Fallout Equestria - A Raider With A Heart

Chapters

Chapter 1 (Rewritten from scratch) - Next time, I will control myself, I promise!
I'm going to get myself a gun!
That's what it's all about
A moment worth appricieating
Luna you bitch!

Chapter 1 (Rewritten from scratch) - Next time, I will control myself, I promise!

Author's Note

Yea, I've rewritten the story completely because it was trash. If you still think it's trash, then I encourage you to tell me why in the comments so I can get better, Thanks!

Chapter 1 (Rewritten from scratch) - Next time, I will control myself, I promise!

You know how it is in the post-war wasteland. No laws, and nopony to enforce them. Well, except maybe the occasional hero here and there. They traverse the wasteland doing all the good they can, bringing law and order wherever they can. Helping those who need it. But there's only as much as one or a couple of ponies with guns can do, even with the best intentions. And unfortunately, they are very rare, for the most part ponies just try to survive.

You could say raiders are the exact opposite of that. Murdering psychopaths that, as the name implies, raid settlements that can't protect themselves, with the intention to kill, torture, and destroy as much as they can.

Heroes are loved by ponies living in the wasteland and everywhere else, hence why there are so many stories about them.

raiders on the other hoof are universally hated by everypony. Slavers, Steel Rangers, travelling merchants, salvagers, and every single settlement that had any contact with them ever. Which is why nopony wants to hear any stories about them. Ponies want to hear and read about heroic ponied doing heroic things. Shame, because I love a good story no matter who it is about.

***

"Hey! Assholes, what the fuck do you want?!" I yelled in annoyance at the two of my clan members who were forcefully herding me out of the house I was looting with excited smiles on their faces. "I'm not fucking done there yet!"

"You'll see," said Scythe as he pushed me out of the living room into the connecting hallway whose walls were full of bullet holes, while the other one, Bars, followed him.

'Why is Scythe here? Shouldn't he be planning our next trip or something?' I thought with confusion.

"You've been acting a bit weird lately," said Bars, following Scythe through the door frame. We entered the hallway whose walls were dotted with bullet holes. "We are very worried about you Pensie," He said mockingly like a mother to her foal and chuckled. "The whole clan is! So we just want to check if you still got the thing that makes you an Earchipper."

It must be something serious since the leader was here. It must be that I said I wasn't interested in 'playing' with the prisoners last raid. And the raid before that. I remember how surprised everypony was. "Why do you fucking care huh? It's none of your fucking business!" I shouted as I exited the house. In front of it, in a clearing full of corpses of ponies who naively thought they had a chance to defend this place from us. Shame they don’t give up more often. More prisoners is always nice, bigger stock lasts for longer.

Half of the clan stood in a hoof shape. Around fifteen ponies now to be exact. Before the fight there were more of us, but that’s just the raider's life. You live and have fun one day, and you’re rotting in a ditch the next. Once you accept that, you’ll be fearless. At least that’s what Scythe always says.

Maybe I'm not mature enough for that yet.

In the centre of the gathering, two more raiders had pinned a white mare to the ground, and another three, just next to the hoof shape, guarded a group of the prisoners we'd taken today. Everypony was silent and looked at me. I hate when ponies look at me like that. They’ve got a problem or what?!

"No! Leave her alone! You hear me! Let her go! I’ll do whatever you want!" Screamed some pony from among the prisoners.

I looked at Bars and Scythe "Why do you fucking care? And what is this?" I said more calmly, but still with anger.

"We care because it makes us look bad," Scythe said loudly to make sure he can be heard through the screams. "So, we prepared a little something for you "- he pointed at the thrashing mare in the middle -"she's all yours."

I looked at her, and then at Scythe again

That's it?

"You think I got soft?" I told Scythe calmly.

He shrugged his shoulders and puffed out his lips "Maybe."

And they all think that?

Hell no, I'm not soft, I'm a raider.

I started walking towards the mare. "You gotta fucking understand guys, I know that for some of you, this is beyond comprehension," I said jokingly, looking at my clanmates standing in the circle, " But If you do the same thing over and over again it gets boring, and you need to take a break, right?" They looked at each other and I heard some of them agreeing.

I didn't get soft, I'm gonna show them. But it's fucking frustrating. These idiots, somepony finds a slightly different entertainment other than killing and torturing for a couple of days, and they start thinking you're getting soft. I'm not soft! Maybe I just wanted to open up some of the weird devices we found during the raids to see how they worked? No! They wouldn’t think of that!

I bit my trusty dagger and pulled it out of the pocket on my right hoof, jumped at the mare, between the two raiders pinning her, which made her stop trying to break free, and made her look at me with fear.

Overall she looked and smelled nice, really nice actually, they barely touched her. Only small bruises, no cuts, graceful figure, cute belly, pretty face, and eyes like a puppy dog. Or maybe that's because she was crying but, damn it she's hot. And my little guy thought so too.

"Oy, spweed hew wegs!" I said through the knife as I stood above her and looked at her pretty face.

Immediately my Clan members began cheering happily. And the mare began thrashing and screaming again. I backed away from above her to look between her legs. And good that I did because I noticed something, which almost made my face go sour. Somepony was there before me! Actually, more than one pony, definitely more than one. Eugh, I don't want peeing to burn until I get my hooves on a healing potion, and I doubt it's gonna be worth it.

I spat out my knife, "You just couldn't stop yourself didn't you guys huh?" Everypony started laughing. "I bet it was you Bondie, you fucking animal!" I said while laughing too.

Then she kicked me straight in the muzzle. I fell on my back while massaging my nose with my hooves. Ow my whole fucking muzzle hurt from that. After I checked if there was any blood, I got up as fast as I could. I picked up the knife and jumped over her with a smile.

She calmed down and everypony around me went silent when I pressed the flat side of my dagger against her chest, and rode it over her body while watching it carefully.

Well everypony except for the one screaming stallion, somewhere among other prisoners.

"P-please," She moaned through her tears, which I ignored. At least she's not screaming, that would be annoying.

"Please." She's pretty, it's a shame to ruin such a pretty body.

"Please." Her begging turned almost into a whisper. I shook my head. A real raider doesn't care about things like that.

"Plea-" I felt the ribs with the dagger, and carefully plunged it almost horizontally under them. Bits of blood spattered my face and she started screaming highly. Oh Shut up! I dug around with the knife in her chest, until I finally found her lungs, and her voice died. Finally. Her puppy eyes were wide open, and she began coughing and choking on her own blood. Damn it you bitch! I just cleaned that armour! I pulled the knife out, and quickly stabbed her between her ribs for the heart. Now that will shut her mouth quickly. I'm not gonna torture anypony, in front of everypony like that. Where’s the intimacy in that? I pulled the knife again and tried to wipe it clean using the little yellow gras that was almost everywhere.

"Nooo!" A desperate cry rang from the prisoner group, it lasted a bit, and then faded and turned into crying

Okay, there, I did it, not soft.

I felt my mood improve, and the frustration wash away. Actually, since she's all mine, and I’m dirty with blood anyway… I could have some more fun.

I made one long cut from her sternum almost to the crotch, then smiled, and spread her open with my front hooves. The smell of meat hit me, but it wasn’t so bad. The funny thing is, pony insides usually smell very similar to the outside. She probably wouldn’t taste that bad. Fortunately this time we have enough food for everypony. Seeing me get creative with her made everypony loosen up, and they began freely talking to each other.

"Ey! Why did you let her go so quickly? Should have let her scream for a bit longer!" Soprano Tails complained.

I spat out the knife, "Oy shut up! That's how I like it!" I replied to him.

Then somepony commented about Soprano having daddy issues. In response, Soprano threw himself at them and began beating them with his hooves while they both struggled on the ground. A circle of ponies chanting ‘Fight Fight Fight’ formed around them, and the rest of the gathering began to gradually disperse.

Not paying much attention to it, I began to dig through her guts with my hooves and mouth, which made her jerk with her hooves, as if trying to push me away, but quite blindly, she wasn't even lifting her head anymore to see what’s digging through her insides. "Who wants the heaaaaaart! And somepony start a fire!" I shouted with a light joy in my voice and looked around, which provoked a cheer from everypony around me. I couldn’t smell anything but blood, and I could feel my whole face was caked in it. Which, if you don’t breathe with your nose, is a pleasant feeling,. I bet that’s how a warm bath feels like. I dug my face deeper into her warm insides, held my breath, closed my eyes, and imagined myself swimming in a pool of sweet, scarlet red, warm and sticky blood. Oh that would be heaven. I started to run out of air so I pulled my head out, looked at the white clouds in the sky, and took a deep breath. How many prisoners would a pool like that take?

Four other raiders sat over her next to me, each of them wanting some of her body parts. Alright, then!

Scythe and Bars approached me as I was pulling her intestines out with my sharp teeth. Apologies would be appropriate. I stopped what I was doing, got up and looked at them waiting for them to speak.

"Fuck, maybe I'll start pretending to get soft too to get a pretty mare all for myself," Bars said while nodding towards the mare.

"Good to know you're still you. We were starting to worry, about you too of course," He said with an ironic smile, "You know how it is, if anypony finds out that the Earchipper clan doesn’t want to kill, ponies might get cocky. We have to take care of our reputation as raiders."

"Ye, I get it."

"That's good." He patted my back and walked away. "Have fun."

"I'll kill you, you hear me!" The prisoner stallion began shouting again, but hoarsely, "I will kill you!"

Honestly, I forgot how fun playing with the prisoners can be, you just have to be in the right mood. Or it's because I took a short break from it, who knows?

"Ey Bars, come on, I just got a great idea!" I told Bars with excitement, Bars smiled. "Okay, this is what we're gonna do with her…"

***

The village proved to be a great target for an attack, we found plenty of food, places to sleep, and most important - Alcohol. It got dark, the fires were cracking, and raiders were talking, drinking, and burning everything that was flammable. Houses, wooden furniture, floorboards, bodies, everything. That settlement was in for a major rearrangement. And is gonna be unrecognisable probably by tomorrow. Everypony was happy. They had prisoners to play with, a place to sleep, and the air was filled with screams and wails of ponies. Perfect time to sneak out.

I remember we bumped into some abandoned caravans on the way to this settlement, or farm, or whatever this is before we got here. The merchants must have noticed us and fled, but they were going somewhere. I'm pretty sure there’s some kind of settlement near in the direction they were going.

I want to go there. I’ve got to remind myself why I have to stay strong.

I put on my black coat I got two raids ago, my face would be too visible with my yellowish green coat so I carefully smeared it with charcoal, cautious not to pull any of my piercings in the face or ears, put a hood on my cut-up ears, and got moving.

I walked toward the edge of the clearing the settlement was built on. The entire clearing was dotted with numerous fireplaces, and around every one of them was a group of raiders ‘playing’ with one of the prisoners. If I wanted to sneak out unnoticed, I’ll have to avoid getting too close to them so none of my comrades would see me leave.

On my way to the forest, I passed a campfire where Soprano Tails, accompanied by a few other raiders, was slowly cutting some prisoner’s skin with a cleaver he held in his mouth, stopping every once in a while to hear them beg and wail in pain. It always made him smile.

I’m not gonna lie, I like games that give you a feeling of power too from time to time, but he is obsessed with them, and never wants to play anything else. I wonder what he’s compensating for.

I passed them and kept walking. Around twenty metres from them I saw Gaag, Bars and two others playing tug of war, but at the centre of the rope was a foal, and in the middle between the teams was a fire. I could hardly hear his screams because of the opposing teams making so much commotion motivating each other to keep up the fight, joking, and insulting the opponents.

Then I passed the mare that I… massacred. After that, Bars and I hung her on her intestines from one of the trees at the edge of the forest. I looked at her, slowed down and sighed.

It seemed like a cool idea, to hang here like that. And It still does…

I felt like a relapsed alcoholic, disappointed with myself. I thought I would be able to stop myself.

I sighed again and moved further into the forest.

I walked along the road but through the forest to avoid random travellers. It was quiet. I still had some dried blood on my face and in my nose, but I could smell damp moss, the only thriving plant in the area. I was walking through the dark forest keeping the road in sight, avoiding the black dead trees for quite a while, about as long as, if I had a shot of vodka before I left, I would have sobered up by now. But I have a lot of time, a whole night. I walked like this in silence for a moment more, until I started hearing water, and saw a faint yellow light. I accelerated to a trot and stopped when I saw the nearest buildings clearly through the trees. A dozen or so houses built mostly of black or brown brick, but patched with almost every material I could think of, wood, scrap metal, plastic sheets or fresh cement. Almost none of them had glass in the windows, most of the windows were boarded up. They were arranged evenly in rows. In the middle of the settlement, there was a wide road from which symmetrically diverged smaller paths, behind them the forest ended and some kind of cliff began. I also could see railroad tracks in the distance.

I looked around to see if anyone was coming, but I didn't see or hear nopony. I crept to the nearest boarded-up window and heard regular creaking from inside the house. I looked through the gap between the boards.

I saw two ponies embracing each other on a mattress. I could hear hispers, quiet moans of pleasure, and kisses. A lot of them. My little guy liked what I saw, but I only felt sad. And Jealous.

It wasn’t regular selfish buck and leave, I had sex before, I’m not a virgin. But it was completely different from this. This was full of passion. They were holding each other tightly, whispering in each other's ear, making sure it felt good for both of them. It's love, happiness.

No it wasn’t sex that I was seeing here. This is something else, something I have never experienced before, sincere love and affection. I watched as he held her, and she held him. Even after they were done, he didn’t just boorishly get up to leave, or start running away. Something that I was guilty of doing myself, but hey, what are you gonna do when a crazy-horny unicorn mare starts levitates a knife to your… And starts making threats about what she’s gonna do if you don’t do everything exactly as she says.

No, he stayed with her, and cuddled her until they both fell asleep in their embrace. That’s what hit me the hardest.

The more I looked, the more jealous I felt.

I moved away from the window and moved to the next house on the right.

I looked through the planks where the window should be and saw a dimly lit room, where a mare was feeding her foal by levitating a spoon with some mush into his mouth.

This one has it fine, getting food for free, having a mother like that. I had to do tricks to get food as a foal, ‘sit’, ‘give a hoof’, ‘roll’, ‘bring me a bottle’. Lucky bastard.

I watched for a few minutes, then decided it was enough. There were only three houses that I could sneak up to without having to run across the street deeper into the settlement. I snuck up to the last house in the row.

In the dark room, I saw two ponies sleeping cuddled together. Hard to tell the age in the darkness, but it doesn’t matter.

Could I ever have something similar? I imagined myself sleeping in that bed, lying on the mattress, cuddled with somepony. Then images of the mare from today, her body ripped open laying next to me on a wholly red and wet bed ran involuntarily through my head. Yeah… I guess that’s the answer.

Next time I will control myself, I will.

I'll have to smear myself in blood so they'll leave me alone, and get drunk or high for the night so I won't be able to join any games. Yeah, That’s a plan.

Then I heard a distant gunshot from the direction I came, then another, and then it became a sound of a serious firefight.

“What the fuck?” I quietly said to myself, and started walking hastily towards the noise, back to the camp.

***

As I was approaching the camp, the gunshots gradually quieted down. A few minutes later I jumped out of the forest into the clearing. The bonfires that my companions had lit were dying down. It was dark, but I could see that many more bodies were laying on the ground than there were after we raided this farm this morning. Numerous piercings and earrings in the bodies of my clan companions reflected the light of the dying fires.

I felt a wave of adrenaline go through my gut.

Somepony killed them? Or was this a big argument that went badly?

I noticed somepony standing next to one of the fires, fifty metres from me. He wasn’t a Raider, I don’t know anypony wearing armour like that. It was too decent and his weapons were too shiny for a raider. Only I and a few others cared about maintaining guns, but nopony did it to that level.

He was turned sideways to me and probably did not see me yet. I was dressed completely black, so I should be able to sneak up on him.

But he’s got guns and armour, and I have only a lil knife… Maybe I should hide? Prepare a plan or–no. I’d be a coward. Only cowards run away from danger. I’ll kill him. Somehow… It’s a terrible fucking idea.

I lowered my head and began quietly approaching the stranger. As I walked towards him, passing bodies of our victims from this morning, and my clanmates. I noticed a very familiar face and ears and stopped. Is this… Gaag laying there? I looked at the big dark figure again. Earchippers always return the favour. At least twice as much. I got moving again, faster this time. My breathing and my heart thumping were the only sounds that accompanied me. I was close now, a couple more steps, and I will be able to throw myself at him with my dagger. I lowered my head to my hooves, bit the button with my teeth, and opened the pocket on my right forehoof, it made a sound, but I barely heard it, he probably didn’t. I grabbed the knife in my mouth and took it slowly out of my pocket. I raised my head with the knife, and–

I saw the big dark figure, a head taller than me, in some thick dark armour aiming right at me with an assault rifle, attached to the saddle by a metal arm that held the gun at his eye level. Only his face was uncovered, and from what I could see through the darkness, it showed no fear.

“Stop, who are you,” he said in a deep voice. I stopped instantly and just looked him straight in the eyes. “Drop that right now,” he added quickly.

Throwing myself at him right now would be suicide. And I should drop the dagger or he’ll kill me.

Fuck, that’s not what a raider would do.

But I’m definitely gonna get killed if I try any–

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a gunshot and a sudden light pain in the side of my chest. The force knocked me to my side, and I felt an incredibly strong need to cough something out of my lungs. I started coughing violently and tasted blood in my mouth. Feeling that my breathing just isn’t as effective as it was a moment ago, I panicked for a second

They fucking shot me!

But quickly collected my thoughts, after I felt the pain spread a bit more.

You’re gonna shoot me? That’s how you wanna fucking play?

“Hey! Stop! What are you doing!” The big pony shouted to somepony I couldn’t see. From the ground, I had a nice view of his hooves, and getting up would hurt for sure. Okie dokie, not the first time I’m in this situation. Good that I still had my dagger in my mouth. I planted my left forehoof firmly on the ground, Then I set my rump upright and lifted it at the same time as I lifted my front with, first the left, and then both of my forehooves. Okay, It was harder than usual, but I was standing again. The wound on my chest began hurting more and more, but I have some time before the pain fully kicks in, not much though. “... just a kid, look at him! Bring it right now!” The big Pony said. Hey, I’m around eighteen you asshole! I raised my head and jumped at him with all the force I could muster, aiming the knife at his neck with a smile that gradually built itself on my face, as the anger melted away for some reason. Die! Ha! I would prefer to hit his face for what he did to Gaag, but he was just too tall.

After I stuck the knife in, I used it to support myself to make standing easier. He should be falling down any moment now. Shen he does, I’ll cut his fucking hea–

Then I looked at the knife closely, then at his neck, and then more upward at his face. I missed the neck entirely, and the knife got stuck in his shoulder. From the lack of reaction whatsoever, I guess I didn't even penetrate the armour. Damned rich ponies and their fancy armour! He looked at me surprised for a split second, and then immediately slapped me with a hoof in the face. The shock from being hit on the head made me fall back and on my side again.

“Ow fock,” I said, holding a hoof to my face, “That’s how you want to play you cocksucker?” I said in a playful and challenging tone and began getting up again, the same as before. First, Left hoof… I wasn’t even angry anymore!

“Lay there!”

“Hah, that’s what I said to your mother when”--I lifted my rump–” I loaded her in the ass!” I said, lifting my head from the ground, and looking straight at his face while smiling smugly. Okay, front hooves… And I’m standing again. “Ha!” with a good mood now, even the pain was ignorable!

He turned to face me, “Stop it kid, you’re gonna get yours…” He looked above my head, “ You’re a raider.” His face took a horrified expression for a moment.

Only now has he noticed my ears? “Whoa, congratulations mister fucking”-- He stood two metres from me, I ran up to him, turned around, and sold him a solid buck in the chest, which didn’t move him a centimetre, instead it pushed me away a couple of steps from him, as if I kicked a wall. “perceptive…” I turned around and saw him aiming the gun at me again.

I started slowly walking towards him, which was getting harder and harder with every passing moment, but steadily quickening my step. If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die with the rest of my clan, and have fun!

“Pussssssyyyyy,” I said, dragging the word out and mockingly. “I’ll shove it up your ass and pull the trigger.” And just as I was about to jump at him, I tripped on something and landed on my jaw and belly right at his hooves. Okay, fuck. I doubt I can– He raised one of his big hooves, and something hard hit me on the top of my head.

***

Waking up chained to a tree was a new one for me. I lifted my head and looked around me. By the weight on my neck, I’d assume they used some metal collar. I sluggishly got up from the yellowish moss, my chest still hurt, I looked over at myself, my greenish-yellow for was stained with a lot of blood, and I could see a stitch where I probably got shot earlier. Assholes didn’t want to use a healing potion on me. I peeked over the tree I was chained to. Three or four metres away was a bonfire, four ponies who sat there looking like they were discussing something. The chain was the same length, so that gave me some options. One of them was the big armoured one. Now that his face was lit by the fire, I could see his coat was brown, and his mane black. Another one, a battered light grey unicorn with a light blue mane was looking right at me. Was he staring at me this whole time?

As soon as he noticed I woke up, He grabbed a shotgun in his cyan magic and started walking towards me with death in his eyes.

Fuck fuck fuck, feeling adrenaline shot in my gut. Without thinking about it, I opened my eyes wide and started backing up from the danger as fast as I could. He shot where I was a second ago, but fortunately missed, one of the pellets chipped my left front hoof, but nothing more, so it didn’t hurt. I continued backing up until the chain got taut, and the collar pressed against the back of my head. He pumped the shotgun as I stood in this awkward position where my whole body was backed up, but my head bound by the chain stayed in the front. My heart was pounding heavily. Fuck he’s got me right on a plate like this.

Fortunately, before he could take another shot, the big armoured pony jumped at him and pinned him to the ground, the magic around the shotgun became yellow, and it floated to an orange-yellow pony standing next to them.

“No! Let me do it!” He screamed not taking his eyes off me.

“Stop it you hear me!?” The brown shouted into his ear, looking into his eyes.

“He killed my daughter!”

“Killing him won’t change anything!” The brown pony gradually lowered his voice, he was talking calmly while saying the last word.

“Do you want to see her now!? See what he did to her?!”

The brown earth pony looked at his orange yellow, and the dark grey friend who stood further back, they both nodded positively. The brown looked like he didn’t like the idea, but sighed and looked at the light grey unicorn. “Okay, take me to her.” The light grey stopped struggling, and they both slowly got up. The unicorn looking straight at me while doing that. When he finally took his eyes off me, he turned around, and they left together into the darkness that began a couple of metres away from the fire.

It took a moment after they left for me to relax slightly. I made a step forward to be able to stand in a normal position and exhaled with relief. The Dark grey unicorn with a black mane walked towards the tree I was chained to and leaned on it.

“Bear Hearts is the only one of us who wanted to keep you alive. Try anything, and you'll have a hole in your skull to match the one in your chest,” he said calmly in a low voice while looking into my eyes without any big ger emotions. Then he and the orange-yellow unicorn went back and sat together on one of the logs lying next to the fire.

I shook my head, slightly shut my wide-opened eyes, and relaxed my facial muscles. I probably looked like I was about to piss myself when he tried to shoot me. Fuck, raiders don’t show fear, I should do something, something to show that I’m not scared.

I heard Scythe’s voice in my head insulting me and mocking me for being such a coward.

Did they get Scythe? He was one of the sharpest in the clan, would he get himself killed that easily? What about Gaag, Soprano, or Bars? Yeah, Bars would get himself killed that easily.

I suddenly felt lonely, very lonely. I haven’t felt like that in a long time. My eyes began… Am I actually gonna fucking cry after them? My throat swelled up too!

These motherfuckers probably killed them all!

Even if I escape, or something, I doubt I can join another raider clan just like that. I’d have to get a new pair of ears to get rid of the Earchippers stigma. And I doubt I could find life among normal ponies even more.

What am I supposed to do?

Fuck. Calm down, don’t be a crying pussy. If you’re a raider and Earchipper. Act like one.

I’ll–I’ll figure something… Yeah, I’ll figure something out. I just need to think of a way to escape, kill them all. And not get killed in the process.

Then everything will work out.

After a few moments, I eventually sat behind the tree I was chained to, which allowed me to hear the conversation of my captors a bit better. Any information is valuable now.

“Maybe let’s sell him as a slave, it would be a punishment, and he wouldn’t be able to hurt anypony,” The Yellow Orange suggested. That fucking cunt! Hearing somepony else than me deciding my fate made me furious. I’m gonna sell him to a cheap griffon brothel and see how he likes that.

“I heard that Red Eye buys every slave in the entire wasteland, and brings them to Fillyadelphia. And I also heard raiders there group in clans again and do the same they did before,” the dark grey unicorn replied. I wish somepony killed both of your whole families and sold both of you to Filly, so you see how it is on your fucking skin.

“Kill-no, sell as slave-no, what, maybe we're supposed to whip him like in the Middle Ages and let him go? What is Bear Hearts thinking of? Because I don’t intend to be a nanny for a little psycho.”

“I don’t know, but he looked like he cared a lot about it.” There was a pause, “Hey, look, there he is." The dark grey unicorn nodded his head towards two figures approaching the fire.

The yellow-orange unicorn stood up, “What? I told him to drag that stallion away from here.”

Bear Hearts approached and then passed the fire together with the light grey unicorn, the eyes of both of them were locked firmly on me.

My heart began thumping faster and I began backing away again when I realised both of them were going straight for me. What the fuck is he doing?

You're an Earchipper! Don't show fear, stand your ground. I thought to myself in Scythe's voice and stopped, trying to calm my breathing. Okay, they said he doesn’t want to kill me.

But he saw her body, that might have changed things a bit.

“Looks like our problem solved itself,” The grey unicorn said indifferently

Fuck.

When he was flush with the tree I was chained to, he pulled the chain with his teeth so hard it yanked me forward, then he pressed his hoof against my back, so I fell flat on my belly, and then, I didn’t have to see it to know, he pressed a gun barrel hard against the top of my head.

“Ouch ouch, ouc–”

“Give me one fucking reason not to blow your fucking head open right fucking now!”

Ow Celestia, that hurts. Is he trying to scare me or is he really that close to killing me? fuck what should I say? Thoughts and scenarios ran quickly through my head.

Beg? No way. Plus it wouldn’t work anyway

Apologise? Same.

Promise I won’t do it again?

“I. Am. Waiting.” he pushed the barrel even harder, my heart thumped hard and I began hyperventilating. Okay, he wants to kill me for real!

A shiver ran through me.

Burst into tears? Even if I wanted to…

Make a run for it!?

I closed my eyes.

None of these will fucking work! Nothing I can say will fucking help!

“Fuck you!” My voice broke as I whined it through my clenched teeth, half on accident, and half on purpose.

I never sounded that much like a scared foal in my life.

…I should not have said that, I should not have said that! Fuck!

“Huh, he’s very self-conscious for a raider,” I guessed it was the yellow-orange one like it was some kind of a joke.

“Yeah” added the grey one lightly, “At least he didn’t just start laughing as most of them would do,” he added and chuckled.

I.. I did it? Did I save my ass?

I opened my eyes, but the pressure on my head increased even more. No, not yet! Ouch!

“Why did you do that to her?” He said in a normal tone, but with poorly hidden anger and disgust.

“Aaah,” I groaned, “I didn’t want to in the beginning.” I tried to look at him, but he was outside of my field of view. I ran my eyes around everything and noticed the light grey unicorn looking dissatisfied, I quickly averted my gaze from him and looked at the ground.

“Oh, you didn’tmean to?! I guess it just turned out like this by itself!” He started loudly, but gradually toned his voice throughout the sentence. I could still hear anger and disgust in it.

Ow fuck he’s gonna crush my fucking skull fuck!

“I guess it fucking did-aAAAh! I tried to control myself! I did! But I did what I always did for my whole fucking life! That’s fucking it you Assh–" The gun barrel pressed harder "-Aaah, stop!”

Then the pressure decreased for a couple of moments, I sighed in relief, but then it increased again, but less than before. “Your whole life?” He seemed to have calmed a bit.

I'll shove that gun up your ass someday! “Are you deaf-" the gun pressed harder again "-aaaaaoooww!”

He took the gun away from my head completely, and I instantly began massaging it with my hooves to get rid of the pain.

Now I also wanted to press a gun against his skull so hard that it would crack. I’ll add that to the list. He thinks he can do anything to me, I’ll show him.

“What are you doing!? You saw what he did to her!” The light grey unicorn standing next to the chain tree was furious.

Bear Hearts approached him with a firm step, put a hoof on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. “Let go,” he added after he moved away from him. The light grey unicorn opened his eyes and mouth wide. His battered face took a furious expression, then it became sad, and then all the emotions disappeared. He looked Bear Hearts in the eyes again, then turned around without a word, walked away, passed the campfire, and disappeared into the darkness. His step was quick, he still was probably furious.

“What now?” Light grey asked Bear Hearts.

“We’re not letting him go,” he said while walking towards the bonfire, he opened one of the bags with his mouth, sat in front of it, and began looking for something.

“Oh good, because I thought you were gonna want to do the same thing you did in Radwaters.”

Bear Hearts fished out two different-looking collars from the bag and showed them to his companions. “I have a better idea.”

The orange-yellow put his hoof to his face and sighed resignedly. “No, please.”

Bear hearts looked at them seriously. “We’re taking him with us.”

I'm going to get myself a gun!

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

That's what it's all about

Author's Note

Another chapter, this one, i had a lot going on in life while writing it, so please forgive if it's not my best one yet. But good news, I did learn something important while writing it, so the next one is defenetely going to be a level higher!
But you think it's bad, then I encourage you to tell me why in the comments, so I can get better, Thanks!

That's what it's all about

The dim evening light coming from the window together with the lamp on the ceiling lit the room well. Lying on my back on the floor with a light smile - my learned response to fear or anxiety, I looked up into Scythe's shotgun barrel enveloped in his red magic and pointed right at me. To assert my situation, I looked around the room, and saw small pools of blood spilling from my captors lying on the floor while they coughed or moaned in pain.

"Don't worry about them," he waved his hoof and said dismissively. I looked back at him, waiting for what he was going to do next. "I saw you got quite accustomed to your friends here, " he nodded towards Flame Bash and the tweezers that lay on the floor next to me. "But I hope it wasn't anything serious?" He asked, raising one of his brows.

He's asking me that? He's giving me a choice…

He's not going to like my answer…

Somehow it's still good to see him anyway.

"I was starting to wonder wether you were going to show up!" I said with a cheer, making my smile more relaxed, and started to get up while getting a closer look at him. He hid his ears by bandaging them, and dressed in some merchant armour to look like a normal pony. Smart. I expected him to do something more… raiderly, not something smart like that.

He didn't stop pointing the gun at me as I got up, and he just stared at me.

That was worrying.

"Did you… bring me anything?" I asked with a slight pretention, " and stop pointing that fucking thing at me!" With a smile that was getting a bit nervous I pushed the rifle away from me.

"Sure." He levitated a knife.

That length, the brown handle, the bevelled end, those familiar scratches!

I instantly recognised. My knife! He levitated it to my mouth. I bit the handle and smiled widely.

I noticed that he was pointing his shotgun at me again while watching me carefully. That was getting very worrying.

"Kill them, and we'll be on our way" He said while glancing at the lying and bleeding ponies on the floor next to the beds, not lowering the shotgun.

So it's a test.

I looked at them too. Silver Shine and Flame Bash? With pleasure. But Bear Hearts? He was the only one that treated me… Well better than them at least.

Silver Shine looked at me too. Carefully watching my next move.

"I kill them and everything goes back to as it was?" I asked Scythe

"I hope you don't have a problem with that?" He asked, and I felt the cold barrel touch the back of my head.

I do, and He knows that.

My heart started beating fast. I knew I was going to have to kill him. I can't fuck that up. I don't want to find out if he'll actually fulfull his threats from few days ago.

"No. Compared to this," i nodded towards my captors bleeding on the floor in the small room, "I Like being a–" I lowered my head to avoid the shot, turned around instantly, and jumped on Scythe as fast as I could. He shot, missing my head, The gunshot stunned me, and a high pitched buzz filled my ears. He used that moment to hit me over the head with a shotgun butt. I held my head close to the gun, and he held the gun with his magic, so the hit wasn't strong. I shrugged it off and rushed to plunge the knife in his chest. Discarding his shotgun, he lowered his head, pointed his horn at me.

Fucking unicorns and their horns

More precisely at my neck, and started running at me, hoping I'd do the same. But seeing that i stopped, and started backing up to not get impaled in that horn.

He was faster, but I managed to get out of his way to the right. Having his head down, he didn't see it until it was too late. When he was almost at the room's back wall where the window was, I took a swing with my head, and stabbed him in the left side of his chest. But I didn't end on one. I quickly took the knife out, and stabbed again, and again. He turned his head towards me and shot a burst of magic out of his horn, I ducked away under him, and with a great difficulty, lifted the rear half of his body. He was kicking and I heard him trying to use his magic on something, but I wasn't giving him time for that. I started pushing him towards the window. He clasped his front legs against it, I managed to reach his right font leg with my knife, after I stabbed it a few times, the leg let go of the window, his front fell on the floor, and with him shouting insults, I threw his rump out through the closed window. It dragged the front of his body, and while calling me a motherfucker, he fell out the window. A second after, I heard him hit the ground.

I leaned out of the window. One floor is not that high, and I couldn't go out there to finish him off. Somepony would stop me, maybe even kill me since I'm the one that looks like a raider.

Maybe I got lucky and he fell on his head.

I turned around towards the room and saw Flame Bash lying quietly and bleeding on the right hoof side of the room, close to Silver Shine who looked like he was in slightly better condition because he watched me carefully. Huh, they haven't bled out yet.

"Raider"-- Silver Shine started saying something.

I ignored that for now, and looked at Bear Hearts on the right, lying on the floor next to his bed and armour. His breathing was shallow, and his pool of blood was larger than the rest's.

Oh no. Not him.

Fueled by stress and adrenaline, I jumped at his bags as fast as I could. He's got to have some healing potions on him! I dug through the bag, looking for the purple liquid filled bottles while my hooves shook from the stress.

And found two!

I grabbed them in my mouth and rushed to Bear Hearts. I placed them on the floor, opened one quickly, almost spilling it on the floor, opened his mouth with my hoof, and poured half of the contents of the bottle in, and the other half onto his blood-red fur. The blood quickly washed away, leaving his dark brown coat clean and closing his wounds before my eyes.

His breathing quickly deepened and slowed.

I took a deep breath almost in sync with him.

Okay. That's good. That's good. Now for the rest of them. I relaxed.

Still panting, I grabbed the other healing potion, brought it to Silver Shine. His eyes were tired, but still open. He looked at me harshly as I opened the bottle slowly this time, and poured a drop into Flame Bash's mouth. To make sure he stays with us a bit longer.

"Raider," He said quietly, in a demanding tone.

That's as close to breaking free as I can get.

If there is some higher power. Please let this work, and I swear I won't hurt anypony ever again… Without a proper reason.

I brought my face close to Silver Shine's "Tell me how to take these things off me," I tapped the collars with my hoof, " "And I'll help you and your friend."

"No." He responded without thinking.

Fuck you! "Listen!" I bursted, but quickly calmed my tone, "Are you really going to let your friend die just to fuck me over?"

"Don't…" Flame Bash grunted

Shut the fuck up!

Silver shine glanced at the bleeding orange pony next to him, and then back at me.

"We won't let… A raider free to" he took coughed blood, " to kill again."

A wave of anger was building inside me. Why must they be so fucking stubborn!?

"I!... I had a chance for that just now! " i growled and brought my angry face closer, almost whispering in his ear, so that nopony would hear what I was going to say "Please. I promise I won't go back to raiding. Just… just let me go."

He looked at Flame Bash, and at me again. "Give us the potion, and you can be sure I won't forget that. But we're not letting you go."

Why! The fuck! Not!?

With an explosion of anger, I growled and hit him on the face with my hoof, and got back up with the potion.

"Then lay there and bleed out!" I erupted.

"You won't find the remotes! And nopony is going to help a raider get the collars off!" Silver Shine tried to reason with me in a weak and tired voice.

I don't fucking care.

I grabbed Scythe's shotgun that lay on the floor in my hoof, sat on the bed across the room with it, and the potion, and just stared at both of them.

They are willing to sacrifice themselves just to fuck me over! In-fucking-credible! And ponies call them heroes!

I wonder which one is going to bleed out first…

Then my ears twitched as I heard somepony moving on my right. I looked there, and saw Bear Hearts getting up.

Fuck.

He got up, his eyes screwed into his companions. Then he looked at me, and with a quick step approached me. I held the gun in both of my forehooves, and pointed it at him.

He slowed down. And with a careful pose and expression, he glanced at the potion lying on the bed next to me, and then at me again.

We stood like that for a moment. Bear Hearts probably wondering if he had to kill me in order to save his friends, and I, out of pure anger just not wanting him to help them.

He was getting awfully close. I noticed him teansing up his muscles, preparing to strike me.

Ah fuck! Whatever. They die, I'm probably just as dead too.

I pointed the gun away from Bear Hearts, letting him know he can take the potion.

He exhaled, and slowly grabbed the potion in his hoof, still watching me carefully.

I looked away from him. That made him relax, he took the potion, and quickly brought it to his friends. As he did, i heard hoofsteps rushing up the floor.

Scythe's coming again.

I took cover behind the bed i was sitting on, and pointed the gun at the entrance.

After few seeconds, i saw a group of ponies with guns, the gate guards and the mayor climb to the top of the stairs. When they saw me, tbey shouted to take cover, and instantly fell back down the wooden stairs, only their guns sticking out.

"Don't shoot!" I shouted at them, "I didn't do it!"

They whispered something to each other. "Put your gun away and let us see for ourselves raider!" The mayor replied after a moment.

"So you can shoot me without a problem? Sure, right fucking on it!" I replied.

Then I heard quick hoofsteps behind me. There was an orange flash, something hit me in tbe face. Ilost focus on anything, and fell on my side on the floor, then I felt something heavy press onto me, and before the shock could pass, i felt a barrage of hoof punches on my face.

***

Fucking ow.

My face hurt all over. My cheeks and brows were swollen, the chain got back on, and we were on our way again. Going to some other city.

That was after Flame Bash beat the shit out of me, and then finished my little 'surgery' by mercilessly ripping the bullet out of my shoulder and the birdshot pellets from Scythes shotgun from my side with his horn magic, which opened all the wounds even more.

Turns out he using the tweezers before was him at least trying to be gentle.

And I was sure they chained me again just as some form of punishment.

I limped quickly, saving my bandaged leg, but trying to stay in pace with them all so the collar wouldn't pull on my burned neck. They all walked just fine after drinking a healing potion each.

We walked next to rusted train tracks. The tracks themselves were completely red and brown from rust. The concrete blocks connecting the rails that emerged from the stones with which the tracks were gave a stable foothold, but imposed annoyingly short steps, so we all walked next to the tracks, on the yellowish grass.

Eventually everything got dark. With the sun gone, it was starting to get chilly, so they decided to start looking for a place to spend the night in.

They found a small railway station, a small red brick building with just a ticket booth, and eight three pony benches bolted to a concrete floor, four against every wall on the two sides of the ticket booth that stood in the centre of the station. Without a word, Bear Hearts chained to one of the benches in the corner on one side of the station, while Silver Shine barricaded every window and door of the station, and the rest of my captors tried to work out a fire on the other side.

Great. I was so hungry I thought I could pass out any moment, thirsty, and now they are gonna make me sleep on a cold concrete.

I'm not going to just quietly sit here like this. I've got to somehow get myself some food.

"I'm fucking hungry!" I shouted at them across the station.

"Good! I hope you die of hunger!" Flame Bash replied quickly, and went back to starting the fire with Bear Hearts.

"I should have gutted you and then killed Scythe!" I shouted back as I stood up

"You should have! Then they would have killed you and the Wasteland would be a better place!"

"Don't fucking act as if–"

"Shut the fuck u–" he interrupted me, but I didn't stop

"--You wouldn't happily finish me off if I was the one bleeding out on the floor!" We shouted at each other at the same time.

We both finished. I wasn't sure if he understood what I shouted to him

"Shut up both of you!" Silver shine shouted to us. " Or you will still bring something to us with that noise! Shout at each other during the day!"

"Good! I hope whatever I bring will tear you all to shreds!" I paused for a moment, "Give me something to eat!"

Silver shine stopped pushing a wardrobe to a window, and with a fast step approached me. I raised my head and took a firm pose to show I wasn't afraid. "Shut your mouth or I will bake your neck until it's black." He croaked through his teeth.

It was the first time I saw him actually angry.

"If you'd just let me go then, you wouldn't have me as your problem!" I shouted again

He levitated a pistol out lf a holster he had around his chest, raised it, and put it to the top of my head. "Shut. Up. Last warning."

I just looked angrily in his equally infuriated eyes for a long moment. "Why didn't you just let me go?" I growled

"I am not going to just let a raider roam free, because he had a change of heart." He growled back.

"Why not!" I shouted because of frustration that built inside me.

I felt something hit me on the top of my head so hard that my forelegs collapsed. I fell to the floor, hitting it first with my jaw and then with my stomach, biting my tongue very painfully in the process.

"You don't murder and rape one day, and then the next just say you won't do it anymore. You must pay for what you did."

So that's what it's all about

I do not!

I didn't respond, my head, tongue and jaw hurt too much from the fall, so Silver Shine walked away, and git back to barricading the station.

After the pain dimmed out a bit, I raised my head from the floor, "So you and your asshole friends will keep me as your punching bag until you deem it's enough?!" I shouted at him. He didn't respond. "You motherfucker! I'm not going to be your dog!" I suddenly felt a searing pain explode in my neck, which made me start thrashing and screaming on the floor.

Almost instantly Bear hearts stood from where the fire slowly started lighting the station "Stop it Silver!" He shouted, and the shock collar stopped.

Motherfuckers! Fucking cock sucking sons of whores!

I thought as I lied on the cold floor. I hate them. I hate them so much. If there is a higher power in the wasteland. Fuck you! I will kill them the second I have the chance!

***

After an hour or so, the fire they made was decent sized. Silver Shine barricaded all entrances and holes in the walls, and now all of them were sitting near the fire together. a strong smell of something delicious hit my nose. That alone made me start drooling without even knowing what they were cooking there. I got so hungry, I thought I was going to lass out any moment. My stomach was starting to hurt, spreading an annoying emptiness across my body.

Then I saw Bear Hearts get up, and start going in my direction with two bowls of something hot and steamy on his hoof. I could already imagine it was going to be good. I licked my face and locked my unconsciously wide open eyes on the bowls.

He saw my i could eat whatever was inside together with the bowl' gaze, and to my suprise, the big brown pony sat on the floor next to me and slid one of the bowls in front of my hooves.

I instantly got to eating whatever was inside. Some kind of colourful vegetable mix, salty and delicious. Exackly what I needed right now. I emptied the bowl in a flash, and knew I could fit one or two more. I saw him holding the second bowl near to him.

I straightened up and looked up at bear hea–

At his neck, he was just that tall when sitting next to me. I looked further up at his face.

"Give me that."

He pushed the second bowl to me, I took the bowl in my forehooves, and brought it to my mouth. It was the same thing that was in the first bowl, but worse. Or I just wasn't that hungry anymore.

"Who was the pony at the hotel?" He asked while I was finishing.

"Scythe, he was our unofficial leader. Until you fucked up the clan." I explained while licking the bowl clean.

"Do you have any idea what he's going to do now?"

That made me freeze with my tounge out in the bowl" Hhat? He fucking survived?"

Bear Hearts nodded positively with an understanding look.

Fuck

"No. He'll want to kill me, and you all probably too. That's all." I got back to licking the bowl.

He muttered in response.

Then to my shock, he put his heavy hoof on my shoulder. I froze with my nose in the bowl again, not knowing how I was supposed to react. I just looked at him out of the corner of my eye to see what the fuck was he trying to do.

He noticed how I stiffened "Calm down," he patted my shoulder, "Thanks… For what you did for me. You really surprised me." He said sincerely, and… proudly?

"... Cool" I said shortly. I felt awkward and didn't know what to do, but…

This feels pleasant. I like it. I like the hoof on my back, and him being nice.

I relaxed, and even smiled lightly.

"Silver and Flame… they are not like what you think. They…"--

"Do you agree with them?" I asked him suspiciously

His soft face took a troubled look.

"The- no. You all think they're some kind of fucking Wasteland heroes that deliver justice."

"Raider. I don't agree with them completely, but"--

"I just had the chance to run away and go back to raiding! How is that not enough!?"

"Raider."--

"Fuck you! You know nothing about me! Who do you think you all are?!"

He took his hoof off me, which I felt was a loss for some reason. "Be nice, that's the only thing that can help you. Please." He said sincerely. "I'll get you a blanket or something," he finished, matter of factly.

"I never chose this life!" I shouted at him as he got up.

"It… It doesn't change what you did." He said with doubt, as if half believing what he said himself, turned around, and went off towards the fire.

I should have left fucking them all to bleed out!

***

I hate autumn. I opened my eyes and felt the cold. I threw the blanket off me and rolled of the bench that i slept through the night on,

I hate autumn. As soon as I opened my eyes, and the sweet Insensitivity of sleep left my body, I felt the cold. It penetrated the blanket I was tightly wrapped into and my skin effortlessly. A mild inconvenience, but annoying enough that I couldn't fall back into the comfort of numbness that sleep would bring. No matter how much I tried to ignore it and force my eyes shut, my body began to involuntarily shake, trying to combat the coolness while shaking the last bits of tiredness off me.

With an annoyed growl, I unwound the blanket and with my chain clanking loudly, I rolled off the bench that the other end of my chain was attached to. While the chain and the collars cooperated together to restrict my head movements as much as possible, making most of my sleeping positions uncomfortable as fuck the bench proved itself as an alright place to sleep. Definitely better than the concrete floor it was bolted to.

I stretched like dogs do, raising my rear up and leaning backwards until I touched the ground with my belly. I savored the pleasant feeling of muscles stretching after the nighttime stagnation, until it was interrupted by all my wounds reminding me of themselves all at once. My neck burned under one of the collars, my left shoulder and side emanated a sharp pain in various places, and my swollen face and tongue hurt if I moved them too much.

All in all, not much has changed since the clan

Silver cunt and friends probably drank themselves a potion or two to help their wounds. I looked towards them, lying wrapped in blankets similar to mine on the far end of the station around the bonfire. The fire was dying down, they must have it not much warmer than I do. Do they plan to go through winter like this? You can't do that with just fire and blankets. We all need proper winter clothes to not freeze.

Eh, Nevermind that. They can freeze for as long as I care.

With the clanking of my chain I sat on the bench, pulled the blanket over me and looked at them again.

They plan to drag me with themselves until they decide I served my punishment. What can I do about that? They'll rather die than let me go.

Try to escape again? How? With the collars and shit no ideas came to mind. Killing them wasn't an option either. They must take the collars if me themselves, otherwise I'll never take that shit off.

No matter how much I didn't want to, every way I thought of led me to one inevitable conclusion.

I'll have to… be their good dog.

Fuck.

Well, I can be good, but i don’t have to be pleasant.

I took a deep breath, and…” I’m hungry assholes!”

A moment worth appricieating

Author's Note

I think i like writing shorter chapters better, i'll be able to post more frequently!

(i swear i'll make myself a cover next chapter)

If you think this chapter or story is bad, then I encourage you to tell me why in the comments so I can get better, Thanks!

A moment worth appricieating

why won't they just let me go?

answer: They don't trust me, that's pretty obvious.

answer number two: they think it would be too good for me.

Why that is what I don't understand.

you mean what, i'm supposed to suffer a little before they let me go to satisfy Flame Bash’s and Silver Shine’s sick sense of justice? I'm supposed to fucking throw myself on a sentry cannon and let it tear me to fucking shreds to please them? Should I fucking walk around like a hermit, in frayed clothes, humbling myself and moaning about how 'I don't deserve to live because I've done so much wrong' for them to give me a break? And even if! What if the other ponies I meet want the same thing? Am I supposed to do this over and over with everypony I meet?

No! I will fucking not!

***

The swamp spread out before me, the waterlogged ground, the consistency of which resembled pudding, threatened to bog us down. The only thing that protected us from getting stuck, and since it was getting pretty cold, freezing in the slush, was a wooden footbridge that crossed the swamp in a straight line.

“Hurry raider! Maybe someone is still alive!” Bear Hearts shouted to me seeing that I was Barely trotting.

Well, too bad, because somehow I don't feel like running today! My legs are sore!

I had to run away from Radwolves because Silver Shine convinced Bear Hearts to use me as a bait.

"You guys might get more caps for somepony alive, but me? I won’t get shit. ”

Unlike Flame Bash who was rather good looking, regardless of facial expression, Bear Hearts had a face that was not pleasant. And with the slight profession that had set in on her at this point, one could say bluntly that he looked nasty.

Appearances are deceiving. In this case very much so.

"I don't do it just for the money, and you shouldn't either."

I laughed, "Sure, because anyypony would do that for me."

"If you don't ever try, it's gonna be like that for sure."

Yeah, fucking sure. Eh.

I nodded my head sideways and sighed, but quickened my step

Bear Hearts beamed slightly, and turned his head to look in the direction he was running in.

The walkway was wide, a pony could pull a cart over it without too much trouble. That much space allowed me to walk fairly freely, so I could look around and observe my surroundings without worrying about losing my balance or falling off into the mud. I stared at the weird trees we passed from time to time sticking out of the sludge. Almost completely leafless, and surrounded by crowns of roots sticking out of the mud around it, each a few tens of centimetres long.

"Do you see anything?" Bear Hearts asked me, seeing that I was looking at one point for a long time.

"No... well, actually yes, a swamp all around, and some three cocksuckers on the footbridge in front of me." I told him, making breaks for catching my breath between every other word.

Bear Hearts turned around muttering something to himself, and correcting the big rifle he carried on his

No offense, I think you’re cool Bears, I just don’t want it to be obvious.

"Well, we're here!" Flame Bash shouted, pointing forward.

Curious to see what the asshole had found, I ran up together with Bear Hearts, and we saw a dilapidated cart made of wood. Dragged out from the pathway, partially submerged in mud, and torn into pieces with a great force.

There were three bodies lying by the cart, at least that's what I saw. The bodies of ponies, a normal sight, but what caught my attention was that two of them were huddled together. The two ponies, afraid to move lest Aliflats sense them, were frozen in the mud.

Looking at this, I felt something like a .... emptiness. I stared at them for a long time.

…

"Aliflat work." Silver Shine stated, “ they're probably here somewhere submerged in this mud," he nodded toward the cart.

Flame Bash lifted his head up and groaned in exasperation, "Winter’s around the corner and we get a job like this? We were supposed to take only the easy ones at the end, Silver!”

Aliflats. They jump out of the mud on you and drown you under their weight. Not the worst way to die.-

“--ot of money.” Silver Shine finished, snapping me back to here and now again.

Flame Bash sighed, "Damn it. Well, looks like nopony’s there, we should check that wagon then, -find out who they ate."

"Or if somepony survived." Bear Hearts added

"How?” Flame Bash turned to bear hearts while making sweeping movements with the front legs, “look how they tore it apart! There must have been at least several of them, and you know what they are like before winter sleep!"

“I’m just saying we shouldn't assume the worst-case scenario right away.”

Flame Bash calmed his tone, “You and your optimism are gonna get us killed someday.” He shook his head. “And that there, is the perfect example,” he added while pointing at me with his leg after a moment. In response, I reared and crossed my front legs, one vertically and the other horizontally in a vulgar gesture.

"Well then, who goes?" Silver Shine asked after silence fell

They both turned and looked at me

"The lightest one." Flame Bash replied with a grin, “Maybe he’ll be useful for something again.”

“Fuck off both of you!” I bursted at Flame Bash, and at Silver Shine who I noticed was looking at Bear Hearts in an asking manner.

“Alright.” he said blankly, to which Silver Shine smiled slightly, and Flame Bash very widely.

Wha–

“Prepare to fly, raider!” Flame Bash shouted happily.

Their horns started glowing, I felt their combined magic envelop me, and start slowly lifting me from the ground while I trashed my legs in the air and shouted insults at them.

“In life, you have to appreciate moments like this,” Flame Bash said to Silver Shine, and they both chuckled as they levitated me over the mud.

between the heads of these two cocksuckers I saw a brief flash in the distance. somewhere maybe a hundred metres from here, Where the road was turning and passing one of these strange trees.

Then I heard a bang, they all turned around, and at that exact moment Flame Bash bursted with a wail of pain, and collapsed on the wooden walkway. Suddenly the whole magic that enveloped me disappeared, and I fell into the cold mush close to the walkway.

With a loud, worried… no, a scared shout, Bear Hearts jumped over Flame Bash, shielding the lying orange pony with his own body. Meanwhile, Silver Shine jumped to the side, hoping that burrowing himself into the mud, and a wooden footbridge protruding hoof-high from the mud would shield us from the fire.

I lay still in the brown sludge. No alifat hadn’t jumped on me yet, that’s a good sign.

I carefully crawled towards the walkway, watching the surface of the mush all around me for any movement.

If any Aliflat was to jump on me, at least I’ll know when to hold my breath…

Silver Shine tried to simultaneously retrieve the weapon slung across his back, and pull health potions from his pockets while I dug into the mud as deep as I could cursing repeatedly. He concentrated on the potions. gave me one and levitated it to my muzzle as I got close to him..

"Give it to Flame Bash! Quick!" I grabbed it but didn't flinch. He’s gonna fucking shoot me! And I'm supposed to save that asshole ?

"Do it!" Silver Shine shouted at me

“Fuck off!”

“Do that or I’ll crush your larynx right… now…” He started shouting, but downed his voice to a low growl.

“I hope that some bullet will snap off that fucking horn of yours.” I muttered to myself

Reluctantly, I looked at Bear Hearts standing over Flame Bash, firing in the direction of the attacker who was barely visible in the distance

If I don’t get fucking shot in the process!

A bullet hit Bear Hearts right front right knee. it bent under him and he fell down on his front cursing loudly.

Just like that!

I don't think that's anything serious. Or nothing that couldn't be fixed with a potion. And now that he lay on the ground, I could hide behind him to give Flame Bash the potion!

I took a breath, and prepared to jump onto the footbridge, but then, another shot tore through bear Heart’s armour. That’s what I assumed by the short wail of pain that followed. I couldn't see where it hit him, but the effect of it I saw was just fine. He fell completely limp on the footbridge in front of Flame Bash. I froze in place and watched him fall.

Seeing another one of his friends go down, silver shine shouted a curse, and fired away from that same rifle he shot me with when we first met. I was glad to stand on the other side of that barrel.

Then I snapped to reality.

Oh shit They're both hit! Fuck! Shit! Were fucked!

"Give them the potion you useless bastard!"

Alright! Alr…

I stopped myself from preparing for a bold sprint.

We aren't fucked. They are fucked.

and that leaves, just you. I thought turning my head to Silver Shine

"If we survive this, you're gonna have to let me out!" I shouted to him, half joking and probing him over the sound of gunfire.

"Not now! Give them the potion!"

"Now, you asshole! Answer!"

"I... I'll think about it!" he said without leaning out from behind the scope as bullets whizzed past us

"Silver Shine! Ple–" I stifled what I just wanted to say

The same situation again.– I thought as I felt anger rise in me. Was I seriously going to beg him already? Fuck no!

Enough asking. You're not gonna let me go you motherfucker. Isn't that right?!

As I felt my frustration dissolve, I felt a smile make its way on my face. I took a step towards Silver Shine. To be right behind him.

Then I swung

I think I'm going to enjoy this.

And hit him with the lower side of my hoof in the ear as hard as I could.

He screamed, covered that ear with a hoof, and flopped onto his back.

I climbed on top of him and started beating him across the face with my muddy hooves.

Making me do all the most dangerous jobs!? Using me as a bait for radwolves!? Forcing me to give a healing potion to Flame Bash?!

Every hit on his face felt like such a treat. Finally, I waited for this for too long!

He pulled himself together, shielded his face, and focused magic on his horn. I saw a white bright streak rise around it. He shot a bust of bright frizzling bust of magic at me, and made me jump off him to avoid the magical bullet. This gave him time to get up. all muddy, just like me, he stood up on all fours, and with his eyes wide open, aiming his horn at me. Rushing before he could collect enough strength for a next bullet, I grabbed a full hoofful of mud and threw it straight into his eyes. He managed to shield his face, The horn was glowing stronger and stronger, Fuck!

Then, I heard another bang, and a shot hit Silver SHine from behind.

His focus shattered, horn stopped glowing, and he started staggering. I used the moment, and pounced on him.

We both fell, our heads hitting the footbridge and the rest of our bodies falling into the mud again. I picked myself up faster, and before Silver Shine could get up, I hit him in the head with my hoof as hard as I could. It disoriented him.

I've had enough of that fucking horn of yours!

I hit his head again, hard enough that it hit the footbridge below. Then I grabbed it in my hooves, put it against the wooden walkway so that the edge touched the Base of his horn, held him tight, and while he shouted for me to stop, while desperation tok over his eyes, and his horn was starting to glow in his last desperate attempt to protect every unicorn’s greatest treasure, with a wide smile, I hit the top of his horn with my right hoof.

To see him scared. The ever stoic asshole begging me to stop! Now that’s something you don’t see everyday!

Apart from a cry of pain, I saw no effect, so I took a swing, and struck again, with all my strength. A nasty crack of broken bone and a scream of unprecedented agony declared my success. Panting, I moved away from Silver Shine, looking at my work with satisfaction.

You can't choke me with that magic of yours anymore.

He lay there, breathing shallowly and unevenly with his eyes wide open, staring at me in horror.

It was the first time I had seen emotion in his eyes. He was always so calm.

I should have just let myself go, but oh well, I like it that way too!

And now let's finish this.

I grabbed him with my foot by his mane, he tried to defend himself, so I hit him in the middle of his nose. this always ends in tears, no matter how tough you are. Now with eyes full of tears he couldn't see anything, and he couldn't defend himself. I pushed his face into the mud, and held it.

Two Second

Ten seconds

Haha! Look how keeping me turned out for ya-aaaa…

Suddenly, like a wave of shock, like i was bucked with two hooves at the stomach. A realisation hit me.

I pulled his face out of the brown cold mush. And as he took a breath, The last thing I expected was to feel relieved. Yet I felt exactly that.

Ifell on my rump into the freezig mud right where I stood and started beating myself at the head.

no no no NO!

My breathing got shallow and quick. My stomach started turning and i feld sick like i have never before. The freezing mud below me didnt matter anymore. I…

I am not like that anymore!

I didn't–

I'm not!--

I had no choice! Yes! I had no choice!

Suddenly, shots from a distance began to fly again around me.

Don’t think about it now!

I quickly pulled him out and started searching through his muddy clothes. And just as I expected, he had both remotes. The one from the electric collar I just threw in the mud, the other from the bomb collar had a key. I lay down fairly flat, and in the dark tried to hit the hole on the bomb collar with the key.

As I drove the spanner like this over the surface of the collar trying to feel for a hole, I heard a tired groan from the left.

Bear Hearts, was lying down and breathing rapidly looking at me with a furious expression.

He had seen everything.

"You..."

"Shut up!"

"I should have-"

"You should have let me go! I roared furious. “I wouldn’t have done this!” I shouted, my voice cracking from sheer frustration and fury, “It’s your fault!"

I found the keyhole. Stuck the key in it, and with the click that I waited for for so long, yet now it gave me no satisfaction, the Collar fell into the mud below me.

and without waiting for a reply, I took off, and started sprinting down the log in the direction we had come from. And so running, as gunshots wheezed past my sides, I ran, and ran, and ran.

It wasn’t my fault. I had no choice! They made me do that by refusing to let me go! Yeah!

But I kept running. Away from my captors, and away from my own actions. Again.

Then I stopped, closed my eyes and screwed up my face.

An inevitable thought appeared in my head. One I would very much like to ignore, but couldn’t.

I looked up and groaned reluctantly, like when you have a chore that you need to do, but you don't want to because you know how much additional work it is.

“Fuck!”

I can’t fucking keep breaking shit and then running awayyy! What am I going to fucking do now? Fucking go to another village just to be kicked out ot killed?

“Ughhhh, Fuck!” I shouted angrily, and turned around.

Luna you bitch!

Author's Note

I encourage you to tell me what you think in the comments so I can get better! Thanks!

Luna you bitch!

I'll quickly run up, give a healing potion to these fuckers, pull them off the footbridge, and fuck off so they don't get a chance to kill me.

Simple plan.

Just don't get shot in the process and it'll be perfect.

***

When I was still several dozen metres from the place where everyone was lying, bullets were already whizzing past me. I was slaloming, randomly slowing down, changing direction and dodging sideways like a drunkard, but in spite of this, the dickhead who was shooting at me managed to hit me three times. Shallow wounds on the shoulder and buttocks, nothing more than a slightly painful reminder to keep moving, but monstrously annoying. So much so that each time I felt pain in a new spot on my body,, I shouted insults at full volume while speeding up even more. If anyone was standing by, they would probably find it a comical sight.

I managed to run to where they were lying, just as I had left them a moment ago. Except Bear Hearts had thrown unconscious Flame Bash off the footbridge to provide him with at least some cover and was in the process of crawling to Silver Shine himself.

Then our eyes met, he gave me a look so sharp, and full of hate that I think could have killed me with his eyes if I got too close, and watched me carefully without a word. I jumped into the ditch behind Silver Shine, who laid on his back with a badly bruised face and was looking at me with a blank stare.

All right, then, it looks like I'm on my own.

Silver Shine had some kind of bag next to him, it was lying in the mud next to him, I grabbed the zipper with my mouth and started pulling quickly and chaotically.

Grenades.

"Where are the healing potions!" I shouted to Bear Hearts

He only looked at me for a second. But that hateful look I knew exactly. It promised revenge, I could already imagine what would happen the second I turned my guard down around him.

“I want to fucking help you!” I shouted, but i saw no reaction. "I'm So–... It was a mistake!" I corrected.

"In my saddlebags." Bear Hearts replied with a full of unmasked hatred growl.

Good, I thought he lost his mind or something. Their chaces of survival would be slim without me.

Actually, maybe they’d manage without me…

Eh, whatever.

I looked at them, strapped to the rear of the brown pony twice my size that definitely wanted to kill me, who at the same time was lying on the footbridge in the open with a sniper just waiting for me to poke my head out.

Yeah. Fucking easy-peasy.

Lying on my stomach in the mud, I opened Silver Shine’s bag with my hooves and started to search it thoroughly.

Grenades round grenades, cylindrical grenades, orange grenades, grey grenades, you name it, but no fucking potions!

Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

Since he has so many of these grenades here, maybe he has some smoke ones?

I need to check on the wind first.

I leaned out from behind the walkway to check if there's a wind in any direction, Then I heard a swish, and felt a searing pain, like a hammer hit me a hundred times, it spread all over on the inside of my front leg paralysing me in agony. I dropped to the ground and started screaming for a while, and after the pain eased a bit, while still lying on my back in the mud, I kept cursing that motherfucker that shot me.

Fuck, fuck fuuuck! I am not dong that again!

Once I came to myself again after a while, and masked my screams as short bursts of a sour laughter, I started pulling out grenades randomly with my mouth, snatching the pin to throw, repeatedly until I got a smoke one. Surely, one of these would be smoke!

Explosion after explosion left me nearly deaf, but it had also torn the footbridge ahead of us into a fiery mess of splinters and broken wooden beams. Luckily a few of the grenades happened to be the right ones, and after a moment later, smoke kicked up into the air concealing us.

I just hoped Bear Hearts wasn't dead by now.

Holding my front right leg close to my chest to spare it, I hobbled over to Bear Hearts' pouches, and pulled out three healing potions.

Well fuck it would be too easy for me if there were four wouldn’t it?

I gave one to Bear Hearts, with a sigh I put the second one into the mouth of a barely panting Flame Bash, and spilled the third one on the corner of Silver Shine and put the rest in my mouth just like Flame Bash.

Now quickly fuck off before they recover.

I stepped onto the footbridge, and, fighting the pain that was pounding all over my forearm as if somepony was constantly hitting me there with a hammer, I began to swing with one hoof raised, leaving a trail of blood droplets that trickled down my completely caked in mud fur.

"You think you're just going to walk away like that raider!" I heard a shout behind me

I stopped clumsily, and looked behind me. Bear Hearts stood up, and slowly started limping towards me.

Fucking hell!

A shudder ran through me, and I found a new source of strength within me that helped me push past the pain in both my front legs and rump. This new strength was called: If he gets me he'll fucking tear me to pieces!

"Leave me and go help your friends, you idiot!" I shouted as I felt a surge of pain from the wound in my ‘healthier’ leg almost lost balance.

But he didn't stop, just slowly caught up with me metre by metre, in what could be compared to a race between two snails.

"You think some potion is going to fix what you did Silver Shine! Do you know what it's like for a unicorn to lose a horn! It will kill you, you understand!"

"It's your fault! Not mine! You gave me no choice!" I shouted behind me accusingly.

"You justify everything to yourself like that? Even how you gutted that mare when we first met! You are an animal! And you should be slaughtered like a rabid dog!"

And slowly, step by step, Bear Hearts was coming towards me, and towards the fulfilment of his threat.When he was a pony's distance from me, he darted in, and grabbed me by the hind leg.

"Get off me!" I shouted, and kicked him with my other hind leg in the muzzle, and fell on the hard boards myself. He held onto my rear hoof and began dragging me towards him. Lying on my stomach I looked back and began frantically kicking him in the muzzle again. After a couple kicks, I heard a crack, and with a loud groan, he finally let go. I lifted myself up as fast as I could, which with only three available hooves proved to be quite a challenge, and started limping further down the footbridge as fast as I could.

"When you kill another pony, or break a unicorn's horn, will you also say you had no choice ?!" he shouted from behind, holding himself by his bleeding nose.

"Fuck off!" I shouted, and sped up, hoping Bear Hearts would come to his fucking senses, and focus on helping his friends.

***
And I walked like that for a while, along the footbridge until the swamp was over. When I felt solid ground under my feet, I chose a random direction, and went there without thinking much in case they wanted to chase me.

And so I walked. And walked, and walked, my coat caked in dried mud and blood which dripped on the ground constantly. The forest was becoming more and more lively, I felt the pleasant smell of the decomposing orange and yellow leaves under my hooves that crunched with my every wobbly step.

I continued to limp on three legs until it got dark. It seemd that on this night the pegasi could not keep the cloud curtain tight, because every now and then the moon would emerge, illuminating the surroundings with relatively bright bluish rays.

Then, I heard the sound of water.

A stream? A river?.

It was only now that I felt how thirsty I had begun to feel, the stinging in my dry throat had become pronounced, the burning under the last collar left on my neck, the one to which the chain could be attached was making itself known, and the mud with which I was covered was scratching and irritating me almost all over my body.

I quickened my pace, passing the trees and found the stream. It flowed in a naturally carved canal. Too steep to go down without falling into the water painfully, and to back up without problem. So I walked along it, hoping to find a place with a gentler descent.

Eventually I found one, and while I was limping along on three legs with a quick and clumsy step, I suddenly heard a snap by my side.

"Stop" A rough voice demanded from the darkness.

Instinctively I stopped, searching with my eyes for whoever had said it, and saw the black outline of a pony wearing a large hat between the trees to my right. It was so dark I could barely see him.

Don’t notice my ears, don't notice my ears! – I thought while my heart raced.

I stood frozen with my eyes closed for a short moment.

He didn’t shoot me right away!

So he can’t see them.

Oh please Luna if you hear me, keep the moon behind the fucking clouds.

"Fuck off" I said in a tired and exasperated voice, and continued limping with my right front leg dangling, descending into the stream.

Suddenly there was a flash.

A deafening bang followed. the ground in front of me trembled, and in an instinctive attempt to avoid being shot I jumped back, slipped on a stone at the edge of the ditch and fell on my side.

"Don't move me or the next shot will turn your head into cheese."

"Ow you selfish fucking motherfucker!" I shouted slowly picking myself up. He didn't react to that, he must have seen I was hurt.

"Shut up! What are you looking for here?"

"None of your fucking business."

"I think it is my business."

Fucking kill him. I'm going to kill him and he won't be so brash.

Of course, I won't, but the urge is still there.

"I fucking want water, what, are you fucking blind!?"

"You're running away from someone" He stated firmly, "What have you done…?" He added with suspicio.

Oh you just have to fucking know everything don’t you? Stick your nose somewhere else!

"I fucked your mother!” I snarled, “ I want a drink of water, wash up and fuck off!"

He stood still for a moment, but after a moment he sighed, "Alright. Go. Wash up, and fuck off."

I snarled again, nodded my head in anger, and started to slowly hobble up towards the stream. Only now did I notice that the pony that was aiming at me, had a cart parked in between trees around the gentle descent towards the stream. I passed a quickly extinguished campfire standing by the stream.

"You’re badly injured," he said standing on the edge of the ditch.

I turned my head to him, "Oh, thank you Mr Perceptive." I said with a strong note of mockery, and bent down to take a drink.

He watched me carefully the whole time.

"Now wash and fuck off." he ordered.

His bossy tone irritated me terribly. Fuck how I'd like to hit him over the head with some kind of stone.

But Yeah, I'll do just that. I need to wash quickly and fuck off before another crack in the clouds opens and he sees my ears!

I washed myself, and watched the mud and blood slowly dissolve in water, allowing my green-yellow fur to finally regain its colour as I breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling the sensation of the cold water collide with the pain and the feeling of the heat of my wounds on my leg, shoulders and rump brought a blissful moment of something that you could say resembled pleasure.

Despite this hopeless situation, I didn’t want to get out that quickly. This was my first true relief in a long time! I looked down at my water-soaked hooves with a slight smile, and breathed in deeply. Moments later, I lay down in the stream, leaving only my head above the surface. The icy water, although not pleasant, eased the pain, and I could finally feel the tension coming off me.

"Okay, get out." I heard the hat pony’s raspy voice ruin my one moment of rest.

"Fuck off." I said flatly, I don’t like when somepony gives me orders.

"Get out!" he growled.

I’ll teach you a fucking lesson you cocksucker.

Hearing that he was losing patience, which I assumed I had stretched long enough, I slowly started to rise, but while coming out of the water, I dug through the bottom of the stream, and grabbed a rock in my badly wounded leg. I’m gonna beat the shit out of him, and then I’ll fuck off because I decided to, not because some mother fucker tells me to.

It would be painful to hold it, but I could hold it near my chest while making it look like I'm just saving my wounded leg.

On three legs, with a groan caused by the pain holding the rock in a wounded leg caused, I stepped out of the stream, and stood on the bank.

At that moment the moon emerged from a window of clouds, and lit up the spot where we stood. I looked at my injured leg, and cursed to myself.

Luna you bi-- Oh, so that’s why it hurt so much.

I saw my bone. Very clearly. The bullet must have hit it and torn off a piece of flesh.

"Raider." Said the pony in the hat with shock.

I involuntarily smiled. Arousing horror was always nice, regardless of the shityness of the situation.

"Shit." I mumbled to myself.

"There's no such thing as an ex-raider! Where are your mates!" He shouted at me in something that I assumed was a momentary panic.

I couldn’t let him shoot me because of that!

"Fuck knows! I left them!" I shouted accusingly.

The pony in the hat came close enough to me that his shotgun, which I could now see was perched on a combat saddle, was a hoof's distance from my face. "Tell the truth or I'll blow your psychotic head off!" He said while leaning forward, as if preparing to take a shot at any moment.

I clenched my sharp teeth, and felt pain surge in my hurt leg from squeezing the stone in it.

The easiest thing to do now would be to throw myself at his neck! Somehow… At least that’s the only thing he doesn’t expect. I think…

"Listen you fuck!" said I angrily, but mastered my tone, "Calm down or this will end badly for y-- both of us!" I finished calmly, with a hint of request.

The pony hat took two steps away from me.

"Prove it." he growled

In response, shaking from the adrenaline, and from the cold of the stream, I released the stone from my injured leg. "All I can do."

He looked at me for a moment, and finally raised the shotgun to the air. "Boy, you have a lot of explaining to do.

***
"A new life with a clean slate?" he looked at me in disbelief

"Do you have a problem with that?" I asked while pushing a cloth hoof carrier he made for me under the last collar so the coarse metal wouldn’t rub me on the neck that much.

"Boy, I don't care in the slightest," he said waving his hoof, then he bent down to the kettle over the fire and pulled a wet piece of cloth from the boiling water. "You won't make it."

I snarled, "Because what, you think I can't control myself?"

"I fucking met you half an hour ago, I have no fucking idea if you have self-control issues! But I can see you don't feel any remorse, or even pretend to."

"Give me that band-aid and shut the fuck up okay?"

He smirked, "fuck you".

"Hey! What am I supposed to feel remorse for? I have nothing to feel guilty about."

"That's exactly why you won't make it. Shit, just listening to this makes me feel like shooting you in the face, and I don't fucking care one bit! So if you want to live even a little among the regular ponies, keep your mouth shut."

"Are you going to give me the bandwagon or not?"

"Ask. Politely."

"I'm not going to fucking ask you, give me the cloth! You said you would!"

He smirked again, and handed me a wet piece of cloth with his hoof. i grabbed it in my teeth, and holding the end of it with my healthy leg, slowly wrapped it around my injured right leg.

"What are you smiling about?" said I, holding the bandage with my teeth

"Of you." Before I had time to reply anything, he stood up and showed some direction with his hoof, "There is the nearest village there, if you learn manners, someone there will probably help you. Go."

I looked at him puzzled

“i'm not driving into the fucking city with a raider, what do you think? I sell shit for a living, and you'll scare off my customers! Go there, now or tomorrow, or don’t, I don't give a shit, but definitely not with me."

I slowly rose up on my three hooves, “Cocksucker,”

“Well fuck you too,” he replied flatly, to which i turned tu the direction he pointed at, and slowly limped in that direction

“Put the fucking hoof in the– Wait! Wait!” He got up quickly, ran up to me, “Too fucking proud to ask for help,” he said as he put my hurt hoof into a carrier he mdae earlier out of cloth, “Now fuck off.”

***
I was walking through the woods in the direction indicated by the asshole in the hat, you know I'm not going to ask! Asking is pathetic! If it's been a long time since you've had your face bashed in, all you had to do in the clan was ask for something and you were guaranteed to be persecuted! Even your mother sometimes joined in,

I smiled slightly

that bitch, heh

The wounded leg, the scrapes on the shoulders and the buttocks hurt, more and more. Something must have been wrong with that water. Fuck I'm so lucky. But I didn't stop, I suspected if I did it would only get worse with time. I neede a place to rest. Somewhere where I wouldn’t freeze, or get eaten by radwolves.

The pain is only in your head. It doesn't really hurt that much. Cut it off.

I kept repeating it to myself, and to some extent it worked. I was walking at the pace of a healthy pony, and it hurt only to the point of making me groan and sweat.

So I walked, and I walked through the woods, until I saw a light, I got closer, a boarded up window, the pain was increasing, I got close. Relief, so close, I just need to get in there. Just a few painful steps away.

I went through a hole in a ruined fence, and Limped closer to the ruined two storey cubic house surrounded by it. The calming silence and the concert of grasshoppers all around me was broken by the loud banging of my hoof on the door.

I leaned on a wall next to the door and banged again while breathing heavily. My legs felt like jelly, ready to give in at any moment. Then I heard hoofsteps, hard and fast clanking against a floor, then the door opened, and a face of an older, but sweet looking mare stuck out of a pitch black inside of the house.

“Who is that?” She asked, looking somewhere into the woods in front of the house.

“I need a– Place to– Sleep.” I gasped, every word felt heavy, speaking felt like spitting heavy iron blocks out of my lungs. What the fuck was happening to me? Was it something with that water? Did that cocksucker in a hut poison me with something?

As soon as she heard me, she turned her head in my direction, albeit not looking straight at me.

She’s blind. Oh thank the wasteland!

“I..” She let out a series of grunts, series of wavering and indecisiveness,

“Listen. If you won’t–” Fuck.

Fine, let's give it a try. I hope that cocksucker in a hat wasn’t just trying to get rid of me.

“P…” Ugh, “Please.” The word felt like a huge, heavy metal ball that was painfully making its way through my throat, while I tried to make it sound as not-pathetic as it was possible.

She looked at me, her face showing that she clearly sensed the difficulty I had with talking at this state.

And then, a sudden shirek, a screech of a foal inside the house stuck my ears like needles.

Whatever made that sound– I already hate it– Even thinking was coming with a difficulty now.

“A Raider!” shouted in a high pitch foalish voice followed.