The Town Outside the Badlands

"So this road did lead out of the Badlands. I recall that the Forbidden Jungle is in the opposite direction. Wonder where this one takes me..." Cipher pondered as he trotted down the road.

Cipher Emblem continued to follow the road that led him out of the Badlands. He put all of his bothersome thoughts aside, at least until he can find a new home.

As he was walking, he looked ahead and saw what appeared to be a small town in the distance.

"Huh. Well, what do you know?" Cipher raised an eyebrow as he trotted towards the town.

Cipher got a full view of the town. It resembled a Western-like town filled with two-story false-front buildings, having vertical facades with square tops and hidden gable roofs. The entrance of the town had a train station beside a very noticeable sign that read—

"Welcome to Dodge Junction"

The indigo unicorn carefully observed the town. It was rather peaceful. The sun had already set and moonlight rose over the settlement. There were several ponies outside their homes, quietly eating and chatting with other ponies. He noticed that most of them were wearing cowboy hats and top hats.

"So we have some kind of cowboy town here?" Cipher silently commented, trotting down the road. He continued his walk when he heard two ponies talking to each other on the street. They were sitting on wooden stools while playing some kind of board game that was placed on top of a barrel.

"Yeehaw! Ah just won again!" a gray earth pony whooped as he stood up enthusiastically, tumbling all the game pieces on the board.

"No fair, you were just lucky!" his partner, a chestnut-colored pegasus, retorted as he tried to pick up the game pieces that fell on the ground.

"You call it luck? Ah call it skill!" the earth pony replied in a mocking tone. "Now that you mention it, Ah reckon Ah am lucky! Ah mean, winnin' those blue ribbons in the Equestria Rodeo Competition was like dodgin' a bullet from a .22, but winnin' five games of Dice Town in a row, that's just sick!"

"Whatever man..." the chestnut pegasus rolled his eyes and sighed.

"And they have the accent too..." Cipher silently remarked, listening to the conversation intently.

He continued to walk down the street until he reached the busy part of the town. As he walked down the road looking at the buildings keenly, ponies around the place started to notice him.

"Wh-who is that pony...?" an apricot-colored earth pony with a top hat asked the pony next to her, very frightened to see an intimidating-looking pony walking in front of them.

"Ah... Ah don't know! He looks terrifyin'..." the earth pony next to the apricot pony replied, slightly shivering in fear.

It went on like this for a while. Ponies were murmuring about Cipher's presence in the town, hiding whenever the indigo unicorn turned to face them.

"What is that scar on his face?"

"Why does he have eyes with different colors?"

"Is he sick?"

"Is he also sufferin' from the Equine flu?"

"Why is his face like that?"

"His face is soooo scary!!!"

"What is that thing in the pouch he's carryin'?"

Cipher continued to walk. He heard everything that the ponies around him were mumbling about.

"At least they don't throw food at me..." Cipher cringed at that thought, remembering whenever he went to the local marketplace in the Badlands, the ponies just threw their goods at him whenever he wanted to buy something.

He just ignored all the murmurs and continued to walk. He surely knew that they were afraid of him at that point. It wasn't new to him though. He already experienced it before and he was used to it.

Ponies were often scared of him naturally because of his appearance and his usual stoic facial expression. It wasn't that he wanted to scare ponies off in purpose. His appearance was inexcusable for a lot of reasons. His facial expression, however, was a different case.

"GROOOWWLLLL!!!"

Cipher stopped on his hooves. He looked at the ponies that were around him who all looked at him in return. The awkward silence was broken by a loud scream.

"AAAHHHH!!!!"

Suddenly all the ponies screamed in fear. They panicked and ran to their respective homes and locking their doors.

Cipher just blinked in surprise. He wasn't sure how to react. The ponies in this town were so terrified of him.

A flash of bright light suddenly disrupted his field of view, completely blinding the indigo unicorn's vision. He shook his head, trying to get out of the blinding trance.

"Where did that flash of light come from?" Cipher, still breaking from the trance, shook his head for a second time only to see the street devoid of ponies.

The spine-chilling bellow that everyone freaked out about was his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten anything yet. He was so busy at walking and spacing out, he didn't even bring food with him when he was in the Badlands. The unicorn sighed and went to look for a place to eat.

Luckily, there was a Saloon Bar right next to where he was, which to his surprise was still open after the roar his stomach made. He went inside the bar and the atmosphere inside suddenly changed.

Ponies who were laughing suddenly became silent. The ponies who were on the stage stopped singing. All the ponies who were in the bar stopped doing their activities and turned their attention to the indigo unicorn who just stepped inside. A long awkward silence followed.

Cipher saw that he suddenly became the center of attention. He took a deep breath and continued walking inside. He was hungry and he needed to rest from all that walking. He didn't care what the ponies inside of the bar thought of him. All the ponies were intently looking at him, some were murmuring about his sudden presence.

"Now what the hay is wrong with that fellah?" one of the ponies in the bar asked the pony beside him.

"Ah don't know? Maybe he had one of those Equine flu, Ah heard it's contagious!" the pony beside him answered.

"And did you see his eyes? He had like different colors of them!"

"Ah reckon he does have the Equine flu!"

Cipher rolled his eyes and sighed. He already expected that ponies would either be terrified of him or question his appearance from having some kind of disease, but he didn't expect it to be this annoying. He's been bothered long enough already. Seriously, can't a homeless guy like him take a break? And what was this Equine flu that everypony was talking about? Was there some kind of pandemic happening in the place?

The 'infected' indigo unicorn reached the counter of the bar and tapped the bell in front. The ponies who were beside him suddenly moved apart from him. Cipher just ignored the gestures and sat on the chair that was far away from others.

The bartender pony arrived but stopped on his tracks when he saw the unicorn.

Cipher opened his mouth but hesitated to talk. He finds it very uncomfortable to talk to others and prefers to be alone all the time. He already gets bothered enough to be around in the presence of others, what more talking to them?

He took a deep breath and started to speak.

"What kind of stuff do you have in store?" Cipher asked in his usual stoic voice.

The bartender was visibly shaking. Cipher didn't know if it was either because it was cold or if he was afraid, but judging by the sweat that was pouring down his skin, he instantly knew that he was also terrified like the rest.

"Umm, umm, we, we, have, umm..." the bartender stammered through his words, trying to stay calm in front of the menacing customer.

Cipher knew that he had no choice but to improvise, otherwise he'd be waiting until midnight to pick an order. He looked around and saw a pony munching on a delicious piece of meat, who was also staring at him like the others.

"I'll have whatever that guy has." Cipher pointed on the pony eating the meat on a plate.

"Oh yes... the umm... our special Southern Smoked Steak!" the bartender stammered trying to make an effort to speak. "Am sorry but we-we're out of that already..."

"Seriously how scared can this guy be?" Cipher rolled his eyes and tried to talk in a way that hopefully won't freak out the frightened bartender.

"Hmm... then what do you guys have that isn't sold out?" Cipher calmly asked.

"Umm... h-here! You can umm... t-take a l-look at our menu!" the bartender handed the unicorn a menu card.

Cipher looked at the menu card trying to find something that would be enough for his stomach. He browsed the list of food and saw something that caught his eye.

"How about this... Dodge Junction's Special Supreme Truffle Milkshake?" Cipher asked, trying to avoid eye contact with the bartender to not scare him.

"Ah yes, we-we have that!" the bartender replied. "That'll b-be seven bits."

"Seven bits?" Cipher raised an eyebrow and realized that he didn't have money.

"Huh... I didn't bring money with me..." Cipher mumbled to himself, but it was loud enough for the bartender to hear.

"Umm... you know what? H-h-how about A-Ah just give it to y-you for fr-free, ey?" the bartender whispered, stuttering in his words.

Before Cipher was able to reply, the bartender ran to the back room and came back holding a tray with a glass of milkshake. He slid the tray over the counter, stopping in front of Cipher.

"There's your milkshake! Okay, thanks for comin'!" the bartender rushed back in the back room, locking the door in the process.

"Talk about that impressive tray slide..."

Cipher shook his head and quickly snapped from his thoughts.

"Wait! I can materialize—" Cipher's words were interrupted by a sudden screech.

"THIEF!" a mare shouted, alerting everypony in the bar.

"THERE'S A SCARY-LOOKIN' THIEF IN HERE!"

"RUN FOR YER LIVES!"

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

The ponies panicked inside the bar and ran outside screaming. Cipher took a moment to process everything that just happened.

"I didn't even steal it, the dude just forcefully gave it to me..." Cipher sighed and proceeded to drink the milkshake that was in front of him. He was still very impressed by the slide that the bartender did. Not only did the bartender slid the tray holding the milkshake without spilling it, but he also prepared the milkshake quickly.

"I don't know if the bartender just rapidly pile all the ingredients together in this glass or he must have already prepared this drink," Cipher pondered as he sipped the contents of the beverage.

It was a rather enticing liquid refreshment. It was a huge glass of pure dessert delight. He could taste the sweet chocolate milk, the chunky hazelnut bits, the mouthwatering ice cream in three different flavors (chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla), and the flavorful chocolate truffles that filled the glass. It was really good, at least he knew that the beverage wasn't rushed.

A tranquil atmosphere filled the room as he was sitting down beside the counter, sipping the delectable drink. He did appreciate the silence, but the thought that it was because he was accused of being a thief didn't make the situation any better for him. He took the last sip of his drink and started to reflect on some details he observed from the town.

Cipher knew he couldn't stay in this place, not because the locals were afraid of him but it was because there weren't any spare lots for him to settle into. Even if there were, it would take time for the locals to get used to his presence, not that he'd care whether the locals treat him like a monster or not. Maybe it was because he doesn't completely know these ponies. How would they treat him after a while? Would they act like the locals in the Badlands or would they do something different?

It would be very logical for them to act differently. The locals in Dodge Junction are very different from those who live in the Badlands. They have a decent-looking town, they have a stable economy (judging by the number of stands and the buildings, Cipher at least knew that they know serious business), the locals seem healthy, and they have an organized community—convincing others to freak out by screaming seemed to work very effectively. They all seemed to be responsible and intelligent citizens and that could pose a threat to him.

In the Badlands, locals just scream and hide whenever they see Cipher. Some were too weak to do either of those so they just sit still and hope that the "Badlands Devil" (that's what he was called by the locals), won't hurt them—even though he never did.

Most of the locals die from sickness, hunger, or just becoming insane. They weren't intellectual and they all just focused on trying to survive. There were no leaders to convince the locals to go out or try to make the village a good place to live, a few have tried but all of them failed. They were too scared to change their way of living.

Cipher was lucky to leave that horrendous environment, but he wished that he could've done something more to the locals. He obviously didn't care about other ponies, much less making friends with them, but he wasn't heartless.

But now that he was able to escape, he stumbled across another town. It just so happens that this one is more stable and organized, and that was the problem. Cipher doesn't fully know how the locals think and do stuff, he could just assume by the way they acted recently—especially in his presence. Sure, they were all terrified of him at first but that could completely change. What if this fear they have for him turned into something entirely different?

Cipher isn't an idiot to believe that the locals in Dodge Junction would just fear him forever or as long as he's in there. There would be a time that the locals could stand against him and do something about this 'imaginary fear' they all felt for him.

Cipher's thoughts were interrupted by yet another zap in the head. He shook his head and snapped back from reality.

Most of the lights in the bar were already closed and the only one that was illuminated was the one directly above his chair. He sighed and stood up. He looked at the empty glass that he drank from and felt that maybe he could repay the bartender, he at least wanted to make a good impression even if his reputation was mistakenly ruined by the incident that happened with all the screaming.

A bright azure-blue glow covered his horn. He materialized eight bits with his magic and placed them on the counter. He knew that the drink only cost seven bits but he wanted to give a tip for the bartender. He felt bad for unintentionally scaring him but the gratitude was mostly because of the impressive tray slide move.

As he went outside the bar, the town was desolated of ponies. The town was empty and the only things that moved in the distance were tumbleweeds.

"That must have been from the screams they heard inside the bar," Cipher thought as he walked across the road.

Cipher walked with his usual stoic demeanor. He knew that finding a new home wouldn't just take a day and that he would obviously encounter obstacles along the way.

The town was certainly way more habitable than the remote village he used to live in and the locals seem to know a lot of things about living and stuff. They do live in a decent community and it wouldn't matter to him if he was treated differently. But from what he thought of so far changed his mind and having no spare lots or vacant houses were enough to convince him so.

It was getting late at night. If he couldn't find a new home to settle in for the day, then he would just wait for some other time to find one. But right now, he at least needed a place to sleep. Fortunately for him, he remembered seeing an inn nearby before entering the bar.

The inn was five stories tall. Of all the buildings around the town, it was the most visible one from over a long distance. The inn had a giant sign that read 'Dodge Junction Inn' and it was still open.

The indigo unicorn went inside the inn. The inside was brightly-illuminated, waiting chairs were on the left side of the wall, a fireplace was located on the right side of the wall keeping the warm temperature, and a service counter on the far end side of the moderately spacious room.

Cipher trotted at the counter and rang the bell, waiting for service. At that point, he assumed that the receptionist had heard of his presence in the town already and therefore could provide some issues with negotiation. Even so, he kept a straight look and prepared for a conversation that would hopefully not terrify the receptionist and leave him/her running and screaming.

"Howdy, and welcome to—" the receptionist wasn't able to finish what she was going to say as she stared at the pony in front of her.

Cipher sighed and prepared for the worst.

"Okay, look. Before you say anything, please let me talk to you for a while. I won't hurt you, so please don't run away or scream. I just want to talk, would that be okay?" Cipher stated as he tried to come up of words that he needed to say without scaring the pony in front of him.

The receptionist gulped and gave a small nod, indicating for the indigo unicorn to continue.

"Okay, thanks," Cipher sighed in relief. It would be very troublesome for the pony in front of him to scream and run away. Not just because that it was already late at night and her scream would probably alert everypony's attention and would cause a major panic in the town (his mere presence made a lot of ponies scream already), but it was also because that he needed to rest and stealing for a room would drastically destroy his already-ruined reputation in a town where everypony feared him.

"I would like to rent a room," Cipher uttered in a calm tone, trying not to scare the receptionist as he did with the bartender.

Cipher really tried his hardest to be as calm and as friendly as possible. He wasn't used to having a long conversation with ponies and he lacked experience in properly talking to others. He only talked to others when he absolutely needed to and even if he did try to talk, his voice and facial expressions lacked any emotion—as if the ponies were talking to a robot. So when it comes to having a 'friendly' conversation, Cipher can mess that up at any time.

"Oh... oh... umm... you see... well..." the earth pony stammered, visibly sweating and trying hard to make eye contact with the indigo unicorn.

"We do have one more room... but—"

"It's not in good condition, is it?" Cipher interrupted.

"Oh... uhh... yes, how'd you know?" the receptionist questioned, surprised by the unicorn's response.

"I noticed that this building had an uneven structure at the back, and judging by your reaction, I'm assuming that the worn-down spot I saw is the last room available," Cipher answered in a calm and collected tone.

"Oh, that's mighty observant of ya. But are you sure you want to rent that room, mister?" the earth pony queried.

"Well it's better than staying up all night walking..." the unicorn replied. "This is the only place I could think of that could at least provide me shelter for the night and this is the only inn in the town that I saw."

"Well this is the only inn in Dodge Junction," the receptionist showed a faint smile as she ran over some paperwork behind the desk.

"Ah suppose you have a point. Well Ah guess Ah won't force ya to go somewhere far just to get a place to stay..." the earth pony stated, slightly becoming calm from the conversation with the 'scary' pony.

"Usually a room costs sixty bits, but since you'll be staying in the work in progress room, hope we get it fixed soon, how about Ah cut the price in half?" the receptionist added as she placed the keys for his room along with a paper document for the reception.

"Well, I don't really care how much it would cost..." Cipher replied stoically as his horn glowed. Sixty bits (instead of thirty) suddenly materialized on the counter beside the receptionist.

Before the receptionist was able to say anything, Cipher grabbed the stamp on the desk with his magic and pushed it down on the paper document. He then quickly grabbed a quill that was also on the desk and signed important information on the paper.

"You can keep the extra change." Cipher waved his hoof as he trotted up the stairs, leaving a puzzled receptionist with her mouth open being too surprised to say anything.

Cipher laid the pouch he had with him on a desk. The room was indeed a work in progress and it was on the highest floor. It was a cramped room with curved walls, giant construction tapes ran across the big hole that consumed half of the front wall, a bed with springs popping up from the mattress, and leaks coming from the broken ceiling. The only things that weren't broken in the room were the floorboards and the illuminated lamp that was placed on the desk.

"Honestly I thought it could be worse," Cipher commented at the room he was in. It surely was better than the one back home and the peaceful atmosphere certainly soothed his mood.

He looked at the pouch that he recently placed on the desk.

"Maybe some other time, I can focus on unlocking the secrets of this scroll..."

He really wanted to find more about what the scroll was trying to tell him. It lacked a lot of context and the contents it held felt more like a summary than a documentary of the real thing. He knew Ink Slinger liked making summaries of his discoveries and recorded pieces of evidence of past events. That's why he was convinced that there was more information about the manuscript that what was only stated in the scroll.

He knew that he had to find the secrets sooner or later but right now, he was tired. He needed to find a new town or at least a new place that can serve as his shelter. He also needed to do something about his head.

He switched off the lamp on the desk and his mind began to wander in his thoughts again. The thoughts that occurred to him when he was spacing out in the bar came back to him. Unanswered questions quickly filled his mind.

If what he thought about the ponies in Dodge Junction was correct, then would that mean that the other ponies in other civilizations would be the same too? Would the other ponies consider him as an actual threat rather than just a scary-looking monster that doesn't even bother anypony? What would they do to him if they thought that way?

Would he even find a home where he can live in peace? If the ponies were scared of him, then they wouldn't let him live with them, right? Then by that conclusion, would that mean that he won't be accepted in any place at all? Would he still be able to find a place to settle in? Or would he just eternally wander through the lands of Equestria, without a home and living in an abstract monstrous shell that others claim him to be—a terrifying no-good monster that will forever roam the vast lands.

His thoughts were interrupted by another jolt in the head.

"I really need to control myself whenever I space out..." Cipher shook his head, trying to regain himself from the painful shock. It wasn't the time to be thinking of those sorts of things. He knew he wouldn't be able to think straight in his current condition. He surrendered to his fatigue and walked straight to the spring-loaded bed.

He climbed on the broken bed and lied down, releasing a heavy sigh. He never felt so relaxed in his life. He stared at the giant hole that was on the wall. He saw the stars brightly shining on the sky. He felt the tranquil aura of the night breeze flowing in the room like soothing music. The silhouettes of the mountains loomed in the dark, relaxing the eyes from a hard day's work. He felt at peace. He felt the calmness of nature surrounding him in an appealing ambiance. It was silent.

He slowly closed his eyes as he wandered deep in his slumber.

For the first time in his life, he slept peacefully.

Author's Note

Sorry if it took me a long time to publish this chapter, having unstable connections can do that to ya. I originally planned to include more parts of the story in this chapter but, again, it felt kinda irrelevant. Being an untalented writer can really mess you up a lot.

Anyways I hope you do enjoy the story so far and let me know down below if you see any errors or mistakes.

A big thanks to 'Kujamih' for helping me proofread!