Fallout Equestria: Tales from Stable 83

I dreamt of home again, back when it was quiet and peaceful. My wife was asleep next to me, quietly snoring. Today was a rare day off for both of us, we had decided to sleep in for a few extra hours and just be with each other. The moment was utter bliss, serene and beautiful.

She only stirred when the foal kicked and jolted her awake. She rolled over to me, her mane a mess but a beautiful smile on her face. I could have stared forever into those deep sapphire eyes of hers as she planted a kiss on my lips. We embraced and I could hear her snoring again, fallen right back asleep without a care in the world.

I kissed her forehead before pulling away and getting out of bed. The hardwood floor was cold on my hooves this morning. The sun was shining through a crack in the blinds giving the room a warm feel. I was truly blessed, I had everything I could have ever wanted. Yet this felt cold and wrong, like I never deserved any of it. The thought fell from my mind as I smelled fresh coffee from the kitchen.

The scent was enough for me to drag myself to the kitchen, I needed that caffeine to properly wake up. I turned the corner and found myself in my kitchen, the coffee maker was nowhere to be found. I blinked a few times and it had reappeared on the counter where it should have been.

I levitated two mugs out of the cupboard and the coffee pot over to me. The coffee smell was rich as I poured a mug for both of us. The first sip hit my lips and I couldn’t help but smile.

I levitated the other mug and began walking back to my bedroom to the best thing to ever happen to me. She was still asleep when I trotted back in so I set her mug down on her bedside table. The motion of me sitting down and the coffee smell finally roused her for the day.

I went to take another sip of my coffee and my vision faded to black. A few moments later I had awoken to the scent of a campfire and the sound of Orchid moaning. The sound stopped quickly as I shuffled around.

The sun wasn’t up quite yet and the only light to really see by was that of the embers of the campfire. I peaked over towards her with one eye and caught an eye full of her exposed nether region before closing my eye again. She had been… best not to think about it right now, but at least I hadn’t been caught ogling what I shouldn’t be.

I forced my eyes to stay closed until I could feel the heat of the sun beating down on me. Only then did I open my eyes and look around me.

Orchid was already up and dressed. She paced back and forth twenty feet from the fire, contemplating something… me perhaps? She waved at me after noticing I had woken up and then promptly returned to pacing.

Smoky was next to me chewing on a pile of grass, he gave me a simple nod and went back to eating in silence. He wore his armor when he slept, so he didn’t need to get dressed before we left.

The revolver he wore on his hip was laid out before him alongside a small cleaning kit. The gun shined almost like new, and I finally noticed a dozen tally marks on the grip. I decided it was best not to question what he was keeping track of.

I stretched my legs out as I stood, they weren’t nearly as cramped today. My bedroll was quick and easy to pack up, today I decided to sling it onto my back instead of making Orchid carry it.

Orchid seemed confused at first as I tied my blanket to my pack, but understood after a few seconds. Must have thought I was using it as a cape at first. She trotted back over and packed up the rest of our equipment in silence, a slight blush on her cheeks that she was hiding well.

“I spose this is goodbye fer now then?” The sheriff trotted over to us, a somber look on his face. He wore an old cowpony hat that I hadn’t seen him with yesterday. “We can’t thank y’all nuff fer what ya done. But if’n yer willin, I got somethin fer ya.”

I turned to face him and gave him a smile. “Just for a few days I think Sheriff, we’ll be back here soon if all goes according to plan.” Something for us? A gift of gratitude? “I think we’d be more than willing.”

“Ain’t no caps to go round, but I got this I can give ya.” He produced a large revolver from his saddlebags and held it out to me. “One the ole boys died ‘for we could save ‘im. But he saw ya figthin fer us. Last wish was fer ya ta take this with ya.” Sheriff was obviously deeply saddened by the death. Must have been a good friend of his.

“I wouldn’t want to go against somepony’s last wish, but are you sure you don’t want to keep it? Seems like he meant a lot to you, and this would be something you could remember him by.” I didn’t reach out to grab the gun, and wouldn’t until he had made a decision.

“Nope, all yers pardner. I gots other meementos to ‘member ‘im by.” He tapped the hat now atop his head with a hoof. “Now please, honor his dyin wish.”

I reached a hoof out and grabbed the revolver from him. “You have my thanks Sheriff. I look forward to when next we meet.” I made sure to set the revolver gently into my saddlebags as a sign of respect.

“Yep, safe travels now y’all. Til we meet again.” He tipped his hat to us and left.

“Let’s get a move on, we’ve got ground to cover.” Smoky took the lead as he always did, not ever glancing back to make sure we were keeping pace. “You feeling up to some long range target shooting today Crimson?”

I fell in line next to him, my chest hurt less keeping up with him today. Those bullet wounds were healing well, it was just taking time. “I think so, I’ve got plenty of rounds to play around with. Only have the one magazine so I’ll need to either fashion a new one or be quick to reload this one.”

“How long and what would you need to make a second mag for it? You’ll need one eventually.”

“Tools, some sheet steel, and a spring would allow me to make one.” The process was simple enough, just bend the steel into shape, put the spring inside and dent the sides for a magazine catch. At least that’s how easy Steel made it sound when he made one from scratch.

“I’ll keep my eyes out, scrap metal shouldn’t be too hard to come by. The spring on the other hoof will be. Would a couple of smaller springs from pistol mags work?”

“I suppose I could make that work. Just needs enough upward force to ensure the bolt catches the round as it cycles.” Another option would be to use gravity to my advantage, but I’d have to make specialty sights for that configuration.

“Ok.” A smile crossed his face as he no doubt dreamed up endless possibilities.

We started back down the trail we had followed getting here, I saw exactly where we had realized the town was in trouble. The hoof marks were unevenly spaced at first before we had hit a full gallop, more sand displaced under those steps as we moved at an increased speed. These tracks would be easy to follow even for an inexperienced tracker. Hopefully those ponies were ready in case another fight came their way. It would be a shame to lose more lives than they already had.

While we trotted along I took the time to inspect the revolver the Sheriff had given. It was a heavy gun, probably five or six pounds. The steel was shiny and looked like it had been recently polished. The barrel seemed longer than it should have been for a revolver of this size. I pressed the cylinder release forward and pushed on the cylinder, it rolled out of place to the left side. Six cartridges filled the cylinder. Another fully loaded weapon to keep at my side, I needed a second holster when I had time to fashion one. The rounds inside were marked as .44 magnum rounds, one of the largest pistol cartridges we put in revolvers. I placed the round back into the cylinder and closed the gun before aiming it to the sky. Sights were well made and well maintained, the stallion who owned it did well keeping this gun in good shape. It would serve me well if I could find more ammo for it.

I slipped the .44 back into my saddlebags and looked around. Orchid had disappeared silently from beside me at some point, looked like she was circling overhead watching for danger.

Smoky had moved a few feet in front of me and was currently scanning the horizon with interest. He pointed to a spot a mile or so from us. I followed the hoof to figure out what he was looking at.

I saw something small, or several small things moving around where he was pointing. The creatures were small whatever they were, my mind wandered back to those mantises or giant cockroaches we had seen before. The creatures were a dull pink in color as best as I could tell. Hard telling if they were quadrupedal or bipedal from this distance.

“What are they?” I asked, affirming that I did see the creatures ahead of us. I felt slightly proud of myself for how fast I had seen the creatures.

“Radrats, they’ll make good target practice before we get to hunting for hides.” He looked over to me and motioned to get my rifle ready. “Aim right behind the front shoulders, that’s the best spot to keep the kills clean. Shot to the head will do as well, but you’re less likely to hit the shot.”

I levitated the rifle from my pack and braced it against my right shoulder. Holding a weapon this way was slightly awkward but would hopefully prevent the need for magic. The trigger bit was slightly uncomfortable as I gripped it in my teeth, made for someone with a smaller mouth than mine. I kept the sights lined up as we closed distance.

Smoky held up a hoof to stop when we were around fifty yards from the radrats. “Go slowly now, we’re going to try and close in to less than one hundred feet before firing. They don’t have the best eyesight so slow movements may not spook them. Take your time and line up each shot before pulling the trigger.” He instructed as he slowly inched forward.

I stayed by his side and copied his motions until we had gotten close enough to fire. The radrats were still unaware we were here, shuffling about ever so slightly as they sniffed the air.

“Alright, fire when ready Crimson. Try and take down as many as you can before they tunnel away.” Smoky drew his pistol and waited for me to take action.

I took in a deep breath and closed one eye to aim down the sights. I put the green bead of the front side between the two dark steel rear posts and swiveled to be aimed just behind the shoulder of the first radrat. I slowly let out the breath and depressed the trigger with my tongue. BOOM, the round flew straight and true with the iron sights. The round found purchase close to where I had aimed. The rat dropped to the ground dead.

The rats began to scurry and dig at the ground, the shot had spooked them and I wouldn’t have long to follow up before they were gone. I hastened the process and fired another round down range. BOOM, another rat dropped to the ground and flailed wildly. The shot seemed to hit something vital, but didn’t kill instantly.

I pulled the trigger a third time as the rats started to disappear below the ground. BOOM, the shot was a little higher than intended but still found purchase. The rear legs stopped moving and the rat picked up its head. BOOM, the fourth round split the air and went through the skull spraying blood and brains out the other side.

“Good shooting Crimson.” Smoky patted me on the back. “Now let’s go dress those kills.” He trotted ahead and I followed.

I pressed the magazine catch and levitated the magazine out. I clicked four of the loose rounds into the magazine and clicked it back into place. The stock stayed in my shoulder and the trigger bit in my mouth, I wasn’t going to take any chances.

Three rats lay dead on the ground, and no heads peeked out of the holes in the ground. I kicked some dirt in the holes before I lowered my rifle and stashed it away in my saddlebags.

The first two shots had been clean and killed the animals quickly. Both shots looked to have hit the heart based on how much blood had pooled up and soaked into the sand. Rat number two had struggled briefly to cling to life and escape, but ultimately the attempts were in vain.

The third rat was not nearly as clean of a kill, I had sent a shot through the spine above the front shoulders. Lifting its head was all it could have done with the spinal column cut like it was. Just high enough for me to put it out of its misery. The meat was torn up around the spine where the bone had shattered and turned to shrapnel. The head had a clean hole through it in the side facing us. When Smoky rolled it over I could see a baseball sized exit hole.

“Not bad kills at all. This third one was a bit rushed, but nothing that couldn’t be patched on an actual hide.” Smoky drew a knife from his saddlebags. “Now how about you help me butcher these things. Front and back shoulders have good meat on them.” He sliced into the rat around the nether regions and cut from there to the neck.

Each incision made was done with precision that one could only gain from practice. Each shoulder had a small chunk of meat that he cut off the animal. The skin flayed open and used as a place to hold these cuts of meat. After all the big chunks of meat were cut free he wrapped the skin around them to seal them from the elements. “Think you can do that?”

“I’m not sure but I’ll give it my best shot.” I tried to recreate the steps I had just seen to the best of my ability. The outcome was not very pretty, plenty of meat was still clinging to the corpse and the skin hadn’t peeled away very well. I wrapped the meat as best I could and held it out to him.

“You’ll get better with practice. I’ve skinned hundreds of animals in my life, so don’t be too hard on yourself.” He took the package of meat and stuffed it into his saddlebags. “I'll give you a few pointers next time we go to skin something. Maybe find you a knife, machete is a clumsy tool for skinning.”

That was an attempt to make me feel better about my piss poor job. “Thanks Smoky, I’d appreciate that immensely.” I’d need some pretty intense instruction if I were to get better, just a knife wasn’t going to do it.

“Are you two about done havin a teachin moment?” Sarcastic and impatient today, must be… must be, my wife always got that way during heat. Orchid was hovering over us watching us skin these rats. “We’ve got ground ta cover before days end if we want ta catch them before they leave the area.”

Smoky nodded silently and pushed me forward. By the look he was giving me he must have known it was best to stay quiet and keep moving while Orchid was like this. He must have seen some serious shit from her before.

I made a mental note to not get on her bad side for a while and to just keep moving unless we needed to stop for something. Maybe I could help if I… no, no I won’t suggest it, probably get slapped for suggesting anything like that.

We trotted onward, not slowing our pace until the sun was well past its peak in the sky. On the horizon was that damn train station, we weren’t staying there again. I wasn’t going to sit there wondering when that hellhound was going to pop out of the ground and eat us. The air had grown stale and the temperature had grown to the point I wish my armor wasn’t so heavy.

Smoky tapped my shoulder with a bottle of water before shaking it at me. “Here, drink this.”

I took the bottle and spun the cap off. “Thanks.” The water was lukewarm but at least didn’t taste awful. I swallowed a third of the bottle before putting the cap back on. “What about her?” I asked, gesturing upwards.

“She took a bottle up with her. If she needs anything we’ll know.” He took a few sips of water before stuffing the bottle back into his saddlebags. “Don’t worry too much about her, she knows her limits” he said, with a hint of worry in his voice.

“If you say so, I’m still a little worried about her. She’s… off today.” I knew what I wanted to say, but saying that to her brother’s face was probably a bad idea. “That or I’m finally seeing her true colors.” I had seen more than I should have, that much was for certain.

“Nah, she gets like this every so often. Stress and the like you know?” Lying through his teeth, so he did know what was going on. He just didn’t want to say too much, that is respectable.

“Alright. I’ll still keep an eye out and have her back when she needs it.” Not wanting to push it any further I cleared my throat. “I’ll have both of your backs, you’ve had mine the entire time I’ve been out here after all.”

“I’m loyal to my family and those who trot alongside me. You’ve chosen to stick by us and not try to run off on your own. So I’ll have your back as long as you’re by my side.” He shrugged. “Just the way I am.”

That eased my soul, knowing somepony would have my back out here. I know I couldn’t go it on my own in the shattered remains of my world. I lacked vital knowledge about almost everything. I had woken up in a brand new world, and everything I had known was turned upside down and thrown out the window. Raiders, slavery, giant bugs, hellhounds, ponies killing each other for no reason, nothing made sense anymore.

I’d have to relearn everything I thought I ever knew before I’d stand a chance of lasting a day out here on my own. Where was it safe to get water? Where did the food grow? How would I fix and maintain the tools needed to survive? Was the whole world like this now, or just around here? Too many questions swirled in my mind, I felt sick just thinking about it all. Almost like we had been damned to Tartarus for the many sins we committed.

The train station was my primary focus as we trotted by, I couldn’t see in the greatest detail. I noticed a new large mound of dirt out front of the station. The terror rose again as I caught sight of the front of the station, a hole easily eight feet wide was where the front door should have been. That monster had come back and tore into the building. If we had stayed another night we wouldn’t be alive right now. But why did it come back? Did it come back to check if something it could eat was still there? What if there was?

The thoughts faded as the station fell to the horizon and eventually out of sight. I was relieved we were outside of what I was considering the danger zone around that building. We had at most a few more hours of daylight left, before the twilight of night overtook the land and bathed us in darkness.

Until then I was sure we would continue trotting along, searching for the next place we would lay our heads down. I hoped and prayed that this night would be peaceful, or that if it wasn’t I would wake up having died in my sleep. I’d say then I could be with my wife again, but I definitely wasn’t going to the afterlife she was. She was a sweet delicate angel, always trying to see the best in ponies and inspire them to live up to that greatness. I’m a bastard. I’ve committed crimes, both mundane and now quite serious, killing ponies doesn’t afford you a good afterlife. My wife could still be alive and I’m having thoughts about cheating on her with a mare probably ten years my younger. Who’d let me live any other way but in torment for that?

I let out a sigh and shook my head, luckily Smoky hadn’t seemed to notice. So at least I wouldn’t have to explain what I was just thinking, that could get awkward. Stepbrother nearly knocked me out when I told him his sister was pregnant, and that was before the world turned to shit. Though he did have a pretty troubled past, so that did make a modicum of sense. Smoky seemed better than that, but if I was wrong I could be facing down the wrong side of a 12 gauge.

For now that thought could wait, Orchid had dived down towards us and landed. “We’ve got some yotes up ahead, not the ones we’re after though. What’s the call?”

Smoky looked up at the sky and held a hoof out towards the sun. He moved his hoof a few times before nodding. “A few hours left before nightfall, we kill and skin the ones we can and then move on. We should be close enough to lone tree to bed down there for the night.”

I drew my rifle from my saddlebags and shoulder it as before. Now I knew the sights were true and was prepared for the recoil. “How many are there?” I asked as I clicked the safety off.

“Five that are worth killing fer their hide. Maybe a half dozen pups that should run when the shootin starts. And if they don’t,” she drew her gun. “We kill ‘em too.” Her tail swayed in a way that brought my mind back to what lay below it. “Extra meat if the pelts ain’t worth savin.”

Five primary targets, these ones bigger than the rats I had killed. Aim right behind the front shoulder and squeeze the trigger, if it’s still moving put another round in the same place. I can do that, it shouldn't be too hard. “Alright, let’s do this then.”

“That’s the spirit Crimson!” Smoky said as he passed by me drawing his gun. The way his teeth ground on it as he drew it still bothered me deeply. Like a fork on a chalkboard, but quieter thankfully.

I gave Orchid a glance to see if she was ready, the stare I got back filled my soul with dread. She was staring into my soul and I knew that look, it was that look you gave a foal for lying. I hadn’t been nearly as sneaky as I had thought this morning when I saw her exposed. That didn’t bode well for me, but she simply took off into the air after getting her point across. Now I’d have the consequences of that on my mind until it came to a head.

My focus returned to the task at hoof as I galloped forward to keep up with Smoky. His focus was solely on getting to these coyotes and putting them down. I levitated the gun so I could still speak. “Same plan as before?”

He shook his head and placed the revolver into its holster. “I want to make sure we get all of ‘em, so what I’m going to do is sneak up on them and get within shooting distance. That’s when you start firing, keep your focus on the big ones. Orchid and I will be there to pick off the stragglers.”

So now I had to worry about accidentally shooting one of them… fucking perfect. I pulled the trigger but into my mouth and took a few deep breaths. Everything was going to be fine, just had to stay focused.

We kept moving forward and I could finally see the coyotes in the distance. The pack looked to be eating the corpse of something much larger than they were, a distraction so we could get in close before shooting.

At about one hundred feet from the coyotes Smoky motioned for me to stop. He lowered himself towards the ground and started creeping forward. A minute passed before he stopped, he couldn’t be more than thirty feet from the coyotes. Now was the time to act, I steadied the rifle and cleared my mind.

Sights on the coyote closest to Smoky, I slowly squeezed the trigger and let a bullet fly. BOOM, a solid hit that got everything’s attention. This coyote dropped and was squirming on the ground trying to get back on its feet to fight. Ultimately it was in vain and the creature ceased movement as it bled to death.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Three more in rapid succession before the situation really got going. Two more of the big coyotes dropped to the ground, the second of which started to get back up. The third shot put it back down for good.

Smoky stood and Orchid dived in to start their attacks. The sounds of both their pistols lit up the air as I acquired my next target. They had taken out another adult and a few pups before I got lined up.

CLICK, that sound seemed so much louder than the actual report of the rifle. “Oh fuck” I said, scrambling to find the problem and get the rifle working again. The bolt had tried to pull a new round into the chamber, but hadn’t extracted the old brass. The fucker had jammed at the worst possible time.

I pulled the charging handle back and let the new round roll out onto the ground. Without a second thought I unshouldered the gun and slammed the stock into the ground. The spent casing wiggled free and I let the bolt slam forward to chamber another round.

I aimed the rifle again and saw Smoky duck under the last adult coyote that was charging him. The animal jumped over him as he hit the dirt and gave me a clean shot on the animal.

The trigger came back harder than I was expecting and for good reason, the selector had changed from single fire to automatic. BOOM BOOM BOOM, three more rounds flew down range with only the middle round finding purchase in the coyote. I watched to see if it would pop back up, but it seemed I had landed a good hit.

Smoky stood and waved at me. The skirmish was over, we had killed or scared off all the coyotes. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked at the ground. Seven spent casings and one unfired round lay scattered at my hooves. I levitated them up and into my saddlebags before starting towards my friends. I absentmindedly reloaded the mag just as I got to them, the pair was already hard at work skinning and butchering our kills.

In total five adults and six puppies had been killed. All but the puppies looked like clean kills, three of the puppies were little more than viscera from their gunshot wounds. Those must have been the ones Smoky shot, magnum rounds ripped through flesh after all.

I drew my machete and set to work on skinning the puppies, they were smaller and would be good to practice on instead of ruining the more valuable hides. The first three I went for were the damaged ones, what little I managed to cut off of them probably wouldn’t be worth saving. A few small strips of meat and scraps of hide the size of my hoof. Scraps not fit for larger meals or projects respectively, but not ruined.

The next puppies I skinned had a few pounds of meat between them, enough for a meal for Orchid and I. The hides I managed to get were in much better condition than the first few. I had still cut holes into the centers of them, but these holes would be relatively easy to patch. I was proud of my progress, but it had taken more time than it should have.

Orchid and Smoky had already skinned and butchered the five adults by the time I finished with the puppies. The hides except for one were laid across Smoky’s flanks, the final one was sticking out of his saddlebags wrapped like the radrats we had skinned.

Wordlessly, Orchid took back off into the air and began circling above us again. She seemed a little happier with the fresh kills bringing in meat and hide, but something was still bothering her.

The sun was low in the sky as we got moving again. The horizon was a beautiful yellow orange as the corona of the sun shimmered. The temperature was dropping to a much more tolerable level, but soon it would be cold. Desert nights are always the coldest, heat dissipates quickly after being baked by the sun all day.

Our course changed and we moved eastward towards lone tree. I vaguely recognized the area, but wasn’t sure with how different this desert looked from before work.

The large tree that we were headed towards was one I recognized without a second thought. A large wooden cabin had been built around this tree several years back, using this tree as both a support column and natural decor. I had visited a time or two for dinner and a few conferences with some coworkers, it used to be quite lovely.

The ruins of what I knew once again surprised me. Only the large tree remained, and even it looked like it would soon topple over. The beautiful shrubs, roses, and garden were all destroyed with no trace left behind. All of the walls had either been burned or cut down as they were gone. There was no trace that the cabin had ever even existed.

“What happened to this place?” I asked aloud, looking at the sight in horror. “It’s just all gone, you can’t tell it was ever here.”

“What was here?” Smoky asked slowing to a stop as he reached the base of the tree.

“A log cabin, a beautiful one. Friends of mine lived here, it cost them a fortune to build it. And now, it’s all gone…” I trailed off looking up at the now dead tree.

One thing still remained of the cabin, just faintly after years of being worn down by sand and the elements. We had all carved our initials into the tree as a way to commemorate our friendships and marriages. They were all faint but I could still make out all the initials. A small smile crossed my lips as I saw the little heart around Steel and Gloria’s initials. They were quiet about their love story, but this was a lasting reminder of it.

I circled to the northern side of the tree and saw another heart, a lump formed in my throat and a few tears escaped my eyes. The initials had worn down to nothing but I knew this was mine and Lavender’s initials. So little in this world remained untouched and sacred. I placed my hoof to the heart and hung my head.

My life as I knew it was gone, replaced by a nightmare that I couldn’t escape from. All I had left of my life were my memories and knowledge that amounted to nothing. Life wasn’t worth living like this… but I couldn’t give up. No, I had to go on. For all those I had lived for I had to keep living, then their memories could live on through me.

“I miss you.” I whispered before wiping the tears from my eyes. A few shaky deep breaths brought me back to reality and I turned to my new friends.

Smoky had been investigating the tree and gave me a knowing sorrowful look. No words needed to be exchanged, he knew the pain of loss just as well as I did. He undid his bedroll and laid it out motioning for me to do the same.

Orchid had laid hers out but was pacing around the tree watching for threats. She would take first watch tonight. Every so often I caught her glancing at me and wondered what she was thinking. I could guess, but I wanted to keep my mind off of that for now.

I laid my bedroll out and looked at the area, there was something else I remembered being here that I couldn’t see. There should have been a locked hatch in the ground that led down to an old wine cellar.

The cellar was on the east side of the tree. That I knew. Where exactly it had been dug was another question all together. I put my flanks against the tree and closed my eyes. I had drunkenly stumbled from the tree to the cellar enough times that I should be able to go by feel. I slowly stepped forward a few steps, then a few more. After about ten paces I stopped and started digging at the ground with a hoof. Right around here is where that cellar should be if it’s still here.

“What are you doing?” Orchid had trotted over to me and was staring at me in confusion. She had her head cocked to the right, her left eyebrow raised.

“I remember this place, there was a wine cellar right around here. I’m trying to find it.” I kept digging as I answered. A few more scrapes and I hit something made of wood. The wood wasn’t a root, that wine cellar was still here and I had found it. “I think this is it.”

Orchid motioned for Smoky to join us. She dug at the ground with her hooves close by trying to uncover more of the cellar. Smoky joined her in this pursuit and soon all three of us were digging.

With enough hooves working we cleared the three inches of sand on top of the hatch. The brilliant red wood had dulled over the many years to a dull dried blood color, but still seemed structurally stable as I stood atop it. A padlock kept it closed, the lock too seemed to have weathered the years well. No key to unlock it and picking locks not being one of my criminal tendencies, I had to think up a different way to open it.

The lock looked too tough to hack through with my machete and I didn’t want to risk shattering the blade. My next thought was to pull something I had seen out of an action movie and shoot the lock off. My pistol wouldn’t pack enough punch, the rifle would be too loud, and I didn’t want to use any of my magnum rounds since I only had six.

“Alright, a lock. I have an idea, Smoky I need your pistol for a minute.” I started gathering sand for a makeshift sound barrier.

“You gonna shoot the lock off?” He said drawing the revolver with his tail. The gun left his tail as I levitated it over to the lock.

“That’s my plan, plenty of ammunition for it and I can use this sand to muffle the noise enough to not draw attention. Other options won’t work too well knowing how good this lock is.” I put the barrel an inch from the lock and shoveled sand around it until I could just barely see the trigger.

The trigger was stiff but pulled back and let the hammer loose. POP, a much more muffled gunshot rang out, but it wouldn’t be heard from very far away. The gun slipped loose of the sand as I pulled on it, most of it slid off but several grains were stuck to it. “Might be a little dirty, sorry.”

Smoky took the gun back and dug the lock out. “It’s alright, needed to clean it anyways. Plus, we got through that lock. Good thinking.”

I pried up the hatch and it swung open kicking sand into the air. A dank foul smell rose out of the cellar, the smell of death was becoming very familiar to my nostrils. I drew my pistol and cautiously placed a hoof on the top stair. The stair held my weight, so I took another step into the darkness below. After a few more steps I channeled my energy and lit my horn up so I could see what was going on down here.

The cellar was a small one when compared to the mansion of a cabin that used to sit atop it, only measuring about two hundred square feet. Berry wines, absinthe, whiskey, you name it they had it down here. A fine bottle of Canterlot Brandy was the true prize if it still remained, that bottle alone was a few thousand bits back then. I could definitely use a stiff drink after the past couple of days, maybe they still had that merlot I liked.

The ground of the cellar was cold and damp, moisture that had been trapped down here for a few hundred years. Mold was growing on all four walls, some of it was glowing a dull green lighting up empty or broken bottles of liquor. Almost every bottle down here had been emptied out or shattered, a deeply saddening thought.

My eyes finally fell upon what was causing the smell of death, several of those dried up cockroach carcasses surrounded a pile of pony bones. The bone pile contained a rusty revolver and a small notebook. Both objects looked familiar to me, but I shook the thoughts of who this was from my mind.

I pushed the bugs aside and grabbed the revolver and book. The skull had a hole out the top out of it and one under the chin. He had committed suicide after getting locked down here, he didn’t deserve such a fate even if he was a dickhead. The gun wouldn’t be of any use without a few hours of cleaning it and probably a few replacement parts. The book was a journal, one of the few things I knew he took great care of. Goddesses only knew what was written in these pages, and they could keep that secret for now.

A few bottles of liquor still remained untouched near some glowing mold. I levitated them up and into my saddlebags before trotting back up the stairs. “Nothing much of value, just a few bottles of whiskey, this rusty gun, and a journal.” I popped the cork out of one of the whiskeys and sipped a little from the bottle. Two hundred years and it still tasted just as good. I offered it out to Smoky and Orchid to see if either would join me in drinking.

Smoky declined the bottle and turned to go to his bed. “The drink ain’t for me, I’ve had a few rough nights cause of the stuff.”

Orchid however was quick to grab the bottle with a wing and take a hefty swig from the bottle. “I’ll drink with you, at least a little.” Mare in heat with a bottle of whiskey… tonight is going to be interesting.

I levitated the bottle back to myself and took another drink. “Cheers then, to a successful hunt and surviving this nightmare we call life.” I didn’t plan on matching Orchid for drinks, never could drink much without ending up hating myself in the morning.

“Remember you’re on first watch Orchid, don’t get too crazy.” Smoky said as he laid down and closed his eyes. “You’re second Crimson, wake me in six hours and I’ll take the last watch.”

I was going to hate myself for the decision to keep drinking, but I needed it after everything I’d been through in the last few days. The bottle slipped from my grip as Orchid took it back from me.

We sat in silence passing the bottle back and forth until the whole bottle was gone. I got the last drink of whiskey and by that time I was feeling inebriated.

I fumbled the cork back into the bottle and stuffed it into my saddlebags, maybe it could be used for water later or to smash over somepony’s head in a brawl. I slid the saddlebags off my shoulders next to my bed and looked around for Orchid.

Orchid was stumbling in a clumsy perimeter around us. She was still trying her best to make sure we were safe, but it was easy to tell she had a little more than she could readily handle.

I stood up the world around me spinning and looked over to Smoky. He appeared to be fast asleep, his ears shifted as I moved so he wasn’t a very deep sleeper. Keeping this in mind I trotted as silently as I could over to intercept Orchid. “Hey, I think you had a lil too much. Why don’t we getchu to bed?” I had a little more than expected, oh joy.

“No, no I… I can’t. Gotta keep you.. safe,” she said, turning to look at me. I could hear her attempting to sound sober enough to keep watch. She slowly enunciated every syllable so it sounded right.

“You’re in no condition ta do so, you drank too much. Please, just go ta bed.” I reached out and put a hoof on her shoulder. The hoof was pushed off quickly by a wing.

“I’m not going to bed, I need to work some things out before I do.” Her rear legs were shaking and she was swaying back and forth.

I’m gonna regret asking this, “What do I have to do for you to go lay down?” Or was I? There were only a few options I could think up, and none seemed too terrible.

The next words out of her mouth didn’t stick in my mind, but the kiss she planted on my lips did. Tonight was going to be an interesting night.