Barren Kindness -Chapter 2-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSBco8kVuZM

 

"Twenty caps."

>"What? You're out of your fuckin' mind. Fifty caps."

"Thirty caps. Take or leave it."

>"..."

"Take it. Or leave it."

>"Fine, fine, ya' goddamn hardass..."

>The trader pulls out the medical gauze from his small crate and hands it to you, and you pour out a portion of the bottle-caps you have on you.

"Thanks."

>"Go fuck yourself."

>You glare at him, but shrug it off and walk back to where Fluttershy is hiding.

>The two of you had been walking South towards the Super Duper Mart, and eventually you had to stop.

>Her wing was getting to her, and you knew that you couldn't continue on if she was still in this piss poor condition.

>You glance over your shoulder and watch as the traveling trader carries off down the road.

>You walk a ways down to an old shed near a few boulders and knock three times before entering.

"Psst. Hey. You here still?"

>Lighting a small candle with a match you found, you illuminate the dark shed.

>A hint of yellow and pink peek out from under the remains of a desk.

"You can come out now. It's alright."

>She hesitates, but quickly dodges the shyness and trots out and up to you, her broken wing clung to her side in pain.

>She smiles up to you and tilts her head.

>"Thank you for coming back."

>She speaks in a faint, very quiet voice.

>She didn't talk much, but when she did you tended to smile.

>It was a soothing voice, and you didn't come across something like that around here all too often.

>You walk to the desk and set down the candle, place your pack down and begin taking out what you'll need.

>The gauze you bought comes out first, and Fluttershy perks up at the sight of it.

>"Did you... did you get that for my wing?"

>You nod, and she smiles happily.

>"~yay~"

>Her happy demeanor disappears when she sees what you pull out next.

>"Is... is that?... oh my.."

>Med-X.

>A strong painkiller, addictive if used too often, that's injected with a syringe.

>It was the only one you had on you, and you decided that she needed it more than you did.

>You didn't need her slowing you down out here, so the sooner you could get that wing of hers healed, the better.

"Not gonna lie, this is going to burn for a bit."

>"Oh, uhm, I don't think I... uhm.."

>Her ears are turned down and her eyes look fearful as you approach her with the needle in your hand.

"It's alright. You'll thank me for this, I promise."

>"B-but-"

"Fluttershy."

>You point at the bandanna wrapped around your shoulder, covering up you bullet wound.

"You helped me. I'm helping you. So sit still, and please, shut up."

>She whimpers softly, but nods and slowly trots back up to you.

>You gently place her on the table, her body illuminated by the soft candlelight.

>"Here."

>You pick up a moldy book and shove it in her mouth.

"Bite down on that if you need to."

>She looks pathetic.

>Oh well.

>You hold a hoof in your hand, and examine her arm carefully.

>Combing through her soft fur, you find a vein.

>You bring the needle to her skin, but she flinches when it gets close to her.

"Hold still."

>"Mmphmphm."

"On three, alright?"

>She nods, tiny tears in her eyes.

"One."

>You quickly jab the needle into her arm, and inject the Med-X before she has a chance to react.

>"MMMPH!"

>You throw the syringe into the corner of the room and begin to unravel some of the gauze.

>Fluttershy spits out the book, her face scrunching up at the unpleasant taste of rotting literature.

>"You said on three!"

"And when I said three you would have flinched again."

>"I... no I wouldn't have..."

>You blink a couple of times while staring at her.

>She promptly hides behind her mane.

>You wrap the gauze around her torso, clinging her wing to her torso tightly.

>She winces in pain, but bares through it.

>"So, um, when will that stuff..."

"A few minutes, give or take. You may feel a bit woozy, but the pain in your wing will numb for now."

>"What do we do when the pain comes back?"

"Hopefully we'll have made it to the Super Duper Mart by then. If there's medicine there, you'll get some."

>"...okay."

>You gather your things and the two of you leave the shed and head back down South.

>It's warm today.

>Then again, it was warm most days.

>As the two of you make your way down a barren strip of highway, Fluttershy's attention is drawn to opening to the Potomac River.

>She starts to walk over to it.

"Where are you going?"

>"Oh. Uhm, I was just going over there to have a drink of water."

"No."

>But-"

"No. You don't want to drink that shit, I promise you."

>She confusedly looks back and forth between you and the lake, and sighs as she trots back up to your side.

"Let me try to make you understand a bit more about where we are. Listening?"

>"...yes..."

>You crouch down and get eye level with her.

"This place you're in? It's hell. There are no friends for you here. There are no safe places to hide and live in forever. You constantly move, or you die. You trust no one, or you die. You stay as far away from fucks with green Mohawks and automatic weapons, or you die quicker."

>"Oh my..."

"As long as you travel with me, you do what I say. I tell you to hide, you hide. I tell you to stay down and shut up, you stay down and you most certainly shut the fuck up."

>She cringes at the use of "fuck."

"Most importantly, you listen to me and we work together? Then we may stand a chance out here and live for a few days longer. Got it?"

>She nods, her whimper returning as she realizes what she's stepped into.

"Good. Now come on, and keep up."

>You stand and march forward, but she stops you with her voice.

>"Thank you... for saving me."

>You look back to her, and she smiles up at you as she rubs her neck where the slave collar once was.

>The image of the slavers brings your hand to your neck as well, as the familiar feeling of cold metal returns in your mind.

"Well... yeah, you're welcome I guess."

>"...what's your name?"

>She looks at you eagerly, but you give a grunt.

"I don't have a name."

>With that, you pick up your pace and continue walking South as the small yellow pegasus trots at your side.