every day of his life, he didn't need ponies asking him questions. He simply didn't have the answers.

With his mind in turmoil he thought he'd never get to sleep, but time proved him wrong....

She was still debating asking him, but soon realized it was too late when she heard him start snoring. Oh well. She was way too confused to think much more anyhow. Things would probably be less confusing in the morning... At least, she hoped so.

_______________________________________________________________________________

He got up early. Really early. Things had to be done before they set out again. First thing he did was poke his head into the tent and wake Cinnamon. Predictably, she didn't want to wake up.

"Wake up. We need to get ready to leave. It will be dawn in a few hours. I want to be gone well before then"

She groaned and tried to roll away from him, but he grabbed her by her hoof and started to drag her out of the tent.

"Fine! I'll get up. I'm just not use to getting up this early. Give me a second okay?"

"Fine, but i'm putting up this tent whether or not you're in it. And don't try me on that. I will find a way." He glared at her to drive home his point.

She got up and crawled out of the tent quickly. She really didn't want to see if he was telling the truth.

After he saw her get out he proceeded to put up the tent. Afterwards he decided that it would be a good idea to eat some breakfast, he went over and got some Cram and crackers out of his saddle bags. He looked over to Cinnamon, who was still half asleep.

"Come get something to eat. You'll need it." He said to her.

"Fine. What do you have?"

"Cram."

"UHHGGGG!!! Not that stuff again! Why do you have so much of it?"

"It's preserved. And it's not that bad if you eat it long enough."

"Fine give me some. I swear, I wish this stuff didn't exist. "

She continued to grumble as she went over to get some Cram. She grabbed a can of the dreaded mystery food, plopped down on her rear and started to eat it.

Lonesome continued to eat his as well, but he was chuckling on the inside at her reaction to it. Yesterday she had been just fine with it. Probably because of how hungry she was. He smirked at the thought. He had a feeling she was used to getting what she wanted. Likely she had decided to go scavaging to try and prove she wasn't just a spoiled brat. He felt she wasn't a brat of any kind though. She probably just got a lot shit about who she's related to or something, but wasn't above using her influence if she needed to. At least that was his theory. Maybe he should ask, in case her connections could help out once they got to Whispering Sands.

After quickly finishing his Cram he got back up. He looked around to make sure that they had everything. Then he hollered to get Cinnamon's attention. It appeared that she had fallen back asleep. "well, that just won't work," he thought. So, he decided to wake her up in a rather abrupt manner. He went over to her, grabbed her rear legs and hoisted her up into the air.

"What the hay?!" She flailed around as she woke up. "Why am I upside down?!"

"'Cuz I picked you up."

"Why? Put me down now!" She instantly regretted her words when he let go and she fell to the ground with a thud. "Ow! Why did you do that?!"

"You told me to put you down, so I did."

"No, Why did you pick me up?"

"You fell asleep and I had to wake you up."

"Whatever..." She grumbled. "I guess it's time to go. That's the only reason I can think of to make you wake me up like that."
"Yup, now get going. We need to be in town before noon."

She sighed. "Alright."

Then they took off toward town. If he was right they ought to be there well before noon, but he didn't want her to know that. He knew she might be a problem to get up so he had her get up really early just in case. Turns out he got to have a bit of fun as well; he didn't get to do that very often. This was a good morning. For him anyways.

Today was like yesterday and the day before, oddly unexciting. His luck had been good so far and that was starting to worry him. Something should've happened by now. Maybe it was because he was in the middle of a damn desert? Probably, but still... He decided he had to think about something else, like how he was going to find the Widget once he got there. About then, Cinnamon spoke up.

"Hey, um... Lonesome... how long till we get to town? I really need to get there soon. I need to tell my mom that I'm alright, otherwise she'll have the whole town out looking for me."

"And she hasn't yet, why?"

"Well I used to run away a lot when I was younger. Most of the time I'd just go to a friends house. Nine times out of ten their folks would tell her that I was with them, so she wouldn't worry. Then within a few days I'd get homesick and go home. So, since then if I go missing she doesn't really worry about me, but it's been a couple of weeks now, and I'd say she's worried."

"And your friends?"

"They probably either made it home or everyone figures the're dead. Likely me, too. The search would really just be to find our bodies."

"Makes sense. How would your mother get the town to look for you anyway? A small search party, sure. The whole town? I doubt it."

"Well, it would help that she's the mayor. That, and I'm a pretty good cook. My Cutie Mark is a swirl of cinnamon after all. " Lonesome just glared at her. "What did you think my Cutie Mark was? A dust storm? Because that's the only other thing I can think of that it looks like."

He just continued to stare at her for a moment. It really freaked her out for a second.

"Well, I think I just solved a huge problem of mine, and it's all because I found you. "

"Um... okay... How did I help? I thought I was just slowing you down."

"Yes, you are, but you're a bit more important now. You se,e I need to find something and until now I had no way of getting help..."

"And you think my mom will help you for saving me, right?" He nodded his head yes and gave her a big grin. "Thought so. Well, if you want the truth she probably will... But she wont be happy about it. So if I were you I'd stay clear of her and the town once your business is done and you get whatever it is you're after."

"Well I don't think I'll listen to that last bit of advice. I need to stick around town for a bit until it's found. Like I said, it's in those old ruins. No telling how hard it's gonna be to find somepony to go in there. You said yourself that all you locals think the place is haunted. I already knew that, but still..."

"Whatever... I'm sure with all the dumbasses in town you'll find somepony to do it. If not, then I'm sure some daredevil will come through. They come by all them time and head into the ruins. They come out alright, as long as they don't head in too deep. A few tried for the center near the tall building and never came back. And for your information, the place is haunted. I know because I went there once myself. All sorts of freaky stuff happened... Creeped me out so bad I didn't stay long."

"Well, thank you for telling me that. I hope I don't make your mother too mad, after all Hell hath no fury like that of a woman's scorn. Anyway, we'll be in town a lot sooner than I thought. We should be there about an hour after daybreak. Now, don't be mad about me waking you up so early. If I hadn't we'd still be getting ready to head out."

"Fine. That doesn't mean that I'm happy about it though." She grumbled.

The rest of the trip to town was made in silence. Neither one was going to start up the conversation again. Him because he didn't want to hear her complain about how early he got her up or how he was using her for leverage against her mom, and Her because she just didn't want to talk right now. She was tired from getting up well before dawn and from getting to sleep so late. Not that it really mattered.

At least he got her home. And once you got past his grumpy, uncaring exterior, you could see a pony who cared about others. Sadly these glimpses were too few, she thought. She figured something in must've happened and it hurt him deeply. No telling what it was so she likely won't find out whatever it is. Definitely not from him. Maybe she'll help give him a helping hoof and tell her mom just to help him. He did save her life after all. Really, her mom should be grateful and simply help for the hell of it. He shouldn't need to use leverage. Oh, well. They'll cross that bridge when they get to it. For now she needs to focus on keeping up with Lonesome.

Soon, Whispering Sands came up over the horizon. It was a decent sized town from the looks of it. Not like the larger towns up north, but larger that the town he'd just came from. It also had a feel the other town didn't, like it was meant to be hear. It felt established. That had to be it. From what little bit he'd learned from Cinnamon it had been there before the war, a decent sized suburb of the ruins it shared it's name with. Whereas the town he resided in had only been there 30 years and was barely clinging to existence. Mostly because of trade from towns like this. Really, his town was just a glorified trading post.

As they reached the city outskirts he noticed a few things about the town. First thing he noticed was the lack of tall buildings, something nearly all towns in the wasteland had at least a few of. That meant either a catastrophe in the somewhat distant past or repurposing them for building material. He might ask Cinnamon about that later. At the edge of town there were a few houses and what looked like one or two slaughter houses. Why the town would need those was beyond him. Perhaps they had a lot of griffins that passed through. Who knew? He really didn't care as long as they didn't try and eat him or something like that.

As they got a bit further into town things started to get a little more crowded. The buildings were getting closer together now. Real streets were forming as well. Many were old cracked Pre-Wasteland paved roads. That was a testament to the engineers who put the pavement down. The buildings closer to the town center were in a bit rougher shape than those out at the edge. That said that they had been there much longer that the news ones being built. That brought his mind back to the lack of tall buildings. They probably were reusing the taller ones in order to expand the town. That meant this was a growing town.

Soon they were at a point were Lonesome could no longer navigate. He looked at Cinnamon and she saw his gaze.

"It's a bit confusing, but hey, I know my way around. Just tell me where you need to go." She grinned.

"Well, I'm sure your Mother would like to see that you're okay. And I would like to speak to her about the ruins."

"Fine. Right now she's probably at work, over in the town hall. It's not much, but hey, it's the best building in town."

"Okay. Lead the way"

He followed her down the main stretch of town towards a medium sized building that was in good shape. He assumed that this was town hall. He saw how busy it was, as well. Ponies were buzzing in and out of it at all times. Soon, they were inside. It was a bit nicer on the inside than the outside. Now, all he had to do was get to the Mayor. He was about to ask Cinnamon a question when a dull green pony spoke up.

"State your business and be seated." It was the secretary.

Cinnamon spoke up. "Um.. Hi... I'm here to see my Mom. She's probably worried sick about me."

The secretary looked up at her.

"Well, about damn time you showed up. Your mother's done hardly anything productive since you vanished. Now get your ass in there and show her you're alright, so things can get back to normal around here."

Cinnamon started to make for the door to the office, but the other mare spoke up again, glaring at Lonesome.

"Who are you? I didn't say you could go in."

"Um... he sorta... saved my life. I think Mom would like to meet him."

"Whatever. Just don't cause any trouble, understand?"

The pair entered the office. It was a smaller one, but it was functional. When they entered they didn't see anypony in there, but then they heard a voice.

"And where have you been young lady?"

" U'm....."

This is my longest chapter to date, so it's taken me longer to write. sorry for the wait.
This Chapter was finished like a week ago, but I've only just now managed to get to my computer. Enjoy.

Confrontation and Employment

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

This is my first FoE side fic. I've been inspired by Kkat and my friend Cascadejackal. Kudos to you, My Friend.

Lonesome looked between the two two mares in front of him. One was clearly Pissed and the other was mollified at the sight of the other. He did everything in his power not to laugh at the scene. Mostly so he didn't anger the older mare. He didn't want to start off on her bad side after all.

He saw that Cinnamon was clearly terrified her mothers possible reaction. After all you didn't know how she'd react. It stayed like this till Cinnamon Decided to speak.

" Sorry Mom I didn't mean to worry you, I just got lost. Please don't be mad at me."

Her Mother took a second herself before she responded.

" I know that Cinnamon, I just don't like it when you go off like that to start with, but this time you were gone over a week and a half." She got up and went over toCinnamon and gave her a hug. " How did you get lost anyways? I thought you were with some friends?"

" I was but i got separated from them..." The mare stared at her daughter, wanting her to go on." Okay... I wondered off. I thought I saw something and I wanted to go see what it was. Turns out it was an old wagon. So I went back to get everypony and tell them to help get it. I figured it could be used to help haul some stuff back to town. But when i got there they were all gone. Their stuff was all there, but they were gone. I sat there for awhile hoping they'd come back."

" And they never did. Why the Hell didn't you come straight back to town then? You know better than to stay out there!"

"I did! I swear Mom! I just got lost on the way back." She said. Though with a shaky voice.

"Really? I swear that your hopeless sometimes. How hard is it to find this place? All you gotta do is find the city limit sign. It's like a damn billboard."

"Sorry Mom, It was dark or something I guess. I really don't know."

"Huh. What ever. Now who is this? He better be important, because I've got quite the mess to fix because of you going missing like that!"

"Um.. well He kind of save me I guess....."

"Save you?" She was clearly skeptical. " How?"

"Well He found me out wandering a couple days away from town and drug me along."

"I see. And how did that happen? Knowing you ya probably just followed him till he saw you. Didn't you?"

"Well yes."

"And I suppose you want to me to think you or something." She said to Lonesome, Whom was unaware he was being spoken to."And I guess you'll want a favor as well."

It took Lonesome a minute to realize he was being spoken to, because he'd zoned out and was thinking about other things while Cinnamon and her Mother were speaking.

"Huh? Sorry I was thinking."

" A bit scatterbrained I see. Oh well. I said that you're probably thinking that your gonna get a favor or something. Isn't that right?"

Lonesome raised his eyebrow and gave a little smirk. Because with that phrase Lonesome knew she'd just walked into the exact trap he'd hoped she would. She could've let Cinnamon pay off her debt to him, but now she had to do it for her. She just didn't know it yet.

"Yes actually. I'm glad you brought it up instead of me."

The mare in front of him clearly wasn't enthused at what he'd just said.

"What exactly do you mean? I meant I guess I could give you some supplies or maybe some caps..."

"No. I'm not looking for any money. I've got plenty of that. And I can get my own supplies. Right now what I really need is a bit of help."

" Depends. What kind of help? I mean I gotta know why you're even out here. I just don't help anyone."

'I should've known it wouldn't that easy. ' He said to himself. Then he Spoke up.

"I'm looking for a Gadget of sorts. I'm not really sure what it is or even what it does. All I know is I was hired to find it. I've followed a few leads down and every thing I've found seems to say it's located in some ruins not to far from here. Now I'm now dumb enough to go in there by myself, I was hoping to find somepony to go in there with me, some backup so to say. But finding your daughter was just the break I needed. I really didn't know just how important she was till she said something about you. Otherwise I would've simply dumped her at the edge of town."

The mayor appeared to grimace at the thought of him just dumping her daughter in any old section of town. Hopefully by now she knew that he meant business

"I see. Look I get it now. You're simply looking out for Numero Uno. Helping out my girl here was just your good deed for the year. You might not have helped her if you haven't been going the same way...or if she hadn't been stalking you. Just tell me what exactly it is you want so I can get you the hell out of town."

The trap had sprung and now she felt obligated to help him. Perfect he thought.

" Good. I simply need to find a pony crazy enough to go into those ruins for me. While you don't need to know the detials of what's going on they do, so when you find a pony or whatever who's willing to do it just send them to me. Okay. I'll give them all the details they'll need to get the job done.That's all I'm asking. And don't worry if you can't come through I can always find another way to collect that favor."

"O- Of course. I'd never cheat anyone. I'm sure with all the crazy folk in town I can find someone."

Clearly that last statement unnerved her a bit. Now to seal the deal

"By the way. Names, Lonesome. If were going to be working together we need names.

" Whatever. Call me Goldenrod. Don't let the name fool ya', being mayor isn't easy and I'm good at what I do. So don't cross me. And were not working together. I'm just trying to get riff-raff like you out of my town. Folks live here 'cuz I keep scum like you out."

" Pleased to meet you to. I hope you don't mind me saying that I am glad this has gone a lot better than expected."

" I'm not. This isn't the first time I've done an odd favor. Just go before I decide to kill you. And Cinnamon?"

" Yes Mother?"

" Please be kind and help our new acquaintance find a place to stay, I'd rather be able to keep track of him. Now go, I need to get to work. And find a pony crazy enough to go in those old ruins."

" Alright."

______________________________________________________________________

" So, what do you think of my mom? I mean she's tough, but knows how to get the job done. That's why the town likes her. If she says jump they strap a rocket on 'em and blast off"

" That's nice. I could really care less, so as long as she keeps her promise to help me. If she does manage to find a pony crazy enough to go in those ruins for me I'll be happy. That's all a care about."

" Well if you don't like her just say so. Anyway it'll probably be a few weeks before she can find anyone to do it. Every once in awhile a few crazies come through, but it's been quite a long time since anypony, or anything, has tried to make a run for the center of the ruins. We all know if you made it there and back you'd be rich. But we also know you'd have to be nearly suicidal to go."

" I'll wait as long as I need. In the mean time i need to find something to do. Otherwise I might so stir-crazy. And you don't want to see that."

" Ewkay. If you say so. I guess someone around here has something that need to be done. With the expansion going on there's almost always some sort of work. Buildings being torn down and others going up and all that. More ponies are showing up in town all the time so maybe you could help one of them get moved in."

" As tempting as all that sounds none of it's not really in my line of work. I prefer something with a lot of action. I mostly work as a freelance retrieval specialist. Sometime I take on a kill for hire type job, but not very often. So anything like that I might be interested in."

" Well Um... I don't know about anything like that." She was clearly a bit Intimidated. He noticed her change to subject. "How about I just show you where mom wants you stay while you're here in town?"

"Sounds good to me." And then they took off into town.

Lonesome noted many of the sights and sounds of the town as Cinnamon lead him through. Down one street and up the next. It was crazy. Everywhere you looked there were ponies moving and bustling about. Some going home others heading off to work or to go out and have a good time. As he looked around he noticed that the buildings were getting a bit closer together as He and Cinnamon went. It was obvious that they were near the center of the old working class district. It was at that point that Cinnamon stopped. He looked up and stared at the building in front of him.

They entered the front of the building and looked around. The interior had clearly been updated at some point. While it wasn't lavish it was a lot better than the typical appearance of most building you saw in The Wasteland. The walls had been freshly painted light green with the trim along the floors an off-white. Almost yellow really, but not quite. After taking another minute to examine the lobby Cinnamon motioned towards the desk. Getting the hint Lonesome followed her up to it.

When they approached the desk the clerk, A pale green unicorn, looked up at them and ask what they wanted.

" Excuse me, but are you going to tell me what you need or are you going to continue staring at the walls. If you are please move out of the way at least. You're blocking other customers from getting to the desk."

"Sorry about my friend. He's new in town. Never been anywhere with this many ponies."

"I don't care! Now either tell me what you want or leave. If you don't I'll have to get security to remove the both of you."

Lonesome scoffed at the thought of what likely passed as security around here. He was about to say so when Cinnamon told off the desk clerk.

" Well Sir, my Mother The Mayor requests that this pony behind me to have lodging at your fine establishment. He just recently saved my life and she currently owes him a debt of gratitude on my behalf. So please be kind and give him a room now."

"The nerve."

"Whatever. Just give him a room. Before either him or I have to get unpleasant."

While the clerk clearly wasn't bemused he handed over a key to a room on the second floor. Room 34. The clerk looked Cinnamon dead in the eye.

"You're mother clearly didn't do enough to teach you proper manners." Then he turned to speak to Lonesome. "If I were you good sir I'd not get involved with her or her mother. They're bad new. There is a reason Miss Goldenrod is the mayor."

Lonesome just started chuckling.

"Don't worry about. I've handled worse than a couple of admitantly formidable mares. And as for your security I'm sure I could've handled them as well."

Soon He and Cinnamon were upstairs looking at His new room. It wasn't mush to look at. It was glaringly obvious the clerk had given him the worst room in the entire place. Not that it bothered Lonesome any. He was laying on the bed and Cinnamon was pacing in circles.

"Well at least it's a room, right Lonesome?"

"Yeah. For once I agree with ya runt. I've defiantly stayed in worse. It'll do me fine. Really It's better than my own place back at The Canyon."

The room was small and cramped, but it had a half decent bed. And a nightstand.

"Really? you must not stay there a lot then."

"Not really. I'm normally out looking for one thing or another."

"Must be awfull moving around all the time like that. At least I'd think it would be."

"I't's not bad. Plus it keeps me from making any friends. Don't look at me that way. In my line of work friends are a liability."

"Okay. I guess I need to go now. Mom's probably gonna want me to cook supper tonight. It might be my first night back in town, but It's still no excuse." He the watched as she started towards the door, but he got up from the bed and stopped her.

"Not yet. I want to talk about what happened down in the lobby.That's the first time I've seen you act like that."

"Huh? W-w-hy do you care? You barley even know me."

"Well to be frank you're partly correct. We've only known each other just a few days, but I have a feeling that since I'm stayin' in town for a bit that I'm going to be seeing you around. It only makes sense."

"So......"

"If you're going to be around me I want to know about any negative Behavioral traits that might be of use to me. And don't worry. I plan on getting around having a chat like this with anyone I deem important"

"....."

"Well speak up."

"I really don't know. I just have outbursts like that sometimes. Normally I can keep them under control, but every so often I just explode like that. Mom says it's a phycological something or another, but I know she's saying it's something to do with my brian..... I was hoping it wouldn't happen around you...or anyone else new I meet."

He really didn't know what to say. He didn't exposit that. He was a complete loss as what to do. He pretty much lost any sympathy for anyone a long time ago, so that wasn't an option. So how to go about this? He really didn't know at all.....Then he noticed his silence was worrying her. Think! Got It!

" Huh. didn't see that coming. Don't worry, I've dealt with far worse. Hell half the folks I meet are either drunk or So damn paranoid they'd shoot themselves for trespassing."

She smiled at that.

"Really?"

"Yes. Now if you're going to be around me I want you to know that I am not to be disturbed at night, or whenever I'm in a foul mood. Otherwise you'll be sorry. Now you need to get back to your mothers house."

Cinnamon looked at him briefly before departing. She was clearly unnerved by their conversation, not that it was any of his concern. Right now he just wanted to relax, but it was too early in the day for that yet. There was his need for employment, if not for the caps then for the distraction it would offer. Surely there was something for him in a growing town like this? After all, somepony, somewhere, had to have a grudge that needed settling or something got lost, or they had something that needed to be... acquired, through less-than-legal channels. Or was this really that nice of a town the ponies didn't do that? He didn't believe it for a second. He was sure that, even before everything went to hell, ponies were just like they were today. They may not have realized it, but if a race can wage war then somewhere in there is a naturally deceptive, dangerous urge.

He just lay there like that until it was late. He was a natural cynic. Everything in his life had taught him that good things didn't last. Eventually, tragedy would strike and then you'd lose everything.

Author's Note

WEll It took me over three months, but here it is. Chapter Five. I apologized to those who actually read this(and I thank you). I've got no excuse. It was suppost to be a two week break from writing. Then My Lazituse acted up. But I think I've finally gotten over it. I'm not promising regular updates, but I am working on it again

Now Much Thanks to My editor and friend Cascadeackel. Whom without this would still be just sitting on my hard drive.

A bit to show I haven't given up

The Long Road Home

By The Midnight Stalker

(Remember I'm Watching You)

The night had been thankfully uneventful after Cinnamon had left, but he didn’t get much sleep either. Two reasons for that: The first was that he simply wasn’t used to sleeping under a roof like this. Or in a bed this comfortable, not that it was anything classy. It was just too different from what he was use to. He preferred to be outdoors and would’ve gone outside instead, but Goldenrod had wanted to keep her eye on him. And to be honest, he didn’t want to make her angry. Not because he was afraid of her, but because she might actually be able to find someone willing to go into those Goddess forsaken ruins for him.

The other was because he was thinking of the ruins. He honestly did not want to go there himself. He’d heard all the rumors about the place and while he didn’t believe there were ghosts in there, he did think something odd was at work there. With all the weird things going on in The Wasteland he didn’t want to know what was up with that place. Better some other sorry sap. And If they didn’t make it out, then there’d be no blood on his hooves. Even if he did pay them, the choice to go in was theirs. Perhaps he needed to make it clear that he’d be paying them, not her, so the Mayor wouldn’t freak out at the costs..... He’d do that later. For now he needed to leave before Cinnamon showed up again. He really regretted last night's conversation. He made her sound important when she really wasn’t. Too late now.

Groaning, he rolled out of bed. Since he’d spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, he didn’t sleep and thus needed the rich, tan colored stimulant known as coffee. So he gathered up some of his gear and the like and started out of his room. Last night he hadn’t really taken the time to look around his room. Sure, he’d noticed that it was cheap, but beyond that he hadn’t cared. At the time he’d just wanted to be left alone and try to sleep. It looked a lot more rundown than the rest of the partly renovated motel, hard as that was to believe. But that wasn’t too important. Coffee was needed, and even 200 year old instant coffee was better than nothing. All he needed was some clean water and he was good. All he had to do was heat the water and mix it in. Done. Too bad it didn’t pan out that way.

He was headed down the stairs when a certain mare was spotted at the entrance. Damn. Well, so much for that plan. He decided that he may as well got down the stairs and see what she wanted. As he walked down she was staring at him. He found it kinda odd, but she was serious.
Cinnamon’s mother told her that they needed to find out what had happened to her friends. She really didn’t want to, but orders were orders. As far as her mother was concerned it could’ve been anything from a prank to raiders, though the latter wasn’t very likely. They hadn’t shown their ugly ass faces around the town in some time. So, she’d sent her to go get Lonesome. But as far as she cared, they’d left her high and dry. She was so sure they were hiding out there somewhere, just waiting for the right time to come out of hiding. It wouldn’t be the first time that they’d pulled a prank on her like that, but most of the others were harmless. Either way she was here to get him. And he was coming down the stairs....

They met at the base of the stairs. Cinnamon was just standing there so Lonesome went to go around her. She moved to get back in front of him. Then he took a step to the left, she stepped to the right to match him.
Damn it....
“Well what do you want? If you didn’t want something you wouldn’t be here in my way. So, tell me.” A bit gruff, but straight to the point. After all, he did have other things to do, like finding a job.

“S-sorry, It’s just that my mom has something she want’s you to do.”

“And why should I do anything for her? She owes me last time I checked, not the other way around. So, leave me alone for a few days, I’ll see ya whenever your mom finds someone to do the job.” He then started towards the door again only to be blocked by Cinnamon again. “Fine. What the hell is it?”

“Well you remember me saying something about my friends, right?” He nodded. “well mom wants us to go and find out what happened to them. She’s kinda paranoid about it. She thinks they might’ve been caught by raiders or somthing. I don’t think so, but I do want to give them a piece of my mind if we do find them.”
‘I really don’t want to do this. Just leave me alone’ He thought to himself. After all, she’d only been trouble since he found her. And she talked way too much. He like silence, Then again, he was curious as what had happened to them as well. After all, a group of ponies just doesn’t disappear and leave their gear laying about and if they’d been attacked whoever it was would’ve taken it. While he hadn’t put a lot of thought into it had been bothering him a bit. not much, but enough that he wouldn’t mind getting to the bottom of it. He made up his mind, deciding that he’d help; not like he didn’t have anything better to do anyways.

“Fine I’ll help you, but you have to stay out of my way. Okay?”

“Okay.....”

“Good. Now go get some supplies. You’re gonna need some water and a bit of food.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You want to find your friends right? Well then, we’ll have to go out where they were last. Need to look for clues”

“Oh! Okay. I’ll go let my mom know. And get some supplies.”

Cinnamon started her way back to her house until she remembered that her mother was at work right now. She was about half way back before she remembered that however and her moms office was on the other side of town. She wasn’t about to got all the way back there just yet. She was almost home so she decided to go ahead and grab some food and water. Then she’d head over to her mom's office and let her know that she was going along with Lonesome to go find her so-called friends. But she might not be too happy with her raiding the house for food. So then, off to mom first? May as well.

So she turned around and started back the other way. Hopefully her mom wouldn’t be too upset about her going along. I mean she could tell her not to go, but she didn’t have to listen. She backtracked all the way to the hotel where Lonesome was staying, but instead of going in she went right on by it. Heading instead into the large building a few block down. The old building being currently used as the Administrative center for the town. Everything was located there. The mayor’s office, in short. In the past the mayor had lived in the building, but her mom didn’t want to stay in there; she already had a house elsewhere in town and didn’t want to leave it just because of her job, so now the extra rooms were more or less unused. Once she entered the building she went straight into the lobby without taking for directions or anything. She knew this place like the back of her hoof. And everypony here knew who she was and didn’t ask any questions.

She walked right up to the door to her mom’s, The Mayor’s, office. She paused for a moment and knocked. She waited for a moment before she heard her mom's voice on the other side.

“Come in, Cinnamon. I know it’s you.”

“How? I didn’t even say anything!”

“You have a unique knock. Now I’m assuming you’re gonna tell me what he said about looking for your friends.”

“Well yeah. He said he’d do it. I think it’s ‘cuz he didn’t have anything better to do till you find someone.”

“Well that’s good. He say when he’s leaving?

“After I come back with some supplies. He doesn’t want me dying out there.”

“Wait.. you?”

“Yes. I’m going too. He said I could.”

“So let me get this straight, both of you are going out there?”

“Well, yes...”

“I told you to get him to look into it, not go along.”

“Sorry mom, but I wanna go along. I won’t get lost this time.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about, it’s... oh, nevermind. Just be careful, and keep an eye on him for me. I don’t want him causing trouble.”

“Fine, mom. I gotta go now”

“Not yet. You got to get some food and water right? Well you may as well get it here. I don’t want you raiding the house.”

“Huh? How did you know I was going there?”

“I’m your mother. I can read you like a book. Plus, last time you went somewhere you did that.”

“Oh...”

It took a little bit, but Cinnamon finally got away from her mom, but only after making a promise to come back in one piece. It wasn’t that her mother didn’t trust her... well, okay, she didn’t trust her. Cinnamon did have a history of being late getting home, after all, and what happened the last time she went out really didn’t help her case. She wasn’t even allowed out of town alone because of that. Her mother clearly explained the only reason she was allowed to go was because she was going with Lonesome. Her mother really didn’t trust him, either, but she owed him and didn’t expect him to simply vanish. At least she could go, so she wasn’t about to complain right now.

Lonesome had almost given up waiting for her when she finally showed up. She was carrying quite a bit of stuff. More than he’d told her that they’d be needing. Plus judging by the look on her face she wasn’t too thrilled to carrying it either. She had what looked like about 5 gallon of water and three days worth of food. Stupid mare.

“Why do you have that much supplies? I told you we weren’t going that far. Carry it if you want to, but don’t expect me to help.”

“Well I didn’t even want this much stuff! Mom made me take it. I tried to tell her we were going to be back tonight, but she insisted.”

“You could’ve just dumped most it somewhere. Only time I carry that much supplies is....Never. I find it useless when I can scavenge most of what I need. But I guess you don’t really know about that.”

“Ug! I don’t care! Just help me get this stuff off so I can see what I really need. I don’t want to carry all of it, it’s way too heavy.”

“Fine. Just give me a second.”
He trotted over to her and looked for a second. She had way too much stuff for how long they were going to be gone. He only planned on being out just a couple days at the most.

“You want this off fast or you want me to take it off bit by bit?”

“Just get it off.”

“Fine.” He then kicked her and knocked her over. Everything she had was spilled on the ground. Thankfully the water didn’t leak out. Otherwise they would’ve had to get more.

“What the hell? That hurt!”

“You did say you wanted it off fast.”

“No I just wanted it off !”

“Whatever. Let’s just go through this so we can get going. I was hoping to leave sometime right after lunch, but this whole mess shot that plan to hell. Now, we’ll be lucky to be gone by dusk.”

“Sorry. Mom just wanted me to be ready for anything. It took me a bit just to talk her out of making me take a tent.”

Lonesome groaned. “This is why I travel alone.”

They didn’t say anything after that. Cinnamon just simply watched Lonesome go through everything. It didn’t take too long, but it still took up time they could’ve been using otherwise. In the end he decided to keep all of the water and the food, but he tossed everything else. It was simply extra they didn’t need.

“So I guess we’re ready to go then?”

“Yes. Now be silent. I want some peace and quiet. You talk too much.”

“Um what are you going to do with the rest of the stuff? We can’t just leave it there.”

“Fine. Just take it somewhere.”

“Um.... Nevermind.”

“Thought so.”

In the end they did take all the extra stuff back to Goldenrods house and much to the displeasure of Lonesome, she was there. When she got there was anyone’s guess, because according to Cinnamon she was still at her office. Anyways she gave him a scolding for letting Cinnamon tag along. But he really didn’t care. All he wanted was her to find someone. After that he’d get what he came for and get out of this Goddess forsaken town. He really didn’t care too much of it. Too many ponies for his taste. He could barely stand the place he lived in.

As for Cinnamon, he’d made it clear he really didn’t like her. He was mostly letting her tag along to spite her mother. Just because they did business didn’t mean he had to be nice. But he didn’t think she’d just stop looking. After all, there was the unspoken threat that he could always find some other way of collecting payment. And if it came down to it he could always go looking for it himself.

It was much later than he’d anticipated, but they finally started out away from town. As he’d said earlier Dusk was hopeful. And they barely made it out of town before it had settled in. Both of the mares insisted that the duo leave in the morning with it being so late, but Lonesome being Lonesome didn’t want to waste anymore time than he already had and started out anyways. Cinnamon still wanting to come along left with him despite her own reservations and her mother's protests. They simply walked along the not so quiet streets of the town and out into the dark unforgiving Wasteland. It was silent out there. The way it was suppose to be, or so Lonesome thought. For once even Cinnamon wasn’t talking, granted likely she was too tired to do so, but still. He really had wanted to ask her a few questions about exactly where she and her friends had been where she wandered off. That’d give him a decent starting point about as to where they may have gone.

But that was for in the morning. For now they were simply walking along the desolate wilderness. Well it wasn’t wilderness yet, but it was close enough. The goal was to put as much distance as possible between them and the town before sunrise. After his plan to leave at Noon was shot he’d decided that they’d travel at night. It was a better idea anyways. Less likely to run into folks. For him that was a good thing.

Author's Note

I'm sorry I've been in a US Job Corp. Program and it eats up all of my time. THis Is a little bit I've put together to show I'm still trying to work at it. AS for now It's still on hiatus But I plan to complete the program i the next few months so maybe then I'll have more time to write.