Chapter 10 Nit and Grit
That week, I started training with the Guardian with help from Cherry. I also continued to see Lily Bloom and Pumpkin Spice a lot. I actually went to pay Pumpkin visits quite often. Especially after a long day of training, and especially after a long day of training with Cherry specifically. He was tough on me, and I didn't think he liked me at all.
Getting used to staying at the Fort was an interesting endeavour for me. At night I slept in my own room. But there were nights it was hard for me to get to sleep. Tonight was one such night. I lay on my back, my hooves in the air toward the ceiling.
I wondered if they'd be willing to find glowy star stickers to put up there. I'd heard of those once. Like looking up at the night sky from the comfort of your bed. I yawned, my tongue lapping the roof of my mouth. I stretched out and tried laying on my side, but nothing worked.
I eventually decided to get up out of bed. Groaning, I hit the floor, and stumbled when I tried to take steps forward. "Whoa, steady there O.J." I told myself. I smiled, shaking my head to wake myself up.
I let my hooves carry me along, not having any idea where I was going but feeling relaxed despite myself. I was even humming as I went, a song I'd heard on the radio. I tried to be as quiet as possible though so I wouldn't wake anypony up.
I think I walked for half an hour, I wasn't sure. I just knew the door I came to was far from my room. I'd went all the way past the kitchen and up a big flight of stairs. I'd walked underneath a ceiling made of glass before I'd come here, the moon bathing me in its mysterious white glow. In the middle of the hall ran a length of planter section. The plants in it were sprouting up and some flowers bloomed. Under normal circumstances, I would've stopped out of curiosity. I thought plants couldn't grow.
I came to another section of the base set aside for private quarters. The halls here were only dimly lit by slim rectangular sconces and lighting strips on the floor. I wondered how they powered it. Ooh! Maybe it was magic! I stopped for only a split second, taking after Pumpkin and giving the lights a couple whiffs. That did not prove useful, so I had no idea why the mare did it so often. I continued on.
And so I found myself at the door. I knew who's room it was. I had come to the Guardian's private quarters. How I figured that was beyond me. But it didn't matter now that I was here. Here at, oh…I checked my Pip-Buck…1:30 in the morning. Wow! I didn't even feel tired.
I lifted a hoof to knock, but thought better of it, thinking it'd be stupid to wake my guardian. Upon trying the door though, I found that it was locked. I'd been shown how to pick locks using a screwdriver and a bobby pin. Besides failing at it several times, I didn't have those things with me. But I was determined, and I was not going to give up. I'd been told a bunch to use my determination to my advantage. So I would. Unable to go about it the conventional way, I had to think of something else.
I remember once that the Guardian had told me I was resourceful. That was a big word, and I barely knew what it meant, but I knew it was something I had to be here. I concentrated, I was thinking about my goal. I bet I looked funny. Bookworm pointed out a long time ago that I went cross eyed when thinking really hard. It wasn't something I did on purpose though, haha.
My horn began to glow its turquoise light, and I felt a sensation go through me. It was the feeling of magic. Not a hard spell, but certainly not as simple and easy as levitation. How was I doing this!? My magic concentrated around the door mechanism, working on deactivating the electronic lock. I heard a clicking sound, then the door slid apart, opening to reveal the main sitting room of the Guardian's quarters.
"Whoa!" my eyes were saucers at the incredible feat I'd just accomplished all on my own.
The light pink mare with the caramel brown mane opened the door to her quarters that she kept telling me were new and improved. I was expecting a castle, but inside we found a palace. "You're like a filly in a candy shop. What's so amazing?"
"You didn't tell me it would be so big. Look, there's an upstairs!" I skipped forward, running to the stairway and bounded to the top. I looked down over the metal railing at the mare.
She giggled girlishly, smiling brightly up at me. "You're sweet. It's definitely not the biggest housing in the Stable. You're just a flatterer, you."
"If you say so." I said uncertainly to her. "Oh, hey! Can I look around?" I was restless.
"It's not like I'm Tide or something. I'm not gonna stop you. But you probably won't find anything interesting. I just moved in." she shrugged. I ran off, set on the loose, and there was no stopping me.
I ran down the hall at the top of the stairs, entering a random room. There was a standard Stable-Tech bed and dresser, but not much else. I ran over to the dresser, which I saw as a pirate's treasure chest filled with booty. I opened a couple drawers. "Arrgh, avast ye maties. I have found the lost treasure." I tapped the open drawer, a little hard, "X marks the spot!" inside, something rattled from the force of my tap. I saw a little orb roll toward me, bouncing against the outer wall of the dresser drawer.
The mare came in, "What did you find?"
"Treasure!" I picked it up and held it out to her.
"Oh!" she gasped, but she didn't seem pleasantly surprised like I expected her to be, she seemed frightened. That's when she faded away and I was taken to a completely different place.
I think it was the Overmare's office. I couldn't be sure, I'd never been. I took a step forward, toward a big desk. But I wasn't in control of the action. "Ten years, ma'am." I spoke, but it was a mare's voice. I was in somepony else's body! "Just ten years!"
"He is ten years old?" said a pony. She sat in a chair behind the desk, looking stern. The expression she wore scared me.
"The other one is eleven," said a third mare. Her red fur tipped me off as to who she was. I would've trembled if I had my own body.
The mare behind the desk slammed a hoof down on its surface, "What other one?!" she snapped angrily.
The mare I was in took a tentative step backward. Tide laughed at her, "Ha! You haven't told her about the other one?"
"That was supposed to be our little secret!" the mare whined.
"There are no secrets kept from me in this Stable!" yelled the important mare. Even Tide was startled by the outburst.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to—"
"To what? Put one down like I did in a similar situation 22 years ago?"
The mare I was in hung her head and I saw the floor beneath her hooves. "Yeah…that."
"You can't possibly love those colts?"
"No…" she shook her head. Then everything faded out.
The orb rolled from my hoof, shattering on the floor. It went into a million shiny, shimmery purplish and bluish pieces. I stared at the light pink mare who had queued me today, working my jaw and trying to figure out what to say. I burst into tears, falling backward. My butt hit the floor and I wailed.
"Hey, what's wrong, why are you crying?" the pink mare ran toward me, putting a hoof on my back and stroking in small circles in an attempt to comfort me.
"I-I don't…know what that—*sniffle*—what that was. A-and…it was s-scary!" I spoke through sobs.
"Please stop crying. It'll be fine. Oh, I like you, I don't wanna have to write this up." She went on in a sort of desperate ramble. After a moment where she realized I still couldn't collect myself, she said in soothing tones, "Here, why don't you tell me what you saw?"
I couldn't even form a coherent thought let alone voice those thoughts into words. I didn't want to think about it, and I didn't want to talk about it. The scene had scared the sunlight out of me.
Biting my lip, I shook my head in a big old no. Tears still streamed freely down my cheeks and down my muzzle, drenching the fur of my face.
"Do you want a hug then?" she asked me.
After a beat, I decided I did and I nodded firmly. The mare shifted, coming to be in front of me, then wrapped her hooves around me and pressed my face into her chest. "It's gonna be okay, just let it out." she told me. I did.
We sat there in silence like that for awhile. I didn't want her to let me go. The mares that generally queued me knew I was fragile and still a colt at heart, always. They were always so gentle, and never did anything crazy with me. They liked it easy just as much as I, otherwise, why would they queue me?
She pulled back, looking into my eyes. "Do you wanna head to the master bedroom, little colt? It's bedtime, and I was just thinking we could cuddle."
I nodded wordlessly, and she got up and led me to the master bedroom, further down the hall than the room we'd been in. This bedroom was bigger. She picked up a corner of the blankets with her teeth, gesturing for me to come lay down. I did, and she then got in next to me.
Carefully, she wrapped her hooves around me, the big spoon. She held me, which made me feel calm and content. We cuddled like that through the night, and I fell asleep with her.
Looking around, I took in the first room of the Guardian's quarters. It was a sitting room, a couch up against the wall to the right, a shelf against the south wall to the right of the door, a coffee table in front of the couch. To the left at the far end of the room was another shelf with cabinets and drawers on it. To the left of the couch was a huge open archway that led into more of the rooms.
It reminded me of a little palace. I went to the next room, which seemed to be a small study. There was a desk at the far wall and bookshelves in here. There was another door on the west wall, so I went to it. I opened it into the dark space of the Guardian's bedroom. He was asleep on the bed, and on the nightstand was a pistol, within his reach. I guessed it was there for his protection.
I glanced around. Did I dare go in? I didn't want to wake the Guardian up. My hooves began moving me forward, I was too curious. I trotted over to the dresser, my eyes on the Guardian the whole time. Ooh! I remembered a long time ago something I'd found in a dresser once. It had been scary though. But hey, this was the Guardian's room, and I was optimistic. Why would he have a scary glass sphere?
I opened the bottom drawer, clothes that I couldn't possibly imagine the Guardian would ever wear. Next drawer, more clothes. The second from the top had a rattling sound inside when I pulled it open. My eyes widened. What were the odds? I reached my hoof in, pulling out a glass sphere like the one I'd found a few years ago.
I gasped, and nearly dropped it. I didn't want to see anything like what had happened before. Gently, I lowered the orb, putting it on the floor. Then with one last quick glance at the Guardian resting peacefully, I lowered my face and used my nose to roll the sphere out of the room. No siree, that orb would not turn on! I wouldn't let it.
"Huh, whazzit?" the Guardian lifted his head, but I was out the door lickity split.
Just imagine me using my nose to push the glass ball along as I ran. Whelp, that's exactly what I did. I rolled the orb all the way back to my room, trotting as fast as my hooves would take me without losing the ball. I felt like something was chasing behind me, an angry ghost or a monster, and I didn't want it to get me. I was also scared the Guardian would find out I stole something from him. I don't even know why I did it. I was just so curious. But here I was, running off with my little prize. It was a pretty color too. It was blue and white, and the two colors glimmered, swirling together on a dark black base.
Once in my room, I hit the button to close the door as hard and as fast as I could. The door shut and I finally felt safe. I left the sphere at the base of the door, and I went over to my bed, putting a pillow on the top of my dresser. Then I used the blanket to pick up the orb, moving it over to the pillow. "There ya go little guy. Now you're safe. Hey! Ima show ya to Pumpkin tomorrow."
Yawning, I climbed into my bed. "Whattaya think of that?" I licked my lips. Then I laid my head back. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out.
"PUMPKIN! PUMPKIN!" I ran into the barber's shop, waving the orb around like a maniac. I couldn't wait for her to see it. I had on my combat armor, so my hooves weren't actually touching the thing. I didn't know if that mattered, but so far it hadn't turned on.
"Whoa! Calm down little pony! Hehe!" Pumpkin was behind me, like she'd sprung up from the floor. When I turned around she gave me such a shock that I almost tossed the sphere out of surprise. She was upside down in the air, her face level with mine, but she wasn't touching the ground.
"What the?" I started, but suddenly she was on the floor again like it had never happened.
"Whatcha have there Orange Juice?" she leaned forward on her front two hooves, both back hooves leaving the floor as she stared at the glass sphere.
"I don't know what it is, but the last time I found one, it showed me a bunch of mares talking. One was yelling and she was really angry at the mare I was being."
"Wait WHAT? ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY?" Pumpkin screamed and jolted into the air. When she landed she stared at me with two wide open eyes.
"No?" I looked back and forth, unsure what was up. I mean, the brown mare seemed to be up and all over the place, but beside that…
"That's a memory sphere," she said calmly.
"What's that?" I asked her.
She began to reach for it, about to take it from me, but then she thought better of it, "Oh, it just shows the memories of the pony who created it. Whatever memory they want to put in it."
"Oh!"
She stared up at the ceiling, putting a hoof to her chin, "If I was to make one for myself, I would make it about chicken. Then again, I've never had a pet chicken." I realized the hoof she was using to stroke her chin in thought was mine.
I pulled my hoof away fast. "Chicken?" I asked her.
"ORANGE JUICE!" she exclaimed, "Where did you get that?" she pointed at the memory sphere.
I started blushing, averting my gaze from hers, "Um—"
"You got it from the Guardian!" Pumpkin shouted.
"What about me?" and in came the Guardian. Oh boy.
Pumpkin snatched the ball from my hoof, stuffing it into her poofy mane to hide it. "Nothing!" she screamed as she turned to face the stallion. I stared at her like she was crazy, which she probably was, then I burst into a fit of giggles.
The Guardian looked between the two of us, then shrugged it off. "Puppydog, what would you say if I took you out into the wastes today?"
That was the best idea I'd ever heard, "Really!?" I was ecstatic!
"Yes really, but you need to gather your weapons."
"Omigosh!" I bounced up and down when he left. "I can't believe he's taking me into the wasteland."
"This is so exciting!" Pumpkin was smiling widely, almost an impossible smile, if you didn't know her.
I was with the Guardian as we went out to the wasteland. We went back to the highway that had brought us here, and we were going to head back into the city. "Can I play music?" I asked him.
"No."
A few moments passed in silence. "Can I sing?"
"No."
I was silent for a little bit longer. "Can I hum?"
The Guardian groaned, "No, Puppydog."
"But why not?" I threw my head back, whining.
"In Bittsberg it isn't safe to play music whenever you want. You might attract dangerous enemies."
"Oh, right." I nodded slowly in understanding. Then a few more minutes later, "But I really wanna listen to music!"
"Today, we're going to a small raider camp. I wanted to test your ability. How does that sound?"
"That sounds fun!" I yipped in excitement.
"Yeah, fun." the Guardian didn't sound fully into that notion.
When we got to the camp, it was just inside the city. It was put together by scraps of metal and fencing that made up the outer walls of their encampment.
"Are we going in there?" I asked.
"You will be. Get your gun ready."
"Wait, you aren't coming with me?"
"I'll be around if things get hairy. Besides, there aren't that many in there. You'll be fine!"
"O-okay." he gave me a gentle shove toward the entrance. I lifted my ten mil in my magical grasp, keeping it in front of me protectively.
As I got closer to the inside, I heard enthusiastic talking.
"And he bucking squealed like a filly. Wastelanders are bucking hilarious!"
"Right Jeweliet," somepony laughed.
Another weasely voice piped up, "You always tell the same old bucking story."
"It's not the same one dumbass!"
"Well then, your tactics need improvement."
"Nah uh, works just fine every single time, and gives me a good laugh."
They came into my sight and I felt like my hooves were made of cement. My hoof brushed over a loose stone and all three raiders' heads shot up. I froze.
"What in tartarus was that?" said the yellow earth mare. Her multicolored mane was done in tall spikes.
The raiders began to get up, "Come on, show yourself," said the bigger stallion. He was a white unicorn, part of his messy mane covering one eye.
The smaller, snippier stallion stood up, setting down some kind of needle. He was very jittery as he turned in different directions, looking for me. "Ima kill ya, just come on out," he smiled creepily, his nasally voice making it that much worse.
I had to do this. I wanted to show the Guardian that I could. I tried activating SATS like I'd done in the past, and this time I got lucky and it actually worked. My vision zoomed in on the taller stallion, and I decided to aim for his face. I just wanted this over with quickly…
I didn't miss. I was close enough that it was spot on. The stallion's head exploded into a shower of blood, bits of brain and pieces of skull. I had not expected that, and I thought I might be sick. But I had to press on. He wasn't the first raider I'd ever killed.
The mare snapped around, smiling sadistically as she spotted me. I gasped and quickly activated SATS again. I shot at her, having to waste three bullets before she finally went down. I don't think she was dead though.
"Big mistake!" said Weasel behind me. I turned to find him swinging a large object at me.
I ducked away, trying not to get hit. I stepped back into the mare, who I saw had a ham radio with a comm attachment. She was talking into it. When she saw me, she grabbed my hoof and knocked me down. Weasel loomed over me, holding onto a bat. He had a wicked smile on his face, and he prepared to swing it. Oh Celestia! I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
Shots rang out overhead, and I realized the Guardian had come to my rescue. Opening my eyes, I saw Weasel slump over. I stuck my tongue out at him. "Puppydog, get out of there!" shouted the Guardian.
"Hey there filly," came a familiar voice. I looked up to see the three stallions that had terrorized me just before I'd made it into the Fort. The leader gestured toward where he knew the Guardian was, and his partners began shooting at the spot.
"No!" I yelled, but before I could do anything, the lead stallion pounced on me.
"Keep him busy, I'll take care of this one!" he called over his shoulder. Next thing I knew, my attacker was swinging a hoof, which smashed into my face. I saw my own blood splurt, then I blacked out.
When I awoke I realized I was being dragged by my tail, and it really hurt. I also realized my snout and lips were wet and when I licked them, I tasted the coppery taste of blood. I blinked my eyes, seeing the trail that had been made in the dust on the street from me having been dragged through it. I looked around, completely startled and scared for my life.
"Guardian?" I called out weakly, then louder, "Guardian!" I began breathing really hard, my heart pounding like a beast trying to escape my chest.
"He isn't here little filly." I looked over my shoulder at the light green stallion dragging me through the debris. I saw his friends with him.
"What did you do to him?!" I yelled.
"Nothing much, but you won't be seeing him for a long time. Mane, I've waited for the day," the raider chuckled.
I began thrashing, trying to break free. But one of the other stallions came over and jabbed something into my side, jolting me. I spasmed violently. "Stop trying, it won't get you anywhere." he whispered into my ear. Then he spat in my face. I whimpered, unable to wipe the nasty glob away.
"Hey filly, I'm excited! We'll get to see just who you are under that little outfit of yours. Pretty soon, just you wait." said the one with my tail in his mouth.
"You're hurting me!" I moaned.
"Boo hoo. Hey, are you as excited as me? I hope you are!" all three of them laughed at the cruel joke. Of course I wasn't excited. I was scared witless. I had no idea what to do, and didn't think I'd be able to overpower my captors, especially not without my weapons.
There was one time I could think of I remembered ever feeling so vulnerable. I don't know why this reminded me of it all of a sudden. I was getting flashbacks, not knowing where they came from. Why they were coming so violently. My head throbbed, and I remembered Tide.
When we woke up in the morning the mare looked upset about something. I felt refreshed and happy after the good night's sleep. Her bed was way more comfortable than mine, and it had been nice to cuddle with her. She was sweet and gentle with me.
She paced the front room. Back and forth, back and forth. My eyes followed her, but I couldn't decipher why she was doing that. She had to be thinking hard about something, but I guess everypony had their ways of thinking. I trotted down to her.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked perkily.
There came a knock on the door, and the intercom buzzed, "Hey, open up, it's my turn, and colt am I looking forward to it." why did that voice sound familiar?
"Celestia," the mare whispered harshly, spitting out a curse. She glanced at me, looking worried, then she sighed, shook her head and went to the door. "Good morning Tide." she said after the door slid open.
Tide smiled widely, malice in her eyes, "Mornin'. How's my colt?"
(Chapter 11 set for 4/18/17 3:00am CT
Wow, double digits! We're done with Chapter 10 here! Lot's of stuff just got intense too...Looking at this chapter, I'm happy with it. It's about 12 pages on a document, so wow! Too bad FanFiction only has a set font. I can't use Caveat for the chapter titles and flashback scenes like I do in my Google Docs. It adds another layer to it.
What'd you think of the raiders, and Tide? Who knows where this is gonna go, but remember what they said to Orange previously? Oh...Tide is gonna show Orange some toys and the raiders wanna see his gender. Whelp, hang in there k? XD
What'd you guys think of Pumpkin in this chapter? I LOVE her! I hope you enjoy her random nature as much as I do. I was kinda debating on whether or not I'd also give her the 4th wall trait that Pinkie has. Would that be too weird? Idk, you tell me, it would be interesting though. Haha! Love ya and see ya soon!)
Brohoof! /)
