Outskirts

Chapter Seven

The Morning After

“Well...at least you can walk normal now.”

“I’m sure that’s really easy for you to say Ms. Raincap Pageant Queen. You’re not the one with the half shaved flank.”

I wasn’t normally one for glamour and the like, but this was just low. According to Clementine, there were still fragments of lead left in my thigh from the gunshot, and in order to make the removal go more smoothly he had to shave a small patch of hair from my flank. It looked ridiculous.

“What are you talkin’ about?! I think you look great! Right guys?!” one of the soldier ponies who must of over heard Vanity and I shouted . His buddies joined him in howling and whistling at us.

Four Leaf’s soldiers all seemed to share the same sentiment about Vanity and me. But then again, Celestia knows when the last time any of them had seen a real mare was. And plus, standing next to a pony like Vanity either made you look incredibly plain by comparison, or in a case like this, made even a tired, angry, shaved ass mare worthy of praise. But I took it anyway. I Even joined Vanity in shooting them a wave or two.

“I see you guys have made some friends.”

I quickly brought my hoof down and turned away from the group of soldiers working on the Cider Squeezy in the town square. The last thing I needed was for Warrick to see me acting all girly after what I pulled with his Pinkie Pie book two days ago.

“N-no. Vanity and I just thought that if we were nice to them they’d be more inclined to work harder.”

“Huh? I thought we were waving because they said they thought you looked great?” Fillies and Gentlecolts, Vanity.

“Huh...okay then,” Warrick said, looking at us sideways and nodding slowly. He then turned his attention to the soldiers and his jaw nearly hit the ground the way it dropped. His eyes went wide like a filly in a candy shop at the sight of what Four Leaf’s ponies had turned the Cider Squeezy into. Gone were the wooden spoked wheels. In their stead were massive rubber tires over steel bases. Removed was that obnoxious armchair and those protruding levers; replaced with an actual cockpit extending out of the main cabin, giving the whole vehicle a much more aerodynamic and functional look. And in all honesty, it did look pretty good. Like a big aggressive dune buggy. And it came in red.

Four Leaf trotted up next to us and noticed Warrick standing there grinning like an idiot at the sight of our updated transportation.

“Yeah, she’s a beaute ain’t she? When the boys saw what you’d brought ‘em I weren’t sure whether ta have ‘em fix it or toss it in with the burn debris. But they were goin’ on about how it’s a classic an’ how they only ever made one of ‘em an’ all that mumbo jumbo. They took to beefin’ her up like they were gettin’ paid for it.” He looked at Vanity and me. “Course, havin’ a couple a’ pretty mares around to impress didn’t hurt none neither.”

Without taking his eyes off the vehicle or breaking his smile Warrick bonked Four Leaf on the head with a fore hoof. The Commander smirked.

“Oh! Oh!” Vanity started shouting and waving her hoof through the air. Warrick looked at her and cocked his head slightly. “I named it!” she announced with a grin.

“Huh?” Warrick asked, unsure of exactly what it was she had named.

“The driving thing silly! Clementine said that any good ship needs a name, so he made me name it!”

“But...it’s not a shi-”

I looked at Warrick and shook my head. Might as well just let her have her fun.

“Okay. What did you name it?” he asked.

“Sandy.” Fillies and Gentlecolts, Vanity, again.

Warrick squinted at her a second then smirked. “Perfect.”

Four Leaf turned to his bucks “Kay ya bunch a’ parasprites, it’s break time! Ah know little fillies like ya’ll can’t take workin’ fer too long; might chip a hoof. So take five an get yer things together!”

The soldiers shouted their ‘yessir’s and made their way back to the barracks. Warrick looked at Four Leaf a bit curiously.

“You’re heading out already? I thought we agreed to wait to travel by night so the buggy-”

“Sandy,” Vanity interrupted.

“So that Sandy could charge,” Warrick finished.

“Charge?” I asked.

“Yeah, it runs on solar energy. It’ll need till at least tonight to charge enough to actually make any headway.”

Storable solar energy efficient enough to power a vehicle as big as Sandy? Fascinating.

“No. You’re gonna wait ta’ travel by night,” said Four Leaf. “Even if all my guys could fit in that thing, travelling together in a pack that large is too dangerous. We’ll rendezvous back with ya’ll at the bog.”

“And you think going alone is any less dangerous?” Warrick asked, shrugging.

“Ah at least wanna make it there alive. Rather die fightin’ than get picked off by some monster in the sand.”

All I needed to hear was sand and I agreed with Four Leaf.

“Fine,” Warrick conceded.

“Perfect. But first Ah think ya’ll are gonna be needin’ some supplies fer the journey.”

“There’s an understatement,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m lucky I even have a backpack to carry things in after Clementine's little sampling session.”

“Well then Ah guess today’s yer lucky day! We were able ta save mosta’ what we had from the fire. Got a couple spare chests full in the barracks. Just follow me.”

Four Leaf turned and started trotting through the ash that covered most of the walkways of Ponyville II. Warrick and Vanity flapped a few feet into the air and followed, not wanting to get the sticky dust in their coats. I walked.

This was the first chance I had really gotten to see Ponyville II without having to look through a tiny infirmary window or fight through the daze of heavy blood loss, and as I had surmised before, it was basically a block for block recreation of the real town with the civilian stops traded out for military applications. It was like a poorly conceived attempt at political humor; “Mirror a peaceful town in terms of appearance, but instead of making cupcakes, we’re making hoof grenades!” I don’t know, maybe somepony might find that funny, or maybe I was just seriously over thinking this whole thing ‘cause I didn’t wanna think about the fact that walking through this ash made me look like a grey and blue mottled pony after I had just got done taking my first bath in days only a few hours ago.

I was paying such little attention that I accidentally walked right into the barracks door and hit my head. I fell back into the ash, getting almost completely covered in it. I felt like I was going to cry.

“Heh heh.” Warrick’s response didn’t help.

“Well aren’t we anxious,” Four Leaf joked, pushing open the door and walking in. I dusted myself off and followed with Warrick and Vanity.

Four Leaf’s soldiers were all over the barracks emptying their chests and stuffing what they could carry in saddle bags. It was all very chaotic, but there was a certain military precision to it. No one got in anyone’s way even though what was going on might as well have been an in door hurricane. It was like watching a musical. Four Leaf led us through the maelstrom and over to an area where there were several unclaimed chests lined up against the wall. He opened one and rummaged around, eventually pulling out two sand colored camouflage body suits.

“Here ya are.” He tossed them to Vanity and I. “Ya’ll can change upstairs. You’ll need them there if yer gonna be travellin’ through the desert. The rest a’ this stuff Ah’ll have mah boys load up in Sandy.”

I looked to Warrick and he nodded to the staircase at the other end of the barracks.

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

“I don’t know, at first I thought the whole one piece thing was outdated, but this doesn’t look that bad.”

The room Four Leaf had us changing in was rather out of place compared to the rest of the barracks. It actually looked like a changing room. Albeit one with mirrors suffering from extensive fire damage, which made it rather difficult to see anything in them. But I could see enough to know that the camo suits Four Leaf had given us were pretty cool. They even had a hood, supposedly to keep sand out of one’s ears, and holes for your tail and wings, regardless of how useless the latter were. And yeah, they looked pretty nice too.

“Right Vanity? You’re usually a lot more enthusiastic when it comes to new clothes.” I turned around to see her sitting on the floor in her suit, staring at the ground. “Vanity?”

“What are we doing Peri?” She asked, her voice even smaller than it normally was.

“What are you talking about? We’re going to find mom and dad.”

“No, I mean like-”

“Like what? You’re making even less sense than usual.”

“I mean...what are we gonna do? Like...our house, and Raincap. They got burnt. They’re gone. And all the ponies...”

Of all the times to pick from, she chose now to face reality? Well forget that, I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. And especially not after I’d just spent far more than my fair share of time trying to blanket those emotions while hold up in a medical bed.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

“We didn’t do something wrong, did we? We were just living and then you said something fell outside the fence and no one cared, but I believed you. Then you tried to run away and I got so sad but you actually said I could come with you and I got so happy, then we met Warrick and he was kinda scary but now he’s not any more and we’re friends...but...our home got destroyed. And now we gotta go to this place where this scary monster is and...what if mom and dad-”

“Vanity.”

She lifted her head and looked at me, her cheeks wet with tears rolling down from her glistening eyes.

“For once in your life, could you not act like such a little child?”

For a second she actually looked surprised. Her lip even quivered a bit, but then her expression became uncharacteristically stoic, and she slowly lowered her head. “...okay.”

I heard the door open.

“Ah ain’t lookin’, Ah ain’t looking. Alright, Ah’m lookin’. Oh, ya’ll are ready. Good.”

“Oh, hey Four Leaf.”

Warrick landed next to Four Leaf and nudged past him, looking into the room.

“Everything alright in here?” He sounded uncharacteristically concerned. He noticed Vanity staring at the ground, moping. “Vanity, are you okay?” For a split second I thought I saw Four Leaf narrow his eyes at Warrick.

Vanity’s head shot up, a big smile on her face. “Well, duh! Have you seen these clothes?! They’re super cute!”

“Uh-huh, cool,” Warrick said, peering around the room.

Four Leaf cleared his throat. “Now ya’ll could use some armament as well. If ya follow me-”

“That’s fine, I know the way to the armory,” Warrick said. “Plus, I should let them know the details of our plan.”

Four Leaf grumbled something and trotted away.

Warrick looked to me and gestured with his head for us to follow. I bucked Vanity lightly with my forehoof and she got up and followed me out of the dressing room. Warrick led us out of the barracks and towards the armory.

“So what was that all about? We already know the plan. We head out in Sandy and meet Four Leaf and his guys there, right?” I asked.

“Well that’s a very generalized version of it, but yeah. But I think you should know a little more about what’s actually going on.”

Well there’s a shocker, Warrick actually giving up information

“To get to Pestilence’s Bog from here takes a few days. Those crates they loaded into Sandy are full of ammo and food. If we’re lucky we’ll only have to use one of those things.”

I hadn’t actually given that any real thought. Even now, while being led to an armory to get weapons, I couldn’t help but wonder if anypony actually expected Vanity or me to fight. I mean, what good could I possibly do? I doubted Pestilence would be susceptible to my sneaky painkiller induced sleep strategy. And even if he were, I was all out of the stuff.

“Well uh, I assume by that you mean we won’t have to use the bullets right? So thinking optimistically, Vanity and I really shouldn’t even need guns right?” I asked, laughing nervously.

“Well, yeah. Assuming diplomacy prevails,” he answered, shrugging.

“And if Pestilence decides he’s not feeling particularly reasonable?”

“Well that’s simple. I’ll have to kill him.”

A rather casual outlook towards taking a pony’s life, but the context still made me chuckle.

“You seriously think you’d have a chance fighting Pestilence?” I laughed.

Warrick scoffed. “And what exactly are you implying?”

“It’s just, I saw what he was able to do. and that was through a TV screen. Super sharp robot wings or not, I just don’t see how you think you can stand up to alicorn magic.”

Warrick’s eyes narrowed. “I think you underestimate just how sharp these ‘super sharp robot wings’ are. If he tries anything funny he’ll find himself significantly shorter when I’m through with him.”

“You’re going to decapitate someone that can turn ponies into micro fungal gardens just by looking at them?” I asked with an air of flat sarcasm.

“Yep,” he stated plainly. “Gonna slice his head right off and stomp it into the ground. Splsh, splsh, splsh,” he added, stomping his forehooves to punctuate his words. “Oh, and next time you see Clementine, tell him he’s an idiot and a blabber mouth.”

Dammit. How could I be so loose lipped? I just don’t see how you think you can stand up to alicorn magic. How else could I have known Pestilence was even a pony?

Warrick stopped at a building shaped like a small barn. Through the smoke discoloration it looked like it had even been red and white once. He placed a hoof on the small metal panel next to the door and a beam of light shot out, reading his print. The device beeped. Warrick sighed and looked around.

“Never anypony around when you need them.”

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I need somepony to do a retina scan,” he explained.

‘Why can’t you-”

Warrick raised an eyebrow at me. I suppose being without pupils could have something of an unwanted effect on such technology. I turned to Vanity.

“Did you get a good look at any of the soldier’s eyes?”

She looked up at me and nodded, then walked over to the panel and stared into the beam. Her iris morphed, taking the color and shape of Clementine’s. The machine gave off a joyous sounding beep and I could hear the tumblers within the lock unlatch.

“That’s a nice trick,” Warrick said, pleasantly surprised by Vanity’s magic. She forced a laugh and smiled.

Warrick pushed open the door to the armory. It was a small building on the outside, and even more so inside, but they still managed to stuff it full with an unholy amount of weaponry. Warrick placed a hoof on his chin and looked around the assortment. He moved in and shifted the weapons around, searching for something. I cringed, fearing one might go off due to his lack of caution in handling them.

“Aha!”

He reached in and pulled out two weapons similar to the ones he had taken from the Smuggler’s Cove guard ponies.

“Wait, aren’t those-”

“Yep,” he said, nodding.

“But...why...”

“Because protocol dictates that when entering an allied camp one must surrender any weapons they possess.” My eyes shifted to his wings. He noticed and rolled his eyes. “Unless they’re attached to you.” He closed the armory door and turned to Vanity and I, giving us each a weapon.

Just holding it made me nervous. I mean, watching movies and reading novels about ponies that use these things is one thing, and hell I’d even been shot...huh, I’d been shot. But anyway, regardless of all that, holding one of these things was still nerve racking. It was heavy, even heavier than it looked. This was a tool designed to take a pony’s life. In fact, how many lives had this specific weapon taken? It wasn’t brand new, Warrick had taken it off the dead body of somepony. Did that mean it was looting? Was stealing from somepony that was trying to kill you the same as normal stealing? But he was dead so it isn’t really stealing. Unless; did killing somepony, then taking something off their dead body count as theft? Why am I asking so many questions to myself?

“Wink?” Warrick’s voice pulled me out of my trance.

“Huh? What?” I asked, looking around from Warrick to Vanity.

“You were spacing out. You okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well pay attention, because this is important. I assume you both saw enough in Smuggler’s Cove to know how those things are operated. But seeing it done and doing it are different things all together. Now hopefully you won’t have to use these, but in the event you do, it’s pretty simple. Put the strap around your face and bite the button. That’s about it.” He turned and started heading back to the barracks.

“Wait, seriously?” I asked.

“Oh, there’s something about making sure to tense your neck so it doesn’t snap from kickback, but those are advanced techniques, no need to concern yourself with those.” He waved his hoof though the air, as if that last bit of information was of no importance, and continued over to the barracks.

I looked at Vanity, expecting her to meet my confused glare as usual. She was just staring at the ground like some depressed mope.

“Whatever.”

I galloped back to the barracks with Vanity following slowly behind. She wasn’t even making any sense. Not that she usually did, but still; one second she’s all aboard, and everything is smiles and sunshine, and the next she’s acting...well, like me. Only difference is that she really had no right. But like I said, whatever. She wanted to drag herself around in a cloud of self pity that was fine by me. At least I didn’t have to hear her voice.

Back at the barracks Four Leaf’s soldiers had nearly completed packing their things for the journey ahead. The speed in which they were able to stuff away all those supplies would make the Wonder Bolts’ heads spin. They were just clearing out now, rounding up any things they may have missed and loading them into saddlebags and travel packs.

Since things seemed to be winding down, and also because we had at least a few hours before it would be dark enough out for us to effectively travel by night, I took a second to just stop and think. Something I had been doing an alarmingly decreasing amount of recently. I also had to wipe all this ash out of my mane. I pulled one of Vanity’s dresses out of my backpack and did just that, then stuffed it back in my bag and found a bench to sit on.

The things Clementine had told me were prodding at the part of my brain responsible for that rampant curiosity. I wanted to know more about what was going on outside Equestria, and about why I had never heard of Celestia’s whole Four Ponies Four Roles spiel. More specifically though, I wanted to know more about Warrick. For all intents and purposes, he was still a stranger to Vanity and I. Sure we had been going around the desert with him for a few days now, but I couldn’t remember ever actually having a real conversation with him. Hell, I didn’t even learn his name from him actually telling it to me. It seemed weird that I could actually consider somepony I knew so little about to be my friend. That, and the fact that if what Clementine had said was accurate, Warrick was at one point in time a very important pony. So if anyone could shed more light on what Clementine had told me, it was him. Come to think of it, we were about to set off to go confront another member of The Four in just a few short hours. If ever there was a time where being well informed was especially pertinent, it was when you were about to go try to wheel and deal with an alicorn evil enough to take pleasure in wrenching one of his own worshipers in two for no apparent reason.

I hopped off the bench. It was good to be able to move normally again. All that time hobbling around with bullet fragments in my thigh and a chunk of my hoof missing had actually started to worry me. Not to mention how unbearably painful it had been. But now I was back to normal, albeit a normal with slightly less hair on one side my flank.

Warrick had finished speaking to Four Leaf so I trotted over to him. I had plenty I wanted to ask him, and he never did actually get around to telling us the details of the plan, so there was that too. All in all I had enough stimulating conversation starters to last us all the way up until it was time to leave Ponyville II.

“Hey, Warrick.”

He lowered his head “Is it time to annoy Warrick with questions already?” he sighed.

“You are correct sir! But before that, you said you were going to run down what the plan is for when we meet up with Four Leaf. What exactly is the plan?”

“For you? It’s simple: we park Sandy about two or three miles outside of eye shot of anypony there, then I go and meet with Four Leaf while you and Vanity wait. If everything works out, we’ll have someone get you to confirm the identity of your parents.”

Say what? I squinted at him in confusion.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, his tone implying he already knew the answer.

“Well...yeah. It’s not like I particularly want to be involved in anything potentially life threatening, I just...what you just said kinda makes me feel like-”

“Like I think you and Vanity would be completely useless in that type of arena, and therefore you are questioning whether or not I place any worth on you as a potential help to me at all?”

“Yeah, exactly!” That was pretty good. Kudos to Warrick for that deduction.

“Good. Because I don’t. Glad I could clear that up for you. Better we set the records straight as to what the roles are from now.”

Okay...what? My mouth hung open as I tried to find words. Was he serious? Did he forget that it was me that pulled his ass out of dodge back in Raincap? And more importantly, that was way too mean.

“But,” I began, trying to make sense of what he had just said. “I thought our roles were that we were friends.”

He looked at me, raising his eyebrows sarcastically. “Oh! Is that what you thought? Well allow me to clarify what’s really going on here. You helped me out back in Raincap; so the way I see it, I owe you. This, what we’re doing right now, this is me paying you and Vanity back. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But...” I was speechless. But in truth, I really don’t know why that had been such a shock to me. I was the one that put the idea that we were friends in my head.

“But?” he asked, cocking his head slightly.

I looked away from him. Why did I even care? He was right, once we rescued my parents that would be it. He’d go back to wherever he’d go, and Vanity and I...well, we really had nowhere to go.

“Well,” I began. ”Vanity and I are still a part of this right? Even if it is unintentional. So at least let me help you.”

“Help me?” He sighed. “Listen, Wink. Even if you were capable of helping in any way, you have literally no idea what we’re dealing with here. Working to pay you back will be for nothing if you die before I can even get the job done.”

“That’s where you’re wrong though. I do know what we’re-”

“Oh really?” Warrick asked, cutting me off. “What do you know? What some over eager Buck Private spewed out ‘cause he couldn’t keep his mouth shut? No. This isn’t something you can learn from a book, or get from word of mouth.”

“I saw it for myself, unless you somehow forgot,” I contested, my voice growing more intense.

“All the more reason you should realize that you have no place in these dealings.”

“Warrick, I can help you! Why is that so hard to believe?”

Then he lost his temper.

“Fine! Okay then! I’d like you to explain to me exactly what you think you could do to help me. Go ahead, I’m waiting. Let me know what kind of help I could possibly receive from a pageant pony with the IQ of a bowl of kimchi, and a pegasus that can’t even fly!” The last few words of his rant escaped on a faltering breath. The look in his eyes betrayed that he wished he could have them back, to keep them from ever being heard. But it was too late.

I didn’t respond. How do you respond to that? Instead I just looked back at the pathetic excuses for wings poking out from my body suit like disturbingly misshapen jack in the boxes. They really did look silly. Thinking about it, what he said was probably right, given how useless everything I’d ever done had been. You can work as hard as a farm pony, but some ponies just aren’t born to be-

Crak!

My head shot up at the sound of a hoof striking flesh. Warrick stood with his head turned sideways, a small trail of blood running from the corner of his mouth. Vanity stood across from him, a look in her eyes I don’t think I’d ever seen. She was actually angry. Everypony in the room was staring now, waiting on baited breath to see how the razor winged pegasus would react. Warrick wiped the blood from his face and looked at Vanity. She glared into his eyes, not once wavering. Warrick turned away and walked out of the barracks. The soldiers all wore surprised looks on their faces. A few began to silently cheer, but were clearly too afraid to actually celebrate Vanity’s apparent victory. She turned to me with pain in her eyes and raised a hoof to my face. I moved away from her and she pulled the hoof back, holding it close to her chest. I turned from her and ran upstairs into the changing room, slamming the door behind me.

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

“Go, away.”

Common sense is defined as sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of a situation or a set of facts. By that definition, one could justifiably assume that if somepony retreats from the company of a crowd and locks herself away in seclusion, that it means that they would prefer to be left alone. It truly baffled me that at this point in my life I hadn’t yet realized that I could always, regardless of the circumstance, rely on Vanity to do the exact opposite of what common sense would dictate. Yes, you see to her, phrases like get out and leave me alone translate more closely to, ‘Consistently ask me if I’m feeling okay until a point in which you realize that you will not be afforded a response; and when this realization finally becomes apparent, you leave...and then come back with Clementine.’

“I wish all my patients shared your attitude. I’d have a lot less work.”

I lifted my head from the pillow I was laying on and looked at him. “You’re a doctor, you have to help ponies.”

He shrugged. “Meh. If the sick pony doesn’t care, why should I?”

I shook my head and laid back down. “Why are you even here?”

“Well, I was getting ready to pack up the rest of my things when Vanity came trotting up. She told me I had to come quick, said you were looking really blue.”

I looked up at him. He was grinning with supreme pride at the glory of the piece of comedy he had crafted. Between just how bad the joke was and the absolutely ridiculous look on his face, I couldn’t help but have to stifle a laugh. Clementine’s grin grew even wider.

“Aha! Now that I’ve cut through the cloud of desolation, I can get down to business. So, what’s wrong?”

I sighed. I guess having someone to talk to wasn’t that bad. “Warrick’s an asshole.”

He paused for a moment and looked at me as if he hadn’t taken me seriously. “Hm. I gotta say, I’m a bit disappointed in you Wink. For a mare so interested and involved in education and knowledge that you walk around with academic texts in your bag, it took you far too long to come to that rather obvious conclusion.”

Believe me, I was thinking the same thing.

“But, I really don’t get it,” I started. “One second he’s asking me if I’m okay and telling me everything’s gonna be fine, and the next he doesn’t even care what I have to say. And then he won’t even tell anypony why he’s got to act like he’s got a massive rod shoved up his flank.”

Clementine shrugged. “Well ponies are weird. They’ll pay a penny for your thoughts, but they won’t accept your two cents. And as far as Warrick goes, he’s got a reputation as somepony who’s got a halo that’s held up by two big old horns. I’ve never seen another pony like him that just does the right thing for the sake of it. But, just don’t expect him to be all sweet and nice about it.”

“Well...I hope you’re right,” I admitted. Maybe the stress had just gotten to him. I mean I never even stopped to think about what kind of responsibility it would be to have to look after two other ponies while you have your own things that need taking care of. Things that could potentially concern the entirety of Equestria.

And then Warrick showed up.

Clementine turned to see him standing in the doorway of the dressing room. “Ah, look at that. Speak of the devil,” he said.

“And he just might come,” I added.

Warrick narrowed his eyes and looked at Clementine, who smiled and waved.

“Out. Now.”

Clementine pointed a hoof at Warrick. “You got it boss.” He scurried around him and out the door. Vanity began to follow.

“Not you,” Warrick said. Vanity stopped and turned around to face him. Warrick gestured towards the door and she closed it with her magic. He sighed deeply, lowering his head. Without looking up he spoke. “Do I even have to say it?”

“Yes,” I said plainly.

His head shot up and he glared at me. “If you know what I’m going to say then why do I have to say it?”

“Cause I wanna be able to make fun of you for it later. Now say it.”

He turned to Vanity, but she just shrugged and looked away from him, raising her eyebrows. I knew she’d forgive me (even though I really hadn’t done anything wrong). She was always on my side, no matter what. Warrick looked back at me with narrowed eyes and an uncharacteristically cutesy pout on his face.

“Fine. I’m sorry. To both of you.”

“Wonderful. So now will you allow me to explain to you why-”

“Wait, I’m not finished,” he interrupted. Strange, it wasn’t like him to actually want to say things. “I have a confession to make, and it might make you hate me more than you probably already do.”

“I don’t hate you!” Vanity exclaimed, her tone implying the very thought insulted her.

Warrick rolled his eyes and smirked. “Thank you, Vanity. But you might not feel the same way in a second.”

Vanity pulled her head back in confusion. I have to admit I felt equally baffled. Other than being a general douche, he hadn’t done anything wrong towards us. And he just apologized about the douche thing.

“There may or may not be more to why I decided to take you and Vanity with me back at Raincap then just the fact that I felt that I owed you for helping me.”

Well that...didn’t really make any sense.

“How do you mean?” I asked.

“Well at first that was it. After you freed me from that test bed I got out of the lab and was just about ready to make my way out of Raincap. But I couldn’t just leave you guys there. You helped me, so I had to at least help you. After that though, while you were passed out Wink, and then again after I spoke to Twilight and Rarity, I realized that there was a potential benefit to having you around.”

“So, what you’re telling me is...what exactly?”

“That I’ve been using you two for Vanity’s magic.”

Well that was exceptionally forthright.

“What?” Vanity asked.

“I assume that Clementine told you about The Four, correct?” Warrick asked, looking to me.

“Yeah, he told me all about it. Why?”

“Well then you know that I’m the only one that isn’t an alicorn, correct?”

“Well...yeah...”

“When you asked if I think I could fight Pestilence. I told the truth of course. Just a slightly embellished version of it. The fact is, if he ever even got within eye shot of me that would be it. This very embarrassing fact has thus far rendered most attempts to do something about him and the others pretty much vein. But then you two showed up.”

I didn’t like where this was going.

“What are you saying exactly?” I queried.

“The spell that was used to hide Ponyville II was cast by one of the most powerful unicorns I’ve ever met. I mean this is somepony that used basic spells to stop a rampaging ursa minor. Vanity was able to neutralize it without even breaking a sweat. That’s alicorn magic. That’s the kind of power needed if we even want to stand a chance against Pestilence when we get to the bog.”

“So the whole wait in the car thing was total crap then?” I asked, my tone much more stern than I thought I was capable of.

Warrick looked at the ground in shame. “That’s why I’m telling you this now. It took me far too long to realize how disgusting it is to ask something like that of you two. It just seemed too good to be true. Out of nowhere an alicorn just falls into our laps? I never stopped to think that that alicorn is somepony. For that, I understand if you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Vanity said, in her small little voice.

“Heh...well then you’re a much better pony than me,” he said.

I found myself feeling the very familiar twang of neglect. It made sense though. It was always Vanity. She was the perfect one. I wasn’t even worthwhile enough to be manipulated by somepony. Not that that’s something I’d aspire to have happen to me, but the fact remained the same. It was just like back at Raincap. All I was good for was to be a portal through which ponies could get to Vanity.

“So this whole time you were just trying to get to Vanity?” I asked, my head hung low.

“I thought I needed Vanity, for her magic. But I wanted you, Wink.”

He said what now? I looked up, one eye squinted. I could feel myself blushing. Warrick’s eyes shot open and he began to shake his head.

“No! What I mean is that you’re smart! And good in a tight spot! Like...no...wait, just hold on a second.” He took a deep breath. “You were able to make your way through the underground lab at Raincap undetected, rescue me, and then escape one of Pestilence’s raiding parties with only a minor wound. Then, after that, you took a bullet to the leg and still managed to survive in Smuggler’s Cove, alone. And on top of that, you survived an encounter with Pestilence himself. Those are things that those hardened soldier ponies out there joke about being able to do. And you did it all with nothing but your wit. Having someone like you around would be invaluable against a pony as devious as Pestilence. Or at least it would have been. But that’s enough about all that. We have a new plan, one that’s much safer for you two. And it will work. I’ll bet my life on it.”

As tempting as that offer sounded, I had something else in mind.

“We’re going with you,” I ordered.

“What?” Warrick asked, seeming genuinely perplexed.

“You keep talking about how much you owe us, but the way I see it, the slate is pretty much clean. Had you not come back for us in Raincap, we’d be dead right now. So you saved our lives just as much as we saved yours. So we’re even.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” he contested.

“It sounds right to me!” Vanity offered.

“See, even Vanity gets it. Now, you’re doing us a favor by helping us rescue our parents. The least we can do is, you know, help with that. Especially seeing as how one of us is the craftiest pony you’ve ever met, and the other is a super magic pony god child.”

“Wink. No.”

“Warrick. Yes. And you really have no say in the matter to be honest. If I wanted, I could just have Vanity put you in bubble and we’d be carrying you to this bog.”

He stared at me for a second, then turned to Vanity. “And you feel the same way?”

“You’re stuck with us like when glue makes things get stuck to other things!” she exclaimed, grinning ear to ear.

“Well in that case I have to tell you that you two are simultaneously the bravest, and most thick headed-ly stupid mares I have ever met. And fortunately for you, I’m the bravest and most thick headed-ly stupid buck I’ve ever met.”

“We’re like three peas in a pod,” Vanity suggested.

“”It would appear so,” Warrick said in agreement. “Well if this is really what’s going down, you two will need to get your rest. The bog is a few days away, but you should be preparing from now. There won’t be any place for mistakes because you’re tired once we’re there.”

He turned around and opened the door.

“Wait!” I called out, stopping him. He turned to me. “So does this mean we are actually friends?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

“......boooooored......boooooooooored.......boooo-”

“Alright! Geez! I get it Vanity, you’re bored. Good god!” I rolled over, wrapping my forelegs around my head.

The boredom was getting to me too. Since there was nothing for us to do anyway, Vanity and I decided to just wait in the newly remodelled Sandy. It felt almost like a compact school bus, with the bench seats and all. Not to mention the cockpit was actually inside the cabin now. The whole thing just felt more open and spacious. Not that it made the lethargy any less prevalent.

We had already bid Clementine, Four Leaf, and the others our fond farewells, and now we were just waiting for Warrick to finish saying a few last things to them. Then we’d be able to begin waiting a bit more until the cover of night so we could finally leave Ponyville II.

Waiting was quickly bearing down on sand on my list of things I hate about the land outside Equestria.

The cockpit glass let out a hiss and began to lift open, allowing the stifling rays of sun to pour into Sandy’s cabin. Warrick landed in the cockpit and got comfortable in the new driver’s seat. He began familiarizing himself with the controls. By which I mean he started pressing every button on the control panel until he finally found the one that closed the cockpit.

Okay, now it was just a matter of playing the waiting game till night fall.

“Ah, got it. Okay, now we can go,” Warrick announced.

Or maybe the waiting game could wait.

“Huh? I thought Four Leaf said we should wait until nighttime to leave,” I said.

“And since when do we take orders from Four Leaf?” he asked.

“I guess. But...I don’t know, maybe-”

“Oooo! No! No! Let’s go now! Please! I can’t take another second of just waiting here. I might die, like right here. I’m not even kidding,” Vanity pleaded.

“See Wink, even Vanity gets it,” Warrick said, smirking.

Warrick pressed the ignition and Sandy’s engine roared to life. Vanity let out a cheerful howl at the sound.

You know what? Screw it. For once she was right. Sucks to this over cautious attitude that had been threatening to take me over. What happened to Periwinkle the adventurer? What happened to the pony that wanted a map and compass as a cutie mark? Granted that very same pony was walking around sporting a royal blue blotch for a mark, but the principle remains the same.

“Okay, yeah. Let’s do it,” I said. It felt good to feel like my old self again. If not just for a moment.

Vanity gleefully hugged me. I pushed her off, sneering. Warrick turned back to the controls. He revved Sandy’s engines a few times, warming up the new motor, and then we were off.

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

New Sandy was fast. We were putting so much dirt behind us that I wondered if we couldn’t reach Pestilence’s Bog before tomorrow morning. Then again I had no idea where it was, so I could wonder all I wanted. Still, it was nice to be able to travel faster than a snail’s pace. The new off road tires ate through the sand; and thanks to the fact that the whole thing was fully enclosed now, and the body suits Four Leaf had given us, I didn’t have to worry about getting sand...everywhere.

Vanity and I had taken seats on either side of Sandy so we could stare out the windows as we rolled along through the desert. The scenery was pretty static, but I must admit it was quite exciting every time we went through a small dune and an explosion of sand kicked up against the glass. We’d been driving now for what felt like a little over an hour. Ponyville II was too far removed to even be visible. Of course that could just have been an effect of the concealment spell. In addition to spouting ‘Oooo’s and ‘Ahhhh’s whenever we rode over a conglomeration of sand, I was keeping myself entertained by picking out any interestingly shaped rock formations or desert plant life and cross referencing them with the geography section of my science book. It was not as fun as it sounded. Until I saw what looked like a town.

“Whoa, mirage.”

Vanity peeled her face away from the window she was staring out and turned to me. “What?”

“Nothing, I just thought I saw an actual town out there. Like an old Appaloosian styled one.”

“No,” she said shaking her head. “I meant like what’s a ‘mirage’?” She looked at me curiously.

I placed a hoof on my forehead and sighed. “It’s when-”

“Before you go quoting the dictionary, I think you should know that what you saw wasn’t a mirage,” Warrick clarified, interrupting me.

Vanity turned to him. “Which is...?”

“Wait,” I began. “You mean there are actually settlements out here that aren’t military related?”

“It’s not as barren out here as you might think. There are a whole bunch of settlements scattered around. Some are military like Smuggler’s Cove and Ponyville II, but there are other ones that are just like any other town. You guys aren’t the first ponies from Equestria to leave you know.”

“So, there is civilization out here?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t go that far. But there are some small towns. Mostly though, it’s just camps where ponies will spend a night or two then leave. There are a few like that in the direction we’re headed, but we don’t have enough fuel to reach any of them.”

“What? But I thought we purposely waited to leave just so that Sandy could charge.” As silly as it was, the name was growing on me.

“We did. But we only actually got about 4 hours of true charge time, and the solar panels they were able to find and slap on this thing weren’t exactly brand new,” he said.

“Well...if we couldn’t even make it to a shelter on what we had, why did we even bother leaving Ponyville II? We could’ve just waited till night and we’d have had more power.”

“I guess. But then again I’d rather have to worry about finding a place to sleep than be dead.”

“Dead? What?” I looked at him queerly. That...didn’t make much sense given the context.

“By now Ponyville II has likely been overrun by Pestilence’s ponies,” he explained. “That’s how he always does it. He has his horde burn a settlement to the ground, then he has them return and sends his loyal followers to colonize his newly coveted encampments. I can’t imagine he’d pass up the opportunity to take Ponyville II, even if he didn’t get what he was really after.”

Kinda like a reverse version of the scorched Earth tactic my history book said the ponies of the Frozen North used to use. It was a pretty smart tactic in all honesty. Flushing everypony out with a fire ensures that you won’t really have to do any work to clear the place out. And I was sure Pestilence would have some way to justify to his blind followers why every time their holy crusade bore new land, it was always a smoldering pile of ash.

Oh god.

“Warrick!” I shouted, causing him to duck his head. He rubbed his ear and looked back at me.

“Yes. That’s me...right here. Two feet away from you.”

“What about Raincap?!” Had Pestilence already taken it over? Maybe my parents were still being held there. This whole campaign would be for naught if that were the case. Not to mention the fact that an evil psycho alicorn would have a hoof hold right there in Equestria!

Vanity’s eyes went wide and darted to Warrick. He laughed.

I reeled back. “What’s so funny?! Did you not here what I just said?!”

“Oh I heard it. That’s why I’m laughing,” he said.

Vanity looked at the ground as if searching for something. She looked back up at Warrick. “But that’s not funny.”

No, it wasn’t.

“Well of course it is. But I guess you wouldn’t really know why.”

“Well then why don’t you explain it Mr. Comedian?” I asked.

“Pestilence is bold, but he’s not stupid. The only reason he even considered pulling something inside the Equestrian border is because he was sure he’d have gotten me. I guarantee that right now he’s praying that Luna and Tia don’t notice it was him and decide to retaliate. He’s nowhere near ready for that.”

‘Luna and Tia’? A rather...informal way to reference your Monarchs. But that wasn’t really important right now.

“So...Raincap is fine then?” I asked, cautiously.

“Well, as fine as a town that just recently got burned down can be.”

Vanity let out a sigh of relief and went back to staring out her window.

“Well then, if you’re just about done laughing at our trauma, do you have a plan for where we’ll be spending the night?”

Warrick shrugged.

“Oh! We can sleep in that big cave over there,” Vanity suggested, hitting her hoof against the wall of the cabin as if trying to point to what she was referring to.

Warrick looked at a glowing gauge on Sandy’s control panel that I assumed was some sort of fuel counter and began to steer in the direction Vanity was tapping.

“Looks like we have no choice. We’re just about out of fuel and Sandy eats it faster than she charges,” he said.

“I’m not sure about this. Didn’t you say there was wild life out here?” I contested.

“Oh come on Peri! It will be just like camping!”

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

My biology teacher once told our class that if somepony had enough adrenaline coursing through their veins, they would be capable of performing incredible physical feats. One of which, as she mentioned, was the unheard of ability to run literally up to twice as fast as that pony normally could. I felt the strong desire to find her and kindly inform her that she had severely underestimated the power of that specific bodily chemical.

We had been searching for a serviceable place to sleep in the cave Vanity had insisted we bunk down in and were greeted by the gargantuan snake that had been sleeping a few pony lengths from the cave’s mouth. Yes, that’s right. A snake. A massive snake. And not massive as in like an anaconda or some other really big snake you might see on the nature channel and say ‘That’s a really big snake’. I mean like a snake so big that it could swallow all three of us in one bite, then go outside and swallow Sandy whole. And then still not be full. It was the most terrifying creature I had ever seen. The fact that it was asleep was a stroke of sheer, glorious luck. But when has life ever seen fit to grant me fortune, right?

True to form Warrick was able to ruin our luck by finding a way to awaken and anger the monster, and now we were fleeing for our lives from the demonically vicious serpent. I could hear Warrick beside me yelling words of challenge at the beast in that foalish manner used by stallions when they want everyone around them to think they can win a fight, but deep down know they could never do so. I wanted to turn and tell him to shut his stupid mouth, but I didn’t dare break stride, not even for a second, lest the creature get close enough to skewer me with one of its nightmarish, pony sized fangs. Vanity was in a cold sprint, managing even to keep a few paces ahead of me. I felt myself taken by a sort of jealous awe at how she managed to look gracefully dainty even when running for her life.

I snapped out of my envious daze at the familiar sound of Warrick’s metallic wings slashing through the air, no doubt in an attempt to injure the monster. Only this time was different. There was no grotesque sploshing sound, no sickening report of steel slicing through flesh that made me want to plug my ears and curl up in a fetal ball. This time Warrick had missed, and for the first time, I was upset that he had. Because his target was unmissably large; and the fact that he had meant it must also have been impossibly agile for its size. Even more so than the Horse of Wa- Defense, himself. The very thought sent an ice cold chill through my spine from flank to neck.

I struggled not to let my fear take full hold of me. My legs and lungs were on fire and I had to think quickly for another way to slow the enormous creature. I was really starting to regret the decision not to bring that face canon with me when we left Sandy. Warrick wasn’t fast enough to be useful in combat (that felt weird to say, even in my head) but he could at least distract the behemoth long enough to give me a clear shot, had I been armed. That was it. Good. I had a semi sensible battle plan: get back to Sandy, get a gun, and shoot the damn thing. I just had to find a way to fill Warrick in on the details. When he wasn’t at my side when I finally looked over, my fear turned to a suffocating terror.

It’s incredible how many thoughts can surge through your mind in just one instant. All at once, I imagined all the various ways the snake must have killed Warrick only a few feet behind us. I fought against the dizzying images and convinced myself that even if he was alive back there, I still had to kill the legless lizard before I could be sure. I sighed mentally when I realized what I needed to do.

“Vanity!” I was surprised I was able to shout so loud while running so hard.

Without even turning to me she shouted back. “What?!”

“I might need your help in just a second.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m in the middle of something!”

“Just SHUT UP and fly when I tell you to!” It was painful just saying those words. Being a flightless pegasus with an alicorn for a sister was more than a little bit embarrassing, but I could hear the hellish animal’s body slamming against the ground as it slithered after us, and my desire to live was just a bit stronger my disdain towards having to ask for my sister’s help.

I had to gauge this just right. I couldn’t risk slowing down or the monster would be on me for sure. I’d have to get ahead of Vanity then slow just enough so that I could leap onto her back without slowing her down either. My legs were burning, like worse than they had been when I got shot. Well perhaps not that badly, but the pain was still very noticeable. And it made things difficult. Fortunately Vanity wasn’t that fast, and it had been my own desire to conserve energy that allowed her to be ahead of me in the first place. I added a painful extra gear to my pace and over took her by nearly a pony length.

“Get ready!” I shouted. Vanity gave a small nod and spread her wings, readying for a quick take off.

My legs were about to give way, but I steeled myself and with the slightest hop I found myself laying on Vanity’s back.

“GO! FLY! FLY! FLY!” I barely had time to wrap my forelegs around her neck before we were off the ground and blitzing through the air away from the hellspawn down below.

But the fun had only just begun. Thinking we were out of the proverbial woods, I turned my head to look down at the beast. Only the snake wasn't laying there on the ground wishing it had been just a little bit faster. It was right there still chasing us, as if slithering up some invisible wall. Half its body was still on the ground, and that was enough that it would catch up to us long before it collapsed under its own weight.

Vanity was giving it all she had, but with the extra weight of me on her back, she just couldn’t fly fast enough to outrun it. It was so close now. All it had to do was open its mouth and we’d be nothing more than a tasty pre-dinner snack.

Or at least that’s what would have happened had Warrick not done what it was he did next.

The tip of one of Warrick’s wings poked out through the back of the snake’s throat, right behind the meeting of its head and body. The beast faltered for a split second, then the wing proceeded to tear its way up the length of the monster’s head, cutting clean through its skull and brain. As the creature fell back down to the Earth, Warrick burst out of the freshly made wound, covered in blood and slime. He went spiralling through the air, just barely correcting in time to tumble only semi-violently to a stop in the sand.

“Vanity!”

“I know,” she said, her voice full of concern.

She banked towards him and began to descend rapidly. I closed my eyes so bits of sand floating through the air wouldn’t scratch them. I felt Vanity land and released her, sliding off her back. I rubbed my eyes and opened them, looking around for Warrick. Vanity was hovering over his motionless body. I galloped over as fast as my burning legs would take me. He was just laying there in a big puddle of snake blood and some other really thick, really gross liquid. It didn’t look like he was breathing. Vanity and I looked at each other, then back at Warrick. Was he...

“Warrick?” Vanity sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Yes, Vanity?”

Warrick was alive! And what the hell, had he been mocking us? He stood up and shook himself off. He looked at Vanity and me as if everything was completely normal. Vanity stood wide eyed, tears glistening around her irises. I just shook my head and sighed.

“What? Did I miss something? You two look like you just saw a ghost.” The idiot couldn’t even contain the stupid smirk on his face.

Vanity’s horn began to glow and she whipped her head at him. A wave of magic knocked his hooves out from under him and he fell face first into the disgusting pile of snake juice. We turned around and began walking back towards Sandy.

“Good job Vanity.”

<<-------------------------------------------------->>

Night time in the desert. As desolate, lifeless, and honestly just not good the desert seemed during the day, I had to admit that there was little I could think of that matched the sight of a sky littered with stars; and to be able to see them all, without any clouds, or trees, or anything in the way was hard to beat. At night the desert was so much less hostile. It was peaceful. But good god was it cold.

After the whole ordeal with the snake, we went back to the cave (this time Vanity and I were armed). It wasn’t actually that big inside. The snake had had to remain curled up in order to fit. But it was the perfect size to serve as a place for us to spend the night. And it was big enough that we could actually stretch out. Oh, and Sandy was just the right size to fit in the entrance of the cave. We figured that would likely keep most creatures from wanting to try to probe deeper.

Warrick had used gun powder from a bunch of the spare bullets we had to start a fire, using his wings to make a spark. We were all just laying around it, sharing in its warmth. It hadn’t been this quiet between all of us since we first set out with Warrick towards Smuggler’s Cove two days ago.

Surprisingly, Warrick was the one to break the silence. “Thank you.”

“Hmm? Did you say something?” Vanity asked.

“After you guys saved me from the lab under Raincap, I never thanked you.”

“No way. I’m sure you did. A few times actually,” I corrected.

“But I never meant it. Not sincerely. But this time I do.” He seemed solemn. Like he didn’t even expect us to even accept his thanks.

“Awww.” Vanity rolled over to him and hugged him. “You’re welcome!”

She let him go before he could pass out from oxygen deficiency and went back to her spot around the fire. Warrick turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

“You’re welcome,” I said. He nodded and went back to staring at the flames.

After that there was another bout of silence. Only this time it was significantly more awkward. Until out of nowhere Vanity shot up into the air, landing softly on her hooves.

“I know!” She flew over to Sandy and went inside the cabin. Warrick and I exchanged glances then went back to observing whatever Vanity was doing.

We could hear her moving around inside Sandy. She let out a gleeful squeak when she had found what she was looking for. The cabin door opened and she flew back to her spot around the fire, holding Pinkie Pie’s Magic Song Book in her forelegs. She placed it on the ground and looked at Warrick and I, a big smile on her face. She looked to me and I just shook my head.

She didn’t care.

She flipped the book open to a random page and Pinkie Pie’s voice began to echo through the cave.

“When I was a little filly and the sun was going dooooown...”

Vanity began to hum along to the beat. Nudging her head towards me trying to get me to join her. There was no way I was gonna sing along to that.

But Warrick would. In clearly practiced harmony he began to match the lyrics the book was belting out.

“I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at aaaaalllllll”

“I'd hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw, but Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at aaaaalllllll”

While holding that last note he looked at me and began nodding like a buffoon, urging me to join in. I really didn’t want to, but his face was just so damn persuasive.

“Fine!” I shouted.

I joined Vanity in humming that unimaginably catchy melody while Warrick and the disembodied recording of Pinkie Pie’s voice offered lyrics. It was ridiculous. But sitting there around that fire, singing along like a bunch of idiots to a song written by some crazy pink party pony, I felt something that my life in Raincap had never afforded me.

I felt like I had friends.