Fallout Equestria: Wounded Hare

December 25th, 2273 Hearth’s Warming Day

“Goooooood Morning, my little ponies! This is Comet Flash coming to you live at Vanhoofer Broadcasting, where we bring you ponies the hard-to-swallow news. The first order of business is that today is a very special day. It’s Hearth's Warming Day! Hope everypony is having a wonderful holiday in this concrete cesspit we call home.” The radio spouted, causing my eyes to flutter open. I smacked my dry lips, feeling the drool-soaked pillow stick to my face. I slowly pushed myself off the bed to rub my face, feeling the sting behind my forehead from last night’s whiskey.

“In today’s news, the blizzard that overtook the city has gone away over the evening leaving a frigid temperature of being fragging cold. Be sure to bundle up the little ones before you take them out to scavenge. The loc-” The radio tried to continue before I turned it off with a click, the noise hurting my head as I shook off the grit of sleep.

“Up and at em…” I muttered, dragging my sluggish body off the bed. The brisk cold air in the drafty attic room hit my naked coat, sending a slight chill up my body. I quickly got my clothes over my cold frame and checked my pack and equipment before I set them in their proper places. I stretched and did a few jumps to check for rattle like every morning; no sound came from my gear. Good, unnecessary sound leads to trouble.

Picking up my rifle, I gave it a once over, more out of habit than necessity. Dragging the bolt handle slightly to check the chamber, I knew a round sat in the chamber, but seeing the dull brass casing gave me a sense of reassurance. Smacking the bolt closed, I let the rifle hang in front of my chest on its sling before my gaze rested on my reflection. The bright color of my eyes had returned, shining crystal blue with the rest. I looked down at the scarf hanging on the bed's edge and smiled. Levitating it to my hoof, I wrapped it around my neck to feel the familiar warmth it’s always given me. “Alright, it’s time to go.” I said, turning my back to the mirror and trotting towards the door.

Opening it, I noticed Caramel standing in front of the threshold, posed to knock on it. She shied away, a bit embarrassed at the timing, before coughing. “Mint Creme told me to tell you it was time to go.” I figured as much, but she leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I also took down the poster so nopony would make a fuss if you decided to stay a bit longer to eat.” she said, smiling softly.

I gave her a nod before leaning forward to match her whisper. “Thank you, Caramel, and Happy Hearth’s Warming. I’d be happy to eat some of your cooking.”

I could feel the warmth of her joy at the words. “Head on down, and I’ll use some of our good ingredients. Do you like oatmeal? I can use some of our stored cinnamon for some taste.”
My ears folded as I rubbed my head sheepishly. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the caps for that good of a meal.”

She shook her head as we walked down the hall. “It’s my treat. The caps you gave me
were the last I needed to hitch a ride down south. Using the last of the cinnamon will be a spit in the face of my shit father for what he put me through. It’s the least I can do.” she said, letting me head down the stairs first. I wasn’t sure how to feel about being used as a way to get back at her awful father, but honestly, I wasn’t in the position to say no.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I turned my head to her a few steps behind me. “Well, Thank you nonetheless. I’ll be in the booth over there.” I said, pointing with a hoof to a booth that wasn’t covered in vomit.

She nodded before she made her way to the kitchen behind the counter. She had a much brighter pep in her step than last night. Regardless of her reasons, I felt good about helping. I turned my head and saw that ponies were already starting to make their way into the bar to escape the built snow outside.

It was undoubtedly more packed than it was the previous night. I tried to make my way to the booth I had pointed at previously, to be stopped by the sight of a massive dark grey pegasus whose size easily dwarfed mine, which wasn’t so much of an accomplishment. This was the first time I’d seen a pegasus that wasn’t aiming to kill me or the ponies around me. His broad shoulders stretched the undersuit of the combat armor he wore.

The blue-maned pegasus argued with a milk chocolate brown unicorn, drabbed in an old woodland camo jacket and cloak. His face was covered in a similarly camoed bandana, which is nothing special in of itself. However, All of it drew one’s eye to his, the light crimson hue emanating from the crude cybernetic seemingly pierced through anything it gazed upon. His good eye pinged with annoyance. “We don’t need to waste the promised caps by splitting it with others; it barely covers my fee.” The unicorn spoke in a monotone voice, the annoyance edging on his words.

The grey pegasus’ nostrils flared. “You must’ve been dropped on the head as a colt if you believe that only two of us can take on-” The pegasus retorted, my grasp of the conversation cut off by the tide of bodies shuffling around me. The last thing I could glimpse was the grey pegasus shaking his head in irritation.

I didn’t have a clue on what they were arguing about, but I couldn’t afford to get involved. Someone might recognize me if I made any noise, even a ripple in the pool. Keeping my head low, aided by my small stature, I slicked past the ponies around me. The smell of body odor and sweat mixed with the smell of cheap booze and sweat. It nearly made me gag when I eventually made my way into my booth. I sat down before wiping off the bits of crumbs and trash that lay on the table. Sighing, I looked around at the sea of ponies celebrating the holiday; even the most downtrodden were here. Scraping together the few caps they had for a drink or a slightly warm meal. Seeing that even in the worst of winter, ponies can find a way to celebrate felt a bit uplifting.

I turned my gaze back to the bar to see a glimpse of the two ponies, mainly the pegasus. Even with all the festivities, It truly perplexed me that no pony in the filled bar seemed to notice or care about the pegasus. My father always had awful things to say about pegasi, and he wasn’t the only one to do so. How the pegasi abandoned us to die on the surface, stealing the light of both sun and moon for themselves with the cloud cover, as if they stole the goddesses themselves. If we blame the pegasi for leaving us, we should blame ourselves for the weapons that ruined the world in the first place, but that’s just me, I suppose.

My mind continued to wander about what I was going to do after this before my thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Caramel coming my way. Expertly navigating the crowd with practiced ease, a bowl of food and… a drink? “Here you go, one order of Cinnamon Oatmeal with an Applebuck Cider.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t say anything about a drink, Caramel.” I looked at the bowl of hot oatmeal with a bit of amazement.

She gracefully placed the bowl and drink in front of me before pulling back the tray and holding it against her chest. “Well, I thought I would give my last and most polite customer the best I can offer.” She said, excitement breaking through her professional mask.

I levitated the spoon to my nose with a magic hand and smelled it. It was the best-smelling oatmeal I’ve seen in years. As I thought about going to town for the food, I stopped. “Where are you gonna head to?” I asked, curious more than anything.

She shrugged. “Someplace warmer and a bit dryer. I’ve always thought about going to New Pegasus or maybe Manehatten. Anywhere but here is better.”

I raised the spoon to her with an encouraging smile. “Well, I wish you the best of luck on your journey. May Luna Guide you where you need to go.”

She gave a slight nod of her head, smiling softly. “Thanks, Jack. You as well, but I’ve got to go.” She said rather quickly, backing away a step before returning to the bar counter through the crowd again.

My eyes tracked her movement for a moment before they fell back onto the food before me. Taking a tiny bite, I felt I was in heaven, but the cinnamon was awfully overpowering. “Better than being bland, I suppose,” I said to myself through the mouthful of the warm creamy oats.

After a few more bites, a loud whistle sounded across the bar, and the idle murmuring of the patrons went silent as all looked at the source. The grey pegasus standing on the barstool creaked under his weight. “Howdy, mares, and gentlecolts. Ah apologize for the interruption to your eating and drinking, but there is a situation that me and my compatriot here need assistance with.” His southern equestrian drawl perked my ears while it sounded right. Something felt… off about it. Many of the ponies turned their heads away, already disinterested.

I spooned in another flavorful scoop of oatmeal in my mouth, trying to seem disinterested to little avail. My eyes fixed on the stallion who tried to garner more attention. “That situation pertains to a certain group of raiders that have caused y’all a mighty bit of trouble in the past few months.” This got some of the ponies’ attention, mine included. Raiders are always raiders in places like this. “We have a friend here who needs his dear filly back from these wretched bandits, nearly killed him when he tried to stop them.”

“If they have her, then she’s already dead. Forget about it.” A pony from the crowd commented dismissively.

“P-please, I can’t do it on my own… she is all I have left!” A haggard voice sounded next to the duo at the front of the bar, a phlegm-filled cough rasping from his lungs.

“I’m not asking for all of you. Only a few. Come on folks, do the decent thang y’all.” The pegasus asked, his eyes scanning across the sea of faces. Judging by his look, he didn’t see any faces willing to risk their neck for a pony they didn’t know. The silence was the only answer he received. He stood there, continuing to look out at the crowd, hoping anyone would join.

I felt myself trembling momentarily, trying to stare at the oatmeal to ignore the sounds. I had to keep my head down, but… I froze, thinking of what I did in killing the monsters in pony form on those mountains; in my damnation, I sought solace in saving those kids' lives. Dropping the spoon into the half-empty bowl of oatmeal with a wet plop, I stood up.

I grabbed my rifle and approached the two. Anxious that I was putting myself in the view of everypony watching, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I’ll help, I’m good with a rifle.” I pronounced, looking up at the large pegasus in his sky-blue eyes. His size was even more intimidating up close.

The two stallions looked at me in turn, there was a stallion on the floor propped up against the bottom of the bar. He was a middle-aged stallion, his face beaten and one eye swollen from the bruising he had taken. His hind legs looked mangled, which caused me to cringe internally; I couldn’t think of the pain he would be in. But, the fact that he was more concerned about his daughter than his own well-being told me all I needed to do. “What happened?” I asked, not letting the pegasus speak to me at first.

The beaten stallion took a moment before he answered. “I-I don’t know… we were ambushed near the bridge leading into Vanhoofer after scavenging!” His breathing was nearly hyperventilating. “My hind legs were beaten to a pulp, and I was knocked unconscious; when I woke up, they were gone along with my daughter… Please! you have to find her!” He exclaimed.

I simply nodded before I looked up at the pegasus and unicorn. “What’s your name, son?” The pegasus asked.

“My name’s Jack Rabbit, but you can call me Jack.” I replied in the practiced monotone voice I used with officers showing. “And yours?” I asked the two stallions.

The pegasus stood a bit straighter at the question. “Name’s Serenity Showers, Applejack Rangers.” The pegasus said rather proudly. I curled an eyebrow at that name; indeed, he was a soldier by his mannerisms, yet his use of an organization that I’d never heard of sparked a quiet distrust. I would have customarily chalked it up to being a local faction, but his accent and the confused looks on some local patrons told me it wasn’t the case.

“Fuze.” The milk chocolate unicorn replied, his voice monotone and emotionless. Giving off no notions of what his profession was.

With the soft clatter of potion bottles, our attention was turned to a zebra kneeling over the wounded stallion and administering first aid to the wounded scavenger. The silence of the zebra's initial approach seemed further softened by a veil of shadow that seemed to follow her. I blinked, and it had disappeared. Startled by the sudden appearance, she placed a potion of pinkish-yellow color into the scavenger’s mouth. “Drink zhis, my friend.” The zebra mare softly said, ignoring our collective stares.

Her exotic accent rang in my ears, reminding me of the locals out west from Stalliongrad. Orlovian? Something like that, I wish I paid more attention to Mom’s geography lessons. But, as she went to cork the now empty potion bottle. The dull, sickly green glow of scratched pipbuck screen showed through the leather straps winding down her left leg, hiding the device mounted to her foreleg.

The zebra fully stood, her height exceeding Fuze and I’s, standing at an astounding head and half taller than me; she took down her hood, revealing not a black and white set of stripes but stripes of night black and a coat of stormcloud gray. Her right ear was pierced with two large hoops dangled on the side, jingling slightly when her head moved. “My name is Ziya Alcoraad, but just call me Ziya.” She announced, her accent mixing in with a breathtaking amount of confidence. Her winter cloak draped around the very defined curves of her body, leaving little to the imagination, barely concealed by the patched and repaired Stable-tec jumpsuit.

Serenity took us all in for a moment and shook his head despairingly. His jaw clenched. “So y’all are telling me that these are the only ponies in this town that have the balls to do anything.” He shouted to the crowd; the slight murmur of chatter quickly disappeared, some of the closer ones taking a step back at the words. “Two ponies. Two other ponies in this entire town are the only ones who even care about someone other than themselves. Bunch of fuckin’ cowards.” Serenity said, spitting on the ground, his cordial demeanor from before long gone.

“I-I’ll help.” A stuttering voice came, and we all shifted toward the voice. “It was a stallion, a dull and dented Sheriff’s badge pinned on his vest. “After all, i-it’s my job, I might know where the raiders are hiding out. They’ve been harassing us for months.” He certainly sounded like this line of work wasn’t his first choice. After that, a few more ponies stepped forward, volunteering to handle the raider problem; each pony was armed with simple shotguns or hunting rifles. Far from a professional army, but enough to take on raiders.

“Only because it benefits you.” Serenity grumbled under his breath, not realizing I could hear it. “Alright, Sheriff, lead the way.”

The journey there was a short one; it only took about half an hour of walking to see a barn poking out of the snowdrifts like a gravestone. The Sheriff explained on the way that they had been murdering the town’s sheriffs whenever they tried to stop them. I felt terrible for the unqualified Sheriff; I wouldn’t know what to do in his shoes. Serenity didn’t seem all that interested, even while talking to the Sheriff. I closed my mouth until the Sheriff led us to an isolated farmhouse. Concentrating on the fight that was about to take place. Crude iron mounts protruded from the snow like gravestones, another sign that we had arrived.

“Alright, this is the place. What’s the plan?” The Sheriff asked, shifting the weight of responsibility over to Serenity.

Serenity, looking annoyed, began discussing ideas with the Sheriff and the posse we had managed to wrangle up. Not paying attention to them, I took out my binos. I glassed the house to see two raiders out at the front door, basking in the heat of a fire barrel. “If only I had my old rifle, I could take them both out from here…” I mumbled to myself, lowering the glass to see that we were approximately two hundred meters away, enough where our position was concealed by the soft, heavy snow that drifted from the sky in curtains.

The crunch of snow drew my attention to see Ziya walking up; she had a long staff-like weapon, a large and wide curved blade perched on one end. It looked like a weapon you would see in a museum. I turned my gaze back through the binos, saying nothing as I tried to get more of a picture. “Vhat do you see, little one?”

A barn sat next to the house. The roof had collapsed from years of neglect and weather, and the skeletons of old livestock littered the ground around it. The house itself wasn’t in much better condition, but the iron posts I saw confirmed my suspicions; they held the bodies of the departed in a gruesome fashion. I thank Luna that the cold kept the smell at bay, with the cadavers frozen to the mounts. “Outside of the two raiders holding guard at the door, not much. Don’t see much in ways of cover, some snow mounds and old hay bales that we could hide behind, but they won't stop a bullet.” I turned my head over to speak when I realized her face was mere inches away from mine, causing me to jump in my boots. “Luna’s sake, don’t do that; scared the piss out of me.” I said, putting a hoof to my chest to catch my breath.

She smirked at that. “Oh, my little colt, I didn’t realize mares scared you so easily.”

I put my eyes back onto the binos, ignoring the flustered feeling in my cheeks. “You know what I mean.” I said, trying to dodge the comment and be professional.

The response got a giggle from her throat as she lay beside me on the snow. “What do you think we should do, my dear friend?”

“What we should do is put them down with as much firepower as we can,” Fuze answered, interrupting me before I could speak. He walked behind us and shifted the eyebrow of his good eye a bit upward. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No.” I said, cutting off Ziya before she could make another comment I felt was coming. “And besides, we aren’t going to blow the place up. There is a filly in there that needs our help, so we need to be careful with what we do.”

“What makes you think she is still alive?” Fuze responded, his monotone voice coming off cold.

I looked back at him with a questioning look. “We don’t, but if the filly is alive, I don’t want to be the reason why she meets Luna before her time.” I retorted, annoyed at the callousness.

Serenity came up before Fuze could make a retort. “Alright, y’all, from what this sorry excuse for a sheriff told me, there should be about five or six of ‘em. What we need to do is draw them out, which means we need to take ‘em from the front. Let’s get goin’.” He whistled softly to the others. “We are about to start; remember to watch your fire. There is a little filly in there depending on us.”

Getting up, I did another check of my rifle; this was the third time I’d done it on this journey; it was undoubtedly becoming an anxious tick. I shook off the snow and followed the posse; I decided to look over the posse we gathered; there were about four of the towns folk and then the Sheriff himself. Making nine of us against six, better odds, but if the Raiders hunkered down, it’d be bloody. The ponies themselves while they showed bravado, they were practically tripping over themselves. They were extremely nervous, which is normal even in the most battled-hardened veterans I’ve met; these ponies made me anxious. I didn’t want to accidentally catch a bullet from friendly fire.

We spread out when we made our approach, using the concealment of the snowbanks to get close. I took to a hay bale on its side, giving me plenty of room to move behind; I edged my way around the corner of the square bale and brought my sights to my eye. I aimed at the raider on the left; the dirty-looking stallion was huffing an inhaler of some random substance, maybe Dash. I was never one for hard drugs, personally.

But, as Ziya, Fuze, and Serenity made their way to their spots, a shot rang out. This alerted the once-relaxed raiders, who attempted to take cover. Then chaos erupted with undisciplined gunfire from the townsfolk peppering the outside of the farmhouse. At first, behind the haybale, I thought it was because the raiders noticed us and fired. I realized then that the townsfolk jumped the gun and ruined our element of surprise. I cursed, putting pressure on the trigger and sending a burst of automatic rifle fire into the raider’s chest; he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

The second raider who tried to flee into the doorway was cut down by a salvo of rifle fire from Serenity. From my position, I saw that Fuze was sending out single snapshots of a service rifle into the now open and bloodied doorway. I saw a blur of movement on my rifle to saw that Ziya was bounding from concealment to concealment with her large spear/cleaver weapon.

Three more raiders came rushing out, their eyes bloodshot and crazed; they seemed to be having a hoot at seeing their fallen comrades. “I’m going to enjoy fucking the bullethole!” One of them shouted, I internally shuttered at that visceral imagery. I placed my sights on his path while he ran, letting him run into the salvo of rounds I sent into his skull; gore and grey matter sprayed over the snow behind him as his lifeless body toppled into the snow.

Fuze managed to wing another, his rifle shots not hitting where he wanted them. Blood oozed from the bullet wound in the raider’s foreleg; the raider licked it as if she were enjoying a frozen treat. “I’m going to skin you for that!” The raider mare exclaimed, pointing a rusty kitchen knife at Fuze. She didn’t get far before my rifle barked again with a single shot, and hitting the raider in the neck, she grasped the wound with a filthy hoof before collapsing. I could hear her gurgling as she struggled to breathe through the blood. A shot from Serenity quickly put her out of her misery. The third raider and last of the trio was hiding behind a toppled fridge, letting out a blind barrage of rounds from a submachine gun; cries echoed from a couple of the townsfolk who were caught in the salvo.

I gritted my teeth, poking out of cover, prepared to fire when I stopped myself; another raider and the boss, by the looks of it, stepped out of the threshold. “You all might as well PUT your weapons down, or this filly will be visiting her daddy real soon, you hear?” The raider bellowed, using his above-average bulk to carry his confidence while shoving a filly into the snow before him. He pointed a simple shotgun at the back of her head. “It would be a shame if you killed her.” He darkly chuckled, cocking the hammer of the blood-smeared shotgun back with a click. The raider boss was covered in grazes and shrapnel wounds caused by wooden splinters from the undisciplined salvo that had punched through the walls of the farmhouse.

I clicked my rifle to single fire in response, ready to take the precise shot against the gun in hopes that the impact would knock it to the side and away from the filly’s head. But that might not work; the effect is just as likely to cause the tense stallion to jolt and pull the trigger. I would have to go for the head for him to go limp, but I didn’t trust the accuracy of this rifle and its wasteland-made bullets; too many variables. If I fucked up the shot, the filly would die, and I don’t think I could bear the weight of any more guilt.

“Well? Are you ponies going to listen, or will I have to make you listen?” The raider spouted. His blood-smeared face smirked, but that smirk quickly faded as more and more blood began to pour out of his wounds. “Wh-” He started to convulse, the shotgun dropping from his hoofs as he fell to the snow. Blood from each of his shrapnel wounds began to pour out into the snow unnaturally fast as his body unnaturally and audibly convulsed, bones grated against each other until they snapped at the joints from the strain.

I was dumbstruck, unable to comprehend what was happening, before I noticed Ziya had begun to stride towards the raider boss, uttering words I couldn’t and didn't wish to decipher. Black tendrils of shadow crowded the air around her, reaching out towards the stallion as she continued her spell. The tendrils encased the stallion before blood geyser out in all directions, coating everything, including the filly, in a spray of crimson mist, ending his screams abruptly.

The last raider standing sat there trembling in fear at what they just witnessed. Instead of running, the mare stuck her SMG into their mouth, unable to cope with the horror she just witnessed. At their own hoof, the fight was over. The fight lasted only a minute, but like all other battles, it felt like an eternity.

Ziya slowly made her way to the filly, the shadows fading with the wind. “It’s okay, little one, yo-” Ziya tried to say before she crumpled onto the ground, convulsing into a seizure, her back arched upward as she let out a horrified scream, muttering more of the indecipherable language. This caused the townsfolk to make some distance away from the seizing zebra.

Yet, Serenity came along and hit her with a resounding slap from his hoof, causing her to gasp before she fell unconscious. Serenity looked at his hoof and then at Fuze and me as we approached. “I didn’t think I hit her that hard.” Serenity said before he looked down at the filly as I kept my eye on Ziya; I will have to ask her what that was about and why it looked familiar. I saw the shotgun that the raider boss dropped, and I quickly grabbed it along with the few rounds the dry husk had on his bandoleer. “I’m sorry you had to see that lil one. Are you okay?” Serenity asked the filly. She just stared blankly, her eyes red from tears. “I’ll carry the zebra; one of you two, grab the kid, and we will return to the bar.” Serenity looked to the road as if he would give out more orders but stopped. “Fuckers already left.” Serenity said, disgruntled, shaking his head in disappointment. I turned my head to see that the others had fled not long after Ziya had been knocked unconscious.

“I’ll grab her.” I offered, kneeling beside the shell-shocked filly with my most comforting smile. “Hey, my name’s Jack. Are you hurt?” I asked, putting as much comfort and care into my voice as possible. The filly didn’t look hurt; all of the blood on her charcoal gray coat seemed to belong to the raider that Ziya had rung out like a sponge. She silently shook her head, the blood in her black mane dripping into the snow. “That’s good, you’re safe now. We are going to bring you back to your dad. Would you like that?” The mention of her dad seemed to bring some light back to her eyes, which caused me to give an internal sigh of relief. I took off my scarf and showed it to her. “Here, this will keep you warm on the trip back, okay?” She nodded, which prompted me to wrap the enchanted scarf around her shivering body. “Let’s get going, okay? Want to ride on my back?” I offered, which she nodded once more.

Lifting her up in my magic, I placed her on my back, stifling a grunt. She was a bit heavier than she looked. “I never got your name. Want to tell me, or is it a super duper secret?” I said, trying to lift the mood.

A crack of a smile came across her muzzle. “My name’s Jumping Jingle, but my dad calls me Jenny.”

I followed behind Serenity, who was now carrying the unconscious Ziya on top of his back. “Well, Jenny, welcome aboard the Jack Express; next stop is your dad!” I exclaimed quietly; I could see Fuze rolling his one good eye at this as we returned to the town. I didn’t mind as long as it cheered up the filly. It always pains me to see a filly or colt robbed of their natural innocence, no matter how common it is. Kids don’t deserve this kind of life, but that’s how things are, even if it bitters my tongue to admit it. Yet, seeing her enjoy herself, even at my own expense, makes it worth it. The filly will struggle with what she has seen today, but she is strong; she will be alright.

The journey back took longer than initially thought, as Serenity was slowed by carrying Ziya, who stirred occasionally, her face contorted as if in a nightmare. In my mind, I thought that this had to be the price for whatever magic she used back there; as much as it chilled me to think about, it did save Jenny from the raider boss. No one said much, even as we returned to the Inn’s threshold.

When we got back inside, the place was sparse of ponies compared to before. To say the place looked like a disaster would be an understatement; shattered bottles, vomit, and cups littered the floor as a disgruntled Mint Cream swept the mess, muttering to himself.

At the bar itself sat Jenny’s father, who sat holding a bandana full of snow to his swollen cheek; his attention gravitated towards us at the sound of the door closing sharply from being sucked in by the wind. “Daddy!” Jenny screamed, bounding off my back like a diving board; the scarf around her fell away as she landed. Her father’s face was washed with relief, the worry melting away as he met her in an embrace.

“Jenny, I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Are you hurt? ” The scavenger said, checking her over before giving Jenny a firm hug.

“I’m okay, Daddy; these nice ponies saved me from the mean bullies!” Jenny said, pointing a hoof towards us while I picked up the scarf. The blood that it took off of Jenny flaked away in crimson shards.

The father looked up to Fuze and me while Serenity was splashing some water from a nearby cup onto Ziya’s face in an attempt to wake her. Tears filled his eyes, hugging his daughter a bit tighter. “I can’t thank you all enough; I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.”

“No thanks are necessary, but I would like just compensation for my efforts.” Fuze spoke, the edge of his monotone voice softening at the scene before him. I could see the twitch of a smile fighting to show on the edge of his neutral expression.

The father nodded his head, quickly anticipating this. “O-Of course, we don’t have much but our cart that we used for scavenging should be back where I left it. You can take whatever you like; it’s down the road from the Pinkietime Hotel and movie theater. Not far from the bridge that leads into the city, you can’t miss it.” Seemingly content with the answer, Fuze nodded his head before walking towards Serenity and a recovering Ziya.

I was left alone with the small family, unsure what to say. “Daddy, this one let me ride on his back the whole way here!” Jenny said with a gleeful smile, which was contagious, and I smiled along with her.

The father nodded his head in thanks. “Thank you so much for bringing her back to me; if there is anything I can do, please let me know.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need anything, but I’m curious: what will you do now?”

He froze for a moment, hesitating. “I-I’m not sure; the city is starting to get too dangerous to go out there unarmed, and the wilderness…” He said trailing off as he looked down to his daughter. He didn’t need to say anymore, having walked out there for the last two weeks and barely making it here. They surely won’t, especially in their current condition.

Levitating the raider’s shotgun and wiping away the frosted blood with a hoof, I held it out for him. “Here is what I want you to do.” I said, taking a breath. “I want you to take this shotgun and protect your daughter if it's the last thing you do. She is relying on you, and I can’t always be there to save her if raiders nab her again.” I continued, pulling out the six shotgun shells I got from the raider. Speechless, the father took the shotgun and rounds before nodding.

Tipping my head, I turned to walk back to the others. Everyone was sitting in the booth seats, including a now-conscious Ziya. “There he is, the hot shot himself.” Serenity said, clapping my back with a strong hoof that lurched me forward. I raised an eyebrow at this. “I saw the two raiders you domed; hell, one of them was running at full speed.”

I shrugged at it. “Just doing what I do best,” I said, as if it was a preloaded message.

Serenity nodded. “And your best kept Fuze over here from being stuck with a rusty kitchen knife.” Causing the milk chocolate unicorn to roll an eye. Ziya raised a hoof to me in acknowledgment before it returned to the side of her temple, her head clearly in pain. “But, since we are all here, I gotta ask y’all a question.” Serenity said, his tone turning serious. “I’m on a mission from my superiors and need some help.”

Serenity scooted over to let me sit next to him; once more, the difference in size was startling. “I’m looking for another member of the Applejack Rangers who was sent here before they went missing. I’m willing to pay with all of the caps I have on me if you three decide to join.” He continued, his face becoming dower.

Fuze leaned forward, studying the pegasus. “What was her mission in vanhoofer of all places? Not exactly a trip down the road from the rest of the wasteland.” The edge of his monotone voice returned shaper than ever.

Serenity sighed. “She was sent in search of some technology to help out the bunker we reside in. I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that she went towards the local Ministry of Arcane Technology building; that was her first search point and the last time she checked in on her radio.”

Fuze pondered what Serenity was saying before he leaned back into the booth seat. “How many caps are you offering?” He asked, his face remaining neutral.

“I can’t say, but you will be very well rewarded, along with any arcano tech that we find.” Serenity responded, a slight twitch of his eyebrow telling me he was nervous about our answers.

“Well, you can count on my assistance. But, I do expect to be compensated justly.” Fuze replied, seemingly satisfied with the answer, even if it was vague.

“Vell, I have to go into the city anyways, so I’m sure it’ll be fun. What about you, my little colt?” Ziya said, looking at me, which prompted everypony at the table to follow her gaze. I felt the heat of their stares as they waited for my answers.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about going into a city with ponies I just met and didn’t know; my mind’s eye showed me their potential reactions to seeing my bounty poster. Once we got somewhere, I couldn’t take it down. But I realized I didn’t really have a choice; the benefits of having these ponies on my side are better than being alone. “I’ll go, I was heading into the city anyways.” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Serenity gave a slight smack of the table that jolted the glasses with a smile. “Alright, folks. Let’s head out then. I know a place where we can stop on the way there, " he said, prompting us to leave the booth and head for the door.

Stopping near the door to pick up the scarf, I wrapped it around my muzzle and neck, making sure it was on tight. As I picked up my rifle, I felt something grasp my back leg. I turned my head to find Jenny was giving my leg a hug. “Thank you again, Jack!” She said, the light in her eyes burning brighter than ever.

She let go when I began to turn around; I leaned down and gave her a pat on the head. “Keep an eye on your old man, and stay safe, Jenny. Can you do that?” I quickly said, with a smile. She quickly nodded before jumping back to her dad gleefully. At the time, I couldn’t describe how I felt when I saw her smile and bounce back to her father. It felt foreign to me, but I realized as we walked out the door. I felt proud; I felt proud at doing something small for me that meant the world to her.

We met outside in the bellowing and frigid wind, huddled in the street. I looked at Serenity, who was oddly less clothed than the rest of us; his face was open to the wind and snow. Caulking it up to him being used to this kind of weather flying, I asked. “So, where is this place that you want to stop at?”

“It’s near the cart that the scavenger told us about, the Pinkietime Hotel and Movie Theater. It’s a safe house that the Applejack rangers set up a few years ago.” He responded as he began to move down the road with the rest of us following.

“That isn’t too far of a stroll; maybe a few hours to get there.” Ziya said, coming up to my right, once again reminding me how small I was compared to these two ponies. But, being this close and walking, I could see the scratched screen of a well-used Pip-Buck on her foreleg, her cloak flapping in the wind to reveal a modified stable tec jumpsuit.

“Let’s make sure we keep up the pace; it would be rather suboptimal for us to be caught here at night.” Fuze interjected, cutting off my line of thinking before he took up the spot on Serenity’s left.

I couldn’t agree more, so we kept a brisk pace, traveling down the road heading towards the growing skyline of Vanhoofer. Even with ponies at my side, my anxiety at what the city held in store for me never dulled.

After several hours of walking and enduring the weather, the streets became clear of snow as the wind tunnel of buildings grew more common and concentrated. Old newspapers and trash danced in the dying daylight to the tune of rattling tin cans as dusk approached. I looked at the crumbling remains of a bygone era while we passed them individually. I tried to imagine what life was like here. Ponies could go about their days enjoying life rather than fearing what would come around the next corner. I’ll admit it made me envious of those ponies back then.

As the town on the city's border grew its full size, Serenity stopped us to point a wing at an object in the road. “I think we found our friend’s cart.” I squinted my eyes, trying to focus on the object. Sure enough, it was a tipped-over shopping cart, the contents spilling onto the ground. The light markings of blood stained the frozen pavement, but that was the only sign of a recent struggle. I didn’t say anything when we approached it, each of us perusing the abandoned contents.

I shuffled through the contents that still lay in the cart, finding two massive bullets that were typically used in heavy machine gun emplacements. I shuddered at the thought of these rounds hitting flesh; it was never an appealing sight to behold. I’ve seen it more times than I would like. Deciding I was satisfied with this, I took it upon myself to watch out for any threats in this section of the square. Some storefronts still bore the decorations of a holiday that seemed to revolve around pumpkins, their windows long since shattered and contents looted. Their empty husks are as dead as the ponies who once shopped there.

“What is that?” I heard Fuze say, gaining my attention back to the trio. Fuze pointed a hoof at a box that Ziya held in her hoofs. Fuze’s magic has a few pieces of scrap metal and what looks like copper.

“I’m not sure, my dear Fuze. It says… M.O.A.S,” Ziya replied, curious at the small box in her hoofs.

I noticed Serenity’s ears perk at the acronym. “That has to be the Ministry of Arcane Science, let me see that.” Serenity said, beckoning with a gesturing wing.

“I found it; let me see what it is first.” Ziya said, popping the lid open to reveal what looked to be a round glass object jutting with wires and long dead lights. I’ve never seen anything like it, but overall, I wasn’t interested in the box or anything that has to do with the ministries. Everything attached to those six mares seemed to cause nothing but trouble for ponies nowadays.

“It looks like a prototype of some sort.” Serenity said quizzically. “I think it’s best for me to hold onto it.” Once again, gesturing with a wing to hand it over.

Fuze looked down at it; his cybernetic eye glowed with a crimson pulse as he studied it. “It looks like some memory orb that the MoAS tried to modify. Incredibly rare tech, but regardless, it’s inactive and inert; nothing but scrap.”

Ziya looked apprehensive at the item before handing it over to Serenity. “I don’t want anything that has to do with the ministry mare anyhow.” Ziya said while Serenity placed the box into this saddlebag.

“Alright, let's hunker down in the movie theater before it gets too dark.” He breathed as if relieved that she gave it to him as we headed off to the building with a tall assortment of windows that easily towered over its neighbors. A picture of a large pink pony sat over a sign that held only a few letters. From what I’ve been told, these signs told ponies what the movie theater was showing. Well, it certainly hasn’t been showing anything but a creepy stare for the last several centuries.

Serenity went to one of the doors. A large piece of aging plywood sat jammed into the now windowless door. Grunting with a slight effort, he removed it to reveal a cleared path into the lobby. He quickly ushered us in before he replaced the wood again. The old hardwood lobby floor squeaked underneath our weight, the smell of mildew assaulting my nostrils.

The lobby was in tatters, much like everything else in the town, but the surviving windows and boards kept the noise of wind down to a minimum when it picked up. The front desk before us was half missing and smashed; a shelf of tiny boxes sat empty of the keys that once lay in them. The Sparkle Cola and Sunrise Sarsaparilla vending machines lay on their sides, their insides busted open with empty bottles scattered around them.

“It isn’t much, but we should be fine here for the night. There are rooms upstairs that we can use.” Serenity said, trotting over to the three of us. A thought occurred, how did he know that the rooms here were okay and this place was safe? From what I gathered, he said that he had never been here before but knew how to get in and that the rooms were fine. His mouth opened with a yawn; today's exhaustion seemed to be catching up with him.

“Are you sure this place is secure? It seems…” Fuze questioned in his already familiar monotone voice, his eyes looking around the lobby. “Derelict.”

“You try finding a place that hides us from the wind and snow, smart colt.” Serenity said, scoffing as if offended at being questioned on the spot; a board from the ceiling fell onto the moldy carpet with a wet thud.

I gave a subtle snicker before I went up to Serenity. “You said this was a safe house; I assume there are some supplies?”

“You’d assume correctly, my small unicorn friend; follow me.” Serenity said, vaulting over the ruined front desk and into the back. I looked at the other two; Ziya just shrugged while Fuze remained expressionless before following the large pegasus toward the back.

It looked like a small office space. Ancient sheets of paper were stuck to the moist carpet, and inert terminals were laid on the desks. One of the stations had the skeleton of a pony still sitting at its station; it leaned over the edge of the desk as if taking a nap.

Pushing past the desks, Serenity stood before a locked door, looking frustrated. “Luna, Damn it, I think she locked it and left the keys inside.”

“I assume that ‘she’ is the missing member of your organization we will be searching for?” Fuze asked, standing back from the rest of us as he started to pry into the backs of terminals.

Serenity sighed, trying to punch his way into the door but the lock held firm. “Yes, that she is.”

“It seems foolish to send only one pony to a city, especially this far up north.” Fuze continued.

Serenity nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I told Command that sending her out alone would only lead to disaster. But, no one listens.” Serenity said, his frustration at the door continuing with another pound against the door that only sent dust from the ceiling onto our heads, causing Ziya to cough.

“Be careful, no need to be a brute.” Ziya said, covering her muzzle with a foreleg.

Serenity snapped his head towards her. “Well, unless you can pick a lock to open it, I don't want to hear it.” Serenity said, frustration overtaking the southern aspect of his accent.

Ziya shook her head. “Well, I’m sorry to say, but I possess no such ability.”

Serenity grunted, his frustration turning into defeat before I lifted a hoof. “I’ll take a crack at it.” I said, interrupting Serenity before he could speak as I pulled out a rusty screwdriver and an old lock pick, causing everypony to look at me as I trotted towards the door.

“You are full of surprises, my little colt.” Ziya said with admiration but it was edged with something I couldn’t place.

“No kidding, first a crack shot and now a lockpick. Must be an assassin or something with skills like those.” Serenity bellowed, his frustration gone as quickly as it came.

“Something like that.” I said, putting the screwdriver and lockpick; after a few attempts of trying to listen for the subtle clicks past my slightly ringing ears, I cracked a smile. The tumblers fell into place and rotated with a satisfying click. “There we go.” I said, getting a view of the room. Inside what used to be the Manager’s office laid a well-used couch with ruffled sheets and a blanket; next to it was a small fridge that hummed quietly, and on the desk was a small burn plate powered by the nearby sparkle battery generator. Old oil lamps lit up the interior with a soft amber glow. It was warm inside the room; it looked like somepony had made an extra effort to insulate the room from the outside cold and draft. It was very cozy here; I can see why Serenity wanted to come.

“Excuse me.” Serenity said, towering over me, looking to get past. Stepping aside, he entered and went to the desk. His enormous bulk filled most available space while rummaging through the desk’s drawers. “Ah ha, there it is.” He muttered, extending a wing to grab something that softly jingled. He turned to the rest of us with a smirk. “This isn’t the only room from what Ace said.” Serenity said, holding up a set of three keys, each with a room number labeled on an accompanying tag. “Luckily for you ponies, there are three other rooms on the upper floors that are similar to this. This here room will be mine.” He pronounced, walking out to hand each of us our own key.

I held mine in my magic to see the crude scratching on the key. “724. Great.” I muttered, shaking my head. “If that’s on the seventh floor, that’s going to suck climbing those stairs.” I said, thinking out loud.

“Don’t worry, Jack, you'll be fine. Before y’all head to your rooms,” Serenity said, throwing me a cold Sparkle Soda and a box labeled ‘Spike’s hot potato!’. The prewar box had a purple dragon in a chef’s hat. Below him was a pony’s face on a cartoon picture of a potato saying ‘I’m delicious and self-heating!’’. My stomach rumbled a bit at the food thankfully that it wasn’t frozen like the MRE I had in my pack. “Here you go, y’all. Now, if you excuse me, I’m gonna hit the hay. I suggest y'all do the same; we have a big day ahead of us.”

Fuze nodded his thanks, mumbling something about the food that I couldn’t quite catch before turning around to head back to the lobby. Exhaustion cracked through his mask of stoicism.

Looking at my food once, I looked at Serenity, who was closing his door. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I said, brushing against Ziya and getting past the large mare. “Oh, sorry.” I said, continuing my way out of the office and into the lobby.

I looked around the lobby to see a set of stairs with a sign that said rooms with an arrow pointing forward. “Well, that’s helpful,” I said to myself, heading up, each floor labeled with a number. I looked at one of the closest doors that read ‘101’, sighing in defeat as my own worst nightmare was realized—stairs.

Beginning to march up the flight of stairs, I groaned as my legs felt on fire while I lugged my gear up flight after flight. The entire time, thoughts of anxiety gripped my mind; I wasn’t sure what to do once the job with Serenity was over. I also don’t want to get these ponies caught up in my problems, as I’m sure they had their own to deal with. If they did and they got killed, it would only add to the graveyard in my soul.

I realized I made it to the seventh floor when I was about to walk up to the eighth, sighing a breath of relief as I looked down the hallway. I looked down at my key to start my search for the room; as I walked, all I noticed was the howling of wind batting against the walls of the outside room. “Where is this damn room?” I said, talking to myself while my eyes scanned for room numbers that were still legible.

“I believe it is further on the right, my little colt.” Ziya’s voice sounded behind me, making me jump slightly off the ground like a cat.

“Luna’s sake, Ziya, you have got to stop doing that.” I said, turning my head while I clutched my chest while I tried to recover my breath.

The dark zebra came sauntering out of the darkness, her hips swaying carefree as she approached. A mischievous smile was etched on her lips. “Apologies, my little colt.” A slight giggle ebbed from her throat.

Once I fully caught my breath, I stood and still had to look up a bit to meet her gaze. Her emerald green eyes dazzled in the dying light, yet it looked like she was eyeing a snack. My heart thumped rapidly in my chest. “W-what are you doing up here?” I asked, not intending to stammer.

She responded by showing me her key. ‘732’ was etched on the metal tag. “Aww, and here I thought you were being a gentle colt and escorting a mare to her room,” she said, taking a step closer with another mischievous giggle. I felt my cheeks getting hot.

I turned with a cough in an attempt to hide the fact I was getting flustered . “Well, thank you for showing me where to go.” I said, turning fully to head to the door that led to my room.

I stopped in front of the door and inserted the key. When the door opened, I saw that Serenity wasn’t exactly lying when he said the rooms were similar to the Manager’s office. Inside was a large bed on the left side of the room in the corner, to the right side of the room held a ruined couch and desk. The walls were insulated with wood, paper, and other items to keep out the cold, which somehow did a fine job. I was practically sweating just standing at the door.

I walked in and half-mindedly closed the door, but not all the way. Ignoring it for the moment, I wanted to get my gear off. The walk here and the march up the stairs have left my clothes drenched in cold sweat. Neatly setting my rifle and bandoleer of mags on the desk, I began to peel off the armor. As I continued to strip off my clothes, I heard a noise at my door. My head snapped to see Ziya step through, closing the door behind her with a click. I felt her gaze scanning me, each spot she looked felt hot at the mere glace. Her predatory gaze eyeing me as if I was prey.

“W-what are you doing?” I said, stammering, my cheeks flushed red with embarrassment and bewilderment at my current state.

She stepped forward to me, her hips swaying with more emphasis than before. “My dear little colt, I just wanted to visit a new friend. Get to know you as a friend should. Besides, nopony should be alone on Hearth’s warming.” Her sultry voice said, getting closer with each word. “Do you want to be alone, my little colt?” I shook my head slightly, my heart racing, anticipating what she meant. She lowered her head mere inches away from mine, her expression softening into a comforting smile as her hoof caressed my mane. With a soft, soothing whisper, she cooed. “I’ll be grateful to keep you company, my little colt.”