Fallout: Equestria - Equilibrium

"My fickle friend, the Summer Wind..."

I came to curled up in something soft and pleasantly warm. Every part of my body felt flushed and tingly as more of my senses came back to life. I just couldn't resist rolling around a little in bed like some lazy pegasus, letting this cozy warmth envelop me. It felt almost like I was in a different world. For once what seemed like actual sunlight peered in through the bedside window... Well, at least more than usual. Sadly the world outside was still gloomy, without even a break in that oppressive ceiling of grey.

The room I woke up in wasn't too rundown; with slightly damaged wooden walls and tarnished plank floors, losing the color they once held. Pretty much what you’d expect the standard to be after a megaspell holocaust I suppose. I sat up to take in my surroundings and spotted an old wooden desk jammed in one of the room’s corners. On it was a decently maintained chemistry set, paperwork, and a gun of some kind. Guess the pony that lives here must be a chemist or a doctor? Though a part of me hoped that the gun being there was just a coincidence...

"Huh, you’re awake, how ‘bout that."

Surprised by the sudden words from a stallion, I almost fell out of bed smacking my head on a shelf in the process. "Ow- who are you?" I questioned the middle-aged blue unicorn with a slightly darker blue mane and brown eyes. He didn't look like a doctor and wasn't wearing typical chemist’s clothing either.

"Oh ‘scuse me where are my manners, I'm Doc Stitches, welcome to Sunnyspring." He introduced me with a friendly smile.

Sunnyspring? Moving slowly off the bed, I tried to catch a glimpse of the town outside the window but was stopped by a searing pain in my side. Ugh dammit! "Woah easy there! You've been out cold for a few days now, would be best if you stayed put and rested up s’more." Doc Stitches assured me, helping me back into bed. "Shouldn't be much left now except phantom pain and such. I take pride in my needlework, hence the name, you might want to tell me if I missed anything."

Huh, I was starting to wonder where he got the name from. "How long have I been here?"

"About three days now. If I recall, Summer came rushing in through the door to see me, and next thing I know she's carryin' in a half-dead pegasus on her back. I did my stuff the next day, cleaned those nasty wounds an' stitched 'em back up. Figured right as rain you'd still be kickin', but turns out you died sometime after she found you." Wait, what? Seriously? "I died?"

"Yeah, was about to give up on you too. It's called the Lazarus effect or syndrome, it's basically where a pony dies then a few days later everything just starts back up again. You’re one very lucky mare. Only happens once in a blue moon." Doc Stitches chuckled to himself. Though I kinda wished I’d just stayed dead. This world only seems to want to torment me further, but nevertheless, I am grateful. "In that case thanks for bringing me back from the dead, Doc."

"Don't mention it, it's what I'm here for, but if anypony really saved your life it'd be Summer. You'd have stayed dead if it weren't for her. Well anyhow, I got some other stuff to do so I'll check up on you again later tomorrow." With that said, Stitches stood up and headed out of the room. Leaving me alone with my thoughts and a comfortable bed staring in the direction of daylight... Here I thought I would have never seen it again. Guess I owe this 'Summer' a favor, a big one at that. Though I wonder what she was doing around the area at the time. If it was just by chance she happened to find me then thank Celestia she did.

A few minutes passed and I must have dozed off for a moment. When I awoke again I was somewhere else. The feeling of the bed beneath me faded away as it felt like I was now standing on my hooves, somewhere cold, but not outside... I could hear the bitter winter wind howling just outside my shelter, carrying with it the stench of blood and decaying life. Immediately upon opening my eyes I saw a... Dark gray mare? She had her back turned to me, looming over the corpse of a crimson pegasus. It took me a few seconds to realize that corpse was me.

I was back at the school where I unwittingly massacred those raider ponies, their mangled bodies were strewn about the foyer. Dark pools of blood were gathering around their rotting forms, still seeping from the wounds I bashed into them. I silently gagged at the sight before me. I killed all these ponies out of blind rage. When I couldn’t stand the sight before me anymore I shut my eyes, like a foal naively hoping that if she couldn’t see the monsters around her they would just disappear. I kept them shut so tightly that my eyelids were beginning to get sore from the pressure being put on them, silently willing, hoping, the nightmare before me would disappear.

Tentatively, I opened my eyes again to find the gray mare, now standing an inch in front of me, staring into me with deep, blood-red eyes. Her face was an expressionless mask that seemed to stare into my very soul. Writhing tendrils of darkness began to squirm out of the mass of corpses around us, slowly snaking along the ground towards the two of us. I wanted to escape this horror, but for some reason, I was fixated on her gaze. Right before the tendrils touched either of us, they began to extend upwards and around us, coalescing into a dome of churning shadows that surrounded the two of us, trapping us inside, forcing me to face her.

As I stared into the blood-red pools of her eyes ripples began to form. The ripples traveled along the surface of her eye until they began to gather at the base of her eyelids. Streams of blood slowly started trickling down the sides of her muzzle, almost like tears, but not quite. As they continued I began to hear the soft pitter-patter of blood droplets landing on the tiled floor. Blood began to pool at her hooves as the mare continued to silently cry, her face still perfectly maintaining that expressionless gaze. The pool of blood on the floor was continuing to expand towards my hooves and I tried in vain to back away, only for me to let out a sharp yelp as my rump came into contact with the very solid wall of darkness surrounding us. I started to struggle against our confines bucking at the dome with the maximum amount of force I could muster out of my hind hooves, almost preferring to face whatever was on the other side than dying to this monster. As I did so, the space around us began to fill with blood at an impossibly fast rate, threatening to drown both of us.

By the time I stopped struggling against the wall of shadows the blood was almost up to my breast. No matter how hard I bucked or how loud I screamed nothing seemed to be stopping the death that was coming for me. As a final desperate resort, I tried to talk to the gray mare that was my tormentor.

In a panicked tone, I begged her. “Please… Please stop! I-I don’t want to die now, I didn’t want to kill all these ponies… I’m sorry, PLEASE I’M SO SORRY!”

I screamed at the mare, who in return cocked her head to the side, considering me. As she did so, the flow of blood in our little chamber seemed to stop, save for a few droplets. Silence reigned between us as she stared at me blankly. I began to fear the worst and braced myself to strike at the mare if need be, although, I’m not sure how well that would go over.

Drip...

Drip...

Drip...

Then the mare leaned in towards me and spoke. She said in an almost familiar tone, like a ghost of the past.

"Fear Death..."

Before anything else could happen the gray pony opened her mouth wide and suddenly let out an ear-piercing screech, revealing two large fangs protruding from her mouth.

I let out a loud shriek as I bolted upright in bed. As I slowly tried to calm myself down I realized that my coat was drenched in sweat. All of my fur was plastered to my body, even my wings were sopping wet, but letting them unfurl a little they could still flap. I sat there quietly in the darkened silence of the room using my wings to create a small breeze. Cooling me down just a little and drifting away from the scent of scared mare.

If I had a thermometer in my mouth to check my temperature it would’ve probably burst at the end with how hot I was. I felt like I had just crawled out of Tartarus. Scorched, but somehow still alive. As I sat there in my self-made breeze, I let my mind wander to the dream I’d just had and that strange mare I saw... Well, it looked like a mare at first then just went all... Damn. I’ve never had a dream like that before. That was some messed up stuff, almost gave me a heart attack. It was like Luna herself was watching over my corpse, my punishment for killing those raiders. Maybe she gave me the dream so it could make me see the error of my actions, or that it's kill or be killed... That death waits for nopony.

Moving around slightly became more of a habit as the bed I noticed was also soaked in my sweat. The air around me was stuffy, making me feel itchy all over my body. Especially in one or two places I'd rather not itch at the minute... That made me realize I hadn't been wearing my stable barding, it was nowhere in sight. Realizing that I was, 'naked', made me lose the hope of being a little restricted, but now, it was just so tempting to have a little distraction, waiting down below, so close by... Where it's warm, wet, and fuzzy as fuck.

Though I didn’t know why I felt so needy. By all accounts that should’ve been the last thing on my mind, I’d just had a terrifying nightmare. Was it the warmth? Thinking about it made me realize I wish I had somepony to share it with. Of course, my mind wandered back to my little Nimbus. About the way she smiled at me, looked at me, sounded... Felt. In my embrace. When she used to get herself stuck in some interesting positions then needed me to lend her a helping hoof.

It only felt natural at the time, she didn't mind.

Laying here in bed was starting to get boring fast. I couldn't go anywhere, not so much that I seemed imprisoned, but there was not much I could do in my condition regardless. My wet mane blocked my left eye as I looked around the dark room, curious about my surroundings. Some light still got in through the window, but the only things that were revealed were the floor and the hovering fog of dust in the room.

Out of tedium, I rolled over onto my front. Ooh, that gave me a little jolt of pleasure, that electric feeling running through my lower body and up into my spine... Oh, Celestia! Not now! I think I'm starting to get horny. That itch below was vying for my full attention, my body wanted to preoccupy my senses but I didn't want it... Maybe later or some other time. Mmm but it's just so tantalizing. Ugh...

Ignoring the desire, I decided to play with my PipBuck instead. Fiddling around with the buttons on the side to take my mind off fiddling with something else. This infernal heat wasn't helping either or the fact I was... Quite wet. Moving around was just going to make it much worse, but who said it was bad? Damn! Now my mind was starting to betray me. Needing to wipe that look off the side of my face as I gently tugged at a little exposed green wire off the side of the buck- I mean PipBuck!

Ugh! Who even likes boys anyway? They're kinda weird and sometimes rude, I guess most of them aren't that bad. Well, apart from the average stallion of today's Equestria, now that's just bad. Luckily for those big bad but nice boys out there, I like bad. Plus... I'm not exactly a good little girl myself. Did some naughty things with a cute flyboy who used to be one of Nimbus' best friends. Think his name was... Clipper? He had a fondness for my flank, probably because he liked my cutie marks... Or the way they moved. Mmm, I'd let him clip me any day... If he was still alive.

By Celestia, I needed to stop thinking about boys. Really, the chances of me meeting a stallion who is actually anything but a nutcase is gonna be rare. Unless he's a pegasus with all the qualities of a wonderbolt, in that case, he would definitely be my kind of flyboy. Somepony I really wouldn't mind sweeping me off my hooves. Now wonderbolts are cute.

Though now it makes me wonder where all the pegasi have gone. All the ponies I had come into contact with were either earth pony or unicorn. Sickle - the poor bastard - may he rest in peace or two pieces, said about pegasi loving to hide or something, then Hammer also mentioned how it's "been a while". Those two were probably just thinking they were hiding because maybe the pegasi are all dead? Hiding just wouldn't make sense. All pegasi used to aspire to be like Rainbow Dash, brave, courageous, loyal till death do us part. Hiding away like trapped birds in a cage didn't exist in our dictionary, the pegasus race was born to be warriors. To fight. To fly free...

Well... All that thinking took my mind off being aroused, for now, as long as I don't think about another cute flyboy again I should be fine. Good heavens! Look at the time. My PipBuck read about three in the damn morning, the screen glowing green in my face almost killed my eyes. I needed to sleep before I started thinking about naughty bedtime thoughts, again.

Ooh wait- My eyes looked over the miscellaneous section of the PipBuck and saw the game I picked up, Zebra Menace. Something in me wanted to try it out, but right now? In the middle of the night? Well why the hell not? It's not like I'll be going anywhere in a few days anyway. At the same time, I didn't want to turn into one of those spoiled rich ponies who had their muzzles buried in PipBuck games all the time.

I really needed to sleep, I was starting to think about flyboys again. Moving away my PipBuck foreleg laying here in the darkness. I started to think about that mare Doc' Stitches mentioned, Summer... Sounds cute. Doesn't really seem to fit with the weather and everything else down here though. Wonder why she rescued me from that hellhole I once used to call a school? Unless it was to have me revived then captured. Again. I suppose if that was the case I would be chained up to the bed or a wall by now... Ooh, now chains sound like a good idea for more than just capture- Mm I need to stop before I get excited again.

I laid my head back on the pillow, then just focused on trying to sleep. I felt that itch slowly come back to me, I still didn't want it though. I'm a good girl, not a bad one. Sometimes. I was just hoping that Doc Stitches doesn't find out about the bed being wet through. Wasn't my fault some mare couldn't help herself, it was that other mare’s fault for fucking my brain, believe it or not.

Ugh, fuck, sleep!

Huh- what?

Awakening with a loud snort, I found myself now greeted with the same room, but surrounded in light. Mmm must have finally dozed off. At least I actually managed to get some sleep, between my brain and my bowels, though I tried to hide that I felt just a little wet somewhere rather... Warm. Having a little morning stretch isn't going to help that either, but I need a little movement. Fuck. It must be the heat, feels like I'm in a desert. Least the bed isn't wet this time. "Oh morning, Doc'..." I smiled at him as he just entered the room. Thank Celestia I had just put my flank back down. "Good morning to you too," He smiled back and our eyes just met for a second. "I trust last night wasn't too rough for you? Beds can get a little uncomfortable. Had to change your sheet 'cause they were soaking wet..."

My eyes narrowed a little. Ah shit.

"...Seemed a little unusual. Might have to take your temperature, just to make sure that it's not a fever." Doc' Stitches finished, moving over to the side of the bed, facing me. He then used his magic, lighting up a small glass thermometer nearby in a dark blue glow. There was a strange tension in my wings, the kind a pegasus gets when they’re nervous or excited, but I felt both at the same time. "Uhh yeah, about that... I... Um, did have a nightmare. I woke up from it and the bed was already wet." I think he believed me, nodded a few times then asked that I open my mouth. Which I did. He put one end of the thermometer on the tip of my tongue and waited for a minute.

That moment I could feel the heat alright, not from anywhere else but my lower body. Having this thing in my mouth wasn't helping either. Something in me just felt so... Perverted. Though I don't know why. It wasn't brought on by the nightmare-mare or the thinking of Nimbus, but a feeling deep down inside of me that it's been a while since I last had any... Action. I don't have feelings for the good Doctor, but my body seems like it just can't tell the difference between a changeling and a pony. If I met another mare and started getting close to her I think something strange might happen and Celestia hold me back when it does.

"Ah right, well it's not a fever or anything really. Your temperature seems to be normal, your body is still in the process of waking itself up. You may be possibly feeling dizzy or even - what's the word? - Slightly aroused. Don't worry ‘bout it that's just normal."

Oh... Yay... Just typical post-death arousal?

"Well, now we know your vitals are good. Done better than some of my previous patients over the years, some, unfortunately, didn't even see daylight..." Doc' Stitches smiled, removing the thermometer from my mouth and setting it down on the table nearby. Oh, that's it? Nothing else to stick in my mouth? Ugh! Celestia, I hate this! "Anyway, I forgot to ask your name yesterday, do you still remember your name?"

"Um... My name is Scarlett Dawn,"

"Huh," He chuckled. "Sorry. Can't say it's what I'd have picked for you but if that's your name, that's your name. I remember another patient I had a long while back telling me about another mare by the name of Scarlett... Don't reckon that'd be you, would it?" My ears perked up a moment, just looking at him as I had a feeling that I didn't believe. No, it can't be. "Who was it that told you?" I asked him, extremely curious about just who this pony could be. "I mean, this was about a year ago mind you, memory's not as good as it used to be, but uh... Think her name was... Nimbus Shock. Or was it Strike?" Wait? That sounds like my little Nimbus! Upon hearing the Doctor say that I almost sprang out of bed, flapping my wings in excitement with a big grin on my face. He looked really surprised at my sudden movements though I didn’t expect him to understand.

So this means that she could still be alive! Wonder what she had done to once be here? She used to get in trouble like that sometimes... Here I thought Nimbus was dead. But I recall what Equinox said back at Sunnywood about how it's been fifty-three damn years. My brain just switched on about her being dead, but now Doc' Stitches said she was here last year, she's fucking alive, she has to be! Now I thought about how she survived, I saw her get shot, but forget that, what mattered to me is that Nimbus is still living... Somewhere. So I still have a reason to continue on with my life. "Did Nimbus say where she was heading before leaving?"

"Last I remember I think she said about going to the ruins of Manehattan. Told her it's dangerous out that way, but she just smiled then went out on her merry little way. Not a word spoken... Look I get the sense you know her, don't get me wrong but I feel that she was just askin' to get herself killed. Now it seems to me you're just gonna be following in her hoofsteps." Well I mean... "Sorry to disappoint you Doc' but I kinda owe that mare a favor." Finding Nimbus was now my main goal.

For a moment I could still feel the excitement of knowing that she was alive, it wouldn't leave my head. Though getting to Manehattan was a different story entirely. Chances are getting there alone for me would be suicidal, but for Nimbus? She must have gone with a group or something else to get there. From here, wherever in Equestria I really am, the city is probably a really long way away. "Okay, I suppose I could turn you loose, your wound seems to be healed, but still try to take it easy for a few days. Oh, an’ no offence, but if Summer didn't mention to me that you looked like you were from a stable, the chances of me helping you might have been slim..." Doc' Stitches gave a weak smile for a moment before standing up, ready to move...

"Wait, why’s that?"

"Well, I- I mean it's just..." He stuttered a few times, "Well. Pegasi just ain't the same no more, you know?" What's wrong with pegasi? "No, I don't know..."

"Look, I'm sorry. I meant nothin' by it, of course, it's just that... Pegasi are different nowadays, an' folk around town an' other places don't take too kindly to a pegasus being around... All I'm trying to say is, please watch your back an' try not to get killed anymore. ‘Kay?"

Just nodding to him was my only answer, I didn't want to damage our... Feeling of friendship so to speak by continuing. Seems that pegasi are a bit of a sensitive subject for some reason. But what have we ever done wrong? We were the most powerful military force in the history of pony kind. We swore loyalty to help those below the clouds when they needed it most. We fought and died for the other races of Equestria during the War against the zebras... Why are we suddenly the bad ponies now? And why haven’t I seen any down here? Questions, that will be killing me to find out.

"Okay, I'm ready to move now, Doc'..." I started with sliding slowly off the end of the bed, flank first. It was mainly up to me standing on my own, but he had one of his hooves holding my right side as to guide me slowly, making sure I didn't just fall out onto the floor. His other though, he placed on my wing, which gave me a tickling feeling- fuck, It's back again... Moving quickly, I just wanted off the bed before this got any worse, tentatively putting a hind leg on the floor as the rest followed suit. Oh, and he removed his hooves. Yay. At least he didn't touch my fl-

"Right, should be good to go now providing you can walk straight. Maybe you should talk to Summer before leaving, to say thanks you know. She'll most likely be at the saloon at the edge of town. You take care now, an' uh, good look finding Nimbus." Doc' Stitches finished saying his farewells right before we reached the front door. Hmm, he had a nice rural place here for a doctor. By the exit, I realized that I had nothing on me except my PipBuck, and Nimbus' bullet. Celestia, I felt so naked and defenseless.

Upon opening the door and taking my first steps outside I found my surroundings... Vast. In the distance, the only landmarks I could spot were sand, rocks, trees and more sand... Wait - I'm in a desert? Another more literal wasteland. I glanced up to find the ever-present cloud curtain lingering in the sky. Doc Stitches’ house was on a small hill overlooking the town of Sunnyspring. Below, the town didn't look anything like I expected, I was expecting watchtowers and barbed-wire fences, but it had none of that. No perimeter walls or any defenses. It just seemed like a washed-up town in the middle of nowhere. Though the town did look pretty big, it seemed as though half of it was abandoned. While most houses were boarded up, a few of them were even completely destroyed. Not many ponies I could see were around, save for a few earth pony farmers tending to their crops and big weird looking animals, some with horns, and others that had two heads?

Maybe I should’ve asked Doc' Stitches for a rundown of the town. Taking a second glance revealed a small building near the outskirts that looked to be the place he said I might find Summer. I mean... It did have a big neon sign saying 'Scavenger’s Saloon' so. Walking in the direction of the saloon, I passed what seemed to be a general store, but something just didn't feel right. I didn’t know if I was being paranoid because of what the Doc' said about ponies not liking pegasi, or the feeling of being watched because of it. The only ponies that I’ve seen so far seem to be friendly, possibly, until the wind blows. When I stepped onto the porch-way leading to the front entrance my fears were heightened. It sounded quiet inside, but that could change when a pegasus walks into a bar. If I hear about a joke relating to both... Then we'll see.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door...

Immediately, I understood just how much of a ghost town this place was... There was quite literally nopony in here except for the bartender. She was a dark purple unicorn with a darker purple, almost black mane, wearing an old dress of Western Equestrian origin. She was speaking with a yellow earth pony stallion, who wore what appeared to be a strange raven-black combat armour with a white insignia on the upper chest in the shape of a claw. I couldn’t quite make it out from this distance to be certain. They appeared to be arguing over something with the stallion smashing a radio on the counter. Besides those two, there were a few other townsponies talking and drinking. This place had a nice old western feel to it that reminded me of Appleloosa, if that place was still around anymore.

"Well howdy there..." A small voice said from beside me. Turning to my left, I found myself staring at a set of violet-purple eyes that belonged to an orange mare the same height as me. Her long lighter purple mane really matched her eyes well. "Oh hi. Sorry, I didn't notice you there." I apologized to the orange mare as she just seemed to giggle a little at that, brushing away her mane when it fell over her big, deep, and attractively sized eyes.

"Oh don't worry about it ah have tat effect on ponies. Mainly 'cus they choose not to'." She blinked brushing her mane away again, "Anyway, name's Summer Wind..." Ah- oh wait she's Summer Wind? Not wanting to admit it but I think I have a slight crush on this mare already. Call it love at first flight.

Summer had a big smile on her face and held out a hoof- oh am I supposed to shake her hoof? I mean- Holding out my hoof we both then shook hooves. "Call me Scarlett Dawn..."

"Scarlett huh? Sounds kinda cute... Wait, ah think ah have heard of y'all from someplace. Ooh where was it?..." She backed up a step, putting her hoof to her chin to think for a second... "Oh! Y'all the one who saved ol' Equinox from that school in Ponyville!"

Going by how excited she looked I think this mare was possibly about to hug me... Or... Kiss me? "Um yeah... I just came to uh, thank you for saving me from that place. In the process."

"Oh yea! Almost forgot 'bout tat too. No problem Scarlett!" Summer grinned. Wow, I could almost sense her happiness emitting just from that cute face of hers. She almost looked as if she wanted to squeeze me in a hug. But I sort of needed to know... "If you don't mind me asking Summer, how did you find me?" I asked her. She just smiled then added a little cute giggle in the air between us. "Well, ah gotta admit, was... uh... Keepin' an eye maybe two on you. Ah done moseyed into town after Miss Malt there at the counter told me ta look fer our missing resident storyteller, Equinox. Anyway, didn't find much except fer raiders an' the like, then ah heard some commotion down near the frozen river. Looked like a buncha bad eggs harassin' a stable dweller, you, it seems."

"Wait. So it was you who blew that raider's head off on top of me?" Summer nodded to me, smiling. She then continued... "So anyway ah did that, saw everypony get down, you flew away someplace an' ah kept lookin'. Still didn't find anything. Then the next day, caught sight o' these weird-looking earth pony guys going into some house. Ten minutes later, saw ya again but jumpin' outta window. Ah' followed ya through town ta a school then... Watched y'all do somethin' strange, then got yourself captured. Thought ah might as well rescue ya then go off to find Equinox. Luckily, found the two o' y'all in the same building. Equinox told me to find ya, but when ah did find ya, ya were just lyin' on a dead raider, dyin'. Had to carry ya from Ponyville all the way here to Doc' Stitches..." Summer stopped for a moment then took a deep breath. I can tell this mare likes to talk but by Celestia, I love this girl's voice already.

"Well, in that case, aren't you just like my guardian angel." Summer just giggled excitedly again at my words, though I gotta admit I like how cute she looks when she blushes hard like that. Reminds me of Nimbus. They both have the same little smile. "Well thank y'all, Scarlett! You know... Ah might just teach ya a thing or two about livin' in the wasteland. Seems y'all might need it since ya managed to get yourself killed once..." Haha yeah, managed... That was just a stupid mistake doing what I did. Summer turned around for a second, calling to the bartender mare or as she called her Malt Punch, basically shouting out that "...This here's Scarlett Dawn. The pegasus that done saved ol' Equinox!" I was about to get cheered on it seemed, until that yellow earth pony started saying something, slowly clapping before getting to his hooves and coming over to me. He had a smug look on his face... The kind of face I really felt like punching right about now. Walking up and just looking down on me, trying to make me feel a little uneasy.

"Well, well. Ain't ya just a godsend? Scarlett Dawn, was it? A little pegasi like y'all just doin' this ghost town a favor..." He scoffed still looking at me with those dark blue eyes that made me feel a little uneasy about this situation. "Best ya an' that other girl just fly on outta town now. Least while y'all both still got those wings..." He then chuckled pushing past me, but before he got out the door he turned around and faced the bartender Malt Punch. "Oh an' Ms' Malt... Best y'all cough up the Colonel or me and ma boys will have ta burn this here town to the ground till we find 'im, understand?. Good. Y'all got two days." With that said Mr. Big Mouth walked out and disappeared.

"...Boomer eh?" Summer joked. At least, I thought it sounded like she tried to make a joke. Unless that's actually his name? "Who was that?"

"That idiotic psycho, well, that ray of fuckin' lack o' sunshine is called Boomer. Does nuthin' but come in an' spout his bullshit... Arg, dumb bastard broke the damn radio..." Malt Punch sighed, just laughing afterwards. It sounded a little creepy, especially after a pony just threatened to burn down the town. I decided to sit down at the bar for a moment and Summer sat down next to me on my right. "So, Scarlett. Pick ya poison," Summer said, smiling. "Drinking isn't really my type of thing..." I replied to her, but she asked Malt for two glasses of whiskey. Or more specifically, Wild Pegasus whiskey. A type of drink my father used to favor.

"Oh hey, Summer. Want to hear tat joke about the darn whiskey again?" A pony on the couches said behind me. "Sure, Ingot. Y'all know it gets ma wings a flappin'." She replied in a tone that I thought sounded a little flirty. Wait... This is going to be a dirty joke, isn't it? "Hehe, alright here goes. So a pegasus walks into a bar an' asks the bartender for a shot o' wild pegasus whiskey. Now ah hear this, I turn to her an' say, 'Girl, ah' know where ah' can find a wild pegasus.' So she turns to me. 'Oh? Where?' She replies. 'In my bedroom tonight an' ah will give ya a few shots!!'" Suddenly, the whole Saloon just blew up in laughter as everypony in here just started going pretty much crazy, even Summer. I was laughing but only to blend in with the surroundings, even though It really sounded strange. "An' tat's how ah met Summer Wind, still don't know why ya turned me down though."

"'Cus sweetie, you an' ah both know y'all don't get as hard as ya name suggests..." As Ingot started to rumble again with laughter I could see a smirk on Summer's face. Ooh. Just might need to keep this bad girl on a tight leash... Looking at the whiskey glass I didn’t know if I was already drunk from looking at it or if I should drink it anyway, but seeing how I only just met her it would probably seem wrong for me not too. Though to get it out of the way I got a hold of the glass and knocked it back into my mouth with one motion, once it was I immediately felt a searing sensation, it felt like my entire mouth was on fire! I tried in vain to swallow it, but the burning sensation was just too much for me, so with slight regret, I ended up shooting it straight out at the wall in front of me. "Ahh don't worry, Scarlett. Ah remember when ah' had my first drink..."

"Bet ya do, Summer..." Ingot interrupted. "Ya know it, cutie-pie!" She giggled. For a moment I couldn't resist looking at Summer Wind, from her cute long flowing mane to her fluffy little ears, all the way down to those powerful wings on her back. I wasn't freaking out about not being the only pegasus around... Because now that I found her, another pegasus, we could find the rest of them together. I can't imagine what it'd be like to be the last of your own race.

"Um... Do you know where all the other pegasi are?" I asked her. She stopped doing what she was doing and acted a little strange about the question, just shrugging and taking a drink. "Hmmm well no... Not really... No. Ah used ta think ah was the only one..." What I thought was more strange was the fact she didn't make eye contact, even her voice sounded less... Uplifting. Unless I had brought back a bad memory about her thinking she was the last one. "Sorry if I brought back something bad. But I would like to maybe get to know you better..."

"Well if there's one thing ta know tis that ah'm usually very, very boring. Y'all get better stories outta talkin' to a Balefire junkie..." Summer hesitated for a minute. "Oh alright. Ah'm not much older than ya... Ish... Used to be a medic... Ah have a thing for Wonderbolts... Make a mean Bale-scorp' casserole an' is a fat liar about ta last thing ah just said so..."

Yeah... And possibly a bit strange too.

"Do you always avoid personal questions, Summer?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, I could see she was getting slightly nervous about the situation. "Ah mean... Only ta obfuscate ma past association with a genocidal paramilitary-like organization. Ah'm obviously jokin' of course, ain't any 'o those around no more... Eeyup." She took another sip of her drink, clearing her throat afterwards. "Eeyup..."

Okie, dokie, lokie...

"Heh. Best ya watch tat lassie, Scarlett... She ain't as innocent as she looks..." Ingot chuckled. It brought that cute little smile back to Summer's face as she just rolled her eyes. "Might need ta use a good ol' lasso, just tie her up, tat'll teach her..."

Being tied up does seem like a good idea...

Okay... Moving on from the lewd side of pony life, "I suppose you don't mind me asking, Malt. But who is this Colonel?" I asked Malt Punch as she was cleaning out some glasses. For some reason, I always find the names of ponies just curious nowadays. "The Colonel? He's the town's resident... Guess ya could say, upkeeper. If he weren't here, this town would just be nothin' but sand, so he's the one tat makes sure it doesn't become like that." She then sighed a little in frustration. "But lately he's been stuck up in that damned scrapyard o' his at the end o' town. Tends to his 'baby', or so he calls it. Pfft! My ass..."

"His baby?" I raised an eyebrow, finding that a little strange. "A train, Scarlett. His, oh-so-more-important-than-the-town-at-the-end-o'-the-world is a Luna-forsaken rusted up an' broken down train..." Malt laughed at herself finishing with, "So ta complete ya question, the Colonel is an asshole. Don't care about us..."

A train huh? Ooh! If he needs help with that I could help him, then maybe he could help me get to Manehattan afterwards... Suddenly a grin came to my face and I shot out of the saloon door, running in the direction of the scrapyard. I could already see piles of metal structures that once may have been wagons among other things, stacked up all around a main, stout building overlooked by a crane. It almost seemed like it would come crashing down any second, but I supposed it must be stable enough.

"Scarlett, wait! Where y'all goin'?" Summer shouted as she tried to catch up, resulting in just using her wings to move. After a minute, she managed to catch up to me. "I'm looking for a mare, Summer..." Looking at her, I saw her eyes just go wide for a moment. Oh, did she think... "Not like that... I want to speak to this Colonel about his train." She let out a little sigh of possible relief. And not that kind of train either. "But what for?" Stopping just out the perimeter of the scrapyard I turned around to face her almost crashing into my flank. "I need to get to Manehattan..."

"But... It's dangerous all the way up there this time o' year, Scarlett." She blinked, wondering if I actually meant it. "Oh? Well everywhere else looks to be fucking dangerous as well, so what makes that place any different?" Summer went quiet, slightly lowering her head. Damn it Luna! I hate getting mood swings! "Look, I'm sorry... It's just that this mare really means a lot to me and I need to find her." After another minute of silence, we both came up to a small metal shack next to the center building which looked more like a warehouse now than it did from further away. Summer knocked on the shack door once, but there was no answer. Knocking again, but a little louder it was the same response. Are we even at the right part-

"Y'all better get the fuck off ma lawn before ah start shootin'!"

"Woah! Woah! Easy Colonel, it's me... Summer Wind!" Summer exclaimed to the elderly dark blue pegasus that suddenly came from around the back of the shack. He wore a ragged cap that looked like it must have once been a military field cap or the like, he also wore an old cape that even concealed his cutie marks. So I assumed he was the Colonel. The stallion did have a saddle sort of frame around him, with two big guns under his wings. There was also a bit in front of his muzzle that connected to the guns in his saddle contraption, it seemed to be some sort of firing jig for them. Luckily, he didn't shoot them at us, instead standing down, shaking his head. "Summer? Oh. What are y'all doin' 'ere anyways? Ah almost mistook ya fer a damn zebra. Still goin' around they are... Oh yes. Make sure ya keep a gun handy ya 'ear?" He slurred, then almost fell over. I could see that this pony wasn't exactly in the best of health, plus he looked, well... Pretty old.

"Scarlett here wanted to talk to ya..." Summer began, but he turned his back away and snorted, "...Wait, it's about the Baby." As soon as Summer mentioned the Baby the Colonel turned around and his old-looking eyes went wide for a moment, slowly making his way back towards the shack. "Well? Why didn't ya just say so, Windy?"

"It's Summer..."

"Yeah? An' ah'm feelin' cold so let's go inside hm? Sure don't feel like summertime..." He coughed a few times trying to open the front door, pretty much just bashing against it. "Damn lungs." Once inside he took off his saddle thingy, then slumped into a chair beside a fire. This shack wasn't exactly big enough for anything. All it had was a bed in the left corner, he and everything else was on the right side. The interior of the shack was extremely narrow, as I knew from bumping off Summer's flank a few times. "So... Ya want to know all about the Baby eh, Scarlett?" I nodded then he proceeded, with a smile that was slightly creepy.

"Well, where to start really? She's a train. An' a damn fine machine she is... The Baby could take y'all wherever ya want to go. Or at least it once did. Now she's out back playin' catch-up with the times. A broken-down wreck, like this 'ere old Colonel..."

"How old are you exactly?" I decided to ask him, not to break him out of a possible fantasy he may have started to go through. "Me? Well ah'm about as old as the damn war is Scarlett, actually ah'm older. Been livin' for comin' on seventy-eight years now. Was only a young buck when those striped bastards got the drop on us. Oh an’ they’s still livin' them monsters are, so watch ya back out there. We're better wiped than striped! We are! Never back dow-"

"Colonel, ya getting off track now." Summer interrupted.

"Huh? Oh right, the train, th- th- the Baby, right. Okay, long story short Scarlett, ah need ya damn help. Some reprobates had done stole some vital parts ah need fer the train. Ah'd do it myself, but ah gotta stay 'ere 'cus some real bad ponies want to take me away because o' ma knowledge fer the stuff."

"Say no more, Colonel. I'll do it," I said to him. Summer turned gaped at me like I’d just said something crazy. "Oh! Well, thank you, Scarlett! Ah've been spending the last ten years or so of my life tryin' to restore that ol' gal back to workin' order. An' now ah finally might get the chance ta put 'er back on rails with these. Ah'll even show 'er to y'all when ya come back with the parts. Oh yeah, an' them thievin' bastards are at Stable Six, almost forgot 'bout tat. Thank ya again."

Even though I found the Colonel's personality to be uptight, it seems he did have a soft spot after all. Seeing him smile at me made me feel happy too. Summer seemed unusually quiet after our exchange, then suddenly she got up and headed out the door for some reason. I said goodbye to the Colonel and headed outside where she waited for me, looking off into the distance. "Ah still need to train y'all ya know, Scarlett. So we're not exactly goin' anywhere just yet…"

"We?" I looked in surprise. Summer held a cute smirk as she started walking back down towards the town. I followed behind her back to the Scavenger's Saloon for the training, but trying not to pay attention to the way her flanks moved as she sauntered along the road was more than a little distracting. I didn't pay any attention earlier to her flank but now I noticed that she was wearing a cover over where her cutie marks would be, huh? Forget it for now, if I can get this training out the way then we'll get going towards Stable Six after that I'll ask her. Though once we're there there’s no telling what we could be dealing with. Oh well, what's the worse that could happen?...