The Strangerby EsipodeChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter OneHe couldn't remember how he ended up here, but he didn't care. A rolling green field presented itself around him, seemingly stretching on infinitely. A gentle breeze swaying the tall grass and brushing against his coat, letting a cool sensation course through his body. He had never felt as happy as he had at that moment. It wasn't even the calming surroundings that gave him his feeling of utter content, it was the presence of his family that was causing his heart to swell. One, his beautiful wife which laid on the grass next to him, the mare that he cherished more than the sun and moon themselves. The other, his pride and joy. A little unicorn filly that was running about, giggling to herself as she frolicked in the endless sea of green. The couple lied together on the grass, smiles stuck to their faces as they watched their daughter enjoying herself. As if on cue, they both turned their respective gazes to one another. He leaned into her face and planted a light peck on her cheek. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He whispered into her ear. His voice sounded different than usual. Younger, perhaps? He paid the thought little mind, as he was too enthralled with the sight of his beloved in front of him. She blushed, and returned the kiss, moving closer to hold her stallion against her hooves. "I think so. But I never get tired of hearing it." She nuzzled the stallion. He wanted to get lost in the moment, but he had to keep glancing away to make sure his little filly didn't wander away from him. "Now Daffodil, don't go running off. I wouldn't want to lose you now." Again, his thoughts were scrambled by the sound of his own voice. It was definitely off, somehow. He was, however, quickly pulled away from this thought by his wife pulling him closer. They were close enough now to feel each other's hearts beating. "Honey?" His wife raised her head to look into his eyes. "Yes, my sweet?" He grinned ear to ear at his betrothed. "Please wake up." The beautiful face of his wife quickly began to fade away, followed by the rest of the vast landscape, until only he remained, seemingly standing on a vacuum of nothingness. His heart dropped in his chest. Then, a loud shattering sound. SMASH! Stranger's eyes shot open. He knew that sound well enough. It was his window breaking. By the sound of it? First floor kitchen, south facing window. 'Why do they always go for the intact window?' Somepony was trying to break in again. He groaned loudly, giving no indication of care to whether or not the intruder knew he was awake. This had all become old hat to him. Bleary eyed, he grabbed his cloak from off of his coat rack. To his surprise, it was dry. He didn't expect it to have dried so quickly. Maybe it was the cool night air? He stood up, his bones making various cracking noises as he rose. Age certainly hadn't been good to him. Not physically, at least. He stopped himself before putting on the cloak. 'Right. Belt goes first. Don't know how I could forget that.' He wrapped the belt around himself with his teeth, making sure it was nice and tight. Stranger glanced over to his night stand as he wrapped the cloak around himself. Even in the dark of the night, a tiny switchblade could be made out by the moonlight reflecting off its blade. He grabbed it and tucked it underneath his cloak, and into his belt. It wouldn't do him any good for the intruder to know he was armed; that would take away his element of surprise. Clearly being in no hurry, he took a quick swig of brandy of him flask. The cool burning sensation was the only real soothing feeling he got in life, so he liked to savour it. Slowly, he sauntered towards the stairs, the floorboards creaking as he went. The sounds from the floor below had stopped. Whoever was here, now knew he was coming for them. Stranger slowly began his descent from the stairs. His face all the while projecting a tired expression. He was tired, though. Being woken up in the middle of the night will do that to a pony. It wasn't just physical exhaustion that was the source of his solemn face. No, it was because taking care of bandits in his home was never a welcome sight, but it was hardly worth batting an eye at anymore. Stranger walked into what could arguably be called a kitchen. It had a refrigerator though, so it was more a kitchen than most homes in Equestria nowadays. It also sported a stove with a working gas pipe, thanks to his own handiwork. Wood cabinets had the finish stripped off, and the wood had been starting grow mold on them, but at least he had cabinets. To be fair, he probably had a kitchen to rival most pubs or restaurants around. There he was. A bright blue pegasus stallion, adorned with scars in various places across his body. He was rummaging through Stranger's cupboards, grabbing at cans of food and muttering to himself through heavy breaths. It was then that Stranger noticed the stallion looked oddly familiar. "Sunny." He spoke flatly. The stallion whipped around, a panicked expression on his face. Stranger casually walked over to the shaking stallion, completely ignoring the large knife the stallion had clenched in his teeth. Stranger looked him in the eyes, a look of disdain for the pitiful robber. "I thought we had an agreement, Sunny? I let you live, and you don't come bother me again. Now you've gone and broke your promise. I'm sorry Sunny, but you only get one freebie in life. After that, you have to make your own luck. I'm afraid your luck has run out." The pegasus reared up on his hind legs, preparing to bring the knife clenched in his teeth down upon Stranger with a mighty swipe. Stranger had gone through this scene too many times before, and was just too tired to humour the petty bandit. His hoof reached beneath his cloak, pulling the switchblade from its holster on his belt. Sunny brought the knife down towards Stranger, who was counting in his head while he held the knife in his teeth. '3...2...' Stranger side-stepped the oncoming knife, and positioned his head below Sunny's stomach. With a swift motion, he brought the knife up into the pegasus' stomach, ripping open the flesh as he tore upwards. Sunny did not scream as he bled out. Stranger was relieved at that. Having anypony screaming into his ear as their lungs filled with blood was never a pleasant experience, especially not so early in the morning. The blood flowed freely down the knife, with some of it dribbling into Stranger's mouth. It wasn't a new taste to him, this happened quite often, though he preferred to avoid it when he could. Unfortunately, Sunny didn't really give him much of a choice. The stomach was the only exposed area he had to work with in the heat of the moment. Sure, he could have simply played the dodging game with the stallion until he presented an opportunity to ram the knife into his sides, effectively keeping the blood from trickling into his mouth, but he was tired, and just wanted to get the whole business over with quickly. He would have time to worry about life threatening diseases later. After the blood stopped, Stranger grabbed the body and tossed it out the window. Getting rid of the bodies was never an issue, as Blindside would always show up sometime during the day and haul it away for him. He never understood how a stallion incapable of sight could always found his way through town, up the hill to Stranger's home, and drag away a fresh corpse, but he never questioned him. Having someone do the work for him was thanks enough to not go meddling in somepony else's business. The blood that soaked into his floorboards was another issue. The stench was horrible, but then again the air in his home never was what you would call clean, so it hardly changed much. Besides, he had gotten used to it over the years. It didn't do much for having guests over, however. Not that it mattered terribly, his guests were usually of the unintended variety. Stranger stepped around the blood, so as not to track it all over his home, and he made his way to the sink. It wasn't really a sink, but rather what he chose to refer to it as. In reality, it was just a barrel of water he had embedded into the counter top. He grabbed a bucket next to 'the sink' and filled it with water from the barrel. First, he took a sip from the bucket, cleansing his mouth from the metallic taste of blood. Second, he dipped his hooves into the water, washing any blood off his coat that had managed to drip onto him. Lastly, he swished his switchblade around in the water, restoring the blade to its shiny, steel glory. Satisfied that everything was thoroughly cleansed, he dumped the now murky red water out the window. A different window from the body of course, he didn't care to have Blindside yelling at him again because he doesn't like the bodies getting, as he put it, 'damaged'. Slinking back upstairs to his bed, Stranger loosened the belt, letting it dropped to the floor around his back hooves. Next he threw off his cloak. He would have time to put them in their proper place in the morning. For now though, he wanted to get back to dreaming. Light. Stranger never liked the light. It meant another day of running around, doing things to 'survive'. He preferred his dreams, and the light was always there to ruin them. Not much he could do about the sun, though, so he slowly brought his eyes open, adjusting his vision to the real world once again. He took a deep breath. The stench of blood still hung pungently in the air. He rose from his bed, which in the broad daylight, revealed the bed to be just a mattress laid on the floor, with several stains in a variety of colours littered without. It once repulsed him to have to sleep on something so vile, but a mattress was something one rarely came across, so he counted himself lucky for it. Today was like any other day; full of 'chores'. Things anypony and indeed everypony had to do before the day was done to ensure they survived another day. Judging from the height of the sun in the sky though, he had woken up earlier than usual. That meant he had a bit of time to stop by The Gully. Stranger stepped inside the local pub, wrapped up in his cloak despite the immense heat, taking in the sweet smell. He plopped his flank down onto one of the stools, and banged his hoof on the counter to get the bartender's attention. It seemed to work, as a pale yellow unicorn with a curly black mane and tail turned his gaze to him. "Howdy, Stranger? A little early in the morning fer a drink, don't ya think?" The bartender raised an eyebrow at Stranger. "You worry about you, Frosty, and I'll worry about me. Now how about a glass of cider?" He knew Frosty meant well, but he tired of having the same conversation every time he stepped inside the establishment. "Depends if'n ya got the bits." Frosty held out an outstretched hoof. "Oh, and keeping this place bandit free isn't payment enough? I see how it is." Begrudgingly, Stranger pulled out three bits from a small pouch attached to his belt and flung them at the stallion, sending them clattering to the floor. Frosty bent over to grab them, giving Stranger a good view of the mug of brown liquid cutie mark the bartender had. "You ever gonna tell me how you got your mark? It's got to be an interesting tale to hear how a little foal learned his special talent was bartending." Stranger let out a light chuckle. The pair certainly enjoyed ribbing each other; the laughter made the days less bleak. "Ehh, I'll bore ya when yer drunk." Frosty floated the mug over to Stranger, who chugged the whole thing in one swift go. Frosty chuckled to himself. "Hard night, I take it?" "Yup." "Another one for the kill count, then?" "Sunny." "Damn, what a shame. Kid never was right in the head, though. Can't really blame ya." "Cider." Stranger flung another 3 bits at Frosty, who this time, managed to catch them all with his magic. Floating another mug to his customer, Frosty continued. "Yeah, things just ain't what they used ta be. Now if only we lived back during the days of the Elements of-" Frosty was cut short by an empty mug smacking against the counter. "Stop. Now. I'm not in any mood to hear any of your ridiculous theories today. I've told you once, and I'll tell you again, there is not such things as 'Elements of Harmony'." Stranger felt a knot growing in his stomach. He hated listening to this. "You always say that, but the book-" Frosty found himself interrupted again, this time by Stranger knocking over the stool as he stood up. "That book is nothing but some pony's ramblings that they wrote down while they were going insane from heat stroke or some shit, and you know it! Quit with all this divine being nonsense. It's all a bunch of fairy tale bullshit." Stranger was quickly trotting his way towards the door, before he could heard any more of Frosty's idiotic theories. "Wait, what about this?" The bartender's voice was heavy with desperation. Regrettably, Stranger turned around, intent on hearing his friend out. "What if the Elements were actually ponies themselves? And they once worked alongside Celestia to maintain peace not only here in Weltwater Valley, but in all of Equestria!" Stranger had to look at the absurd grin on his friend's face for a few moments before it occurred to him. "You're insane. But you make good cider, so I'll be back." With that, Stranger trotted out into the clear day again. 'Well, time to get down to work.' Chapter Two'Food? Check.' 'Water? Check.' 'Bandits? Not check. Good. Let's see how long I can keep it that way.' Stranger had finished his 'chores' for the day. He had gathered water from a nearby lake a few miles outside town. He never liked his water barrel getting anywhere near halfway, let alone empty. As for food, a mountain was unlucky enough to think it could ambush him, and ended up having its meat picked clean from its bones. Of course, without any proper way to store the meat, he was going to have to eat it tonight before it became too rotten to eat. For now, though? He had patrols. This was how he earned his bits to stay afloat in Coolidge Springs. A name he found rather ironic, as the weather was always hotter than Sweets' flank; daytime or otherwise. Patrols were important for the town, as being in the middle of nowhere, it was like a beacon for bandits. Having had learned to fight from an early age, he felt it more like a duty than a job to defend the town. Most ponies in town didn't have any experience with firearms, or even close combat for that matter, so he wasn't exactly left with a choice. So he sat. For hours on end, he would set perched up on the old grain silo that towered above the town, giving him a clear vantage point into the horizon in all directions. Bandit attacks were on average, once a week. So six out of seven days of the week, Stranger would be watch and wait, with nothing to pass the time but his thoughts. Today was no exception. That is, until the sound of the silo's ladder clanging with movement brought him out of his bored stupor. It was Blindside, climbing up to see him. He was an old earth pony, with a dark red coat and mane that had been slowly turning grey with his age. The first thing anypony noticed about him though, would be the white cross on his flank. That old stallion's cutie mark always raised more questions than it answered. He wore a pair of round black glasses, and unlike most blind ponies, didn't take to carrying a cane with him. He had been living in Coolidge Springs his whole life, and was confident enough in his movements not to need one. "So how goes patrols today?" Blindside spoke through a raspy voice, squatting down on his haunches next to Stranger. "Have you heard any gunshots yet?" The sarcasm in his voice was thick. "I don't think I have." The old stallion chuckled at his friend's scoffing temperament. "Well, there's your answer then." Stranger found himself smiling a bit. 'Boredom or bandits? I guess it's better to be bored.' There was a long pause in where they both just sat there, looking into the horizon. At least, one of them was. Before long though, one of them opted to start up the conversation again. "We gonna see you at The Gully tonight?" Blindside raised an eyebrow from behind his glasses. Stranger couldn't help but shoot Blindside a suspicious look, pointless as it may be. "Do you really think you should still be drinking at your age?" Blindside let out a heavy sigh, before turning to Stranger and smiling. "You know the law. I worry about me, you worry about you." "Yeah, well I never much cared for Bandit Law. Seemed a little backward in my opinion." It was true. Stranger never liked the 'everypony for themselves' mentality. But then of course, he didn't exactly live the same way everypony else did. At least, he didn't used to. "Well, you always were a family stallion." Blindside felt the tension in his words left in the air. He knew Stranger didn't like ponies bringing up the past, but he knew Stranger would let him know if he was overstepping any boundaries. Blindside took a sharp inhale before continuing. "It's a shame I never got to meet her. I'm sure she was a fine mare." There was a long silence, and the old stallion took it as a sign that he should go. Besides, he had a 'package' to pick up outside Stranger's house. So he climbed down the silo ladder, once again leaving Stranger to his thoughts. 'You got that right.' Stranger thought to himself. His admittedly short conversation had managed to mellow him out somewhat, even if it was only because he was now too focused on memories of happier days, than on his task at hand. "Come on Daffodil, it's time for bed." He was tired enough as it is. Getting the little filly into bed was just sucking the will right out of him. "But daddy, i'm not tired!" The tiny unicorn looked up into his eyes with a pleading look on her face. He had seen this look all too many times before, though. "I know sweetie, but daddy *is tired. So please, just go to sleep." Arguing with his daughter was never fun, and certainly wasn't made any easier by her unrelenting desire to argue with him. Luckily, he had his fail safe. It meant he had to stay awake longer, but it meant he could get his daughter to sleep faster than by standing there debating with her. "How about a story, then?" At the mention of a story, the filly raced off to her room, followed closely by her father. She nestled herself under her bedsheets, and handed him the book she kept under her pillow.* "The Elements of Harmony. Really, Daffodil? Again? Don't you ever get tired of this one?" The violent shake of his daughter's head gave him his answer. With a defeated sigh, he began reading his pride and joy's favourite fairy tale. ... "The end." He was glad to see the unicorn filly had seemingly fallen asleep sometime during the story, because he felt about ready to collapse, himself. He carefully made his way towards the door, avoiding the various toys that littered the floor of his daughter's room, lest me wake her up. Flicking the light off, he let out a sigh of relief. That is, until a tiny voice spoke up. "Daddy? What do you think happened to the Princesses?" That question made him cringe. not just because it meant she had woken up, but because that was a question he didn't want to answer. He didn't really *have an answer, either. His daughter idolized the stories she would hear of the goddesses of the sun and the moon. He didn't have the heart to tell her that they were just 'gone'. Because nopony honestly knew what had happened to the Princesses, just that their absence was how his much hated 'Bandit Law' was brought about.* "They uh, had to go away for a while. Now please go to sleep." He didn't want to lie to Daffodil, but how could he tell her that she would never get to see her lifelong idols? "But where did they they? Why did they go away?" The distraught tone in his daughter's voice pained him to hear, but he just couldn't deal with this conversation right now. "Go to sleep." His voice was flat as he spoke. "But-" "I said go to sleep!" The scared look on his daughter's face was enough to calm him back down. Shocked tears were rolling down the filly's face as she hid her head under her pillow. "Wait, i'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, I-" The door to the bedroom suddenly slammed in his face. He started pounding on the door. "Daffodil! Open the door!" All of a sudden, the scent of smoke began to filled his nose. Stranger's eyes shot open. His golden eyes darting back an forth in time with his head, looking for the source of the smoke. It was his home. On top of the hill just on the outskirts of town, his home was burning brightly for everypony to see. The trip down the silo's ladder, as well as the gallop through town was a blur to him. His thoughts were too scrambled to think. He only had one goal on his mind. He needed to get inside that house before it burned down. Ponies were rushing to and from the inferno that had engulfed his home, buckets of water between their teeth. He paid no attention to the attempts to diminish the flames, however. He knew all too well that the building was doomed from the moment he laid eyes on flames. No, he was after something inside the home. The way he saw it, Stranger would have a small window of opportunity before the gas pipe ruptured, engulfing the entire area with flames. After shouting for ponies to get away from the building, he dashed towards the front door, causing it to cave inward. He found the stench of smoke filling his lungs quickly. He didn't have a lot of time. He would soon collapse from the heat and the limited air supply, not to mention the burning home crumbling around him. Galloping up the stairs, he made his way to the bedroom closet. He let out a high sigh of relief, not to mention a lung full of smoke, when he found what he had been looking for. A locked box, undamaged yet by the fire. He grabbed it, and began running towards the stairs. Halfway down the steps, though, the staircase gave way and sent him falling. Then everything went dark. ... ... ... Stranger woke with a sharp pain all over. He noticed he wasn't in his bed, though. 'Oh. Right. I forgot.' He let out a dreary sigh, before jumping to his hooves in shock. Hastily searching around, he found a little bit of peace in that the locked box was on the floor next to where he had just woken up from. Looking around, he noticed he was in somewhere none too unfamiliar. It was the The Gully's cellar. Perspective of his surroundings now gained, he turned to the fruits of his labor; his locked box. It wasn't terribly interesting to look at, it was little more than a small metal safe, but its contents were what were so important to him. Stranger reached his hoof down the hood of his cloak, slipping a silver chain off of his neck. Attached to the chain was a key, glistening gold as though it were brand new. He turned the keyhole in the box, and with an audible crack the top popped open. Inside was his most cherished item. A daffodil, kept perfectly preserved between a thick sheet of plastic. Sighing with relief, he placed it back in its box, and stowing the box away in a corner. he knew Frosty wouldn't touch the thing, after all. Opening the cellar door, he was greeted with a fleet of stares from various ponies. Ignoring them, Stranger sat down on the nearest stool and muttered the only words he could think of at the moment. "Cider. Now." His head was pounding like mad, and he needed something to take his mind off of it. Frosty appeared only a few moments later, floating a frothy mug towards Stranger. He reached for the money pouch on his belt before the unicorn spoke up. "Ya really think i'm gonna make ya pay after what happened? It's on the house, my friend." Frosty shot him an apologetic smile before leaving to cater to the his other patrons, loudly shouting at him to get them their drinks. Stranger tried to enjoy the brief moment to himself, before a familiar pair of pink hooves wrapped themselves around him. "Aaaww, I'm sorry about what happened. Wadd'ya say you come with me and I make you feel a whole lot better?" There was no mistaking that baby-esque tone of voice. "Not now, Sweets. I would like to be alone to think, if you wouldn't mind." Sweets. The local 'sweetheart', as people liked to refer to her as. To Stranger, she was a filthy prostitute, and he didn't want a thing to do with her. But, like everyone else in town, he felt it was best to try and keep on a friendly basis with them. She didn't seem to take the hint to walk away though, and took to sitting down next to him, inching the stool closer to him. "Awww, c'mon Strange. I'm just looking for a little fun, is all." She tried running a hoof down his backside, but he brushed her away with a hoof, trying to focus his eyes on his drink. "Hmmph. Well you're no fun." Sweets got up and walked away, making as much of an effort to swish her rump about as much as possible about as she walked. Stranger caught himself watching her walk away. Her pink coat, long, flowing white hair with blue streaks, and her lollipop cutie mark. If she didn't disgust him to the core, he would've considered her offer. He had more important things to think about for now, though. Namely, finding a place to live. Frosty couldn't, as he lived in his pub, which wasn't made to accommodate two people. Blindside scared the living hell out of him to be honest, as nice of a stallion as he seemed, and he had no intention of finding out what the old bastard did with those bodies. The left only one possible option... "Hey Sweets, can I ask you something?" 'I can't believe i'm about to ask this.' Chapter ThreeHe still hated waking up. Today was no exception. Only today, Stranger didn't have the comfort of waking up inside his own home. 'Where the hell am I? Oh right.' He pushed a blanket off of himself, and brought himself sitting upright. Scanning the room, he was lying on the floor. Suddenly, he really missed his mattress. Lying next to him was the sleeping form of Sweets, soundly snoozing, the rising and falling of her body giving off a facade of innocence. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just get out of there. So he pulled himself to his hooves, and began slowly stepping towards the door, trying to keep his hoofsteps as light as possible. This wasn't helped, however, by the floorboards creaking horrendously loud. He cursed himself with each step, constantly glancing back behind him, certain that the mare had woken up. With each glance back, however, he found her to still be lying where she had been the moment before. Nearing the door, he softly pushed it open, with the door making a horrible screeching sound as he continued pushing, cringing with each passing second that the sound lingered. Once the opening in the door was wide enough, Stranger took one last glance back to Sweets. How she was still sleeping through all that, he would never understand. Walking through the house though, he felt a pang of guilt for the mare. Her home was almost completely bare. It brought up the question as to what she could be spending her bits on, but he certainly wasn't about to go ask her. Stranger would have felt a little more sympathetic towards Sweets, but the niggling thought of how she chose to live her life gave him a feeling of justification for never offering her any help. Not that it mattered much either way; Sweets, like every other pony, followed Bandit Law. 'You look after you, and I'll look after me.' Pushing open the front door and stepping out into the sunlight once again, Stranger's eyes recoiled at the intense light. His eyes certainly hadn't adjusted to the morning just yet. Looking out to the horizon, he saw what was once his house atop a far off hill, now just a dark pile of charcoal, seemingly mocking him with a small trail of smoke lingering upwards into the air. He wasn't sure what it was that compelled him to, but he found himself dragging his hooves through the dirt towards the black smear on the landscape he used to call home. It was a long walk, which gave Stranger time to let his mind wander. Thinking about it, he couldn't stand spending another night around that foul temptress. He needed to change his living arrangements, and soon. All that could wait, though. What was important at the moment was his destination. Why it was important, he hadn't a clue. As far as he could rationalize it, he was just looking for closure. Stranger bought the house when he first moved into town. Those weren't the happiest of times for him. He hadn't wanted to come to town on his own either, but good fortune never did shine down upon him. That day was truly a blur to him. All those years ago, he and his family trekking up and down the mountains, through the deserts, just trying to get away. Then a sandstorm engulfed them, bandits attacking, and... Stranger shook the memory from his mind. It wouldn't do him any good to get caught up in his past right now. He needed to stay focused on what he needed to do right now. 'Speaking of right now...' He stood atop the hill, staring down at the charred remains of wood at his feet. Looking around the piles of ash, he noticed it to be devoid of a few things. Things that shouldn't- couldn't have burned away. 'Bandits', he thought to nopony in particular. His house was always a target from the thieving bastards. Not that it felt very important to him anymore. He had no use for belongings without a home to keep them in; It would have just made him an easier target. In a way, the house burning was a bit of a relief. It was a burden he was no longer responsible for. Sure, it had brought resulted in a slew of new problems, but Stranger found a moment of content in the thought. Then, something caught his eye. A piece of paper, flapping in the breeze, held in its place in the dirt by a small rock. His curiosity getting the better of him, Stranger grabbed the paper and read it. Then, he read it again. And again, and again, and again. He was in shock; The moment that he had been both fearing and hoping for had presented itself to him. He began galloping back towards Coolidge Springs. He had a lot to do, and only so much time to do it. --- My Old Friend, It really has been too long since we've seen one another, hasn't it? It's almost as though you are trying to hide from me. You didn't think I gave up, didn't you? I think we both know that was never going to happen. I have spent too much time and lost too much trying to chase you down. I must commend you though, you have eluded me for nearly half a decade in this backwater town. But, all things must come to an end, no? The only question now, is how you would like this to end. I have something you want, and you have something I want. I am quiet tired of playing this little game of cat and mouse, and I am willing to strike a deal with you. One week from today, we will meet. You know where I'll be. Come alone and unarmed. You will bring it to me, do you understand? Or I will kill her. ~Helio --- Gathering supplies was the first thing on his check list. Frosty was kind enough to give him some food and water for his trip, and Blindside lent him one of his hunting knives. The letter stated to come unarmed, but he wasn't about to walk into anything completely blind and unable to defend himself. Stranger was all set to head out, except for one minor detail in his way; A town full of angry ponies. "Get out of the way, all of you. I'm going, and that is that." He spoke in a cold tone, his golden eyes glaring at each pony that stood before him. "What are we supposed to do then!" One shouted. "We're gonna be defenseless!" Shouted another. Blindside was the one who decided to speak up against the crowd. "Look at you all! What happened to the town I grew up in as a little colt? This community used to be filled with respectable mares and stallions. We stood our own against beasts and nature alike. But look at you all, too afraid to protect yourself. Have some pride!" Stranger shot a glance at the old earth pony, and gave him a soft smile, before walking past a crowd of ponies, their heads hanging low to the ground as Blindside's head would turn in their direction. 'Seven days. I can't believe it. After all this time, it'll all be over in just a week. I can't believe I'm going to see my family again.' Stranger looked out towards the sunset. Out on the horizon, were the shape of a series of mountains, one of which, only a tiny speck he could barely make out, towered above the others. 'There it is. I just had to choose the tallest mountain, didn't I?' He chuckled to himself. The passing hours become completely interchangeable; Stranger would walk, occasionally stopping briefly for a drink or a quick bite. The only thing that changed was his energy, mixed with the odd snake or coyote encounter. It was the first day of many, and it was exhausting to say the least. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, he tilted his head towards the skyline. The sun had long ago set, and the moon held its place high in the sky, illuminating the night. Stranger suddenly became aware of his legs wobbling with each step as he trudged through the desert. He was tired, alright. Physically at least. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts. He was excited and terrified and excited at the same time. He wasn't going to be able to sleep, but that worked out in his favour. He could keep an eye on his surrounding while he regained a bit of strength. He walked over to a nearby rock face and slumped onto his haunches. The night wind was the only sound that could be heard for miles, leaving Stranger alone with his thoughts. 'Celestia, keep them safe for me.' "Daddy, where are we going?" He looked over his shoulder to see Daffodil staring up at him, a look of worry and confusion on her young face. "Don't worry pumpkin, we're almost there." He looked over to his wife, who's expression mirrored her daughter's own. The trio had been wandering through the desert for hours, and he was getting worried. He could see a sandstorm was coming in from the east, and they would be trapped in it before long. "But Daddy, i'm tired. Can we please stop?" Her voice was pleading, begging him to give her aching hooves a rest. He let out a heavy sigh. "Here. Hop up on my back and you can rest for a bit, okay? I'll let you know when we get there." He lowered his body to the ground, and felt the additional weight of a little filly now resting upon his back. "There. Is that better?" Daffodil rested her head on the back of his. He could feel the rising and falling of her chest on his back as she rested. "Thanks, Daddy." She said, in a voice barely above a whisper. The hours passed by, with not a word said between any of them. That was, until he noticed the sandstorm that seemed such a comfortable distance away not too long ago, was now closing in on them. He had no choice but to wake up his daughter, and together they began to gallop towards the shape of a small town on the horizon. But before long, bad turned to worse. They were engulfed by the sandstorm. The sound of shouting and the hooves could be heard all around him. With all the sand whipping around made it impossible to do anything but look around, bleary eyed from the pain. He could make out one thing, though. Ponies. Dozens of them, their shapes moving around through the cover of the storm. Then he saw it. One of them grabbed his daughter. Another, grabbed his beloved. Despite the pain of sand tearing into his vision, he trudged through the fog of sand. A single sound caught his attention. "Daddy!" The shrill cry told him exactly where his daughter was. He pushed as hard as he could through the storm, closing his eyes as he charged. Then he hit something. Looking up, he could quite clearly see a shape. A pony, larger than any he had seen before. It had a pair of magnificent wings and- A horn? Before he could inspect further, a blinding orange light enveloped the shadowy figure. He was alone. Everypony else was gone. He got to his hooves, and looked around, calling out for any sign of his family. There was nopony anywhere. He was all alone. Stranger's eyes shot open. His breaths were heavy, and he was coughing heavily from sand in his throat that was never there. The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, beating down upon his coat- or rather, his cloak. He stood to his hooves, a powerful sense of renewed strength in him. Looking off towards the mountain peak that was his destination, he set out with a single thought in his mind. 'I'm coming for you. Both of you. I promise I'll get you home safe.'
Chapter OneHe couldn't remember how he ended up here, but he didn't care. A rolling green field presented itself around him, seemingly stretching on infinitely. A gentle breeze swaying the tall grass and brushing against his coat, letting a cool sensation course through his body. He had never felt as happy as he had at that moment. It wasn't even the calming surroundings that gave him his feeling of utter content, it was the presence of his family that was causing his heart to swell. One, his beautiful wife which laid on the grass next to him, the mare that he cherished more than the sun and moon themselves. The other, his pride and joy. A little unicorn filly that was running about, giggling to herself as she frolicked in the endless sea of green. The couple lied together on the grass, smiles stuck to their faces as they watched their daughter enjoying herself. As if on cue, they both turned their respective gazes to one another. He leaned into her face and planted a light peck on her cheek. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" He whispered into her ear. His voice sounded different than usual. Younger, perhaps? He paid the thought little mind, as he was too enthralled with the sight of his beloved in front of him. She blushed, and returned the kiss, moving closer to hold her stallion against her hooves. "I think so. But I never get tired of hearing it." She nuzzled the stallion. He wanted to get lost in the moment, but he had to keep glancing away to make sure his little filly didn't wander away from him. "Now Daffodil, don't go running off. I wouldn't want to lose you now." Again, his thoughts were scrambled by the sound of his own voice. It was definitely off, somehow. He was, however, quickly pulled away from this thought by his wife pulling him closer. They were close enough now to feel each other's hearts beating. "Honey?" His wife raised her head to look into his eyes. "Yes, my sweet?" He grinned ear to ear at his betrothed. "Please wake up." The beautiful face of his wife quickly began to fade away, followed by the rest of the vast landscape, until only he remained, seemingly standing on a vacuum of nothingness. His heart dropped in his chest. Then, a loud shattering sound. SMASH! Stranger's eyes shot open. He knew that sound well enough. It was his window breaking. By the sound of it? First floor kitchen, south facing window. 'Why do they always go for the intact window?' Somepony was trying to break in again. He groaned loudly, giving no indication of care to whether or not the intruder knew he was awake. This had all become old hat to him. Bleary eyed, he grabbed his cloak from off of his coat rack. To his surprise, it was dry. He didn't expect it to have dried so quickly. Maybe it was the cool night air? He stood up, his bones making various cracking noises as he rose. Age certainly hadn't been good to him. Not physically, at least. He stopped himself before putting on the cloak. 'Right. Belt goes first. Don't know how I could forget that.' He wrapped the belt around himself with his teeth, making sure it was nice and tight. Stranger glanced over to his night stand as he wrapped the cloak around himself. Even in the dark of the night, a tiny switchblade could be made out by the moonlight reflecting off its blade. He grabbed it and tucked it underneath his cloak, and into his belt. It wouldn't do him any good for the intruder to know he was armed; that would take away his element of surprise. Clearly being in no hurry, he took a quick swig of brandy of him flask. The cool burning sensation was the only real soothing feeling he got in life, so he liked to savour it. Slowly, he sauntered towards the stairs, the floorboards creaking as he went. The sounds from the floor below had stopped. Whoever was here, now knew he was coming for them. Stranger slowly began his descent from the stairs. His face all the while projecting a tired expression. He was tired, though. Being woken up in the middle of the night will do that to a pony. It wasn't just physical exhaustion that was the source of his solemn face. No, it was because taking care of bandits in his home was never a welcome sight, but it was hardly worth batting an eye at anymore. Stranger walked into what could arguably be called a kitchen. It had a refrigerator though, so it was more a kitchen than most homes in Equestria nowadays. It also sported a stove with a working gas pipe, thanks to his own handiwork. Wood cabinets had the finish stripped off, and the wood had been starting grow mold on them, but at least he had cabinets. To be fair, he probably had a kitchen to rival most pubs or restaurants around. There he was. A bright blue pegasus stallion, adorned with scars in various places across his body. He was rummaging through Stranger's cupboards, grabbing at cans of food and muttering to himself through heavy breaths. It was then that Stranger noticed the stallion looked oddly familiar. "Sunny." He spoke flatly. The stallion whipped around, a panicked expression on his face. Stranger casually walked over to the shaking stallion, completely ignoring the large knife the stallion had clenched in his teeth. Stranger looked him in the eyes, a look of disdain for the pitiful robber. "I thought we had an agreement, Sunny? I let you live, and you don't come bother me again. Now you've gone and broke your promise. I'm sorry Sunny, but you only get one freebie in life. After that, you have to make your own luck. I'm afraid your luck has run out." The pegasus reared up on his hind legs, preparing to bring the knife clenched in his teeth down upon Stranger with a mighty swipe. Stranger had gone through this scene too many times before, and was just too tired to humour the petty bandit. His hoof reached beneath his cloak, pulling the switchblade from its holster on his belt. Sunny brought the knife down towards Stranger, who was counting in his head while he held the knife in his teeth. '3...2...' Stranger side-stepped the oncoming knife, and positioned his head below Sunny's stomach. With a swift motion, he brought the knife up into the pegasus' stomach, ripping open the flesh as he tore upwards. Sunny did not scream as he bled out. Stranger was relieved at that. Having anypony screaming into his ear as their lungs filled with blood was never a pleasant experience, especially not so early in the morning. The blood flowed freely down the knife, with some of it dribbling into Stranger's mouth. It wasn't a new taste to him, this happened quite often, though he preferred to avoid it when he could. Unfortunately, Sunny didn't really give him much of a choice. The stomach was the only exposed area he had to work with in the heat of the moment. Sure, he could have simply played the dodging game with the stallion until he presented an opportunity to ram the knife into his sides, effectively keeping the blood from trickling into his mouth, but he was tired, and just wanted to get the whole business over with quickly. He would have time to worry about life threatening diseases later. After the blood stopped, Stranger grabbed the body and tossed it out the window. Getting rid of the bodies was never an issue, as Blindside would always show up sometime during the day and haul it away for him. He never understood how a stallion incapable of sight could always found his way through town, up the hill to Stranger's home, and drag away a fresh corpse, but he never questioned him. Having someone do the work for him was thanks enough to not go meddling in somepony else's business. The blood that soaked into his floorboards was another issue. The stench was horrible, but then again the air in his home never was what you would call clean, so it hardly changed much. Besides, he had gotten used to it over the years. It didn't do much for having guests over, however. Not that it mattered terribly, his guests were usually of the unintended variety. Stranger stepped around the blood, so as not to track it all over his home, and he made his way to the sink. It wasn't really a sink, but rather what he chose to refer to it as. In reality, it was just a barrel of water he had embedded into the counter top. He grabbed a bucket next to 'the sink' and filled it with water from the barrel. First, he took a sip from the bucket, cleansing his mouth from the metallic taste of blood. Second, he dipped his hooves into the water, washing any blood off his coat that had managed to drip onto him. Lastly, he swished his switchblade around in the water, restoring the blade to its shiny, steel glory. Satisfied that everything was thoroughly cleansed, he dumped the now murky red water out the window. A different window from the body of course, he didn't care to have Blindside yelling at him again because he doesn't like the bodies getting, as he put it, 'damaged'. Slinking back upstairs to his bed, Stranger loosened the belt, letting it dropped to the floor around his back hooves. Next he threw off his cloak. He would have time to put them in their proper place in the morning. For now though, he wanted to get back to dreaming. Light. Stranger never liked the light. It meant another day of running around, doing things to 'survive'. He preferred his dreams, and the light was always there to ruin them. Not much he could do about the sun, though, so he slowly brought his eyes open, adjusting his vision to the real world once again. He took a deep breath. The stench of blood still hung pungently in the air. He rose from his bed, which in the broad daylight, revealed the bed to be just a mattress laid on the floor, with several stains in a variety of colours littered without. It once repulsed him to have to sleep on something so vile, but a mattress was something one rarely came across, so he counted himself lucky for it. Today was like any other day; full of 'chores'. Things anypony and indeed everypony had to do before the day was done to ensure they survived another day. Judging from the height of the sun in the sky though, he had woken up earlier than usual. That meant he had a bit of time to stop by The Gully. Stranger stepped inside the local pub, wrapped up in his cloak despite the immense heat, taking in the sweet smell. He plopped his flank down onto one of the stools, and banged his hoof on the counter to get the bartender's attention. It seemed to work, as a pale yellow unicorn with a curly black mane and tail turned his gaze to him. "Howdy, Stranger? A little early in the morning fer a drink, don't ya think?" The bartender raised an eyebrow at Stranger. "You worry about you, Frosty, and I'll worry about me. Now how about a glass of cider?" He knew Frosty meant well, but he tired of having the same conversation every time he stepped inside the establishment. "Depends if'n ya got the bits." Frosty held out an outstretched hoof. "Oh, and keeping this place bandit free isn't payment enough? I see how it is." Begrudgingly, Stranger pulled out three bits from a small pouch attached to his belt and flung them at the stallion, sending them clattering to the floor. Frosty bent over to grab them, giving Stranger a good view of the mug of brown liquid cutie mark the bartender had. "You ever gonna tell me how you got your mark? It's got to be an interesting tale to hear how a little foal learned his special talent was bartending." Stranger let out a light chuckle. The pair certainly enjoyed ribbing each other; the laughter made the days less bleak. "Ehh, I'll bore ya when yer drunk." Frosty floated the mug over to Stranger, who chugged the whole thing in one swift go. Frosty chuckled to himself. "Hard night, I take it?" "Yup." "Another one for the kill count, then?" "Sunny." "Damn, what a shame. Kid never was right in the head, though. Can't really blame ya." "Cider." Stranger flung another 3 bits at Frosty, who this time, managed to catch them all with his magic. Floating another mug to his customer, Frosty continued. "Yeah, things just ain't what they used ta be. Now if only we lived back during the days of the Elements of-" Frosty was cut short by an empty mug smacking against the counter. "Stop. Now. I'm not in any mood to hear any of your ridiculous theories today. I've told you once, and I'll tell you again, there is not such things as 'Elements of Harmony'." Stranger felt a knot growing in his stomach. He hated listening to this. "You always say that, but the book-" Frosty found himself interrupted again, this time by Stranger knocking over the stool as he stood up. "That book is nothing but some pony's ramblings that they wrote down while they were going insane from heat stroke or some shit, and you know it! Quit with all this divine being nonsense. It's all a bunch of fairy tale bullshit." Stranger was quickly trotting his way towards the door, before he could heard any more of Frosty's idiotic theories. "Wait, what about this?" The bartender's voice was heavy with desperation. Regrettably, Stranger turned around, intent on hearing his friend out. "What if the Elements were actually ponies themselves? And they once worked alongside Celestia to maintain peace not only here in Weltwater Valley, but in all of Equestria!" Stranger had to look at the absurd grin on his friend's face for a few moments before it occurred to him. "You're insane. But you make good cider, so I'll be back." With that, Stranger trotted out into the clear day again. 'Well, time to get down to work.'
Chapter Two'Food? Check.' 'Water? Check.' 'Bandits? Not check. Good. Let's see how long I can keep it that way.' Stranger had finished his 'chores' for the day. He had gathered water from a nearby lake a few miles outside town. He never liked his water barrel getting anywhere near halfway, let alone empty. As for food, a mountain was unlucky enough to think it could ambush him, and ended up having its meat picked clean from its bones. Of course, without any proper way to store the meat, he was going to have to eat it tonight before it became too rotten to eat. For now, though? He had patrols. This was how he earned his bits to stay afloat in Coolidge Springs. A name he found rather ironic, as the weather was always hotter than Sweets' flank; daytime or otherwise. Patrols were important for the town, as being in the middle of nowhere, it was like a beacon for bandits. Having had learned to fight from an early age, he felt it more like a duty than a job to defend the town. Most ponies in town didn't have any experience with firearms, or even close combat for that matter, so he wasn't exactly left with a choice. So he sat. For hours on end, he would set perched up on the old grain silo that towered above the town, giving him a clear vantage point into the horizon in all directions. Bandit attacks were on average, once a week. So six out of seven days of the week, Stranger would be watch and wait, with nothing to pass the time but his thoughts. Today was no exception. That is, until the sound of the silo's ladder clanging with movement brought him out of his bored stupor. It was Blindside, climbing up to see him. He was an old earth pony, with a dark red coat and mane that had been slowly turning grey with his age. The first thing anypony noticed about him though, would be the white cross on his flank. That old stallion's cutie mark always raised more questions than it answered. He wore a pair of round black glasses, and unlike most blind ponies, didn't take to carrying a cane with him. He had been living in Coolidge Springs his whole life, and was confident enough in his movements not to need one. "So how goes patrols today?" Blindside spoke through a raspy voice, squatting down on his haunches next to Stranger. "Have you heard any gunshots yet?" The sarcasm in his voice was thick. "I don't think I have." The old stallion chuckled at his friend's scoffing temperament. "Well, there's your answer then." Stranger found himself smiling a bit. 'Boredom or bandits? I guess it's better to be bored.' There was a long pause in where they both just sat there, looking into the horizon. At least, one of them was. Before long though, one of them opted to start up the conversation again. "We gonna see you at The Gully tonight?" Blindside raised an eyebrow from behind his glasses. Stranger couldn't help but shoot Blindside a suspicious look, pointless as it may be. "Do you really think you should still be drinking at your age?" Blindside let out a heavy sigh, before turning to Stranger and smiling. "You know the law. I worry about me, you worry about you." "Yeah, well I never much cared for Bandit Law. Seemed a little backward in my opinion." It was true. Stranger never liked the 'everypony for themselves' mentality. But then of course, he didn't exactly live the same way everypony else did. At least, he didn't used to. "Well, you always were a family stallion." Blindside felt the tension in his words left in the air. He knew Stranger didn't like ponies bringing up the past, but he knew Stranger would let him know if he was overstepping any boundaries. Blindside took a sharp inhale before continuing. "It's a shame I never got to meet her. I'm sure she was a fine mare." There was a long silence, and the old stallion took it as a sign that he should go. Besides, he had a 'package' to pick up outside Stranger's house. So he climbed down the silo ladder, once again leaving Stranger to his thoughts. 'You got that right.' Stranger thought to himself. His admittedly short conversation had managed to mellow him out somewhat, even if it was only because he was now too focused on memories of happier days, than on his task at hand. "Come on Daffodil, it's time for bed." He was tired enough as it is. Getting the little filly into bed was just sucking the will right out of him. "But daddy, i'm not tired!" The tiny unicorn looked up into his eyes with a pleading look on her face. He had seen this look all too many times before, though. "I know sweetie, but daddy *is tired. So please, just go to sleep." Arguing with his daughter was never fun, and certainly wasn't made any easier by her unrelenting desire to argue with him. Luckily, he had his fail safe. It meant he had to stay awake longer, but it meant he could get his daughter to sleep faster than by standing there debating with her. "How about a story, then?" At the mention of a story, the filly raced off to her room, followed closely by her father. She nestled herself under her bedsheets, and handed him the book she kept under her pillow.* "The Elements of Harmony. Really, Daffodil? Again? Don't you ever get tired of this one?" The violent shake of his daughter's head gave him his answer. With a defeated sigh, he began reading his pride and joy's favourite fairy tale. ... "The end." He was glad to see the unicorn filly had seemingly fallen asleep sometime during the story, because he felt about ready to collapse, himself. He carefully made his way towards the door, avoiding the various toys that littered the floor of his daughter's room, lest me wake her up. Flicking the light off, he let out a sigh of relief. That is, until a tiny voice spoke up. "Daddy? What do you think happened to the Princesses?" That question made him cringe. not just because it meant she had woken up, but because that was a question he didn't want to answer. He didn't really *have an answer, either. His daughter idolized the stories she would hear of the goddesses of the sun and the moon. He didn't have the heart to tell her that they were just 'gone'. Because nopony honestly knew what had happened to the Princesses, just that their absence was how his much hated 'Bandit Law' was brought about.* "They uh, had to go away for a while. Now please go to sleep." He didn't want to lie to Daffodil, but how could he tell her that she would never get to see her lifelong idols? "But where did they they? Why did they go away?" The distraught tone in his daughter's voice pained him to hear, but he just couldn't deal with this conversation right now. "Go to sleep." His voice was flat as he spoke. "But-" "I said go to sleep!" The scared look on his daughter's face was enough to calm him back down. Shocked tears were rolling down the filly's face as she hid her head under her pillow. "Wait, i'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, I-" The door to the bedroom suddenly slammed in his face. He started pounding on the door. "Daffodil! Open the door!" All of a sudden, the scent of smoke began to filled his nose. Stranger's eyes shot open. His golden eyes darting back an forth in time with his head, looking for the source of the smoke. It was his home. On top of the hill just on the outskirts of town, his home was burning brightly for everypony to see. The trip down the silo's ladder, as well as the gallop through town was a blur to him. His thoughts were too scrambled to think. He only had one goal on his mind. He needed to get inside that house before it burned down. Ponies were rushing to and from the inferno that had engulfed his home, buckets of water between their teeth. He paid no attention to the attempts to diminish the flames, however. He knew all too well that the building was doomed from the moment he laid eyes on flames. No, he was after something inside the home. The way he saw it, Stranger would have a small window of opportunity before the gas pipe ruptured, engulfing the entire area with flames. After shouting for ponies to get away from the building, he dashed towards the front door, causing it to cave inward. He found the stench of smoke filling his lungs quickly. He didn't have a lot of time. He would soon collapse from the heat and the limited air supply, not to mention the burning home crumbling around him. Galloping up the stairs, he made his way to the bedroom closet. He let out a high sigh of relief, not to mention a lung full of smoke, when he found what he had been looking for. A locked box, undamaged yet by the fire. He grabbed it, and began running towards the stairs. Halfway down the steps, though, the staircase gave way and sent him falling. Then everything went dark. ... ... ... Stranger woke with a sharp pain all over. He noticed he wasn't in his bed, though. 'Oh. Right. I forgot.' He let out a dreary sigh, before jumping to his hooves in shock. Hastily searching around, he found a little bit of peace in that the locked box was on the floor next to where he had just woken up from. Looking around, he noticed he was in somewhere none too unfamiliar. It was the The Gully's cellar. Perspective of his surroundings now gained, he turned to the fruits of his labor; his locked box. It wasn't terribly interesting to look at, it was little more than a small metal safe, but its contents were what were so important to him. Stranger reached his hoof down the hood of his cloak, slipping a silver chain off of his neck. Attached to the chain was a key, glistening gold as though it were brand new. He turned the keyhole in the box, and with an audible crack the top popped open. Inside was his most cherished item. A daffodil, kept perfectly preserved between a thick sheet of plastic. Sighing with relief, he placed it back in its box, and stowing the box away in a corner. he knew Frosty wouldn't touch the thing, after all. Opening the cellar door, he was greeted with a fleet of stares from various ponies. Ignoring them, Stranger sat down on the nearest stool and muttered the only words he could think of at the moment. "Cider. Now." His head was pounding like mad, and he needed something to take his mind off of it. Frosty appeared only a few moments later, floating a frothy mug towards Stranger. He reached for the money pouch on his belt before the unicorn spoke up. "Ya really think i'm gonna make ya pay after what happened? It's on the house, my friend." Frosty shot him an apologetic smile before leaving to cater to the his other patrons, loudly shouting at him to get them their drinks. Stranger tried to enjoy the brief moment to himself, before a familiar pair of pink hooves wrapped themselves around him. "Aaaww, I'm sorry about what happened. Wadd'ya say you come with me and I make you feel a whole lot better?" There was no mistaking that baby-esque tone of voice. "Not now, Sweets. I would like to be alone to think, if you wouldn't mind." Sweets. The local 'sweetheart', as people liked to refer to her as. To Stranger, she was a filthy prostitute, and he didn't want a thing to do with her. But, like everyone else in town, he felt it was best to try and keep on a friendly basis with them. She didn't seem to take the hint to walk away though, and took to sitting down next to him, inching the stool closer to him. "Awww, c'mon Strange. I'm just looking for a little fun, is all." She tried running a hoof down his backside, but he brushed her away with a hoof, trying to focus his eyes on his drink. "Hmmph. Well you're no fun." Sweets got up and walked away, making as much of an effort to swish her rump about as much as possible about as she walked. Stranger caught himself watching her walk away. Her pink coat, long, flowing white hair with blue streaks, and her lollipop cutie mark. If she didn't disgust him to the core, he would've considered her offer. He had more important things to think about for now, though. Namely, finding a place to live. Frosty couldn't, as he lived in his pub, which wasn't made to accommodate two people. Blindside scared the living hell out of him to be honest, as nice of a stallion as he seemed, and he had no intention of finding out what the old bastard did with those bodies. The left only one possible option... "Hey Sweets, can I ask you something?" 'I can't believe i'm about to ask this.'
Chapter ThreeHe still hated waking up. Today was no exception. Only today, Stranger didn't have the comfort of waking up inside his own home. 'Where the hell am I? Oh right.' He pushed a blanket off of himself, and brought himself sitting upright. Scanning the room, he was lying on the floor. Suddenly, he really missed his mattress. Lying next to him was the sleeping form of Sweets, soundly snoozing, the rising and falling of her body giving off a facade of innocence. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just get out of there. So he pulled himself to his hooves, and began slowly stepping towards the door, trying to keep his hoofsteps as light as possible. This wasn't helped, however, by the floorboards creaking horrendously loud. He cursed himself with each step, constantly glancing back behind him, certain that the mare had woken up. With each glance back, however, he found her to still be lying where she had been the moment before. Nearing the door, he softly pushed it open, with the door making a horrible screeching sound as he continued pushing, cringing with each passing second that the sound lingered. Once the opening in the door was wide enough, Stranger took one last glance back to Sweets. How she was still sleeping through all that, he would never understand. Walking through the house though, he felt a pang of guilt for the mare. Her home was almost completely bare. It brought up the question as to what she could be spending her bits on, but he certainly wasn't about to go ask her. Stranger would have felt a little more sympathetic towards Sweets, but the niggling thought of how she chose to live her life gave him a feeling of justification for never offering her any help. Not that it mattered much either way; Sweets, like every other pony, followed Bandit Law. 'You look after you, and I'll look after me.' Pushing open the front door and stepping out into the sunlight once again, Stranger's eyes recoiled at the intense light. His eyes certainly hadn't adjusted to the morning just yet. Looking out to the horizon, he saw what was once his house atop a far off hill, now just a dark pile of charcoal, seemingly mocking him with a small trail of smoke lingering upwards into the air. He wasn't sure what it was that compelled him to, but he found himself dragging his hooves through the dirt towards the black smear on the landscape he used to call home. It was a long walk, which gave Stranger time to let his mind wander. Thinking about it, he couldn't stand spending another night around that foul temptress. He needed to change his living arrangements, and soon. All that could wait, though. What was important at the moment was his destination. Why it was important, he hadn't a clue. As far as he could rationalize it, he was just looking for closure. Stranger bought the house when he first moved into town. Those weren't the happiest of times for him. He hadn't wanted to come to town on his own either, but good fortune never did shine down upon him. That day was truly a blur to him. All those years ago, he and his family trekking up and down the mountains, through the deserts, just trying to get away. Then a sandstorm engulfed them, bandits attacking, and... Stranger shook the memory from his mind. It wouldn't do him any good to get caught up in his past right now. He needed to stay focused on what he needed to do right now. 'Speaking of right now...' He stood atop the hill, staring down at the charred remains of wood at his feet. Looking around the piles of ash, he noticed it to be devoid of a few things. Things that shouldn't- couldn't have burned away. 'Bandits', he thought to nopony in particular. His house was always a target from the thieving bastards. Not that it felt very important to him anymore. He had no use for belongings without a home to keep them in; It would have just made him an easier target. In a way, the house burning was a bit of a relief. It was a burden he was no longer responsible for. Sure, it had brought resulted in a slew of new problems, but Stranger found a moment of content in the thought. Then, something caught his eye. A piece of paper, flapping in the breeze, held in its place in the dirt by a small rock. His curiosity getting the better of him, Stranger grabbed the paper and read it. Then, he read it again. And again, and again, and again. He was in shock; The moment that he had been both fearing and hoping for had presented itself to him. He began galloping back towards Coolidge Springs. He had a lot to do, and only so much time to do it. --- My Old Friend, It really has been too long since we've seen one another, hasn't it? It's almost as though you are trying to hide from me. You didn't think I gave up, didn't you? I think we both know that was never going to happen. I have spent too much time and lost too much trying to chase you down. I must commend you though, you have eluded me for nearly half a decade in this backwater town. But, all things must come to an end, no? The only question now, is how you would like this to end. I have something you want, and you have something I want. I am quiet tired of playing this little game of cat and mouse, and I am willing to strike a deal with you. One week from today, we will meet. You know where I'll be. Come alone and unarmed. You will bring it to me, do you understand? Or I will kill her. ~Helio --- Gathering supplies was the first thing on his check list. Frosty was kind enough to give him some food and water for his trip, and Blindside lent him one of his hunting knives. The letter stated to come unarmed, but he wasn't about to walk into anything completely blind and unable to defend himself. Stranger was all set to head out, except for one minor detail in his way; A town full of angry ponies. "Get out of the way, all of you. I'm going, and that is that." He spoke in a cold tone, his golden eyes glaring at each pony that stood before him. "What are we supposed to do then!" One shouted. "We're gonna be defenseless!" Shouted another. Blindside was the one who decided to speak up against the crowd. "Look at you all! What happened to the town I grew up in as a little colt? This community used to be filled with respectable mares and stallions. We stood our own against beasts and nature alike. But look at you all, too afraid to protect yourself. Have some pride!" Stranger shot a glance at the old earth pony, and gave him a soft smile, before walking past a crowd of ponies, their heads hanging low to the ground as Blindside's head would turn in their direction. 'Seven days. I can't believe it. After all this time, it'll all be over in just a week. I can't believe I'm going to see my family again.' Stranger looked out towards the sunset. Out on the horizon, were the shape of a series of mountains, one of which, only a tiny speck he could barely make out, towered above the others. 'There it is. I just had to choose the tallest mountain, didn't I?' He chuckled to himself. The passing hours become completely interchangeable; Stranger would walk, occasionally stopping briefly for a drink or a quick bite. The only thing that changed was his energy, mixed with the odd snake or coyote encounter. It was the first day of many, and it was exhausting to say the least. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, he tilted his head towards the skyline. The sun had long ago set, and the moon held its place high in the sky, illuminating the night. Stranger suddenly became aware of his legs wobbling with each step as he trudged through the desert. He was tired, alright. Physically at least. His mind was still buzzing with thoughts. He was excited and terrified and excited at the same time. He wasn't going to be able to sleep, but that worked out in his favour. He could keep an eye on his surrounding while he regained a bit of strength. He walked over to a nearby rock face and slumped onto his haunches. The night wind was the only sound that could be heard for miles, leaving Stranger alone with his thoughts. 'Celestia, keep them safe for me.' "Daddy, where are we going?" He looked over his shoulder to see Daffodil staring up at him, a look of worry and confusion on her young face. "Don't worry pumpkin, we're almost there." He looked over to his wife, who's expression mirrored her daughter's own. The trio had been wandering through the desert for hours, and he was getting worried. He could see a sandstorm was coming in from the east, and they would be trapped in it before long. "But Daddy, i'm tired. Can we please stop?" Her voice was pleading, begging him to give her aching hooves a rest. He let out a heavy sigh. "Here. Hop up on my back and you can rest for a bit, okay? I'll let you know when we get there." He lowered his body to the ground, and felt the additional weight of a little filly now resting upon his back. "There. Is that better?" Daffodil rested her head on the back of his. He could feel the rising and falling of her chest on his back as she rested. "Thanks, Daddy." She said, in a voice barely above a whisper. The hours passed by, with not a word said between any of them. That was, until he noticed the sandstorm that seemed such a comfortable distance away not too long ago, was now closing in on them. He had no choice but to wake up his daughter, and together they began to gallop towards the shape of a small town on the horizon. But before long, bad turned to worse. They were engulfed by the sandstorm. The sound of shouting and the hooves could be heard all around him. With all the sand whipping around made it impossible to do anything but look around, bleary eyed from the pain. He could make out one thing, though. Ponies. Dozens of them, their shapes moving around through the cover of the storm. Then he saw it. One of them grabbed his daughter. Another, grabbed his beloved. Despite the pain of sand tearing into his vision, he trudged through the fog of sand. A single sound caught his attention. "Daddy!" The shrill cry told him exactly where his daughter was. He pushed as hard as he could through the storm, closing his eyes as he charged. Then he hit something. Looking up, he could quite clearly see a shape. A pony, larger than any he had seen before. It had a pair of magnificent wings and- A horn? Before he could inspect further, a blinding orange light enveloped the shadowy figure. He was alone. Everypony else was gone. He got to his hooves, and looked around, calling out for any sign of his family. There was nopony anywhere. He was all alone. Stranger's eyes shot open. His breaths were heavy, and he was coughing heavily from sand in his throat that was never there. The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, beating down upon his coat- or rather, his cloak. He stood to his hooves, a powerful sense of renewed strength in him. Looking off towards the mountain peak that was his destination, he set out with a single thought in his mind. 'I'm coming for you. Both of you. I promise I'll get you home safe.'
