It was past midday when the trio of young ponies returned to EchoBeat's home, GleamingChance levitated memory orb boxes out of OrchidRays' bags. Echo's eyes widened as they were set on the table before him. He opened one and took an orb in his hooves.
"Oh, thank you so much!" He rejoiced.
"Sure thing, Mr. EchoBeat!" Ray said.
"Would you mind if I took a look at a few of them?" SwiftHaze requested. The recollector she found was dangling by her forehoof.
"I suppose so," Echo replied. "However I'd like to view them first. To know what's appropriate to share."
That made sense. "Okay," Haze accepted.
"I hope it wasn't too much trouble retrieving these," stated Echo.
"We had to disarm some mines and dodge raider camps. Besides that I'd say we fared pretty well," Chance reported.
"And got stopped by the Enclave," Haze added.
"Oh no..." Echo cautioned.
"I got 'em to fuck off but they were interested in me." Haze shrugged.
A second later, the door opened behind them. Haze turned to follow Echo's gaze. In the doorway was the shadowy figure of SilverFlash. He stepped in and shut the door behind him.
"Oh, you're just in time!" Ray greeted him. "We just got back from HyperBlitz's house!"
Flash looked at Echo. "Hyper's place? What were they doing there?"
"They wanted to do a favor for me, so I had them find some of Hyper's memory orbs for me," Echo explained.
"Have you been there since... you know," Chance attempted to inquire, but awkwardly stumbled. "You..." He waved his hoof in the general direction of Flash.
"Yes, I have," Flash replied flatly. "Many years back."
"But, the doors were locked when we got there," Ray said.
"Do you think I'd leave the doors unlocked? No, that place holds too many memories to let miscreants ransack. You already saw what they did to the outside," Flash retorted.
Ray lowered her head and pushed her ears back. Haze remembered the crude graffiti on the sides of the home.
"Wait, if you've been there before, why didn't you ever get the memory orbs for Echo?" Haze chided.
Before Flash could respond, it was EchoBeat who spoke up. "I've asked for enough favors from Flash for a lifetime," he sighed.
"I hope we aren't miscreants for scavenging," Chance mumbled, ashamed. He certainly held the opinion of Flash quite highly.
Flash let out a breath behind his mask. "You didn't defile the place. I'm sure what you took wasn't any use there. Food and medicine, right?"
Chance nodded.
"Anyway, enough chit-chat, I've got to get moving," Flash announced.
"So soon?" Echo asked.
"I only stopped here because it was on my way to South Gait from my friend's house. Her son had just fled from there because there's a band of raiders camping at the entrance," Flash clarified.
"South Gait?" Haze wondered, interested. "Why don't we come with you?"
"Did you not hear me? There's raiders," Flash refuted.
"And we'll help fight them off!"
"I did want to go to South Gait next," Chance noted. "I've got a lot of shit to sell."
Haze nodded. "I wanted to go there next, too."
Flash sighed. "I don't know, but I'm definitely not wasting any more time standing here."
"We'll just end up following you anyway," Haze smirked.
"Yeah!" Ray squeed.
"Oh!' Haze thought of something and turned to Ray. "We gotta get you your switchblade. Chance, do you know how we can make a cuff to attach a blade to?"
"Hmm, I'm sure we could find something," Chance contemplated. "But since Flash is in such a hurry, I don't think we have the time to make one. But I'm absolutely sure you could find something like that for sale at South Gait."
Haze clapped her hooves together. "Then it's settled. Let's go!"
The group of four ponies hiked down the hills of Los Pegasus, towards downtown. Ahead of them, the skyscrapers loomed larger and larger. SwiftHaze thought she saw Pegasi flying around the top of the central tower.
"Is that the Enclave?" She asked.
"The tower that pierces the clouds?" Flash stated. "Yes. That's their base of operations."
"You see, Los Pegasus was a partial Pegasus city before the war, hence the name," Chance explained. "Parts of the city were also in the clouds and more towers touched them."
"How do you know so much about the world before the war?" Haze questioned.
"I've done my research," Chance said sheepishly. "And Flash has told me a lot."
"He has a real knack for learning," Flash remarked.
'If you're so smart why do you stay with your gang? Haze inquired. "No offense."
Chance sighed and his gaze fell to the ground. "It's complicated. I was born and raised with my gang. It's what I'm accustomed to. They're the closest thing I have to family, especially since my mom left."
"Family isn't everything," Haze claimed. "Just because you're used to them doesn't mean they aren't bad for you. Sometimes you need to split from the family you knew to find your full potential."
"I suppose you're right," Chance took that in.
"Wise words for someone who's only been away from her family for one day," Flash pointed out from ahead.
"Hey, I knew what I needed all along!" Haze defended. "I needed to kick my mom out of my life as soon as I could!"
"You forcibly kicked your mom out... mine just up and left," Chance huffed.
"Why?"
"I'd love to know that," Chance mumbled.
"You sure she isn't like... dead?" Haze asked.
"No, I'm sure she's out there. Some of my gang said they saw her a couple years back, and recently Clay got a letter. He just doesn't say where it came from." Chance scrunched his muzzle in frustration.
"Maybe we could help you find her," OrchidRays suggested.
"Yeah, right," Chance scoffed.
"No, for real. We could help!" Haze insisted.
"Good luck with that. If I haven't been able to find her in several years, there's no way you'll find her. But I appreciate the offer," Chance said.
"Hmph." Haze pouted. She was looking for another way to help someone.
She looked to Ray, who had been mostly silent again. "Oh, speaking of family," she directed at Ray, "How are you doing? I never asked how you felt about leaving your family. Sorry, I should have considered that." Haze had been too focused on her own wants when leaving the Stable.
