Part Three

Platinum

My right foreleg was asleep, my rib cage was very sore, and I really needed to pee. Getting out of bed would require me to move, and I frankly couldn’t be bothered with that right now. For now, I could sleep a little more.

Probably wasn’t the smartest idea to continue sleeping on my right leg, so I might as well shift around to restore the blood flow.

I painfully turned onto my left side, grunting despite myself. It wasn’t an easy task without the help of my right foreleg, and my workout had really done a number on my abs. I’d need to tone it down a little.

I tried lifting my hoof up to my face, if only to avoid sleeping on it weirdly again. It was starting to hurt a lot in the place where I’d pinched the artery. This would wake me up properly, wouldn’t it?

Uh, that was odd. Why did that movement feel so light? The pain only got worse when I tried to move the limb. Sweet Celestia, what if I’d slept on it for so long I’d lost the limb‽ As that thought shook my mind awake, the headache I’d been ignoring spiked, and my skull felt like somepony just shot me.

I reached out with my front left hoof in an attempt to massage my other one. And… missed. I gulped. I couldn’t find my arm. A terrible chill ran through my entire body. My eyes shot awake, and I threw off the blanket, wincing at the pain in my chest.

There it was… a stump covered with a bloodied bandage. Then nothing, again.

I was awoken by the sound of movement behind me. Somepony was walking around, not particularly careful to be quiet. The room I was in was quite dark, but I could definitely make out some walls.

I turned around, making sure not to put any pressure on my right leg as I had no feeling in it. The entire movement was slow due to how much my chest hurt, but I really wanted to see whoever just dared wake me up.

When I noticed how light my right leg felt, I remembered the dream I’d had. Just to be sure, I checked my hoof, and found out that my mind hadn’t dreamed anything up. However, the bandage was now almost perfectly clean.

I’d lost my front right leg, and the same horrible shiver as earlier shook my body. My mind was racing for an answer, unable to comprehend what was going on. None came, however, and my train of thought was quickly interrupted.

“Are you awake?” asked the stallion in a low voice, as if afraid to startle me.

I turned my gaze towards him. “Yeah…” was all I could muster. He lit an oil lamp, and I finally got a good look at him.

He was a rather small buck in his late twenties or early thirties. His greyish-blue mane was short and well-kempt, while his silvery white coat was surprisingly clean for a wastelander. What drew my attention, however, was the pair of wings at his side. He was the second pegasus I’d met in all these months outside the stable, though he reminded me more of an earth pony in terms of posture and attitude.

“Are… you okay?” he hesitantly asked after a long pause. I opened my mouth to reply, but he quickly added, “Bad question, I suppose. Frankly, I am not really sure what to tell you. I guess… Does anything hurt more than it should?”

“My entire body?” I suggested with a vague motion of my left fronthoof. “My memory’s a bit hazy, so I have no clue what happened, or how I should be feeling.” I pointed to my barrel. “By the pain in my chest, I’ve got at least a few cracked or broken ribs. Other than that…” I attempted to shrug, but the gesture came out wrong. “I’m fine, I’ve had worse.” I’d overcome this in no time, there was no need to panic. Well, my leg wouldn’t grow ba—No, no, no, no use thinking about that now. It’ll be fine. Just don’t think about it, Candy.

He raised an eyebrow. “You seem to be shaking, are you sure you are ‘fine’?”

“I just need… time, I think…” As if time would give me my leg back. “Anyway!” I resumed, forcefully pushing those thoughts out of my head. “I’m Candy Cane, what’s your name?” I grinned at him, looking into his teal eyes.

He looked confused, and after a few moments, he hesitantly answered. “I am Airdrop, and I work as a courier. This is my home, but I spend most of my time traveling all over the wasteland.” His voice was low and monotone, and his choice of words reminded me of the way my friend used to speak when her mother told her to act properly. What was her name, again? Couldn't be important. Or was it? No time to think about it.

“I work as a caravan guard, and recently decided to work as a sentry with my sister, over near Fillydelphia.” I avoided the word 'mercenary', as it had some rather unpleasant connotations.

Oh, that’s right, she wasn’t just my friend, she was my sister.

No, that didn’t quite seem right, either. I was missing something.

Airdrop raised an eyebrow. “Fillydelphia, huh?”

“Yeah, we were headed there through Manehattan, and that’s when…” I suddenly realised how thirsty I was, and how badly I needed to use the toilet. “Uh, I actually really need to use the restroom, and I could use some water.”

“Here is some water. I will get you a bucket, so you don’t need to exert yourself.” He reached into his saddlebags and grabbed a canteen, offering it to me. I tried to pick it up telekinetically, but lightning shot through my head. I screamed in pain, and the flask fell to the ground with a metallic clank.

“Fuck me sideways! I forgot, yer horn’s fractured or somethin’. Shit, fuck, I’m sorry,” he panicked. Despite the pulsing agony at the base of my horn, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the sudden switch in accents. How the hell?

At that, he quickly regained his composure, rolling his eyes. He lifted the flask to my lips, but the motion was so awkward that some of the liquid went down the wrong tube. Water splashed the sheets as I hacked and choked, agony spiking in my chest with every cough. After a few moments, it was over, and I was left with tears in my eyes.

Airdrop gave me an apologetic smile. "I will have to think of a better way to do that until your horn has healed. Maybe I can find some straws somewhere," he pondered before turning his attention to the back of the room. "Now then, let me get you that bucket."

He left the room, then came back with said container and some rags, before exiting again. During the silence, questions gradually bubbled to the top of my mind. Why did he help me out? I mean, in his shoes, I would have done the same. However, my experience in the wasteland had taught me that my set of values was not a very common one out here. Did he expect payment? Well, he could have just taken it from me and left…

Unless he did have enough of a moral compass to not leave me to die, but still take my caps and equipment, not caring that I couldn’t survive without it?

Or was it something completely different? Images from that time flashed in my mind’s eye, and I shuddered. No, I would not think about that. Sure, the risk was there, but I couldn’t just assume he would. There wouldn’t be much I could do if that was the case, anyway. Not in my current state, at least. I needed to leave as soon as I could move.

When I finished, I struggled to place it on the ground. It was becoming more and more difficult to ignore how I felt about my missing limb. And yet, despite how horrible my situation was, my mind was screaming at me that it was the least of my worries.

I stared at the bandaged stump. I still couldn't really process it. My leg was gone, but I failed to grasp the severity of that fact. Such a huge piece of me was missing, and all I could think about was that I was forgetting something else, something important.

"Are you done?" called out Airdrop from the next room over.

"Mhm," I replied halfheartedly.

He came back into the room, and must have noticed my gaze, as he told me, "My sincerest condolences. I cannot even begin to understand how you must feel."

"That makes two of us," I replied with a weak smile.

“What even happened to you? You looked like you fell from the second or third storey. I’ve taken you to a doctor, though, and she deemed you to be stable after the healing potion I administered." That explained why I was still alive.

"Actually, I fell from the roof," I corrected him without thinking.

"The… roof? Of such a tall building…?"

"Yeah, I was—" Instantly, my mind was filled with flashes as I remembered. "Iron!" I shouted, scrambling to jump to my hooves, ignoring the pain throughout my body. How could I forget? I’d wasted so much time lying around!

Airdrop gently held down my shoulders. I doubted he had enough strength to really hold me back, but the added weight made it a lot more painful to get up. As I opened my mouth to protest, he cut me off, "Calm down. I don't know what is going on, but you are in no shape to get out of bed," he said, changing accents mid-sentence.

I lay back down, sighing. How long had it even been? "Please, I need to find her…" I begged.

"Whom do you need to find? I can help you, if you promise to stay in bed," he reasoned.

If he was an earth pony or a unicorn, it would have taken a lot more convincing, but given that he was a pegasus and could easily sweep the city… "My sister. She has a brownish pink coat and a green and yellow short mane. About a head shorter than you. Her name’s Iron Sonata." I swallowed nervously. "Please hurry…"

He nodded, then turned towards the window I'd previously thought was boarded shut. I realised it was actually a wooden door. When he opened it, I noticed I was actually several storeys above the ground and could see over a large portion of Manehattan from here. It was getting dark outside, though it was still brighter than inside.

After jumping out of the window, he waved at me one last time before closing the door behind him.

When he left, my mind immediately started worrying again.

What happened to Iron? What did Princess Luna want from an innocent filly? Well, maybe not quite innocent, but it wasn’t like Iron had somehow provoked the ire of a goddess. Goddess? No… That thing wasn’t a goddess. That thing may have looked like the princess from history books, but the latter never would have acted in such a vile matter.

Only a monster would dare impersonate sweet Princess Luna. Still, what did such an awful creature want with Iron? What did she—no, it—do to her? I badly wanted to get up and start looking, but where would I start? In my current condition, I’d probably pierce a lung with a broken rib just by walking around. I would likely die before even managing to talk to anypony, let alone somepony with any sort of clue. Airdrop was right about that part.

It had been at least twenty hours or so since I’d lost the fight. Maybe a day or two longer, depending on how long I’d been unconscious. I mentally kicked myself for forgetting to ask such a thing. If only I had my PipBuck, I could check the date on that…

I also should have asked him why he’s helping me… I very much wanted to believe that he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart, but I knew that was very unlikely to be the case. What could I do? I knew my body would recover relatively quickly, but would it be fast enough? What if I went to sleep and woke up bound?

No, I couldn’t worry about that now. Maybe tomorrow, but I doubted even my body would be able to be back to one hundred percent this quickly. This meant I definitely needed to sleep as much as I could.

However, no matter how long I tried, I never managed to fall asleep. The mixture of pain, guilt, and worry prevented me from finding any rest. Maybe if I hadn’t just been unconscious for double digit hours, I’d be able to.

Time passed painfully slowly, especially after everything became dark. I really couldn’t tell how long it had been since Airdrop had gone out; all I was left with was an anxious boredom.

Eventually, after enough millenia had passed to make even Celestia grow old, the wooden door opened. I didn’t get my hopes up just yet.

After landing inside, he made sure to close the window. Then, as he turned around and met my gaze, his neck slumped, cutting eye contact.

My anxiety rose with every passing moment he kept quiet. He sighed. “I am very sorry.” He tried to look at me again, but immediately averted his gaze. “I have not been able to find her. I have asked most regulars, including some shop owners and scavengers. Nopony has seen her,” he slowly confessed. A short wave of relief washed over me, immediately followed by a torrent of guilt.

“But…” I started, but couldn’t get myself to continue. I didn’t know what to say. My mind was short-circuiting. I hated myself so much for the way I'd felt, no matter how briefly.

“I shall continue searching tomorrow. Perhaps there is still somepony I haven’t asked.” He paused for a moment. “Would you mind telling me what exactly happened? Maybe that would help.”

I sighed, trying to remain calm, hoping that would be the reset my brain needed right now. “We w-were on our way to Filly through here and were resting on the rooftop, planning t-to spend the n-night there.” I gulped, my vocal cords refusing to cooperate. Trying to remember the details of that scene was also bringing back everything I had felt that night, even that horrible part of me. I could tell I was on the brink of tears, but I refused to let him see me cry.

“Take your time, I understand this must be difficult for you,” he reassured with a gentle smile.

“S-suddenly, a p-p-pony appeared behind us and told Iron to g-g-go with her.” I remembered my exact thoughts at that moment, and the dam broke. I inadvertently let out a long wail before devolving into uncontrollable sobbing. “I—” Attempting and failing to speak, I continued crying my soul out. At some point, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

Eventually, after Celestia only knew how long, my wailing slowed down. I knew what I had to do, now.

I attempted to get up again, but he pressed his hoof down on my shoulder before I could even gain any momentum. “I told ya to stop tryin’ to get up,” he scolded. “Dontcha think it’s mighty rude ta try and kill yerself right after someone does the hard work of savin' ya?”

“B-but—”

“But what? I know you want to save your sister, but you ain’t managing in your condition.”

“I have to,” I protested, slumping back on the pillow.

He let go of me. “What makes you think you do? You’re just going to die, and everything you tried will be for nothin’.” Instead of gently putting his hoof down, he did so with enough force for it to reverberate through the room.

I turned to my right side and poked him in the chest with my hoof. “You think you know better than me, but you don’t. If I don’t try my absolute hardest to save her, it’s the guilt that will fucking eat me alive. Tell me, how else will I deal with this guilt?”

He softly moved my hoof off his chest. “I understand you see yourself as her protector, but there’s no fuckin’ reason for you to feel this way. Yes, you failed, but do you see the state you’re in right now? Whoever did this had no issue fuckin’ you right up, so why do you think it’s your fault? It sure ain’t like you could have withstood more bullets.” Every few words, he shook his hoof, pointing it at me whenever he referred to me.

“I hesitated!” I screamed at him, ignoring the pain in my chest. “I fucking hesitated! Sweet Luna burn my soul, I hesitated!” I stopped for a moment, panting heavily. Airdrop looked at me in shock, staying quiet the entire time. Tears were streaming down my face, but I wasn’t hiccuping or sobbing anymore. Instead, a mixture of self-hatred, anger, and sadness burned my insides.

“And I know exactly why!” It hurt to talk this loudly, but I didn’t care, I deserved to feel this way. “It’s because I’m a horrible, shitty pony, and I’ve been thinking of her as a burden…” I didn’t understand why I was telling this to a complete stranger. Perhaps it was because he was a stranger that I dared admit it.

“Part of me wanted her gone. Part of my shitty, egoistical self indulged in the thought that my life would maybe be easier without her. I could have attacked way sooner, before Iron was disarmed, and we could have killed that bitch together. But. I. Fucking. Hesitated.”

I wasn't done yet, though. "Do you know how I felt when you told me you didn't find her? I was relieved. Fucking. Relieved. That's how Princess damned shitty I am. I don’t want those thoughts and feelings, and yet they keep echoing in my mind!"

While I panted heavily, he was clearly taken aback by my sudden outburst. Finally getting it off my chest felt so fucking good that I couldn’t stop.

The brief pause had calmed me down a little, and my voice was now a lot quieter. “I left the stable to go look for her, and I let her convince me to not go back. I decided she was my responsibility, and that no matter what, I would take care of her. That I would make sure she got the childhood she deserved but never had.”

I sighed deeply and considered holding in the next thought. Screw it, I’d already said so much, I could confess a little more. “All it ever got me was suffering. I was shot at, beaten, and raped, and now I’ve even lost a leg. All because of her. If she had just agreed to come back with me, none of it would have happened.”

My anger was slowly making way for sadness. “Worst of all… I think she would have been just fine alone. She’s… a little deranged. She enjoys killing and is very good at it, too. She adapted so quickly to the wasteland that I struggled to even keep up with her… I think I was just slowing her down.”

The realisation hit me like a train. “She would have become a raider if it hadn’t been for me, though… That alone makes my presence out here worthwhile.” Of course, all I could think about is my own self, I mentally scolded. All I could ever think about was myself.

A few memories came back of that small town at the foot of the mountain, and the ghouls that almost killed her. “Or maybe she would have even died…”

After I trailed off, my guilt started bubbling up again. Getting all of that off my chest felt good, but it also made me realise just how egocentric, selfish, and irrational I was being. My tears just wouldn’t stop flowing, and I broke down again.

Airdrop was clearly attempting to find anything to say, as he kept opening his mouth, only to close it again in mild resignation.

“And h-here I fucking am, j-justi—hic—fying to a stranger why I hoped she would just d-disappear.” I desperately wanted to continue, but the sobs were tying my throat shut. “I’m—hic—the f-fucking w-worst, and e-even if I die looking for h-her, that’s b-b-better than living—hic—with the g-guilt.”

He simply stared at me while I wept. Each cry hurt, but that didn’t matter. I deserved to suffer.

I lost track of time, sitting and sobbing. Gradually, I calmed down, before eventually feeling nothing but emptiness.

When I finally fell silent, Airdrop spoke up, “It sure don’t sound like you’re a bad mare, Candy.” Before I could protest, he continued, “Not many ponies would have abandoned their comfortable life inside a stable for somepony else.”

“I guess…” But I wasn’t convinced. “Those thoughts are still awful.”

“They kinda are,” he agreed with a nod. “But… I don’t know what exactly happened, though it sure sounds like most ponies would feel the same way in your shoes. If anything, the fact that you’re aware they’re bad proves just how darn pure your heart is. Your sister’s lucky to have you.” He looked me in the eye with a compassionate smile.

“Tell ya what,” he started before quickly correcting himself, suppressing his accent. “Let me tell you about an idea. We should give you a week or two to recover. During that time, I will be searching for Iron, and maybe we will find some kind of clue as to where to go next. Then, we will travel and look for her together.”

“You would do such a thing for a stranger?” I raised an eyebrow. This was suspicious. “What’s in it for you?”

Airdrop chuckled. “You will help me with my deliveries. Simple as that. If I have somepony strong to pull my cart, I can get a better pace. Plus, if I have understood matters correctly, you are quite a fighter, yes?”

“Huh? I just lost a leg, and you want me to pull your cart? And fight for you?” At least he was being honest, but I had no idea how I could possibly go about doing that.

“You should not sell yourself short, Candy Cane. You are much stronger than myself.” He had a point. He wasn’t particularly skinny, but his physique was nothing to write home about, either.

“I suppose, but I’ll have you know I’m a terrible shot. I was best at close quarters combat. Now, with the state of my leg… I’m not sure I’m anywhere near a decent fighter anymore.”

“Well, two is always better than one. Besides, if I do not have to pull the wagon, I can always scout ahead and check for any bandits or raiders. We can now avoid fighting.” He beamed warmly, and I found myself smiling back.

“That seems mutually beneficial,” I conceded, glad he was just looking to make a profit. If he had any sort of ulterior motive, it wasn’t anything he could already have done to me.

"Besides," he continued, "you were willing to run out of here in your current state, so I am inclined to believe you would be capable of getting back on your hooves fast."

After a bit of a back and forth, I accepted his offer.

Over the next week, I ended up telling Airdrop about Iron’s upbringing, the stable, and everything that had happened since we had left it. I told him about how she knew Silver Tongue was shady, and how she didn’t say anything. I told him about how I wanted to help ponies, and how Iron’s existence made it impossible for me. How I had to ignore my own morals to make sure she would be fine.

I also confided in him my worries for her future. Things like her unhealthy fascination for blood and violence, or her inability to inherently understand what was right or wrong. And especially her ability to kill in cold blood.

I had already told him so much on the first day, what difference did it make if he knew the whole story anyway?

Physically, I ended up recovering quite quickly, as was usual for me. From my third day on, I started walking around the apartment. It was then it really hit me that I had lost one of my legs. I was tempted to sleep that day away and wake up without the depressing thought.

However, I ended up pushing it away, focusing on Iron instead. I didn't have time to lounge around and feel sorry for myself for losing a leg while Iron might lose her life. I needed to get back on my hooves as quickly as possible. Besides, this wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. I still had three other legs, I'd be fine.

A few days later, I'd started lightly exercising again. On the bright side, I now needed to exercise one leg less. Well, some exercises were tougher, but I needed to do less of them. That's what I tried telling myself, but I still couldn't help but feel bitter.

I'd just finished my reps for the day, and was now relaxing on my bed.

Airdrop came into the room, breaking me out of my reverie. He was balancing a tray on his back, which he then set down on the table. I got out of bed and hobbled over. I couldn’t be bothered to attach my peg leg for such a short distance, anyway.

Airdrop took his cup from the tray and sipped the white tea—a type that I only recently became aware of. Then, he said, “This might be a bit of a heavy topic, but I don’t think you told me anything about the pony who attacked you and your sister.”

“Yeah…” I floated my own cup over, drinking the hot liquid to buy myself some time. Eventually, I couldn’t delay any further. “I didn’t know if you’d believe me, so I avoided the topic… It… was an alicorn. Looked a lot like Princess Luna, but I know she wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Hmm… I have heard of alicorns being spotted near certain settlements, and that they supposedly steal some ponies away. I thought it was just a rumour, but if you’re certain, that might not be the case.”

That took me by surprise. “Wait, you believe me? I thought you would just call me crazy, or say I hit my head too hard.”

“I have met enough ponies to be able to tell at a glance which ones are crazy and which ones are not. Now, you might have a bit of brain damage, that certainly cannot be excluded. Given that it does match the occasional rumours I have heard, I think you are not, at least not as badly.”

He took a sip of his tea. “Now, you might also be trying to pull wool over my eyes, and that, I have no way of disproving. However, my instinct tells me to trust you, and I would rather be scammed while trying to assist than risk ignoring a genuine cry for help. Not that my gut has failed me very often, anyway.”

“You sound like a kind soul,” I said to him. Truth be told, I was still afraid that he was trying to trick me. I didn’t know what he might be trying to do, but I would never blindly trust again.

He smiled. “Thank you, but I am just doing what I think is right. My late mother always told me to be a good pony. I do not know if I am, but I do try my hardest.”

“Oh, my condolences. What kind of mare was she?” I broke eye contact, suddenly finding my tea particularly interesting.

“Oh, she was quite… unstable. She deserted the Enclave to help surface dwellers, but they took advantage of her whenever they could. I realise I risk following in her footsteps, with my current way of helping ponies in need, so I also attempt to be more… reasonable about my generosity. So far, it has worked out, so I think I may be doing a better job than she was.”

I was about to respond when I was interrupted by the doorbell. It occasionally rang, and Airdrop would excuse himself to get their package. I’d seen some of the ponies he talked to, but most of the time I couldn’t be bothered to walk over to the other side of the building just to look at them through the window.

A minute later, he came back and sat down. “Where were we?”

“You were telling me about your mother, and that kinda made me wonder… Do you by chance have a sister? I’ve met someone who looked rather similar to you. She was a pegasus, too.”

His eyes widened. “Yes, yes I do. I haven’t spoken to her in quite a while, though. I admit I miss her, but I thought she might be dead.”

“Is her name Airwaves?” If it was, their mother wasn’t very original.

He shook his head. “No, it is not, at least not to my knowledge. Her name is Snowfeather. She might have changed it, though.”

“That’s a possibility. What did she look like?” I asked.

“White mane, white fur. Closer to pure white than me and my blue-ish tint. We look very similar. She has green eyes, too,” he explained.

“That sounds exactly like her,” I told him, prompting a smile.

“I could hug ya if it wasn’t fer yer injuries.” He beamed, before having his face turn bright red. I wasn’t that injured anymore, but I wasn’t going to complain about not receiving a hug from a buck I barely knew. “Uh, I mean. I am pretty sure that it is her.”

Still, I couldn’t help but smile at his antics. “I’m glad to hear that, but how are you so sure it’s her?”

He chuckled at my question, and I soon realised it was silly. “Well, there aren’t too many pegasi in the wasteland, as you’ve noticed. Even fewer that exactly match her colours.”

“Oh, right.” I gave a sheepish laugh. “That makes sense, but why do you think she changed her name? Snowfeather is pretty indicative and memorable, is it not?”

“Mother taught us to use a name that would immediately tell ponies what we do with our lives. It’s why I go by Airdrop, despite it frankly being a bit of a subpar name. Ponies will remember a courier by the name of Airdrop a whole lot easier than a pegasus named Platinum Down who delivers packages.”

“Platinum Down? Is that your real name?”

He nodded.

I gave him a sincere smile. “Well, nice to meet you, Platinum Down.”

We fell quiet for a while, and I started thinking. At this point, I could effortlessly walk around the apartment, and most of my injuries had healed to a manageable state.

Eventually, I told him, “You know, I think I’m ready to start looking for Iron.”

Platinum looked up from his tea, eyes wide. “Are you sure? It has barely been eight days.”

I nodded. “Yes, I’m doing pretty well physically. I just can’t stop myself from mentally running around in circles.”

“All right, we can start tomorrow.”

I approached the merchant's stall. He was the first stop on my list of things to check and ponies to ask.

From the way I trotted, one would think I'd had years of experience with a peg leg. At least I felt this way. I'd wasted a lot of time, but I was now finally ready to look for Iron the proper way.

The stallion started giving me his sales pitch in a thick accent before perking up as he noticed Platinum behind me. "Oh, hey Airdrop, she the mare ya told me about?"

Platinum nodded.

The merchant immediately perked up. "Ah've been meanin’ to tell you," he said, "Ah have news about the filly you done asked me about!"

My jaw dropped. "Really? You need to tell me, I'll do anything. I don't have any caps on me, but I can work off my debt later—"

He interrupted me, "Relax, Ah'll tell ya fer free. Ah'm not even sure it's her, and Ah'd feel horrible making ya pay fer information like that."

I let out a relieved sigh, but pressed on. "So? What did you hear? Or did you see her?"

Shaking his head, he replied, “Ah ain't seen her, no. But Ah heard that Red Eye stooped to a new low n’ hired a child soldier. O’ course, there ain’t no way to tell if that's true or just a rumour."

This made sense, she must have freed herself from her foalnapper and decided to go where we were meant to go anyway. I had a clue!

Not wanting to immediately bolt to Fillydelphia, we looked around the town a bit more on my insistence. However, when after half a day we still hadn't found another clue, we set off east, towards the slaver city. Apparently, that's what it was, and I’d been unaware of it until Platinum told me.

Red Eye was trying to rebuild Equestria, yes, but his methods were not something I could agree with. I wondered if I would have had a different opinion once Iron and I got there. I decided that surely, I would have drawn the line and found something else to do.

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk: Falling with Style — Any falling damage you take is halved.

New “Perk”: Maimed — You’ve lost one of your legs, permanently reducing your movement speed by 30%.

Author's Note

Sike lol, Candy lived. I don’t have much more to say, other than I’ve been waiting to write this chapter ever since chapter 8.

Some of you probably saw it coming, given how poorly executed her death was. Definitely can’t wait till I get to rewrite those two chapters.
Though at the same time, I liked the idea and abruptness of her death, and it almost made me want to reconsider my plans. But no, the show must go on.