Fallout Equestria: Tales of a Courier Reloaded

Chapters

Chapter 2: Ants Also Suck.
Chapter 3: Warzones Suck Too.
Chapter 4: Crime and Politics.
Chapter 5: Allegiances.
Chapter 6: Blazing New Trails.
Chapter 7: Dust and Shadows.
Chapter 8: Psychiatric Ward.
Chapter 9: Iron Will.
Chapter 10: Mane Cuts and Pizza.
Chapter 11: The Patriarch.
Chapter 12: Winter is Coming.
Chapter 13: Cold Storage.
Chapter 14: Mind The Gap.
Intro
Chapter 1: Death Sucks.
Chapter 15: Once More Unto the Breach

Chapter 2: Ants Also Suck.

Chapter 2: Ants Also Suck.

"Foal, equinity's creations were the seeds of their undoing. And now, the world will belong... to the AntAgonizer!"

Ace scratched the back of her leg and winced a little. “Ah...well...I'm sorry?”

“Why?!” I sobbed at her, clutching my crushed chest. “Why would you be sorry?!” I clenched my teeth against the pain stabbing into me with each breath. Wild Card's hoof prints were still clearly visible on my battered chest.

Ace honestly looked like she didn't know what to do. Her eyes darted around the bar and she pursed her lips tightly. The troublesome mare raised her hoof to say something before the bar doors swung open with a flurry of gold and green as Cloud burst in, saddlebags full of medical equipment.

“What happened here?” The unicorn doctor shouted before trotting to my side, tutting and shaking his head. “You just got your head smashed and now you have a set of ribs to match. Hooray...” he sighed as he started to rummage through his saddlebags. He pulled out a vial of purple liquid and placed it on the floor beside me. “Now, this is going to hurt...a lot...” he set his hooves on my crooked chest. “Better be ready to drink that potion.”

I looked up at the green maned stallion, teary eyed. “What are you going to-” He shifted his hooves and I heard a loud, sickening crunch before pain bored through my entire torso. Cloud glanced at the vial just millimeters from my mouth. I grabbed it and drunk it down, and the cold purple liquid found its way down my throat and into my torso. The pain began to fade as the potion worked its magic, stitching my ribs and other injuries back together. Still, it did nothing for my mood though. Going fetal was the only thing I could manage between my sobs and throbbing pain in my abdomen.

“What the hell did you do to him?” the unicorn doctor asked Ace accusingly.

“Me?" Ace asked with a look of disgust and indignation. "It was Wild Card who almost killed him; l I saved him.”

Cloud went to my side and looked me over one more time. “Ace, this is the fourth bar brawl you've been involved in. Do you really expect me to believe that?” he asked, satisfied that I was healing properly. “I should be charging you for all the patients you're sending me. Healing is not a cheap hobby.”

“Hey, I can't help it if the stallions around here are pussies,” the beige mare replied with a shrug. She glanced at the crowd growing outside. “Anyway, we need to get him out of here... It's bad enough I had to be seen with him before he repainted the inn with his blood.”

“Agreed.” Cloud pointed at me, “Give me a hoof with this one...” They both picked up my sniveling heap of sadness, draping one of my forelegs over each of their shoulders. I couldn't be bothered trying to keep my own hoofing. I just wanted to wallow in my own tears and pain.

“Front door might not be the best option," Ace cringed, looking at the agitated crowd again. "Don’t want to parade him around town...” She glanced at the purple barmare who had composed herself and was watching intently.

“Backdoor?” the server pony suggested calmly, nodding to the other side of the room.

The two unicorns started dragging my beaten body towards the back of the saloon, trying to avoid the gazes of the ponies outside. “Pick up your hooves, not like you broke 'em,” Ace sneered as she pulled me along. Gee, thanks, bitch. You get me beat up and now you're telling me what to do?

“Ace,” Cloud said with a flat look. “Really?”

“What? He needs to toughen up if he hopes to survive out here,” the beige unicorn explained before opening the back door and peering out. “Well, all clear. Let’s get him to my place.”

I managed to lift my head and blink the tears from my eyes. “Are you kidding?”

She looked down at me. “No. I got you into this mess, I should probably try to help you out.” Oh, so now you're gonna help me?

“No thanks,” I replied flatly as I tried to free myself from her clutching hooves. “You've helped plenty.” I shoved her away and stood on my own four hooves. “I'll just...erm...” And there I was, back at square one. I now knew where I was but had no idea where to go or what to do.

The pain in my chest flared up again, causing me to start listing to one side. I was having a hard time maintaining my balance, but I was just about strong enough to stand on my own.

“Exactly," Ace said, propping me up again and keeping me from falling flat on my face. "You're just a lost baby in a big world.”

“I'm twenty-one, thank you very much,” I growled. Baby? Really?

“Whatever.” The brown maned unicorn rolled her eyes. “I'll take you back to my place so you can rest up, then figure out what you're gonna do next.”

I sighed, wincing at the pain. “Fine.” I could do with a lie down. Granted, I'd still be in the presence of the manipulative mare, but I needed time to work out what to do next, and I couldn't think of anything better to do given the Doc was probably going to start charging me for board.

All three of us trotted towards Ace's residence, managing to avoid most of the public. Those ponies we did see either laughed at me or cheered. Why would they cheer? I got my arse kicked five ways from Tuesday. Those who laughed were shut up by either Cloud or Ace glaring at them. The unicorns almost had to drag me up the front porch of Ace's residence, a small cottage with a row of empty bottles on a rickety fence.

“I still don't think he should be staying with you,” Cloud grumbled to the beige mare as she nudged open the old wooden door to her home.

Ace glanced over her shoulder. “Doc," she sighed rolling her eyes, "he'll be fine.”

“Does anypony ever listen to a doctor's orders these days?” the gold, unicorn doctor sighed, shaking his head.

“Nope,” Ace said with a smile. “I'll take it from here, doc. You go back to healing people and being ignored.”

Cloud trotted down the stairs, grumbling about something or other, while Ace walked me inside. While I was loath to spend one more second with this troublesome pony than I needed to, I had no idea where to go next. She seemed to know the area, and an abrasive guide was better than no guide at all.

“So.” She trotted over to an old armchair and sat down. “What now?”

I lay back on the old, rattan couch, fighting back the urge to cry with worthlessness. “I don't know...” I whispered meekly.

Ace slumped further into the chair. “Well ya gotta do something. Your brother was killed and you're just sitting around here.”

“I know,” I replied with a sniff. “But what can I do? Nothing is going to bring him back.” I felt a stab of sorrow inside.

Ace leaned forward. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Since when do you care?” I asked petulantly, still staring at my hooves.

She leaned back again. “Honestly, I don't really.” Bitch... “But I've seen a lot of ponies in your situation, and quite frankly, it’s getting lame. Helping should be an interesting change of pace.”

I slowly sat up, fighting the pain in my chest. I thought healing potions were supposed to make you all better... “So...” I began hesitantly. “you're going to help me?”

Ace rolled her eyes and groaned. “That's what I said. Now get on with it.”

“Well...” I sighed. This was gonna get teary. “My brother, Shamrock, and I...we were crossing El Diablo Drylake to deliver a package to Neighgas...” Ace leaned forward a little. “Then...then I think we got jumped.”

“You think you got jumped?” she asked irritably, waving her hoof at me. “You either did or you didn't.”

“Well I dunno...” I lay back again. “I just remember waking up...bound...” My eyes started to moisten from the memories. The binds, the pyscho mare, the grave... “Then I saw my brother...being tortured.” My breath caught in my throat, but I gulped it down and continued. “Then...then he was shot.”

“Mhm...and what happened to you?”

I blinked a few tears away and felt the side of my head. “Then the murderer hit me with a shovel and buried me alive.”

Ace hissed a little. “Buried alive? That must've been fun...”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “That's not helping.”

Ace sat back again. “Yeesh, sorry. Do you know who did it?”

I went back to that horrible night, what had the pony called himself? I remembered his green coat, his black suit, and his pistol. I clenched my eyes shut in protest against the tears. I am not going to break down again. Not now.

“Me?” the green stallion chuckled, taking a long drag on his cigarette. “My name is Double Down.”

“Double Down,” I growled. I felt no pain, no sadness, only rage at his name.

The beige pony absent mindfully scratched behind her ear in thought. “Double Down, eh? Rings a bell...”

I looked over to her. “Rings a bell?" I asked cautiously. "What kind of bell? A friendly one?” I tensed up. If this mare knew him I would make her take me to him, no matter what.

She shrugged. “Don't know. Doesn't seem like someone who I’d let live though.”

“You're telling me...” I grumbled.

“Well...” Ace said with a grin. “Why don't you do something about it.”

I stared at the leather-clad mare. “What are you suggesting?” She couldn't possibly be suggesting...could she?

“What I'm getting at,” she purred, “is avenging this brother of yours.”

Revenge? This was a bad idea, I could tell.

But is it a bad idea? a voice in the back of my mind chimed. Double Down murdered your one and only brother, your best friend, the one thing you had left in this life.

True... I thought. But if I kill him, how am I any better than him?

The voice chuckled. You would be better than him because you would be avenging your brother. He just killed to steal. Plus, he'd be dead, and you would be alive; that makes you better than him, right? Remember what Shamrock said? ‘Ask yourself What Would Shamrock Do’?

I couldn’t help but nod at my conscience.

Well, if I were Shamrock, I would have gone to avenge you. Are you going to let him down?

“Revenge...” I growled before smiling slightly. “I like that.”

Ace's grin dropped. “Alright, but if you want to do this, here's some advice. Don't let the rage get to you. Rage is good when directed at the ponies who deserve it but it will have huge consequences if innocent ponies get hurt in the process.”

“What do you mean?” I asked like a school foal.

Ace sighed. “If you let the rage get to you, it will take over and turn you into a heartless, soulless monster with more blood on his hooves than the Federation.” Eesh, sounds bad... “Normally, I would just let you go gallivanting off, but you're different.” She gave a sly smile. “Most other ponies would have protested against me putting them in a fight.” I'm a coward! How did she expect me to protest when I can barely talk to her under normal circumstances?!

“Plus, you almost beat Wild Card. Better than most ponies.” Really? “I guess you're an okay pony. Not once did you try to hit on me.” Again, bad with mares. “And a wimp.” True. “You won't survive out there so...” She took a deep breath and looked very uncomfortable. “...I'm going to...help...you...”

I rolled my eyes. “Gee, that must have been difficult,” I snickered.

“Do you want my help, or not?” Ace growled.

I waved my hooves at her. “The Great Miss Ace helping out a small farmer! I can see the headlines...” I laughed, wincing at the sudden pain in my chest. Still....it felt good to laugh. She glared at me. “Okay, okay, I'll stop.” What? She was a bitch to me, I deserve to poke fun at her.

She shook her head. “I just know this is going to bite me in the ass...”

My eyes drifted to her haunches. I hadn't noticed before, but they were so pert and looked like they had the perfect mix of firm and soft. “I might.” I giggled... Did I just say that out loud?! I went beet red.

Ace raised her eyebrow at me. “You try that, and I will geld you with a wooden spoon, 'kay?” Eep.”For now though,” She waltzed over and poked my ribs making me yipe in pain. “you need to rest.”

I waved her away. “Fine,” I nickered and made myself comfy.

Ace got up and walked past the couch, flicking my face with her tail and turned on the radio on an old shelf. “I have an idea. You just sit there and be in pain. I'll be back.” She opened the cracked door before turning to me and narrowed her eyes. “Don't touch anything,” she growled before slamming the door.

“Good morning, Ponave!" I flinched, causing a fresh wave of pain to radiate out from my barrel, when an old stallion’s voice filled the room, like silky smoke. "This is your resident radio guru, Mr. Ponave, coming to you live from the fortified walls of Iron City. I'm bringing you all the music and news you can possibly handle! Speaking of which, time for the news!"

“Good news for the Federation! The new train-line has finally been completed connecting Fort Crossroads to the rest of Federation territory despite setbacks created by the Resistance.”

“However, a Federation patrol has gone missing near Westwood. Federation officials are blaming the Resistance. Residents of Westwood are urged to come forward with any information about the whereabouts of the missing ponies.”

“The conflict in Buckwheat still rages between Resistance Separatists, under the leadership of Staff Sergeant Short Stack, and the resident gang The Blue Jackals with no sign of a ceasefire. Anypony traveling along the I-10 are urged to avoid that area.”

“Well, that was gloomy. Let’s see...” There was a crackle of papers rustling over the radio before the radio pony spoke again. “Erm...nope, no more good news, sorry. So let’s just get onto the next song, hm? Here's The Lone Wanderer with 'The Long and Winding Road'”

A slow, guitar heavy song started flowing through the old radio box, reminding me of the western films Shamrock used to take me to in the old Apple Plains cinema. I sighed with nostalgia before sorrow smacked me like a brick. Short lived as it was, the brief moment of contentment was the nicest feeling I had experienced in the past two days.

I looked out the window as the sun was still making its ascent into the sky. Why did I get the feeling life was gonna suck a lot more now?

“Where is he?” I whined, stomping my little foal hooves on the floor of my bedroom with tears rolling down my face.

“Where's who?” Shamrock asked warmly from the doorway. I continued to stomp and cry until Shamrock came in and hugged me, keeping me still. “Who are you looking for?”

I looked up at him and sniffed. “I can't find Gunter.”

The orange pony smiled. “Where was the last time you saw him?” He picked me up and set me on his back. He may have only been seven years older than me, but he was always the biggest pony I knew.

I pointed at my tiny bed. “I had him last night and this morning he was gone!” I sobbed. Shamrock trotted over and looked over the bed, checking down the sides and around the sheets. “See? Not there!”

“Calm down, little buddy. We'll find him,” he assured me with a soothing smile. Shamrock always made me feel safe. “Time for an adventure!”

“Yay!” I yelled out, flailing my forelegs and almost falling right off his back. “Clover and Shamrock in: The Great Bear Hunt!”

“Sure,” my brother laughed. “Let’s go find Gunt-”

“Wake up!” Ace yelled in my ear, making my jump about five hooves into the air and tumble onto the floor.

I cracked open my eyes and looked up at the grinning mare. “Why did you do that?” I asked irritably, my muzzle still smushed against the floor.

“Who's Gunter?” she responded gleefully, grinning beyond measure. “Your coltfriend?”

I picked myself up. “No,” I hissed at her. “I like mares, thank you very much.” I sat back down on the couch, stretching myself out. My ribs didn't hurt anymore, oddly enough.

“So who's Gunter?” the beige unicorn pressed, putting her saddlebags on the table in front of me.

I shifted uncomfortably. Should I really tell her? Well, why not? “Gunter is my...teddy bear,” I mumbled.

“Come again?”

“He's my teddy bear...”

“Did you just say teddy bear?” the brown maned mare asked, cocking her head. I nodded. Ace fell into a fit of laughter at my expense. “You're twenty-one, and you still have a teddy bear?!” I slowly nodded again. “You're such a baby!” Am not!

“Yeah well...you smell!” I retorted. That'd show her!

Ace just laughed harder before dragging herself off the floor. “You are one big barrel of laughs!” She wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Anyhoo, I got an idea of how to help you out.”

“Oh?” That got my attention.

“Well.” Ace brought out a map of the Ponave. Westwood was situated to the south west of the Ponave, near a giant skull with 'Border Security' written under it. “I need to go to Iron City on... business. I suppose you could tag along.” She narrowed her eyes and grinned. “Hell, if the going gets tough, I could use you as cannon fodder.”

I shrunk on the couch. “Y-you...you wouldn't...” Would she?

“Maybe,” she laughed. I gulped hard. “Anyway, if anypony knows anything about this Double Down character, they would live or trade in Iron City. Biggest town around these parts and a centre for information."

I looked at the map. Apparently Iron City was all the way down the I-10. I gulped again, I-10 went past Buckwheat and Buckwheat was a big 'no-no' according to the radio. "Um, excuse me, but I don't thing this is a good idea," I cautioned. "That news buck said there was fighting going on there, and everypony should stay away."

“Psh.” She waved dismissively. “The Blue Jackals are just a bunch of pussies.”

“And what about the Resistance Separatists?” That radio chap had mentioned them fighting these Blue Jackals and I really didn't want to turn up in the middle of a crossfire.

Ace growled for a moment. “Treacherous bastards,” she hissed. “They aren't true Resistance soldiers.”

“Then what are they?” I asked, prepared to dive behind the couch.

The unicorn narrowed her eyes. “They’re anarchists. They just want to fight the Federation for shits and giggles.” She slammed her hoof on the table as if to punctuate her rage. By this point, I was already scrambling over the sofa. “They rape, pillage, and murder! Nothing but organized raiders, enemy to both the Resistance and the Federation. True Resistance never kill without reason. They target supplies and take hostages, but they don’t kill mindlessly. They don’t kill...for fun.” Sounded like Ace had a passion for the Resistance.

I peeked out from behind the old couch. “So are we avoiding Buckwheat or...” Ace glanced at me, turning my blood ice cold. Please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me...

“Why not?” the beige caster asked with an obnoxious smile. “Anypony who gets in my way gets a shotgun to the face and a machete to the groin.” She whipped out her machete and pointed it at me. “And that includes you.”

I gulped again, instinctively moving my hooves to protect my stallionhood. “N-noted...”

Ace perked up again. “So! I'm heading to Iron City. You in or out?” Head to Iron City? It was a long way away... Stop being lazy, dammit!

I hopped over the couch again. “Sure. Why not. What's the worse that could happen?”

“Well.” Ace sheathed her machete. “You could get shot, stabbed, dismembered, maimed, disemboweled, sliced up, eaten, buried alive... again oh and possibly raped...but probably not all at once and not necessarily in that order. Now if we encounter something out of the ordinary, there is-”

I shoved my hoof in her mouth. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!” Hell no, I'm not going anywhere!

She shoved me away and proceeded to spit and splutter. “Eugh! Are you trying to make me throw up?!” She finished making a spectacle of herself and stood up straight again. “Anyhow, I won't let you get yourself killed.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Unless you get in my way... or irritate me... or if I get bored. Besides, I might need you to be my meat-shield if things get hairy.” I gulped again.

“So it’s settled,” she cheered, putting the map away. “We leave after lunch!” She trotted into what I assumed was the kitchen.

Finally! Something to eat! “I’m pretty hungry,” I said as I stretched out again.

She poked her head around the doorway again. “Oh, I guess you could have something too...” Bitch. She levitated out two sandwiches, dropping one beside me. I picked it up between hooves and started to devour it.

It was a delicious blend of...stuff. “Where did you get this stuff?” I asked, my mouth full of bread and vegetables.

“Well...” Ace said with her mouth full. Not very pleasant. “The fuckin' Feds own most of the farmland, but I only get my produce from the Iron City farms.” I nodded dumbly. How could I forget? I worked on a Federation supported ranch! We had everything ranging from wheat to apples.

We ate in silence for about another ten minutes before Ace let rip the nastiest belch I had heard in a while. “Time to go.” She purred as she patted her belly and pulled on her saddlebags. I got up and noticed something rather convenient: I was stark naked without any form of protection from the sun, and more importantly, bullets.

“Erm...I, uh...” I stammered.

Ace rolled her eyes and let out an explosive sigh. “What now?” She turned to me and pouted. “Gotta go potty? Need me to hold your hoof so you don't get scared?””

“Nah, its not that, its...erm...” Just feckin' say it. “Well, I'm bollock naked.”

The leather-clad mare giggled slightly. “That you are.” She rummaged around in her packs and pulled out set of hot pink barding. “Here, you can have my old barding for now.” She levitated it over to me.

I took the barding in my hooves and looked at it, back to her, and back to the barding. “Its...”

“It’s what?”

“Its...pink...” I raised my eyebrow. “You expect me to wear pink.”

She looked offended. “What's wrong with pink?”

I dropped the barding. “Stallions don't wear pink.” No way, no how.

The mare just shook her head and huffed. “Grow up. That barding might end up being the thin line between a live...who ever you are, and a corpse. What's your name again?”

“Clover,” I sighed, trying to squeeze on the barding. It was a size too small, at least. “I thought I told you.”

“Your new name is Miss Daisy,” the rage inducing mare snickered.

“No,” I responded flatly. “My name is Clover.”

She turned to the door. “Come along, Miss Daisy.”

“IT'S CLOVER!”

“Hold it,” the large griffin sheriff grinned as he landed in front of as we left Ace's house. “Y'all ain't going nowhere.”

“What do you want, Bull?” Ace sighed. “I've got business to attend to.”

The griffin huffed in amusement. “I've got no issues with you. Y'all can get goin'. It’s Pinkie here I need to talk with.”

Ace turned to me and grinned. She wouldn't. “Oh, Miss Daisy?” She would. “What's the problem? You interested in him?”

“No," Bull bristled. "He owes Westwood for the damages in this morning's fight.” Damn it. He was right, I did agree to paying for damages if I lost. I did lose. My mind drifted back to the morning's fight. Owie...

Ace looked over to me, and back to the looming griffin. “Daisy ain't got nothing to pay with.”

“Well then.” Bull smiled. “He'll have to stay here and work off his debt.” Do what now? He looked me over. “Maybe a dancing girl?”

I looked pleadingly at Ace. I had no idea what to do. No surprise there.

Ace bushed up beside the griffin. “Bull, darling. I'm taking this nice stallion into the scorching Ponave desert which will probably kill him.” Please don't say those things. “Hows about you let us toddle off, and I won't tell anyone about what you get up to with your deputy.”

That made the griffin stand down. “You wouldn't.”

“I would.” Ace grinned mischievously. “I will drag you out of your little closet along with all the pretty dresses you might own.”

Bull shuffled uncomfortably before spreading his wings. “Fine. Go.”

I watched the griffin take off before turning to Ace. “Do you have a problem with...erm...”

“Coltcuddlers?” she chuckled before trotting down the stairs. “I don't have any problems with gay ponies or straight ponies... or griffins for that matter.”

“Then why so harsh?” I asked as I followed. My new barding was really tight around me, it being a size too small, and probably the fact it was not made for a stallion. Plus, I hate pink. Its a mare's colour.

“Well.” Ace started up the road towards the entrance to Westwood. “He was gonna make you pay for the damages caused this morning and, quite frankly, I don't think you deserve being forced to work. That's Fed shit.”

“Wait.” I stopped in my tracks. “You're doing something nice for me?”

“Don't get used to it,” she nickered back at me. “Now let’s get moving, Daisy.” Still a bitch...

“Just curious as to why you were so harsh on that griffin. Thought you might have something against them.”

“Nah.” Ace shook her head. “Why would I have a problem with them? I'm bi after all...” wait, what?

I stopped again. “Y-you're b...b...”

“Bi. Yes. I go both ways. What's it to you?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” The barding was starting to get a little too tight. The thought of this mare with...with another mare... my brain may have short circuited...

She rolled her eyes at me. “Don't get any ideas. I don't date wimps. ” That stung, but hey, what did I expect? “Now come on, already!” She flicked her tail in my face before walking off. Could this barding get any tighter?

I gawked for a few more moments before composing myself. Ace was waiting under the Westwood town sign at its entrance, tapping her hoof impatiently.

“Are you always this slow?” she asked when I caught up. “Or am I gonna have to leave you in the desert?”

I had enough. “Is that really the way you treat a mourner?” Did I have to break down in front of her to prove my point? I certainly felt like it. I tried something that I thought I could never achieve, I tried to look angry. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head slightly. Okay, maybe not the most intimidating, but I was new at this...

The unicorn sighed. “Okay, I'm sorry. Better?” I nodded. “Now let’s get moving, I want to be at least half way there by sundown.” She started trotting down the old, hard packed dirt road. I shifted the tight barding a little before making off after her.

I took my first steps into the Ponave on a whole new adventure, but this time instead of for my job, I was starting my journey for revenge. I still had to get my head around this whole revenge thing. I had always been taught to shrug off anyone that did me wrong, show that I was stronger. But that was back when the other kids on the Plains would take my toys, or hit me, I would just shrug them off and they would always just return the toys later that day, or apologize for hitting me. Come to think about it, Shamrock would always disappear for a while before they came to their senses...

But this was different. It wasn’t just a toy, or a bit of childish abuse, this was murder of family. The spilling of blood, smearing the name of justice. I couldn’t just shrug this off, I needed to act on it. I promised myself I would make Double Down taste the bitterness of my revenge or die in the attempt. I would avenge Shamrock. I would not let him down. I would be resolute, and I would take from Double Down everything he took from me when he tortured and killed the only family I had.

I would stay strong.

Shamrock and I trotted out of my room. The house I had grown up in wasn't anything special, and needed patching up occasionally, but it was home. The hallway outside felt so long as a child, but yet so short now that I think about it. The Great Bear Hunt had begun.

“So where do you think Gunter is?” Shamrock asked, smiling at me on his back. I shook my head, sending my mane sprawling over my face. I smoothed it back as I thought about it. If I was a teddy bear, where would I be?

“Euweka!” I piped up. “A cave!”

Shamrock chuckled, reached up and tussled my mane, making it flop down in front of my eyes again. “A cave? Where are we gonna find a cave?”

I merely shrugged. “I dunno.” I thought for a few moments before coming up with my next bright idea. “I know! Let’s ask Papa!”

We started to walk down the hall to the stairs. “And so,” Shamrock started, as if narrating. “our intrepid adventurers traveled far and wide to meet the wise old man, in search of the mighty bear cave!” That was Shamrock for you, always making our games that much better.

The hallway was decorated with pictures, some of the family, some of friends I was too young to remember. I could only remember two pictures though, one of my father, mother, and Shamrock standing around a crib with newborn me inside. Everypony wore a look of pride in that picture.

The second one was of a pony I did not know. My father said she was once one of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, 'The pony with the biggest brain' he used to call her. I don't think I will ever forget that purple unicorn with her pink streaks. Mostly because her caring but determined smile was the first thing I saw as I left my room each morning.

We started our short hop, skip and jump down the old, chipped wood stairs, two or three at a time, much to my amusement as I let out a squeal of laughter with each step. We stopped five steps up, and Shamrock glanced over his shoulder and grinned. I returned the grin and held on tight right before he leaped into the air, landing several hooves from the last step with enough momentum to send me flying into the living room couch.

I pulled my face out from between the cushions and squealed with delight. “That was awesome!” I jumped down and trotted to my brother's side as he cantered into the room.

“Our heroes begin their search for the old hermit in the deep dark lagoon...” he said, crouching down to my height.

“Who you calling old?” a white pony with a graying black mane asked as he cantered out from the study. Why did we have a study? I had no idea...

Shamrock bowed his head and snickered. “Oh, wise and old gentelcolt, we come requesting knowledge!” I giggled and copied my older brother.

The older pony scratched his rough beard, wondering what we were up to. He finally shrugged and winked. “Oh, noble travelers, what needeth thee?”

“We come seeking the whereabouts of the Great Bear Cave,” Shamrock said, standing back up again.

Dad chuckled a little. “I will tell you when you answer me these questions three!”

“Oh! Oh! I know this one!” I yelled, jumping up and down before sitting on my haunches, looking at my hooves. My face scrunched up in strenuous thought, my tongue hanging out of the corner of my mouth. “Free is...” I held up my forehooves and my left hind leg, “This many!” I wobbled a little before falling backwards with a small 'oof'.

My father rolled his eyes and chuckled before flourishing. “Well done, young one! You have passed the first task! Now, the last test...” he bent down low to me and Shamrock. “What is your favorite colour?”

I jumped up again. “Oh! Uh...blue! No, red! No, Brown! No! Uh...” I looked to Shamrock and his coat. “Orange! Hey, wait a second, that’s only two questions!” I pouted.

My father laughed heartily. “And realising that was the the real last test!”

He scooped me up and put me on his back. “Well done! You have passed my tests!” I grinned with triumph. “But there is one secret you must know about the Great Bear Cave...” he whispered. His horn lit up with the same purple as the liquid in the conical flask on his flank. “The bear...” he narrowed his eyes, and I felt something brush up against my mane and turned to see Gunter just inches from my snout. “...is gonna getcha!”

Gunter was sent flying into my face, knocking me onto my back. I grabbed the teddy bear and hugged it close to my chest, squeezing him tightly. I finally let go of him and looked him over. The old brown bear had several new patches and his eye had been sewn back on! Yay!

I rolled off my dad's back and hugged him with all my might, before trotting to Shamrock, dragging Gunter along behind me. “We win!” I shouted before hugging him too. I loved my brother and father.

“Clover! Wake up, dammit!” Ace shouted and waved a hoof in front of me. “Stop daydreaming!”

"Huh?" My attention shifted back to reality as we walked down the old cracked highway, stretching miles into the desert prairie. The sun baked dirt and sand of the Ponave rose into large hills and mounds around the highway, covered in dead shrubs and cacti. I could barely make out a medium sized town in the distance. I hoped it wasn’t Buckwheat.

“Fine,” I grumbled, shifting my hair from my face. I needed a manecut...

Ace glared at me and smiled. “I think you should do something about that mane of yours. You look like a mess.” She rummaged through her saddlebags before levitating out a small pocket mirror. “See for yourself.” She levitated it out in front of me.

Sheesh, she was right! My was a complete mess, falling all over the place and tussled something fierce. “Got a comb or something?” I asked, blowing a few strands of hair out of my eyes.

“Thought you'd never ask!” the leather-clad mare replied with glee before pulling out a comb with less teeth than I had hooves.

I gripped the comb between my fetlock and ran it through my hair, smoothing it back into its regular shape. I smiled under the sunglasses I had received from Cloud. Damn, I'm handsome... “Better?” I asked, giving Ace back the comb.

“Keep it.” She nodded. “And yes, now you look less messy.” She poked my pink barding, “And more pretty, Miss Daisy.”

I sighed deeply before stopping. “Could you seriously stop calling me that?” It was going a little too far in my books. “My name's Clover, not Miss Daisy.” I stomped my hoof for emphasis.

The unicorn mare sighed and waltzed up to me, brushing against my ear. What was happening? My eyes darted from side to side nervously under my sunglasses and I felt beads of sweat drip down my face. I gulped as she started to whisper something softly into my ear. “Nope.”

I collapsed to my haunches and looked up at her. “That was just plain evil.” I mumbled before burying my face in my hooves. Why did I agree to follow her? Oh yeah, that whole revenge thing, she was gonna help me get info on Double Down. Just stay strong and she will be out of my mane in just a few days.

“I know,” Ace giggled before helping me up. “It may be because you're a Fed.”

I dusted of my pink (ew!) barding and smoothed my hair back again before retorting. “Like I said, not like I wanted to be. I don't care about the Federation or what they are involved with, just as long as they keep buying our produce. Even told that to the recruiting sergeant who came to the Apple Plains.”

Ace started walking down the dirt path before the highway. “So you didn't sign up? Tell me about it.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm bored, and it will pass the time.”

So does daydreaming... “It’s a boring story, not much to tell...”

“Then sing it to me.”

Wait, what? “S-sing? Why?” I stopped again.

“I told you, I'm bored. Entertain me.” She looked back at me. “You can sing, right?” Nope.

Well, not sober at least. I could vaguely remember Shamrock and I standing on a table, a mug of beer in our hooves singing about something or other. Probably something about the Emerald Isles.

Could I sing? “I...I could try...” Ace grinned in anticipation. I could almost read her mind, 'This should be a laugh.'

I let out a long sigh. “And here I go about to make a fool of myself...again. Well, here goes.” I took a deep breath, setting a tempo in my mind.

“As I was walking down the road

A feeling fine and larky oh

A recruiting sergeant came up to me

Says he, you'd look fine in khaki oh

For the Federation is in need of men

Come read this proclamation oh

A life in Ponave for you then

Would be a fine vacation oh”

I trotted a little faster, getting a little caught up in the song.

“'That may be so' says I to him

'But tell me sergeant dearie-oh

If I had a pack stuck upon my back

Would I look fine and cheerie oh

For they'd have you train and drill until

They had you one of the enemies oh

It may be cool in the Ponave

But it's scorching in the trenches oh”

I grinned at the smirking mare.

“The sergeant smiled and winked his eye

His smile was most provoking oh

He twiddled and twirled his wee mustache

Says he, 'I know you're only joking oh

For the sandbags are so cool and high

The sun you won't feel scorching oh

Well I winked at a pony passing by

Says I, 'what if it's burning oh'”

“Come rain or sun or wind or snow

I'm not going out to the Ponave oh

There's work on the Plains to be done

Let your sergeants and your commanders go

Let Feds fight Federation wars

It's nearly time they started oh

I saluted the sergeant a very good night

And there and then we parted oh”

I ended with a flourish before tripping and falling flat on my face, giving Ace the chance to burst out laughing. I smiled sheepishly and picked myself up again.

“That was terrible!” she laughed before wiping a tear from her eye. “And it's a blatant lie.”

“Lie?” I asked. As far as I knew, that was the truth...

“Yes,” Ace said, losing her grin. “You said you had work to do on the Apple Plains, and yet here you are in the sunny paradise of the Ponave.” She poked my neck with a hoof before frowning, her body suddenly becoming coldly still. Still but tense. “There's something you're not telling me.” She unsheathed her machete. “You are a Fed spy, aren't you?!”

“No!” I shouted, before tripping and scootching back, cowering. “I'm just a courier!”

“Lies!” Ace screamed before jumping on me and putting the blade to my neck. “I thought you were a farmer!”

I was shaking beyond measure, trying not the gulp in case I accidentally get my neck sliced. “N-not anymore!”

“Explain!”

“Shamrock and I lost the farm after Dad died!” I cried out. “My brother and I became couriers right after, and now he's dead and I don't want to be! Please don't do it!” I think I was damn close to wetting myself. This really was not what I had in mind at all when I decided to follow Ace, I always thought she might get me killed, not kill me herself!

Ace growled before drawing the blade lightly across my throat, cutting a tiny scratch in my neck. This is it, this is how I die. I thought to myself before she sheathed the blade and took her hooves off me.

“I'm watching you, farmer boy...” she hissed before cantering down the highway. I lay there, blinking and feeling the cut on my neck. I just brushed with death and I did not like it. Or...am I just over thinking it...?

I scrambled to my hooves and watch Ace keep walking. This was really not a good idea. I sat on the cracked asphalt of the highway. Was the information about Double Down really worth risking my life by following this mare? One more outburst and I would be a dead pony.
“Stay strong.”

I got to my hooves and galloped after Ace, who had stopped up the road, waiting for me to catch up. I was going to get that info on Double Down and Ace could just try to kill me, but I was not letting Shamrock down. He told me to stay strong and damn it, I was going to.

I reached Ace and saw she wasn't waiting for me, she was watching a group of ponies approaching from up the road. I could see from the scowl on her face that told me these ponies were not a welcome sight.

I could make out their matching khaki fatigues and armour, the assault rifles each carried, and the distinct look of dignity and respect each had. These ponies were Federation troopers, probably a patrol.

“Thank the goddesses,” I sighed before walking up to them. “I'm sure they'll help a citizen of the Fed-ERK!”

I felt Ace grab my tail and drag me towards one of the large mounds and hills that had lined the road for a while at top speed, how she managed to pull a full grown pony down so fast was beyond me.

“Hey!” I yelled as I dug my hooves into the ground, trying to stop, It did nothing but slow her down as we got to the mound. “What are you doing?!”

I spied a large hole in the mound right before Ace dragged us both into it. “I'm getting us away from those Feds!” she hissed after spitting out my tail and holding me down, hoof over my mouth. She peeked over the top of the hole before growling. “Don't think they saw us, but we'd better not go back out there.”

I struggled and finally pulled her hoof from my mouth. “What?! They could have helped me!” I struggled some more to get free but the smaller, but much stronger, pony slammed me back down again, pinning me.

“Listen you,” she hissed, “They won't help you. They'll imprison you or hang you!”

“W-why?” I asked, no longer trying to get free, resistance was futile. “I'm a c-citizen of the Federation, of course they'll help me!”

Ace smiled a little. “Oh, sugarcube, they'll definitely hang you!” WHAT?! “Seeing as you'd be branded a traitor.”

“No way!” I barked. “I've done nothing wrong!”

“Let’s just let them pass,” Ace whispered, looking out of the hole.

“Why should we?!” I shouted, writhing under her hooves.

Ace pouted and gave me the puppydog eyes. “Please?” she purred.

I froze completely. How could a mare so tough and rugged look so adorable. “Again, why should we?” I said, calmly, not wanting the machete to my throat again.

Ace hopped off me and smiled, “The Feds and I, we've had a few misunderstandings in the past, and that patrol ain't the people I should explain it to. They're the 'Shoot First, Ask Questions Later' types.”

Misunderstandings? Bullshit. I crawled to my hooves and shook my head free of...whatever it was lining this hole. “What have you gotten me into?!” I shouted at the top of my lungs before climbing out of the hole. “Help!” I called out from the rim before being dragged back down.

“Shut up!” Ace growled, slapping her hoof over my mouth. “You'll wake the-”

There was a loud rustling coming from nearby accompanied by a low hiss.

“Now you've done it...”

“What the fuck was that?!” I squealed from behind Ace. I was cowering.

Ace smiled at the giant, yellow, insectoid corpse she had just blown away with her smoking pump action shotgun in her levitation field. “That,” she replied, kicking the body, “was an ant.”

I crawled out from behind Ace and looked at the insect carcass. “An ant?” I shuffled over to it and poked its hard exoskeleton. No way was it an ant.

“Yes. An ant.” Ace smirked.

“An...ant...?”

The beige mare raised an eyebrow at me, as of I was crazy or stupid; probably the latter. “...an, ant...” she replied, saying each word slowly, as if she were speaking to a foal.

I looked at the giant ant, back to Ace, and back to the ant. “Antsshouldnotbethisbig!!” I hollered, stamping all of my hooves, wildly. I sat down hard and held my now aching head. “This must be what its like to be insane...” I mumbled.

Ace slung the shotgun back over her back and hauled me back to my hooves. “You're not going insane.” she glanced back at the large yellowish insect. “Giant ants tend to nest in the hills around here. They don't bother ponies unless threatened.” She prodded my pink barding. “And you pissed 'em off.”

“Me?!” I asked, maybe a little louder than I should have. “How did I piss them off? You're the one who dragged me into this hole!”

Ace shoved her hoof into my mouth again and levitated out a roll of duct tape from her saddlebags. “Shut up, dammit, or I'll tape your mouth shut!” She retracted it and wiped my slobber off on my barding. “I brought us into this hole to get away from the patrol...” She peeked over the rim again, making sure my yelling hadn’t attracted the Feds. “Who have set up shop outside.” She sighed and looked further into the hole, which I now realized was a tunnel. “Looks like we're gonna have to find a new way out before they find out where we scurried."

I peered into the darkness of the cramped tunnel and took off my sunglasses. I hadn't noticed I was still wearing them. “Urm...no.” I poked at Ace this time. “I'm not going into a tiny tunnel infested with massive bugs.”

The unicorn sighed in frustration. “I have a shotgun and machete. Nothing is going to get you. Now you can go down the tunnel and survive, or go out there, be arrested and probably hung.”

“I won't be hung or executed!” I whined, rubbing my aching temples. “This is all too much...” Giant ants? Fuck that, no way is that even possible. Surely they would be crushed under their exoskeletons or something!

Ace pulled out a syringe of med-x. “They probably will, nopony could miss that pink barding. As for being insane, you're not. You're perfectly fine, albeit a coward.” She held the syringe out to me and I scrambled away.

“Get that thing away from me!” I shrieked, flinching away from the horrid device. I had been trifled of fuking needles for as long as I could remember. I wriggled further into the tunnel as Ace grinned and advanced with the needle. “Fuck off!”

“What?” Ace purred. “Don't like needles?”

I kept wriggling down the tunnel before I fell through the dirt floor and slammed into a rocky surface. I opened my eyes and, as soon as the room stopped spinning, saw how far I had dropped, from what I could tell it must have been about six meters.

Ace dropped down beside me, put away the needle (thank Celestia) and handed me some painkillers in pill form. I sat up, holding my head and gulped down the pills before running my new comb through my mane.

“Why would you do that?” I whimpered, checking to see if the metal plate in my head was dented. It was not. “I hate needles.”

Ace levitated out her shotgun again, scanning the large chamber we had fallen into. “Noted.” She glared at me and then grinned. “Great motivational device.”

I stood up and dusted off my tight barding while adjusting it in an attempt to stop the irritation it was causing as it bit into my skin. I took a look around the large cavern and whistled. “Where are we?”

“The hive,” Ace muttered before jumping down the rocky mound we had found ourselves on. “Well, less of a hive, more of an ant's nest.”

I facehoofed. A giant ant's nest. Bloody brilliant. “How do we get out? I don't want to be ant chow.” I jumped down after her, botching the landing and slamming my face into the ground. “Ow,” I nickered and pulled myself to my hooves.

“Simple.” Ace turned and grinned at me. “We keep going till we find a way out.”

“And what of the ants?”

She levitated up her shotgun and kissed the barrel. “We blow 'em away,” she giggled, turned, and trotted further into the tunnel. I noticed that her armoured leggings seemed to amplify the beauty of her flank.

I sighed and walked after her. Sure, she was hot but I could never get a mare like that; or any mare for that matter. I hung my head a little and just accepted the facts. I was a coward and a wuss. I stayed in my little pit of self-pity long enough to not notice the ants that were slowly starting to trickle into the large chamber.

“Uh...oh...” I whispered. We were completely surrounded by giant, hideous, yellow ants. “What do we do now?”

Ace winked and pulled out her machete while loading her shotgun.

“What I meant to say is, what do I do?I don't think you've noticed, but I don't have a weapon,” I nickered, watching the ants click and whine around us, waiting to make their move.

The beige mare aimed at the nearest ant with her shotgun, while whirling the machete in the air, ready to strike down any of the buggy bastards that came too close. “You got your legs. Better use 'em.” She fired, and an ant's head exploded. It probably wasn't the best idea, seeing that rest of the ants started flailing and creeping forward.

I bucked the nearest ant with as much force I could muster, crushing its head clean in. I felt the slight rush, that I think I had felt fighting Wild Card. I liked it. I reared up and smashed another, oblivious to Ace cutting a long path through the aggressive ants, hacking and slashing, shot after shot.

“Come on!” Ace shouted before cackling, evilly. “I can't take all the fun!”

I felt the rush of adrenaline flare through my veins as I jumped, landed on an ant, smashing its head, and bucking the nearest one around. I think I may have laughed before galloping after Ace. Fighting these ants was easier than I thought, their heads made a satisfying crack as my rear hooves smashed into them, spraying the ant's viscous yellow blood everywhere, turning parts of my barding from pink to a murky brown.

I was actually having fun until one got too close. I had just finished another successful smash when I was tackled by one, slightly bigger than the others. I gasped as it sunk its mandibles into my abdominal barding, not penetrating it enough to land a lethal blow but just just enough to rip through my hide and well into my muscle. I shrieked and kicked at the thing, causing it to tear its mandibles out roughly.

I finally knocked it free and clutched at my bleeding sides, screaming bloody murder as the wounds burned. I had never received more than a scratch over on the Apple Plains, bar the skull smash. Was this what it was like to be stabbed? “It fucking hurts!”

“No fucking duh.” a voice, my conscience I think, told me. Really helpful, thanks, me.

“Get up!” Ace shouted before dragging me away from the horde. It must have been the adrenaline, but I managed to get to my hooves and run against the pain in my bleeding sides. We dove through a small tunnel, too small for the ants to get into but just big enough for a pony such as myself.

We only just managed to get in before one of the larger ants' head slammed into the tunnel entrance, swiping its mandibles at us, dripping a disgusting gray drool. Ace took the opportunity to hack off its' head with her machete, clogging the entrance.

I groaned as I peeled off the punctured barding, finally letting my body breathe now that it was out of the oppressive pink leather. I whimpered when I saw the long disgusting cuts in my sides. Ace handed me a vial of purple liquid, the same liquid Doc Cloud had given me for my ribs.

I guzzled it down and watched as the gashes slowly stitched together. The feeling was the weirdest thing I had ever felt, like an odd...wriggling. Like a group of caterpillars crawling across my coat. I hissed as the pain spiked before subsiding.

I shook my head. “Feckin' magic.” Dad had been a unicorn, and even then I could never get my head around how magic works. Then again, I didn't need to, I was an earth pony. “Now what?” I ask picking myself up.

Ace looked down the new tunnel. “Well, that cavern might have been the center of this whole tunnel network.” She pointed down the tunnel. “Which means that all tunnels from said cavern must lead out.” I slung the barding over my back. I couldn't take the tightness any more. It may not have been tight enough to chafe or cut into my skin, but it was just too uncomfortable.

“Put that back on,” Ace said with a tone of annoyance. “If it wasn't for that, you’d be in a lot more pain and probably a lot more dead.”

“I'll be fine,” I grunted and started down the tunnel. “I can take these ants, that big fecker just surprised me is all.”

“Your funeral.” Ace shrugged before following me, wiping her machete on my barding. “And I ain’t paying for it.”

“How long is this tunnel?” I whined. “Are we there yet?” We had been walking through the darkness with nothing but Ace's horn to guide the way. “This barding is getting heavy, and I'm tired!”

“How the hell should I know?” Ace groaned. This was not the first time I had asked. “Quit your bitching.”

“I told you we shouldn't have come down here! I knew it would be trouble, and now we're lost with no food or water!”

Ace stopped and growled at me. “I know!” she finally shouted. “I am aware of this fucking mistake, now shut up about it before I kill you and eat you myself!”

I stumbled back a few steps. “You're a c-c-cannibal?!” I whimpered. She had both the weapons and probably the willpower to eat me.

“No,” Ace sighed, “but I might have to be if I'm gonna make it out of here.” She glared at my horrified, terrified look before cracking up. “You should see your face!” She stumbled over and slapped my back. “I'm not going to eat you! You're all skin and bones!” She wiped a tear from her eye and composed herself. “Besides, a good traveler always packs for all occasions.”

She opened up her saddlebags and pulled out a small box. “Pinkie's Pies” was sprawled across the front. She opened it and levitated a disk-shaped pie to me and found one for herself. She sat down and started eating. I sniffed at the pie before taking a nibble. It didn't take long before I was nose deep in delicious pie.

“I am serious about this being a mistake though,” she eventually groaned. “I didn't expect to get this lost. I just can't get involved with Fed patrols.”

I looked up at Ace, bits of pastry falling from my muzzle. Was she genuinely sorry? Was there... was there an actual pony in that bitch? “It's...well, it's not okay,” I replied frankly. “I want to say it’s okay, but I just can't. Why did you bring me into this mess?”

The unicorn looked up at me, I couldn't tell what she was feeling, possibly a whole mix of things, by the look on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut, dropping what was left of her pie and levitating her shotgun.

“How long have we been followed?” she whispered, staring at me. She pumped the shotgun and pointed it at me. “Don't...move...”

I went wide eyed. “Please don't shoot me...” I begged softly. She was going to go through with it. I detected the slightest hint of a feeling pony and now I'm going to get my head blown off for it. Ace was absolutely crazy, why did I follow here?! Oh right, I was kidnapped...

“Just...don't...move...” Ace hissed. I froze stiff as a board, I couldn't see anything in the dim light of her horn but then I felt it. Something was crawling over my back. I bit my lower lip in fear as the thing popped up over my shoulder.

A vile, disgusting, giant ant head poked out from beside mine. This one was different from the others though. I noticed as it silently crawled over me that it had more of a reddish tinge to it and was a little smaller than the others. It felt oddly warm...

It finally crawled off me and turned, staring at me. “What do we do now?” I asked Ace but she was concentrated on the smaller red ant. It was the weirdest thing I had seen all day, its movements were smooth, silent and filled with some alien intent. In fact the whole thing was silent, I thought it would be screaming in agony because of a knife hilt-deep in its abdomen.

“Ace,” I whispered, trying to get her attention. “What do I do-”

The ant lunged at me, flying with a silent grace at my face (hey, that rhymed!). I only just managed to duck and dive out of the way before it could hit me, I slamming into Ace just as the little bugger turned. “Kill it, kill it, kill it!” Ace's shotgun moved back to the ant but froze. “What are you doing?” I asked, cowering behind her. “Do it!”

“Wait...this one is different,” Ace whispered. “I've never seen it before...” the little thing silently watched us, its mandibles silently twitching. “Still, looks harmle-”

A silent stream of flame flew from the ant's mouth and just over our heads. “Maybe not!” Ace yelled as we turned and ran. Why she didn't shoot it was beyond me, but the damn thing followed us. I was starting to regret leaving the barding on my back and not putting it on. Then again, the best foods are usually packaged...

The tunnel split into several new ones suddenly, Ace dove left while I kept going straight. I screeched to a halt and turned to follow, but the ant was hot on my heels. I turned and kept running until I was in complete darkness. I stopped and turned again, listening for the little blighter, but I couldn't hear anything but my ragged breathing and thundering heartbeat. I fell to my haunches and breathed a sigh of relief before realizing that I was all alone in a deep dark tunnel in Luna knows where...

“Shit...” I whimpered, starting to panic. I looked all around but I couldn't see or hear anything. Was this what it was like to be dead? I sat down and started to sob in panic, I was never too fond of the dark or tight spaces yet here we were.

I clamped my eyes shut as I started rocking back and forth, hoping I was still unconscious at Doc Cloud's or sleeping on Ace's couch. I slowly opened one eye and saw a dull orange glow illuminating the tunnel around me.

“Ace?” I whispered with a sniff. “I-I wasn't crying. I was....I...was panicking.” Silence. “Ace?” I asked again, looking around. “Ace, you're scaring me.” I looked up and saw it.

The red ant was fucking glowing. Glowing. It's bug eyes were fixed on me as it opened its mouth. I could see something building up inside it and instinctively started running. Lucky too, as a silent plume of fire flew out from behind me, singing the end of my tail.

I started to push myself as my legs began to ache, but no matter how fast I ran, the bastard glow still followed me, ready to roast me. I tripped over an errant rock and rolled to a complete stop on my face. Why always the face? I didn't know.

I rolled over to see the red bastard right above, I could almost see it grin at me. It dropped down and tried to claw at me, my hooves just long enough to hold it away. “Help!” I called out, but I knew nopony would come, Ace was probably out by now and nopony else was down here. I began to cry and scream as the disgusting, silent monster attacked me.

This was it, this was definitely the end of cowardly Clover. I was going to die in a hole deep underground to an ant. To a fecking ant! My legs started to give way and I could feel the mandibles just stroking against my face.

A dull glow started to come down the hall behind us, more fire ants I bet. This was it.

“Get off!” Ace yelled as she slammed it with her shotgun, sending the silent, monster flying. She dragged me to my hooves, put the pink barding back over my back and pulled me along. “Come on!” she yelled. My hooves finally got the message as they started to gallop away.

Just keep running, just keep running, just keep running, the only thing I could do was keep running from the silent bastard that was following us. I mean seriously, an ant that breathes fire? What is this shit?

I rammed into Ace as she came to a halt before a ledge and we both fell over, landing on something soft. I opened my eyes just as I started to slide off, falling into something gooey with a crack and a splash.

“Eugh!” I spat out a glob of the foul tasting goo and pulled myself out of the slimy mess. I started shaking the goop off me before trying to figure out what it was. I had landed in a patch of oval shaped objects with hard outer shells with a slimy, gooey center. “Are these...eggs?” I asked Ace who was standing on the thing we had landed on and I had slid off of.

“Yup,” she said looking into the distance. I cantered around the side of the thing and saw its giant legs around a thorax.

I stumbled back into the egg patch, almost falling onto another one. “Ace, get off of it!” The giant thing remained still as Ace jumped up and down on it.

“Relax, Daisy.” she smirked. There's that name again... “It's dead.” She continued to jump and prance around on it before disappearing over the other side.

“How can you tell?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her head popped back up over the side. “Because,” She levitated up her machete, covered in fresh, yellow ant blood. “It hasn't killed us yet. That and there's a big ol' hole in it. Explosives methinks.”

“What?” I trotted around the other side, and saw the giant hole in the beast's side. I stopped and stared at the pile of black bones nearby, detonator still in it's teeth.

I shuffled towards the charred bone pile and looked over it. There wasn't much left of it other than some blue and yellow shreds of whatever it was wearing before it was fried, and a strange device on its foreleg.

I poked at the cylindrical device with my hoof before turning to Ace. “Hey, Ace, do you know what this is?” I picked up the device with my hooves and held it up above my head.

She levitated it up and over to herself and looked it over. “It’s a Pipbuck,” she answered with a whistle. “Good condition too, 'cept for the clasp, bust as hell.” She turned it over and the cylinder opened and hung loose. “You want it?”

Why not. “Sure. If you don't want it.”

She levitated it back over to me. “And stand out even more? No thanks, standing out is your job, Miss Daisy.” She grinned but quickly frowned. “Hey, where's your pretty pink barding?”

I looked over my back but the barding must have fallen off somewhere. “Is it up there?” I asked the unicorn on top of the slain beast. She shook her head as I trotted back round to the egg patch, pipbuck slung over my neck for now. I spotted a hint of pink under the grayish blue goo. I gulped and picked it out.

Now, us earth ponies don't have magic or wings to pick things up, we have our teeth and our hooves but there was no way I could get a grip with my hooves given the slimy shit all over them. Let’s just say the barding tasted better before we entered the tunnels and leave it at that. I slung the gooey barding over my back and trotted back up to the beast. Ace was doing something up there, but what exactly was a mystery.

“What are you doing?” I asked, listening to the slicing and splashing coming from out of sight on the beast.

Ace's head popped up again, this time with a few splotches of ant blood. “Remember how that one patrol went missing?” I nodded, remembering how that radio guy said that one had gone missing around Westwood. “Well,” she threw a helmet over the side of the beast. “Found 'em.”

I picked up the dented helmet and read the patch, “Thunderhaze Pineapple.” I sighed and dropped the helmet, glad I didn't have to see the body.

“Besides,” Ace grunted. “This here is queen ant.” so? “Which means that it eats a lot.” Again, so? “Which means that those ponies might have had some supplies or valuables on them when they were eaten.” She grumbled in frustration before sliding down the side of the dead queen. “But this is a bust. Let’s get out of here before that fire dude comes back.” She started trotting away before stopping suddenly. “Unless you, uh, want to stay here.”

I was taken a little aback by that. “Wait, you said 'Let's get out of here' without threatening me.” I grinned at her. “You turning soft? The almighty queen bitch Ace starting to slip from her throne?”

Okay, maybe that was a bad idea seeing as she now had the knife levitated at me neck again. “Shut. Up,” she seethed. “Now come on, before I tie you up and leave you for the fire fucker.”

“Fine,” I whimpered, making a motion across my mouth with a hoof, imitating a zipper. I immediately broke that 'zipper' when I glanced at the pipbuck lying on my neck. “Can I borrow that duct tape?”

She looked at me as if I was insane before looking at the pipbuck. Getting the picture she levitated out the tape and passed it to me.

With a little magical assistance, I managed to tape the pipbuck shut around my foreleg. It bleeped once before coming to life. We both watched as the screen fuzzed and then revealing a happy-go-lucky scamp grinning at us. The screen fuzzed as numbers and letters scrolled across the screen then stopped. The words “Male” and “Earthpony” displayed proudly as the little pony winked.

After it prompted me to type in my name and all that other administrative jazz it finally came to a rest on a menu. I flipped through them, much to the chagrin of an impatient Ace. There was one for the status of my limbs, one for notes, one for inventory, one for-

“Clover!” Ace yelled with a stomp. “Fuck it, you can stay here with your new toy while I leave.” I got up and trotted after her. “So you are coming? Figure-” She was silenced by the glowing eyes of the red ant, mandibles silently twitching, the area around the knife in its back glowing.

It crawled down and watched me, both Ace and I froze solid, unsure why it wasn't attacking. It crawled up beside me and seemed to sniff at me, its feelers dancing over my body.

“What is it doing?” I choked out, still not moving.

“I don't know. It should be mauling you like it was earlier, not giving you a feeler reach-around. What's changed since...” Her face puffed up as she only just managed to hold in a laugh. “The eggs.”

“What about them?” I whispered, feeling the feelers flutter along my neck.

The leather-clad unicorn was trying rather hard to not laugh. “It...it thinks you're the new queen...” I could see tears well up in her eyes. “Q...Queen Daisy!” She fell over laughing, rolling around and slamming her hooves into the rocky ground.

The ant seemed satisfied and crawled in front of me, glaring at Ace. She stopped laughing and stood up, a little woozy. “Come on, Queen Daisy. We’ve got to get out of here.” She took a step towards me, and the ant seemed to hunker down as if...as if it was protecting me.

“Move it, buggy.” Ace smirked at the ant, taking another step. The ant snapped at her and began heating up. “Oh shit,” she nickered before a jet of flame shot from the ant, almost turning her head into a barbeque. She managed to roll away unscathed but the ant as bent on protecting me. I was its new queen. Yeah, fuck that.

I walked around the thing and in front of Ace. The ant seemed confused for a moment before trying to get around me.

“Let’s go...” I whispered to Ace and backed up into the nearest tunnel, the ant followed. “This is getting creepy...”

“Queen Daisy get a dog?” she asked. I sped up and 'accidentally' rammed into her. “Okay, okay, sheesh. Ready to run?” she asked, catching onto the seriousness of the situation.

”Now!” I yelled before sprinting down the tunnel, right behind Ace. The ant sprinted after us, intent on following its new leader and destroy the interloper. Granted, that second thought did sound a wee bit appealing, but I found myself questioning what Shamrock would have done. The mare would live another day.

I could feel the dirt and rock beneath my hooves move and shift before a jet of fire erupted from the ground below us, singing my tail. “Is that any way to treat your qu-king?!” I shouted back. The knife-ant stopped and blasted the hole with fire, roasting the one who had singed my tail. “Hot damn...” I whispered, galloping as fast as I could.

“Clover!” Ace called back over her shoulder. “Check the note section on that pipbuck. Look for a map or something!”

I galloped on three hooves, bringing one of my forehooves to my nose, I stumbled a few steps but I managed. I frantically scrolled through the different tabs, trying to find a damn map. Oh, there it was, under 'local maps'. Luckily for us, the previous owner had come down this way.

“Make a right up ahead!” I called to Ace up ahead. She blasted another fire ant before it could fry her and turned into the next passage. Running, giving directions, and not getting fried by fire while only on three hooves is a bloody annoyance in the best of times, let alone whilst being in mortal danger. Well, Ace was, I dunno about me, seeing as I was these ants' new king apparently.

Left, left, right, left, right, right, the tunnels seemed endless and my legs were starting to fail me. Both Ace and I started to slow down, and Ace was running out of ammo. The ants were mere meters from us, me being the only barrier between their fire and her.

I glanced at my map and my heart soared. The entrance was less than two hundred meters from us, I could almost feel the fresh air.

“Almost there!” I called up to the unicorn mare. I could barely see her eyes narrow, but her whole body seemed to flatten out, streamlining herself. She was showing a level of determination I had never seen before in my life. It was like she would charge a rhino if it was standing between her and freedom.

One last corner and the ants were on our heels. I could feel their feelers brushing past my mane, I could hear the evil clicking and clacking of all of them but the knife one. Why was he so silent?! I glanced back to see him directly behind us.

Light. Glorious light! I could see the end of the tunnel! It was so close I could almost feel it! One of the ants had other plans as it got impatient and let out a blast of searing hot flame, burning my hind quarters like it was a barbeque. The pain was so intense I blacked out for a second, yet I was still running. I felt like something else was driving me forward as I screamed and hollered down the narrow tunnel. I can't be sure, but I think knife ant destroyed the one who burned me, as they had slowed down behind me.

Ace sprang out of the hole in front of us and had already begun closing the hole with a giant rock, I only managed to dive out before Ace's strained magic failed and the rock fell with a dull thump into place over the hole. Fire exploded from the cracks around it, followed by the smells of burnt meat, I almost felt sorry for the knife ant. Then again, that smell could be coming from my flank, which had been burnt severely. I was rolling around In pain, crying and clutching my rump.

“Eesh...” Ace hissed, trotting up to my writhing form. She looked at the boulder and back to me, satisfied that the ants weren't going to be bothering us soon, before picking me and my barding up and trudging into the town we had burst into. I assumed it was the one we had seen from the road. Its tightly packed, wooden buildings loomed in close and the streets were empty and abandoned, baking in the burning sun. But for the moment, the only burning thing on my mind was my poor ass.

She dragged me to the nearest house and trotted inside, locking the door. I continued to cry and writhe as I was carried me up the old, dusty stairs and put me down gently on the wooden floor, causing a flare of pain in my backside making me shout in agony. I could just barely hear something in the distance and hoped the ants hadn’t gotten out.

The unicorn started rummaging through her saddlebags and pulled out another vial of the purple liquid, a roll of bandages and...and...a fucking needle. I swung at the needle, trying to knock it out of Ace's levitation field, but to no avail, she just kept bobbing it out of reach.

“Get...that away...from me!” I gasped against the sobbing and the pain. I clamped my eyes shut and flailed.

Ace shook her head. She wasn't doing this just to get to me, she was actually being serious. “No, you need this, now stop squirming and let me inject this painkiller. You won't even feel it going in over the pain of your burns.”

“How would you know?!” I screamed, still flailing.

“Because it's already done.” I opened my eyes to see Ace waving a now empty syringe in front of my nose, I couldn't help but try and make myself smaller. I fucking hated needles.

The pain started to lessen as she levitated one of those weird healing drinks to my lips and I drank it down. The healing caterpillars began to do their wiggling dance all across my ass. Goddesses it felt weird!

I closed my eyes in relief at the subsiding pain and I let out a long sigh. I finally opened them a moment later and saw that Ace...was down near my nether regions, wrapping the bandages around my healing rump.

“Eh, uh, oh, urm,” I stammered, feeling very awkward about having a mare down that end of me.

“Don't worry about it,” Ace muttered. “Not like your gonna poke an eye out any time soon.” She winked at me and my head hit the ground with an embarrassed moan. “Hey, don't feel bad,” the mare said, finishing up her work. “I've seen smaller.” Gee thanks... hey, wait, was she trying to be nice?

“Thanks, appreciate it,” I muttered before sitting up, which was a terrible idea as my rump was still healing. I immediately rolled back onto my back, covering myself up with the pink barding that was now extremely filthy.

“Now that that little peep show is over,” Ace snickered. “Let’s find out where we are, hmm?” She trotted over to one of the small building's windows and peered out, looking around a little before diving to the ground beside me.

The wall exploded into a cascade of rubble and splinters. I covered my head with my hooves to stop the ringing before opening up my eyes again and got to my hooves. Ace was standing by the blasted wall, looking out over an urban battlefield.

“Where are we?” I whimpered, shuffling up next to Ace.

The unicorn mare sighed. “Welcome to Buckwheat.”

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

"You Laugh At Me, I Wrath At You."

Bonus Hoof to Hoof Damage-Your visceral glee when in combat has given you the edge when it comes to damage. You cause +2 points of damage with hoof-to-hoof and melee attacks for each level of this Perk.

New Companion!
Ace: The rough, tough, lean, mean machine. From her leather barding to her armoured stockings, she is not to be messed with.

New Companion Perk!

“Dead Mare's Hoof”

Your luck score increses by 3 point whenever you are below 25% health

Special thanks to Kashin, Errantindy, Kal, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

Chapter 3: Warzones Suck Too.

Chapter 3: Warzones Suck Too.

“Are those sweet, carrot pancakes I smell? Oh devine. The aroma spiced, warm, apple cider. Aaah, and the smell of smoke. Smoke? Smoke! SMOKE!”

“Buckwheat?!” I gasped, falling on my burnt rump. “But Buckwheat is...is...” According to the radio guy, Buckwheat was a battlefield. I didn't want to be in a battlefield, ever. I stared at my hooves, hyperventilating and hoping in vain that if I refused to look at the war zone it wouldn't hurt me.

Ace looked down at me. “Aw hell, don't you start.” She dragged me back to my hooves and shook me. I continued to gibber in panic until the mare smacked me across the face. “Snap out of it!” she shouted in my ear.

I blinked at the leather clad mare. She took her hooves off me and looked out into the small town, watching for where the bullets flying through the air were coming from, tracking each missile's trajectory, and pricking her ears up at every explosion. When had this fight started? It must have been while I was still clutching my burnt rump.

“We're gonna get out of here in one piece,” she finally declared, checking her barding for ammo and grimacing when she found very little. It seemed we were going to have to get out of here using only her machete and my hindlegs. Honestly, with the bandages and burns, I wasn't feeling very confident in my kicks.

Ace stood there, watching the battle play out, deep in thought while all I could manage to do was sit in a corner, wincing at the explosions and gunshots. I wanted out, o-u-t, out. It took me about ten minutes of deep breaths to stop rocking back and forth.

The unicorn mare hummed and finally trotted over to me. “C'mere, I need your opinion,” she said, pulling me up. I shook my head and struggled violently, but that didn't stop the stronger mare from dragging me to an opening in the wall.

“Alright,” she said and pointed down the crater filled street to our left. “That way might be our best option, I think the highway is out that way.” The mare looked down to our right. “Besides,” she muttered. “There's a tank that way.”

A tank?!

I looked down the road and saw the charred remains of a small tank blocking the road with its armoured chassis. The squat beast’s barrel was flayed and smoke rose from the round turret. The side of it had been blasted out and fire billowed out around the wheels and tracks, filling the air around it with a thick black fog.

I looked back down the road and saw a group of six or seven rough looking ponies, all firing down the intersection. Each wore a patch with the head of a blue dog on their upper forelegs and helmets. My view of their target was obstructed by several battle ravaged buildings.

“How?” I asked. It was incredibly clear that we were not going to get through them without one of us getting hurt, and there was no way I could walk through fire to get around the tank. My ass was already toasted, no need to make it worse.

Ace narrowed her eyes and chewed on her lower lip. The buildings around us were too packed together and I didn't think going out the way we came in was the best idea; considering that ants dig, they had probably gotten out already and were looking for us.

“Does your Pipbuck say anything about this area?” Ace finally asked, glancing at my duct taped leg terminal.

I didn't know anything about this thing, so I just fiddled with it, trying to bring up that map I saw before. Instead, something really weird happened, things started appearing in my vision.

First a compass displayed itself neatly in the bottom of my vision, north, south, east, west, all that jazz and apparently I was facing north. The second thing I noticed was the small white tick that appeared when I looked at Ace.

“Fancy,” I nickered before looking back at the Pipbuck. I finally stumbled upon the map I had found earlier and was about to nose to the local maps when I heard a faint thump. I started shaking and looked at the door. “A-Ace?”

“What?” the unicorn asked, still lost in thought.

I shuffled towards her and nodded to the door. “I think somepony is coming.” I watched the door as three red ticks flicked onto my compass and shuffled behind Ace. She levitated out her shotgun and loaded some fresh rounds all the while tutting softly at her diminishing supply of shells.

We waited for what seemed like forever while I fearfully watched the red ticks dart around outside.

“I tell you's, I saw somepony up here!” a cracked voice sounded from behind the old, red door leading into the room.

The door swung open and a blue unicorn stumbled in, rifle raised. He grinned as he laid eyes on Ace and I, “Hey boys! Found 'er!” the unicorn stallion hollered, he looked back at Ace, “Now, little lady, put down the gun and we'll-”

*BOOM*

His head was blasted in half from the thunder-crack of Ace's shotgun.

“Nope.” Ace grinned, pumping her shotgun and loading a new shell.

I shuddered and stared at the fresh corpse, the inside of his head spilling out onto the wooden floor. I turned and retched into the corner of the room.

Ace patted my back. “Never seen a dead pony before? Other than your...uh...” Please don’t say it...

I blinked a few times before answering. “Other than Shamrock, yes...” I was starting to drift off into a memory from when I was a foal...

“Hey, wake up Lord ToastyBuns,” Ace ordered, poking my bandaged flank, “No time for day dreams.” She was right, plenty of time to reminisce later, but now two other baddies were heading for the building and I had no plans on being dead or captured.

The red ticks in my vision started to move faster before a pony, the same shade of pink as my barding, sprinted into the room, sledgehammer levitated in front of him. He let out a bloodthirsty roar at the sight of the half-headless pony before charging at me, hammer swinging back.

I froze in complete shock.

I couldn't even scream, nevermind move. The sledgehammer started to arc towards me, a heavy iron slab at the end of a wooden pole swinging gracefully in the air. Of course, so was a machete coming down on the pony's neck with a wet crack of spine being severed. The wall just above me exploded into splinters and rubble as the sledgehammer barely grazed my mane. I managed to squeak as I fell to the floor in a heap.

I jolted to my hooves, my heart beating in my ears, I could barely make out Ace saying “We need to leave!” She shoved the soiled pink barding at me, “Put this on and stay down!”

I wriggled into the barding, eyes still darting from one side of the room to the other. I only snapped out of it by wincing at the squelch the slimy, pink leather made as I set it into place. I breathed heavily and looked at the unicorn Ace had chopped. A long gash had been cut into his neck, the red blood dripping down the pony's pink coat.

Ace grabbed my face and looked into my eyes. “Let's go before we get killed,” the pony said softly, sensing my oncoming panic attack. She levitated her shotgun in front of her before slowly approaching the door. I looked at my hooves and took several deep breaths to steady myself. Stay calm and we'll get through this.

When it finally started working, I fell in behind Ace and her shotgun, looking around for the little red tick I had seen earlier. I found it to my right but it was completely still, I tapped on Ace's shoulder and pointed in the general direction. She gave me a puzzled look before glancing at my new pipbuck and nodded.

She took a deep breath before magically darting her shotgun around the side of the door and taking a blind shot. A buck howled in pain and the red tick disappeared with a thump. The unicorn mare peeked her head out the door before trotting out, I followed and found myself in a hall way almost identical to the one outside my bedroom back on the Plains.

I cringed when I turned and saw two, green, bloody forelegs lying in a puddle beside the door, right where the tick had been, long streaks of blood leading to the nearby stairs. I looked down and saw a bloody pony with the blue dog patch on his armour in a heap, his neck bent unnaturally.

Putting my hooves to my eyes and I tried my best not to breakdown in a quivering heap. Taking several deep breaths, I stumbled down the stairs and tried my best no to look at the mangled corpse. Ace trotted down the stairs a few seconds later with the first pony’s ammo, but not its gun. She started searching through the green, dismembered pony’s barding.

“What are you doing?” I whimpered, trembling in my hooves. She was looting the dead! That was just plain unethical!

The beige unicorn looked up at me, blowing a strand of brown mane from her face. “What do you mean? I’m scavenging.” She glanced back at the pony and growled in frustration. “No shotgun shells, no decent weapons, no healing stuff, no nothin’!” She gave the corpse a swift kick. “Damn Blue Jackals, never got anything good.”

I stood disgusted. You shouldn’t loot from the dead, no matter how barbaric they are! In fact, you shouldn’t kill at all! “Y-you shouldn’t t-take from the dead...” I squeaked.

Ace turned and scowled. “Listen, if you’re gonna survive out here, you have to learn to pick over corpses.” She glared at the dead green pony. “No matter how useless. Now. You.” She looked back up at me. “Don’t be useless and bring that pipbuck here a sec.”

I shuffled over to her, still shaking. Looting corpses was just...no, you just didn’t do it. The unicorn grabbed my Pipbucked hoof and stared at it, prodding at the buttons.

She turned suddenly, tripping me over before grinning, my hoof still in front of her eyes. “Bingo,” she whispered. “Looks like whoever had this device last passed through here. We should be back on the road in no time.” She dropped my hoof, picked up the dead pony’s gun and shoved it at me. “Take this.”

“Why?” I whimpered, backing away.

“Because I can’t be the only one with a gun. I’m gonna need some back-up.”

“I...I...” I backed away more. “I can’t.”

“You’re going to have to learn to kill to survive!” Ace growled.

I extended a hoof to take the gun, but it just slipped out of my fetlock. I couldn’t take it, I just couldn’t.

“Fine,” Ace hissed and clipped the gun to her barding. She moved to the door and peeked out of a crack in the door.

Apparently satisfied it was safe, she opened the door a little. Poking her head out, she looked down the old battered street and grimaced. “But those dudes aren’t going anywhere soon.”

Stooping low and taking a peek out of the crack, I could clearly see the fighting ponies. They all looked tired, scared, and battered, the grey one with the cap seemed to be giving orders to the terrified troops. She yelled and snarled, waving her hooves between the Blue Jackals and pointing down the road to something I couldn’t see.

The leather-clad mare poked her shotgun out of the door before diving into the nearest crater, hunkering down and waving for me to follow. I tried to mimic her movement but I ended up just galloping, tripping, and diving nose first into the crater. Charred gravel is delicious.

Ace failed to stifle a giggle as I dragged myself back up and rubbed my scuffed snout. She composed herself and looked over the crater’s lip, staring at the battling ponies and humming. The unicorn patted her barding, searching for ammo and quietly spewing profanities as most of her pockets turned up empty.

I poked my head over the edge and instantly regretted it. I saw the ponies bleeding and fighting in sheer terror. I was feeling lightheaded. Was this really happening? Was I really sitting in a fucking crater in a fucking warzone? “Any ideas?” I whimpered meekly.

The mare slid down the side and sighed. “I got nothin’. Barely any ammo left and one machete verses a group of ponies is not a good idea.” She tapped the back of her head softly against the crater edge, thinking. “What to do, what to d-”

“Why won’t it die?!” a blue unicorn stallion hollered in sheer terror up ahead. Both of us looked over the side, trying to figure out what was going on. “Fuck this, I’m outta here!” a yellow earth pony mare turned and fled down the road. She was promptly shot by the assault rifle wielding gray mare with the grey and black beret, who I guess was in charge.

“Cowards will be shot on sight! Fight for Blue Jackal pride!” she screamed before firing her assault rifle down the road at the mystery target, my view of it obscured by buildings.

One of the larger gangsters, a red unicorn buck, stopped firing and started to panic. “Here he comes!” The pony started looking between the boss mare in charge and the road behind him. The beret wearing pony glared at him, her eye twitching.

The red pony’s eyes grew to the size of plates as a black blur flew out of the street and into him, sending blood in all directions as the pony hit the floor, the front of his torso crushed like a watermelon.

The Jackals around him screamed and scrambled, the only pony with a cool head was the boss who had shifted her fire but was too late. The dark shape whirled and slammed into her, knocking her out of sight. The only things I could see were the looks of utter horror in the other ponies’ eyes, helpless as their leader shrieked.

“What the hell...” Ace muttered as confused as I was.

The ponies screamed and scrambled to run away as a huge chunk of concrete and wood sailed through the air, crushing three of them and leaving another pinned. The pony, a purple unicorn mare, tried in vain to free her trapped hind leg, frantically shifting her view from the limb to the figure casually walking into view.

The dark assailant wore a jet black suit of armour, punctured by bullet holes all over, leaking blood onto the old cracked street. ‘M1’ had been stencilled in white on its shoulder and the black visored helmet that covered its face. The trapped pony wailed and burst into tears as the black suited stallion strolled to her.

“We have to save her!” I hissed through clenched teeth, feeling an errant surge of adrenaline. All I would have to do is jump over the side of the crater and bury my hooves into the pony’s skull like I did with the ants.

Ace dragged me back down into the crater before I could do anything. “Could you get any stupider?” she growled as she tapped my forehead with a hoof. “Did you not see the bullet holes? How that thing burst that red guy? I’m also fairly certain that chunk of concrete didn’t magically learn to fly!” She ducked down lower. “Best thing we can do is hide ‘till what ever that is moves along.”

I couldn’t help but peek over the edge again, and I nearly retched. The trapped unicorn magically swung a makeshift machete down on the last shreds of sinew that connected her pinned leg to her body. Finally free, the mare tried to scramble away, leaving a nearly solid trail of blood from her gushing stump, while a pool began forming under her still trapped limb. The black pony casually over took her and stopped in her path, looking over her battered body. The purple mare froze, trembling and growing paler by the second.

She tried to scream but it was silenced by the black pony’s hoof slamming into her face, crushing her head under it, with seemingly no effort. It wiped its gory hoof off on the ground before glancing around, without even wincing at the bullet holes. He spotted me retching over the side of the crater and turned to me. I froze solid as ice crawled down my spine and Ace whispered for me to get down but I couldn't hear it. The beast was staring right at me.

I was about to piss myself when the black pony merely nodded and trotted off back out of sight. I collapsed into the crater, breathing heavily and fighting back terrified tears.

My unicorn travelling companion smacked me across the face when I finally composed myself. “Why are you being so fucking stupid?!” she screamed in my face, spittle flying over my muzzle. “When I say to stay down, you stay fucking down! Got it?!” I was shaking when she finally finished her rant and climbed out of the crater. “Now come on, idiot. We have to get out of here before you get yourself killed.”

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself up and out before falling in line with Ace. I seriously needed to start listening and keep my head on, otherwise I was going to die. I needed to learn how to fight and survive in this hell hole. I needed to be just like Shamrock.

The leather-clad mare turned to me, the scowl on her face loosening at the sight of my twitchy, shaky condition. “Alright, we’re going to try our best to get out of here without a fight, okay?” I nodded slowly. “Okay, we find the highway and get the fuck out of here.” She trotted off down the road once more. I slowly followed.

The town around me was still engulfed in battle, I could barely hold it together with all the gunshots ringing out in the other streets. We sneaked through the street, trying to stay out of the open in case of an ambush. We avoided the street that the black pony had trotted down. We were actually starting to make some headway in our trek back to the highway.

Ace scanned the road ahead, her ears pricking up at each sound. Occasionally, we would hear gunfire and see ponies fighting down small alleys. Most of them wore the same blue barding as the ones we had encountered before, but some had different coloured armor. I never watched them long enough to get details, but I didn’t want to tangle with then.

According to my pipbuck, the last owner had come this way, and we were close to the town square. We just had to cross it and we would be a hop, skip and a jump from the highway and potential freedom.

Ace stopped, her ears swiveled and her eyes darted around. Tendrils of panic stabbed through me as I contemplated what horror gave her pause.

She grabbed me and threw us to the ground as a high pitched whine rang out. A moment later a nearby building was blown apart in a cacophonous explosion.

I coughed violently as debris filled the air in a huge area around the explosion. I strained to see through my teary eyes and the thick dust.

Black silhouettes of ponies started running around the cloud and one trotted towards me. Ace was nowhere to be found by the time the dust settled. In her place stood an earth pony mare in a dark brown uniform, patched heavily with parts that seemed to have been salvaged from other suits of armor and uniforms. She had a a red band tied around her forearms. Her brown helmet was emblazoned with a large white ‘A’ in a white circle. I couldn’t make out her face through her sand blasted goggles and blood red bandanna.

“Well well well,” she purred. “What do we have here?” This mare had a huge machine gun on her battle saddle and the barrel was pointed directly at me. She took another step towards me and I fell to my rump as she shoved her weapon into my belly. “Looks like an itty, bitty, pretty, silly, filly.” She narrowed her eyes and I could tell she was grinning. “You’re going to be fun.”

I gulped heavily as she prodded my belly and lowered her machine gun to my... me. “Fun indeed.”

“I don’t think so.” A pistol appeared beside the scary mare’s head. She froze.

*BANG*

Blood splattered the ground as the mare fell on top of me. Her gun jammed into my sensitive region, making me squeak in pain.

I shoved her lifeless corpse off and got back up, trying not to look at the blood pooling beside me.

“Fuckin’ Seperatists,” Ace sneered, standing over me, her pistol smoking in her magic field. The dust was starting to settle more and I could see silhouettes walking towards us, investigating the shot. My guess was that their ears were still ringing from the explosion.

Ace knocked down the door of a nearby house and beckoned me inside, pistol aiming out into the street. I dove in just as the dust settled enough for the Separatists to see me and start shooting; I barely missed getting a shot in the leg.

I huddled into a corner as Ace shot back. Feeling so useless I covered my ears with my hooves and started to cry. I was going to die and I knew it, there was no way I was getting out of here.

“Clover!” Ace shouted as she reloaded the pistol and slid it across the ground to me. “Take this!” she levitated her shotgun and loaded the last shells she had. “Should be a back door, come on.” She quickly turned to a window and took a shot before turning to me, picking me up, and ramming the pistol into my jaws. I looked through my tears and into her eyes seeing that same determination I had witnessed before.

I sniffed and nodded, running to the back of the building, pistol held tightly between my jaws. I found the back door and waved at Ace.

The tan unicorn was still at the front of the house, waiting for her chance to run over. Sensing a lull in the gunfire, she came galloping at full speed towards me.

*BOOM*

Something slammed into the building, filling the upper floors with fire and making my teeth shake around the pistol. Everypony froze and listened to the house groan as the dust settled around us and fire lapped at the roof. Ace took one step before being forced to jump back as the ceiling caved in, separating me from her.

I pounded on the rubble as the fighting broke out again. “Ace! Don’t leave me here!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, dropping the pistol.

“I’ll be fine!” came the muffled voice of Ace. “Get out of here! I’ll meet you in the square, now get going!”

“But-”

“Go!”

I looked at the rubble. At the door behind me. Back to the rubble. I groaned in frustration and bolted through the door, into the backstreet. I clamped my eyes shut and winced at each gunshot that rang out from behind me as I ran.

Just two more turns until the town square, the fighting seemed to be almost completely behind me now.

What are you doing? the voice I had heard earlier asked, a tone of disappointment in its voice.

“Running!” I cried out, stopping briefly. “What else can I do?”

Running? You really want to run away from all of your troubles? You want to survive out here? I nodded dumbly, tears welling in my eyes. Then stop crying, ya big baby, and get back in there and fight!

“With what?” I whimpered, trying to fight the tears. “I forgot my gun!”

Then get a new one! I’m sure Ace would have taken one or two out by now. You didn’t want her to leave you there, yet you’re leaving her there. Pussy...

“Hey!” I yelled out. “Don’t call me a pussy!”

Then prove me wrong.

“I...I...” I looked back down the alley I was in. “...I can’t.”

Is this what your brother would have done? Leave a mare to be possibly raped then killed?

I felt a spark of rage and a rush of adrenaline surge though my veins. “No,” I seethed tensing up and turning back down the alley to the road the Separatists had jumped us on. “He would not.” I charged back down onto the street a few houses down from where the Separatists had blown the house open. They weren’t on the street anymore. I felt another burst of rage surge through me as I steeled myself for what lay ahead.

I galloped down the street, almost tripping over the corpse of the scary mare, who had either threatened to rape or geld me. I came across a fresh corpse, not six inches from the window of the house where Ace was sheltering. He couldn’t have been more than a year older than me, yet he was dead, and I was alive. I scooped up his SMG and charged at the building.

I was greeted by two corpses and three ponies around Ace, the beige mare was huddled in a corner, waving her machete at the ponies.

“Come any closer, and I’ll fucking cut you!” she screamed at them, cradling her spent shotgun. The determination in her eyes was gone, and was replaced with anger and...I think it was fear.

One of the Separatist ponies shot the machete out of her grip and pointed the barrel of his gun at her face. “Don’t be like that, babe.” The evil stallion moved closer, bringing his face within inches of Ace's. “You and me are gonna have some fun.”

I felt the rage and adrenaline reach a new high as I stood watching, I spat the SMG out at my hooves. “Leave. Her. Alone.”

All the ponies looked at me and started laughing, causing my eye to twitch. Nopony laughed at me.

“You?!” a grey mare laughed. “Mr. Pinkie here thinks he can take us.” She pulled up a shotgun and waved it at me. “Hellooo?”

“I don’t have to.” I grinned staring at the debris. “Any minute now.”

They all went quiet before glancing at the wall of debris, waiting for something awesome to happen. I used the distraction to pick up the SMG and pulled the trigger.

The kick of the SMG rattled my teeth as bullets sprayed out from the snub-nosed barrel. The three ponies shuddered as shots streaked across them; the bullets made them twitch and twist violently like insane ragdolls.

I just kept firing until the gun clicked empty.

The last pony fell into a bloody pile. I stood frozen in place, pulling the trigger of the empty gun. I began to shake.

“You...came back for me?” Ace asked, still crouched in the corner in front of the would be rapist. “Why?”

“I...I...” tears started welling in my eyes as I dropped the SMG. I heard shouts nearby, but I couldn’t move, I just stayed, staring at the corpses of the ponies. The ponies I killed.

The beige mare picked herself, her shotgun, and her machete up before trotting to me. “Thanks.” She smiled. “Are you okay?”

“I-I-I.” I trembled as the shouts got louder.

“Come on, we’ve gotta get out of here,” Ace whispered, looking out the window behind me. She trotted to the door and looked out. “Coast is clear for now; let’s move.”

I stayed put, unable to tear my eyes from the ponies lying dead before me. Ace crept up behind me and tapped my shoulder. “Come on. You can break down later.” She grabbed my head and tore it from the corpses, forcing me to look her in the eye. “Stay strong,” she ordered with a shake and letting go, picking up the SMG in her magical field and attaching it to my pink baring. The unicorn trotted out and beckoned me to follow.

I took several deep breaths before shuffling forward. Unable to stop my shakes and the thousands of thoughts coursing through my mind, I kept moving out of sheer force of will. We turned into the alley where I had talked with my conscience and around the last corner before the town square.

Into a graveyard.

Tens of ponies lay scattered around the square, each as lifeless as the ones I had killed. I looked over them, from building to building, the square was the reaper pony’s playground. Most of them didn’t look any older than me, yet there they were, torn apart and left to rot as their supposed comrades fought over the rubble Ace and I had left.

I crashed. That was it. I fell on my side and curled up, crying. What else could I do? I had just killed three ponies. Three! In the space of a second, they were snuffed out like a candle.

Ace sighed and sat down beside me. “Its okay,” she said in a soft voice, placing a hoof on my shoulder.

“No!” I cried out, “It’s not okay!”

“The first time is always the hardest.” I looked through the tears at her. She smiled, “Think of it as sex. It only gets better through practise.” Great, now I was crying and embarrassed. I think she sensed this and immediately winced.

“It’s just too much!” I wailed. “All this! Everything! Bar-brawls with bounty hunters, giant ants, war...it’s just...” I cried like a little baby and I didn’t care. I felt like just curling up and dying right there and then.

“Oh, come now,” Ace said, scootching a little closer and patting my back. “You saved me; you should be proud. It’s what, uh...Shamrock would have done.”

“Shamrock wouldn’t have killed a pony!” I screamed from under my hooves.

Ace did something I never expected her to do. She hugged me. I felt her strong forelegs wrap around me in a tight, soothing embrace. I couldn’t help but hug back and cry on her shoulder.

“You’ll be okay,” the unicorn mare whispered, patting my back. “I’m sure of it. You know why?”

“Wh-Why?” I snivelled as she pulled away to look me in the eye.

“Because I’m still here.” She smiled at me, regardless of her soaking shoulder. I couldn’t say anything as I kept crying.

“Awww,” a buck’s voice chimed from nearby. “How cute.”

Ace broke the hug and I fell back into my crying fit on the ground. Ace got up and looked around. “Who’s there?”

“Up here,” a the voice whistled.

I looked up from my hooves to see a teal, earth pony sitting on the the heroic looking unicorn statue in the middle of the square. “Such a cute couple, you two. Pity you got wound up in this mess,” the stallion chuckled. He wore the same patchwork, Separatist armor the scary mare had. Ponies started to seemingly come out of the woodwork around him, each wearing matching barding.

“We are not a couple,” Ace growled, levitating her empty shotgun.

“Oh no?” the teal pony asked as he slid down the statue and landed in front of us. “You sure look like it. Kinda romantic, eh? Dying together?”

“We aren’t a couple,” Ace repeated, venomously. “And I ain’t dying.”

The pony trotted around Ace and my heap of babyness before huffing. “You’re completely surrounded.” He swept his front leg around the square, highlighting each individual pony in my mind. Each pony had a weapon and a look of fearlessness, whether it was the ponies with the rifles or the ponies on top of a nearby building with missile launchers on their saddles. They must have shot the house Ace and I were in, making it collapse. They looked downright scary with the red flames somepony had painted on their tubes. Then again, everything was scaring me.

Ace backed up, eyes darting around, looking for a way out. “Clover,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what we should do.” I started crying a wee bit harder.

The Separatist pony took a deep breath and smiled. “Now then, you’re in our territory and you aren’t one of us? Know what that means?” A clicking noise came from each and every weapon. “Y’all got to be exterminated.” He raised a hoof. “Ready.”

Ace tensed up and took a deep, ragged breath, sweat dripping off her nose.

“Aim.”

I curled tighter into my ball. Who was I kidding? A young, farmer boy, who has never handled a gun, or any weapon for that matter. Who has just murdered three ponies in a rage fueled eruption, and was incapacitated in a ball because of it. What were his chances in a world like this? Seeking revenge? I was stupid to even think that I would survive, and now I probably got Ace killed. This was all my fault and I couldn’t do anything but lie there and cry.

“Fi-”

An explosion on the building where the ponies with missile launchers had perched filled the air with light and sound, cutting off the teal pony. I looked up to see a giant armoured griffin standing on its hind legs with a long tube on its shoulder.

The whole griffin, except for its wings, was encased in a in an armour of tan and brown camouflage that concealed its gender. It threw off the launcher and jumped down in front of us before spreading its wings and standing on two legs again, swinging a minigun forward in its talons.

“Sit tight!” he called back to us, his voice muffled by the helmet he wore. The armour seemed heavy and had numerous dents and scratches. It seemed to shimmer around the tiny lights near its joints, most prominently around the yellow gem encased between the griffin’s wings.

He looked down at me briefly. His helmet was the same color as the armor except for the black visor that took up most of the face. It had all sorts of things attached to it, and in the brief moment I saw it, I made out a small communications antenna at the griffin’s ear and flashlights on either side of the visor. He turned back to the Separatists.

The griffin hunkered down and spun up the minigun, pointing it at the shocked ponies. They finally snapped out of it as a thunderous roar sounded from the huge weapons, sending casings flying into the air. He started sweeping from right to left, tearing ponies apart.

They tried in vain to shoot the griffin, but every time a bullet hit the beast, it pinged right off, the area around the impact shimmering and the gem on its back pulsing.

More ponies appeared on the roof above us. I could make out six, two unicorns, three earth ponies, and...a pegasus? I had never seen one of them before. The pegasus was barking commands between the other ponies, pointing and shouting as the hopefully friendly ponies started getting into position. The griffin didn’t let up as the unicorns up top covered the earth ponies, as they came down the building on ropes, with assault rifles.

The pegasus extended her wings and took off, swooping down and impacting individual ponies the griffin missed. The Separatists all fell before the pegasus, often with a spray of blood and a scream.

The earth ponies landed next to Ace and I, two of them picking off individuals with bursts from the long rifles attached to their saddles, while the other looked me over, looking for injuries. I let her as I honestly couldn’t bring myself to watch as ponies were ripped apart around me. They were evil, yes, but still ponies.

The griffin grunted as a high pitched ping sounded from the gem and it went dark, allowing a bullet to penetrate the armour and into the griffin’s arm as he finished his sweep.

“You’re going to be okay!” the earth pony medic shouted over the din from the minigun. She handed me a vial of that purple liquid. “Drink this!”

“I...I’m fine!” I yelled back through tears. “I’m not hit.”

“Then quit crying!” she barked back, lightly kicking my belly, more for encouragement than spite. Ace was right beside her, keeping her head down and shaking it.

“We have to get out of here!” a forest green earth pony hollard between bursts. “Where’s Dare?!”

“She’ll be fine!” the medic called out. “She can fly out, dumbass! Call the evac, dammit!”

The green pony ducked behind the heavy weapons griffin and pulled a large, black box from his saddle. He slipped on the headphones and started nosing at the buttons.

“Incoming!” one of the unicorns shouted from above, shifting her fire. A group of separatists turned a corner nearby, each brimming with heavy weapons. Two of the ones with machine guns fired up at the unicorn, suppressing her, as the others aimed at us. The griffin was too slow to react as the Separatist with a missile launcher hunkered down to fire.

A shot rang out above the din like a firecracker, and the missile pony’s head was turned to bloody mush against the dirt. The others in the reinforcements turned their head skywards to see a silhouette against the darkening skies. Another shot rang out and another pony head exploded. The silhouette swooped down and fired twin blasts from a pair of pistols, killing most of the ponies and dodging out of the way just as the heavy griffin opened fire, turning the rest to ribbons.

“Where is our evac, Evergreen?!” the medic asked, firing her dual SMG battle saddle.

“ETA ten seconds!” the forest green pony yelled back after putting the black radio away. The ponies hunkered down as more and more Separatists started flooding the square. The griffin that had gunned down the reinforcements landed beside me, firing into the growing enemies. This griffin wore a set of light armour with huge sniper rifle on her back and two pistols in her talons, firing them with expert precision.

“Here they come!” Evergreen yelled out. The Separatists stopped in their tracks and started retreating. I looked up and saw something coming towards us in the sky, fast. The black, bulbous...thing swooped down low and giant bullets starting flying from jury-rigged, dual auto cannons on each side as it started hovering over the square, slowly turning to give the gunner a better firing angle.

“Vertibuck’s here!” one of the earth ponies yelled and started running towards it as it landed. A door on the back slid open and a unicorn inside started waving to us to get in. I was picked up and dragged to the giant, black thing by Ace. By this point, I was having a panic attack, to the point where I was seeing things. I swore I saw the jet black armoured pony watching us from a side street, but it vanished in a blink.

The heavy weapons griffin jumped onto the beast and pulled me up after him. He plopped me down in a seat as the other ponies climbed aboard.

The inside of the thing looked little different from the outside. I was deposited at the end of a row of five seats, another five opposite me. At the front of the thing was a seat and all sorts of controls in front of a glowing box, wires feeding from it to a compartment on either side, housing a pegasus each. Something about this beast of a machine seemed to soothe me. It could have been the heavy armour or the fact it had huge guns at the front, but it seemed...safe. Safe enough that I stopped panicking.

“Let‘s move!” one of the pegasi yelled back to the boarding ponies. Both of the pegasi in the compartment wore odd, white helmets with a black visors, and matching sets of black barding. The unicorn who waved us in sat back at the front seat with a headset on, working all sorts of levers.

Ace sat down beside me and the heavy, as the earth ponies and sniper griffin sat opposite, looking out the back. The door slid shut, and I felt my stomach reach my throat as the pegasi up front started flapping their wings and the box behind the seat began to glow. The whole machine we sat in lurched forward for a few seconds and stopped in midair at about roof level.

A door in the side of the beast, just before the gem box, slid open and the unicorns from the ground team jumped in, firing behind them. The beast lurched again as we climbed straight up into the air. I looked out one of the armoured glass windows and started panicking again when I saw how far above the ground we were.

We stopped high in the air, out of range of anything the Separatists could fire at us. It was quiet, nothing but the heavy breathing of the ponies and griffins, the hum from the gem box, and the mumbling unicorn at the front as she fiddled with more controls.

The side door slid open again revealing darkening skies. The day was starting to transition into evening and the sun was starting its lazy descent. I couldn’t help myself but get up and walk to the door. Ace was going to object, but the giant griffin stopped her, instead just nodding at me.

I looked out the door and straight at the ground. Now, most ponies would have thought this was a bad idea or freaked out, but me, the distance between me and the ground was...soothing. I had no idea why. Maybe it was the thought that I was further away from that hell hole, or maybe it was the vista laid out before me that I found comforting.

I sat down on the rim of the door, letting my legs dangle from the sides. From here I could see the low buildings of Westwood in the distance and the low mountains separating the Ponave from Fed land. I shifted my attention eastwards; I saw the tall structures of a big city in the distance, the city built into a large hill, almost a mountain. That must be Iron City.

I took a deep breath and looked north, straight ahead of me. In the far, far distance, I could barely make out the northern mountains and their white tips, it took a little less effort to see the giant city set amongst numerous ruins kilometers ahead.

I sighed as I looked back down. Today was the worst fucking day of my life. First, I almost got beaten to death, then a crazy mare kidnapped me and shoved me down an ant nest, where I got stabbed and torched, and then I almost got shot, blown up, raped or gelded, crushed, and shot again. Not to mention the pain in my face from so much crying. Fuck today. Fuck it right in the ass.

“You okay?” Ace asked from behind me, staying well clear from the door. I looked to the others but they were chatting amongst themselves. Why hadn’t they taken off their equipment?

“No,” I replied. “Ace, I almost got killed today. I did kill today.” I felt tears start to run down my cheeks. “I will never be okay” I sobbed into my hooves. “I mean, look at me! I’m a wimp! A pussy! I’ve seen fillies tougher than me!”

The beige mare put a hoof on my shoulder, though she tried to hide it, I think she actually cared. “Yeah, you are.” Oh, well, never mind. “But that’s okay.” Come again? “Killing ponies does not come naturally, neither does living in this shithole.” I sniffed and looked up at her. She was making a real effort to look like she didn't care, but failing miserably. “But, neither does defying your fears, outsmarting a bunch of clowns, and saving me. That took balls, Toasty Buns.”

I gave a small smile. “My name is Clover.”

“I know, Toasty Buns. I know.”

“Incoming!” the unicorn at the front yelled right before an orange blur shot over me, making me fall backwards, and slammed into a wall.

I scrambled to my hooves as the side door slid shut and turned to the blur. An orange coated pegasus stood before me on two hooves, using both her wings and the teal pony in her hooves to stay upright. The teal pony was bloody but alive.

The pegasus was wearing a balaclava under her helmet, with a transmitter strapped to the side. “Looky what we have here, boys,” she chuckled. “Lance Corporal Sawdust, of the Fourth Resistance Cavalry. Except he’s a traitor and a coward.” She threw him between the two seating rows and trotted to his battered body, her bulging metal gauntlets, clanking against the metal floor.

She stood over the quivering body of the teal pony. “Where is he?”

“Who?” the Separatist stallion wheezed.

“Short Stack.”

“The Sarge?” Sawdust laughed. “Why would I tell you?”

The pegasus sighed and rolled her eyes. “Because you are sitting in a Resistance Vertibuck, surrounded by Spec Ops soldiers, several thousand meters in the air.” Several thousand? And I was just inches from falling all the way down without even flinching? That... made little sense.

“Yeah? " the teal pony huffed. "So?”

The pegasus stood over the pony and reared up, using her wings to support her hind legs. I didn’t think pegasi could do that, but this one managed. Probably practised a whole bunch. I staggered back when a blade slid out of each gauntlet, both red with gore.

“So you should tell us where Short Stack is, or I introduce you to Slashy and Smiley. And trust me,” she bent down low, now using her knives as support. “They like to take their time getting to know new people.”

Sawdust blanched and quaked, flinching away from the dripping, twin blades. “Y-you’re bluffing.”

“Wrong answer.” She reared up and dug the knives into Sawdust’s shoulders, right where foreleg met torso, and picked him up. I was both disgusted at the stabbing and amazed at how the pegasus could walk on her hind legs while carrying a writhing, screaming body, using only her wings as support. This mare has had special training, I was sure of it.

The back ramp of the Vertibuck slid open as the pegasus approached, leaving a trail of blood. She was dangling the poor buck over the side with nothing but her knives holding him from the drop.

“Now, tell us where Short Stack is," she barked, twisting the blades in Sawdust's wounds and making him gasp in pain. "And I will get you immediate medical attention. I will even let you live.

The teal buck took one teary look down. “Okay! Okay!” He squealed like a filly, looking back at the pegasus. “He’s set up shop at the old communications relay south of here! Please bring me back in!”

“Thank you,” the mare sighed. “But I don’t deal with traitors.” The mare pulled out Smiley and stabbed it into Sawdust’s chest, straight through his heart, killing him almost instantly. “Sorry, but you betray us, we kill you.” She pulled both Slashy and Smiley out and the poor dead buck started his free-fall back down to the surface.

The flyer turned her midnight-blue eyes to us as her knives retracted and the door closed behind her. She pulled off her helmet and balaclava to reveal a beautiful fiery red mane. “Sorry you civilians had to see that,” she sighed, shaking her head. “But we can’t be lenient on traitors.”

“W-what did he do to deserve that?!” I asked in shock.

“He was responsible for the destruction of a Resistance supported town and countless innocent casualties. I saw it with my own eyes. He would have been killed anyway, I just wanted to make it fast.”

“I...I...” I blanked again before sitting hard. I looked down and realised I was still in my pink barding. “I suppose that makes sense...” I don’t know if it did really, but I was too tired and too rattled to care. I needed sleep desperately.

“So,” the pegasus continued, cheering up. “Now that we have you on board, I’d best introduce myself. I’m Operative Adrenaline “Dare” Rush of the Resistance Special Operations, Team Alpha. Best of the best.” The ponies and griffins in the Vertibuck gave a small cheer.

“I’m Ace,” the leather-clad mare said, a wee bit suspiciously. “And this is Lord Toas- I mean, Clover.”

“Its a pleasure.” The pegasus mare smiled. “Anyhow, meet the team. This is-”

“Ma’am,” one of the pilot pegasi piped up. “We got a destination or what?”

“Oh, Comm Station Foxtrot, south of here.”

“Copy that,” the unicorn operator said before pressing a few buttons. “Flight path planned, lets haul ass. ETA fifteen minutes.”

The pegasus nodded and looked back at me. “Anyway,” she pointed at the heavy griffin. “This is Garry.”

The heavy griffin took off his helmet with a heavy hiss and smiled at me. He was huge, somehow taking off the helmet made him look bigger! He pulled a long, wide cigar from his amour pocket and lit it, letting the noxious smoke curl around his yellow-tipped, head feathers. “You can call me Gaz,” he said with a smile.

She pointed at the next griffin. “This is our sharp shooter, Forsythe.”

The griffin was loading a new magazine into her giant sniper rifle, which I found out was an ‘Anti-Machine Rifle’, with a satisfying snap. She looked up and winked at me. I don’t think it was in a suggestive manner, but more a friendly manner. Wait, was it suggestive? I hoped not, those talons looked sharp.

The pegasus went on to introduce the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasus pilots, describing their roles. The earth ponies were in a precise assault kinda role and the unicorns took on a support role due to their ability to wield heavy weapons more efficiently, except for the one up front, who worked as navigator and gunner for the Vertibuck.

“Waaaait a minute here,” Ace said, holding up her hoof. “You’re a Spec Ops team, and yet you are introducing yourselves to two complete strangers. Something is going on here, and I wanna know what.”

The orange pegasus mare sighed again. “Well we need to get Short Stack ASAP, and, well, we don’t have time to drop you civies off. So-”

“We have to come with you.”

“Yes.”

“What?!” I shouted. “I’ve almost died several times today and you want me to come with you to take on some lunatic?!”

“Uh...You don’t have to fight just, uh...”

“I...Wha...who...” That was it, I had it for the day. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I passed the fuck out. Fuck consciousness, fuck this place, and fuck everything else that ever was. I’m out.

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

“Gallop 'n Gun”

This perk reduces accuracy penalties with mouth-grip, ranged weapons (Guns or Magical Energy Weapons) while trotting or galloping.

Special thanks to Kashin, Errantindy, Kal, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into. .

As you are still reading this, you should read Operation Flankorage.

Chapter 4: Crime and Politics.

Chapter 4: Crime and Politics.

“Out of all things that could happen, this is THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!”

“Shamwock!” I yelled in my foalish voice as I trotted down the old, dusty streets of the prewar town of Apple Plains, dragging Gunter along, his arm between my teeth. I had to drop him to speak and pick him back up again after, but I was a kid, what did I care about petty inconveniences? Poor bear had just been stitched up and he was already coming apart, being dragged along the ground like that. “Where are ya?”

“Lost Shamrock, have we?” an old, blue, unicorn stallion with a greying mane and moustache asked, cleaning his glasses with his magic as I passed by his general goods store.

“Yup,” I replied, dropping Gunter’s arm and sitting down on my haunches. “I wanna play.”

The older stallion glanced inside. “Well Windfall is upstairs in his room, if you’re looking for a playmate.” He looked down at me and smiled. “Want me to go fetch him?”

I shook my head violently before standing back up. “Nuh-uh. Don’t wanna play with Windfall, I wanna play with Shamwock. Have you seen him, Mr. Ledger?” The blue unicorn shook his head. “‘Kaybye.” And with that, I picked up Gunter and scampered off.

Mr. Ledger was a great stallion, I’d always admired him. Probably because he would give Shamrock and I free candy or chocolate on occasion. It was his son I didn’t like. Well, he was alright, I guess, he just didn’t know where to stop.

I remembered one time I had gotten my hooves on Mare Do Well, issue number three, and he wanted it. Sure, he asked for it and tried trading but I wouldn’t give it up. It may have been selfish of me, but Shamrock would read me a bit of it every night and try to teach me to read with it.

After I wouldn’t give it up, Windfall hit me and ran off with it. Naturally I went crying off home to dad. I guess Shamrock got his sense of humour and his general niceness from Dad, because no matter what, both could make me feel happy even in the darkest of times. I remembered finding my comic back in my room that evening, and Shamrock claiming he had no idea how it got there.

“Shamwock!” I called out once more, looking for that goofy orange and green brother of mine. Where could he have gotten to? He’d run off like lightning after breakfast. Oh! That’s right! He was gonna go see Clàrsach!

Clàrsach, the daughter of the only other pony from the Emerald Isles and the only beer brewer around. She was stunning, from her pure black coat, to her white and gold mane, and her cutie mark of a golden harp. Dad told me Clàrsach’s dad named his beer after her.

I stopped at a small crossroad and looked down each lane, chewing on Gunter’s arm in thought. Which was was Clàrsach’s house? Not many ponies out to ask...

“Dis way, Gunter!” I cheered triumphantly, briefly spitting out the bear’s leg and picking him back up again. I trotted down the street on my right. The Apple Plains was too far from any detonation sites to receive any significant damage or radiation, hence the fertile farmlands. The old, dark wood and cement buildings still stood through the two hundred years under the hot sun and wind storms.

Trotting down the street to Clàrsach’s house, I couldn’t help but hum a song to myself. I would have sung, but I was dragging my faithful companion and bestest friend ever. I hung a left just before Clàrsach’s house. It was a large, wood building, bigger than my family’s (Not jealous at all...) but not as pretty, no interesting features at all. Just drab wooden planks. I had just rounded the corner when I heard my brother weeping over my tune.

“Shamwock?” I asked, coming into view. My big brother had his back to me, hunched over a smaller, black pony. “Are you okay?”

“Hey buddy...” Shamrock said in a sad tone as I trotted up beside him. I dropped Gunter at my hooves and planted my rump on the dusty ground.

“What’s wrong with Clàrsach?” I asked, looking up at my orange and green brother. He had long, wet streaks running down his cheeks. Clàrsach’s neck was bent at an unnatural angle, the glimmer of beauty and pride in her eyes had disappeared, replaced with a cold stare.

My older brother glared at the balcony above him. “I...I told her to be careful. Not to sit on the rail...” More tears rolled down his cheeks. “Clover, you should leave...”

“Why?”

“Clàrsach is dead,” the green maned stallion choked.

“D-dead?” I stammered. I had never seen a dead pony before and never really had to deal with it. I didn’t have any idea what to do. I sat in silence for a few moments, waiting for Shamrock to shoo me away. “Wanna...wanna hug Gunter?” I held the teddy bear up to my brother.

Shamrock stared at Gunter for a few seconds before gently taking him and staring at him. He began to tear up and held the teddy bear close, crying into his fluff. I had no idea what to do, so I decided just to pat Shamrock on the back.

My first dead body, it was somepony I knew. Yet...somehow, I felt very little in the ways of emotion. Was I too young? Did I just not care? I don’t know, but I felt like I was the bigger brother comforting my little brother.

“Its okay...” I said, hugging my brother.

Shamrock hugged me, still staring at the body beside us. “No...no it isn’t...”

The door of Clàrsach’s house suddenly flew open and Mr. Harper, her father burst out. “Clàrsach? What did you break this-" The reddish brown stallion's voice caught in his throat as his eyes fell on the body. He stumbled forward a few steps and fell to his haunches. “W-why?" he mumbled numbly. "My...my little girl...”

“It was an accident...”

“Fuck!” Gaz, the heavy griffin, yelled, waking me from my not so blissful slumber.

I pulled an old smelling sheet off my face and found myself on a soiled mattress. My eyes adjusted to the dimly lit, concrete room and I saw three ponies, Ace and two of the spec ops ponies (a unicorn and an earth pony), sitting around a table with the giant bulk of Gaz. His face was scrunched up in frustration as he slid a pile of bottle caps over to Ace, who was smiling broadly.

The room I found myself in was spacious, with concrete walls and large windows. No sunlight came through them so I had to assume it was night. The only light in the room came from a single burning barrel in the middle of the room; though I got very little heat in my spot in the corner. The room had two doors, one of them was open with a shadowed corridor on the other side (or whatever) and the other barricaded with a numerous amount of junk.

Gaz seemed a little smaller than before, but that was probably due to the fact the armour above his waist was removed. His torso was still large, regardless of his armour, and I saw his dog-tags dangling over his neck feathers. The rest of his armour sat on a desk nearby. The other unicorn sat in front of it with some weird tools.

“That’s it, I’m out,” the giant griffin sighed, standing up.

“What? Did the mighty Ace clean you out?” my unicorn companion said, mocking the behemoth. Gaz grumbled and walked to his armour.

“Garry, how many times do I have to tell you?!” the unicorn working on his armour said.

Gaz looked confused. “Uh...refresh my memory.”

The unicorn sighed in frustration before hammering something into the armour. “Your damn shielding talisman burnt out again!” The unicorn looked up at the griffin behemoth with a scowl. “These things don’t grow on trees!”

The griffin chuckled and held up his hands. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry.”

The unicorn looked furious. “You really need to stop walking into enemy fire! Do you have any idea how hard it is to recharge these! Do you? Huh? Do you?!”

The griffin was starting to get irritated. “Look, egghead, I know it's bloody hard, but that’s why you’re on this damn team. And for the record, if I hadn’t stepped into enemy fire,” he pointed at me. “He and his friend would be toast. Butter and all.”

Ace glanced up at me and her ears drooped. “Great, that lumox woke you up.” She sighed before sliding the bottle caps into her saddlebag and trotted towards me. “I was hoping you’d sleep well into tomorrow.”

“Why?” I rasped, my throat raw from crying the day before. Earlier today? What time was it? It was dark out...

The beige mare sat on the mattress beside me, making me shuffle to the other side. “You had one hell of a day yesterday.”

“Your fault,” I grumbled, rolling over and pulling the sheet over my head.

“Yeah...I guess it was...” Ace mused. “Great learning experience, eh?”

I pulled the sheet off my face and just stared at Ace. “What?” I deadpanned. What the hell did she mean by ‘Great learning experience’?

“Well, I learnt that I should avoid underground tunnels, and you learnt how to become an ant queen.” She couldn’t help but snicker at that last bit. I guess I am an ant que- king. Ant king. But surely not any more. No way do I still smell like ant queen stuff. Isn’t that how it works?

“And I murdered ponies,” I mumbled, hiding my face once again.

Ace patted my head. “Yeah, you did,” she sighed. I whimpered. “But they were monsters, and you saved me from being raped and killed. Tell me, would you rather have killed three ponies, or have me be raped and killed?”

I pulled the sheet from my face. “Well, you were a complete bitch to me, almost got me killed more than once, and only just started showing any support after I saved your life.” I saw her frown, then her eyes widened in slight shock. Damn right I’m serious.

“I saved your life too!” she barked

“No. No you didn’t,” I growled back. “I would have never needed saving if you hadn’t come along and make me fight a giant bounty hunter, drag me down into a swarming ants’ nest, and finally make me fight through a violence infested town.” I poked her with a hoof. “And now I have absolutely no idea where I am, what time it is, or what is going on.”

Ace was gobsmacked. I doubted she would ever expect me to actually fight back. “I...uh...” She turned and saw the other ponies watching. ‘What are you looking at?” she snapped, making the ponies go back to what they were doing. She looked back at me and sighed. “I’m sorry, Daisy. I’m sorry I brought you through hell, but I can’t be seen near Federation troops, and I was really bored in Westwood. Maybe I should have done something... less life threatening?”

“Whatever...” I muttered. “What happened to ToastyBuns?”

The unicorn poked my flank. “Not toasty anymore.” She grinned and glanced from my flank, to the pile of old bandages beside the mattress. I blushed a little when I realised Ace had been hovering around my rump when she removed the bandages.

“Oh, don’t be such a pansy.” Ace laughed and nudged my shoulder with a hoof. “I didn’t take em off.”

Uh oh. “Then...who did?” A shiver shot down my spine. Ace had already seen my bits, so that wasn’t too bad, but now somepony other had? That...well, that scared me...

“Forsythe,” Ace giggled.

Wait... oh please no. “The...the griffin?!” I yelped. Those talons were that close to mini-me? I curled up into a ball.

“Yup. Odd one that griffin...” Ace muttered.

Odd or no, I’m not letting her get anywhere near my giblets again. Never ever. Speaking about my general special zone, which I rarely do, I have been a whole day without using the little colts room and I seriously needed to relieve myself.

I wriggled out of the sheet and mattress and found myself in the open with no barding. It seemed...safe-ish, so I saw no need to go looking for that horrid, tight, manky set of barding. I mean...pink... come on!

“Where’s the restroom in this... wherever we are?” I muttered to Ace.

She pointed out an open door. “Take a left and its the end of the hall,” she instructed. “Have fun, Queen Daisy,” she added with a snicker.

“Whatever, Queen Bitch,” I growled and turned out the door. I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding. Did I really just call Ace ‘Queen Bitch’? I mean, she was a complete bitch, the bitchiest of bitches, but did she really deserve to be called names? Sure she called me stupid, kinda hurtful nicknames, but its all in good fun. I called her that out of spite.

Just one step on the long road to being less of a filly.

And there it was. My own conscience calling me a wimp. I shouldn’t have been surprised really. I knew I was a wimp, but what else could I be? I didn’t even know there was a war out here! That ponies were killing each other over just about nothing!

And you’ll need to learn how to do that too, if you plan on surviving.

I reached the end of the hallway and creaked open the last door. It was completely dark, so instead of walking right in, I probed the wall around the door like an alcoholic fumbling for that last glass of rum he couldn’t quite reach. Finding the lightswitch, I found myself in a filthy bathroom with several blue stalls. The stench was horrific, but it was something I could bear.

I knocked on one of the stalls...and facehoofed. There was nopony in here but me. I opened the door and was met with... a broken toilet. Who ever used it last must have been passing a sledge hammer or something... there were bits of ceramic everywhere!

Turning away, I had a chance to glance over the graffiti all over the stall. ‘F+P’ in a heart, a few phone numbers, curses, all the general marks of rebellion against the authority.

*ping*

My Pipbuck had picked something up. The note tab had opened and on the top of the blank list sat ‘20-45’, some of the many numbers on the wall.

“Why are you-” I’m talking to a computer...

I groaned and stamped my hooves, feeling the Pipbuck loosen from around my hoof. “I need to replace that duct tape,” I sighed, getting over my tantrum. I trotted to the next door and found the toilet was intact. I took one step and was met with a sickening crunch. My hoof was fetlock deep in a greenish mush inside a brown insectoid shell. The damn thing wriggled under my hoof.

“Ewewewewewew!” I fell on my arse and scooted back, dragging my soiled hoof across the floor, trying to get the insect’s insides off. I took several deep breaths and peered at the bug again. Yup, dead. Getting to my hooves, I took another deep breath. “I fucking hate bugs!” I growled through clenched teeth. I kicked the dead roach away and finally managed to do my satisfying business. The toilet didn’t flush...of course it didn’t flush. Why wouldn’t it flush? Because its the wasteland. That’s why it didn’t flush.

The blue door of the stall opened with a creak and I stepped out. I may have been in the wasteland, but sanitation waits for nopony. Thankfully, the water still ran in the sink, though I had no soap.I finished washing my hooves and looked at myself in the mirror. I...I looked decent, actually. Sure, my black mane and grey coat were a little dirty, but other than that, I looked good. Except for the scar along the left side of my head, just above the ear. Reaching up to touch the puckered skin, I caught a glimpse of something in the mirror. Hooray! I barely noticed something else in a filthy bathroom! It looked like...hooves. Was somepony in here after all?! I went beet red when I remembered my tantrum.

Last stall. I shuffled towards it, having to cover my nose at one point, the stench got so bad. Why did I want to know who was behind the door? Why hadn’t they said anything? “H-hello?” I asked.

There was no reply.

This is not a good idea, by the way.

My conscious called me a pussy before. Screw my conscience. I found the door to be unlocked, so I did what any good pony would do. I opened it.

“Excuse me, but I- What the fuck?!” I gasped and almost backflipped to get away. The pony...he...he was...dead. Long dead. His eyes were a milky white, and his coat a sickening, rotten yellow, the flesh barely clinging to his bones in some areas. I saw that he didn’t die from severe constipation, more the large hole in his head, and the old, black blood splat in the wall behind him. Killed while in the loo... what a way to go....

I jolted and spun back to the sink, emptying anything I had in my belly into the drain. I shuddered and looked at the corpse in his sloppy, bloody, patchwork leather armour, in the mirror again. I convulsed again but I didn’t hurl. I couldn’t hurl. I... I think I began to cry. I sniffed and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn’t look decent. I looked like hammered shit.

My mane was a mess, my face was puffy with the amount of crying I had had in the past two days, and my coat was filthy. The trail of snot dripping from my nose didn’t help, either.

“What am I doing?” I managed to choke out after a long sniff. “Crying over the dead. I barely fucking knew him and I’m crying for him...”

See? Wimp. Are you even crying over him? Or yourself for hating the way you are.

“What the fuck? Why am I insulting myself?”

I’m telling it like it is. You’re a complete wimp, now cowboy up, or die. You remember what Ace said? You pretty much have to be bad to live good out here. But you’re a ‘good pony’, so you won’t live at all.

“Yes... Yes I will...” I mumbled through teary eyes. I think I got it now... what I was trying to tell myself. “No.” I said, wiping my tears. “I am not a wimp.”

Yeah. You kinda are.

“Not any more!” I bellowed and slammed my hooves into the mirror, shattering it. “Time to grow up. I need to get my arse in gear and grow a pair!” I stared at myself in the broken shards on the ground. “I will never get my revenge if I don’t cowboy up, and get shit done.”

I stomped through the glass and left the restrooms.

The hallway seemed longer and darker than it had been before. Still all stained cement walls with the occasional destroyed poster, none of them legible, or light fixture dangling from the ceiling. I could barely make out the voices of Gaz and the unicorn discussing his power armour.

Finally getting to the door, I peered in. The Spec Ops ponies all had resumed their game, minus Ace, Gaz, and the unicorn engineer. Where was the vertibuck? I would have to ask somepony about that. But the only pony I knew here was Ace and I didn’t want to talk to her. She was lying on my mattress, staring at the ceiling. I tried figuring out what she was thinking, but settled on just plain boredom. I sneered at the very room. I either didn’t like or know anypony in there.

“I should at least find out where I am,” I muttered to myself and looked at my Pipbuck. The closest location my Pipbuck could name was ‘Communication Station Fox’. When I zoomed in, I saw that I was sitting in a large black triangle. Apparently, we were only a short hop, skip and jump from Foxtrot.

The hallway went on until it veered to the right and into more darkness. Fuck that. No way was I going into complete darkness. I did spy another door however. The new, wooden door was further down the hall than the room I had woken up in, and on the other side of the corridor. Shuffling my way towards it, voices started to emerge, and two white ticks flashed on my EFS. Friendlies! But who were they?

I nosed the door open and looked inside. Rubble lay everywhere, the roof had been blown off and only parts of the walls survived. The sky above me was beautiful, the stars twinkling, the moon full, the-

“Get down, civy,” a voice whispered. I snapped out of my stupor and saw a pony on her belly, looking through binoculars, peering out of the building beside the remains of a wall.

A griffin with an oversized sniper sat in the corner, sitting against the wall, peering through the scope over the adjoining ruined wall.

Following their sights, I saw what they were watching. A fairly large building, about ten blocks away, stood, illuminated by floodlights inside a chain link fence, a giant antenna sticking, proudly into the air from on the roof.

I hid behind one of the remaining walls, beside the pony on the floor. Wait a second, this was a pegasus. The pegasus that had saved my arse yesterday, to be exact. I couldn’t quite make out her features in the darkness though.

The griffin sat like a statue in the corner beside the mare, aiming down her sniper rifle. She was using some sort of stand to keep it steady on the wall. Bipod, that’s what it was called.

“What are you looking at?” I whispered to the mare.

She looked up at me. She wasn’t wearing her helmet, but she was still wearing her balaclava. She took her eyes away from the binoculars and stared at me with her big, midnight-blue eyes and then I thought she smiled. The balaclava really didn’t help, as it covered her whole face.

“You shouldn’t be up here," the orange flier whispered, "but I’ll allow it. After all, your friend did volunteer the both of you to help. She really was persistent,” She moved over, gesturing me to look through the binoculars.

I rolled my eyes. “Did she seriously sign me up for another life threatening adventure?” I whined, sliding down onto the ground and shuffling to the binoculars.

“You can back out if you want," the mare replied in a friendly tone. "I’d be more than happy to show you the direction back to the highway.”

Cowboy up.

“No. I’m fine.” I seethed at my conscience, but it was right. Grow a pair or die. Several large shell casings were strewn across the ground beside me; probably from an equally large gun. The old rounds were long and gold. They had words scratched in them. ‘Revenge’, ‘Redemption’, and ‘Regret’. Was this a sign? “Are these yours?” I asked the mare.

“Nah, those are .308 rounds. We use .50,” the pegasus replied. “Probably somepony who was hunting raiders in this area. This whole region was a raider camp a while back. Then all of a sudden, no more raiders.” I guess I know how toilet pony died...

“What am I looking at?” I asked, changing the subject. I was looking directly at the big building now. There were a few ponies standing in the windows, watching the road and courtyard of the big building, and several others just going about their business.

The pegasus mare hunkered down beside me, sending a shiver up my spine. She was pretty attractive, which made me a little nervous, to be honest. “Communications Station Foxtrot. Everypony says its busted beyond repair, but Short Stack doesn’t think so...”

“Who?” I asked.

“He’s one of the leaders of the Separatists," the mare whispered, her proximity letting the warm breath stroke my ear, sending another chill down my spine and making me tense up. Pretty mares getting this close to me. Not exactly something I tend to handle well. "He’s in there somewhere and the Resistance Brass want him gone.”

“Oh hell...” the griffin grumbled, not even moving from her statuesque position, looking over the building through her scope. “Boss, you’d better take a look at this.”

The pegasus got up from beside me and slunk to the griffin in the corner. The griffin moved from her sniper and let the pegasus look through it. I saw them as little more than silhouettes in the dark. I looked through the binoculars again.

“Far right,” the griffin whispered. I looked through the window the griffin had indicated. From my position, I had a clear view of the room. It had green wallpaper and red carpets, with a desk perpendicular to the window and a bunch of chairs scattered about. Leaning back in one of the chairs was a really weird looking pony.

His snout looked weird and he had large floppy ears. He wore the patch work, separatist barding, but with a heavy vest and collar over it. A black hat, and an eyepatch hid most of his face. Red splotches covered his clothing. He seemed to be passed out with a bottle balanced perfectly on his belly. Beside him lay a strange looking saddle with two large revolver-looking contraptions.

“Is that Happy Jack?” the pegasus asked, a slight hint of surprise in her voice. “I thought he was killed in the Fed raid on Outpost Romeo.”

“We all did,” the griffin replied with a tinge of fear in her voice. “Seems the survivors linked up with Short Stack. Good as dead, if you ask me.”

The pegasus mare grumbled. “He was a damn good demo donkey.” She looked away from the sniper to me, then back to the griffin. “Alright, we got what we need. Take the civvie...uh...Clover back to the rest. I’ll catch up in a sec.”

The griffin walked towards me silently and prodded my side with a talon. Sharp talons.... It didn’t hurt, but it was enough to send a shiver up my spine. “C’mon, lets get going,” she whispered. I pulled away from the binoculars, which the griffin picked up behind me. I slid to the door, creaked it open, and found myself back in the hallway. The griffin followed.

In the dim light of the hall, I finally got a good look at the griffin. It was Forsythe. I went bright red at the sniper griffin who had taken the bandages off my flank while I was out. “I...uh...hi?” I stammered.

I didn’t get a good look at Forsythe before. She wore the same desert camouflaged light armour the rest of the group had, except fitted for griffins, naturally, and matching boonie hat. She had a bandolier of .50 cal sniper magazines slung across her chest, and a few magazines for her pistols strapped around her waist

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked with a chuckle. “Ya look like a beetroot.”

“I, uh, um...” I guess its not just mares I have troubles with, but griffins too... great... “...uh...”

“Uh, um, ah, oh, err,” Forsythe said, imitating my voice before laughing. “Spit it out, pony.”

“You... were the one to t-take off my b-bandages,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. The griffin nodded. “W-why?”

The griffin huffed in amusement. “Because your friend didn’t want to do it.” That made sense. She leaned in close to whisper into my ear. “And you’re kinda cute.” ...What...?

I gulped heavily and started shaking. “I... I thought that... that...” I was starting to feel light headed.

“That grffins don't like ponies and vice versa?” Forsythe finished my sentence for me. “It happens. I personally prefer ponies because griffins are a little too rough for me.” She grinned. She was... interested in me? Oh hell no. Not with those talons.

“So...you...you like...”

Forsythe rolled her eyes. “You’re a civilian. I think you’re cute, but I don’t even know you.” She raised a brow. “I do like you, just not in the romantic way, silly.” Could this get more awkward? “Why? You want some griffin lovin’?” she snickered. I thought I was going to pass out.

“What’s going on out here, hmm?” a voice sounded from the door we just left. “Fraternising with civilians again, Forsythe?” I turned and saw the orange pegasus. What was her name again... Adrenaline Rush, wasn’t it?

Forsythe chuckled, taking off her hat and smoothing back her purple tipped feathers. “Maybe...” She put her hat back on and stood at attention.

Adrenaline chortled. “At ease, soldier.” The orange coated pegasus pulled the sniper rifle off her back and threw it at Forsythe, who caught it and slung it over her back.

The pegasus was a real looker when she took off her balaclava. I was standing between a griffin who thinks I’m cute, and a beautiful mare. I was struggling to keep my brain from popping.

“Miss... Miss R-Rush...” I stammered, trying to be polite. When will this torment end?

“You can call me Dare, Mr. Clover,” she replied, echoing my politeness. “So. Shall we?” she asked, glancing at the door to the rest of the squad.

I couldn’t agree more. I scampered through the door and skidded to a halt. Everypony was staring at me.

“That was a long trip," Ace snickered. "Needed to ‘blow off some steam’, eh?” I frowned and raised an eyebrow. I had no idea what she meant. “Never mind...” she sighed, rolling her eyes.

Adrenaline Rush, sorry, ‘Dare’ trotted into the room behind me. “Fillies and Gentlecolts!” she announced. “I think we have a plan!”

“Let’s hear it then,” Gaz rumbled through his helmet. While I was in the restroom, it appeared that he had put his armour back on. He seemed like a nice bloke, but...fuck, he was scary!

Dare waltzed up to the table Gaz’s armour had been on, and laid out an old, slightly faded map from a nearby saddlebag. “Right, we’ve identified that the biggest enemy concentration is here.” She pointed to a point on the largest square, which I assumed was the comm station. “Here, and here.”

“Sounds easy,” Gaz chuckled, hefting his minigun onto his back. “Get me close enough, and I’ll mow through em.”

“Not that simple, Garry,” Forsythe sighed in slight disappointment. “Happy Jack is with them.”

“..Shit...” Garry seemed to deflate. I guess that suit of armour does fuck all against explosives. “Close quarters, isn’t it...”

“Yup,” the engineer unicorn answered, slinging her machine gun over her back. “Guess we’ll have to draw him out?”

“Exactly,” Dare said. “But we need bait. Some of the ponies over there must have seen us at one point, so it can’t be us.” But that only left... oh hell no. Dare looked from me, to Ace, who was now standing between the earth pony sharpshooters. “It’s going to have to be one of you.”

“Are there any alternatives?” I whined, cutting off Ace before she could say anything. “There must be. I don’t want to put my life in danger again. Ever.”

“Wimp,” Ace whispered softly, but just enough that I would hear it.

Dare thought for a moment. “Well... we could shake down the building with the vertibuck... but ammo doesn’t come cheap for those cannons...”

“Not worth it,” one of the earth ponies said. “Using the vertibuck might end up destroying what they found in there, plus we can’t risk it getting damaged. We only have four, and you yourself know we can’t get any more from the Enclave.”

“Enclave?” Ace asked.

“Pegasus militaristic government back across the Great Dividing range,” Dare answered before turning to the earth pony. “We don’t talk about them around civilians,” she growled. “Got that?” The earth pony nodded. “You are right though. We risk too much using the vertibuck. Guess we have to think of something else.”

“I’ll be the bait,” Ace said. “No time to waste.”

“No,” I said, flatly. “Ace, they need your shotgun and your skills.” Stay strong. “I’ll do it.”

Ace just looked at me with a blank stare. “You?” She blinked a few times. “...you?!” The leather clad mare seemed close to bursting out laughing, but thankfully, given the present company, she didn’t.

“Yes,” I responded. “I will play the bait while you get the job done.” I gulped hard as the group stared at me. “What?”

They stared in silence for what seemed like an eternity. “Marvelous,” Dare said, finally breaking the silence. “Okay, Mr. Clover. We’ll need you to lure them out, and-”

"Lure them out?" I asked “How the fuck do I do that? Might as well just trot up with a big bullseye painted on my forehead.”

“I thought you’d have reservations on the matter, but remember, these ponies were once Resistance. There is something we both hate, the Federation. If you tell them you have valuable evidence on their troop movements or something, you might get Short Stack to come out of hiding.” Dare dug into her saddlebag, pulling out a sheet of paper. “Fabricated intel. Should work.”

I took the sheet of paper and looked it over. “Seems... legitimate...” I poked at the sheet. “Got the official stamps and markings. Should work.”

“You’ve seen Fed files?” Dare asked, eyebrow raised. Ace facehoofed.

I started trembling. “Well, mostly... mostly on agricultural reports and other farming documents. I was a farmer on the Apple Plains...”

Gaz stomped towards me and pulled me up to eye level by throat, choking me. “We’ve got a fucking Fed in our presence, boys!” he boomed. I squirmed and beat at his giant griffin hands. I could help but think ‘this is how I die, isn’t it.’

“Drop him,” Ace instructed. “I’ve been over this a hundred times with him. He doesn’t support the Feds and didn’t want to be one. I almost killed him over it twice.”

I nodded furiously. Gaz opened up his hand and I fell on my rump with a dull thud. I clutched my throat as Gaz walked away. “Glad it’s not one of ours going into the hornet’s nest,” he rumbled. Great, now the giant griffin hated me.

“This doesn’t change anything!” Dare announced. “He may be a Fed, but he’s here now and helping us. That should be enough.”

“And if things go sideways?” Forsythe asked.

“If things go sideways...” Dare frowned at me. “You’re on your own and we find a new plan.” I gulped hard, but nodded. “We good to go?” she asked the team. All the ponies had their gear on and nodded. Dare looked back to me. “You’d better get ready while I brief the team on positions.”

I nodded and shuffled away, looking for my pink barding. Bleh, pink.

“You won’t get very far wearing that!” the orange, pegasus mare shouted after me. “You’ll be shot on sight!”

I turned and looked back. Most of the crowd was amused by my pink armour. Dare rolled her eyes and moved to a larger duffle bag. She dug through it and pulled out a set of light grey barding.

“Old riot barding. Not the sturdiest, but probably better than the piece of junk you were using before,” she said, placing it before me. “Just don’t lose it. I might ask for it back.”

It took a while, but I finally figured it out. I had to say, I looked fairly good. If only I had a trench coat, or a set of sunglasses, I would look awesome. The barding was pretty light, and the armoured plates seemed really thin, but Dare informed me that they would stop small arms fire. The barding covered almost all of my body, only leaving room for my tail to poke out the end and stopped just below my head. I wish I could have kept it.

“Everyone have their objectives and gear?” Dare shouted over the group. They all snapped to attention. “Good.” She turned to us. “How about you civies.”

I looked myself over and smiled. “Cowboy up.”

It was cold that night, even in my new barding. I guess that’s just it, warm as fuck in the day, chilly at night. Then again, the shivers running down my spine might have been because I could be lying in a pool of my own blood in a few brief minutes. That was honestly not a preferable option.

“Wanna go over the plan one more time?” Dare asked as we crept towards the comm station. It was dark, but I could still make out her midnight-blue eyes under her balaclava. Her desert camouflaged helmet and barding might have blended with the dunes and prairies of the Ponave, but not the ruins around the comm center.

According to Dare, this whole area used to be a Coalition outpost. The Coalition being the government in the Ponave, built up of donkeys, mules, griffins, ponies, and any other species that chose to live in this fucking desert; before Equestria annexed everything between the great dividing range and the western coast. Of course, this base had probably been picked clean a long time ago.

“I think I got it. Just tell them I have vital intel for Short Stack and that I need to see him personally. Yep. Got it,” I replied, followed by a tiny whimper. I would essentially be flying blind. No fancy Pipbuck, no contact with the team. Nothing.

Dare stopped and peeked over a low wall. “That’s the jist of it. And if our timing is right...” I glanced over the wall and just managed to catch a glimpse of the dark silhouettes of two earth ponies and a griffin sneaking across the rooftop nearby. “...then everypony should be in position.”

“So, you’ve still got my back? Even after you found out that I’m a Federation citizen?”

“You offered to help,” the fiery red maned pegasus stated, looking back at me. “Any resentment or suspicion can wait until after the operation.” She put a hoof on my shoulder. “Until then, you’re part of my team for this op and I will treat you as such, comprende?” I nodded. “We’ve got your back. All you need to do is get Short Stack out in the open.”

“And... and if I can’t?” Always the possibility of this going south...

Dare stared at me. “Like I said, we make a new plan.” I gulped down the lump forming in my throat.

We continued moving in silence before reaching the outskirts of the courtyard. I poked my head over a ruined chariot at my objective. I shuffled a little to get a better look and something clinked against my hoof. ‘Redemption’, ‘Regret’. More of those bullets. I picked one up in a hoof and looked it over. It looked... shiny. I slipped it into one of the small ammo pouches on the riot barding.

“I guess this is it...” I muttered, gulping hard.

“Good luck. Don’t worry, we have you covered,” Dare reassured me while prodding me forward. “Now get going.”

I took a deep breath, had a small whimper to myself, and trotted out. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this. Putting my life in danger for some rebels, for what? To prove to myself that I’m not a wimp? This was... stupid. So, so stupid. I should have just turned around and ran.

“Too late now...” I muttered, shuffling towards the building.

The building got larger and larger. The building full of gun toting anarchists, a demo donkey and something that could bring down a vertibuck. I was a complete idiot. “No, fuck this, I’m out.” I turned to run.

“Hey!” a gruff voice yelled out from the building. “Hold it right there.” I froze completely.

Stay and maybe survive, or run and most likely be shot? Looked like I only had one choice. I slowly turned. Three ponies were staring at me, all ready to shoot. “T-top of the morning, lads,” I managed to stammer out in a broad Emerald Isle accent.

“Who the fuck are you, and why the fuck shouldn’t we shoot you right now?” one of them asked, before pulling the firing bit back into his mouth.

Time to grow a pair. Stay strong. “Well then, boys. Y’won’t be getting yer hands on any Federation intel.” I pulled out the paper. “Troop movements all over the north.”

“Bullshit,” one of the ponies spat. “Why would you, ya scrawny rat, have Federation intel?”

“I have my sources.” I tried to give my surest smile. I didn’t know if it worked.

One of the Separatists, a rose unicorn, narrowed his eyes and slowly walked towards me, keeping his gun sights on me at all times. “Oh really?” he asked. The buck was snout to snout with me now. The adrenaline starting to pump into my veins... was magical.

“Really,” I replied, gaining some confidence in the adrenaline. “But I bet a shitehawk like you isn’t in charge here. Get yer boss down here now.”

The Separatist snorted. “Or I could just shoot you and take it.”

Alright, that was a new... time to lie, I guess. “You shoot me and I bleed all over the paper. Doubt you’ll be able to read it after that.” Please be as stupid as I think you are...

The buck stopped and seemed to think. That’s right, let the hamster turn that little wheel in your head...

“Fine,” the stallion finally responded. I bet that hamster was exhausted. “We’ll go get him.” He turned to the others. “Get the sarge!” he barked.

“Thank you,” I said, picking up the sheet and putting it back in my barding.

I waited in silence for a few minutes before two other ponies came back. The pony watching me stomped towards them and started conversing in a hush hush conversation. They finally broke their huddle and trotted toward me, and surrounded me. Fuck.

“The boss wants to see you,” the buck said, a sly grin across his face. “Lets go.”

Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Not good. If I go in there, I have nothing, I’m fucked, done for, dead.

“Uh...I would rather see him out here. In the open. Here,” I said. I may have panicked.

The buck huffed in amusement. “Just as I thought. You’re a spy.” He reared up and slammed his hind hooves into my face, sending me flying. I landed and held my now bleeding nose. “Get him up and get him inside.”

The other two Separatist ponies trotted towards me about bound up my hooves. They started to drag me into the building.

“Let me go!” I shouted. “Do you treat all your informants like this?!”

They stopped and the stallion came into view and grinned in my face. “Not all our informants want the boss outside to get picked off by a sniper or some shit.” Fuck, maybe he did have a spark of intelligence.

“Snipers? I have no idea wha-”

*Slam*

I clutched my bound hooves to my belly, where the pony had dug his hooves into me. “Liar!” he shouted. “You expect us to believe that you’re alone? Out here? In the middle of the night? Just to give us some intel?” he roared in my face, spraying spittle in every direction. He looked up to a new pony in heavier armour. “Raise the alarm, we’re going into lock-down.”

The door behind us slammed shut as we entered, and a huge metal shield started to slide down over it. I twisted and turned to get a better view, but a burlap sack was thrown over my face.

Bound up and helpless.

I...I don't wanna die...

Okay, where was I?

I remembered having a sack thrown over me, then smelling something sweet and kinda sickening before finding myself sitting on something and restrained. Lets put two and two and two together here.

We were gassed, you dodo.

And now my consciousness was insulting me again. Why do I hate myself? So I was gassed, and now I was tied up. Excellent.

I heard a door open nearby and I tried turning my head in the direction but it was stuck. The next thing I heard was the sound of hooves clicking against ceramic tiles.

“So,” a deep, gruff voice said. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

I tried to move, but I couldn’t. Not a muscle. “I can’t see shit,” I grunted, abandoning my accent.

The burlap sack whisked off my face and I was showered in bright, white light. It took a while to adjust, but when I did, I saw a wooden table in front of me. I was bound to a chair in the middle of a pure white room with something clamped to my head. Across the table stood a yellow unicorn in patchwork, Separatist armour. He wore a thick, black beard and a small blue officer’s cap.

“Better?” he grunted.

“Much,” I sighed. “Where am I?”

“You’re in Comm Station Foxtrot, son,” the black bearded pony said, calmly. “The main question is why are you here? Most ponies just hightail it when they see us.”

“I’m here to deliver Federation intel,” I lied. “That’s it.”

“Who sent you?”

Great, can’t tell him who actually sent me. I seriously hoped this worked. “The mole.”

“Who the fuck is ‘The Mole’.” Okay, I’m fucked. Lets just go along with this.

“That’s all he told me. He claimed to be ‘The Mole’ in the Federation. That’s it!”

The pony facehoofed. “You’re a dumbass,” he groaned. “He’s a mole in the Federation, not ‘The Mole’. Who the fuck calls themselves ‘The Mole’?”

I put on my most shocked face. “But...wait...” Is this working? “You’re kidding.”

“No, you retard. Where was he stationed?” Oh fuck. I have no idea about any of the Federation activities in the Ponave. Think Clover, think!

“Fort Crossroads,” I said, remembering what the radio pony said.

The yellow coated pony chuckled. “Fort Crossroads...” He got up and trotted around the table and into my blind spot, my head still stuck in the vice thingie. “Our mole there was hung last week,” he whispered into my ear.

My chair turned violently, and fell over. I was now on my side and staring at his hooves. “You’re a liar and should be killed.” Shit shit shit. “But why go through all this bother just to get in here?”

“I...I was sent here to-”

*Bang*

A bullet tore through the chair, right between my legs, missing mini-me by inches.

“No. More. Lies!” the bearded pony roared in my face. “Why are you-”

The door behind him swung open and a a blue pony, in a cap similar to the bearded one’s, stumbled in, panting. “Sir, the camera feeds in basement level two are down.”

The bearded pony pivoted and narrowed his eyes at the new pony. “Then fix it, you idiot. Can’t you see I’m in the middle of an interrogation?!”

The blue pony stood, shocked for a moment, before nodding, saluting, and sprinting back the way he came, slamming the door behind him. The yellow stallion turned his attention back to me. “Alright, are you going to tell me the truth?”

I nodded, well, tried to nod. “Yes,” I managed to choke out. I had to get out of here, but how? Think, Clover, think!

“So why are you here?” the pony asked again, his revolver levitated by his side.

I need to buy more time. Maybe I should appeal to his loyal side? “I want to join the Separat-”

*Bang*

That shot was dangerously closer to my family jewels.

“Lies! If you wanted to join, you wouldn’t be waving that document around.” He pulled back the revolver’s hammer in his magic. “Last chance, Private Twinkle Hooves, tell me the damn truth, or you’re going to be singing soprano for the rest of your life.”

Fuck it. I’m a dead pony anyway. Not like the Resistance can kill me if I told this pony the truth. “Okay! I met a Resistance Spec Ops team and I volunteered to-”

*Bang*

I screamed in agony as the bullet tore through my left hind leg, right above the knee. Blood started pouring out and onto the floor, staining the white tiles. I was almost blinded by the agony.

“I don’t miss twice,” the black bearded pony growled, pressing the gun right between my eyes.

The pain in my leg was horrifying. I had never been shot before, and now I had a revolver round go straight through my hind leg. I couldn’t help but cry out in pain, tears pouring down my face. Why do ponies do this to each other? This is barbaric! The amount of blood coming from my leg now... I was going to die.

“I am telling the truth!” I screamed through the pain. “The Resistance sent me here to lure out Short Stack!” I was starting to feel a little light headed. I think shock was starting to set in.

The hammer on the revolver pulled back. “You’re lying again. If you were Resistance, you’d have a bomb, not a document. Like they would hand over precious intel like that...”

I clamped my eyes shut. This was it. I was going to die right then and there. A bullet to the brain seemed a lot better than slowly bleeding out. Much faster. I’m coming, Shamrock. If you didn’t save me a good seat, I will kick your orange ass...

*Thump*

Both of us looked at the door. What was that? It was bloody loud! We started to hear muffled shouts and more thumps. Something was going on outside. Apparently the guard was just as confused as I was because he lowered the gun from my face..

“What the hell is go-”

*Bang*

The door swung open again, this time with blood splattered against it. The blue stallion fell through the doorway, a large hole blown through his face. A figure stood in the doorway, he wore a long, brown coat over a dark suit with a desperado hat covering his eyes and hiding his face in shadow. His dark yellow hooves and horn looked cracked and worn, and the parts of his hide I could see seemed to be peeling right off him.

“Oh shi-” the bearded pony tried to bring up his revolver to shoot at the new figure, but was too slow as the shadowy pony blew a hole through the interrogator’s head. The Separatist fell to the floor beside me, lifeless.

I stopped crying, more shocked at the new figure, and the gaping hole in my leg, still pouring blood.

The new pony glanced over its shoulder and cantering into the room, towards me. His eyes were still covered by his hat, but the shadow on his face had dissipated. His muzzle was rotten and dilapidated, not to the point where I could see bone, but I could see raw muscle. Miraculously, an impressive handlebar moustache had survived the decay and been maintained to perfection.

This buck... was a dead pony walking. This pony was Death.

Footnote: no level up.

Special thanks to Kashin, Errantindy, Kal, Menti, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

This chapter has been split pending new ToaC:R policy.

Chapter 5: Allegiances.

Chapter 5: Allegiances.

“What were you busy doing? Spying?”

“D-Death... I’m dead, aren’t I?” I asked, blinking, trying to fight back the shock. “Y-you’re here to take me to the other side.”

“Death... No,” the figure replied in a gravelly voice. “I’ve been called many things, but I am not a pony of the apocalypse.” He tipped the brim of his hat, revealing his eyes.

My eyelids were forced open by the big blob's cracked hooves. I could barely make out his eye as he leaned in close. My mind must have been playing tricks on me as they seemed reptilian.

I remembered those eyes! Those reptilian eyes! “You... you saved me... out on the dry lake...” I was really losing it now. One can only lose so much blood and I was fading fast.

“Yes, and I’ve just done it again, amigo,” the dead pony said as he pulled out a tiny purple vial and a roll of bandages from his coat pocket.

He emptied the vial into my wound and started applying the bandage. “The potion will accelerate the healing process and the bandages should do the rest.”

Why was he helping me again? He trotted behind my chair and undid my binds. The straps holding my head in place loosened and I slumped down, finally able to relax without the restraints.

I think I’ll just lie here and rest. The chair was just so comfy on its side. I could feel sleep starting to seep into me, driving my conscious state away.

“No time for sleep,” the dead pony instructed, prodding my wound and making me yipe in pain. That certainly woke me up. I shifted my weight and slowly got to my hooves, wobbling slightly. He was right, I couldn’t sleep now, too many murderous ponies around.

I looked up at the new pony through teary eyes. “W...what are you?” I asked. “Are you a...a z-zombie?” I backed away from the thing. Whatever it was, it wasn’t natural.

“Zombie?” He asked with a chuckle. “Naw, kid. I’m a pony just like you.” Just like... what? I gawked at him. I think he got the point.

“Alright, maybe not ‘just like you’. I’m a ghoul. We ghouls soaked up balefire radiation and didn’t have the good fortune to die. Sure, we look like we’re dead, but we live far longer than any pony. Take me for example. I’m almost two hundred and forty years old.”

“T-two hundre-” I gawked at him. “Impossible!”

Shouting and the sound of thundering hooves resounded from down the hallway, breaking our little... whatever it was.

“No time, I’ll explain later,” the ghoul pony calmly said, moving to the door, his large revolver levitated in front of him. “We’ve got some pandejos to exterminate, amigo.”

I had no idea what to do, I was quaking in my new barding. I had no gun, no wits, and no clue. The only thing I knew was that I was inside a big communications building full to the brim with Separatists and a demo donkey even Gaz was scared of. This wasn’t going to end well.

The ghoul slid his head around the corner and fired off 3 shots in quick succession with wet thuds that were followed by screams echoing cruelly back down the corridor to us.

The ghoul pony grinned, standing in the middle of the hallway, and twirling his revolver. He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it as he turned before waving me out of the room.

I was very hesitant. This wasn't actually happening, was it? If I hadn’t already, I was going to have to seriously grow a pair and get shit done. I picked up the interrogator’s revolver and the ammo pouch he wore on his hip. Today wasn’t going to end without me drawing blood again. I wasn’t going to make it out of here if I didn’t accept that notion as fact.

“W-what do we do?” I asked, poking my head around the corner. Three corpses lay at the end, each with a hole right between the eyes. Who was this ghoul? An old timey gunslinger or something?

I entered the hallway and saw that there were no windows, only the bright lights above me. How this place was in tiptop condition so long after the bombs had fallen was beyond my ability to comprehend.

The ghoul pulled out his revolver and reloaded it, filling the cylinder and slamming it back into the gun. “I need to get to the command center and clear out this building.” He... wanted to clear this whole building. Every Separatist soldier?

“Clearing this whole building is going to be impossible!” I whined. “Even with me here. You need at least a group of qualified po-” I stopped mid sentence.

“Qualified ponies?” the ghoul asked, finishing my sentence. “Sure, I could use some help, but where the hell am I going to find allies in here, eh? I was lucky to find you, kid. Or, was it you who was lucky that I came along?” He started making his way up the hall. “Do you know where I can find a band of fighters on short notice?” he asked, sarcastically.

I guessed he was the lucky one. “As a matter of fact, I do,” I replied with a small smile forming on my face. That got his attention, as he turned his ugly mug in my direction and raised a rotting eyebrow.

“Oh really now?” he asked.

I spent the next few seconds explaining everything I had done prior to turning up in that room, not stopping for questions. From the weird code in the cubicle to the equally weird bullets and finally to the spec ops squad I had foolishly agreed to help.

I really didn’t need to tell him most of what I did, but spilling the beans made me feel better. My head was in a better place, knowing that just maybe I would see them again. They may not have been friends, but none of them wanted to kill me. Well, maybe Gaz, but not as much as the Separatists. Besides, as long as Dare was around I was safe. Except for the time I had been tied up and had a gun to my head.

“...alright, how do you suppose we get them in here?” the ghoul asked, mockingly. “This whole building is under lockdown, and when lockdown is in effect, nothing gets in or out. How else do you think it’s as pristine as it is?”

That made loads of sense, lockdown keeping a building clean. I should keep an eye out for any way that would work, other than keeping dirt outside.

Priorities, Clover. You want to live, don’t you?

Okay, maybe my conscience isn’t always a bastard that insults me and is always wrong. Priority one is getting Adrenaline Rush and her squad in here, then helping out the ghoul. One good turn deserves another and all that jazz.

“How do we lift the lockdown?” I asked, finally starting to think about the current situation, because I’m a solid tactician like that. Yeah, didn’t think so. “That’s the only way we are going to get help.”

The ghoul looked up and down the hall. “The override has to be in the security station on level two, we’re in basement one.” the dark yellow, rotting pony started trotting down the hall. “Just a hop, skip, and a jump, amigo.”

That was easier said than done. With my injured leg (which hurt like a bitch) I couldn’t hop, skip, or jump, let alone fight through narrow corridors. I stared at the revolver I had taken from the interrogator, which I had absent-mindedly slid into one of the empty holsters on my new barding.

Couldn’t fight through narrow hallways. But dammit, I was going to try. I pulled out the revolver and set it comfortably between my jaws. “Less ‘o” I slurred around the handle. Damn my lack of magical skills, but hooray for my genetically superior strength!

We slowly made our way to the end of the hallway, making sure not to make a sound, lest we alert anypony to our presence. We had narrowly avoided a squad of Separatists heading to the interrogation area by hiding in a janitor’s closet. It may have been fairly spacious, being empty and all, but I got a lot closer to the ghoul than I would have liked. It didn’t seem to faze him though.

Maybe I was just being childish but, up close, ew! I never wanted to focus on his deathly physique, but seriously, ew. Why weren’t maggots crawling all over his face? Okay, I may have been overreacting; he did look okay for almost two hundred and fifty years old. Didn’t smell too bad either. Wonder how he managed that...

We tried to sneak around silently, avoiding most of the patrols or groups heading to the interrogation area. The stairs were a welcome sight after the bland, white concrete hallways on this floor.

This level I had been rescued on was sparsely populated, had no windows, and was completely boring. Or I could have just been feeling sick from the pain in my bleeding left hind leg. Not as much as before, and the bandages soaked it up, but bleeding none the less. I couldn’t put any pressure on it or pain flared with every step.

Getting up the damned stairs was hard, but not impossible. It may have taken a wee bit of assistance from the ghoul, but we made it to the next floor.

Windows! There were windows on this floor! Even if they were covered by large metal plates that seemed to swing down from the ceiling.

I saw a sign that merely said ‘Ground’. I guess that meant I had been interrogated in the basement. Or basement one as there was apparently a basement two. That was where the security system died out, right? I think that’s what that pony who interrupted the interrogation said...

“What’s in basement two?” I asked the ghoul, curious. I thought it was a good time, as there was nopony around. None that I could see at least.

“Prison cells,” the ghouls replied, looking down the hall. “We need to be one more floor up. Damn these Coalition buildings and their confusing plans!” He huffed and walked down the hallway, looking for potential targets.

It was eerie, really. I saw quite a few ponies while looking through the binoculars from the building we were planning in, but now it was a ghost town. I turned a corner with the ghoul. Maybe they had taken up- oh look, there they were. Wait. There they were!

I was jerked into an empty storage room when I saw the ponies loitering in defensive positions down the hall and around the main door I had been pulled through when I first arrived. I spotted the heavily-armoured pony I saw on my way in standing in the middle of a group of around ten to fifteen ponies playing cards. Thankfully, they didn’t notice me.

“I guess we found ‘em,” the ghoul whispered, a tad annoyed.

I think I understood what they were doing. The facility was under lockdown, which was probably why the windows were blocked by those huge metal plates. Those soldiers were taking up defensive positions to gun down anything that came through the front doors. The fact that they were so slack about it seemed to indicate their confidence in the security.

I looked at my revolver. “Do we kill them?” I asked, trying to sound confident. Real stallions choose fighting over sneaking. right?

“Nope,” the undead buck responded, peeking out the office door. I guess I was wrong then. “We shouldn’t telegraph our presence until the lockdown is lifted,”

The storage room itself was not very big. Just a desk and a chair, a few filing cabinets, and a shelf with a bunch of junk on it. The walls were the same cold, white concrete as the rest of the building.

“Should we send them a letter then?” I asked quietly. The ghoul raised an eyebrow at me like I was insane, or stupid; probably the latter. “You know, as in we shouldn’t telegraph them?” The ghoul rolled his eyes and looked out the door again.

“Okay, maybe this turn wasn’t a good idea...” he whispered. I had to agree. We should have just turned back around the corner instead of ducking into this office. If we walked out of the office now, there would be a high chance of one of the Separatists would spot us from down the hall and we’d be fucked. I bet it was just pure luck that stopped them from spotting us the first time.

I clicked my hooves together nervously. “So... Are we trapped?”

The ghoul looked at the contents of the room. After a few minutes he grinned. “Stand back, I’m about to be brillia-”

“Attention!” a loud, authoritative voice boomed over the building’s intercom. “Prison break on basement two, we are now on high alert! I need a squad down there now, dammit!”

“You heard the boss!” the heavily-armoured pony (who seemed to be in charge) by the entrance barked. “First and Second, get moving! Ain’t nothin’ getting through this door!”

Several of the ponies nodded and scampered past the room, heading for the stairs the ghoul and I had come up.

“Nevermind...” the ghoul mused, looking back down the hall. “Stroke of luck, only a few of them left. We can probably get out of here now.”

I peeked out of the door and looked down the hall. Only four ponies remained, buried in their card game. “And the security station is upstairs?” I asked.

“Mhm,” the ghoul confirmed. Alrighty, so, we need to go up one more flight of stairs, find the security station, deactivate the lock-down, get the Resistance in here, then kill the boss-pony. All the while avoiding Separatists who know we’re on the loose, getting lost, and the demo donkey I had seen before. Great.

“Okay. On the count of three, we sneak out of here. How’s the leg?” the ghoul asked with a tone of slight authority. I figured knowing how much it hurt would help him plan our next move. Or, it would allow him to use me as a distraction and get away home free. Bastard.

I glanced at the bandage around my left thigh. It hurt, but not as much as it did before. Fuck, I was actually shot! “S’okay...” I muttered.

“Bueno. Ready?” the ancient pony asked. He seemed a touch excited. Like he was reliving the past or something. I nodded. “One...two...” I steadied myself behind the ghoul. “...three!”

The ghoul dashed out of room and down the hall, almost silently. Now was my turn. I snuck out of the room and...

...tripped over my own Luna-damned hooves and face-planted. I didn’t have time to lose, so I settled on using my hind legs to propel myself forward, crawling along the floor. Stealthy. As. Fuck.

At least, I thought so before a bullet grazed my mane. “Fuck!” I yipped and hightailed it out of there, turning a corner and almost ramming into the ghoul.

“You fucked up, didn’t you?!” he asked, frustrated. Well, more grabbed me, shook me and then asked.

“No!” I replied quickly, scared out of my mind..

“He went that way!" a voice shouted down the hall. "Get him!”

“Yes!” I corrected myself, getting free. “We need to go!” I dashed down the hallway, passing offices and storage, desperately looking for a place to hide- uh, I mean, stairs. Gunshots and shouts started ringing out from behind me as the ghoul caught up.

I felt the surge of adrenaline course through my body as we found the stairs. A bullet implanted itself into the wall beside my head. If I had been any faster it would have ended up in my skull. I...I grinned as I made my way up the stairs. I was enjoying myself?

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I was a coward! I should have been pissing myself! But something was giving me the confidence I was feeling, but what? I felt the pain in my leg flare when I scrambled up the stairs.

Adrenaline?

That was it. The feeling of adrenaline! It was just so much, so fast...it was glorious. The new power streaming through me, making me faster, stronger. I loved it. I felt like I could take on the world.

“Halt!” a large, grey earthpony yelled at the top of the stairs, his gun pointing right at us.

Yeah, no. There were ponies shooting at us down there. No way was I stopping for anypony, bozo.

I leaped from the stair and slammed my hooves into the pony’s chest, knocking him back into the wall. I heard a gunshot and a bullet whisk past my flank, but I was unharmed.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the ghoul fire a few shots behind him, then he put the gun to the slammed pony’s face. I turned away to look for the security office as he fired and speckled me with bloody mist.

The ghoul galloped up beside me, looked down the available hallways and hummed. The wall behind his head exploded in a shower of concrete pebbles as a shot narrowly missed him. Without even flinching from his narrowly avoided, ballistic lobotomy, he galloped down the nearest hall, leaving me in his dust.

I blinked for a moment, then screeched in pain as a bullet tore through my right ear. I took off in a heartbeat as the blood trickle down the side of my face. I didn’t like this anymore. Somepony get me out of here!

I wanted to cry. I wanted to just curl up and break down. I had been shot twice! Well, the second time was just my ear, but still, twice!

You can do this!

I was right! I can do this! If not for myself, then for Shamrock!

A burst of gunfire peppered the floor under me, scratching my hooves.

Who the fuck was I kidding? Even as we ran, I was looking for hiding spots. Somewhere I could just tuck myself away and die.

No! You will not give up! What would you say if Shamrock was in the shit?

What would... I would tell him to not give up. My conscience was right again. I needed to do this. I couldn’t fail. Dammit, I wouldn’t fail.

I felt my muscles tighten as the pain in my leg flared along my spine. I felt the primal need to tear shit up. Fuck being a coward, I was pumped! Talk about mood swings...

I charged down the hallway, catching up with the ghoul. The alarm was definitely on now. Or was that just a ringing in my ears? Whatever, they knew we were there.

We turned the final corner. Before us stood a reinforced room protruding out of the wall in a large lobby, with long glass windows, and wires snaking from it. The surrounding area had more of a blue metallic surface instead of a white cement like the rest of the building.

Three ponies, (two mares and a stallion), were frantically poking at buttons and watching screens. None of them noticed us until we passed a security camera and they saw an angry earth pony and a ghoul sprinting down the hallway on their monitors.

One mare screamed, another frantically searched for his gun. Were we really that dangerous? I didn’t think so...

We skidded to a halt outside the door, and the ghoul started frantically tapping at the controls. The rest of the ponies were still following us. I never looked back to get a good look, but we had about six ponies on our trail, each in patchwork armour. They looked really pissed. I mean, murder-eyes pissed. Pissed to the point where a single-

“Got it!” the ghoul yelled as the door opened. He fired down the hall as I dove into the security room. At least two ponies fell into heaps outside as the door slid shut after the rotten pony.

I had my gun in my teeth and pointed at the three ponies. “Dun moof!” I muffled around the revolver. I didn’t want to shoot them. I hoped I wouldn’t have to.

“Okay, my little ponies,” the ghoul said in a sly tone, addressing the security station attendees. “We’re going to have a little fun...”

It had only been a few minutes, but the attendees were all bound up with some spare cables I had found, and the dark yellow zombie pony sat at a console, turning off the alarm system. The ponies after us were barking to each other as others banged on the glass, or tried to hack the door controls. The ghoul had already jammed them, and assured me the glass was unbreakable. How? He just said “Because it was,” then ignored me as he focused all of his attention on the terminals in front of him.

“Na-na-nana-naa,” I taunted the ponies outside and pulled faces. I think I was high on a drug the moustached ghoul had given me for my pain. It wasn’t Med-X, but a coarse brown powder. He called it ‘Healing Powder’. Fancy, huh?

“Okay, I can lift the lockdown so just let me know when your friends are ready to do their part.” the ghoul said, rolling away from the console on a wheely-chair. I wanted a go on the chair. He pointed at a radio on the table.

I tapped at the thing, shaking my head clear of the residual effects of the healing powder. My ear didn’t hurt anymore, but it felt...weird. “I don’t... wait... I think I got it...” I tapped at buttons, seemingly at random (probably because I had no idea what I was doing), before I came to the channel switcher knobby thingie. I started turning it and put on the headset.

“Dare? Dare, come in. This is Clover, are you still out there?” Oh please check in. Please, please, please. Maybe I wasn’t getting through? Maybe I was on the wrong chan-

“Clover? You’re alive?” Adrenaline Rush’s voice came through the speakers. “Thought you’d be dead by now.”

“You and me both,” I muttered. “Anyway, things have gone bad. Way bad.”

“So I noticed. We can hear the alarms from here. Making it hard to plan our next move. Breaking the lockdown is proving a bitch to do...”

I huffed with pride and amusement. “Well I can do that. I am sitting in the security station after all.”

There was a few seconds of silence. “...How did you... Know what? Never mind. I can ask you when we save your ass. Lets get this lockdown down, eh?”

I looked at the ghoul, who was just watching the ponies try and get in, a huge amused smile on his face. Whoever built this place sure built it to last. By now, loads more Separatist ponies had turned up.

“...uh...sir? Mr. Ghoulie-pony?” I asked, trying to get his attention. “How do we uplock the lockdown?” Was uplock a word? Fuck it, it is now.

The ghoul chuckled at the snarling ponies outside. They had decided to use one of their helmeted companions as a battering ram. He didn’t seem to be enjoying it. The door and glass held steady, even when they shot at it. We were safe as houses. Then again, a lot of houses were knocked down by the balefire bombs...but we were safe. Right?

“Mr. Ghoulie-pony?” the ghoulie-pony asked. “My name is Snake Eyes.” Well, that made sense, considering his eyes. “Do your friends know what they’re doing?”

Err. I dunno. I turned to the radio again. “Dare? You still out there?”

“Yup. Waiting for the lockdown to lift,” the orange pegasus responded through the speaker.

“So you have a plan.”

“Yup. Security is on the second floor, right?” she asked.

“Yes, should be,” I replied.

“Then yes, definitely. Lift the lockdown, and sit tight.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay, lifting it now.” Here we go. It’s go time. Zero hour.

Just lift the lockdown...

I was starting to hate my conscience. Then again, wasn’t my conscience me? Woo, I still hated myself...

I nodded at the gho- Snake Eyes. He approached one of the consoles and started tapping in commands with a cracked hoof.

The building began to shudder while a green light started to blink on the console. I looked outside to see the ponies (and one dazed, helmeted stallion) looking around. One of them was livid and began shouting at the others, flailing his hooves down the hall. Quite a lot of the ponies had got the message and fled down the hall. To defensive positions, I’d assume.

“And now we wait,” the dark yellow, rotten pony sighed. He was locked in staring contest with the leader.

Their leader, a white unicorn in a fancier set of Separatist armor, was absolutely livid. Murder was the only thing in his eyes, and I swear his mouth was starting to froth. Mad pony was mad. Lucky we were untouchable in here.

A few seconds passed and my leg and ear were starting to burn. I sat down on the ground and started tapping my hoof against the harder armoured bits on my barding. I was, like, really bored now. It was almost unreal. The ponies outside had given up and only a few remained. The others must have run off to reinforce the defenses.

I looked over to the Separatist technicians we had bound up. All of them were staring at me with fear in their eyes. I reached over and pulled the gag off one of them. This techy was a little younger than me, and had a red mane with a pale blue coat. His mane flopped over his face from under his hat as he stared up at me with green eyes, similar to mine.

“‘Sup?” I asked. The tech whimpered. Was I scary now? When did that happen? “I ain’t gonna hurt you. At least, I don’t want to hurt you.”

The tech lightened up a little. “W-who are you?”

“My name is Clover,” I whispered, trying to reassure the poor buck. “And you’re tied up because we didn’t want to shoot you.”

“Why are you here?” he asked.

“I don’t wanna be here,” I sighed in response. “I was taken captive and I escaped.” I prodded the buck’s nose. “Why are you here?”

The buck looked ashamed. “I don’t want to be here either. Nor do my friends.” He nodded at the ponies behind him. “Our base was overrun by the Feds. It was either be captured or join Short Stack, who came to save us. We decided to join. We... I don’t think we are the only ones...”

Well this is new. I wondered how many ponies out there didn’t actually want to be in the Separatists. Interesting.

“What’s going on, Snake Eyes?” I asked. Well, more like whined. “How long are we gonna be here for?”

Snake Eyes tutted. “Patience, amigo. We can’t do anything until your friends get here.” He turned to me. “It's all riding on them.”

I sighed and put my head against the wall. This waiting was going to be boring.

Three ponies were gunned down where they stood by a hail of bullets erupting from down the hall.

I guess it wouldn’t be so boring after all.

I covered my eyes, knowing what was coming next. I heard muffled screams and gunshots coming from outside. I knew exactly what was tearing through them, and I didn’t really want to watch. Gaz’s minigun was devastating at midrange but in the tight-packed hallways? Forget about it, you were dead no matter what.

“Ew,” Snake Eyes said when the fighting dissipated. “These your friends, kid?”

I uncovered my eyes (wincing at the blood splats on the white walls outside) and saw the giant griffin, minigun smoking. He looked through the glass and started tapping on the window with an armoured talon.

“That’s Gaz,” I told the moustached zombie pony. “He’s with us.”

Snake Eyes looked at the giant griffin, back to me, then to the door. “You sure?” I nodded. “Well...if he kills us, I’m blaming you.” He started typing in commands into the door release and eventually it slid open.

Gaz, the oversized griffin walked in, almost bumping his head against the doorway. He put his minigun on his back and pulled off the black-visored helmet from his desert camo armour. “Hey kid,” he said coldly. By the tone in his voice, I still didn’t think he approved of me being a Federation citizen. “You did well, but who’s this?” He pointed an armoured talon at the ghoulie-pony.

“My name is Snake Eyes, Señor Gaz,” the ghoul replied with a nod. “Its a nice surprise to see someone making use of the Mark 1 TG-90 Griffin Power Armour. Suits you, sir.”

The giant griffin frowned. “And what exactly do you know about my armour?” he asked, unamused.

Shouting and gunfire erupted from down the hall.

“All will be revealed, my heavy amigo, but for now.” The dark yellow ghoul looked out the door. “We’d better get moving.” Right, big building full of baddies, got it.

Gaz put his helmet over his yellow-tipped head feathers and locked it in place. I could almost see lights turn on in the inside of the visor. “Lets go then. Don’t want to keep Dare waitin’.”

“Vámonos!” the ghoul barked and waved a hoof outside. “We’ve got a job to do.” He trotted outside. Gaz was about to leave the room too.

“Hey!” I piped up. Gaz turned and Snake Eyes popped his head back in. I pointed at the three terrified ponies in the corner, each bounded up with wires. “What about them?”

“We leave ‘em,” Gaz rumbled from under his helmet. “The Seps can just stay here and rot.” The ghoul pony nodded in agreement.

I was disgusted. “We can’t just leave them here!” I said, poking Gaz’s chestplate. “They don’t want to be Separatists, but it was either this or Fed capture!”

The griffin stared at me blankly. At least, I think he did. The black visor covering his face didn’t help much. “Is that so?” he asked.

I nodded. “Tell them, mister.” I said to the red maned buck, who was still tied up.

The buck looked at me, then to the griffin, then whimpered. Had I been that much of a coward? I didn’t like to think so. He gulped and took a deep breath. “None of us wanted to be Seps.” He nodded at the others. “We were taken in by Short Stack after the Feds raided our base! Only a few of us survived, but it was either Seps or Feds.”

The griffin took a step forward and read the buck’s dogtags. “PFC Daydream,” he rumbled to himself. “Is this true?” he asked the others. They nodded. They all looked around my age or younger. How do kids get involved in a war?!

Because they aren’t kids?

My conscience was right. They must have been over eighteen, but that was still too young for warfare. Hell, I wastoo young for warfare, and I was three years their elder!

“Alright...” the desert camoed griffin said, standing back up at full height. “If this is true, then we should get you back into friendly hooves. Get to the roof and wait for us.” He took the minigun off his back. “But if I find out you’re all Sep loyalists...” He made tutting noises before spinning up his oversized gun. “Things are going to get messy for you.”

All three ponies winced. Snake Eyes and I started untying them as Gaz stood by the door, waiting for the Sep ponies.

“The roof is the fifth floor,” Gaz said. “The command center is on the third. Get moving and we’ll meet you there later.” The ponies nodded and ran off, but the pale blue buck turned.

“Thank you,” he whispered, smiled, then...winked? Wait, what?! He turned and ran off. I think he waggled his hips in my direction before he left though. Did he...no, no way...me? So now I have a griffin AND a stallion who have the hots for me?!

The ghoul was chuckling and I think Gaz had turned off his internal helmet microphone, but by his body movements I could tell he was laughing. Bastard.

“Where’s the rest of the team?” I sighed, trying to change the subject.

Gaz turned his head to me. I assumed he was talking, but the lumbering behemoth still had his mic off. He realised this after a few seconds of me staring at him.

“The earth ponies are outside providing sniper support, the unicorns are clearing the lower levels, and Forsythe, Dare, and Ace are waiting for us on the third floor,” he said calmly. “They have managed to remain undetected so far.”

“How did you get in?” Snake Eyes asked. To be honest, I was wondering the same thing. “Surely you must have made some noise, or been seen.”

Gaz spread his wings. “I flew in through a window up here, Dare and Forsythe flew in above, and Ace was carried.” He turned to me. “Your friend has quite a mouth on her. Must have poked fun at me four times on the way in here.” Yeah, that sounded like Ace. Bitch.

Snake Eyes trotted out the door, revolver at the ready. “Let's not keep your amigos waiting.”

Gaz and I followed, and by the goddesses I was right. The ponies outside stood no chance at all against Gaz’s minigun. They were torn to bloody ribbons. Yeah, didn’t think I would be sleeping at all for the next... lifetime.

I averted my eyes and narrowly avoided stepping in the pony sludge that coated the hallway. When that big Resistance heavy wanted something dead, it fucking died. Horribly. Gruesomely. The smell itself was enough to turn your insides to mulch.

We made our way forward in silence, except of course for the heavy footfalls of the ten-ton-talon-toting griffin behind us. We could only hear faint, sporadic sounds of gunfire coming from outside and the floors below. The earth pony snipers and unicorn gunners were certainly doing their jobs.

There we were. The stairs to the third floor. This was it, the last floor we needed to hit before going home. Well, the Resistance ponies were going home, Ace and I were going to Iron City. I wondered how far out of the way we were.

We cautiously started our ascent. I had the revolver in my mouth and it was trembling. Odd thing for a gun to do, tremble. It's almost like- oh. It was me, I was trembling. Right. That made much more sense. Who could blame me? The way the Resistance ponies talked about Short Stack almost made him seem like the boogeypony.

The third floor was quiet. A long, white hallway extended before us with several rooms on each side. At the end stood two ponies, guarding a huge metal door, but still hadn’t noticed us. That could have something to do with us just peeking over the top step and being quite a distance away.

“Heh, easy pickings,” Gaz chuckled, spinning up his minigun.

That got the guard ponies’ attention. “What’s that... Hey, you!" one of them yelled, spotting the giant griffin’s head poking out over the step. "At the end of the hall!” He pointed his shotgun down the hall. “Come out with your hooves up!”

“Hah!" Gaz laughed, charging up the stairs. "As if!”

“Oh shi-” The guard pony couldn’t finish his sentence. Not because Gaz had torn him apart. Gaz didn’t even get the chance to fire.

Like a blur, one of the ceiling panels shifted and two figures darted down. I heard the sound of metal on metal as two long blades slid out and plunged into an exposed throat.

The other figure jumped over the other guard, grabbed his head from behind, and twisted. As far as we were, even Snake Eyes winced at the pop.

It only lasted a second, but the guards were dead and nothing stopped us from reaching the door at the end, which Forsythe and Adrenaline “Dare” Rush were standing on either side of.

Forsythe smiled at me as we approached. “Thought you were dead, cutie," she whispered with a wink. "Had me worried.” That was so unfair. Being in the middle of danger frazzled me enough without griffins trying to seduce me. Or toy with me.

You love it.

Do not!

Anyway, so unfair.

“But he ain’t,” a familiar voice sounded from above me. I yelped when a certain unicorn mare fell from the ceiling and landed on my head. “A mixed blessing, I guess.”

I shoved her off and gave her my best glare. It didn’t work as she started to giggle.

“Though, you’re not as cute as you were before...” Forsythe said with a sad smile. “Not with your ear clipped and a bloody leg...” My ear was clipped? Forever? Like, permanent? Oh man, I must’ve looked like a freak! At least she wouldn’t be all over me anymore. “But I think it makes you look rugged.” She winked. Never mind.

“Shut up, the lot of you,” Snake Eyes grumbled. “I need to get through to the command center, and you need to kill Short Stack. Lets get it over with.”

“Same old Snake Eyes,” Ace snickered. Of course, she knew him didn’t she? I remembered her calling him Snakey back in Westwood. “What are you doing here?”

“All will be revealed,” the ghoulie-pony announced. “Time is of the essence.”

“The ghoul is right, we need to get shit done,” Dare said, digging in her tactical vest.

The spec ops ponies (and griffins) all nodded and prepared themselves to breach the huge, metal door. Gaz hunkered down and readied his minigun, Forsythe had her two pistols ready, and Dare was planting a device on the door. Ace and Snake Eyes seemed to know what to do as they got themselves ready. I hid behind Gaz. I was sure they’d get the job done without me.

“Everypony ready?” Dare whispered over her shoulder. The ponies and griffins nodded. “Alright. Breaching in three...two...one...” She ducked to the side and everypony looked away. Except me, of course.

The device on the door started to glow, then spark, then it erupted into a green flame as it exploded and blew the door clean off its hinges; blinding me in the process.

I heard shouting and gunshots as I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision. They should have warned me this was going to happen if I looked. Not like it was self-explanatory or anything.

My eyes started to clear, but I could only see blurs. My head was pounding, but I could still hear. I mostly heard ponies groaning and some shouting from the Spec Ops team.

“Short Stack!" Dare announced. "You are charged with treason, murder, and crimes against pony kind... you have been tried and been found guilty!”

I dragged myself through the door and squinted to get a clearer view. The spec ops group seemed to be in control. I could barely make out Ace and Snake Eyes amongst the ponies scattered in the large room.

There were grey blobs along the walls, scattered over the floor of the large room, and hanging from the ceiling. This was definitely the command center. I rubbed my eyes again.

“Any last words?” Dare asked. I could make out Dare’s knives, Slashy and Smiley, on her hoof gauntlets. They were pointed at a unicorn’s throat.

The unicorn in question looked familiar even in his blurry state. It almost looked like he was wearing a suit, but that would just be plain silly, why would he be wearing a suit? Damn I wished I could see!

“Yes,” a gruff voice sounded from the blurry unicorn. What was it that was so familiar? “I have no regrets over what I did, Dare. I did what I did so that we ponies of the Ponave can be free. We didn’t have a government before, why do you insist on installing one?”

Dare seemed adamant. “We are trying to install a government to bring peace! You saw the Ponave before hand! Gangs of bandits, raiders everywhere, mass starvation, the Ponave was hell. A government can fix that. If everypony works together then we can get rid of those problems for good.”

“How is that different from what the Federation is doing?” Short Stack asked smugly. He had a point. That was what the Federation was trying to do, wasn’t it? That’s what they told us, at least.

“They are corrupt, fascist bastards!" Dare yelled. She was obviously very passionate about this. "They are working the core towns to the bone and giving nothing back! They destroyed the griffin tribes to the north, forced the bison to integrate with them against their will, exploited damn near everypony out here, and are working with known criminals!”

Now, I was never told this, so I could neither confirm nor deny any of it. I did know a bison though, Steve was his name. He and his father used to transport some of the apples we grew on the farm out to other cities in Federation territory. I wondered where he was now...

“And how do you know you won’t end up doing the same?” Again, a good point. Did they have contingencies against that happening? Maybe the Federation thought they were doing the right thing, but hadn’t set up safeguards.

Dare was starting to get pissed. “Because the Federation is just one big fat country. They don’t need the resources out here, yet they work our people to the bone to bleed this desert dry!”

“So the Resistance wants the Federation to starve. How heroic,” Short Stack mocked.

“They have a huge surplus of supplies, they...they...” Dare groaned in frustration. “Enough talk, time to die, Short Stack.”

“Indeed it is,” Short Stack purred.

Through the blurred haze I could barely make out the unicorn swinging around to buck Dare, keeping the momentum going and coming around again to wrap his forelegs around her throat. He levitated a pistol as he finished his spin and pressed it against her head with his glowing horn. I could see why this pony was in charge.

“Nopony move, or she gets it!” he bellowed. The other spec-ops ponies, Ace, and Snake Eyes were all pointing their guns at Short Stack and Dare.

“Shoot, damn it!” Dare shouted. Nopony moved in fear of hitting their leader.

“We may be bad ponies, Dare, but the Separatist movement is going to succeed,” the unicorn purred into her ear. “You know why?” He grinned. “Because the bad live good...”

And the good don’t live at all.

I picked my revolver from my barding and fired.

The two ponies stood still. Nopony or griffin made a sound. Who did I hit? Did...did I hit Dare?

Short Stack fell to the ground, lifeless.

I remembered who he reminded me of. He reminded me of the same pony who had murdered my brother in cold blood. The same pony who had ordered me to be buried alive.

He reminded me of Double Down.

I was breathing heavily in a revenge induced rage, revolver clenched between my teeth as I felt the surge of adrenaline dissipate. My vision began to clear and I saw everypony and griffin staring at me.

I saw that the grey blobs were actually monitors and terminals were monitors and terminals, sitting on tables and counters in a large room. All sorts of wires snaked along the walls, all leading to a huge screen on the far wall. This was the command center all right. There weren’t any windows though.

The first to approach me was Forsythe, who slung an arm around me. “Hot damn, cutie! You’ll be an expert sharpshooter in no time!”

I clipped the revolver to my barding and took a deep breath. Normally, I would be a wee bit awkward about this, but fuck it. I was awesome. “N-Nothing to it.”

“Nothing to it?!” the female griffin laughed. “You had a ninety percent chance of hitting Dare, but you didn’t! You took the shot like a pro, cutie!”

“Oh Forsythe, you’re gonna make him blush,” Ace chuckled. “Whoops, too late.”

I wasn’t blushing! No way! All this praise meant nothing to me at all!

“Oh, stop it you,” I squeaked.

“Hey, she’s right y’know,” Dare said as she trotted up to me. “That was one hell of a shot.”

“Thanks...” Okay, maybe this praise was getting a little much.

I saw that Snake Eyes had moved over to one of the large terminals, I couldn't tell what he was doing, but it looked fancy. Nevertheless, it seemed that the situation had been resolved, as the spec ops ponies were tending to the Separatists who had surrendered (the ones who hadn’t piled in a bloody corner), and I had some questions.

“Mr. Snake Eyes,” I said, squirming free of Forsythe and trotting to the ghoulie. “You saved my life a few days ago and I had questions but you ran off.”

“We also have a few questions,” Gaz interjected, walking up beside me. “But the little guy should go first.” Gee, thanks.

The ghoul shrugged and turned to me. “Well we have the time now, shoot.”

Now came one of the biggest, and hardest parts of my journey so far. This wasn’t the time or place to back down. I had to stay strong.

“Where’s Shamrock?”

A question that had been haunting me for a while now. I died a little inside, but I didn’t show it. I couldn’t show it. I didn’t know why, but I refused to show weakness. I almost failed, but I felt something inside, making me stronger.

“Who might that be?” the dark yellow ghoul asked. I barely held in a whimper.

“My... my brother... he was killed before I was buried...” I was starting to lose it.

Snake Eyes gave me a sympathetic look. “The other pony... unfortunately, in order to keep you alive, I had to leave him behind.”

Oh Goddesses...

Tears were welling in my eyes. “He’s s-still... tied to the tree?” The ghoul nodded. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears started flowing down my face. “Please tell me you’re lying... please...”

The dark yellow ghoul shook his head. I felt a reassuring hoof on my back. I looked to see who it was, and it was my beige, leather-clad travelling companion. I was going to turn and cry on her shoulder, but before I could, I felt a cold rush and the feeling of revenge swept through me like an icy breeze, killing almost all the sorrow I was feeling.

“The pony who did this to me...” I seethed. “Double Down. He will pay for this.” I looked back at the moustachioed ghoul. “Do you know where the fiend is?”

The ghoul shook his head. “Sorry, amigo. I don’t. But I do know where you can find out.”

“Iron City?” I asked, already knowing the answer. The ghoul nodded. “We’re already heading there. Isn’t there anything else you can tell us?”

The ghoul smiled. “No, but I think I can get you the information you need. Just head to Iron City and I will see if I can find anything while I’m here.”

“Why are you here?” Dare asked. I guessed my question time was over. I didn’t care, I asked what I needed to. I was too filled with rage and sorrow to ask anything else anyway.

“I need this communications building to carry out my mission,” Snake Eyes said, matter of factly.

Dare raised a brow. “Mission? Who are you with?”

“The Equestrian government. At least, I was until the bombs.”

“That doesn’t answer much, ghoulie,” Forsythe said flatly as she finished tying up the Separatist survivors.

“I need this array to make a connection between the surviving government databases back east, and contact a few friends about the issue.”

“Friends?” Gaz asked. “Everything over the Great Dividing Range is just about dead.”

Everything over the Great Dividing Range was Equestria. Was Equestria really dead? Every last bit?

“Almost, but not entirely,” the ghoul said. “Still places like Dise and Flankorage that are still alive. On their last legs perhaps, but still alive. I just happen to have former colleagues in both.”

“So that’s why you need the tower,” Dare mused. “I’m guessing you got it operational?”

The ghoul nodded. “Got it operational right before I was caught and captured. It was complicated, but I just happen to have the know-how.”

“So Short Stack made use of it? That can’t be good...”

“He didn’t use it," Snake Eyes said proudly. "He couldn’t use it.” He trotted to the biggest console and opened a panel under it. The rotten stallion stuck his head inside and routed around a little before pulling out a small, strange device. “Signal Jammer.” He showed us a rictus grin and put it on the ground. “Never let me down. When the Ministry of Wartime Tech makes something to last, it lasts.”

Dare nodded. “Well, Mr. Snake Eyes, this communications center is just as beneficial, if not more, to the Resistance. I must insist that you allow us to set up a base of operations here.”

The moustached ghoul shook his head. “I’m sorry, amiga, but my mission is far more important than the war right now. I will, however be willing to work with your people, as long as they help me.”

“Help you?”

“Yes. Security, analysts, runners, anything really.”

Dare thought about this for a few moments. “One condition, when you’re done with this mission of yours, you will assist us in the war against the Federation.” The old ghoul nodded in agreement.

“Then we have a deal,” Dare said, extending a hoof. “I will confirm with command, then send for the appropriate personnel. I’m guessing your mission is classified?” The ghoul nodded and shook her hoof. “Alright then.”

The ghoul turned to the monitors and started tapping in commands. The room started to hum as more monitors and terminals came to life. “We’re online,” Snake Eyes announced with a smile. “Is there anything else any of you want to ask while you’re here?” He looked around at the rest of us.

I was sitting by the door for the duration of their conversation, silently planning what I was going to do to Double Down when I found him. I glanced at the corpse of Short Stack. He wasn’t wearing a suit, just a darker uniform than the rest of the Separatists. I stared at the hole I put right between his eyes. “Double Down is going to get a lot worse than that... I swear to Celestia.”

I killed Short Stack. Took his life. Yet, I didn’t care. Why should I? He was a bad pony, and bad ponies needed to die. That expression about the bad living good and the good not living? I was going to change that. I was a good pony, and I was going to live good. Bad ponies? They weren’t. I would have to kill to enforce this, and damn it, I would do it proudly.

I spied a small note poking out of his uniform and picked it out. I unfolded it and read it. “The local- 39-73”. I hummed to myself, got up, shuffled to Snake Eyes and gave it to him.

“I have a question,” I said as he looked over it. “What does that mean? I found some numbers like that in a nearby building and my Pipbuck even copied them down.”

“Speaking of which,” Ace piped up and started rummaging through her saddlebag. She pulled out my Pipbuck and my SMG. “Here’s your Pipbuck and grease gun.” I slipped on the Pipbuck, pulled the duct tape down tight, and slung my 9mm SMG over my side.

The ghoul studied the note for a moment, then pulled a matching note from his coat pocket. “Found a similar one down in the basement.” He showed it to me.

The note read “Flavours show the way. 85-97.”

“I don’t know what it means, but I don’t have time to find out.” He levitated both notes into my riot barding’s pocket. “You keep ‘em, and tell me what they mean if you find out.” I nodded.

He smiled and turned to Dare. “Is that all, Miss...”

“You can call me Operative Rush.”

“Very well, Operative Rush. Is there anything else you need? Or can I get to work?”

“Carry on, Mr. Snake Eyes. My ponies will be arriving by Vertibuck ASAP.” She turned to the door and looked at the Separatist survivors they had tied up and lined up by the door. “Get these ponies moving.”

I looked up at the zombie pony. “Thank you, Snake Eyes. For saving me again.”

“That’s two you owe me, amigo,” the dark yellow coated stallion chuckled. “It was my pleasure, kid. Good luck on your journey to Iron City.” He turned to Ace and removed his hat, revealing an almost intact almost-black blue mane. “And Miss Ace, I look forward to seeing you again in the near future.” He took a small bow.

“As do I, Mister Snake Eyes,” Ace giggled and copied his bow. We both turned and headed for the exit.

“And, kid,” he said as we were passing through the doorway. He levitated his old coat off and slung it over my back. “Here, for helping me clear this place. Would have been tough without you and your friends.” Friends? I didn’t think I could consider those ponies my friends. The only friends I had were either back on the plains or enlisted in the Federation military.

“But... I owe you don’t I?” I asked, bemused and looking at the old trench coat.

“Yeah, but those are big owes,” the moustached ghoul chuckled. “I would rather cash them in at a later date.”

“Fair enough,” I muttered. “Thanks, Mister Snake Eyes. See you in Iron City.”

Ace smiled at the ghoul and followed me out. We saw Forsythe and Gaz shoving the Separatist ponies down the hall and were met by their unicorn comrades. “Did we miss anything?” One of them asked.

Both of them had a few scuffs and bruises, but were still relatively intact. I bet that had something to do with their heavier, plated armour and the huge machine guns on their backs. The ponies on the lower floors stood no chance.

“Short Stack is dead,” Gaz announced. “Killed by the bait. Who knew?” He turned to me as Ace and I followed. “Not bad for a Fed civvie.” I blushed a little. “Have any trouble with Happy Jack?”

“We didn’t see him,” the second unicorn responded. “We thought you would have gotten him.”

Gaz shook his head. “Then he’s still around.” He seemed to tense under his armour.

I looked up at the ceiling. “One more floor to go.” Judging from where Dare, Ace, and Forsythe fell from, they were crawling along ventilation and such. “Is this going to be a problem?”

Of course it was. That demo donkey had Gaz spooked. If Gaz was spooked, I was terrified.

“The top floor is the temporary armoury and storage,” one of the captives said. “Raid it so nopony else can get their hooves on it. Especially not the Federation.” Of course, if the Feds took this base from the Resistance, the front line soldiers would probably get a boost from the armouries.

Gaz shrugged. “As we’re passing the next floor for extraction, why the hell not? We’ll just have to be extra careful of Happy Jack.”

“Agreed,” Dare said. “Now let’s find that armoury, and go home.”

Three rooms with nothing but scrap electronics and spare parts. This floor was starting to put everypony on edge. Forsythe and one of the unicorns had left us to take the captives to the roof, which just left the other unicorn, Ace, Gaz, and Dare. So far, we’d been accessing every room in a very tactical manner. Ace and Dare would stand either side of the door, Gaz and the unicorn would take up spaces behind them, as I sniffed around outside. I say sniffed around, more like stood far-ish away and provided ‘cover’. Don’t judge me. You try having your ear clipped and your leg shot. They still bloody hurt!

“What’s behind door number four, I wonder...” Ace mumbled, taking up position opposite Dare. “Lets see what goodies we have in store for us tonight.”

Dare counted to three, then flung the door open. Ace was the first one in, levitating her shotgun ahead of her, followed by Gaz and Dare, then the unicorn. Ace groaned as we entered a tiny, empty office.

“Damn, dagnabbit, damn it!” she spat, stomping on the ground. “I want to see the damn armoury already!”

“Patience is a virtue, young one,” Gaz chuckled. “We’ll get to the armoury soon enough, but not so fast. Heppy Jack could blow us all to pieces if we go in unprepared.” Ace grunted then nodded. She must’ve been tired. Judging by my pipbuck, she had been up close to twenty hours. The sun would be coming up soon.

Hold on a second. Other than the obvious white ticks of my allies, I saw another one further down the hall. Now, if my memory serves me correctly, white meant non-hostile, and red meant hostile. Should I have mentioned this to the others? I tried to, but they shooed me away as they stacked up on another door. Well, to name names, Ace shooed me away. No surprise there.

I decided telling them could wait. There could be a pony in distress up there. Maybe even a damsel! Imagine that, me coming to a damsel’s rescue. I would most likely lock up and freeze if she were beautiful, but at least she would be happy to have gotten free, right? I trotted down the hall.

The door the captive was behind was a nice polished oak, and had a shiny brass knob. There used to be a word engraved on the door, but it had decayed beyond comprehension. How the door stood, and the word didn’t was a question for the ages. Or a smarter pony. Probably the latter. They key to the door had been carelessly left in the lock by some half-assed guard. This was going to be easier than I thought.

“My name is Clover and I’m here to resc-” I announced as I opened the door. I was met with a large, weird looking pony sitting in an old leather chair so covered in cracks so that the stuffing peeked out while he gave a big, toothy... and kinda drunk grin.

A certain eye-patch wearing donkey to be exact.

Of course. I had seen him on this floor earlier, but when I had seen him through the binoculars he was sitting in one of the smaller chairs along the side of the large desk that filled most of the room. I couldn’t have cared less about the pristine green wallpaper and red carpets. The only thing I could focus on, was the one eyed donkey in his oversized vest and collar, grinning as he pointed his giant revolver things at me. They each had a huge drum feeding into the wide barrels and a long rectangle on top of the barrels that served as sights. Almost looked like they were made to shoot apples instead of bullets

I quivered on the spot, only producing a whimper when I called for help. I started trembling like I was on a cart going over cobblestones.

“Hullo there, laddie,” he said with a huge grin. “Here ta ‘rescue me’ are ya?” I couldn’t help but gulp. “Or are ya here ta execute me?”

“I... Execute?”

He got up, picked up a bottle of beer, and chugged it. He slammed it on the table and burst into tears. “Aye,” he sobbed. “You must know by now that I did’nea want to be a Separatist arsehole, and Short Stack wants me dead. Just make it quick.”

“I’m... not here to, uh... execute you,” I stammered, taking a cautious step forward. “You don’t want to be a Separatist? That’s fine. But if they thought you were, why did they give you those guns?”

The cyclops looked up at me. “They’re mocking me. They did’nae give me any ammunition.” He sobbed a few times before taking another swig, and belched deeply. Even I cringed at the smell and I was a good few meters from him. “If’n you’re no’ here t’ kill me. Why are ya here?”

“I guess to get you out?” I responded awkwardly, scratching my chin. “We’ve cleared the building of Separatists, if you don’t want to join them, why not come with us?”

The donkey blinked. “So ya are here t’rescue me?” I nodded. He straightened out and breathed in deeply. “Aye. That would be grand.” He trotted to me and caught me in a hug. I was scared witless by the sudden display of drunken affection. “Thank ye! I thought I was dead fer sure!” He broke his hug. I stood motionless. “Er, sorry for the mood swings. Its the drink ya see...”

“No... no problem...” I managed to utter. “L-lets just go...” I turned and zipped out of the door.

I found the others about to barge into another room. “You can stop that now,” I said, looking cautiously over my shoulder at the donkey stumbling out of the room. “I found him.”

Everypony turned and raised their weapons. The donkey stopped and flung his hooves up into the air. He promptly fell on his back and his battle saddle clanged against the floor.

“Don’t shoot,” I said. “He’s with us... and he’s drunk... So. Very. Drunk.”

“How do you know?” Dare asked. “He seemed pretty happy being here when we saw him through the scope.”

“Dare, I can assure ye,” Happy Jack said as he got to his hooves. “I’m a Resistance demolitions expert to the end. The Separatists just seemed preferable to being shipped t’some prison back west until I found a way out o'me predicament.”

Operative Rush seemed to think for a moment. “Stand down,” she ordered. “But Gaz, tie him up until we process him. We don’t want any nasty surprises. And take his saddle too.”

The donkey sighed and unclipped his saddle. He waited patiently until Gaz had finished securing him and stood him by the staircase. That was nine captives total. Good catch, if you ask me.

The rest of the ponies broke through the last door, opposite Happy Jack’s holding place.

Jackpot.

They had breached the armoury. No wonder the office down the hall was small, this room was huge, with ammo stores, weapons, everything. I could hear Ace squeal with delight as she made a beeline for the shotguns.

Gaz whistled under his helmet. He took it off with a hiss and pulled out a large cigar from a pocket on his armour and chewed on the end before lighting it. “Would you look at this... we’re gonna need another vertibuck.” He picked up a note on a table and cleared his throat. “‘Sir, I need more men to transfer this equipment to the secure storage in the basement.’” I guessed that explained why the armoury was up here where it was harder to defend against incursions coming from the roof

Still, I wondered why the armoury was left unguarded even if it was a temporary one, then I saw a note on the door reading “Grabbing a snack. Back in five.” They must have gone to get around about the time I had been captured and then been needed to shore up security.

I wondered why Short Stack didn’t have much security up here, knowing that his enemies could fly. I guessed there was some sort of defensive stuff on the roof.

Another vertibuck or no, I was uninterested. Shotguns, Assault Rifles, Explosives, nothing tickled my interest. Most of the room was just ammo crates anyway. I sighed and turned to leave while the others gawked at all the boxes, but then something caught my eye.

I trotted over to a long box on top of an ammo crate and nudged it with my nose. “Death's Breath Sniper Silencer,” I muttered to myself without looking at the label. I cocked my head and my face scrunched up in confusion. “How the hell do I know that?” Scratching my head and shrugging, I whispered to myself. “Must've read about it or something.” I poked at the box again before tucking it into my new coat's pocket. I would have left it behind but something about it just felt right. Felt like I needed it. Like I wanted it. Odd.

Ace was in complete gun-nut ecstasy. She was slobbering of the rows and rows of elaborate shotguns, accessories and boxes of esoteric ammo. A look of despondency crept over her face as she slowly realised that she couldn't possibly take them all with her. She pulled her pump-action shotgun closer to her chest.

“I'm not leaving you,” she whispered lovingly to it, like it was her own child. “Never ever ever.”

She glanced over the other shotguns again. “But you're all so beautiful...” She looked like she was about to cry before her eyes fell on a smaller double barreled shotgun. She smiled broadly. “You'll do.” She picked up the shotgun. She also picked up a few spare parts for her pump-action, a longer ammo tube and few more parts that I couldn't identify.

I sighed and sat on an ammo box. Today was hell. That's for sure. The worst part was finding out that my brother was still tied to a tree out there, all alone, rotting away. Tears were flowing down my face, but I didn't make a sound. I couldn't really bring myself to cry. I couldn't cry. I was just too tired and hurt. My leg was throbbing, my ear stung, and every muscle in my body ached.

It felt like eternity before Ace trotted over to me. “Still bummed about your brother, huh?” she asked. I nodded, numbly. Of course I was, you'd have to have the intelligence of a rock or three, to not notice that. “Well we're gearing up to get going. You still want to come with me to Iron City?”

Was she actually asking me to go with her instead of dragging me? I looked up at her and saw her giving me a sympathetic look. I think she was starting to get it.

“Sure. Best way to find out about Double Down.” I hopped down from the ammo box and followed the spec-ops ponies and griffins out into the hallway and shuffled up the last set of stairs.

Gaz opened the roof access and strolled out, enjoying his cigar in the open air. I took a deep breath and sighed, watching the skies to the east start to take a purple and orange tinge as the sun began its lazy crawl over the desert.

The roof was covered in gravel and stone with heating and ventilation pipes and conduits. Behind us stood the giant antenna of the facility while a large gun turret looked out over the Ponave protecting a huge landing pad which could easily house two or even three vertibucks. It looked like it was used recently, and not by us. The Separatists must have had a vertibuck of their own up their sleeves. Which would explain the top floor armoury.

“Hey hey!” Forsythe called with a wave from her perch on an old ventilation unit. “'Bout damn time! Find me anything good for me?” She held out a hand to Gaz as if she was a child expecting a gift.

Gaz huffed in amusement and pulled a package out of his armoured pockets. “Thermal scope for Gilda's Fury.” He placed into her outstretched hand. “Enjoy.”

Forsythe squealed, hopped up off her perch and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks brother o' mine. Just what I always wanted.”

I was dumbstruck. The lean, nimble Forsythe was the sister of the huge, teeming behemoth of a griffin, Gaz? No way. “You're siblings?”

Forsythe clambered up onto Gaz's back and stood on his shoulders. “Yep!” she chirped, finding her balance. “Gaz is my big brother. Always has been, always will!”

“Unfortunately...” Gaz smirked and glanced down at me. “So don't try anything, tiny.”

I gulped and shook my head violently. “No, sir. Not at all, sir. Not me, sir.”

Gaz raised his armoured hand and narrowed his eyes. I clamped mine shut and waited for the blow I felt coming.

The armoured hand patted my shoulder. “You're alright, tiny. Obviously not Federation material, risking your life for us Resistance 'terrorists' or 'scum'.” He crossed his arms as his sister fell off his shoulders and wrapped around his neck in a piggyback. “I still don't want you snooping around my sister. Even if you were a griffin.” He bent down low. “I'm watching you, tiny.”

Forsythe pouted. “You never let me have any fun, Garry Thornclaw,” she imitated an authoritative figure.

Gaz shook his head. “I will never understand why you prefer ponies over griffins,” he sighed. “You're weird.”

“What?” Forsythe asked, pouting again. “Griffins are too rough for me. Ponies are nice and gentle.” She pulled herself up to whisper in his ear. “They have bigger dicks too,” she cooed as my cheeks began to burn.

Dare pulled a device from her ear. “Alright, vertibuck is inbound now,” she barked and turned to our abundance of captives. Each one seemed a little more relaxed than before as they sat in a neat little row, and the buck from the security station was staring at me. I didn't like him. He creeped me out.

I turned and sat beside Ace as she looked out over the desert. “Why are you such a bitch?” I asked.

Ace sighed. “Because I need to. It’s nothing personal, just a defence mechanism. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be so mean to you, considering what you're going through.” She turned her head to me and smiled. “I'll stop being such a bitch, if you do something for me...”

“What might that be?” I asked, tilting my head.

Ace thought for a few seconds. “What can you do?”

“Uh... well... I was a farmer, so...” What did I do on the farm. Oh, right. “I have a mean buck from bucking apples, I can use a scythe for wheat, I’m decent at carpentry and repairs, and I’ve worked with food all my life and can cook basic meals.” That ought to cover it. The amount of times Shamrock and I would break something and be made to fix it was ridiculous. I think in the end, we mostly just broke things for the chance to put them back together. We had good intentions!

“You... can cook?” Ace asked, obviously flabbergasted. I nodded in response. “I can’t. I’ll be nice if you cook from time to time,” she said with a smile.

“So you'll stop being such a bitch to me if I cook on our way to Iron City?” I asked. She smiled even broader. “Deal.”

We shook hooves as two vertibucks touched down on the middle of the roof. We turned and saw the captives all lined up and ready to board while a line of Resistance soldiers filed out to be briefed by Dare, who must have called in early to arrange troops to occupy the building. Gaz clipped his helmet over his face before taking up his position at the rear while taking no note of Forsythe, sprawled over his back like a feathered cape.

Everypony boarded the now over-cramped vertibuck (no more available seats meant Ace, Forsythe, Gaz, the earth pony snipers we had picked up, and I had to stand) and took off, leaving the communications station and its occupational force behind. The lights on the tower were all lit up in full operation. I looked forward to seeing Snake Eyes again. Hopefully then, he might have some information for me.

“Where are you heading?" Dare asked, calling over Gaz, who stood in her way. "Want us to drop you off?”

“Iron Ci-” Ace started, but I had to take this opportunity.

“El Diablo Drylake,” I interjected, cutting off Ace. She looked at me like I was mad. “Ace, my brother is still out there. I need to find his body. Please.”

Ace's look softened up and she nodded. “Right. El Diablo Drylake.”

“Really?” Dare called over. “Alright, up to you. El Diablo it is.”

The vertibuck lurched as we adjusted course. I was going to find my brother.

We landed with a dull thump on the dry, packed ground of the drylake and the rear cargo hatch slowly hissed open. We turned to the ponies inside. Dare was standing in front of them and extended her hoof.

“Mister Clover, Miss Ace," she said with a level of authority. "Thank you very much for your assistance in neutralizing one of the worst warlords in the Ponave.” We shook her hoof. “I think we can consider you two friends of the Resistance and we treat our friends well.”

We stepped off the vertibuck and turned once again. Forsythe was right in my face, having scrambled over Gaz.

“Don't be a stranger, cutie,” she cooed and gave me a peck on the cheek. “See you around!” She giggled and flew back into the vertibuck.

I froze completely. I got a kiss on the cheek from a griffin. What should I be feeling? It was a griffin, but she was a female, and she was kinda cute. Should I be repulsed? Cause I was feeling a wee bit aroused. Thank goodness I was wearing full body armour. Oh! The armour!

“What about the armour?” I called to Dare.

She smiled. “Keep it!”

Yay! My own armour! That wasn't pink!

The vertibuck lurched and hovered above the ground. “Hope to see you again!” Dare called down as it turned. The front of the vertibuck dipped as the pegasus pilots and unicorn operator up front nodded to us through the view ports. The flying machine took off, arced over us, and headed east into the sunrise.

“Sorry about your armour,” I said, turning to Ace. “We left it in that building we set up in.”

Ace smiled and shook her head. “Don't worry about it, Daisy. I hated that armour anyway.” She looked me over in my new look. I must have looked like hell. My mane was a mess, my ear was clipped and bloody, I was wearing an old trench coat with a set of riot armour, and a bloody leg. “Can't call you Daisy anymore... you look a bit too badass for that...” She shrugged. “Fuck it, you will always be Queen Daisy to me."

I scowled at her until a small, treacherous, but warm smile crept through. “Whatever.”

“Y'know, you and Forsythe look pretty cute together,” Ace purred. “Why don't you like griffins?”

Well that was a change in subject but I shrugged anyway. “The talons. They must be, like, really sharp or something.”

“There's a way around that, y'know,” Ace said as she trotted into the drylake.

“Oh?” I asked, shuffling after her while my leg and ear throbbed.

“Let her be on top.”

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

"Stable Shot"

Your attacks are smooth, graceful and precise. You have a higher chance to score a critical hit on an opponent in combat, equivalent to 5 extra points of Luck.

Special thanks to Kashin, Kal, Menti, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

This chapter was split pending new ToaC:R policy.

Chapter 6: Blazing New Trails.

Chapter 6: Blazing New Trails.

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End”

There he was.

I had spent an hour trekking through the El Diablo dry lake with Ace before we saw it. A lone tree stood defiantly in the middle of the sun-baked landscape, its grim, bare branches sticking from the dead, grey tree. There was a pony tied to it.

Shamrock.

His orange coat was stained black from the blood that had spilled from the bullet wound in his head. My brother hung there, lashed among the gnarled limbs, completely still. The stillness marred by his mane flickering with the occasional breeze.

There was a storm brewing to the east, slowly creeping its way across the sky. The large grey and black clouds spread a vast shadow over everything as it slowly consumed.

I sat there, unmoving. I couldn’t do anything but stare at the lifeless body of my brother, the cold breeze wafting through my coat and mane. My breaths were long and ragged, my lips quivering ever so slightly.

The memories of my childhood with Shamrock danced through my mind. The Great Bear Hunt, us playing with the trainset he had gotten me for my third birthday. Reading me Mare-Do-Well, him teaching me how to play hoofball, teaching me how to drink in my later years, trying to get me my first marefriend...

Even through my new coat and barding, I felt cold... so very cold...

Ace was sitting next to me. I don’t think she knew exactly what to do in this situation. She settled on putting a foreleg around me. “Are you okay?”

I finally clamped my eyes shut and shivered. My eyes stung as I could feel the first tears coming. “Just...” I whispered, “...cut him down...”

The leather-clad mare looked worried as she stood up. She slowly trotted over to my brother and rounded the tree. Hearing the dull thumps as her machete chopped into the ropes and bark, I couldn’t help but wince in anguish.

I looked up as the body of my brother slumped to the ground. He was stiff and his body was dry and cracked, one of his eyes was burnt and rotted. I remembered Double Down plunging his lit cigarette into Shamrock’s eye, my brother screaming in agony. The tears were starting to make their way down my face.

His other eye had lost the spark of greatness that Shamrock had inherited. He used to be so full of life; now that he lay before me on the dry, cracked earth, he was completely lifeless.

Ace sat by the tree as I slowly approached my fallen brother. The tears were starting to streak down my face to drop onto the earth below. I left a trail of tiny drops on the dirt when I finally reached him.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Bursting into tears, I hugged the lifeless body of my brother close.

“Why?!” I wailed, sobbing into my brother’s cold mane. “Why him?!”

My mind was racing through everything Shamrock and I had achieved together, every time my brother stood up for me, every time we laughed together. Each memory was lost to the void of despair. I would never have these experiences again. We would never laugh together, drink together, sing together, or cry together. I was on my own.

Shamrock wouldn’t be able to protect me anymore. I was in a war zone filled with monsters and psychos, and fending for myself was something I would have to master if I wanted to survive. I never thought I would be in a mess this deep without Shamrock.

I continued to cry my heart out while holding my brother.

“Th-There must be a way,” I sobbed. “A-A way to b-bring you back!”

Ace put her hoof on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Clover,” she whispered. “There’s no cure for dead.”

My vision was blurred from tears as I looked up at her. “There h-has to be...” I looked down at Shamrock. There was no way I could ever bring him back.

Holding his corpse tightly to my body, I cried for what felt like days.

The sky above me was an array of ominous greys and blacks as the storm rolled in above us. A light drizzle had started, bringing me back to reality.

Looking up, I saw the shallow grave I had been buried in just a few days before. Why did I have to be the lucky one? Why wasn’t it me who had to die? Shamrock deserved to live more than I did. He had so much going well for him, while I had sat comfortably in his shadow. Luck? There’s no such thing. Not any more.

I sniffled and got to my trembling hooves. A huge chunk of my soul had been torn from me that day. I pulled my brother’s corpse onto my back and slowly made my way to the shallow grave. He was a lot bigger than me; he reminded me of that red pony from the old newspapers. Shamrock wasn’t as big as that Big Something was, but he had to be close.

We stood at the edge of the grave, and Ace helped me get Shamrock’s body off my back. I stared into my brother’s intact eye, tears dripping onto his face before finally starting to slowly lower him into the open hole.

“This... this can’t be real...” I whispered as his body settled at the bottom of the grave. Looking at Ace with tear filled eyes, I managed to whimper, “This is all just a nightmare? Right? Please tell me it is...”

Ace slowly shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Clover.”

I wiped my eyes and looked down at Shamrock. Taking a few ragged breaths, I slowly reached for the shovel Snake Eyes had left behind. It still had the red tinge of blood. My blood.

“Goodbye, Shamrock...” I sobbed as I picked up the shovel. I stuck it into the small mound of dirt beside the grave, ready to start shoveling. “I love you.”

The shovel’s handle glowed with a black field of magic as Ace picked the shovel out of my grip. I watched as she started shoveling dirt back into the hole. At least Ace had the decency to bury Shamrock in a respectable manner. I pushed dirt into the hole with my hooves, staring at my brother’s face as it slowly disappeared under the dirt, choking when it disappeared entirely.

My hooves were trembling as I sat and stared at the grave. Ace didn’t say a word as she continued burying my brother. She sat down beside me when she finished covering the freshly filled grave with rocks.

I flung myself at her, wrapping my hooves around her. She hugged me and patted my back as I cried my heart out on her shoulder. She whispered into my ear in an attempt to calm me. Things like “everything will be okay” and “he’s in a better place”. Nothing was going to be okay. Ever again.

We sat for what felt like an eternity. I had stopped crying a while ago and just stared at the freshly moved dirt as the rain started to pick up. I slowly got up and walked back to the tree, taking Ace's machete and carving off a large piece of bark.

The black bark seemed strong against my hooves, but the wood underneath was a dead brown. Clamping down on the machete, I tried to carve. I failed miserably, being an Earth Pony. We weren’t known for our art.

Ace’s magic wrapped around the blade once more. She stared at me, waiting for instructions. I nodded. “Shamrock. Loving son and brother. Lest we forget.” Ace complied and finished with a rough carving of a shamrock.

I took the bark and planted it firmly in the dirt on Shamrock’s grave, wedging it between two rocks. The makeshift headstone stood proudly against the dirt and grey skies; a memorial to Shamrock. The drizzle had escalated into a light shower.

“Lest we forget...” I whispered. Sorrow was starting to get replaced by rage. “Lest we forget the murder that took place here.” I clenched my teeth. “The casual slaughter of a great pony.”

The water dripped from my mane as Ace came into view. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, feeling the water drip down her face. She looked at me. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked in a soft tone. I had seen this side of Ace before, when we had been caught in the crossfire back in Buckwheat.

I looked up at her. No more tears, just rage painted on my face. “Maybe I will never be all the things I want to be.” I seethed. “Now is not the time to cry.” I stomped my hoof, leaving an indent on the moistening dirt. “Now’s the time to find out why.”

Ace seemed very worried. “You can still be the things you want to be,” she said. “This won’t stop you from reaching your full potential.”

I glared at the mare. “I wanted to be a great pony...” I looked at the grave. “Now... all I want is revenge.” Ace took a careful step forward. I felt power course through my veins. “I’m going to find out why this happened, and then send Double Down to the gates of hell.” The rain started to pick up. “Will you join me?” I asked Ace. “I can’t do it alone.”

Ace seemed to smirk. “Look who’s finally out of his shell.” She looked at the grave. “From the looks of your brother... this Double Down doesn’t deserve to live.” She raised her hoof. “Lets get the bastard.”

The dirt of my brother’s grave started to darken with the rain. Could this have been some form of deep metaphor? Could it have just been coincidence? I may never know, but I what I did know was that Double Down was going to die. Painfully and slowly. I looked at my brother’s grave one more time.

“Goodbye, brother. I love you.” Sorrow filled my heart and I closed my eyes. “I will be back...”

Ace and I turned and slowly walked away.

The old diner we had come across while walking the lonely roads of the Ponave was almost empty, save for the bartender. I will never get used to the sight of ghouls, that’s for sure; looked like a skeleton was manning the bar. Apparently he was named Chester, which sat weirdly when I considered his appearance.

We had been walking in the rain for a while before we found this place along one of the old trade routes going through the El Diablo dry lake. It was a small diner which had been impressively patched up with wood and metal found from the surrounding ruins. The town that once stood here was nothing more than a skeleton, with few houses barely standing. An old trading town maybe? A rest-stop?

I sat slumped in a booth, my soaked head resting on my hooves. I had hung up my coat by the crackling fireplace along with Ace’s barding and armoured stockings. The beige unicorn sat across from me, drinking what was left of her beer. Were we drunk? Judging by the several bottles that had mounted up in the short ten minutes we were there: maybe.

“Chester!” my travelling companion announced. “We need another round!”

The old, ghoul turned to us from behind the bar. Chester was a very old ghoul. He was old before the war. The only thing that survived on the old coot was his absurdly long beard that swept across the floor when he trotted around. He wore an old tartan shirt and a small hoofball cap with his round glasses.

“What now?” the old ghoul said. “Can’t you see I’m busy with my customers?”

Ace looked over my shoulder, then turned and stood on her seat, looking over her side of the booth, giving me a good view of her- moving on. “There’s nopony here!” She laughed. The unicorn slid back down and sat down with an oof. “We need another round!”

Chester looked around and sighed. “Yes... nopony at all...” He grabbed two more glasses in his magic and filled them with a pale yellow beer. “Yer going to clean me out!” He trotted over and put the beers down in front of us. “Ten caps each, if you please.”

Ace grinned at the boney ghoul. “Put it on my tab,” she chuckled.

The bearded ghoul was unamused. “You’re looking at over a hundred caps between you two,” he said with a tone of annoyance. “You can pay that, right?”

The mare’s eyes fluttered and she pouted. “Can’t you cut it down?” she asked, her lip wobbling.

The ghoul fixed his cloudy eyes on her with a serious look, but I could see that he was finding it hard to maintain. He eventually cracked. “Fine, fifty caps then...”

The brown-maned unicorn perked up. “Great!” she said, clapping her hooves, then poked a hoof at the ghoul. “Ten for a beer is highway robbery.”

The old ghoul grumbled and started to walk away, his beard dragging along under him. I sat up and sighed, picking the pint up and staring at it. This beer wasn’t great, and it certainly wasn’t Golden Harp, but it was something.

Ace picked up hers. “So,” she said and took a sip. “Still bummed?”

Of course I was, why wouldn’t I be? I just buried my brother under an hour ago. She probably didn’t really know what to say, having not been in this situation before. I said and took a sip of my pint. “Yeah...”

The mare lifted her glass. “To Shamrock then,” she announced. “One hell of a guy.”

That made me crack a smile. I raised my glass. “To Shamrock,” I said, holding my sadness at bay. “The best pony.”

We clashed glasses and drank heartily. If there was one thing I was good at, it was drinking. I could drink for Equestria, and I owed it all to Shamrock. We both chugged our drinks and slammed them on the table. I won, slamming my glass down first.

“Damn, Clove,” Ace said, poking her glass. “Drink much?”

Did she just say I was an alcoholic? Before I could ask her, the radio changed from the boring, slow violin crap to an older-sounding gentlecolt. I had heard him before, but where...?

“Good evening fillies and gentlecolts,” the radio pony said. “It's Mr. Ponave, back to bring you all the latest news. So lets get to it...”

“Reports are coming in from Westwood about a pony being assaulted out on the El Diablo dry lake. He was reported to have severe head wounds and minor suffocation but has made a full recovery. One lucky pony if you ask me...”

Holy Luna spit-roasting on Celestia’s horn, Mr. Ponave was talking about me! I felt slightly honoured... but slightly scared at the same time...

“In other news, the Federation has confirmed that they have wiped out the Separatists from Buckwheat and set up camp there. They are naming the camp ‘Camp Dagger.’”

That wasn’t right. Not right at all. The Resistance exterminated the Separatists. Or at least most of them. Fed liars...

“Another ammo dump went up in flames near the Federation Border Security late last night. Federation officials are blaming a faulty pre-war canister shell going off and setting off a chain reaction, but rumours persist of Resistance involvement. Reports indicate that nopony was injured.”

You show ‘em, guys!

“Oh! Lookie here. This ought to interest a few of you monster hunters out there. The core town of Generosity reported flashing lights and loud noises coming from a nearby radscorpion den two evenings ago. Apparently it lasted for just a few minutes, but work in the Generosity fields came to a standstill. When investigated, the radscorpions had been completely torn apart. What could this phenomenon be? Aliens? Genetic experiments? Did Twilight Sparkle and the MAS leave us a present? Who knows? Cultists are saying its Cerberus himself, back from where he has been hiding to rid the world of the beasts he swore to hold back. Far fetched? Maybe.”

Wait what?

“Anyway, that seems to be it for now. More news coming later today. Now the weather. Rain. Lots of it. See you later, Ponave. Now here’s some Sweet Sonata with Blue Moon.”

The sound of brass instruments and swing started to fill the air. Much better than that violin stuff. I looked back across the table at Ace. “So how about that wei-”

Ace was beaming at me. “I love this song!” She squealed, jumping out of the booth. She started to dance. Something about her just seemed... I didn’t know. Maybe it was her long, wet brown mane, or her smooth movements while she danced, or... wait... no. Couldn’t be. No way was I starting to feel for Ace.

I think mini you would beg to differ.

I eeped.

Ace looked my way and smiled. “Come dance with me!” I shook my head violently. “Oh come on! Live a little.”

What would Shamrock do?

He...he would dance. But I couldn’t dance! I had four left hooves!

Just do it, filly.

I slowly got up with a sheepish smile. I was quickly grabbed by the hooves and dragged into the middle of the diner. Chester was having a wail of a time, laughing and slamming his hooves into the table. He looked like he was about to break into a jig.

Ace swung me around and around in the oddest dance I had ever participated in. There was a lot of swinging and kicking of the legs. I tried to keep in time with the music, but fell over my hooves instead. Fucking left hooves... Ace was laughing, Chester was laughing, I was laughing... wait, I was laughing? Why was I laughing? I had just buried my brother. Maybe... maybe it was Shamrock’s spirit, telling the inner me not to mourn? Who knows, all I knew was that I was having fun.

Maybe it had something to do with my ultimate vow of revenge. Maybe the fact that I had a goal to right the wrongs done to me and my family made me feel like... like I was mortal, and that I should enjoy every minute of life I had to spare.

Bullshit.

I was happy because I was dancing with a mare. Whatever the reason, I knew Shamrock would have been proud. He must have been looking down on me, and nudging the pony next to him telling him, “That’s my wee brother down there.”

“You suck at dancing,” Ace laughed, swinging me around. “Worse than your singing!” She swung me around again and let go. I stumbled back into the open booth and slumped onto the bench, the room spinning around me. What was happening? Was I dying?

No, wait, I was dizzy.

False alarm.

The song slowly finished as I watched the mare dance to her heart’s content. As soon as the song ended, she sat down in front of me and sipped her beer. “Need to teach you how to dance,” she chuckled. “Or at least pretend to dance. Looked like you were having a seizure.”

Gee, thanks. You totally danced like a queen. Not.

“You did seem happy though,” she said with a smile. “Was starting to get tired of mopey-Clover.”

“Yeah...” I replied. “I dunno why.” I looked up at my companion. “Feels good though.”

Ace smiled, and that smile turned into a long yawn. “A soft bed would feel good too,” she said after stretching. “Been up too long.”

I looked over at the old ghoul. He was watching a bug crawl along the top of his counter with great interest. Because bugs are fucking fascinating. Not icky and nasty at all. Especially ants. Ants are awesome. I shuddered in my seat remembering the ant chambers. I still felt bad for the little delusional ant with the knife stuck in him. Poor fellow.

“Chester,” my leather-clad friend called over. “Know where we can spend the night?”

“Not here...” the bearded ghoul muttered, staring at the bug. I swear he was missing a few screws. “There’s a house down the street. Should be empty, I check it every morning. Keep rowdy patrons out, and the like. I can put you up there for the night.” He turned his attention from the bug to us. “For an extra hundred caps.”

Ace looked out the window at the sheets of rain coming down over the Ponave. “I’m not camping out there,” she scoffed. “Balls to that.” She looked up at Chester, then levitated a bag of caps. From what I gathered, caps were currency out here. “Deal.”

Chester crushed the bug without even looking at it, a large smile on his face. “Good!” He dove behind the bar and emerged with an old key. “Here,” he said, dropping it on the counter. “Down the street, right before the road splits.” He smiled as Ace levitated both our tab (mouthing ‘you owe me’ to me as she did it) and the fee for the house. “One more thing,” the bald ghoul added. “Don’t bother getting into the basement. Thing’s locked up tight. Whoever owned that house didn’t want anything getting in.” He leaned in close. “Or out...” he added, then cackled like a looney.

“C’mon, Daisy,” Ace said, ignoring the warning, exiting the booth and trotting to her equipment. “Let’s head off.”

I looked out at the sheets of rain. Fuck. I liked rain, just not massive sheets of it. Sighing, I rose from my nice dry seat and shuffled to my stuff. Putting on the riot armour and coat I had left by the fire, I savoured the lovely, cozy warmth then put my saddlebags on and my SMG in its holster.

We trotted to the door and looked outside. Ace held the key in her magic, then deposited it in her barding’s breast pocket. As we peered through the doorway I was amazed at how dark it was. According to my Pipbuck, it wasn't even the evening yet. Stupid clouds. At least it wasn’t permanent. I would hate not seeing the sun again.

“Ready?” Ace asked, stretching her legs out. I nodded. “Readysetgo!” she yelled, zooming off down the street. I took off after her, but only after tripping over my own hooves and falling on my face, again. Zipping down the street, being drenched with rain, I thought I could see the house we were to stay in.

It was a large two story building that looked pristine against the crumbling ruins scattered around. I hadn’t the foggiest as to why it was still standing compared to the ruins that surrounded it. Didn’t have much time to think about it either as I almost tripped on the front steps to the porch.

Ah, a roof. Excellent. The porch was fairly large, much larger than my house’s. I missed my house... Anyway, the old wooden floor was missing a few planks and a few were foul with decay, as was the roof. I decided to take a look around as Ace unlocked the door. The sign beside the door read ‘Cpt. Pumpkin Cake, Lt. Pound Cake.’ Cool, army house. Maybe Federation? I turned back to take a look around.

From the porch, I could still see the old diner on the roadside, even Chester’s silhouette in the window. Was he watching us? Naw. Couldn’t be.

Trotting around the porch to look out the other side. I saw that the road ahead split into two ways, the left side went on into the desert, but the other one lead to a large hill, and was heavily barricaded. Somepony had spray painted ‘Red Zone. Turn Back.’ on a large slab of wood.

“Red Zone?” I asked as Ace unlocked the door. “What’s that?”

Ace zipped inside and pounced on the couch, using her levitation field to ignite a match and light the fireplace. “The Red Zone is an area that only suicidal ponies enter,” she said, taking off her wet equipment. Mmmm- Stop it! “That area was one of the only places around here to get hit by megaspells. About half a kilometer in the rads start to get to you. A kilometer in and you’ve passed the point of no return.” She looked at me with a serious look. “One and a half kilometers and you’re dead.”

She stretched herself out and yawned. “The zebras hit a coal power station out there.” She sat up on the coach and enjoyed the fire. “The only things in the Red Zone are two small towns, the power station, and Fort Divit.”

“Fort what?” I asked, taking my own equipment off. “What’s that?”

Ace rolled her eyes at my naivete. “Fort Divit,” she repeated. “A Coalition base. Had an academy too, if I read that correctly.” She looked over at me taking my coat off. “You do know what the Coalition was, right?”

“Yes,” I lied.

She wouldn’t be Ace if she didn’t see through my lies. “The Coalition was the old government back before the war. A Coalition of several species to be exact.” She took a second to think. “I think the Ponave and the Western Territories were supposed to be some kind of haven for all species. Pony, minotaur, griffin. The whole lot.” She shrugged. “Or some shit like that. Didn’t help them when the bombs went off.”

“You seem to know a lot about it,” I said as I moved my equipment to the fireplace. “Care to elaborate?” I sat down in an old armchair beside the fire.

“I read it in an old book a while ago,” she replied. I raised an eyebrow. “What? I locked myself in the bathroom once and it was the only thing to read while my dad found out a way to get the door open.” I raised my brow higher. “What? Its the truth!” she said, smiling. “Besides, your balls are showing,” she snickered.

My ba- I looked down. Shit. I panicked and shuffled myself around to conceal my dignity. “Um...uh...” Ace was laughing her flank off. “What’s so funny?!” I snapped.

“Just your reaction,” Ace said, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s priceless.” She composed herself and grinned. “I’ve seen your equipment before, Clover.” I started to turn red. “No need to be so shy.” Was she coming on to me? “Not like I would jump your bones. You’re not my type.”

Well wasn’t that a kick to the daddy-bag?

“I usually go for tough stallions or mares.” Another kick. “Or ponies I take a special liking too. But that takes a long time before even considering.” There goes all my chances.

At least you tried.

I guess... wait, was my conscience being nice?

Don’t get used to it.

Guess not.

The beige mare yawned and stretched again. “What? Did you think I would just pounce anything that came along?” The thought had crossed my mind. “‘Cause I don’t. I have only had three sexual partners in the past three years.” Really? Thought it was much more... serves me right to assume. “Anyway, I’m going to go find a bedroom.”

I watched as the brown-maned unicorn got off the couch and started for the stairs. She started swishing her hips as she walked. That was just too unfair. Turning my head, I decided it was better for me to stare at the fire, crackling warmly in the fireplace.

The world around me started to fade as I stared. I swear I saw a small Double Down in there and the face of a completely black pony laughing. It scared the crap out of me, but I couldn’t look away. The red eyes on the pony were fixed on mine, staring at me as it laughed over the corpse of my enemy. I myself started to chuckle, slowly.

“Yo, Chuckles,” Ace called from upstairs. The world snapped back into reality. “There’s two rooms up here.”

I looked up and saw Ace hanging over the banister upstairs. “Hmm?” I asked, still shaking the... satisfying, but scary picture out of my head.

The beige mare rolled her eyes. “Two rooms,” she repeated. “One for me, one for you.” She disappeared again. “Come check ‘em out, if you want.”

A soft bed did sound nice. So far I had slept in a grave, on a hospital bed, a couch, and, I think, the floor of a flying machine. I hated this desert, but a bed might make it a little better. Getting out of my chair, I trotted to the stairs.

The lounge was a sizable room with two adjoining rooms. From where I was, I saw that one was a kitchen, and the other was a study. I doubted the kitchen had anything left in it, considering it’s been a long while since it was last stocked. The study might have had something worthwhile, but I doubted that too. I was more looking forward to a bed.

I looked down the hall after trotting up the stairs. It was a long corridor with three rooms branching off. At the end of the hall I saw a bathroom, and I was guessing the other two rooms were bedrooms. Trotting to the first one, I peered inside. Ace was sprawled out on the bed, stretching with a big grin on her face.

“Making yourself comfy?” I asked. The room she had chosen was definitely a mare’s room. Or a very feminine stallion’s room. A dresser stood opposite the bed, an assortment of trinkets sprawled out on it. A mane brush, a decayed note, some pens, and three pictures.

One of them was of a golden earth pony with a blue mane, wearing a set of yellow fatigues and heavy brown plates of armour. His helmet sat beside him, a reinforced full helmet with a skull scratched into the visor. A peach unicorn with an orange mane, sat beside him on a long bench, leaning against him in a loving way. I could barely make out ‘Me and Valentine.’ written on a note that had been stuck to the heart shaped picture frame.

The other picture was of two ponies, the unicorn mare from the other picture was laughing with a cream coated pegasus with a brown mane. Both wore the same set of desert camouflage armour, just like the Resistance Special Operations squad’s armours. The picture made them look like twins. Maybe they were brother and sister?

I looked at the last picture. It was fairly faded, but I could still make out a plump blue mare with a tall pink mane, a slender yellow earth pony with an orange mane, and in the middle, a pink mare with a very poofy mane. The pink pony was pulling both of the other ponies into a strangling hug with a huge grin. I wondered who the others were, but I recognised the pink one, but where from? I stomped my hoof when I remembered the packaging from Pinkie’s Pies. That must have been Pinkie.

“Yup!” Ace piped up, stopping my train of thought. She dove under the covers. “Night!”

I chuckled and closed the door. “Night,” I said as I left. Trotting down the hallway, I noticed the lack of pictures or paintings. Just two pictures stood on the wall, one was of a bunch of soldier ponies in the middle of nowhere. I recognised the cream pegasus and peach unicorn, both with impressive sniper rifles on their backs. The rest of the ponies I didn’t know. My eyes were fixed on their rifles. They were black with a green stock, and looking very powerful. Shaking my head, I snapped out of it and trotted further down the hall.

The other picture was of a happy looking family. I recognised the plump blue mare and slim yellow stallion, even the peach unicorn baby and cream pegasus baby. So they must have been their parents. I couldn’t help but smile at the happy family. I was filled with a warm feeling as I turned and trotted to the other bedroom.

The room was more masculine looking than the other. In the corner sat a set of large weights, and the dresser only had two pictures (neither of which had heart-shaped frames). The first one was of a line of soldiers all saluting to a massive, blue, bipedal creature.

A minotaur, stupid.

I knew that! Stupid me... I mean conscience. Fuck. Anyway, the first three wore desert camo, the pegasus and unicorn included, followed by three ponies in heavier armour. The same as that Valentine chap wore. I think I saw Valentine there, but I couldn’t be sure it was him.

The second picture was of the blue mare and yellow stallion again. Definitely parents.

I turned around and saw the bed. It looked pretty damn comfy. Yawning, I closed the tattered drapes to block out the rain, took my duct-taped Pipbuck off, and slumped onto the bed. It was really soft, softer than the past few places I had slumbered. Warm, too. Snuggling under the blankets, I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

Still stuck to the ceiling were several newspaper clippings and pictures. The pictures were of several mares in very provocative positions, albeit a little faded. I looked around, blushing, and decided to read the newspaper clippings. They were all so faded. Something about a failed assassination attempt, a couple of heroes, some sort of ceremony... it was all jumbled up. I rolled over and stared at the wall. It wasn’t long before I found myself looking back up at the photos. I guess all of me wanted to see them...

I rolled over as much as I could and clamped my eyes shut. I shouldn’t be looking at them. It was ungentlecoltly. And...stuff. Pulling the blanket over my head, I yawned and slowly fell asleep.

“Da...Daw...Dawing...” I said in a small voice, reading the book on my lap. I was sitting on my father’s lap in our living room. I remembered the old cream couch and the green floral wallpaper from my childhood. “Dawing D...Doh.”

“Do, son,” my father said, smiling at me. Shamrock chuckled from his seat on the couch beside us. He was reading Mare Do Well, as he always did. I beamed up at daddy and looked back at the book.

“Dawing Do, and t...teh Gw....G...Gwi...” I looked up at dad again. “Whassat?” I asked in my foaly voice.

“Griffin,” Dad chuckled. “Half bird, half lion.”

“Wow...” I gasped and looked back at the book. “Awesome!” I found where I had left off. “Dawing Do and teh Gwiffin’s... Go...Gob...Gobwet.” I looked up at my dad. He beamed down at me and nodded. I grinned back. “Dawing Do and teh Gwiffin’s Gobwet. O...Onc...um...” I looked up at dad again.

My father shook his head with a smile and plucked the book from my hooves. “Maybe this is a little too advanced for you,” he said in a soft tone. I drooped a little on his lap, then the book appeared before me and dad cleared his throat. “Doesn’t mean we won’t read it.” I gasped and clapped my itty-bitty hooves together.

“Daring Do and the Griffin’s Goblet. Once upon a time...” my father began. I was immediately enthralled. Griffins were cool. Daring Do was cool. Goblets were cool. Whatever those were. This story was just awesome. Snuggling down in my father’s lap, I readied myself for the best story ever in the history of evers.

Except...nothing was happening. My father looked frozen when I looked up at him.

“Daddy?” I asked, standing up. “Hello?” I stood on my hind legs and pressed my hooves against his head. “Daddy?” I tapped him a few times, but nothing was happening. Shamrock was frozen in mid page turn. As frozen as dad was. “Shamwock?” Tears were starting to brim in my eyes. “I’m scared...”

“Surreal, ain’t it?” a smooth voice asked. “Just like a pretty picture.”

I looked in the direction of the voice. There, leaning against the kitchen door, munching on an apple, was a pure black pony with glowing red eyes. His mane and tail seemed to waft like smoke as he stood there.

“W-who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking as I tried to bury myself in dad’s lap. “What did you do to daddy?”

“I didn’t do anything,” the dark stallion laughed, throwing the applecore over his shoulder. “This is your mind, not mine.”

I peeked out of dad’s lap. “G-go away...” I squeaked. “You’re scawing me.”

The demon pony let out a laugh, which slowly escalated into a maniacal cackle. He looked at me with his piercing eyes. “I wish I could,” he said with a smirk. “As for who I am...” He put a hoof to his chin in thought. “Well, I don’t have a name...”

I blinked and he was gone.

“Lets think, hmm?” a voice said from behind me. The demon was on my shoulder, sitting crossed legged in thought, now a tiny little pony. “I guess I’m laying the groundwork in your mind. Pioneering if you will.” The black pony grinned at me.

“But Pioneer is so...” This time, the voice came from Shamrock, but instead of Shamrock flicking through the comic, it was the demon pony. “Lame,” he sighed, closing the comic.

“Oh, I know!” The voice changed host again. Shamrock was back to normal, but the voice came from behind me. I looked up at my daddy, but it wasn’t daddy. It was the red-eyed pony, grinning at me with a demonic smile, his teeth like a savage beast’s.

Turning, I tried to leap from the pony’s lap, but it caught me in mid air, grabbing me by the scruff of the neck and pulling me before his red, psychotic eyes. “How about Trailblaze?”

I hid my eyes behind my hooves.

“Yes...Trailblaze...” the demon pony said, scratching his chin with a demonic grin. He looked back at me. “I like that.”

“L-Leave me alone!” I squeaked, trying to squirm free.

Traiblaze laughed, ginning and bringing me closer. "Why would I do that when there is so much groundwork to do?"He raised his hoof to eye level. I tried to scream, but the hoof shot at me, shooting down my throat. I felt his presence blow through me like a freezing breeze, from the top of my snout to the end of my tail.

I convulsed on the armchair, the demon flowing through my body. “He-”

“-lp!” I shouted, darting upright in the bed, covered in cold sweat. Taking several deep breaths, my eyes darted around the room. It was dark but silent. I whipped the blankets off and sat on the edge of the bed, my head in my hooves. I shook it softly. “Talk about nightmares...” I muttered with a ragged breath.

Getting up, I trotted to the window and opened the curtains. The clouds were still out there, but the rain had stopped. I picked up my pipbuck and duct taped it to my foreleg. Glancing at the time, I realised it was stupid-o’clock in the morning. The sun would be coming up soon. I had been asleep for a good ten hours.

Stretching and shaking my head of the images that had plagued me during the night, I made my bed and decided to snoop around until Ace woke up.

The hallway outside my room was dark and cold. The only light was at the end of the corridor, coming from the remains of the fire. Moseying past Ace’s room, I swear I heard loud snoring. “Like a log...” I muttered to myself.

I sat down in front of the fire, lighting a match and trying to give the flame more life. As luck would have it, I had a crackling fire in no time. I sat back and sighed. “Now what...?” I asked myself. Might have had a few more hours before Ace was up and we could continue.

Looking around at my surroundings, I drummed my hooves on my lap and hummed to myself. “Welp. I’m bored,” I announced. Looking at my equipment, Idecided to look it over. Pulling my coat onto my lap, I spied a small note of paper. I pulled it out and saw the four numbers. Having a bright idea, I pulled up the note tab on my Pipbuck and hummed.

“The local flavours show the way. 20-45 39-73 85-97.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? The local flavour...

The diner maybe?

But what did the numbers mean?

Maybe it was the date... I looked at my pipbuck then facehoofed. The only number there that could even possibly be part of a date would be the twenty. Rolling my eyes, I glanced at the pipbuck, then hummed. “I wonder...” Could they be co-ordinates?

I zoomed in on the map, and traced the numbers on the side. The grid numbers here were nowhere near the seventies to nineties, so I traced the closest numbers to the ones on the note. 2045 led to the Red Zone, and 3945 led even deeper into the Red Zone. But 20-39 wasn’t. And just so happens to be the same grid as the diner and the house. The local flavours must have been the diner.

Zooming in, I used the map skills dad had taught me to find the exact spot. 204395 was right next to the diner, 207393 was... in the middle of nowhere, and 209397 was right next to the house.

What could it be? A message? A meet-up? Oh! Maybe it was treasure!

But what if it was a warning? Should I risk it?

Yes.

What? It might be treasure!

I slipped on my armour and coat before trotting over to the door, leaving my packs and weapons behind. Opening the door, I took note of the darkness. Not even Chester’s light was on in his diner. Flicking on my pipbuck’s light, I trotted out of the front door.

The night was chilly, and the wind was bracing. Popping my coat’s collar, I trotted outside and down the porch steps. According to my pipbuck, the first set of coordinates were right around the corner. Being the closest ones, I chose to follow them first.

I hobbled along, keeping an eye on my raised hoof’s pipbuck. It wasn’t long before I fell flat on my snout by tripping over a rock, but I had gotten to my objective. Sitting up and rubbing my snout, I found that I had fallen against a small trap door, a lock sitting on a thick chain around the handles. It was all shiny and looked damn near new. I would have predicted maybe a month or two since it was put there.

I lifted the lock and examined it. Looked sturdy as a tank to my eyes. I pulled on it, but to no avail. “This is definitely it,” I mused. “Or some weird coincidence.” I bit my upper lip while I thought. What could be down there? Gold? Federation Bits? Or even the caps they used as currency out here? Maybe...maybe a pristine trainset?! Oh I so hoped so! I liked trains, ever since Shamrock got me that trainset for my third birthday.

I missed Shamrock...

Stay focused.

Yes. Right. Wait...

Since when do consciences actually talk to a pony like a sentient being?

Who said I’m your conscience?

Oh...oh no... I gasped and covered my mouth with my hoof. Was that dream real?

That’s for me to know, and you to find out.

My body froze in complete horror. No. Nononono. That was not real. I do not have a demon pony in my mind. No way, no how. That shit was impossible.

Anything’s possible.

I’m not listening to you! You aren’t real! I stuck my hooves in my ears. “Lalalalala, not hearing anything, lalalala.”

A hoof clipped the back of my head lightly. I unplugged my ears and looked up to see a beige unicorn mare looming over me. “Y’alright there, Clover?”

I looked at my hooves, then to Ace. “Um...yeah. Sure. Just got a, uh...” Think, Clover, think! “A song stuck in my head. Its annoying as hell.” Genius!

Ace snorted. “Whatever.” She dropped my saddlebags and SMG at my hooves. I picked them up. “What’d you find?” she asked, kicking the trap door.

I merely shrugged. “Tried to decode those numbers that we found. Thought they might be co-ordinates, so I followed ‘em.” I looked at the trap door. “This is where the first set led me.”

“You can read coordinates?” Came the response. “Not many ponies can do that.” She leered at me for a moment. “You gonna tell me how you learned how to?”

“Simple,” I said, smiling up at her. “My dad taught me. He was super smart!” I tapped my chin. “I think he was a scientist or something. Would explain his cutie mark.” I shrugged. “Before he was a farmer.”

The leather clad mare raised an eyebrow. “Oh really.”

I nodded furiously, like a child agreeing to free candy. “Yup!”

“Alright...” Ace said, suspiciously. The then stepped over to the door with the padlock. “Oooh, this one's a doozy!” She grinned and prodded it with a hoof. “Nothin’ the great Ace can’t handle!” She sat down and pulled a bobby pin out of her mane with her magic.

I sat there and watched as she fiddled with the lock, slowly turning the pin and licking her lip. I clamped my mouth shut and watched in silence as she slowly manipulated the pin. She was concentrating so hard it looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel. It was several minutes before she cheered in triumph as the lock clicked and opened.

“Fuck you, lock!” she jeered at it. “I owned you, bitch!” She picked up the lock. “I’m so keeping this sucker.” She dropped it into her saddlebag.

“Good job,” I said with a smile. “Now what?”

The brown maned unicorn used her magic to violently open the trapdoor, floating her sawn off double barreled shotgun through. “We find out what’s inside!” she laughed and dove in. “I want to see some treasure!”

“Hey!” I called after her, diving inside. “I called it!”

The basement was almost empty. Only a few shelves with random junk stood amongst a few small boxes. Ace was drawn to the shelves full of bits and bobs, mostly books, as I trotted over to the boxes and nosed through them.

“Find anything?” my companion asked, throwing a small wooden doll over her shoulder. “Nothing good over here...”

I opened a box, grimaced, and closed it again. “Who knew ponies could hoard rat poop.” I shoved the box away and picked up the little wooden doll. “This was probably a filly’s favourite toy...” I whispered, thinking of my Gunter. The doll was of a pretty looking mare, smiling a brilliant smile, not in the least bit worn. I put it in my saddlebag. “Probably misses it.”

“What was that?” Ace asked, looking over her shoulder. “You say something?”

Sighing, I looked at the shelves. “Just be more careful, eh?” I trotted over. “Some of these things may have been prized possessions.”

Ace laughed, heartily at that. “To whom? The dust mites?” She shuffled along the shelf some more. “Whoever owned all this is probably long dead.”

Scowling at the unicorn, I too started looking around the shelves. “What have we got here...” I looked over the books and old magazines. Lusty Griffin Maid, Tales of a Cop... Mare Do Well issue 2?! I picked up the comic and made myself comfy on the ground. “Sweeeet!”

The unicorn just rolled her eyes, and continued her search. “Gotta be something of use...”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my nose buried in my comic. “This is gold!”

The mare sighed. “Sure.” She started pulling the books from the shelf with not much more than a glance. “Boooring...”

Book after book fell from the shelf. “So nothin’ in the boxe-”

“Nothing at all.” I looked up at Ace who had her hoof on a book. “What’s up?”

“This one’s stuck...” she grunted, pulling at the book. “No book defies Ace!” She got up on two hooves (giving me another good vie- STOPPIT!) and put both hooves on the book. With an almighty heave, she yanked the book from where it sat on the shelf. Except it pulled a lever along with it.

“Groovy...” Ace marvelled as one of the shelves buckled and started to move. Now, I’d expect dust and grime to fall down from the ceiling and the hinges to creak and groan, just like in Daring Do, but this wasn’t the case. This set of shelves moved with no noise, no dust, and no grime. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed.

Ace was the first through the new door. I reluctantly shoved my new comic into my bag and got up to follow. The new shelf-door lead to a long concrete hallway, and a light flickered on at the end.

“Fancy,” Ace murmured. “Dibs on the treasure.”

“Hey!” I whined. “I called dibs ages ago!”

Ace rolled her eyes and glanced at me over her shoulder. “Such a child.” What? She just said she had dibs, then called me childish?! What the- I don’t even- Ugh. Bitch.

The concrete corridor was so bland that the room at the end was a very welcome sight. There was a huge door on the wall opposite the corridor, a desk and workbench to my left, and three large containers on my right. I zipped to the containers, wanting to get the treasure before Ace could. I was successful.

“Lets see what we have here...” I said with a grin. “Come to papa, treasure.” I opened the first of the containers. The hiss of pressurised air was comforting, meaning that whatever was inside was preserved.

And better yet, not taken.

The top of the container opened up and there sitting before me was the most gorgeous, most intense, most beautiful sniper rifle I ever did see. It was the same green and black rifle from the pictures upstairs, with a matching harness.

“Pretty...” I murmured, licking my lips and wiping away the slobber. “So mine.” I picked the sniper rifle up and slung it over my back in a flash, put all the clips and clasps together, and flipped the scope over my eye with practised precision.

But I had never held a rifle in my life.

“What the hell...” Ace asked, staring at me down the sights of her shotgun. “How the fuck did you do that? You’re a spy, aren’t you?!”

“We’ve been over this!” I said back, flipping the scope back to its resting position. “I’m just a farmer.”

“Then explain how you know how to use a sniper rifle like that.”

I looked at the rifle, to Ace, then back to the rifle. I had no clue. Not the foggiest. “Must have...read about it.”

“Fuck off,” Ace growled. “No fucking way does a pony do that from just reading.”

Hell, she was right. Nopony could. Ever. Think Clover, think! I strained to remember how I knew how to do this.

Before my brain exploded from all the strain, as if by magic, I remembered. “I remember!” I yelled before Ace could pull the trigger. “Me and my brother Shamrock had an old harness like this one when I was eight!” I explained. “Dad made us a wooden rifle to use when we played Rangers and Raiders!” I shook my hooves to emphasise my point. “Shamrock always let me use it, even when it was his turn!”

“A harness just like that one?” Ace asked, nodding at the harness now strapped around my riot barding. “That’s a grade-A combat harness, very rare equipment if you aren’t in either the Resistance or the Feds. Start talking sense, boy.”

I blinked. Where did I find it? Ugh, thinking was starting to hurt... oh! That’s right! “Found it when my dad found that old Coalition cart. He found it half buried when he was out on one of his little trade negotiation thingies.”

“Trade negotiation thingies?” Ace asked in a condescending manner. “Keep talkin’.”

“The Feds wouldn’t come to us,” I explained. “So he had to go to them!”

Ace huffed, lowering her shotgun slightly. “And he just happened to find it?”

I nodded furiously. “Yes! Yesyesyesyes!” Please don’t shoot me, please don’t shoot me...

The mare stared for a few moments, then lowered her shotgun. “I guess weirder things have happened...” she muttered and walked over to the desk and chair, muttering some more, only brightening up when she found a key for the padlock. Who kept a key inside the thing they locked up? It doesn’t make sense...

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned back to the box. Lots of ammo. About fifty rounds in all, all packed together in magazines. I pulled them out and put them in my saddlebags, making a mental note to get some extra pockets for them. That left three ammo boxes in the container. I opened them and was presented with two magazines in each. Pulling one out, I looked at the top bullet. In it was scratched ‘Redemption.’

I pulled the old casing from the communications building. Redemption, Regret, and Revenge. The other ammo boxes held similar magazines, one of them held ‘Regret’ and the other ‘Revenge’ bullets.

This equipment had to belong to the two ponies who lived here, but that was two hundred years ago. How did the casings end up in the communications building? None of this made sense...

“What’s in the second one?” Ace asked, from across the room. Good question. I trotted over to the other container and opened it, with the same pressure release gimmick the other one did.

Inside sat a gauntlet with a circle right in the middle of it. “What the...” I pulled it out and looked it over. It was a brown leather encased device that fit perfectly around my forearm. It looked like a small orb would fit in the middle of it. Looking in the box, I saw one little orb, sitting right in the center, and on an old note.

“Hmm...” I mused, taking the note out. ‘The Good Times...’.

I pulled out the orb and looked it over. “What’s this doohickey?” I asked Ace, holding it out. Ace was nosing through some old document and groaning from boredom.

She looked up at me and ooh’d. “That’s a memory orb!” She trotted over. “Looks old too. I’d say over two hundred years. Ever wanted to see what the world was like before the war?”

I looked at the orb, then back to Ace. “Bullshit.” That’s impossible. How do you capture a memory in an orb? I held it between my hooves and looked it over. Was it a camera? A camera the size of a billiard ball, how convenient.

Ace shook her head. “Nope, its legit a memory from the past.” She took the ball from my hooves. “Trapped in this little thing.”

“So how do we see it?” I asked, taking it back. “Is there a button or something?”

“Need to be a unicorn,” Ace said with a smirk. “Which I just so happen to be, and you just so happen to not be.”

Bitch. I held the orb back to her. “Take a look then, your highness.”

The mare backed away. “Fuck that,” she stated simply. “Could be torture or some shit.”

Wimp. “Sure.” I sneered. “You’re just chicken.”

“Says the chicken,” Ace replied with a grin.

“I’m not chicken,” I whined back. “I’m just...uh...” Think, Clover, think... “Sensitive to bad situations is all.” Nailed it.

The unicorn mare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.” She nodded to the last box. “What’s in box number 3, Mr. Sensitive.”

Good question. I trotted back over to the boxes and looked the last one over. This one was a bit more beat up than the others, and the lid seemed to have been opened recently. Especially when it opened without the pressure show.

Inside sat a note, nothing more, nothing less. Frowning in disappointment, I picked the note out and read it.

“Damn it all...

It’s been too long to keep this charade up. I wish I could change the past. I wish I could find you.

But I can’t.

Nothing will change. This tired old world will just keep spinning, and day in, day out, ponies will die at the hooves of corruption and monsters. I tried to fix that, but I couldn’t.

Whoever finds this, you’ve gone through enough for me to know you aren’t some dumb raider, so I hope you can use my equipment better than I could.

Or don’t.

I don’t give a shit anymore.

Go kill some raiders. Or Feds. Or Resistance, whatever. Just do better than I did.”

Well that was morbid.

“So...” Ace said from behind me. She had been reading the letter over my shoulder. “I guess that stuff is yours now.”

Sweet. “I guess...” My very own super-cool rifle and hoofband...thingie. What was that thing anyway...

The inscription on the side read “Recollector V1.7”

“What strikes me as odd...” Ace mused, “Is that whoever wrote this note didn’t mention the memory orb.” Maybe whoever wrote it just didn’t care about anything anymore and walked into a bullet or something.

“No idea,” I lied. Didn’t want to make an already morbid situation more depressing. “Anything by the desk?”

“Just some papers and a really rusty knife,” my companion replied. “The sheath is still good though.” She pulled a sheath from her saddlebag. It looked like it was suited for some kind of woodspony/combat knife thingie. I had seen this kind of knife in a survival poster in the town hall back on the Plains. Its blunt side started to slope inwards half way down, then back out to meet with the tip. I couldn’t remember what it was called...

“Neat-o,” I said, looking at it. “But your machete won’t fit in it.”

“Which is why,” Ace said, using her magic to strap it around my upper foreleg. “We need to get you a knife.”

I blinked at her. “What are you implying?” I asked dumbly. “That I need a knife to... stab somepony?” No way, nope, not going to happen.

The mare huffed with either frustration or amusement, I couldn’t tell. “You might need a knife for survival, not killing.” She nodded to the door. “Might need to cut some wires or harvest food or something out there.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, I nodded. “Right. Non-combat options. Yes.” I looked towards the door. “Time to get moving?”

Ace looked around. “I’m curious...” No duh. She trotted over to the large steel door on the other side of the room. “What’s through here...”

I would hazard a guess as to nothing good, given the large ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ that was painted on it.

“We don’t need to find out,” I muttered, turning to the concrete corridor. “Let’s just- Hey!”

A silhouette at the end of the hall was staring at us, then burst into laughter as a large steel door started closing on both our side and his side of the corridor. A beardy silhouette.

“Chester, you fucking fuck!” Ace roared, running from the other side of the room, but she was too late, the large steel door slid shut in front of her. “Fuck you!” she yelled repeatedly, slamming her hooves on the door. “Let us out!”

“What a dick...” I said, looking at the door. “Why would he do that?”

“Fuck him and his stupid little diner,” Ace grumbled, giving up on forcing to door open with her hooves. “He trapped us, the git.”

Looking around for a way out, I spotted a wall mounted terminal beside the corridor door. Except it was dangling by two solitary wires. “Well, that’s disappointing...”

Ace roared and ripped the terminal from the wall completely. “I hate ghouls!” She kicked the terminal’s dead screen in and stomped to the larger door, its terminal still intact. “Looks like this is our way out.”

Ah yes, the large door that probably holds all sorts of baddies. Nope, not panicking at all. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Ace just leered at me. Good enough for me. She looked back to the terminal and turned it on. “Oh for fuck’s sake!” she yelled, facehoofing. “Need a damn password.”

Trotting up beside her, I looked at the terminal. Yup, login screen. “That suck-” My pipbuck beeped and showed a whole new screen. A screen with all sorts of...words. And symbols. And numbers. But what could it all mean?

“Fuck yeah!” Ace cheered, grabbing my pipbuck’d foreleg and pulling it before her, bringing me sprawling with it. “Hacking software, nice.”

“What?” I asked, but she wasn’t listening. She was scrolling through the words and symbols with the occasional murmur, or ‘dammit’.

I watched her back out of the terminal about three times over the course of about ten minutes. “Oh come on...” she grumbled, backing out again. “Come on, fourth time’s a charm.” She shut her eyes and pressed a word at random.

*beep*

“Well I’ll be a radhog’s uncle...” Ace said with a smile. “That got it.” She dropped my foreleg and looked over her options. Well, option. She pressed the ‘Open Tunnel’ selection and stood back.

Getting back on all fours, I looked up at the door that was starting to shudder and light up. Several gears started to churn while all sorts of security latches started to open. Sure enough, the door started to slide up. “Bit excessive, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Not when it's a heavy military-grade blast door,” Ace replied. I still thought it was excessive.

A huge, rectangular hallway stood before us, looming into complete darkness. “Fuck. That.” I stated, shuffling back to the broken terminal. “Maybe I can fix this and-”

“Oh stop being a baby,” Ace growled, dragging me back to the door by my tail. “This is the only way out and you know it.” I did know it but that wasn’t the point! It was scary as fuck in there!

That was until the very dim lights started to flicker on. “How novel,” Ace said, dropping my tail. “Now come on, I don’t want to be dragging your lame ass down here any longer.” She started trotting down the tunnel, I really reluctantly followed.

“Did I ever tell you...” Ace said, looking up at the dim lights. It had been about twenty minutes since we started down the hall, and I hated every little moment of it. “That I hate tunnels?” She looked at me. “Like, with a burning passion and shit.”

“You and me both, pal,” I whimpered. What? I was scared witless. Down here, in Celestia-knows-where. Fuck tunnels. There weren’t even directions, we were just choosing tunnels at random. I dunno how the ponies of old navigated through here. Might have something to do with the really faded coloured lines on the floor. Maybe. And to make it worse, my mind was playing tricks on me, making me hear things. Nothing down here but me and Ace.

“Y’know, I think we might be under the Red Zone,” Ace mused, looking up. Fucking great. “Scary stuff happens out here apparently.”

“I don’t even want to know,” I grumbled, looking at my hooves. “I just want to go home.” Home. Oh, how I missed it. I wished I was in my old bed, with my little Gunter, in my own room, in my own home. Oh man, I’d never see Gunter again... I sighed and looked up again.

“Stuff like the dead roaming the rad fields.” Wait what? “Yup, zombies ‘n’ shit.”

“No way, zombies aren’t real,” I scoffed. Right? They better not be.

“Eeyup, radiation does fucked up things to a pony. I mean, look at Chester.” She growled. “Chester... fucking ghoul’s gonna die next time I see him.”

“Pleasant,” I whimpered. “So these zombies... are they like the ones in stories?” I never did like horror stories, but Shamrock loved them. He never watched or read them near me, but I did take a peek on occasion and regretted it.

And as if on cue, four red blips popped up on my EFS. Fuck.

“Nope,” Ace said, pulling her shotgun from her back. “Because the dead don’t shuffle...” A heavily rotted face peeked around the corner, more rotted than Snake Eyes or Chester, with only a few tufts of mane on its head. “They run.”

The rotting pony howled to high heaven and sprinted around the corner, followed by several more. Ace was quick as a bunny with shooting the first one, making its head explode into thousands of pieces. “Don’t just stand there!” she shouted at me. “Fire your weapon!”

I stood dumbstruck, disgusted, and scared out of my mind. “Z-Z-Z-Zombies...” I had had nightmares about zombies as a kid, and I have always hated them since. But I didn’t have a gun in them. I felt an eerie calm flow over me as pulled my sniper to bear. Aiming down the scope, I lined up a shot. I clamped down on the firing bit.

*Bang*

A bullet exploded from the end of my rifle and slammed into another zombie’s head, a unicorn, making it fly back into a zombie earth pony. Both fell lifeless as the bullet had gone through both and struck the wall behind them. Ace was making short work of the rest with her shotgun, firing and reloading like a fine tuned machine.

It didn’t take long to take on the group of zombies. And there it was, the sweet feel of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Lovely.

“Fucking ferals,” Ace grunted, smashing one’s dead head with the butt of her shotgun. “Worse than ghouls...”

“Ferals?” I asked, looking over the corpses. They all wore the tattered remains of yellow and brown fatigues and armour, and one wore a desert camouflage set of armour, like the Resistance spec ops group’s. I think the pony was a mare by the shape of her head. I wondered who she used to be, but from what I could tell, she was a green earth pony mare with a pink mane.

“What happens to ghouls who take too much radiation,” my leather-clad companion answered. “Or when their brain finally melts.” Ew. “And there’s bound to be more where this came from. We better hurry.” And with that, she was off. With the adrenaline now in my blood, I felt like I could run for miles, which we might have to do, seeing as these tunnels ran forever.

More red blips popped onto my EFS, but we kept running. Occasionally, as we passed an intersection, Ace would fire down a hall, nail a ghoul, and keep running. I don’t think I could do that, as I would have to turn my whole body to shoot. I decided to switch to my SMG and do the same.

The weird thing was, I didn’t feel any fear. Or maybe I did, but didn’t notice it. I was almost enjoying myself, like the adrenaline was making me delirious, or maybe courageous. Whatever it was, I loved it.

I looked over my shoulder and instantly the feelings of courage disappeared. There was a fucking horde of undead ponies following us, each howling their horrific screams. “Ace!” I screamed, turning my head back around and clamping my eyes shut. “What do we do?!”

Ace just laughed. “We use my secret weapon.” She continued to fire back with her shotgun, but I saw her levitate a small metal apple out of her saddlebag, then another one with a red band. “Fire in the hole!” she yelled as we turned a corner and pulled the stems out, throwing them into the horde.

The hallway exploded into shrapnel and fire as both apples detonated. Bits and pieces of pony slammed against the corner we had just turned and fell into mushy silence. Ace and I slowed down to look back.

“And that’s how we do that,” Ace cheered with a grin. She turned around and started trotting back down the old corridor. My EFS was clear now, no sign of any enemies.

We turned another corner and were met with another intersection. Except this one had a sign, pointing left. Left was the only direction we could go, seeing as the other halls were collapsed. Come to think of it, the condition of the halls had been getting worse and worse. I wondered where we were. The sign read ‘Fort Divit, Escape Hatch 101, Hangars’.

“Guess we’re heading left then,” Ace said, looking down the hall. Just as bland as the others.

I was right, the halls were getting worse. Especially when the next intersection came up. The walls were covered in gunk and nasty mould; even my pipbuck started to tick slightly. “Now what?” I asked.

Ace shrugged. “Keep going straight?” She started to trot forward. I closed my eyes and sighed, taking a quick moment to calm myself. The adrenaline was leaving my system, and I was starting to feel the effects of the running. Fucking zombies... I opened my eyes and started trotting after Ace.

Within a blink of an eye, a red blip appeared and disappeared. I turned around and looked down the hall. There was nothing there. “Ace...”

“What?” Ace asked, looking over her shoulder.

The hallway was empty and silent. “...nevermind.”

The mare rolled her eyes and kept walking. “Then shut up.”

I couldn’t help but comply as I fell in beside her. I think this place was starting to make me go crazy. Maybe it was the mould or spores or something. Either way, I wanted to find that escape hatch.

Which wasn’t this way. Something that was made painfully obvious by a huge metal door at the end of the hallway. It looked like the one in the basement, but so much bigger and more battered. Especially the two large holes in the center of it. They were about as big as my hoof and looked like something had pierced the door from the outside. The giant steel door. Well, that inspired confidence.

“Dead end,” Ace muttered, turning back.

“Aren’t you curious?” I wasn’t, but it was a door like the other one she was curious about.

Ace simply pointed the door. It read ‘Fort Divit’. I see. Definite Red Zone. Turning back was the only real option here.

“So what do you think made those ho-”

I was interrupted by a blood curdling roar that chilled my soul to the very core. “What...was tha-” I was interrupted again by an almighty crash and the sound of thundering hooves running down the hall. We poked our heads around the corner at the intersection and peeked down one of the halls.

That became one of the scariest moments of my life. Down one of the halls stomped a massive, bipedal ghoul, more than twice the size of a pony. It had huge, cracked horns that were easily a hoof wide, and a ring going through its nose. Its massive barrel chest was peeling and cracked, just like all the other ghouls, and it wore what seemed to be the tattered remains of a uniform, with stars along its shoulders. Its weird finger things held a long decorative sword, turned orange with age. I looked into its yellow, milky eyes and only saw rage. What the hell was that thing?!

Minotaur, idiot.

Right, that- shut up!

The thing spotted us and roared with the rage of ten thousand balefire bombs (not really, but still) and raised its sword above its head, scraping it against the tunnel ceiling.

Ace turned down one of the halls and bolted. I watched her, rooted in what I think was shock. Then I looked back down at the minotaur.

The giant abomination scraped the ground with a hind hoof and roared before taking off at lightning pace. I barely had time to snap to before I realised what was happening. I yelped and took off after Ace.

“Got any more grenades?!” I yelled across at her after I caught up. “We could really use one or... a thousand right now!”

“Nope,” Ace yelled back. “Those were my only ones!.” Shit shit shit shit. “I have a plan though!”

“Now would be a great time to tell me!” I yelled as we turned a corner.

Ace looked back and saw the towering beast try to turn into our corner and slam its side into the wall. That just pissed it off more. “We keep runnin’!”

“Bloody genius!” I yelled back, thundering along the tunnels, watching my EFS. “You should get a medal!”

“Hey, don’t you start!” the mare running beside me called. “It might not fit through the escape hatch, if we find it!”

Okay, that was wishful thinking, but it might’ve worked. If more red ticks hadn’t started appearing on my EFS. Balls.

Ghouls of all shapes and sizes of pony started to emerge from the tunnels ahead. Even a few griffin shaped ones. They all turned their creepy, milky eyes to us before growing into a crescendo of unified roars. We had to get past them.

“Charge!” Ace called out, levitating all her weapons out. “Fight to the last pony and bullet!”

“Fuck that!” I yelled back, clamping my teeth down on my SMG’s handle. “I’m not dying down here!”

We both opened fire, Ace’s shotguns tore through them like a hot knife through butter, and her machete was like a chainsaw through paper. Great analogies, Clover, absolutely golden. My SMG was effective, but not as effective as I wished. The ghouls were still falling around us as we sprinted, but more were getting trampled by the huge beast thundering after us. Gore and bits and pieces flew up around us as the ghouls met their grisly end.

I felt the teeth of a ghoul sink into my flank as I sprinted by, but only for a second as I yanked the teeth out of the rotten pony’s skull. Ace had suffered a ghoulified talon to the cheek, but we kept running. By the time we had gotten ahead of the horde, we were bashed, battered, and bruised, but dammit we kept running. Literally running for our lives.

The minotaur was still tailing us, its heavy hoof falls crushing spines and heads as its sword carved through anything in its way. “Maggots!” It screamed at the top of its lungs. They could talk, how novel.

Left, right, left, we just kept running and running and running through the tunnels, occasionally looking back only to fire our weapons. The minotaur was leading the pack, foam oozing from its nose. The horde of zombies were sprinting behind it. Occasionally one would get in front, but it was promptly squashed beneath the big blue bastard.

“We’ve got to be almost there!” Ace yelled, blood oozing from her cheek. “C’mon, please?!” It was as if she was talking to whoever was looking over us. Some would say Luna or Celestia, and some would say... probably somepony else. As if I’d know, I didn’t need a deity to farm appl-

Oh now that was just fucking evil. We had sprinted down a hall where the lights had been knocked out and right into a dead end. The tunnel had collapsed right ahead and we hadn’t seen it.

“Shit! Turn back!” Ace spun on her hooves, but the tunnel entrance was blocked by the silhouettes of the horde, standing, watching. The minotaur started forward. I could barely make out a demonic grin on its face as it dragged its sword along the ground beside it.

“Desertion... betrayal... treason... you maggots are gonna pay...” It growled at us. “And I’m the taxman.” That was corny. Definitely crazy.

The only light at this end of the hall was the faint glow from my pipbuck light. It was really dull, but then again, it was burned and damaged. I looked at Ace for some idea of what to do, but she was just staring at the minotaur. She had no idea what to do, and all I saw in her eyes was fear.

If Ace wasn’t going to do anything... that just left me.

You can do this. Don’t be a pussy.

The voice in my head was right, regardless if it was me or that dream demon thingie. I was the only one left to do anything. Clamping my eyes shut and taking a deep breath, I pulled my sniper into its firing position. I opened my eye and looked down the scope, aiming at the beast’s face. Clamping down on the trigger bit, and a bullet cracked from the sniper. It almost seemed like time slowed down as the bullet flew through the air with grace and majesty... just to hit the nosering and ricochet into its shoulder. The nosering hit the floor and the beast roared. Fuck.

At least it gave Ace the cue to wake up and get her weapons out. “Come get som-” she began, but the beast charged us. “Shit!” She fired her double barreled shotgun and the beast’s chest was peppered with buckshot, but its bloodlust overrode the pain and it swung its sword, sending the shotgun spinning and smashing into a wall, breaking into several pieces. The beast curled its digits on its free hand into a ball and swung at Ace, connecting with her chest and sending her flying into the wall next to her shotgun with a crack. She slid down the wall and went limp.

“No!” I yelled and charged at the beast, the adrenaline giving me a newfound confidence. Slamming my hooves into its bloody chest with all my might, I actually managed to stagger the best, but it was short lived as it roared back at me and shoved me off.

“And assaulting a senior officer!” It bellowed at me. “I’ll see you executed for this, soldier!”

I reared up and kicked with my hind legs, but it caught one of them and whipped me back down onto my back. I felt my back crack and my teeth shudder as I collided with the floor and looked up at my assailant, pinning me down with his overgrown hoof. In the glow of my pipbuck, the minotaur looked like the devil himself. With the horns, demonic expression, and slick with blood. He brought his sword above his head, and the other ghouls at the end of the hall howled in triumph.

“Time for your dishonourable discharge, boy,” the beast chuckled. The sword glimmered in the orange light, making it look like it was made of fire. Pebbles from the debris hit my face, but I was too transfixed on the blade to really care. “Any last...” The minotaur looked up.

Wait a minute, orange light? My pipbuck was white. Where was the light...? I followed the minotaur’s distracted gaze and saw a tiny little orange hole opening in the rubble. It started to grow wider and wider before stopping, the last pebble smacking my nose.

“What the-” the minotaur started before the hole erupted into flame, bathing the minotaur’s face, charing the rotten flesh from the bone. The beast howled and clutched its face, staggering back. The flame was spreading across its body. I looked back up at the hole, and there sat a giant red ant with a knife sticking out of its body. My loyal subject, as it were.

The ant silently crawled out and scuttled along the ceiling, making a beeline for the horde of ghouls. The minotaur had already trampled some of them in its panic. By then, the fire had spread over its whole body as it fled. I knew the beast wouldn’t survive, and I certainly didn’t want it to. Bastard.

The fire ant took its sweet time roasting the ghouls and the air filled with their screams as I got back to my hooves and walked over to Ace. She was coming to and holding her head.

“Minotaur got us,” I stated, simply, helping her up.

Ace looked at me unbelievingly. “And you killed him?” She looked around. “Or did he get bored and walk away?” She looked at the burning corpses. “And what happened to them?”

I pointed up. Ace looked up and saw the ant clinging to the ceiling above us, waving its antennas around. The mare automatically levitated her shotgun up, only to realise that the stock was all that remained after its sudden, hard impact with the concrete wall.

“Minotaur,” I said and looked up at the ant. “And he saved us.” The ant climbed down the wall and stood next to me. “I’m surprised he’s not attacking you.”

Ace eyed the little ant. “Sure...” She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t trust it...” She looked at the hole it made, then to the burning corpses. “Can it get us out of here?”

I looked down at the ant. “Can you?”

The ant stared at me for a brief moment before scuttling over to the debris. He started digging and soon enough, he had made a pony sized hole through to the tunnel on the other side of the rubble.

“How did he know where we were?” Ace whispered to me after we had crawled through and applied the last of our bandages.

I looked at the bug, then to Ace. “Maybe he was following us.” I stood up tall. “I am his king after all.”

Ace snickered. “Sure thing, Queen Daisy.” Dammit.

Sunlight. Glorious sunlight. It was pouring into the tunnel from a large open hatch in the tunnel.

We had been following the ant out of this maze for around twenty minutes before it showed us where it had gotten in, and according to my pipbuck, we were well out of the Red Zone. Even the tunnels had started to get in better condition.

And better yet, no ghoulies.

That was almost literally hell. I had never felt so scared or overworked in my life. I was even starting to shake just by thinking about it. Still, it was over, and we were safe. And being guided by a fire-breathing ant. Nothing could be better.

I crawled out and took a look at the crates in the cart.

One of them held some ammo which I hadn’t seen before. They were small bullets, and the magazine said ‘10mm’. None of our guns could hold them, but I deposited them in my saddlebags. Still might make a pretty bit- sorry, cap out here. The next two carts were empty, but I did spy something under it.

Under it lay a skeleton. Judging by the bone structure of its face, I would guess male, in the tattered remains of clothing. Not a uniform, this attire looking like it was cobbled together, waster style. Maybe a scavenger who met an untimely end? By the looks of the congealed blood around its hind leg, maybe a ghoul bit into his main artery and he bled out. At least, I think that’s what happened. I’m no doctor.

He did have a saddlebag though.

“Sorry, friend,” I grunted as I carefully took the pack from him, “but I’m guessing you won’t need this.” I opened it up to see his plunder. A few tins of preserved food, some ammo, a broken pistol, some caps, and a photo. Dropped the rest and looked at the photo. It wasn’t too old, maybe taken in the past few years. It was of a pink and orange mare holding a green foal, only about the side of my head, and a proud looking black earthpony stallion. I looked down at the skeleton. Placing the photo under his hoof on his chest, I sighed. “Fucking wasteland...” I went back to his bag.

The last thing I found was a small billiard ball-sized orb. “Another memory orb?” I asked myself. “Wonder if it’s from the same person...” No explanation on it, and no way of telling what’s in it. I decided to deposit it in my saddlebag and got back to my hooves, having emptied the skeleton’s bag into mine. Still, just leave him lying under that cart? I decided to pull him out and place him in the cart.

I found the fire ant had made his way next to me and was staring at the cart. “Do it,” I ordered. I think I knew what the ant was thinking. Did ants think? No matter, as I was right. It unleashed a small spout of flame, which set the cart ablaze, the skeleton with it.

“It’s not a proper burial, but it will do...” I muttered to myself. A funeral pyre was better than rotting on the sands.

“So...” Ace asked, trotting beside me and prodding her cheek, followed by a tiny ‘owie.’ She took a look around. Nothing in the immediate area, mountains in the distance. “Where are we?”

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

“Pathfinder”

Well ain’t you fancy? Your skills with long ranged weapons and map skills have made you quite the little pathfinder. You gain 10 points to both Guns and Survival, and your ADS is much faster with long ranged weapons.

Special thanks to Adder1, Kal, Menti, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

Chapter 7: Dust and Shadows.

Chapter 7: Dust and Shadows.

“Are you cuh-razy?!”

So basically, Ace, the Ant, and I made our way back to the main road. It was barely hard because of my pipbuck maps. The sun was still rising in the morning sky, and the air was filled with morning freshness. You’d think that’d be rare in the wastelands, but there were times where you can glimpse that tiny moment of beauty between the beautiful blue skies and the yellow sands with the small, dark, green shrubs and bushes. It was pretty.

We followed the road for about an hour before we met a traveling trader. Of course, I had to hold back Ace once we found out he was a Federation merchant. But when I realised what he was selling, Ace had to hold me back. Apples from my fucking farm. Now, there were two options here- either these apples were about a month old and the merchant was severely overpricing us, or these were freshly picked and some fucking Fed bozo had taken my family’s fucking apple orchard and was now profiting from my fucking orchard. I was just about ready to tear shit up.

It took me a few rage-filled minutes to chill out, finally nab all eight of his apples at a threat-induced discount (partially thanks to Ace’s machete and my family pride), and purchase a few other ingredients from the overpricing fucker before he scurried off down the road, heading back west.

“What a cunt,” my unicorn companion said. “Charging ten caps per apple..."

“My apples,” I seethed, “that I planted, that I grew, and probably that I harvested... fucker.”

The ant just stared at us.

We started walking again, but it only took us about five minutes until Ace’s tummy rumbled with the force of a stick of dynamite. Well, not really, but it was loud. She smiled sheepishly at me. “Uh..."

“Hungry?” I asked with a chuckle. We hadn’t eaten in... sheesh, I didn’t remember. Of course, thinking about it made me hungry.

“Break time?” Ace asked, licking her lips. I nodded, slowly. Ace licking her lips... it seemed to go in slow motion as the hot mare- Dammit! It would never happen, stop thinking about it!

Ugh.

Anyway, we found a small, open area vacant of bushes, shrubs, and rocks. Just dry, packed earth and a small pile of ash surrounded by ash. I guessed it was a popular camping spot. We sat down and Ace stared at my saddlebags, hungrily, continuously licking those luscious lips... moving on.

Pulling my saddlebag off of my flank, I pulled out a small rag and placed a few of the ingredients I bought from the merchant. Two apples, a small block of fresh brahmin cheese, and a few herbs. All of that was so fresh! Say what you will about the Feds, but their farms really kick this wasteland’s ass!

Ace almost lunged at the food, but I managed to stop her. “Not so fast, Acey. I said I’d cook for this meal, and I sure as hell will.” Ace gave me a curious stare. “Just watch. This is an old recipe my dad taught me.” I looked through my pack and groaned in frustration. “I need a knife..."

Ace picked up her machete. “Well, you could use this, or..." She glared at the little ant that was following us. The little... well, giant ant, sat on the ground next to me, seemingly staring into space. “We could pull his knife out.”

I looked at the knife sticking out of the little ant’s body. “That would hurt it, wouldn’t it?”

Ace nodded. “Probably like hell, but it can’t be healthy.” She looked down at the ant again. “It’s probably infected or something.” I took a few minutes to think about it. I really didn’t want to hurt my little subject, but... Ace was right. “I could spare maybe one health potion.”

“Isn’t that our last one?” I asked. Ace pulled out three. “Where did you get that?”

“Down underground,” Ace chirped with a smile. “Keepin’ ‘em for a bad day.”

I patted the ant’s head. Dunno if he liked it... “Okay, lets do it.” I looked into its big buggy eyes. “Is that okay with you?”

The ant stared at me. Okay then.

“Ready?” I asked, putting my hoof on the knife. I really didn’t want to do this... Ace uncapped a potion and readied it. The ant stared at me. Taking a deep breath, I pulled on the knife. That began the most intense moment of my life. I desperately hoped the now silently flailing ant didn’t turn its natural flamethrower on us.

It took a few intense minutes to finally yank the knife free of the ant’s body, and it let out an almighty skree of pain. It’s like the knife was its volume control. Weird. Ace was quick at administering the potion to the now open wound. I’m no expert at ant anatomy, but I didn’t think it was infected. The ant slowly started to calm down with a light petting.

“That... thing is fucking weird..." Ace said, shaking her head at the ant. “It’s like he’s not a mindless drone or something.” She was right. That lovable little buggy was actually... smart? Maybe like a dog? Did I have the pet dog... ant... that I’ve always wanted? I think that was a yes as it climbed onto my back and started to warm up. It was... actually cozy...

“But what’s weirder is that,” Ace said, pointing at the knife.

The knife was strange indeed. The ant’s blood and ichor seemed to just slide off the blade seamlessly. Within seconds, the knife was stainless. I looked between the knife and Ace.

Ace was staring at the knife. “Bet you fifty caps you can’t lick it,” she said with a sly grin.

I looked back at the knife. It shone in the light, completely stainless. I gave Ace a disgusted frown. As if I would lick a knife that was inside an ant.

But fifty caps was a steal, and the blade looked pretty clean. What was there to lose? I’d heard stories of ponies eating ants before. I wanted those caps. Sticking out my tongue, I pressed it to the knife. I clamped my eyes shut, anticipating the worst thing I would have ever tasted.

Nothing.

It tasted like nothing. No bad flavours at all. I licked up and down the side of the blade, mostly in confusion.

“Dammit!” Ace cursed, facehoofing. “I’m out fifty caps..." She floated a small baggie to me, filled with caps. “You’re fucking gross, y’know that?”

I chuckled and put the knife on the cloth. “Well, you did make a bet.” I looked at the blade. “But it’s clean as if I just washed it.”

The unicorn’s tummy rumbled loudly. “Okay, I don’t care anymore, let’s eat.”

She lurched for the food, but I stopped her. “Hey, not so fast. I need to uphold my part of the deal.”

“Your part of the deal?” Ace asked, rubbing her hungry belly. “Can’t we just eat?” she moaned.

“To cook,” I stated, nodding. “And I do have a small treat that my father taught me.” Slicing a small section from the apple, I applied a small slice of cheese and a few of the herbs. “Try it.”

The beige mare picked up the slice in her levitation field and looked it over. “Cheese and apple?” she asked, looking at me with a dumbfounded expression. “That sounds horrible.”

“Won’t know until you try.” I encouraged her. “Do it.”

Ace put the slice down. “Hell. No.” What, didn’t she trust little me? The supposed spy? Was that a stupid question? I think so...

I sat back and let our little insect companion scurry down beside me. “What are you?” I asked with a smirk. “Chicken?”

Ace glared at me. “Nopony,” She picked up the slice, “calls Ace chicken.” She took an almighty chomp out of the snack and munched on it. She stopped and stared at me, her eyes growing wide. She chewed slower before swallowing. She continued to stare.

“Well?” I asked with a smile. “How is it?”

She blinked. “That was good..." She looked at my ingredients. “Very good.” She looked back up at me, a smile breaking out on her face. “Make me more. Now.”

Rolling my eyes, I got back to making lunch. Cutting with my new knife was so easy, like the blade was made for slicing. I mentally facehooved. Of course it was meant for slicing. It’s a knife. Before long, I had exhausted our apples, cheese, and herb supply and had filled two hungry bellies. Job well done.

Ace patted her belly and sighed, “Well that was something..." She looked up at the wide, blue sky, and took a moment to think. “Different.”

I sat back and smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” I patted my little ant friend’s head. But he wasn’t there. “Where’s the ant?” I really had to come up with a name if he was gonna be my little buddy.

Ace looked around and shrugged. “No idea, amigo.” Well you’re useful.

Well, she was useful, but still.

Scratching my head, I got up and looked around. “Ant?” I called out. Nothing. Couldn’t even see it. “If only we had a tag or somethi-” I’m a genius. I pulled up my EFS thingie and looked for the white tick. There were two on my compass, Ace’s tick and a new one. I picked up my gear and slipped my knife into my upper foreleg sheath. It fit perfectly.

I pointed in the direction of the tick. “That way, methinks!” I started my march. He was heading north, away from the road. Where was he going? Back to his nest? Wait, the queen was dead, and I became que- king, so why would he go back? Something was up...

“Leave him! We have a city to reach!” Ace called after me, pulling her gear on.

“Nah!” I yelled back. “Can’t let my favourite subject run off on me!” No way could this end badly.

It... could have been worse. I mean, sure, we had basically walked into a sandstorm and now had no idea which way was down, but it could have been worse!

"You're a fucking idiot! You're gonna need these!" Ace called over to me. She had put on a pair of goggles and a bandana to protect herself from the sand and was holding a second pair and an old rag out to me. I opened my mouth to reply... I looked, well squinted, at her, trying to get that spare. I couldn’t talk though.

“Fifty caps!” Of course she would try to get her caps back... digging out her caps, I passed them through the storm to Ace, and she passed me a set of goggles and a rag. It wasn’t very dirty, but I didn’t know what she used them for. Don’t think I wanted to know either...

Putting them both on, I looked back at her. “You followed me!”

“I didn’t want you to get hurt!” she yelled back.

I stopped and turned to her. “Why?” She never seemed to care before.

Ace stopped. I watched her hazel eyes think for a moment. “You cook well, and I want to know what’s for dinner.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned and started following the white tick again. “Whatever!”

Ace facehooved. “Clover, let’s just get out of here!” Ace called. “Before we get caught!”

Caught? What would try to catch us out here? “What are you talking about?” I called back. Nothing could ever find us in this hell hole. I could barely see four hooves in front of my nose!

“dust devils!”

What? The fuck is a dust devil? I looked back at the mare like she had four heads. “Are you nuts? What the hell is a Dust-” A red tick on my EFS popped up. Followed by another. And another. “Oh shi-”

The ground beneath me started to rumble, and about three hooves to my left, a huge horse-like creature with massive yellow eyes shot out of the ground. It hovered above us, watching us. The huge horse seemed to be made of sand and dust and had an ethereal feel about it. The lower half of its body seemed to just disappear into thin air. It screeched and two more of the ghostly creatures shot out of the ground.

“Fuck!” Ace yelled. “Fucking run!”

I marveled at the ghostly horses. Then, as ordered, I took off. Bandits were one thing. Ghouls were another. But giant horses that are made of sand? Fuck that. Way beyond my realms of imagination.

“Duck and weave!” Ace yelled, dashing from side to side. Why would she-

I quickly found out.

A huge column of sand slammed down behind me. If I was still there, I think I would have either been crushed, or suffocated. You’d be surprised by the amount of things you can be severely motivated by. Duck and weave it was.

“I fucking told you we’d get caught!” my unicorn companion yelled at me as we sprinted through the howling storm. We were being buffeted from all sides by sand and dirt, we had no idea where we were going, we were now being chased by giant ghostly horses made of sand, and we were narrowly dodging pillars of sand that were both crashing down from above and shooting up from below. Life was grand.

Ace levitated her shotgun behind her and fired at the beasts. The dust devils just roared in anger as they absorbed the buckshot. That was when I realised we were really fucked.

“How the fuck do we kill them?!” I yelled at my shotgun-wielding amiga, my voice cracked with worry and fright. My heart was racing, but I was starting to get that warm, powerful feeling of adrenaline.

Ace just roared with frustration. I guessed she had no idea.

We desperately needed to find shelter. If those dust devils could only traverse through sand, we’d have to get somewhere where there wasn’t sand.

“We need to get to shelter!” I called across, ducking just as a column arced over me.

“No shit, genius!” was the reply.

“No need to be a bi-” I couldn’t finish my sentence as a pillar of sand slammed into my chest from below. It threw me high into the air and I was seeing stars. When I came to, I was still in the air, not even being able to see which way was up. I didn’t even think I was falling, more drifting. Felt like... like I was flying. Like a white, fluffy cloud across the wide, blue skies. My forelegs started to flap by themselves as a smile crawled across my face. I was flying!

Of course, that came to an end with a dull whump as I hit the ground hard. The taste of blood started to dance across my tongue. I couldn’t see Ace, and my pipbuck’s duct tape snapped, making the device fly off so I had no EFS to tell me where I was.

Slowly getting to my aching hooves, I looked around. The right lens on my goggles was cracked and my throat was full of sand. “Where... am I?” I asked nopony in particular. I could have been miles from where I took off. My chest ached, but I didn’t think there was anything broken.

Looking up, I saw the faint outline of a giant horse. I thought it was just my imagination, but then its large yellow eye opened and turned to face me. Its eyes pierced into my very soul with a cold chill.

A huge pillar erupted snakelike from the ground behind it and arced over the dust devil. Wondering time was over, running time was now. Even though I started running as fast as my hooves could take me, the dust devil was right on my ass.

Everything ached. My hooves were stumbling over rocks and small shrubs, my midsection was killing me from the blows, and my coat felt like it was ready to rip itself off from the sand. I was going to be killed by a giant ghost-thingie that could move sand like it was wind. Lucky me.

The dust devil was closing in on me with its giant pillar-snakes of sandy doom. I cried out in both fear and frustration. My goggles were fogging with the heat I was exerting, and sweat was streaming down my face. My heart was racing, and my lungs aching. My whole left side was tingly and achey, but I still kept going. It must have been from that landing.

My running ended in vain as the column slammed into me, making me land on my back, and pinned me to the ground. The sand almost solidified around my legs as the yellow eyes of the beast above me glowed brighter and brighter.

Aim for the eyes...

Now there was an idea. Thanks conscience... or Trailblaze... whoever was whispering in my ear. I pulled the latch for my harness over my mouth and the sniper rifle on my side readjusted itself. The scope flopped over my eye. Now or never.

The dust devil stared down at me, its eyes pulsating. I think it was taunting me, as it hadn’t brought the column down on my face. Just got to zero in on its eyes...

The thin crosshair of my rifle honed in on the beast’s right eye. The pulsating yellow glowie eye... My rifle opened up, launching a large bullet at the beast. The bullet flew straight into the dust devil’s eye. It exploded into a shower of yellow incor and blood that steamed and showered down. The dust devil reared and roared, and the area around its eye started to solidify and turn to glass.

The beast looked down at me, half of its face turned to glass, and growled as yellow vapour and incor leaked from its now destroyed eye. That did it. It wasn’t dead, but it was pissed. Great plan. I tried to ready another shot, but the damn gun jammed. Stupid sand!

The column of sand behind the beast flailed but then righted itself, pointing right at me. This was it. Good as dead. The only thing I could do was hope for a miracle. I braced myself for the inevitable smash of the pillar.

“Clover!”

I heard something faint against the howling winds. Like a tiny bug was calling for me, just within earshot. The dust devil didn’t seem to hear it as it watched me. The column was coming down faster and faster, right for my face.

A blast of fire and magma shot out from right under the dust devil. The beast roared and flailed, and the column of solid sand and dirt crumbled above me, burying me up to my neck in sand. The righteous fire spread along the beast’s midsection as it slowly started to shimmer and turn to glass. Fuck yeah! I couldn’t tell if I cheered because of the rag in my mouth, or the howling winds.

The fire spread across the rest of the beast until the massive beast had been completely engulfed, looking like a stallion made purely of fire. The sand storm seemed to let up a bit as the beast fell down to earth, smashing into tiny pieces. The storm kept going none the less.

I blinked and looked around, spitting out the rag that had lodged itself in my mouth. “Hello?” I rasped.

Out of the sand, I could see two dark silhouettes- one small, stout one with large antennae, and a unicorn, her mane blowing in the wind. Ace and my little ant. They finally came into view, and Ace stood over me. I was still buried up to my neck.

“Uh... little help?” I asked, looking around. “I seem to be neck deep in trouble.”

Ace chuckled. “Trouble alright. It’ll be trouble getting you outta there.” She kicked the sand. “Welp. I tried.”

“Ha ha, fucking ha,” I muttered and tried to dig myself out. “Now dig me ou-woah!” The ground beneath me shifted and something pushed me out of the sand. Something that felt like an ant. I looked down, and there he was. My little friend, the ant, holding me in his mandibles. Gotta hand it to him, thing was strong as fuck.

Getting up and dusting myself off, I noticed that we were still in a sandstorm. Not as intense as before, but I still couldn’t see anything more than ten hooves from my face.

“We found a cave,” Ace called, dropping my pipbuck at my hooves and turning around. Thought I’d lost that. “Come on. We’ll chill there until the last Devil leaves.”

I quickly caught up. “I thought there were three of the bastards!”

Ace nodded. “Yeah, your ant killed one when he found me, and you saw what he did to the one coming after you!”

I looked down at the ant. He looked fairly proud of himself. He scuttled up my foreleg when I held it out to it and clung to my back. I like my ant.

It didn’t take us long to find the cave. The only setback was trying to avoid the last dust devil. We had spotted it only briefly in the winds as it combed over the area, either searching for us or searching for its friends. Poor dude. But his friends tried to kill us. So fuck ‘em.

We stepped into the cave. It was really quite cave-y. Sort of like a mouth in the desert. Okay, it might not be such a great description but I couldn’t see very well, my leg was burning, my chest was aching, my ear was stinging, and I was tired. Ghouls then dust devils was just too much, really.

I took a brief second to replace the duct tape on my pipbuck and looked around. Yup, cave-y. Everywhere was rocky and kind of damp, with the only form of light coming from outside and our Ant’s body. He needed a name still. Maybe later.

“Dark much?” Ace asked to nopony in particular. “Anyone got a light?”

My ant buddy fired his flamethrower, making Ace jump.

“G-Gee, th-thanks..." Ace muttered, picking herself up. She mumbled some more, but I think its best I didn’t know what.

“I think that might be a little too dangerous, anty,” I said, patting his warm head. He looked at me, feelers dancing, and scuttled up my leg to sit on my back, making me feel warm and fuzzy. I guess that meant he understood.

“Creepy,” Ace stated. “Use your pipbuck light.”

My pipbuck light... I pressed some random buttons on my pipbuck, and a flashlight opened up. Neat-o! Even in the light of my pipbuck, it still looked cave-y. But now it was longer than I thought it was. Much longer. It was becoming more tunnel-y.

My leather-clad companion rubbed the back of her head with an armoured stocking and looked outside. “Well, we aren’t going back out there..." I was inclined to agree. “We could stay by the entrance or go further in. Make sure we won’t run into any surprises.”

I looked down the tunnel, then outside. “I’d rather stay here, but-” I turned and saw Ace already trotting further in. “Hey!”

“Of course you want to stay out here, you ninny,” Ace chuckled. “You wimp.”

“But... but..." Ace kept walking. “Fuck!” I stomped after her.

The rocks were grey and slightly damp, and looking up was a mistake. I don’t like those long pointy thingies. They could fall at aaaaaaaany moment... let’s not think about that...

I kept moving beside Ace. Have to admit, I was pretty scared. Who knew what was in that cave? Maybe a mad hermit? A swarm of scorpions? A bear? Oh please not a bear. Not that I don’t like bears, but after having Gunter for so many years, I don’t think I could kill a bear. Man, I missed Gunter. Would I ever see him again? Someone had invaded my home and started growing apples, so the prospect looked... bleak... my only hope was that somepony from the Apple Plains may have our stuff in storage. I should really go home soon... no time. Maybe after revenge. Yes, that sounded good.

Maybe we would find... crying? Wait, what?

I looked at Ace. “You hear it too?” she asked, ears swivelling. My sniper switched to fire mode and shifted forward. “No,” my companion stated. “Use your SMG. Probably actually hit something with it in here.” Good point. I put the sniper back into safety mode and unholstered my SMG.

“Ooo furfst?” I muffled around my gun. Ace just rolled her eyes, levitated her pump shotgun forward, and took point.

My heart started to speed up, and my teeth rattled around the gun. It was definitely crying. Sompony young by the sound of it. Maybe a filly or a younger colt. Why was I so scared? I guess it was a fear of the unknown.

We turned a corner in the tunnel and were presented with a grim sight. Basked in the pale light of a dying lantern were two bodies, with a smaller one sitting between them. Three griffins- the largest of which was riddled with bloody holes. He looked like a true badass, with a scar going down his face, his jet black armour, and the massive shotgun that looked too big for even Ace to use.

The other griffin was just a little smaller, with the same armour. She was a female that was heavily covered in makeup and really gussied up. Beside her sat a broken sword that was shattered into several pieces. She too was riddled with bullets and seemed to have a broken leg.

And between them sat a young cub, only about the age of nine or ten, sitting and crying. The patches around her eyes and the tips of her head feathers were a blood red, and the feathers behind her head were fashioned into a ponytail. She sobbed and pushed the large body, rocking it slightly.

“Wake up, daddy... please wake up..." she sobbed. She tried shoving again. “Please don’t die..."

My heart sank. These were the cub’s parents. The griffins that had looked after her her entire life. The griffins that she had loved and cherished. Gunned down in front of her. I could feel my heart breaking.

“Shit..." Ace muttered. “That’s not good.”

The cub heard us, screamed, and picked up the massive shotgun. It had to be twice the size of the cub, and she wobbled while trying to lift it and point it at us.

“Get down!” Ace hollered. I complied and hit the deck.

The cub wobbled and tilted backwards. Pulling the trigger, she shot up at the roof of the cave, and she was thrown across the floor. The gun clattered to the ground with a huge thump, and the tunnel came to silence, other than the crying of the cub. And the faint growling further down the tunnel. Uh oh.

Ace walked over to the cub. “Hey... don’t shoot at us.” So good with kids, that Ace. “We’re not the bad guys.”

“You killed momma and daddy!” the griffin squealed and scooted back, covered in scrapes and bruises.

“Uh... Ace?” I asked, turning around. We weren’t alone down here.

“We didn’t kill anyone, kid,” Ace replied to the cub. “We just got here.”

The growling got louder. “Ace..."

“Not you, stupid!” The cub shouted. She pointed at me. “Him!”

I turned around. “Wha-”

The growling turned into a roar as a giant thing pounced from the shadows and sprinted at Ace and the kid. Ace was smart enough to jump out of the way, but the cub looked petrified. She curled up into a ball in defense.

No time to think, only time to act. Swinging my smg around, I unleashed a torrent of bullets into the beast. I kept firing until the gun clicked empty, and the dust settled. The beast we had killed fell dead right before the kid. Walking over, I got a better look at the thing. It looked like a giant cat like creature but way overgrown. I looked closely and saw... scales? Maybe mutated from when the bombs dropped? No way those extra long claws and teeth were natural.

“Fucking hell..." Ace exclaimed, shuffling back over to me. The ant on my back crawled off and sat next to the cub, basking her in a warm glow. She was scared stiff. “I’ve heard of the Dune Cats, but I didn’t think they were real.”

So that’s two new beasties I had to avoid. Great. I would have inquired further, but I didn’t think this was the time. I trotted over to the cub.

“Hey,” I said in a soft voice. “It’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you.” I saw the tiny cub peek out from under her arms and peer at me. “I’m Clover. I’m your friend.” She just looked me over. “What’s your name?”

“T-Tallie..." she whispered, still trembling.

I gave her a warm smile. “Hello, Tallie. It is nice to meet you.” I looked over the bodies of the older griffins. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” She shook her head and hid again. “Well that’s okay.”

Ace just stared at us, shrugged, and snooped around. She tried to pick up the massive shotgun but sighed in frustration when three large components of the gun fell to the floor with a clang. She dropped it, claiming “Dead weight.” and continued to search.

I sat down beside Tallie. “We want to help you, Tallie.” I nodded at Ace. “That’s Ace, and this,” I pointed at the ant. “This is... uh... Anthony.”

The little cub just rolled her eyes. “You called your ant Anthony?” I tilted my head in confusion. “Really?”

I shrugged. “Benjamin then.”

Tallie shook her head. “Still stupid.”

“Clayton?”

“Nope.”

So Tallie’s one of those kids, huh? “Alright, what do you think?”

Tallie sat up and rubbed her chin. “Zippo,” she stated simply. “Like the lighter.”

The ant radiated warmly. “Zippo it is then,” I chuckled. What puzzled me was the fact that the kid now seemed unfazed by the deaths of her parents. She was sitting there, looking over Zippo.

She finally caught me looking between me and her parents. “Okay, look,” she sighed. “They may have been my parents, but I didn’t exactly love them like parents.” What? “I don’t wanna talk about it..."

“Alright then,” I said with a frown. What could they have done to her? She got up and walked around the ant. Then I saw it. A series of thin, but long scars down her back. I think I got the point and shut up. Ace saw some sense and did the same.

“Dust devil’s still out there,” Ace muttered as she pulled a small journal, some shotgun shells, and some caps from the dead griffins. “Neat.”

“Hey!” Tallie piped up, taking her attention from the ant. “Those caps are mine!”

Ace deposited them in a small purse-like sack and floated them over. “Fine. Want this journal? Sure as hell can’t use the shotty shells.”

The little griffin shook her head. “Diary of a madman, and I don’t have a shotty. Keep ‘em.”

My leather-clad companion shrugged and deposited the journal in my saddlebag. I was about to protest but she just smirked. “You’re into history. Maybe you can read it some time.” I was going to protest again, but I had to admit that I was intrigued.

Tallie walked past us and into the tunnel, heading back to the entrance. “You two lovebirds can stay here, but I’m sick of corpses.”

Ace and I looked at each other. I blushed heavily as she burst out laughing. I looked away and followed the griffin. “Don’t you want to bury them?” I asked. I know that if it was my family, I’d want to bury them... just like Shamrock...

Tallie looked over her shoulder. “They were bad griffins.” She looked forward and walked on. “They don’t deserve a grave.” A cold shiver shook down my back. She was at most ten and yet so grim? What the hell?! We would have to talk about it at some point, but I don’t think now would have been a good time. We followed her to the cave entrance.

“Still sandy as a scorpion’s belly,” Ace muttered as she looked at the cave entrance. She sat down and pulled out a magazine. She quickly grabbed my hoof, tore off the pipbuck and sat it down next to her for light. I scrambled in the dirt for a few moments before sitting up.

“Do you mind?” I asked, rubbing my foreleg were my pipbuck was. Thankfully, the duct tape wasn’t attached to my coat.

Ace just chuckled, “Nope.”

Tallie sat opposite us, snickering. She quickly went back to a frown of slight depression. Whatever those parents of hers did, she still must have loved them. I didn’t mention it. “What’s that?” she finally asked, pointing at the gauntlet on my free other foreleg. The small gauntlet I had gotten from the basement last night before the ambush and zombies. Fucking zombies...

“Uh..." I looked at the gauntlet. It looked like an overly large black hoofband but more armoured. The inscription on the side read ‘Recollector V1.7’ “A... Recollector of some sort.” I looked up. “Dunno what it does, but I think it’s a pretty nifty piece of armour.”

Ace flipped through her ancient magazine. Something about shotguns by the look of it. “Most say you can view memory orbs through Recollectors.” She flipped a page, without looking up.

I tilted my head at her. “How?”

“You put the orb in some magical slot, thingie,” she said and yawned.

I saw a little, perfect dent in the machine about the size of a billiard ball and half as deep. I pulled the memory orb we found in the basement of that soldier’s house and looked it over. I moved it to the slot. “Like this?”

“I don’t think its a good ide-” She spotted me putting the orb in. “No! Don-”

oooOOOooo

Woah, what the fuck?! The world seemed to swirl around me and sink from view like water down a drain. I felt like I was slowly being poured back into my body but all wrong! It was like I was waking up from a nightmare but so much more vivid. My legs refused to move, and my eyes refused to open. I was a prisoner in whatever it was I was in. Was the orb a trap? Oh no! Ace! Get me out of here!

My eyes opened of their own accord with a sudden flash, like they were opening from a blink. I was standing on some sort of platform next to a railroad track. There were ponies milling about all around, all sorts of shapes and sizes. I saw two ponies in very fancy outfits and a bunch in gowns and suits. Some had hardhats and pickaxes. I saw two colts and a filly running around the stacks of luggage, playing tag as their parents watched on.

I couldn’t move anything. Not even my eyes. I felt like I was watching a movie from the perspective of the protagonist. First person, that’s the one. In the distance I caught glimpses of a quaint little village and a large farm. Beyond that, a great mountain.

“Pound..." I heard a mare whimper. The head of the pony I was living in turned its head and looked at the source. A plump, blue mare with a tall, pink mane stood a few hooves away. Her eyes were misty, and she had a worried look on her face. She was wearing an apron with ‘Sugar Cube Corner’ embroidered on the chest.

“Yeah, mom,” my host replied. I was inside a young stallion, maybe a year or two younger than me. That sounded really bad out of context. Hell, even in context that sounded weird. What the hell was happening?! My host trotted over to the voluptuous mare. “I don’t want to go either, but we know its for the best.”

The mare hugged my host and almost squeezed his eyes out. “I know... I know..."

I felt a hoof on my shoulder. My host’s shoulder. Fuck, I felt like a ghost! My host turned to see a tall, skinny yellow stallion with a curly orange mane. Wait, I had seen these two before... He wore an apron with the same logo as the mare’s. He too looked worried. My host brought him into the cuddle.

“We’re going to miss you too, son,” the stallion spoke.

My host smiled and broke the hug. “We’ll miss you too, dad. But as soon as the war’s over and we win, we’ll be back.” My host pounded his hooves into the floor and stood tall. “You can count on it.” Something felt super weird just then. Like I had not only one but two boners on my back. Sorry for being so blunt, but that’s how it felt. It dawned on me. I was looking through the eyes of a pegasus. Hot damn.

The two older ponies smiled. “We can’t wait,” the mare said before blowing her nose. She looked around. “Now where is your sister?”

As if on cue, my host looked past the crowds of ponies to a small building on the platform. I saw a cute peach unicorn with a frizzy orange mane floating two tickets close to her. She put them in her casual barding’s pocket and smiled. “Got the tickets,” she said with a smile.

The big blue mare burst into tears and hugged the smaller mare. “I already miss you!” she wailed. My host and the other stallion patted her on the shoulder to calm her down. The smaller peach unicorn was starting to turn a little blue. The large blue mare composed herself and blew her nose. “Sorry... I don’t want you two to leave..."

The peach mare gave my host a small, friendly punch in the foreleg. “Didn’t you tell her we’ll be back before she knows it?” My host smiled and nodded. The unicorn turned back to the blue mare. “See? Give it six months, a year tops.” She trotted over to hug the mare, and probably would have if she wasn’t slammed to the ground by a massive pink blur.

A pink earth pony with a huge, poofy, dark pink mane with fading streaks had engulfed the peach mare. “Idon’twantyoutoleeeeave!” she bawled. The mare was wearing some form of formal attire, a blue blouse with yellow frills and a matching hat, but we could still see her cutie mark. Three balloons.

The peach mare looked squished under her. “Pinkie... you’re... suffocating me..." The pink mare clambered off her, still crying. “Its okay, Pinkie. You can always come visit us.”

“I wish..." the pink mare sobbed. “But I can’t leave the hub long enough.” She blew her nose, loudly, on a bright pink hankie. “Stupid war!”

My host trotted over to the pink mare and hugged her. “Its okay, Pinkie. Like we told mom and dad, we’ll be back.” He pulled away and prodded her nose. “You just watch.”

The mare gathered both my host and the peach mare in a giant hug and made it feel like our heads were about to explode. “But I don’t want you to leave!” She tightened the hug. “I’ll miss you sooooo much!”

“We... know..." my host grunted. Happy memories? More like torture. “Please... let go..." The mare dropped us. The pink pony stared at me and the peach unicorn, still crying a river.

The two older ponies walked over and patted the pink pony on the back. She continued to cry as a rumble started to shake the platform. “There’s your train,” the large blue mare said with a sad smile. The pink mare burst into a fresh wave of tears.

The peach mare looked at me, and we both smiled. “I guess this is goodbye,” the unicorn stated, her horn starting to glow. “But there’s one last thing..."

The poofy pink mare sniffed. “Huh?”

A huge bag of white flour exploded above us, covering us from snout to tail in powder. We both struck a pose and smiled, holding back the urge to cough and sneeze.

The pink mare giggled and sniffed as we dusted ourselves off. She opened her pink forelegs and hugged us. “Be safe,” she whispered. The other two joined the hug as a train screeched to a halt behind us.

“We will, aunt Pinkie,” the peach unicorn said, her voice catching in her throat.

We finally broke the hug, and the pink mare gave us both kisses. The blue mare and the yellow stallion kissed the peach mare on the head. “Goodbye, Pumpkin.” And they kissed my host on the head. “Goodbye Pound.” I felt my host’s heart flutter and the urge to cry rise up. But we fought it down. The peach mare wasn’t doing so well. She blew her nose and smiled at the three older ponies. We picked up our bags and turned to the train.

It was a massive beast of a machine! The locomotive was huge! Easily bigger than six or ten carts. We stepped into a massive red carriage and put our bags on the luggage racks. I followed the peach mare as she shuffled into the forest green seats and opened the window. We poked our heads out and waved at the three ponies lined up on the platform, each sobbing and blowing their noses.

“Bye mommy and daddy! Bye aunt Pinkie!”

The older ponies all waved. “We love you!”

“We love you too! Be back before you know it!”

The conductor’s whistle blew loudly from the platform, and the massive locomotive’s whistle replied, much louder and mightier. The train lurched forward and we began to move. The peach mare, Pumpkin, and I, Pound I guess, stayed at the window, waving until the last second.

We sat back in the seats and sighed. The peach mare leaned on my shoulder. “A whole new adventure..." she whispered. My host stroked her mane.

“To the Ponave, and beyond.”

OOOoooOOO

“-ello?” was the first thing I heard as the world whooshed back into existence. The transition out of the orb was a whole lot smoother than going in. More like I had just woken up, and the world was fading into existence. The first thing I saw was Ace waving a hoof in my face.

“What the hell did I just witness?” I asked, sitting up. The back of my head was achy, and I felt a little dizzy. Ace shrugged when I looked at her for answers.

“You saw the memory of a dead pony,” she stated, trotting back to her magazine.

Tallie sat beside her. “Is he always this dumb?” she asked my leather-clad companion.

“Yes.” Bitch.

I looked at the orb and pulled it out of my Recollector gauntlet. How the hell did that work? Fucking magic. That’s how, I bet. I sat befuddled for a few moments. “How long was I out?”

“About an hour,” Ace grumbled, passing a different magazine to the little griffin. One about explosives I think.

I rubbed the back of my head and grunted, getting to my hooves. “Damn these side effects hurt.”

The unicorn mare laughed. “Side effects, shmide effects.” She pointed at the ground behind me. “You hit your head in your fall. Idiot.”

“I made you breakfast,” I stated, narrowing my eyes. Ace giggled and rolled her eyes. She was starting to break our little deal. Then it was decided that she would starve. Mwahahaha.

Deciding that the world outside was still far too sandstormy, I sat my ass back down on the cold cave floor. The little griffin sat with her magazine across from me. “So Tallie.” Okay... now what...? I didn’t know how this would go down, but it was worth a shot. “Where will you go now?”

The griffin just shrugged. I could see she was holding back. Not sure what though. It seemed to be a juggle between rage and sorrow. Poor kid. Reminded me of a certain somepony, but not. I was fucked up when my brother died, but she seemed to be taking this too well.

I looked at Ace. “Well... we’re going to Iron City... so...” I looked back at Tallie. “You’re welcome to come with if you’d like.”

The griffin looked at me like I was stupid. “With you?” she sneered. “Why would I go with you?” Ah, the tough girl act.

I looked at my rifle and SMG. “Because we’ve been through the heat of war, cleared a building of bad guys, blown through legions of ghouls, killed two dust devils, and saved you from being mauled by that overgrown kitten back there.” I raised an eyebrow. “Wasteland’s a dangerous place, kid. You’ll get hurt without friends.” I pointed at my clipped ear, then the scars on my leg and head. “Trust me. I’d know.”

The young cub looked me over. I was still in my armour and coat, and if we added that to the heroic pose I decided to strike, I bet I had made a good point. The young griffin took a long minute to think.

“He’s right, y’know,” Ace piped up, giving a slight chuckle. “You should have seen him.” She looked up at me. “Hasn’t wet himself once.” Thankfully. “And he beat the stuffing out of a much bigger pony.”

“Which you forced me to.”

“Which you lost.”

Touche.

“Yup, we’ve been through hell on his path for revenge,” Ace continued. She looked back at the small griffin. “We make quite a team.”

My turn to chuckle. “More like I get us into shit and you pull me out.” It may have been harsh to say so, but it was the truth. Ace had always been there for me. She did, however, give me shit for it. A decent trade-off if you ask me.

“Teamwork!” Ace laughed.

Tallie failed to suppress a laugh. “Alright. Sure.” She looked us both over. “But I’m not sharing a room with you two lovebirds.”

Ace laughed while I blushed. “Don’t be silly,” the mare giggled. “We’ll share a room, and he can have the couch.” She brought herself under control. “And we aren’t together.”

“Deal then,” Tallie said, holding her hand out to Ace. The unicorn shook it as I rolled my eyes. I was fine with the couches, but I felt outnumbered in our little group.

I looked down at Zippo. “Well, looks like we’ll be bunk buddies.”

“Hey,” Tallie chuckled, turning back towards me. “We’re gonna need a heater in our room.”

No. I stomped on the rocky cave floor and scrunched up my face. “Okay, that’s where I draw the line.”

Tallie just rolled her eyes at me and smiled. “Fine, princess prissy pants.”

“That’s Queen Daisy,” Ace corrected her, extracting a wince from me. Tallie gave her an odd look. “That’s a tale for another time.”

I huffed and trotted to the cave entrance, after Zippo had climbed onto my back. The dust devil must have moved on, because the winds were starting to settle. “Any minute now,” I muttered. Ace and Tallie still sat in the light generated from my busted pipbuck, reading their magazines. Where did Ace even get those mags? I decided that it was either in the house, or she had always had them but didn’t feel like sharing them with me. I liked reading too...

“How far do we have left to go?” I asked as I sat down beside them. “Feels like we’ve been walking for ages.”

Ace simply pointed at me. “Your fault.” I gave her an offended look. She shrugged and stared at me. “Just a fact. The walk is a two-day hike, going at a leisurely pace. Faster if you’re walking with a purpose. And we had to restart so we could give your brother the send off he deserved.” She went back to her magazine. At least she understood that Shamrock deserved to be buried, and that he wasn’t some nopony like me. The page she was on detailed a certain shotgun shell thoroughly. “Anyway, we’ve just got to go through Grim Gorge and we’ll be in the Iron City region.”

“G-Grim?” I whimpered with a gulp.

My companion rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a baby. It’s called that just because of its scythe shape.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Think nothing of it.”

It did kind of help, but the fact that anypony would call it ‘Grim Gorge’ set me on edge. No, wait. I remembered something. I had seen the name Grim Gorge before...

Oh! That’s right! It used to be part of the old railway system. I remembered reading about the Great Western train line that ran between the far western shores, to where Fort Crossroads now resides, then all the way into Equestria. Huge trains used to ride on those rails, and some of the smaller trains pulled materials on the branches around the Ponave. How do I know all this? I fucking love trains. With a passion.

I silently squeed. Maybe there were still trains there! The excitement bubbled up in my tummy as I looked outside. The storm was dying down, but so was the sun. It would be dark before long. “Thank Celestia!” Ace cheered. “‘Bout fucking time.” She stomped out of the cave and into the dying winds. I collected my things and headed out after her, but I looked back.

Tallie stood at the mouth of the cave. She wrung her hands and looked back into the cave with a look of sadness in her eyes. She was breathing heavily. I sighed and shuffled over, putting a hoof on her back. “I think I know how you feel.”

The cub looked up at me, her eyes full of sorrow. “How?”

“I lost my brother a few days ago and my father a few weeks ago.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I’m all that’s left of my family.” The griffin looked at me for a long moment and nodded understandingly. I gave her a sad smile. “But we go on. We live to fight another day.” I offered her a hoof. “And we fight side by side.”

The griffin stared at my hoof. She took a deep breath and took it, walking out of the cave. “I hated them...so much...” She looked over her shoulder. “What they did to me...” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “But... they kept me safe...”

I nodded and picked her up, putting her on my back. Zippo would just have to walk. “That’s why we’re here. Friends watch each other’s backs.” She looked into my eyes and gave a tiny smile. “And we won’t let anything get you.” I looked back at the cave. “Now. Are you sure you want to leave them there?”

Tallie looked back again. “I...they...” She stared for a long moment before looking back at me. “Should I?”

“I think that’s something only you can answer, Tallie,” Ace said, walking back to us. “Do they deserve a proper burial? Or were they that bad that they deserve nothing more than to rot or be eaten by Dune Cats?”

Tallie took a long moment to herself. Ace and I looked between each other a few times before the griffin came to a conclusion. “They hurt ponies... sold them for their own gains... hurt me over nothing...” She looked up, rage building in her eyes. “They did nothing in their miserable lives that makes burying them worth anypony’s time.” She looked out into the desert. “Let them rot or be eaten. At least now they can do something of use and help the circle of life.” Ace and I looked between each other. Tallie pointed forward. “Lets just get to Iron City, find the fucker who killed my parents, and put him down. That fucker needs to pay.”

My stomach felt odd, and my heart had an odd rhythm to it. Tallie was really starting to scare me with her whole parent hate thing going. “Who killed them?” I asked, walking back into the desert. The surrounding areas were completely windswept, and I had to watch my hoofing because of the shards of glass poking out all over the place.

Tallie growled and inadvertently dug her talons into my back through the grooves in my riot gear. I winced but my armour took the brunt of it. “Some merc fuck with a stupid M1 painted on him. Fucking mercs...”

M1? Where have I se-

That one dude in Buckwheat. The one that killed those Separatists and walked off the bullet wounds. The one-pony tank. Oh shit... Ace and I exchanged looks again, meeting the same conclusion.

The unicorn mare was the first to pipe up. “Yeah...we’ll find him...”

I nodded, shuddering. If that guy wasn’t dead and still out there... Celestia help us all...

A cold breeze wafted through my mane as I looked up at the full moon, starting its ascent over the sky. Once again, thanks to my pipbuck, we found the main road. And once we were moving again, it would be just a short hike to Iron City. Until then, however, we hunkered down and set up a small camp in a ruined house.

Only two of the walls had been left standing, and the roof had been blown clean off. A remnant of the forgotten times of love and tolerance. I guess there’s kind of a metaphor in there somewhere. How this house must have been loved and given tender love and care, now a totally lost cause. I sighed and looked back into the small fire Ace had lit.

“Poor kid...” Ace sighed, looking at the cub sleeping beside the fire, bundled up in a small blanket Ace had found. Where did she find all this stuff? Real scrounger that one. “Parents taken from her... but more importantly, what they did to her...”

“I dunno, but those scars aren’t natural,” I grumbled. I glanced back at Ace. Something had been eating at me since we left the cave. “What did she mean by her parents selling ponies?”

My chocolate-maned companion rubbed her chin and scratched her head. “Uh....how do I put this...” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “They were slavers. They took ponies and sold them for slave labour. Can’t put it simpler.”

What?! That was... that was... what?! “No way... they... that can happen?”

Ace simply nodded. “Doesn’t happen a whole lot anymore.” She prodded the fire with a stick, huddling up a little tighter. Man that desert got cold at night. “One good thing the Feds did when they came in was send them into hiding.” She grinned and through the stick into the fire. “And the Resistance are the ones to find them and clear ‘em out.”

Noble... but there was something wrong with that. “Why? Sounds silly risking little resources on finding hidden enemies...”

Ace scoffed, “That’s not why they did it. They found them and took them out for the gear.” She shrugged. “That’s what I think at least. I’m not Resistance, no matter how much I support them.”

“So... they get their gear from slavers...” My mind was trying to fart out some kind of logic from this. So slavers had huge snipers, griffin power armour, vertibucks... “Okay, no way. I’m calling bullshit.” Ace raised an amused eyebrow at me. “No way is it just slaver stuff.”

Ace laughed and quickly stifled it when Tallie yawned loudly and rolled over. “They have some old Coalition stuff too. Probably have an old base.” She shrugged again. “Again, I wouldn’t know.”

I nodded in defeat. She had brought up a good point. We may never know for sure, but whatever.

I let my mind drift for a few moments before it landed on the gauntlet around my hoof. My new Recollector. That experience was unreal. Being in somepony else’s body, seeing what they saw, feeling what they felt, hearing what they heard... being them. It was absolutely fascinating. Seeing the world like it was before, and actually being there...

“You still have that other orb, right?” Ace asked, catching me staring at the gauntlet. I looked up and blinked. Stupid daydreams. I settled on nodding dumbly. Ace looked around. “Well, seeing as you’re a history nut... why not take a peek?”

“The last one put me out for a bit though...” I replied with worry. Being in a cave was bad enough, but we were out in the open. Wait, we had to sleep eventually...

Ace just chuckled. “I’ll hold down the fort, ya big baby.”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled the other orb out of my saddlebag and looked it over. This one was a dull cobalt with a slight greenish tinge about it. I looked at Ace and thought about it. Should I? She nodded, and that was the only confirmation I needed. The orb slid seamlessly into the gauntlet and the world faded away like it had before.

oooOOOooo

Wheeeee, transition! Even though I knew what was coming, it was still fucking insane. The world snapped back to normal as I entered my new host. Two back boners. Pegasus.

My host was staring straight forward at a white building, topped with sandbags and barbed wire. There was a propaganda posted on the front wall of a griffin pointing at the reader. He was wearing a basic helmet and equipment, but looked very cheerful. Underneath him was “Join the Coalition of Ordered Species today, and ensure a future- the Ponave way.” Nifty.

“Alright you worthless sacks of shit!” a booming voice yelled from somewhere to my right. “You little whiny inbreds are here to grow a pair of brass balls to ensure the survival of this god-forsaken hell hole of a desert!” God-forsaken? Goddess he means, surely...

My host took a peek to his right. The voice belonged to a hard-looking grey stallion with a well-trimmed white beard in military clothing. He was making his way up a line of ponies, griffins, and donkeys, each in very basic fatigues.

“I am Sergeant Major Chestnut, or Chester if you feel like you have the balls to even think about calling me that.” Chester? No way... “It’s my job to get my hooves dirty and mold you shit-for-brains recruits into the backbone of the C.O.S army.” He stopped at a small donkey. “Which means you eat when I tell you to, shit when I tell you to, and breathe when I tell you to!” The poor donkey looked like he was about to wet himself while holding his breath for dear life.

The sergeant major continued down the line, letting the donkey take in a breath and almost pass out. “By the time I’m done with you, you will run into enemy lines and not get your face raped by some big mother fucker with an even bigger gun.” He looked over the group again. “I know some of you cock-suckers are zebras or minotaurs, but since you’re here, I’m safe to assume that you’re willing to fight your own kind if they decide they’re bored with those fancy pants Equestrians and bring the fight to a tougher enemy.” I heard some shuffling and mumbling behind me. “But if you’re not, then get the fuck off my base and back to your backwater countries and your mud huts.”

He continued down the line, and stopped at a large, muscular earth pony. “Why are you here, boy?”

“Sir!” The pony stiffened and straightened out. “I’m here to become the best of the best of the best, sir!”

“Damn right you are, dirtbag. What division are you looking to grace with your presence?”

“Sir! Sniper corps, sir!”

Chester burst out laughing. “You?! You look like a fucking tank boy. Those fucking cock-sucker fucks will see you coming from a mile away.” He looked him over. “You’re more likely to be a grenadier or a heavy weapons pony, boy!”

The stallion didn’t even flinch. “I believe I have what it takes, sir!”

Chester slowly stopped laughing. “Yeah? That’s what I like to hear, twinklehooves. We’ll see what your test scores will say about it though.” He started down the line again. “What about you, pretty boy? What’s your name?” He was talking to a familiar looking golden pony with a blue mane.

“Valentine, sir! Ponave Pipes, Sir!” was the pony’s response. Where had I seen him...?

“Grenadiers, huh?” The sarge leaned in. “Your looks won’t save you when a grenade goes off in your hoof when you fumble.” He stood back up straight. “And you won’t be brushing your mane with no prissy brush, either. When you’re on the battlefield, you’ll be using the bones of your enemies.” The golden stallion cringed. “Get the fuck used to it pretty boy. Heaven forbid you actually make it to the grenadiers. You’ll be seeing a lot worse.”

He left the poor boy and continued, stopping at a very familiar peach unicorn mare with a frizzy orange mane. “Well lookie here boys, we have a little filly here!” He bent down low. “You think you have what it takes to play with the big boys, huh?!” The mare squeaked and shrunk a little. “Why are you here? What are you aiming for, girly?!”

“I...I-I-I...” She tried to straighten out a little more. “I...I don’t know...”

“You don’t know?!” The stallion roared with laughter. “You sorry excuse for a soldier will never become half the warrior any of these other ass-dragging recruits will be with that attitude!”

My host frowned in anger and ground his teeth. I could feel the sweet sensation of adrenaline surge through his veins and his muscles tense up. “You don’t talk to her like that!” He bellowed at the sarge. Everyone around him gasped.

“Which one of you cock-suckers said that?!” The sarge roared, turning red with rage. He looked directly at us. My host just raised a hoof, the sarge charged at us.

“Who the fuck are you?!” he roared, grabbing my host by the collar, spittle splashing over his face.

“Her brother!” my host shouted back.

“You little degenerate, scumbag, pussy-fearing, hoof-dragging piece of lousy cow shit!” He shoved my host into the dirt and stood on his back. “Give me fifty for disrespecting your superiors, boy!” My host dug his hooves into the dirt and started to lift himself in a push-up. The sarge dugs his hooves into our back, making it harder and harder. “You’ve got balls, kid, but that won’t get you far without a way to use them!”

My host managed to look at the peach mare and the rest of the group. They looked on with awe, holding their hooves over their mouths. My host smirked and looked back into the dirt, lifting himself up with the blissful help of adrenaline. “I’ll show you balls, sir!” he growled, as he lifted himself up. His muscles were on fire, and he was drenched in sweat, but he still smiled with sheer determination.

“That’s what I like to hear!” the sarge roared and shoved my host’s head back into the dirt. Did I mention how delicious dirt was? “Come on! Lets see if you can manage five more, let alone forty-nine!”

I felt my host feel like laughing, but I didn’t get to see it happen. The memory started to blur and distort, before being sucked away into oblivion. Wheee! Transition!

OOOoooOOO

Well that was insightful. Oh wait, no it wasn’t. At least now we know who Chester was before the bombs went boom. Wait a sec...

“And that was your biggest mistake,” I heard a voice say. Hold on. I couldn’t move. Was I still in the memory orb? I was still in the Ponave... and pinning some dirty-looking, blood-covered pink earth pony stallion down. What the actual fuck? “What did you think would happen? You’d... what... kill us? Rob us? Enslave us?” The stallion just whimpered. My host looked around.

Three more ponies were strewn about, all of them drenched in blood. They all wore pretty basic leather armour, and their weapons looked so very basic. My host looked over to Ace and Tallie, and my heart began to sink. Tallie looked like she was still asleep, but Ace looked like she’d been hit over the head with a club.

“Your friends paid the ultimate price...” my host chuckled. “But you... you have the honour of living for another few minutes.” He looked back at the stallion. “Why. Are. You. Here?”

“A-A b-b-b-bounty’s been placed on yer head...” the stallion choked out. “W-We just w-w-wanted to c-c-collect...”

“Another big mistake,” my host whispered, and I felt a huge, unnatural grin spread across his face. “So who’s the unfortunate little pony to want to come after the Painless Jester?” Who?

The stallion gulped under our hooves. “S-Somepony from the Strip!”

My host growled. “Double Down?”

The pink stallion squeaked, “I don’t know! The only thing on the contract was DD.”

“Good enough for me,” my host whispered with a grin.

“C-Can...” The stallion gulped and looked around. “Can I go?”

My host let out a maniacal cackle and looked back at the poor stallion. “Did you really think that I would ever let you go?” The pony’s face drooped in the realisation that he wouldn’t be leaving. His eyes started to water. “If you did, I’m sad to say, it simply isn’t so.” My host’s grin grew larger. “I will never set you free...”

“No! Please!” My host drew a knife from my sheath and held it above the pony. “Don’t do this! Please! Let me go! I’ll leave bounty hunting! Just let me go!” Listen to him! His friends are dead! Please!

My host drove the knife into the poor pony’s neck, causing it to erupt in blood. The pony’s eyes grew in terror for a moment but quickly rolled back into his head, his screams silenced by the blade.

My host pulled the knife out and sheathed it, blood dripping off the blade. “And that’s that.” He looked into a piece of discarded glass, letting me see his reflection.

It was me.

But...not. My eyes were burning a blood red, and my riot armour was covered in blood. I... I had killed those ponies... while I was in a memory orb... but...

Ace moaned and sat up slowly, holding her head. “What... what happened...?” She winced and held her head. “Oooooh that’s gonna sting in the morn-” She glanced at me and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. My eyes faded back to normal, and I slowly regained control of my body.

I looked back at Ace. What do I tell her? I couldn’t tell her the truth! That she’s travelling with a psycho? No way! Think, Clover... “Bounty hunters... tried to claim a bounty on me...” I shook my head, clearing my head. “I guess I really am lucky...” I looked at the bodies. So much blood... So much blood that I had spilled.

No. I didn’t spill it. It was Traiblaze. Yeah. Him.

“No way,” Ace said, worry tinging her voice. “No way did you kill these fucks. Not you. Not on your own.”

“I had help,” I blurted out. “Somepony helped me.” I looked around. “I dunno where he went though.” Ace looked me over. I didn’t exactly lie, I did have help. Just... not the help I wanted... “Some sort of... mysterious stranger.” Now that was a plain lie... I knew exactly who it was.

It was Trailblaze.

Ace just looked at me as Tallie yawned and rubbed her eyes. She looked around and cocked her head. “What?” she squeaked in a drowsy daze.

“Clover and some dude just saved our asses,” Ace stated, a hint of pride in her voice. She actually bought it? She must have been dumber than I thought...

I scratched the back of my head. “It was...uh...” What was it? Eh, fuck it. I shrugged. “It was noth-”

*BANG*

My body went cold. Behind Ace lay a mare, a pistol in her bloody teeth.

The world turned silent as I took shallow, painful breaths and looked down. My armour had been punctured, and blood seeped from the wound. The only things I could hear was my heart and my breaths. Each starting to slow.

Ace’s eyes grew in panic and looked at the bloody mare. She roared in rage and slammed her over the head with a shotgun as I fell into the dirt, clutching my chest. My lungs were starting to fill with warm blood. My own life force killing me. Ironic, isn’t it?

Ace rushed to my side and threw a rag over my chest, putting pressure on the wound. I looked down at her hooves, slowly turning red with my blood. Her face was covered in worry as she levitated all sorts of medical equipment from her saddlebag. She dropped some of it in a panic as she looked into my eyes. Her eyes were beginning to water.

I coughed blood all over her forelegs and my head finally came to a rest in the dirt. The only thing I could see now was my right foreleg with its flashing red pipbuck, sprawled out ahead of me, and darkness creeping in from all around.

“No! Don’t you die on me!” I could hear. My hearing was starting to become fuzzy and muffled. I saw a pool of blood slowly start to form around me as I stared at my hoof, laying on the cold dirt.

“Help!”

The world was becoming so dark... so cold... so... so...

...peaceful...

Footnote: No Level up.

New companions: Zippo, Tallie!

New companion perks!

“I Want To See That Blow Up!”: Tallie's sharp eyes help you target opponents when aiming.

“Living Blowtorch”: Zippo's flame breath can be used to help with welding, giving a bonus to repairs. Also, the flame can be used help with breaching, granting a bonus to forcing locks.

Special thanks to Adder1, Menti, Mittens, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

Chapter 8: Psychiatric Ward.

Chapter 8: Psychiatric Ward.

“Is her face gonna stay that way?”

“Clover!” A voice called to my right. I was running. Running and running. Where? I couldn’t remember. Looking up from the grass I was pounding beneath my small hooves to see where the voice was, I saw my brother running along the right side of a large, lush field.

The green grass was soft beneath my hooves and the air smelled of mildew. The Apple Plains. Wide green pastures untouched by the plague of radiation. Why did I leave again?

I threw the ball I was carrying on my back over to my brother. “Look out!” he called. He was too late as something slammed into my side with the force of a ten ton anvil. I ended up hitting the ground and landing in a heap, and my whole side ached. Oh I would be feeling that in the morning.

“Hey!” I heard my brother call out. “Lavender?! What the hell?” Ponies started gathering around me. I was the youngest one, and Lavender was about Shamrock’s age and twice my size. He was like a boulder ramming into me at full speed. All I could see was Lavender’s yellow coat as he lay over me, pinning me. “Get off him!”

The massive brute crawled off me. “Sorry, Shamrock,” he snorted, obviously not meaning it. “Thought I’d be tackling a real pony.” He returned to his peers, some snickered. I stayed on the ground in a daze. Everything hurt, and stars danced in my vision. If I could think straight, they might have been ‘pretty’.

“He is a real pony, dick-head,” Shamrock seethed as he jogged over to me. He knelt down beside me. “Clover... Clover, can you hear me?”

I saw blobs. Green blobs, orange blobs... blobby blobs. Was that a yes, or a no?

“Clover?”

Something tapped my cheek as my vision started to clear. My brother was leaning over me, tapping my cheeks. “You okay?” he asked.

I blinked a few times and looked around. “Uh...” Then I winced as my entire side pain kicked into high gear. “Owie!”

Shamrock looked up at Lavender. “You fucking idiot! He’s just a kid!” He got up and turned to Lavender, and he was pissed. So pissed. I could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears.

“Yeah, exactly,” Lavender said with a smirk. “Hoofball isn’t a kid’s game.” He looked down at me and sneered. “Get outta here, kid. You don’t belong here. Runt.”

I frowned. “I’m not a kid!” I whined. “I’m twelve!” That made Shamrock, what... nineteen? I couldn’t ever tell. He was always so big and so mature. It was like he never changed.

“Still a kid,” Lavender laughed. “Now git!”

“Shut the fuck up, Lav,” Shamrock yelled. I didn’t like being called a kid. I was a big pony! “Or you’ll answer to me.”

“An’ m-” I said, trying to get up, but I was cut off.

“Ooooooh,” the large yellow earth pony jeered. “I’m sooooo scared.” He looked at his peers and nodded at Shamrock. “Gettim!” Some of the ponies were hesitant, but they moved forward.

“I thought we were friends...” Shamrock growled, looking at the ponies surrounding him.

Lavender stomped back over to me. I tried to get up and run, like always, but my side hurt too much. He took joy in picking me up with one fetlock and held me up to his face. Shamrock wasn’t there to help me. He had fought hard, but he was overrun and being held down.

“You’re despicable.” My brother grunted.

Lavender didn’t even glance at my brother. “Lets just see how tough you are,” the maniacal pony grumbled, looking me over. I was just a kid, but Lavender was my brother’s age! He was an adult!

“No!” I squealed, trying to break free. “Don’t touch me or... or... or you’ll be sorry!”

The giant pony just laughed. My brother was looking more and more worried. “You don’t want to do that!” He called out. “You’ll regret it!” Yeah! When Shamrock got free, he’d kick Lavender’s ass!

“You’re goin’ nowheres.” Lavender raised a hoof to smack me.

Time slowed as I reached a realisation. My brother wasn’t there. He was still pinned under a ton of ponies. My father wasn’t there to call them off. Just air between me and Lavender’s hoof. I was gonna get the stuffing beat out of me, and there was nothing I could have done about it. But there was something I could do... my forelegs were trapped, but my hind legs...

“I said no!” I yelled, and flailed my hind legs. My powerful earth pony legs finally connected with Lavender’s nose. A crack echoed over the plains and blood ran from Lavender’s face. I fell to the ground as Lavender collapsed, holding his face.

The other ponies froze, as they watched the giant pony fall. Shamrock took the opportunity to break free and lay the smackdown on the ponies. He sniffed and rolled his shoulders when he finished then cleared his throat. “Nothin’ to it.”

He trotted over to me and picked me up. “Let’s get you home.” He looked at the large yellow stallion, rolling and howling on the floor with a broken muzzle. “I'm proud of you, bro.”

I looked up at my brother as I hobbled next to him. I had just stood up for myself! On reflex too! He was as proud of me as I was!

I had just stood up for myself for the very first time. And I never had to deal with Lavender again.

Did have to find new friends to play hoofball with though...

My chest blistered with pain as I took a deep breath. I moaned in agony as I tried to open my eyes. My eyelids were heavy as I looked around to see where I was. It was dark. Very dark. I couldn’t see anything, but I could smell something. Like... alcohol. Not the fun kind either, but the clean, sharp kind.

A scuffling to my left turned my attention to the enterence. I couldn’t really see the entrance, but the light peeking around the door frame was a dead giveaway. Raising my foreleg to shield my eyes from the light, I watched as the door creaked open, and a unicorn’s head peeked in. Taking small, shallow breaths as to not hurt myself again, I cleared the buildup from my throat and opened my mouth to speak.

“Save your breath, hun,” the unicorn said with a chuckle. “No need to be alarmed.” She flicked a switch on the wall, and the room lit up. My eyes screamed in pain and I covered them with my forelegs, moaning in protest. The unicorn just gave a quiet chortle as she trotted over to the bed I was on.

The bed I was on was surprisingly soft, and the blanket was cozy and warm. I hadn’t felt like this since I left the Apple Plains. All I needed was Gunter and... oh... Gunter... how I missed that raggedy bear. With his little ears and his cute button nose. Even his many patches held a memory.

“Where am I?” I asked, my voice raspy and painful.

My eyes slowly adjusted to the light, and I looked up at the unicorn mare. My body lurched as she came into focus. The unicorn mare’s coat was a lime green and her mane was done up in a big pink mohawk. All sorts of lines and swirls were shaved and... inked into her coat. From her forelegs to her head, she was covered in them! I didn’t think I trusted her pulling the blanket off my chest and checking my bandages.

“Healing up nicely,” she cooed. “That was one hell of a shot you took, kid.”

I looked her over, slightly in distress. “Who are you?”

The mare smiled at me. Her teeth were perfectly intact from the look of it, and her eyes were a deep purple. “My name is Lollipop.” She pointed at the patch on the right sleeve of her... interesting white and khaki barding. The patch was of a pink butterfly with little white circles on the wings, red crosses inside them. “I’m a medic.”

“And a Fed too,” I heard a familiar voice growl. My friend Ace stood in the doorway.

A tiny griffin stood between her forelegs. “I don’t get it,” she stated, looking up at Ace. “Why do you hate Feds so much?” That was a can of worms just waiting to explode.

Ace glared at Tallie. “Don’t go there.”

The medic, Lollipop, just rolled her eyes. “I left the Federation ages ago.” She looked back at me. “I was a combat medic.” She glared towards Ace. “And I saved your friend’s life.” Oh right, yeah, I was shot after kicking so much ass. And murdering those ponies. Tore them apart with my knife.

No, it wasn’t me. It was Trailblaze. I didn’t do it.

“Yeah,” Ace muttered. “But he’s fine now.” The beige mare walked into the room, giving the lime unicorn a glare. “Can we go now?”

Lollipop looked down at me, then to Ace. “Does he look like he’s going anywhere?” Truth be told, I didn’t feel up to it. My chest was burning, my legs ached, my lungs felt like they had been torn apart and put together all wrong, and my throat was so scratchy. I wanted to say something, but I degenerated into a fit of wet coughs.

"What's wrong with him?” Ace whined. “We have healing potions! Shouldn't he be up and about by now?"

"No, there is something much more wrong with him. He has a lung infection, pneumonia from the damage that he took. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but..." Lollipop trailed off.

"But?"

"Well, he was shot with this." The medic trotted over to a pan sitting by the bed and levitated a small, green tinged and squished bullet.

"Yeah, it's a poisoned bullet. Contains a specialized Zebra toxin which targets the immune system called a cytotoxin. It's slowing his healing down to a crawl. He won't be able to live like this for long. If he's going to have any chance of survival, I need antibiotics to help curb his infection so his body can focus on healing."

My companion picked out the bullet from the medic’s magic and looked it over. “Fuck...” she sighed. “That sucks major balls...” She put it back into the pan. “Any idea where a bunch ‘a lowly bounty hunters got it from?”

“What is it?” Tallie asked before Lollipop could answer. That was my question exactly, and I didn’t have to say it. If this kept up, I’d never have to speak again! Score!

The beige unicorn levitated the bullet down in front of the griffin, but just out of reach. “A poison-filled bullet.” She shifted her attention to Lollipop, who had gone back to looking me over, doing medical things. I couldn’t really tell what she was doing, but it looked doctor-y.

Tallie piped up instead of Lollipop, again. “That’s impossible.” She fluttered her wings and slowly, with a lot of effort, rose to Ace’s back. “The poison would have either burst out or boiled away when it was shot. At least to the point where the poison would have been rendered relatively harmless.” Well, isn’t some griffin a smartypants.

Lollipop looked between Ace and Tallie. “Well... not these ones.” She levitated the bullet and looked it over. “Special heat resistant poison, only produced by one company out there... if you can call it a company...” I could see her bristle at the last bit.

“No way,” Ace stated, matter of factly. “As if bounty hunters could afford that. That’s just stupid.”

“Way to keep us in suspense,” the tiny griffin piped up again. “Who is it?!”

Lollipop had gone back to fixing my bandages before nodding at them approvingly. “Gun Runners,” she sighed. Tallie just gave her a look to carry on. “Complete and utter bastards. Drug dealers, arms manufacturers, and all round bad ponies.” She trotted over to a bin and disposed of my old bandages. “Anyway, about your friend.” She looked back at me. Guess the spotlight was on me again.

“Clover,” Ace said, naming me. “Infection. Right.”

Lollipop nodded. “And I’m all out of antibiotics.” I guess that was medicine for the infection. Balls. “But I know where you can get some.” The tattooed mare cantered over to a small chest of drawers in the corner of the room.

By now, my eyes had fully adjusted. The room’s walls were covered in white panels and smelled like cleaning solvents. I was laying on a soft bed with an old, grey, weathered machine beside me. The machine was silent where it stood, and in front of it sat a small utensil tray with all sorts of tools. All of them remained very clean.

Ace was sitting in an old chair and Tallie decided to look around now that Lollipop had turned her back. I watched her as she made her way to the big machine. She marched out of sight and behind the big thing. It was only a matter of time before I heard some clunking and muttering from the inside.

“Tallie...” I rasped, my throat and chest still very sore. “I don’t think you should be in there...” I doubt she heard me as the sounds kept on going. Ace was oblivious to the whole thing, keeping a wary eye on the tribal-looking medic.

“She’s fine,” Lollipop chuckled as she came back. “That thing’s been busted since I got here.” She gave the base a little kick and looked at me. “Alright, so.” She cleared her throat and levitated a large, rolled-up piece of paper up beside me.

“You were shot by a poisoned bullet.” I gathered that much. “Not to mention the blood loss, you were drowning in your own blood, and going into shock; you know that contributed as well.” That was true. “And then it gave your lung an infection.” Her ears drooped a little. “An infection I couldn’t get rid of during the operation.”

Ace interrupted her. “So we need antibiotics to get rid of it.” She looked between us. “Is it really necessary?” She pulled my pipbuck out of her bag. “We were supposed to be in Iron City last night, and I should be recovering from a hangover right now.”

The medic just glared at her. “Your friend is very sick and you’re cracking jokes.” She shook her head and looked back at me. “Smashing.” She unrolled the paper she was levitating, and let me take a peek. A map. Lovely.

“Yes, the antibiotics are highly necessary.” She poked my chest. “Because that infection will spread and eventually kill this fine gent.”

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes shot open. “We... we need those meds...”

The lime green mare nodded. “Yes, and here’s where you get them.” She poked a hoof on a spot on the map with a large red circle around it. “Ruby Heart Hospital.”

Seemed like a good idea. I mean, it was a hospital. It was bound to have meds. Wait. “Why would a hospital still have meds... after two hundred years?” It most likely would have been raided long ago. Ace sat up in her chair, and the machine continued to clang as Tallie... did whatever she was doing...

Lollipop nodded. “Yeah, but this isn’t a regular hospital.” She pointed at a long arc on the map going from the left side to the bottom of the page. “That’s the Red Zone border,” She then pointed at the hospital... inside the Red Zone. “And there’s the hospital.”

“Fuck...that...” I rasped. No way. Red Zone’s the fucked zone.

Ace looked between us. “Gotta agree with Clover on this one.” She trotted over and put my pipbuck on my belly. “Red Zone’s radiated as hell!”

The pink-mohawked mare just rolled her eyes. “Of course you generic wastelanders would think that.” She pointed at the map again. “This area isn’t irradiated any more. Maybe another seven-fifty meters or so, then the rads start to pick up.” She rolled up the map again. “Not that anypony has decided to even try and find out. They’re all scared shitless.” She grinned an oddly sharp grin. Like a wolf stalking its prey. Odd....

“Then it’s probably filled with muties,” Tallie said, coming out from behind the machine. She was holding different components and wires in her hands and was covered in dust and grime. “Y’know, from the bombs ‘n’ stuff.”

Lollipop picked up the griffin and sat her at the end of the bed. Tallie wasn’t the most pleased about that, fluffing up and pouting. Lollipop booped her nose. “There’s nothing out there, sweety.” She looked back at Ace and I. “I go out there for supplies regularly. All sorts of untouched medical equipment.” She turned her attention to the shelves behind her, covered in medical stuff. “Just haven't come across antibiotics in a while.” The mare shrugged as she looked Tallie over, much to the griffin’s discontent. “There’s probably a whole stash of goodies deeper inside.” She gave up trying to give the griffin a checkup when Tallie tried to bite her hoof. “Haven't got deep enough, myself.”

Ace giggled as Tallie showed her rebellious side. “Right, so how far?” Tallie said, then jumped off the bed and straightened her feathers out, retying her feather ponytail.

Lollipop tapped her chin. “I think the storerooms might have some...” She took another moment to think. “They’re in the basement towards the back of the building...” She shrugged and smiled a surprisingly white smile. “You’ll find it, I’m sure.”

Our little griffin friend started to shove the wires and components into my saddlebag across the room. “So you aren’t coming with?” she asked, organising the wires. She twisted them around each other in a figure-eight before wrapping them around the middle. She dropped it into one of the vacant pockets. That reminded me- I really needed to take inventory.

The medic shook her mohawked head. “Nah, I got stuff to take care of.” She looked out of the room through the open door. I couldn’t see much from the bed, but it looked like a lounge with a battered couch. “...stuff indeed...” She looked back at us. “You guys better get goin’. Time’s a wastin’.”

Nodding, I tried to get out of bed. Everything resisted, instead urging me to loaf until the healing was done, but I had to stay strong. Couldn’t avenge my brother if I was dead. Looking up to the ceiling, I let out a long sigh. I wondered what Shamrock would think of me lying there, poison slowly killing me off. I missed my bro...

My unicorn companion came to my side to help me straighten out. “Quit slouching,” she ordered. There I thought she was genuinely trying to help me. “Ruin my rep if anyone saw me hanging out with a wimpy pony like you.”

“I ain’t a wimp,” I rasped. “Feck off, ya gobshite.” Hm. Bringing out my Emerald side seemed to make me sound a lot tougher. Then again, it did sound like I was gargling gravel. Ace just rolled her eyes and guided me to my equipment in the lounge. The eyerolling stopped when I tripped over my own hooves. I was actually slightly amazed when she caught me. She didn’t say anything as we walked into the lounge.

The lounge was just like any other. Two large windows on either side of the front door, a large table next to the couch, a busted entertainment system, and a bunch of shelves, some had dusty old worn books, probably from before the war. Old crunchy carpets rustled under my hooves and the gull blue wallpaper was peeling. Didn’t seem like Lollipop had been here long. Pretty boring really.

“Alright, antibiotics,” Lollipop announced as she followed us out. “Should be labeled plain as day on a bottle about yay big.” She showed us roughly the size of the bottle with her hooves. Was about the size of a hoof, really. She didn’t have to make that much effort. “Simple. As for dosage...” She looked me over, mumbling to herself. “Hmm... harder to prescribe for adults...”

“Why’s ‘at?” Tallie asked, climbing up onto the couch. Dunno why she didn’t just float up.

“The Feds may have trained me to give meds to soldiers...” She continued to look me over. “But you ain’t no soldier, and your case is special... now, if you were a foal...”

Tallie picked her nose as she listened. “Why would that be easier?” she asked, flicking a booger off her talon. At least she didn’t eat it...

Lollipop wrinkled her nose slightly at the booger flickage and rolled her purple eyes. “Because I have more experience with foals.” she stated simply. “I was a pediatrician before I signed up... before... well, that.” She pointed towards a shelf. I don’t know how I missed this, but there was a huge machine gun sitting on the shelf. It was bulky, and the ammo box huge. It was kept in surprisingly good condition. “And well, this.” She pointed at the shavings and tattoos.

“Why do you look like that?” Ace asked, picking up her packs. They seemed heavier than before. “Y’look like a raider or a tribal. Won’t make many friends that way.”

Lollipop looked at Ace and sighed, “Keeps ponies away.” She turned her back to us and trotted over to her machine gun, examining it with a forlorn frown. “I think just two pills when you wake up, at lunch, and before you go to bed...” she sighed. I looked between Ace and Tallie. We all exchanged looks of understanding, and slight weirdness, for a couple of seconds before looking back to Lollipop.

Ace shrugged and used this time to use the little mare’s room. Guess she didn’t really care.

“Are you okay?” I rasped. Sad ponies make me sad, and when I’m sad, I tend to cry. So I’m a bit of a crybaby, so what? Judgemental so-and-sos...

The tribal unicorn soldier medic sighed and scratched behind her ear. “I don’t wanna talk about.” She pointed to the exit. “You have meds to find.”

Didn’t have to tell us twice... “But....we haven’t pa-”

“I don’t care,” came the reply. She just kept looking at the gun with sadness. Wrapped up in the past no doubt. Best not pry.

I didn’t just want to leave without saying thanks or paying. I shuffled over to her, but didn’t risk touching her. She seemed... unstable... “Thanks, doc,” I rasped. “Hope to, uh...” She turned to me, a primal look in her eyes. “See you again...” I eeped and scootched back. “We’ll be leaving now.”

Ace bounced out of the bathroom, yes bounced, and bounded over to me. “Good to go?” she asked excitedly. She must have shat out the demon or something, because she was actually pleasant. I nodded quickly and motioned for the door.

Ace glanced at Lollipop and then opened the door before me (Shut up! I was still achin’!). I put on my saddlebag and my rifle harness and exited. Man, I wish I still had my sunglasses, or a hat. It was bright as fuck out here! Ace and Tallie quickly followed, shutting the door behind them. Followed by a crash. Thank whoever’s up there that we got out in time.

“Inventory check!” Tallie screamed from Ace’s back. She smiled at me with a smug grin. I hadn’t know her long, but she was quickly becoming annoying.

Ace opened up her pack. “Alright, I got shotgun shells, shotgun parts, some bandages, box of chips, some water, hair clips, bobby-pins aaaaaaaaaand...” She yanked out a large knife. “My machete!” She grinned. “What do you you got?”

Delving into my own pack for really the first time was weird. I don’t even remember half the stuff I had come in with. “Uh...” Three pockets lined the inside of the bag. In the first, Tallie had stuffed wires and electrical stuff. She squealed in annoyance when I tried to move them. I guess they were staying? From then on that compartment was the ‘Wire and Component’ pocket.

The second pocket held bottle caps. If I counted correctly, I had twenty-two. Wait, didn’t I have more? Guess not. The third pocket was larger than the others, and held an assortment of medical stuff. Ace must have shoved it in there when we were chilling in the cave the day before. We had a bottle dubbed ‘Rad-X’ a few other assorted medical stuffs like bandages and plasters and... and... a vial of Med-X... with a needle! I instantly threw it out of the bag and onto the ground.

Tallie picked it up. “Nope, no bugs.” She glanced back at me, raising her eyebrow. “What’s so freaky?”

“Bugs?” Ace asked. “What’s scary about them?”

“Well, y’see,” Tallie said, plopping the needle of doom into Ace’s saddlebag. “Ponies are hardwired to freak out at stuff that scuttles, and...” She received the ever so uninterested look from Ace, as well as her yawn. “Okay, I’ll shut up now.”

I breathed a silent sigh of relief and went back into my pack. Some food, the engraved ammo for my sniper, the regular ammo, and a few magazines for my SMG. And my SMG of course. Wait. There was something else. I pulled a small box out of the bag and opened it. A long cylinder rolled out into my hooves. It looked like a rifle barrel with a screw on one end. “Oh!” I exclaimed with slight glee. “I remember!” I had picked up this silencer back in the communications array.

“Fancy,” Tallie said with an impressed look. She jumped off Ace’s back and strutted her way over to me and my new piece of equipment. She yanked it from my hooves and turned it around in her griffin hands. I watched as she grinned and grabbed my harness. She began to examine the barrel, then started to attach the silencer. “Neato burrito!” She grinned at her handiwork. “Now you can be a super cool assassin, or something.”

The green sniper did look pretty neat. “So this makes me silent, eh?” I asked. I wasn’t exactly impressed, but humouring the kinda cute little griffin seemed to be a better idea. “How did you learn how to do that?”

The griffin climbed up Ace’s jacket and sat on her back. Hey, I’d take a free ride too, if I could.

‘Specially if it was on Ace.

Shuttup! Anyway. Snickering at my now red cheeks, Tallie went on. “I pride myself on tinkering.” She narrowed her pretty red eyes at me and her smile dissipated from her beaky face. “As to why I know about tinkering, I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned away and watched the horizon. “You can probably tell why. Now can we go?”

Of course, we were still outside Lollipop’s house. It was a squat building, with just two levels. The side of it was grey and worn, while the rest of the old wood building was a chipping white. Most of the windows had been blown out, and the roof was... gone.

My pipbuck displayed that we were about half a mile from where I was shot. Which made it somewhat of a miracle that I was still alive. My throat, chest, and head pounded with agony, but I knew that eventually, if I didn’t get the drugs for this infection, I’d be a goner.

“Wait,” I said, looking around. “Where’s Zippo?” The large fire ant was nowhere to be seen. He probably wouldn’t be welcome in Lollipop’s house, so maybe he was waiting somewhere?

“Haven’t seen him since you were shot,” Ace chirped. She really didn’t seem to care, all things considered.

“Let’s gooooo!” whined Tallie, being the impatient kid she was. That was gonna get real old real fast.

“Let’s!” Ace cheered, skipping away with Tallie on her back. Weirdo. Though according to my pipbuck map she was heading down the right route. We were... in the Red Zone. Radiation Zone. Death Zone. Gulping hard, my throat burning, I followed after Ace down a very worn road and kept an eye out for Zippo. How do ants track each other? They probably had a more intuitive way of keeping track of each other than us ponies.

The area around us was more desolate than before, if that was possible. We passed several dead trees, each pointing behind us, blown in one direction from something, probably a balefire bomb. Yeah, that seemed like a pretty big something.

“We gettin’ any rads?” Tallie asked, glancing over her shoulder at me after Ace had mellowed. Are we getting rads. I assumed that meant radiation. I looked around for the tell tale signs of green goo and giant bugs, but I couldn’t see any. “On your pipbuck, bozo.” Say what? I gave her a very confused look. Was it leaking radiation? The griffin crawled down from her mount and skipped over to my pipbuck and pointed at a small meter. “Rad meter. Remember that, you dodo.”

“Am not!” Such a little... smarty pants! There! I said it! “And no. Nothing,” I replied, “but looking at the map, we’re getting close to the hospital.”

“‘Bout time,” Ace cheered with a grin. “Let’s get to lootin’!”

My mane prickled as we walked along the road. The entire area around us was brown, yellow and... lifeless. Nothing green or a soul in sight! It made me wonder how anypony didn’t know it was safe down here. There must be so much around to loot! But we weren’t there for that. We needed to get the antibiotics, get to Iron City, get some dirt on Double Down, find him, and kill him. That would be one kill that I would not regret.

But all the others I’ve killed... sure, most were zombies, but they were ponies once. But those bounty hunters I slaughtered... no. No. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. It was Trailblaze. He found a way out and did it. Not gonna happen again. After I kill Double Down, he was next on my list. Try to figure a way to get rid of him. But then there were the Seperatist ponies I had killed...

My mind remained occupied with the inner conflict of killing. I had to do it, and I’d have to keep doing it. This place was horrible. Why couldn’t it be like the Federation and safe? Nopony in the Federation carried guns! Anypony that murders another pony is taken away. Rumour is that they were taken to Vladivostrot in the far north and... executed...

I couldn’t go back. I’m a killer. There was nothing I could do about that. I ended lives. Somepony’s son or daughter. They were foals once, just as I had been. And now I’m alive and they weren’t.

Time passed slowly as we trekked. My legs ached and I couldn’t even begin to describe my lungs and throat. The world around me got even more dead as we walked into what remained of a town. Lots of blown-down houses and old buildings. The only ones that stood were those made of anything tougher than wood. Each of the blown-down buildings had fallen to the north, which probably meant the explosion was to the south.

The road into town remained untouched. Carts of all sizes stood idle, each charred black and the occupying skeletons... the same. We passed by a bus and I couldn’t help but look inside the window. What I saw really made the brutality of war set in. Stallions, mares, foals. The ponies and zebras spared nopony. At the other side of the coach sat two skeletons, with a smaller one between them. On the smaller one’s lap sat a small charred train and the only thing that remained on the skeleton was scraps of old overalls. My heart sank to my stomach. Nopony spared.

None.

The armoured plate on my riot armour’s shoulder shifted and tugged slightly. I looked at the beige hoof on the plate and looked into the beautiful chocolate eyes of my travelling companion.

“Come on, Clover,” she whispered, looking into the coach. “Nothing we can do for them now.” She turned her head back to me and gave me a small smile. “But we can help the others.” She landed a playful punch on my foreleg. “Like you, now c’mon.”

Sighing again, I turned from the coach and looked down the road. I liked nice Ace. She was much nicer than bitch Ace. She gave me a sweet smile and turned down the road. I couldn’t help it, but she was so hot. I have mentioned that before, right? She was... wow. Dammit! Digging myself a hole here! It will never happen. Ever.

To take my mind off it, I let my eyes wander away from her. There was a billboard we were passing that was largely intact. The faded lettering read “Sunrise Sarsaparilla Urban Challenge! Paintball war, team sign-ups end...” the rest was too faded to make anything from it. The main picture was a pony in black and green armour and a helmet with goggles, totally enclosed. There was a reward, but I couldn’t read it.

Paintball, the old world art of shooting each other with balls of paint. Fun and a great way to keep fit. Unlike real war. Okay, time to think about something else. Ace seemed in a good mood... I guess I could ask about what happened last night.

“Ace...” I rasped, getting her attention. “Last night...” The mare stopped and looked back, looking... I couldn’t tell what she looked like. Worry? Frustration of stopping? “When you tried to save me... you seemed...” Worried? Sad? Freaking out? “upset.”

“I was.” Ace stated. I wondered why. She saw my expression change from curiosity to surprise. “You’re a nice guy, Clover. A friend and I enjoy your company.” That... okay, wasn’t expecting that. “But that’s not why I was breaking up.”

I shuffled a little closer. “Then... why?” Seems like a good reason...

Ace looked away and into the town. “I...really don’t want to talk about it...” I opened my mouth to say something, but I shut up.

Maybe I should change the subject. “I do have a question about the memory orbs.” Ace took a deep breath and motioned me to keep moving. I did and walked along beside her. Tallie seemed to perk up at the mention of orbs. I dunno why she was still tagging along. I’d ask later.

“Well...” I started. Bringing forward the memories was a little harder than expected. “The memory was about a boot camp...” Oh! That’s what I wanted to ask! “The sarge guy yelled ‘this godforsaken desert’. Shouldn’t that be ‘Goddessforsaken’?”

Ace shrugged. “No clue.” She kept walking, staring forward. I don’t think she really cared. “Little trivial, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I still find it intriguing...” I muttered. Guess that was the end of that thought.

“Celestia and Luna weren’t always godesses, y’know,” Tallie piped up. She scratched her unkempt, messy feathers and mulled something over. “Ponies out here used to worship male gods or something.” Well... that was interesting. Kinda. “What? I like history.”

“That makes two of us,” I rasped with a smile. History was something ponies seemed to forget nowadays. Good to remember the past for the sake of the future. “Do you know who those gods were?”

Tallie shrugged. “I’m just spe...spu...spec-u-la-ting.” She gave herself a smug grin. “History was one of the things I occupy myself with.” A hobby is good for a kid. From what I could assume about what Tallie’s mentioned... and not mentioned about her home life, it must have been the only thing keeping her sane.

My old hobby was fun. I had a trainset my brother gave me. It was great! I made Gunter the conductor and we travelled the world of my mind, with its lush forests of candyfloss and candy mountains! It was great! The memories felt really good. Really uplifted my spirit. I managed to stop myself before I thought of my brother. This high was what I needed.

“So, Tallie,” I said, ignoring my burning throat and trying to change the subject again. “Tell us about you.”

The griffin looked between us. I doubted she would talk about the scars on her back and the base of her wings, or her home life, but anything to get her to even open up a tiny bit was a win for me. “Not much to tell,” she started. “My name’s Tallie, I’m a griffin, I’m thirteen, almost fourteen, and my parents were cunts.”

We did know all tha- wait, come again? “Thirteen?” She looked ten!

Tallie nodded. “How old did you think I was?” she asked, looking slightly offended. “Was it my art... articu... articulation?” That did make me think ten, but then again... “Equestrian is fucking hard when you have to teach yourself everything.” True. Ace looked at me, expecting an answer. Her face looked slightly puffy... as if she were holding in a laugh...

“I, uh...” I scratched the back of my head. “You looked... ten...”

Ace burst out laughing. “No she doesn’t, you twit!” she took a long few minutes to try and recompose herself. “Not very perceptive, are you?”

Welp. Just made a fool of myself. Again.

“I am skinny and small...” Tallie said, looking herself over. “Kinda expected since my parents gave me fuck-all to eat and I had to get it myself.” Her face darkened and she turned her head back to me. “If you hadn’t saved my ass, I would have been pissed, but since you did, I’m just gonna say it was an honest mistake.”

Sweat crawled down my face. Scared of a thirteen-year-old. Such a badass.

“Uh... I...” Oh please Luna, Celestia, hell, even Discord, somepony get me out of this awkwardness.

My prayers were answered as the old, cracked asphalt of the road beneath us started to vibrate. The shaking got a little more intense as a patch of dirt near the road crumbled and imploded. A second later, a large, red ant head poked out, feelers dancing.

“Zippo!” I cheered, followed by a small coughing fit. “There you are!”

Ace rolled her eyes and sighed deeply, either with boredom of frustration. Hard to tell. Tallie just looked at me like I was nuts. “Is he, like, in love with that ant or something?”

Ace chuckled. “Nah, he’s like a... weird pet to Clover.” She looked at me and the ant as it climbed up out of the hole and up my side, sitting on my back. Mmmm warm. “Wanna know how they got to know each other?” My eyes must have been the size of dinner plates. Nononono, please don’t tell her! Tallie nodded and Ace grinned. “Actually... it’s not really that interesting.” Wait, what?

“Tell me!” The little griffin squealed, starting to grin. Please no!

“Well...” Nononononono... “We were on our way to Iron City, and we found a nest.” She grinned evilly. Here we go... “One of the ants dropped an egg on Clover, and Zippo decided Clover was his new friend.” That’s not what happened, but I refused to complain.

The red eyed griffin deflated. “That’s pretty ew and pretty meh.” Hopefully we’d never have to tell her the real tale. I would never hear the end of it.

“Now let’s go, Queen Daisy.” Fuck. “We’re wasting too much time.” Ace turned and started back down the road and further into town. Zippo was firmly on my back, tickling my neck. We had to get moving. Time wasting wasn’t going to get my hooves around Double Down’s neck.

The hospital had seen better days. The buildings around it had either blown away, crumbled inwards, or fallen down. Good thing for us, they were all a maximum of three floors, so it didn’t obstruct our progress.

The front windows of the hospital pointed south and were blown in; the wall was charred slightly black. The whole front of the building sloped, having crumbled mostly inside. A faded poster with the face of a yellow pegasus with a pink mane, smiling very sweetly, was clinging to the wall amongst a bunch of other more faded posters. Just looking at the mare filled me with calm, and it seemed to have the same effect on my companions, even Zippo. The only thing I could make out of the faded writing was “Ministry of Peace”. Shows how effective that had been I guess.

The other posters looked like propaganda and recruitment posters, each more deteriorated than the one with the yellow pegasus. The Coalition ones featured a creme stallion wearing a helmet and glasses, smiling. “You patch us up, we fight for victory. Join the medical corps today.”

“Pretty,” Tallie stated. “We’re here to save C-dude’s life, right?” I guess that was me then.

My beige coated unicorn companion grinned. “And to get tons of loot that we can sell in Iron City.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Tallie squealed. Those two were getting along well. Guess I was the useless one. With a sniper rifle and an SMG. Oh and the psychotic murderer in my head. Fun times!

“But first,” I mentioned, butting in as the one not getting ahead of himself, “how do we get in?” The only windows were a floor above us, and the large doors were stuck tight with boards barricaded across them. Looked new too, like a month new. Maybe Lollipop put it there to stop looters and forgot to mention it? Am I grasping at straws and making excuses? Probably.

“Easy.” Was the response. Ace dropped Tallie off at my hooves. It made me realise she was bigger than she looked, me just being a head and shoulders taller than her when she stood at full height. Still, she was only over half as tall as me.

Ace looked the door over and tapped her hoof. She made a huge show examining the door over and over, knocking on the wooden planks, and looking over the exposed metal pieces. “It has come to my attention...” she started, turning towards us. She reared up and unleashed a mighty kick into the exposed metal with an echoing clang. The entire door just fell backwards, kicking up whirls of dust. “That this door is my bitch.”

“I concur,” Tallie said, nodding and looking very intellectual. “It is indeed your bitch.”

“Alright, ladies. Lets get to saving my sorry hide again,” I said with a chuckle. The situation did warrant slight amusement. This was, what, the bajillionth time I’d been saved since coming to the Ponave? This desert really wasn’t the place for me, the little farm boy. Too dangerous.

We stepped into a huge, dark lobby, covered in rubble and dust. The only light illuminating the building shone through cracks and openings in the walls, remains of windows, and cave-ins. The room was huge, both in width and height. Several floors overlooked the lobby, each dark and quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the creaking of metal, the drips of water, and the wind whistling through the cracks in the structure.

“Cozy, ain’t it?” Ace asked, kicking a piece of rubble. The rattle of the small ball of cement echoed through the building.

Tallie climbed off Ace’s back and took a look around. “Better than home...” she muttered. Her face scrunched up in disapproval and pain, maybe? She rubbed her side, revealing to me a small scar, slightly covered by fur. Now that my attention was drawn to her sides, I saw several scars. Not as many as her back held, but still a few. What hell did she live in before?

I hated to say it, but her parents really didn’t deserve a burial if they did or allowed that to happen to her. Bastards.

Rubble and old papers crunched under my hooves as we made our way inside, the light from my pipbuck illuminating the dark spots. Zippo didn’t seem to like the dark as he grew a lot warmer and emanated a bright light from his thorax. That’s the butt part of the ant, right? Anyway, point is he glowed like a lamp.

“If I were a bottle of antibiotics, where would I hide...?” Ace mused, looking around. There really wasn’t much to look at other than rubble and decay. Old posters, mouldy banners, and faded paintings plastered the walls along with old photos that really didn’t matter any more.

And bullet holes. Lots of em.

My hoof knocked a small metal tube on the ground, and it rolled away before coming to rest against an old brick with a small ‘tink’. The bullet shell was rusted and worn, definitely old. Maybe even pre-war.

“Come on...” Tallie muttered, her griffin hand stuck inside the back of a computer. I moved to pull her away from it, but before I could, the screen lit up and Tallie’s face lit up with glee. “Got it. Yeah, I really am that awesome.”

I merely nodded in approval. Dunno what would have happened if I’d patted her head or something, she seemed unstable as it was. “But you shouldn’t be shoving your hand in electrical equipment. Don’t want you to get shocked.”

The little griffin just waved a hand dismissively. “Maybe if I was an idiot, but I’m not, so its all ‘kay.”

“Great kid, but don't get cocky,” Ace said, ruffling the griffin’s feathers. Finally! Somepony had to say it. “And if you’re travelling with us, we expect respect, so listen. We aren’t like the sick fucks your parents were.” Wow, okay. Little bit blunt, but it seemed to work. Tallie looked almost confused. Like she hadn’t heard anypony say that to her before.

“Really?” she asked. She looked between us with slight confusion. “You two actually care about a random griffin you picked up?”

“Forget our little talk about friends already?” I asked. I felt really good about that little talk we had about friends having each other’s back.

Tallie tilted her head at me, her messy feathers following suit. “No, but I thought that was all horseapples.” As if. “But... you really care?”

Ace and I nodded, looking at the child. “Yeah, because we’re nice ponies. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Yeah, so don’t go running off like some big damn hero, hide behind us so we get hurt and not you,” Ace added with a warm smile. The thought of being a meat shield was fairly disturbing, but Ace had originally brought me along for that reason.

Tallie looked between us again, looking conflicted. “Um...” She really didn’t know what to do with herself. She looked up at me, then to her paw, which she scuffed the floor with. “I’m sorry.”

Ace and I looked between each other, partly in disbelief. I looked down at the little griffin and held a hoof out for a hug. “No problem,” I said with a warm smile. She hesitantly approached and awkwardly hugged me. She jerked at first contact and shook for the length of the hug, but I felt she needed it. If there was anypony that knew awkward, it was me, and I didn’t want to make that moment any more awkward than it needed to be so I hugged back. She shuddered slightly. I don’t think she was used to getting a hug. Couldn’t really blame her. “Welcome to the team.”

She backed up and jerked her head at the now operational terminal. She rubbed her eyes and looked back at me. “Might have a directory, or inventory, or some shit that might help.” Smart lass, but something was wrong with her voice. It seemed... strained, and very familiar. The swearing was a little much, but its not like Ace and I don’t swear. The only one of us that didn’t swear was the ant on my back. Unless he was constantly thinking of swearing. Sneaky one he was.

The screen on the computer was still booting when I looked it over. It was very grey and boring. I guess you could say it looked staticy but not. It was hard to explain- that was until Ace wiped the screen off with an old rag, revealing a bright green screen underneath. The only words on the glass machine was “Identification required” with a little pegasus with a long mane and a magnifying glass in the corner. It resembled the pegasus on the posters, oddly enough.

“Alright, gang,” Ace announced. “Lets split up and look for clues. Maybe a name tag, or a cheat sheet, or-”

“Found it!” Tallie called out from on top of a pile of rubble. She was holding up a very worn name tag attached to a clip and an old nurse’s shirt. She yanked it and pulled it and the shirt, and the ribcage underneath free. I honestly couldn’t look. The pony that ribcage belonged to used to help save ponies. Didn’t deserve to just be dumped like that.

The griffin brought it down and held it up to me. The bulky buttons clicked and clacked as I entered the name and ID number into the machine. It took its time to check the credentials and load up the next screen. There were four lines of random letters and numbers, and when clicked would show just a simple ‘corrupt’ message, and three other entries. The wallpaper on the computer was of a small smiley face saying “Everything will be okay!” Oh the irony. Everything will be okay! Right until you’re killed by the bombs.

The other two had lost interest, none of the entries showing what they wanted. Zippo had climbed off my back and started picking at the rubble around me, looking for something. Not sure what though. Ants are weird. In case any hid clues as to where we could find med stashes, I clicked the first entry. From a journal by the looks of it.

“Hey journal.

Well, my little Green Meadows graduated from the academy. He’s now a member of the fighting force that is our Coalition of Ordered Species military. I guess it’s not as glamorous as I make it out to be, but I’m proud. He looked so cute in his dress fatigues with all the other ponies and griffins and such. I mean, he looked tough. Real tough. But still adorable.

Anyway, I’m not one for politics, but rumour is that our beloved government is negotiating with Equestria over annexing the Ponave and Western Territories. That won’t be good for us at all if they do take over. Bye bye neutrality, hello casualties. Lets hope it doesn’t come to that, hmm?

Ciao! - Nurse Sugar Spoon.”

A mother too? Oh man, that ribcage is going to haunt me forever. She needed a proper burial. No, she deserved a proper burial Then again, if I kept up that mentality, I’d be burying skeletons all over the wastes. They were all in a better place, their bones nothing but husks. One day there’ll be monuments to the fallen. One day. I clicked the second one.

“Well, it happened.

We are now part of the Equestrian machine. The changes have already started. The first one to tick me off is the new computer system. It was down for three whole days, and the only thing that changed was my damn wallpaper. It’s just silly.

The biggest thing ticking me off however is the damned Ministries butting in. Already had agents from the Ministry of Peace and from the Ministry of Arcane Science marauding through here. The MAS have even cordoned off a whole damned wing for themselves! We’ve been moving patients all day long! Their agent is really creeping me out too. Can’t get a straight answer for him. Calls himself Seeker, or some buffalo shit. Saw a new one and he gave me the same answer! Must be a generic name for all their agents or something.

I think it’s silly.

Sincerely, a really ticked-off Sugar Spoon.”

I knew Equestria had annexed already. This data mine seemed to just be churning up history instead of stuff I could use. I looked up and saw Ace and Tallie inspecting some bullet casings on the ground, and discussing what could have fired them. Gun-nuts. Time for more history. Clickity-click!

“It’s happening!

Frontline soldiers are pouring in by the cart loads! So many casualties! We’re overloaded with wounded and finding it hard to keep up. Five nurses have already had breakdowns!

Soldiers from everywhere, too. Some in Equestrian armour, some in Coalition. I’ve seen a few different armours, like a camo one with circles on his chest plate. Spec ops?

I saw a pony today, his belly riddled with bullets. He’s holding on, but I recognise him. He graduated the same day as my Meadows. I’m really scared. I want to see my son!

Another batch just came in. They’re jabbering on about the Legions being only a few miles away. Oh gods above. I’m so scared...

-Sugar Spoon.”

Just more history in this land of shit and death. I looked around the huge lobby, trying to picture it full of wounded soldiers. The image was too easy to see. Bad idea too, so I just decided to shut it out. But where were all the skeletons? Shouldn’t this place be full of them? Maybe something good happened after. I hope it did.

“Anything?” Ace called over, now standing on a mound of what used to be ceiling. She looked up into the opening in the roof several floors up. The light shone down on her beautifully, highlighting her lush mane and curvaceous body. I felt perplexed by her figure. “Well?”

I snapped out of it and straightened myself out. “Nah, nothing,” I rasped. The pain in my lungs spiked and my throat felt scratchier as I coughed up a storm. “Let’s get going before this infection kills me.”

Ace nodded in approval and skidded down the rubble like nopony’s business. Nimble hotty. Ugh, got to stop thinking about her that way. She’s a friend and nothing else! She looked at Tallie, who was dangling from a rather high and very old piece of rebar sticking out of the broken concrete and motioned her to come down. Zippo scuttled along beside us as we chose which way to go.

A large double door stood at the end of the hall, and three other corridors protruded from the main lobby. The walls in between were riddled with bullet holes and mould. I dared not think about why the bullet holes were there, but I knew the answer. We all did.

We chose the big double doors. Ace took the lead and tried to push the door open, but it didn’t open. It fell down with a loud thud, kicking up dust and small pieces of rubble. I was bombarded with the scent of rust and decay, amongst other things I couldn’t put my hoof on. Probably didn’t want to either.

A long corridor stood before us, and seemed to stretch on into oblivion. Or, knowing this desert, a door that would open up into some snowy mountain lands. From what I’ve seen, from civil war to zombies to sand-controlling ghosts, anything was possible. We still marched down it.

The girls looked in each door, looking for a medical box or some hint of medicine, but what they did find was a lot of nothing. Ace still gleed at the prospect of salvage and started to fill her saddle bags, but I took no pleasure in it. We walked down that hall for a little longer before Ace ended up right in front of me.

I was mystified instantly by the curvature of her backside, my head bobbing in rhythm with it. I just wanted to reach out and touch the beige behind and caress it. My self-control peaked when I willed myself to look straight down and think of something interesting. Oh look, my hooves! Hm, that set of riot armour needed boots. My hooves were getting all dirty and dry. I sighed and kept moving.

The messages on the terminal started to seep back into my mind. I imagined how Sugar Spoon would have reacted if her son had come through those doors, horribly injured. Or what she was doing when she was killed by the bombs. Manning the front desk? Hiding? Fighting for her life? I began to wonder how fast it was. How painless. I hoped her gods were merciful and made it quick and painless. Otherwise I couldn’t bear to consider the alternative.

The thoughts of the zebra invasion creeped up, stemming from the worries for Sugar Spoon. I imagined zebra storming through the front doors, massacring the wounded and raiding the dead. They couldn’t have been that bad, could they? Killing the helpless? No, nopony was that bad. Were they?

I grumbled in frustration, just getting myself depressed. Had to think of something else, something different, something that I could think of for hours while I searched. Then I thought of Shamrock. How he was, back in the day, and how he was then. Buried in the ground without so much as a casket.

Tears stung my eyes, just thinking about how he went from glory to grub food. I couldn’t think about it. He may be physically dead, but his spirit will never die. His spirit will be immortalised in me and my future generations. But given my record with mares, that was doubtful. I only got close to one mare who actually liked me, but she left a long time ago. Wondered if I’d ever see her again.

I couldn’t think anymore, just stare at my hooves as we walked. I must have drowned everything out because all I could hear was my own hooves and my own heart beat.

“Ace,” I said, without looking up. “Have we found anything yet?” Silence. “Ace?” I asked, looking up. But there was nopony there. “Ace?” I asked again, looking around. I was alone. Completely alone. “T-Tallie?” Nopony. “Zippo?” I almost squeaked that last one. Not even my ant was by my side. Alone.

Alone.

My lungs burned and my throat ached from shouting in each direction, trying to find my friends. “Ace?! Tallie?! Zippo?! Anypony?!” Nothing. Just echoes and the wind whistling in my ears. My heart began to pound, and my breathing started to quicken. My eyes darted from side to side, trying to see everything but seeing nothing. My haunches hit the ground and I backed into a corner in panic. The room I was in was dark, so very dark. The only light was coming from my pipbuck.

Get a hold of yourself, you dolt.

The voice in my head was at it again. I really didn’t need this. Not at all. I slowly started to calm, trying to analyse the situation. I still had my guns, and I had my pipbuck. Better than most situations.

I took a deep breath and started to mellow. My heart was still racing, and my lungs were on fire, but I was starting to calm down. I was in a room, that’s all I knew. The light from my pipbuck illuminated a bed with a machine and a chair in the corner. There was a shattered window along the side of the room leading into the hallway and the door I think I came through.

My knees buckled as I tried to right myself, my eyes still darting from feature to feature. On the bed lay a skeleton, strapped down. I almost went catatonic again at the sight. If he’d survived the bombs, he would have been trapped. No way out with those bindings. More remorse for the dead. Just what I needed.

“Ace? Tallie?” I called out again, making my way over to the corridor, and shining my pipbuck light outside. I couldn’t see either end of the hall, just room after room, each the same as this one. “A-Ace?” Nothing.

Gulping down the huge knot in my throat, I climbed out the window. The only things that broke the silence was the air whistling through the halls, the occasional drip of water, and the rubble under my hoof. Darkness was all around. I squeaked and tears stung my eyes. This must have been what Sugar Spoon was feeling. The absolute dread. But instead of fear of somepony coming in, it was fear of not getting out. This place seemed like a dark maze with no way out.

My legs wobbled and felt like jelly as I chose a direction and started creeping down it. A tortoise would have walked faster, but I couldn’t. The fear was crippling, not letting me move, like I was bogged in mud. Another whimper left my quivering lips. How did I manage to wander away from Ace and Tallie?! How did they not notice?! They were looking for me, right? Right?!

My voice caught in my throat, and I felt a rumble in my stomach. It was tying itself in knots, wringing the bile out like dishwater. I felt it rise in my throat until I had to stop and eject whatever I was given for breakfast when I was still knocked out, so it was probably something easy to eat. Whatever it was, it was horrible going out. My throat was in agony, I could barely swallow the disgusting taste in my mouth. I pressed on, walking around the puddle of vomit.

The hallway was grimey and strewn with rubble. Nothing indicated a way out, or any directions to the lobby or anything. I found an old sign that must have been directions, but when I held my pipbuck up to take a good look, it was too faded to work out. “NO!” I yelled as loud as I could. “Tell me how to get out!!” I grabbed the sign and shoved it right up to my face, but I still couldn’t make it out. “No!” I yelled again, ignoring my throat which was really not happy with me.

I followed the direction of the arrow regardless. I had to find a way out. Rubble kicked against my hooves, making my spine twitch in fear. The sound of the rubble skidding along the floor made my skin itch and almost made me skitter in fear. Occasionally, I’d look inside a room and see either a well-made, mouldy bed or a skeleton, or I’d pass one in the corridor. The walls were blank except for the odd propaganda poster or rotation rosters for the nurses.

At the end of the hall was a doorway, which I peeked through. This had to be the way out. The room was lined with bunk beds, but it only had two inhabitants- a skeleton in the remains of blue scrubs and one in light green, clutching a scalpel like a weapon. I carried on through.

Each of the beds were dusty and the linens had become mushy due to the ages. The only one that I would even remotely think about resting on was the overturned one. But that was covered in rubble, so there was no way. Like I’d sleep anyway.

Another door loomed before me, leading me out into another hall, but there was a light. A faint green one nearby. “Zippo?” I called out, hoping he could change colours. “Tallie?” No answer. I looked towards the light and saw it was a monitor, sitting on a table in what looked like a nurses’ station. The other halls were empty and silent, so I made a beeline for it and looked it over. Looked light enough.

I pulled the small desk over and hid in the corner, the computer in front of me. If I’d had another table, I would have made a fort. No doubt about it. Two entries had survived the ages. I hesitantly clicked one.

“They’re here.

The Zebras. They bombed the city. It’s a miracle they didn’t hit the hospital. But they came for the survivors. So many dead outside... the Coalition soldiers defending the hospital fought and fought, some doctors and nurses taking to arms, but we couldn’t stop them.

They fought through the halls. Killed anypony who fought back. They... they need us. Medical staff and equipment. They told us they’d let us live if we helped...

Some of us hid, like me. They found Bitter Sweet. Oh god they found her. They didn’t kill her though. She was forced to treat their comrades. And when she was done... when she was done...

The passed her around like a whore! She has two kids for fuck’s sake!

These creatures aren’t civilised.

They’re animals.

- Nurse Sugar Spoon.”

Wow...that was... that was scary... and very dark, but explains the bullet holes. Fucking zebras... but some of the skeletons didn’t have holes in them. Like they’d been killed by the bombs. Something must have happened between the zebras and the bombs. I clicked the next message.

“It’s been... four days.

I don’t know how I survived. Too many close calls. I’ve been hiding in the vents, not even daring to leave. Not for food. The only water I’ve had was the moisture from the vent walls. Thank fuck I can fit. These vents will become my home for a while. The zebras have dug in, and they don’t look like they’re leaving.

They’ve locked Bitter Sweet away. Like an animal. All the survivors are locked up. Soldiers who surrendered are being interrogated. Some have died. I saw the corpses. They cut them up like butchers. Leaving only enough so they would live to tell the secrets. I’ve thrown up too many times.

I think I’m going to die soon.

I miss Green Meadows. I miss him so much.

- Nurse Sugar Spoon.”

No, it couldn’t end there! Sugar Spoon had to survive the zebras! She couldn’t have died in the vents! One more to go.

“Six days....

The only food I’ve had I managed to steal from the cafeteria while they slept. I hadn’t eaten in days. It wasn’t enough. I’m hungry again. I have water, but no food. So hungry...

They’re still there. The zebras. Why did Equestria have to get us involved? Why? Couldn’t they have just left well alone? Kept the war going between themselves? Fuck em. Equestria can go die for all I care. Luna can go fuck herself. Celestia is a useless idiot coward. Fuck Equestria.

This world is coming to an end, and I’m stuck in a vent. Great.

I did manage to steal a knife. If the world doesn’t end soon, mine will.

I just want to see my son again. One last time.

I can hear gunshots. They must be executing. I can hear their howls of joy.

I’m going to die...

- Nurse Sugar Spoon.”

No! Nononononononono! Not like that! It couldn’t end like that! It couldn’t be over!

I kicked the computer away in a rage. It moved back a little and came to a halt. Sugar Spoon couldn’t have died in the vent. Why would she be near the front desk if she’d died up there?

Maybe she was above her station, dead, when the bombs came. Knocked her down. No. No. She was alive. I refused to believe that she died. She had to have seen her son again, but not died up there.

She was dead nonetheless.

Acceptance is a horrible thing. Something that could make or break a pony. I was broken. Broken into small pieces. The wasteland had torn at every fiber of my being, leaving nothing but a ragged skeleton. Just like my bony brethren that littered the ruins.

Unlike them, I was still alive. If I was broken, could I be fixed? I had to try. I didn’t want to die. I had to kill Double Down, then I could die. I wasn’t going to let my brother die for nothing. My brother’s spirit was supposed to be immortalized in me. If I died, his spirit does too. I wasn’t going to let him down. I was going to stay strong. I got up off my haunches, looked into the darkness and steeled myself. I wasn’t just going to get out of this hospital for me. I was going to do it for Sugar Spoon.

Making my way through the dark halls of this hospital was less frightening than before. Maybe it was my sense of duty, or I was just getting sick of being scared. Either way, I was turning corners much easier and faster than before. But each corner I turned, only darkness met me. Where the fuck were all the windows?! In fact, how the hell did I get lost?! I was walking right behind Ace. This place must have been depressing as fuck before the bombs.

I sat and let out a frustrated shout. With any luck, Ace and Tallie would find me, or Zippo would tunnel in from under me. When I had finished, I was met with silence and darkness again. Sighing deeply, I ran my hoof through my hair. Just had to stay calm and keep walking. This hospital couldn’t go on forever. My lungs disappeared as a spike of pain lanced through them. I got to my hooves and kept moving.

Some sounds echoed through that hallway. Creaking, dripping, the occasional rattle... and music? Yes! Music! I could hear the faint sound of music coming from nearby. My hooves picked up the pace as I followed the sounds. My SMG was firmly in my grip, just in case things got hairy, but this place was abandoned. Well, supposed to be abandoned. Lets hope it still was.

The music was getting louder, and when I turned a corner, I saw a faint light at the end of it. As I approached, I saw that the light was emanating from a small room. The music got louder as I stood in the doorway. The light was coming from a small, flickering light bulb above a pony playing a small organ. Maybe that pony would help me get out!

“Excuse me?” I asked, walking forward. “Hello?”

The pony didn’t look up, and he kept playing. He looked oddly familiar. Grey coat, black mane...

Walking around the pony, my heart sank. It was me, playing the organ. My... his eyes were closed as his hooves glided along the organ. I backed up a few steps, until I hit a wall, and the other me opened his eyes. Instead of emerald eyes like mine, his were a blood red. A slow smile started to creep across his face until it resembled a crooked, unnatural grin.

“Who... who are you?” I asked, my lips quivering. This place was supposed to be abandoned! Not filled with twisted clones!

The pony looked at me and began to cackle. “Do you not recognize yourself? The crazy little shipwreck of a stallion?” His coat started to darken, faint wisps of black smoke started to rise from him.

I closed my eyes and looked away. It’s not real! It’s just a figment of my imagination!

“But is it?” I opened my eyes and I saw I was looking in a mirror. There was no organ, just the flickering light. My reflection was twisted in the cracked glass, and my coat had turned a pure black. “I am as real as you are, my friend.”

“What are you?!” I screamed at the mirror. “Get out of my head!”

The reflection seemed amused. “I am many things, my friend.” He crept out of the mirror and started walking towards me. “I’m a servant, I’m a leader. A saviour and a sinner.” He kept his dark march, even as I scrambled back to the doorway. But it was closed and it wouldn’t budge. I hammered on the wooden door but it refused to move an inch.

“I’ll be everything you’ll ever be. I’m a loser, number zero, play the victim and end up a hero. I’m a teacher, preacher, and a liar!” He marched forward as I scrambled into a corner and looked for an escape route. “I am anything and everything.”

My hooves covering my face wasn’t enough to stop his cold dark aura from striking into my very core. “I’m a mover, and a shaker. The oppressor and stimulator. I am anything and everything.” He moved my hooves from my face. “And anyone.”

“I’m a coward,” He shifted into me, “and a fighter.” Into Ace. “But most of all.” He shifted back to me. But this time, it wasn’t me. An older me by the look of it. “I am you.” The fake me started to melt away and was replaced by Trailblaze.

The evil spirit laughed and cackled. “Make no mistake, your mind is breaking! I’m going to tear it down and watch it all burn!” He took a triumphant moment to laugh at my cowardice. I was fixed in place by pure fear. “It’s a revolution, a celebration, a graduation! Just sit back and watch my world awaken, Clover. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.” He laughed again, making me cringe and sob. “Just let it go and let it die.”

“No!” I yelled in a fleeting moment of courage. “You aren’t real!” I got to my hooves and started my own march. “Why did you kill those ponies?! How did you take over?!”

“Because my friend, you are a coward.” He made that point before, but it wasn’t enough. “You couldn’t have done anything to stop them, and you would have been killed. We need you to live, so we can kill Double Down. We both want this goal, and I’m going to kill anything that blocks our way. Even if that means you.”

“Just get out of my head!” I yelled in his face. “Fuck off and die!”

“You don’t want that, my troubled friend.” The ghostly pony grinned his sick grin. “We are two of a kind, violent and unsound of mind! We are one and the same, and someday I will replace that big frown on your face with a smile and a beautiful, murderous glare.” The glare that Trailblaze was oh so accustomed to. “All because you had one bad day and your mind let go of the wheel!”

“Shut up!” I screamed. “I don’t want to hear your lies! I’m not a coward! You’re the coward! I will fight you until the day I die!”

The twisted pony grinned. “Prove it.”

And just like that, my torment was over. The pony was gone. Everything hurt. My eyes, my throat, my lungs, everything. The next few moments were filled with me sobbing and trying to forget what just happened. Was my mind was slipping away and becoming a slave to this demon inside of me? Why couldn’t he just go away? Why did I have to be his plaything?

Minutes passed, and I started to calm down. The only way he’d leave me would be if I prove that I’m not a coward. That I’m not going to give up. I got to my hooves and looked around. The door was still locked, but there was a new one. One I hadn’t seen before. That, or Trailblaze had hidden it from me. It creaked open and I poked my head through, finding I was now in a large, wide hallway, a big red double door at the end.

The door was surrounded by a thick frame of steel, and the doors wouldn’t budge. There were lights around the frame and two large signs. One reading “Ministry Of Arcane Science”. The other reading “Keep Out”. It looked like it was my only option at that moment. There was no power to even open it. I couldn’t turn back though. The door was blocked. Maybe if I found a power box.

The door must have been brand new before the bombs because there was still some exposed wiring, and if the Ministry was all it was cracked up to be, they must have had backup power. I followed the wires into a very dark corner of the room. There stood a small box, hooked up to a construction generator. The box wasn’t locked, and there sat a switch. A power switch by the look of it. Plus the big white writing that read “Power”.

What would be waiting behind that door? It had to be locked for a reason. But that was probably just to keep ponies out. Like a wing for MAS employees and stuff. I wouldn't normally press it, and just turn back, but that was the old me. I wasn’t a coward any more, I was gonna show Trailblaze what I was made of.

I flicked the switch.

The lights around the door lit up, then a green one lit up right above the doors. With a long hiss, the doors slowly opened, and lights lit up inside. Another hallway. My hooves clip-clopped against the remarkably clean tiles that lined the hall. Peeking into each room, I saw that they were all very well-preserved. The beds looked very comfortable, but all were empty.

I opened the door at the end of the hall and poked my nose in. Something stank horribly. I gagged and poked my head back out. What was that?! All the other rooms seemed to fresh and clean, but that one smelled like old socks lost in a septic tank in a junkyard!

Holding my breath, I looked through the door again. Big mistake. It was some sort of laboratory. Beds stretched from wall to wall, some loaded with skeletons, but others with... creatures. Demented ponies and griffins, some with pipes running along their bodies, and some missing body parts. Each one had milky white eyes.

I wanted to back up, but my legs wouldn’t move. Each body stared up at the ceiling, unmoving. I couldn’t move at all. The horrors trapped me in that room. The smell didn’t even register anymore.

“Who...” a growling, sludge-like voice sounded from the far corner. “Who disturbs... my experiments...”

A grotesque... thing came out of the corner. It looked like a unicorn, but its face had half-melted, revealing bone and spoke with a disgusting, gooey voice. Its horn had displaced to what used to be its nose. Its voice was distorted by a rebreather attached to its mouth, its melting flesh seeping over it. Its body was bloated and a sickly green; its mane and tail didn’t even exist anyway. Its cute mark had distorted and melted away. The only thing covering its slimy, melted flesh was a very worn, old lab coat.

I squeaked in fear, but I couldn’t move. Nothing was registering, other than the ugly, sickening creature that stood at the other side of the room.

“Another... another subject?” the thing gurgled. “Excellent...” It levitated a scalpel with its displaced horn, and began to shuffle forward, leaving a sickening trail of ooze. I turned to flee, but I tripped over my own hooves and faceplanted.

“It’s... trying to... escape!” the thing growled. “Get him...”

The other things on the beds started to jerk and rise as if rising from graves. They moaned and groaned, each seeping a disgusting rainbow liquid. The pipes along their bodies hissed and rattled, weaving in and out of their flesh. A mutant griffin rose from his bed, his wings having long since melted away. Its talons had to be the size of machetes as it carved its way out of its bindings.

I scrambled to my hooves and bolted. I tried to get my SMG out and load a magazine, but I dropped the mag. I tried again, and I fumbled again. I ran to the exit but the big red doors had closed. My hooves slammed at the door, trying to dig my way out, but it wasn’t working. My back slammed against the door, trying to use my weight against it, but it wasn’t working. “No!” I screamed, slamming against the door. “Help!”

“Nobody... escapes...” the thing gurgled, lurching through the doors. Its gang of mutant abominations crowded behind it, letting their leader make the first incision. It was now levitating a scalpel, bonesaw, and three needles. Needles! I burst into tears and slammed at the doors again. “Nononono!!”

The thing slimed its way over the clean floor. “Nobody... escapes... Doctor Perfect... you will... become... perfect...”

“No!” I screamed, and fumbled my SMG. “I don’t want to be like you!”

The monsters all howled and gurgled behind the doctor. There was no way out. I was doomed! Doomed to become one of those things! With their rainbow ooze and their demented, melting faces. One of them even had tentacles!

The monster was almost right on top of me, its ragged breath seeping from its muzzlepiece. “You will... be perfect...” It lifted its tools, ready to bring them down on me. This was it. I was dead. No way out.

A creaking from above broke through the suspense. A few tiles loosened in the ceiling. The mutated doctor and I looked up. More tiles fell, and were absorbed by the doctor’s sludge-like body. “Perfection... waits... for nopony...” it gurgled. It looked at me again, but before it could bring its tools down, a mighty groan sounded from above.

The ceiling started to crack and split as the doctor looked up. The doctor blinked a few times, then whimpered. The ceiling exploded as a huge portion of a ventilation shaft crashed through, right on top of the mutant.

The shaft slammed down on it, sending ooze and bits of mutant in all directions around it. The tools dropped around me, and all the other mutants watched in shock. The doctor was dead, squished under a ventilation shaft.

A little griffin head poked out of the side, looking dazed. “Fuck me sideways,” she moaned, rubbing her eyes. She looked around at the scene, then to the goo, then to the mutants, then to me. “Oh hey, there you are.” She looked at the mutants and the goo again. She climbed out and skipped over to me. “Totally meant to do that.”

I grabbed the little griffin girl and held her tight. I couldn’t be more happy to see Tallie in my life. She had just saved my life. I guess karma really does work. She looked at the mutants, starting to get themselves together, and looked at me. “Your friends are ugly.”

One lurched forward, starting its attack run. “They aren’t my friends!” I squealed, still crying.

“In that case,” Tallie said with a grin. She picked up my SMG off the ground, reloaded it, and pointed it at the mutants. “Come get some, bitches!” She pulled the trigger and let rip, not even bothering to aim. She just held it against her hip and watched as the mutants exploded into showers of goo from the SMG rounds pounding into them.

The doors behind me flew open, and a loud bang sounded out over the SMG’s ratatat. Buckshot filled the air and felled two more mutants. There was Ace, looking very badass with my ant on her back and levitating a shotgun. “Eat it, fuckers!” she yelled.

Only a few more mutants remained, but both Tallie and Ace had to reload. The griffin mutant leaped forward, aiming to take down Tallie, but Zippo got to her first. He scrambled under the mutant and started to glow an intense white. Zippo exploded into a ball of flame that incinerated its torso. The ball turned into a jet of flame that roasted the other mutants, turning them to charred ashes.

Quicker than it started, it was over. I was laying at Ace’s hooves, curled into a ball, Tallie was reloading the SMG with a magazine I dropped, and Zippo was smoking. He was alive, thank fuck. The ball of flame seemed to erupt from large pores along his body, then concentrated around him. I felt so proud.

“‘Bout time we found you,” Ace said with a smile. “Had me worried.” She helped me up, and I grabbed her in a very tight hug. She jolted a little, being surprised, but then hugged back. “Don’t wander off like that, again. Alright?”

I nodded and whimpered a little in affirmation. I felt safe now, hugging Ace. She and Tallie were my guardian angels and Zippo my little devil. I sobbed a few times, still hugging Ace.

Tallie wasn’t pleased. “Sheesh, get a room you two. Seriously.” She tucked the SMG into my bag and looked over the charred remains of the bodies. “Euch, nasty sons of bitches, ain’t they?” She didn’t seem disturbed at all by them. “Something out of a monster flick or something.”

Ace and I finally separated. She gave me a sweet smile that I felt was contagious and smiled back. She nodded to the door. “Come on, we found the stockpile. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Now that I was back with my friends, I felt safe. Nothing could touch me, not while Ace had her shotgun, and Tallie had her fearlessness. Seriously, why wasn’t she disturbed? Her childhood must have been fucked up beyond repair.

Ace’s saddlebags looked like they were ready to burst. One had medical equipment and drugs, while the other held all sorts of salvage. I was going to ask about them, but Tallie interrupted.

“Those vents were real handy. Good thing we found that terminal.” I looked at her with curiosity, after wiping my eyes from tears. “It said that the vents were good hiding spots, so I climbed up to look for you. Heard you screaming something awful.”

Gulping down the lump in my throat, I followed Ace. “Was it one of Sugar Spoon’s entries?” I asked. I had to find out what happened to her. I had to.

Tallie nodded. “Yup. How did you know?”

“I’ve been reading her other entries. What happened in yours?”

Tallie rubbed her griffin chin as she toddled along beside me. “Well, turns out the shots she heard from the last entry were from the start of a Coalition counter-attack, the zebras were executed, and she was saved. By her own son, nonetheless. Pretty cool story, if you ask me.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. A good ending to a bad story. Well, the ending came with the bombs, but at least Sugar Spoon saw Green Meadow again. She deserved that much, if not more. My heart felt weak but happy. It had been beating like a snare drum all day. I needed a rest.

A long rest.

The lobby to the hospital was the most welcoming sight a pony could have - well right after being saved by his friends of course. The doors were still open, and the sun was still in the air. I stayed by Ace’s side like glue. Never ever going to wander off again ever.

“Alright, so,” Ace began, sitting down on some rubble and pulling out a bottle of well-preserved pills. “Antibiotics.” She counted the amount of pills Lollipop suggested for me and hoofed them over along with a canteen of water. “Here, should feel better in no time.”

The pills tasted like honey, and went down my throat easily with the help of some water. A few minutes later, my lungs started to hurt less. They still hurt, but now they were bearable.

“So what have we learned today?” Tallie asked, sitting beside me. “Zebras took over the hospital, Coalition took it back, Zippo’s an incendiary bomb, and the MAS were up to no good. I mean seriously, those experiments were fucked up. They looked like the ‘Thing from the Froggy Bottom Bog’. Love that movie.”

So that was why she wasn’t scared? Looked like something from a movie? I guess that’s one way to get by...

“Everything about Equestria is fucked up. I bet they’re responsible for Mustang too, with all their experimenting,” Ace said, crunching on some potato chips.

“Mustang?” Tallie and I asked in unison.

Ace nodded and swallowed her mouthful. So graceful. Not. “Yeah. Fucked up place between Iron City and the river. Nopony ever goes there. It’s like the Red Zone, but worse.”

“How?” I asked. The Red Zone seemed fucked up enough, if you ask me.

“Can’t breathe there,” Ace said, simply. “Literally. Something in the air kills you. Plus, it’s fucking cold. Nopony knows why.” That didn’t make any sense, but nothing out here did. I decided to just shrug it off.

“So what next?” Tallied asked, petting Zippo’s warm head with a hind paw. “We got the meds, now let’s get to Iron City. Gotta find the dude that killed mom and dad.” Ace and I gave her a little look of worry. “What? I want to thank him, then blow his head off. He did kill my dad, which I’m thankful for, but he almost killed me. That shit don’t fly, yo.”

Ace and I exchanged looks of worry and slight fear. This griffin was broken. But then again, who wasn’t? I came from a comfy life to a dead land. Tallie went from abuse and neglect, I assume, to freedom. Ace... I dunno really. I know nothing about her.

“Well, we’re farther from Grimm Gorge, so maybe the old mine shafts?” She muttered to herself and gently grabbed my pipbucked hoof to check my maps. “Yeah, the old silver mines. Built into a cavern in the cliffs. Get through there, we hit the Iron Defender checkpoint, then it’s onto Iron City!”

“Neato-burrito,” Talle said, hopping down from the rubble. “Enough rest, lets go.”

“Clover’s still sick, y’know,” Ace stated, much to my surprise. She actually cared!

Tallie rolled her eyes and walked over to the main doors. “We’ll walk slow then!”

Ace chuckled and looked at me. I must have looked a mess.

“Kids, huh?”

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

“Tough Hide.”

Exposure to very minor Taint from the mutants. You’re very lucky as only your hide has slightly mutated, making it a bit tougher. Yay! +3DT.

New Companion Perk (Zippo)!

“Blaze of glory!”- When in intense combat, Zippo can use the fire deep within him to its optimal efficiency by expelling it through his body’s natural pores and orifices, becoming a fire bomb. His fire attacks gain a temporary boost.

Special thanks to my new editor Matkingos, Adder1, Julep, Kal, and Darcy for the help.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

Chapter 9: Iron Will.

Chapter 9: Iron Will.

“Make me lose and I’ll blow my fuse!”

Over just a few days, I’d experienced my own personal hell. I’d found out what it was like to be shot, burned, infected, and so much more. But one thing had risen over all the other experiences. A feeling that I had felt time and time again. A feeling that I had always dreaded.

Fear.

Fear was starting to rule my life. I could never fight back because fear had gotten the better of me. Fear ruled my life with an iron hoof, constantly beating me down when ponies like Ace and Shamrock would have gone to arms and fought back. If I was alone in the wastes, I would have died a long time ago. I owed Ace my life.

Trailblaze, the insanity in my mind, must have spawned from the constant fear, paranoia, and cowardice. Cowardice that would have cost ponies their lives given the situation. I tried to overcome my cowardice in the hospital, doing something I never would have done. My courage was destroyed not two minutes later when I was faced with those... things.... I made a mistake, and it nearly cost me my life. Just another way my friends had saved me.

Relying on others was something I had to change.Fear was something that I would need to beat to survive. Ace, Tallie, and Zippo wouldn’t be there forever. Hell, I didn’t know if Ace would come with me after Iron City. The day that sweet flank left my life would be a bad one indeed.

She did say she wanted to help though. Maybe there was hope? Maybe she’d follow through on her promise? What would happen if... well, when I piss her off? She’d just leave me... and then I’d die.

I needed to change that. For good.

Never be pushed around again.

“How you feelin’, buddy?” Ace asked, nudging me. My mind was still fixated on the day’s events. We’d been out of the hospital for around an hour before I had to take a break. The infection was acting up, but the medication was definitely helping.

It took a few seconds to pull myself out of my thoughts and look up at the mare. She was looking stunning against the ruins around us. The Red Zone wasn’t as bad as I thought, to be honest. It was quiet, fairly cool, and, best of all, not dangerous. A little bit further into the Red Zone, and maybe it would get worse.

Ace just smiled awkwardly, tilting her head. “Hello? Clover, you awake?” The way her mane blew in the wind, clashing against the decay behind her, her brown eyes sparkling in the warm desert sun’s glare... she was so beautiful.

I then realised I was staring. Blushing bright red, I looked away sheepishly. “Uh... yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just fine. Not hurting as much.”

“Can we get moving then?” Tallie piped up from the window above me. I would wonder how she got up there, but I wouldn’t get a straight answer. From what I’d seen, she was the type to just plain not give a damn.

We were sitting on an old, cracked bench in the street, having pushed the skeletons off. Of course I didn’t like it. They were ponies once, but they were just lifeless husks now. Nothing but... whatever bones are made of. Just inanimate objects. Not like the ghosts of those ponies would come to haunt me.

Right?

The sun was hanging high in the sky. Just past noon by the look of it. I sighed and nodded, feeling ready to walk again. “Yeah. Let’s get going.”

Iron City was within our grasp. The cliffs we had to pass through could be seen clearly above the ruins, just a few minutes walk away. Over them stood a large tower. No, not a tower. A smoke stack, maybe? It was hard to make out, as it was just peeking over the cliff.

That was where I would get my information on Double Down. I knew he was in the city of Neighgas, but that wasn’t the only thing I needed to know. If the wastes had taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. Learn about what Double Down has up his sleeve. A way to get in, a way to get at him, and live to tell the tale. Snake Eyes, that ghoul better pull through.

“Sweet!” Tallie said with a grin. She looked up and down the street before jumping and landing perfectly on the bench beside me, almost giving me a heart attack. She could have hurt herself! Then again, she was half cat. “One thing I need to ask. I need clothes.” She looked down at herself.

Her feathers were a complete mess, even the ones that were tied up in a ponytail, and her coat was filthy. Her back, sides, and the base of her wings were covered in scars. She honestly didn’t seem like the type to care about walking around naked- most don’t. It must have been the scars.

“If we find something along the way,” Ace said, getting up and straightening her leather jacket and her armoured socks. “Then we’ll find something in the city.”

Tallie froze. “The city? With all those ponies around?” She looked slightly worried. “The ponies... that are gonna see me?” Ace looked at me with a little worry and confusion.

“I’m sure we will find something along the road.” Ace looked up and started marching. “But we won’t find out without getting going.”

The little griffin stood still, looking very conflicted. She occasionally looked over her shoulder and felt the scars on her sides. Ace had started trotting off towards the canyon in the cliffs ahead, leaving Tallie and I behind. Deciding not to waste time, I took off my trench coat and handed it to Tallie.

“Here, it’ll do until we find you something to cover up,” I said with a smile. I knew what it was like to be self-conscious about looks, and judging by her scars I assumed she was a lot more self-conscious. Must have been. Definitely.

The griffin looked slightly confused for a moment, looking at the coat. She looked at me, and I saw a glint of... something in her eye. Was it... joy? It probably was, seeing as she took it and draped it over herself with a big, wide grin on her face. She looked adorable, the coat being way too big for her.

She climbed up my leg when I held it out to her, and she sat herself down on my upper back. She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she squeaked. When she broke the hug, I felt compelled to nuzzle the little griffin. She flinched a little at the touch but relaxed soon after. Her plumage may have been very messy, but she was still pretty soft. I could see she was holding in tears of joy, as if she’d never been given anything in her life.

“No problem, kiddo.”

At the bottom of the hill, I saw the most gruesome, most disgusting, most terrifying sight ever.

A derailed train.

That’s right. A small locomotive was laying on its side next to its track, the old trucks behind it in various states of disrepair. Some had been torn apart, some had been completely destroyed. Looked like they were once coal trucks, or ore trucks maybe. Mining definitely.

It took me a moment to steady myself and really reflect for a second. I was horrified at a toppled train. An inanimate object. Really? Fuck, I got attached easy. I liked trains, but that was ridiculous.

“Griffin and gentlecolt, we are now leaving the Red Zone,” Ace announced with a smile, looking up at the large cliff face. “Just a short trot now, and we’re home free.” I was over the moon about leaving the Red Zone. Fuck that place. It was peaceful but scary as fuck. Never going back. Not even if it’s super important and unlocks all the secrets ever. Nope. No way.

“Thank Floyd,” Tallie cheered.

“Floyd?” I asked, looking back at the griffin cub, still riding on my back.

She just shrugged. “Dunno who to thank. Floyd seems like a cool name though.”

“Could just thank Celestia or Luna like the rest of us, even if you don’t believe in them.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Thank pony so-called ‘goddesses’? Pff, nah, Floyd’s totally my new saviour, thing.”

“Floyd it is,” I chuckled. I wasn’t sure why ponies swore to the Equestrian Princesses. I think it was because they were once real and godlike, the reality being the defining factor in worship.

That’s probably bullshit, and the reason is hidden in a mystery shrouded in an enigma that I just don’t care enough to solve.

“Move it, slow flanks!” Ace barked from up ahead, entering the wide canyon. You could easily fit two or maybe three trains side-by-side through it, but there was only one track. The other space must have been used for carts and the like.

I looked back at the city we had just left. The ruins got smaller as the city thinned out, getting closer to the cliffs, but I could still see the bane of my existence in the distance. The fucked up hospital. Two of my biggest questions were ‘Why the fuck weren’t there any windows?’ and ‘Why the fuck were there rainbow-spewing mutants in the MAS wing of the hospital?’. Time will only tell. Either I’d find out or forget. I was hoping for the latter.

Nothing but the wind cut through the silence in the canyon, whistling above us. It was cold in the shade of the canyon walls. The sun was beating down over the Ponave in its perch in the sky. I was glad we weren’t in the sunlight. Being a desert and all, it gets very hot very fast out there.

We eventually caught up to my gorgeous, sexy friend and marched alongside her. Her beautiful brown mane blew gently in the breeze. She had the prettiest smirk on her face, like she was highly anticipating something, like a child on Hearths Warming eve. She really wanted to get to Iron City as soon as possible. Then... who knew?

“Psst, Mr. Clover,” Tallie whispered in my ear. “You’re staring.”

I blinked and looked away from Ace. “Thanks,” I muttered back. What would have happened if Ace had caught me staring? Probably nothing, but I didn’t want to come off as creepy. Aw hell, here we go. I was probably sweating and looking very awkward. Oh look, that rock suddenly became very interesting. Yes indeed.

“Weirdo,” Tallie murmured from her perch on my back. That kid.

I was on the fence about Tallie. Her attitude was understandable, given her assumably abusive past, in the past day we had spent with her she seemed to show promise, like she was starting to relax after years of fear. At least, that’s what I thought. She was slowly starting to adapt to not having to fear the ponies around her. She was even wearing my coat without complaints.

“What have we here?” Ace asked, breaking my deep thoughts. I looked back and didn’t see the canyon entrance. We had walked farther that I had previously predicted. I was walking along the old train track. The iron rusted in places and the wooden slats had gone mouldy and almost useless. Tallie climbed off my back and walked over to Ace, dragging the coat behind her.

Ace had stopped at what looked like an old service station. It was one where ponies pulling carts could stop and have a rest or the more advanced modes of transports could recharge whatever it was they ran on. Magical batteries? Gems? What was I, a mechanic? Tallie seemed to squeal with delight as she sprinted towards it.

“Stop!” Ace called out, but Tallie was too excited. She ran right inside the building’s repair shop. Ace rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath then followed after, levitating her shotgun beside her. I gulped and reluctantly followed, readying my SMG. Who knows why Ace was getting ready for combat, but if she was, I’d better too.

The building was two stories, the repair shop only being one, but the whole thing looked off. Not off as in ruins like the rest of the Ponave, but something didn’t sit right. There were piled-up carts outside and the rubble had been shifted. It looked more like a little fort than an old building. Didn’t stop Tallie, Ace, or apparently me.

Ace shoved the barrel of her shotgun through the door first, and scanned the room. I poked my head in after she had entered. My jaw was clacking gently against my SMG, trembling in the fear of the unknown. What had Ace been preparing for? Mutants? Bugs? Mutant bugs? I looked behind me to see Zippo scuttling around outside, his feelers dancing along the ground. Something... something was up. I didn’t know what, but it was up.

Tallie was digging through and old box on the other side of the room. The repair shop seemed better than most of the buildings I’d seen. There was less rubble, and everything seemed shinier. There was a cart being repaired on an elevated platform and parts were scattered around the room.

“Cool!” Tallie exclaimed in excitement. She dragged something out of the box, a bundle of materials. She dusted it off and turned to us. “I found pants!” She was right. She’d found a pair of faded greyish-blue cargo-shorts. They weren’t designed for ponies, that was for sure, but from the size and shape, I’d say they were fit for a griffin. Tallie took her time trying them on.

They fit her fairly well. The just about covered her knees and had a large pocket on either side. It didn’t look so great with my coat, but it didn’t look bad. She turned back to the box. “Got some more cool stuff in here.”

I decided that Ace was just being paranoid, so I holstered my SMG and gave her a smirk. She rolled her eyes and looked around, shotgun still raised. Trotting over to Tallie, I saw that the box read ‘old stuff’. I looked over Tallie’s shoulder and picked out a note that she had set aside.

‘Remind me to send this stuff to charity.’

I guess the last owner outgrew his or her clothes and stashed them here. I looked over Tallie’s shoulder again. The box did have some clothes, most destroyed or too small, but also some old toys and other children’s things. Tallie looked over the toys in detail, spinning the wheels on the toy train, examining an old doll. She sighed and put them back, taking out a navy blue garment.

She displayed it between us, looking it over. It was a long sleeved undershirt with two upper arm pockets that seemed to be intact, albeit dusty. Tallie seemed to like it as she put it on, poking her wings through the wing holes and doing a little spin.

“Nice,” I remarked, picking up my coat.

“I know, right?” She seemed genuinely happy, seeing that the clothes covered her scars. “Ain’t we lucky?” She delved into the box and pulled out a little satchel with a teddy bear’s face on it. “Well, almost. This would have been perfect.” Didn’t like bears. We were going to have a problem.

“Tell you what,” I said, patting her on the shoulder. “When we get to Iron City, we’ll get the patch taken off and I’ll take it off your hands.”

Tallie nodded and looked into the box. “Some of these toys look pretty good...” she mused. I think she wanted to take them, but she didn’t want to look like a child. I gave her a wink. “I guess we could take some. Sell it, y’know?”

“Sure,” I chuckled and watched her take a bunch of old toys out. I noticed she put the most damaged into a different part of the bag. I wouldn’t tell anyone. She moved on to the other shelves and such. Most of the other stuff looked boring. Tools and stuff.

Much to my surprise, Tallie actually took them. A wrench, screwdriver, hammer, all sorts of stuff. She stuffed the smaller tools, like a spanner and her screwdriver, into her shoulder pocket, letting them sit snug. She stuffed the rest into an old, dusty tool belt, brushed off the cobwebs, and decided to put it on. She looked like a regular little engineer with that gear. She redid her ponytail feather style and struck a pose. “Thoughts?” she asked.

“Looks good,” I said with a smile. “But why take the tools?”

“Because,” Tallie said, walking past me to a set of other shelves. “Tools are what I need to tinker. Build stuff. Fix stuff.” She looked back up at me. “Didn’t think I salvaged that machine back at doc whatsit’s pad for nothing, did you?”

“So...” I started, putting two and two together. “You’re kinda like an engineer or something.”

Tallie examined her talons. “Yeah, kinda a genius, no big deal.”

“Oh really?”

“Ya, really.” She looked so very smug. “It was a hobby that kept me well away from my parents.” She turned and looked back at the shelves. “And that’s all I’ll say on the subject.”

I gave her a very concerned frown. What was she keeping from us? I understood that her childhood was unpleasant, but it wouldn’t do any good bottling it up. Maybe in time. Hell, her parents only died the day before.

I sighed and looked around for Ace. She was struggling with a large crate in front of a door. Her magic wasn’t enough to lift it, but with the force of my hind leg muscles and a little grunting and cursing, we shifted it. The box looked like it had been shifted fairly recently, but there was nothing remarkable other than the weight.

Ace leveled her shotgun at the door. “I got a bad feeling about this,” she murmured. I looked at her strangely, then unholstered my SMG, ready for whatever it was she was paranoid about. She reached out with her black-tinged magic and slowly creaked the door open.

Nothing could have prepared me for smell that blasted from the room. It was like someone had taken an old sock, used it to clean a septic tank, then threw it over a pile of week-old corpses. Of course, that might have been an observation, but when Ace took a peek, she immediately went pale. I may not have been far off, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to find out.

“Raiders,” Ace said, obviously frightened. “We have to leave. NOW!” She turned and looked at Tallie, who was putting all sorts of equipment in her satchel, then to me. “Get her out of here!”

I nodded and complied, scooping up Tallie and galloping for the exit. If it was the same raiders as the stories I was once told as a lad, then we were screwed. Tallie protested, having not collected all the parts she wanted, but she eventually complied. Ace brought up the rear, keeping her shotgun pointed at the door.

The sun was right over the canyon now, the light burning my eyes as we sprinted out, but it wouldn’t stop us. My heart was racing, the adrenaline starting to trickle into my system, giving me that high I was beginning to love. We galloped away from the wretched place, and we were just in time.

Charges detonated above us, bringing down a hail of boulders and rocks behind us, cutting us off from the rest stop. We looked back in disbelief, then the fear set back in.

“It was a trap,” Ace gasped, looking for breath. “Fuck they were crafty...”

I looked between Tallie and Ace. “You mean they had charges ready to rain down boulders on us, after we left their camp?” Sweat beaded down my face. “We both know what that means.”

Ace paled again. “It means we’re being watched!” Tallie interjected before Ace could.

“Drop your weapons!” a voice boomed. Slowly, six ponies emerged from various outcrops ahead. They didn’t look like the raiders from the old stories but more like soldiers. They each wore black and white camouflage armour with an odd hammer emblem on their shoulders. They wore helmets that matched their armour. “I said drop ‘em!”

Ace and I complied, slowly dropping our weapons. These were definitely not raiders. Oh hell, not Separatists again! I’d had enough of them to last a lifetime. “Packs too!” Each of us, even Tallie, put our bags and equipment on the ground. Hell, I even unhooked my sniper harness and set it down. “Alright, you raiders are coming with us.”

“Raiders?!” Tallie blurted out. “Seriously? Do we look like raiders you dodo?”

Ace just smirked. “These guys won’t hurt us,” she said with a smug smile. “They’re Iron Defenders.”

“That’s correct,” a light blue unicorn stallion wearing a black beret instead of a helmet replied. “You aren’t fooling us. Only raiders operate around these parts, and anyone coming from that way unscathed is either extremely lucky or the next damn messiah.” He slowly approached, the other soldiers following him. Each of them had goggles, each with weapons varying from assault rifles to SMGs.

“We aren’t raiders,” I said, my heart racing and sweat pouring down my main. “We were just passing through! We meant no harm!”

The pony who seemed to be in charge just smirked. “A likely story. We’ve been watching your outfit for a while.” He looked up at the blasted rock. “Nice job, Tea Tree.” He glanced over his shoulder at what looked like a mare with an SMG. He looked back to us. “No reinforcements for you anytime soon, buddy.”

Tallie groaned in frustration. “We aren’t raiders!” She repeated, looking pissed.

The commander rolled his eyes. “Then who-”

“Looking for somepony?” another voice chimed in from behind them. Four of the ponies accompanying the soldier turned and aimed at the new voice, the other two with their weapons still on us.

The voice belonged to a foul-looking pony. His mane a large red mohawk on his filthy brown face. He looked like he hadn’t bathed in years, and the grime and blood had set into his coat, staining it in horrible large patches. He wore a set of jury-rigged armour a lot heavier than his followers with large metal pauldrons with spikes and a metal chest plate that looked like it had been taken from an old cart.

We were facing up to twenty of the ponies, each brandishing guns and melee weapons. They looked like a pack of feral looneys, each more crazed than the last, some foaming at the mouth with the intent on ripping us asunder.

“Stay back,” the commanding soldier pony said with an eerie calm. I was just about ready to jump out of my skin and dig to the core of the planet. Ace was shaking, but Tallie seemed to be calm. Well, she would if she wasn’t digging her talons into my mane. “We have your ponies. Let us go and you can have them back.”

The raider pony peeked around the commanding officer and looked us over, then back to the commander. “Who the fuck are they?” He took another look at Ace. “Looking good though.” He turned to his feral pack and laughed. “Nopony touches the mare, she’s mine!”

Ace looked at me, looking very worried. The commander looked back at us. “Guess you aren’t raiders.” He looked at his troop and levitated out his sidearm. “Cover! Now!” he yelled. The ponies around him scattered and dove behind boulders and rubble. We took the hint and got into cover. Just in time too, a hail of bullets flew overhead, just missing Tallie and me.

“We’re pinned!” a young soldier called from across the canyon floor, holding on to his helmet and levitating his assault rifle close. “What do we do, sarge?!”

“We hold the line!” The older stallion sergeant called back, firing blindly over cover. “Wave, get command on the line! Now!”

I watched as a heavier looking pony took a large box from her saddlebag. She pulled a device off the side and pressed a few buttons. “Mayday, mayday, this is Star squad, come in command!” There was a crackle and a voice came from the device, too small for me to hear. “We’re pinned in the canyon, twenty-plus raiders, over!”

The sergeant shuffled along the boulders, managing to avoid fire, and pressed a button on the box. “Sergeant Frost reporting, we need back-up ASAP, repeat, we need reinforcements. Command, we need Bertha.”

There was a sharp crackle from a speaker on the box. Why they didn’t use that before was beyond me. Maybe the device was for better listening. “Copy that, reinforcements deployed, Bertha is en route, ETA five minutes, over.”

“We’ll be dead in two! Get Bertha to put the pedal to the metal!” The sergeant looked very pissed, slamming his hoof into the button. “Hold the line!” he called to the rest, each narrowly avoiding getting shot. “Just hold it for five minutes, armour inbound!”

“Medic!” a pony shrieked. I looked over and saw an earthpony, blood pouring from an open wound on his foreleg. That was enough to get the adrenaline flowing. Time slowed down a little as I looked around me.

I was taking cover behind a large boulder with another soldier. The soldier mare was firing an SMG around the side. The tenacity on her face was inspiring. There was another six soldiers, NCO included, and Ace. Ace was firing her shotgun over the top of her cover, the blood coming back to her face. She wasn’t the pale mare I saw earlier. Now she looked more like a raging beast, firing shot after shot from her shotgun.

Each of the other soldiers were trying their best to hold the line, taking out the psychos who decided it would be fun to come at us, across open ground, to stick a meat cleaver in our throats.

There was a soldier with a little red cross with a pink butterfly on top, hunkered down next to the injured pony, applying medical treatment. The injured pony looked like he was about to pass out from blood loss.

I looked around for Tallie and Zippo, but I couldn’t see them- only a Zippo-sized hole. I breathed a long sigh of relief, realising that Zippo had gotten Tallie to safety.

I took a peek over the top of the barricade. There were around ten to fifteen left behind cover and bodies between here and there. Two soldiers had already been hit, the one being patched up and another one bleeding into the dirt. Another soldier was trying his best to help him but if we didn’t get medical help soon, he’d be a goner.

Another minute passed and ammo was starting to run low. Soon, they’d overrun us and they’d kill us. That’s the nature of raiders. Kill, defile, mutilate. And hopefully in that order. Raiders were a disgusting blight on the world for their previous actions. They didn’t show mercy.

Or did they? The shooting stopped and the dust started to settle.

“Iron Defenders. Come out now, and it will be fast,” their leader announced. “We know you can hear me, Sergeant Frost.”

The sergeant sighed a long, displeased sigh and slowly peeked over the cover. The raider boss was out in the open, the rest with their weapons trained on us.

“Sergeant Frost... it’s been awhile,” the raider said with a sick smirk.

The sergeant tensed and rose up to full height. “Sun Spot,” he said simply. “Three long years since you deserted, you son of a bitch.”

“Now now, Sarge. I didn’t take too many of your boys to hell, did I?” The sergeant tensed more. “Well, here we are.” The raider chuckled, darkly. “You’re pinned with your squad and some random civilians, and here I am with... a hell of a lot more guns.”

Oh my golly goodness he was a windbag. Why do the bad guys always have to gloat?

“I have the upper hoof, and I can finally finish what I started. I can finally kill your whole squad.” He started to pace. “Now, I’m going to start by killing you. Because I respected you at one point, you’re just getting a bullet, but the rest of your boys will come out, we’ll have our fun, and then we can kill them and get it over with. Easy as that, really.”

I thought about what raiders would do to ponies. Rape them. Slaughter them. Torture them for sport. Eat them. The blood started to boil in my veins and I could feel the sweet, sweet relief of adrenaline coursing through my body. Raiders had to be stopped, no matter what.

“I mean, all we’re going to do is-”

I had enough. I sprang from cover, took the sergeant’s pistol and fired off three rounds at the raider leader. Gloating was a good way to get killed, you pompous, arrogant bitch. The raider hit the ground heavily, his armour making a very loud thump against the dirt.

“If you’re going to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk,” I growled after giving the sarge back his gun. I watched as the raider ponies stood awestruck, not entirely sure what had just transpired and why their leader was bleeding from a hole in his head in the dirt.

“‘E kiwed da boss...” one large, stupid-looking green stallion said, processing. “‘E... ‘e kiwed... da...” He looked at his companions, then to me and the sergeant. I could almost see the obese hamster in his mind running on his wheel like there was no tomorrow. His face finally started to sour. “Get ‘im!”

The sergeant and I dove back behind cover. “What was that?!” Ace yelled across, reloading her shotgun as the bullets started flying again.

“I dunno!” I yelled back. “But it felt great!” It was true! The thought of finally doing justice! Killing ponies like Trailblaze that kill without reason. The adrenaline shooting its way through my veins made me feel like I was flying. Powerful. Unstoppable. I pulled out my SMG and returned fire at the bandits.

“Shit, kid!” the sergeant yelled, reloading his pistol. “That’s the sort of tenacity we need more of around here!” He fired back over the cover. “But watch it, you might get killed that way!”

Bullets were flying, screams could be heard, and the ricochet of bullets off rock was enough to make anypony cringe.

Still a lot of raiders. We were holding out well. Only two injured ponies, both of them hiding behind cover. They had stopped bleeding but were too injured to fight. I ducked down behind cover, fumbling with my ammo, trying to reload.

The soldier behind me was doing the same, reloading her assault rifle. “Think we can hold out?” I asked, putting a magazine in my SMG. Fear was a thing of the past, replaced by adrenaline. Maybe the mutants had conditioned me, or maybe I was just sick of being a coward, but now... now I was flying.

“I dunno, dude!” the soldier shouted over the guns. “There’s so many!” She was right too. The raiders seemed to just multiply. There were bodies, but so many raiders were still standing. My heart sunk when I saw a fresh wave of psychopaths with melee weapons.

“Maniacs!” the sergeant shouted. “Shift fire!”

The soldiers complied, firing at the charging looneys. One after one fell to the bullets, crumpling and skidding across the ground. They screamed and laughed as they ran, their voices amplified by the canyon walls.

They were getting extremely close, too close. One with a machete managed to leap over the cover and knock me down with him. Oh, so that’s where the fear went. I felt terrified. The raider above me wore a bloody, scratched hockey mask, shrieking in my face. I could see that he was mutilated underneath, his teeth rotten, eyes yellow and disgusting.

He got off me and rose his machete, ready to bring it down on my neck. I screamed and covered my face. “Ace! Help me!” I looked up at the raider. He was at full height, the machete prepared to cut my head clean off.

“Clover!” Ace screamed from cover. She levitated out her own machete and sprinted over to us, ready to kill the psycho.

But something happened. A miracle, if you will.

A new gun entered play. A loud one. A fast one. The raider above me was torn to pieces, splashing me with blood. The sight of the raider being torn apart forced me to squeal like a filly. Blood spurted from his body as he fell to the ground in front of me, reduced to a pony-sized pile of shredded flesh.

Ace rushed over to me, looking me over. “Are you alright?!” she asked, holding my head as if I was in shock. There was that look on her face again. Like when I had been shot. Man, I almost die a lot...

Blinking a few times, I looked up to the top of the mountainous rubble that we had narrowly escaped before. At the top of it stood a cliche-looking silhouette of a unicorn with a large mohawk. It started to run and skid down the rubble, a huge machine gun firing from its battlesaddle. Raiders fell from behind their cover as the machine gun tore through them, turning them into bloody heaps. The pony landed beside us, kicking up dust.

When the dust cleared, I saw the tell-tale tattoos and shavings in a lime green coat. My gaze travelling up the pony’s body, I saw a bright pink mane in a mohawk style and a grin plastered on the mare’s face.

"Don't just lie there! You're missing all the fun!" Lollipop, the medical mare that patched me up, laughed. She fired a burst at the raiders. “Come on!”

Ace and I stared in disbelief. This mare was the complete opposite of how she looked before. She was unleashing bullet after bullet, spraying the raiders down, all the while laughing and roaring. She had a strange, wolfish grin and a certain rage in her eyes.

“She’s mental,” Ace whispered, helping me up. She looked at the dead raider at our hooves. “Effective though.” We dove back behind cover, her levitating her shotgun, and me... still trying to make sense of it all, I guess. Something weird was going on today. Mutants in the morning, shootout in the afternoon, and a psycho heavy gunner coming to the rescue. Why she was even out here was beyond me.

“Hey, where’s the kid?” Lollipop, the lime green unicorn shouted over the ruckus of her machine gun. “Get her to safety?”

I nodded up at her. “Zippo dug her out, I think.” I really hoped he had. Tallie was far too young to be witnessing any of this. Then again, given the clues she’d given, maybe she’d seen it all before?

“Zippo?” the mare called. “Who’s that?”

“My fireant friend!”

“Fireant?” She took her eyes off the raiders and hunkered down behind cover, her battlesaddle reloading the huge magazine on the side. “That some sort of gang?” She jerked and jostled as the heavy machinery on her back worked.

Shaking my head, I replied, “Fireant as in an ant that breathes fire!”

“You’re fuckin’ nuts!” the mare laughed.

“He’s pretty cool, really,” Ace said, reloading her shotgun.

Lollipop just looked confused now. “What... how the hell did you train it?” She jumped back out of cover and clamped down on the trigger bit with her magic. The fighting was still going. The two soldiers who had been hit had since passed out, leaving just four soldiers fighting, the medic staying with them.

There were between five and ten raiders left. I couldn’t tell exactly as they were jumping in and out of cover. The rocks between us were now riddled with bullet holes and scorch marks. This canyon was quickly becoming a gravel hole.

I would have dropped back into cover, but something caught my eye. The ground behind the raiders started to shift and churn, before a small hole collapsed and a small ant’s head poked out, followed by a griffin one.

“Tallie...” I whispered in fear. “Get out of there...” None of the ponies around me noticed them come out behind enemy lines.

Tallie, the little teen griffin, ducked back down then pulled out a bundle of fucking dynamite. She tied the fuzes together and held it out to Zippo. The ant lit it and the griffin grinned. “Fire in the hole, bitches!” she screamed at the top of her lungs and flung the bundle towards the raiders so that it landed behind their cover. She had a devious grin on her face as she ducked back under ground.

“Hit the deck!” I called out, ducking back behind cover and holding my hooves in my ears. The soldiers took note and did the same as did Ace, but Lollipop was just having way too much fun. Of course, her grin only intensified with the explosion from the dynamite. The explosion shook the earth, causing more rocks to fall from the landslide behind us. Luckily, nopony got squashed.

A few minutes passed, and there was no sign of any fighting. A few pebbles dropped onto my head, most tinking against the soldiers’ helmets. The dust was settling as I peeked over cover. I heard coughing over the slight ringing in my ears. Silhouettes started to seep out of the dust. Three ponies, one missing a leg. The raider mare was coughing and hacking, tears running down her face and blood flowing from her stump.

Their suffering was soon silenced as a huge blast of fire erupting from behind them. They slowly fell to the ground, quickly becoming charcoal ponies. Slowly, the soldiers started peeking out, weapons first.

The dust settled and I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. There before us, walking across nopony’s land, was a smug-looking Tallie standing triumphant on Zippo’s back. The fireant’s mandibles were smoking.

“Tallie!” I called out, scrambling over the rock I was using as cover and trotting over. “That... well, I’ll be honest, that was awesome!” I held out my hoof. “But where the hell did you get dynamite?!”

“Hell yeah!” Tallie cheered, giving me a high five. Not sure how you do that with a hoof and hand, but whatever. “Did you see how I just like came out of nowhere and blew shit up?!” She pumped her fist in the air, whispering an excited ‘yiss’, then looked back at me. “Zippo burrowed me into a mine shaft, that’s where I found ‘em!”

From what I could remember, my dad once told me that the Ponave was an excellent source of iron, silver, coal, and bauxite. So it’s no surprise if Tallie had burrowed into a mine. At least it didn’t have any beasties in it. I hoped.

“Impressive,” Lollipop said from behind me, trotting up with Ace and the soldiers, two of which were being carried. “But you could have gotten hurt.”

“Not you again...” the griffin moaned, facepalming with her small griffin hand. “You’re not giving me a check-up and that’s that!” she shouted, rolling up the now dirty sleeves of her new shirt up. The ponies behind me gave a small chuckle, probably just pleased we were alive.

“Evac should be here in a few seconds,” the sergeant said, trotting up behind us. “We might not have made it if it weren’t for you four civilians, and your... pet...”

Ace smiled at the sarge, obviously checking him out, much to my chagrin. She was going to say something, but the ground started to rumble again. We all looked to the source of the disturbance and further down the canyon and we saw it.

There was a huge plume of dust being kicked up, and when it came nearer we saw its features. It was a long tank on a pair of treads with a large plough in front of it. The cannon of the tank was mounted on the forward half, and the area behind the cannon seemed to be able to open up. The tank was a gunmetal grey, and in big letters on the side was “Bertha.”

“There’s our ride,” the sergeant announced with a smile on his face. He tugged on his uniform and righted his beret, making sure to look presentable, all the while holstering his side arm.

The back of the tank swung open and six fresh soldiers piled out and moved into a very well-trained routine to cover us. The sergeant nodded at his own soldiers and they started to converge on the tank, a smile on each of their faces. They started to clamber onto the tank and sat behind the cannon.

“Where are you five headed?” the sergeant asked, smiling at us. “We’ll see if we can’t get you there fast. Least we could do.”

“Iron City, please,” Ace said, grinning. I dunno if she was pursuing the sergeant, or if she just wanted to get there faster. I was hoping it was the latter, because the former made me feel slightly ill.

“Climb aboard!” a voice called from the tank. A small mare was sitting in the cannon, having popped the hatch. “We’ll get ya there lickity split!”

We all looked to one another and nodded. Lollipop even nodded too, much to my surprise. Soon, we were all on the tank, and the thing was turned about to leave the carnage behind. There were bits of raiders everywhere, but thankfully I had managed to not focus on them.

“Why are you guys even out here?” Ace asked the sergeant, climbing on to the tank.

The sergeant was right behind her. “Raider activity. We were to collapse the canyon so they wouldn’t give us bother.” He helped her up, making my tummy twist a little. “Plus, we could block off traders accidently heading into the Red Zone.”

“Good job on that!” Ace called back down, now sitting pretty on the tank’s hull.

The tank started to race along the canyon. Looking to Lollipop, who had now since calmed down and was humming a little tune to herself, I decided now was the time to ask questions.

“Hey, Lollipop... why were you out here?” I asked. The question was playing on my mind since she showed up, so I thought it was appropriate.

Lollipop looked at me and took a little time to think on that question. “My home’s gone.”

I blinked in surprise. “What?” I asked. “We... we were just there this morning...”

Lollipop sighed and nodded, looking a little saddened. “Yep, and an hour after you left it was destroyed.” She looked at the canyon walls as we drove by. “Federation found me.”

Tilting my head, another question came to mind. “Why would they destroy your home?”

Lollipop looked back to me. “I don’t want to talk about it, alright? All you need to know is that I have my gun, my ammo, my medical supplies, and some personal belongings. Everything else is... gone.”

I scootched a little bit away from her. “Alright... so...” Now what...? “Do you maybe want to come with us?” I asked. Ace nudged me in the ribs and handed me a bottle of water and some pills for my lungs. They were still achy but not as bad as before. I muttered a thanks and swallowed them.

“Depends.” Came the reply. “Where we going, what you doing, and why?”

I blinked a few times, analysing that question, trying to come up with the best answer. Soon, I came up with something. “We’re going to Iron City to get information on a pony named Double Down for killing my brother and smashing my skull in before burying me alive.”

Lollipop nodded. “Alright. My second question was going to be about your skull scar, but that explains it.” She looked down at her equipment, then to Tallie and Zippo on the back of the tank, watching the scenery go by. “But why do you want me to tag along?” she asked.

“You saved my life twice now with no payment,” I stated simply. “One good turn deserves another, and seeing as the Feds fucked you over, might as well travel with friends, no?” Plus she had a super big gun that was actually pretty cool. And she could protect me with it. I like being safe.

The mare looked back at me and smiled. “Well alright. I guess I could tag along on your path for revenge,” she said in a slightly theatrical tone. “At least until I find somewhere else to settle.”

I offered a hoof. “Deal.” She took it and shook it. She smiled then looked over at the wounded soldiers. Being a medic, she decided to lend a hoof.

Ace rolled her eyes. “This is going to be so very fun and not frustrating or annoying in the slightest.”

The view of Iron City literally took my breath away. I had never seen anything like it! It was huge, with a massive wall around it. Every so often there was a small bunker built into it with a machine gun poking out. Ponies seemed to mill about on the top of the wall, all soldiers.

The tops of some buildings were the only things I could see from in front of the wall as we made our approach, them and massive smokestacks, each spewing out massive plumes of smoke. It was the most impressive thing I had ever seen. It wasn’t exactly pretty, but wow!

The tank ran along an old, ruined highway around the walls until the road turned inwards towards the city. We followed it and before long found ourselves in front of a colossal iron gate, flanked by two large bunkers on the wall and one beside it.

A large yellow earth pony trotted out, wearing a lighter armour than the rest, and a black beret. He looked the tank over and nodded to the sergeant. “Frost, I see you’ve been making friends...” He gave me and my friends a wary eye.

The sarge looked back down at the large earth pony stallion. “Colonel, sir. We picked up these civilians out in the canyon. Saved our hides from raiders, they did.” Sergeant Frost looked back at us and smiled.

The earth pony stallion looked between us, then to the medical pony on board. “This true, corporal?”

“Aye, sir.” He motioned to Lollipop. “Their medic pretty much saved private Sand’s leg, sir.” Lollipop nodded in agreement, then smiled up at the large pony.

The large pony stood silent for a few moments, then grinned. “G’day, mates! Welcome to Iron City! Name’s Colonel Thunderhoof Facecracker, commanding officer of the defense force here in our fair city. Now, if you’ll get off the tank, I’ll see ya inside!”

We complied and slowly dismounted the tank. Lollipop was first off and helped a reluctant Tallie down. Zippo just walked down the side like a pro as Ace leaped off and landed perfectly. Me on the other hoof... not so much. I slowly and awkwardly got up and turned around. My hoof dangled as I searched for a ledge and awkwardly dismounted. Turns out, I’m not very agile, as my grasp slipped and I landed flat on my back, much to the amusement of everypony else. My cheeks were feeling pretty warm...

I was pulled upright quickly by a huge hoof, and found myself face to chest with Colonel Thunderhoof Facecracker. He beamed down at me and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You alright, mate? Took quite a tumble.”

Ace burst out laughing.

“I’m fine, really,” I mumbled. “Thanks.” My cheeks must have been turning rather rosey at that point. The huge gates opened slowly and loudly and the tank roared through and was soon out of sight.

“Come on then,” the colonel said with a large smile and turned to the gate. He trotted toward it, an action most unbefitting of such a large pony, and quickly inside.

Ace had composed herself and nudged me in the ribs as she walked past, and Lollipop seemed to stifle a giggle. Zippo was... well, indifferent it seemed, as Tallie sat on his back like he was a noble steed. Tallie was highly amused, then she saw the inside of the walls. Her eyes shot open.

I can’t exactly say mine didn’t either. “Welcome to Iron City,” Thunderhoof said, very theatrically. This was nothing I could have dreamed of in even my wildest dreams. There were ponies everywhere!

The road we were walking along forked in two leading to our left and right, and in front of us was a massive market place, with ponies selling all sorts of goods! Some sold food, others sold old jewelry or salvage, others sold clothes, and there was even a stand marked ‘imports’ selling things from all over the Ponave and beyond it seemed- including goods from the Federation lands.

The market was surrounded by huge buildings, all of them bustling with activity. Some of them looked like they were once offices or apartments, but the one at the top of the plaza was the most magnificent. It stretched up about ten floors higher than all the others and had a huge MWT at the top of it. My eyes had to be the size of dinner plates as I looked up the building. On the top of it stood a huge antenna with “Ponave” written up the side in huge metal letters.

The road to our right led to a large building with three smoke stacks, one of which was the huge one I saw from the other side of the canyon. It looked like a factory to me, and considering the ponies pulling minecarts from it, I guess I was right. A factory or a foundry. I’m a farmer, not a miner. Don’t judge me.

“Alright, you kids have fun,” the colonel said with a laugh. “Just don’t go causing trouble. Break the law, and the law breaks you. And here’s an inside tip- I am the law.” He grinned down at us. “They don’t call me Thunderhoof Facecracker for nothing.” He saluted. “Come see me if you need anything. I’ll be in the guard house. As for questions, head to town hall.” He turned and headed down the road to the main door, then disappeared into one of the large bunkers.

“So what do we do now?” Tallie asked, prodding my side. I was far too awestruck to say anything. The amount of ponies around baffled me! This was more than four times the population back home- and then some!

They all seemed happy too. I even saw a little colt only about three years old wearing a multicoloured helicopter hat while riding a little red trike, his mother pushing him along. They both seemed filled with glee!

Ace smacked my rear and I may have squealed. I looked back and gave her my best glare, which probably wasn’t very effective, given my face burning up in embarrassment. A mare had touched my rear in public! How scandalous!

“Had to wake you up somehow!” she said with an amused nicker. She motioned for the biggest building in town. “I’m headed up there. Got business to tend to.”

Why was I there again? Oh! Right! Snake Eyes had information for me about Double Down. Well, he said he would. I owe him quite a lot of favours... He didn’t appear to be nearby though. No ghouls were. The crowd wasn’t parting to let any walking dead, smelly ghouls pass. I watched the colt and his mother trundle past us, then looked to Ace. “I guess I’ll come with, if that’s okay.”

She shrugged. “They got a waiting room. Might as well, eh?”

I turned around to my other companions. Tallie was still sitting on Zippo, getting odd looks from passersby and looking up at the huge city. She had the same reaction I had, having never seen anything as big. Lollipop was checking her ammo supply and her inventory in her saddle bags.

“Probably heading to the arms dealers,” she said, taking her head away from her equipment. “Gotta rearm, then I’ll probably head to the medical center while you guys are busy. Offer a hoof. Meet you guys later, yeah?”

I nodded and looked down at Tallie. “Want to come with us?” I asked. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I’d left a young, traumatized child roam alone through the city. Even with Zippo. Wait, what was I going to do about Zippo...?

“I’ll take the bug with me,” the lime green medic said, smiling at Zippo. “He’s pretty badass. Wouldn’t want the Defenders squishing him.” She looked back up at us with a wolfish grin. “He can probably carry my stuff too.”

“Are you okay with this?” I asked the ant. His feelers did a little dance in the air, as his big buggy eyes looked back at me. “Guess that’s a yes?”

Lollipop barked a laugh and tapped Zippo’s thorax. “Alright, buggy. Lets get goin’!” She marched off down the left road. I suppose that way was the shopping district or something. Zippo stood and watched us for a long moment, then toddled off after the medic. That ant might be awesome, but he was weird. He was kinda like a dog...

“Come on!” Ace called from deep within the crowds. “Get your flank over here!” She was making her beautiful way to the biggest building in town, Tallie close in her wake. Perplexed as I was by the huge crowds, I managed to scamper my way through to the girls, narrowly avoiding traders, buskers, and shoppers. One even tried to sell me a basket. Why would I need a basket?

I soon caught up, walking behind Ace, trying to keep my eyes looking straight because I’m totally a gentlecolt. A squeak left my throat when I looked up at the huge building, stretching what seemed like miles into the sky. Before Iron City, I never thought anything could be that big ever! It had to be over twenty floors high!

The mare, griffin, and I trotted our way up the stairs to the main doors. They were very large and made of neatly polished wood. They looked as heavy as they were fancy, considering the intricate, worn patterns in the wood and the huge brass handles, both in the shape of apples. That only reminded me of what was going on at my own farm. Fucking Federation...

Ace knocked on the door using one of the big brass knockers and waited. “Maybe nopony’s home?” I asked after a few moments. Ace just gave me a flat stare as if I had the IQ of a bush. Taking a step back out of slight shame and embarrassment, I watched the door. A small slit opened in the door, and two eyes peered out at us.

“State your business,” an elderly voice asked. The door keeper's eyes didn’t look equine. Not in the slightest. Instead, they looked more... predatory...

Ace stood trotted up in front of me (making it really hard not to stare) and peered through the slit. “Got an appointment with Smooth,” she said with a sweet smile. “Tell him Ace and her merry bunch of lackeys have arrived.”

The slit closed with a slam. “Lackeys?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Like peons? Henchmen? Goons?” I tried my best to stifle a chuckle, but failed.

Ace just grinned. “Come on, I think we can all agree I’m the mastermind here.” She gave my shoulder a playful shove, and being me, I stumbled back a step or two. I barely managed to keep in a happy sigh. She touched me... wait, what? She’s touched me a lot, why am I doing this now?

“Nuh-uh!” Tallie squeaked, jumping up between us. “I’m probably tons smarter than both of you combined!” She jumped up a few times with her wings extended but didn’t managed to stay afloat. She grumbled and stood up on her hind legs. “Bet none of you could rig dynamite to blow perfectly or actually repair anything worth repairing.”

Ace looked down at the griffin. “And you can?” The griffin nodded vigorously. “How did you learn? About explosives and repair, I mean.” She looked very amused, and probably just decided to humour the griffin cub.

“Books and magazines I stole from my dad. Helped me learn to read, ya know.” The little red eyed griffin looked smug, pleased, and a little sad all at the same time. “Learned to read around the same time I learned to steal food.”

Ace and I exchanged looks of worry and curiosity. “Why-” Ace started, but there was a loud clunk in the door. Ace almost jumped, and turned around with a frown on her face. She looked like she was using it to hide something. Best not speculate.

“Arright, yer free ta head up,” the elderly voice announced. Upon the door opening, I could see it was a very old-looking griffin, his coat matching his grey feathers. He wore an old set of black and grey fatigues and a pistol at his side. My speculation was that the soldiers here were confident enough to let their older ranks guard. Not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing...

Tallie was the first to zip in, taking the opportunity to avoid conversation, much to my own worry. Something about that kid... we were gonna have to sit down and talk, but then again we had only known each other for a day.

“Fancy...” I marvelled at the interior of the tower, admiring the decor. Unlike all the ruined buildings of the past few days, this building was actually well-maintained.

Old pictures hung on the wall, one of an older, but pretty orange mare in a large hat and a fancy suit, standing next to a younger looking yellow mare with a gorgeous red mane with a pink bow, in a pretty suit. Something about that younger mare made me smile. She must have been around my age... but she’d actually probably be dead. Damn, another mare that I kinda liked that I couldn’t talk to. And not just because I couldn't talk to mares in general. Not the ones that hadn’t saved my life on multiple occasions at least.

Next to that painting was another one with a huge red stallion in a very crisp, neat dress uniform. He looked extremely heroic, his orange mane flowing in the wind as heavenly sunlight breached through the black clouds above. The only thing that seemed off about the picture was a stalk of wheat protruding from the stallion’s mouth.

Ace stared up at the painting. She shuddered once, then started back down the hallway. My stomach decided to jump into a knot because hey why not. Asshole body parts... no wait, that sounded wrong, forget it.

We finally stopped at a set of metal doors with a button beside it. Wait, it looked familiar. What was it called... oh right! “We taking the elevator?” I asked, looking smug that I remembered the correct word. I’d never seen one before though. I guess dad talked to me about it. He made a few trips to the big city back in the day for trade agreements. I miss daddy...

“Yep!” Ace said, cheerily. “All the way to the top, baby!” She flung both hooves up in the air after pressing the call button.

“Elevator... elevator...” Tallie looked up at Ace. “What’s an elevator?”

“Not so smart now, are ya?” Ace grinned down at the griffin.

Tallie responded by pinching Ace’s leg, making her jump. Talons are sharp. “I don’t know because I haven't read about or seen one, butt head.” I stifled a giggle. Ace just rubbed her leg and grumbled.

It took a few minutes, but soon the doors opened up to a small, cramped, metal closet. Each of us stepped in and turned. I looked down at my little griffin friend. “Wanna push the button?” I asked with a smile.

Tallie beamed up at me. “Can I?” I nodded and picked her up. “Top floor please.” She reached out and prodded the button in.

Tallie squealed a little, then composed herself. “I mean... cool.” She wriggled out of my grasp, then started looking around. “How does...” she muttered, her red eyes still darting around. She must have been trying to figure out the inner workings on what was making us go upwards.

“So.” Ace said, breaking the slightly awkward silence. “How does my butt look?”

My eyes grew to the size of moons and my face burned up so much it felt that my blood had been replaced with lava. Flop sweat started to drench my coat, mixing in with the blood splatters I hadn’t managed to wipe off.

“Well?” she asked, turning and wiggling it at me. I couldn’t look. I wouldn’t look. No. I shouldn’t. Stop, me. No! What are you doing? Control your eyes! Stop! Noooo! And there it is. The mare’s posterior in all its glory. The beige perfection of rump. From her elegant brown tail, to the supple round flanks. Something warm dripped from my nose, then everything went upside down, then black.

“Rise and shine, Mr. Clover... rise and... shine....”

My head felt... so cold... there was a foul stench in the blackness before me. Something was talking to me... a familiar voice. A voice I had been dreading for days. The burning hatred of a pony, deep inside me. The very same Trailblaze that had been tormenting me so.

“No...” I mumbled.

“What?”

I slowly creaked my eyes open and saw a little griffin face in front of mine. Tallie was grinning. “Rise and shine, Mr. Clover!” She beamed at me, holding a small jar of foul-smelling salt things. My head was freezing though.

“What happened?” I asked, groggily. “I feel... cold.” I reached up to rub my forehead, but my hoof came into contact with something hard and cold. “What the...” I picked it up and looked at it. You fucking idiot, me... it was an ice pack. You don’t have a disease, you aren’t dying, it’s just an ice pack.

Was there ever any doubt?

Kinda.

“Welcome back,” a new voice came into play. A smooth voice. A pleasant voice. A calming voice. I sat up slowly, letting Tallie scramble off my chest, where she decided it was a good place to perch.

I looked up and was stunned. On the desk opposite the couch I was laying on was a beautiful pale yellow mare with a luxurious blond mane. Her stunning green eyes penetrated deep into me, making my heart race. My nose felt warm again.

The mare tapped her nose. “You got a little... uh...”

Tallie held up a tissue for me. I quickly took it and dabbed it on my nose. Holy shit, my nose was bleeding! In front of a hot mare! Oh no oh no oh no! Quick, best course of action! I quickly shoved the whole tissue up my nose, then smiled sheepishly.

Much to my amazement, the mare giggled! She actually found it entertaining? Kinda weird, but it’s the little victories. “You’re just too adorable,” she sighed, settling back down. “I’m Jasmine. I do the night show here.” She extended a hoof.

“I, uh...uh...um...eerr...I’m Cl...Clov...uuh....” My hoof slowly connected with hers in an extremely shaky manner. My body convulsed slightly. I was touching an extremely pretty mare’s hoof! This is a dream come true! “I’m C-Clover...” I managed to choke out with a goofy grin.

The mare giggled more. “Aw, you’re just precious, Mr. Clover. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, now that you’re here...” I said with an extremely goofy voice. Then realised I had just used the corniest line in the book and number fourteen of things not to say to a mare. It was just too corny.

Tallie even rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Real smooth.”

“Speaking of smooth,” Ace said with a very smug grin, obviously enjoying my discomfort. She motioned to the pony beside her. He was a black stallion with a striking blue mane. He wore a suit and a set of sunglasses and a big grin. “This is Smooth Jazz. He works here.”

“Hey, baby!” he said with a large amount of gusto. “How’s it goin’?”

“Pretty, uh... pretty good?” What the fuck was he doing with Ace?!

Ace trotted over to me. “He’s my employer. I got a delivery to make, but its not due in a while. Plenty of time for you two to get your revenge information.” She giggled then nodded at Jasmine. “Hey hot stuff. Did’ja miss me?”

“You and your thousand advances a day?” the pretty mare said, raising her eyebrows. “Hardly.”

“You love it.”

“I really don’t.”

Ace almost looked offended. “Well then. Be that way.” She looked at me and smiled. “So when was ol’ Snake Eyes supposed to be getting your info anyway?”

I merely shrugged.

“Guess we better figure out then, huh?” Ace shrugged back.

She had a very good point. I didn’t remember Snake Eyes saying how he’d contact us... “I guess we see the mayor, or Thunderhoof?” I asked, nodding to the elevator.

“Mayb-”

“Jasmine!” another new voice called from up a flight of stairs in the lobby. “We got any biscuits left?”

“Come gettem’ yourself, you lazy old bat!” Jasmine called back up with a laugh. She looked back at us. “I think my boss can help with your predicament.”

Hoof steps started emanating from the stairwell, along with grumbling and mumbling. “Dammit, Jaz, I’m getting too old for this. Can’t you just be my butler already?” An older pony came downstairs in a shirt and a loose tie, along with a fedora with a card saying ‘press’ poking out of the rim.

The grey pony nodded to us. “Ah, we have guests.” He trotted over to us. “Hey hey, I’m Mr. Ponave, voice of the desert. Pleased to meet you, kids.” He offered us a hoof. “Wait, I’ve seen you before...” he said, looking at Ace. “Oh yeah, you work for Smooth!”

“Got that right, daddy-o,” Smooth remarked with a wink. “I gotta get back to recording. Catch you later, alligator.”

“In a while, crocodile,” the elderly, celebrity pony said and looked back at us. “Yeah, you’re Ace, and you two are?”

I took the hoof, still shakily. I’m in the presence of a celebrity! Oh my gosh! “I’m Clover, sir. I really like your show!” He’d probably never heard that before! Wait, of course he has.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Clover.” He looked down at Tallie and crouched slightly. “And what’s your name, little girl?”

Tallie pouted. “I’m not a little girl, you ancient stallion! I’m thirteen!” She crossed her arms. “And my name is Tallie.”

Mr. Ponave chuckled, “If you’ve got a bite to match your bark, you might want to enlist when you’re older.” He looked back at us, then narrowed his eyes. “Wait a minute...” he grabbed my chin with a hoof, then moved it in different directions, looking me over. “I know you. Yeah, you’re the one Snake Eyes was talking about...”

“You know Snake Eyes?” Ace asked as I couldn’t, my face being manhandled.

The grey pony nodded. “Yeah, he called in yesterday from his tower. Since the Resistance took it over, ratings have gone way up!” The earth pony grinned at us. “He says you helped. Said to call him when you arrived.” He jerked his head at the stairwell. Amazingly, his hat didn’t move.

Ace and I looked at one another, then to Mr. Ponave. Tallie was fixated on some machinery Jasmine was fiddling with. She had an impressive array of tools out for such a beautiful mare. There goes me making the assumption that pretty mares don’t want to get their hooves dirty.

I followed Ace as we made our way up the stairs behind Mr. Ponave. Turned out, that might have been a bad idea, walking up stairs while examining the wallpaper instead of mare rumps. Almost tripped more than once.

The room we came up to was extremely impressive. The walls had beautiful red wallpaper and intricately carved wooden panels. There were two windows looking out over Iron City, each bordered with large green, velvet curtains that stretched high up to the ceiling, a good five meters above us.

Above the doorway sat a painting of the orange mare again, this time cutting a ribbon in front of the huge building. Beside her was the very pretty yellow mare. This time, her pink bow was at the tip of a very long ponytail, much like the orange mare’s red ribbon. Gosh she was pretty...

“Welcome to my office,” Mr. Ponave announced as he sat behind a large desk, shifting a microphone out of his face. “I got a little while before my next live appearance so we can talk.” He leaned back in his chair. “Before I call Snake Eyes, can I answer any questions?”

“What is this place?” Tallie asked, amazed at the recording equipment. “It’s so fancy!”

“Now?” the elder pony asked. “Well, now it’s the Iron Defenders HQ. Back in the day though, it was the Ministry of Wartime Technology HQ.” He nodded to the painting of the orange mare and the pretty mare. “This office was hers once. Miss Applejack of the MWT.” He sighed. “She must have made some lucky stallion very happy.” He looked back at us.

Before I could speak, Tallie piped up again. “Iron Defenders?” I frowned at the griffin, but she took no notice.

“Iron City’s defence force. Highly trained soldiers, and best of all, neutral. They take no side in the war, preferring to stay out of it all together.” He smiled. “Good thing too. They could really tip the balance.”

Ace pulled Tallie away as she raised her talon to ask another question. I nodded my thanks, and put my hooves on the table. “Let’s call Snake Eyes.”

Mr. Ponave nodded and pressed a few buttons on a little box next to him, all of them lighting up an emerald green. He pulled the microphone over to his face and turned a dial. “Snake Eyes, come in Snake Eyes, this is Mr. Ponave, over.”

There was a burst of static, then it started to clear. “Hello? Ponave?” was the response. There was a lot of commotion going on in the background, ponies talking, machines beeping. “What’s going on?”

“Hey Snake. Got that Clover here for you.” He motioned at the microphone for me.

“Hello?” I asked. “Snake Eyes? It’s me, Clover.” I gulped down a knot in my throat from both anticipation and slight fear. “Do you... uh... have anything for me?”

Tallie wriggled free of Ace, while staring at the big communication box. She held out a talon, looking to press a button, but Ace pulled her back, whispering ‘don’t touch’. She held her close so she wouldn’t interfere, and nodded for me to continue. The older stallion just leaned back again.

“Yeah, but it’s not much...” there was a slight disappointed sigh as someone mentioned coffee on his end. “Thanks.” He muttered.

I took a moment for myself, getting ready just in case of disappointment. “Okay... let’s hear it.” The room was silent for a long moment.

It was only broken by a brief sipping sound, then the ghoul sighed, “I know where he is.” My heart soared! This was what I was looking for! A grin spread across my face. “But...”

And there it was. My heart sank again, along with my grin. “... but...”

“I need a little more time.” My heart sank a little more.

“Why?”

“Because here’s the bad news.” He sipped again. “Double Down knows you’re still alive and he doesn’t want you blabbing about what he did. He’s pretty important apparently.”

Ace came forward, letting go of the writhing Tallie. “What’s happening, Snake Eyes? What’s that fucker up to?”

“He’s hired mercs and bounty hunters.”

My heart sank into my hooves along with my jaw. “No...oh no... ohnoohnoohno...” I had dealt with bounty hunters, or rather Trailblaze had, but they were rookies! And they were slaughtered... my stomach flipped itself into knots of guilt. They were probably just trying to make a quick cap, and they died trying!

“Some more good news now. We found out that at least one has refused.” I was about to cry. There were ponies out there hunting me down! As good news as that was, I was still going to be hunted down! “Yeah, some merc called Hired Gun.” That was a stupid name. No way they were born Hired Gun. “Double Down’s agent went all the way to Dise just to be shot down,” he chuckled.

I took a few breaths for my own sake. “At least... at least there’s one that’s not hunting me down...” I sighed deeply, trying to calm myself. It kinda worked, but not a lot. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was sweating all over. The images of all the ponies I’d killed flashed before my eyes. That could have been me at any moment... “Wish I could buy them a drink...” I muttered. “Least I could do for not killing me...”

Buying a drink for ponies who do good by you was a common courtesy on the planes. Especially if it was Golden Harp. Even after Clàrsach’s death, Mr. Harper kept the brewery active. Kept making it in her memory. If a good deed deserves one drink, ignoring caps to kill me was worth at least a case. Pity I wouldn’t get it to that merc.

“O-okay... so... what now?” I asked, shaking.

“Well, I need little time to get info on what’s happening in The Star, his casino. He’s buffing up defenses and getting more mercs.” The ghoul hummed for a long moment. “I need at least a week to get some solid info.”

“A WEEK?!” Trailblaze shrieked through my entire body. He pounded through my mind, causing my head to feel like it was cracking like an egg.

I groaned and held my head. “Okay...okay... thank you...” I gulped down the knot in my throat again and blinked a few times. “What do I do?”

“Stay in Iron City.” That was a simple answer. “You’ll be safe there. Maybe help around town or something. Earn some caps and buy Ace something nice.” I would have blushed, but I really wasn’t up for it. “Stay in public areas, alright?”

I nodded slowly. “G-Got it...”

“Alright, I’ll see what else I can find. It’s just one week, Clover.” He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ll count this as one of the favours you owe me, alright? Staying alive and all that.”

I wasn’t going to chuckle. Not for a long while. “Okay.”

“Anything else, or can I get back to crap coffee, noisy assistance, and helping with the Resistance?”

“I have a question!” Tallie piped up. I stepped back a few steps and hung my head, tears dripping onto the carpet below. “I’m looking for a pony. He wears really black armour and a big dumb helmet with M1 on his head. He almost killed me, and I want to kill him.”

Snake Eyes hummed to himself. “I have been getting reports of some weird mercs running around out there. A few Resistance patrols have seen a pony matching your description heading east towards the river. That’s all I know, sorry.”

“That’s all I need,” Tallie said with a smile. “Thanks, Snake Eyes!” She skipped back to us, blinking at me. “What’s wrong with him?”

Ace shook her head and shushed her. “We’ll talk later.”

“Any news?” Mr. Ponave asked through the microphone.

Ace came up beside me and gave me a comforting nuzzle. “Its okay, Clover,” she whispered. I just stared at the ground, angry and scared.

“Yeah, two successful Resistance raids in the lower regions, but a failed assault out on Orchard Fields. Not a whole lot of survivors...” He sighed a little and sipped his coffee. “Nothing much else that you don’t already know.”

Mr. Ponave sighed and sat back in his chair. “Alright. Keep me posted, okay?”

“You got it. Snake Eyes signing off.” There was a small burst of static, then he came through again. “Need more coffee!” Then the line went dead.

“Alright kids, is that all?” the older stallion asked us, picking up a biscuit and sinking his teeth into it. Looked fresh too, not like the pre war stuff we’ve all seen.

“No, that’s it,” Ace said. “We’d better get this guy out of here to get some rest.” She softly patted my back.

“Head over to the Iron Hotel. Five star accommodation,” the older pony said, leaning forward. “I can probably get you rooms for the week, considering your predicament. Just as long as you help the citizens in any way you can.”

Ace nodded. “Got it. Thanks a lot, Mr. Ponave.” She started moving towards the door, whispering reassuring words to me. But they weren’t helping. I was thankful that Tallie didn’t say anything. She seemed to get that I was just about to fall apart at the seams.

Nopony said a word as we got into the elevator. Ace pressed the button, and only the whirring of the elevator going down filled the air.

I was being hunted down... I was going to be killed just for surviving... ponies were going to shoot, stab, blow me up, poison me, anything, and present my head to Double Down as a trophy. Everything I have done in this world, all the toil and labour I put into the farm. All the work I did getting here. All of it for nothing. I missed my dad... I missed Shamrock... but I didn’t want to see them so soon...

The doors of the elevator opened again, and we stepped out. My eyes were focused on the floor, seeing my reflection in the cold tiles. I saw my dad, smiling at me. Shamrock grinning his big goofy grin. My mother, who I never knew, giving me a warm smile. All these ponies were dead. Then I saw me. It wasn’t a reflection though. It was me as a kid, only about five. Gunter was clasped in my jaw as I grinned around him. The little colt waved at me, then faded. Tears started rolling down my face.

The door to Iron City slowly opened. The sun was going down over the massive city, disappearing behind the huge chimney on the factory complex. Ponies were spilling out into the streets, having finished their shifts and heading home. Even the little colt I’d seen before with the helicopter hat and the tricycle had fallen asleep and was being carried by his mother. His trike was in her levitation field. Even that did little to raise my mood.

Two ponies did catch my eye though. A little green filly, walking along with a pink and orange mare. They looked so familiar, like I’d seen them before... of course! They were in the photo we found on that skeleton. The mare was definitely the same, but the filly had grown up.

“Give me a moment,” I muttered to Ace. She looked from side to side, concerned, then nodded. I slowly approached the mare and her filly. “Excuse me?”

The mare looked at me, curious. “Yes?” she asked, her filly looking up at me too.

“I was out in the wastes... on my way here...” I managed to say, the lump in my throat growing five sizes too big. “I found... I found a skeleton.” That got the mare’s attention. “In his saddlebag I found a photo.” I looked up at the mare, having been staring at the ground. “A photo with you, your daughter, and your...husband in it.” I assumed it was her husband, might have been a boyfriend or something.

The mare stared for a long moment, her filly looking up at her, confused. A tear dripped down her face. “My husband left Iron City on business four years ago...” her legs buckled under her for a moment, her filly’s eyes starting to water. “I...I didn’t...He...” She held a hoof to her muzzle, trying to think of what to say. “Where was he...?”

“On the border of the Red Zone. Between here and Buckwheat.” My own voice was starting to catch in my throat. “We think... we think he was ambushed by ghouls...”

The mare gasped as a fresh wave of tears fell from her eyes. “Please... please tell me it was somepony else... not my Blackout...”

I sighed and shook my head. “I really wish it was too, miss... but... from the picture...” I looked into her eyes. “I’m so sorry...” I whispered.

The mare closed her eyes and shuddered. “Th...thank you...” she whispered. “We needed closure...” She opened her eyes and looked back at me. “Thank you so much, Mr...?”

“Clover...” I whispered.

“Mr. Clover... thank you...” she said before hugging me. I didn’t move. There was just too much going on in my head for me to even care that she was touching me.

“It’s... it’s okay...”

She picked up her daughter, who started bawling only now realising what was going on, and walked down the street. My heart fell all the way down underground as more tears flowed down my face.

Something touched my shoulder. A hoof by the feel of it. I clamped my eyes shut and bolted. I couldn’t deal with this! It was too much!

“Clover! Wait!” Ace called out, her voice quickly drowning out by a deep rumbling laugh in the back of my head.

I ran. I just ran. Running from my friends. Running from the madness. The only thing I couldn’t run from was my future. I ran through the market square, past so many ponies, and straight into a small building. I quickly found myself in the bathroom, throwing up into a wash basin.

Hacking and coughing, I finally managed to collect enough sense to turn on the tap and start to wash away the vomit. Sighing loudly, feeling the pain in my lungs and the dull ache from where I was shot in the leg, I looked at myself in the mirror.

“You look like shit...” I muttered to myself and slowly shook my head. It was the honest truth. My mane was a complete mess, and there were bags under my bloodshot eyes. There were even small patches of black stubble growing on my chin. Stupid patchy beard. Why couldn’t I grow a proper one yet?!

“Yeah, you do.” Came a response. My ears pricked up and I looked back in the mirror. It was me! But I didn’t say anything!

My reflection slowly started to smile, the edges of its mouth curling and widening into a sick, psychotic grin. My heart started to pound in my chest, the sweat now crawling down my brow making me flinch. My reflection shook his head, throwing his mane in all directions. It finally settled and he moved it from his, now glowing red, eyes.

“No...” I said, my voice stuttering. “Please, just go away!” My hooves refused to follow the command to run the fuck away, instead remaining frozen in place.

The stallion in the mirror stared at me, grinning wildly. “Why would I want to do that?” he asked with a demented laugh. “I’m enjoying my stay. It’s cozy!” The stallion reared up and pressed his hooves against the other side of the mirror.

“You don’t belong here,” I whispered, shaking in pure terror. “Y-you just don’t belong...”

“On the contrary,” my reflection said through his grin. He lifted his hooves and actually smashed through the mirror, sending shards of glass sailing through the air. He lept out of the mirror, his coat turning an abyss of black as glass passed over it, like the glass’s shadow painted his coat. “I belong here as much as the sun in the sky, the mountains on the earth, the stars in space...” He looked me dead in the eye. “But you... you belong as much as maggots on meat.”

“Wh-what?” I managed to choke out, falling to my haunches and trembling. “What are you t-t-talking about?”

He took a step towards me, chuckling, “Oh my, you really are dense, aren’t you?” He chuckled again, his razor sharp teeth glowing in the dim light. “Don’t you see the progress we’ve made?”

I shook my head vigorously, partly in denial and partly to try and get rid of him, but I could feel Trailblaze tearing away inside me, pulling apart my sanity like a helpless rabbit with rabid dogs.

Trailblaze sighed and rolled a hoof. “They say ignorance is bliss, but I suppose in this case it’s quite the opposite.” He looked back to me, stepping forward muzzle to muzzle with me, eye to eye. “Can’t you feel it? The power seeping into you?”

“N-no!” I squealed, scooting back and hitting the wall. “I feel nothing! Nothing at all!”

The pony just laughed, his cackles like griffin talons on a chalkboard. “You’re a real idiot!” He laughed again, holding his stomach. He wiped a nonexistent tear from his eye. “The changes have started, my dear Mr. Clover. Why, even today we made significant... progress.” His evil grin started to spread across his face again as a deep chuckle started from his throat.

“No! That’s a lie!” I screamed at the demon pony. “You aren’t real! You never were and you never will be!” Tears were pouring from my eyes, my throat felt like it was being torn to shreds, but I couldn’t let him corrupt me with his lies!

Trailblaze took on an extremely smug tone. “What about killing that stallion without a thought? Resolving to gunning him down when he was showing mercy?”

“He was a raider!” I retorted. “A murderer! Rapist!” My heart felt like it had sunk into the ground, and my stomach was doing backflips. I would have pissed myself if I wasn’t so thirsty. My vision blurring with tears.

“Couldn’t he be saved?” Trailblaze asked, raising an eyebrow. “You never thought of that, did you? He was an ex-soldier, maybe he still had morals, buried deep within, waiting to be released.” He leaned in close. “But you didn’t think of that, did you? You killed him without a thought. Without... mercy.”

It was true... I killed him. I didn’t see the pony inside him, “L-leave... leave me alone...” I whispered, holding my hooves over my eyes. Couldn’t admit defeat. I wouldn’t admit defeat.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” was his response. “No matter how much you wish, how much you beg how much you try, you will never, EVER stop me from taking back control.”

“That’s it!” I screamed, pulling my SMG out and pressing it against head. “You will never have me! I’ll die and take you with me if that’s what it takes!”

Silence. Trailblaze stared for a good long moment, but soon a deep rumbling laugh started to emanate from him and soon escalated into a hysterical cackling. “Is that really what you think? You kill yourself and I just poof away?” He looked down on me, smiling in pity over my fear-struck body. “If it is, then I’m sad to say it simply isn’t so.”

My grip on the SMG loosened, and my body slumped. “No... no... I’ll kill you... take you with me...”

“Give up Clover. I’m coming back, and I’ll be here to stay.” The stallion gave me a huge, sick grin, leaning in close. “Count on it.”

“Never!” I screamed and threw the SMG at him. His ethereal body seemed to poof into air as my SMG connected with him and continued to sail through the air, smashing the intact mirror, shards splashing into the large pool of water from the sink I had forgotten to turn off. The water slowly creeped up on me as I curled into a ball.

The door swung open, and the silhouette of a unicorn stood in the light. “Clover?!” a mare’s voice asked, like an angel on the wind, delivering me from hell and the devil that was Trailblaze. “What the fuck happened?!” Ace galloped across the wet floor over to me as I curled up in a ball, sobbing and crying. She wrapped her forelegs around me and held me tight. “Shh, it’s okay... it’s okay... I’m here now... it’s okay...”

“Tr...Trail...no...” I whimpered. “No...I’m not... I can’t... no...”

Ace started stroking my mane. “Come on, it’s okay, nopony’s going to hurt you... it’s okay...”

It felt like an eternity of crying and soothing words to finally start getting a grip. I whimpered in a ball, Ace still holding me. “Why? Why did it have to happen to me?” I asked, looking up at her with teary eyes. “Why?”

Ace shook her head. “I don’t know, Clover...” She stroked some wet mane from my eyes. “But I won’t rest until we get this bounty called off.”

That was the best thing I’d heard all night. “Thank you...” I whispered, pulling myself up and wiping my eyes. “You’re the best mare a guy could ask for...”

“Right back at you, Clover,” Ace said, a smile creeping along her face. She came up beside me to support me, but I didn’t think I needed it.

“I need a drink...”

Glasses had piled up in front of me as I sat in a booth at some pub Ace and I had found. Ace was at the bar, getting another round, when Lollipop found us. It’d been an hour, and a few awkward explanations to both security and Tallie, since my breakdown. Tallie had already taken her perch on Zippo's back and had curled up on him. She was tired, but not asleep, just comfy.

Lollipop looked to me, then to Ace and nodded. “Alright. We’ll see how he is tomorrow.” She looked back and nodded at me, then made a clicking noise at Zippo. The ant looked up, then followed her as they left, Tallie in tow. Ace trotted back to me.

“I’m becoming a monster...” I mumbled, my head resting on the table, staring at the glasses in front of me, and now the fresh pint that Ace had gotten me.

“No you’re not,” Ace said, sitting down beside me. “We all break down eventually. A week of rest will do you a world of good.” It was slightly reassuring, all things considered. Maybe after a week Trailblaze will get bored with me and bugger off. Or maybe my reassurance was coming in the form of copious amounts of alcohol, coursing its way through my system.

“There’s a demon inside me...” I muttered, sitting up and nursing my pint. “I need to cut him out... I just don’t know how...”

Ace put a foreleg around me. She was almost as drunk as I was. “We all have our demons, buddy.” She pulled me in close. “You just have to fight them! With your hooves!” She examined her hoof, closely. “And booze!” She giggled and picked up her drink again, taking a swig. I looked at her, and saw her smiling at me. A small smile started to crawl across my aching face, making me feel like a filly with new mane ribbons. No, a colt with a new action figure. That’s the one. “There ya go!” the beige mare cheered. She looked down to the bottom of an empty glass. “I’m drunk...” she mumbled. No shit.

“This one goes out to all those lucky ponies out there,” an old buck with a large beard said, smiling. He was a brown unicorn, sitting at a piano. He began to play.

“Dust whirls on the plain,
Making patterns as we walk down lovers lane,
Seems that each new step is somehow preordained,
I've not traveled this way before.“

I don't know if it was the lighting in the pub or the amount of drink in me, but Ace was stunning, more than usual. The way her hair fell across her face and her eyes sparkled just seemed so... so... wonderful.

“Green clouds in the sky,
Seem forever but we know by-and-by,
they fade just like caravans passing by,
Love seemed like that before.”

Ace continued to stare into my eyes, smiling. She slowly blinked and giggled a little, and I couldn't tell if it was the booze making me see these things but I sincerely hoped not. I felt butterflies in my belly and my heart fluttered gently.

“Since I found you there's no doubt left in my heart,
I've cleared all the raiders away,
I see it clearly so we don't need any chart,
No prospectors, no mercs,
No brahmin-baron jerks.”

The butterflies in my stomach were threatening to erupt. I reached out a hoof and brushed the mane from Ace's face. Fuck it, I thought, I need this. I slowly closed my eyes and leaned in.

The Star's lights in the night,
Shining down upon our love as it takes flight!

Our lips locked. She didn't pull away and kissed me back! I was actually kissing a mare! It felt like I got a kick in the head! Fireworks exploded in my mind, this was the first truly happy feeling I had felt in a long, long time. Shamrock would have been so proud of me! An actual really hot mare was kissing me because she wanted to! Whoo!

But of course, the night had only just begun...

Footnote: Level Up!

New Perk!

“Gunslinger”

Your quick reactions today have awarded you with higher reflexes under pressure. You gain an additional +25% chance to hit with mouth held weapons in SATS. Yay!

Special thanks to Adder1, Matkingos, and Julep for editing and art.

Thanks are in order for the great and all powerful Kkat for creating the FoE Universe that I implanted my work into.

Chapter 10: Mane Cuts and Pizza.

Chapter 10: Mane cuts and pizza.

“Oops...”

Hark! What doth blast on mine eyes so fair! My face scrunched up tight as one of my eyes cracked open. A heavenly light was peeking through the lush white curtains on the other side of a very nice room. My eye rolled around, checking it out. White walls, lavish green carpets, polished wooden furniture... everything screamed fancy. If I was feeling like getting out of this soft, warm, cozy bed, I’d have explored or at least closed the curtain. Nah, too much effort.

I yawned and rolled over, the bed morphing to my back perfectly, maximising comfort. This was the best, hooves down. A soft bed, posh room, the whole nine yards. No questions asked. That was, until I found myself muzzle deep in mane. My mane wasn’t that long, sure it was shaggy, but not long enough to... and it sure as hell wasn’t brown!

My whole body jerked in surprise, causing me to get tangled in the sheets as I fell from the bed. The world around me spun, corrected by copious amounts of blinking. “What the hell?!” I grumbled, managing to untangle myself from the sheets, I peered slowly over the side of the bed.

There, laying before me, was a beige mare with a long, beautiful brown mane. Her curvaceous body ending with a beautiful flank that made my jaw drop every time I saw it. The distinctive black ace of spades on her flank just confirmed it. That was Ace alright. The mare I could only dream about being with. My best friend in this entire wasteland.

And we fucked.

I felt faint, my stomach jumped into a tight little knot. Something bad was going to happen. Just the thought of Ace... and me... I got up and sprinted into the open bathroom, finding the toilet I opened it up and promptly evacuated my stomach of its contents. I washed my mouth and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked... good! Well-rested, and handsome as... never, but still average enough to pass as looking good. Except for the patchy beard starting to grow... I wish I could get a proper beard!

My mind snapped back to the matter at hoof. Ace was in my bed, and I had no clue what to do. The most obvious line of logic would be to sneak out, right? Right! Sneak out. Peeking my head around the door, I saw Ace in the bed. Although, instead of curled up like before, she was sprawled out and snoring with her... that on show. I almost fainted from shock

I managed to keep my wits about me and grabbed my armour, and coat. Both of which had been scattered amongst armoured socks and empty whiskey bottle. Ace’s clothes were scattered everywhere. Her leather jacket was at the foot of the bed, her armoured socks were scattered along the floor, and one of the bed posts had... a pair of frilly pink underwear dangling from it...

I looked away, sweating, and quickly got dressed. The riot gear felt weird against me though. Looking down, I saw two dark brown patches, probably whiskey, and... bite marks? I looked over at the mare. How did she...

Not wanting to even think about it, and risk my head exploding, I put on my coat and practically ran out of the room while trying to make as little noise as possible. The door gave a tiny click as it shut, but to me it sounded like the thirty-seven drums of hell pounding in a tiny room. I watched the door as I backed slowly away. Nothing happened. I broke out into a sprint and zoomed down the hallway, almost knocking over a mare in a small black and white frilly dress with a feather duster in her mouth.

“Sorry!” I yelled over my shoulder zipping to the elevator. I hammered the lobby button, looking frantically from the button pad and down the hall. I breathed a sigh of relief as the doors closed. A deep chuckling bellowed behind me, making me yipe in surprise.

An old light blue stallion with a greying black mane, wearing a nice suit was standing there, a small smile cracked his weathered face. “Walk of shame?” he chuckled.

I had no clue what to say. I slept with my best friend, so maybe. But then again, I’d been obsessing over how fucking hot she is ever since we met. Was this just a drunken fling? Did she want to use me? No, Ace wouldn’t do that, considering what’s going on with me... would she?

“Hello? Wakey, wakey!” the old stallion said with a smile. “I know that look. No clue as to what you did, who you did, and what to do. I’ve been there before.” He laughed deeply and patted my back. “It’ll be alright kid.”

“But... I know who it was...” I squeaked, watching the numbers slowly count down with each passing floor. “Its just that... well... she’s kind of my best friend...” My face burned in embarrassment.

The older stallion stopped laughing and winced. “Oh... I see.” The doors opened and he took the lead. “My advice? Take a walk. Think about it. Then talk. Who knows?” He turned around when I left the elevator and smiled. “You might even earn a marefriend from it.”

“That...” I said, thinking it over, “might be good...”

“Then again, you could lose her.”

Well that blows. “Let’s, uh... let’s hope for the former...” I muttered.

The old stallion chuckled. “Yeah. Anyway, I gotta head off.” He offered his hoof. “It was nice meeting you, Mr...”

“Clover,” I said, shaking his hoof. “And you are?”

“Professor Spring Flowers,” the stallion said with a smile. He started for the main door. “I’ll see you around.” He left, leaving me alone in the lobby.

Well, not alone. A few ponies milled about the huge room, some at the desks, and a few headed through a large double door marked ‘Bar’. Drinking this early? Sounds like home...

The lobby was just as fancy, if not fancier, than my room. It was clean, with red carpets, and the front wall was made of glass with a revolving door in the middle. Along one wall was a long counter with lamps and a few terminals, three ponies were behind it helping customers. The middle of the room was taken up by a few coffee tables and couches. It was all rather cozy.

What to do? There was nothing I could do, other than take the elder stallion’s advice and think, but thinking about it got me all hot under the collar. It looked nice out, so might as well get some fresh air.

“Well well, if it ain’t lover boy,” a massive white pony in a large red, double-breasted coat said, grinning. He wore black boots with a red cap, a small brass anvil in the middle, matched the brass buttons on his coat. A large pistol sat in its holster.

“Um...” I squeaked, looking up at the huge pony. “What?” My face was starting to burn hotter.

“You and your little friend,” the stallion, who I assumed was the hotel guard, said. “Almost had to pry you two apart with a crowbar to stop you going at it right in the lobby!” He let out a hearty laugh, making me go even more red.

“Uh... um....eh...um...” I bolted out of the revolving door and out into the street. Even outside I could hear his laugh. Why did he have to laugh at my discomfort? I hate it when ponies do that. Belittle me and such. Bastards.

Taking refuge on one of the old benches that lined the long cobblestone streets, I took some time to clear my head and take in my surroundings. The buildings in Iron City seemed really well maintained. The street I was on looked like it was built more for pedestrians than stuff like the tank we had ridden in on.

Each building looked alike but still held a distinguishing feature. All had metal frames, paneled with wood in some spots, concrete or bricks for the walls, and intact glass in the windows. It was picturesque, honestly. What astounded me though was the level of maintenance in each building.

“Neat, huh?”

I jumped about forty feet in the air and clutched at my chest, thinking I just had a heart attack. I turned in my seat to see Lollipop, grinning wolfishly at me. “The buildings, I mean. Pretty cool.”

I gulped down the urge to scream and took a deep breath. “Don’t do that...” I muttered, straightening myself out. “Y-yes... they are... n-neat.”

Lollipop leaned back on the bench, draping her forehooves along the backrest. “Been awhile since I came here. Couple of months maybe? Think the first time I was here was a week after I came east.”

“East?” I asked. “Oh right, you were Fed army, weren’t you?” I sat back slowly, still looking at the buildings. My heart still racing in my chest from the scare.

The lime green unicorn nodded slowly with a sigh. “Yeah... I was. Got discharged,” she muttered. She shifted and scratched her chin with a hoof. Her foreleg had intricate black tattoos and her coat was shaved in pretty patterns. Well, not pretty, more primal. I was really tempted to shy away from her just looking at them.

Unfortunately for me, she caught me looking. “Admiring my designs?” she asked in a chipper tone, her grin being swapped with a small, sweet, smile. Weird. “I got them on my first visit here. Would you believe I used to have a long, flowing mane?” she asked with a giggle, running a hoof through her mohawk. That creeped me out. Going from grinning like a looney, to a sweet little mare? Then again, with those tats and shavings, there was no way she was sane. Then again, who was?

I had Trailblaze in my head, fucking with me every opportunity he gets. Tallie seems to have had a tormented past, one I can grasp straws at but I didn’t know her well enough to be sure. As for Ace... well, she slept with me. She’s nuts.

“Well, I did,” Lollipop said as I shook my head. “Changed my mane when I changed my life.” She stood up and stretched. She was wearing a set of altered barding. It must have had Federation patches or markings on it, but they had long since been taken off, and the barding had been dyed. Most Fed barding was khaki or beige but hers was a dark brown. It seemed altered to look more tribal too. The only thing I could really recognise was the medic insignia.

“Why were you discharged?” I asked, absentmindedly patting my own riot armour barding. Where did this armour come from? I knew the Resistance team that saved my ass had given it to me, but they never said where it came from. Oh well, not like it mattered anyway.

Lollipop got a cold, dark expression on her face. “It’s... not something I like talking about.” She looked back at me, making me go rigid in slight fear. “But if you’re serious, and you don’t mind me travelling with you and your friends, you should know everything.” She sighed and took a deep breath, calming herself down.

“I was a combat medic with the Federation. Short story is, I was sent into a battle with The Resistance a year ago. There were civilians around, but it was Resistance territory. Command and my COs said they were working with them. I didn’t listen. A young colt, not more than five years old, had been hit in the fighting. Shot through the leg.” She took a moment to herself, rubbing her own leg and tracing the designs in it. “His mother was hysterical. She was in the middle of a battlezone, but she couldn’t move. Her son was dying. So what do I do? I stop and help. Apparently that was a big mistake.” She looked back at me, directly in the eye. All I saw was a dark, chilling anger. “They charged me with aiding the enemy. The colt would have died if I didn’t help. I was court-martialed. Dishonorably discharged. I would have been sent to prison, but they took fucking pity on me.”

“P-pity?” I asked before I could stop myself. My voice stuttered and jolted from the intense shaking.

“My husband was killed the same day as that fucking battle.”

“H-husband?” There I went again! I didn’t need to press any further!

Lollipop’s expression of anger changed. It slowly started to soften, beginning to look more sad than anything. “He was killed in an armoury explosion. Command said it was a prewar shell sparking a chain reaction, and that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nopony would have been hurt apparently. If he’d just stayed at his post...” She looked away, thinking deeply. She was trying to hold back sorrow, I could see it. I could feel it. “It wasn’t an accident. I know the truth.” She looked back at me. “It was a bomb. I just know it was a bomb.”

Husband killed by sabotage. I could believe that. War is a cruel cruel thing. Turns ponies into savages. The Resistance is no different. They still kill ponies regularly, but they did it under the banner of freedom. Killers with a cause. How about that?

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I managed to squeak out, still shaking. “Losing loved ones... it’s extremely hard.”

She looked me over, then sat back down. “Yeah... family member?”

I nodded. “My father died about a month and a half ago. My brother about a week. First was natural, second was murder.” A lump caught in my throat, but I pushed it back down. “That’s why I’m out here. For revenge.”

Lollipop looked from the ground, back to me. “Revenge, huh?” She looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked back at me. “Hope you get it.” She gave me another smile, then got back to her hooves. “Murderers need to be dealt with.” She yawned, then looked herself over. “I could use a touch up. And you a shave, it seems, Mr. Patchy.” Fuck. “Come on, I know a good barber.”

“Barber... um... why not...?” I stood up beside her and scratched my chin. Fucking patchy beard... “How much would it cost?” I asked, still scratching. Itchy too.

“Couple-a caps. It’ll cost me about fifty-ish. You about twenty, maybe?” She walked past me, her bright pink tail causing me to wince as it passed under the sunlight. She was just a target waiting to be shot.

Why would she even need all of these changes? If they didn’t send her to prison for her bogus crime, why was she running? I wasn’t about to ask that, honestly. Might lose a few vital organs. Looking for something to change the subject, I noticed that her cutie mark was covered by her armour. Mine was covered by my duster coat, so I wasn’t going to ask about hers. She might have wanted to keep it quiet.

“Think you can afford it?” she asked as I came up beside her. “You and Ace must have coughed up a fortune for those drinks.” She just had to add a snicker to the end of that.

I rolled my eyes and turned to search through my saddlebag. They weren’t there, of course. I’d left them up in the room with Ace. Like hell I’m going back up there. “Whoops...” I squeaked, now staring at my flank. “Uh... well.”

Lollipop laughed and patted my back. “I’ll cover for you.” She started to trot down the street. Well that was awfully nice of her, wasn’t it? Paying for a new friend’s barber fees. Admittedly, my mane and tail were getting out of hoof and a little crazy, and I could use a good shave. Might as well take the offer!

“Thanks,” I said, trotting up beside her. We continued walking down the street, taking in the sights. This must have been what prewar Equestria was like. Large buildings with cobblestone streets, the buildings made from materials that didn’t look like they were pried from ruins. It was nice.

“Taken your meds today?” Lollipop asked, glancing over at me.

Meds? What me- oh right! I poked into one of my pockets and pulled out a little bottle of pills. Popping the cap, I took my recommended dosage, then nodded at the medical unicorn. “Almost forgot I was sick,” I said with a smile.

Lollipop blinked. The lime green unicorn looked me over a few times. “Wait, really?” she asked, raising both eyebrows. “You didn’t even notice? Not one itch?”

What was so weird about it? “Uh... my throat feels better... my lungs don’t hurt much. Is that weird?” I was beginning to shake. Oh my goddesses I was going to die. My lungs were going to implode or explode, or both then repeat!

Lollipop nodded and blinked again. “Weird... but great! You’re recovering extremely well!” She grinned at me, then started trotting down the street again. The professor thinks I’m okay... I guess that means I’m okay? I followed after her, listening to the clip-clop of my hooves on the cobblestones.

“So where’s Tallie?” I asked, following the mare. “She stayed with you last night, didn’t she?”

“Yup!” Lollipop answered, trotting ahead. “Restless sleeper. Poor thing. I took her out for some breakfast this morning. You and Ace were still asleep... together.” She snickered a little at that last bit, making me feel my stomach tighten into a knot. “Anyway, took her for some breakfast and she found that one of the local generators for the block was only half capacity. Little thing went straight to work!”

“Wait, what?” I asked and scrambled around a corner after her. “What do you mean went straight to work? How does she know anything about generators?” She was joking. Had to be.

Lollipop looked back. “I was hoping you’d be able to answer that. You’ve known her longer.”

“For about an hour, maybe.”

“Really?”

“Pretty much.”

“Hm,” she mused. “Odd.” She started trotting towards a building. “Anyway, lets get you cleaned up, Patches.” The sooner these patches were gone the better. Shamrock could grow a beard, why couldn’t I? He never kept his, but he could still grow one...

We entered a small building in between a large market and a tourist center by the look of it. It was a typical barbershop, from the spinning blue, white, and red pole outside to the lines of barber chairs. The barber himself even had a massive, glorious moustache!

“Welcome!” the unicorn stallion said in a very singsong voice. He was a lean stallion, pale yellow coat and red mane. He even had a worn barber uniform. I almost squeed. “Ah, you need a trim and a shave, Mr. Patch!” he said to me with a laugh. I blushed furiously. “And Lollipop! Welcome back! Here for a touch up?”

“Yup!” Lollipop said, skipping to a chair and sitting down. “Just the usual, Scissors. Touch up to the shavings.”

“Of course!” the mustachioed stallion said, levitating a pair of scissors and a shaver. He looked over at me and smiled. “Take a seat sir! I’ll be with you next. Bit short-hoofed I’m afraid. Won’t be more than ten minutes.”

I did notice a lack of staff when I looked around. Lollipop and I were the only two customers at the moment. I took a seat on an old, ratty couch while the barber did his work on with Lollipop, re-shaving the shaved bits, trimming her mohawk and coat.

After about the first minute, I’d gotten bored just idly drumming my hooves on my legs. Oooh, magazines. There was a neat little stack of prewar magazines on the coffee table. A wedding magazine, a teenager’s magazine, a por- nopenopenope. Oh look, a comic book! I picked it up and started reading through it. Treasure hunter apparently. Daring Do. Interesting...

Minutes turned into about a half hour before the barber had finished his work. Lollipop pranced out of her seat and cantered in a circle. “Beautiful work, Scissors. As always.” She did look a lot better. Less raider-like now that she was cleaned up. Rather pretty actually.

“Very nice,” I said with a smile, putting the comic down. Just as it was getting good too. Darn.

The barber gestured to the seat after brushing it off with a tiny brush. “C’mon, Patchy. Let’s make you back into Handsome non-Patchy, eh?”

“My name’s Clover,” I muttered as I sat down. Comfy seat at least. Might take away from the embarrassment of having a patchy face.

And out came the shaving foam. “Clover, eh?” Scissors asked while he spread the shaving foam over my chin. Wasn’t the same brand my dad used to teach me with. “What is that, uh... Emerald Isles? Long way from home, kid... that’s off the coast of Federation land, ain’t it?”

Touchy subject, that. “It... yeah. It’s Fed territory.” I sighed. “Never been though. Heard they hate being Feds.”

“Is that so...” the barber said, pulling out a straight razor. He started to drag it across my chin. I don’t think I could be shaking more, honestly. He had a big knife thing on my chin. “Relax, kid. I’m a trained professional.” Sure...

“Yeah.” I winced slightly while he shaved away some of the old patches. “I’m from the Apple Plains.”

The barber stopped for a moment. “That’s on the Fed border... not as far away from home as I thought.” He continued to shave my scraggly chin for a few moments before starting on my mane. “So what brings you out to our neck of the woods?” he asked as a small clump of mane fell into my lap.

“Uh...” I replied. “Well... I was a courier. So was my brother, but, uh...” I swallowed down a lump in my throat again before finishing. “My brother was murdered and the package stolen. I barely made it out alive.”

With all that had been happening to me recently, my mind had managed to drift from that night. Now that I was safe and secure, it just left room for it all to come flooding back to me. My brother being tied up, beaten within an inch of his life, then shot... getting hit over the head with a shovel and buried alive... being dragged to Westwood by Snake Eyes... then all hell broke loose. Fuck this desert...

“Sir?” a muffled voice asked. I blinked back into reality to see a hoof waving in my face. “Sir, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “Just... remembering...” I sighed and sat back again, realising I had shifted forward. Damn desert...

“Right...” Scissors said as he went back to cutting my mane. “Nasty scar ya got there,” he remarked, looking down on my head. “Must’ve been a nasty cut, eh?”

“Shovel,” I muttered. “Lost part of my skull.”

An eerie silence filled the room, and I could feel the eyes of Scissors and Lollipop on me. “Shit...” Scissors said, going back to cutting. “Rough life you must lead. Ever thought about settling down? Starting a new life?”

“With Ace...” Lollipop whispered and snickered. I would have shot her a death glare if I could move my head. Still had to figure out what to say to her.

“And done!” Scissors announced, turning me around to face the mirror. Well well! Look at that handsome fella! I looked much better now. My mane was back to its neat, swept back, cow-lick state and my chin patches were gone. I actually looked decent for once. I could use some clean clothes, but that wasn’t my biggest concern.

“Thanks, Scissors,” I said with a smile, getting up out of my chair and brushing the cuttings off of me and running my hoof through my mane. Wonderful! I turned after checking myself out in the mirror and saw Lollipop paying the stallion. I’d pay her back, that’s for sure.

“Lunch?” she asked me after finishing our transaction. A fair few caps had traded hooves just now, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I could pay her back. I’d figure out a way somehow.

I merely shrugged as we made our way to the door. “Got no caps, remember?” Please don’t offer to buy me lunch too... as hungry as I was, I didn’t want to owe this mare more caps! I already owed her my life! This was probably going to bite me in the ass at some point.

“I do,” she said with a smug smile. She opened the door for me as I passed, nodding. The sun was lazily sitting in the sky right above us, beating us with its harsh rays. My hooves clipped and clopped as I turned and waited. “C’mon, considering what you’ve been through I think you deserve a free lunch.”

I didn’t exactly deserve much. Most of the times I’d been almost killed was via my own stupidity. That’s all I was, wasn’t it? A stupid stallion. Should have just asked the Feds for my old job back instead of signing on as a courier. I’d still be in one piece, Shamrock would still be alive, and I wouldn’t have seen all of the horrors of the wastes.

What if that had happened though? Sure, I would be safe and secure, but what about the others, like Tallie? She’d still be in that cave or worse. Ace would probably still be in Westwood, and Lollipop would still be in her home, maybe, and Zippo would still be in his nest. It seems the only person benefiting from me actually coming out here was the little griffin Tallie.

I guess that makes it all worthwhile? Letting a child survive to live another day? Was it worth the cost of my physical and mental well-being, and the death of my brother? Best not to think of that. I don’t want to resent Tallie. She deserves better.

“You deserve a free lunch too, you know. You’ve probably been through worse,” I grumbled as we passed a few Iron Defenders. Lollipop stopped to admire them... sorry, not them, their machine guns. Admittedly, they were impressive.

“Maybe, but I can take it,” Lollipop replied with a laugh. “Sure, the Feds might be on my tail and smoked me out of my home, but its been like that for a few months now. You’ve gotten fucked up five ways from Friday and its only been, what? A week?”

I solemnly nodded. “Just about...” a week in this hellhole, I might add.

“And done!” a familiar voice squealed from just around the corner. Inside a small courtyard was a little griffin in a dark blue shirt and a set of cargo pants, pulling herself out of a large generator by the wall. Something inside me wanted to scream ‘what are you doing in there?!’ but it was buried by ‘what the hell was she up to...’ “Try it now.”

An older pink mare nodded from inside an open building. She weaved around several tables and chairs and flipped a large switch on the inside wall. The generator started to hum and the lights all lit up green across the board. “Oh... oh my...” she remarked, a little amazed. She slowly smiled though, so I assume it was a good thing.

Tallie pumped her fist in the air. “Hell yeah! Fixed a generator and it ain’t even lunch time!”

A few ponies emerged from their homes and looked into the courtyard and blinked. “Who fixed the generator?” One of them yelled across from the other side. “I ain't had good power for months!”

Tallie watched as all of the ponies emerged and blinked. She stooped down low, avoiding eye contact and tried to make herself as small as possible. Poor thing. I couldn’t help but trot over to her and block everypony’s view. “You okay?” I asked with a smile.

“Oh...uh...hi Clover...” she muttered, looking up at me. I knew that look. It was a look I had made so many times before. A crippling fear of being in the spotlight. I hated it, but my brother was always there for me. She only had me and Lollipop right now.

I offered my hoof and smiled. “Need a lift?”

Tallie looked at it for a moment and blinked. She narrowed her eyes slightly, then raised one eyebrow. She hesitantly placed her hand on my hoof and then smiled. She climbed up my foreleg and onto my back. She still made herself small, but she didn’t seem as bothered as before.

“So where’s my fireant gone, hmm?” I asked, beginning my trot over to the restaurant. Lollipop had stopped to talk to the stallion who had yelled across the yard.

Tallie merely shrugged. “I went to fix the old mare’s generator and when I looked next he was gone. Just poofed.”

“Wait... what do you mean just poofed?” I asked, looking back with a frown. That ant and I had been through so much together...

Tallie shrugged again. “I dunno! I turn my back for one moment after breakfast and he’s just gone!”

Lollipop trotted up beside us. “Warm today, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, why?” Tallie said, looking for anyway to change the subject. She looked up and shielded her eyes from the hot desert sun. “More like hot.”

Lollipop nodded at one of the buildings. “If I were a fire ant, an ant that’s accustomed to heat, on a hot sunny day, where would I be?”

We all looked up and sure enough, there were two antennae pointing out from on top of the roof, twitching and swaying in the breeze. Hopefully nopony noticed him or there would probably be screaming and gunfire. I’d had enough of that to last fifty lifetimes.

“Lunch!” Lollipop said from inside the restaurant. When did she... nevermind. She sat down at a table and waited on us with a smile.

Lollipop, from what I gathered, was a fairly odd mare. Hiding her identity made sense, knowing that the Feds were after her, but something about her. Was it her wolfish grin? Her predatory stare? I just didn’t get it. One moment she looked so docile and pleasant and the next she just looked frightening. Still... she wouldn’t attack me... would she?

Tallie remained quiet on my back as we approached the table. She scrambled off my back and took a seat opposite Lollipop. I took the seat next to the griffin and looked around.

It was a pretty place. A few tables and chairs, but mostly empty. The specials board was in plain view over the bar counter, where an elderly mare sat, smiling. She had a long, flowing grey mane and a pretty pink coat. She must have been quite the looker in her time as she still looked quite pleasant.

“So, what’re you having?” the lime-green unicorn asked, picking up a menu and looking through it. “I think I might have the... hmmm...” She rubbed her chin as she mused, looking up and down the menu.

Tallie gasped. “They have nuggets!” She almost hopped in her seat. “Can I get the nuggets? Please?”

I couldn’t help but blink and chuckle at her little excited display. “What kind of nuggets are they?”

Tallie squinted at the menu, then looked at me. “Chicken.” She licked her beak. “I’ve only had chicken once, and it was good.” She stopped mid-lick and frowned. She planted a talon on her chin and thought for a brief moment. “Or was that radroach...?” She shrugged. “Nevermind! I want nuggets!”

“And I’m having the pizza,” Lollipop announced, slamming the menu closed with a grin. “Delicious!”

“Pizza?” I asked. Never heard of pizza before. “What’s that?”

“Its like... a thin bread-like base, with tomato sauce, then cheese on top of that, then cooked,” the pink maned unicorn explained. “And then any toppings on that, but I like it plain.”

That... did sound really, really good. “Think I could get the recipe?” Pizza is going on the list of things to cook at some point. “Sounds lovely.”

“You’re a cook?” Lollipop asked, leafing through the drinks menu again. “Didn’t have you pegged as one for the culinary arts.” She leafed through some more and smiled. “Mmm... they have Sunrise Sarsaparilla.”

“Sunrise Sarsaparilla?!” Tallie squealed beside me before I could get a word in. “I love that stuff! It's the bee’s knees!”

It was tough to believe she was a fourteen year old girl. “To answer your question, Lollipop, yeah, I do like to cook. Why not? It’s fun!”

“Not when you burn everything you cook,” Lollipop said with a snicker. “I ain’t much of a cook. Now, what are you having so we can order?”

“Oh right!” I opened my menu and looked through it. Well how about that? It was already separated into species recommendations. There was a page of recommendations for griffins, ponies, and even buffalo! Nifty. Lasagna... veggie burgers... pizza... some of these things I’d never heard of! Except for veggie burgers and the hay sandwich, of course.

“Might I recommend the soup?” asked a sweet, old voice from beside me. It was the lovely old mare again. “We have a lovely vegetable soup which contains celery, carrots, peas, and some potatoes, all in a vegetable broth. Served with a fresh baked bread roll and some butter.”

“I’ll have that then,” I said with a smile. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Your business means so much to me,” the mare said with a big smile. She actually looked like she meant it. Wait, she did! How nice. “And to drink?”

“Two Sunrise Sarsaparilla,” Lollipop said, then looked at me. “Aaand...” I shrugged. “Make that three.”

“Coming right up,” the old mare said and trotted to the kitchen.

I looked between my friends. “Nice lady.”

“Yup. Owned this place for about twenty years now,” Lollipop explained. “We had a nice chat at breakfast.”

“She gave me a free strip of bacon,” Tallie said, licking her beak again. “Man, today has been the best day ever. I haven’t been hurt once, I actually have a full belly, and I don’t have to run away from mean ponies or griffins!” She beamed, then looked serious. “Not that I, uh... ever had to, that is.”

“That’s great,” I said and nervously patted her head. She frowned and batted my hoof away and redid her ponytail. Heh, ponytail on a griffin. That just sounds weird.

It wasn’t long until the mare returned with our drinks. She set them down before us and trotted off back to the kitchen. The smells coming from that room smelled divine. A mix of tomatoes, vegetables, and a very different smell. Savoury, but somewhat yummy. I’d probably find out soon enough.

“Aren’t many ponies around,” I mentioned, popping the cap of my sassparilla. “Wouldn’t they be coming in for lunch?” Well that was odd. The inside of the cap had a little rainbow apple on it. Never seen one of them before.

“They would be if it was actually lunchtime,” Lollipop said after taking a swig from her drink and pocketing the cap. “We got an hour before the rush. Tallie and I appear to be early risers.” She smiled and looked at the griffin.

“Rats...” Tallie cursed, looking at her cap. “Another dud.” She looked at Lollipop and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t like sleeping late. Wastes sunlight.” She glanced at me, then back to her drink, then snapped her attention back to me. “Can I see that cap?”

“Sure?” I said, not entirely sure what the apple meant. I still handed it over anyway. “Why? What’s so great about it?”

Tallie’s little griffin face lit up. “No way! You got a Zap Apple cap!”

I noticed... “What’s that got to do with anything?” I took a swig of my drink and blinked. That tasted good!

Tallie looked at me like I was completely brain-dead. “What do you mean? It’s a Zap Apple Cap! Get fifty of these beauties and you find the way to get the Sunrise Sarsaparilla hidden treasure!” She stared at it longingly.

A treasure from two-hundred years ago? Odds were that it had already been found and taken, then probably sold on for a tidy profit. Ah well, best humour the poor bird. “Oh? What kind of treasure? Where is it?” I smiled and took another swig of my drink. It really was quite tasty. Bitter, but sweet at the same time. Reminds me of Ac- nevermind, not going there. “Keep the cap if you want.”

“Wow, really?!” It looked like Tallie’s grin was going to tear her beak off and run amuck. “Thanks!” She pocketed the cap and grinned some more. “Nopony knows what the treasure really is. It could be a vast sum of caps, or a solid gold... something. Something valuable for sure.” She smiled a very smug smile and looked to the kitchen, hungrily.

“Sounds like a blast,” I muttered around my drink and took another swig. “So where is this treasure?”

The itty-bitty half-a-kitty frowned. “That’s the hard part. They say it’s in the old bottling plant up... north I think, but it’s hidden behind a big ol’ vault door. Then there’s the security bots.” She shuddered. “From what I heard, they have big chainsaw arms and super big lazers on their backs.”

Lollipop blinked and sipped her drink. “Won’t be heading there then.” Seconded. Ponies were one thing, Separatists too, but unlike robots they had some form of compassion. Hell, if the Separatists were robots, they’d have killed me before Snake Eyes could find me.

“Awwww, but robots blow up just like anything else!” Tallie said with an adorable pout. She folded her little griffin arms and stared at the door. She beamed when it swung open and the little pink mare appeared with a few plates on her back.

“What do you mean by blow up...?” I asked with an eyebrow raised. Sure, I’ve seen that she was decent with mechanics... maybe she could make them self-destruct?

Tallie stared at the little plate on the mare’s back. It had a few little brown-battered circles amongst a plate of golden chips. That couldn’t be healthy at all. “What do you think I mean? I mean blow em sky-high with... maybe two sticks of dynamite? One to crack the casing, one to blow up its innards?” She looked up at the ceiling and her face scrunched up a little, thinking. “Of course, a matrix disruption grenade would be better but they’re pretty rare.” She beamed when her plate arrived in front of her.

Lollipop’s pizza looked and smelled great. Molten cheese over beautifully made tomato sauce, smothered over a doughy, bread-like base. It was even cut up into several triangles for easy eating. Marvelous!

As for my soup, it looked extremely appetizing. It was dark, creamy pea-green with a white creamy spiral leading to a few herbs poking out of the middle. I even got a free bread roll! “Well. Bon appetite,” I said after licking my lips.

“Bon appe-what now?” Tallie asked, her beak already full of chips and a nugget. “Just eat, ya weirdo.” She giggled and went back to munching.

“Want a slice?” Lollipop asked me with a smile. She held out a sizable slice out to me. I gulped down a mouthful of soup dipped bread and nodded. She laid it out on my bread plate and smiled. “I think you’ll like it.”

I hoped so too. I picked it up and looked it over. An ingenious design, really. Who knew this combination would work out so well? Sure, I enjoyed cheese, tomatoes, and bread, but I never thought to use them together. Biting down on the end of it made me experience an explosion of new flavours to add to my palate. It was gorgeous! The richness of the cheese mixed with the creaminess of the tomato sauce, finished up with the soft doughy base, it was marvelous. I’d have to get the recipe for sure now!

The rest of lunch passed pretty quickly. We were all enjoying our meals to the fullest, the silence only being broken by the smacking of lips or the occasional “Mm. S’good.”

Tallie finished her meal with an almighty burp and patted her belly. I snickered at her before taking my last spoonful of soup. “Nice one,” I whispered before burping even louder than she did.

The griffin stared at me for a moment then burst out laughing. “Dang, gotta beat that next time.” She patted her belly again. “That was hella-good, wasn’t i-”

She was cut off by the loudest burp of them all, from Lollipop surprisingly. She held a hoof up to her mouth and giggled. “Pardon me.” She grinned as she took her lime-green hoof away. “Beat that, suckers.”

“I yield victory to you, Lollipop,” I said with a chuckle and polished off my drink. “Phew... I’ll, uh... pay you back soon.”

The unicorn waved her hoof. “Chill, Clover. I got it covered. Scavenging the Red Zone has saved me a bunch of caps.” She grinned and stretched out, then patted her belly. “Best meal I’ve had in awhile.”

“Indeed,” Tallie said, mocking a posh accent.

“Was it all alright, dearies?” the pink mare asked as she approached our table. “I do hope it was all satisfactory.”

“It was beautiful,” my pink maned friend said and smiled. “Can we get the bill now?” She pulled a bag of caps out of her saddlebag and started counting them. She did have quite a lot. I’d say about five hundred total.

Tallie and I watched the caps exchange hoof and looked at each other. Then I pulled a silly face at the griffin cub. She frowned with confusion for a moment, then she pulled one right back at me. We continued to pull faces at each other, laughing more and more. She deserved to be happy, really. From speculation, I’d say she hadn't be happy in a very long while.

Our little fun session was cut short by a shout across the courtyard. “Watch where you’re going, bitch!”

We all looked over to see two mares. One purple mare with a pink mane in heavy looking metal armour was staring down a smaller beige mare with a chocolate mane. “Hey, fuck you! I was walking here!” the little mare shouted back. I tried my best to shrink.

“Oh screw you, you little whore!” the big mare yelled back and started marching over to us in the restaurant. “You,” she barked, pointing at me. “You Clover?” The other mare trotted up behind her and stared at me. I think it was a death stare... yeah, definitely a death stare.

I gulped down and shook my head. “Nope, nuh uh, not at all.”

“Yeah you are!” Tallie piped up, prodding my back. I must have jumped about five hooves into the air.

The metal clad mare narrowed her eyes. “Don’t waste my time, kid. I don’t got a lot of it.” She turned and started to trot away. “Now come with me or I’ll drag you myself.”

I looked to Lollipop, then Tallie. They both shrugged. Then I looked back out of the restaurant to find a pissed-off Ace in my face. “Coming!” I called out and zoomed past the pissed mare to the other pissed mare.

“Hey, wait up!” Tallie called after. She looked up at one of the buildings. “Zippo! Get down here!” A ‘lo and behold, there was Zippo, crawling down the building. Soon, Zippo, Tallie, and Lollipop, followed by Ace, were tailing us.

We passed through the streets in silence, other than the snickering of Lollipop and Tallie. I could feel a hole being burned in the back of my head from Ace’s laser death stare of doom. Just don’t look back. She won’t exist if I don’t look back. Just keep walking.

“Where are w-we going?” I asked the metal-clad mare. She was basically charging through the streets of the city with her march. Boy, she was pissed. It was like a pine cone had been shoved up her ass and was gradually spinning. Maybe it was the heat? She was clad in full metal armour in the warm sun after all, and now I could see that she was sweating quite a bit.

She glared back at me. “You’ve been summoned.” She kept on walking down the long street, then turned into an alley. I hesitantly followed, followed by my comrades and, what I assumed, a very angry Ace. Don’t look back...

Soon, we came to a large mechanic’s garage. The mare pushed open the back door and slipped inside. She poked her head out a few seconds later. “You coming or what?”

“Do I have to?” I asked, looking at the ominous building.

The mare rolled her eyes. “Look, you want to stay in Iron City, so you better do as you’re told. Now come on!” She angrily darted back into the building and out of sight.

“You heard her,” Ace growled at me. “Move.”

So if I go in, I’m at the mercy of the angry mare, if I turn back I’m at the mercy of an angry Ace. Metal mare it is. The inside of the shed was dark and cold, except for one part of the floor. A large metal rectangle lay in the floor of the shop, and it was warm to the touch. It felt pleasantly toasty on my hooves when I stood on it.

That was, however, until the mare pulled a lever and the rectangle started to slide apart. I started to stretch to each side to avoid falling. Why didn’t I jump? Because I’m not a fast thinker, that’s why. Soon, my left hooves were on one side, and my right hooves the other. I half expected Ace to come up and kick me in the ass, literally, or... well, somewhere else seeing as my legs were spread.

But no, nothing happened. Lollipop and Tallie had burst out laughing, looking at me in my predicament. Even Ace looked slightly amused for a brief second, then went back to looking pissed. Soon enough, the mare got tired of waiting for me to shift and kicked my right hooves, sending me crashing down a flight of stairs and into a crumpled, achy heap at the bottom.

“Hey!” I heard Ace shout. “What the fuck?!”

“What?” the mare replied, coming down the stairs.

Ace peered down at me, seeing that I was relatively in one piece and rolled her eyes. She looked almost concerned for a second. “Nothing.” She trotted down and kicked me in the belly. Not very hard really, but hard enough for me to shake the stars in my vision. “Get up,” she grunted.

Slowly, I untangled my legs and shakily got up. Lollipop was there to help me up, at least. “Easy, kid.” She looked at the mare. “You’re fucked up, you know that? This stallion is sick and could have been injured.”

I didn’t really feel sick anymore. Those meds were doing their job very well indeed! Blinking, I looked at my surroundings. I was standing in a very long hallway with an ambient green light at the end. It seemed to draw me in, like a warm hug. It’s hard to explain, but it felt really good. The mare lead the way to the light, so I knew I wasn’t the only one.

The green light was in fact some sort of plant. The whole room looked like a lush garden with plants of all kinds sitting in large glass containers, or just in pots around the spacious room. There was even a large tree in the corner.

Sitting by a terminal at the other side of room was a familiar stallion. The very same stallion from the lift back at the hotel. What was his name... something fancy... ah, that’s it, Professor Spring Flowers.

“P-Professor,” I stammered. . “Its, uh... good to see you again?” Was it? “Why am I here?”

The professor jumped in his seat and looked over his shoulder. “Ah, Mr. Clover... and friends, it seems. So good to see you again.” He used the arms on the chair to push himself up and out of it. “Yes. Of course. Why you’re here.” He trotted over to us and looked us all over. “It’s my understanding from my good friend Mr. Ponave that you’re here for sanctuary? Well, that comes at a price of course.”

I winced slightly. “Of course...” I muttered. “So, uh... what do need from us?”

The gentlecolt shrugged. “Oh not much. Just need your help with something.” He looked at the mare. “That will be all, Wrench.” The mare grunted and walked out. Probably to somewhere cooler.

“So...” I said looking around. “Need some help gardening? I, uh... guess I have a bit of a green hoof.” By now, Tallie had gotten off Zippo and was looking around. Lollipop didn’t notice until she had disappeared and started looking for her.

Spring Flowers chuckled and smiled. “Not quite. That green hoof might help though.” He trotted back to his terminal. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

What would he need with an ex-farmer like me? Better not be farming again... I trotted over nonetheless and peered over his shoulder.

“Right, this data was taken from soil samples in the Iron City farms.” He clicked a few keys and a few lines of data and pictures started to appear on screen. “Now, do you know your soil?”

“Kinda. I was a farmer once.” I read the data and looked at the pictures. “Uh... what am I looking at or for?” I asked, looking down at the stallion.

The gentlecolt pointed at one picture, then the matching data. “Can’t you see it?” He pointed at another picture and its data. “Look at the two. They are samples six months apart.”

It took me awhile, but soon it dawned on me. “So... the farm’s soil is losing fertility?” That’s what I was seeing at least. The stallion nodded. “And what can I do about that? Dad might have been smart, but he didn’t have any special way of making it fertile. Have you tried fertilizer?”

“Fertilizer, compost, everything that we can think of,” the stallion sighed. “Nothing we do is working, and its degrading faster than we thought.” He looked up at me. “There is one thing that we think might work.” He frowned a little. “But... it might be dangerous.”

“Nope,” I said, instantly. “No can do. Thanks anyway.”

“And what will Mr. Ponave or the mayor think of you skipping out on your agreement?” the stallion narrowed his eyes. “I hate to blackmail you, but we need this.”

“So send in your defenders,” I said. “They’re trained for danger, right?”

“As much as I’d love to, Thunderhoof says no,” he grumbled. “Something about not risking it and not worth it. He’s a fool I tell you.” He sighed and looked at me. “I can assure you that it is safe. I myself have been in there and come back. Thunderhoof just thinks I’m crazy.”

I frowned right back at him. “What do you mean ‘in there’?” This was beginning to go deeper and deeper into ‘fuck that shit, I’m outta here’ territory. Almost nopony’s land.

“Stable 70, of course,” he said, as if we knew it.

“Stables are seriously dangerous places, old man,” Ace said, creeping up on the other side. “I’ve heard nothing but bad about them, other than their intended purposes.”

The old man sighed loudly. “Listen, I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with this stable. I’ve been there before. Where do you think I got all these plants from? The bathroom?” He scoffed dramatically and looked at me. “Please, Mr. Clover. If you don’t help us, it’ll be the end of Iron City within five years.”

I sighed and thought for a long moment. “What am I looking for? And what do you mean you got these plants from there?”

“These odd plants grow in and around the Stable. I haven’t figured out quite how they grow so lusciously.” He looked at me. “I need you to go deeper into the Stable and find the source. I would, but I don’t think I’d make the trip. Far too old for field work.” Bullshit.

I sighed again, looking to my companions. Ace still looked a little miffed, and Lollipop was trying to get Tallie to come down from a high shelf. Tallie just stuck her tongue out at her and kept rummaging around. Zippo... sort of stood there. Not much to him.

“You’ll get paid too,” Spring Flowers said. “Two hundred caps each for a quick fetch job. Could be worse!” He smiled. Well that was something...

Ace looked at me for a moment then nodded. Lollipop stopped trying to catch Tallie and thought too, obviously eavesdropping. She nodded too. “Doesn’t sound too bad.”

I looked at Spring Flowers. “Well... it looks like I have no say in the matter...”

“On one condition,” Ace said, cutting me off. Spring Flowers raised his eyebrows. “We get any loot we find other than the source of the plants.” Seemed fair to me. Then again, I get loot.

The professor thought about that one long and hard. Multiple emotions played over his face for a few minutes, then he looked to Ace. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Ace said with a devious grin. She looked at me and merely smirked. “Come on. We got a Stable to loot.”

“Holy shit!” Tallie exclaimed from behind a machine.

“Language!” Lollipop barked.

Tallie’s little head poked out from behind the machine. “You ain’t my mom, thank fuck.” She looked over at Spring Flowers. “Dude, how long has this humidifier been busted?”

Flowers looked slightly stunned. “Well... a few months... how do you...”

Tallie grinned and pulls a spanner out of her pocket. “You guys go on ahead. I’mma fix this.” She popped back behind it. “Red wire goes in the - red socket...” she said in a singsong voice.

“Not coming with us?” Lollipop asked. “All sorts of neat machinery in Stables.”

“I’m good!” Tallie called out. “I got this. Now get!” I could hear all sorts of tinkering coming from behind the machine. How did she know so much about mechanics?

“Is that okay?” Lollipop asked the elder stallion at his desk. He blinked, looked at her and nodded, then looked back to the machine. The lime green unicorn turned her attention back to Tallie. “Well okay, just do as Spring Flowers says, okay?”

Tallie poked her head out of a panel in the side of the machine this time. “Mhm!” And she was gone again. She’s nuts...

“Then let’s go!” Ace moaned. “We’ll be back soon.” She trotted back to the hallway, Lollipop in tow. I looked back at the professor, nodded, and followed the medic unicorn.

The air outside of the basement seemed cool, thankfully. The doors slid closed behind us and we left the mechanic shop and headed back to the hotel. We weren’t that far actually. Just a short... awkward walk. Especially with Lollipop looking over at me and Ace and snickering.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Lollipop said, heading to her room that was right next to mine... ours... wait, what were we? Who owned the room? My stomach sank when she winked at Ace and I and disappeared. I could almost hear Ace’s teeth grinding.

Couldn’t hear much after I was almost strangled by Ace dragging me to my... our... the room. “We need to talk,” she growled and slammed the door behind us. She threw me into a chair and levitated her shotgun and machete above her. “You tell anypony that we fucked, and I will geld you with either my shotgun or my machete. Got it?!”

“Yes!” I squeaked. “I won’t tell anypony!” I gulped and looked away. “Um... Lollipop already knows... so does Tallie... and the guard downstairs... probably the receptionists too...”

Ace closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. She let out a long sigh and dropped her weapons. “It’s not your fault, I guess...” she said as she shuffled over to the bed and sat down opposite me. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose... and we were drunk.”

That’s right, we were. Hell, I don’t even remember it! “Um... y-yes... we were...”

She sighed again and smiled slightly. “It was good though, I’ll admit...” Her ears flopped down and she curled up slightly. “What does this make us?” she asked, quietly.

“Um... uh...” I stammered before merely shrugging. “I dunno...”

Ace looked up at me. “Listen, Clover... you’re an alright dude... I kinda like you, but...” she groaned and held her hooves to her face. “You’re... well... you. And I’m me. It just seems...” She opened her hooves. “Weird.”

“Well... what do you want?” I asked.

Ace shrugged. “You’re nice and all, but... I need time to think, okay?” She looked into my eyes. “When we first met, I told myself I wouldn’t fuck you. Ever.” Gee, thanks. “But now... I got conflicting feelings, okay? Just give me time to think.”

“Sure. All the time you need.”

“Thanks.”

I got up and smiled. “Now, we have a job to do, right?” I trotted around the bed and to a large closet. Inside hung my sniper harness, and my SMG, along with my saddlebags and other equipment.

Turning back to Ace, I found myself in a hug. “You might be broken, crazy, and a bit of a pussy, but you’re okay,” she said. She broke the hug and got her own gear out of the closet. “But,” she said, turning back, “don’t go expecting a free ride, got it?” She held up her machete again.

“G-Got it,” I muttered and walked away. She watched me and shook her head. She looked somewhat... angry? Maybe resentful about her feelings? Did she like me? Was it just hormones?

Only time will clear her thoughts, I guess...

Footnote: No level up!

Special thanks to Kal, Adder1, Matkingos, and Julep for editing and art.

Sorry for the super late chapter, been busy with the holidays ect.

If you’re still reading, I think people should give this fic a little attention, it being new and all. Enjoy! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/55353/fallout-equestria-viva-las-pegasus

Chapter 11: The Patriarch.

Chapter 11: The Patriarch.

"A weighty choice is yours to make, a right selection or a big mistake. If a wrong choice you choose to pursue the foundations of home will crumble without you."

The weight of my equipment seemed oddly comforting. We’d packed a lot less than usual, considering we probably wouldn’t be gone more than a few hours. We packed some ammunition and water but left plenty of room for our loot and didn’t weigh nearly as much. I dug my pipbuck out of my packs and replaced the duct tape on it, fastening it around my hoof. It flickered to life, showing my vitals.

Ace’s packs looked just as light as mine. Then again, she only had to carry shotgun shells and the machete sheathed on her back. The blade ran from her shoulders all the way down to her tail, that beautiful tail, swaying from side to side as she walked ahead of me into the hallway.

“I see nothing’s changed,” a husky voice said from behind me. I snapped out of my stupor, and turned to see Lollipop grinning. “Eyes on the prize, eh?” the lime unicorn said with a smirk.

Eyes on th- oh! Nonononono, I wasn’t staring at her rump, I was staring at her tail! Actually, that didn’t help much.

Before I could respond or gibber like an idiot, Ace piped up. “You’re just jealous, doc,” she said as she turned and smirked at me. She leaned in close. “You were checking me out, weren’t ya?” She fluttered her eyelids at me before bonking me on the head with a hoof. “Fucking stop it.” With that, she turned and trotted to the elevator and took it down. She didn’t even wait for us.

I could probably tell why, what with Lollipop on the ground laughing. She was giggling to herself. Kicking her in the shin seemed like a great idea, but not exactly a good way to treat new friends.

“Please stop,” I asked politely. Tinges of anger, impatience, and embarrassment weaved into my voice, and I think Lollipop picked up on them.

She stopped giggling and cleared her throat, though she kept her grin. “Sorry, it’s just funny,” she said, and fixed her mohawk. The lime green unicorn wore her khaki uniform. It was a unique set of barding, with the patches ripped off, and still maintained its dark-armoured plates on the forelegs and shoulders. Of course, it had been modified; she’d armored a few sections with what looked like scrap, but they blended almost perfectly.

I, on the other hoof, still wore the armour the Resistance team had given me. My riot barding was pretty much an armoured jumpsuit. The plates weren’t metal, but more of a firm plastic. At least, I thought it was plastic. It felt hard, but it certainly wasn’t metal. Light too. The light grey pads covered my chest, shoulders, forelegs, and hind legs. Under that was the darker grey jumpsuit. Despite its looks, and the hole in the chest plate, I felt pretty darn comfy. I never really thought I’d see the day where I’d find armour comfortable.

I’d honestly forgotten to check if that shot had left a scar on my chest. The scar on my head was still there, same with the one in my thigh from when the Separatist had shot me. Luckily, Snake Eyes’ powder stuff worked like a charm. The pain was there, but it was so dull that I barely noticed it if I wasn’t thinking about it. My clipped ear still stung, though. Not much I could do about that.

Then there was the brown coat Snake Eyes had given me. It kept my riot armour fairly clean, and helped me blend in with the rest of the wasteland rabble out in the Ponave. Half of the ponies out there had duster coats, and the majority of them wore brown. I was like a desert cowpony ninja.

“So what’s the deal with you and Ace, eh?” Lollipop asked in a singsong voice, prodding my chest. “You two a thing, or are you two a thang?” She waved her hooves to emphasize the last word.

I shrugged and started my way over to the elevator. “Dunno,” I muttered as I pressed the call button. “She, uh... she needs to think.” I heard Lollipop hiss behind me, and almost felt her cringe.

“Oh, honey...” Lollipop said as I turned around, still wincing. “She needs to think about it?”

“What’s so bad about that?” I asked, pressing the button again. Could the lift be any slower? “I mean, I’m hopeful at least. She said she liked me and we hugged and stuff.”

The pink-maned mare patted my back. “You two are pretty cute, I’ll give you that,” she said. Her face went from a wince into a grin and she snickered. “Sure don’t sound cute though, in fact you two sounded downright nasty!”

“Why the hell were you listening anyway?!” I snapped. That was definitely not the right thing to do, and I knew it even as the words left my mouth. My mouth clamped shut after and my eyes went to the size of dinner plates, and my hoof covered my mouth. “Sorry,” I muffled.

The medical mare seemed shocked for a brief moment. “I couldn’t avoid it really... I had to sleep on the other side of a 200-year-old wall...” Her ears flopped down and she looked away. I couldn’t quite tell the emotions on her face. Anger? Shame? Sorrow? It was tough to tell, honestly. “You’re right though. I shouldn’t have listened.”

It was my turn to pat her back. “Sorry, it’s not your fault.” I tried my best to comfort the mare. From what she told me, she must have been lonely since her husband died. “It’s just a touchy subject right now and I barely know you. I mean, I’ve known you for what? Two days?” And she’s already listening to me and Ace going at it. Of course, I didn’t outright say that, but it was implied.

“I know... I’m sorry.” She looked back at me and gave a tiny smile. “It won’t happen again. I’ll make some earplugs or change rooms or something.”

“Thanks,” I said, stepping into the elevator. “Probably won’t have to anytime soon though. Don’t think me and Ace will be, um...” I pressed the ground button a few more times. “SO! This Stable we’re going to. How about that, huh?”

Lollipop ran a hoof over her mohawk as she thought. “Well, the Stables were built by an Equestrian-based company to protect ponies from the apocalypse.” She shrugged and checked her gear as we went down. “From what I can guess, it’s like a massive underground vault. Sealed off from the world. Uh... probably a bit mazelike. Hopefully there’s signs. I’ve never seen one myself.” She opened a large ammo box and fed it into her machine gun and loaded it. It was an impressive machine gun. More than capable of firing more than a hundred bullets before reloading, and fairly accurately if Lollipop stood firm enough. It was bulky, though.

“Better than nothing,” I replied. “Wonder what this one’s like.” Probably the exact same, but probably not so sterile, considering it had to have opened at some point. Maybe with a few plants dotted around the place. Nothing Ace’s machete couldn’t handle.

The lift dinged and the doors opened into the fancy lobby. Ace stood, looking at the lift, her hoof tapping impatiently. “Took your sweet time.”

“You left us behind,” Lollipop said with an obvious lack of amusement, marching past her. “Don’t blame us.”

“Bitch,” Ace muttered.

“Takes one to know one.”

“Anyway!” I called out, changing the subject before somepony got filled with bullets or cut up with a machete. “Do we have everything we need?”

“Almost...” Ace grumbled. “I’ll be right back.” She walked off to a door with a little mare on it and slammed it shut.

Lollipop chuckled, “That explains it.” She looked at me. I didn’t say anything because toilet humour wasn’t really my thing. “Nevermind.”

I trotted over to one of the couches in the lobby and sat down. Lollipop sat down across from me. “Here’s a question.”

“Yeah?” I asked, looking up at her.

She looked at me for a moment, then smirked. “Do you even know where we’re going?”

“Uh, a Stable.”

“A Stable where?”

“...uh...”

Dammit.

“No matter,” I said with the wave of a hoof. “You can ask one of the guards, or something.”

Lollipop blinked. “Me? Why me? Can’t you?”

“I could,” I replied. “But I don’t wanna.” I sat back and looked toward the little mare’s room. Ace was certainly taking her time.

“Why?” the lime green unicorn asked. “You chicken?”

I nodded. “Yup, that’s it.” I looked back at her. “Not gonna lie. I don’t like ponies that can hurt me.” Which was pretty much everypony other than a foal, the elderly, the comatose, and most cripples. Sometimes.

Lollipop just rolled her eyes. “Wimp.”

“You bothering Daisy?” Ace asked, prancing to us from the bathrooms. She wore a massive grin. “You dare mock the queen?!” She reared up and pretended to faint.

The medic mare just stared. “What...” She looked at me and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Ace just grinned at both of us. Did she just shit out her demons or something?

I had my eyes closed for a good few seconds and sighed, “Yes, I am Daisy, queen of the fireants.” I opened my eyes. “At least that’s what Ace calls me, and what Zippo thinks I am.” I shivered, remembering how we’d met that ant. And after I fell into that egg cluster and got all... egg-y. “Where is that little fella anyway?” I asked, looking around. “Is he still with Tallie?”

Ace nodded. “Your humble subject remained with Princess Tallie.”

“Quit it.”

“No.”

“Fine.” I stood up. “I doubt we’ll need him anyway. Close quarters, flammable plants, and fire probably don’t mix well.” Ace skipped past me and toward the main doors, then out into the warm afternoon. I watched her bound with each skip. Mmmm... stoppit!

My belly was full of grub, I’d had a good night’s sleep, and it was a wonderful day! Not much could ruin it for me. The air was warm as we stepped outside. I was more partial to cold, really. At least with cold you could add more layers, but when you’re naked and it’s still too warm, you’re screwed. That was my reasoning, at least. Most ponies went naked anyway. Hid their naughties well, too. Not that I was looking.

“So, you want me to find out where we’re going?” Lollipop asked from behind me. I looked back and nodded. “Okay then, I guess. I’ll head over to the guard ho-”

“I got it!” Ace grinned and bounced off down the road.

The other unicorn watched her go. “What the hell?” she asked, perplexed. “It’s like Discord’s possessed her or something.” She looked back at me. “Is she always like this?”

“This is the second time it’s happened,” I admitted, looking from Ace’s glorious, curvy... depart, to the pink maned mare. “First time was after she used your bathroom. She must just get real crabby when she needs to use the potty.”

Lollipop snorted in amusement. “Potty.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “So anyway, we should probably follow he-”

She was cut off by the ground shaking, as a deep rumbling echoed from down the road. A few seconds later, a green box about twice the size of me, with a sloped front turned a corner and headed for us. The massive machine moved on treads, and was covered in repair patches welded to the hull and painted nearly the same colour as the original steel.. It ground to a halt in front of Lollipop, who stood in front of me, as if she could shield me from the metal monstrosity.

The top hatch popped open, and out sprang Ace. “Hey!” she called down with a grin. “I got us a ride!”

A ride. She got us a fucking armoured thing. A big fucking armoured thing. On treads. I didn’t even know what to call it, until the rear door lowered, revealing two lines of seats, some occupied. I guess that made it an Armoured Pony Carrier. APC, or something.

I looked at Lollipop, she looked at me, then at Ace. “Good enough for me,” she said, jumping into the back and sitting down on one of the seats. The other ponies, all Iron Defenders, smiled at her as she did. One of them beckoned me in, too. A pretty mare, with an orange mane and white coat.

“Are you going our way?” I asked, still standing outside. “I don’t want us to get in your way...”

“It’s nothing, mate!” A massive hoof clapped my back, nearly knocking the wind out of me. I tried to hide it as I looked up at a massive pony in Iron City fatigues and a black beret. Thunderhoof Facecracker. “We’re heading that way anyway. Least we could do is help the tourists!” He gave a hearty laugh and walked up the ramp. “C’mon, mate! Let’s go sightseein’!”

I didn’t want to disagree with a pony named after cracking faces. I walked up the ramp and took a seat next to Lollipop. Cargo nets above the seats supported all sorts of equipment, ranging from ammo boxes, shovels, a couple of guns, to even larger, tube-like weapons. Sort of like Gaz’s bazooka thing, but different. Ace climbed down from a raised platform and sat across from us. I saw the back of a machine gun outside the hatch, ready to be used if we needed it.

Thunderhoof disappeared into the cab and cables hooked up to some sort of gem powered engine started to glow along the ceiling as the vehicle started to move. Small viewports opened up along the sides of the vehicle, and light flooded the interior. I peered through them and watched ponies marvel at the green monstrosity. I even spotted that little colt on the trike beam up at it, with his mother who chuckled before trundling off.

We passed the main gates of Iron City, and accelerated off into the desert. Not much to see but dirt, more dirt, sand, blue skies, and the odd cactus. And dirt. Some would call that pretty, but I called it boring. And full of dirt.

The clouds were nice, though. Little fluffy clouds of fluff lazily floated across the big blue sky. I sighed as I sat back down to face reality. There was a high probability that I wouldn’t survive much longer in the wasteland. I’d already almost died three times, and now there were armed ponies hunting me. Except one, but who the hell knew where Hired Gun was? Enjoying what I had was probably the only option I had left.

What did I have? I had a friend who had my back (after she forced me to fight for her honour and stuff) even though I’d accidentally slept with her. I had new friends in Lollipop, Tallie, and even Zippo.

Lollipop was a nice mare, albeit a little weird, and Tallie was smart. From what I could tell, she’d had an extremely tough life until we found her, but somehow she’d become good with machines. I looked forward to seeing more of her little surprises.

Zippo was... just Zippo. Loyal, helpful, and with zero fucks to give about anything. Sometimes I wished I could have been a mindless drone like him. Was he even mindless?

I still had friends out in the Apple Plains, I supposed. Would I ever see them again? Something told me the Feds wouldn’t like that, what with me being involved with the Resistance and all. If I survived long enough, and got my revenge, I’d think about heading back.

I’d lost so much in the past few days, but I couldn’t have been the only one. Tallie lost her innocence long ago. You could see it in her pretty red eyes. The sparkle in the eye of every child, gone from hers. I wouldn’t doubt that the first time she’d really smiled was in the past few days.

Lollipop had lost a husband the day she was tried for treason. That must have torn her up inside, considering it drove her to change everything about herself. But wasn’t that because the Feds were after her? Why were they after her...?

Something must have happened to Ace in her past, too. Something has to make ponies use bitchiness as a defence. Sure, she was sometimes nice to me, but she was a complete bitch to other ponies. She claimed it was a form of defense. From what? I looked over at her. She seemed happy, smiling as she looked out the window.

The wasteland takes but it rarely gives back. It takes loved ones, innocence, and joy, replacing them with hate, suffering, and war. Could it be changed? Something told me it couldn’t, not without a fuckton of effort; effort which I could only hope would be worth it.

Something to consider...

In the early afternoon, maybe half an hour after we’d left, we trundled into a large canyon a few miles from Iron City. I wasn’t keeping track of time. I was too busy playing a game I found on my duct-taped pipbuck. I controlled a snake on screen, and when it ate a piece of fruit, it would grow. It died when its head collided with its body, though, so it got really annoying when the snake got too long. I didn’t even notice the canyon until Lollipop nudged me and nodded at the viewports.

Large red cliff faces rose high above us on each side of the APC. It was nice and shady too. Not much unique about them. That was the trouble with living in a desert; not much new to look at.

It wasn’t long before we ground to a halt beside a small compound that walled the canyon off, effectively denying us any further progress

Ace bounced out of the rear door of the APC before it had fully opened, and pranced her way over to the compound’s huge iron gate. “Maybe we should knock?” she asked, turning to us with a huge grin as we made our way out of the APC.

“Won’t work,” Facecracker said with a smile as he stretched. It must have been awfully cramped for the drivers with his massive bulk in the cab. Oh... those poor drivers. At least they could breathe now.

The stallion marched over to the gate, flanked by soldiers from the APC. Lollipop and I followed; five us in total, six if I included the over-excited Ace. She was acting like a foal with candy, that one. Hopping around, grinning like a fool.

Thunderhoof stopped in front of the gate. The gate shuddered and slowly screeched open in front of us, revealing the inside of the large compound. There was a similar gate on the opposite side of the compound. On one side sat three small buildings while on the other was a large building with a tower rising above it. Four large guard towers sat on the far wall. “Welcome to Outpost Bravo, kiddies,” Thunderhoof announced. “First and last defense before Stable 70. Want to take a look around?”

“Not really,” Lollipop said, walking past him. “We have a job to do, sir.” She trotted past the smaller buildings, Ace bouncing in tow. “Thanks for the lift, though!”

“Job?” Thunderhoof asked, looking at me. “Thought you guys were sightseeing.” I shook my head. “Then... why else-” He narrowed his eyes down at me. I think my heart stopped for a split-second. “You’re wanting to go into Stable 70, aren’t you?”

I timidly nodded. “Y-Yes. Professor Spring Flowers wanted us to-”

“Professor Spring Flowers is a quack,” the yellow stallion said in an annoyed tone. “He probably told you it was safe and all, too.”

“It’s... not?” I asked as my stomach tied itself up. “But... he told us...”

Thunderhoof snorted. “Why do you think we have the guard towers?” he asked, gesturing to the large towers. “Like I said, this is the first and last defense before Stable 70. We aren’t defending it, we’re defending against it.”

“W-Why?” I asked, looking past him and to my friends who were trying to get a guard to open up.

Thunderhoof took off his beret, revealing a cropped light-green mane. “One of the plants dragged a soldier off a few months ago. We couldn’t get to him in time before the plants closed up.” He stared off toward the door. “We could hear his screams from behind the plant wall...”

I gulped hard. Fuck that shit! I nodded at the large stallion and made my way over to Lollipop and Ace. “Mission’s off. They have killer plants.”

“That’s what Private Fancy here’s telling me,” my lime-green friend said, gesturing at a young pink soldier.

“It’s Private Pearly...” the mare said in a small voice.

“Yeah, that.” Lollipop looked at me. “I don’t reckon they’ll get us.” She gave me her wolfish grin. “After all, we know what we’re up against, and we have weapons to take care of it.” She nodded at Ace who had her machete floating above her.

“But... killer plants!” I whined, stamping my hooves. I didn’t want to go in there at all!

Lollipop rolled her eyes. “Clover, listen. It’s not like you’re going in alone. You have me and Ace, and we aren’t going to let you get dragged off.” She looked at Thunderhoof. “Now open the gate, please.”

“No.” That was a simple answer. “I’m not letting you civilians past this gate. It’s far too dangerous.”

Lollipop seemed offended. “Sir, I have military and survival training. I was a combat medic in the Federation army before I was discharged.” She stood tall. “I’m not going to let any plants get me when I know what they are capable of doing.” She turned me around, forcefully, and dragged my knife, Silent Reaper, out of its sheath. Oh hey, I had a knife! “We are also geared up for going in.”

Thunderhoof frowned deeply. “The mayor would kill me if he knew I let some civvies go in there alone. What are you planning on doing in there?”

“Saving Iron City’s farms,” Ace said mid-bounce. She stopped and serious'd up. “Iron City’s soil is dying- Clover confirmed that. The only thing that can save it is, apparently, in this Stable.”

Thunderhoof looked at me. “Why would you know?”

“I, uh... I used to be a farmer.” I smiled. “Grew the best apples in the Federation.” I missed those days. Working hard in the warm sun, slamming my hooves into a tree to make the apples fall into my brother’s cart and him wheeling it away. “My father was a scientist and he taught me all about soil. Iron City Farms’ soil is going sterile, I don't know how or what but something is making it less fertile."

Thunderhoof looked up at the gate, frowning. “You have training... you have weapons...” He put a hoof on his forehead and sighed, “I don’t know... if you’re convinced that the fix for our soil, if that even is a problem...” He looked at the gate again. “No hostile activity recently...” He looked down at my friends and me. One had a machete, and the other had my knife. “Fine.”

Lollipop nodded. “Right. Thank you.”

“But!” Thunderhoof said, raising a hoof. “We’re doing a purge this evening with the flamers.” He pointed at the guard towers. Each one had a flamer attached, a pony sitting near it. “Gotta keep the plants back.”

“Keep them back?” Ace tilted her head at the stallion. “What do you mean?”

“They grow really fast, mate,” he said in a low tone. “Got to purge once a week.”

“Then let’s go, already!” Lollipop said, pointing at the gate. “Stop wasting time, and open up!”

Thunderhoof clenched his jaw, thinking. He sighed and looked up at the control tower. He subtly nodded and a few seconds later the gate opened. “Thanks!” Ace said before bouncing through.

I hesitantly poked my head through the gate. The entire canyon from then on was covered in plant life. Green, luscious leaves and large flowers of all colours. “Whoa,” I exclaimed, walking through. Ace had stopped to marvel as well, but I walked past her. “Pretty...”

Ace looked around some more with her machete out, while Lollipop walked past us, my knife floating beside her, machine gun ready. She stopped at the end of the cavern. “Doesn’t look like we can get in,” she muttered. A massive wall of plant life blocked access to the Stable. Getting in would be hard.

I admired the plant life some more while I tried to think of a way in. The flowers were beautiful! Reds, purples, yellows, blues, almost all the colours of the rainbow painted the canyon. Smelled good, too! I leaned in to sniff a puffy purple one.

It smelled gorgeous. Like a summer day in the apple fields. A mix of sweet apple, healthy trees, and dry, clean air. Just like back home. I sighed and was about to turn away when the flower started contracting. “Eh?” I blinked and leaned in close again. The flower retracted oddly on its stalk and quivering. Was it afraid?

It suddenly opened up again and shot a purple cloud of spores into my face. I stumbled back and tripped over a vine, landing on my back. I rubbed my nose with my eyes clenched shut. Sounds started to become muffled as I lay there, trying to get my wits about me. When I opened my eyes, the world had a haze of purple over it.

Something was wrong though. There were no plants. Instead there were ponies hustling down into the canyon. Soldiers stood on either side, directing them. The soldiers wore yellow fatigues with brown armoured plates. One wore heavier armor than the others, fully enclosed, with a tinted glass faceplate that obscured his whole face. On his back lay a large rocket launcher and a carbine. Only three of the other soldiers wore the same armour, but they had faces scratched into the plate. One looked like a cat, while the other two had skulls. I liked the kitty one more.

From where I stood, I could read his name on the front of the armour: Pvt. Valentine. Valentine... I’d heard that before, but where...?

“Why do you think we’re going to a Stable?” a mare near me asked. I turned and saw a mare trotting beside a larger stallion wearing a flat cap. “It’s not... is it?” She looked apprehensive, looking at the other ponies. Mares, stallions, and foals all walked together toward the Stable.

“It’s probably nothin’,” the stallion replied in a thick Emerald accent. “Another drill, most likely.”

“How can you be sure?” the mare asked, looking increasingly worried. “The fighting is getting closer and closer, thanks to Equestria. How do you know this isn’t the end?”

The stallion smiled at the mare and gave her a light kiss. “It’ll never be the end while we’re together, Dew.” He chuckled, “Besides, Equestria’s just paranoid, hence the Stables. I’m sure our boys will kick the zebras back to where they belong. Ever seen the Emerald Battalion?” The mare shook her head. “Aye, proud bunch o’ lads, they are. They’ll fight to the last breath.” He smiled widely. “And that’s why I think we’re safe as houses. Our guys have the tenacity to win.”

The mare nuzzled him, and calmed slightly. “Why do you have to be so damned confident?” she asked, smiling.

“C’mon, ponies! Get moving!” a griffin called from above them, ruining their moment. I looked up at him and blinked. Was that Gaz? He was wearing the bulky armour with the cool helmet, but it couldn’t be Gaz... no way. Oh, no, it couldn’t be. It was a female griffin, or a male with a feminine voice. Nevermind! The two lovebirds nodded and got back to moving down the canyon.

“Clover!”

I heard a voice call from nearby. “Clover! Snap out of it, you idiot!” I felt something collide with my jaw and I snapped out of it, the world turning back to normal. Ace had just fucking punched me in the face!

“Ow!” I yelped, holding my jaw. “What was that for?!”

“Because you just got hit with hallucinogenic spores!” Lollipop said with a laugh. “You were tripping balls, dude!” She laughed some more before calming down. “Nothing too serious. Should go away in a little bit.”

I grumbled a little and got to my hooves. Ace shook her hoof and blew on it. And that’s why you don’t punch me, I thought. You hurt your hooves. And my face. Ow.

I shook my head to clear up the stuffiness. It helped a bit, but my head still felt like a pillowcase stuffed with fog, which annoyed me. Sighing, I looked between my companions. “Found a way-”

“Come.”

“What the hell?” I blinked and looked around. “Did you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ace asked, tapping my head. “You still hallucinating, Daisy?”

Was it just in my head? It was a commanding, deep voice. There was no way they couldn’t have heard it! I guess that meant it was in my head.

I heard the sound of rustling down the canyon toward the entrance, and the plants were starting to shift and move away from the door. It caught the attention of the mares as they looked over. “There’s our way in!” Ace beamed and trotted toward it. “You two comin’?”

“Sure...” I muttered, and followed. Normally, I’d try to stop her, but something... something just seemed so right about going in. My curiosity dragged me along with it into the Stable. I was oddly fascinated. I didn’t object, I just followed. It was like something deep within me had drowned out all of my other emotions and just pushed me forward. I kind of liked it...

The inside of the Stable was not what I had anticipated. The walls were orange with rust and decay, I barely noticed it under the walls of vines and exotic flowers that filled the air with a delightful, sweet scent. The Stable lights flickered overhead, but it was offset by some of the strangest plants I’d ever seen. Some of the plants had glowing flowers on them, lighting up the space around them.

“Euch,” Lollipop exclaimed, walking past a bunch of red flowers with yellow and black petals. She trudged along behind Ace, who lead us in, hacking and slashing any vines in our way.

“It’s not that strong,” Ace called back over her shoulder. See, I can be tactical. I took rear guard so I would not be distracted by Ace, and instead I could keep my focus on the area around us. “Better than most of the smelly wastes. Besides, you can barely smell it.”

The mohawked mare in front of me snorted and stepped over a vine. “I’d rather have the smell of powder and hot lead than the sweet-as-fuck smells in here. And what do you mean, ‘not strong?’ It’s, like, all the strong.” She got her hoof caught and cursed. She shifted, then tilted her head.

I trotted up beside her, holstering my SMG. The chattering of my teeth on the gun’s grip was starting to hurt. Yes, I was scared. What else was new? “What’s up?” I asked, looking down.

Lollipop moved a few leaves. “I felt something.” The medical mare shifted some more leaves and frowned. “See that?” she asked, prodding two long grooves and frowning. “That’s weird.” The lime unicorn looked forward, “They lead off down there.” She pointed down a hallway with a flickering sign above it reading ‘Dorms’.

Ace looked down it. “I have no clue where to go,” she admitted. Well, wasn’t much of an admission, considering none of us were expected to have any idea. “So that way is better than any way.” She took off ahead of us, wildly swinging her machete.

This route seemed warmer than the other one we had been following. The entrance with the huge cog-like door felt cold after walking in from the desert, cold with the sense of abandonment. The air became warmer and warmer the further we ventured into the stable, becoming more inviting.

Lollipop cut into the vines under us with my knife and traced the grooves. They looked like long grooves in the cold, rusty metal floor. “Odd,” I muttered.

“Imagine what this place must have been like,” Ace said whimsically, “before it went to shit.” She hacked and slashed her way further into the complex, looking up and down the walls. There wasn’t much to slash really, just the odd hanging vine or oversized leaf.

My vision slowly blurred, and I blinked and narrowed my eyes to correct it. Something weird was happening again, and my head started to feel light. I began hearing voices as my vision cleared. Ace and Lollipop were gone, along with all the branches and vines.

There was that Emerald Isles pony again. The one who was getting lovey-dovey with the mare. He seemed fairly pleased with himself. He was wearing some sort of jumpsuit, but the colours were distorted with the purple haze. His smile only widened as a little mare in a fancier jumpsuit came charging down the hallway, looking absolutely furious. She was flanked by two ponies in body armour and helmets.

“Top o’ the mornin’, Overmare,” the stallion said with a pleasant smile. “Fine day we’re having, eh?”

“Cut the bullshit, Chip,” the mare growled. She had a very pretty mane that bobbed as she grumbled. “Why haven’t you fixed the ventilation yet?” She seemed to spit her words at him.

The stallion- Chip, I assumed- furrowed his eyebrows. “I did, three days ago. Aye, there was somethin’ wrong with the fans on the fourth level.” He scratched his shaggy purple-green mane. “What’s wrong now?”

The mare rolled her eyes with her obvious impatience. “More weird noises on the third level, a weird smell in the lower levels, and the heating is busted in the bottom levels.” She prodded him in the chest. “Fix. It.”

The stallion smiled. Holy hell, he had a lot of patience. “Aye, I’ll hop to it. Lemme go get my tools and my team.”

“Your team is already working on it,” the mare growled. “Now get your lazy ass down there you potato-munching peabrain!” With that, she stomped off.

The stallion twitched at her words, then sighed. “Bitch...” He smiled and started whistling an old tune I recognised, then skipped off down the hall. His patience had been really something to behold.

“Clover!” a voice called out.

The purple haze lifted and the plants slowly materialised in my vision. Lollipop was standing over me, cutting away a vine that was starting to creep over me. “Huh? What?” I asked in a stupor, then realised the situation. I don’t think I ever got to my feet quite as quickly. “What the bloody fuck?!”

Lollipop cut the vine and kicked it away. “In case either of you haven’t noticed, these plants aren’t exactly natural.”

“You don’t say?” I shouted, scooting away from the vine. “Fuck me, that’s creepy...”

“The quicker we find what we’re looking for, the faster we can get out,” Ace stated from up the hall. She had successfully cut through the wall of vines up ahead and returned to us, shaking off the dew and water from her blade. “We have to be getting close.”

“I hope so,” Lollipop said. “All these smells are really starting to bug me.” She shifted her battle saddle, then took point. Ace wasn’t far behind with her shotgun. She’d turned from happy and bouncy to agitated and generally pissed-off.

“Doesn’t look like we’ll find much loot,” Ace grumbled, pissed off by the vines covering just about anything. “Can’t find anything in this shit.” She hacked and slashed at the vines, looking more agitated by the moment.

Lollipop looked back. “Ace, I need you up front.” She nodded forward to a large wall of vines, blocking our path. Apparently we were coming up on an intersection: left to the dorms, right to the atrium. “We can probably find loot after we find out what caused all this. If it’s a machine, we shut it down and take it back to the Professor or destroy it. Either way, we will get your loot.”

Ace grumbled as she stomped forward, driving her machete into the vines, and Lollipop fell back a little toward me. “I think we should go through the dorms first,” she whispered and looked over her shoulder at Ace. “She’s getting pissed, and I don’t think she’s feeling too well. Better please her desire for loot before going on.”

I thought about that for a few moments. It would delay us, but it would stop Ace from lashing out at us. “Okay, yeah,” I said and nodded. It was a fairly good idea, and she was right. Ace didn’t look like she was feeling well. I couldn’t tell what it was. I think it was in her eyes.

She roared in triumph as she broke through. “Fuck you, vines! You can suck my dick!” she yelled, then stamped on the remains.

Lollipop nudged Ace and nodded ahead of them. She looked deadly serious. “I don’t think we should be insulting them.” She moved a few vines out of the way and stopped. “Don’t want to end up like him.”

What I saw made me go lightheaded and made my blood run cold. Ahead of us at the intersection was a pony- an Iron Defender from the torn armour and fatigues. He was dead, at least I seriously hoped he was, and from the marks on his hooves, he was the one who’d made the grooves in the floor. The vines had pinned him to the wall, and plants were growing out of his chest cavity. Flowers of pink, blue, and yellow dotted around his body, protruding from the flesh and bone. Flowers had even bloomed from his eye sockets.

Ace winced. “Ouch.” She didn’t look away or anything, but actually walked up to it and rummaged around his neck. She pulled off his dog tags and deposited them in one of the pockets on her leather jacket. “What a way to go...” She looked him over one more time and looked to Lollipop. “Ever seen anything like this?”

The medical mare shook her head. “No.” She took a closer look. “Whatever is causing these plants to grow so quickly has made them carnivorous.” She looked between Ace and me. “Perhaps some sort of military experiment?”

Ace rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.” She raised an eyebrow and smirked at Lollipop. “I seriously doubt that. What are you, a conspiracy theorist?”

“I dunno, Ace,” Lollipop replied, looking at the body. “They were up to some pretty fucked up shit during the war.”

Ace rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Probably just a mutation.” She looked up and down the hall. “So. Which way now?”

The pink-mohawked mare jerked her head toward the dorms. “Probably something down this way. Let’s go.” She started her march down the hall. Ace produced something like a squeeing noise and darted off after her, leaving me staring at the corpse, white as a sheet. It wasn’t long before they realised I was frozen and dragged me with them.

It took me several moments to actually come to terms with what I’d just seen. A pony had been... dissected and used as some sort of incubator for plants. My head spun at the very thought, and it took a lot of effort to put up mental barriers against the images. “Can we leave?” I whimpered, holding my head. I didn’t even know where we were.

I felt a strong hoof on my shoulder and looked up to see Lollipop. “Hey, it’s not as bad as you think,” she said, stooping down beside me. “Think of it this way. He was forced to live in this hell-hole we call a home. The wasteland. Where death is around every corner.” She looked up toward the ceiling. “But now he’s up there, sitting on a cloud watching over it, laughing as he’s surrounded by beautiful mares and all the luxuries you and I couldn’t even begin to imagine.” She looked back at me. “There is a better place after death.” She patted my shoulder and stood up. “Hell, anywhere’s better than here.” The lime unicorn offered me her hoof.

Taking it, I stood up and took a deep breath. “I... I guess,” I muttered. Home was better than this, but I guessed I didn’t even have that anymore. I was quite literally homeless. How about that. I had nothing at all to my name, other than the things in my hotel room. I sighed and looked around to see where we were.

Ace dove into one of the rooms along the hallway I was standing in, and Lollipop took the other side. I had friends. Possibly more than a friend in one of them. Ace, Lollipop, and Tallie. Some ponies didn’t have even one friend out there. Mostly by choice, though. At least my luck had held out long enough for me to possibly keep them.

“Where are we?” I finally asked. The hall looked just the same as the other ones we’d been through. Dark, flickering lights and vines crept up the walls. Most of the lights in here were still operational, but the light flowers helped.

“Dorms,” Ace said with a grin, trotting out of one of the rooms. Her saddle packs looked a little heavier. “Good loot.” She opened her bag and let me look inside. She had managed to find a few blue and yellow jumpsuits, a few tools that Tallie might like, an old radio, and a snow globe.

I gave the snow globe a little shake after pulling it out of Ace’s bag. It had a large city with a huge tower poking out the middle of it. The tower’s top was shaped like my cutie mark, a four-leafed clover. Normally, I’d be suspicious, but a four-leafed clover means luck so it was probably just coincidence. Among the swirling snow was a tiny grey pegasus with a blonde mane flying around with a huge grin on her face. There must have been a manufacturing error because one of her eyes was looking in the wrong direction. It was adorable nonetheless, even after it bonked against the tower’s shaft.

“Cute,” I muttered and put it back. “What are you planning to do with all of this?”

Ace rolled her eyes. “Sell it, obviously.” She marched into the next room. From that one she salvaged another jumpsuit, some manedressing tools, and an old pipbuck.

“Can I take a look at that?” I asked, gesturing at the pipbuck.

Ace looked at me, then to my foreleg. “But you’ve already got one,” she said with a pout. I just looked at my hoof, then back to her. She looked at her bag and bit her lip in thought. “Ugh, fine, but you aren’t keeping it.”

I pulled it out and looked it over. It was broken and the screen was smashed, but the clasp looked like it more than worked. “It’s busted,” I said, giving it back to Ace, “but we can probably get mine fixed with parts from that one.”

“Or vice-versa!” Ace said, taking it back. “We can use parts from yours to fix mine!”

My ears drooped. “But... mine already works...” She wouldn’t take it away from me, would she? I liked it, even if I didn’t use it. I should use it more...

Ace just stared at me, then sighed, “Fine.”

“Maybe Tallie might be able to do something with it,” Lollipop said, emerging from another room, grinning. “She’s pretty good at fixing things.”

“Find anything?” my beige unicorn friend asked.

Lollipop nods. “Yep. Jumpsuits, some jewelry, and a pistol.”

“Nice!” Ace looked at me. “We have more rooms to check. Get to it!”

And so I trotted off to find my own loot from the remaining rooms. The rooms were all the same but in various degrees of disrepair. One had a wall caved in, overrun with vines, while the next one along was fine, and then the one after that had vines growing through the middle of the mattress. They all had jumpsuits and a some good salvage like some scrap metal, some glue, some writing utensils- just the regular stuff.

What made me sad was one of the surviving things in this Stable. A child’s drawing hung up above a little desk. It featured three ponies, a unicorn stallion, an earth pony mare, and a small pink child. Looking around the room, I knew the child was dead but I hoped they didn’t die in this place. Hopefully they got out and led a good, long life and died of old age.

Sometimes I thought I was the only one with hope. A lot of ponies just don’t think of the future and live in the present. They’d been conditioned by the wastes. They know they don’t have a lot of time in this world. Hope was probably going to be the thing to keep me going, hope that one day my life would go back to normal. As normal as it could be, all alone.

It wasn’t long before each room was searched and our saddle bags were full of loot. Components, jumpsuits, miscellaneous stuff, and more general loot. Nothing really noteworthy. “So how much do you think we’ll get for all of this?” Ace asked, tightening her saddlebags.

“I dunno...” Lollipop said, thinking. “Uh... I think maybe about five hundred to a thousand caps, depending on how you barter.”

Ace grinned. “Bet you I’ll get more.”

“You’re on.”

“Can we go now?” I piped up, quietly. “I don’t like it here...”

Lollipop looked at me and chuckled, “Alright, let’s head to the atrium, then call it a day.” She started walking down the hallway with my knife in her magic. “I have vine samples and flowers and stuff. Hopefully that’ll be enough for the Professor.”

“You sure about that?” I asked, following. “I mean... I hope it is... I don’t like it here... but are you sure?”

Lollipop shrugged. “No clue, but it should be.”

We passed under the sign for the dorms and walked toward the atrium. Lollipop had taken us a different way, thankfully. I couldn’t see that stallion again. Not like that.

“Well... if you think it’ll work... then-”

The world around me turned purple for the third time as we turned a corner. That same Emerald Isles stallion sprinted past me and up the metal stairs up ahead. My hooves decided to disobey my brain and follow the stallion up the stairs and into a massive room.

The room had several supports and catwalks lining the upper floor. Ponies were chanting with large picket signs up at a large, round window. That bitchy mare was staring down at the crowd looking very worried. I looked over at one of the signs. It read ‘We want answers’. Another read ‘We want a new Overmare’. From the signs to the chants, I think that they were pissed at a lack of communication.

“We asked, and we get nothing back!” one of them yelled. “What is going on in the maintenance levels?! The noise is driving us nuts! Tell us!”

The Emerald stallion was sweating as he looked between the window and the crowd. “Ponies, please!” he yelled, getting most of their attention. “We’ve only just received replacement ventilation parts from Stable-Tec! We are in the process of repairing them!” How were they getting parts? Had the world ended yet, or were they only here to escape the war? Probably all lies...

“Then why wouldn’t the Overmare answer when we asked?!” one shouted, followed by an uproar.

The stallion had a hard time trying to calm everyone down. “My little ponies! Please! Remain calm!” He waited for the noise to die down. “The Overmare has been swamped trying t’organise the delivery and Stable-Tec has said there would be consequences if the residents found out about any faulty parts. I can assure ye these are the only parts that were faulty. My team and I have run every diagnostic, and everythin’ will be back t’ normal soon.” He looked up at the mare, who looked absolutely stunned. “Don’t blame the Overmare. She’s been working damn hard t’ make sure we all live.” He turned back to the crowd. “Blame Stable-Tec for their operations.”

All the ponies looked at one another, then up to the Overmare. “I still don’t trust her...” one muttered, then looked at the Emerald stallion, “but if you say so, Chip... I guess we’ll see...” They started to file out of the atrium one by one. The stallion breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the mare, who was utterly perplexed.

“If only it were true...” he muttered.

The purple haze dropped and I was standing in the same huge room, but the walls were rusted; the catwalks, collapsed. Vines were hanging off everything, and a group of massive flowers, all various colors, were growing in a corner. The large, circular window was smashed and a huge branch was jutting out of it, covered in leaves. Skeletons of all shapes and sizes littered the room. Surprisingly, in my hallucinogenic state, I hadn’t stepped on one, but that didn’t stop me from gasping and backpedaling to the girls, who seemed marveled by something.

They were both staring at a massive hole that cut the room down the middle, which a massive tree was growing out of. The air was warm and humid, most of it coming from the massive hole. “Celestia’s hairy nipples!” I exclaimed, backpedaling again. “What the hell?!”

Ace looked between Lollipop and me. “My expert powers of deduction indicate that this is where all the fuck-uppery of this Stable is coming from.”

“No shit, Fetlock,” was Lollipop’s reply. She picked her way through the skeletons, toward the hole. Any one of these skeletons could have been Chip. The lime mare finally made it and peered into the hole. “That’s a long way down...” She kicked an old hoof-bone down. I didn’t hear anything, even several moments after.

“Was... was that necessary...?” I asked, navigating my way through the bones. “That was once somepony’s hoof...”

Lollipop looked over her shoulder at me. “These were just the scaffolds of their bodies. They aren’t ponies anymore.” She looked at the bones and sighed, “Just carbon and calcium deposits, if anything.”

I guess she was kinda right. They weren’t ponies anymore, just dust and bones. I slowly looked over the edge, basically hugging the floor. “...long way dow-”

A piercing screech lanced through my ears and I stumbled back. I could barely hear the screams of Lollipop and Ace as they both hit the floor, holding their ears. It felt like a million knives made of sound, stabbing into my brain. Ace slumped to the ground, knocked unconscious by the sonic assault, and Lollipop went down too. All that remained was the screech, me screaming, and the agonised howl of Trailblaze deep in the recesses of my brain.

A smile slowly crept across my face as I fell. Trailblaze was in pain. Joy.

“This... is not the end,” a voice boomed in my head as a group of huge, off-colour vines crept out of the hole. No, not vines. Were they tentacles? They shone in the the light and looked a lot smoother than the vines. They wrapped around my companions and picked them up before returning back to the hole with Ace and Lollipop secured in their grip. Then it was my turn to be carried into the abyss. “A new beginning... awaits...”

I must have passed out on the way down. It was like a dreamless sleep as I descended further into the depths of the hole. I moaned as my eyes creaked open. Thick vines covered the walls, but a few dim lights stuck out from the foliage, illuminating the area around them. I couldn’t tell how far down we were because looking up I only saw black. It was the same case with looking down. Where were we?

The purple haze descended on me again. I wasn’t in the shaft. It was some sort of corridor, but not as fancy as the other ones. Chip walked past me, muttering to himself and sweating. He checked each vent he passed and growled. “What the hell?” he yelled. Didn’t look like he’d fixed anything.

I followed him, watching him grump and growl his way through the hall. He checked a few terminals and dials then growled in frustration. He sat down and sighed deeply, resting his head against the wall. “Overmare’s going t’ kill me...” he muttered to himself and closed his eyes.

I frowned and stared at him. He didn’t look like the type to just give up, but by the look of him he looked like he’d been stressing about it. His mane seemed a little thinner and he looked older than before.

He kept his eyes closed and hummed to himself, probably some form of stress reliever. It was cut off by the sound of a wrench hitting the cold, steel ground up the hall. Both of our heads snapped to the origin of the sound and saw the end of a white coat duck into a side passage.

“Oi!” Chip called out. “What’re ye playin’ at?!” He got up and sprinted after whoever it was.

We both sprinted down the hall, me more out of curiosity. We turned the corner but there was nopony there. Like they just vanished into the cement wall at the end. “The fuck?” Chip yelled, pulling his mane. He took a deep breath and slowly calmed down. “I know I’m not crazy...”

I looked around. I was crazy, yeah, but not that crazy. Where’d he go?

“Aha!” Chip announced. He trotted forward, looking at some black hoofprints on the steel. The pony who ran through here knocked over an oil can and left a trail. We followed them until we hit the wall, which didn’t make sense unless it was a ghost. Chip started looking up and down the walls in a frustrated haste. “Making secret passages in my maintenance department?” he grumbled, padding along the pipes. “I don’t bloody think so...”

His hoof clicked on something and the wall started to silently swing backward. “Aha! Found ye!” He looked through the door, then stopped. The purple tinged stallion turned his head directly at me and blinked. “Hello?” he asked, his eyes dancing along me.

“You... can see me?” I asked, taking a step back.

He continued to stare. “Hello? Anyone down there?”

“I’m right here...” I said and side stepped. His eyes didn’t follow me as they looked down the hallway.

Chip shrugged and shook his head. “Stress...” he muttered and walked through the door. We found ourselves on a catwalk in a huge, vertical chamber like an elevator shaft. There was a large door at the very end where you could have easily fit maybe six ponies through side-by-side.

Chip stared. “That wasn’t in the plans...” He dipped his head over the guardrail and looked up and down into the darkness. “... that’s ridiculous... we’re only ten levels down...” he grumbled to himself as he marched toward the massive door. “Overmare’s gonna want me t’ install more lights, probably.”

He looked up and down the massive door and looked for the release. After finding the little hoof pad at the side of the door, the whole thing slid open silently, bathing us in light. Sounds of machines and ponies filled the air, each hustling and bustling, too busy to notice the door.

“This... this definitely wasn’t in the blueprint...” Chip said, glancing around.

Ponies in white coats stood at large terminals around the room, each looking to the back wall where one massive machine stood, pipes snaking out of both sides along with two huge tanks on the top.

What grabbed my attention the most was what was in the corner. Contained in a massive, reinforced case was a beast that I couldn't have conjured up in my wildest dreams. Covered in chains the huge red serpentine-like creature lay on its side while massive pipes pumped green and yellow liquid was siphoned from its body as it lay there moaning softly. It had a large hump just behind its head and some sort of gill-like fins under its neck. Its powerful mandibles jutted out, boasting large, sharp teeth. It looked like it was in intense pain.

The intercom crackled to life, and we looked up at a large booth to the side of the room. “Doctor Perfect, is the MRF sample ready?” The voice was a mare’s, and she sounded like she meant business. It was sharp and joyless.

Doctor Perfect? Like... like the one from the hospital?

“Just about, ma’am,” came another voice. I looked over and saw a vaguely familiar stallion. Completely unmutated wearing his doctor’s uniform, he was sitting at the huge machine, watching a screen. “It... it has to be absolutely... perfect...” He lightly tapped a few more buttons and grinned. “And there we have it.” The light-green unicorn looked up at the booth. “Perfection.”

“Very good, Doctor. You are living up to your expectations swimmingly,” the voice said with a smug tone. “Using Quarry Eels was ingenious.”

The doctor took a bow with a sick grin on his face. “They are the... perfect... specimens, ma’am.” He grinned and clicked a few buttons on the console. “Their regeneration abilities and general tenacity blends perfectly with the MRF sample.” He pressed a few more buttons and a few lights blinked, followed by a soft ding. “Before we send it to the Equestrian branch, we simply must test it.”

The chains rattled and clanked as the beast groaned deeply, the sound reverberating through the room. It writhed and rolled, trying to get free, but it gave up. It looked like it had been there for days, trying to fight its way out but to no avail.

“What the bloody hell is this?” Chip said aloud, then gasped when he remembered he was speaking out loud. His eyes darted around as he covered his mouth and slowly started to back out of the room.

A nearby scientist spun his head around and his eyes grew wide. “Security breach!” He yelled up at the booth. Another scientist near us sprinted to the door and slammed a hoof down on the door release making the massive door slide shut.

Chip was then grabbed by two full-helmeted ponies wearing all black and dragged backwards. He tried to resist but it was futile. They were both too strong. Chip thrashed against them, yelling at them and telling them to let go of him.

“Chip, what are you doing down here?” a familiar voice asked after the guards finally released him. The Overmare was staring at him with an unamused face. “You don’t have authorization to be here.”

Chip deadpanned and looked around. “You’re responsible for this?! Torturing that animal?! What the hell is going on down here?!”

The Overmare sighed deeply. “No, and I can’t tell you.” She bit her lip and looked up at the booth, then back to Chip. “You aren’t supposed to be here, Chip.”

“Bullshit!” he shouted. “I’m the head of maintenance! Its my job to know this place inside and out, and this whole area isn’t on the blueprints!” He looked around and growled, “This is where the sounds are coming from, isn’t it!”

The Overmare let out a long sigh and shook her head. “They... yes... we made the sounds... synthetic... experiment...”

“Petal,” the unamused voice from the booth said over the intercom. The Overmare looked up at the booth. “You know what to do.”

“But-”

“Do it.”

The Overmare looked at Chip, then the guards. She jerked her head and the guards grabbed poor Chip, dragging him to some sort of operation table.

“What are you doing?!” he cried out as they started to strap him in.

“You’re... you were just in the wrong place... at the wrong time...” the Overmare said softly.

Machines started to hum and come to life, and scientists started to attend their stations. “Test subject one ready,” one announced from his terminal.

“T-Test subject?” Chip stared at the Overmare. “What... what are you doing?!” Doctor Perfect took a few seeds from a compartment on the machine and dabbed one with a small drop of ooze from another port. He started to approach Chip. “Don’t do this!” he yelled, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. “Please!” He looked at the mare again, tears starting to brim in her eyes. “I defended you when the Stable turned against you! I helped you every step of the way! Please! Don’t do this!”

“I’m sorry...” the mare said quietly. “...so sorry.” She looked from the floor to him, tears starting to roll down her cheek. “We’ll tell Dew you died doing your duty.”

“No!” the stallion screamed, thrashing against his restraints. “Don- no! NO! NO!” Doctor Perfect grinned as he loomed over Chip.

“I’m so sorry.” The mare looked away and stepped back.

Doctor Perfect grinned. “But you my friend, will become perfect...” He gave a sick, demented grin as he levitated the seed over Chip’s head. “Perfect.”

“Get the fuck away from me!” Chip yelled. He looked at the mare. “I won’t tell anypony! Just let me go and I’ll forget all about it!” He looked back at the seed, then to the mare, who was now ignoring him completely. “I can’t believe you’d betray me!” He yelled and thrashed. “Dew will know you did this! I won’t be around to stop them!”

“No,” the voice boomed over the intercom. “You won’t. But our guns will.”

“No! Please no!” Chip shrieked. The doctor grinned and shoved the seed down Chip’s throat and forced him to swallow it. “Ack! No! Get it out!” He screamed and thrashed more.

The poor stallion started to convulse and writhe, his shrieks getting more and more pained. They were muffled by the vines and plants starting to sprout from his mouth and other orifices. I didn’t want to watch, but I couldn’t look away.

Plants erupted from his abdomen, silencing his last screaming breath. The last thing I saw was the Quarry Eel silently weeping at the sight.

The haze dissipated and the world went back to normal, or whatever passed for my version of normal. I looked down and could barely make out where the tentacles sprouted from. The catwalk down below had half-collapsed but that was definitely the same door that Chip had been locked in. I looked around for my companions, but both were still out cold. I hoped they were only out cold.

I gulped and took a deep breath. Okay, being dragged down into the depths of hell where I’d watched poor Chip get murdered, horribly. The tentacle tightened around me when I tried to struggle out, so doing nothing was the best option.

“You...”

“Me,” I replied, staring down. “What... who... why?”

Then there was just silence as we continued our decent. It wasn’t long before we were dragged into the large room where Chip had been murdered. My eyes clamped shut, not wanting to meet whatever was down here. I didn’t even want to think about what it could possibly be. The room was hot, and the humidity matted my mane and made me sweat profusely.

I felt a surge of warm air that smelled rather nice. Not sweet like flowers. More Bitter. I think my dad had cultivated something a little similar, but I didn’t remember what it was called. Began with an E, if I remembered right.

“Welcome,” the voice boomed near us. “Do not fear me.”

I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes, then screamed when I saw what the tentacles belonged to.

In front of me was a massive olive-green hybrid between a tree and a snake. It was long and huge but had no limbs, just tentacles protruding out of holes in bark like armoured spots. It didn’t have any leaves and its massive head loomed in front of us. Its body was coiled up with pipes running down it over small terminal monitors and wires that snaked in and out of its body.

The beast’s head was massive, green, and sported a strong lower jaw that protruded from it. It opened its mouth and bathed us in a green mist, which was what I had smelled before. Huge sharp teeth lined the inside of its maw, forcing another scream out of me. It lacked eyes or a nose, and its mouth took up a huge portion of its head.

I tried not to look at it, my head turning away from the monstrous beast before me. This was definitely the room from my hallucination. The rows of terminals had all been destroyed and the booth at the side looked like it had exploded. And there was the operation table. Plants covered it from the ribcage of an old, dusty skeleton. Poor Chip...

“What... what...” I whimpered, quivering. “... don’t eat me...”

The giant thing rumbled and a green mist seeped from its mouth. He slowly lifted Ace and turned its massive head toward her “This... unicorn...” he rumbled, more mist bellowing out. “... this unicorn is determined... headstrong. A soul and heart to match.” He flipped her upside down, looking her over. “But her mind is clouded... stormy...”

He turned his attention to Lollipop. “This one... is different... she is strange...” it rumbled, mist bellowing. “Caring... compassionate... rare virtues... but troubled...” it stared at her, examining her, and it was a long moment before it spoke again. “... locked away...”

It lifted me up when I squirmed a little and stared at me with its blank face. “But you... you are... unique...” It stared for a long moment. “Adaptive... sensitive... scared.” The beast smirked and rumbled a deep chuckle. “Two souls fighting for one body.” It flipped me upside down. “Two beings.... capable of such power...”

“...Wh-What....?” I whimpered, trying to make myself smaller. “Why... why am I here...?”

The beast rumbled deeply, the mist washing over me. “I require someone such as you... a being capable of such power.” he rumbled again, bringing me back to my upright position. “I require your assistance.”

I gasped and looked over at Chip’s skeleton. “No! Nononononono, you’re not turning me into an incubator for your plants! No! Never!”

“Silence!” the beast roared, his tentacles shaking. I could feel the bile starting to rise in my throat as the tentacles tightened, making my eyes bulge. “I brought you here for a reason!”

“Which is...?” Ace moaned, her head lolling as she started to wake up. She shook her head and opened her eyes. She stared at the monster for a long moment before whistling. “That’s new...”

“What is it?” I yelled at her after the tentacles loosened a little.

“Hey, relax,” she replied. She looked over at me, then jerked her head at the monster. “You don’t want to piss this thing off, and if it wants something from us we should be safe.” I stared at her and she smirked. “Trust me.”

I did trust her, but this was a big fucking monster! But it was Ace. Sure, she lied to me when we met, but... okay. I just needed to calm down.

“I require you...” the voice boomed, “for my freedom.”

“Who and what are you?” Ace asked. She tried to shrug but couldn’t due to the tentacles around her body. “We ain’t helping you until we know.”

“I...?” it rumbled, then seemed to ponder. “I am the Patriarch... the father of all life in this stable...”

“So... so... so y-you... you killed... that Defender?” I asked, shaking.

The patriarch raised me up and brought me a little closer. “No. That was not my doing.” He raised me up and pulled a short distance away. “That... was the Tether.”

“Tether?” Ace asked, squirming a little. “What do you mean?”

The Patriarch slowly moved to the side, revealing the huge machine behind him. Some of the screens were smashed and a lot of the hull had fallen off, but it looked like it was still working. One of the vats at the top had exploded and there were dents and holes all over it, like something was biting it. “My Tether. Created by the ponies... that tortured me...” He looked over at the skeleton. “The pain...”

Did he even have eyes? How could he see? Either way, it was hard to tell but I could sense such pain and sorrow in his voice. Pain, suffering, betrayal. Pre-war ponies were probably even more evil than ponies today, and had a lot more access to this sort of tech. Fuck them.

“And that is why I need you,” The Patriarch said, turning his attention back to Ace, an unconscious Lollipop, and me. “The Tether has turned my creations into monsters. I can only persuade them while the Tether sleeps.” He turned his massive head to me. “That is why you survived. I saw you coming and led you to safety.”

“So, what?” Ace asked, raising an eyebrow and rolling her eyes. “You just want us to untether you and stuff? That it?”

“In a word...” the Patriarch rumbled, the corners of his mouth twitching in annoyance. “Yes.”

“Easy peasy,” my beige unicorn companion said, wriggling again trying to get free. “Let us go and we’ll shoot the shit out of it. It goes boom and bye-bye plants. Easy as one, two, three.”

“If it were that easy,” the olive green monster retorted, “I would have done it myself long ago.”

Ace rolled her eyes. “Here we go, the complicated part.”

“My children... my creations... will continue to kill and spread for as long as the Tether holds me here.” The monster looked up at the ceiling and all the vines crawling across it. “When the Tether is destroyed, I will be free and I will have full control of my children... no killing... only peace...”

“Bullshit,” Ace muttered, then piped up. “What do you need us to do exactly?”

“Destroy my Tether, so I may be free.”

“Yeah, we get that,” the unicorn mare sighed, “but this whole thing has holes in it. How do we do it, why should we do it, and better yet...” She smirked. “What’s in it for us?”

The Patriarch rumbled deeply, like he was agitated or displeased. “You will do it, so I can be free. Your lands are barren and infertile. I can change that.” He rumbled once more, his tentacles writhing around him. “And I will owe you the lives of my children, and my own.”

That would be a pretty huge favour he’d owe us. I could use that to my advantage to catch Double Down and kill him. Maybe he’d let me use one of those killer seeds. With anypony else, I wouldn’t think of it, but Double Down deserved nothing less.

“And how do we destroy the Tether?” Ace asked, not even trying to get loose anymore. I think she had him by the balls, really. More like I hoped she did.

The giant mutated Quarry Eel looked at the machine and spoke; “I have tried for... decades... centuries... to destroy it, but the origin remains intact.” He looked back at us and sighed his green mist over us. Pity Lollipop was missing this whole thing. She’d probably be interested in this sort of thing. “The origin is what stops the Tether from breaking.”

“Origin?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. It wasn’t so much because I was curious but because I was slowly being tilted by the tentacle. “What or where is that? Why would that stop you?”

“This machine is worn down, broken, but still active,” The Patriarch rumbled. “Its husk remains, but I cannot stop its main function. The origin must be destroyed for the toxin to cease.”

“Okay, now you’re just making this more and more difficult with your enigmatic shit,” Ace snarled at the beast, writhing. She actually managed to get a hoof out of the tentacle. “Now answer straightforwardly. What is this toxin, where is the origin, and how do we destroy it?!”

The Patriarch roared loudly, thrashing his tail violently, producing a loud clang when it hit the metal wall. “You dare insult me?!”

I was surprised Lollipop hadn’t woken up. I hoped she wasn’t dead. No, she wasn’t dead. She was snoring.

“Yeah, wanna know why?” Ace roared back. “Because you fucking need us to do this for you. Why else would you be giving us these speeches? Cut the crap already!”

The Patriarch calmed after several moments. “It is true that I need your help. My apologies. Being betrayed, experimented on, and centuries being trapped in this dungeon and in this body have left me sour.” He took a deep breath and nodded, calming further. “The Tether is in the MRF facility, I believe. In the heart of the city you call Mustang.”

“Oh shit...” Ace grumbled. “Mustang huh? That complicates things...”

“How?” I asked, now upside down. My hind hooves sort of wiggled subconsciously, trying to right themselves. “Ruins, right? Couldn’t be worse than Buckwheat.”

Ace looked over at me and sighed deeply, “I’ve heard stories from scavengers that go in there. Most come out saying it’s fucking cold and the air is poisonous, but a few of them say they saw things. Like out the corner of their eye.” She shrugged and waved her free hoof. “Probably just nuts from the air. Nopony knows why you can’t breathe and why it’s cold, but the whole place just radiates ‘bad.’”

“And that is where you must go to free me,” The Patriarch rumbled and rolled me back over. My hooves dangled freely again, which felt good having blood back in my hoovsies.

“That...” I whimpered, “sounds bad. Super bad. Really bad.” I pouted and looked at the Patriarch. What was it I said before? Something about the wasteland taking and never giving back. Something about somepony like me not being able to change it without a fuckton of effort. From what I’ve seen in this Stable, the Patriarch was probably capable of carrying out his promise. Some sort of... terraforming or something. Ultra farming.

“Is it true what you said?” I asked, looking at the Patriarch. “You can make the wastes fertile?”

“It will take years to complete, decades... centuries...” He took a little moment to think. “But I can spread fertility faster than plants. I can fertilize the desert in a mere decade.”

I bit my lip and thought. Looking up at Ace, I sighed, “I think we should go for it.”

“And why’s that?” Ace asked in a surprised tone, eyebrows arched. “That’s not like you to go anywhere but a room full of rainbows and pillows.”

“Because...” I looked at The Patriarch, then back to Ace. “Because this might be what the wasteland needs. A breath of new life, y’know? Maybe it might stop taking and start giving?”

“You really haven’t been out here long, have you?” Ace asked as if I was a foal. “Clover, the wasteland is a complete shithole filled with wretched scum and villains. Your own brother was murdered by someone from here.” She gave me a soft-hearted look. “It’s taken everything from you. Why do you want to help it?”

I closed my eyes for a long moment. It was true, my brother had been murdered out here, and I’ve seen more murder and death than anypony should. “Ace... I have nothing. No hopes, no dreams, no family, nothing. Nothing but a desire for revenge.” I opened my eyes, blinking away the tears. “We need to save this dying land so nopony else needs to go through what I’m going through.”

“Wretched... scum... villains...” The Patriarch rumbled, lifting me higher, bringing Ace and I closer. “You say these things... but what I see before me is the opposite. Where others would turn to violence, this one turns to selflessness. Nothing to lose, but everything to gain.”

“That’s not the same,” Ace said, looking at the beast. “I meant the ponies in the wasteland up there. The vile scumbags.”

“You are both of the wasteland, born of the ashes of a broken world.” The Patriarch let out a throaty chuckle. “But you are the opposite.”

Ace stared for a moment, then looked at me. She looked back and forth a few times, then let her gaze rest on me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I nodded. “Yes. Who knows, it might even help the Resistance.” Truth be told, I didn’t want anypony but The Patriarch having control over the land. He’d probably run it the best, having no real relation to any political faction in the Ponave. “I’m willing to take the risk to do my part in changing this world.”

“Real noble of you...” Ace said, a little skeptical. She sighed and looked back at the olive-green plant eel. “I guess... I guess we’ll do it.” She frowned. “But I want a good long chat about our reward when we get back, got it?”

“Very well,” the beast replied with a smile. “I have high confidence in you three... four? A... griffin cub... yes... she will be useful to you.”

“How...?” I began.

“I wouldn’t question him,” Ace cut me off.

I zipped my lip and stared at the beast.

“Then you will go to the Origin, destroy my shackles and the Tether, and return to me. Then I will... I will be free...” He smiled broadly at the very thought of freedom. “Then we shall see about your reward.”

“A’ight, cool,” Ace said, nodding. “Well now that that’s all cleared up, let’s-”

“Sleep...” The Patriarch hissed. Instead of a green mist coming from him, it took on a blueish tinge and washed over us. My eyelids began to feel like lead as they slowly closed. The last thing I saw before falling into dreamland was the beast’s grin. The apparent gentle giant in an underground prison.

Poetic, that.

“And that is how you make a basic filter,” my father said as Shamrock stood beside him. They stood at the workbench right next to the house back on the Apple Plains. My father held up a small box with his magic. The salt-and-pepper-maned stallion smiled at Shamrock.

Shamrock nodded in appreciation. “Thanks dad.” He looked over his shoulder and spotted me. “Hey little brother!” he called and waved me over.

Shamrock... dad... it must have been a dream, but I didn’t care. I sprinted over to them, regardless of the weight behind me. I saw my brother and father clear as day. Logic be damned, I wanted this.

I flung my hooves around Shamrock and held him tight. “Woah! You’re awfully huggy today.” He patted my back and chuckled. “You can stop now. Take a look at what dad made.”

“Look at this, son,” Dad said, directing my attention to the little machine he built. “This is a basic filter, capable of sterilizing small amounts of water or food over the course of an hour.” He beamed with pride at his creation. “It is simple to make but hard to find the parts.” He nodded at Shamrock. “I was just showing your brother here how to make it.”

“Cool...” I said, looking the little box over. It had pipes hooked up into a weird-looking jar. “But why do we need it?” I looked back and kicked the apple cart behind me. “We have all sorts of fresh food out here.”

My father sighed and shook his head. “Not everypony does, son.” He picked it up and held it up. “There are ponies out there who’d kill for what we have, Clover.” He looked at me with his brilliant emerald eyes. “Ponies beyond the eastern border. In the Ponave.” He sighed and put the device down. “There’s a whole world out there, and they don’t have the Federation to protect them.” He put a hoof on my shoulder then hugged me. “Anything to make a difference.”

A difference. Out there. No, out here. This may have been a dream, but I was very much in the Ponave. No wait, this wasn’t a dream, this was a memory! This was about three years ago.

“Change makes the world go around,” Dad said, looking back at the filter. “The world ended with a huge change. A negative one. But what if there was a change that was that big but good?” He looked at me and smiled. “Son, I’ve lived by a few simple words. Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Be the change I want to see in the world. Those were damn good words to live by.

“Clover!” a particular voice yelled into my ear, instantly bringing me back from my sleep. “You seriously have to stop being so Luna-damned lazy!” Lollipop said with a large smile, then offered me her lime hoof. “C’mon. I don’t remember how we got here, but I think we should probably leave.”

“Uh...” I mumbled, taking the hoof. She hefted me up and I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Where were we? Looking around, I noticed we were in the main entranceway to the Stable. Massive metal gear door and everything. “How...?”

“No clue!” Lollipop said, surprisingly chipper. “But I had one hell of a good sleep. Dunno much after getting into the atrium, but it was damn good.” She trotted over to Ace’s snoring form and wrapped a hoof around her belly. She yanked her up to her hooves. “Hup ya get, ya big lug!” She shouted in her ear. “Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey!”

“Whattheshitmotherfucker?!” Ace yelled, flailing. “Y’arentgonnagetmehellspawn!” She blinked and looked at Lollipop. “Oh. It’s you.”

“Surprised?” the medimare asked with a giggle. “Now that you’re both up, do either of you know how the hell we got back up here?” She pointed at the main door and then the rest of the room. “This is the entrance, right?”

Ace looked around, blinked, looked around again, then shook her head. “Uh... yeah. That’s the entrance.” She looked over at me, her eyebrow arched. “Patriarch?”

I nodded then started for the exit. “Probably, yeah. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.” I looked over my shoulder at the mares. “Please?”

Without even a yes, Ace went zooming past me out into the sunlight. She stood and took a long, deep breath, looking up into the evening sky. “Freedom...” she said, spinning. “No more Stable... no more plants...”

“Get out of there!” a familiar voice yelled from ahead of us. Searchlights flicked on as Lollipop and I stepped over the door indents and pushed through the vines. “We gotta purge!” It had to be Thunderhoof, no other pony had a voice that commanding.

“Purge?” I yelled up the cavern. “What do yo- ack!” A large flower bulb with vines flowing out of the base grabbed me around the neck. The bulb slowly opened, revealing it wasn’t a flower but instead had five large sets of razor-sharp teeth. “What the balls?!”

As quickly as the thing grabbed me, its... head, I guess, exploded into a shower of green ichor and residue. I looked at Ace who was levitating her signature shotgun and growling something fierce. She mumbled something, but I couldn’t quite hear it. Probably some form of profanity.

“Run!” Lollipop yelled, following a burst of machinegun fire. The plants were coming to life and boy were they pissed. More of the carnivorous bulbs began to emerge and the vines were starting to creep up on us from behind.

Without anything more than a whimper, I sprinted after Ace and was quickly followed by Lollipop. The vines whipped and tried to curl around our hooves as we ran, and more than one monster bulb tried to bite us, but we were just too damn fast for them.

With one more mighty leap, we dove through the gates to the outpost just before they slammed shut behind us. The high-pitched hiss of flamethrowers warming up filled the air followed by an angry roar of fire shooting down the cavern toward the stable door.

“And that’s another successful barbeque,” the behemoth that was Thunderhoof announced as he marched over to us, his heavy hoof-falls shaking the dirt around my face as I covered my head to avoid being singed. The flamers might have been behind me with no chance of burning my butt, let alone my head, but it was still scary. “Glad ya made it out alive, mates!”

“Barely,” Ace replied, pulling me up by the collar of my coat. “Up ya get, Clove.” She dusted off my shoulders and forelegs, then smirked at me, then turned to the giant pony. “There’s stuff in there you wouldn’t even begin to believe!”

“Stuff I still don’t believe...” I muttered, dusting the rest of my body off. “There’s a fine line between what’s real and what’s just insanity, and I’m teetering on the edge as it is.” Trotting up beside Ace, I glanced at her. “And apparently all that was real.”

Thunderhoof scratched his head with a hoof. “What are you lot on about?” The other Iron Defenders were leaning over their towers to examine their handiwork and cheered in victory over the plants. I wondered if The Patriarch could feel any of that.

My lime-coated medical friend trotted up beside us and tilted her head, giving us a puzzled look. “What are you guys talking about. We were asleep the whole time we were in there.”

“Not all of us were...” Ace muttered, rolling her eyes. “C’mon, we’ll brief both of you.” She started to trot over to the nearby control building.

It wasn’t long at all before we were seated at an old, wooden table and sipping on cold water from a bridge. Fresh water, too! Joy of joys! Ace was recounting the tales of the Stable. She spoke of the vines and flowers that lined the halls and handed over the dog tags when she talked about the soldier that was stuck to the wall. Thunderhoof took them with a heavy heart and put them in his pocket. My beige companion then talked about how I started tripping balls then the screeching sound that knocked all three of us out.

Lollipop was on the edge of her seat when Ace started to talk about The Patriarch. She went into great detail describing his long, snake-like body with the protruding cables, pipes, and monitors, and its huge mouth-head. She explained The Patriarch’s predicament and the job he had given us.

“So in order to save the city and the balance of power in the Ponave, we need to help him,” she said, bringing her speech to a close. She downed the rest of her drink in a single gulp and panted, catching her breath.

“What you’re telling me is...” Thunderhoof said, leaning on the table and arching his hooves in front of him, “that this... Patriarch... can fertilize soil and make plant life spring up anywhere... but the thing that’s making them deadly is the machine he’s ‘tethered’ to?” Ace and I nodded. “Okay, you’re both crazy.”

“It’s true!” I protested. “Equestrian scientists were using the Stable to experiment on something, and the Quarry Eel was being tortured for it.” I frowned deeply and my voice started to rise. “And I watched a pony die after being the test subject, the same way your soldier died. Plants literally exploded from him after being force-fed an engineered seed made by that machine.”

The guard pony remained calm. He sighed and looked at the wall beside us, thinking. “Okay... there were rumours of experiments in Stables, and I guess if this Patriarch is the Quarry Eel...” He shook his head. “I dunno, kids... I mean, how did you see the experiments? CCTV?”

I shook my head. “I was experiencing some sort of flashbacks from the spores that sprayed me.” Thunderhoof just stared at me. “What? It could have been The Patriarch giving me those visions! He was around, and he did seem to be able to wriggle into our minds.”

“Wait, what?” Ace asked, looking at me. “Since when?”

“You were still passed out, but he said a lot of stuff about us that was true, and some stuff that I haven’t heard before,” I explained. “Like how you’re headstrong and determined, and how Lollipop’s caring and stuff.” I looked at the medic. “One thing I don’t get is that he said you were locked away... whatever that means...”

Lollipop just shrugged. “I’ve heard of some weird shit, but this is pretty high up there.”

Thunderhoof sat back, thinking again. “... okay, look, I’ll talk to the mayor, but I am really against going into Mustang...”

“Why’s that?” I asked. Ace had told me about it before, but I didn’t expect Thunderhoof to be scared of it.

The defense chief sighed and rubbed his forehead. “A, it’s outside our jurisdiction. We’d need to have an excuse to start operations that far out without the Feds or Resistance getting involved. B, the stories that come from there are damn convincing. The eternal cold and unbreathable air being some of them. And, C, we barely know you three.” He looked at each of us in turn. “I don’t know if I can commit resources to this.” He looked deep into my eyes. “Something tells me that you guys can do it. Hell, you came out of the Stable without a scratch... but we’ll have to see.”

“It’s for a better future, Thunderhoof,” I said, putting my hoof on the table lightly. “Like my father always said: ‘be the change you want to see in the world.’ I guess that means be proactive in changing this desert, and this is the best way.”

“Did The Patriarch possess him or something?” Lollipop asked, nudging Ace. “Cause he seems way too into this...”

I looked at the mohawked pony and nodded. “Times are changing faster than I’d like, but I have to adapt to survive, just like anypony else. The attitude helps.” Even if this whole mission had me metaphorically shitting myself.

“Well, let’s get you three back to town anyway... you have loot to sell,” Thunderhoof chuckled as he stood up and motioned for the door. “After you.”

We walked out and thanked Thunderhoof for his hospitality, then it was time for another ride in the APC. The armoured, gem-powered machine rumbled through the desert sand and cracked asphalt roads as we started our journey back to the city. I showed Ace the game I’d found on my pipbuck and she spent the entire time yanking my hoof in front of her face to play it. I couldn’t really protest, considering she’d been so cool about what happened the night before.

Just a matter of getting comfy. Even if that was sitting just a millimeter away from her. Okay, yes, I spent the trip blushing furiously. Being so close to a mare was still new to me!

The sun had gone down, but that didn’t stop the sky from lighting up. Iron City’s buildings were illuminated brightly, even with the deterioration they’d suffered. The Iron City ponies did a damn fine job of maintaining everything, I’ll give them that.

“And that’s the ballgame,” the driver announced from the armoured cabin at the front of the transport. “Welcome back, campers!” Thunderhoof had already climbed out the top hatch after bidding us farewell. I bet he only wanted to show off his muscles.

The ramp at the rear of the vehicle started its descent, squeaking as it fell. Impressive as it was that this transport had weathered through the centuries and ran as well as it did, its door could have used an oiling.

My beige spellcasting friend bounded out of the APC and into the street. She took in a deep breath and sighed, her eyes half-lidded. “Smell that night air!” she remarked, and looked at me. I was tugging on my coat’s belt loop that had gotten stuck to a piece of protruding metal next to my seat. She found endless enjoyment when I finally pulled myself free and tumbled down the ramp. “You okay?” she asked, trotting over and extending a hoof to me. That pretty hoof...

“Just dandy,” I replied, climbing back onto my hooves. I looked up at the night sky and marvelled at the stars above. They were dimmed by the contrast of the lights of Iron City, but they were still pretty. The moon outlined the sparse clouds with its white light and shone down over the wastes, illuminating the far hills and mountains. The lights of the city were even more impressive now that I’d gotten out of the APC, and boy were they pretty.

Ponies milled about the streets, coming to and fro, heading home after a long shift at work or heading out for a night on the town. Two couples passed us by. One was a crimson mare with a grey and white mane trotting alongside a tan unicorn stallion with a black mane. The other couple had a small child with them but was asleep on his mother’s back. It was the same colt with the helicopter hat. Had to be, considering the stallion was carrying his trike.

Such a vibrant city, thriving in the middle of a hellish place. It took my breath away as I thought about it. All of these ponies were having the time of their lives, enjoying their safety while there were ponies out there suffering. Suffering from the wasteland, and suffering from the war. I’d been caught in just a little skirmish, and it’d taken half of my ear and scarred me, physically and mentally.

A lime-green hoof waving in front of my eyes brought me back to the reality at hoof. Maybe not reality but the ignorant bliss that this place had deluded its inhabitants with. Safety. Unity. The good stuff. “We should go pick up Tallie,” Lollipop said, elbowing me in the ribs. “She should still be with the professor. I hope she isn’t brewing some sort of potion that, like, raises the dead or something.” She chuckled and trotted on in front of us.

“Hey, Clover,” Ace said, trotting up beside me. We began to walk together, a few paces behind Lollipop along the cobble streets. “I forgot to ask, but did we end up getting another room, or is it just the two?”

“Uh... I don’t think so,” I replied, looking at the magical pony. “Why’s that?” Our hooves clipped and clopped down the streets of the city, not quite drowned out by the matching sounds from other ponies. A few soot-faced mining ponies laughed as they passed us, making a beeline for a pub on the street corner. Drinks after a hard day’s work? My kind of ponies!

Ace looked down the street, then back to me, a little red around the edges. “Well, we only have one bed, which means we need to share.” She raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. “I’m fine with sharing on two conditions. It’s as friends, and you stay on your side.”

Oh right. “Uh...” My face started to feel warmer, which meant I was probably blushing furiously. “... gee... well... um...” I looked away from the beautiful mare. “Nice night, isn’t it?” I asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

Ace laughed and slugged me on the shoulder. “Hey, chill dude. Seriously, I’m okay with it. I’ll be fully clothed, and so will you. No funny business.” She trotted ahead of me, laughing all the way until she caught up with Lollipop.

“I guess that means yes...” I said in a tiny voice as I watched the mare trot along. Looked like I was going to be shacking up with Ace. No way could it be awkward at all!

It wasn’t long at all before we reached the mechanic shop above the Professor's lab. The disgruntled metal-wearing mare was there to greet us (or grunt at us, either way) and let us in. A blast of hot air whooshed past us as the door in the floor opened up. That time I didn’t fall down the stairs! Progress! I took off my leather coat as we walked down the hallway. I was taking the lead with the mares in tow, and soon we reached the Professor himself.

The room looked different. It was brighter and cleaner. The plants looked like they’d been sorted properly and cleaned up, along with the walls and floors. I could hear a faint muffled singing as I made my way further inside. “Hello?” I called out.

A little griffin head poked out of a large machine beside the main terminal. She grinned at us and climbed out, then turned and slammed a wrench against it. The machine sputtered and came to life, much to Tallie’s delight. “Perfect!” she squealed and turned to us.

“Having fun, kiddo?” I asked with a smile.

Tallie nodded. “Yeah! Fixed Spring Flowers’ generator, evaporator, and irrigation!” She smiled smugly and leaned against the large machine behind her. “Yeah, I’m pretty good, no big deal or anythin’.”

Lollipop chuckled behind me, “Well ain’t that nice? Where’s Zippo and the Professor?”

“Right here!” Spring Flowers said, coming out of a door on the other side of the room. He wore a huge smile on his face and was cleaning his hooves with an old rag. “That griffin’s fixed damn near everything in this place!” He beamed with joy. “Now I might be able to actually work at a decent pace!”

“Maybe,” I replied as Zippo scuttled out from behind the evaporator, the first machine Tallie fixed. “About that Stable of yours...”

“Oh yes!” the older stallion exclaimed and trotted over to us. “Tell me everything! What did you see? Did you find what’s making those plants grow? Tell me, boy, tell me!”

“Alright, alright!” I said, holding up my hooves so he wouldn’t try to maul me for information. “Just take a seat- we have a lot to get through.”

He sat down in his old lab chair and steepled his hooves, ready to listen, and oh what a tale we had to tell. Ace and Lollipop helped me describe the adventure we’d been through, from laughing about me tripping balls to the more sombre tones of the soldier’s demise. Tallie was absolutely captivated when we got to the part about the screeching and getting knocked out.

They stayed silent for a few moments after we described The Patriarch and our conversation with him, and then our quest, as it were. “Fascinating...” Spring Flowers murmured, leaning back on his chair and twirling his moustache. “Simply fascinating... carnivorous plants... that’s new.”

“Awesome!” Tallie yelled, jumping up. “Damn, wish I came with ya. Bet there were cool machines and awesome junk and stuff.”

Lollipop shook her head. “Not really, honestly. The ones I saw were covered in vines and plants. Totally busted.”

Tallie pouted and sighed, “Oh well. At least I had the Prof’s stuff to fix.”

“So... this Patriarch...” Spring Flowers said, bringing us back on subject. “He wants you to go into Mustang and stop whatever it is tethering him? Did he tell you where to go?”

I blinked and groaned, “No...” Dammit! Wait. I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. That time I was hallucinating, one of the ponies said MRF... “Something to do with MRF. That’s what’s causing it, I reckon.”

“MRF...” Spring Flowers muttered, thinking. He spun around and tapped his keyboard, then started reading. “Aha!” he exclaimed, turning back to us after a few moments. “Mustang Research Facility.”

I nodded. “That sounds like the place, yeah.” Ace and Lollipop looked at me then shrugged. They probably knew a whole lot less about this than I did.

The older stallion turned back to his console and started typing away. “Right... I’ll upload a map to your pipbuck...” A few seconds later, my pipbuck beeped and a new map appeared. I only gave it a quick glance before Spring Flowers distracted me. “I guess you’re going through with this?”

I nodded. “Well, if we can pull it off, think of the rewards. Iron City gets longevity in its farm, and the Ponave might get a little greener.”

“And you might die trying,” Spring said, completely straight-faced. “It’s really cold there, and the air is poisonous. Not to mention it plays with your head.”

I blinked and tilted my head in confusion at the stallion. “Plays with your head? What do you mean?”

“Scavengers who actually do come out of there say they keep seeing things. I dunno, maybe they’re just paranoid or something.”

“Okay...” I murmured. Nopony told me about that. “Then we’ll buy some more warm coats, and… uh…” How exactly do we not breathe in poisonous air? Gas masks maybe? “Buy some gas masks, or something.”

“I think Hammer might have a few in his shop…” Spring Flowers muttered into his hooves, thinking intently. “Well, if you are serious about going to Mustang, I suppose you should procure some proper equipment.” He opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a little rectangular booklet. “And since I sent you into that Stable, I shall fund your expedition with my own caps.”

Ace and I looked at each other, then back to Spring Flowers. He was fully willing to give us money for equipment and stuff that we could potentially run off with? Not that we would, but I would certainly be wary of it.

“He’s giving you money for stuff,” Tallie explained, prodding me with her talon. “Dude, take the offer. I would.” She smiled up at me. She was actually quite adorable when she wasn’t scaring me with her bouts of distressing attitude. Her big red eyes beamed with happiness and her little yellow beak curled up in a big smile.

I gave her a careful pat on the back and smiled at her. “Okay,” I said and walked over to the Professor’s desk. “My life counsellor advises me to take the offer.”

Tallie just looked at me and tilted her head with confusion. “Life counsellor?” She tapped her chin and grinned. “I’ll take that position. My next set of advice is feeding me.”

“Maybe later,” I called back and looked at the older stallion. “So what do we need for this ‘expedition’?”

Spring Flowers looked up at me and mused to himself, resting his head on his hooves. “Gas masks and warm clothing are a must. Maybe some weapons, some bigger bags for salvage... do you have explosives?”

Ace and I looked at Lollipop. “What?” she asked, shrugging. The lime-green unicorn rolled her eyes. “I’m a gunner, not an explosives expert.”

“Can I make things go boom?!” Tallie asked, climbing up Ace’s foreleg and onto her back. “I know a little about explosives. Read all about ‘em!”

“I’ll take that as a no...” the old blue stallion muttered. “I guess you’ll have to buy some or take somepony who knows how to use them along with you.” He clapped his hooves together and sat up. “In either case, I should probably get you some support from Thunderhoof. Now, if you are quite done here, you should probably head to Hammer’s and get your gear.”

“Sounds good...” I said. I was exhausted! I just wanted to sit down and have a drink or something, not go shopping for equipment and junk!

“Wait!” Ace called out from beside me. “What about our cash reward? And how about a reward for Tallie’s hard work, eh?”

Spring Flowers stared at her for a few long minutes. “I just... you... the...” His ears flattened when he registered the complete unamusement in Ace’s eyes. She must have been pissed about heading into the Stable for pretty much nothing. “Fine. Two hundred caps, as agreed, and... a hundred for the griffin.” Tallie beamed with excitement.

Caps exchanged hooves and we thanked the old professor, then made our way out of the heat and into the brisk night air. Tallie breathed in a deep breath of cold air and sighed. “Warm as all fuck in there, wasn’t it?”

“Language, for Celestia’s sake!” Lollipop barked. She’d barked at Tallie for it before, but the griffin didn’t care much then.

“You’re not the boss of me!” Tallie barked back. She shivered, as if she was unsure if she was doing the right thing. Was she scared of shouting back?

Ace giggled and ruffled her head feathers, to which Tallie batted her hoof away and pulled her feathers into a little ponytail with an elastic band. “Kids will be kids, Lollipop. Besides, this is the fuckin’ wasteland! Swearing’s the least of our problems.”

Tallie smiled and stuck her tongue out at Lollipop, who just rolled her eyes and walked past. “Right, so, Hammer’s should be in the market square, right?” she asked after turning to face the group. The pink-maned mare had brightened up and smiled her wolfish smile. It kinda creeped me out...

“I guess...” I muttered as my on- and-a-half ears flopped. I missed the tip of my left ear... it wasn’t of any use, but it was still part of my body.

Tallie looked over at me and tilted her avian head with curiosity. “Are you okay, Mr. Clover?”

I shook my head to clear it and let my ears flop around a little, then looked at the griffin. “Just tired is all. Been a long day.”

“Tell ya what,” Ace said, slugging me in the shoulder, producing a little ‘ow’ from me. “How about we take the loot to Hammer’s, sell it, and start the process of getting our new gear sorted.” She looked me over as I rubbed my foreleg where she hit me. “Give us your gear too, might need to alter it.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, a little baffled that she’d do that for me. “You’d really do that for me?”

Ace nodded. “Sure. You’re new to the waste and still a little kitten. Can’t expect you to go gallivanting off on adventures, where you meet massive mutants and get high as fuck, and not be tired as balls afterwards.” She gave me a sweet smile and held out her hooves. I reached back and took off my rifle’s harness, my SMG holster, and my saddlepacks and hoofed them over. Tallie leaped off Ace’s back with a little squawk as the beige mare slung most of it over her back, almost hitting the griffin. The griffin adolescent gave Ace a dagger-filled stare. “Whoops, sorry,” Ace said with a smile.

“Whatever...” The griffin stretched out on my back and looked up at the stars. “Dear Floyd am I thirsty.”

I looked back, then to the mares. “I’ll go get a drink with Tallie, then meet you back at the hotel in about an hour?” I asked, smiling. I would finally get that drink and a nice seat!

Lollipop nodded. “Sure, I don’t see why not.” She smiled and turned, trotting down the road. “C’mon, slow poke! Times ‘a wastin!”

Ace frowned. “Wait up, ya speedy bitch!” She called after Lollipop and started trotting. Lollipop laughed and they started to talk,

“Wanna get some apple juice?” I asked Tallie, who had sprawled out on my back.

“Really?” she asked, rolling over and looking at me. “I’ve never had apple juice.”

“Then you’re missing out!” I said with a laugh, trotting down the road. I wanted to check out that pub that those miners were heading to.

We walked and talked about apple juice and how it was made before something caught my eye. A somewhat familiar, squat building between a butcher’s shop and a produce distributor. Three huge letters were embossed in the stone. ‘PEC’, and underneath read “Ponave Express Couriers.”

I gasped as it hit me. I was a courier! I was sent on a job! My employers didn’t know where I was! “Oh shit...” I groaned and facehoofed.

“What’s up, Mr. Clover?” Tallie asked, peeking around the side of my head.

“I just remembered nopony from home knows where I am...” I muttered and looked at the building. “Being a courier was what brought me out here in the first place.”

“I thought you were a farmer?”

“I was,” I sighed. “But when dad died, the Federation took the farm and Shamrock and I needed to find more work. The courier’s office was hiring so we took the jobs.” I looked at her with slight sorrow and closed my eyes. “Being a courier got him killed.”

“Oh...” was the griffin’s reply. “Well... maybe you should send a letter back?”

I turned my attention back to the courier’s office and thought to myself. Should I? Not much to lose... “I don’t see why not.”

The building looked like it had seen better days. The windows were dusty, but the open sign was still lit up. I opened the door and was blasted with the smell of dust, age, and whiskey. Along the sides of the shop were empty crates and old posters, along with courier information like prices for packages. Local, inter-city, inter-territory, and international. Ten, twenty five, forty, and one hundred caps.

At the counter was an old-looking stallion who had a hoof on an old book. His cold, yellow-tinged eyes stared at me through a scowl, but he said nothing. Maybe he was a statue? He was old, grey, and looked a lot like stone...

“Um... hi...” I said, slowly walking to the counter.

The stallion stared at me, then creaked his old mouth open. “What do you want?” he asked in a very agitated tone, his voice old and rusty.

I blinked and took a step back. “I need to send a letter...”

It was the older stallion’s turn to blink, but more in surprise really. “Wait, what? Really?” He slowly sat up, resulting in several cracks and creaks, then stared at me. “You need a courier?”

Tallie looked at me in confusion, then hid behind me when she looked back at the old stallion. “Why is that so surprising?” I asked.

The aged stallion slowly leaned forward against the counter. “Nopony wants couriers these days, what with the damn war and everything. I’ve had to let go of all but one of my couriers, and she’s only here because she doesn’t want to leave me all by my lonesome.”

“That’s nice of her...” I said, stepping toward the counter. “Well, I need to send a letter to the Apple Plains in Federation territory. Should avoid all the combat zones.”

The stallion stared and narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re not pulling my old leg, are you?” I shook my head and smiled my most genuine smile. “Then happy days, we got business!” He pulled out an old notebook and a pen, then shoved them across the counter at me. “Whoops!” He said, not meaning to actually shove the book. “There ya go. If you could write your message, address, and everything, that would be great.”

I nodded and began to scribble a letter down. My mouthwriting wasn’t the neatest, but it was still legible. It was a hard letter to write, especially with all that had happened to me.

Dear friends,

It is my utmost regret to inform you that package 209X3A has been lost. Courier Shamrock and I were robbed at gunpoint and the package was stolen. My brother Shamrock lost his life to these murderers and I nearly joined him. It pains me dearly to inform you of this, and I have vowed to bring justice to the perpetrators. I will not be returning home soon.

I am still alive, though barely. Over the past week I have brushed death more times than anypony has any right to, but I now have new friends to help me, including a mare with combat medic training, another mare who is definitely not afraid to protect a friend in need, and an excellent griffin mechanic. These are not the only friends I have made in my journey, but they are my closest friends so far. It has been a very tough week, and it is sure to get tougher.

There isn’t much left at home for me anymore. I really do hope to see you all again, but for the near future, that seems unlikely. I miss you all, and I hope that you are all well.

I am also sending this as my letter of resignation from the Apple Plains Federation Express Courier’s office.

Shamrock has been buried. I myself saw to this arduous task. The exact coordinates of his grave are grid reference 025407 in the El Diablo dry lake. As I will not be returning to the Apple Plains soon, I request that any of my pay that has accumulated be used to finding the grave and taking my brother home to the Plains. May he rest in peace at home.

If this task can be completed, please tell me. I will be staying in Iron City for the next week.

Thank you.

- Clover

I stared at the letter for a good five minutes. The past week, summed up on one piece of paper. I wiped my nose and wrote down the address of the pub my father, brother, and I frequented. It would be a sad day when they read that letter.

“Okie dokie,” the stallion said with a smile. “That’s interterritory, so it’ll cost you a good forty caps.”

“About that,” I said and pointed to the price listings. “Is it true you do international packages?”

The stallion blinked and nodded. “Why yes, we do. Never had to do one, but my courier says she’s more than capable. Why? Are you considering sending something out of the Ponave?”

I nodded and started to write another letter and an order. The order was for a full case of Golden Harp from the Apple Plains, and both it and the letter was bound for the place called Dise. I wanted to thank the merc that had declined the job to kill me. I guess that Hired Gun fellow really was going to get a drink on me.

The stallion took both letters and sealed them up. “Alright, that’s one hundred and forty caps all together.” I took out the caps plus another twenty for the case and smiled. The stallion grinned and jumped for joy. “Yeehaw! Sunny! Git down here!”

I heard a thump come from above, and soon a yellow pegasus with a green mane came floating down the stairs. She wore two braces, one around her left hind leg and one around her right front. The legs looked crooked and withered, so I guess she was lucky to have wings.

“Yeah, Post Box?” she said when she reached the bottom. She bowed her head and smiled a sweet smile when she spotted Tallie and I. “Oh, howdy. Name’s Sunny Smiles. How can I help you?”

“They’re customers!” the old stallion cheered. “International ones too!”

The pegasus looked at me, then to the old stallion. “No way, you’re kidding. You’re kidding, right?” He showed her the addresses and the caps. They both grinned.

The pegasus might have been disabled, but she flew over the desk and wrapped her hooves around my neck faster than I could say ‘die, Double Down, die.’ I would probably have enjoyed it, if it wasn’t for the brace choking me.

“It’s... fine...” I managed to choke out. “Brace... choking...”

The mare let go and gave me a sheepish smile. “Oh, right, sorry.” She floated in front of me, grinning. “I’m just ecstatic! We haven’t had a customer in a good six months, and we were about to lose everything!” She looked at the old timer and grinned. “We’re back in business!”

The stallion grinned back. “Hell yeah we are! Better get yourself together, Sunny, you’re heading over the mountains.”

Sunny lived up to her name and beamed. It was like she lit up the room around us. “No way! I haven’t been over the mountains in ages!”

“Wait, over the mountains?” I asked, curious. “What mountains?”

“The Great Dividing range, silly!”

“What?” Something about that sounded familiar. I was exhausted, too tired to really think straight, especially after those letters.

“The mountains that separate the Ponave from Equestria, duh!” Oh right! Those mountains. “Gonna be cool to be back over there.” She beamed and picked up the letters. “Oh, Fed lands first? Well alright! I’ll go get my things and get these out ASAP!” She zipped off upstairs in a flurry of feathers.

“Is it safe? The journey, I mean,” I asked the old stallion.

“Oh yeah, of course.” The stallion smiled. “Pegasi can rest on clouds, so she’ll be a-okay!”

“Good... good...” I smiled and prodded the young griffin on my back. “Still want that apple juice?” The timid griffin nodded slowly, looking small on my back. I turned my attention back to the stallion and nodded. “That’ll be all.”

“Hey, y’all come back now!” the stallion cheered. “Yer good for business!”

I chuckled and turned to leave. I could still hear the stallion cheering and celebrating after I left and started back down the street. It felt good to help another pony out regardless if I knew them or not.

“That was nice of you,” Tallie said with a curious tone in her voice. “Why’d you do it?”

“I didn’t really intend to help them at first,” I said, turning my head and looking at her on my back. “I needed to send letters to ponies, and they needed the money. It was a win-win.” I turned a corner and there was the pub just up ahead. It looked quiet too! “Still feels good.”

“Helping people feels good...” Tallie said to herself. “Hmm.” She peeked over my head as we entered the pub. It was a nice establishment with maybe ten ponies milling around and enjoying their drinks. The two miners were in a booth in the corner... making out. With all that dirt on their faces too!

Shielding Tallie’s eyes from the two gentlecolts making out, I approached the bar. I was greeted by a one-eyed mule molly. “Way-ell howdy.” She said with a smile. “How can I help you?”

“I’d like an apple juice and a pint, please,” I said with a smile.

“We just got a case a’ Golden Harp,” the molly said with a wink... or was it a blink? “Think that’ll interest ya?”

“Very much so!” I said, nodding. “Thanks!”

The molly ducked behind the bar and brought out a bottle of Golden Harp and a little apple juice box. She smiled and held out a hoof. “That’ll be seven caps, please.”

I counted out twenty five caps and handed them over, then Tallie and I found a nice booth to sit in. She looked the juice box over, then poked her straw through the top. She looked a little dubious about before taking a sip. She took it out and frowned, then her expression soon softened, then turned into a smile. “Mm!” she exclaimed, then started sipping more. “S’good.”

“Glad you like it,” I said with a chuckle. I myself had already uncapped my brew and had taken a sip. Ah, the taste of home. I smiled when I saw Mr. Harper’s face on the back of the bottle, winking.

“So you’re from the Fed place?” Tallie asked, then sipped on her juice more.

I nodded. “Yeah, the Apple Plains. I was an apple farmer mostly.” I leaned back in the both and sipped my beer. “So what about you? Where are you from?”

The little griffin stopped sipping her drink and stared at me. She stared for a few good moments, and only stopped when the molly put a little bowl of fried and salted potatoes down in front of us. “On tha house,” she said and chuckled, then went back to her duties.

What a friendly bartender. Bartenders tended to be some of the best ponies in the world, in my experience. They kept the secrets that drunks told them, made sure they didn’t do anything dangerous, and were generally a benefit to the area they were in.

“I’m...” Tallie mumbled, taking a little potato chunk. She was finally going to open up, or at least I hoped she would. “I don’t know...” she mumbled. “My dad was a slaver... mom was a bitch...” She hid her eyes from me and went on. “They didn’t care about me... barely fed me when I was a cub...” She rubbed her eyes and looked back at me. Tears were leaking from her eyes. “I hated them for what they did to me. My dad hurt me when I didn’t obey.”

I blinked and stared. I was starting to feel a deep rage bubbling inside me. “Tallie... that’s... that’s horrible. How could they...?”

“Tell me about it,” she said with a sniff then sipped her juice.

“You’re safe now,” I said, leaning on the table. “I’ll never hurt you, Tallie.”

She looked up at me and licked her beak. “Really?” I nodded. “...thanks.” She got out of the booth and walked to my side, then jumped back in. She scooted over and hesitantly hugged me. “I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”

I put a foreleg around her and nuzzled the top of her head. “Its okay, Tallie. Just remember that I’ll be here for you, okay?”

“Do you mean it?” she asked, looking up at me again.

“Yep. I saved you, so you’re my responsibility now.” I smiled at the cub. “Travelling with friends is better than travelling alone, right?”

Tallie smile and nodded. “You’re my best friend, Clover.”

I chuckled and patted her back. “And you’re mine, Tallie.”

“What about Ace?” She asked, looking up at me again. She sat herself down on my lap and grabbed her juice box.

“Well,” I said, scratching the back of my neck, “she’s... it’s complicated...”

“Don’t gimme that bullcrap,” Tallie chuckled and prodded my chest. “Talk to me, C.”

I rolled my eyes. “She was my best friend, then I accidentally slept with her while drunk...” I sighed and looked down at the griffin. “Now, I don’t know if we’re more or less than we were before. Y’know, complicated.”

“Oosh,” Tallie said. “That’s heavy.” I nodded. “Still, at least she isn’t beating the stuffing outta ya, is she?”

I chuckled and gave her a little pat. “No, I guess not. Thanks kiddo.” I took another swig of beer. “What do you think of her? What about Lollipop?”

“I think she’s cool,” Tallie replied, crushing her box and putting it on the table before taking another bit of potato and chewing it. “She’s got attitude, a kickass shotgun, and a super cool knife. As for Lollipop...” She stroked her chin. “She’s okay, but she can get annoying.”

“Only because she cares,” I said, taking a potato bit for myself.

She shrugged. “I guess.” She looked up at me and grinned. “Zippo’s awesome! Love that ant!”

I laughed and ate another potato. “Yeah, he really is. I think he thinks I’m his queen.”

“Why?” the griffin asked.

I spent the next half hour or so recounting how Ace and I had evaded that Federation patrol and had to deal with the ants. I described what it was like to be chased by them, then losing Ace and the whole feeling of being alone. Then how I met Zippo and how I’d fallen into the egg cluster and became the new queen. Only to him though, which was weird, really. Tallie giggled and laughed at some points and gasped at others.

“Wow!” she exclaimed at the end. “So that’s why you’re called Queen Daisy!”

“Now don’t you start...”

“Too late!”

I rolled my eyes and sighed, eating the last potato. “Right, come on, time to see the others.” I lifted her up off my knee and we got out of the booth. She climbed up onto my back and we left the bar. Those stallions were still making out.

The walk back was enjoyable. Tallie and I talked about trivial things, like what stars are, and what makes the sky blue during the day. I could actually tell her about these things from what my dad had told me. Of course, some of it was pulled right out of my ass like telling her Celestia makes the stars, but I think Tallie still enjoyed it.

We passed the hotel guard and gave him a curt nod. He chuckled in response and waved at us as we went up in the elevator.

“Good evening, Ponave! This is your host Mister Ponave coming to you live from Iron City. How are you all doing tonight? Great, I hope. Any luck in Neighgas? Heh, yeah, didn’t think so. Anyway, let’s get on with the news.

Another battle has broken out in Fifth Leg bay in the east as Federation soldiers clashed with Resistance fighters. Neither side is reported to be giving way, so civilians are advised to avoid the area. If you want my thoughts on it, I think they were heading to the dam up north. Moving on.

Reports suggest a new band of mercs might be skulking around in the south, but little is known about them other than their appearance. If anyone sees a pony dressed in all black with a black helmet on, please avoid them or talk to your local law enforcement official.”

“Or shoot to kill...” Tallie muttered on my back.

“One more piece here, good news too. Lazy Water port has opened up a new general store! So, if you’re in the area of Lazy Water, be sure to check it out! That’s it from me, folks! Here’s Sweetie Belle with Maybe, for the third time today. If anyone finds any music recordings out there, please please send them to Iron City. Thanks.”

War, mercs, and general stores. Sounds like the Ponave in a nutshell alright! Violence, dangerous ponies, and trade. Fun fun.

The song drifted through the air of the lift from the speakers before the doors slid open. Tallie climbed down from my back and took the lead down the carpeted hallway. “Guess I’m with Lollipop again tonight?”

I nodded. “Looks like it. You okay with it?”

She turned and smiled. “No problem. She said she’d tell me ghost stories tonight!”

“Well ain’t that grand!” I said with a smile. We trotted along until we reached our rooms.

Tallie turned around and gave me a little hug. “Thanks for the juice and potatoes, Clover.” Her talons dug into my coat a little as she rested her head against my chest. Her warm embrace felt nice and I returned the favour, wrapping a foreleg around her.

“Get some sleep, Tallie.” I said and watched her enter her room. “G’night!”

“Good night!”

She closed the door and I entered my own room. It was still clear and clean from earlier, if you ignored the leather jacket on the bed’s banister. Ace was laying on the bed wearing an extremely comfy looking pair of sleeping pants.

“Oh hey!” she said, looking up from a book she was reading. “Have a nice time with Tallie?”

I nodded, taking off my coat and hanging it up. “Yeah, it was good. Had a drink, talked a little.” I smiled and looked over at the mare. “She’s a pretty cool cub.”

“I bet!” Ace rolled off the bed and onto her hooves. “Anyway, we sold the loot and managed to get upgrades on all of our equipment at Spring Flowers’ expense!” She grinned and dove into her saddle bags. “I got you something, by the way.” She pulled out a pair of blue trousers, like the ones she was wearing. “Sleeping pants! Great huh?!”

I took them in my hooves and... oh wow... so soft... so warm... “Where... where are these from?” I asked, rubbing the trousers against my face. So soft. The fibers massaged my skin and made me feel like I was rubbing a cloud against my face.

“Apparently they’re made in Neighgas with synthetic fibers.” She smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t ask details! Now, put ‘em on while I tell you about what else we got done.”

I nodded and pulled off my armour, bit by bit. “So we managed to buy all of our needed equipment...” she said, then trailed off when I took the back half of my armour off. I didn’t realise, but I’d just pretty much flashed her. She averted her eyes and shook her head. “Anyway, we got the equipment we needed, like coats and gas masks and stuff, but they won’t be ready until tomorrow. Same with our gear, which we’re pretty much upgrading, thanks to Spring Flowers.

I put on my new trousers and closed my eyes. Oh goodness it felt good. Soft against my butt and smooth against my... legs. Ace hopped back into bed and put her book away. “And along with that, I got a couple of books, some ammo, these pants, and a few more odds and ends, y’know, the usual.”

“I see...” I said, climbing into bed. I made sure I stayed way on my side of the bed. Didn’t want to touch hooves incase she thought I was getting fresh. “How many caps do you have left over from the loot?”

“About five hundred between the three of us.” Oh, that’s not bad. “Oh, also, he took the pipbuck and is pulling it apart for parts. He said he can fix your clasp!”

“Oh cool!” I replied, resting my head against the pillow. “Wait, who?”

“Hammer,” Ace replied, rolling over to face me. “He’s a huge stallion. Pretty cool too! I don’t think he’s very bright though... sure, technical genius, but socially not so much...”

“So like me?” I asked, blushing a little. I was in bed with a hot mare! Not sexually, but still!

Ace giggled and shook her head. “Naw, he’s more over-friendly. He’s real nice though.”

“That’s cool,” I said, rolling onto my side. “I guess I’ll meet him tomorrow.”

Ace nodded. “Yep! Big day tomorrow. We’ll probably have to get tons of sleep. But first...” she said, giving me a very devious grin. I didn’t like it. Not one bit. Something bad was about to happen. “Pillow fight!”

And then I was smacked in the face with a pillow. Thus was the beginning of the great war of hotel room 235. Hundreds of feathers were scattered that day, and more than one pillow lost its life, but it did not go in vain, for by the end of it all, Ace stood triumphant over a vanquished Clover.

She then decided to smack me in the face again even after I accepted defeat. Ruthless tyrant!

Footnote: Level up!

New perk: Foal at Heart

Bonding with Tallie has certainly opened up your inner foal. Also gives you an excuse to play like one too! Tag, and hide ‘n’ seek, here we come!

Special thanks to Kal, Adder1, Matkingos, and Julep for editing and art.

Another late chapter. Really really sorry, people, life’s been getting really annoying and I’ve had to tend to that. Hopefully soon it will be back to normal.

And happy birthday Tales of a Courier: Reloaded! On the 21st of February, it will turn one! Woo!

Also, happy birthday me! (25th of Feb)

If you’re still reading, I think people should give this fic a little attention, it being new and all. Enjoy! http://www.fimfiction.net/story/53502/fallout-equestria-treasure-hunting

Be sure to stop by the ToaC tumblr and ask any of the Ponave inhabitants anything The Courier's Mailbag

Chapter 12: Winter is Coming.

Chapter 12: Winter is Coming.

"Little critters hibernate, Under the snow and ice, We wake up all their sleepy heads, So quietly and nice.”

Morning had to be my favourite time of the day. Back on the farm, my brother and I used to get up just before dawn, grab some breakfast, and then sit on the fence and watch the sun rise. It was beautiful, watching the sun slowly ascend over the green grass of the plains back home. I hadn’t seen a single patch of lush grass since I’d left the plains. Then again, the Ponave was a desert. My brother and I had barely even noticed the transition on our way in.

I missed the grass under my hooves and the warmth of the Apple Plain's morning sun as it beamed on my coat, offset by the dampness of the morning dew. The feeling of the dew was lost when my hind hooves hit the hard bark of the tall apple trees; but then, that also was something that I dearly longed for. The dull thumps of apples hitting my cart had been the most satisfying sound I could hear. It was the sound of a successful buck, and the beginning of a good day.

The only sound I enjoyed in the Ponave was silence. No gunfire, no screaming, no explosions, no shouting, not even the rustling of a tumbleweed or a gust of air. Just silence.

Watching the sun rise through the window of our hotel room in complete silence was as good as it got. I was sitting in an old velvet chair with a little glass table next to it. I already had a shower and was pleased to note that I didn’t need a shave. Probably wouldn’t need another shave for maybe a week or two.

The bitter smell of tea emanated from a small mug on the table beside me. It tasted just as bitter as it smelled, but I always refused artificial sweetener when offered. Something about all those chemicals in it seemed wrong. Especially considering how hard it would be to find that sort of thing. It was either prewar, or just plain dangerous. Either way, I wasn’t touching that shit.

The bathroom door swung open and broke the sweet silence. Ace was singing to herself as she left the room with a cloud of steam. She was wearing her leather jacket loosely around her shoulders. That mare was really getting used to the hot showers. I never really saw the appeal in scalding hot showers. I prefered mine either a little cold, or tepid.

“Soft sheets, warm showers, and great breakfast!” Ace said in a singsong voice, sitting down on the chair on the other side of the table. She picked up the remaining crust of toast and munched on it. “And all because we made a good impression.”

“Doing stuff for Spring Flowers probably helped,” I said, sipping my tea. “I hope he put in a good word for us, or else we’re boned when the bill comes.”

Ace waved a dismissive hoof. “Oh psh. They said it was free.”

“Yeah, but who’d give away two swanky rooms in a swanky hotel to four wasters?” I asked.

“Are you complaining about this?” Ace asked with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? Free stuff. Fun stuff. We’re on good terms with the city, its chief of defense, and a crazy professor dude who’s got caps.” She grinned at me. “Ponies who got us some kickass upgrades on our gear and some more cool stuff to boot.”

“I guess,” I muttered, getting up and stretching, then walking to the window. “It’s just... with all the hell out there, why would you give away free stuff?”

“Didn’t Snakey have something to do with it?” Ace asked as she trotted up to me. “That old coot. Such a mystery. He seems so distant, but he’s always there when you need him.” She shrugged. “Ah well. He’s a good stallion, and he’s been good to you.” The mare put a hoof on my shoulder and looked out the window.

We could see for miles from the room’s window. I could see the large, imposing mountains in the far distance, the vast, arid desert all around, and the bounding hills which housed the old Stable. To the north, a large highway stretched into the far distance, with small, squat buildings dotted along it. There were a few larger ones on the far horizon, but I couldn't make out more than their vague shape.

“Sucks it all ended, huh?” Ace asked, looking out over the scenery. “The world I mean.”

“Makes you wonder what it was like before, doesn’t it?” I turned and looked at my unicorn friend. “Let’s not dwell on the past, eh? Finished breakfast?” Ace nodded. “Then I guess we should go get Tallie and Lollipop.”

Ace smiled and looked around the room. “I’ll just get the last of my stuff ready, and meet you downstairs,” she said, standing up and walking back to the bathroom. She levitated a little bag with a little brush poking out the top.

“What else do you need to do?” I asked, before finishing my tea. “You’ve already showered and stuff.”

“A mare always makes time to fix her mane.” Was the simple reply from Ace with a holier-than-thou attitude. I looked at my own mane and ran the comb that I’d found in the bathroom through it. I cleaned it, just in case it wasn’t supplied by the hotel and somepony had left it behind. Intact combs were fairly rare in the wasteland. If you could even find a comb, it was usually missing a lot of teeth. I was lucky to find this intact, an artifact of the old world.

After styling my usual cowlicked mane, I grabbed my armor and put it on, then slipped into my dark brown coat. I wasn’t sure why ponies wore coats like that in the desert, but it sure looked cool. Cooler than I looked before at least. It wasn't too warm, but it did keep the dust off my armor and coat. Dusters keep dust off, imagine that.

After looking my rugged self over in the mirror, I smiled and went for the door. I still had the tip of my left ear missing, but my gear covered the scars on my thigh and chest. Getting shot sucked. It was like getting punched, really, really hard, and then there was the blood and intense pain. Pain lancing through your body and slowing you down. The only way I could push through the agony of my leg wound as it was healing was adrenaline. Adrenaline was awesome like that.

I knocked on Lollipop and Tallie’s door and waited, thinking to myself about all the misfortune I’d had in my adventure. It had improved dramatically over previous day or two. Sure, now I had ponies hunting me, but I was protected by Iron City thanks to Snake Eyes. Made quite a few friends in high places too. With their help, I knew I’d make it. Maybe settle down, get a nice, big house (build one if I have to) and live out the rest of my life in peace, maybe see about getting my farm back.

“Sup?” Lollipop said, breaking me out of my stupor. She stood in the doorway, wearing her medical barding and smoothing her mane straight up into her Mohawk. “We leaving? Give me a second to fix my mane.” Mares.

“Hey Mr. Clover?” Tallie said, walking past Lollipop andsmoothing her head feathers back into her basic ponytail, then using an elastic band to keep it in place. “Why do mares gotta keep fiddlin’ with their manes? It's hardly difficult to do this.” She pointed to her feathers.

I shrugged. “I was wondering the same, really. Mares, huh?” I said. Lollipop rolled her eyes and walked back inside. “So, Tallie, ready to go?”

The griffin nodded and looked herself over. “Shorts, check. Shirt, check. Goggles.” She reached up, pulled them off her forehead and snapped them back. “Double check. And finally, tools.” She pulled a wrench and screwdriver from her shorts pocket, twirled them in her talons, and put them in her shoulder pockets. “Checkity check check. Let’s go!”

The little teen griffin climbed up my leg and perched on my back. Lollipop walked back out, bright pink mane done in her Mohawk. She was generally intimidating, even more so with her wolfish grin. “Let’s get going.” She turned to my door. “Ace! Hurry up!”

Ace came out of our room and closed the door behind her. “What the fuck did you say, bitch?” she asked with a little smile.

“I said hurry your fat ass up,” Lollipop replied, matching her smile. Both burst into laughter and playful punches.

I stared, then looked at Tallie. We both looked completely perplexed by the display from the mares.

“What the fuck did I just witness...” Tallie asked, looking back at the mares.

“No clue,” I replied, and looked at Ace. “Care to shed some light on this whole thing?”

Ace giggled and gave Lollipop another punch on the shoulder. “This mare right here is pretty cool and my friend.” I looked completely stumped, causing Ace to roll her eyes. “We’re just playing around, Clover. Chill.”

“Ah.” I looked between the mares, then started down the hall to the lifts. Looking at Tallie, I waved a hoof over my ear and mouthed ‘weirdos’. Tallie giggled and nodded.

“Weirdos, huh?” Lollipop asked, coming up alongside me. Ace took the other side, sandwiching me between the mares. Well shit.

“Nope. Not at all. No way. Oh hey, here’s the lift. Let’s get in it and go down and stuff.” And with that, I zipped into the elevator. The mares laughed behind me and followed me in. The ride down wasn’t filled with tension or embarrassment at all. Nope. Not one bit.

The radio cut through the totally-not-awkward-at-all-silence as we descended. The announcer wasn’t Mr. Ponave, but instead a mare. A hot mare at that, by the sounds of it.

“And that was Giles Fairfeather with ‘Here Comes the Sun.’ Pretty appropriate, eh? Well the sun’s rising, and you know what that means, folks. It’s time for this night owl to call it a night and sign off for the day. This is Jasmine, your nightly radio DJ, saying good morning to all those waking up, and good night to those heading to bed. Stay beautiful, Ponave. Here’s Mr. Hoofstrong with ‘A Kiss To Build A Dream On’.”

The elevator filled with relaxing music. It was a pity it was only starting by the time we were at the lobby. I would have listened to more, but I didn’t have my pipbuck on me. It was with that Hammer fellow, if I recalled correctly.

“So where is this Hammer chap?” I asked Ace, who trotted out ahead of me. I managed to not look at her butt for once! Win!

“Down the street, then a left, then a right,” Ace called back. “C’mon slowpokes! I want to see what Hammer did with our stuff!”

“Something good I hope,” I muttered. “If my Pipbuck is busted, I’m demanding compensation.”

“Good luck with that!” Ace laughed as she lead us out of the hotel. “He’s pretty big.” Great, just what I needed. A big stallion working on my equipment. He’d probably break the stuff with his big ham-hooves. Bah.

Ace led the three of us down the main roads of Iron City. Past the markets, past the soldiers out on a morning run, past the town crier yelling about today’s sales and weather. I got a little suspicious when we started walking down a back alley behind a restaurant.

“Ooooh, gloomy,” Tallie cooed from my back. “Kinda creepy, too. Yo, Ace! You sure this is the right way?”

“Shortcut!” Ace called back, and skipped merrily along. Her hooves thudded against a few wooden planks and a sheet of cardboard that littered the ground.

I didn’t like this shortcut. It was dark, gloomy, too quiet, and a little cold. There wasn’t anypony around, thankfully, only the back doors of a bunch of buildings. The garbage bins smelled foul though. “Why do we have to go through here?” I asked. “It’s pretty nasty.”

“Faster!” Ace called back. “Plus, no ponies to dodge!”

“But it’s smelly!” Tallie called. “And icky!”

“It’s the wasteland! Everywhere is smelly!”

Ace had a point. The trip was, thankfully, uneventful (other than Lollipop almost stepping on a rat), and before long, we arrived at a large square between four buildings. At the far end stood a squat house with a large hammer and sickle hanging in the window. The house was only two floors tall, and had four windows on the side of the building facing us. It looked cozy on the cobbled streets.

“Is that the place?” I asked, looking the house over. “Is that supposed to be the armoury?” Through one of the side passages into the square, I could only see a sea of ponies headed to and from jobs. Ace’s shortcut had saved us a lot of pushing and shoving.

“This is the place, alright? Trust me.” Ace trotted forward and opened the door. “Hello? Hammer? You open yet?” She disappeared inside.

I just looked at Lollipop, who giggled and motioned me forward. Tallie hid herself behind my head and peeked over the top. I walked forward and peered into the establishment. The inside was a cozy little room with a large counter at the back. A smaller stallion stood behind it and was talking to Ace with a smile. I walked over to them. “Mr. Hammer, I presume?” I said, looking at the stallion.

He was a red unicorn with a golden mane, and wasn’t any bigger than me. In fact, he was marginally smaller. He looked at me with his golden eyes, and shook his head. “Nope, I’m Sickle. Hammer is my twin brother.” He turned around and knocked on a hatch on the floor. “Hammer! They’re back!”

I blinked and looked at the hatch, then jumped as it hissed open and slid to the side on a railing. Part of the floor beside it rose from the ground. Inside was a set of stairs, and a massive pony about two heads taller than me walking up them.

The stallion looked down at me through narrowed eyes. He was massive. And red. But... he didn’t have a golden mane. His bald head was so shiny it almost blinded me. The stallion growled, forcing me to huddle down and whimper. Then his eyes shot open as a huge grin broke across his face. “Comrade! Welcome to my store!” He bellowed, and let out a hearty laugh. “You must be Mr. Clover, yes?”

I blinked and slowly stood back up. “Uh... y-yes... that’s me...” Holy fucking shit! He was huge, and scary, and massive, and good-golly-goodness was I close to peeing myself. He seemed friendly, but sometimes that was a bad thing.

“Good!” he boomed, and laughed again. “Your equipment is almost ready; I am putting on last piece now. Come! To workshop.” He turned and started down the staircase. “Today is good day!”

I looked at Sickle, confused. The shorter stallion just chuckled. “That’s my brother for you,” he said. “Smart, but not very articulate.” No kidding. “He won’t hurt you. Go on down; there’s plenty of room.”

Ace bounded down the stairs ahead of me. “Um...” I said, looking towards them. “Okay...” I walked toward them and slowly started my descent.

“Wuss,” Tallie whispered into my ear. “I wasn’t scared at all.” I could still feel her shaking on my back, but I wasn’t going to call her out on it. Why would I? I’d give her this one, at least.

At the bottom of the stairs lay a massive workshop, with guns and other weapons and armour lining each wall, along with tools, materials, and other apparel. In the centre stood four dressmaker’s dummies, each loaded with gear.

“This is new gear, comrades,” Hammer said in his deep voice, walking around the dummies. One stallion dummy, two mares, and a little griffin one. The stallion pointed at the white coats each dummy wore. Fur lined the hoods of each coat. “Warm winter coats, with fur to keep you extra warm. Each has many pockets, so you won’t have to dig through packs.” He shifted our attention to the gasmasks. “Each gasmask can be adjusted easily, two separate locking mechanisms. Clear visor provide excellent field-of-view, with easy-to-change filters when time arises.”

He smiled at me. “Mr. Clover, your new battle-saddle, yes?”

I blinked, and approached the stallion dummy to get a closer look at the saddle. “I have personally remounted sniper rifle for easier reloading and firing.” He pointed at my SMG, which was now hooked into my saddle. “Because of gas mask, I rig SMG to battle-saddle. Same as sniper.” He smiled, and flicked a switch on the firing bit. A reticule poked out and flipped over the dummy’s eye. “Easy-to-use targeting reticule!”

“Ooooh, fancy,” I said, looking over my upgraded saddle. It wasn’t painted or anything; it remained grey. But there was a white tarp tied over it. It seemed like it was folded over once or twice. There was still plenty of tarp left.

“You are sniper, yes?” Hammer asked, slapping me on the back. Ow.
“Extra tarp for stealth, you just undo and cover body!” Fancy. “I have attached large bags for salvage. Very comfy, lots of extra room.” He pointed to two duffle bags on the back of the saddle. “You bring me back interesting present, yes?”

“Sure thing,” Ace said, looking over her own new gear. It was similar to mine, but without the saddle or tarp. I felt special. Hammer gave Ace the same speech he’d given me, and mentioned how, as she was a unicorn, she wouldn’t need a saddle to use her shotgun.

Lollipop still had a saddle though, also tarped, but much smaller than mine. Her gun’s ammo belt crossed the back of the saddle and fed into a large ammo box on the other side. The reloading mechanism looked complicated, but efficient.

Then came Tallie’s gear. Just basics: large coat with a gasmask, with a thick-looking vest underneath. The griffin on my back gasped, hopping down to scamper over to the dummy. “Little griffin has no armour. Ballistic vest is free,” Hammer said with smile. “Do not want children hurt.”

“Thanks,” Ace said, then looked over her gear. “Is it good to go?”

“Yes!” the stallion bellowed. “Is all good, and can go! Would you like privacy for changing?”

Lollipop and Ace nodded, then walked to their dummies. I was prepared to look away, but instead of taking off armour, they were putting it on. What was I expecting? It was just coats and stuff.

A few moments later, Tallie sported her new vest, with her coat under it. She didn’t put on her balaclava or gas mask yet.

The weight of my battle-saddle was very comforting. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt more at home with the machinery on my back. The coat fit snugly though, which was nice. I had to stow my leather coat. Wearing that and my new coat was just overkill.

All four of us looked pretty cool, though a little albeit out of place in our matching coats and badass new gear. My new sniper had some kind of attachment that fitted into the gasmask, allowing me to pull the trigger from the inside. The innovation was more than welcome.

Tallie looked over her gasmask. She beamed as she stared through the visor, and simply couldn’t resist pulling it on. The little griffin actually managed to look a little intimidating with the headpiece on, but still kept that air of cuteness. Not that I would ever actually tell her that.

“Are you all geared-up?” Sickle called down from upstairs. I could hear the strong, deep voice of Hammer inside the store, talking to someone, a mare, by the sound of it. “Remember, it’s going to be pretty hot out here with all that gear on. Might want to take it off, now that you know it fits.”

I could hear Tallie whine under her gasmask. “Do we gotta?” she asked, looking at me. I nodded reluctantly. We looked badass in our new gear, and I didn’t want to take it off. The air-conditioned room we were in reminded me that it could get really hot out there.

“This gear’s pretty neat,” Lollipop said, slinging her coat over her back. “Reminds me of my army days.” Her newly augmented battle-saddle looked a lot more awesome with its upgrades. Mostly stuff for making it shoot faster, and increasing its ammo capacity. I wasn’t really listening. Instead, I was obsessing over my own upgrades.

Ace nodded. “This is gonna be fun.” She grinned, but it soon faded. “My only real hope now is that we actually earn these goodies. If we don’t come back with something good, we’re kinda boned...”

I gulped and cracked a small smile. “Don’t, uh... don’t worry about that. We’ll be fine. Yep. Fine.” My smile faded just a little. “We... we can totally work it off. Yep.”

“More like we’ll work it off,” Ace said, gesturing to everyone but me. “You’ll probably stumble around and try, sure. But really.” She scoffed and headed for the stairs. I just looked at Lollipop with confusion. Did Ace really just say that? I was probably the only one who’d ever done manual labour for pay! Lollipop was a soldier, I guess. Was that the same thing? Running around, shooting ponies. Healing ponies too, I guess.

Lollipop shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, farmer boy. She doesn’t mean it.” She patted my shoulder, and followed Ace to the set of stairs leading back up to the storefront. I hoped Ace didn’t mean it. That would just be mean. Actually, that made sense in Ace’s case. She was hot, but a bitch.

I was the last to head upstairs, with my gear over my back. As soon as I got up there, my new adventure would begin. Nothing would stop us from our trip to that so-called ‘freezing’ city. The whole concept of the place intrigued me more than it scared me. How could a whole damn city be frozen, in a desert? Why hadn’t scavengers swarmed it? Why were the Iron City folks so damn trusting? I guessed for Hammer, the prospect of getting some excellent pre-war salvage was worth it. Was he brain-damaged?

“Little Clover!” the huge red stallion bellowed down the hatch. “Your friends and ride to Mustang are waiting!” Ride to Mustang? We had a ride? Wait, why didn’t I think about how we were going to get there beforehand?

I got upstairs and looked out of the hatch, into the shop. There was Thunderhooves, talking to Ace and Lollipop. I can tell you this, two huge stallions in one room, with me the only other stallion, didn’t do wonders to my self-confidence. I felt so tiny. Sickle was nowhere to be seen, so I felt even smaller.

“G’day sport!” the massive Head of Security said, beaming at me from under his black-and-white camouflaged cap. He reached his uniformed hoof out to me. Gulping, I hesitantly shook the massive hoof. “How ya doin’?”

“Um... good, I suppose,” I replied, very sheepishly. He was just so big! “Kinda confused about all the goodwill...” I looked at the massive amount of expensive gear on our backs. “Why is everyone here so damn nice?”

Thunderhoof laughed. “I guess you could say Iron City is the city of hope!” He clapped his hoof on my back and laughed again. “The mayor heard about your predicament. I told him about you and your companions’ skill sets: Ace’s wasteland knowledge, Lollipop’s military training, Tallie’s mechanical skill, and your sheer tenacity to live. I can honestly say I was surprised when he approved the mission to assist you.” Wait what? “Yep, he made sure the funds came through for your mission, and assigned me to help you out.”

“I... I dunno what to say...” I mumbled then looked at Lollipop and Ace. They both looked just as confused as me.

Tallie climbed off my back and looked up at the massive stallion. “Um... what... what does that entail?” she asked in a small voice, hiding behind my foreleg.

“Well, kiddo,” Thunderhoof Facecracker said, stooping low to try and make himself less intimidating, “I’m going to give you and your friends a lift out to a forward operations base, where my guys are doing some recon and strategizing. Then, when we have a plan, we’ll sort out a squad to keep you guys company so we can make sure you get out of there safely! Should be easy as pie. All you guys have to do is look for salvage, and do what you gotta do!”

“Guys?” Tallie said, looking a little hurt. “But we’re all girls!” She came out from behind my leg and put her hands on her hips.

Thunderhoof looked at me. “Clover’s not a girl,” he said, stifling a chuckle.

“You mean Queen Daisy?” Ace said, loading some orange-tinged shells into her shotgun. Did we get them from here too? No wait, those were the same ones she’d lifted from the armoury a few days back.

Thunderhoof laughed and clapped my back when he saw my face quickly go from my jolly light grey to a very tomatoey red. “Right, ladies!” he said with a chuckle. “Are we all set to go?” This wasn’t happening. No way. Please no.

“Yep,” Lollipop said, shifting her gear. “You got a ride for us?” She passed by the massive stallion and smiled at me.

“Coming, Queenie?” Tallie giggled up at me.

“Zip it,” I said, looking down at her. That just made her laugh and crawl up onto my back. She was cute could be really annoying sometimes.

The soldier stallion nodded at Lollipop and followed her out of the shop. Sickle came down another set of stairs with a big smile on his face. “Another good sale, right?” he asked Hammer, who laughed and slung a foreleg around his brother.

“We make good team!” Hammer said in his regular overly-loud manner. “Funds clear, yes?” His brother nodded. “We’re rich!”

“Let’s get outta here before he gets too excited,” Ace said, nudging me in the ribs. “We got a job to do.” I was quick to follow her out as Hammer accidently knocked a lamp off the table with his dancing.

The sun was making its way into the sky. It was still not enough to light up the small square we were in, though. “Now that we’re all here, we can get going!” Thunderhoof said, clapping me on the back once more. These bruises were going to last forever.

He marched through one of the passages out onto the street, and there, standing before us, was the very same APC we’d ridden in yesterday. It looked even more imposing and majestic with the light of the rising sun shining from behind it.

On the top of it reclined a pink mare with a poofy blue mane. She blew a gum bubble, and looked down at us. “We rolling out?” she asked in a young, friendly voice. At Thunderhoof’s nod, she leaped into the open hatch, grabbed onto the machinegun on top, and pulled a handle on the side of it. It let out a very satisfying crack as a huge round loaded. “Yeehaw!”

“Impressive,” I said, then followed Ace to the back of the APC. All of us clambered into the back, and sat down on the uncomfortable military seats. There was nopony else in there though, just Ace, Lollipop, Tallie, me, and the APC crew, plus one hulk of a stallion.

Now, where was that fun, little snake-y game...?

The ride to Mustang was just as uneventful as the one to the Stable. Same barren landscape with the occasional shrub. I could have sworn that a tumbleweed was following us. Stalkerweed...

The rising sun cast beautiful shadows over the tops of the mountains as we approached them. I stood up at one point, and walked to the front of the APC. Poking between the two cabbies, I looked through the armor-covered slits that served as front windows.

In the distance loomed a large city with several skyscrapers. A testament to the land before the war, the sprawling metropolises, the masses of ponies with important desk-jobs, a time with no daily fear of being killed. The dark clouds over the city and the odd snowy-white blanketing some of the buildings were strange, though.

Strange as it was, I didn’t get a chance to get a great look at it, as we swerved off the old road and into a small, makeshift camp with sandbags forming walls around it and camouflage netting over the main areas. A couple of snipers lay on a small pallet of wood, peering into the city through scopes. Machine-guns poked out of a nest, too. It was a fairly defendable outpost. It was quiet though, and I could smell the quickly-becoming-familiar scent of gunpowder.

The door of the APC dropped down with a loud clang as it hit the hard-packed dirt. We walked out of the cold metal box and into the desert’s warm air and into the camp, following Thunderhoof. We were met by another red earth pony soldier in the same uniform as the head of security.

“This them?” the new officer asked Thunderhoof, pointing at us. Thunderhoof nodded and the new soldier walked over to us. “Ladies and gent, I’m Captain Shellshock. I understand you’re the research group sent by Spring Flowers, yes?”

“Yep,” Ace said with an enthusiastic nod. “That’s us! Ready to research the fuck out of that city!” She grinned and threw the captain a punch on the shoulder. “What’s the skinny on what we’re dealing with, eh? Got a plan?”

The captain looked annoyed. I guessed Ace wasn’t making a great first impression. He frowned and cleared his throat. “Yeah, we got a plan.” He jerked his head at a tent further into the camp, then started to lead us there.

“Status report,” Thunderhoof said, walking alongside the captain. His bulk compared to Shellshock made the Captain look like a wind-up toy. “Anything interesting?”

The Captain shook his head. “Raiders are staying in their shitholes, nothing around the perimeter of concern, and just a little bitching from the forward recon about the heat, but that’s it.”

The Head of Security smiled. “Tell them to head back, I reckon we’ve got what we need.” He opened the flap to the tent for the captain then nodded to us. “Come on, we’re burning sunlight here.”

We followed the captain through the tent, Thunderhoof following us in. Radio equipment crammed the inside of the tent, packed so tightly all around the edges that it was almost too cramped to get a look at the huge map in the middle.

“Right, the game plan,” Thunderhoof said, rubbing his chin. “What do you have for me, Cappy?” He looked at the captain expectantly.

The captain walked over to the map and grabbed a pointer. “Okay, the expeditionary group will make an insertion here,” he said, pointing at the outskirts of a town. “The riverbed that cuts into the city is dried up, so they’ll walk along it.” They? We were right there watching. “We’ll be providing cover for you to punch through raider lines.”

“R-Raider lines?” I stammered, looking at the map. “We’ll be in raider territory?”

The captain raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you really thought you wouldn’t be anywhere near raiders in the slightest?” He crossed his forelegs, leaning on the table and looked down on me with disapproval. Something about that cold stare was unsettling.

“I...um... I thought it would be something like... like pockets, y’know?” I gave him a sheepish smile. “Pockets.” I looked at the red line drawn around the city. “Not a whole bloody line of ‘em.”

The captain just huffed with amusement. “Thank Luna we aren’t sending you in alone. You wouldn’t last two minutes.” He poked the map again. “We’ll be punching a hole in there for you to break through. After that, our guys will get you past the lines, into the red zone.”

“Red zone?” Tallie asked, her head only just poking over the desk, even on her tippy toes. “Wassat?” She looked at the captain, then dipped her head back down, leaving only her eyes above the level of the table.

“The Red Zone’s the dead pony’s land,” the captain explained. “Nothing but unbreathable air, ice, and snow.” He smiled. “Like a regular vacation.”

“Fun,” Lollipop said, followed by a loud zip. She and Ace had already put on their coats. “We going or what?”

“Not done with the plan,” the captain said. “You need to get to MRF, right?” Ace nodded. “Right,” he continued, “here’s the route you’ll be taking. First, along the riverbed...”

He went on to guide us along the map, all the way to the facility we needed to get to. The route involved a sewer, a couple miles’ trek through the city, a large bridge, and a city square before finally reaching the facility. It was going to be a magical journey of walking, then some walking, then a lot more walking.

“Clear?” Shellshock asked. We all nodded. The plan was fairly clear: get in, blow shit up, get out. “Right, I think we’re ready to move out. I see Hammer suited you all up.” By that point we’d all gotten our gear on. My new coat felt poofy and lovely. “Just need our guys to show up, then you’ll all be good to go.”

“Sir!” a mare barked from behind me, making me and Tallie jump. She landed right on my back somehow. I guess the wings helped to some extent. “Deltas reporting for duty, sir!” The voice belonged to an olive-green unicorn mare with a black mane and a green beret. A weird patch adorned her shoulder. Across her back rested a very impressive shotgun. Unlike Ace’s, it was automatic and a little bigger. On the side she’d scratched ‘Smile ‘n’ wait for the flash’.

“Ah!” the captain exclaimed with a smile. “Sergeant Mayflower, this is the ‘research group’ you’ll be escorting.”

The Sergeant looked us over skeptically. The only one she seemed impressed with was Lollipop. “You look like the only damn one here who can fight. You an ex-raider or something?”

“Hey!” Ace said. “I can probably fight better than you, bitch!”

The sergeant was unfased. “Yeah, right, pretty-mare. Go brush your mane.” She dismissed my friend, which made me a little livid, but she was a soldier and I was a coward, so I said nothing.

She turned her attention back to Captain Shellshock, and saluted. “Sir, Delta is ready to move out on your orders.” With that, she trotted out the tent flap and back out into the desert.

Ace just looked at me. I shrugged. Then Ace smiled. “I like her.” Seriously? What a weirdo. She looked at the captain. “Can we go now?”

The captain nodded and gestured to the tent flap. “You know the plan,” he said. “The sergeant will guide you through the rest.” He looked at Thunderhoof. “Your boys ready?”

“Yeah, mate!” Thunderhoof grinned. “Locked, loaded, and raring to go.”

“Good,” the captain said, saluting the huge stallion. “Let’s get this show on the road, sir!” the captain himself said with a smile and trotted out after us.

It was a good thing we hadn’t kept our coats on after leaving Hammer and Sickle’s place. In our coats, with the sun fully up, I could see how hot it really got in the Ponave. It was bearable, but still uncomfortable.

In front of us stood a small group of ponies, each with their own beret, not green like Mayflower’s, but black. Unlike the other soldiers they all wore white uniforms. Even Mayflower had stripped off her black jacket and replaced it with a white one. There were five ponies in total: Mayflower, a dark purple unicorn stallion with a sniper rifle, a smiling light-green unicorn mare with several satchels and an assault rifle, chatting with a yellow earth pony stallion, and finally, a larger grey stallion with a huge battle-saddle on his back, hooked into two large machine guns. Each one wore in military equipment, and looked like they were ready for war.

“Attention!” the sergeant barked at her soldiers. Even Lollipop jumped. She’d been eyeballing the stallion’s saddle. I couldn’t blame her; those big guns were impressive. “Fillies and colts, lets load and lock, and roll and rock. Double time!” The soldiers saluted and started to trot forward the camp exit. Mayflower turned to us. “Get moving, civies, we ain’t got all day.”

“Yes ma’am, right away ma’am,” I said, stumbling over my hooves then following the soldiers.

“Good luck!” the captain said from inside the camp. “You’re gonna need it.”

Soon, my companions and I found ourselves walking side-by-side with the soldiers, a kilometer away from the checkpoint. The huge skyscrapers loomed into the dark grey clouds above the city, piercing into the heavens themselves. Around them lay thousands and thousands of buildings, each varying in size and level of disrepair. A chill drifted past us, radiating from the city itself.

I almost fell flat on my face when the sergeant elbowed me in the ribs. Did she have the right to do that? Assault a civilian like that? Not that I couldn’t take it, but this mare was getting awfully close to the line. “Here,” she said, holding out a small round devicel with an earbud on one and a microphone on the other. “Communications earbloom.” I looked back to see everyone but Tallie had put one on. The griffon looked it over several times in her hands. The sergeant grabbed my face and dragged it back to to meet hers. “You lose it, I’ll lose you. Got it?”

“Like... you won’t be able to find me?” I asked, hopefully. She wouldn’t be able to find me because she wouldn’t be able to communicate, right?

“No, I mean I will leave your sorry ass behind,” she barked. “It’s an expensive piece of army-issue equipment, and even more valuable in this day and age. It’s worth more than you, little colt, and don’t you forget it.” She growled and got back to walking. “Fucking civilians... barging in on my op...”

I stood still, frozen in place, my jaw hanging open and tears forming in my eyes. Did she... no... no, she couldn’t have... the only thing that brought me back to earth was a small shake from Ace.

Her beautiful face appeared before me. “Hey, snap out of it, Clover. If she leaves you behind, I’ll gut her with my machete, then blow her head off with my shotgun, okay?” She smiled at me. “Then I’ll come back and get you.”

Honestly, I believed her. She could kick that SMG-toting, spittle-flinging monster of a mare’s ass. She definitely wouldn’t leave me behind, either. If there was anything I knew about Ace in the short time we’d been travelling, she’d been nothing but loyal to me. She even picked the earbloom out of my hoof and fit it around my ear.

“TESTING!” a voice inside my ear shouted. I looked over my shoulder and saw Tallie smiling widely back at me with a very smug look on her face. “I guess it works.”

I rolled my eyes and got back to walking. Lollipop whistled some sort of marching tune, encouraging us to pick up our hooves and walk along with her. Even the little light-green unicorn grinned and joined in with us. It was funny watching the little mare march along beside us, a little red curl of her mane poking out from under her beret and bobbing along with the tune. The rest of her mane was tucked into a tight bun at the back of her head.

She even began to sing along with the tune!

“We'll sing a song, a soldier's song,” she began, “With cheering rousing chorus / As round our blazing fires we throng / The starry heavens over us / Impatient for the coming fight / And as we wait the morning's light / Here in the silence of the night / We'll chant a soldier's song.” Her voice was beautiful. It was smooth, and filled with delight.

Better yet, I recognised the song! It was an old Emerald Island marching song, used during the war. I couldn’t help myself. It’d been way too long since I’d even tried to sing, the last time being with Ace.

“Soldiers are we / whose lives are pledged to the Emerald isles / Some have come from a land beyond the waves / Sworn to be free / No more our ancient sire land / Shall shelter the despot or the slave / Tonight we man the gap of danger / In Emerald cause, come woe or weal / 'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal / We'll chant a soldier's song!” I sung along with the mare. She looked at me both with surprise and joy. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.

“Are you from the Emerald Isles?” she asked, a slight tinge of Emerald in her accent. “Not many know that song!”

“Aye,” I replied. “Well, my father was. I was born out in Federation land.” I smiled wide at the little mare. “And yourself?”

She nodded back to me. “Aye, came to Iron City when I was a wee filly.” She grinned up at me. She wasn’t that tiny, but she was still small. “Were you a soldier? I heard a lot of soldiers singing that when I was wee.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Nah, I’ve never been a soldier,” I replied, then smiled. “It’s just a damn fine song to belt out while on the piss.”

That made the mare laugh, even making her slug me on the shoulder. Ace blinked and looked at us, then trotted up between the mare and me. “What you talking about?” she asked, totally faking innocence. She looked at me and smiled. “Nice singing.”

“What happened to me being shit at singing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ace blushed a little. “Uh... it must have been the song. That was a much more fun song.” She smiled and shoved me a little. “Now, what were you two talkin’ about?”

The mare just rolled her eyes. “Relax, ya daft mare. I ain’t interested.” She giggled, and shoved me again. “I just found out your friend here is an Islander.”

“Ah, so national pride?” Ace asked with a smirk. “Both of you Feds.” She then looked back at Lollipop. “Huh. I’m surrounded by Feds.”

The mare just chuckled. “Not since I was a filly. We left when things got serious back on the Isles.”

“Shut it, Fuse!” the sergeant barked back at us. “You weren’t trained to get chummy with the damn civilians!” She harrumphed and kept marching.

“Yeah, kid,” the sniper pony said in a mock-condescending tone as he brushed past her. “Get moving.”

“Oh feck off, Shortsight,” Fuse snapped back with a smirk.

The stallion looked back, as if a nerve had been pinched. “Ouch, Fuse. That stung.” He pouted a little. “It’s Farsight!”

“Doesn’t stop you from being short-sighted,” the little light green unicorn shouted up to the sniper pony. He just chuckled and trotted off to keep up with the sergeant.

“I mean it, Fuse.” The sergeant glared over her shoulder. “Button your lip. We’re heading into the hot zone.” She turned around. “Alright fillies, from here on in, you listen to me and only me, got it?” All of us nodded in unison. Now wasn’t a time for fucking around, it appeared. “Good. Now stay low, follow me, and most of all, don’t say a fucking thing.” With that, she crouched down and started crawling up to the top of a small hill.

She waved up the sniper and the yellow earth pony stallion from the bottom of the hill. That left me, Ace, Lollipop, Tallie, Fuse, and the tank of a stallion. He managed to stay extremely quiet, even with all his gear on. The massive grey stallion with dark blue eyes sported a small but rough beard, and a shaggy mane. He took off his black beret, and replaced it with a black beanie hat with a little light blue bobble on top. He looked down at me and shrugged, then checked his gear. He seemed friendly enough.

The little mare nudged me slightly and smiled. “I’m Short Fuse, by the way,” she whispered quietly.

“Clover,” I whispered back, after making sure my com link was turned off. “That’s Tallie, Ace, and Lollipop.” I pointed to each of my companions in order and smiled. “They’re my friends.”

Fuse nodded at the huge stallion. “That’s Featherweight. We just call him Tank, or Gunny, or Fatty.”

The stallion rolled his eyes. “It’s muscle,” he whispered back, and smiled.

“I said shut up,” the sergeant said flatly over the comlink. “What part of that did you not understand, Fuse?”

“The ‘up’ part, ma’am,” Fuse replied, crossing her hind legs. “My legs are already shut.”

Well that made me burn a little red. Time to find a distraction!

“Cut the crap, Fuse,” the sergeant ordered. “We’re just about ready, so get your asses together.”

Fuse nodded and looked at the big stallion. He nodded back.

I looked up at Sergeant Mayflower on the top of the hill as she peered down through a pair of binoculars. She motioned for the yellow earth pony to roll towards her to give her access to the radio he had on his back. She flicked a few buttons and picked up the receiver. “Sir, green light, we’re good to move.” She looked back and smirked. “Everyone, up here, now!”

We all shuffled up the hill and huddled down. “What’re we lookin’ at?” Lollipop asked, looking over the side. We were hardly even a kilometer from the river. There was a bridge not too far from it, with two large towers, and reinforced barricades mounted on it. Rough-looking ponies, some in torn coats and warm clothes, milled around on it. They were all filthy, and genuinely nauseating to look at. Thank Floyd I didn’t have binoculars. Worst of all were the bodies. Oh, the desecrated bodies. Mutilated bodies hung from thick chains and meat hooks over the side of the bridge, and some hung from the towers. I felt sick to my stomach, but I wasn’t afraid. I was angry, like there was some sort of righteous fury burning deep down. That was new...

“That’s the insertion point,” Mayflower said, pointing down the hill. “And, before you ask, you dolt, we’re waiting for our distraction.” I loved how she said dolt, as in singular, as in me.

The city sprawled out before us, heavy clouds above our heads now. A cold wind whistled through the buildings. All of them had blown-out windows and in varying states of decay and neglect. Most of the floors in the taller buildings had collapsed downward, leaving gaping holes in the structure. I think one had even been blown apart, judging by the scorch marks and massive holes in the walls.

The eerie silence, broken only by the whistling wind, felt deafening. Two dull thumps in the distance broke the silence, then another, and another, almost rhythmically. A new kind of whistling pierced the wind, followed by a bright explosion on the bridge, then shouting and screaming. Another shell hit right underneath one of the towers, shattering the supports and sending splinters and shards of wood in every direction. Three ponies clutched at their faces and chests, trying to pull wood out of them as the tower fell to the ground. One of the ponies inside fell out at the last moment, only to be crushed beneath the rubble.

Ponies scattered in every direction, trying to escape the bombardment. Shrapnel cut down some while others were blown to smithereens. The event slowed down to a crawl in my mind. Each torn limb sailed through the air. Corpses flew majestically by. It was horrific, but I just couldn’t find the will to care. I was happy that they were dead. They were monsters, butchers, murderers. Justice, as disgusting as it was, was served.

“THUNDERHOOOOOOOOOOOF!” a battle cry screamed. I looked in the direction of the shout.
“FAAAAAAAAAAAACECRACKER!” The massive yellow stallion, now wearing a suit of awesome combat armour, bounded over the hill, followed by several other soldiers, each echoing his battlecry. He was wearing an intricate battle saddle with two machine guns mounted underneath a massive cannon.

He charged down the hill, carving a bloody path through the raiders. His machine guns chewed through the outliers, and his cannon blasted them into giblets. The raiders tried to return fire, but their badly-maintained weapons were no match for the titanic stallion. He was a one-stallion massacre.

“Go, go, go!” the sergeant shouted as she charged down the hill, toward the low wall along the riverside. Her assault rifle spat bullets at the few surviving raiders as she ran.

Fuse and the sniper got up and followed, keeping pace, while me and my friends stood there, confused. Lollipop was the only one to get the picture, and launched herself down the hill in a lime-green flash. She screamed some sort of battle cry, but I couldn’t hear it over the thunder of heavy weapons and mortar impacts.

Ace fired her shotgun into the air and grinned. “Yeehaw!” she screamed as she followed Lollipop over the edge. The sniper followed her closely, occasionally looking up at the buildings on the other side of the river. Looking for snipers, no doubt. If I was a sniper, I would have done the same. Wait, I was a sniper! Well, not officially. So I was off the hook.

“Get moving!” the big stallion shouted, shoving my back. Tallie squeaked in surprise, digging her claws into my back. The pain jump-started my adrenaline, and my hooves decided to sprint down the hill without me telling them to. Ah, sweet, sweet adrenaline. Distraction from pain, fatigue, and even fear. I loved it.

Bullets and chunks of cobblestone from the explosions on the bridge flew past me, crashing into the ground and tearing up dirt. With the adrenaline in my system and the strength in my legs, I quickly started catching up with Ace.

Another shell slammed near us, and a scream rang out. A badly-mangled foreleg landed in Ace’s path, tripping her up. She slammed into the dirt face-first and tumbled forward. She tried to pull herself out of the dirt, but we were out of time. Catching up quickly, I wrapped a hoof under her torso and yanked her up, barely breaking my stride. With a surprised yell, she back to her hooves.

Up ahead, the sergeant vaulted over the wall, followed by the radio pony. Lollipop stopped and looked back. She waved her hoof at us, then pointed her weapon at the raider outpost. “Come on! Come on! Move it, slowpokes!” she shouted. The mare looked downrange, and fired her weapon. Not very accurately, but it was enough to make any entrenched raider keep their head down. They might be stupid monsters, but they were smart enough to duck when the bullets started flying.

The sniper pony leaped over the wall, followed by Ace. It was my turn, which made it a bad time to think about what was behind it. How long was the drop? Was there a miscalculation? I couldn’t swim! Was there water? My hooves of course didn’t want to listen, as they just kept going.

“Just go, you big baby. Sheesh, of course I had to be stuck with a pussy,” the little demon in my head whispered. I could barely hear it, like it was a million miles away, but it was still perfectly clear, and it was terrifying. He was still there, reading my thoughts, ready to crush my dreams.

“Quit being a drama queen and jump!”

“Fine!” I yelled and placed one hoof on the wall, then used my momentum to fling my hind legs over. Neither my hind nor my front hooves found their way to the floor first, but my face sure did.

“Get up, you goddamn pussy!” the sergeant yelled in my ear as she yanked me out of the cold muck. I had fallen about four meters into the riverbed, and left a perfect imprint of my face in the mud. It wore the same shocked expression and everything.

Soon, Lollipop flung herself over the wall, then landed perfectly on her hooves, followed by the heavy pony. Both seemed to land with grace, even with the massive guns and packs they sported. The heavy weapons stallion fixed his beanie and nodded at the sergeant. She held a hoof up to her short range communications device. “Sir, we’re in. Going dark.”

“Good, now get to work!” was the reply from Thunderhoof, followed by a long burst from his guns. “Alright boys, that’s enough! Retreat and regroup!” With that, the line went dead.

“And that’s that,” Mayflower said, looking at the group: Fuse, the radio-pony, the sniper, the heavy, and then my friends. We were definitely not your average outfit. I wondered if that was a good thing or not. “We’re on our own.” Mayflower pointed her rifle down the river and waved a hoof. “Everyone, on me. Featherweight, cover the rear.”

“Yes, ma’am,” was the fairly soft reply. Featherweight’s voice was soft and smooth, definitely not as gruff as I thought it would be. He cocked his guns and nodded at us. “Better get moving, ladies and gent. I don’t want to have to carry you.”

Ace nodded and loaded her shotgun. “Let’s do this.” She pulled up her hood, and followed after the soldiers, Lollipop in tow. Lollipop’s battle-saddle produced a strange whirring and clicking as the machine gun reloaded. Tallie bopped me lightly on the head with a fist, and nodded forward. It was a good thing she was on my back. I had two weapons ready and waiting, while she didn’t. Me being a meat shield was much better than her walking and defenseless.

We could still hear the shouting and cursing of the raiders as they recovered. I tried to tune it out, but the screams of the injured still managed to reach us through the murky air.

The air was getting cooler and mustier as we trudged through the muddy riverbed. The sounds from the bridge slowly petered out, leaving just the sounds of our breathing and the squelch of hooves in mud. The wind whistled through the ruins creeping up around us. Tall buildings in various states of disrepair rose up along the river, towering over us.

This was true wasteland - the dilapidated reminders of days gone by, times when you could go anywhere without the fear of being shot or robbed. We even navigated around a small river cruise boat. Judging from the weathered signs on board, it had once been a tour boat. A boat like that would have been a serious life-changer in the wastes, instead of being a luxury. Ponies would have been able to live a decent life nowadays with one of them. Cruising out onto the open waters, out of reach of most beasties. Find a nice little cove, and you could live out your days in peace. It was a pity there was no water left in the river, or I would have climbed aboard to check it out.

The whole place was a silent memorial to the ponies who had once had the ambition to build from the ground to the sky. The ponies who built a better future. A stark contrast to the ponies of today, whose only ambitions were to survive, kill for pleasure, or just get rich. Ponies like Double Down.

Things had to change.

Remember when I said that silence was my favourite, and how good it was? Fuck that. Fuck silence. Silence is fucking scary when you are in the unknown, surrounded by the massive structures of a dead city. There was no sound to be heard at all. Not even the squelching of mud, which was more and more frozen solid as we made our way deeper into the city.

The buildings looming over us made me shake in my horseshoes. They were getting darker and more ominous the further we went. The whistling winds that cut through the silence made it worse. I thought I could make out voices in them, but that was probably just my imagination. Just to be certain, I brought up my EFS. No red blips. Phew. Each of my comrades and the soldiers came up a ghostly white on the compass. Thankfully, that was it.

“They say this is the city of ghosts,” Fuse said from right beside me, making me jump. She stifled a snicker. “Calm down, lad. Aye, that’s why most scavengers don’t dare come here.”

“G-ghosts? How do you mean?” I whispered to her. Tallie was shivering, and huddled close to my neck for extra warmth.

“Well, the scavengers who do come out of here in one piece, say they can see things that aren’t there, hear things that aren’t there. Sometimes, they’ll see something for a split second, and when they look back, it’ll be gone.” She smiled at me, then looked to the buildings around her. “They’d hear whispers on the wind. Then there’s always the scavengers that don’t make it back...”

“W-What happens to them?” I asked with a gulp. I already had an idea.

Fuse shrugged. “No clue. They’re just gone without a trace. Spooky, eh?”

I hesitantly nodded. “Yeah...” I looked behind me, half looking for a way back, and half checking for ghosts behind me. I only saw Featherweight, who just nodded and smiled. “Spooky.”

I was starting to think that coming here was a very bad idea. It was cold, silent, and scary. Then again, what in the wasteland wasn’t scary? The zombie horde that Ace and I had run from was fucking terrifying. Being in a warzone and watching Separatist soldiers gunned down by the Resistance soldiers had been gruesome to watch. Sneaking around under the Separatists’ noses was even scarier. I’d seen worse than this so-called ‘city of ghosts,’ so why was I so scared?

The sergeant stopped up ahead, and thumped her hoof against the dark blue dirt below her, the dirt cracking underneath. She turned to us and smirked. “We’re heading onto the ice. We should take a break. It’s only going to be harder from here.”

“How ‘bout over there?” the sniper asked, pointing at a small cargo dock beside the dilapidated warehouse. “Those boxes should burn pretty good.”

“Good thinking, Farsight,” Sergeant Mayflower said. “Get on with it then.” She looked at us civilians. “Alright, rest your hooves, fillies. This might be the last break you’re getting.”

It was enough for us. Even Tallie perked up at the mention of a nice warm fire. I was also tickled by the thought of warmth.

It wasn’t long before us civilians huddled around a burning crate. There wasn’t anything inside it that had survived the ages, but it still burned well enough. I sat beside Ace, with Tallie between my forelegs, warming up at the fire. Lollipop chatted with Featherweight about his guns. Farsight and Mayflower looked over a large map.

“Nice city, eh?” Ace asked, nudging me in the ribs. “Seems like quite the holiday destination.”

“Are you kidding?” I asked. Ace’s expression of joy and fun turned into an unamused flat stare. “Right, right... sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it,” she said, slapping my back with a hoof. “But it’s kind of nice though, right? A nice change from the hot wastes.”

I leaned back and looked up at the sky. The clouds up ahead were slowly starting to break, followed by a slow release of... what was that? It was like little flecks of white ash, falling over the city. Wait, was that was snow was? It was... beautiful.

I watched the little flecks fall down, whisking through the air in a beautiful dance. A large fleck caught my eye as it drifted through the cold air, floating from side to side. It drifted its way over to us, and plopped right onto Ace’s nose. She went cross-eyed and giggled. “Snow... never thought I’d see it myself.”

The snow glistened on Ace’s beautiful beige coat. Her eyes shone from under her hood as the snow melted. Her wide smile mimicked the majesty of the falling snow; pretty and white.

Then she caught me staring. She chuckled as I looked away, blushing. “Hey, I know I’m pretty,” she said, nudging me. “It’s hard not to stare, I get it.” She was just making it worse!

“Sheesh, get a room!” Tallie squeaked from between my forelegs. “Don’t you two get all lovey-dovey ‘n’ shit. We’re on a mission.”

“She’s right,” Farsight said as he approached the fire. He warmed up his hooves a little before turning his attention to us. Mayflower stood at the edge of the dock with a pair of binoculars and putting on a balaclava. I could only see eyes, but a small white cloud marked where her mouth was. “This place is pretty dangerous. Raiders on one side, who knows what on the other.”

“Well, let’s just get in and get out then,” Fuse said from the other side of the fire, standing back up. “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right?”

“Wrong,” Featherweight said, adjusting his machine guns on his saddle. “Nothing is quite so simple, Short Fuse.” He walked over to us, adjusting his beanie. “This is a city, not a field. The obstacles are large, unlike you, little one.” He placed a large hoof on the little mare’s head.

“Ah feck off, ya big git,” she sneered, batting his hoof away, then giggled. “Whatever the obstacles, we’ll get through ‘em, right?”

Featherweight chortled and smiled. “Yes. I didn’t say we wouldn’t be able to. I said ‘don’t expect it to be easy.’”

“And with that steaming nugget of philosophy, we better get ready to go,” the radio operator said, picking up his radiopack and putting his glasses back on his muzzle. He pulled off his beret and put on a protective helmet. “We’re close to the Red Zone.” He looked at the sergeant. “Sarge, I’m getting some weird interference. I reckon it’s the storm, but you never know.”

The sergeant nodded, and readied her rifle. “Let’s hope it is just the storm.” She turned to us. “Alright, let’s move out. We got a fifteen-minute-trek to the next insertion point.”

“Another insertion point?” Lollipop asked, standing up. She didn’t bother pulling the hood up over her head. It probably wouldn’t have fit with her mohawk, anyway.

Mayflower nodded. “Insertion into the next phase. The walk through the Red Zone.” She raised her assault rifle and got to walking. “Y’know, the place you can’t breathe without your mask.”

Oh boy. Another responsibility that could kill me if I got it wrong. My life was just getting buried in responsibility. Before, my life consisted of ‘buck the apples, keep the farm in line, and make sure to get enough sleep to do it all again.’ Now, I had to keep myself alive, get revenge for my brother, and look out for Tallie. Add ‘make sure I don’t suffocate’ to the list... I sighed. The list went on and on.

There wasn’t time to think though. The stallion shoved me. That told me that we really had to move. Tallie tried to climb into my hood, barely fitting and huddled up. “Let’s go!” she said, tugging on my ear. “I hate it here. Too cold.” I didn’t think it was that bad...

“So what’s the deal with the radio, Fixer?” Fuse asked, hanging back with the radio pony. Come to think of it, he didn’t look like just a radio pony. Quite a few tools poked out of his saddlebag, and he wore a little terminal attached to his hoof. Not a pipbuck like mine, but a terminal.

“I dunno, Fuse,” was his reply. “Getting little bursts of static, so by the time we get deeper into the Red Zone, there’s a high possibility that we’ll be cut off from base.”

“That’s no good....” Fuse said, but then she smiled. “Still, not the end of the world, eh?”

Fixer chuckled and looked at Fuse. “Yeah, sure. Dammit, Fuse. You’re way too happy to be a soldier.”

“Never!” Fuse said with a grin, then trotted forward.

“Enough!” Sergeant Mayflower called back. “All of you shut your faces and keep moving.” Charming.

“Bitch,” Ace whispered back to me. “It’s like she’s me, but with a massive stick up her ass. And not the fun type.” There was a fun type of stick to shove up your ass? I shook my head. I wasn’t going to ask. “She’s really grinding my gears.”

“Shut it, filly,” Mayflower called back. “We’re still in raider territory.” I didn’t see any red blips, so I figured we were fine.

Suddenly, a white blip flashed on my EFS to my right, but when I turned to look for the source, it vanished, and I found myself staring at a massive skyscraper. Was something watching us? Was my EFS acting up? I reckoned it was just the storm, if anything, just like the radio. The only things in the area were raiders, and there was no way they were friendly.

Trudging through the riverbank and only slipping on ice a few times, we started to make good time. Occasionally, Mayflower would stop us and scan the immediate area, but we never encountered any resistance. Just falling snow and icy river banks.

We carefully turned around a corner and came across a massive iron gate inside a huge pipe. “And here we are,” Mayflower announced, and looked at the little Emerald Isles mare. “Fuse, get to work.”

“Aye ma’am!” Fuse said with a spring in her step. She pulled out several different explosives from her armour, and trotted up to the gate.

“The rest of you, defensive positions,” Mayflower ordered. The rest of the soldiers took up strategic positions, fanning out with eyes down the sights of their guns. Ace, Lollipop, and I did our best to do the same. I took up the rear of the group. I flicked a switch on my harness, and the scope of my sniper lowered over my eye.

Looking down the sight felt good. I could see things ages away, with extreme clarity. I could see an old picture hanging on a wall in a run down apartment building. It was far too dilapidated and weathered to make out anything on it, but I could still see it. This also meant I could defend myself without getting close to beasties. Great!

“Nice piece,” Farsight whispered from on top of a pile of rubble. “Never seen anything like that before.”

“Really?” I whispered back. “I found it in a basement somewhere.”

“Lucky you,” he said with a chuckle.

“Alright, chuckleheads!” Fuse yelled. “Duck and cover!!”

Everyone but me ducked their heads and held their hooves to their ears. I, of course, didn’t process the shout quite fast enough. “What?” I asked before looking at the gate.

The gate exploded in a cloud of dust that blinded and deafened me. The explosives rocked the ground below me and left a ringing in my ears. It took several moments to shake the dust from my eyes, and when I regained my sight, I saw Fuse standing there with a massive grin on her face. Small chunks of rocks bounced off her helmet and onto the ground around her.

I shook my head to clear the ringing out of my ears. Fuse had said something to Fixer, and I’d missed it.

“Nice work, Fuse,” Fixer said, picking himself up and dusting himself off.

Mayflower scoffed. “‘Nice work’ for doing her job?” Bitch. “Whatever, Fixer, we there?”

Featherweight peered inside the massive pipe and smiled. “All clear, ma’am.”

Fixer nodded at Mayflower. “Yeah, just through there is the Red Zone. We should put our masks on now.”

“You heard the stallion!” Mayflower called out, pulling a gasmask out of her saddlebag and slipping it over her face. Once she had it adjusted, she put a white helmet on top of it. The rest of her team mimicked her, then my friends did too. I did have to help Tallie’s with hers, but it was mostly just making sure the mask was secured. She got it right herself, but I was just paranoid.

I tugged on the straps of my gasmask and pulled them tight. It took a little more effort to breathe at first, but soon enough I got used to it. The visor was clear, and all in all, it was fairly comfortable.

“Everyone geared-up?” Farsight asked, his voice muffled by his mask. We all nodded.

“Then, fillies and gentlecolts,” Mayflower announced, looking very heroic on the rim of the pipe, “once more into the breach. Move out!” She disappeared inside. Her soldiers grunted in in unison as they followed her in. The only one behind me was Featherweight, who again encouraged me forward with a gentle push.

“Let’s go, Clover,” he said with a calming voice. “I’ve got your back.”

With that, I marched into the pipe.

We were heading into the Red Zone.

Footnote: No Level Up!

This chapter was cut in half due to unacceptable production times.

Special thanks to Kal, Adder1, Matkingos, and Julep for editing and art.

Sorry my chapters have been late recently. There’s no excuse this time, I’ve just had no motivation. I promise I will pick up my game and write more frequently. I also got a job recently, so there goes more time...

That, and one of his editors is a poor excuse for a friend, but a fantastic slacker, who sometimes forgets whose stories he’s supposed to be working on. - Dimestream

Hobo is very merciful writer and won’t behead Dimestream. - a friendly hobo

Chapter 13: Cold Storage.

Chapter 13: Cold Storage.

"I spy a snowpony!”

The tunnel was wide and dark. I could barely see the backs of the ponies ahead of me without the aid of a flashlight. The sergeant had flicked hers on after a few steps into the tunnel, so I assumed it was okay for us to use ours. The lights cast large and spooky shadows on the cold tunnel walls, making me jump more than once.

Wide as it was, there wasn’t much room in the passages along the sides. Featherweight covered the lower middle of the tunnel, followed by Lollipop. I winced, knowing that this tunnel had to be a sewer a long time ago but then realized that the sewage would have evaporated a long time ago. Unless it had frozen, in which case Lollipop was stepping on frozen poop. Tallie must have had the same thought, as she giggled on my back.

“Alright, fillies,” Mayflowers barked from up ahead, “keep your eyes peeled and your guns ready. Our intel was only good until the opening of the tunnel. Anything past here is unknown.” Oh joy of joys.

“Affirmative,” said each member of the outfit, each scanning the walls and pathways of the tunnel.

The sewer was surprisingly clear, with very little debris. All the pipes were in perfect condition, albeit frosty, and the walls were still intact. Even the cold metal doors along the sides were untouched. It was oddly surreal, piquing my curiosity rather than reinforcing my dread. Sure, the odd shadow made me jump, but I wasn’t shaking anymore.

Making my way to the front of the group, I shone my flashlight around the tunnel, getting a better look. The middle of the tunnel was only three hooves, tops, lower than the footpaths. There wasn’t any ice, just cold grey bricks.

“Well ain’t this pleasant?” Fuse said, shining her flashlight up the sides of the tunnel. “Cold, dark, and grey.” She sighed and pointed her light back down the tunnel. “Just a few of my favourite things.”

“Really?” Tallie asked, looking over. “You like some pretty depressing stuff, y’know that?”

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't see Fuse's, but I was sure she did the same. “I was kidding, lion-girl,” she said. “Can’t wait to get out of here.” She looked back at Farsight. “Fancy some sunbathin’ when we get back?”

Farsight brought up the rear, keeping his rifle downrange, pointed toward the front of the group. “Yeah, sure. Drinks are on you though.”

“Can I get in on the action?” said the soft, friendly voice of Featherweight. “I could use some down time after this.”

“Will all of you shut up?” the sergeant said, agitation in her voice. “We’re on a mission, with civilians. Get it together.”

I sort of got the feeling that she was only putting on the bitchiness because we were there. Like she had something to prove. Maybe that the Iron Defenders weren’t ones to take things lightly? That they took their jobs seriously? Did she take it upon herself to uphold the reputation? As it was, she came across as a massive bitch.

I took the lead on our side of the tunnel without even realizing it. Ace and Farsight followed behind me and Tallie, while Fixer the radio-pony, and Mayflowers took up the other side. Lollipop and Featherweight took up the middle. The tunnel seemed to draw my curiosity even further as I continued down its dark frosted corridors.

We all fell into silence after some "encouragement" from Mayflowers. The only sounds came from our hooves and the gentle clinking of our equipment. Most of the flashlights pointed forward. Occasionally, Fuse would try to open a door, but most were frozen solid or just maintenance rooms. There was no point in trying to loot anything in them, as most of the loot was covered in a layer of ice. If only we had Zippo... wait, where was Zippo?

“Where’d Zippo go?” I asked Tallie, looking over my shoulder. I didn’t remember seeing my royal subject since we left the hotel. What a Que- King I turned out to be.

“I left him in my room,” Tallie explained. “He didn’t get a gas mask. Didn’t want him getting all poisoned and stuff from the bad air out there.”

Damn, she was clever. “Right... well, we better treat him when we go back.” I stopped and tapped my gas mask with a hoof. “What can we make ant treats out of?”

Tallie didn’t answer me. She stared at the ground in front of me, silently.

“Tallie? You okay?” I asked.

Tallie continued to stare. “Clover, look...” she pointed in front of me. A few meters ahead was a long, dark smear that lead into a door, dented and slightly ajar.

“Nopenopenope, we’re done here, no way to help The Patriarch, bye now!” I said, turning around. Ominous trails leading to dented and broken doors never ever lead to anything good at all. Ever.

“Oh no you don’t,” Ace said, shoving me in the chest. “We didn’t come this far just to give up now. I’m not freezing my horn off for nothing.”

I stumbled back a step and whimpered. Looking into her eye ports, I saw not anger, but support and encouragement. It was kind of relaxing. “I’ll take point.” She looked over at the sergeant. “We found something, Mayflowers.”

Mayflowers looked over and saw the door. “Roger that. Fixer, Featherweight, move to cover.”

“Copy,” the radio pony and Featherweight said, moving forward toward us.

“I got it,” Ace announced, brushing past us and over to the door. “Breaching!” She reared up and kicked the door in with her strong legs, then whirled and pointed her her shotgun inside. Slowly, she walked in. My curiosity got the better of me and overrode my fears, making my legs move forward without me telling them to, my SMG beside me as I peeked in.

Ace stood in the middle of the room, looking around. “Breaking down doors with the steel of my shoes,” she muttered in a sing song voice. “Ace: Door Fighter.” She chuckled and followed the bloodstains.

The room was large, like it was maintenance personnel offices or something. A few desks sat side by side with dead monitors perched on them. shelves stacked with boxes lined the sides, and a few work tables dotted the room. The blood trail led to the far end of the room and turned behind a shelf.

The big grey and light green stallions lingered at the front, digging through whatever they could open. There didn’t appear to be any imminent threats in there, at least nothing Ace couldn’t handle with her shotgun and machete.

Ace had her back to the bookshelf, getting ready to spin around. She flung herself around the corner with her shotgun raised but then lowered it. “Huh...”

I peeked around the corner and saw where the blood trail came from. A large pegasus slumped against the wall, hoof covering a wound on his chest. He wore a puffy coat with a few official-looking markings on it, but dark, cold blood obscured them. His gas mask was intact though, and so was most of his other equipment including his weird-looking pistol.

“Never seen these markings before,” Ace said, looking at a symbol on the pegasus’ shoulder. It was a simple cloud with wings, a dark purple and green rainbow stemming from wing to wing, and two leering eyes above the cloud. On his breast pocket I could see a distorted golden E surrounded by little dots. I couldn’t quite make them out through the blood and my gas mask. “Probably a merc or something.”

I took several deep breaths, staving off my urge to look away as I examined the corpse. How he died might have been vital to us making it out of there alive. Know your enemy and such. Tallie, thankfully, climbed off my back and started looking around.

It took a lot of effort with the corpse being both frozen and in rigor mortis, but Ace managed to pull the pegasus’ stiff hoof away from the injury. A hoof-sized hole punctured the pegasus' chest.

“Lollipop,” I said, trying to sound as calm as I could over the communications device. Thankfully, short range communications hadn’t been disrupted. “G-get in here please...” My voice trembled, betraying my shaken calm.

The mohawked mare trotted in, her LMG jangling and clanking on her back. She took one look at the pegasus and sighed. She shook her head and gently pushed Ace and me out of the way. Ace didn’t seem to have a problem with it, surprisingly. The lime green unicorn’s horn lit up a dull purple and a few medical tools slid out of her medical bag. “Let’s see what we have here,” she murmured.

“Too big to be standard small-arms,” Ace mused, tapping her gas-masked chin. “Not enough damage to be high caliber.”

“No bullet either,” Lollipop announced, still digging through the hole in the pegasus’ chest. “It wasn’t a bullet. There’s no exit would, it’s... it's a disembowelment. Somepony completely exenterated this poor stallion's liver." Lollipop motioned to the stallion "This was intentional, and now it looks like we know where the raiders get their food. Fucking cannibals."

“A disembowelment?” Ace asked, sounding surprised. “What did the raiders use, lances?” She ducked down beside Lollipop to take a closer look. “Wow, that’s one popped lung, alright. What’s that around it?”

Lollipop prodded what I assumed was the lung with a pair of forceps, and pulled it back out, shining her flashlight on it. There was a dark green, veined substance on the end of her instrument that pulsed slightly when she moved it.

“Oh, ick,” Ace said, stepping back. “Put it back, it’s nasty.”

“I think it’s pretty fascinating,” Lollipop said, looking it over a few times. “It looks organic, but it’s not something that should be in your lungs. Maybe this is what the air does?”

“More importantly,” I interjected, “what made that hole?”

Lollipop shrugged, peeling the disgusting substance off her instrument and putting it in a small plastic container. “No idea, but I’m keeping this sucker. Maybe Professor Spring Flowers might see some use in it.” She looked back at the hole. “Whatever it was, it was big. Too big to be a bayonet. Too wide for a pike. Could have been an accident.” She tapped the pegasus’ head. “Maybe our winged friend here flew right into some rubble and impaled himself.”

“I guess it’s a possibility,” Ace said, thinking aloud.

“Uh...” Featherweight said from behind the shelves. “Don’t think so.”

“What is it, Feather?” Ace asked, walking behind the shelves, then suddenly gasped.

My curiosity piqued once more, and I peered around the corner. Featherweight and Fixer both had their flashlights pointed to writing on the wall- not normal writing but a dark brown, distorted, hoofwritten message. One of the ones I’d only seen in horror tapes.

‘Run.’

“Run?” Fixer asked, looking at Featherweight. “I guess from the raiders?”

Featherweight shook his head. “I don’t know, you’ve heard the stories, bud. Ghosts of Mustang.” He shrugged and looked around the shelves. Lollipop searched the body and stripping it of useful gear, his weapon, gas mask filters, and a few other odds and ends. I was too fixated on the writing to notice. “He was a child of the clouds, maybe he’d never heard of a raider before.”

“Never heard of a raider?” Ace asked, then snorted. “Yeah, right, and I’ve got a six-hoof cock.” I could prove that wasn’t true, hopefully.

The large grey stallion rolled his eyes. “No need to be vulgar. Pegasi live up on the clouds. They don’t often come down unless they want something. And who would?”

“True,” Lollipop said, rounding the corner. “Poor guy didn’t stand a chance. Still, he’s in a better place and all. All that’s left is his husk.” She nodded to the exit. “Now, shall we get going before Mayflow-”

“What’s the holdup, boys?” Mayflowers asked over the comms as if on cue. “We have work to do. If you’re done with the room, let’s get going. Now.”

“Aye, ma’am,” Fixer said, then looked at the group. “You heard the lady. Let’s move.”

Lollipop chuckled and trotted up beside me as the rest of the group walked out the door, Tallie in tow. “How’re the lungs?” she asked, giving me a prod in the ribs. “Still feeling okay?”

My lungs? Oh right, the infection! “Pretty good, yeah. Still finding it cool how well those meds worked.” I took a deep breath through my mask’s filters to prove it.

My medical friend rubbed her chin in thought. “I don’t know, Clover. It seems too good to be true, and in my field of work, that’s usually a bad thing.” She tapped my visor a few times and looking into my eyes. “I need you to keep taking them. Your symptoms may have subsided, but you could still have pneumonia.” Her eyes lit up a little as she smiled under her mask. “It is the wasteland after all. Shit’s fucked out here.”

“Well, uh, you’re the doc, doc...” I muttered and followed her to the door. “But, uh. It’ll have to wait.” I pointed at my mask. “Cause, y’know...”

“Yeah, obviously,” Lollipop said with a chuckle. “Just make sure you got them.” And with that, she trotted out of the room.

The meds were sitting pretty in my saddle pack, right in the back pocket just in case. I felt fine. Just a little bit of irritation here and there, but that was normal, right? I took another look at the wall the pegasus had painted on with his own blood. Monsters. Fucking raiders, murdering people for fun. They were the real monsters.

My entire body shuddered and I decided it was time to leave. Lollipop might have felt okay with being around corpses and final resting grounds, but I was a stallion with a traditional mindset. Let the dead rest easy.

“Hurry your butt up!” Ace called through the door. “We can’t wait much longer for you, buttface!”

“Coming, I’m coming,” I muttered, and left the room.

Ace was there to meet me with open forelegs. “Sorry you had to see that, buddy,” she said, hugging me. “Sucks, I know, but that’s the Wastes.”

“It’s always just the Wastes...” I sighed into Ace’s shoulder. “It’s not like this back home.”

“You’ll get home again,” she said, patting my back. “Just you watch.”

“Snipers up front!” Mayflowers’ voice barked over the comm link. “That means you, Emerald colt!”

I looked at my side and noticed my sniper rifle attached to the saddle. “Awwww damn,” I muttered. “That’s me.” I let go of her and walked back to the rest of the group. “What is it?” I asked, trying not to give any attitude whatsoever. Didn’t want Mayflowers to tear me a new one.

Mayflowers tapped her mask, indicating to be quiet, and pointed up ahead. In the shadows I could just barely make out the silhouette of Farsight.

“Get up here,” he whispered into his comm link. That spelled trouble to me, and I desperately wanted to turn tail and run. But that really wasn’t an option any more.

“But I wanna come with,” Tallie whispered to me. I shook my head. I was really starting to regret taking Tallie along with me. This was getting more and more dangerous.

Flicking the switch on my saddle, I ducked down low with my belly to the ground and made my way to Farsight sneakily as I could. “What’s the problem?” I asked, feeling my rifle push itself forward and into firing position.

Farsight pointed forward. There was a fork in the tunnel up ahead and down the right one flickered a light, a fire to be more exact. Looking down the scope of my rifle, I saw two ponies in terrible-looking armour standing around a burning barrel.

One of them wore very patchy leather armour under a long, brown coat. Tufts of white coat poked out from small tears in the fabric and from under his cobbled-together gas mask. It was amazing that the damn thing even worked anymore.

The other wore a black suit of metal armour, spikes on the shoulders and everything. The armour was filthy with dirt or maybe dried blood, it was hard to tell, and its spikes were long and sharp. The raider's mask had a large glass visor above the filter, offering better visibility. I did see something that shook me deeply though; on the raider’s belt hung three cracked and broken unicorn horns. Trophies no doubt.

“Two tangoes looking for a bullet to the brain-pan,” Farsight muttered. “I got Righty, you get Lefty-Magoo.” He aimed down the sights of his rifle and got ready to fire. “On three. You got a shot?”

I took a deep breath and aimed down my scope. This would be the first pony I’d shot with my sniper. I’d used it against the ghouls down underground in those tunnels, but never a real, living, breathing pony. “Y-Yeah,” I said, bringing the crosshair up to the raider’s face.

“Alright, one...” I shook in my boots. Killing was something I just wasn’t proud of. It was unnatural, really. It ended the world once. Were we prepared to keep killing?

“Two...” Then again, raiders were. They weren’t even killing for an objective or goal, they killed for the sake of killing. Exterminating them was the only real option. Fucking vermin, all of them.

“Three.” I pulled the trigger. The attached silencer muffled the snap of my shot. The first raider’s mask ruptured as Farsight’s bullet tore through its face, splattering blood and gore over the wall behind it, but the other one stayed standing.

I missed. I fucking missed. Only by a few centimeters, but it felt like a bloody mile. The thoughts of killing another pony with my sniper had thrown me, throwing off my aim, and the bullet sailed past the raider’s mask and into the wall behind it.

“Fuck!” I cursed, pounding the ground with my hoof. My saddle jerked as the rifle’s bolt slid back to load another shot. “Farsight!” I couldn’t get another shot off yet, not while the rounds were cycling. It only took about two seconds, but it was two seconds too long.

“Shit, hold on.” Farsight grunted as he lined up another shot, but it was too late. The raider roared over its fallen comrade and glared at us. I could see now that it was a mare in the bulky armour as she roared again and slammed her hooves against some sort of bell. The deep resounding sound reverberated through the tunnel as she picked up her rifle and aimed it at us.

She was too slow, and so was Farsight, as Tallie picked up a large rock and threw it with all her might. The rock sailed through the air and slammed into the raider’s visor, smashing it to pieces. The raider stopped and started screaming as she clawed at the mask. Blood dripped from where the glass stabbed her face. The screaming eventually subsided after several agonizing seconds as the raider fell to the floor and twitched.

“Air’s definitely toxic!” Ace announced and looked at Tallie. “Great throw!” The little griffin stared at the body for a few long seconds, silent and unmoving.

“Typical!” Mayflowers yelled and pulled her rifle to bare. She darted down the tunnel toward the fork, aiming at the raider tunnel.

“Lay off!” Ace yelled at her. “Let’s just get out of here!” She quickly made her way up to Farsight and me. Tallie snapped out of her daze and followed as fast as her little feet could take her.

“We can’t go back, they’ll be coming from all entrances!” Lollipop yelled over the two of them. “We gotta push forward!”

Tallie nodded in agreement. “Let’s do it, already!” she squeaked and climbed onto my back. “Run!”

Mayflowers growled at Ace from over her shoulder. “Next time you shout at me, I won’t be so forgiving.” She looked back down the tunnel, rifle raised.

Ace glared back. “Bite me.”

The sergeant grumbled something about kicking ass before shouting emanated from the end where we killed those raiders. “We’ll cover you stupid civilians!” Mayflowers shouted. “Go down the left tunnel, we’ll follow!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” I yelled and started toward the tunnel at full sprint, passing the raider tunnel. Ace ran right behind me with her shotgun ready, aimed at the tunnel on the right. The first raider cleared the corner with a huge hammer but Ace’s shotgun easily cut him down as she passed the tunnel entrance.

“Covering fire!” Short Fuse yelled and lobbed a grenade down the tunnel. The others had quickly caught up and took up defensive positions around the raider tunnel. They hid behind small mounds of rubble or ducked down in the lowered center of the larger tunnel. The raiders started pouring out into the tunnel, running right into an intense hail of bullets from Featherweight’s machineguns. The others started to open fire with assault and sniper rifles, cutting them down fast. Some raiders managed to get shots off, even using the fallen as cover.

Suddenly the wall at the opposite end of the raider tunnel collapsed, revealing more raiders, who ran and took cover behind the rubble. I stood at the mouth of the escape route, firing my SMG down at the psycotic scum. The adrenaline was taking over, and I loved it. Ace seemed to have the same idea as she fired her shotgun, but Tallie hid behind me. She didn’t have a gun, and I wasn’t going to give her one.

Lollipop bounded into the tunnel entrance but stopped to look over her shoulder. “They need me.” she muttered and looked at her guns. “They need the firepower.”

“We have this!” Farsight yelled, firing precise shot after shot. “Get out of here!” He cursed as a bullet barely missed his head and chipped stones out of his cover.

“Head to rally point Charlie!” Mayflowers ordered over the compact thunder of her assault rifle. “We’ll meet you there, dammit! Go!”

Ace and I looked at Lollipop, and pushed her into the tunnel. “You heard her, let’s go!” I yelled. She turned back and fired a few more shots at the raiders.

Lollipop growled and headed down the tunnel. “Fine! C’mon!” She scooped up Tallie and ran. I felt a small sense of relief to know she was out of trouble. I wasn’t, as the rattle of my SMG reminded me.

Ace fired a few more shots. A bullet pinged the wall behind her, showering her in debris, making her curse and duck down. She got up and tugged on my hood. “Let’s go, pretty-boy. I don’t want to have to clean your brains off my coat!”

They were telling me to run, but my brain wasn’t responding. The raiders were getting decimated by the soldiers and it was... oddly beautiful. It was a cleansing of sorts. I could feel my mouth cracking into a smile. The tugging on my hood brought me back to the situation at hand - that, and a stray bullet flying over my head and into the ceiling.

My senses returned and, almost pissing myself, I turned and ran down the tunnel past Ace and Lollipop. It was good timing, as a fucking rocket streaked past the soldiers and blasted the tunnel’s roof. The cement buckled and toppled, filling the tunnel entrance with debris.

“Dammit!” Fuse yelled over the comm. “We’re cut off! I can’t blow the debris under fire!”

“We gotta push forward, but the plan hasn’t changed!” Mayflowers announced. “We’re going to push our way to Charlie, over!” I heard a few more gunshots before her broadcast cut out.

“Copy that!” Lollipop said over the comm, looking at the rubble. “We’re moving, over and out.”

Ace looked down the tunnel and flicked on her flashlight, illuminating the dark and dingy passage. This tunnel was a lot smaller than the last one - only about two ponies could walk side-by-side comfortably. The air was relatively clear, but still cold as fuck.

“I don’t think I like hanging around you guys anymore,” Tallie said, climbing onto my back. “That was... scary.”

“You okay?” I asked, looking over my shoulder as Lollipop and Ace marched ahead. “That can’t have been easy.”

Tallie shook her head. “Not really, but I’ll be fine.” The little griffin looked at me with her big red eyes and I could see the fear in them. The same fear I knew was in my own. She squeezed into my large hood again for warmth with just her head and shoulders poking out. I wasn’t sure how she always managed that. Must have been her cat half taking over.

“We’ll be okay, okay?” I said, trying to reassure the little griffin. “You’re a big girl now. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m only thirteen,” Tallie replied and hid a little more in my hood. “Not really big...”

I chuckled and started walking. “Hey, when I was thirteen, I was already bucking trees and earning my place on dad’s farm.” I looked over my shoulder. “It’s not your age that matters, it's your maturity and what you do with it.”

“I guess,” she said. “Look, I’ll be okay.”

“Cool.”

“What’s the holdup?” Ace called back. She and Lollipop were already way ahead of us. “We haven’t got time for chit-chat.”

“Coming!” Tallie shouted ahead and climbed out of my hood and off my back. The little griffin scampered forward and leapt onto Lollipop’s back as Ace dropped back to join me for a bit.

Ace and I walked in silence, staring up ahead with our flashlights cutting through the darkness before us. Lollipop was ahead talking to Tallie through her large gasmask, keeping her guns pointed forward. “So,” Ace said, breaking the cold silence. “What... what happened back there, dude?”

I sighed and shook my head, looking down at the cracked concrete floor. “I don’t know.” I looked up at her visor and into those large, beautiful brown eyes. “Just the thought of sniping a living pony got to me. Sending a bullet through their head from so far away. It was surreal and I guess I panicked.” I looked down at the floor again. “I… I just can’t keep killing.”

“They were raiders, Clover,” Ace said, bumping her rump into mine. “If you hadn’t killed him, they would have killed someone else. They’re insane monsters. You know that.”

“I do,” I said, looking back up at her. “Trust me, I do. I love to see them die,” I paused for a moment, realising how creepy that sounded. “It’s just the concept of killing. I mean, everypony out there was somepony’s child once, just like I was. Flesh and bone.”

Ace sighed and shook her head at me. “You’re not going to survive with that mentality,” she said, simply. “If everyone thought that way, the world wouldn’t be like it is. But it is, so to survive it’s kill or be killed.” She looked me in the eye. “Are you gonna kill, or are you gonna be killed?”

“I don’t really have much of a choice,” I muttered.

“You do what you gotta do,” Ace said. “Now come on, let’s get this shit over with and get back to the city. I found a spa back there, and you definitely need a spa day.”

“Spa day?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. “Ace, I was a farm boy, lived off the dirt, pounded bark with my bare hooves. I don’t need a spa day.”

Ace stopped and giggled softly. “You totally want one, don’t you?”

I stopped and looked away. There was a brief silence before looked down the tunnel. The others were out of earshot, then I turned back to Ace and nodded. “Yes,” I whispered. “Please.”

Ace slapped my back with a laugh and trotted onward. “It’s a date!”

A date?

She looked back, seeing my expression of shock. “It’s a saying Clover, relax.” She turned back down the tunnel. “Or is it?” With that, she bounded forward.

Well. Hooray for me!

“Hey!” Lollipop called from up ahead. “We found a way out!” Trotting forward, I saw our exit point. A remarkably intact iron ladder led up the side of the tunnel and up to a manhole, light barely passing through small holes in the lid. “I got point.” Lollipop hooked her massive machine gun over her back, checked her barding and saddle, then climbed up. She pushed the manhole up and heaved it aside to peek out. “All clear,” she whispered down after a few seconds and dragged herself out.

Tallie was the next up the ladder, and leapt out into the open air. Ace sheathed her machete and slung her shotgun over her shoulder, then climbed up. I blushed and looked away after getting a pretty damn good view from below her. Taking a deep breath and doing a little calm-dance, I climbed up last.

I poked my head out and saw Lollipop leaning up against a wall with her machine gun pointed down a long, wide alleyway. Ace had taken up cover behind a dumpster with her shotgun, and Tallie stood nearby, huddled over and stamping her little feet. “So cooooold!” she moaned.

Ace looked over as I pulled myself out of the hall and brushed myself down. “Welcome back.” She looked over at Lollipop and nodded, coming out of cover. The mares started walking down the alleyway, looking up at the tall buildings and dilapidated walls.

I looked up into the sky above the buildings. It was a powder white with large splotches of grey and black behind a veil of swirling snow. A few tiny flakes danced through the freezing air and landed on my visor before melting into droplets of cold water. The silence around me felt so surreal against my cold surroundings. The massive structures around us were pockmarked with bullet holes and punctured with gaping holes from explosions. Rebar and rubble jutted out from the buildings and it seemed almost all the windows had been shattered. A thin layer of ice crawled down the northern side of each building.

I felt something crawl onto my back and tug on my right, intact ear. “Hey Clover,” Tallie whispered. “You okay?” Wasn’t that the question of the day. “I don’t think you should be thinkin’ so hard at the moment, what with all the fucked-up shit out here.” She lightly bopped the top of my head. “Gotta keep moving.”

“Yeah,” I replied, shaking my head to get loose of her dreaded ear-hold. “It’s just... kinda beautiful, y’know?” I looked back at her. She examined the areas around us. It wasn’t much really, just a wide alleyway. On either side of us were large buildings, and flanking our route was a long brick wall. I started walking down the alley, still looking up at the large buildings. We passed by a broken-in door in a lower building on the right, flanked by dumpsters. I looked up ahead to see Ace and Lollipop talking about directions, so I figured I had a little time.

Curiosity rising, I took a small detour and peeked into the door. Inside was a dark, black and white tile floor, stretching down a long hallway. I couldn’t see the far end of the hall, but I did see a body in familiar armour. It was a set of brown and yellow armour, blackened by old bloodstains and the elements. Remarkably though, from what I could see, the body hadn’t gone rotten at all. It had been perfectly preserved by the cold. Would Lollipop think the soldier’s body was just a husk? Even if it was perfectly preserved?

Honestly, I didn’t want to ask. Not for my sake, but for the soldier’s sake. Lollipop might think different, but I always thought disturbing the dead was just wrong, husk or no. I wouldn’t want anyone disturbing dad’s or Shamrock’s graves. I would kill anyone who tampered with them.

“Poor dude,” Tallie murmured on my back, staring at the corpse. “Probably died in the war.”

“Most likely,” I replied. “Unless he found the armour. Either way, he’s frozen stiff.” I looked up at the griffin on my back, peeking over my head. “Anything that would be salvageable is probably too frozen to grab.”

She nodded in agreement. “Maybe we could thaw him out? Think he’d be alive?”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “Looks like he got shot. I hope it was quick at least.” I turned and headed out the door again. “Besides, we really don’t have time. We have to keep moving.”

I shivered when my hooves touched the snow-powdered ground. Even with my boots on it was still very cold. I took in a deep, filtered, breath and looked up and down the alley again. The way we came seemed undisturbed, and the snow slowly covered our tracks behind us. The end of the alley opened into another street, but we headed in the opposite direction. Trotting to keep warm, I joined the girls. Their whispers joined with the ghostly winds between the buildings, which broke the silence around us. We were surrounded by tall buildings, which was maybe why I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

“Yeah, maybe,” Ace whispered to Lollipop as I trotted up. “It’s just he’s- Oh, Clover, hey.”

I nodded at the mare and smiled. “Hey gals. Figured out which way to go?” Tallie had curled up on my back again, staring up at the tall buildings above us. She shivered in the cold. I made a mental reminder to get her some hot cocoa as soon as we got out of Mustang.

Lollipop looked at Ace and nodded. “Yeah, it should be that way,” she pointed down the left passage. “We’re about a twenty to thirty-minute walk from the rally point, and at this rate, I reckon the Defenders will get there before us. Unless the raiders are tougher than they looked.”

“Doubt it,” Ace replied, trotting off with her shotgun at the ready Lollipop was quick to follow, her machine-gun clanking against her barding. I watched as they headed out, wondering what they’d been talking about before I got there. Sure wasn’t about directions. I looked up the walls on either side of me, and followed after them.

Old and faded posters hung along many of the walls, most distorted and unintelligible. I could make out a few, though. One had a large tank and three soldiers charging at the enemy with great muster. “Drive them back!” was written across the top. “Join the Coalition today!”

Another featured a massive griffin in armour just like Gaz’s standing heroically over a burned and tattered Zebra flag. He carried a massive, smoking machine gun, even bigger than Lollipop’s. It had a long barrel connected to a rectangle. The bullets being fed into it from a large ammo pack mounted on the griffin’s back looked way too big to be bullets. A lot bigger than my sniper ammo, that’s for damn sure. The griffin was proudly sporting the Coalition colours as the sun rose behind him. “Show them who’s boss!” read the great slogan of this poster. “Beat ‘em before Equestria even gets here!”

The silence amplified the effectiveness of the posters. They promised great victory, but there I was standing in a cold, dead city. I shivered again and ran forward to catch up with the unicorn mares.

“Damn, it’s quiet...” Ace said, looking up at the dark clouds above. “Too quiet.”

“Way to be cheesy,” Lollipop said with a snicker. “There’s nothing out this far. Nothing out here for raiders.” She looked up at the tall, empty buildings and chuckled. “Nothing here but us ponies.”

“Hey!”

“And griffins.” Lollipop winked at Tallie.

I shivered again. I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. My eyes scanned the smashed remains of the buildings, searching. What for, I didn’t know. Ponies? Ghosts? Anything, really. My pipbuck didn’t pick up anything other than my three comrades. No friendlies, and no enemies.

Tallie gave me a startle as she leapt off my back and jogged on the spot. “It's too cold, dammit!” she squeaked and jogged up to Ace and Lollipop. “Who’s got a blanket?”

Ace rolled her eyes and picked up the runty teen and hugged her. “No blankets, but what about an Ace heater?” she asked with a chuckle, then looked at Lollipop and I. “You two go on ahead, we’ll catch up after I warm her up.” Tallie flinched at first, then looked unsure of what to do, but finally she snuggled into Ace and purred lightly at the warmth.

“We won’t stray too far, but we don’t really have the time.” Lollipop looked back at me, jerked her head at the road ahead, and started walking. “Hurry, please.” I trotted up to her side and followed her down the alley. The buildings around us were neatly packed together, providing long alleys that seemed to go on forever. I did see streets running parallel to the alley we were heading down, but the snow was practically moving sideways down it with the strong winds. I could see why Lollipop led us down the alleys now.

“Look, Clover,” Lollipop began, her eyes fixed down the route she’d chosen. “What happened back there, with the miss and stuff. You had doubts and they got to you. I understand that, trust me, I do, I’ve seen it in so many soldiers’ eyes. Know what happens to those soldiers?” She looked at me, my eyes showing all sorts of worry. I already knew but I wish I hadn’t. “I’m shoving their intestines back into their gut and sewing them up not a half hour later.” She looked back down the alley, not even taking a moment to notice my horrified expression playing across my eyes.

“You have to distance yourself from the other pony. They’re the enemy, they’re here to kill you. One hesitation can kill you. An act of bravery can save many,” she said, walking slowly. How could she seem so calm after all she’d seen? Guts and gore, ponies my age going to war, the bloodshed of possibly hundreds... the very thought made my head spin.

“I’m not saying become a cold basket case, just don’t overthink on the battlefield. Shoot first, worry later.” She turned to me and looked me right in the eyes. “Understand? I don’t want any of you to get hurt. You’re our sniper. You’re the cover for us. You’re the one who has the control over who dies and who lives. Don’t fuck it up.” Her eyes looked cold and dark, striking a terror in my veins.

They started to ease up as she looked into my eyes, the pupils shrinking in sheer terror. “Shit,” she muttered. “Sorry, Clover. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Her voice shifted from the chilling, frostbitten tone to more of a caring, warm, gentle one. “I just I hate seeing ponies make mistakes when lives are in danger.”

I shook in my boots for several moments before finally pulling myself together. “It’s, uh... It’s okay, I guess?” I asked, looking at my sniper. “I know I fucked up at the wrong time. Won’t happen again.” What she’d said about all the lives in my hooves. Tallie, Ace, Lollipop, maybe even more when the time came. I couldn’t let them down. Their lives were the most important thing to me, more important than anyone else’s. I just had to remember that the next time I had a face in the crosshairs.

I felt my insides chill a little at the revelation, like I’d swallowed ice. It slowly melted in my stomach, which only sent more shivers all the way down my body. I coudn’t explain it, but I felt something else, something deeper. Something wasn’t right, but it felt pretty good. It felt like the sweet, sweet release of an adrenaline rush, but deep down inside. It was awesome.

The snow swirled through the high rises above us as a purring Tallie and a trotting Ace caught up with us. Thankfully, I don’t think either had a clue about what we had just discussed, though I doubted they’d mind. I’d bet they’d agree, really.

Lollipop looked at each of our little group and smiled. “Well aren’t we a bunch of happy campers. Walking through an abandoned city looking for loot and... whatever it is Clover’s after.”

“To destroy a tether that’s keeping the Patriarch in the Stable,” I said, then chuckled sheepishly. “S-Simple...”

“And to get gear for Hammer and Sickle,” Ace said. “Like Lollipop said. Loot.” She started to trot onward. “Now c’mon. Times a wastin’.” She reached a T-intersection and looked down the left, then right passage before choosing the latter.

“Ace!” Lollipop shouted and raised an eyebrow. Ace scurried out again, then down the left passage. “There we go.”

The snow was starting to build up around us. My hooves were fully submerged. Oddly enough, they weren’t all that cold: the boots Hammer had given us definitely helped. Tallie wasn’t so lucky, but she had managed to fashion thick socks from old fabrics we’d found along our trek through the frozen city.

The city itself seemed to get odder and odder the further we walked. Some of the icicles on walls and buildings hung sideways, and the buildings showed more damage from bulletholes and explosions. The clouds above us had become dark and ominous, pockmarked with swirling spirals of snowy winds high above our heads. The only sounds I could hear were the ghostly wailing of the winds and the crunch of fresh snow under our hooves.

The quiet and cold lethality of the place made for a truly haunting experience. We were the only ones around for potentially miles, but I still felt a million eyes on us, staring, judging. There couldn’t be anyone. There couldn’t. The poisoned air and freezing climate made that impossible.

Didn’t it?

We slowly came up to a corner in the small street we’d been following and ran across something I really wished we hadn’t. There, slumped against the wall, lay the bloodied corpse of what seemed to be a scavenger.

Lollipop gently bent down and tried to move him for a better observation, but he was frozen solid. “Hmmm, Ace, help me check this guy out,” she said to my beige companion, then looked at me. “You two keep an eye out . Your EFS can probably spot anything that may or may not be coming for us.”

I gulped down hard after she said that. “C-Coming for us?” I asked, shuffling my hoof a little.

“Yes, this guy died somehow, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t from exposure.” She pointed at the large blood trails running down his coat. “Now cover us dammit, and stallion up already.”

I took a deep breath and nodded, remembering what she’d said before. I could very possibly have their lives in my hooves. I had to start paying attention and play my role. It wasn’t just me anymore.

I needed to be like Shamrock. Courageous, caring, and tenacious when it came to friends and family. The mere thought of my older brother conjured something inside me, forcing me to steel myself. I could feel his bravery seep into my veins, something like adrenaline, but much less potent.

With my newfound confidence, I looked around, keeping an eye on my EFS. There was nothing but four white blips on my radar. Tallie, Ace, Lollipop, and... wait a second. I looked around again. Yep. There was definitely an extra blip. The others seemed too preoccupied with either checking the body over or trying to keep warm to notice. Where was this mystery friendly?

I walked past the mares, finding that their blips shifted quickly as I passed them, but the other friendly stayed constant. I followed it to the end of the short road and found myself in a small courtyard between buildings.

“What’re we doin’?” Tallie asked on my back, looking around. She’d tried her best to bundle up in the tarp on my back. I think she’d finally started to get cozy. “They said watch their backs, dude.”

“I am,” I muttered, squinting. There wasn’t anyone in the courtyard, and nopony in the windows around us. I looked up and focused on the tops of the buildings. Up on top of the tallest of the buildings was a small black dot amongst the swirling snow. I flipped the scope on my sniper over my eye and peered through.

It was, yeah, it was a pony. I couldn’t make out specific features, just the gentle flutter of a long black coat and large brimmed hat. The figure watched us from on high through large bug-eyes. It definitely wore a gasmask, but I could barely make it out. It just stared at me, unmoving.

I raised a hoof to wave at the figure, but it just stood there in silence, staring. It stared for only a moment longer before darting out of view entirely.

“Who was that?” Tallie whispered, staring up as well.

“I don’t know,” I whispered back. “But I got a bad feeling about it,”

“Clover!” Ace called from back at the corpse. “Get your ass back here, colt!” I ignored her call for a few moments, trying to make sense of what I’d just seen. Maybe it was another scavenger? Maybe a reformed raider? I couldn’t pinpoint it, but something just seemed... wrong.

I shook the thoughts from my head and trotted back to Ace. There were only three blips on my radar again, and those I could attribute to my friends.

“Check this out,” Lollipop said, her authoritative military voice kicking in. “I’ve determined the cause of death.”

With great effort, she’d managed to move the body enough to uncover the stallion’s chest. I could tell straight away how he’d died. Just like the pegasus back in the sewers, this stallion had a large hole through his chest, like he’d been impaled. “Damn,” I whispered, looking away. “There are raiders this far in?” I whispered and looked at Ace. “We gotta get moving...”

“I’m not so sure,” Lollipop said, looking closely at the wound. “I’ve never seen anything this wide. Either they’re packing serious heat, or there’s somepony else out here.” She looked at all three of us in turn. “I’ve seen similar wounds before, but those were from Federation anti-machine rifles.” She looked back. “But they were a little more messy than this.” She rubbed her masked chin and hummed softly. “I hope they haven’t refined the design since I’ve been gone.”

“Great, so there’s raiders AND Feds out here now?” Ace asked, her voice coated in attitude. “Fucking great.”

“I didn’t say that,” Lollipop retorted, starting to strip the body of its useful resources. A few filters for gas masks, a torch, some matches, a few cans of food and such. The pistol the stallion had was frozen solid on the ground and offered no real use. “I just meant that I’ve seen something similar.”

“Yeah, right.” Ace grunted and started walking into the courtyard. “Let’s just keep moving.”

The medical unicorn picked up her dufflebag and looked down at the corpse. “Thanks for the stuff, friend,” she whispered, now turning to her soft medical pony voice. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t go to waste.” And with that she followed after Ace. I was the one at the rear again.

I didn’t know if I should tell the others. Was what I’d seen real, or had I just imagined it? Tallie had seen it too though, so it had to be real. “Hey girls,” I called out to them both and quickly caught up. “I think I saw somepony a minute ago.” I kept my voice down, just in case somepony other than my friends was listening. “I dunno if I’m going nuts or not, but I really think I saw something.”

“I did too,” whispered Tallie. “There was somepony all the way up there.” She pointed up at the tall building and pulled the tarp over her head so that only her eyes and beak were poking out. “Somepony creepy...”

“Were they hostile?” Ace asked, looking up. “Not that it matters. Doesn’t look like they stayed around.”

“No,” I replied. “At least, I don’t think so.”

Lollipop looked up, then back at me. “Ace is right, it doesn’t really matter anymore. It was probably just a scavenger or something.”

“Mmm,” I mumbled, somewhat agreeing. Something about it just felt off.

Ace looked around the courtyard. There were four streets leading out, one of which we’d just come from, and right in the middle lay a small playground. I swear I could almost hear the faint laughter of children in the whistling winds. To think that once foals of all ages used to congregate here to play, but now it was just a remnant of times lost. Foals would play here again. I wasn’t so sure that was a bad thing.

“Which way now?” Ace asked us, looking around. “We’re still on the right course, right?”

Our new quickly-becoming-leader Lollipop nodded. “Yeah, I think so. We’re supposed to take the, uh...” She pulled my hoof over and checked the maps on my duct-taped pipbuck. “North road.” She looked at me and smiled. “And which way is north, bud?”

I looked at my compass and nodded in the N direction. “That way?”

Lollipop smiled and nodded. “Very good! Now let’s head off. We should be near the main street.” She turned and slogged through the snow down the north road. Ace looked at me and waved her hoof in a circle around her ear.

I was inclined to agree with her. Lollipop was a really weird one, that was for sure. She seemed to alter readily between her battle-hardened soldier voice, to a soft medical one, then to a childish, friendly tone, but what scared me the most was a strange look she got in combat. She seemed so peaceful, but could turn into some sort of tenacious animal at the drop of the hat. I guess it suited her look, really. The swirling shavings in her mane and the black tribal-looking tattoos, matched with the large pink mohawk, added up to be a truly intimidating style.

Ace on the other hand seemed more simpler to understand. I’d seen her bitchiness, when we first met over a week or two ago. It seemed like she’d hated my guts and even tried to get me into fights for her amusement. Over time she’d softened up to me, and, well, gotten less bitchy. She was still a little cold to Lollipop and I could sense the feelings of slight distrust she had toward the former Fed, but I thought that Lollipop’s unfriendly stance on the Federation aided that relationship. Then she was friendly toward me, up until the time we’d boinked. After that she was pissed. I assumed it was her defense mechanism kicking in again, but after that, everything seemed okay. She was really really great. I felt like I’d do anything for that mare. Did she feel the same way about me? I hoped so, but I just couldn’t know.

Tallie seemed strange to me. She’d had such a horrible upbringing, from what she’d told me. Barely fed, mum was a bitch, abusive dad... the exact opposite of my own family. She was practically new to the liberty we lucky ponies had available to us. Well, almost all of us. Those of us not tormented by inner demons and bound to the cause of revenge. When the week was up and Snake Eyes had information about Double Down for me, I’d be off again to Neighgas. I’d go right at that instance, abandoning my quest to save the Patriarch, to kill that suit-wearing green murderer and his psycho bitch. They’d both know pain they’d never imagined.

But no, I couldn’t. I couldn’t abandon my friends like that. Ace had offered to help me in my journey, and I wasn’t prepared to move without her being ready. It’d be foolish of me to do something like that. Lollipop had joined us to seek a new place to settle, which quite honestly I didn’t think was going to happen. She said she’d been on the run from Feds, and I didn’t think she’d be able to settle. Then there was Tallie. We were all she had left in this world, and there was no way was I going to walk out on her.

Finally, there was the obvious. I didn’t know what Double Down was capable of, who he had working for him, and how much he would be willing to throw at me to stop me. He’d sent out an international bounty for fuck’s sake. Snake Eyes’ information would hopefully help me find a chink in his armour.

I did know one thing though. Shamrock would be avenged, no matter what.

In the meantime however, I just had to sit tight. And what better to spend my time on than helping the Ponave? That was the whole reason we’d come to Mustang in the first place: to help the Patriarch. Freeing him had the potential to bring some aspect of life back to the Ponave and change it from a barren wasteland into something greater. There was also the possibility the Patriarch would spread tyranny across the desert, but judging from how he spoke and who he once was, I doubted it.

I guess helping The Resistance those times was kind of helping the Ponave. Getting one side one step closer to control over the battle-torn region would stop the fighting sooner, right? I wasn’t one for diplomacy, but I’d never really liked the Federation, so why not help others where I could? From what Ace told me, and some subtle hints from Lollipop, helping The Resistance was the best move forward. Plus it was too late for me to go back now. If anyone back in Fed lands knew I’d helped the enemy, I’d be branded for treason and sent to goodness knows where.

“We all good back there?” Lollipop asked over her shoulder. Of course, I’d had my head in the clouds while we walked down the tight streets and alleyways. There wasn’t much that really stood out that I hadn’t seen before. Snow, cold grey brick walls, propaganda posters, the odd dumpster, nothing too unique. The clouds above us maintained their dark grey coat and continued to send snow our way. I turned my attention down from the sky to Lollipop and nodded. “Alright, good. We’re coming up on one of the main roads now, so keep your eyes open. Should be just around this corner.”

I nodded again and looked at my EFS. “Gotcha, Lollipop.” I swivelled my head around, looking in all directions. “EFS is clear right now. Just you two and Tallie.” We turned down another street and stopped.

The building at the end of the street had collapsed against the building beside it, filling the passage we were meant to go through with rubble. “Damn it,” Ace cursed, and kicked a small pile of snow. “That’s blocking our path, isn’t it?”

Lollipop nodded. “No biggie though,” she said and walked forward. She reached the rubble and looked around. “We’ll just find another way out.” The rubble covered two alleys, forward and right, which just left the left passage open. “Down this way a few blocks and it should let us out.”

Ace and I followed our intrepid leader on our small journey through the endless side passages and alleyways. “Sure is a lot of alleyways,” I muttered to Ace. “Kinda seems... excessive.”

“Eh, not really,” Ace replied. “I heard Mustang was built pretty efficiently. Long lines of buildings along larger roads with maybe two to three blocks in between for pedestrians.” She shrugged and kept walking. “Might seem excessive, but we haven't really been down that many. I’m cool with it either way.”

“If you say so,” I said and looked back at Tallie. “How’re you holding up, kiddo?”

Tallie had pulled the tarp and her coat so far around her that only her eyes were poking out. “I’m cold as fuck. What’s new?” she muttered and glanced around. “When we’re done here, I’m lighting a big bloody fire and dancing around it like a savage.”

“What a wild imagination you have,” I said, looking back down the road.

“You don’t even know the half of it, chief,” Tallie replied and looked over my head. “Aww nuts, dead end.” Indeed we had come to a dead end. There was no other passages branching off from here, but instead just a large metal door leading into some building. “Guess we gotta turn back then?”

“Not quite,” Ace said, looking over the door. She pointed at it and looked at Lollipop. “We gotta go through here, right?” Lollipop nodded and stepped back. “Fun!”

In one fluid motion, she whisked her shotgun off her back and fired two shots: one on the top right side of the door and one on the bottom left. The metal punctured and curved inward around the shots like a small explosion had rocked it. Ace slung the shotgun across her back again and gave the door a light tap. She stood for several seconds looking proud of herself before cracking open a well-chuffed eye and peering at the door. “You gotta be kidding me...” she muttered and turned around, then delivered a mighty buck. The door didn’t offer too much resistance as it flew a meter or two and fell to the ground. “And open sesame.”

“Real nice, Ace,” Lollipop muttered and walked in. “Now, if I remember those maps correctly, this should be the old cop shop.” She looked around and turned on her flashlight. On one of the walls was a large recruitment poster featuring a chiseled stallion with a large moustache looking off to the side, his Mustang Police Department badge glimmering with pride. Yup, definitely the cop shop.

“Bound to be some good loot then, huh?” Ace asked, getting out her own flashlight.

Lollipop turned around and seemed to smile under her mask. “You read my mind.” She floated up her duffle bag and trotted off. “Let’s take a look around and grab what we can, then let’s get outta here.”

We moved silently through the hallway until we reached the main lobby. It was a fairly large room with two long couches in the corner, and a small coffee table in front of them. On the other was a large metal door with a small glass window to look in, behind the main desk. There were two other wooden doors but they were closed. Lollipop made a beeline for the main desk while Ace tried to open one of the doors. Tallie crawled off my back and followed after Ace, trying to get the doors open, while I...

Well, I decided to have a sit on one of the couches. Why not? They looked comfy enough, and by golly, they were. It was like sitting on a cloud. I instantly relaxed into it and sighed in comfort, then leafed through the magazines they had available on the coffee table. Interior design... hm, pretty neat. Machines and technology... sounded interesting. A child’s comic book... looked pretty awesome. A mare showing off her marehoo- hold the phone. Yep, definitely an adult magazine. I stared for a few moments before shoving all of the magazines into my bag. Cause, y’know, science.

Of course, when I looked up after zipping up my bag I noticed Ace looming over me with a big smile on her face. “What’cha got there, Clover?” she asked in a sing-song voice.

“Nothing!” I replied, clutching my bag to my chest. “Nothingatallnopenothing.”

Ace snorted and giggled. “Whatever. Just as long as you share.” She winked, then nodded at the door. “Anyway, need your help. It’s not locked, but it’s jammed pretty bad.” She looked back at me and smiled under her mask. “Could use those farm-stallion legs of yours.”

I got up and walked over to one of the wooden doors. Tallie had planted both feet on the doors and pulled with her hands, trying hard to get it open. I didn’t think she was going to get very far. “s’cuse me,” I said and lifted her off the door. “Lemme try.”

“Ugh, fine,” Tallie said and walked over to the next door.

I looked the door over, trying to assess its weak spot, then reared up and bucked the door as hard as I could. The door gave way and fell inward, the sound of it hitting the floor resonating through the room. Ace shone her flashlight inside to discover a longish hallway with a few doors on either side. None of them were closed, but each had an ‘Authorized Access’ sign on it.

Inside the first was a series of lockers lined up against the wall. Most had been flung open and haphazardly emptied but some remained closed. Further in was a set of showers, one of which had been left on, trailing a long frozen pole where the water had frozen. I walked over to it, ignoring the lockers that Ace was trying to break into, and took a closer look.

Something about the long, oversized icicle intrigued me. I wondered about how the hell water could freeze quickly enough to make a consistent shape all the way down to the ground. I’d often thought the same thing about regular old icicles or ice formations. I stared at the ice and saw the wall behind it distort, but I could still see the details of the tiling behind it. “Neato!” I announced and touched the ice. It felt strong and smooth. It was a good thing I wore a mouth covering mask, or I’d have done something seriously stupid.

“Eh, there’s nothing in these,” Ace announced, smashing the last locker open. “Nothing but personal articles and stuff. Kinda worthless from a monetary standpoint.”

“But sentimentally, worth a fortune no doubt,” I replied, walking over.

Ace levitated out a half eaten, frozen chocolate bar. “Nope, I’m sticking with worthless.”

I rolled my eyes and looked inside. “Yeah, but what about this?” I asked, pulling out an old photo from the back of the locker. It was of two similar looking stallions, standing in front of some sort of landmark out in the Ponave. I’d say they were brothers if I were to hazard a guess. “Family photo. Probably worth a lot to whoever owned it.”

Ace sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled and closed the locker. “Still, nothing we should take with us. Can’t really sell it.” And with that, she turned and headed for the door.

“Hey,” I called after her and caught up. “You okay?” I asked, my voice laced with a tinge of concern. She came across as kind of sad, but I hadn’t really seen her sad before.

“Yeah,” she replied. “There’s just some things that remind me about the hell we live in, y’know?” she asked and looked at the floor. “I don’t normally let it get to me, but sometimes... you know. It just does.” She looked up at me and shook her head, trying to get the thoughts out. “I normally wouldn’t be like this around anyone else, but hell, I trust you.” She did a little jog on the spot, trying to get it out of her system. “Good to let it out every now and again, right?” she said then left through the door. “Lets see what’s behind door number two.”

Inside the second door was a much smaller common room by the looks of it. As I swept my flashlight around the room I saw a couple of sofas, a long coffee table, a small television, a few tables and chairs, a small kitchen corner, and a pony huddled in the corner. I froze and shone my light back on it, then felt dumb as I realized it was dead.

She was a mare in a set of heavy police barding, like a riot cop or something. In fact, her armour looked a little like my own, but a deeper blue and with black pads. I was no medical professional, but by her expression and the lack of blood, I came to the conclusion that she’d frozen here. All alone too, which was another strange point. If she’d frozen here, where were the rest of the frozen bodies? Maybe she was the only one left in this place at the time? Stayed back to hold down the fort? I doubted it. No pony would be that stupid.

“Bah, nothing in here of use,” Ace said, rifling through the shelves and cabinets. “Everything’s frozen or just gone. Looks like we weren’t the first ones to scav this place.”

I was focused on the body more than anything else. It was hard for me to come to terms about death, even though I’d seen so much of it. The Separatist fight back in Buckwheat was the first time I’d seen anyone shot, let alone several ponies. I’d only seen three corpses before then. Clàrsach’s, dad’s, and Shamrock’s. An accident, natural, and murder. Even though I didn’t know most of the ponies who died around me, they all shook me to the core all the same. One of the worst was that pink merc who had begged for his life. That still made me clench my eyes in regret and anger. I didn’t kill him, it was Trailblaze, but I had still enabled him. I let my guard down and he got out. Poor guy. I bet it was his first job, too.

“Hey, it was self defense,” a voice whispered in my head. Damn it. “That pony knew it was a dangerous life being a merc, and he died for it. He shouldn’t have attacked us.” True as that was, I still felt sorry for the stallion. “Fuck that guy. His group knocked Ace the fuck out too. What would’ve happened if we’d all been carried off? What would’ve happened to her? She’d probably be some stallion’s cock-sock by now, and we’d be dead.” I would never let that happen! “And it didn’t because we protected ourselves.” Was Trailblaze starting to make sense? I didn’t know what to think about it. He’d always been so... evil. Wanting to kill everyone. “That may be so, but there’ll be a time and a place for that shit, trust me. Right now, I gotta make sure you don’t get both of us killed.”

The sound of a hoof knocking on my visor brought me back from my inner discussion with the devil. Ace stood in front of me, face to face. “Yoohoo, Clovey-boy, wake up.”

I blinked a few times and frowned. “Hey, don’t tap the glass. You’ll scare the fish.”

“Huh?” Ace asked, raising an eyebrow, then knocking my visor again. “What’s a fish?”

“Ugh, nevermind,” I grumbled. “So you didn’t find anything worth taking?”

“Nah. One more door to go, though.” She skipped over to the door and leapt out. Ace always seemed to be brimming with either enthusiasm or cunning. She was nice and bubbly when she wanted to be, and a scheming minx when she wanted something. I only really saw that side early on in our endeavour when she made me fight that big fucker back in Westwood. What was his name? Wild Card, or something like that. Big fucker. I remembered kicking him in the nads. Good times.

Ace pulled on the last door, but found that the big metal hulk wouldn’t move. She tugged a few more times then grumbled. “Locked,” she muttered and pulled out her shotgun. “Which probably means there’s something good.” She aimed directly at the lock and pulled the trigger. Just like the door into the police station, the metal exploded inward and the lock was officially buggered. The door swung open without any more resistance. “Gotta love breaching shells,” the beige mare said, looking very proud of herself.

“What’s going on down there?” Lollipop asked from down the hall. “You all okay?” She started walking down the hall to investigate the shotgun blast. “You better not be wasting those shells, girl, or I will be pissed. We’ll need them later on down the line, no doubt.”

Ace ducked inside the door and squealed. “Relax, Lollipop, it was for a good reason.” I decided to take a look myself, and instantly saw what Ace meant. “I found the armoury.”

Indeed she had. There were shelves of police-issue ammo, armour, and weapons. On the closest rack sat several stacks of riot armour all frozen together. “Get whatever isn’t frozen to the shelves,” Lollipop ordered, moving over to one of the ammo shelves. “We don’t have time to chisel or thaw them out.”

I took a little look around the medium-sized room while the others shifted whatever they could into their bags. Most of what they could get was ammo, as most of the guns and armour had frozen entirely.

There was enough equipment in this armoury to suppress a decent-sized riot, for sure. The number of riot shields alone could have surrounded a small protest. It was a pity that, once again, I couldn’t find any that hadn’t been frozen to the shelf.

By the end of the loot session, the girls and I accumulated about a hundred and fifty 9mm rounds for pistols, a hundred 5.56 ammo, thirty shotgun rounds, and about fifty .308 bullets, giving me plenty for my rifle before having to use the engraved ammo.

I didn’t want to use the engraved bullets for a few reasons. Regret, Revenge, Redemption. Each word engraved on a handful of bullets each. I didn’t want to use them because someone had put effort into engraving them, and I wasn’t sure if the engravings would alter the bullet’s path or not. But I had enough bullets now that I wouldn’t need to worry about that for a long while.

We did manage to get some weapons out of it though. A few of the pistols hadn’t been fully encased in ice and could be used for parts, while one or two could still actually work. Along with the pistols, we got five police batons, and two small shotguns. Ace’s shotgun was still more impressive, but the others might fetch a decent price.

We made our way back out of the police staff areas and back into the common room. We heard several clanks, which made me jump right out of my skin. It took me a few seconds to get my wits about me before I realized I’d jumped right into Ace’s forehooves. She rolled her eyes and dropped be right onto my butt. “Ow,” I whimpered, rubbing my hindquarters.

“Get up, ya big baby,” Ace grunted, walking over me.

It seemed everypony but me stayed calm, big fuckin’ surprise, probably because they knew exactly what the sound was. Tallie, being the tenacious little scrapper she’d been making herself out to be, had managed to pry open the other door using a crowbar she’d probably found nearby. I looked around, wondering where she’d got it from, then spotted a toolbox under one of the long benches by a darkened window. It was empty, and Tallie’s toolbelt looked a little heavier, as did the duffel she’d left by the door.

Ace walked up to the door and peered inside. “Tallie?” she whispered. The room was tiny in comparison to the rest of the rooms we’d been in, probably only big enough for four ponies to stand in comfortably.

“Mmm?” Tallie mumbled while fiddling with some junk she’d found. It appeared to be a janitor’s maintenance closet. The shelves were laden with several boxes full of tools and other bits and bobs used to fix things. Tallie seemed more interested in the little doohickey she’d found. It looked like a little box with wires coursing along the edges.

“What’ve you got there, Sweetie?” Lollipop asked in her caring medical voice.

Tallie didn’t even look up. “Industrial drill motor,” she muttered, and fiddled with something inside. “Looks like it still works... Hey Ace, hand me that spark battery, would ya?” she pointed at her duffle bag outside without looking up.

Ace blinked and floated out a little purple square with two wires poking out of it, out of Tallie’s duffel and floated it over to her. “Um, are you sure? I mean, it just looks like a... doohickey.” Nailed it.

The little griffin teenager didn’t look up once again. “Well, it is,” she muttered and snatched the battery out of Ace’s dark levitation field. She clipped it onto the side of the device and plugged the wires in. “Well, here goes,” she announced and flicked the switch. Some sort of coil started spinning inside and the top started to lazily spin around. “Bwahaha!” Tallie laughed. “Success!” She looked around once more, turning the device off, and pulled out a few other odds and ends. She started to attach them to the motor in various different ways that I couldn’t even begin to describe. I had severely underestimated that griffin’s skill with mechanics, even though I’d seen her fix those AC units back in Iron City.

The end result looked a little awkward and confusing. “What is it?” I asked, peering into the room. The base of the machine now had another, larger box hooked up to it, which Tallie had made on the spot. She flicked the switch again, and the top began to spin lazily again. The small coils inside the box started to glow a dull orange.

“Fuck yeah!” Tallie exclaimed, fist pumping the air. “Heater, bitches!” She put it down and held her hands up to it, murring quietly. “Oooooooh yeah that’s good.”

Ace blinked and looked at me, then back at the contraption. “Damn, that... that’s actually really impressive.”

“Yeah it is,” Tallie said, sounding all proud and smart. “Pretty simple really.”

“How did you learn to do all that?” Lollipop chimed in, just as perplexed as Ace and I.

Tallie picked up the machine and turned it off. She walked out of the room, having collected what she wanted and put it in her duffel, and climbed up onto my back. “Books,” she said simply. “And a few holo-vids, I guess. Anything I could find in my hideout.”

Lollipop chuckled and walked back over to the main desk. “You had a hideout? When?”

Tallie placed the box on my lower back and turned it on, warming both her and the back of my neck and head. It felt amazing, to be honest. “Well, I made it to stay outta my parents’ and the guards’ way. Out of sight, out of mind, right?” she asked, warming up her hands and bundling in my tarp. “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” the medical mare said and went around the desk. “One more area to check before we head off.” She shifted a few things on the desk and hummed. “Now, if what I heard is correct, jails have an emergency generator for things like cell doors and crucial systems, so...” she ran a hoof along the bottom of the desk and blinked. “Aha.”

She seemed to push a button on the underside of the desk and a well-frosted light above the nearby door shone red. There was a few, very quiet, distorted alarms but they died rather quickly. The door ground and whined as frozen parts started to shift. Something behind the door shattered, and the door began to move. I figured it was some sort of ice casing around a piston or something. Tallie probably knew. The door ground aside and came to a stop, falling silent.

Lollipop trotted over to the door. “I knew it. Doors like these run on a backup that lasts for a very long time if there’s barely anything running off it.” She ran a hoof over her tall pink mohawk in thought. “I wouldn’t doubt that the generator around here hasn’t had any activity in the last one-fifty to two hundred years.”

“Sounds about right,” Tallie said with a curt nod, warming up by her little heater. She even began to purr gently.

The next area contained another short hallway with a small security checkpoint. Lollipop gave it no heed as she marched right past it, through the opposite end of the checkpoint. I followed closely behind, my curiosity getting the best of me. What could be behind a security door and a checkpoint?

What a very stupid question, me. Jail cells of course. Duh. Just past the final door lay a room with six jail cells placed closely together. They were more of the old-school model of bars to make cage-like rooms for the bad guys to rot in. The whole room was painted white and hadn’t deteriorated from the years gone by.

Almost all of the cells were empty except the one in the far corner. There was a small, strange, huddled figure in the corner, the cell door left wide open. “That’s odd,” Ace remarked, walking over to the cell. “Why would someone rest in a pace like this?” I merely shrugged in response, then walked over.

The figure definitely wasn’t a pony. It had the same basic shape of a pony, but its ears were much longer and very floppy. I couldn’t see the creature’s face from its large gas mask, but I thought it was maybe a donkey, or a mule. ‘Wayward Freedom’ was stitched into an odd looking brown coat he wore, no doubt frozen to his hide.

“Look’it them ears,” I said, staring at the absurdly floppy looking earsies. Then I realized I’d just made fun of a dead person’s ears. They were already dead, so I didn’t thikn it mattered.

Ace started to fumble around the body in search of loot that we could take with us. Well, if she was comfy looting a corpse, I couldn’t do any harm by just touching it, right?

I slowly reached out and prodded one of the ears. It was stiff, but it moved slightly, and in a rather floppy fashion. I lifted it up and let it go, watching it flop down against the gas mask once more. I smiled under my helmet, even though I knew it had to be at least a little wrong.

“Clover,” Ace muttered, going through the mule’s satchel. “Stop messing around.”

“In a minute,” I said, and lifted the ear once more. Except it didn’t rise smoothly. The whole damn thing snapped off in my hoof! “Eep!” I squeaked and fumbled with the ear, not being able to catch it as it bounced between my hooves. It slipped between my hooves one last time and landed on the ground with a small thump.

“Ew!” Ace, Tallie, and I said in unison, disgusted by what I’d just done. I was always telling Lollipop to quit messing with graves, and look what I just did! I just did a massive whoopsie to a grave!

Ace narrowed her eyes at the now fresh-looking stump. “I told you to stop messing about, now look!” She levitated the ear back up and tried to stick it back on. It kept falling off, so she left it on the top of the mule’s head. “You moron,” she muttered at me as she brushed past me. “Don’t play with dead bodies, even the floppy ones.” I felt my heart sink slightly.

Why had I done that? Just... why. I knew better than to play with a corpse. I even said before that I’d kill anyone who messed with my family’s bodies. I felt so ashamed, that I wanted to sit and cry, then pray to the dead mule’s spirit for forgiveness. I wasn’t even a spiritual pony, but I still felt like I needed to do it.

Tallie patted my back lightly. “Hey, calm down, big guy. Could’ve been worse.”

“How?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. The warmth of Tallie’s portable heater tickled the front of my ears. “How could I have done something worse...?”

“Well, A, he could’ve been alive,” Tallie explained, “and B, he could’ve turned into a zombie and eaten your face off.”

Well wasn’t that a warming thought. “I guess,” I murmured and turned to follow Ace.

Ace had successfully lifted a few shotgun rounds, a book, and some canned food. The mule’s weapon had fallen apart from age and disrepair. He was dead though, Tallie was right, and just like Lollipop told me, bodies were just empty husks of what they once were. The soul had left the body. The thought helped the pain a little, but not much. I still felt extremely stupid and reckless for what I’d done. Stupid stallion! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

“I take it you got everything you could,” Lollipop asked, not mentioning anything about the body or what I’d done. Ace nodded and patted her bag. “Alright. The front door is frozen and the windows are covered in too much ice. Can’t blow through with anything in here.”

“Let’s just shotgun out,” Ace suggested, floating up her shotgun.

Lollipop shook her head. “No need, I already found a way out while you two were off in the common areas.”

She led us back to the main lobby and pointed at a set of stairs. “The main office has been blown to pieces, but so has the wall to the next building over. We’ll head over there and get out from there,” the lime-green mare explained.

Ace raised an eyebrow at the medic and started heading to the stairs. “You sure know a lot about this place,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Y’know, the streets, the buildings...”

Lollipop pushed me forward and started walking behind me. “It’s called situational analysis and studying maps, my beige friend.” She started to follow me and Tallie up the stairs. Ace waited at the top. “Comes from being a soldier.”

Ace rolled her eyes down at us and left our line of sight. “Pfft, yeah, right,” she said from around the corner, followed by a grunt and thump.

I climbed up to the top of the stairs, peered in through a freestanding doorframe, and saw her across a narrow gap between the two buildings. The view of the street was obscured by some sort of wreckage, made of metal and rubble. I looked down at the gap and gulped.

Tallie, Lollipop and myself stood in what had been the front of an office, now obliterated by an explosion. The black, charred walls made that painfully evident. Nothing had survived the blast, not even the floor. I didn’t trust the groaning that emanated from the floorboard as I shuffled closer to the edge. I wasn’t afraid of heights, just the possibility of the floor disappearing below me.

With a deep breath, I lept off the side of the crater and sailed through the air. “Wheee!” Tallie squealed, extending her wings and pretending to fly while I flailed at the opposite side of the drop, trying my best to grab the ledge. Thankfully, I didn’t need to as I landed delicately on the opposite side. On my face.

“Ow...” I groaned and slowly got to my hooves as Tallie giggled on my back. “At least one of us enjoyed it.” I looked back at her to find her staring back at me with her big red eyes. I thought she was smiling, but it was hard to tell. Who wouldn’t smile while huddled up next to a hand-made heater?

Lollipop landed next to me just in time as the office’s floor collapsed into the cells below. “That was a close one,” she said, looking over the edge. The old, cold, burned boards shattered as they hit the floor, and so would we, if we hadn’t gotten off them so quickly. “I hate ruins...”

“Ditto,” Ace said, looking around the room. It too appeared to be an office, but much smaller and not as burned.The walls and floors were still a little charred, but the back of the room was still fairly intact. Small as it was, it still housed a little desk and a few filing cabinets.

I walked over to the desk and noticed some of the papers strewn across the top of it. ‘Happy Cabbage Groceries,’ was written in the corner of each piece. The papers themselves seemed to be just a bunch of old invoices and inventory checklists. Nothing too interesting. Whoever had owned or managed the place must not have kept personal mementos around, which was a shame, as my curiosity kept nagging me about the history of places like that.

“Stairs... stairs...” Lollipop muttered and opened a door. “Closet. Damn.” The closet she opened was bare except for a small skeletonized hoof at the very bottom. Nothing else though, just the hoof. I think the closet must have held files and folders judging by how they were flattened at the bottom of the closet.

Ace swung open another door at the opposite end of the room. “Found ‘em!” she called out and started her descent into whatever was below us. “You gotta be kidding me!” she shouted from the bottom. That didn’t sound good...

I ran down the stairs, managing not to trip and fall all the way down. My SMG was ready to fire by the time I got to the bottom and adrenaline started to seep into my system, but it was all for nothing.

Ace stood in the middle of the grocery store, tearing into a very old looking box. “There’s fuck-all in here!” she grumbled. She was right; there was nothing left on the shelves, no canned foods, no water bottles, nothing at all that we could take with us.

“Hey,” I said, walking over to her and looking into the box. Nothing. “We have enough food for this, right?” I honestly hadn’t checked exactly how much food we had, which in retrospect was really really stupid. Hey, I wasn’t really a tactician or anything like that, those things didn’t occur to me.

Ace grumbled and threw the box across the room. “Yeah, I guess. We aren’t gonna be out here long anyway, and even then, we’d need to find a place to take these damn masks off in order to eat and stuff.” She grumbled some more and started hunting around, high and low for anything we could take with us.

“Any ideas where that’d be?” I asked as Tallie crawled off my back and started searching even lower than Ace could. “Air kinda gets, y’know, everywhere.”

Ace rolled her eyes and looked at me. “Now how would I know, nimrod? Ask the super-recon-soldier-ranger-super-mare over there.” She pointed her gloved hoof at Lollipop as she got to the end of the stairs.

“What?” Lollipop asked, looking between us. “What’d I do?” Her bag looked a little heavier. “There was a safe up there, by the way. Mostly pre-war bits, but I found a gold bar. Dunno what it was doing here.”

“Yeah, yeah, good for you,” Ace muttered and looked under the main counter with Tallie.

Lollipop looked at me expectantly. “Where would we be able to take off our masks?” I repeated. I could feel a strange hostility in the air coming from Ace and I couldn’t tell why. Her bad moods seem to come on so fast it was crazy.

The medical mare ran a hoof through her mohawk and seemed to think about it for a few long moments. “I’d say either an underground bunker, or potentially the underground metro system. Depends on if the air filters down there are still working.” Seemed legit.

“And if not?” I asked, wondering if we’d ever get a chance to eat in the next few hours.

Lollipop checked her equipment and looked back at me. “Hope you had a nice breakfast, then, because it’ll be a long while before we can eat again. How long have we been out here anyways?”

I didn’t care for the answers, but the latter was indeed a good question. I lifted my foreleg and pressed a few buttons on my pipbuck. Thankfully, the little computer duct-taped to my foreleg hadn’t frozen in the cold. “Ummm,” I said as I checked the time. Wow. “About three hours. Time flies, huh?”

“Indeed it does,” Lollipop mumbled, obviously thinking about something. “Let’s just hope we can eat soon then.” She turned her attention to the scavenging duo. “Found anything?”

Ace popped her head up over the counter and levitated a box out and onto the surface. “Yep,” she said with a sense of pride. “Well, Tallie found it.” As if on cue, Tallie climbed up onto the counter and sat, looking very proud. “Twelve whole cans of corn. Better than nothing, eh?”

Lollipop nodded. “Alright, thats three each then. convenient.” She enveloped the cans in her magic and distributed each of the cans equally. She deposited them in our bags and took one last look around. “Anything left at all?” she asked.

“Nope,” Tallie replied, climbing off the counter and onto my back, then turning on her heater again. Mmmmm, the warm glow felt good on my back and neck. Lovely. “Nothin’ left. Let’s bounce!”

“Agreed,” Lollipop said, heading for the door. “Lets try get to the rendezvous point, link up with the soldiers, and get to the metro.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I replied and followed her. “Coming, Ace?” I asked, looking back at the beige mare.

She was not amused. “No. I’m going to sit here and freeze.” She trotted up beside me and gave me a rump-bump, and not a particularly nice one. “Now let’s go, C. I wanna get this mask off soon. Getting stuffy.”

Lollipop braced herself against the door and shoved it violently. She managed to break it open and a gust of cold, snowy air flowed into the room. Out into the brisk winter city we went.

I was not prepared for what lay on the other side of the door .

We exited the small store and onto the main street to find a vast battleground, frozen in time. That honestly was not an over-exaggeration: I truly meant frozen in time. Coalition soldiers in their brown and yellow desert-coloured equipment and uniforms littered the street, mostly pointing their guns south.

“My goodness,” breathed Lollipop, staring at the frozen statues right outside the door. “This... I didn’t... wow...”

To the south, a little way down the road, I could see bodies littered around the ground and buildings, some still looked like they were frozen alive. Some looked like they were screaming, while others were trying to drag themselves back. There were fighting soldiers too, but most were behind cover.

Behind the fallen soldiers were the bodies of black-and-white-striped equines, wearing odd armour. Zebras, if I were to hazard a guess. The zebra soldiers occupied the street and buildings south of where we were standing. I reckoned we were standing right on the border of Coalition-controlled area.

It was like a museum, with silent statues frozen exactly where they’d stood two hundred years ago. Slowly, I stepped away from the building and walked around a few of the frozen statues that crouched behind a fallen piece of concrete. From there I could see what blocked the gap between the police station and grocery store.

A large tank had lodged itself in the side of the building, its turret pointing south. The massive hulk of machinery and arcane science sat imposingly glaring down on us small ponies. There were two ponies and a large griffin frozen while taking cover behind it. One of the soldiers had peeked around the side while the griffin and other pony busied themselves with arming a rocket launcher.

Ponies, griffins, and I think a mule occupied the wide street, using anything they could as shields and cover. One pony had even set up a light machinegun against the body of a large, heavily-armoured buffalo, felled by the zebras From what I could see, it looked like he had been hit by an anti-tank weapon, and judging from the frozen, red blood trail, he’d managed to plow forward before falling. Still, with his armour and bulky body, he made for perfect cover. I could understand why the pony had set up there.

I spotted another odd pony standing just out of cover with a grenade in their hand. They were wearing a much heavier looking armour, with heavier plating and a full helmet. The visor took up a good portion of the mask and had a skull etched into it. I think I’d seen that armour before, but I couldn’t remember wear. I think I saw it at the cake residence from way back when Chester, the crazy ghoul, locked us in the infested tunnels. Yes, definitely. The pony had several grenades and ammunition attached to a large bandolier. He never got to throw his grenade though, as he’d frozen with it still in his hoof.

I slowly walked through the frontlines, seeing exactly what was happening in Mustang’s defence two hundred years ago. Walking through a silent battleground felt extremely surreal, like I’d stepped into some sort of simulation and hit pause. Each soldier and piece of equipment was fully encased in a layer of ice.

The street was a litter of browns and yellows, with the occasional puddle of red from a fallen soldier. I witnessed two furry-looking bipedal creatures dragging an injured pony along the ground, headed for cover. The pony, a mare by the looks of it, clutched a very heavily injured foreleg and was frozen in the midst of screaming, probably for a medic.

Not too far away I could see another large bipedal creature, very muscular in build, and with horns on his head. He held a massive machine gun that I’d only seen in one of those propaganda pictures. It had a long barrel, and he held it by handles on the top. The creature had taken cover behind a low wall and looked like he was shouting orders to someone.

This part of the battleground made the old Coalition’s name more apparent. The Coalition of Ordered Species. Several species, whether they were pony, griffin, or other, coming together to create a unified nation where all were equal. Something about the collaboration of all these creatures made me feel somewhat proud.

What really surprised me was the second tank, about twenty meters behind the last one. It had fired a shell right at the moment everything froze. I could tell, because the hulking projectile was suspended in a ball of ice a few feet from tank’s barrel. Whatever it was that had frozen these soldiers... there was no way it was natural. It had to have been some sort of unicorn mumbo-jumbo.

I could hear the crunchy hoofsteps of Ace behind me. Turning, I saw her looking closely at a griffin, frozen just before he could take off.

“Holy shit,” she murmured, staring into the bird-lion’s eyes. “This... this is heavy.”

“And just adds to Mustang’s mystery,” Lollipop agreed. “I’ve never heard of thi-” She turned and looked down my way, but froze. “Holy...” she whispered, looking above me.

I traced her line of sight to the tank and blinked. It was incredible, but not that bad. I looked back, and both her and Ace were staring. Actually, it looked like they were looking even above the tank.

I peeked around the tank, then gasped and staggered back a few steps. Blocking off the entire street was the front of a massive airship. Only the front quarter, by the looks of it. The metal frame had twisted and warped where it had separated from the rest of its body, and the tarp was torn and frayed. Even with the icicles hanging from it, the massive, snarling, predatory face on the nose of it remained extremely frightening. It had two large, angry looking eyes, and a wide, demon-esque mouth. It reminded me slightly of Trailblaze’s wicked grin. Full of anger and murderous intent.

The bridge had torn off from the rest of the vessel’s hull and lodged itself between a building, the airship’s frame, and the ground. The glass had shattered all around the semicircular bridge, and the corpse of a griffin lay limp over the side. It wore a long coat and a small officer’s hat. No doubt the captain of the tremendous vessel.

“Dark Star,” Tallie whispered. “Holy shit guys, I think that’s a fucking Dark Star!” She climbed up my neck and stood with her hands on the top of my head.

“Dark Star?” Ace asked, walking up beside us. I was still in an amazed stupor. “What’s what?”

Tallie looked the ship up and down a few times. “The ship that helped win the war for the Ponave,” the little griffin replied. “Massive, strong airships, loaded with two high-caliber gatling guns, a forty-millimeter cannon, and a massive howitzer, not to mention its point-defense lasers and machine guns. Look!” She pointed right at the airship’s nose. There was a small swiveling turret, its barrels mangled and twisted, probably from the impact. The turret’s glass had shattered too, exposing the gunner inside. I couldn’t see the gunner though. “I never ever ever ever thought I’d ever see one of these!” Tallie squealed and dug her claws into my scalp. “This is so awesome! But where’s the rest of it?” she asked herself, easing up a little.

“That’s...” Lollipop muttered. “I’d heard of Dark Stars, but I never believed they could be real.” She turned and looked at the soldiers around her.

“Oh they were real,” Tallie contradicted her. “They helped The Coalition free the Ponave from the Zebra Legions only a couple of hours after the fall of Mustang. Then the world ended not long after that.” She pointed at the massive airship. “Those things tear shit up, and the victory in the Ponave proves it.”

“How do you know all of this?” I asked the little griffin, looking up at her.

Tallie popped her head down over my head, looking upside down. “One of the slaves my dad had was a ghoul from the war. He told me all about it,” she said, then sighed. “I don’t remember much though. I was just a little cub when he told me, and he went feral just a few years after. It’s sad. He was super cool.” She slid back down my neck and sat with her heater. “He might have known some of these guys,” she added, looking at all of the frozen statues around us.

Lollipop whistled in admiration. “Must’ve took something big to take down one of them then,” she said. “But we shouldn’t worry about that now. We gotta keep moving.”

“Agreed,” Ace said, looking at the area around her. “These guys are giving me the creeps.”

I found them more interesting than creepy. Ponies, Griffins, Buffalo, and I think Diamond Dogs working together for one goal seemed... I sighed. That was much more awesome than killing each other just to survive.

I looked between Ace, Lollipop, and tallie. Two magical unicorns, a winged Griffin, and me, the ground-pounding Earth Pony. Three different species, all working together. I guess not everyone these days had lost that sense of comradery.

Lollipop took a look around, then grabbed my left foreleg again. She looked over my maps and looked at the area around us. Between the frozen tanks, shell impact craters, frozen bodies, and rubble, it was hard to tell if the maps were accurate anymore. We were in a real war zone, even if it felt like a museum.

The unicorn navigator looked around once more and pointed at a small store next to the Dark Star wreckage. The store remained largely intact on the outside, surprisingly. “We can cut through there. Then it should be a fairly straightforward path. Just need to cut through one more square and maybe two more streets.” She lowered my leg and started walking over to the small building. “Then we’ll reach the rally point.”

Ace snapped a quick salute. “Aye aye, Cap’n!” she said, and skipped off after the medical unicorn.

Tallie climbed back onto my back and stared longingly at the airship. I took up the rear once more, taking one last look at the frozen soldiers before ducking into the building.

It turned out to be a very old music store. Frozen and shattered instruments littered the shelves and floor. A small scorch mark and crater marred the center of the room, probably from a grenade. The frozen corpse that had been thrown into the corner made it more evident. I saw some more blood stains, but no more bodies. I guess the medics had gotten to them in time. Or frozen.

“Ooooh, lookie’ that!” Tallie said, hopping off my back and over to a shelf. She picked up a damaged guitar and plucked one of the six strings. “Neato!”

Ace and Lollipop took the small opportunity to look around for any salvage, which I doubted there would be any of at all. The shop looked really shabby, but maybe there was a hidden safe or something. I sat down and watched Tallie pluck at a few more strings.

The guitar was easily Tallie’s size and then some, even with the wood chipped and the neck almost snapped off. Two of the six strings had snapped, and another was missing completely. I didn’t like how the guitar groaned under the slight stress that Tallie put on it, but I didn’t want to ruin her fun.

Lollipop poked her head up from behind the counter. “Nothing here. Time to move on. Where’s that back door?” she announced, getting up. Ace had already found it and kicked it down, flat on the ground. “Ah, there it is.”

“C’mon Tallie, time to get moving,” I said softly, standing up.

The little griffin looked at me and scooted back a little. “No,” she said defiantly. “I wanna play this more.”

“Tallie, come on. It's broken, anyway,” I said, trying to reason with her. “And we have to move.”

“Ugh!” Tallie groaned. “Can I at least keep it?”

I looked at the old guitar. It was at its breaking point, I could tell. “No. It’s too busted-up,” I hated to say it, but it was true. “How about when we get out of here, we’ll look for one that’s in better condition?”

“Promise?” she asked, still holding the old instrument.

I nodded in response. “Promise.”

“Well… alright…” Tallie said, glumly. She put the guitar down, and the whole collapsed in on itself, the neck finally snapping and turning to splinters. Tallie gasped and leapt off the counter and onto my back. “It's cursed!” she squeaked.

I chuckled and followed the unicorns out the back door. “The one I get you won’t be. I promise that too.” A guitar and it not being cursed aren’t going to be too hard to promise, right? We live in a wasteland, that promise was going to be fucking tough. I’m a bloody idiot.

Our little band of adventurers exited through the back door and into a small street, lined with frozen street lights. There were a few soldiers frozen in the middle of lugging a cannon down the road. I wasn’t sure what the cannon fired, but it looked like it packed one hell of a punch.

“Can we take THAT?” Tallie asked, jumping up on my head. “It looked like it probably still works too!” I doubted that, considering everything else was frozen and jammed. But it was Tallie, and she’d already proved she was an excellent mechanic.

“If you want to pull it, then go right ahead,” I said, knowing damn well none of us could pull the cannon. There were four very strong looking ponies pulling the cannon, and they were trained to do it. Our little group probably wouldn’t be able to take it far. Especially with the ice hanging from it.

Tallie jumped off my back and circled around the cannon. Soon, she came to a stop and nodded. “Yup. I’m gonna need three winches, a flatbed, and a couple-a pulleys,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Then it’s mine!” She pumped a fist in the air and laughed evilly.

Lollipop turned toward the little teen. “And we have none of those things.”

“Oh. Yeah,” Tallie said. “Well, that sucks. Moving on?”

“Moving on,” I confirmed, then looked at Lollipop. “How far a-”

A sudden burst of static from my ear peice cut me off. “Sshhhh-geant Mayflo-ssssssssshhhhkkkk-der fire from host-ssshhkk- repeat, unidentified host-sshhhkkk- anyone ou-ssshhhk someone, anyone, please, respo-sshhkkkkkk-.”

Lollipop’s face darted up. “Someone isolate that signal, we gotta-” she turned and looked at us.

Isolate the what-now? I must have been wearing a dumb and blank expression, because Lollipop shouted at me. “Just fucking move out!” She turned and sprinted down the street, dodging between frozen soldiers and debris scattered over the small street.

Ace and I looked at each other in confusion for a few seconds. A lightbulb lit above my head as I realized: that was a distress call! I’d never shifted so fast from realization to running as I raced after Lollipop. Tallie clung to my coat as I zoomed down the street, followed by Ace.

As we got closer, we started to hear the unique cracks of rifles in the distance, and the closer we got the louder they got. Someone was shooting the hell out of something else. I just hoped that ‘someone’ was the Delta Squad soldiers, and the ‘something else’ was the enemy.

We kept moving until we came to an intersection between two snow-caked streets. I looked down and saw some strange hoofprints, and lots of them, heading to the west. They looked like a pony’s but not quite. The soldiers did have different boots to ours, so it had to be them. Ace had the same idea as she darted off down the road, waving for us to follow.

The adrenaline pumped through my veins. Adrenaline was still my number one favourite feeling in the world. Then again, I’d never had sex (that I could remember) so maybe that was better? It gave me power and the ability to say ‘Wahoo!’ in the face of danger. It made me forget my troubles. I just wanted to keep running, keep going, and keep fighting. Sure, it scared me, but I didn’t care. It felt good.

“Sssshhkkk- -sight, fire your damn wea-skkkhhhshshkkkk -ayday, mayday, this is Sergeant May-shhhkkk -efenders Delta Squad requestin-shkkk -ediate evac, someone-sshhhk -respond!”

“This is Lollipop, we’re twenty seconds out, do you read?!” the lime green mare yelled into her mic. “Mayflowers! Talk to me!”

Strangely, the shots got more sparse and quieter the closer we got. Lollipop picked up the pace, getting worried at the silence starting to sink in. The radio went completely dead. There was no response to Lollipop, and no more pleas for help. Just terrifying static. Sure, I didn’t like Mayflowers, but the other ponies like Fuse and Featherweight were great.

It wasn’t long - twenty seconds exactly - before we reached the square with a large, dark hotel in the middle. Rally Point Charlie. It was where we were supposed to meet the soldiers, but there wasn’t a soul to be seen.

Hoofprints coming from all different directions and scattered bullet casings of all sizes marred the snow all around. “They must’ve gone inside!” Ace shouted, getting her shotgun ready. “I’ll go first.” She looked over at Lollipop. “Or take point, or whatever you army girls say.”

Lollipop nodded, bringing her massive gun to bear. “Alright. I’ll take up the rear, stop anyone dropping in on us.” She glanced at Tallie and I. “That makes you two in the middle. Switch to SMG.”

“That’s a given,” I replied, flipping the switch on my saddle that cycled my weapons. My SMG rotated into position and adjusted itself into its firing position. I looked over at Ace and frowned. I didn’t like her being the first one into such tight confines. It only spelled danger, and I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I really really liked her. She was one of the only things keeping me sane out here. If I ever lost her, I’d damn sure lose myself. “Just be careful, okay?” I said softly.

Ace stared at me with her big brown eyes for a few seconds, before looking back at the hotel. “I’ll be fine… thanks.” She levelled her shotgun and started moving forward. I took a deep breath and followed after as Tallie hunkered down on my back. The little griffon was unarmed, but she was definitely another good set of eyes. Between her and my EFS, I wasn’t going to be snuck up on.

We slowly made our way up the front steps and into the dark and dingy hotel. The main lobby was colder than it was outside, and so much darker. No light came from the iced-over windows that lined the walls. We switched on our lights and swept the room, seeing the lobby’s main desk, some couches, and some distorted paintings.

“Clear,” Ace whispered and slowly moved forward and down a large, creepy hall. I shivered in my boots as I followed her. The walls were so dark and dingy, it was like I was walking through the haunted houses Shamrock used to describe in his ghost stories. The old floral wallpaper was worn and faded, and the hard wooden floors creaked under the crusty carpets.

Tallie climbed up my neck and placed one hand on my head to steady herself, and held her flashlight in the other. “This doesn’t seem clear at all,” she whispered, shining the flashlight in a wide arc. “It's all creepy ‘n’ shit.”

Something clattered slightly as my hoof hit it, making me almost jump right out of my skin. I shone my flashlight down to see a lot of bullet casings scattered up and down the hallway, but nothing else. Just ancient stains on the crunchy carpet. ‘Carpets aren’t crunchy,’ I thought to myself.

“Nothing back here so far,” Lollipop whispered up from behind me. “Clear as a fine Ponave day.” I started to miss the heat of the Ponave sun beating down on me. Sure, I liked the cold, but Mustang was ridiculous.

Ace glanced back at us and frowned. “Doesn’t anypony find this remotely weird?” she asked. Before I could respond, she continued. “There was tons of gunshots, now nothing. Complete silence.” I didn’t see what was so special about it. It’d been like that for a few minutes now. “If the soldiers won the firefight, they’d have tried to make radio contact, right?”

That was a little weird, but a likely circumstance. Dread filled my gut as I realized why they probably hadn’t made radio contact.

“I can’t hear anything else from whoever they were fighting. No cheering, no hoof-steps, nothing.” Ace turned her head and aimed down her shotgun’s sights again. “It’s just… weird. I don’t like it one bit.”

Lollipop grunted in agreement. “My thoughts exactly,” she muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like this before... I almost miss the bullets whizzing past my ears.”

I looked back and shuddered. “I can barely handle verbal threats…” I said, looking forward again. “Let alone bullets and crazy, fucked up cities that defy the laws of physic-”

I was cut off by a harrowing, shrill scream from somewhere in the building. It was slightly muffled, but I could hear it as if it was right next to me, and it shook me to my very core. The horrific shriek definitely came from somewhere above us though, and echoed through the building.

“Shit!” Ace shouted, then looked back. “Come on!” she called back and zoomed ahead, shotgun and machete ready. I sprinted after her, tongue on the trigger bit in my mask. I could feel the cold dread within my core, but thankfully adrenaline started to seep into my bloodstream, allowing me to focus on that instead. The relief of adrenaline kept me going, following Ace and keeping ahead of Lollipop.

We turned at the closest staircase and went up them three at a time. One of the stairs crumbled and collapsed under Ace, but she managed to clear it and keep going as if nothing happened. That mare was determined, no doubt about it. Her weapons bounced crazily in the air as her sprinting jostled her magic.

Tallie held on as tight as she could, poking her tiny head around the side of my own, trying to get a clear view. Thankfully, she used her flashlight to great effect, acting as a headlight for me. It was thanks to her that I dodged several torn-up floorboards and puddles of vile-looking green liquid. I didn’t have time to think about what that was. Someone needed help.

We skidded to a stop in an intersection between four hallways. “Which way?” Lollipop asked, panting. I couldn’t blame her, I’d be panting too if I had to carry as much gear as she did. Machinegun and all.

“Ssh!” Ace ordered, flailing her hoof at the medical mare. “Listen!” Her ears swiveled on her pretty head, trying to focus on something. I joined in with my own ears, trying to hear anything at all. It felt weird to swivel my ears when one of them was missing a chunk.

It took me a few seconds, but I managed to focus on a faint sound drifting from one of the halls. It sounded a little like a garbled message on a twisted tape. Ace looked to us and pointed her shotgun down the hall. She started moving toward the sound, followed by Tallie and I.

“I don’t hear anything,” Lollipop whispered up to us. “Damn Tinnitus…”

“It sounds like…” I whispered back, then listened. It was getting clearer the closer we got, and I didn’t like it one bit. It started to sound a lot like… “Somepony… crying?” I looked at Ace for confirmation. She gravely nodded, and kept going.

The crying got clearer and clearer, until I could make out some quiet mumbling and gibbering coming from a room down the hall. Light came from behind a door left askew. Ace pointed her shotgun directly at it, then stood beside it. She looked at Lollipop expectantly, who hunkered herself down, ready to fire her gun into the room at a moment’s notice. I took up position on the other side of the door.

Slowly, Ace nudged the door open with her shotgun. The door seemed stuck for a moment, but opened when she gave it a shove.

I almost fell on my arse when I realized what had held the door closed, as a body dropped down from above the door onto the wooden floor with a gruesome splat. Lollipop aimed her machinegun at it as Ace shone her flashlight over it.

The fallen soldier had a sparking radio pack that had a large hole stabbed through it and into him. Blood stained his armour a thick red around the hole and his face. A horrified, screaming expression was plastered on the soldier’s face when we flipped him over, but the worst part was the massive gash across his chest, revealing his ribs and lungs. A massive wave of nausea washed over me. I had to look away and cover Tallie’s eyes. I remembered the murdered pony only as Fixer, the Defenders’ radio pony.

“Shit,” Ace said, staring down at the pony. “Brutal.” Her ears perked once more upon hearing a new string of gibbering whimpers coming from within the room. She slowly opened the door and shone her flashlight inside.

Inside the room wasn’t much better. Blood and more of the green gooey substance, along with scraps of fabric and pony flesh covered the walls. In the center was another corpse, and tucked away in a corner sat a wide-eyed, shivering soldier, waving a gun in our direction with tears running down her face like little rivers. I recognized her armour and the assorted explosives on her bandolier. Short Fuse.

“Stay back!” She screamed at us as we peered in. “Stay back damn it! You’re not turning me into one of those things!” She waved her gun at us again, shaking violently. She didn’t recognise us at all, even though we were obviously illuminated by a discarded flashlight. “I’ll blow your brains out! Get away from me!”

“Fuse,” Ace said in a soft voice, “it's us, you remember, right?”

“Don’t come any closer!” She screamed at Ace when she tried to enter the room. “I won’t be like you, I’ll die first!” She started to scream in terror, shaking once more. Ace took one tentative step into the room, and miraculously didn’t get shot. “Leave me alone!”

Ace took another step. Fuse lifted the pistol and fired.

Thankfully, she missed Ace completely and hit the ceiling above her. “Fixer… Farsight… they killed them… they’re gone… you took them from me… you… you killed them!” she said, gibbering to herself, then screamed once more, pulling the trigger and missing again.

Ace reached out with her magic in an attempt to grab the pistol, but Fuse had a firm grip on it. She wrestled with the magic, screaming her lungs out. “Get back, get back, get back! I won’t let you get me!” she continued to scream in her psychotic state. Lollipop stared at her, then to me. I don’t think she knew what was going on at all. “Oh goddesses, I don’t want to die like them, please, no!” Fuse sobbed.

The little mare finally dropped the pistol and curled up into a little ball. “They came from nowhere… no no no… they aren’t gonna get me… no!” She sobbed, gently rocking back and forth. She’d either given up shooting us, or realized her pistol was out of ammo. “Th-Then they started to talk… oh goddesses, their voices!” Her hooves rummaged around as she rocked back and forth. “I… I d-did them a favour, h-helped them!” She finally pulled a grenade free of her bandolier, making all of us jolt forward. “M-Maybe… Maybe I n-need to help myself…”

“No!” Lollipop yelled, her magic yanking the grenade free of Fuse’s hooves before she could pull the pin. The green unicorn ran into the room and crouched down next to Fuse, who burst into tears and collapsed onto her side. She’d given up completely. Lollipop held her gently as she examined her. “This is not good...”

“You’re telling me,” Ace muttered, looking at the other corpse. She had rolled it over to see what had killed him, and found out quickly. It was Farsight, but this time he had a massive, gaping hole in his chest, just like the pegasus. Something had torn straight through bone, muscle, and organs, tearing him up inside. He too had a horrified expression on his face, his mouth hanging wide open, his mask missing. His veins were thick and bulging, but green instead of red. “This is fucked up…”

Tallie was covering her own eyes, trying not to see what we saw. I didn’t want her to see it. No child should. It was a big mistake bringing her with us, even if we’d never hear the end of it. She stayed silent on my back.

“I’m only counting three out of five,” Ace said, “No Featherweight, and no Mayflowers.” She looked over the two corpses, wincing at their strange injuries. “I don’t know who’re the lucky ones.” I gave her a quizzical look. “The dead ones, or the ones who are still out there with whoever or whatever killed ‘em.”

“One thing at a time,” Lollipop whispered, looking at Fuse. “We need this one to regain her wits.” She leaned in close and held the mare close. “Fuse, do you know who I am? Do you recognize my voice?”

The Emerald-Islander whimpered and muttered something unintelligible to our medic. She stared at the corpses on the ground, crying into her mask. The look in her eyes wasn’t a look I’d seen before. I think it was the stare of insanity. I could understand why, seeing your comrades get killed. How do you console someone who’d lost their mind? Not even Lollipop could get through to her, and she was the trained professional. I didn’t even know well enough to find a way to help. Wait, there was one thing…

I took a deep breath, really hoping my plan would work. I crept a little closer, lowering my head to Fuse’s level. I began to sing softly, hoping it’d snap her out of it. “We'll sing a song, a soldier's song,” The song we’d sang before, she told me she’d heard it in her youth. “With cheering rousing chorus / As round our blazing fires we throng / The starry heavens over us / Impatient for the coming fight / And as we wait the morning's light / Here in the silence of the night / We'll chant a soldier's song.”

Fuse fell silent as her ears slowly perked up a little. She sniffed once or twice, then looked up at me with her pretty eyes. “S-Soldiers are we / whose l-lives are p-pledged to the Emerald isles” She managed to sing back to me in a very shaky voice.

Yes! I’d broken through! Memories of my childhood had always helped me through the toughest of times, and it looked like it worked for her, too.

Fuse took in a deep breath and shuddered. “Goddesses, why…” she whispered as she closed her eyes.

“Fuse, what happened?” our medical mare asked, gently stroking her mane to comfort her. “Can you tell us?”

The mare took another deep breath and opened her eyes. “W-We got ambushed. Just after coming out of the s-sewers. We’d neutralized th-the raiders with no c-casualties. A-At first, we thought it was reinforcements, but wh-when we got a good look… goddesses, it was horrible.” Her pupils shrunk slightly as a look of fear spread across her brow. “Th-They weren’t ponies. They… I d-don’t know what they were. Those… those things swarmed all a-around us. Monsters…”

I looked at Ace with terror in my eyes. She stared back at me with disbelief, and even Tallie whimpered slightly on my back. At that moment, we all regretted coming to Mustang.

“We ran, as f-fast as we c-could, but they ch-chased us. We got split up a-after the sarge called for backup. Me, F-F-Fixer, ‘n’ Far… Farsight… w-we kept runnin’ here, only looking b-back to shoot or d-drop a ‘nade…” she winced and held her hooves over her eyes. “And n-now they’re dead! DEAD!” she wailed and started to sob again.

“What happened to them? How did you survive?” Lollipop questioned, still holding the mare.

Fuse shook her head several times. “I d-don’t know! Th-They cut th-through the others like a h-hot knife th-through butter, killing them q-quick. They b-backed me up into a c-corner, then… then they j-just left!” She stared up at Lollipop after opening her eyes. “Wh-Why did they s-spare me? D-Did… did they turn me into a f-freak like them?!” She started to panick and thrash around, but Lollipop held her still.

“You’re fine!” Lollipop said, holding her. “You’re perfectly fine. You’re alive, you’re healthy, and fine.” She gently released the mare, who’d calmed down a little. “Do you know where Featherweight and Mayflowers went?”

The smaller mare shook her head. “N-No, we couldn’t g-get our radios to work. They were out of range…” Her eyes opened wide and looked between us all. “We have to find them! We gotta get them and get outta here!”

“Agreed,” Ace replied, looking toward the door. “We can’t do anything for these two.”

Lollipop nodded and pulled Fuse off the ground. “You okay to move?”

The little Emerald mare took one look around the room and nodded. “Just… get their tags…” She sniffed then swallowed the lump in her throat. I knew what it was like to lose somepony I cared about. I’d seen my own brother get murdered in front of me. It was horrible, but with the right help, I knew she’d make it through.

Ace nodded and collected Farsight’s bloody ID tags from his gnarled wounds, then moved to Fixer. She tucked them away in her pocket and pulled her shotgun off her back. “Got everything?” she asked Fuse.

“Y-Yes,” she said, checking herself over. She swapped the magazine out of her pistol and made sure her grenades were all accounted for. “I’m… good to go-”

She stopped mid sentence and turned pale. A weird, sludgy sound filled the hall behind us, and an unearthly growling emanated from the corner of our room. We all slowly turned our heads toward the corner.

Two glowing eyes stared back at us, and a very toothy grin spread through the darkness. What came out of the dark was something from the worst nightmares anyone could ever have. It was like a griffin’s head, but instead of a body, it had an overgrown roach body. Its face was splayed open at the beak and it was filled with teeth. With a screech, it lurched toward us.

Ace aimed at the beast with her shotgun as Fuse screamed. “What the fuck?” Ace yelled as she fired at the monster. The creature exploded in midair, spraying green ichor all over the room. Three parts of it fell into a quivering pile of… thing. “What the fuck was that!” Ace yelled once more, looking between us. “Tell me you saw that?!”

“I saw it…” Lollipop whispered, shaking. She kicked part of her saddle and her machine gun slid into firing position.

Fuse quivered and held her pistol close. “They’re back… oh goddesses they’re back!” She waved her pistol around the room, getting extremely trigger itchy. “We’re gonna die! I don’t wanna die!”

“Let’s get out of here!” I yelled and made a break for the door. I leapt over Fixer’s body and swung the door open, but outside… outside was something even worse than the griffin-roach-crab-thing.

Before me stood a full-grown pony, but its skin was a sickly green and his coat was mangy and patchy. It had horrible growths throughout its body, and two long tentacles swirled out from its back. Its face was cracked and flayed, with lines of razor sharp teeth spreading from one side of its gaping maw to the other. Its cracked hooves had long claws sprouting from them. Its tongue slid out from between its teeth, and it let out a sickening screech.

“What the hell?!” Tallie yelled. “Shoot that fucker, now!”

Without thinking, I bit the trigger. My SMG ripped into the monster, tearing its mutated face to shreds.

“This is getting more fucked by the second!” Ace yelled and marched out ahead of me.

More creatures shuffled out into the open, each more gross than the other. Tentacles waved above them as they gnashed at us with their disgusting mouths. They all shared the same basic shape, but with small changes. Some would be mutilated in different ways, with gashes and tears in other places, while some wore different tattered rags. They all slowly crept toward us, drooling nauseating green incor onto the old wooden floors.

“S-Stay back!” Fuse yelled at the monsters, but they didn’t heed her warning. They continued their death march, unhindered by the firepower before them. “I said stay b-back!”

Ace lifted her shotgun and leveled it at the lead thing’s head. “They aren’t ponies any more, and whatever they are now won’t listen.” She loaded a new shell into the chamber and pumped her shotgun. “But I bet they’ll listen to The King.”

The crack of Ace’s shotgun resounded through the hallways, making me hold my ears in pain. The first monster’s head vanished into a green mist and its body slumped to the ground, tentacles writhing before falling limp. The others took one look before screaming some sort of war-cry. They quickly picked up their pace and started running at us.

“Open fire!” Lollipop roared and clamped down on her trigger piece. Her massive gun sprang to life and unloaded righteous fury on the demons that swelled toward us. Monster after monster, they fell to Lollipop’s chainsaw of a gun, buying me time to regain my wits.

‘Holy shit!’ I thought, climbing out of shock. ‘Monsters! Real fucking monsters!’ “Then don’t just stand there, fuck-wit!” the black stallion inside me whispered in response. “Shoot! Or do I have to take over?”

I bit down on my trigger again and my SMG started unloading hot lead down the hall. They just kept coming. “We gotta move!” Tallie yelled and pointed down the adjacent hall. “That way!” She dug her hind claws into my flank and growled. “Now, dumbass, now!”

Without further hesitation, and under the cover of Lollipop’s gore-generator, I ran down the hall as fast as I could. Adrenaline started to pump through me, Ace was hot on my heels, machete and shotgun ready, while Fuse followed, then finally Lollipop.

I galloped as fast as my hooves could take me as the medical mare and Fuse fired back toward our pursuers. We had to get down the stairs and out the front door, then we’d be home free to book it outta there. No sweat, easy peasy.

I spun around the corner, heading to the stairs, but screeched to a halt. A massive hulking monstrosity blocked our passage. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought it was once of canine descent, maybe one of those Diamond Dogs. Its massive jaw was crammed with teeth, and its rock-hard forearms wore what looked more like hard scales than fur. A large hump on its back forced it to slouch over, a hump made of rock but with two long tentacles hanging out of it.

The terrifying monster shuffled toward us, growling. It got to the top of the stairs and let out a heart-stopping roar, flinging its arms to the sides and showing its true size. The brute was more than twice as large as I’d thought. Its skin was flayed but hardened heavily, its eyes glowed a brilliant green, and its tentacles writhed and lashed.

“Other way!” Tallie screamed and kicked me again. “We can’t go this way!”

We all turned and sprinted away from the brute. No way we’d be able to get past it in time; it looked like it weighed about a ton and could knock anypony’s head off with a flick of its massive stony fingers. I doubted our bullets could get through its skin, and we were too close to use explosives.

We darted across halls, and found ourselves chased again by the screaming horde of mutants. I felt tears of sheer terror welling up in my eyes as we ran, and I prayed to whoever looked down on us that we’d make it out. If not all of us, then at least Tallie. She was so young, she had to make it. Luna, Celestia, hell, even Discord, please let us live!

Ahead of us, just before a frozen-over window, more beasts started to turn the corner, along with several of the roach-things. They didn’t all have griffin heads though, some had pony heads, or dog heads. They all grinned and screeched at us, flailing their insectoid legs. We were trapped.

“Hold the line!” Lollipop yelled as Fuse started to lose it again. “Just need a little more time to break through!”

“No way!” Tallie yelled at her, then yanked a grenade free of Fuse’s bandolier. “Hold on to your helmets! Fire in the hole!” She pulled the pin and lobbed the explosive down the hallway toward the roaches and their escorts, instead of at the horde following us. She plugged her fingers in her avian ears just before the grenade went off.

I thought she was just trying to clear the way forward, but I was thankfully mistaken. She wasn’t planning to kill them, but as the dust quickly settled and my ears stopped ringing, I could see that her explosive had detonated on a key part of the building’s support structure, and a whole section of the floor gave way just before us, opening up into the main lobby.

“Go, dammit!” the genius griffin yelled at the others. “Don’t make that nade ‘splode for no reason! Now!” She dug her claws once again into my butt and held on tight. “Jump! Jump for your life!”

She didn’t have to tell me twice. The adrenaline and claws in my flanks overrode any objection I had to jumping down a fair distance. I leapt down and crashed to the floor of the cold lobby below. As I recovered, I looked behind me to see the beautiful beige unicorn land gracefully behind me, the bawling demo-mare land on her hooves, before stumbling a little, then Lollipop, who landed, pivoted, and fired into the wooden floor above. The creatures stared down at us for a few moments, before disappearing over the edge.

“Why aren’t they following…?” Lollipop asked herself with a grunt, keeping her red-hot, smoking gun leveled at the ceiling. “They could have made that jump. What’s stopping them?”

“Why are we waiting to find out?” Fuse yelled, grabbing the lime green mare by her old medical barding’s collar. “I wanna go home! Now! Please!”

Lollipop pushed her back and stared her in the eyes. “I’m only going to say this once, soldier,” she said, going into tough soldier mode. “Get your shit together, and pull your hoof out of whatever orifice you stuffed it in. You’ve been trained for this shit. You’re part of the best of the best. You survived when your comrades failed, now make them proud, for fuck’s sake! Make me proud! Make fucking Iron City proud!” The mare towered over Fuse. “We’re going to pull through this as a unit and live in honour of the fallen. Do I make myself clear?”

Fuse stood in stunned silence for a few seconds before feebly nodding. “Y-Yes… Y-Yes ma’am…”

“I can’t fucking hear you, soldier,” Lollipop growled and leaned in close. “Do I make myself clear!” she screamed. I’m pretty sure if she wasn’t wearing a gas-mask, she’d have spat all over the little mare.

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Fuse replied, snapping a salute.

Lollipop started trotting over to the main doors, weapon ready. “Good. You can mourn when we’re done. Now let’s get out of this damn place before they realize their stupidity and follow us.”

Fuse stood up straight, pistol ready. “Yes ma’am,” she said in an oddly calm manner. I managed to bring her back from insanity, but by the goddesses above, could Lollipop motivate! Even I felt boosted by her little speech. Short Fuse looked at her pistol, reloading perfectly. “I miss my rifle…”

“What’d you do with it?” Tallie asked on my back, still shaking. Damn I admired her endurance. I’d have gone completely insane if I was her age in here. I probably would have died at the very sight of one of them.

“Lost it when we got separated,” Fuse replied, following Lollipop. She stood beside the door, pistol ready. “But I still got this and my explosives. I’m good to go.”

Ace approached the door, waving her machete above her head. “Well, it's been fun girls, but I really think we should blow this popsicle stand and ride off into the sunset. What do you say?”

Lollipop nodded and lifted up her front hooves just in front of the door. “Agreed. Breaching!” She kicked forward and slammed the doors open, her machine gun pointing through the door, ready for whatever lay on the other side.

I gasped when I looked outside.

Twenty more of the creatures stood in a circle around one much bigger one. It seemed to be another variant of the monsters. It was a lot skinnier, and the sight of its face made me shake violently. It was missing bits of flesh, and parts of its skull were visible. Its larger grin held an even more unpleasant number of teeth than the others, and its hoof-claws seemed longer. Most noticeable however was that it had five tentacles on its back, rather than two. Four of them seemed more dexterous than the others, while the last one, placed directly in the middle of its back, had a long sharp bone on the end like a bladed scorpion’s sting.

The tentacles thrashed as the armoured pony they were holding thrashed and wrestled with them, yelling all sorts of profanities and curses down at the deformed monster. I would have recognized that pony anywhere from her authoritarian voice and crude remarks about the monster’s mother. Sergeant Mayflowers was suspended above the beast, her hooves wrapped in tentacles. She fought against them, trying to break free. The monster laughed psychotically as its last, bladed tentacle slowly drifted into place under the sergeant, ready to impale her.

There was no time to think. No time to analyze. There was a pony about to be impaled on a monster’s spike. I flicked a switch on my saddle, my reactions running on pure adrenaline, and my sniper rifle quickly snapped forward. I glanced down the scope for an instant and quickly fired off one shot. I only had one chance to hit the bastard.

The bullet sailed through the air, but my reflexes got the better of me. I watched as the bullet narrowly missed one of the crowding monsters and sliced through the monster’s bladed tentacle, ripping through the muscles and sending it flying. The monster howled in agony as sickly green incor squirted from the severed limb, the other tentacles unravelling and dropping Mayflowers.

The beast howled once more, staring at us through slitted eyes, then bounded away, through the monsters crowded around it. It dove into an open window on the far side of the square and disappeared, leaving its peons clueless about what to do next.

The monster’s tentacle wriggled and flailed on the ground, before eventually falling limp. Mayflowers quickly recovered herself after hitting the ground and got to her hooves, then sprinted over to my stunned comrades and I.

“Don’t just fucking stand there!” she ordered, turning around and taking out her pistol. She too had lost her shotgun and assault rifle. “Shoot, for fuck’s sake, you stupid civilian bastards!”

Not so much as a thank you for saving her life. Then again, what had I been expecting?

My comrades swiftly got hold of themselves and opened fire again, blasting the monsters away. Most of the monsters stood staring at the ruined building, waiting, while the others realized what had happened and started charging. They may have been scary savage beasts, but they were definitely dumb as bricks.

They were fast, too, as they darted from side to side, making it harder to aim at them. Lollipop was definitely the most effective in taking them down, as her larger magazines allowed for sustained fire for much longer than mine did. Between us, a storm of lead cut the monsters to ribbons.

One got lucky. It looked like it was once a unicorn, judging by the broken stump of a horn on its forehead. It wore the shattered remains of a helmet on its head, and old yellow and brown rags. It darted between two other monsters, using them as cover, and leapt at me, ready to sinks its teeth and claws into me.

“No!” I screamed, unable to bring my SMG to bear quick enough. I stumbled back in a vain attempt to escape the deadly pounce.

Ace’s blade appeared out of nowhere and slammed directly into the monster’s face, spraying me with blood. She threw the creature aside and onto the floor where it writhed and wailed in agony. She placed a hoof on its chest, shoved her shotgun into its mouth, and pulled the trigger.

“Don’t you dare touch him, you mangy freaks!” she shouted at the monster. “Fucker!”

She quickly ran over to me and helped Tallie and I up. Thankfully, Tallie was unharmed, but she was curled up in a tight ball, holding her head.

“There’s too many of them!” Mayflowers yelled, pulling off expert shots with her pistol and cycling mags like a professional. More and more monsters started slithering out of dilapidated buildings, and another of those brutish scaly-rock-dog monsters lumbered out of an alley on the other side of the square. “Retreat! Head to the next objective, there should be cover!”

She waved her hoof at a road leading away from the square and sprinting toward it. We nodded and darted off after her. I could hear Tallie whimpering on my back and holding on to my hood for dear life. I had to get her out of here. Screw helping The Patriarch; Tallie was my primary concern.

Ace’s blasted any monsters that felt ballsy enough to come close enough to us, while Lollipop kept churning out the blanket of bullets. Fuse kept right behind Mayflowers, her eyes showing barely-controlled, but still controlled, terror.

“Where’s Featherweight?” Fuse yelled as Mayflowers lead us, shooting any monster that came near her. We were hot on her heels as she guided us through the snow-covered square toward a side street. She apparently knew what she was doing, so I followed without question, still reeling from my close-up brush with the monster.

“I don’t know!” the sergeant called back, shooting a monster right between the eyes. She was one hell of a warrior. She’d come mere millimeters from death and it hadn’t even fazed her. She managed to keep situational awareness at all times, even better than Lollipop did. “We got split up! I told him to get to the objective if that happened!”

“Please be alive!” Fuse wailed as she picked up speed. I also hoped Featherweight was alive. Not only because he was one of us, or that he was a genuinely nice pony, but because he was the one with the most firepower. Definitely enough to destroy these beasts without much effort.. But alone, with no support...

We hightailed it out of the square, leaving gore and pools of monster ichor in our wake. The monsters still chased us, relentless in their pursuit, grinning and howling like animals.

The six of us dashed around corners and walls, trying our damndest to shake our pursuers. We weaved under arches, and around the frozen bodies of soldiers from long ago. The monsters kept up, following us wherever we went.

“I got an idea!” Tallie yelled and pointed ahead. A large archway made of wood and stone straddled the street. Tallie yanked another grenade from Fuse’s bandolier. The poor mare was so panicked that she didn’t even notice. “Keep going!”

As we ran, I heard Tallie pull the pin. I seriously hoped she knew what she was doing, or we’d all be fucked. The arch was right over us as Tallie threw the grenade straight up, then huddled down on my back. The detonation destroyed the aged wooden supports. We barely cleared it as the whole thing tumbled behind us, blocking off the patch.

“Score two for the teen genius!” Tallie cheered, looking back. “That should hold those things off for a while!” She actually laughed as she lifted her middle talon at the wreckage. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I didn’t really want to ask.

“Nice one!” Ace cheered, slowing down a little and panting. “Damn fine work!”

“We’re not done yet!” Mayflowers reminded us. “You can pat yourselves on the back when we’re home free! We’re almost there. Now follow me or I’m leaving you here!”

Way to kill the mood, asshole. She galloped off ahead of us, a little slower than before on account to us being safe for now. We didn’t waste a single moment as we followed after her, everyone panting from exhaustion. I thought only Lollipop and I were still in running form. It must’ve been because Lollipop was a veteran, and I had strong legs. Sometimes being a farm-colt paid off!

We all slowed down to a trot as we moved between streets, following the bitch of a sergeant. She seemed to know exactly where to go, like she’d studied the map intently. Actually, that was probably true. She was a special operations soldier after all.

The city stood in silence once again, and my EFS was clear of all hostiles. Somehow, the quiet was even scarier than being chased relentlessly by monsters. They could come pouncing out of nowhere and dice us up like a blender, and we’d barely have time to scream. My ears swiveled nervously, trying to pick up anything out of the ordinary. All I heard was the ragged breathing through my friends’ masks, the crunch of snow underhoof, and the whistling wind in the buildings above us.

“Almost there,” Lollipop said after grabbing my hoof from under me to see the map. I would have faceplanted immediately if she hadn’t been holding my hoof out. According to the map, the next objective was indeed nearby, just around the corner in fact. It said so with a giant white arrow. The only way it could have been more obvious, is if it had a massive “OBJECTIVE IS HERE, DUMMY!” written next to it.

We turned the icy corner and into a smaller square, and stopped short. The square was flanked by dead trees and smaller buildings, with a tunnel entrance in between them. Several wooden benches lay scattered around the square, and a climbing frame in the middle of the square. The whole place was littered with monster bodies of all shapes and sizes. There was even one of the huge stoney bastards nearby, its rocky limbs chipped away to nubs. I spotted a large form buried under a few more bodies, but I couldn’t tell what was the ‘normal’ monsters, and what was the newer one.

Sitting in the middle of it all, on an old sandbag wall, was the massive tank of a stallion Featherweight, holding a small frozen dandelion in his hoof. Miraculously, he seemed completely unharmed, though his guns’ barrels were stained black and his ammo reserves looked a hell of a lot lighter than before. He snapped his head to us, ready to jump into combat stance, but quickly relaxed.

The stallion waved at us, “Hey guys!” He called over and stood up. “Fancy meeting you here!” He seemed so nonchalant about it, even when he placed his hoof on a dead monster’s head and laughed, striking a heroic pose against the backdrop of triumphant horde massacre.

“Featherweight!” Fuse squealed and sprinted away from the group, leaping up at him and latching on in a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re alive!” Her voice cracked adorably, but I could tell she was crying tears of sheer joy. I felt pretty damn good that the big guy was still alive.

“It's good to see you alive, Corporal,” Mayflowers said, not a shred of a emotion in her voice, as she carefully navigated the gore-splattered snow. “The Sisters above know we need your firepower.” She gave him a light tap on the shoulder, then saluted. “Welcome back to the team.”

“Good to have at least some of us back together,” the stallion said, pulling both his sergeant and Fuse into a big hug. “I take it Farsight and Fixer didn’t make it?” he asked in a more somber tone, looking between them both.

“Affirmative,” Mayflowers said. “KIA.”

Featherweight let out a small sigh and shrugged. “Well… such is life. I only hope it was painless.”

“It was… instant,” Fuse mumbled, still hugging the overgrown stallion. “I just w-wish we could’ve saved them.”

Featherweight squeezed Fuse hard enough that she emitted a muffled ‘oof,’ then he let go. “There is no room in life for regret. They’re at peace now, Fuse,” he said, nuzzling her. “We shouldn’t think of them as dead, just in a better place”

He turned his attention to us as we slowly made our way over to the soldiers. I had a tough time avoiding the monster corpses, and almost fell face-first onto one of their disgusting bellies, but managed to stay on my hooves. Tallie looked down at my hooves and clenched her sharp little talons deeper into my barding when we almost fell.

“Good to see you’re still alive too, brother,” Featherweight said and slapped me heartily on the shoulder. “I hoped I’d see you four again. It’s our mission to protect you after all.”

“At least we’re not alone, right?” I said, nervously smiling up at the goliath of a stallion. “Now, where are we going?”

Mayflowers walked past Feather and toward the tunnel. “The Mustang Metro system. Hopefully, it should let us through the city a lot faster than the streets. Hopefully it's safer too.”

The tunnel entrance was a massive semi-dome that spanned over several meters. The opening however was sealed by a massive blast door. There weren’t any latches or handles that would allow us access into the tunnels, only a heavy damaged terminal interface.

The surrounding area was entrenched and heavily reinforced. Sandbag walls ringed the tunnel, with metal welded onto the fronts of them. The remains of several tarps and tents fluttered in the wind, or sat on top of crates, abandoned by the soldiers who’d fought here.

“Dammit, Fixer, why’d you have to go and get yourself killed?” Mayflowers cursed to herself, looking over the interface. “Fuse, get over here. You’re the next best computer-wiz, right?”

“Aye ma’am,” the Emerald mare confirmed, moving up and looking the panel over. “Ooooh goodness. This’ll take some time,” she said and looked through her packs. She pulled out a few tools and started to tinker.

We sat on the walls, keeping watch over the area while Fuse worked. There were three ways into the square, and a few alleyways branching off, but all appeared just to be dead-ends from where I was sitting. Tallie sat on my shoulders, shivering slightly, but watching vigilantly.

“Remind me to retire from adventuring after this,” she muttered down at me, spinning her head around. “This will give me nightmares for at least three eternities.”

“You think that’s bad,” I said, looking up. “I’ll have them for three-and-a-half eternities.”

“We’ll be nightmare buddies then,” Tallie said in an oddly cheerful tone, looking down. “We’ll kick ass in dreamland and stuff.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said, raising a hoof and having her shake it. I chuckled and looked at the streets again, sighing. “Listen, Tallie… I really really regret bringing you here. I’m so sorry for everything.”

“Don’t sweat it, dude.” She gave me a little thumbs-up from above. “I’m alive, and still sane. Well, as sane as I was before anyway. Just get me that cocoa and let me light a bonfire when we get back to the Ponave, and we’ll be even.”

“Thanks, Tallie,” I said, smiling up at her. “It makes me feel much better knowing you’re alright.” She gave me a wink and went back to swivelling her head around.

Minutes passed. I could only hear the murmuring of nervous ponies as we waited for Fuse to finish her work. I let out a long and deep yawn, stretching out to the fullest. The day we’d had was enough to knock out a rhino, that was for sure.

My yawn was interrupted by a black object slowly falling down in front of me. It landed with a tiny splat just meters from my hooves. It looked like someone had stuck feathers into a wad of meat and left it in a swamp for about a year. Where could it have come from?

I looked up and strained my eyes to see the tops of the buildings through the snow. I could barely make out silhouettes on the buildings, but I wasn’t sure if it was just rubble or not. “Guys…?” I said in a trembling voice. “Do you guys see anything?” I asked, then flipped the sniper scope over my eyes.

Just as I peeked through, I saw something start to move in the snowy mist. It was very large, and had two bat-like wings. It leaped off the building and started getting bigger. “Guys!” I yelled, staring up at it as it started to dive toward us.

I fired a shot from my rifle, but the thing was faster. It banked and folded its wings, dropping on me in a dive-bomb. The bullet whizzed past it, barely missing, and by the time a new round had cycled into the chamber, it was too late.

The beast slammed into me, knocking me back off the wall and onto the ground, Tallie tumbled from my back and into a snowbank. It pinned me under its strong hands, its claws mere inches from my face. I looked up at its face and instantly regretted it. Whatever it was, it had once been a griffin. But the end of its beak had cracked off, leaving a jagged crown which it screamed in my face with. Its wings were covered in rotten-looking flesh and clumps of feathers, and green growths covered its body.

It lifted one of its massive hands and swiped at me with its vicious claws. But like a guardian angel, Ace’s machete appeared from nowhere and took its hand clean off! The monster wailed like a banshee and flailed its stump around, spraying the area around us with its green blood. The tentacles between its wings lashed out around it as it panicked and sought the nearest target.

Ace slammed the butt of her shotgun into the beast’s cranium, with a sharp crack as wooden stock met skull. The monster rolled off me in agony and swiped at Ace with its claws, just barely missing her. Her shotgun blast didn’t. She blew the monster’s head apart like a rotten melon.

“What was that thing?” I screamed, scrambling to my hooves.

Ace growled and looked straight up. “I don’t know, but here come more of them!” she yelled and pointed her shotgun up.

Featherweight pulled a lever on his saddle and laughed. “Flak rounds in. Shoot ‘em down!” He opened fire with his dual machine gun rig. The bullet streaked upward and exploded into flashes of orange light and puffs of black smoke.

More of the creatures leapt screeching off the building at us, only to get blown to bits by Featherweight’s guns. Some managed to dodge just enough to get by, but Lollipop and Ace shot them to pieces, working together to destroy the airborne invaders.

Mayflowers was concentrated on the roads leading into the square. My heart sank as I saw mutated horrors start shuffling through the streets toward us. They were moving in from each road, about ten per road. Each group followed a leader, another different kind of monster.

The leaders were about two heads taller than the average pony, and a lot more disgusting than the others. Their twisted and elongated heads bobbed on long, stretched necks. Four thick, teeth-laden mandibles clicked and squeaked where their jaws would be. Their hides were matted and mangy, missing in some places. The freakiest parts though were the forehooves, which had been stripped of skin and muscle, and the bones sharpened into two long spikes. The things stopped and stared at us.

The anti-aircraft group stopped firing, and the bits of monster ceased falling from the sky as we all stared at the ground targets. I could hear Featherweight’s saddle click and whir as he swapped ammo again.

More beasts landed beside the new, bigger monsters, instead of coming straight for us in an attack like their predecessors’ failures. They growled and hissed at us, but held back.

“What’re they waiting for?” Fuse asked in a shaky voice, hoof deep inside the panel’s electronics. “W-Why aren’t they attacking?”

“I don’t know,” Ace whispered, watching them with her shotgun leveled. We stood in silence, waiting for something to happen. They just stood there on the other side of the square, watching.

Was it the bodies around us that were throwing them off? Was it the guns? Was it the fact one of us just massacred what looked like a small army all by himself? I honestly couldn’t tell. I would have already booked it out of there at the very sight of this mess, but I didn’t exactly hunger for the living flesh of ponies like they did.

One of the smaller beasts roared and started skulking toward us, but get instantly impaled by one of the leading monsters, the ones with the spiked hoof.

The monsters stared and waited for half of forever. Then one of the the leading mutants lifted one of his spikes, pointing it at us, and letting out a shrill battle-cry. The horde went nuts, screaming and howling to the moon, then charged us. I clamped down on my SMG’s trigger-bit and opened fire.

Our cooperative storm of bullets cut the monsters down as quickly as they came. They were absolutely relentless; the horde moved as one to destroy us. Where were they all coming from? They seemed utterly without number, and unfortunately, our ammo wasn’t. I had gone through three magazines, still they came. I only had five magazines of ammo left in my packs!

The bigger, spiked monsters stayed where they were, watching from afar, their mandibles twisting into demented smiles. They were the leaders of this charge, the orchestrators, the commanders of the army of the demented. If we killed them, maybe they would retreat!

“Cover me!” I yelled and flicked the switch for my sniper rifle. The scope swung over my eye and I lined up a shot on the beast’s head.

But I Tallie beat me to it. Just before I could pull the trigger, something landed on the monster’s head. Something something small, brown, and feathered, wielding a hammer. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Tallie had managed to fly over to the thing, and started to brain the beast with her hammer, beating on its cranium and trying to break its skull open. She clung to the monster, bludgeoning it as it swayed and roared, trying to shake her loose. She broke the skin and cracked its thick skull, but it managed to fling her off. Tallie struggled to regain control, flapping her wings, but the beast was quicker, and swatted her out of the air, onto the ground.

The little griffin screamed and rolled to her feet. She barely dodged the beast’s next attack as it punctured the pavement where she’d lain just a moment ago. Tallie panicked and ran, but not back to us. She screamed and sprinted, ducking and weaving through the monsters as they charged at us. She made a beeline for one of the alleyways in an attempt to flee.

The beast wasn’t far behind her, lumbering after her. It showed no regard for its underlings, as anything beneath its spiked hooves got stabbed, right through the back. It stabbed at least three monsters in its pursuit, carving its way to Tallie.

“Tallie!” I screamed, seeing her sprint into the alley. “Tallie, this way!” But it was too late. The monster had blocked off the exit, and only we could save her. There were too many enemies still pushing through the square. We were running out of time and bullets. Nobody could save her.

Nobody but me. I felt my body freeze on the inside as I felt a new presence in my bones. They started to move on their own, the adrenaline taking over.The adrenaline pumping through my veins forced me over the sandbag wall and toward the alley way.

The area around me slowed down as I sprinted through the square. I could see every drop of blood that exploded out of each monster’s wounds, every bullet sailing through the air. I swerved and unloaded bullets into a monster that had broken off to attack me. The bullets carved a neat dotted line from its shoulder through to the top of its head.

I dispatched two more monsters before my SMG clicked empty. In one smooth motion, I pulled my knife from its shoulder sheath with the tips of my hoof, and threw it. It sailed through the air and embedded itself in the head of one of the monsters in mid-jump. It crashed to the ground, slick tongue hanging out of its disgusting maw. I ran toward it and yanked the blade out with my hoof and sheathed it as I kept running.

I reached the alleyway entrance before I’d even realized what I had just done. I didn’t have time to think about it because the monster was dead ahead, standing over Tallie. They were at the very end of the alley. Tallie lay on her back, staring up at the beast, but didn’t seem hurt. I had to make sure she stayed that way.

I sprinted at the monster, yelling at the top of my lungs. My whole body shuddered as I threw my entire weight against the monster’s side, tackling it to the ground.

“Run!” I screamed at Tallie. “Just bloody run!” I tried to hold the monster down so she could escape, but as soon as she rolled onto her feet and ran, the monster regained control. It thrashed around me and threw me against a wall. It swiped at me and caught my SMG before I could fire a shot, tearing it from my saddle. I tried to switch to my rifle, but it had damaged my saddle’s mechanisms. I was defenseless.

The slammed its spiked forelimb down, but I ducked and kicked it in the face. That just made it angrier. It coughed a wet and sticky cough, and grabbed me under the forelegs.

I tried to wriggle free, but it tightened its grip around my waist, then threw me to the ground. I heard cracks in my back and ribs. Pain crackled up my spine. I writhed in agony, my mind getting fuzzy and my vision blurry. The monster had me just where he wanted me. It stood over me, its massive spikes ready to turn me into a kebab.

It lowered its head and roared in my face, mandibles spread apart and eyes glowing brilliant green. Its dark green blood seeped from its new head wound and dripped onto my visor. It lifted its head again and slammed its blunt knee against the visor, pushing my head into the snow.

I couldn’t tell if I had screamed or not, as my ears started to ring. I tried to move, but it swung its massive spike down, puncturing my coat and pinning me to the floor. I started to fumble with my zipper, trying to pull the coat off and run, but it was no use. Every time I got my wits about me, another blow struck my visor, cracking it.

My vision started to blur from the impacts, and I tasted blood on my upper lip. The cracks started to fan out like an elaborate spider web and I found it harder to breathe, like the air had gotten more dense. The last blow shattered part of my visor, letting the tainted air in.

The monster poked its spike into the new hole, just millimeters away from my cheek, and found purchase on the inside. It put its other spike across my neck and pulled on the other, tearing my mask off my face.

I felt a cold rush blast into my face as the mask tore away from my head, and I quickly found it harder to breathe. I blinked several times as the beast thrashed with its spike, dislodging the mask. Remembering my knife, I grabbed it with my hoof, ready to plunge it into the beast’s flesh. I struggled with the knife. My limbs were getting shaky and my muscles weak, but I got it out of the sheath.

I looked at the blade as I yanked it free. ‘Silent Reaper’ was etched into the blade, as well as a crescent moon. It was strangely clean, considering not a minute beforehand I’d lodged it a monster’s skull. Pinching the handle with my hoof, I held it out, ready to strike when the beast came for another swing.

I was too late. While I’d drawn the knife, the beast prepared of its next strike. It brought the spike down like a guillotine, piercing straight through my shoulder and pinning my left foreleg, the one with the knife. I screamed in agony as it moved its spike around, tearing tendons and muscle. It leaned in close and let out a demented hiss as its mandibles twisted into a smile.

The shoulder wound started to feel extremely cold, the pain dissipating. My whole side started going numb and I could feel the cold working its way through my body, crawling through my chest.

I beat the side of the monster’s head with my free hoof, groaning and coughing, wheezing to get a long breath. The air was so dense, and my lungs felt like they were filling with water. My head pounded from the blows and my forehead stung. The monster seemed unfazed by my strikes, and barely flinched as my hoof slammed against its head.

My farm-colt strength failed. Just what the monster seemed to be longing for. To watch the life drain from its hapless prey. My hoof felt like it was full of cement as it fell to the side and the blood around my shoulder wound had frozen around the spike.

That was it. End of the line for poor little Clover. Suffocating from poisonous gas, blood freezing in his veins, and his lungs filling with ice cold death.

My eyes felt heavier as tears froze on my cheeks. I didn’t want my final thoughts to be of death. I had always wanted to be at peace in death, to be happy with a life of no regrets.

I started to think of home, of Dad’s bedtime stories, of the warm hugs I got from Shamrock when I was feeling sad, the three of us sitting around the fireplace on Hearth’s Warming Eve, opening presents and laughing. My mind drifted over the good times I’d had with my family, the times we’d shared pure happiness. I was the last one left, the very last of my family tree.

But I wasn’t alone. I had some great friends back home, and made a few new ones on my journey. Snake Eyes the strange ghoul, who’d saved my life time and time again. Lollipop, who had proven to be a caring mare and tenacious when she or her friends were in trouble. Tallie, oh Tallie, the little griffin who I’d only just met, but who’d meant a lot to me. That little girl was so resourceful, it’d be one of the waste’s biggest shames to lose her.

4The folks in the towns I’d visited, and even the local wildlife had their gems in the mud. Just look at Zippo, the ant who thought I was his queen. I was gonna miss that bug.

Finally, Ace. The mare who’d at first been a total bitch to me. I’d managed to crack through her hard surface, to see the caring, gooey center inside. I’d always hoped we’d be more than just friends, and that I’d someday be able to remember the night we’d shared. All the hoping in the world wouldn’t make it happen though. The only way I was getting out of this city was in a body bag.

I was going to miss all my friends. All the people I’d met. All the things I’d seen. But I was looking forward to one thing. I’d get to see Dad and Shamrock real soon.

I looked up at the monster through half-closed eyes with a weak smile on my face. I managed to find peace in death, and it was a matter of seconds before I’d fully realize it. The monster lifted its spiked limb above my head with a demented smile.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, a pistol with an attachment on its barrel appeared and shoved itself against the side of the monster’s head. Before the creature could react, brains exploded out the other side of its skull.

The beast toppled lifeless beside me. The spike embedded in my shoulder tore at my flesh as it sat at an awkward angle. I think it was on the verge of pulling my leg clean off, but it was so numb that I didn’t feel it.

A new face swam into my vision, hidden behind a strange gasmask linked to a small hose. The figure wore a hat and a long jacket, and waved a hoof over my face. It rummaged in a small pack on its side, and pulled out a new gas-mask with two filters on either side.

“This isn’t the end, Clover,” the pony said, fitting the new mask over my face. “In fact, I think this is just the beginning.”

The pony turned their attention to the alley’s entrance, and walked out of my field of vision. I took in a big long breath of pure, filtered air, letting my lungs fill with life. My hearing began to distort, but I thought I could hear voices.

Seconds later, in a flurry of white snow, two faces came into view, both hidden behind masks. I recognised them by their manes which flowed around them. The pink mohawk of Lollipop, and the long, messy, beautiful mane of Ace. Both shouted something at me, but I could barely make it out.

Lollipop looked at Ace and shouted something which I couldn’t make out. I felt a slight sting as she yanked the spike from my shoulder, and my whole body protested as they started to shift me, dragging me through the snow. I stared at my hind hooves as they dragged along behind me, past the corpse, past the dumpsters, and past the alley’s entrance.

I could hear the dull thumps of guns in the back of my head, but nothing much else. Two beasts fell at my hind hooves, one missing half of its head, and the other its chest. Garbled shouts and muffled guns roared around me.

I managed to find the strength to tilt my head back and look up. Ace had her shotgun still firmly in her magic as she dragged one side of me with her hooves. Lollipop was on the other side, firing on her weapon and not letting up.

They pulled me back past the sand-bags. Tallie stared at me as I was dragged past her, and seemed to gasp behind her mask. Thank the goddesses she was okay. I didn’t care if I died, as long as I knew I’d saved someone important.

Mayflowers yelled something to the others as they pulled me past her. They started to follow me, walking backwards and firing. Featherweight was standing firm, machine guns firing hot lead at an alarming rate, slowly walking backwards. Fuse had joined the fight as well, as she threw a grenade and dove past me.

The sides of my vision turned black and closed in on me. Featherweight kept following me, then stepped into the darkness, leaving me with a view of the monsters quickly approaching.

A massive, heavy door swung closed in front of me, and closed with a massive clang that even I could hear. Utter darkness swallowed the world around me.

I could hear voices, and suddenly a faint light appeared above me. It sounded like someone was yelling my name, over and over, along with some other words I couldn’t make out. The yelling faded, quieter and quieter.

Then ceased entirely.

Footnote: Level up!

New Perk!

“Mysterious Mare-Do-Well”

Do you have a guardian angel? Because that was damn lucky...

Special thanks to Adder, Matt, Kel, and Dimestream for editing and art. (Art done by Matt!)

Special thanks to my editors and my fans who have waited too damn long for this chapter, and to Kkat for creating FoE.

Chapter 14: Mind The Gap.

Chapter 14: Mind the gap.

"Chapter quotes are getting so damn annoying. Y’know what, Matt? No more quotes. They’re tedious.” - aFriendlyHobo, 2014

“You’re just lazy.” - Matkingos, 2014

Where was I? What happened? All I could remember was being dragged somewhere, then everything turning black. But that still raised the question of where was I?

I looked at the forest around me as I ran down a long dirt path. I saw lush emerald-green leaves glinting in the warm shining sunlight ahead, as a deep blue sky spanned the horizon. The sound of birds echoed in the distance, making me smile.

Around me, though, the trees were turning yellow and orange, the leaves had started to fall from the branches, floating softly to the ground swirling and whooshing behind me as I ran past. My hooves kicked up large piles of the leaves, scattering them into the air. I felt like a child again!

Why was I running? I hadn’t really noticed it before, but my legs were running as fast as they could! Was I running towards the summer? The light? The green paradise ahead kept turning to autumn ahead of me, constantly out of reach. If I wasn’t running towards something, was I running away from something?

I looked over my shoulder, not sure what to expect. Behind me, the trees were bare, the leaves blasting away a few seconds after I passed them crumpled and shriveled on the ground, the trees withering and dying. The sky was covered in thick clouds, darkening as I ran away. The cold winter was following me, but that wasn’t the only thing.

Behind me, I saw what I was running from. Double Down, eyes red with rage, his face distorted into a massive, twisted, hungry grin, was following me, running through the dead leaves and freezing them under hoof.

Beside him was the crazy mare who’d buried me. Her green, tangled mane flared out behind her, her yellow eyes tiny pinpricks. Her wicked smile was filled with sharp teeth, but her tongue hung out the side of her mouth, waving in the wind as she sprinted like a dog. Her spiked metal armour and her light blue coat were coated in blood.

“No!” I yelled, turning my face forward again. Tears streaked down my cheeks, remembering the night Shamrock died. How I was tied up and couldn’t do anything to stop it. How brave my brother was, even in the face of death. How he’d given me one last smile before dying.

Ahead, I spotted a clearing on the left side of the path. In the middle was my house back on The Plains, home. Smoke started to rise from the area around it as fire spread across it, engulfing my home. The roof quickly caught fire, collapsing inwards as I passed. The entire building became an inferno, the windows exploding outwards as flames poured from them. I couldn’t stop.

The dirt path seemed to go on forever. It continued in a straight line all the way to the sunny horizon. To my right was another open field with just one barren tree. Tied to it was an orange and green stallion, his right eye burnt to a crisp. He looked up at me as I passed and smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile, but a sad smile, the same he’d given me before he died. To my horror, Shamrock’s body started to decompose before my very eyes. It took only seconds before he became just a skeleton tied to a tree. A ring of fire spread around the field in a circle, closing inwards.

What the hell was going on? I couldn’t explain it, it just couldn’t be real. I took another look over my shoulder to see the sinister duo still hot on my tail, slowly closing the gap. The dark clouds behind me started to part into a wicked smile with razor sharp teeth. Red eyes punctured the clouds, turning the sky into a hellish face.

“What are you running from, Clover?” a voice whispered over the trees. I tried to ignore it, instead focusing on getting away.

Another field, another memory. This time of a massive yellow pony with a thick black beard. He was wearing the patchwork armour of a Separatist and a blue cap on his head. The stallion was a giant, at least twenty times bigger than I remembered. He stood alone in the field, watching me with a maniacal grin, holding his revolver up. Pain lanced through my leg, coming from the puckered skin on my thigh where the stallion had shot me. His beard and mane started to burn, but he didn’t flinch. The forest behind me started to burn in small patches, sending long tendrils of smoke into the sky.

The smoke started to weave and wave in the wind, taking on a new form. It was draconic as two yellow eyes peered out of them, reminding me of the Dust Devils that almost killed me on my way to Iron City. They waved in the wind, watching me as more came to life as the fire spread.

It was insanity. Why was I running through an endless forest, infested by my nightmares? What was next? The tunnels with the ghouls? The hospital in the Red Zone?

“Running, running, running…” the sky said with its sick grin. “But where? Salvation? Hope?”

“Fuck you!” I screamed upward, tears falling from my face and onto the cold, dry earth. My nightmares were coming to life around me, tormenting me, following me. I felt like I was losing my mind.

“Oh, I know where you’re running to,” the voice said, followed by a cackle. “Right… here!”

Suddenly, the dirt road fell away like a double door had opened, plunging me down a deep trench. The trench walls were made of stainless steel with very small windows. Occasionally there’d be an exposed wire or coil. Perhaps even a light or two.

I screamed for my life as my hooves flailed around me. Double Down and the crazy mare stopped at the side of the doors and laughed as I plunged out of view. It felt like I was falling forever. The walls whisked by me as voices started to fill my head. First one, then two, then it slowly started to increase. Five, seven, ten, fifteen… before long I had a whole room of people talking in my head. I couldn’t make out a single sentence. The words sounded scientific though. ‘Testing,’ ‘Success,’ ‘Trials,’ all sorts of sciencey words.

“Down we go, down, down, down into the depths,” Trailblaze said, his voice clear above the others. “I wonder how deep the rabbit hole goes?”

The bottom of the trench was shrouded in darkness. I couldn’t see it for the life of me, I just kept tumbling and tumbling, spiraling into the void, screaming at the top of my lungs. I didn’t understand what was happening. I didn’t think anyone would understand it.

The bottom of the trench came to view, too fast for comfort. Painted on the steel floor was a massive “S #04” in red paint. I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable splat of my body against the hard floor.

I didn’t hear a sickening splat, but instead a massive shatter of glass. My eyes shot open, and I saw large fragments of glass spreading away from the light behind me. I drifted into a dark void, unable to feel anything around me. My hooves swished through the nothingness, trying to gain purchase.

Eventually, an armchair floated towards me with the black stallion himself sitting comfortably. “Well that was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Are you fucking serious?” I yelled at him and flailed my hooves, trying to strike him. I just ended up slowly tumbling end over end.

Trailblaze chuckled, crossing his legs. “Well I thought it was.”

“Why would you do that?” I asked with a sigh, realising that I couldn’t do anything. He slowly came back into view as I tumbled.

Suddenly, a lounge poofed into existence under me. “I did it because it was necessary.” He slowly put his hooves together under his chin. “Reliving your trauma. Some say it would break a pony. Cause them to go… insane…” He couldn’t help but deliver a small laugh. “But I know you. I need to break you to make you stronger.”

“You son of a bitch…” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at the bastard. “I don’t want to change. I like me.” If I could, I’d have killed him. Right there.

“You’d kill me, hmmm?” he asked, eyebrows raised. Oh right, he could hear my thoughts. Bastard. “Well then.”

The void seemed to pop and we stood just twenty hooves from each other. The dirt under my hooves was warm. Where were we? Why did everything keep changing? I saw that we were in a large, circular pit with stands and bleachers all around the top, countless ponies cheering and laughing up above, watching us. I was wearing a heavy set of armour and a large sword stuck out of the ground in front of me. Trailblaze wore nothing but a white cloth, wrapped around him like a toga, his mane and hooves giving off black wisps. He smiled and bowed at me. “What are you waiting for?” he asked.

“Clover, Clover, Clover!” the crowd chanted. A grin started to crawl across my face. I liked it. I wasn’t the underdog anymore. I didn’t care if it was real or not, I wanted it.

I pulled the sword from the dirt and ran at Trailblaze. I let out a war cry around the sword and brought it down on his smug face.

The world popped again, right before the sword landed on his nose. We were standing in an alley way. I had a gun, he didn’t. “Lets try that again. Kill me.” I looked at the gun and blinked. It was a sword before. No matter. I pulled the trigger.

Another pop. We stood in the middle of a desert. Nothing around for miles. I looked down and saw that I had a shotgun to Trailblaze’s face. “You suck at this, you know that, right?” I stared angrily at him. If he didn’t keep changing the scene, I’d have killed him already. “Come on. Shoot me. I want you to shoot me. Shoot me, dammit!”

I pulled the trigger again, but ended up right where we started. In the void on couches.

“Stop doing this to me!” I yelled at him, digging my hooves into the lounger. “Stop giving me hope and taking it from me!”

Trailblaze chuckled and sat forward. “I’ll admit, that was more for me than anything.” He let out a satisfied sigh and sat back again. “Why do I keep doing this? Because it makes you tougher. You being a pussy is going to get you killed, then what will I have left to do? Well I’ll tell you.”

His chair zipped closer to me, almost within my reach. “I won’t have any barriers left. I’ll own your body. I’ll get to do whatever I want.” He laughed and leaned forward. “I’m an agent of Discord. My trade is chaos. Anarchy. Lunacy. The wasteland will be forever changed.”

“I won’t let that happen. Not in a million years!” I growled at him, my mane bristling a little. “You are everything I hate. A murderer. A lunatic. A torturer.”

“Good. Let the hate flow through you,” the dark stallion said with a wide grin. “Fuel the fires of your rage. It’ll make you tougher. More able to stop me.”

“Why are you helping me?” I asked. “Why not just let me die and take over?”

“Because that’s not part of the plan,” Trailblaze replied. “There’s something much bigger than just you and me going on here, Clover. There’s a plan for us, and I’m going to make sure we see it through.” He sat back and crossed his legs. “When it’s complete, you will be free to live your life the way you want. I won’t be around any more.”

“You’re lying,” I snarled. “You’re always lying!” I just couldn’t believe for one second that Trailblaze was working for Discord. Was he worshipping him or something? I just couldn’t let him influence me to work with him, if he’s got something to do with the demi-god of chaos! What would that turn me into?!

“I haven’t lied to you before.” He said. Damn, he was right. “And this is closer to the truth than anything.”

“What is this plan?” I asked, barely believing that I was humouring him. “You’ll really leave me alone afterwards?”

Trailblaze shrugs. “I have no idea. Best way to stay on track is to survive, right?” he asked with a laugh. “It’ll be fun! And when its done, I’ll be on my merry way! Won’t that be swell!”

“All I have to do is survive?”

“Mhm.”

“Fine,” I grunted, still on the lounger. “Whatever. If it gets you out of my head, I’ll do anything.”

“Good.” Trailblaze’s eyes grew a darker shade of red as his grin intensified. “Now stop being a coward. No more tears. Get angry. Get tough. Take drugs. Punch a bear.”

I growled at Trailblaze, not wanting to take his advice, but if it got rid of him, I’d do it. I was stronger than him. I controlled my body, not him. I wouldn’t let him wreak havoc on the world and turn it into his own shrine to Discord. “I want you to leave me alone. I want to live a peaceful life. I survive, and I get what I want. Deal?”

“Great. Atta boy. Now get out there, and survive.” He blinked in realisation, then chuckled. “Oh, one more thing.”

“What?” I hissed, narrowing my eyes. My heart sank, I knew there was a catch. There had to be a catch. You can’t have a hope for salvation without a catch. Fucking chaos...

“You getting stabbed? By that monster, I mean.” He smiled, putting his hooves together, like he was scheming. “That should have killed you. Food for thought.” He winked one last time and disappeared.

I stared into the blackness of the void. “Now what?” I asked nopony in particular. “Any time now, please…” a few seconds passed and I heard a loud clunk. It sounded like an elevator, then I started moving downwards, hearing a gentle hum. Definitely an elevator.

Another loud thunk and the moving stopped. There was an intense grinding, and the lounger started to freefall. I clung to the sides, my heart racing. I yelled and clamped my eyes shut as the wind started to pull at my limbs. Light started to penetrate the void around me.

One last thump and it stopped.

The feeling of waking up from unconsciousness started to get annoying after the third or fourth time. I swear, most of my brain cells were dead because of the amount of times I passed out. Did it work like that? I didn’t know, I wasn’t a doctor. I sure as hell needed one more often than I wanted to admit.

Slowly, my senses started to return to me. I heard muffled voices and strange noises, and my eyelids began to lighten. I couldn’t make anything out through my blurred vision. The room was a tad too dark to focus in. The next thing I felt was a burning sensation coming from my shoulder, I clamped my eyes shut and forced out a low groan of pain. It felt weird, like something was crawling on and around it, but I couldn’t move to figure out what.

“Oh hush, you big baby,” a strange voice said from beside me. It didn’t sound right, like it was two or three ponies talking at the same time. “We’ll get you fixed up in just a moment. Now quit squirming!”

“Wha…” I began, my throat feeling like sandpaper. “Where…”

Pain lanced through my body from my shoulder as something dug into it. “Shuddup! You’re distracting me!” Pain was generally a bad thing, so I shut up and let whoever was there do whatever they were doing.

I endured through some sort of ritual or examination or something, mostly involving pokes, pricks, and some gentle rubbing from some sort of cold instrument. Soon enough though, it was over, but not until a final stabbing pain shot through my shoulder.

The pain was starting to dissipate but it didn’t feel right. The flesh tingled and felt like it was stretching and as my eyesight started to clear, looked down at whatever it was making it hurt. I saw a gaping hole in my shoulder closing up, sparkling around the edges like someone had doused it with magic healing potion.

“And that’s the ball-game. Surgery finished,” the voice said. I turned my head to see who it was, but my neck couldn’t reach around that far. I felt like I was strapped down to the table.

“So… can… can I talk?” I asked, my throat protesting and my voice sounding not too far from a ghoul’s. Had I turned into a ghoul?! My body didn’t seem flakey, so I didn’t think I was...

The voice just huffed in annoyance. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

Oh great. One of those types. “What happened?” I asked, looking up at the ceiling and seeing cracked cement with a light fixture hanging down. It was remarkably bright, contrasting against the rest of the room.

“You got shanked. Anyone told you not to play with an Executioner?” the voice asked, moving away. I heard the sound of castor wheels against a ceramic floor. “As for where you are, Orion Metro Station medical bay.”

“What?” I asked, none of it made a lick of sense. “What’s an Ex-” Then it hit me, what happened before I woke up. I remembered the fight against the mutants. Tallie being a brave little griffin and killing one of those big fuckers. Me running to her and getting stabbed by that monster, that must’ve been an Executioner. Then I remembered being dragged through the snow and bodies, then nothing. That’s where it cut off.

I winced as I remembered every last detail. How we fought, how we bled, how I was ready to die, then the mysterious stranger who saved my life. None of that was important though. “Tallie… is… is she okay?” I asked.

The voice moved a little closer. “Tallie… Tallie… that’s the griffin kid, right? Yeah, she’s fine. Shaken up, but nothing two hundred year old hot cocoa can’t fix.”

Ew.

“Good…” I sighed. “And… everyone else?”

“Everypony’s doing fine. The big one and your medic are faring the best. Hell, Lollipop helped me patch you up. The big one, Featherweight, he brought your almost-carcass back here. Nice guy.” the voice sped off again to the other side of the room along with the sound of castor wheels. I heard the tapping of a computer’s keyboard. “Now. Lets focus on you, shall we?”

“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring her request to talk about me. “What are you?”

There was an audible sigh. “Look, you wanna know why you’re tied down? Your friends say you like to overreact.”

“No way…” I muttered. Me? Overreact? Psh. Never.

“Fine then. Prove it.” The voice moved into the light where I could see it, and I could safely say I definitely wasn’t expecting it.

The voice belonged to a mutant unicorn mare. Her pupils were narrow slits and she had an odd hand-like appendage sprouting from the base of her neck and hanging over her shoulder, along with two back tentacles. She didn’t seem as menacing as the ones I’d fought earlier.

“I’m Doctor Stitches. A mutant.”

“Told you,” a more familiar voice said from across the room. Lollipop trotted into the room past end of my bed. At least, I thought it was a bed, but it didn’t really feel like it. It was more like a gorney if anything. Lollipop certainly was a sight for sore eyes, even if she was an annoyingly bright shade of neon green in the room’s light. “How’re you doin’, Sweetie?”

“Mutant…” I muttered, trying to catch my breath. She hadn’t killed me yet, and she’d even helped me, apparently. Still a mutant though. Mutants were dangerous. Then again, I’d only met the violent type before then.

“Clover, c’mon,” Lollipop said in a very bored tone, raising an eyebrow at me. “Chill out. Seriously, how are you?”

“I… um…” I stammered, not entirely sure of myself. “I don’t know. How am I?” I tried to turn my head, but moving proved to be painful and limiting because of the restraints. Overreacting, yeah, right…

“Well…” the mutant… sorry, Stitches, began. “There’s no visible mutations on the outside yet.” I didn’t like ‘yet’. “And I’m hardly going to go cutting you open to peek inside. I could, but nah.” She giggled sweetly, which was creepy following that sentence. “No fun that way.”

Lollipop trotted around me, looking me over. She winced once or twice, seeing my accumulating scars. “So how will we know if he’s all jacked up on the inside?” she asked.

“I’m glad you asked!” Stitches almost squealed, followed by the sound of chair castors trundling over the floor. “I took several samples from his body, and I’m gonna test them!”

“Samples?” I asked. “I don’t like the sound of that…”

“Yep!” the mutant said, I could tell she was grinning. “Lets see… I took blood, mane, skin, and sperm samples to test for certain stra-”

“Sperm samples?!” I yelped. “Wha-, ho-... why?!”

“Science!” She shouted as she trundled into view, and stroked my mane with her weird mutant arm thing. “I have spells for a lot of things, Clover,” she said, softly. It made my skin wriggle. “I’ve been doing the same thing over and over again for the past two hundred years.” She then trundled away once more. “I took them to test you for DNA mutations, and hopefully find out what you won in the mutant lotto! Whee!”

“This isn’t happening…” I moaned, clamping my eyes shut. “You… you violated me with magic…”

“Oh please, it was only a little bit of pumping…” Stitches replied with a stifled laugh.

Lollipop giggled, then thankfully changed the subject. “So, strains, doc?”

The mutant nodded from the corner of my vision. “Yup. The most common one being the Prowlers. Nasty bastards with a worse temperament. Stupid as a barrel of apples, though.” Stitches flicked through several pieces of paper before returning to us with pictures. She showed us the picture of a Prowler. “Most ponies that get infected turn into these. Toothy, tentacley, violent psychopaths with a taste for blood.”

“Yeah, we saw our fair share of those pricks,” Lollipop said with a smirk, taking the photo in her magic and looking it over a few times. “Might be mean, but they go down easy.”

“Easier than a Boulder at least.” She flipped through her photos and pulled out one that looked like another mutant we’d seen. It stood up on two hind legs and had extraordinary rocky skin. It still had the back tentacles and a slobber-mouth full of teeth though. “Similar to the Prowlers, but they mostly infect Diamond Dogs, according to my research. Their skin is hard as rock, hence the name, and they are a bitch and a half to kill, apparently.”

“What about those flying things?” I asked, my eyes clamped closed. My shoulder ached with each passing thought of the day before. Although fleeting, the memories were vivid, as if I was watching them on a TV.

“Those guys have a lot of different names.” Stitches said, flicking through her photos once more. “Some call them Demons, some call them Bitches. Most call them Holy-Shit-It’s-One-Of-Those-Things. Personally, I prefer to call them Predators.” How fitting. “From what I can tell, they mutate exclusively from Griffins.” She showed us the photo of a Predator. Its massive, patchy wings spread wide, and its toothy beak ready to chomp at the lens.

“Damn chickens…” Lollipop muttered. “Good thing Featherweight had flak shells. Those guys were annoying to target.”

“That’s what the Ghosts say,” Stitches said, flipping through the pictures once more. I was going to ask about the ghosts but she cut me off. “Now, on to the nastier brutes,” she muttered. “Next on the list is the Executioners. Fun bunch, them.” She poked my new shoulder scar, making me wince in pain. “Those are the bad fellas that shanked you, Binkie.”

“Binkie?” I asked, my lip quivering. My shoulder felt like it was going to fall off at any moment! Whatever that was Stitches injected me with wasn’t working fast enough!

“Yup. Seemed fitting.” What? How was Binkie fitting in any way? What’s a Binkie? “Anyway, these are the result of a special strain. Note the elongated heads, the mandibles, and the spike-like forelegs. These guys act as… I guess sergeants, or something, ordering the pack around. When one of these is around, the pack is sure to follow.” She showed us a picture, and the pain in my shoulder spiked. The memories of being pinned and sliced into still fresh in my mind.

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger, hmm?” Trailblaze muttered in the back of my mind. “Maybe not physically, but mentally. Well, if you got a metal hoof, then maybe stronger. How fun!”

I tried to ignore the insane voice in my head. I’d had enough of him for one day.

“Not the overall leaders though,” Stitches continued. “That is left to the Reapers.”

“Sounds ominous,” Lollipop said in a hushed voice, listening intently. I guess being a medical mare, she was into that sort of stuff. I wondered if her hobbies had anything to do with her fascination. Perhaps she was a nerd for enjoying all this mutants and monsters stuff?

“Sounds like a scorpion on steroids, more like,” the mutant huffed. “These guys have four legs, four tentacles, and one extra one right in the middle of their backs, tipped with a sharp spike for impaling its prey.” She shuddered and showed us the picture. “The Ghosts came back with stories of seeing one cut clean into another mutant like that. Gory stuff.” She put the photos away and smiled. “Anyway, those guys are the big leaders, but they don’t care about the other mutants. As soon as it bolts, the others get pretty confused.”

“We know,” I groaned. “I saved a…. an ally from one before. Shot its spike tentacle clean off.”

“Not enough to neutralise it, I’m afraid.” Stitches sighed, shuffling through the photos. “It’ll still be out there, being all angry.” Fun. “Now, there is a really strange one…” she said, sounded very distant. “But I just refuse to believe it.”

“Why’s that?” Lollipop asked, sitting on the end of my bed-thing.

“Well…” The mutant unicorn pulled out one last photo and showed it to us. It was taken in a blizzard, but I could barely make out a large dark outline in the photo. Whatever it was, it was massive. “The Ghosts claim that this is real. They called it a Behemoth. Another group says they saw one too, but not as big.” She pulled the photo back and put it away. “If they are real, which I still don’t believe they are, then its possible that they come in different sizes. I estimate about two to three stories tall.” she rubbed her chin while staring at the photo. “We have a mutant here who’s big, but not that big. I still think its an isolated mutation.”

“Holy shit…” Lollipop whispered. “Yeah, I’m not buying it. That’s impossible.” So’s an insane pony living in one’s head. “The amount of biomass they’d have to go through a day, being that big, over two hundred years? Nah.”

“Pretty much,” Stitches said, sounding chipper again. “I’m pretty sure the Ghosts were just hallucinating or something. Could’ve been some creative rubble.” She shuffled her photo-deck again and looked through it, but didn’t pull any out. “And finally, we’ve got the Roaches. One of the weirder ones. I don’t have any photos, but they’re like heads on spider legs.” I remembered seeing one of those. Good golly goodness they were the worst. “No clue how they work, but they do.”

“I remember them…” I muttered. “I don’t like them. Freaky little fuckers.”

“So yeah, that’s the hostile buggers. Sometimes people will get lucky and not get a mutation that takes over the brain. Like me!” She lifted her hooves to the ceiling and spun on her chair. “Tada! Anyway, its not likely, and I’ve never seen a repeating pattern, but some ponies come out mutated, but still normal in the head. Everyone here is like that.”

“That reminds me…” I muttered. “Where are we? And can you get these restraints off please?”

“Oh, right.” the mutant doctor said with a giggle, and started to untie me. “Sorry. I guess I get that from my love of bondage.”

“Please don’t…” I almost whimpered, pulling my arms and legs in as soon as they were free. I instantly regretted it as my shoulder shook with pain.

“Relax, those days are long gone. Almost nobody down here gets any.” She smiled, then sighed. “Most of us don’t even have genitals anymore.”

“Let’s not go there.” It took a lot of effort to sit up, and my head was aching as I peered around the room, seeing lab equipment, medical kejiggers, and a few computers. The room it was all in though, was weird. One of the walls looked like it was cobbled together and the tiles were coloured oddly. Mostly in stripes.

“Like I said before, you’re in Orion Station’s medical bay,” Stitches said, looking very proud of herself. “And my humble abode.”

“Neat…” I nickered, it definitely was an impressive feat to still have it up and running after so long. It also explained the room’s decor. “I guess we made it to the station then…”

“Yup,” Lollipop said, putting a foreleg around my neck and grinning. “We made it, kid. Hell of a journey, but we’re almost out of it.”

“Thank Celestia…” I sighed. “Are the others alright?” I asked, dangling my hind legs over the side of the bed-thing. I felt like pounded shit, twice fried, then fed into a meat grinder. I probably looked like it too.

“Yeah, a little shaken up, but we’re good.” Lollipop gave me her best smile. “Some of them are helping out around the station too. Fuse and Tallie are the most shaken up, so they're taking this time to rest.” Good to know the others were keeping active. “You came out the worst. We’re all a bit lucky in that respect.”

“Lucky?” I asked with a huff. Lucky would have been the Executioner missing me and stabbing the dirt instead. Maybe he was aiming for my face… that was lucky.

“Yes, lucky.” my friend replied. “We’re lucky that we didn’t all die. We only lost three ponies, and we could have lost you too.” She then prodded my four-leaf-clover cutie mark. “And you’re lucky to be alive and not a Prowler or a pile of goop or something.”

“Hey, Frankie’s not that bad,” Stitches interjected with a pout. “I knew him before he was goop. He’s a stand up pony.”

“I can’t have heard that right…” I muttered, shaking my head. “When will this madness end?”

“When you decide to call it quits, obviously.” Lollipop said, hopping off the bed. “But that won’t happen until after you get revenge for your brother, right?”

“Right.” I replied as I stepped down from the bed, just to stumble straight into Lollipop. My shoulder still hurt like hell. “Not giving up.”

“Atta boy.” Lollipop said, guiding me to my clothes. “Now get some clothes on, we should go tell the others you’re alright.”

“Good!” Stitches cheered, her castors trundling over to one of her many computers. “I need to get to work finding out what Clover’s gained, lost, or twiddled up.” Twiddled up? I didn’t even want to know…

It took me a few pained minutes to get at least my beaten armour on, and to get it looking decent again. I still looked like a jelly-donut after it’d been chewed up. Thankfully, Lollipop had cleaned the blood from the many holes in my armour, and was trying her best to fix my mane. Soon, we were ready to go.

“Seeya!” Stitches shouted, not looking up from her monitor. She’d gotten a bunch of her machines running, doing the tests she needed to do. “I’ll send a walker, runner, or maybe even a sludger after you when I get the results. Failing that, I’ll find you some other way.”

“Fun…” I said, using Lollipop as a crutch to help me walk to the door. “See you soon…”

The hallway outside the doctor’s office was decorated with faded, multicoloured tiles in varying designs. Most were very hard to make out because of their age, but I could make out swirls and small ponies.

There was a hefty musk in the air, like something you’d smell in an old warehouse. Something about it felt warm and welcoming, but the sterile whites and the flickering, humming lights gave off a cold vibe. I wondered how two hundred year old hallways managed to stay so clean. Maybe the inhabitants were a clean folk? Hopefully. I didn’t want to encounter more drooling savages anytime soon.

“Come on,” Lollipop said, walking down the hallway. “Lets go find the others. Oh, and this place isn’t as you’d expect it to be. It's… well…” She abruptly stopped, placing a hoof on her chin in thought, almost causing me to lose my balance. “Kind of hard to explain. You’ll just need to see. Let’s see if you’re okay with stairs.”

We passed a couple of office doors while walking. They said in bright red, bold lettering: Station manager, maintenance foreman, and security. Why would a metro station, which are generally small from what I’d heard, need these ponies?

“Stairs?” I muttered, looking down a fairly short set of them. “Uh… maybe… hey, what’s the deal with having a foreman, manager, and such?”

Lollipop chuckled, stopping at the top of the stairs. “Like I said. Nothing you’d expect. Now, let me help you.” She slipped to my side and offered to support me.

“Okay… I suppose… I’m not going to like this, am I?” I asked, leaning against her. We started to walk down the stairs, with much difficulty. Pain lanced from my shoulder with every step, making me wince and whimper all the way down.

Lollipop checked my shoulder when we got to the bottom, and smiled. “The station? That depends. If you’re still the same old Clover, then maybe. The stairs though, you handled like a… er… champ.”

“Gee, thanks. So much confidence,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll try to not shit myself.”

“That works,” Lollipop smirked. “Alright, just through there.” The unicorn medic pointed a lime green hoof at a small door at the end of the hallway. We limped forward, our hooves clicking against the faded tiles.

Lollipop smiled, turning towards me. “Welcome to Orion Station, Cloves.” She pushed the door open and helped me through.

Through the door, we found ourselves in a massive warehouse-looking room. We stood on a catwalk overlooking five long, raised platforms, each with a train on top. The trains seemed to have been gutted and heavily modified.

“Woah…” I exclaimed. “This is incredible!” I stumbled over to the railing and looked over for a better view. Down below, between each raised platform, was a cramped looking bazaar. Stalls were set up along the maintenance platforms and strange looking creatures hustled and bustled between them. There must have been fifty or sixty people down there.

Along the walls were old carriages, chopped and cut into small cabins. I assumed they were being used as homes of sort. Two larger towers stood against a large, open door. Two pony-looking creatures stood at the top with rifles. Guards, I assumed.

“Pretty sweet, huh?” Lollipop said, “And this is just the market area. They’ve got a whole platform for farming, and three for residences. This place is huge!”

Lollipop chuckled and began walking down the catwalk. “Sure is. This station, I’ve been told, is a major maintenance hub and station,” she explained, stopping next to the stairs down the market. “It had almost a hundred people working for it. Ya’know, mechanics, security, stuff like that.”

“Well…” I began, a little perplexed by the scale of the station. “Far out.” I made my way over to the stairs and gradually made my way down. One step at a time. Painful as expected.

“C’mon. The gang’s with the Mayor of this little town.” Lollipop said, waving for me to follow. “Now, don’t freak o-”

“Hey!” a gnarled voice yelled mere centimeters from my split ear. “Watch it!”

I recoiled in shock, finding that I was just a second away from walking straight into what used to be, I think, a donkey. This particular mutant only had three legs; both of his hind legs were intact, but he only had one right in the center of his torso. How he stayed balanced was beyond me. He also sported two tusks and three tentacles on his back.

“S-Sorry!” I squeaked, baffled by the sheer level of his mutation. I shivered where I stood, literally quaking in my booties.

“Yeah, whatever…” the grumpy donkey grumbled as he walked by us, heading off towards the other end of the massive chamber.

Lollipop chuckled to herself and gave me a pat on the back. “We all reacted kinda like that when we first got here,” she explained, gently pushing me along. I took the hint and let her lead me along. I balked at all the mutants around me of various different species.

I saw a griffin with three wings, a pegasus with a horn on his chin, a minotaur with one eye, and an overly large pony, two heads taller than average, walking down the aisles, haggling for stuff the vendors were selling. The stalls varied from dull-coloured foods to home-made toys. Some even sold weapons, but the most popular booths had relatively new looking gear. The vendors were always tough looking ponies, armoured and scarred. They must have been scavengers.

I watched in wonder, leaning against my mohawked companion, and I was so distracted that I hadn’t realised all the heads turning to stare at me. I only really noticed when a small griffin, pulling a little hoof-made wooden train behind her, scurried out in front of me and stopped. Her little eyes grew three sizes as she spotted us. “Oh my gosh!” she squealed in an odd voice. It was like there were two of her speaking at once. Her mutation was fairly obvious though, she had no wings, only two little nubs where they used to be. One even had a tiny wool hat on it. Best make the best out of a bad situation, I guess. Other than the wings, her eyes glowed with a faint pink, and there were odd blue rings going down her arms. “Normies!”

“Normies?” I asked, looking at Lollipop. She was going to explain it, but the penny dropped. Too slow, pinkie! “Oh, normals. Right.” I looked down at the little cub and smiled. “Uh… yeah, I guess we are…”

“That’s, like, so awesome!” the griffin squealed. “I’m Jinx! Who’re you?” She sat down in front of me, beaming brightly.

“I’m Clover,” I said, trying to give her my best smile. She was just too darn cute. “And this is my friend Lollipop. We’re not from here.”

“Well duh!” Jinx said, followed by a giggle. “You don’t have any extra bits, or missing bits. You’re kinda like the model earth pony.”

“I seriously doubt that,” I said with a smirk. “My brother though, he was the best example of an earth pony.” I ping of dread shot through me at the mention of Shamrock, but I was determined to spread the word of him in a positive way. It was the least I could do.

“Oh, did he stay at home?” The tiny mutant asked, cocking her head to the side. “He sounds cool. Wish I could meet him too!”

“Uh…” I looked at Lollipop, then back to the griffin. I didn’t have the heart to tell her about Shamrock. “Yeah. He’s at home, hanging out with mum and dad.” It was kinda the truth, at least. “But that’s a long way away. Hey! Can you take us to the mayor’s office?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah!” the griffin chirped, springing up and grabbing the string attached to her train. “That’s where I live!” She turned and began walking ahead. I looked down at the train and smiled. It reminded me of the trains I played with in my youth. I missed those things.

“So you live with the mayor?” Lollipop asked, trotting after the griffin. “That must be nice.”

“Yup!” Jinx called over her shoulder. “She’s my mom!” She navigated her way forward, skirting around buyers and guards. They all smiled at her as she passed, some waving with a friendly ‘hello’. These mutants were just like normal people, just fallen on hard times. It felt so surreal.

“Ain’t that somethin’?” I asked. “That sure is a really nice train you have there.” I nodded at the tiny toy. “I really like trains.”

“Thanks!” Jinx giggled, turning around and picking up the train. “Mister Spook made it for me! He’s really cool.” Something about that name just seemed… spooky. “He’s good at making wooden things.” She put the train down and gave it a tug. “C’mon, my house isn’t far!” With that she scurried on ahead.

“Spook.” I whispered, looking at Lollipop. “Ring any bells?”

Lollipop shrugged and shook her head. “Haven’t met him.” She then smirked and kept walking. “Not like I’ve met everyone down here. There has to be at least one hundred and fifty people down here. At least!”

“What?!” I stopped in my tracks. “One hundred and fifty? That can’t be possible.”

Lollipop rolled her eyes and looked back at me. “There’s three levels to this place. Maintenance, station, and security. This country was at war, you know.” I hobbled as fast as I could to catch up before she continued. “This town is connected to the next station too, making one big town. At least, that’s what the mayor said.”

“I don’t understand this place,” I admitted as we continued to follow the griffin. “How it can survive, how has it sustained, all of it?”

“I’m not sure I can answer that,” Lollipop replied with a friendly smile. “I’m guessing its through a ton of careful planning or something.”

We soon turned a corner into another corridor. The sounds of the hustle and bustle of the market slowly petered out as we walked down the hallway. The only thing ahead of us was a big double-door with a guard on each side.

One of them kneeled down in front of the griffin and picked her up. “Hey, Jinxy!” he said, smiling. “Here to see momma?”

The griffin shook her head, clutching her train close. “Nah, Mister Clover and Miss Lollipop said they wanted to see her. I just brought ‘em.”

“There’s a good girl,” the guard said, putting her down. “So you’re the one who got the short end of the stick up there, eh?” he asked, looking right at me.

“If you think this is bad,” I said with a smirk. “You should see the other guy.”

The guard snorted and nodded at the door. “Alright. In you go.”

I nodded and looked down at Jinx. “I’ll see you around. Thank you very much for showing us the way.”

“No problem!” the child chirped, beaming up at me. “I’m gonna go look for Spark Plug. Spook made him a wooden dog!”

“No way!” I gasped. “That’s awesome. Tell him I said hi!”

“Okay!” And with that, she was off, scurrying down the hallway and out into the market. Such innocence in a place where I expected none. I was actually starting to like it.

“Clover!” a familiar voice called out from across the large room. Before I could find the source, I spotted it trotting over to me. Ace stopped just before me and gave me a big hug. My shoulder protested, but I tried to ignore it. Ace’s hugs were just too good. “I thought you’d be… different.” she said after releasing me, a sense of relief in her voice.

“Yeah... well, I haven’t gotten the test results back,” I said, “But I feel alright. In pain, but y’know, aren’t we all these days?”

She gave me a playful thump on my good shoulder. “Still, good to see you’re alive.” She turned and walked into the room, beckoning me to follow.

The room was quite large, with a raised platform at the far wall and the ripped remains of curtains hanging up above it. The room looked like it’d been repurposed into a meeting room, complete with a large table. There were four plaques with names carved into them. ‘Grid Lock’, ‘Sparky’, ‘Geraldine’, and ‘Roric’. There were two large doors on either end of the stage.

“Lets go meet the mayor, hmm?” Ace asked, walking over to the one on the far left. “Tallie and Fuse are resting in the Mayor’s chambers.”

We walked into a smaller corridor with a room on either side. Ace walked over to one and knocked, while Lollipop waited behind me. A few seconds later, a mutated griffin head poked out and smiled. “Hello Ace. How can I help you?” She spotted me and raised an eyebrow. “Ah, you must be Clover. Back from the brink. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got stabbed,” I replied. “But other than that, fairly alright. You must be the mayor?”

“Yes, that’s right,” the griffin said as she opened the door fully and walked out. She had very similar mutations to Jinx, but the rings on her arms were bright green, and she sported large bat-wings. “My name is Geraldine, pleased to meet you.” She held out her hand, which I promptly took and shook. She had a strong grip, which I’d been taught to admire.

“Nice to meet you, Mayor Geraldine,” I said with the best smile I could muster. “I’m very impressed with your station, and your daughter. She showed us the way here.”

“Ah, my little Jinx. My pride and joy,” the griffin sighed with a large smile, one that boasted her pride. “Quite helpful. I think you’re the first normal ponies she’s ever met.”

I nodded and chuckled. “She was enthusiastic, I’ll give her that.” Then I cleared my throat and looked at my friends. “So, uh… where do we go from here?”

Geraldine nodded and pointed at the large room behind us. “Your friends have been waiting for you to arrive before telling me what you’re doing in Mustang. They said it was your idea. Quite foolish, I might add.”

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered. Wait, did I say that out loud? Whoopsie! “I mean, I see… Well, it all started at the Stable-”

The older griffin raised a talon’d hand. “Pardon me, Clover. It would be better to wait for the Council before you tell us the tale.”

“Council?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. There was even a council! Imagine that!

“Yes,” Geraldine answered, walking towards the large room. “Did you really think I could run such a large town without help? I’m not super-griffin.”

“Makes sense…” I whispered to myself before following her. Ace ducked into Geraldine’s room for a few moments before emerging with Tallie and Fuse, both looking quite tired, especially Fuse. I doubted she’d gotten any sleep, poor thing. I remembered being in that position, but she doesn’t have a little, evil voice in her head to get her through it.

Who said I’m evil?

We followed the griffin into what I thought might have been an auditorium, there was a ruined stage, with rows of tattered moldy chairs pointed in its general direction.

The griffin said something to one of the guards, and off he trotted. She gestured at a few comfy chairs around the table and smiled. “Please, make yourself at home. I’d offer you tea, but unfortunately we’ve run out until next harvest.”

“That’s alright,” Lollipop said, sitting down in front of Geraldine. “We’re not here long enough to take advantage of any hospitality.”

“Very well,” the griffin smiled and steepled her talons after sitting down. “Now we wait.”

We didn’t have to wait long until the other members arrived and took their places at the corresponding seats. First, there was a short earth pony with a blue coat and red mane, and sporting a very bushy moustache and a hard-hat. He had two goat-like horns sprouting from either side of his head, and several griffin-like arms sprouting from his back. He took up the seat associated with Grid Lock.

“This is Grid Lock, lead mechanic and former foreman of this facility.” Geraldine explained. The stallion didn’t say a word, just smiled and tipped his hat at us with one of his many arms.

Next was a short and scruffy looking diamond dog. He had a set of massive sabre-teeth, large claws, and glowing eyes. He seemed to have it fairly light, all things considered. His coat was a dusty brown, and his eyes glowed blue. He sat down at the ‘Sparky’ seat.

He wore a set of grey and white armour with a gasmask hanging around his neck. He seemed like he was ready to go out above ground, and from some of the patches on his armour, he had done for at least a few years.

“Sparky, our lead Ghost.”

The diamond dog sat down with a heavy side and nodded at us. “Welcome to our little metropolis, kids.” His voice was rough and deep. “Hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

“Its ‘aight,” Tallie mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “Soft beds.”

Last, but definitely not least, was a massive brute of a Minotaur. He wore faded yellow fatigues with brown plated armour, some parts of it camouflaged. Slung over his shoulder was a great, big machine gun with several ammo boxes tied to his belt. He had two extra arms, sprouting from just under his normal ones. Nothing much else though.

Featherweight, the Iron Defenders’ heavy-gunner, walked in behind him, taking a seat. He gave me a wide smile before paying attention. Of course he’d get chummy with the guy with the big gun.

“And Roric, our head of security.”

He sat down in the most reinforced of the chairs. “Alright, folks, what’ve we got here?” he asked, smiling brightly. Although he was a massive mountain of meat, he seemed really quite friendly. “Its not every day we have normie-guests.”

“Indeed,” Geraldine said, turning her attention to me. “This is Clover. I’ve been told he’s the leader of this little outfit.”

“Hello,” I squeaked with a little wave.

“So.” Roric started, leaning back. “Why did you pop-up in our little slice of heaven?”

“Well, we’re on a mission,” I said, leaning forward. “Specifically, to Mustang Research Facility, about a kilometer or two from here.” I explained.

The council members started murmuring to one another, looking slightly shocked. “Go on.” Sparky said, sitting back. “What is your mission?”

“It all started back when we were asked to go into a Stable. There, we met a massive beast that called himself The Patriarch and he-”

“The Patriarch?!” Sparky spluttered, sitting right back up again. “He’s real?”

It was our turn to look confused. “You know him?” Ace finally asked.

“Well, no,” the diamond dog explained. “But some of us Ghosts… well, when we’re above, in the snow, we sometimes hear whispering, someone talking to us. Calls us ‘his children’, and that he’s The Patriarch.” He looked at the other council members. “That’s the one who some of my guys are worshipping.” He said. “They think he’s some sort of god.”

“Well, he’s real,” I said. “And he needs us to destroy what he calls his ‘tether’ to set him free. I figure, if we do that, maybe he can pump some life into the deserts outside of Mustang.”

“So the deserts are real too?” Geraldine asked. “I had my suspicions. Most of the ponies down here are convinced that the world had frozen over when it ended. That just begs for more questions…” she steepled her fingers again. “So you’re here to destroy something in MRF for a supposed deity… interesting.”

Featherweight nodded at the griffin and smiled. “And that’s why we’re here. We were going to take the tunnels west towards the bridge, then walk right into MRF.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Sparky interjected. “The tunnels will get you there, sure, but the bridge was destroyed fifty years ago, and even then you wouldn’t be able to get into MRF that easily. Some of the Ghosts have mentioned seeing some weird shit on that side of the river; no way you’re going to just walk in.” He snorted and sat back again. “This is Mustang we’re talking about.”

“Then we’re at a predicament.” Roric said, all four arms folded. “There’s no way a team of seven outsiders are getting all the way there in one piece, and I’m not sure why we should or if we can help you.” He frowned and sighed. “What is there to benefit us?”

Seven? But there’s only six of us… “The Patriarch said something about freeing his children,” I said, thinking. “What could he have meant by that? Getting you out of here? Maybe taking control of the hostile mutants? If he can just barely reach your ‘Ghosts’ maybe he can reach them.”

“That’s an interesting point…” Geraldine mused. “It would be nice to get out of this station, at least once in a while. It seems unlikely though.”

“What if,” Ace said. “We can find a way to melt the ice.” That got a look of confusion from most, and a look of amusement from some. “Think about it. Mustang is covered in ice, while the rest of the wastes is blanketed by desert. The ice is not natural, so maybe whatever’s causing it can be stopped.”

“Interesting…” Grid finally piped up, his old voice muffled by his moustache. I couldn’t even see his lips move. “Perhaps a zebra magical weapon or something?” he asked, looking at Roric.

The Minotaur rubbed his chin for a few moments. “Well… I dunno. I was down here for most of the fight, protecting civilians. I didn’t see anything, but it could be possible. I’d heard of worse back in the day.”

That got their attention. It seemed logical too, all things considered.

“This is a lot of new information to process…” Sparky said, thinking. “I say we put it to a discussion.” He looked to Geraldine to confirm it.

“Very well,” the griffin said. “We’ll discuss the viability of helping you. It would be a shame for you to die if you decide to continue this mission.”

“Alrighty,” I said, getting out of my chair. “We’ll leave you to it then. Thank you for your time.” Having the station’s support would have definitely helped, but was it worth it? I felt it was worth it to finish the mission, the wasteland needed it. I needed it. Perhaps if I got the Patriarch on my side, getting to Double Down would be much easier. Would he let me ride him into battle? That’d be so sweet...

The rest of us civilians walked out of the council chamber in silence, each of us in deep thought, or in Tallie’s case, deep sleep. She’d crawled up onto Ace’s back and curled up. The hallway was skirted by long benches, which served excellent for waiting on.

“I’m kinda on the fence about this, myself…” Lollipop said, quietly, after the doors had shut. “There’s a lot of variables here.” She took a seat and rested her head on her hooves, thinking.

“She is right,” Ace said, stopping and looking at us all individually. “But I’m in favour for finishing this. We’ve come so far, we can’t back out.”

“I want to finish this,” I confirmed. “The risks are high, yes, but the rewards… I believe they’re going to be much bigger.” I looked at little Tallie, sleeping on Ace’s back, and Fuse who was still twitching. Was I really willing to risk so much?

Featherweight let out a deep hum, sitting down beside Lollipop. “We’ve already lost almost all of our team…” he said, then let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t like where this is going, honestly. Thunderhoof said it was for the greater good, and if he believed you, there has to be some form of high reward. No way would Iron City give this much in resources for nothing in return…”

“Another good point…” Lollipop said, then looked up at me with a smile. “Well… I say we keep going then.”

“Agreed,” Featherweight said, quietly. “We’re behind you, brother.”

I nodded, then looked at Fuse. “Fuse, are you okay with this?”

The little mare looked up at me. I could see the fear in her eyes, but she still managed to take a deep breath and nod. “If there’s a chance we can end this madness and stop them killing more ponies, then yeah. If we die, well… I guess we’ll be in a better place?” she let out a nervous chuckle. “But I’m sure we’ll… make… it…?”

I nodded at the small mare and took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe I was actually heading a dangerous expedition into the unknown, like the old Daring Do comic books! Who’d have thought little, timid Clover would be doing that sort of thing. Crazy. “Alright. It's settled then. Lets hope we get the support then.”

Ace smiled and put a foreleg around me, giving me a half-hug. She opened her mouth to say something, but the intense clopping of hooves barraged down the hallway. As fast as she could, Stitches sprinted towards us, looking awfully excited.

“Clover! Clover! Hey, Clover!” she shouted as she ran. She literally screeched to a halt in front of us, waving a piece of paper with her taloned-mutated hand. “Tests are in! I know what you’ve got!”

Moment of truth. Time to figure out what was mutated inside of me. I hoped it wasn’t anything too bad, like a tentacle wiggling inside my stomach, or an extra liver sprouting out inside my intestine. We all stood in silence, waiting for her to continue. Ace’s grip around me tightened.

“Alright, so,” the mutant doctor began before clearing her throat. “First thing the computer found in some skin cells, is that you’ve got some ‘advanced hair-growth’. Unlucky. The amount you’ll spend on razors alone…”

“So I’ll grow a beard? Sweet!” I smiled at Ace, but she gave me a worried look. “What? That’s good right?”

“Maybe…” the beige mare muttered. “What else?”

“This is getting kind of personal…” The grenadier mare, Fuse, announced, walking past us. “Me and Featherweight are gonna take a look around. We’ll find you later, yeah?” She gave us a lopsided smile before tugging on Featherweight, almost dragging him along.

Stitches watched them leave, then shook her head. “Poor mare. PTSD. Definitely.” She spun around on one hoof, grinning. “NOW!” she announced, pulling the paper back out. “Your spermies say…” She looked up at us with a wince. “Sorry but you’re aboooooout… Ninety-five-ish percent sterile. Not the worst mutation, but…. yeah…”

So I’d never have kids. I looked down and dug my hoof into the floor. “Well… it could have been worse, I suppose.” I said, looking back up. Kids hadn’t really been part of my life plan, but maybe one day I would have liked one or two. “Anything else?” I asked, seriously hoping there wouldn’t be any. That’d suck.

The doctor nodded. Shit. “According to your blood tests…” She glanced at the paper, reading a couple of lines, then nodding. “Yep, your leukocyte levels are through the roof."

"Leuko-what?" Ace said, as confused as I was.

"White blood cells." Lollipop chimed up from behind us "And as good as that is, the cons outweigh the pros. Elevated white cells usually points to an infection, or disease."

"Which Clover is completely free of, I’ve checked,” Stitches said

“That’s good, right?” I asked, looking at Ace. “Doesn’t that mean I won’t get very sick?” Ace shrugged and looked at the doctor.

Stitches gave a reassuring nod. “No cancer, no infections, no nothin’.”

“Which is still good,” Ace said, looking between both of the doctors. “Means he’s healthy.”

“But for how long?” Lollipop continued. “High white cells can cause fever, fainting, bleeding, bruising, weight loss, and general pain. Clover might experience any of those symptoms randomly.”

“Shiiiiiiiiiit…” I groaned, sitting down on the bench. “So I’m going to be perpetually sick without being sick, and I won’t be able to have kids ever.” I sighed and held my head in my hooves. “At least I can grow a beard now…”

My beige unicorn friend put a hoof on my shoulder and gave me a half hug. “Could have been worse,” she said, reassuringly. “You could have a tentacle crawling out of your eye.”

“True.” I pulled my head out of my hooves and tried to give her a smile. “I still look normal.”

Tallie piped up with a squeaky yawn. “Whatever normal looks like for you,” she said, now sitting on Lollipop’s back. “You kinda got chronic butt-face, dude.”

“Tallie!” Lollipop scowled, “That’s just rude.”

“At least I don’t have a big stupid-head, Stupid-Head!” I retorted with a fake sneer. Tallie blinked then giggled as Lollipop rolled her eyes. Tallie might have been childish, but I had to be at least twice as childish.

Stitches cleared her mutant throat to grab our attention again. “So! Anyway! Other than that you seem oddly normal. Lucky bastard. Now I see why you have that cutie-mark.” she said, poking my flank. “Unluckily lucky. Stabbed in a mutagen-filled city, but don’t get any serious mutations.”

Unluckily lucky. I like it. “So I’m a mutant now.”

“To an extent, yes,” the mutant confirmed. “Welcome to the club. You get a free shirt, meetings are on Mondays, and taco night is on Sunday.”

“Thanks,” I said, then looking at my friends. “Ain’t I a lucky buck.”

Ace nodded, but didn’t smile. “You got lucky this time, Clover, but you never know when your luck is going to run out.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “Just don’t take risks you don’t need to, okay?”

I almost laughed, me, take risks. “When have I ever taken risks?”

“Point taken,” Ace said, cracking a smile. “I just worry about you.”

“We all do,” Lollipop said, giving us both a hug. Tallie looked between all of us, shrugged, and joined in. One big group hug. It almost seemed perfect, and would have been if Stitches wasn’t making gagging motions behind us, and if my shoulder wasn’t killing me.

She stopped when she spotted Geraldine the griffin council member leaving the meeting room. “I’ll catch you guys later. Tests to run, mutants to heal, yadda yadda ya.” She turned around and started trotting away.

The hug broke and we all turned towards the griffin. It was the moment of truth. There was probably a thirty/seventy chance that they’d help us, and my heart was racing. We needed the help, and I didn’t know exactly what we’d do without it. My Pipbuck maps could only help to an extent, but they were pre-end-of-the-world. I seriously doubted they’d have the rubble and destruction programmed into them.

“We have come to a verdict,” Geraldine announced as the other council members flanked her. Here we go! “We have decided that the reward of freedom to roam this city without being further mutated, and without the threat of our deranged counterparts is extremely beneficial to this settlement, therefore we will provide guides to the surface.”

“Yes!” I exclaimed with a hoof-pump. “Awesome!”

“However,” Sparky interrupted. “You will only have our Ghosts’ support until you reach the Mustang River. After that, it's up to the Ghosts’ discretion. It's up to them if they want to continue on. Over that river is MRF, and that is completely uncharted territory and for good reason.”

“So we’re pretty much meant to do it alone?” Tallie asked, folding her forelegs. “That’s totally unfair.”

“It’s the best we can afford,” Geraldine said, “We don’t have many Ghosts these days and we just cannot risk them for any operations other than salvage. If they decide to continue, they’ll know the risk and what they are getting into.”

That was a kind of shitty situation, but it could have been a whole lot shittier. Like, hole-in-the-ground-toilet shittier. The one that you’d need a shovel to clear out. “At least we have something,” I said, eager to get the others to see the brighter side of the situation. “When do we plan on leaving?”

“One of my Ghost squads is assembling and preparing as we speak,” Sparky said with a rather wide smile. “You’ll be safe while they’re with you. My surface rangers are the best of the best.”

“I should hope so!” Ace said, a sly grin on her face. “They’ll have to keep up with me.”

We had the support that we needed, I was as normal on the outside as anyone else, and all of my friends were okay, or as okay as you can be with PTSD. Everything was turning up Clover. All we needed was for the luck to keep us going until we got back to the desert. We were probably going to sleep for days when we got back.

“If everyone here is ready to go, then you’ll move out as soon as you can,” Roric said, his massive, meaty arms crossed. “Get some food, and any supplies you need, then meet up with the squad at the northern gate.”

I nodded at the minotaur and looked to the others. They didn’t seem reluctant at all. Those ponies were my rock. My best friends. The only ones keeping me from going insane. I loved every one of them, even though I hadn’t known them very long. Ace grinned and gave me a friendly punch on my good shoulder. “Ready to kick mutant ass?” she asked with a wink.

“I think so, yes.” I replied, limping down the hallway. We just had to grab the two surviving soldiers from Delta squad, grab a bite to eat, then get out of the station and on to the surface. Simple as one two three.

Then again, is anything simple in the wasteland?

No.

Not at all.

The food down in the station wasn’t really that bad. It was little bland, but it was probably better than some places in the desert where the crops can get real sunlight. Down in the station, they mostly ate mushrooms, or anything that they could get to grow in underground hydroponic plants. All of the vegetables grown were three shades paler than they should have been, and you could kind of taste it.

My friends and I had gotten comfy around a table as we ate our fill, and we’d picked up Featherweight and Fuse along the way, but we were missing something. I couldn’t put my hoof on it, even tapping a carrot against my forehead wasn’t helping me to remember.

“Ah, there you civvies are.” Oh. Right. We did have a seventh. “Why wasn’t I told he was awake?” Sergeant Mayflowers, aka Bitchicus Maximus, pointed her booted hoof at me. She didn’t seem all too plussed that I was alive. More indifferent. “And I’ve also found out that you spoke to this station’s leaders without notifying me immediately. I am in charge of this expedition.” She stomped her way through the small canteen, straight towards us.

I sighed and put my carrot down. “I forgot you survived,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “But we got what we needed without your help.” I put all of my concentration into not flinching, or crying, or lip quivering.

That was not what she wanted to hear. She huffed herself up, ready to lay into me, but she closed her eyes and swallowed her rage. That was not the time or place to create a scene. “Okay… how resourceful,” she said, trying to keep it together, her voice shaking with suppressed anger. “I assume we have a plan?” she asked, her eye twitching violently.

It’s probably not best to admit it, but I was secretly enjoying getting under this Thundercunt’s skin. Kind of felt like vengeance over her cuntiness earlier. I nodded and smiled. “The surface rangers, The Ghosts, are going to help us all the way until the river, then it's up to us to get across, destroy whatever’s holding The Patriarch in his prison, and get back out again. One-two-three.” I smiled and stuck a carrot in the side of my mouth. “I’m sure we can do it.”

“Oh right, this Patriarch.” Mayflowers rolled her eyes and scowled at me. “He better be real, and this better yield the results expected by Iron City, or I will personally cut your balls off, Clover.” She almost literally stared daggers at me. Impossible you ask? Most likely, but if it were to ever happen, it would have been then.

“He’s real, and he will stay by his word,” I replied, munching on the carrot. I really liked carrots. Delicious, especially when they’re just the right levels of crunchy and juicy. They weren’t great carrots, but they were a good supplement. “I know it. Right down in my gut.”

“Well sometimes that’s not enough,” Mayflowers growled, stomping a hoof on the table.

“Enough!” Lollipop shouted, standing up. “Clover survived a mutated monster, survived mutation, and convinced the Council to help us on little more than a hope of freedom.” She stared at Mayflowers with that primal look she dons in combat. Forget what I said earlier, that was the look of dagger murder. “Now you will back off, or we will have problems.”

Mayflowers stared into Lollipop’s eyes and actually backed down. Something in those crazy eyes could make the strongest Minotaur weep. The green unicorn was a riddle wrapped in an enigma. Sometimes she could be the sweetest mare, caring and sympathetic. That was her medic side. Her combat side though, was a wolfish, scary mare, capable of anything. Maybe she was bi-polar? Schizophrenia?

“When do we move out?” Mayflowers asked, a bit quieter than before. Success!

I finished my carrot and swallowed. Mmmm, bland carrot. “As soon as we’re done here,” I explained, “So not long now. Grab something for yourself, while you’re at it.”

Tallie couldn’t help but laugh around a slice of cucumber. She was probably the hardiest of us all. All the horrors of the outside, and there she was, giggling away, as if nothing had ever happened. We were so similar, we were both traumatised by something, but we kept going. We were both hurt somehow, but more importantly, we managed to laugh when we could.

I wrapped a hoof around the little griffin and chuckled. “Almost done?” I asked, nodding at her empty plate.

She nodded up at me and smiled. She swallowed her last piece of cucumber, then grinned. “All good in the hood, friendo.” With that, she jumped up and stretched. “Ready to get top-side and kick some butts.”

Ace laughed and pushed her plate forward. “I’m done too. Quicker we get out of here, the quicker we can get back to warm sheets at that nice hotel in Iron City.” She got up and shook herself down. “Just got to hit the head.” she said, and skipped merrily along to the little girls room.

Everyone got to their hooves once she’d returned, and nodded in agreement. It was go time. Time to kick some mutant ass, free The Patriarch, and make the wastes a little bit better. Time to make a real difference in my life. We filed out of the cantina, mutant eyes following us, and headed towards the North Line gate. None of us talked, mostly enthralled in the feeling of awesomeness. At least, I was. Was I finally getting confident? I sure hoped so.

“You must be Clover and his merry band of adventurers!” a voice boomed at us as we approached the gate. It was built like a garrison! There were guards posted around the inside walls, sandbags piled up and facing the gate, and even a machinegun nest! It must have been the end of the civilized tunnels or something, leading into the wilderness.

The voice belonged to a tall, extremely beardy earth pony with a battle saddle mounted flamethrower. His mutation appeared to be two tails, from the looks of it. Not that bad, really. “Name’s Tinder Two-Tail!” He bellowed, walking towards us and giving me a firm slap on the shoulder. It wasn’t my good shoulder. “Whoopsie-daisey!” He said, catching me as I stumbled to the side. “Right, forgot about that. Roric said you’d been injured. My bad.”

“Its… alright,” I groaned, gritting my teeth. “Just… watch that shoulder.”

“Anyway, we’re Clover’s band of Adventurers!” Ace cheered, trotting forward. “Ready to kick ass and complete our mission.”

Tinder laughed heartily and spun around on a hoof. “That’s what I like to hear! Lets get you suited up!” He trotted towards a large door, situated on the side of the tunnel. “Your stuff has been brought in and checked, repaired, etcetera. Order of Geraldine herself!”

We followed him in, one by one, and were greeted with lines of weapons in various states of condition, along with armour, gas masks, everything someone would need for a fully stocked armoury.

Several ponies milled around, chatting and checking their equipment over. In one corner sat four mutants playing a card game, and in the other were two twins by the looks of it. Both of them had three extra griffin-like arms protruding from their shoulders, each holding different tools and were repairing a pair of rifles each. Most of them wore the station guard armour, but others wore white and grey pieces of armour, and seemed to have fancier gear. They must have been The Ghosts.

“Equipment time!” Tinder yelled as we lined up. “Clover, locker 2-3, Ace, 2-4, Lollipop, 2-5…” He read off our names and the appropriate lockers each, ending with Mayflowers on 3-1. It was on the opposite wall to our lockers. Something about that just made me feel a little happier inside.

Inside my locker I found my coat and tarp, a brand new gas mask, saddle-packs, my saddle, my salvage duffle, and a few other odds and ends. I had to get a little help from Lollipop to get some pieces on, my shoulder not exactly letting me get it all on myself, but before long we were suited up again.

“I still don’t get a gun?!” Tallie whined, sitting on top of the lockers. “That’s totally not fair! I can’t beat mutants up with my tools! It’ll ruin them!”

I looked at Ace, concerned that she wasn’t getting a weapon. I was sternly against a child having a gun, but she needed something to defend herself with. Ace seemed to mirror my look, I was sure she was thinking the same. “What are you good at?” I asked, trying to gauge what to give her. She must have handled a weapon at some point in her life.

“Explosives, you know that,” Tallie huffed, putting her hands on her hips and pouting. “I blew up those bad guys on the way to Iron City, remember?”

“Right, but you can’t just place explosives on a mutant,” I said, reaching up and pulling her down. She was certainly a good climber.

“I can still throw really good!” Tallie whined, looking at Ace. “You believe me, don’t you?”

Ace nodded and looked at me. “Maybe some manually detonated explosives?” she asked. “Like, with a remote. She’s smart enough not to accidentally blow us all up, I’m sure.”

I took a deep breath and looked at the little griffin. She seemed so hopeful, and who was I to deny her safety? I sighed and nodded. “Fine, but be extra careful.”

Tallie nodded and grinned, looking towards Tinder. He was watching us and seemed deep in thought. “I don’t know…” he rumbled, stroking his magnificent beard. “They don’t exactly grow on trees…”

Ace tapped her chin then grinned, reaching into her locker and pulling out her salvage duffle. She unzipped it and smiled. “How about a trade?” she asked.

Tinder looked into the pack and examined all of the weapons and other equipment we’d picked up on our way to the station. “These are mostly in good condition… plenty of ammo…” he mused, looking them over. “Alright. I’ll take these and give the griffin some small charges.”

Tallie jumped up and cheered, but stopped when I put a hoof on the top of her head. “Don’t get carried away,” I warned, turning her attention to me. “I’m trusting you with something extremely dangerous. Don’t make me regret it.”

Tallie nodded and squirmed out from under my hoof. She reached up and took the bandolier of explosives from Tinder with a happy smile. “Thanks!” she said with a grin, putting it on. “Now I don’t feel like a defenseless cub!”

The bearded pony nodded, reaching up to a higher shelf and pulling out a large helmet, fitted with a small protective visor. It wouldn’t cover his face, but it would give his eyes some protection. He also picked up a special gas mask and slung it over his shoulder.

A few minutes later, we were all standing at attention, masks ready, coats on, and weapons ready. Tinder smiled and waved us out of the equipment room. “Alright, Normies… and Clover! Time to go meet the team!”

I couldn’t help but smile as we left the armoury, walking behind Lollipop and Tallie. We were going on an adventure, and I was actually looking forward to it! Maybe my hallucination with Trailblaze actually meant something!

Slowly, the large North Line gate slid open, revealing another security station just outside. “Good luck!” a voice came from behind us. It was little Jinx, being held by her mother’s foreleg. She still hadn’t let go of the wooden train. All four council members were there to see us off, each giving us their blessing of good luck.

“We’re all counting on you,” Geraldine said with a curt nod. “Our expectations are high. Don’t fail us.”

I nodded in confirmation before shuffling through the gate. A lot was riding on this mission, a lot more than we’d initially thought. Now two cities were counting on me to get this done. Being determined not to fail, doesn’t mean we won’t. I shouldn’t have thought of that earlier…

All doubt was pushed aside as we entered the first security point outside the gate. There were more guns, and more guards than there was behind the gate, that’s for sure. Two large towers stood on either side of the tunnel, each with a machinegun, and two machine gun nests sat underneath them. Several more fixed guns were pointing towards the dark tunnels ahead.

Most of the guards were huddled around fires, set in barrels. The chill really creeped into you outside of the gate, making a few of us shiver under our jackets. Some of the other guards were sitting around, chatting or playing heavily damaged instruments.

Tinder lead us towards three Ghosts, chatting to one another, with a unicorn sitting in a chair beside them, huddled over and carving something from an old block of wood.

“Clover and gang, this is my team,” The heavily armoured, bearded pony said with a strong sense of pride. “Hammerhead, Geoff, and Copper Wire, and sitting over there, being quiet as always is Spook.” Spook just lifted his head and nodded while the others said their hellos.

Hammerhead was a Minotaur, but a little smaller than average. Her horns were blockier towards the tip, which I supposed matched her namesake. Her other mutation seemed to be a third eye in the middle of her forehead, and tusks pointing out of her mouth.

Geoff was a griffin with large, white wings. He also appeared to have two tentacles pointing out of his shoulders, and wrapped around his forelegs. One of them slid away from his forearm and gave a little wave. It creeped me the hell out.

Copper Wire seemed smaller than average too, about half the size of me. He carried two SMGs on a tiny turret on his back that seemed to follow where he was looking. He chucked and smiled. “Hey guys!” He said in a very comical, high pitched voice.

Finally, Spook. He didn’t seem to have anything wrong with him, other than being stoic. He wore a large helmet with a shark-mouthed bandana across his muzzle. “What’s his mutation?” I asked, leaning into Tinder.

“What, Spook?” He asked, looking at the stallion. “He ain’t got no mouth.”

Spook looked at us and pulled his bandana down, revealing he did indeed have no mouth. Not a single trace, no lips, no teeth, nothing.

“Woah…” I exclaimed. “That sucks.” Spook nodded and went back to his carving.

“We ready, boss?” asked Geoff, picking up his gear. Tinder nodded and all of the Ghosts, in complete unison, pulled on their gas masks and helmets, then picked up their guns. They walked towards the gate at the far end of the station and waited.

“Masks on, kids!” Tinder barked, looking back at us. “You’ll catch your death of cold without ‘em!” He then laughed as he put his mask on. Some sense of humour he has…”Outer gate!” he called out. “Where’s Tiny?”

“Coming!” a distorted child’s voice bellowed from behind the second gate. A massive filly with a pink coat and blonde mane, almost about the size of the tunnel, came stampeding towards the gate, then dove under it at the last second. “Hey Tindy!” she boomed, giving him a wave.

Tinder returned the wave with a smile. “Hey kiddo!” He called up. “Wanna open the gate for us, hun?” he said and pointed at the door.

The massive foal nodded vigorously and reached up to the ceiling as the rest of us stood in shock in front of her. With a little bit of effort, the child pulled on a large device fitted to the ceiling, and the gate at the far end of the station slowly slid open. There was a loud click and the door stopped. The filly let go and clapped her hooves. “Yay!” she squealed in glee.

“Calm down, honey,” a quieter voice said from just behind Tiny. A tiny little mare with a purple mane poked her head out from behind the filly’s and smiled. “Alright boys, good luck!” she called down. She had to be about the size of a filly! That place was just starting to screw with me, I was sure of it.

“Alright, ponies!” Tinder bellowed, “Move out!” He swung his hoof forward and the Ghosts began to file out. The remains of Delta Squad followed them, all prepped and ready to go. Featherweight was even wearing his little beanie with the pom-pom on top.

Lollipop helped Tallie get her mask on, then she put her own on. She trotted after the others, catching up quickly and leaving just me and Ace.

“Well…” I said, pulling my new, fancy gas mask from my neck. “Shall we?”

Ace nodded and pulled me close. She closed her eyes and jolted forward. Our lips locked and she kissed me! It only lasted a second or two, but she grinned when she broke it. “For luck!” she said, as some of the guards whistled at us. She then slid her gas mask over her face and sprinted after the others, leaving me stunned.

I got a kiss! A real kiss! Yay! Had she made up her mind about me? I certainly hoped so! With a massive grin plastered over my face, I put my mask on and hobbled as fast as I could after the others. Thankfully, the injection Stitches had given me was starting to take effect as the pain started to slowly subside.

I caught up and smiled at Ace. She was facing forward with her shotgun now in view, but Lollipop and Tallie were certainly looking at me. I could almost see their grins. They’d seen the whole thing, hadn’t they? Great. They seemed like the type to tease me about these things…

The gate clicked behind us and slowly slid down, giving us less and less light until we were swallowed up in complete darkness, with only the sounds of hooves to be heard.

I’d lie if I didn’t say I was at least a little scared.

Footnote: No level up.

New quest perk!

Mutated: Clover now has a few mutations in his body. He grows hair much faster but will need it cut more frequently, gets sick less frequently but presents symptoms regularly, and can’t have babies. Is it really a perk?

Sorry for the long absense, had a lot going on recently. The next few chapters are planned out, and after that I'll be planning the rest of my story. Should be smooth sailing, as long as I get the motivation to keep going. Thanks for baring with me!

Don't forget to hit that thumbsup button! The more people like the story, the more I'll want to write it!

Intro

Tales of a Courier: Reloaded.

“War. War never changes.”

The more things change the more they stay the same. Ponies live, and ponies die, but the lust for power always finds a being to embrace.

Once, Equestria was ruled by peace, love, and respect, but these virtues were soon replaced by avarice, hostility, and suspicion. Gone are the days where you could go about your daily activities without worrying about a bullet to the head. The days where an early death was a tragedy and not a natural occurrence.

Over two hundred years ago, war ravaged the world. Trade embargoes between the Kingdom of Equestria and the Zebra Legions caused friction, leaking fuel onto the earth. With one spark, the world would be engulfed in a devastating flame.

That spark of aggression finally grew into the inferno of war. A war that lasted decades with neither side giving an inch. Heroes were born, heroes died, but in the end, their efforts amounted to little more than ash.

The world was plunged into a balefire holocaust of an intensity only rivaled by that of the sun; burning the lands and boiling the seas. What followed was a mass extermination of life, a wave of burning, necrotic hunger intent on leaving nothing but dust in its wake. However, the stubbornness of ponykind prevailed once more, scrounging in the dirt for the means of survival, scraping along existence like a snail crawling along a straight razor.

The Federation, settlements which had banded together from the remains of the territories to the far West, emerged as the epitome of this stubborn tenacity for life, creating a relentless government and spreading across the west with a disregard for those that would resist its desire for stability..

They eventually came upon the Ponave, one of the last remaining beacons of pony civilization, and tales of two untouched cities quickly made their way to the heart of the Federation, kick-starting its lust for power once more.

It has been five long years since the Federation fell upon the Ponave. They continued to exploit its people and leech its resources, unfazed by the riots, strikes, and calls for freedom and independence. After years of unsuccessful political action things finally got bloody...

Entire platoons of Federation troopers, upset with the way their government was treating the people of its new lands, split off and joined the independence movement known as ‘The Resistance’. As the movement gained more and more support, tensions rose once more, eventually exploding into a civil war.

The once peaceful lands of the Ponave have been brought to war unwillingly once more. First as it was annexed by Equestria, which caused the formation of the Coalition as it resolved to defend itself against the Zebra onslaught.

Now the Federation seeks to end the resistance movement of those that have taken on the mantle of Independence.

So it doesn't take much to see that the problems of two little ponies don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.

The problems of Shamrock and I.

I woke to the sound of unintelligible shouts and cries of pain. I slowly opened my eyes, but my vision was just as incoherent as my hearing, showing me nothing but a glowing orange speck in a dim miasma.

The shouts grew ever louder and clearer, while they were still garbled I could hear the hostility seething within each syllable. A set of blue hooves materialized out of the murk beside me, each wrapped in a band of sharp, metal spikes.

I tried to force myself to my hooves but could only manage to flop around like a fish as I realised my hooves tightly bound together by abrasive lengths of rope. I rolled onto my back and found myself locking eyes with a deranged mare. Her dark green mane was tangled in filthy knots as it fell over her shiny black armor. She twitched as her pupils shrank to pin pricks in her yellow eyes. A psychotic grin twitched across her face as a fit of maniacal giggling overtook her.

I managed to choke out a short shout of terror before trying to roll away, only to fall snout first into a shallow pit. I blinked to try and get the stinging dirt out of my eyes before I was yanked back up by my mane.

“Owowowowowow!” I howled as the blue mare violently dragged me back to my original resting place.

"Not so fast," the crazed mare chuckled, dropping me and spitting out chunk of my mane. "You'll be down there soon enough."

I opened my tear-filled eyes and looked down. I had fallen into a shallow grave. My grave.

“You're trying my patience!” I looked up to see a light green stallion in a fine black suit and fedora standing in front of an orange pony, tied to a large dead tree. The suited unicorn pressed a small white chip wrapped in a field of red magic against Shamrock's swollen eye. “Tell me what this does, or you're a dead pony.”

“Fine!” my brother coughed, sending tendrils of blood down his orange chest as he hung limp. “That chip...that chip...” he coughed up more blood before raising his head, “Holds the secrets to grandma's secret pie recipe.” He tried to laugh, but quickly degenerated into a bloody coughing fit.

“Shamrock!” I cried out to my brutalised, older brother, tears falling from my cheeks into the dirt below. I could feel my scalp tear as the blue mare yanked me back up, cackling madly. A drop of blood ran down my neck as I was thrown, head first, to the dirt beside the grave. I landed with a dull thud as my skull impacted with the tightly packed earth. I tried desperately to flop away from the psychotic ponies, but my face was ground into the dirt as the mare stomped on the back of my head, keeping her hoof firmly against it.

“Why?” I sobbed as I looked up at her psychotic grin.

“Hey!” Shamrock shouted, “Let my little brother go! He has nothing to do with this!” He started to wriggle beneath the ropes, trying to chew through them with renewed vigor.

The suited pony turned to me and grinned around a gold-rimmed cigarette. “He doesn't have anything to do with this, eh?” he chuckled. “Tell me, kid. Do you like seeing your older brother beaten and broken like this?”

The mare lifted her hoof a little, just enough for me to raise my head, “N-no,” I sobbed. The mare stomped on my head again, forcing my snout back into the dirt.

“Well then, you'd best tell me what the chip does, or...” He levitated out an impressive, ivory gripped, beautifully engraved pistol and smiled at it. “...capiche?”

“I don't know!” I cried through the dirt, clenching my eyes closed. I couldn't believe this was happening, we’d only been out here for a day. I desperately wished that when I opened my eyes everything would be back to normal and I would wake up at home in bed.

“He doesn't know anything about the chip!” Shamrock yelled at the suited unicorn, spluttering blood into the air.

The green stallion sighed and turned back to Shamrock. I breathed a sigh of relief as he holstered his pistol.

“Last chance,” he growled. “Tell me what this chip does.”

Shamrock narrowed his good eye, peering out from under his dark green mane. “Suck...my...dick,” he growled.

“Don't be an idiot!” I yelled. “Just tell him!” The mare shoved my face into the dirt even harder. Tears were starting to pool in the dirt around my face. Only one thought rushed though my head: 'this can't be happening, this can't be happening, this can't be happening...'

The suited pony grinned before levitating his cigarette and plunging it deep into Shamrock's good eye. Shamrock roared in pain as smoke hissed from the burn. The green unicorn turned and bucked Shamrock in the face, bouncing his skull against the tree with a sickening crunch. My brother’s head slumped forward as shards of teeth fell from his mouth. He was breathing heavily as he defiantly rose his head, now blind to the world around him.

By this point I was bawling. I was a pathetic excuse for a stallion but, damn it, my brother was getting beaten within an inch of his life right before my eyes.

“Clover?” he wheezed.

The suited buck sighed and shook his head. “This is just a waste of time.” He levitated his gun to Shamrock's head. “I'll just have to find out what this chip does myself.”

“Stay strong, buddy,” Shamrock wheezed with a sad smiled, “I'll tell dad you said ‘hello’.”

“No!” I screamed.

The suited pony's magic tightened on the trigger.

*BANG*

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I watched the bullet penetrate my brother's skull, and burst out the other side in a red plume of blood.

I burst into tears, floundering in a fit of anger and sorrow. The mare stood on my back to keep me still as I flailed and cursed. He killed him! He killed my brother! ...and there was nothing I could have done to stop him.

I gave up and just lay there, staring at my dead brother through tear soaked eyes. They killed my brother and I was next. The murderous bastard started to trot towards me, lighting a fresh cigarette. The mare dragged me back up to face her boss.

“Why? Why did you do this?” I sobbed, ignoring the pain of my scalp tearing in the psycho mare's teeth. “Who are you?”

“Me?” the green stallion chuckled, taking a long drag on his cigarette. “My name is Double Down.” He blew the offensive smoke into my face, stinging my eyes. “As to why your brother met an early end,” I gave a mournful hiccup, “he refused to give me the chip, then refused to tell me what it does.”

“That's not fair!” I yelled, “You can't just steal a pony's things and kill him!”

Double Down chuckled as he nodded to the mare. She dropped me at the edge of the hole and sat me up.

“Nothing in life is fair, kid.” he picked up a shovel in his levitation field. I sniffed up a long trail of snot and blood.

“I want my mummy,” I sobbed.

“Welcome to the desert. Where the bad live good and the good...” He grinned at me, his sly features starting to fade as the sun crested the horizon behind him, casting long shadows of cacti and shrubs across the lonesome prairie. “well, they don’t live at all.”

*Clunk.*

I heard a wet crack as the shovel slammed against the back of my head, sending me tumbling into the grave. I landed on my back and looked up, the edges of my vision blackening. The last thing I saw was the mare's face, grinning and laughing as she started to bury me.

“I...I don't wanna die...”

Chapter 1: Death Sucks.

Chapter 1: Death Sucks.

“Load last save?”

I...I was alive...

My vision throbbed red with each heartbeat as I was dragged from the hole that had been my grave. I tried to open my left eye, but it wouldn’t cooperate and I only managed to pry my right eye open a sliver.

I couldn't feel anything, and I could barely hear or see. If this was heaven, heaven sucked balls. If it was hell, well, it could have been worse.

Through the blurry haze I could barely make out the long grooves my hind legs made as I was dragged across the sand. My body was a fuzzy mess of gray, red, and brown.

I was carefully laid on a wide plank of wood, looking straight up into the endless blue skies. The feeling started to return to my front legs as they were carefully secured to the plank. I could hear my long, ragged breaths as I tried to make heads or tails of the situation.

A dark yellow and brown blob appeared against the azure skies. “...in there, kid. You're in bad shape...to a doctor...just ha...there, amigo...” It’s speech was choppy, cutting in and out as my ears tried to focus. I tried to speak but could only gargle a response as the top of the plank rose above the ground and was dragged along the dirt.

Pain arced through my head as I tried to look up. There was nothing but green, brown, and yellow blobs all around me. I tried to focus, but my head had other plans, sending barbed tendrils of agony through me, tearing at my flesh. With a bloody cough, I gave in and lowered my head again.

My right ear was starting to cooperate as the recognizable sounds of the plank scraping against the dirt became clearer and clearer.

“I...wh...huh...” I tried my best to form words, but I couldn't manage to produce anything intelligible, just a string of unintelligible gargles and babbles. Through the pain I could feel my frustration building, like a baby trying to learn to speak.

“Save your breath, or you'll never make it,” the blob called back to me. His voice seemed strained and slightly muffled. I didn't want to disappoint, so I shut up and tried to add up what was going on. My vision refused to focus, and any attempts to force it only managed to bring a fresh jolt of extreme agony.

The only part of my body that didn't hurt when I tried to move it was my right eye, and I could barely open that as it was.

I felt several small bumps, but the ground seemed to get smoother. The even earth felt good to glide across after the bumpy, rock filled plain.

“Nearly there, just stay with me.”

Easier said than done. My vision was getting darker, the pulses were getting slower and slower, and my breaths getting shallower and shallower. I closed my eye and watched the red throb gradually diminish.

“Hey,” the voice said as the plank thudded dully against the sun-baked earth, “stay with me, now.”

I grunted an acknowledgment to who ever was dragging me, I didn't think I could go much longer. My head felt light and my chest ached with each breath. I couldn't even find the strength to open my eye again.

My eye lids were forced open by the big blob's cracked, hooves. I could barely make out his eye as he leaned in close. My mind must have been playing tricks on me as they seemed reptilian.

“Mi diosa," he growled. "I've not wasted this much time just for you to die now.” I let out a tiny whimper as my eyelid snapped shut again. The plank was picked up again, and with a faint grunt we started moving. “Almost there...”

The scorching sun was beating down on me, it was like I was being led into the fiery lair of the devil himself. My dry lips cracked and bled as I tried my damnedest to speak.

“...are....are you...” I gulped, cringing against the pain. “Are you Death?” I rasped, just barely staying conscious.

“Death?” the voice asked. “I guess that would be kinda accurate...” Great, I am dead. “But I'm not here to take you to the next life.” Or maybe not...

“Th...Then...”

“Didn't I tell you to shut up?” the creature said irritably, making the plank jump a little. “We're almost there, just hang in a little longer.”

I wasn't sure I could, I felt like I was falling asleep. I had given up on trying to keep my eye open and my focus was wavering. The sounds around me were getting quieter and fuzzier as the plank jostled more and more.

All my senses failed me as they were flooded by an overwhelming surge of pain. Every strangled groan and spasm of anguish brought a fresh wave of agony which only made my body writhe more furiously.

Something long and thin plunged into the side of my neck, barely perceptible through the blinding pain.

As suddenly as it came, the flood of agony dulled to a throb. I breathed heavily, trying to form some kind of coherent thought.

“Damn, that was my last Med-X,” Death grumbled before picking the plank up again. “You'd better make it to Westwood; I don't like my time wasted.”

Try as I might, I couldn't comply with his wish. My head was starting to spin again, the sounds around me began to muffle again. I was cold, despite the burning sun. I heard some loud rumbling before the world finally came to a stand still. I could no longer will myself to remain conscious and I fell into a void of darkness.

“Luna's ghost, Snake Eyes!” an old stallion’s voice exclaimed, “Where the hell did you find this kid?!”

I slowly opened my working eye, the searing pain was thankfully absent. My vision was clear out to the end of my snout, where a clear mask sat over my mouth. It was connected to some sort of old machine beside me. My head seemed to be stuck in a brace, keeping me from turning it to see my surroundings. Where the bloody hell was I?

“El Diablo Drylake,” Death said. “Kid is fucked up, doc. Anything you can do?”

A new blob appeared, this one was a mix of golds, greens, and whites. It seemed to shake a little as the new voice sighed.

“His skull is smashed in, Snake," the old stallion, who I assumed was Drylake, said. "There isn't much I can do...”

“Name your price.”

“Now we're talking. Three hundred caps up front, two hundred if the operation is successful.” Operation? Who's getting operated on? Can I watch?

Death let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I hope its worth it.”

It seemed my brain had gone back to mush because when I tried to talk, I could only manage to mumble and a babble.

The blob appeared again. “You shouldn't be awake, let alone alive, kid,” Drylake said as he reached over and pressed a button on the machine. “So just lie back, relax and count down from ten.”

I couldn't form words, how could I...form...numbers...

Light poured in from the crack in my eyes as I tried opening them, squeezing Gunter Tedsworth closer to me.

“Some one turn off the lights,” I moaned, rolling over and wincing as pain stabbed through my head. “What a head ache. Not going drinking again until at least...lunch time.” A night in the pub was always fun, but I tend to forget about the hangover. I slowly creaked my eyes open and squeezed my teddy bear again. “Good morning, Gunter,” I sighed and looked down.

“You're not Gunter,” I grumbled as I let go of the pillow. Sitting up, the world around me filled with a high pitched whine, and my head felt like somepony was pushing a drill through it. I slammed my head back onto the bed and covered it with the pillow, screaming and shouting as my entire body tensed in sympathy.

After what seemed like an eternity of screaming and thrashing around, the pain dulled to manageable levels. I held my forelegs over my head and waited for my racing heartbeat to calm. Just breath deeply and everything will be fine. I peeked out from under my forelegs when everything had calmed down and the room stopped spinning.

“Where the hell am I?” I asked, oddly muffled... I had a transparent mask strapped over my muzzle. It was connected by a hose to a clunky machine at my bedside. How did I not notice that?

I was in a room with chipped and cracked floral wallpaper in contrast to the floor, which was so freshly polished I could see the ceiling fan spin lazily in it. There wasn't much else other than a few small pictures on the wall, my eyes darted between them, trying to make them out. Most just looked like a dumb assortment of shapes and colours but one stood out.

A yellow pegasus with long pink hair pranced gleefully through a lush green meadow, surrounded by an assortment of happy woodland creatures. Each beamed with a joy that made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

“She's hot,” I mumbled. My face burned up as I looked away, embarrassed about what I had said. I never did have much luck with the ladies, regardless of whether they were in paintings or right in front of me. Probably because of my childish antics or the fact I had no idea what to say to them without looking like an idiot...

I closed my eyes and tried to get up again, waiting for the wall of hell to assault my ears. I managed to sit up before a dull whine, not nearly as agonizing as the first burst, started to warble in my ears. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times, trying to clear my head of the fuzz that seemed to wash through it. My head felt light but oddly heavy at the same time.

I ran my hoof along the left side of my head, wincing when I brushed along a long scar that ran between my ear and mane. My head felt harder than it used to...

“What the hell is going on?” I whispered as I looked at my hooves.

There was a grunt and the sound of hooves clicking against the polished floor came from beside my bed. I snapped my head round to see the source of the disturbance and regretted it as my cranium throbbed with pain.

A gold unicorn with a big green and white mustache cantered towards me, a gentle stride in his steps. “Good morning,” he said, his mustache bobbing with each word, making me smile a little.

“Who are you?” I asked, getting a little frustrated at the mask. I fell back on the bed and tried to pull it off before the unicorn intervened.

“I'm Doc Cloud,” he chuckled as he unhooked the mask's clasps at the back of my head, sliding it off my snout. My face scrunched up as the sharp, offensive smell of antiseptic danced down my nostrils. “Can you tell me your name?”

Oh, I knew this one... I looked down at my flank. “Clover,” I muttered, bringing up the 'How the hell did I get a four leafed clover as a cutie-mark' debate I had been having with myself for years. I looked back up at the mustachioed pony. “What happened just now?”

“When you went nuts and freaked out?” the doctor pony asked. I nodded. “My guess is a side effect from the surgery. Or maybe a complication, but I'm fairly confident in my abilities as a doctor. Either way, its not uncommon to experience bursts of pain after major surgery. Best to wait it out until the patient stops kicking and screaming before intervening, saves a hoof to the face.”

“Surgery? What happened? Did you cut me open?!” My head started to throb with each word, so I buried my head in my forehooves and groaned.

“Well, the left side of your skull was crushed beyond repair. The only alternative available was to replace that section with a metal plate.” He levitated out a long needle. “Now hold still, and the pain will go away.”

My eyes immediately shot open at the needle. I scrambled back and fell off the bed with a dull thump, before scooching into the farthest corner. “Get that thing away from me!”

“Its just Med-X," the doctor said, looking puzzled. "How does a painkiller sound?”

“How does 'fuck' and 'off' sound?” I shouted, trying to make myself as small as possible.

The doctor put the needle away before coming any closer. “So no needles, eh? I get it.” He opened a drawer in an old counter and plucked out a small cardboard pack. “How about pills?”

I slowly pulled myself out of the corner, to the protest of my head, and nodded. He passed me two pills, which I quickly swallowed, before he told me to get back into the bed.

The doctor pulled up a small stool and sat down, his lab coat sweeping against the floor. “Right. So.” He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses as he read a small note pad. “I need you to answer a few-” I raised my hoof at him.

“Hold on a tick. You said my skull was smashed. What the hell?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, your skull was smashed into itty-bitty pieces, but I fixed it with a metal plate, inserted perfectly so as to not conflict with the natural contour of your head.”

“So I have a slab of metal in my head?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He let out a frustrated groan and facehoofed. “Because your skull was smashed.”

“Yeah, I get that, but why was it smashed?” If my head was smashed, I either had a very bad night, or I had a great night!

“That's what I intend to find out,” he nickered, looking back at his note pad. “From an extensive examination of the injury, I can safely say it was shattered by a blunt instrument.” He looked over his glasses at me. “Do you remember what that might have been?”

I looked up at the fan above me, trying to remember. “Nope, can't think of anything.” It could have been anything between a bottle or a bar-stool for all I knew. Then again, why would I get caught up in a bar brawl? I wasn’t a fighter, or a lover for that matter. I was a worker, and a drinker.

The doctor looked back at the notepad. “I don't see anything that would indicate what was used, then again, with the amount of dirt caked all over you I don't think I could have identified the material. It could have been metal, like a pipe, or a shovel, or a-”

“Shovel!” I blurted out, it hit me...well, like a shovel.

The memory of being tied up, not able to move at all as a great pressure forced my face into the dirt. Being forced to watch as a pony in a black suit shot my brother. Picked up by the mane and then dragged to a shallow grave before getting my head cracked in with a shovel and being buried alive.

I burst into tears and clutched the pillow, hoping this was all just a nightmare, but knowing that what transpired that night was very real.

“So it was a shovel,” the doctor said, making notes. “Do you remember anything about-”

“Leave me alone!” I shouted at him, tears streaming down my face and into the soggy pillow.

The doctor got up and put his notepad away. “Must be stress from a traumatic event,” Cloud said, shaking his head. “Probably the one that got you that blow to the head. Sit tight and I’ll get you some meds.”

“From the blow?!” I screamed at him through the pillow. “My brother was murdered right in front of me, and you say its from the blow?!”

He stopped in his tracks, seeming a little shocked before knitting his brows in thought. “Snake Eyes didn't mention a brother...” He walked back to me and patted me on the back. “You have my sympathies. Losing a loved one happens too often around here.”

I rolled over and shrugged his hoof off. “I'll leave you be for now,” Cloud said in a soft voice. I could only respond with a choked sob and a sniff as the door closed and muffled voices started conversing on the other side

Curling into a ball on the bed, my head still buried in the pillow, I continued to weep. I started thinking about all the good times I had with Shamrock. Sure, he was older than me, but he was just as childish, never passing up an opportunity to play “Raiders and Rangers.” Never hesitating to pick me first for his team in Hoofball, even if I wasn't the biggest or the fastest.

Even as we grew up he never let me down. He taught me how to drink when I got older, and always gave me tips on how to pick up mares, never once making fun of me for how shy and awkward I was around them.

He was truly a great stallion. Now, he was dead, and I didn't know what to do. I had never been this alone, ever. I took it hard when dad died a few months back, but Shamrock had never left my side, guiding me along life's path. I pushed my face deeper into the pillow as the tears streamed out.

“Remember, big guy,” I recalled Shamrock saying as we watched the sunset over the apple orchard after a bar fight. “If you ever find yourself lost and I'm not around, ask yourself 'What would Shamrock do'.”

I sniffed and peeked out over the top of the pillow. I remembered his last words to me, “Stay strong, buddy”. I took a deep, ragged breath. This was not staying strong. Breaking down and crying was not what Shamrock would have done. He would have gotten right back up and soldiered on.

I sat up, feeling a little woozy with a new weight on my shoulders, and wiped my eyes. What do I do now? I sniffed up a small bit of snot before choking out one last sob. I figured the best course of action would be to find out where I was.

I slid off the bed and made my way to the door, composing myself and wiping my eyes once more. The hallway outside was quiet save for a soft melody flowing down the left corridor with not a soul to be seen. I looked left and right but I had no idea where I was. Each door down the hall was numbered, I had been in room twelve.

I followed the faint sound of music and made my way down the hall, trying my best not to scratch at my legs and scalp. My hooves ached and my head throbbed, I felt like breaking down and crying with each step, but I carried on, only letting an occasional tear escape. Breaking down is not what Shamrock would have done. No way.

I blinked away the moisture in my eyes and nudged open the door at the end of the hall. My head exploded as I was assaulted with light, smells, and noises. Each of my senses screamed as I fell to my haunches, holding my head.

“I didn't expect to see you out here,” Cloud said as he picked me up. My head started to clear, slowly. The room I now stood in had chairs lined up on one wall, a desk on the other. Doctor Cloud led me to a chair and set me down, looking over my head. “You really should have stayed in your room.”

I looked up at him. “That's not what Shamrock would have done,” I rasped, my throat still hoarse from crying.

“And that would be your brother.” He sat down beside me, notepad ready. I nodded sadly. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No,” I whispered, tears welling up again.

Thank Celestia, he put the notepad away. “Alright then. Lets talk about you. Do I detect a slight accent in your voice?”

“Aye,” I said, emphasizing my accent.

He scratched his chin. “Emerald Isles? You're a long way from home...”

“Apple Plains.” I was originally from the Emerald Isles, out off the coast of Brismane, but my father had emigrated to the Apple Plains a while ago, and still retained the accent.

“Well, maybe not that far away from home. So, why are you all the way out here in the Ponave?”

It took me a moment to remember, but it felt like a punch to the gut when I did. “Package delivery.”

Cloud sighed and stood up. “Couriers don't last long out here, kid.” I winced and a tear dripped off my snout. The left side of my head felt like it was getting heavier and heavier. “But I see you've already found that out...” Cloud shuffled uncomfortably, only just realizing that he had shoved a metaphorical dagger through my heart. “Well, Federation couriers or Resistance couriers. Most Feds get shot on sight, Resistance get hung.” I would have rather been shot, that way I would be dead quickly. Just like Shamrock. I started to weep quietly.

Cloud put his hoof on my shoulder, “At least you're alive! In Westwood of all places. You could be worse off, you know.”

I looked up at him through teary eyes. “How? How could this get any worse?”

“You could have turned up in Buckwheat, or a raider camp.” I had no idea what 'Buckwheat' was but I knew about Raiders. We didn't have them on the Apple Plains though, the Federation exterminated any raiders... or any suspected raiders... or anypony who may have known a suspected raider.

So where did I go from here? My brother was the only one who knew what the package was or where it was supposed to go, and now he was dead. I had no idea where I was, or how I got there. Apparently, this Snake Eyes guy was the one to bring me in. I supposed that would be a good place to start.

“Was it this Snake Eyes who brought me here?” I asked, choking down my sorrow, trying to stay strong.

Cloud got up and trotted to the counter. He took a minute to flip through something that looked like a ledger. “Yeah, he brought you in here. Paid for your surgery too.”

I wiped my face with a hoof. “Why would he do that?”

He slammed the ledger shut. “Dunno, but it was a hefty sum of caps,” he chuckled before leaning on the counter. “I guess you're wanting to see him?” I nodded. “Well, there's something you should know. Snake Eyes is what we call a 'drifter'. He rolls up into town on occasion, but doesn't stay long.”

“So there's no chance of talking to him?” The lump in my throat felt like it was going to rip itself out and start a jig on the counter.

The old doctor played with his mustache in deep thought. “I'm not sure. If he's still here, he’d be at the saloon, but I wouldn't get yer hopes up.”

I got my hopes up, shuffled to the old wooden door of the clinic, and creaked it open. I immediately stumbled back with my eyes clamped shut and fell on my rump, hooves over my eyes.

“Careful, its bright out,” Cloud huffed in amusement. Gee, thanks... He lifted himself from the counter and rummaged though a drawer, pulling out a pair of large sunglasses. “Might need these.” He smiled. I plucked them from his levitation field, threw them into the air above me and caught them...in the eye. I yipped and held my eye while letting out an embarrassed sigh. The doctor levitated the sunglasses over my eyes and the room took a darker tinge.

“Thanks, Doc.” I trotted to the door just before it swung open, smacking me in the nose. “Oh, come on!” I whimpered, holding my nose. I don't think today could get any worse...

A large brown pony ran in, a fiery red filly on his back. She held her twisted hind leg while wailing in agony. Cloud got straight to work. “What happened?” he asked.

“Cinnamon fell off the balcony,” the large pony said, worry flooding his voice. “I told her not to go out there alone but she never listens!”

“Take her to room four,” the doctor pony instructed, pointing to the hallway I had emerged from. He turned back to me. “The bar is at the end of the street on the right.” He smiled, “Come back here if you have any more problems.”

I nodded and ventured out into the town.

The searing sunlight reflected back off the almost white dirt beneath my hooves and burnt itself into my retinas; even with the sunglasses I had to squint. The town of Westwood was the very image of an old western town. Each of the small wooden buildings had a large porch, the sheriff’s office (they even had a sheriff!) being one of the bigger structures, overshadowed only by the general store and the saloon.

I slowly walked down the dirt road through the middle of the town, taking in as much as I could. Everypony seemed to have a job to do here, from the pony with the apron sweeping the porch of the general store to the pony pulling a cart full of old bits of furniture; one was even sketching a pony drawn carriage. Everypony seemed happy here. Everypony except me, but the warm smiles did a little towards raising my spirit.

I got to the end of the road and stood before the two story saloon, waiting for an errant tumbleweed to cross my path before trotting through the swinging doors and was assailed with the delightful smell of old wood, sawdust, and stale beer. Pubs were my kind of place.

I cantered up to the bar and sat on one of the stools, grabbing the silver-maned bartender's attention. “Um, 'scuse me...” I said meagerly. Why did the bartender have to be a mare? I'm no good at talking to mares...

The barmare cantered up in front of me, three glasses and a bottle in her levitation field. “What can I do ya fer, hon?” Well, you could do me for fre- no, we have work to do.

“Uh...well...” Talk, dammit! “You see...”

“Take yer time, darlin,” the purple barmare said in a soft voice, brushing her silver mane from her eyes before dumping the glasses in a sink. Celestia have mercy...

“I...I'm looking for sompony...” I squeaked.

“Aren't we all?” she laughed, “I'm gonna need a name or description to help, hon.”

I scratched the back of my leg nervously. “His name is Snake Eyes, I think.”

She picked up a new set of glasses and started to fill them from one of the beer taps. “Oh, Snakey? He left not to long ago, sorry.” She finished filling them and levitated them out to a table in the corner, much to the delight of one large stallion, who proceeded to drink all of them at once. Impressive.

I banged my head on the bar. What now? Snake Eyes was the only pony who might know what was going on. Tears began to pool in my eyes.

“Oh. What's wrong, sugarcube?” the barmare asked, trotting around the bar and patting me on the back.

“He was the only one who might know what I should do next,” I squeaked, trying my damndest not to cry.

“What happened?”

“I had my skull crushed, and...and...my brother was killed.” That set me off, the tears started rolling down my cheeks again.

The barmare gave me a small hug. “Oh darling, that's terrible!” She let go and cantered around behind the bar again, pouring a whiskey. “Do you remember anything at all?” she asked handing me the whiskey.

“Aye,” I sobbed, looking up and taking the whiskey. “Um, I can't pay for this...”

“On the house, hon. So you're the pony Snake Eyes dragged into town? The one with the caved-in head?”

“Aye.” I drank down the whiskey, feeling the warmth of it hitting my stomach. “I just don't know what to do next...” I put my head back down on the bar, staring at the entrance, hoping Snake Eyes would burst in, answer all my questions and tell me where to go from here. Instead, it was only a mare in leather barding who trotted in. I didn't even feel like pursuing her.

A stallion approached the other end of the bar, trying to get the barmare's attention, “Ah shoot,” she hissed. “I'll be right back.”

I covered my face with my hooves and let out a long groan. I felt a tap on the shoulder. “What's your problem?” a mare asked. I peeked out from beneath my hooves to see the leather wearing mare sitting next to me. She looked like the rough ‘don’t fuck with me’ pony, from her long brown mane and the machete sheathed by her side to the ace of spades on her flank. Not that I was checking her out or anything...

I buried my face again. “I don't wanna talk about it,” I sighed, before sniffing. It was the honest truth, at that point I only wanted to drown my sorrows.

“Whatever.” the mare said, a tone of disinterest in her voice. I looked up to see her scanning the room, her eyes fixing on a spot in the corner. “Shit,” she hissed. I looked over to see the large stallion who had drunk all those beers at once get up and start trotting over. The mare shoved me a little. “Okay, here's the plan, I need you to pretend to be my buckfriend.”

“Wh-what?” I stammered, very, very surprised she would ask (or in this case, tell) me to do such a thing.

“You heard me.” She wrapped her forelegs around me when the large stallion came into earshot. “I'm so glad I met you!” she squealed with glee.

“I, uh...um...” I started sweating, not really knowing what to do. “...I'm glad...too...?”

“Oh, you and your awkwardness, I think that is just too cute!” Mares find my awkwardness cute? No way...

“Th-Thanks...”

“Ace!” the stallion bellowed with a grin. I had to admit, I was a little thankful he interrupted.

The mare rolled her eyes, “What do you want Wild Card?” she sighed, letting go of me to fix the large stallion with a sneer. I looked up at the green stallion and was genuinely intimidated. I may have meeped.

“You know what I want,” he chuckled. I didn't like this pony. Not one bit.

“Forget it, doofus,” the mare, who I assumed was Ace, scoffed. “I'm not interested.” She wrapped her foreleg around me. “Besides, I'm taken.”

The grin left the pony's face. “I don't think you understand,” he snorted. “You're mine.”

Ace let go and put her hoof to her chin in mock contemplation. “Um...no. No I'm not.”

The stallion started walking towards us.

“Be strong, buddy.”

I shoved him back. “Are you deaf, ya feckin' shitehawk? She said she isn't interested.” How could he just claim her like that? How rude!

Both Ace and the big pony looked stunned. Hell, the whole bar went quiet.

“Nopony shoves Wild Card,” the big pony seethed, tensing his huge legs.

“An’ nopony with half a brain talks in third person,” I scoffed. Shamrock would be so proud.

Wild Card let out a long roar of anger, almost blowing me away. “Alright, you little runt! You and me, right here, right now!” he bellowed, spittle flying on to my terrified face.

I thanked my lucky stars when the doors to the bar swung open and two ponies with raised pistols entered...followed by a griffin with a double barreled shotgun. “Wild Card, are you causing trouble again?” he barked.

Wild Card looked up and grinned, petting me on the head. “Naw, sheriff. Jus' havin' a little fun!”

“Fun for bounty hunters like you usually end in bloodshed,” the griffin growled. “Now, what’s really going on here?”

“He's stirring up trouble, Bull.” Ace smirked at the bounty hunter. Wild Card looked back at her with a scowl and an eye twitch. I just sat there and shuddered.

The griffin raised his shotgun. “Wild Card, why don't you step out an' cool off before things get messy...”

Wild Card narrowed his eyes at me. “You and me, tomorrow at sun up. We're gonna have a little fun.”

“Uh, um...” I stammered, trying to compose myself.

“You're on,” Ace purred with a sly grin.

“What? No! I-”

“Wanna place a little wager?” Wild Card said, prodding my shoulder.

“...What kind of wager...?” I asked. What could he possible want from me? I couldn't lose anything! This might be interesting...

“If I win, I get Ace,” he grinned, ignoring the sheriff and his deputies.

“And if I win?”

“You get her.” So if I win, the beige mare can go about her business, and if I lose she has to go with the only pony with a skull harder than mine and I’d end up being very messed up...what to do...?

“Deal,” Ace said before I could respond. Wait, wait, wait. This mare just pit me against some big motherfucker. She’s either insane or wanted to get the shit kicked out of me.

“Wait a-” I stammered

“Good,” Wild Card rumbled before I could protest. “Tomorrow. Sun up. Be there.” He turned around and brushed past the sheriff and his deputies.

“Another crisis averted,” the griffin said. Averted?! I was going to get murdered! “This calls for a drink, eh boys?” They marched through the bar and sat down at a booth, the barmare hot on their heels.

Ace turned to me. “Well then, we'd best get ready, eh?” She grinned and walked out.

I looked around the bar. What the hell just happened? I seemed to have grown a pair and got myself into a fight I couldn’t win for my troubles. No way this was real, I was being set up. Some sick joke this is!

I turned to the bar. No way am I going out there with that mare. That big oaf can have her, even if I did win she wouldn't be interested in me. I put my head back down on the counter, trying to figure out what to do.

“You coming or what?” Ace called through the door.

“No,” I yelled back.

She barged in and shoved me, pushing me out. “What are you doing?” I shouted, trying to get out of her grip. “Are you crazy or something? Leave me alone!”

She dragged me out of the bar and stood me up, looking into my eyes. “That's no way to talk to a lady,” she growled. “Now it’s me on the line here, not you.”

“Exactly! I don't want to get into a fight!” I snapped back at her.

She took a step back and pouted. “Not even to protect my honor?” her eyes seemed to water. This is completely unfair!

“I...” I mumbled, “...um...”

“Won't you help me?” Her lip quivered. I couldn't help it.

“Fine,” I sighed. It seemed I wasn’t going anywhere so I might as well do something, and protecting this mare is just what Shamrock would have done.

“So what now?” I asked as we stood in a back alley behind the general store. Old boxes were stacked high against the rickety building on the dirt path, some barrels of apples stood by the back door ready to be taken in and sold off. It seemed the owner of the general store used the alley as storage.

Ace turned, reared up on her hind legs, and brought her fore hooves up in front of her with a long grin spread across her face. “Simple,” she replied, slamming a hoof into my nose, “we spar.”

“What the fuck?!” I yelled, holding my bloodied nose. “Why would you do that?!”

“Toughen the fuck up, ya pansy!” Ace ordered me, sending a hoof into my gut. “Ya gotta learn to fight like a stallion.”

I fell to the ground, all the wind knocked out of me. “Ow,” I wheezed, trying to get to my hooves. I was assisted by Ace grabbing my mane and yanking it up.

I managed to choke out a short shout of terror before trying to roll away, only to fall snout first into a shallow pit. I blinked to try and get the stinging dirt out of my eyes before I was yanked back up by my mane.

“Owowowowowow!” I howled as the blue mare violently dragged me back to my original resting place.

In a flash of red hot rage I slammed a hoof into Ace's rather firm midsection, knocking her back a few steps. “Now we're cooking with gas!” she laughed, bringing her hooves up again. “Show me what you've got, ya filly!”

I looked down at my hooves, not quite sure what I had just done. I looked up just in time to dodge another hoof strike. I stumbled back into some crates, knocking away the papers and cans casually laid out on top.

Ace rolled her eyes, getting back on all fours. “Look at you, you don't even know how to fight, do you?” The beige mare asked straightforwardly. I shook my head, snuffling my still bleeding nose, . “ugh. Lets start from the top then. What are you good at?”

Well, I had grown up on a boring farm and drank quite a bit in the evenings. I was not an alcoholic, damn it! “Working and drinking.”

Ace rolled her eyes again, “Aren't we all? What kind of work? Details, ya mare!” She shook her hoof at me.

I took a step back from the crazy mare. “I worked a farm.”

“And? Is that supposed to impress me? Details, dammit!” Ace was beginning to become quite the bitch...No, wait, she was a bitch. Why did I agree to this fight?

“I bucked apples when in season, I planted crops, all sorts of things. How does this help?” I asked, stomping my hoof, impatiently.

“Apples?” Ace pounced on me, pinning me to the ground. “You're a fucking Fed, aren't you?!” she growled.

Fed? Oh, Federation! “I suppose I am,” I whimpered.

She headbutted me, almost impaling me with her horn, “What do you know? Who are you working for? How did you find me?”

“What?” I asked through gritted teeth. Struggling seemed to do nothing under her strong hooves.

“You're a fucking Fed! Now talk!” she screamed, her furious hazel eyes fixed on mine.

I tensed up, waiting for another blow, “Not like I wanted to be!” I squealed.

I clenched my eyes shut and waited for the next blow to fall, but it never did. After a moment of silence I dared to steal a peek.

Ace was looking me over, her eyes narrowed, “What do you mean, not like you wanted to be?” She asked slowly, one hoof raised and ready to deliver another kick. .

I blinked a few times, “Mandatory citizenship,” I replied, cocking my head. How could she not know this? “Everyone in Federation territory has to get it. Isn't the Ponave Federation territory?”

Ace growled and smacked me across the face again. “NEVER say the Ponave is Fed-land," the livid mare screamed in my face. "Ever!” She headbutted me again.

clunk

The beige pony staggered back a little, holding her forehead. “What the hell?” she asked, staggering slightly and seeming to have problems focusing on me.

“Metal skull plate,” I grumbled as I got up, “Now if you'll excuse me...” I was about to make my way out of the alley and back onto the street when I was tackled, crashing through a crate.

“You're not going anywhere,” Ace hissed. “You're fighting tomorrow, whether you like it or not, now grow a pair and fight me!”

“No,” I said, shoving her off. “I'm done with your games, and I will not fight you. I'm not a bad pony I don't fight for no reason.”

“So I'm not a reason?” Ace mock whimpered as I picked myself up, trying to guilt trip and manipulate me.

“Honestly?” I said over my shoulder, “No. No, you’re not.” She'd forced me into a fight and beat me up to 'train' me. She wasn't worth dirt right about now. I trotted to the alley entrance.

“There's something you should know about the Ponave, mister,” Ace called out from behind me. I turned, narrowing my eyes. “The bad live good, and the good...”

“well they don't live at all.”

Everything went red as I roared down the alley at Ace. Without stopping, I spun and slammed both my hind legs into her bitchy face. I turned and smiled as I saw her sail through the air, smashing into a barrel of apples with a soft “oof.”

She shook her head and blinked, stroking her face with a hoof before picking up an apple and grinning. “Best ones are always at the bottom,” she chuckled around a swollen cheek. “You're ready.”

The apple bounced off my face.

“Get up,” Ace ordered as she kicked the tattered couch she had been nice enough to let me crash on. She still refused to offer me anything to eat, even after she pigged out on a steak the night before. “We're coming up on fight time.”

Oh right, the big fight between little, scrawny me and a giant, fucking, bounty hunting bastard with the intelligence of a cactus. This was gonna be awesome...

“Come on!” she bellowed, dragging me off the couch, making my head bounce off the floorboards, sending explosive pain through my skull.

She took a step back. “What are you doing?” she asked, raising her eye brow.

Well, I'm lying on the floor, clutching my feckin' head wound after having it bounce off the hard wood floor,what the feck do you think?! “Nothing,” I hissed, picking myself up from the dusty floor, and shaking myself free of the dirt. “What are you doing?” I sneered, trying to change the subject.

The brown maned mare looked around, a little confused before shaking her head. “Come on, let’s just go,” she sighed, a little frustrated, putting her leather jacket and some other articles over her back. Yeah take that, bitch.

I put on my new sunglasses and walked out the door, trying to ignore the pain in my head. The door slammed behind me before I was shoved down the old dusty stairs to the long dirt path bisecting the town as the sun crested over the mountains to the east. I gulped down the lump in my throat, remembering how I would always watch the sunrise with Shamrock and Dad before the day's work.

Ace marched up behind me, fixing her leather jacket and adjusting the armored socks that were wrapped around her hind legs. I couldn't help but let my eyes drift down to her supple, curvy flank.

The ornery pony smacked me across the face. “Quit staring, pervert,” the mare scolded, scowling. “Ready for your big fight?”

“No,” I whimpered. Composing myself and fixing the dark sun glasses on my snout, I looked down the long street to the square outside the bar where ponies of all colours had gathered around. I gulped again. “I can't do this,” I whispered, turning away and down the street in the opposite direction.

Ace grabbed me and shook me by the shoulders, “Get a hold of yourself!” she spat, “What are you? An itty bitty silly filly, or a stallion with balls of steel?!”

I looked into her blazing eyes and dug up as much courage as possible. “I'm... I'm a stallion.”

She shook me again, making my sunglasses fall off my snout. “I can't hear you!”

“I'm a stallion, damn it!” I yelled in her face, my courage reaching a new high. This was not normal. Shamrock would have been proud. I shoved the mare off and started down the road to the bar, the beige mare following me, I could just hear her giggling.

I was shaking in my hooves by the time I had gotten to the crowd gathering. I was seriously considering just merging with the crowd and just sneaking away.

“See? Told you he won't show up!” Wild Card cheered in triumph. “What a pussy. Now, where's Ace?”

“Right here,” Ace shouted from beside me, a large smile on her face. “Lets do this.”

My heart sank as the crowd parted to reveal the hulking mass of dark green muscle that was Wild Card, ready and rearing to go. He was grinning from ear to ear as I quaked in my hooves. This was not going to end well.

“Alright, alright,” The griffin sheriff announced as he landed between us. “I've been informed that both parties have agreed to this fight.”

“Yup!” Ace piped up, not letting her grin leave her face.

“Eeyup,” Wild Card said with a smile.

“Nope,” I squeaked, but nopony heard me. Why was this happening?

The sheriff adjusted his hat and vest, his sheriff’s star glimmering in the morning sunlight. “Well then. One thing I need to add, the loser has to pay for any damages.”

What?! I can't afford to pay for anything! I have to win this! Not for Ace, not for Shamrock, but so I don't get jailed or lynched for not being able to pay! No, no way they would do that to me...would they?

Wild Card was stretching himself out while staring me down as I just stood there, not daring to move a muscle.

“You can do this,” Ace whispered in my ear. “Those hind legs of yours can be like a cannon if you apply yourself.” Since when did she get all supportive?

The sheriff cleared his throat. I could see his deputies leaning on the railing outside the bar, both with wide, goofy grins on their faces. “Okay then.” The griffin smiled. “Fight!” He took off, leaving a cloud of dust.

“Lets do this!” Wild Card roared as the crowed parted.

Ace stood by my side, leaning in. “For luck,” she whispered before giving me a peck on the cheek. That really got the blood flowing.

“Yeeehaaw!” I cheered at the top of my lungs, a new form of courage taking over. A mare had just kissed me! Sure, it was on the cheek, but she still kissed me!

Wild Card started to charge, his features screwed up in a determined scowl. This was it, the moment I had been dreading. I charged at him, a new force taking over. I felt alive, not like I had ever felt before! I felt...strong!

My primal instincts kicked in and I dove out of the way of the rampaging bronco, barely missing a swing from his over-sized hooves. He screeched to a halt as the crowd gasped. I doubt they thought I'd survive the first tilt.

I sprinted at him a grin spreading across my face. I was gonna win this, I could feel it. I rose a hoof and dove at the monstrous green pony, landing a hit between the eyes. He staggered back a little as I landed. I hopped back a little, holding my throbbing hoof. This guy had a skull harder than mine, and mine was partly metal!

He slowly got his act together. “You've got guts, kid,” the bounty hunter growled. “Ah'm gonna enjoy tearing 'em out of ya.”

I got back on all fours and met his glare. “Kiss my arse,” I grinned. This was going better than predicted.

Wild Card roared with a blood thirsty cry before charging at me. I barely had enough time to say “Oh, shite.” and dive out of the way before he came bounding across the dirt path.

“What do I do now?!” I yelled to Ace. “I've only pissed him off!”

“That's your own damn fault!” the leather clad pony called back, a smile on her face. “Don't be afraid to use dirty tactics!”

Dirty...no, I couldn't. I shouldn’t! I don't think I could ever try and target a stallion’s... stallionhood. Wild Card prepared another charge, this time with murder in his eyes. Oh, forgive me for what I'm about to do...

He barrelled down on me, slobber dripping from his rabid jaws. I charged back at him, spewing a slew of curses.

An instant before we collided I ducked and slid under the pony, looking for my target... and finding it. I kicked his tender area with all my might as I passed underneath, the dirtiest trick in the book. That was not something Shamrock would have done.

Wild Card screamed in agony and crumpled into a heap, clutching his fleshy, tenderized nethers. I got up and cheered in triumph. The power I was feeling coursing through my veins...it was magnificent! So much, so fast, it was glorious!

“You...fucking...runt...” Wild Card wheezed as he got to his hooves. “You are...so DEAD!” he roared before rearing up and charging, fueled by rage alone. Time to put some of this excess adrenaline to good use!

The pony was like a run away, green locomotive, almost unstoppable. I turned at the last moment and put all of my power into a buck. My muscles ached as my hooves connected with his chiseled face and the crowd roared with cheers!

I turned to see Wild Card on his rump, staring at his fore hooves; holding at least three bloody teeth in them. I thought I saw tears welling up in his eyes. I felt great! The crowds cheers, the close to crying, giant stallion, even Ace, who grinned and winked at me.

“You done?” I asked Wild Card, not trying to provoke him. “Can we just settle this like gentlecolts?”

He looked up at me, and back to his teeth, “No...” he whispered. He dropped the teeth and got to his hooves. The crowd stopped cheering and a dead silence crept in. “No. No.” He looked into my eyes. I could see myself in them, slowly being surrounded by fire.

“NO!” he roared before shoving his forehoof into my chest, lifting me up with it. The awesomeness I was feeling? Gone like the wind from my body. He brought me back down and slammed me against the ground. I heard a snap inside my torso and pain lash out everywhere.

“Nopony beats me! Not never, not ever!” Wild Card howled over me. “You're so dead!”

He picked me up, threw me straight up and bucked me. I felt more crunches before I sailed through the air, smashing through the bar window and sliding down the bar, narrowly avoiding the barmare, before flying off the end and smashing into a pile of stacked chairs.

I couldn't feel anything but pain. This wasn't being strong, this was being broken. Every breath I took brought a fresh stab of agony from my shattered chest. This was all happening so fast, too fast. I could just see through a crack in the chairs covering me and the green pony come stomping through the front door.

“Stop!” the barmare shouted at Wild Card. He merely pushed her away when she got in his way.

He started to tear away the chairs above me until I was staring right into his blood shot, rage filled eyes. This was it. I had failed Ace, I had failed Shamrock, but most of all, I had failed myself. I began to cry.

“That's right, cry for yer mommah, ya big baby!” the hulking mass above me laughed, raising his hoof, readying his final blow and showing me a bloody grin. “Night, night.”

“Stop!” a mare called from the bar door. Both me and Wild Card looked over and saw Ace, no longer grinning as she trotted in, looking very disappointed. “Can't you see you've won?” she shouted at Wild Card. “Leave him alone.”

The bounty hunter walked away from me, leaving me in a pile of broken wood and probably blood. He trotted over to Ace, smoothing back his dark blue mane.

“You, now that I've won, why don't you and I go some place private?” he asked with a smirk, not even trying to keep his eyes from her flank.

That was a mistake as a fucking machete came down on his cheek, slicing a long thin slit across it. He stumbled back a few steps, clutching his bloody cheek. It wasn't a lethal cut but it would probably scar.

“Nah,” Ace scoffed, nonchalantly. Wild Card was frothing from the mouth as he approached Ace. “Watch it, big guy, next swing goes between your legs.” She grinned, waving the machete around him. If I wasn't in a pain filled, crying heap, I would have laughed.

Wild Card took that moment to finally grow a brain. “Fine,” he growled, stomping around Ace. “But I'll be back for you, no doubt about that.” With that, he was gone, leaving Ace standing with a bloody machete, and the barmare with a bruise. Oh, and me, lying in a bloody heap.

“Yeah. Right,” Ace said snidely before sheathing the knife and trotting over to me. She magically pulled the remaining wreckage off me. “What are you crying about?” she spat, picking me up and ignoring my pain filled moaning. Something was broken, no doubt about it.

“I...I failed...” I blubbered, failing to support myself. I collapsed into a heap, blood leaking from my nose and ears.

“You're damn right you failed, you wimp.” she picked me up again, this time supporting me. “I mean, how could you just let him win? It was my tail on the line and you blew it! You could have won, but no. You choked and got your ass handed to you on a silver plate!”

I burst into tears. I couldn't take it any more! This was all too much for me.

“Oh, stop your crying, its not all that bad.”

“I...I don't care about failing you,” I sobbed. Shoving myself off her, walking two hooves and falling over again.

“Then who did you fail?” Ace asked, a look of disbelief in her face.

“I failed my brother!" I snapped, tears streaming down my bruised cheeks. "He wanted me to be strong! He wanted me to be honorable!" I struggled back to my hooves and limped to the bar. "I was supposed to make him proud!"

"I'm sure he'd understand," Ace said, losing some of her critical tone. "Sure you fucked up... badly, but everypony chokes every once in a while. Just explain it to him, and you’ll be fine."

"I can't explain it to him!" I screamed in her face. "Because he's dead!" I tumbled off the bar stool and just lay there weeping. I couldn't see any point to getting back up. "He’s only been dead two days and I've already failed him."

Footnote: Welcome to the desert, we’ve got fun and games.

Level up:

New perk -- Balls of Steel - You think I look bad, you should see what my face did to the other guy's hoof. You inflict a small amount of damage to your opponent proportional to your DR whenever you are struck by an unarmed attack.

New quest perk -- METAL HEEEAAAD!! -- no, put down the headphones. Smashing your head in isn’t all bad, you’ve now got a rockin’ metal plate in your head! +50% head health.

NEW TRAITS!

Rage Fueled:

Your bursts of strength are fleeting, but intense. You inflict less damage with unarmed attacks, but deal much more critical damage.

Wild Wild Wasteland:

Its a weird place out there, who knows what can happen?

Special thanks to Kashin, Errantindy, and Kal for their excellent edits, Dina (Damhoof) and Kashin for idea bouncing, and Julep for the art.

I would also like to welcome Julep to the Tales of a Courier: Reloaded team!

More thanks are in order to Mimezinga, No One, Snow, Damhoof, Darcy, Bob, Dr Dissonance, Aerondlight, Menti, Pistolwhip and more for the pre-reading.

Don't forget to comment and rate!

Chapter 15: Once More Unto the Breach

Chapter 15: Once more unto the breach.

The massive station door closed behind us as we were plunged into a cold engulfing darkness that seemed to creep in on all sides. A breeze of cold air blew down the tunnel, making the mane on my neck stand on end. I shuddered in the cold before pulling my hood up over my head and peering out.

I heard some faint clicking, followed by some grumbling from a familiar griffin before the dull orange light of Tallie’s makeshift heater turned on. One by one the group’s flashlights flicked on, illuminating the passage ahead. I quickly took up position next to Tinder Two-Tails.

“S-So… what was up with that filly?” I asked through chattering teeth. “The b-big one at the door I m-muh-mean.” I could almost see Tinder’s determined face under his foggy, scratched mask.

The bearded stallion looked down at me and chuckled. “Who? Tiny? Yeah, unique kid that. Biggest pony I’ve ever known.”

I couldn’t help but think of the photos Stitches had shown us in her lab, one in particular standing out. “She’s one of those Behemoths, isn’t she?” I asked, remembering the name of the giant mutants.

Tinder stopped in his tracks, giving me a blank stare as to say ‘seriously’. He quickly burst into a hearty laugh. “You seriously believed her?!” he asked, giving me a firm slap on the shoulder. “Clover, dude, she says that to everyone. There’s no such thing as a Behemoth! Tiny’s the only example of anything close!”

My face flushed with a beet red, silently cursing myself that I believed it. Thank goodness I was still wearing my mask. I knew it was too impossible. “Whatever…” I grunted. “How long until we surface?”

Hammerhead, the mutated minotaur, piped up from up ahead as the others snickered at my expense. I’m sure most of them thought it was true too! “We’re gonna be down here for about a mile. That’ll get us closer to the tower!”

“Mkay…” I mumbled. An hour trapped in the tunnels under Mustang. Just where I wanted to be!

The ponies around me seemed to be doing well, especially Short Fuse. For someone who probably had some severe PTSD, she was still marching along, weapons ready for anything. She was clinging close to Featherweight though, which was understandable. Of course, Mayflowers was up front with Spook and Hammerhead, pretending to be our leader.

Tallie was perched on Lollipop’s back, clinging to her jury-rigged heater like it was a warm teddy-bear. The little griffin looked like a pillow with her jacket fluffed up around her, illuminated by the orange glow. Lollipop didn’t seem to mind it either, unless her mind was just set on other things.

Ace, however, remained beside me as Tinder trotted forward to take point with Hammerhead. The rest talked amongst themselves, about Mustang, gear, and anything else to break the cold silence.

“So, uh…” I began reaching back to scratch the back of my head. Bad idea to do it mid step as I stumbled and face planted.

Ace giggled as she helped me up and dusted me off. “Clumsy stallion,” she said before trotting off again. “Left hoof, right hoof. Haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

Left hoof, right hoof. No, left… or was it right.... As soon as my hooves got the message I was ready again. “So! Ace!” I started again, this time keeping my hoofing. “That kiss, uh… does that mean…”

The beige mare shook her head and patted my shoulder. I could see her expression through her gas mask and it didn’t fill me with much confidence. “Clover, we're in a below freezing hallway, underneath a dead pre-war city, with mutants prowling about waiting to kill us. Not the time."

Yeah, I knew. I was a coward and she didn’t want to be seen dating me. I got it. Yep. Great. Then again, she did have quite the attitude when we first met so there could be some of that creeping back into it. “Alright,” I finally said with a nod. Either way, I’d find out eventually. I really did like her.

Seconds turned to minutes like a sleepy snail’s crawl. Occasionally there’d be a drip or a faint howl of wind that made my skin wriggle. Other than that, silence... and my teeth chattering behind my gas mask.

The tunnel’s walls had thick wires running along it in all sorts of patterns. Large pipes and metal beams flanked them, separated by missing chunks that revealed the frozen dirt beyond. The tunnel was remarkably clear save for the occasional rubble. The monotonous walls were broken up by long passageways leading into the abyss beyond. I shone my light down one seeing no end to the hall. I shuddered as I stared into the nothingness, a faint laughter echoing in the back of my head.

“Alright, folks!” Tinder boomed from up ahead, making me jump in my coat, and Tallie chirp in surprise. “We’re about halfway! We’re right under Stormclaw Square!” He turned towards the tunnel again and kept walking, his guns pointed forward. “Fun fact about the square, it was built two hundred and fifty-three years ago in honour of Andrea Stormclaw, the griffin who united the-”

The ground shook suddenly, causing rubble to sprinkle down on us from above and for me to jump so high I almost impaled myself on an icicle. The group froze and looked around somewhat frantically. Fuse was huddled against Featherweight aiming her gun at anything and everything frantically.

“That’s new…” Hammerhead said as she scanned the tunnel ahead with her assault rifle. Nothing was coming… “Sounded like a detonation.”

Fuse frantically nodded. “Close, thirty to fifty meter radius, sounded like a… forty-five to fifty-five kilo bomb.” I knew Fuse was a competent demolitions expert, but there was just no way she was that good. “Considering where we are… a frozen bomb got loose and fell from its perch.”

“Logical…” Geoff the mutant griffin whispered as the tentacles unravelled from around his arms. They grabbed two SMGs holstered on his back and started scanning the area with them. “I can’t think of anything else.”

Tinder nodded and began moving again. “Then let’s hope it took some freaks with it.” Freaks? He did know the company he was keeping, right? “Let’s keep mo-”

THUMP!

Another ground shaking explosion, this time closer. Tinder froze in his path and looked over his shoulder. “That can’t be a coinci-”

WHUMP!

The ground shook even harder as rubble started to come down in bricks. Copper Wire’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates before he spoke up in his super high pitched voice. “Guys… guys! Get moving!”

Looking up I saw why. Massive fissures began to crack along the decayed mortar of the ceiling as thick bricks began to fall to the ground with a sickening crunch that threatened to make my brain come out my eyes. It looked as if the entire ceiling could come down!

“Too late!” Tinder called. “Duck and cover!”

The tunnel’s air filled with dust as large chunks fell around us. One of the pipes cracked, bursting from the ceiling with a massive clang, spewing out slush, ice, and a frozen rat.

I shook my head and tried to get focused. As the panic set in my heart begab beating furiously as I frantically searched for cover. A faint voice, one that I’d become familiar with, shouted at me to duck to my left. My legs moved on their own as I found myself suddenly thrust into a side passage.

Another chunk landed as I looked up from my fallen heap, then Lollipop landed on top of me. She quickly picked me up and threw me further into the tunnel like I was made from feathers, and stood by the entrance, guiding people in.

Tinder was next, then Copper Wire, and lastly Mayflowers. Just as she scrambled through, the doorway collapsed, closing it off from the tunnel. I could still hear the shouts behind it and the falling rubble crashing down before, then that terrible silence.

I scrambled to my hooves and gasped. The rest didn’t make it through! They must have been crushed and buried under all that concrete and dirt! I sprinted forward and started to hopelessly dig at the rubble. “Ace!” I shouted. “Tallie!” My heart thumped in my chest. Tallie must have scrambled off Lollipop’s back in the panic!

Tinder dug at his ear and started yelling into his microphone. “Geoff? Spook? Hammerhead! Someone! Anyone! Respond!” Mayflowers was doing the same with her team, both looked more angry than scared. My heart was racing. My friends, almost all the people I had left in the world, the ones I could trust, gone. Lollipop started digging beside me, seeing my panic. It was the only way to help.

Suddenly, there was a cough in my earpiece. Hope started to swell inside me as Ace’s voice cut through the dirt, but it was staticy. “Clove-! Clover, tha- Goddesses!” she said, her voice cutting out from interference. “We- -kay -alright. -some- -soldiers and- -ghost. Spook? Tallie- Lollipop okay?”

My heart sank again. “I-I don’t have Tallie,” I whispered, then started digging again. “Please please please be okay!” I shouted, digging.

Another voice cracked through. “This is Hammerhead!” the thick voice of the mutant minotaur called into my ear. “We’re alright! Got civvies with me! -explosives chick and- Geoff and... Tallie? Yeah, Tallie!”

My heart couldn’t handle this. Dropping then soaring then dropping again. I stopped digging and sat down, panting. Thank Floyd, or whoever Tallie decided to pray to. “Tallie! Ace, Tallie’s okay!” I heard a garbled sigh of relief on the radio.

“Everyone’s accounted for,” Mayflowers confirmed with a nod. “Now what the fuck happened?! How far off course are we?”

Tinder hummed and checked the rubble. “Looks like we’re separated for now. Cave in. I’m keen to find out, because either ice sheets are melting or the psycho-animals out there have ordinance,” The stallion grumbled to himself and looked down the narrow, dark passage way. “Alright, all units, looks like we’re moving in teams. This is team one, Spook team two, and Hammerhead three. With all the radio shit going on we may lose contact. Everyone find a way out and head for the tower, over.”

Hammerhead’s voice chimed through with a confirm, Spook’s clicked once for an affirmative. Why even give him a mic?

“Clover?” Ace’s voice called through the static creeping into my headset. “Clover. -safe, stay focu-, and alive. -see you at the-” was all I heard before her voice cut out.

“I’ll t-try,” I replied, hoping the message got through.

Lollipop tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a stern nod. “We’re gonna be okay, Clover,” she said. “I’ll make sure of it.” Mayflowers rolled her eyes behind Lollipop as she walked down the hallway. Somehow, something about having Lollipop’s friendship made me feel safe. She was a strange one; I’m sure I’ve said this before. Grinning like a maniac one moment, motherly the second, strange, but as long as she was my friend I’d be safe.

I looked back at the rubble, then down the hall. Tallie must be going nuts alone. Poor kid…. I couldn’t wait to see them again. Ace, Tallie, even Fuse and Featherweight. They were nice. I’d trade Mayflowers for either any day of the week.

We began our march down the long hallway, into the black beyond.

The tunnel twisted and turned ahead of us as we walked in silence. Every few minutes we’d try to check in with other groups, but the interference increased until the point where we only garbled static. They were on their own, and so were we.

If anyone was in trouble it was me. I almost fell apart again just after the tunnel collapsed. Succumbing to fear and panic, two things I vowed I wouldn’t fall to again. One day I’d get it; after all, Neighgas wasn’t built in a day!

Tinder shone his light up at the ceiling, revealing a ladder heading into even more darkness. “Better than waitin’ down here,” he said, looking to us. “Pretty sure this one gets us about… not far from the rendezvous point.” He nodded at Copper-Wire and Lollipop. “You two cover our asses, Clover and me’ll secure up top.”

Me part of the point-team? I wanted to say no. “I’ve got your back,” I said, as confidently as I could. Not sure how that came across though, but apparently it was enough to warrant a nod before Tinder took the lead.

Wrapping my hooves around the rungs, I followed after, keeping my mind on surviving rather than whatever scary stuff might be up top. Thankfully, I didn’t need to climb for long. With one great heave, Tinder removed the manhole and climbed up, assault rifle at the ready. Scanning the room, he barked for me to follow.

We’d surfaced in a small workshop it seemed, which made sense; the tunnel we’d scampered into was a maintenance passage. The room itself was cold and plain; just a workbench, some lockers, and some loose wires.

“Door,” Tinder said, nodding to it. I nodded back and leaned against it while the stallion ordered the others to come up.

I opened the door a crack to peek outside. It was a little difficult at first because of the snow and ice around it, but it budged with a little bit of brute-strength. Outside was bright, but not sunny. The cold overcast still hung overhead and the wind caused the falling snow to whirl and spin around the building tops. Thankfully, it was calmer down on the ground.

The calm could be attributed to the complete lack of life around us. Not even a track in the fresh snow, much to my relief. My body shook as the cold washed over me, making me pull the camouflage canvas sheet on my back around me. There wasn’t much in the snow; a few large pieces of metal debris, some with a yellow-brown rag material fluttering in the wind.

Lollipop put a hoof on my shoulder, peeking out the door with me. She gave a pat and a nod, which I returned, before pushing the door open. Tinder took point again, the crunch of his hooves through the snow clear as day even below the howling winds. I took the second position with my SMG, while Copper and Lollipop took the rear. We moved in silence, listening for any movement or howl. Anything that would spell bad news for us.

The snow was beautiful, I must admit. Given another context, I’d easily immerse myself in it. The snow glistened and twinkled in the little light we had, and made satisfying noises as we made our way through it. Even when it covered the frozen bodies of scavengers and ancient soldiers alike. Lollipop and I made sure to stop and procure anything we could of use from the bodies, knowing they wouldn’t need it anymore. We made sure to say thank-you though, hopefully that’d stop us being haunted.

I’d long given up on wondering how the city got frozen like it did. It was probably some magical bullshit that only scientists would understand, not small town farmers like me. Give me a tree and some good metal shoes and I’ll tell you the best way to buck a tree. Talk about snow magic though, and you’ll lose me at ‘snow’.

I was beginning to get worried about our tracks carving a path straight to us, making me constantly watch over my shoulder, but thankfully my worries were put to rest when I spotted Copper dusting snow into our tracks. It wasn’t the best camouflage, but it was good enough to be missed at first glance.

Nothing stirred around us. The city remained as dead as the fateful day it fell two hundred years ago. Not even the howl of a mutant pierced through the air. To be honest, the serenity was killing me. My nerves were already on edge, frayed and running thin. Anything could pop out at us. Anything.

The only thing that put me at ease was Two-Tail’s decision to cut through a ruined building. It stood several levels tall with a long vertical sign hanging from the side of it. The bulbs along the sides had frosted over and shattered long ago, and the lettering was covered in snow.

Even as we ventured inside I couldn’t tell what we were entering. I’d never seen anything like it. Counters and displays stood everywhere around us, with silhouettes of all shapes and sizes. The first one made me jump, but upon closer inspection I realised it was just a mannequin. It was like a museum for shopping! One giant store with counters for everything. There were multiple floors above us, but our bearded leader walked straight past the metal mechanical escalator and straight for a small doorway. Nobody even considered to stop and look for loot. We were on a tight schedule. Every second we waited meant another second our friends could be in trouble.

The thought of Tallie or Ace in trouble… no, they could get out of it. I had to focus on helping the others and myself survive the near future.

I followed the mutant through the halls, watching as his dual tails bobbed in front of me. It took me longer than I want to admit to realise that I was staring at another stallion’s ass. Something Shamrock would have playfully teased me with back at home in our favourite pub.

Now was one of those times he’d tell me to stay strong. When the going gets tough, slog through it and have a pint when you win. My hoof to whoever looked down on us from above, I would have that pint.

The building’s halls were small and dark, only illuminated by our flashlights. It wasn’t long before we reached an emergency exit door sitting pretty under a green sign. The push bar was mangled and twisted, obviously by panicked hooves. I hoped they got out.

One quick shove and it jolted, moving only a few centimeters. The stallion in front of me looked to me and jerked his head towards it, wordlessly demanding my help. Who was I to say no to someone who was helping me with my mission? A mission that could benefit so many people if it turned out well. I stepped forward and gave the door the strongest push I could.

Gradually, the door pushed against the barricading snow, shoveling it to the side until it was open just enough for us to get through with our equipment, even Lollipop with her machine gun. On the other side of the door was a sight I seriously wasn’t expecting. Then again, what was I expecting to see in a place like this?

Before us, propped up against a ruined building, no doubt having crashed through it, was the other half of the massive blimp gunship we saw earlier. The back end, too, it seemed. The yellow and brown canvas was torn to shreds over most of it, flapping in the wind like several battle scarred flags.

The massive thing’s fins rested against the building behind it, cutting clean through the bricks and mortar to create a large gash, easy to see through to the other side of it. The square stood beyond it, with a perfect view of a large statue pointing its flag in our direction. Oddly symbolic.

The gunship’s rear weapons were broken and mangled from the impact, with the frozen corpse of its gunner lying outside the pod’s window, dead on impact. The cargo doors hung open, with several crates and supplies spewed out onto the snowy ground. The perfect opportunity.

Without a word, Mayflowers shoved her way past me and made a beeline for the crates “Supplies. Lollipop, Clover, get to work,” the mare demanded, pointing at the crates. For once, I agreed with her.

Not Tinder however. “We ain’t got time to scavenge, Sergeant,” he muttered into the mask-mounted comms.

“With all due respect, sir, these could be valuable to our survival,” she whispered back, pointing out a crate to me as she walked towards the cargo doors.

Tinder shot her a look that I think could have frozen his mask clean off. “Look, don’t be stupid. We need to move,” he almost barked. “The mutants are probably following us. We need to be mobile.”

“We covered our tracks,” Mayflowers retorted. “And this is MY operation, we’re doing this to save MY city, so I say we’re gathering supplies here.” She then gave the cargo bay doors a good kick to punctuate herself.

Bad idea.

The doors creaked as the centuries old hinges moaned and groaned under years of stress. Finally, the whole top one came crashing down on its lower counterpart, producing a loud CLANG. Mayflowers eeped and jumped forward, instantly regretting not listening to the mutant commando. Dumb broad.

The sound reverberated through the buildings around us, echoing loudly. The howling winds far above us almost fell silent as we grit our teeth, hearts beating in our chests.

“...we… need to lea-” Copper began in his high pitched voice, standing stock still as if waiting for something.

Then we heard it. Something that chilled our souls to the very core. A long, guttural howl filled the air, a sound ponies should not be able to make. Something that I knew meant bad news bears for us.

Tinder lifted his rifle as he stared at the buildings. Something that conveyed a message to the other combatants perfectly, as they did the same. Lollipop got a better hoofing as her machine gun clicked a new round into the chamber.

“Now you’ve done it,” Tinder said, calmly. Mayflowers lifted her rifle and shivered, realising her mistake. For someone with admittedly good tactical sense, that was a stupid move. Could her pride really have been that important to her where she needed to prove that she’s in charge? Probably.

We waited in silence, waiting for our enemies, the ugly monstrosities that infested this city. The air was silent for several moments before slowly, the low rumbling of hooves began to pierce through it, followed by multiple howls.

We heard the sounds of hooves echoing from the square; the ground began to vibrate with each stomp.

“Defensive positions!” Tinder yelled to the others and waved a hoof. I watched as ponies scattered around me and took cover behind crates or just inside the blimp’s cargo hold. It took me a few seconds for my hooves to get the message, but finally I dove into the gunner’s pod at the rear, sniper ready. We sat in wait.

The thundering hooves petered out until we were met with silence again. My breath was the only thing I heard, the rim of my mask fogging up slightly. ‘Stay calm. Don’t be afraid’. I thought to myself. ‘You’ll make it. You always do.’ Part of me wanted to run, but an even bigger part wouldn’t let me. If I ran, I’d likely be run down by them. If I stayed and fought, I might just have a chance.

One of the beasts leapt into a clearing of one of the crumbling buildings and stared down at us. Four tentacles waved over its patchy back as it scanned us, then they stood up straight. It was a Reaper, and the same one that I’d shot, saving Mayflowers. A fifth tentacle sat curled up on its back, still bleeding from the night before.

The beast howled up to the sky before we could make a move. It wanted blood, my blood, revenge for me taking a part of him, and he brought friends. Several of the beasts started to pour from the windows and side streets, heading directly for us. Guns and turrets erupted around me as the group fired on them, hosing the fodder with precision only soldiers could manage.

Me on the other hand, I knew it’d be a waste to pick off the fodder. Something told me I’d be more useful focusing on the bigger, harder to kill enemies. I scanned the crowd with my scope, taking long calm breaths, trying to slow down my beating heart. Slowly, I managed to drown out the ratatat of Lollipop’s machineguns, the sentry on Copper’s back, and the shotguns and rifles of Mayflowers and Tinder.

My first target came into view. One of the larger Executioners, a mutant with an elongated head and long spiked hooves, the very same kind that almost killed me the last night, marched over the event horizon of the mutant river. It howled and ordered the beasts around, pointing its long spike at me. Of course, standing still to give orders only helped me.

I lined the crosshairs up against his head and bit down on the trigger. My rifle jolted as the bullet zipped forward and slammed against the beast’s head, spattering brain, ichor, and bone out the back of its elongated cranium. The bastard staggered, then fell in a heap, its spiked hooves flailing out to the side and killing two more mutants. I couldn’t help but give a triumphant “Ha!”

It wouldn’t take long though. With every mutant we put down another two took its place and got one step closer to us until Tinder was smacking them back with the butt of his rifle. “Pour it on ‘em!” he demanded, narrowly avoiding a swinging clawed hoof.

“There’s too many of them!” Copper squealed as he dipped, ducked, dove, and dodged the mutants flailing at him. The SMG sentry on his back made short work of them, but our ammo was finite. “We’re going to be overrun!” He was right. Almost every shot I took impacted on one of the special mutants, and most managed to take only two shots to bring down, but there were more coming in, and the bodies were piling up.

Lollipop was the only one not being dog-piled on, and that was purely because her machine gun spat out so many rounds that it created a literal bullet-wall in front of her. The bullet casings were starting to mound around her, and I could see her eyes in her mask’s view ports narrowed. They looked almost predatory.

“Not if I can help it!” she finally barked over the comm channel. Her gun stopped firing for a moment as her horn began to light up in a brilliant brown. It began to shine brightly, making some of the mutants stop and start shuffling back at its awe. Some of the soldiers around me stood and stared, but quickly went back to shooting baddies. Not me though. I stood and stared.

Slowly, from the light, its magical aura started to seep forward and outwards, like a magical cloud. The mare herself amazingly began to float off the ground, just a few inches at first but soon she was more than a few feet.

The magical aura began to take shape, but it looked like something was inside it. Something impatient. There was a dull howling coming from it, muffled against a magical barrier, but suddenly a face pressed outwards. Not a pony face though, something more akin to a hound. It retracted then pushed out again before its head began to fully form. Then another one. Then a third!

They lurched at the mutants, trying to get in reach but they just weren’t close enough. Not yet at least. More brown magic flowed out of Lollipop’s green horn, forming the creature’s neck, then upper back, then front paws. Now the soldiers had stopped firing, each one totally enthralled by the display. Even the mutants were unsure on what to do, like they’d been hit by a centuries dormant sense of primal fear.

The beast’s body was almost done. Soon its belly and back stood in a thick brown magical field, a bit wobbly around the edges but still solid, like a rock hard piece of jelly. Its back legs took shape along with two massive canine balls, and I’m talking huge! Finally its tail formed, and to complete it, a large black spiked collar grew from the creature’s neck, Lollipop’s magic still firmly attached to it. Underneath her chest armour I could see a faint glow.

The three headed dog, now finally formed, roared up to the skies, magical slobber spraying from its jowls and landing in the snow before dissipating. What happened next I still can’t believe actually happened.

The beast tore off in a straight line towards the mutant, dragging a floating Lollipop along with it. The three heads of the massive canine ripped, tore, and squashed any and all mutants in front of it, carving swathes of destruction around it. The beast batted the bigger mutants aside like they were nothing, and I could almost see an aura form around the dead, only to dissipate moments later.

The mutants were cut down ten by ten as the monster dog tore through them, leaving destruction in its path. The beast even leaped up at one of the surrounding buildings, stuck its three heads into three different windows, and tore some of the griffin mutants out, flinging them to the ground, before tearing large chunks of wall out and throwing them into clumps of freaks as he fell back down to the ground, landing on all fours.

It seemed to focus on one enemy in particular though. One that was barking and screeching at the mutants choosing to retreat, severely pissed off at their insubordination. The crippled Reaper stood alone as the mutants ran, creating an open circle around it. The beast marched straight over to it.

The Reaper was distracted at first before turning to the beast, then slowly looked up. I could see the mean, toothy expression on its face droop as its eyes grew. Instant regret coated its face as it began to backpedal, but running was futile.

Lollipop’s pet beast picked it up by the face in its middle mouth, then flung the beast up into the air! It howled as it flew, flailing around and trying to gain purchase, but it found none. Its howls were cut short as the beast Lunged with all three heads and tore the beast in three. Its torn bodies fell through the magical beast’s stomach and onto the ground after it was swallowed. I could have barfed, but honestly I felt relieved. That’s one less pony… monster… thing trying to kill me.

The beast watched as the mutants fled over the rubble and corpses, running back to the square and their dens or warrens. Slowly, it and Lollipop began to speak in unison, their voices layered. “To the depths of Tartarus with you!” they called in unison, four voices as one. “Where I will keep you for eternity!”

And just as quick as it started, the dog began to fade with a horn flick. It only took about ten seconds, but the magical field retracted back into Lollipop’s horn and her body fell back into the snow.

“Lollipop!” I called out, watching as my friend lay limp in the snow. I scrambled from the broken gunner’s pod and raced across the snow to get to her, but a hoof wrapped under my midsection and pulled me to the ground.

Mayflowers stared with ferocious eyes into my own. “Stay down, Civvie! Whatever the hell that was, I will not let it jeopardize my operation!” she snarled. “It could come back and kill us too, we’re leaving her behi-”

By that point I’d had enough. Every millisecond I stared into her eyes, the more red I began to see. The anger of her not letting me tend to my friend like she’d tended to me was just too much. I grabbed her mask with both of my hooves and slammed my head against it.

In her surprise, she stumbled backwards and shook her head to clear it. “What the…. why yo-” She looked back up at me like she was going to pull her gun out, but she wasn’t quick enough. I sprang at her and pinned her to the ground. I may have been a coward, but I was a damn strong coward.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up!” I spat in her face (or at least I would have if not for the masks.) “I have had it with you! This isn’t your operation, it's my operation! You’re here to give us protection, nothing more and nothing less. Right now, I don’t give a fuck what you think and you are not stopping me from helping my friend. If anyone’s getting left behind,” I felt the SMG at my side dig into her shoulder. “It's you. There are more competent ponies here who can help me achieve my goals. You can either walk home alone and meet the same fate as the majority of your team, or you can listen, follow, and shut the fuck up.”

The mare stared at me, stunned by my outburst. Almost everyone was, as if I wasn’t capable of it. To tell you the truth, even I didn’t think I could do it. But… it felt good. It felt good to finally unleash the knot in my stomach, let out my inner anger instead of cowering. I felt powerful.

Mayflowers’ eyes softened slightly as she lay limp, staring into my eyes. “I like a strong stallion,” she cooed quietly.

I couldn’t help it. I lifted a hoof off of her foreleg and slammed it into the side of her mask, where the mask met her jaw. She yipped in pain, but… I think she enjoyed it. “Don’t. You. Dare,” I hissed, then got off her. How dare she try and turn on me like that.

I wasted no time darting over to Lollipop as Tinder was helping her up. She was conscious, but weak. “...another ten years off my life… Sorry…” she managed to grunt as she wobbled on her hooves.

“Nothing to be sorry about, you saved our lives,” I said and moved to support her. The sweet, sweet adrenaline was starting to wear off and my injury from last night was starting to burn, even with the potion running through my veins. “What, uh… what was that?”

Lollipop looked up at me, weakly. “I guess you don’t know the tale of Cerberus,” she said, then wobbled again with a gasp of pain. I was quick to hold her steady. “Can’t discuss now. We need to get out of here.”

“She’s right,” Tinder announced, gathering his weapons again. “They might be scared now, but they’ll be back and in greater numbers. Your friend ain’t in the right state to do that crazy shit again, so let’s get mo-”

Timing just wasn’t on our side that day. The air filled with another guttural howl as the second wave began its damned march, edging closer once again after seeing the beast had disappeared. Everyone gathered their weapons as I almost had to drag Lollipop towards the rear. She was in no state to fight.

Copper just stared. “Can’t run…” he said, knowing they’d catch up. “Yep… we’re boned.” His voice was just as squeaky as before, but I couldn’t find any comic effect in it. We didn’t have the ammo or energy to last another wave like that, not without Cerberus.

The first of the monsters started to creep out of the ruins and towards us. We opened fire and they began to run. The brawl had started again, and we all knew our place. I aimed down my scope and got ready for the big guys.

There was one mutant I was hoping I really wouldn’t see. Something told me it would take a lot to bring down, ever since I met one yesterday. Hobbling around on two stone-like legs was a mutated Diamond Dog, turned into the mutant we came to know as a Boulder. It lumbered forward, heading straight towards us. Of course, me taking a shot at its head only chipped the rock and made it stumble a few feet, but it only pissed it off. With a single swing of its large, rock-like arm it crushed a mutant and flung another one aside.

“Shit,” I managed to squeak as it locked its beady eyes on mine, then started to charge, followed by the howl of the mutants around us. Bullets peppered the Boulder, chipping it down but not stopping it, not even for a second.

FWOOOM!

A rocket streaked down from above and detonated on the Boulder’s thick shoulder, blowing everything from its shoulders down the bottom of its ribcage to smithereens, sending bits of rock everywhere. The legs took two more steps then fell.

A faint whine then filled the air before the thunderous roar of a massive gun, something I’d only heard once before. Showers of bullets rained down from above turning the mutants into minced meat, knocking them out of the air as the leaped and thrashed, and making puddles out of most unfortunate enough to be standing still. I knew that combo between bullets and a rocket. I knew who they belonged to, even if I couldn’t believe it.

Looking up, I saw two griffins, one clad in grey and white camouflage with what seemed like foliage around the seams, and the other encased in a massive suit of metal armour, wrapped up in white and grey tarps to the point you could barely see the green camo under it. The griffin’s visor reflected the muzzle flash of his minigun, the blackness of it lighting up nicely.

Garry and Forsythe. Soldiers of the Resistance, brother and sister in arms, literally. The two griffins who had saved my lame ass before, and the ones who I helped bring down a corrupt general, all in one night. I was quite fond of them.

As the hostile mutants fled once more, the griffins flew down to us, flapping their wings almost gracefully against the dark and cloudy sky. Forsythe landed softly on a ledge nearby, barely displacing any snow and scanned the area around us. Garry, on the other hand, not so graceful. The ten-ton-tom landed with a thud, kicking up snow in every direction and aimed his minigun towards the opening.

“Pretty sure at least one person’s told you not to scav in these ruins,” he said over his shoulder. “Scavengers… sometimes I think you’ve got more balls than brains!”

“Hello to you too, Gaz,” I said with a smirk and trotted up next to him. He blinked from behind his visor and looked down at me, recognising my voice. I gave him a fond thump on his armoured shoulder. “Thanks for the help. Again.”

Gaz just shook his head as Forsythe perked up, listening closely. “Clover? Mind telling me what in the hell you’re doing in a place like this? Thought we told you to stay out of trouble.”

“No time to expla-” I was cut off as I felt something collide into my side. The world tumbled around until I found myself pinned to the ground by an excited griffin.

“Clover!” the griffin squealed, then sat up on my belly. “Good to see you again, cutie-pop,” she said with a wink, her hands resting on her chest.

My chest felt like it was about to fall off from the impact, mixed with injuries sustained recently. “H-Hi Forsythe…” I managed to get out around my blush. One glance at Mayflowers sobered me up though. She was glaring absolute hate-daggers at the griffin for some reason. I couldn’t see her mouth, but something told me she was the type to grind her teeth. “We don’t have time to explain. We need to get out of here.”

“Right!” the deep voiced griffin said, hefting me up and letting Forsythe fall on her rump. She quickly got up and flew up to a window, getting a good vantage point. “We’ll escort you to a safe ar-”

“Nope!” I interrupted as I was set down. “We have a rally point to get to. Meet our friends there. Mission to complete.”

The armoured griffin stared down at me for a moment, then nodded, seeing the determination in my eyes I’d guess. I showed him our map and he gave Forsythe some hand signals, to which she nodded and flew up to the top of the building with her rifle. “We don’t have a lot of time, but we’re heading that way anyway to meet up with B-team. Let’s get moving.”

I nodded to him, then gestured to our group to get moving. Nobody objected, either because they wanted to get this over as soon as possible or they just didn’t want to mess with the giant armoured griffin. Either way it was fine with me.

After the firefights and explosions of the past few moments, the silence was extremely comforting. Just me, my friends, Mayflowers, and the snow crunching under our hooves. The wrappings around Gaz’s armour did a very good job of masking the sounds it made when he moved. It reminded me of the white tarp on my back, which made for good camouflage.

The buildings loomed over us, like monuments to the world before us. Bricks, cement, glass, steel, all sorts of materials that once made a city great were cracked and crumbling around us. Not quite as frozen in time as I had previously thought.

By the time an hour had passed I felt damn near frozen, even with all of my equipment, and I’m sure everyone else was feeling it from the shivering and chattering of teeth going on around me. We finally found sanctuary though. Finding our way through a frozen and ruined park we finally got to our our rally point.

It was a tall building, maybe ten stories high, with a lot of its windows blocked by either sandbags or wooden planks. The top of the building had large, fortified balconies overlooking the surrounding areas, and the bottom of the structure seemed even more fortified with metal doors, barbed wire, and a lot of frozen-solid Coalition soldiers in their brown and yellow desert uniforms.

The closer we got I could see the expressions on their faces. Fear, panic, and hatred. Some looked like they were fleeing into the building, while others seemed to shout out in a rage. Most however had their faces covered by masked helmets. One stood out though, a soldier with two fancy machine guns and different armour. Something seemed familiar about it, but I couldn’t put my hoof on it. It looked a lot more advanced than the rest, sporting two large circles at the front, a more heavy-duty set of armoured plates, and a more intimidating mask.

Then it dawned on me. This was the armour that was described in the messages I read back at the Red Zone hospital. The one that was taken over during the war and held hostage. This was the armour that nurse’s son was wearing when they were rescued. Its a pity it was frozen…

Garry marched forward, his minigun spinning up in preparation as he approached the main door. With one swift kick he pounded the door open, letting it swing free of the ice. He scanned the lobby beyond, then waved us in.

The lobby reminded me of the old Fed military bases Shamrock and I passed on our way into the Ponave. Sandbags stacked up along the walls, guns lined up and locked up, but instead of having soldiers milling about, this one had the frozen bodies of several soldiers in varying degrees of injury. Some were holding bullet wounds while others clutched at bloody stumps. Thank goodness the sight was obscured by the ice.

“Top level’s clear,” Forsythe’s voice cooed over the radio. “Think this place is empty, Gaz.” There was a bit of static behind her voice, but I could still hear her clear enough to understand her. Damn jamming… We’d tried time and time again to raise the others, but we were mostly met with static and the very faint calls of their voices. At least they were alive.

“Copy that, ground’s clear. We’re moving up,” Garry said, then looked over his shoulder. “Alright, I don’t know most of you except Clover. He’s a friend to us, so I’m going to trust his decision to work with you.” He had everyone’s attention, even a weak Lollipop who was using Tinder Two-Tails as a support. “Name’s Gary, Resistance Special Operations. My sniper’s Forsythe, and the ponies that will join us are B-team. I’ll get to that later. Once they and your friends get here, we’ll talk about the next step. For now, hunker down and await further instructions. Don’t leave this building.”

“Sounds good to me,” Tinder said, holding out a hoof in introduction. “Tinder. Mustang Ghost Squad leader, he explained.

Everyone introduced themselves, long story short, and began to take up defensive positions. Two ponies stayed in the lobby and barricaded the door, guarding it, while the rest of us headed up the stairs, a few stopping on each floor until it was just me, Lollipop, and Garry.

We passed several different rooms, each one dark but I could still make out the frozen silhouettes of long dead ponies, frozen at the direct moment of the city being frozen. Some were looking over maps, others eating rations, while some near the windows seemed mid-dive to get away from them. We gave up looking for loot though; everything was frozen solid.

Garry soon kicked open a door for us and looked inside. Looked like locker rooms to me, with only one frozen body inside. “Alright, you two should rest in here,” he explained, looking around. “Easy to fortify, no windows, least bodies. Don’t take too long, I need you,” He pointed at me, “on the roof ASAP.”

I remembered Garry being much warmer. Maybe the cold didn’t do much to help his attitude. Whatever though, we get to rest and treat injuries. Fun! “No problem. And again, thanks,” I said with my best smile. He just grunted, nodded, and headed out again and back towards the stairs.

Lollipop slumped onto one of the benches and sighed, looking at most of the open lockers. “What a day, huh?” she asked as she started to go through her pack. Soon she fished out some medical tools and got to work treating herself. Thankfully, nothing broke the skin.

“Yeah…” I said, sitting down before her. “So… that, uh… that dog thing…” I said, trying to figure out how to ask her about it. “...Pretty, erm…. nifty?”

The lime green unicorn let out a small sigh and rested her hooves on her knees. “You deserve an explanation,” she said, looking at the hooves. She then began preparing a healing potion with a needle as she spoke.

“I guess it started before the war. Y’know, the one with the Resistance. When the Federation seemed all sunshine and rainbows. I was a pediatrician.” She checked the needle and gently inserted it into a safe spot on her chest. At least, Stitches mentioned it was safe. “Life was good, y’know? My marriage was going well and I loved kids, which is why I loved my job. Then the war happened.”

I sat back and let her talk as she pulled out the needle and took a deep breath. “My husband was drafted early on. Chose to be an MP back home instead of shipping off. I didn’t like it, but at least he wasn’t a grunt, right? Well, a few years later came my turn.” Lollipop gently shook her head. “I didn’t really get a choice. They looked at my previous experience and chose me to be a medic. Cut down on training costs, got me out into the field sooner… I guess the war wasn’t going on as well as they hoped. I wasn’t pleased but… I had to do what I could for my country.”

The way she almost spat out the last few words definitely shed some light on how she felt about the Feds. If only Ace was there, maybe then she could trust her a little. “I fought for a couple of years, on the front lines, saving my fellow soldiers… I hated it. I wanted nothing more than to be with my husband. The war put everything on hold for us, we were trying for a baby and everything.”

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. I decided to put my hoof over her shoulders in comfort, a move I was glad I made as it seemed to make her relax. “I rarely got to see him, even though we sent each other letters every day. He was worried, but I knew he’d be okay. He was off in the middle of Federation territory guarding a munitions dump. One of the safest places to guard.” She stopped for another moment and looked at her hooves with another sigh. “Did you hear about the Battle of Lonepine?” she finally asked.

I had in fact. “Yeah, I think so. Big stand-off between the Resistance and Federation, lots of casualties. One of the biggest victories for the Federation too, right?” I remembered it as a large battle in the middle of a Resistance-sympathising town near Fort Crossroads in the Ponave. A war of attrition over the town that lasted about two weeks before the Resistance retreated. Quite a few civilian casualties too.

“I was at that battle.” Ah. “It was hell, but we fought through it. Stitch after stitch, potion after potion, our guys were starting to win against the Resistance. Everything seemed to be going well until I saw it.” Her voice caught in her throat as she took another moment. “A child had been hit, and he was losing a lot of blood. I could see his parents taking cover, yelling out for him as bullets zipped by.” Her eyes left her hooves and met mine. I could see tears starting to form. “I couldn’t leave him to die, Clover. I… I couldn’t!”

“You didn’t, did you?” I asked softly, giving her shoulder a squeeze. It was getting harder to listen, but I owed her that and more.

Thankfully she shook her head. “No. Against orders from my sergeant I went and helped him. Shielded him from the fire coming from both sides. I extracted the bullet and started on the wound, focusing almost everything I had on saving his little life, but something was digging in the back of my head. Why wasn’t I being shot at?”

The mare held her hooves to her forehead as she recalled her story. “I didn’t get it. The Resistance hated us, and we were taught to hate them! But over the bullets… I swear to Celestia, I heard the closest ones yelling ‘Don’t shoot the medic! Don’t shoot the medic! Remember your training!’. It was then I realised that they weren’t anarchistic animals. They were trained not to shoot the Butterfly-and-cross of a medic.”

She sniffed and adjusted her mask. “I managed to save the colt though. Got him to his parents and told them to run. Run as far as they could, and they did. I don’t know what happened to them…”

I listened to her story, but I didn’t see the connection to the dog. Not yet. “I don’t know what happened to them in the end. What happened to me though? Well, I was court martialled for aiding rebel sympathisers and thrown in prison.”

“What?!” I asked in disgust. “For saving a child?! They locked you up for that?” How could they think that a child’s family’s political views made them expendable? How?! It was just… so inhumane!

“That’s not even the worst bit.” Uh-oh… “When I was in prison… my husband’s letters stopped. I waited for a week, but nothing. I thought maybe the guards were keeping them from me for being a traitor… no… that wasn’t it.” She took one big deep breath, deeper than any other I’d seen her take. “My husband… was killed in a terrorist attack. Someone had bombed the munitions depot and killed him. No other casualties, just him.”

“Shit… Lollipop, I’m so sorry…” I whispered, trying to help. I knew how it felt, to know someone you loved dearly was dead. Maybe not the same kind of love, but love none the less. It hurt. It left a massive hole inside you that you knew nothing could fill.

“Had to be an inside job…” she managed to sob. “Because I was a traitor maybe? He was the only one to die!” She shook her head. “I thought that it was such a waste! Surely my own government couldn’t be responsible, could it?” Lollipop sniffed again and fought back the tears. “A week later my suspicions were confirmed. I was taken from my cell and led into a room with two scientists and they proposed some sort of… experiment.”

She gulped down hard, shaking violently. “They claimed to have a solution. Something that w-would bring my husband back to us and aid the Federation in the war. If it meant getting the love of my life back? I agreed instantly.”

“I re-remember it clear as day. They strapped me down to a table and… they brought out this… this thing. It looked like a slab of mummified flesh or something. I asked what the hell it was, then… they said the strangest thing… ‘This, Lollipop, is what remains of Cerberus. Gatekeeper of Tartarus.’. The three headed dog from the tales, you remember, right? Apparently that was what was left of his chest. ‘We’re going to infuse it with you. If it all goes right, well…. we’re going to see some serious shit.’.”

“I began to regret it instantly. Reality flooded back. What was I doing? I was subjecting myself to experimentation because… what? I thought I could bring back my husband? He was dead. There’s no cure for dead!” she let out a few sobs, then rubbed her mask. “It was too late. They activated their machines, began the… painful process of merging our DNA. It was so… so painful, like something was trying to dig around my inside with claws made of swords.. I remember blacking out from it.”

“When I came to I felt…. the pain had gone away. I felt powerful, but exhausted. When I opened my eyes, the lab was trashed and the scientists were dead. Torn to shreds in some cases! And I was floating! Just floating in midair, but then I saw it. Coming from my horn was this… this beast! This angry beast that had destroyed the people trying to hurt me.”

If it was anyone else, I’d have stopped listening by then. It seemed so farfetched, but my trust for her and from what I’d seen of the wasteland, from ghoulified minotaurs to crazy anarchists to even zombie spies, her story seemed believable.

“We ran. I knew they only wanted me to be a weapon. Cerberus can’t bring back the dead, he never had before, he told me himself. So we ran. Ran away from the lies, ran away from the deceit. My government had betrayed me. I couldn’t stay. So…. I changed. Would you believe I used to have a white coat and gold mane?”

“I… I think I could picture that,” I mumbled, still listening. It was… an amazing story. Something I should have written down then. Better late than never?

“I shaved my coat… got these tattoos… decided to go tribal to hide away. It worked but only for so long, soon the Federation spies caught on. I was on the lam every few months, then I met you.” She looked up at me again. “Cerberus… he protects me. Sees me as a second chance to fix the world, do his job and banish the monsters to Tartarus… but every time he comes out, I feel weaker and weaker, like years are shaved off my life.”

“That’s… that’s a bad trade off…” I said, then kind of regretted it. Like she didn’t know that before? Come on. “Wait…” I narrowed my eyes. Something seemed... familiar about that situation, and when I think something’s familiar, I know I’d heard of something before. I didn’t feel completely sure, but I thought I’d remembered. “I remember a report on the radio about a bunch of scorpions being exterminated, and cults calling it Cerberus’ work. Was that… y’know… you?”

Lollipop sighed and nodded a little. “Yep. They were about to prey on a caravan and I couldn’t get a good shot. Saved fourteen lives with it at the cost of… well, maybe twenty years? I dunno.” She shifted a little in her seat and looked to the frozen soldier. “That’s my story, I guess. I’m cerberus.” Lollipop shifted again and tilted her head at the body. “I wonder what his story was…” she mumbled, then reached over. “Weird hat. Looks like… ooooh…”

“What?” I asked, standing up and shuffling over. The frozen body was indeed wearing a weird hat, complete with a little ball in the middle of it. Something that got my familiar sense going again. I couldn’t explain the mirror he was holding, but I think I could explain the hat, but it just wasn’t coming to me.

“I think it’s a recollector,” Lollipop said, starting to chip at the ice around the ball. Aha! That’s where I knew it from! That’s like the memory orb I found in that one house where I got the sniper and ammo from! The one where Chester, the backstabbing fink, tried to lock us in the ghoul tunnels!

I reached down and helped her chip out the memory orb, then held it in my booted hoof. “Neat. Wonder what’s on it.”

“Dunno. Need to be a unicorn to access it though, and I’m kinda too tired.” At least she cheered up a little. I rolled the ball around in my hooves for a few seconds, the curiosity getting higher and higher. I looked at her and rolled up my sleeves, motioning to the device on my wrist. Something else I’d picked up from the mysterious sniper, a leather-bound bracelet thing with a couple of wires leading into an orb sized groove. “Or that.”

“But should I?” I asked, sitting down again and looking it over. I was kind of afraid of what could be in it, but I felt… fascinated by it. I’d always loved history, and the last one seemed to vivid, and amazing, even if it was a drill sergeant yelling up my nose.

Lollipop was getting her medical gear set up again. “Up to you, but I’ve got to check on your injuries. See how your lung infection’s going, check your wound from last night, yadda yadda. All pretty hard to do without actually seeing it and stuff. Could be painful.”

“Can you work while I’m in the memory?” I asked, rolling the ball again.

The doggy-mare nodded and got out a large needle, one that made me gulp audible. “Alright, that’s decided. Back soon… hopefully…” I got comfy on the bench and rolled the orb into place. I blinked several times as the bracelet warmed up and accessed the orb. Soon the world started draining from around me and plunged me into darkness.

~ooo OOO ooo ~

An explosion jostled my host, forcing… yep, him, definitely a him, to grab his helmet and grunt, but it didn’t seem to faze him much. Rubble pinked off his helmet as he turned a corner. The air smelled of smoke and gunpowder. Explosions rang out from around us and tracers lit up the smoky sky. It was warm, a feeling I haven’t felt in a little while. Warm enough to be summer, but it felt out of place against the familiar buildings of Mustang.

My host didn’t get much time to ‘admire’ the scenery as he took a breather, as another soldier shoved his shoulder and moved on ahead. My host gulped, feeling exhausted and aching all over. He rubbed the front visor of his helmet, clearing the dirt away from a faint skull etching with his golden hoof, and got back to running, heading towards the rat-tat-tat-tat of machine gun fire. Surely he couldn’t be that stupid. No way. I wasn’t going to experience death, not again. Please no.

My host and another soldier turned a corner to see the military outpost firing down a nearby road, and several bullets flying back at them. Some Coalition soldiers lay dead in the open while others did what they could to stay behind cover. There was even a tank firing down range!

That was, of course, when something whooshed down the road and struck the tank head-on, causing it to explode outwards. My host dove to the ground as debris littered the area around them. Somehow, I knew that my host needed to cross that road to get to his allies.

Looking behind him, I could feel the anger well in his stomach. There were only two ponies behind him. “Just us left…” he grunted, then looked up to the sky behind him. “Hell…” What I saw terrified my host. The gunship that I’d seen in two halves was almost completely whole, albeit taking a lot of fire. Suddenly one of the engines exploded, showering it in fire! “The Neighgas’ been hit!” he called out.

“Shit! We will be too if we don’t get out of here!” one of the soldiers, a mare with ‘BubbleGum’ written on her name tag screeched, going into a panic.

My host grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. “Focus, Bubble!” He yelled. “We’ve run the sims and done the training, focus and we’ll get out of here!” I knew that my host didn’t feel that way. Explosions, friendly weapons of war blowing up, bullets raining down everywhere… it seemed hopeless. She nodded nonetheless. “We gotta regroup with Whiskey Actual, come on!”

We ran towards the street being fired down and put our backs to the wall. “Covering fire!” my host yelled towards the machine gunners firing down range.

“Don’t do it!” one of them yelled back. “You’ll be Swiss cheese if you do!” I could barely hear him over the firing of his gun, but my host heard it loud and clear.

“Damnit!” my host yelled, then grabbed a small tube hooked up to a butt-stock from beside him. “What’re we looking at?!” he called back across.

One of the radio ponies on the other side waved at us from behind cover and tapped the headset, then spoke into it. “Good to see you made it, Whiskey Three!” he called into it, huddled down in cover while a soldier fired blindly over him. “Wish it was under better circumstances!”

“We don’t have time for this, Aperture!” my host yelled into his helmet. “I can’t get a visual! Too much fire!”

“Lots of guns!” the radio pony yelled across. “Twenty tangoes, one tank, three rockets! We have nothin-” he was cut off by a tank shell sailing overhead and hitting the building behind us. Rubble fell down onto the ponies below, but it looked like everyone got away with minor injuries. Two fell to the ground dead, gunned down by machine guns having been forced out of cover. “Damn it! We’ve got nothing for that tank!”

“Shit shit shit… Sit tight, Aperture!” my host shouted, then looked around frantically. He couldn’t even peek around the corner, so much fire was coming from it. Another shell sailed by, but just wide and hit a building further down the road. Finally, it looked as though my host had an idea.

“Alright guys, follow me!” he yelled at the ponies beside him. “I’m on point, Clockwork, move that gear up and Bubble, cover our asses!” In one swift motion my host stood up and shoved his tube into a glass window, butt first, then climbed in.

The building had to be burning somewhere as a thick cloud of smoke filled our vision, blurring it slightly. Bubble started coughing before putting her goggles and a small face mask on. No complaints though.

Moving through the building was hard, and not just because of the smoke. The heat was blistering in there, and I could feel the sticky sweat rolling down my host’s back, but the adrenaline was just too distracting.

Clockwork, the other soldier with them, creeped forward alongside my host with his assault rifle, of which I could only see the muzzle. Ahead I heard voices, but I couldn’t understand them; they were like a completely different language.

Then we saw who they belonged to. Two zebras with flamethrowers were moving through the building, clearing it for more, maybe? I didn’t know. All I knew was that Clockwork saw them first. With a quick burst from his machinegun, one went down, then the other, their blood spurts almost matching the red feathers in their helmets. “Two down,” Clockwork said, almost calmly.

The three moved forward, my host picking up a flamethrower on the way. “There’s gotta be more,” he said, followed by a small cough. I could feel the smoke starting to seep into his mask. “Let's speed this up!”

The group were now charging forward, following my host. I had no idea what he had planned, but it had better be amazing, after this! We dashed left, zoomed right, barreled through doors until we found a larger group of Zebras, no doubt following the flamer twins.

They shouted something in Foreign and opened fire! My host managed to duck into cover, but Clockwork wasn’t quick enough. He fired two bursts into them before they shot him, and I watched as he shrieked then hit the ground dead.

“Clockwork!” my host yelled, then grit his teeth. “You bastards!” he shouted at the top of his lungs then with reckless abandon dove out of cover and doused them with fire from their own weapon! I watched as the first zebras screamed in agony as their red and black uniforms quickly caught fire and the decorative feathers quickly burned away. The others scrambled back, but even they couldn’t outrun fire. They ran screaming as fire crept up their legs and tails, then they ran out of sight.

My host looked down at the fallen soldier and reached out to take his dog-tag. Bubble just stared in shock as tears ran into her goggles. “Bubble… grab his gear. C’mon,” my host ordered. She snapped out of it and grabbed a long box Clockwork was carrying. The two were off again.

They finally found their vantage point up a set of stairs. A large portion of the wall at the top of them had been punctured by an explosion, letting them peek out just a little. Below them, an odd-looking tank sat, firing its machine gun at my host’s allies.

The tank sat on two treads like any other tank, but instead of its turret looking partly flat like the Coalition ones, this one looked more domey and its hatch was open. We saw the zebra tank commander yelling at the others behind him to keep firing probably. My host was still grinding his teeth. I’d have shuddered if I could.

It was time for the plan to come to fruition. With a quick bark, the two ponies opened the case and hefted out a large rocket launcher in two pieces. “This thing better work…” he grunted and hefted it onto his back. “Load!” Bubble lifted a large rocket and shoved it into the back of the launcher.

My host aimed it down, but had to jump back as bullets peppered the wall beside him. He’d lost the element of surprise… or had he? From where he was standing, he could see most of the opposite building, but not low enough to attack the tank. He did, however, see that most of the supports for this side of the building were destroyed. Maybe one more would…

“Firing!” He yelled with a grin. Please work, please work… The launcher jolted back as the room behind them filled with exhaust. The rocket flew forward and detonated against one of the supports, showering everyone around it with rock and debris. The building across from them groaned deeply and began to list. Cracks formed in the other supports until finally it gave way, debris tumbling down from around it, large chunks falling on the tank below.

“Yes!” my host yelled, dropping the launcher and giving a hoof-pump! Though, his celebration was a bit too early. The building continued to yawn and groan until finally it started sliding forward. The top of the building fell towards my host, making his eyes grow wide. “Run!” He yelled, right before the building’s collided.

The ceiling gave way as they tried to run, and I could feel it getting harder and harder to run as the floor started to tip back. Chunks of debris and dust fell around us, until we both screamed and lost our footing. Both buildings were collapsing into the road below.

My host tried to grab onto something, but found no purchase. He and BubbleGum tumbled into the street below with the debris. I felt every impact, every hit, and every stab as debris pummeled the two of us on the way down, then finally the biggest hit of them all, the landing.

Bubble let out a moan from nearby, then crawled to her hooves. “Valentine… come on! W-We gotta- Look out!” She shouted and rolled over my host, then flung us both out of the way as a massive chunk of rubble landed where we’d just been. “Run dammit!” Valentine… where’ve I heard that be- rubble! look out!

My host and comrade managed to scramble to their hooves and sprint off towards their comrades, somehow not being shot from behind. Though, that was explained when they finally looked back. The buildings had created a lot of rubble, enough to crush the tank and momentarily stop the advancing zebras. The two sprinted back to the barricade to cheers from their comrades.

It wouldn’t last long though, the zebras were starting to climb over and begin shooting again, but my host had reached the other side of the barricade where it was relatively safe. “Nice work!” Aperture shouted from his cover. “Now get upstairs, Captain Mahogany wants t-”

A long, wailing siren started to fill the air until it was almost deafening. The firing stopped for another moment as everyone stared at each other, some with absolute fear on their face, and others with anger. Most began to cry, like they knew what it meant, while other scrambled to run. My host however looked up to the sky, watching for a sign. Anything. Then he saw it.

A large blue object surrounded in a light blue aura cut through the smoke and began plummeting towards the city. Without missing a blink, my host grabbed Bubble and ran inside. “Get to cover!” He yelled and dove behind the nearest piece of cover he could find, which happened to be a circle of sandbags, made up in a pill-box formation. With Bubblegum in tow, he grabbed the nearest and largest board of wood and covered them with it, then grit his teeth.

The world shook violently as the sound of the thing’s detonation resounded through the air. It almost sounded like a massive water balloon had landed, but times a million. The air began to feel very cold as ponies screamed out all around them. Through a crack in the board my host could see it all.

White wind and snow flew outwards from the detonation site, first washing over anyone unfortunate to be in open. They seemed to fall back, then freeze in place as a thick layer of ice coated and killed them. The air got colder and colder as the freezing blast made quick work of anyone running inside. Even closing the door proved too much as the soldiers trying were flash frozen.

My host shut his eyes and began to shiver, feeling the cold air wash over him, creeping up from all four his legs. It was almost agonizing to feel, every millimeter of flesh starting to blister from the cold, like a million little daggers were stabbing into him. Then the winds faded until there was nothing but silence.

My host, Valentine I suppose, opened his eyes slowly to look at Bubble. She hadn’t made it. Half of her face was frozen over in an expression of sheer terror. Valentine’s breath caught in his throat as he forced his forelegs to move. Finally he managed to break free of her. I felt the familiar feeling of wanting to cry.

It took a great effort, but Valentine managed to shove the the wooden plank off of them and look around. Everyone was frozen, unmoving. Dead. He slowly moved his very stiff legs forward to peek out the door and into the eerily silent street beyond.

That was the Mustang I knew. The streets were covered in ice, the only sound being the whistling winds and the final breaths of those unlucky enough to have lived through it. “V-V-Valent-tine?” Aperture’s voice managed to whisper. My host looked to his right and saw the pony, half encased in ice while still in cover. “W-What… w…”

“Shh…” Valentine whispered, reaching down as far as his freezing legs would let him. “Just… s-save your strength. I’ll g-get help.”

“I… I t-think its t-too late… t-that’s the…” he gulped as the ice crept up a little more. “M-Megaspells…. a-apocalypse….” That word. It dawned on both me and Valentine that we’d just witnessed the beginning of the end. “I… g-good… g-good…” he didn’t get to finish his sentence. His mouth hung open and his eyes stared forward, but his heart had stopped. Slowly, the ice crept up again and over his body.

“No…” Valentine whispered and shuffled inside. “...someone’s gotta make it…” he mumbled, now moving up the stairs. Every step was agonising, causing pain to shoot up his legs with each step. “Someone will f-find us…”

He finally made it into the locker room and pulled open a locker, them promptly grabbed the weird hat and a mirror, then fell backwards. He managed to put on the hat after taking off his helmet, then stared into the mirror.

After seeing his face, I recognised him. I’d seen a photo of him before, with a hot little military mare. I couldn’t think of it though as he began to speak. “T-This is Private First Class V-Valentine, Whiskey S-Squad, second b-battalion. T-To anyone who finds t-this, Mustang has f-fallen… P-Please… deliver this o-orb to Corporal Pumpkin Pie… I know she’s out there… I know you’re out there.”

He gulped as his tears turned to icicles. His golden face began to look paler and paler by the second. “P-Pumpkin… if you get t-this… I l-love you. A-Always have, always w-will… all those times we s-spent together… every single second made l-life worth living. Y-You warmed me w-when I was cold, picked me u-up when I was down, and made me f-feel like the luckiest stallion in the world… I w-won’t forget a-about you, my Pumpkin… I won’t... “

I could feel it setting in. We couldn’t feel anything below the stallion’s stomach, and I could see the ice clutching at the stallion’s throat. “I… Pumpkin… I l-lov…” he let out a small gag as the ice closed around his throat, and I could feel it getting harder and harder to breathe. His eyes began to roll back until… the world began to fade in the normal memory orb fashion.

~ooo OOO ooo~

I gasped and shot upright, panting for my breath as the bracelet powered down. All sorts of thoughts and feelings flooded through my mind, trying to make sense of what I’d just seen, no, what I had just felt. All I knew was that I’d just experienced the heart-pounding combat that had plagued Mustang in its final days. The final day. It answered more than a few questions for me, like what exactly had happened to Mustang. Some sort of magical winter was inflicted on it. Well… maybe it was a half answer. It was nothing like what I’d heard happened to the rest of it; way too cold to be.

“Unpleasant?” I didn’t know until that point what kind of relief someone could feel just from hearing a familiar voice. Lollipop was going through whatever lockers she could open, looking for supplies. Blankets, armour, anything that could keep us warm.

I nodded as I got to my hooves and shook my mane, which felt really strange with a gas mask on. “Yes… very,” I replied, trying to shake the memories loose. “I saw what happened to this place and experienced a very slow, cold death.” My whole body shuddered from the experience, remembering the icy grip around my throat and the strange combination of freezing and burning on my cheeks as my host’s tears froze as they fell. Thankfully he went numb in that area before his actual tear ducts froze up.

Lollipop blinked and turned towards me, a hat balanced on her hoof. Looked like a sports franchise sort of cap, with a fancy ball on the front. Something we wouldn’t really have any use for. “Far out…” she whispered, trotting over to me. “You feeling alright? Need a seat?”

I shook my head and stretched my legs out a little, silently thanking whoever watched over me that I could still move. “I’ll survive.” I’d almost experienced death several times personally and I didn’t let it get to me. Unless you count the maniac living in my head, but I was certain I could explain him. I wasn’t going insane.

“Love you too.” Ugh. That voice. The low, cold voice in the back of my head. Trailblaze, the bastard who hijacked me whenever he saw fit. Bastard.

Anyway. I was alive, and sane enough to look after myself. I did take that seat though, sitting on a bench while my mind swam against the new memories, looking to breach the surface. Then we could move on.

“So, can’t have you running around in shredded and holey armour,” Lollipop said, prodding my armour. “Come with me.” She turned and headed into what I assumed was the bathroom of this locker area. I got up and followed her, limping a little at the pain in my shoulder and thigh. Stupid shanking son of a bitch mutant and separatist revolver prick.

Lollipop had been busy while I was out. In one of the corners she’d somehow started a small fire, using the cold wood of some of the stalls, and the smoke was carefully vented through a smashed window. Above the fire was a little suspended metal grate with a package on it. Thankfully, not entirely frozen either.

“What’s all this?” I asked, gesturing to it. I wasn’t complaining, certainly not, but I was curious. Before she could answer, I took the opportunity to scooch up to the fire and warm up. The heat felt amazing against the bare coat, exposed through the holes in my winter jacket and armour. I longed for the dry Ponave deserts and my duster. The fashionable duster given to me by Snake Eyes. Made me wonder what he was up to, and how much progress he’d made on his research. Just six days before he said he’d have something. After Mustang I planned on using those six days to actually live and forget about how jacked up I was. I really didn’t have much of a future ahead of me, did I…

I’d worry about that after I cut Double Down’s throat.

“Thought you’d need a something-something,” she said, moving to the grate and taking the package off. She placed it by my hooves and opened it, pulling out a set of Coalition yellow fatigues with brown ceramic armoured plating. My eyes widened at the sight, thinking back to the old propaganda and memories I’d had seen and felt over my stay in the Federation. Something was incredibly familiar about it though, and it only clicked when she took out the matching helmet. “Warmed up, ready for you to change,” she said, putting the full yellow and brown combat helmet with a black visor, with a skull carved into the face plating, by my hooves. That was Private First Class Valentine’s armour and helmet.

If I didn’t feel so cold, I’d have taken some time to think about it, but in situations like that you need to let logic prevail. He was dead, and I didn’t want to be. As quick as I could, to avoid too much time in the freezing cold, I ripped off my coat and damaged armour and slipped into the new armour. Oooh goodness was it toasty, having spent a good time on the fire.

The armour fit me like a glove, hugging me in all the right spaces while leaving me plenty of room to breath and move. The ceramic armour gave me that heavy, protected feeling that I really quite enjoyed. It was just right. I couldn’t try on the helmet yet though, thanks to the mask.

“Looking good,” Lollipop said as she pulled her winter coat tight around her cheeks. “How does it feel?”

“Like a good set of armour,” I replied, finally understanding what that felt like. I actually felt protected against the odds and against everything out there looking to kill me. I wasn’t wearing something flimsy, like that riot vest. Blunt force trauma and small arms were fine, but anything bigger? It was like paper. The armour I’d just received? Military grade. It felt real. “I feel great!”

“Good!” Lollipop said, then flung my coat over my head. “Now get to the roof! You’re needed.”

I pulled the coat off my head with a sigh and put it on. “My job is never done,” I muttered, then put my battle saddle back on. I gave Lollipop a brief hug and limped out of the bathroom and through the locker room, passing one of the Resistance ponies. We nodded in passing and I left the room. The last thing I heard was his squeal of delight when he saw the fire.

The stairs felt like they kept going on forever, and a shudder passed through me every time I passed one of the holes in the walls or a blown out window. Eventually though, I reached the top.

The top of the building consisted of about half a floor and a quarter of the ceiling, having been bombed out heavily during the war. Over in the shade though, I saw some of the rubble move and shift before Forsythe the griffin’s head and arm poked out and waved me over.

I trotted over and lay down in the rubble beside her, looking over the city. By her sniper rifle poking out beside her, my duty became evident. First time I’d actually taken up my chosen role, too.

“Evening,” Forsythe whispered as I hunkered down beside her, close but not too close. Of course, that changed when she wrapped an arm around me and pulled me in beside her. “Got cover?”

I nodded and reached back. Thankfully I hadn’t lost my white tarp; it was still strapped to my coat. I pulled on its tag and shifted it over me, covering my head and most of my legs, which I just tucked under it. Considering the snow and rubble around us, the tarp blended right in. “Good to see you again, Forsythe,” I whispered to her, remembering that we hadn’t really had a chance to talk.

“If only it was under better circumstances,” Forsythe whispered back as my saddle shifted and pulled the sniper forward into a firing position. The scope flipped over and covered my eye, giving me a magnified view of the large square ahead of us, and the buffalo statue standing proud in the middle of it. “Like maybe a bar… a restaurant… a hotel room with a bed for two…” She looked over and winked at me. I knew she was grinning behind her gas mask.

“Heh… y-yeah…” I replied, feeling a little uneasy. “Isn’t exactly ideal out here, is it?” The rubble was cold and hard against my belly, but at least Forsythe was warm and soft against my side. Then she slid something under me that warmed my belly right up. Some sort of military heat pack or something, I couldn’t make it out but I didn’t much care at that point. It was comfy.

“How’s it hanging, anyway?” the griffin asked, looking through her scope and scanning over the roof tops. “Been a little while. Last I saw you, you were still wearing that pink get-up, being tossed around by the beige mare, and hanging out with our buddy Snake Eyes.”

“It’s… okay,” I replied. “Could be much better. Well, actually, it’s shitty,” I replied. “Since then I’ve, let’s see… been chased by a zombie minotaur, been shot in the chest with a poisoned round, something about Gun Runners, went into the Red Zone for medicine, stumbled around in the dark and met a fucked up mutant… which Tallie crushed,” I replied, smirking at the memory of Tallie squashing the fuck out of the abomination that used to be Doctor Perfect or something.

“Oh, and picked up two new friends, Tallie and Lollipop. Tallie we found all alone, poor kid, and Lollipop was the doctor who patched me up,” I continued. “After that we got ambushed by more separatists, they got killed by Iron City defense forces, then we went into a stable that had a massive mutant tree eel thing…” I began to realise how stupid it all sounded, but I continued anyway. “Then I found out I had to wait a week to find out from Snake Eyes about how to best go get my revenge, so naturally I decided to head here for the eel mutant. Help the wasteland. Kinda regretting it. Fuck the wasteland,” I grunted, watching a single mutant scamper between buildings on the other side of the square. “And I think I’m going nuts. So all in all, feeling pretty nifty.”

“Shit…” was the only reply. “I don’t envy your life there, Clover,” she commented. “You need to find yourself someone nice to settle down with and just chill for once and for all.”

“I’ve looked into it,” I said, watching as the mutant disappeared from view. “I think I know who to do it with, just… not until I finish up my business.”

“Revenge for the brother, right?” the griffin asked, still staring through the scope. “And I’m flattered, Clover, but I can’t really settle down right now.”

I rolled my eyes, but really I wasn’t sure if she actually did want to sleep with me or not. If she did and if Ace decided not to be with me, well… who knew? I might end up growing used to the talons. “Yeah. And not you,” I said. “Sorry.”

“Heh. Didn’t think so,” she said. “Mutant, third building across. See him?” She adjusted something on her scope before continuing. “Who’s the lucky mare?”

“I see him,” I said, reacquiring the mutant. I didn’t know I was supposed to be marking them. “Ace,” I said, watching the mutant stumble around, scrounging for something. “We had a drunken fling together. Wish I could remember it.” It hurt to admit that I couldn’t remember the night I’d lost my virginity. “After that, she said she needed time to think. Get her feelings in order.”

“Well, if it doesn’t pan out,” Forsythe said and nudged me. “You can buy me a drink some time.”

“I’ll uh… keep that in mind…” I muttered back.

The air around us filled with nothing more than the howling winds around us as we watched. I took the opportunity to take a look at where we were. The area around us was pretty standard, a bunch of smaller bombed out buildings, a few frozen corpses, and some craters in the middle of the square, surrounded by sandbags and old nests. Above our building stood a large communications antenna, though, which had stood the test of time. Connected to it were several cables, some dangling loose while some leading off to buildings around the city, many to similar antenna. Only one led ahead of us though in a nice little slope, connecting to a small building across the frozen river.

“Can’t just be you guys,” Forsythe muttered as she stared through the scope. “It’d be suicidal to come out here with just five ponies.”

“Nah,” I replied, focusing again. “There was a crack team of specialists from Iron City that came in with us. Only three survivors from them.” I winced at the memories of how we found the others. “We got away with the survivors, I got injured, we took refuge in the underground railway and met friendly mutants. They’re escorting us… well, here.” I tapped the floor beside me.

“Friendly mutants?” the griffin asked in surprise. “We had no idea.”

“The unfriendly sort don’t spare them,” I replied. “They stick to the underground. I wouldn’t be so surprised. Wasteland’s fucked.”

“Heh. You can say that again,” she said. “I take it you got split up?”

“Bingo.” I stared through my scope. “Hold on…” I murmured as the mutant’s head shot up and its ears swiveled. It looked like it was growling before it scampered off. “We got movement.”

“I see it. Something’s spooked it,” she checked the load in her rifle before shouldering it. “Get ready.”

I followed suit, but stopped as my coms crackled to life. “This is Hammerhead, calling anyone on this frequency! Spook, Tinder, does anyone read?” My heart skipped a beat or two. Hammerhead, the mutant minotaur, was in Tallie’s team. She had to be okay!

“This is Tinder Two-Tails,” my team leader announced over the com. “Hammerhead, you’re weak but clear, status report, over.”

“We’re in one piece, boss, but not for long. We’ve got mutants climbing up our assholes!” she yelled a little louder into her mic, her voice a little clearer. “Coming from the north side! We’ve picked up some other normies too, some fellas calling themselves Resistance!”

“That’s Resistance special forces, lass!” the commanding and slightly deranged sound of Happy Jack’s voice said over the coms. I remembered rescuing him vividly, how the one eyed donkey had been locked up for goodness knows how long. “Tinder Two Twits, you got any of the Resistance lads down there?”

Tinder’s voice cut in again. “Confirmed, we have reinforcements. What’s your ETA?”

“I’ve got visual!” Forsythe said into her com. I shifted a little to get a northern view, and sure enough, between the buildings came Hammerhead’s team. I felt relief surge through me as I saw Tallie sitting on Hammerhead’s shoulders, shooting a small pistol behind her. I even saw the donkey turn once and shoot two grenades down the passage, then… laugh? I couldn’t tell.

Forsythe opened fire with her sniper, picking off big baddies. I quickly followed suit, but I couldn’t get my shots off as fast. She was well trained, but me? Not quite. I still landed more than a few shots though.

Hammerhead’s team booked it across the square, heading straight before us. They wasted no time, Short Fuse and Hammerhead charged forward with Tallie on her shoulders, while Geoff, the mutant griffin, hovered above the ground, flying backwards and shooting. Jack kept running, only stopping to fire two pill shaped grenades at a time, then ran off again.

The group down below had taken defensive positions and as soon as the mutants were in range, following my friends, they opened fire. Thankfully this group of mutants wasn’t large or thick, and the combined arms of so many made quick work of them.

“Thanks for the assist!” Hammerhead said over the radio as she and the others leaped over the barricades. I breathed another sigh of relief knowing that my Tallie was safe. We’d only known each other for such a short amount of time, but she was like a little sister to me. Someone I wanted to protect against anything.

Forsythe reloaded while my saddle did mine for me. “That it?” she asked, peering down the scope again.

“I hope not…” I replied. “You still have team members out there too, right?”

“Mhm. Just waiting on Adrenaline Rush’s team,” Forsythe replied in a cool tone. The heat of combat had steeled her from a playful griffin to a dedicated soldier in a heartbeat it seemed. “Wonder if she’s found your guys.”

“Maybe…” The square grew quiet once more, the snow resting on top of the fresh mutant corpses. I felt myself shaking, even if combat had only lasted a few seconds, but someone I cared about was in that group. The other one was still out there somewhere. “Why are you guys even out here anyway?”

“Long story short?” Forsythe asked, looking over her shoulder at me. I nodded in reply. “Basically, Federation science teams are up to no good down here. Blowing shit up, stirring up mutants… now they’re across there and we think they’ve found something.” Forsythe pointed across the river. “We want what they’ve found so they can’t use it against us.”

“Makes sense… thank goodness we found you when we did,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Unluckily lucky… that’s me.”

Forsythe couldn’t help but chuckle. “What do you mean?”

“I find luck in unlucky situations,” I said, looking over at her. “Survived death more than once, always get saved at the last second… only after getting into a bad situation.” I shrugged and looked down the scope again. “It’s… pretty shitty.”

“Better than just being flat out unlucky,” Forsythe said, giving my shoulder a pat and shifted her sniper around. “Oh, lookie! Beige mare.”

My heart lept out of my chest for a moment before I scrambled and looked down my scope. “Where?!” I asked, frantically. Sure enough, there was Ace and her squad. Well, Ace and Spook. Both moved with purpose but didn’t seem to be chased by anything.

“Ace!” I called into my com. She stopped and looked around. “Ace! Ace, I see you! We’re a the rally point, c’mon! Before anything else seeps out of the woodwork!”

“Okay! Sit tight!” Ace called over the com, but her voice was a little distorted by static. “We’re on our way!” She nudged Spook and sprinted towards us. My heart pounded in my chest as I was filled with relief, knowing that all of my close friends had survived us splitting up.

“Just one more,” Forsythe said, giving my shoulder a slap and a grin. “She should be here any minute now.” Her eye went back to her scope. “Bet you’re feeling pretty good, huh? No casualties at all.”

“Heh. Yeah,” I replied, grinning from ear to ear. I knew it wasn’t over yet, but my friends had survived. I was on cloud nine. “So going back to before, you said that the Feds are bombing shit? Like streets?” I rolled over and opened the maps section on my pipbuck and showed it to Forsythe, highlighting the spot we’d been split up. “Like here?”

Forsythe took a minute to look at the map, occasionally scrolling left and right to get her bearings, then nodded. “Mhm, we’d just gotten away before that one went off. We thought we were hidden, but we were wrong.” She went back to keeping an eye out. “Why?”

“Because it caused a cave-in and almost killed us,” I replied, as nonchalant as I could manage. “Its where we got split up.”

“Oh… well… sorry for being in the wrong place at the wrong time then,” Forsythe said, the smiled. “But hey, we’re all good now.”

“Ditto, and yep,” I replied, looking through my scope and scanning the skies for the last piece to our puzzle. Then I saw it. Streaking across the sky in an orange blur was a familiar pegasus, streaking towards us, but unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. The pegasus was being followed by six of the fucked up griffin mutants, wailing and screaming as they tore through the sky behind her. “We have incoming!” I called out and shouldered my rifle once again, but I couldn’t get a clear shot, not yet.

Forsythe, though, had no problems. She popped off one shot that tore through the head of one of the mutants, splattering its brains out behind it while it plummeted to the ground. She loaded another round and fired again. The bullet whizzed through the air and tore off another mutant’s wing. It shrieked as it lost control before nose-diving into the ground. Thankfully I couldn’t hear it, but I think it must have made a gooey splat.

“Dammit… can’t get a clear shot…” Forsythe muttered as she watched, waiting for an opening. The pegasus looked over her shoulder and started to duck and weave as the griffins got closer. “Thank you…”

Forsythe wouldn’t get her clear shot though. As soon as she had the griffins where she wanted them, the pegasus stopped in mid air with her forelegs extended. Out of two gauntlets shot a blade, Slashy and Smiley if memory serves correctly, extended fully. The griffins didn’t have time to stop, as one was impaled on the blade, while the other’s head was taken clear off. The pegasus wasted no time as she yanked the blade out of the griffin and spun, cutting its head off with the other blade. She still had two contacts though.

She ducked as one mutant swiped for her as it passed. The other was quick as it almost landed a peck with its sharp beak, but the pegasus was faster. She flipped upside down, landing a kick to the mutant’s chin, then stabbed it through the stomach. As she completed her flip, she pulled her sword upwards, gutting the mutant before it fell out of the sky. There was one more left.

The pegasus blocked a swipe with her sword, the blade colliding with the beast’s talons and cutting partway through them. She swung out with the other blade and sliced off the beast’s hand before pulling her newly freed blade back and shoving it through the mutant’s screaming maw.

“Wow…” I muttered as the last griffin fell to the ground, lifeless. “She’s pretty rad.”

“Tell me about it,” Forsythe said with a smirk, sitting up and keying her coms. “Hey boss, fancy flying out there. Clover here’s pretty impressed.”

“Clover?” was the reply. “Wait, that kid that helped with Short Stack?” was the reply from Adrenaline ‘Dare’ Rush. She started zooming off towards us. “No shit?”

“No shit,” Forysthe replied. “Small world, huh?”

*** *** ***

“Shit…” the orange pegasus commander of the special operations squad mumbled, leaning back against the rubble of the roof. “That’s pretty heavy.”

“Yep,” I said, after explaining the situation my friends and I had found ourselves in. Over the course of the last half hour, more and more Resistance soldiers joined our merry band and gathered around to hear it from us. Ace had found a spot between Forsythe and me, and made herself comfortable. Not that I was complaining. “So. Gotta find the Patriarch’s tether thingo and cut it, set him free, bish bash bosh, plants all ‘round.” It sounded utterly crazy, and that was just the gist of it.

Adrenaline ‘Dare’ Rush looked between her soldiers. There were the two griffin badasses that I’d met before, the loud one-eyed donkey Happy Jack, one or two of the last squad, and about five other soldiers I hadn’t met before, all kitted out in armour I’d only seen in comics. It was something similar to what I’d seen before, but I just couldn’t remember. Then there was the Iron City survivors, Featherweight, Short Fuse, and Mayflowers. With my friends added on, we made a decent team. A big team. Just what I liked. “What do we think?” she finally asked.

The majority of the soldiers didn’t seem to know what to think. “Erm…” one of them finally piped up. A shorter stallion with a horn addition to his fancy helmet, and two SMGs at either side of his circle-clad torso armour. “Well, look. We’re all headed to the same place, right?” he asked.

I looked at our map and compared it to theirs. Sure enough, we were all headed to the Mustang Research Facility. “Looks like it,” I murmured. “Can I ask, or is it classified?”

“We’ll see,” Dare said, taking the map from me. “Since you were key in our last op, we’ll help you out, but in return I will be taking command.”

“Woah, hold up,” Tinder Two-Tails piped up, stepping forward. “You guys are headed out of Ghost operational zones. These civilians were told that it was discretion whether we follow into the dead zone, and we’ve decided against it.”

I admit, I felt a little betrayed, but he was right. This wasn’t his fight. “Understood, Mr. Tails,” Dare said, looking over at him and his team. They seemed to have made the decision while I was explaining things to the Resistance guys.

“Cowards,” Mayflowers grunted before receiving a sharp elbow from Ace. She grumbled again before crossing her hooves and grunting.

Two-Tails just shrugged it off, as a grizzled veteran like him often would. “We’ve got a settlement to protect, I’m sure you understand.” He then stepped towards me and offered his large hoof. “Nice meeting you, Clover, but I reckon these Resistance types can take it from here. I’m sure I’ll see you again if you succeed and all. Better make that happen, eh?”

I reached out and shook his hoof with a smile. “Er… yeah. Likewise,” I said, a little awkwardly. “We’ll get it done. Hopefully… probably… yeah. Something like that.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ace said with a light chuckle as she nudged my shoulder. “We’ve got this, dude. Don’t sweat it.”

The mutant leader laughed and nodded. “Counting on you,” He looked around at everyone but his team. “Alright, if that’s everything, we’ll get going. I handed over as much intel as I have on the dead zone to your intelligence officer.” Dare nodded in acknowledgment. “Alrighty. Ghosts, roll out.” He circled his hoof and the Ghosts began moving. Each giving us a nod in appreciation and respect, one that I’m sure we’d all earned in our times together.

“Weird bunch,” Gaz grunted, his large arms crossed over his heavily armoured torso. “Right! Now that we’re all together, let’s get the show on the road.”

“What’s the plan?” my medically inclined friend asked after fidgeting a little with her mask. I think our gasmasks must’ve been getting to everyone by now, even poor Tallie. Though, I’m sure the little griffin’s attention was more fixated on Happy Jack’s explosive loadout. Just from what I could see, he had a large grenade launcher on his back with a revolver-like chamber around it, several sticks of dynamite, an SMG, and several other fuzes jutting out of the various pockets on his oversized protective jacket. He was telling her all about it in hushed tones. I don’t think Tallie wanted me knowing about her fascination with explosives, but it was hardly a secret.

Ace brought out a new map, this time with a lot of writing on it. “First things first. We need to get over there,” she said, then gestured at the massive antenna on top of the building we were in, and the long cable running through the buildings ahead and over the river. “First team are going to climb up there and zipline all the way down to the riverban-”

“Zipline?” I asked, not quite understanding the term. I couldn’t fly, maybe that was a problem?

“Yep,” she said, taking out a clip, a strange contraption with wheels, and a belt. “Attach this to the cable and glide down.”

“That sounds insane,” Ace chimed in, but I could tell she was grinning. “But fun.”

I just sighed and sat down with a grunt. “There’s no way I’m getting out of this, am I?”

“Ungrateful little shit…” one of the resistance soldiers grunted.

Dare looked over her shoulder at him. “Hey. Zip it,” she ordered, then looked back at me. “Sorry, Clover, but nope. You’ll be part of the first team.” All I could do was gulp and nod. When I woke up, I told myself to stop being a coward. Time to put that into effect.

“Each team will move down the line with Gaz and I providing aerial support, Forsythe and Chocolate Souffle will provide overwatch and sniper support from up here.” One of the lighter armoured soldiers nodded and their sniper rifle shifted forward on its saddle, just like mine. Different model though.

“When the first team arrives they are to secure the landing area. I’m putting Jack in charge of first team when they hit the ground. Clover, you’re to set up and give sniper support from the other side, understood.”

“Mkay,” I replied, then hissed at the nudge to my side from Ace. “Right! Yes, gotcha.”

“Good,” she said. “Team two and three, same deal. We all good to move?”

All the ponies around me started to shift and check their gear, me included. I stuffed the tarp back into its compartment on my back, and made sure my new helmet was secure in my bag, along with my loot duffel.

Several of team one started to move towards the antenna, led by the strange donkey. He seemed a bit too cheerful for this situation, if you asked me. I guess he was just happy to be serving the right side again. Well, right for him at least.

I took a step forward before I was pulled to the side by Ace. “Stay safe, Clover,” she said. “I’m in third team. Make sure you’re still in one piece when I get down there, okay?”

I felt a blush redden my cheeks. “I’ll, er… I’ll try my best,” I said with a sheepish smile.

Ace reached up and bopped me on the top of the head, then grabbed my shoulders. “I need you to promise me. I was scared shitless about what might happen to you out here, and I was right, with what you told us about those hordes. You’ve survived this long, and I’m not going to lose my best friend.”

A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down. Best friend? Nothing more? Well… better than nothing, I guess. “I promise.”

She slid her arms around my shoulders and gave me a hug with a small smile. “Okay. Good,” she mumbled before letting go. “Now, get going. You’ve got a job to do.”

I sighed and obliged. “Alright. See you on the other side,” I replied. I looked behind me and saw Mayflowers with daggers in her eyes, eying me and Ace up. Was it the anger that she felt in general from being such a bitch or… jealousy? She was fucking nuts; it was hard to tell.

I shrugged it off and trotted forward. The antenna loomed above us with Jack and two other Resistance fighters climbing up the side, then Featherweight and Lollipop. I felt a heavy feeling in my stomach as I started to climb the rungs.

The further up I got, the more I felt the chilly wind against my coat, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been before, with my old riot jacket. I actually felt the comforting weight of the plating around me, making me feel a little safer. I shuddered from the cold and kept moving until I reached a small platform where the others had gathered.

“Gentlecolts!” Jack said with his broad accent. “Its just a wee glide t’ the bottom, hop skip an’ a jump. Nothin’ t’ it.” He strapped himself to the thick cable leading into the snow-hazed horizon, down into the white depths. The second soldier in line hooked up right behind him and tapped his back, then another, then Featherweight. “For those inexperienced wit’ this,” he called back over the howling winds. “hook yer selves up, wait five seconds after th’ person ahead of ya goes, then jump. Don’t look down, and try t’ stay lookin’ forward.”

I hooked up my belt and zip with some assistance from the last unhooked soldier, then Lollipop hooked herself up in behind me. One more, and we were all ready. “Keep yer legs out stretched and hit the break twenty seconds ‘fore ya hit the ground, then hit the release when y’ think you’re low enough. Roll when ya hit the ground and ya should be fine! All ready?”

Everyone seemed to tap the person ahead’s back in acknowledgement, me included. Not sure why, must have just been a reflex. “Wait, run that by me ag-” I started.

“Alright! Let’s do it!” Jack yelled before leaping off the platform. The line tightened around his zip as he went shooting off down it, yahooing and laughing as he moved. Five seconds after, the next soldier went. Dare was hovering nearby and zipped off after the third soldier. Gaz was spinning up his minigun and watching us depart.

“But I-” I yelled as Featherweight went off ahead of me, holding his line with one hoof and keeping his beanie on with the other. “I don-”

“Go!” Lollipop yelled over the wind, giving me a nudge. Gaz took off from beside us after gesturing me forward. I didn’t have time to complain.

I whimpered and looked down the line one last time. Ahead of me was nothing but snow, wind, and finally the ‘dead zone’. I closed my eyes then thought happy thoughts for just a second before leaping into the white, windy abyss. The freezing winds and weightlessness set in around me as the world disappeared, filling me with both dread then a weird sense of calm. A calm that wouldn’t last for very long.

*YOUR ART HERE!*

Footnote: Level up! LEVEL TEN!

Fuck me, this took way too long to write, for a number of reasons. The primary one is just a general lack of time. After taking a gap-year I am now at uni studying 3d arts, including animation, modelling, and visual effects. It’s gonna be a neat two years! Kinda paying for it out of pocket though, which kinda sucks. Debt ain’t fun. I had two jobs to pay for it, which also took a heap of time. I’m back down to one job and really scraping by financially. #StudentLife, eh? I’m thinking of setting up a donation page thing if anyone’s keen to help but I don’t think that’s fair, considering how long it takes to write these days.

Other than a lack of time, I’ve also been diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression. Though a minor case, it really saps my motivation, focus, and drive. I couldn’t afford to get help, then I had no time when I had my second job, and now I can’t afford it anymore. Fun times!

I felt you lot deserve to know why everything’s been so late recently, but I’m gonna stop rambling now. If anyone’s interested in my own personal updates and thoughts, be sure to follow me on fimfiction, I plan on making the occasional blog post about it. If anyone knows a better blog service, let me know.

Also, Mat doesn’t have the time to be my chapter artist anymore, so if anyone wants to fill in, give me a portfolio and we’ll talk.

Alright, so, thanks to Kkat for building this wonderful world I’ve based my story from, Matkingos and Nyerguds for editing and being very patient with me through this troubling time, and Dimestream for lifting my spirits when I was down, and giving me a small slice of motivation needed to finish this.

Cheers.

Hobo.