Iron Grey

Chapters

Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 2: A Job Begun is a Job Half Done
Chapter 3: Clouds on the Horizon
Chapter 4: Sink and Swim
Chapter 6: On the One Hoof
Chapter 7: On the Other Hoof
Chapter 8: On the Other Other Hoof
Chapter 9: On the Other Other Other Hoof
Chapter 10: Regina non potest peccare
Chapter 11: Fight or Flight...
Chapter 12: Home, Acerbic Home
Chapter 1: An End to Things
Chapter 5: A Shining City In A Valley

Introduction

Denial

"How lucky can one guy be?...
'Ain't that a kick in the head?' "

Ruined. My life's work was a menagerie of ruin. There were reports coming in from all over the base. So close. I was so close to controlling the Single Pegasus Project. The Single Pegasus Project. It allowed one pony to control the weather around Equestria through spire-like towers dotting the landscape and piercing the sky. The Enclave had hacked the individual towers to make clouds thick enough to grow food, but their meager efforts didn't even scratch the surface. What I would tell those foals in the council one week from now would send them reeling. Not only did I now know how to control the project, I had a way into the control center. An impenetrable alicorn shield had protected it for two hundred years, and I had a way inside. The direction of the enclave was on the verge of changing forever, and I would be its cause. Their puny minds were obsessed with isolating themselves from the surface. I was going to give them the power to rule it. Or at least I would have.

Now, none of that mattered. I was watching explosions tear out banks of cloud interface I had spent years crafting. A dragon, not a horde of enemies, but a single dragon, was carelessly hurling years of metal artistry into raptor-class cloudships. It was those raptors, so-called dragon killers if the moniker could be believed, that were supposed to take care of the dragon, and they were failing. I couldn't believe it. I didn't believe it.

Monitor after monitor displayed death blossoming all around me. How could such a small contingent be responsible for so much damage? This base was the most well-armed installation in the entire enclave. Not to mention the stock of elite weaponry and power cells the elite guard had access to. All of it, apparently worthless at protecting my facilities. Worse yet, I was unable to save the lives of the ponies I had sought to guide.

It was all wrong. The numbers were asymmetric: Neighvarro was a military base superior in numbers, in training, in raw horsepower, but all that was worthless. One canvas of blood caught my eye in the detention block as a crazed hellhound was tearing through an entire flight wing of pegasi. A mare's throat was being slashed open. "Shouldn't have brought a shock baton to a death claw fight," I whispered.

A gruff whinny snapped my attention from the monitor. I spun round to face, and then salute, an armored pegasus. His tight jaw displayed no emotion as he returned the salute and approached my monitor bank. "Just great," he spat, "Pegasi are dying and the only thing worthless scum like yourself can do is joke about it. Still, I'm afraid you're right. Be sure to use that pointy head of yours in the assault." My throat choked with how much I hated addressing him as a superior.

"Sir, assault, sir? The dragon and the hellhound are the only two assailants I have detected. I see no other enemies inside the base itself. What is there to assault?"

"That's because they're on the run. That monster," he motioned at the monitor I had been looking at, "is about to be dealt with by Neighvarro's shock wing. Good thing, too, those useless security wash-outs couldn't handle peeling potatoes, let alone dealing with an escaped prisoner." My back shuddered, trying to shut out the horror playing out just behind me. "The dragon is in full retreat with his allies. We are to pursue and destroy them. Simple assault mission. These foals think they can perform a hit-and-run without retaliation? Tsk!"

"Sir, we don't know their base of operation," I offered in weak protest.

"Of course we do. That's Spike. We've known what cave he's been slinking around in for years. The fact that he's sided with those terrorists means he's sealed both their fate and his." Although I rarely saw Wild Wing display any emotion, his muzzle had twisted into a cold sneer.

"With all due respect, sir, those terrorists destroyed an entire detachment in Splendid Valley, brought down a Thunderhead, and have hit this base hard, without taking casualties. We need to regroup, rebuild. The council needs more intelligence before an assault can be carried out."

"I might agree. But the situation has changed. Those terrorists have started removing cloud cover. The enclave has ordered us to put an end to this rebellion, once and for all. I don't need to tell you what this means. Without the clouds blanketing the Equestrian wasteland, there's no Enclave. Without the enclave we'll all be killed. This murderous scum must either be destroyed today or there won't be an Enclave tomorrow. The situation is no longer strategic plan of action, it is survival. It is kill or be killed. Gear up. I expect you on deck in twenty. Your know-how will be part of the first wave."

"Captain Wild Wing, sir. Those tiny patches earlier and today are not what's causing the clouds to dissipate. On what little equipment is working, I can definitively tell you the cloud cover is being removed from the central hub of the SPP. That is the source of the signal telling the towers to power down. That's where we need to focus our efforts. As a matter of fact, I have a-"

Wild Wing either ignored me or didn't care. He had turned and started to leave as I had still been talking. As he left the command center, the blast doors seemed to shut out what little celestial light was streaming in from the windows outside.

Prologue

Graduation Day

“While many of you know your assignments, keep in mind that the time may come when you will be called upon to go above and beyond your duties. If that day comes, I expect each one of you would gladly give their life for their friends. I expect each one of you would give your life for the Enclave!” -Commander Wild Wing addresses cadets before graduation

The party was in full swing. For one night many of the superior officers breached protocol and attended the cadet's graduation party. At least the more cordial officers did. Many of the stauncher officers refused such a celebration as beneath them. At least that was traditional protocol. Every officer was at tonight's party. There was even talk of a visit from a council member. Almost all the officers had attended tonight's festivities to see one stallion in particular. He had set new academy records, was liked and respected by both cadets and officers, and was going to be the captain of his reconnaissance squad. That wasn't even why most of the officers showed up. Most wanted to meet, talk to, or even court the stallion that had earned an RC rating.

The stallion didn't care about any of that right now. Something, or rather, somepony else had his full attention. He thanked some of the more notable officers for showing up, ordered a drink for a good friend of his, and finally broke out of the commotion. He was searching faces, trying to concentrate past the liquor and noise. After a few anxious, painful moments, he spied his target. When he called out she didn't respond. He beat his wings to a better vantage over the heads of the other pegasi. He called out again but he didn't even the hear himself above the music. They must have angled the speakers upward to keep anypony from rudely flying above the crowd. The stallion didn't care. In a flash, he flew over the crowd and blocked the exit of one mare who was on her way out of the room. She stopped short of the door, cursing that she'd been found out. He puffed out his chest. The dim party lighting gave his coat a silver, metallic sheen.

"Now, where do you think you're going?"

"Oh come now, the party's been fun, but this security mare's got shift."

"Skip it, you wouldn't walk out on my graduation, would you? Head of class, and assigned to recon! How do you like that?" The stallion had to talk over the music, but pointed a hoof at the gold medallion on his breast for emphasis. The shiny gold contrasted his steel blue coat quite nicely. Looking back at the mare, he smiled, "Besides, now that I'm stationed here, we can see each other every night if we wanted to."

"Yes, it's very nice. Unfortunately," she pulled at the medal with a hoof, getting a closer look, "this little hunk of gold can't smooth talk my superior officer once she finds out I skipped shift."

"Get someone to cover you." The stallion brought his muzzle close to the mare's ear. "Promise I'll make you forget all about that hard-flank of an officer and her stupid shift. That is, unless you'd like to think about her." He gave her ear a playful nip. She flushed and looked at him through her chestnut mane.

"Now that sounds delicious."

"Delicious?" The stallion backed up, surprised. The mare laughed.

"You see, we could just..." the mare pulled up a cherry and slowly bit into it, “get her, a whole bunch of these cherries and...” It was the stallion's turn to blush. Just as he was about to say something, she stuffed the half-eaten cherry into his face and laughed.

"Hey! That was uncalled for private!" The mare put an innocent hoof to her chin.

"Oh? Does... does this mean you need to enact disciplinary action... as... my... superior officer?"

"HEY!" A sudden shout interrupted the conversation. The stallion felt a sudden weight pressing into his shoulder. He had to steady himself and looked over his shoulder to find a fellow graduate had stumbled into him. He turned his head away immediately when a cloud of noxious stink made it hard to breath.

"Chill out, Wave! Have you even smelled your breath? You're drunk."

"YEAH I AM! Aren't you? We g-hic-graduated and w-we're recon! C'mon let's c-celebrate!" Wave threw a hoof out in a wild gesture.

"I'm getting there, but I gotta...hey hold on."

"Sorry fly boy, looks like you already got your hooves full." He dumped Wave onto the floor and flew over to the mare again.

"Now, I'm sure we can work something out, private."

"I'm sure you'll make sure I get punished, next time. Don't forget, you'd better come up with something special. Wouldn't want us privates to get out of line." She winked. "Who knows, you might even get lucky, too." The stallion watched the mare slowly sashay away. The strange thing was, as much as he wanted her right then and there, her flowing chestnut mane soothed him somehow. Just the sight of her was satisfying, calming. He knew he could wait for now. Besides, there was tomorrow night, right? Yeah, tomorrow night was looking like it was going to be a night to remember.

"The world is spinning, I can't get off the floor!" Wave called out in a stupor. The stallion sighed.

"Right there with you, buddy. Right there with you."

Addendum I:

Recon Wing profile

Cadet I[-redacted-]

Has shown exceptional capabilities both as a leader and as a flier.

Initial reports showed he excelled above his fellow cadets in all maneuvers.

He is currently at the head of his class and is likely to be chosen as captain.

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Posting for Duty

Recon Captain I[-redacted-] passed the “Barrier test” and is classified as RC (Rainboom-Capable).

He is to be stationed at Neighvarro until further notice.

No orders for reassignment from any party will be acknowledged unless they come directly from the council as a unanimous order

Addendum II:

Neighvarro's purpose

Provide the facilities to secure and research the Single Pegasus Project (SPP)

The final objective: Operational Control of the Single Pegasus Project (SPP)

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Memorandum from Commander Wild Wing:

Against my strongest of recommendations, the council has sought outside help. And by outside, I mean outside, outside. The Steel Rangers have never been on our side, and not a one has ever shared our interests. Even still, the council has enlisted the help of one Grey Grid. Not only is this individual not a pegasus, but the Steel Rangers hold him in high regard.

Regardless of the overinflated reports of technological advancements in the Ranger's research, I must log my official protest as the Commanding Officer of Neighvarro. Not to mention the conceited claim Grey has made that he can get inside the shield surrounding the SPP hub. I doubt this unicorn can deliver, or need I remind the council that no pony has been inside that hub for literally two hundred years. This unicorn won't prove any different, and will probably take any knowledge of our defenses and technology straight back to those earth-bound traitors the first chance he gets. Is the council so desperate that they will literally condescend to below the clouds for help? The council is insistent, however, and it has already been made clear that my complaint will be ignored. I must recommend that Grey is given no authority whatsoever, is placed under constant surveillance (some might even say heavy security is in order), and that he is not allowed to leave Neighvarro.

-Wild Wing

Commanding Officer Neighvarro

Author's Note

-The stallion and his medallion's colors are significant

Chapter 2: A Job Begun is a Job Half Done

Rule Number 4, Sub Rule A: Confirmation of Results

A day that will live in infamy...

A black winged figure beat its wings slowly across the battlefield. The battlefield was on the peak of a lonely mountain that pierced the clouds. There was a small plateau that lead up to the summit. The side of the mountain was dotted with dead trees that thinned out near the top.

The battle was over. Small pockets of fighting still rang out. These pockets of fighting weren’t toward any objective, they were mostly for survival. Smaller squads of pegasi tried to take wing and were cut down by any number of things. One small pack of hellhounds greedily pursued a panicked platoon. The hellhounds weren’t fighting, they were sporting. Some gasped their last breaths inside of a poison cloud of pink gas. The gas poured out of a number of raptor-class cloud ships that had wrecked into the side of the mountain. A detachment of pegasi set up a radio repeater in an attempt to establish communications. A hissing static filled the air. Some escaped, but the majority weren’t fast enough as every orifice in their head began to leak, then pour out, blood. There had been no warning of the necromantic magic that now permeated the Enclave’s radio signal.

Over the entire battlefield there were two things certain. The first was that the fighting had been intense. Second, that the fighting had not been fair. In the end, the pegasus corpses were copious, especially compared to the proportion of other types.

On one forgotten end of the battlefield a gray pony was getting to his hooves. “Hello?” he said, looking down. “Can you hear me?” He was talking to the form of a pegasus on the ground. The pegasus’ eyes shot open. The eyes started to look around frantically. “I’m sorry I sedated you, you were convulsing. I checked you out, but there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with you. Now. Listen to me very carefully. You’re conscious. Concentrate on me. Look at me.” The pegasus’ eye focused on the one thing they could see.

“Now, what you just did was the key to everything else. You don’t know it, but trust me: that’s a miracle. Focus. Focus on how you just looked at me. Because you wanted to, right?” The pegasus just stared at the pony… a unicorn. He was smiling. A crazy unicorn. Great. The pegasus huffed out in frustration. “See? You did it again!”

Did what, you foal! The pegasus' muzzle formed the words, but no sound came out. “Ah ha! Brilliant! Look at that!” The gray pony was gleeful. “You see, you’re remembering what you can do, but you don’t know how. That’s because you have to find the new path. You got completely cut off, but you can get back again. Think. Concentrate, find the way back.” He wasn’t making any sense. The pegasus got to his hooves, or at least tried. “Whoah there! Now, this is going to sound weird, but you can’t do that yet. Um well, you can, but you don’t know you can.” The pegasus scrambled to lift himself up. His hooves flailed and he fell back down. “Oh hey, oohhh! Yes, I have an idea. We can try something. Remember what it was like as a foal? Maybe not. But hey, let’s try that. Look. All you need to do is keep trying. That’s what you did, right? You kept trying until your brain joined the pathways and remembered them. Yes. Forget everything I said earlier. We’re going to start over. C’mon little stallion, you can do it.”

The pegasus rolled his eyes. He felt patronized. “Ooohhh, sarcasm! I love it! Are you getting angry? Well, get up here and buck my face. That’s right little colt, stand up and buck me.” The pegasus actually was getting angry. “What’s the matter? Still can’t do it? Fine, I’m just going to keep talking to you because I’ve got nothing better to do.” The pegasus wished he’d just shut up. He tried to tell him that, but no sound came out. His muzzle was moving, though. He knew that much. Instead of just letting his body do what it wanted, he thought about what he wanted. He wanted to be in control. He wanted to get up. Oh, and this bucking unicorn! Shut up! Just shut up! He wanted this stupid unicorn to just keep quiet and..

“Don’t you know what I’ve been through? Don’t you see what’s going on?” The unicorn leapt up in the air. The height of his jump was pathetic, but looking at his excitement, one might think he could fly.

“Just in time, too! Now RUN!”

The pegasus looked around him. A band of forms were surrounding them. The crack of gunfire and cruel hiss of a magical energy rifle split the air. They had opened fire too early. They were too far, the pegasus noticed, and the circle wasn’t closed. He picked the direction they hadn’t enclosed yet and took off. The unicorn was following. The near-miss hiss of an energy rifle blast let the pegasus know that at least one of the team of hunters was a decent shot.

“Serpentine! What’s wrong with my hooves?”

“What?”

“I can’t, what? Don’t run straight, dodge! I-I’m faster than this.”

“Oh, right!” The pegasus looked back, the unicorn started to weave. It was pathetic, but at least he was trying. “Y… you’re… huff… just remember how… huff you… started talking.”

That makes no sense, the pegasus thought as he ran. His body was all wrong. It should just do all that on its own. He wanted to be better, he needed to be better. He was better.

Noticing a fallen pony in reconnaissance armor, the pegasus put on speed. He dove behind the form and turned around, staying low. A number of blasts scorched the earth around him; some bullets ricocheted away. He twisted the armor toward an earth pony on the left flank of his pursuers. Sighting in, he didn’t even think as the barrel of new weapon started to track. He held the dead pony steady as he wrapped a muzzle around the magical energy rifle and fired it. Then he lifted the whole recon pony onto his back, and kept running.

The wreck of a sky tank came into view. He scrambled behind it for cover, dumped the body, and got to work. Jackpot! Where’s that damned unicorn? Suddenly, there was a strange whinny. Then, an all-too-familiar voice called out. “Hey, I um found something. But, uh, then I got caught!” The pegasus rolled his eyes.

“Come out empty-hooved or we’ll kill your friend! Hell, we should just kill him for the one of ours you got.”

The pegasus trotted out. Ten-thousand… Two earth ponies and a unicorn were in a triangle. The stupid gray unicorn was in front with one of the earth ponies holding a gun to his head. The voice that had spoken earlier sounded again.

“That’s it.” nine-thousand… It was the mare in the back left of the triangle. She was the leader, she was also the unicorn. Not the one watching the hostage. Leader’s gun isn’t aimed. Back right pony. eight-thousand…

“Shoot him and I kill you all. Walk away and you live. Maybe I’ll kill that one in front just to show you I’m serious.” seven-thousand, six-thousand… The mare had a dark brown coat and a black mane. She laughed cruelly.

“Shaft, shoot the unicorn.” six-thousand…

“Do that, see what happens,” the pegasus soothed with perfect confidence. five-thousand…

“Boss? He ain’t scared like the others.” , four-thousand…

“What, and you are? Shoot him NOW, he doesn’t have a gun!” the mare hissed through clenched teeth. The pony in front looked confused. three-thousand, two-thousand …

“Sure about that?” His eyes locked onto the pony in front. one-thousand … The pegasus shook his body. The pony in front pulled the gun away from his hostage. The pegasus kicked the small round ball that had landed at his hooves. The grenade flew to the right while he dove left. The back right earth pony squeezed her trigger. There was a hiss followed by a loud explosion. The earth pony in front fired wildly, the gray unicorn galloped forward wildly. There was an irregular ticking sound, almost like a glass jar being dragged across a wooden table. The earth pony looked down, but saw nothing. The loud explosion of the grenade was followed by an earth shaking boom.

A few seconds passed in silence, the dust settled. Shifting, the pegasus got to his hooves. He tried to walk, but immediately one leg curled under his body. Trying to extend it and put some weight on it only made it pull in again. Four upturned hooves caught his eye. They looked like they were galloping, then kicking, then quickly shifting side to side. Though he had trouble walking, the pegasus made his way over. He soundlessly chuckled when he saw the unicorn was up-side down. Struggling to get free, the unicorn was trapped in between a rock and a metal box.

Using his muzzle, the pegasus pulled the unicorn, whose hooves started to flail when he started moving, out by the tail. When out, the pegasus pushed him onto his side, and then he got to his hooves… but promptly fell over again.

“Give it a minute, you’re probably in shock.” The pegasus couldn’t hear himself, the unicorn looked up in pain. “What was that!?” The pegasus whispered. He looked and gestured at the scorched earth where their assailants had been. The unicorn came into view and his muzzle started moving, but no sound came out. “What… what?” The unicorn started gesturing wildly. He seemed to want the pegasus to stop talking and lay down. The pegasus reluctantly complied. As he did, his body rolled on his side so that his hooves weren’t under him.

He felt the unicorn bend over one of his hooves and something shifted in his leg. His body started shaking. Looking back he saw the unicorn doing something to his haunch, but he couldn’t see what was going on. He got antsy and tried to get up, but the unicorn leaned on him with all his weight. The pegasus sputtered and snorted in defiance, but didn’t try to get up anymore.

Moments later an open bottle popped in his mouth and he felt his head being lifted. He felt like a colt getting fed a bottle. He tried to protest but was forced to swallow to avoid choking. Sound returned to the world. Wait, when did it go quiet? More than that, there was more movement in his leg. It was strange.

“Okay, now. I’m sure you have questions, and I’ll be happy to answer them. Just, please promise me you won’t shout.”

“I’M NOT…” Now that he heard himself, the pegasus realized he was yelling at the top of his lungs. The unicorn ducked his head under his fore legs. “Oh, sorry. Must’ve been the explosion. I only kicked off that grenade, what in the buck,” the unicorn winced, “was that other one?” Perking up, the unicorn came out from under his hooves with a look of delight.

“That was what I found! It was a lunchbox with a switch on the end. I tried to put it into my captor’s saddlebags, but it just landed underneath him. I did a great job saving us, huh?” The pegasus blithely ignored the last comment.

“Who are you, who were they? Why can’t my wings work? I had to shove that grenade under one of ‘em cause I couldn’t lift my wings. I- Wh-what’s going on…” The unicorn put up his hooves in an attempt to get the stallion to slow down.

“I’m Grey. Grey Grid.” It was so stupid it made sense. “And you and I just survived, well, it’s a small miracle we’re alive.”

“What. Those three?”

“Look around you, what do you remember?” As if for the first time, the pegasus looked around. They were on a battlefield. The main fighting must be done, looking at all the burning wreckage and dead… everything. Many of them were pegasi, like him.

“I- uh, nothing.” He didn’t know if he should be sad, angry, or confused.

“Nothing at all? And you’re still in such good shape? What about your name?”

“I already said nothing! And what do you mean good? I can’t remember a bucking-” the pegasus stopped. Grey was backing up, his ears pricked forward. He looked terrified. The pegasus hadn’t felt angry, didn’t feel himself yell, didn’t even mean to be threatening, but that’s all exactly what he was doing. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean.” The unicorn looked around and stopped.

“I believe you. We’ve been through… well, I don’t know what to say. But you can see how bad it was.”

“…It doesn’t get any worse than…” the pegasus trailed off.

“Wait? What did you say?”

“I don’t know.” The pegasus shook his head. Something was bothering him, but he couldn’t put a hoof on it. “What’s wrong with me Grey? Nothing makes sense. I can’t feel what I’m doing, I-I’m broken and I don’t know how!” As he got worked up, his body started to do strange things: a hind leg went limp, a shoulder started to twitch violently, his ears faced opposite directions as if they were paying attention to two different things.

“Look, I don’t know exactly what happened to you. But after it did, I found this book that can help me figure it out. I can’t read it though, so I need it to be translated.” He put a hoof on the pegasus’ twitching shoulder. “What I do know, and what you need to know, too, is that you’re alive. You’re alive, and you’re in control of yourself. It’s different than it was, I know, but I promise you that I’m going to be here to help you any way I can. In the meantime, you need to learn what it means to be in control of yourself, you’re the only one who can.” The pegasus’ shoulder stopped twitching.

“But Grey, I don’t feel… anything.”

“You still know things. You may not be able to feel it, but you know it. You can see yourself getting angry. Use that to your advantage. Now I’m going to do everything I can to figure out what’s going on and why. But until then, and until I can translate this, we need each other and we need to survive. The best way we can do that is by making friends. Whaddaya say, buddy?” Grey held out a hoof in friendship.

The pegasus almost face-hoofed, Grey’s expression was so corny. He was right though, stupid expression and all. He shook the offered hoof.

The hoof-shake turned awkward when Grey didn’t know when to stop. Seconds ticked by as Grey continued to shake his hoof. “Uh, Grey? Grey.”

“I passed the threshold of comfortable hoof shaking, didn’t I?”

“Probably about twenty seconds ago.” Grey continued. “That means you can stop.”

“Right. Got it.”

“Soo, why are you still shaking my hoof again?”

“Okay, stopping now.” Grey stopped shaking his new friend’s hoof.

The pegasus’ ears perked at sporadic gunfire. “Right now, we need to get some supplies and find a way off this wretched rock. This is too dangerous. Look around Grey, see what you can find.”

“On the…” Grey swallowed hard, “dead bodies?”

“Sure. They don’t need it anymore.”

“But won’t they be dirty?”

“Probably, but we need a way off this rock. Any longer here and we may not see Celestia’s sun again.” It was Grey’s turn to admit that his friend was right. The sun was starting to set and the gunfire was getting steadily closer. The pegasus began to scavenge. Grey half-heartedly pawed at the ground near the smoking wreck of the skytank.

The pegasus tried to start up a conversation. “Seeing as I can’t remember anything. Tell me, what’s going on?”

“Well, uh, there was a battle. We lost.”

“We, who’s we?”

“The Enclave. You know, it’s probably good you can’t remember anything.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s just, umm…” Grey was taking too long to think.

“Grey, just tell me.”

“I don’t know how to tell you about everything that’s happened. That’s why I was so surprised you were handling things so well, and why it’s probably good you can’t remember anything.”

“It’s not. Not knowing what’s going on makes me feel worse. I’m all screwed up and I don’t know bucking why.”

“Do you think knowing the answer would make it any better?”

“Don’t know. But at least then I could bucking find out.” Grey winced. The pegasus looked over at him. Even though he wanted to ask Grey why he kept wincing, there was something he wanted to know a whole lot more. “You’re not telling me something Grey, what is it?” Grey’s ears drooped to the side, he looked away sadly.

“I’m trying to be happy. I’m trying to make things better. I’d been working my entire life to help Equestria the best way I knew how. My parents taught me that. The Equestrian Wasteland isn’t broken, it’s a stained glass window waiting for the right pony to come and put the pieces together. Always fight the good fight. I’ve been fighting it, and today I learned what it means to lose that fight. Just when I was about to win, just when we were going to change the Wasteland for the better forever, everything was taken away. Things changed alright, but I saw them get worse. You can’t remember what’s bothering you. I can’t forget.”

“Looks like we have something in common. We’re both in this to fix things, whatever that means.”

“Hey,” Grey’s ears perked up, “you can’t remember your name? Well I’ve got one. You’ve been through all this and you’re still a decent pony. That takes an unbreakable spirit. That takes a heart that’s one of a kind, one that can’t be stopped, that keeps beating no matter what. I like Iron Heart. What do you think?”

“Sure, why not?” The pegasus shrugged. Grey clearly liked that. He did another tiny jump-spasm of joy. He disappeared into the wreck of the skytank.

“Grey?” Iron Heart called out. “I forgot the 4th rule of combat. You stay there, I’ll be back.” A moment later, Grey’s face peeked out from the skytank, a mass of wires tangled about his head.

“What was that? Iron, Iron?” Iron Heart was gone. Grey tapped a contemplative hoof on the skytank, figured it was nothing, and went back inside.

Iron Heart cursed under his breath. He found some vital pieces of the earth pony that was keeping Grey hostage. He found the smoking remains of the pony in the back right of the delta formation, but the brown mare wasn’t where she had been lying after the explosion. There were some marks made by sliding hooves, and a small impression in the dirt. There was also no pony in that indent, and a small trail of red was leading away from it.

If I could fly, I’d track her down in no time. He followed the trail until it stopped by an opened medical box. Sighing, Iron Heart guessed which way he would hide if injured and needing to recover. He settled on a small cave in the side of the mountain. He approached it haphazardly, casually noting a hastily assembled tripwire. Heh, easy. She better hope it reaches out to… here! Iron Heart kicked a rock from where he was standing. The small rock went flying and bounced off a larger pile of rocks that was propping up one side of the wire. The pile shifted.

A sudden blast echoed from inside the cave. Iron Heart stalked up to the cave. Peering inside, he saw that the trip wire had indeed been tripped. He carefully approached the corner of the cave and glanced around the corner. He noticed the smoking barrel of a gun that was aimed at the cave’s mouth.

Having seen nothing else, he jumped into the mouth of the cave. He didn’t approach further until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave. A wall of rock lay close to him. He would have thought the cave was just a small hollow in the rock, but he noticed a small passage winding through the stone.

He scavenged what he could off of the gun and came away with a hoof full of shotgun shells, but didn’t take the time to take the gun off its mount. He approached the corner and glanced around it. There was something there, but it wasn’t a pony. He darted around the corner, swift and smooth.

A pool of drying blood lay next to an empty bottle and a discarded inhaler. Sunlight could be seen at one end of the tunnel. He moved as quickly as he could down the tunnel while still moving mostly quietly. The trail of blood thinned. There was a gentle arc to the tunnel. Iron Heart broke into a gallop when he spied the end of the tunnel but no forms inside it. He checked left, and then right when he reached the exit. Still no pony. The trail continued on. His eyes took just a moment to adjust to the sunlight, but he hurried even faster when he realized where he was.

In the skytank there was a locker; it was so named because it had a lock on it. Grey concentrated and brushed his magic over the lock, getting a feel for what was inside. He had a knife off the recon pony outside and carefully wedged it into the keyhole. He started pushing on the insides of the lock with his magic while he jiggled the knife with his mouth. The lock was starting to turn, but the tumbler caught on some pins that weren’t fully down.

“Hrbph, frhubnhr,” he said to himself. Another gentle push and the knife tip snapped. “Furrpgbb hercgin!” he scolded. The lock made no reply. “Plew!” he spit out. The knife clattered inside. Maybe this new method wasn’t the way to pick a lock. He sighed. Back to the old way, he thought. He started looking for a screwdriver.

“Grey?”

“Yes me, what can I do for you?”

“Grey!” That wasn’t him…that was coming from outside his head. He poked his head out of the skytank. A bleeding, brown mare stared at him. She was levitating a bloody knife. Grey ducked back into the skytank. The mare jumped in after.

“YOU’RE MINE!” she charged in, but tangled on a number of wires that were just inside. She found herself inverted, looking up at the skytank’s slanted roof. A gray face poked into view.

“Hi there!” he waved a hoof cheerily. “You’re bleeding.” She growled, found the knife and slashed at Grey with the full force of her magic. He ducked, but the knife still glanced off him.

“Look at that! Now I am, too! Oh, those cords tripped me up, too.” The mare looked around for the knife frantically. “Over there somewhere,” Grey pointed. Her chest heaved with every breath. “Okay, so here’s the deal. You’re awfully active for someone who’s lost so much blood. You’re probably running on adrenaline.” She righted herself and got to her hooves and lunged at him. “And buck. Yep, definitely buck. You can keep trying to kill me, but you’ll be dead in a matter of minutes. So, why don’t we help each other out?” She slowed. “The one stipulation is, you can’t try to kill me while I help you.”

“You’d just kill me.”

“Nah, I’d let him do it.” She swiveled to find Iron Heart inside the tank, staring. She tried to back up but caught in the wires inside the door. He knocked her to the floor and started to beat her. She was still hyped up on buck and started struggling violently. Her struggling tangled her in the wires until she couldn’t move anymore. As Iron Heart continued to beat her, the buck kept her conscious.

“IRON HEART STOP!” Parts of the skytank rattled with the sudden noise. Iron Heart looked up at Grey.

“What? Why?”

“Didn’t you hear me telling you to stop?

“No. She’s incapacitated. Best kill her quick.”

“By beating her to death? That’s not quick Iron, that’s cruel.”

“Tried to kill me. Tried to kill you.”

“She can’t resist anymore. Look at her.” For the first time Iron Heart considered the brown mare. She was helpless and bleeding. Tears were pouring out of the mare’s eyes. “What now?” Grey went over to the mare.

“You want me to help you?” She looked confused. Without waiting for an answer, Grey bent over the mare. “You’re still bleeding, but it’s not heavy. Something’s wrong… did, did you drink a health potion?” She gave a small, frightened nod. “Celestia’s shiny white beard! Look, I’d give you a sedative, but your heart would probably collapse. I do have this, though.” Grey worked a small syringe around the small wound on the mare’s chest with a syringe. A scalpel floated toward the mare.

“No, wait!”

“Iron Heart, hold her down.” With Iron Heart’s weight and the wires, the mare’s struggling all but stopped. “What’s your name?”

“Gash.” She started squirming as she felt some pressure. She couldn’t see what was going on, but the pressure didn’t hurt.

“Lovely.” She tried to look at him as if he were crazy, but couldn’t lift her head. “Alright Gash, dangerous part is over. A few medical bandages… and done!” The wires were cut away and she was rolled over so that she could sit. Her eyes started to droop. Grey got her attention and floated a hunk of scrap in front of her. “See? After the explosion you survived, you probably tried to cut out some shrapnel. You missed this when you drank the potion. Got the rest of it, but you’ve lost a lot blood. I’m sorry. I really am. But you have to stay here and rest. Don’t move for at least four hours. We have to go. Whoever your friends are, you should be able to meet up with them, but they’d try to kill us.” He leaned in close and put a hoof on her nose. “Gash. You can do better than this. I know you can.” Gash’s head lolled. “That’s the buck wearing off…” Grey’s voice was suddenly distant to her. Her eyes widened.

“I… I don’t understand. I, I…this.” She floated out a small slip of paper to Grey, then collapsed.

Silence caressed the lonely mountain. The last rays of light closed the last chapter in the lives of numerous dead. As light continued to fade, night promised to set a silent vigil where the air and land had been shocked with violence. Work hadn’t begun to clear the debris or deal with the bodies. One side was, well, lifeless. While there was activity around the mountain, no effort was being expended by the other side to coordinate cleanup, at least not tonight. Silent forms moved among the field, ironically searching for physical possessions to satiate their ghostly forms.

A large cart-like box was being lifted, inch by inch, to where Grey sat fiddling with some saddlebags.

“Hey… huff … little help,” Iron Heart gasped. Grey perked up.

An aura of gray wrapped itself around the box. Iron Heart heard the sounds of straining as his unicorn friend tried to lift the box with magic. The box didn’t feel like it got any lighter. Both ponies worked their way past where Grey had been sitting. A few more minutes and the cart was hoisted off Iron Heart’s back. It came to rest near a sheer edge of the mountain.

“So, uh, what’s this?”

“What’s it look like?”

“Hm.” Grey puzzled a moment. “It has a rack on the back. It’d be perfect for stacking bombs on. Wait, this is a bomb cart!” Grey looked pleased with himself. Just another one of life’s little mysteries he’d figured out.

“Nope.” Grey deflated. “This is our ticket off this rock.”

“Oh. Okay.” Grey hopped into the back. Iron Heart strapped into the harness.

“Grey?”

“Hm?”

“Something’s wrong with the spark batteries back there, that’s why I had to carry this thing. Figure out what’s wrong.”

“K.” Iron Heart heard some magic behind him, along with the sound of some tools. He started to get bored.

“Need help?” he called back.

“Nope. Found the problem, just have to fix it.” There was a snap.

“Grey? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just broke one of my tools. Uh, I mean. Nothing at all. Don’t worry, I’ve got something else.” Iron Heart kept himself from face-hoofing; he felt doing it again would leave a bruise.

“Grey, hurry up, we’re running out of light. And I don’t like being a sitting duck out here,” Iron Heart whispered, scanning the surrounding area for threats. “Hey. I meant to ask you, where’d you get all that stuff you helped that mare with? Those tools, too. Wait, how’d you know all that about the mare, anyway?”

“Well, all this stuff was given to me. I was helping the Enclave research the SPP hub. Gave me all the tools I asked for. They sent me to the fight here, but I thought, who knows when I’ll be back? Might as well be prepared, right?”

“Yeah, but what would you need the medical supplies for?”

“I didn’t. I just asked for them. I can help ponies medically sometimes. You might say I’m a Johnny do-it-all. My enemies have oft criticized me, though, by saying that means I can’t do anything well.”

“How does that bode for our repairs?” There was another snap. “Grey you feather-brain! I swear, if you bucking-“

“All done.” Iron Heart gave a little test jump. The bomb cart responded by lifting a number of feet off the ground. “W’aah!” Grey made a thump as he rolled around in the back. A sudden cry pierced the sky. It sounded perfectly normal for the top of a mountain, but it gave Iron Heart a kick of urgency. “Whoah there! You said you didn’t know how to fly!”

“Tell me something Grey. Why’d you help Gash, I doubt we have any supplies left. Not to mention we had almost no time for scavenging.” Grey didn’t answer for a moment. Iron Heart was unclipping and readjusting the harness as quickly as he could.

“After everything I’d seen. Even if I lived, I was ready to give up. I was ready to lay down and wait until I died. Two things changed me today. It’s hard for me to describe, but I saw, in the middle of all this, the most beautiful thing ever. You should have seen her, I know you would’ve liked her. Flying low, and for a few moments, I swear I saw a pegasus in perfectly white clothes. She was beautiful. It looked like none of this had touched her. I had to keep going, I had to see if she was real.” There were so many dubious details about that, but Iron Heart didn’t have time. Without even thinking, he opened his muzzle.

“What color was her mane?”

“I can’t remember, why?”

“I-I don’t know. Forget it. What does that have to do with Gash?” He nickered at the harness. It was way too hard to get it to cooperate.

“It was the other thing. The other thing was seeing you come alive. It took most of my medical supplies, but the feeling I got when you started breathing again… it gave me a reason to live. I just couldn’t let her die if I could do anything to save her, I needed her to live.”

“Keep doing that and your friends might die instead.”

“What do I become if I don’t take that risk? So many ponies, and other folk too, died today fighting for what they believed in. If I don’t live like they did, am I really alive at all?” Iron Heart heard the cry again. The cries were getting closer. Could anypony, even a unicorn, be this oblivious? He looked at Grey, who wore a face so stern that it might actually intimidate a mouse. Iron Heart chuckled to himself. “And don’t think I forgot about earlier either. You said you couldn’t fly, I remember. Did you intend for me to be in the back of this thing while we just crash?”

Iron Heart turned around to face the sun. His blue coat and mane silvered in the light just before twilight. The clouds wore caps of rose. He smiled at the sun with confidence. “Hello beautiful.” He didn’t feel the warmth, but there it was, clear as day. Grey didn’t know it, but the unicorn had shown him how to rely on his senses without feeling them. “No Grey, I don’t intend that at all.” He kicked off the side of the mountain.

He felt the rush that Grey must have felt, judging by the unicorn’s whinnies and cries. He had to admit that the free fall was exhilarating, perhaps even frightening, but only in a way that caused him an excitement that lofted his heart above the clouds. The clouds looked like a soft, fluffy ground as they continued to fall.

Very little trace remained of Iron Heart and Grey Grid when a detachment of Griffons arrived. A female griffon circled and landed. The rest of her detachment followed. “Axe!”

“Ma’am?”

“Tell me again. Where in this shit storm you say?”

“I swear ma’am, Gash said they were heading to this end of the plateau. I even caught a glimpse of ‘em before I caught up with ya; 4th rule and all.” The female griffon walked to the end of the plateau. She noticed some crumbling rock near the edge.

“Pro’lly jumped. Poor bastards. Alright wing, nothing to see here. Looks like we miss out on this “savior bonus,” too. Damn weird work for mercs. Aw hell, let’s go boys, time to see if we can bring at least some survivors in.” She scratched at the rock in disgust, some pieces off the side and into the open sky.

Looking up at the sun once more, Iron Heart’s blue wings unfolded. Iron Heart would have liked to watch the sunset, but if half of the things pouring out of the unicorn’s muzzle were true, it was a good thing they were gone. That was all behind him now. The crazy unicorn was behind him, too, although he was in tow. He wouldn’t shut up, but Iron Heart didn’t care, he was flying. Though he felt like he always knew he could (what pony ever heard of a pegasus that couldn’t fly), it was the first time he remembered flying at all. It was also the first time Iron Heart remembered feeling alive.

Addendum I:

Excerpt From "The Battle for Dragon Mountain," a speech made after the black events of, "...a day that will live in infamy." This speech was made to all pegasi, above the clouds and below, to rally home for the survival of those they know and love, for their terrified families, for the Enclave!

"...and now, beloved. Now we have seen what those earth ponies, and hellhounds, and griffons, and unicorns intend to do. Ask any soldier. Ask any peacekeeper sent below to extend the hoof of friendship. We came as friends, they came to kill us. We came in peace and they came in war. We showed them love and they showed us no mercy. No. Mercy.

How many of us have lost loved ones in the balefire bombs of Splendid Valley? How many of you have gotten the letters of condolence from the horrors of a thunderhead or raptor that has been lost through various weapons of mass destruction. Oh yes, dear ponies, their weapons are the cruel weapons from the great cataclysm. Pink cloud, balefire bombs, Celestia One, necromancy. Many of you do not know what these weapons are, and with what we seek to undertake, you never will.

We thought that such weapons and the ponies that use them had become extinct since the great cataclysm. We thought our brothers and sisters were reasonable. We were wrong.

Dear citizens, many of you know what happened at the Battle of Dragon Mountain. That is a day that will live in infamy. However, I promise you this senseless violence ends today. No longer will we live on in the pursuit of the folly of peace. Our loved ones are too precious, our survival too dear.

I promise you, that today begins a new era in our prosperity, in our life. There will be change, but this change is good. We have come away from this with the ability to regroup, rebuild. The council has the intelligence and the technology it now needs to be triumphant. All I can ask from each of you is to be true to each other. From today on, we stand as one, and we will make those who seek to harm us rue the day they met our emissaries of peace, and killed them.

Two more things, my friends. Firstly, I know all of you have been saddle sore with the restrictions we have placed on your families. Too long you have wondered how we could demand such a thing from you. You were right to complain. No pegasus should ever have to face what you have. Thank you, good pegasi, for your cooperation. I assure you that your sacrifice has not been in vain. Now we have food, and plenty of it. I want each of you here and at home to take out your birth request forms, your license applications, your certificates allowing you to grow your families. As down payment of what is to come. As a symbol of what will now be, I want each of you to throw these away. I want you and your families to know the joy that comes from loving freely, growing without concern, and knowing the happiness that comes from a family as large or small as each of you sees fit.

Finally, I want you to know that the Enclave was started as a place where the pegasi could live with our pony friends in peace and harmony. The Enclave is now become something more. In the face of such oppression, the Enclave has become our last, best hope for victory!"

The news of the abolition of family size restriction was heralded as a great freedom. This, and the verifiable truth that the killers of the great war had once again been used against pegasi, the pegasus race became convinced that those on the ground were a threat that could not be reasoned with and an enemy with whom no peace could be made. The Pegasus Race rallied behind the cause of the Enclave and flourished.

LEVEL UP

New Perk: Reborn!
You have been through such a traumatizing experience that you're a new you! All of your previous skill points and SPECIAL characteristics have been reset and reassigned by you. However, you may now Tag! four new skills, instead of three. Each tagged skill gains an instant 15 point bonus.

Author's Note

-End Ch. 2
-Which character gets the Reborn! perk, anyway?
-I guess you could say Grey was stuck between a rock and a hard case...
-4th rule of combat: Confirmation

Chapter 3: Clouds on the Horizon

Flashflood

"Into each life some rain must fall, but too much, too much is falling in mine."

Above, the clouds had been kissed by the sun. Below, the clouds turned wild. Sheets of rain pummeled the earth. Parts of the wasteland were beat into submission and warped into rivers of mud. Other cliffs defied the weather, stone faced.

A small settlement, miles away from the foothills of Dragon Mountain, hunkered down. A small bomb cart lay discarded outside of the town. A sentry on the wall peered out into the rain, trying to see clearly what it was he had glimpsed. He swore he could hear something.

“G… waited this out! ...soaked,” came through the din.

“Come now, Iron Heart, I never thought a little rain would get under your skin.” There was a laugh. “Or should I say your second coat… you know, because rain’s now you’re… oh, never mind. You there, on the guard tower.” The colt on duty blinked, surprised. He looked left, then right. “Yes, you. There’s no pony else up there. Could you please let us in, the weather out here is kind of sad.”

“…ad? …ad! I’m wearing rain like a second coat and you’re worried about getting depressed?” The sentry noticed two pony-shaped blobs through the rain.

Looking up at the wall of welded scrap metal, Iron Heart saw the sentry disappear. “Look what you did now.” He was raising his voice to be heard through the rain. Grey backed up a little, he thought his friend sounded scary. “Oh no, you don’t get to play the frightened little colt. You’re crazy antics-“

“Who goes there?” Even though they were still a ways off, Grey and Iron Heart both heard the voice. A new form had reached the battlements. Grey bounded around excitedly, Iron Heart shielded himself from the splashes.

“Look Iron Heart, another unicorn, and they know the same spell I do!”

“Who are you? State your business.”

“This is Iron Heart, and I’m Grey Grid and… our business is getting out of the rain.” Iron Heart snorted at the weak attempt.

“No refugees can enter. We can’t support any. Go away.” Iron Heart nickered.

“We’re not refugees!” he yelled. “Look there’s got to be something.”

“If you were gonna make a substantial financial contribution to this town’s welfare, we might be able to work something out.”

Grey leaned over and whispered to Iron Heart. “Iron Heart, I think she wants a bribe. What’re we going to do? We don’t have any caps.” Iron Heart looked at his companion, muzzle agape. After a moment, he spoke.

“Grey.”

“Yes?”

“You’re horn’s still glowing. You still don’t have that spell active, do you?” There was a sigh from the rain.

“Like I said, no refugees! Go away or we’ll bring out a patrol!” Iron Heart did face-hoof this time, despite any bruises it might cause. He looked up, but Grey was gone, he had approached the door.

“Stop right there or we’ll shoot!”

“You spineless cowards! Do you have any idea-”

“No, and I don’t care.” The guard interrupted Grey, but he continued talking.

“what we’ve been through? We’ve come peacefully and unarmed and you weaklings don’t have the common courtesy to let us seek shelter? What kind of a town do you think you’re running? You want to shoot, you’re going to have to come out here and look at the grays of my eyes when you do! That way, everypony and every town will know what a ramshackle, worthless, little bunch of raiders this town and its ponies are!” Grey had gone up to the wall, and he beat on it at the words “ramshackle” and “worthless” for emphasis. There was no reply. “Hello? Hello!” His tiny fore hooves added their pitter patter along with the rest of the rain as he stood on his hind legs and pummeled the metal with a miniscule fury.

Inside the town, the colt who had been initially keeping watch was rushing back to the guard post. His hooves splashed mud as they made their way through the narrow streets. He was almost there when a blur shot through the rain. He didn’t make it to the guard post.

Outside, Grey was still doing his best on the wall when part of it gave way. “Look at that,” he exclaimed, “Can’t even build a decent wa-aAH!” Grey cried out as he was pulled inside, tripped and rolled over onto his back. A combat shotgun greeted him, muzzle to muzzle.

“Well, the Mare can’t say I didn’t try.”

“Finally! Out of the rain! And whom do I have the pleasure of thanking?” Grey’s tiny voice was so close to the shotgun that it echoed a little in the barrel. The light blue of the unicorn’s coat complimented the lavender of her eyes and magic. A lock of her white mane nearly touched the ground. She was taken aback.

“You realize you have a shotgun in your face, right?” Grey reached out and hugged it.

“Yes, and it’s dry!” The mare looked disgusted and shook the gun with her magic. Grey waggled a little in the air and then hit the ground with a thud.

“Are you crazy or something?”

“Probably.”

“Like I said, we aren’t taking any refugees. You’re probably just a raider spy, anyway. So make your peace, time for you to die.” The door opened to the metal space that ran in between an inner and outer wall that housed Grey and the unicorn. “Glad you’re here, Fleet. You’re gonna get an important lesson on dealing with crazy strangers. Shoot first.”

“Good advice. I think I’ll take it.” That wasn’t Fleet’s voice. There was the click of a handgun slide cycling. The mare turned around slowly, keeping the shotgun on Grey. A gun was pressed against her temple.

“Nowh, ya haff dwo choisses. Pud dowm dhe gum, or shood him. If ya dry, I godda say I’m pro’lly fasd ‘nuff to shood firsd.” The unicorn followed the gun barrel up with her eyes until she met a silver-eyed face with a gun in its muzzle and the tongue on the trigger. His eyes seemed empty somehow. The unicorn knew that gun. It was Fleet’s. Her body shuddered.

“I-I don’t know you won’t shoot me anyway.”

“Neider do I.”

“Trick! That’s enough!” A new voice broke through the rain. “Look, stranger. Shoot her and we’ll kill you both.”

“Trick? Yes, I suppose everypony is on a hair trigger. Alright Grey, let’s see if we can defuse the situation. Sounds like a good idea!” The blue mare looked back at the ground. It was pointed at dirt. She gave a whimper. Iron Heart flew to her other side, keeping her between himself and the new voice. Grey had galloped over to the new group in the rain. It looked like a posse`. At the front strode an earth pony with a green coat and red mane. She wore a suit of combat armor. “Hello! I’m Grey! Over there, holding the gun, is Iron Heart… come on now, say hello!”

“Grey! Get back over here, we have to leave.”

“No need, they let us in, see?”

“Sorry friend, you’ll be lucky to get out of here alive.” The green mare looked at Grey.

“Oh please, if you were raiders, you’d have shot my friend and yours down long ago. If we were raiders, my friend would have killed her and taken the body, whatever happened to me. Also, your unicorn wouldn’t be wetting herself.” The blue unicorn was shaking with fear. A growing puddle of urine was collecting underneath her. “Tell you what. Take me to your leader. Ooohh, I always wanted to say that. I can sort this all out.” Grey put on a campy smile. The mare with the red mane looked at him, looked at Trick who was still shaking. She lifted her head proudly.

“You,” she motioned to the posse, “Shoot him if even one of Trick’s hairs is hurt. As soon as this is set, somepony shut the damn door. Alright you insane little unicorn. Follow. Bold, Brash, on me!” She strode off. Grey followed happily, flanked by two guards that left the posse. They were in combat barding, had brown coats and black manes.

The four ponies made their way up sheets of metal that had been welded into a sloping ramp. Grey slipped a few times, but never fell very far. A couple of times one of the guards had to help him up. Parts and pieces of machines and sheet metal had been cobbled together and laid out into a bustling town. The group passed a number of levels and buildings, all welded together as if no pony had laid out a central plan.

They went into the only building that wasn’t made entirely out of old metal. Instead, this was a concrete building that was surrounded by the rest of the town. They entered the first floor. A few guards led them through the dull halls into an office. A white unicorn sat in a large chair behind a desk. Her eyes and mane shared a brilliant sapphire hue. She looked up to regard her visitors.

“And what can I do for you O’Rielly?”

“Well mare, my outfit’s contract mentions raiders, slavers, and even hellhounds, but it doesn’t say anything about crazies, so you have to decide what to do with him.” The Mare looked at the pony she didn’t know. Grey had sat down and was staring, agape.

“Hello there,” she started, “who might you be?”

“My name is Grey Grid, ma’am. May I just say that you are beautiful?” O’Rielly looked at Grey, astonished. “Don’t be like that O’Rielly, look at those eyes, have you ever seen such a pure blue? And that coat is absolutely radiant!” The mare behind the desk blushed slightly.

“Now, Grey was it, flattery doesn’t work around here. What did you need?”

“Ma’am, flattery is flippant and insincere. That praise was completely sincere. Any pony to come and see you after even five minutes outside would be blinded by the brilliance of your presence.”

“Shut up you ass!” O’Rielly broke in. “This filth has an associate outside with a gun on Trick.”

“Grey, is this true?”

“Yes ma’am. My associate and I were searching for shelter from the rain, but the guard pointed a shotgun in my face, even though we were unarmed. Iron Heart, my associate, grabbed a gun from another guard and had Trick drop hers for my benefit. It was quite heroic, actually. I assure you neither of us mean any harm.” The mare behind the desk sighed.

“Don’t take that load a horse-manure. These two are a risk. Let me deal with them.”

“And just how do you propose we do that, O’Rielly? I can’t just dump them outside of town.”

“Why not? We’re already stretched thin.” O’Rielly protested.

“She brings up a good point Grey, you’ve shown up at a very bad time.”

“Might I ask what’s going on?”

“You may. This town has come under heavy assault in the past two days. Normally we can fend off any raiders that harass our town, but just this past week two factions hit us at the same time. A breach was made and a number of our citizens were kidnapped. Some, we believe, were sold, some are being held for ransom from the town. As a matter of fact, Trick has two foals that were kidnapped in the attack. That’s when we hired O’Rielly and her rangers to help secure our… Grey, where are you going?”

The unicorn had turned and left the room, astonishing O’Rielly for the second time. Bold and Brash had been waiting outside of the office when Grey came marching through. Bold looked in on the Mare and his captain while Brash followed Grey outside. The rain had stopped completely.

Brash blinked his eyes in disbelief when they reached the courtyard. Where there was a standoff moments ago, there was now a small group comprised almost entirely of rangers. Fleet and Iron Heart were in the middle of it. The group was sharing a laugh.

“What’s going on here?” Brash bellowed. “Cap told you all to watch him and make sure nothing happened to Trick.” One of the rangers spoke up.

“We are Lieutenant.”

“Yeah,” said another, “he let her go ages ago. He’s tellin’ us about the great wars up in the clouds. Come n’ hear what’s goin’ on Lieutenant.”

Brash’s face turned from brown to red. “That’s enough you lazy-ass asses! Get back to your posts. You aint gettin’ paid ta sit around!” There was a collective groan from the crowd that began to disperse. Grey saddled up to Iron Heart. He was talking to Fleet.

“Careful kid. I’m not saying that you could’ve seen me coming, but an aerial surprise attack is always a tactical possibility; you have to watch for that especially on guard duty. And here,” Iron Heart hoofed over the pistol he’d taken, “get more practice with this. Respect it and it can save your life.” The colt looked up and nodded.

“Iron Heart, did you see where Trick went to?”

“Yeah, she’s in the saloon, why?”

“Gear up, we’ve got a mission.”

“Gear? What gear? Where do you expect me to find gear without… any… money?” His voice trailed off as Grey hoofed straight past him and toward the saloon on street (or mud, in this case) level. “Hey! Grey!” he called after. “How’d the thing go? You know, with the scary merc bitch?”

“Better than you, apparently.” Iron Heart couldn’t name the tactical blunder he’d made, but he knew it was an important one. His head turned and met the hoof of a furious O’Rielly.

“Brash!”

“Yes sir!”

“Where in the hell are the rest of the rangers?”

“Sir! At their posts, sir.” Iron Heart started to laugh.

“Brash, did I not give a direct order to keep him,” she jabbed a hoof at Iron Heart, “at the end of a gun?” Brash stammered.

“Relax,” Iron Heart chuckled. “You told ‘em to kill me if Trick got hurt.”

“Oh, and perhaps you know what happened to the rest of my crew? None of my actual soldiers seems to have a clue, and what the buck is so funny?”

“Sir, you actually have them call you sir! I guess that’s how they do it on the ground. When I realized your outfit were decent military bucks, I explained what your orders actually were and let Trick go. After that we started talking. Decent outfit you got there.” O’Rielly swung at him again. He immediately took a combat stance and swung back, blocking her hoof with his. “Like I said, relax.” O’Rielly narrowed her eyes.

“Relax and you’re dead. You should know that,” she hissed.

“Walking around with that stick in your ass would make it impossible to relax,” he countered. Brash started to laugh. O’Rielly stared him into silence. She turned back and met Iron Heart’s hoof. She recovered and was about to reign down a flurry of blows when she saw Iron Heart had dropped his stance. “Look, we’re even now. C’mon, let’s go to the Scarlet Canteen over there and buy you a drink.”

“Fine, let’s settle this. Last one standing on all four hooves wins.”

Iron Heart smiled. “You’re on.”

“No you’re not. We’ve got foals to save and orphans to not make,” Grey piped, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

“What are you talking about, Grey?”

“We’re going to go get the townsfolk back from the raiders.”

“Are you insane? That’s a whole camp! Do you know how many raiders that is?”

Grey nodded. “Thirteen. I was talking with Trick in the Scarlet Canteen. Turns out she became a guard after her children were stolen. She was pointing a gun at my face because the town took in a hurt pony who was only acting hurt. He then opened the door to the town at night and let in the raiders.” Grey continued merrily, “Some of the rangers in the canteen then said they knew where the camp was and how many there were. I also met a zebra who said she could translate my book, but only if I helped her get her foal back, too.”

“Look, Grey, was it? What you’re trying to do is noble and all, but if it’s just you, you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“Yep. O’Rielly? Could you help us?”

“I can’t send my rangers in. Their camp is covered by an M4A turret.” Grey clopped his hooves together excitedly. “What is it now?”

“You didn’t kill us, so you seem decent. With your rangers and our know-how, we can beat these raiders. We might even be able to get some of the townsfolk to help. I can reprogram that turret. You see, I have a plan.” Grey grinned.

“Uh-huh. Alright, I’ll bite. How do you plan to even get close enough to do that?”

“If we work together, we have a chance at getting everypony to safety. If we do nothing, those ponies are as good as slaves, or worse.”

“My contract is to protect this town, not put my ranger’s lives in danger.”

“So does that contract of yours tell you if that means the buildings, or the ponies?” O’Rielly stepped back, she didn’t like where that was going. “Because if it’s the latter, you’re wrong. Either way, this town won’t survive once every slaver camp hears it’s ripe fruit. Then you’ll have real trouble on your hooves.” O’Rielly sighed.

“Look, I won’t send my rangers in. I can’t. You don’t understand. Either way, I’ll have Brash here take you to our surplus locker, see if there’s anything there you can use.” She sighed again.

The walls of the town made a giant, if irregular, circle. Grey had fallen in to a side door one quarter of the way around circle from the front entrance. Brash led the group to the halfway point, directly opposite the front entrance. Underneath the town and underneath the wall, a cave had been dug out and reinforced. When asked about it, Brash excitedly responded, “A feat of engineering if you ask me! We were looking for a place to setup, but nothing was defensible or large enough, and that small office building just screams big, juicy target. So, we built down instead of up. Got plans to expand, too. We can lay the whole thing out like a honeycomb.”

“Like what?” asked Grey. Another look from O’Rielly shut Brash up again.

“Uh, nothing. Sorry, sir.”

“No need to apologize.” Grey apparently missed who the apology was for.

Metal platforms had been laid out inside the cave, supporting struts and beams made up a lattice work ceiling, and small lights were running off of smaller cables that were coming out of a larger, thicker cable.

Brash and Grey continued deeper into the cave. Iron Heart started to follow. He felt the pressure of a tug on his shoulder. He stopped to look at O’Rielly.

“You see this is a bad idea, right? Those ponies from town are as good as dead. Worst thing you could do is get yourselves killed, too.”

“Why are you trying so hard?” Iron Heart asked.

“I, well, I… my rangers. We’re not as big as we were. That’s my fault. Point is, I need more, and you’re military. What’s more, you’re Enclave.” Iron Heart snorted. “Look, that’s not a problem for me, I don’t care why you’re not with them anymore. Griffons have their own damned clique and I could really use a flyer.”

“Risk my neck for a couple of caps?” Iron Heart nickered. “That’s what you ponies use down here, right?”

“Don’t knock it ‘till you tried it. Good work. Performance bonuses, too. And I guarantee you we’re not like any other outfit. We’re loyal to each other, first. I wouldn’t ask any pony to do something I wouldn’t.”

“Except fly.”

“Smart ass.”

“Grey’s got this thing in his head, and he’s the best chance I have to figure out what happened to me. I woke up above the clouds in a world of shit and no memories. Grey knows a lot more than he’s telling me. I have to figure out what.”

“But he’s crazy! Please, for the love of Celestia, tell me you realize he’s insane.”

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I like it. Maybe I’m going soft. Either way, he’s gonna need some pony to pull his ass out of the fire.” O’Rielly shook her head.

“Your funeral. Had to try, anyway.”

“Thanks. Don’t worry, we’ll be back.” Iron Heart put a hoof on her shoulder. She leaned in and opened her muzzle to say something.

“Loog ad all thish shduff!” Four heavier than normal hooves made a flutter of “tink” sounds as they clamored up from behind. There was a small metal clank as one of Grey’s hooves caught in the metal grating, sending him and a small armory of materiel, sprawling. The mini grenade that had been in his muzzle came rolling and bounced to a stop at Iron Heart’s hoof. Iron Heart breathed an unconscious sigh of relief, noticing the pin was still in.

“What in the hell Grey?” Grey’s ears drooped. He looked up from the ground like a colt who’d been caught stealing a cookie. “How old are you?”

“Older than her.” Grey pointed a hoof at O’Rielly.

“Then bucking think like it!” Iron Heart roared. “I’m trying here, I really am. I’ve seen you laugh at death and come out on top more times than some of my own. You bucking even made the poor bastards who tried to put you down sorry that they did. But if you’re not serious, than you’re gonna get us bucking killed. What if that pin was out?” Grey started crying. “Aw hell.” Iron Heart bent lower. “You saved my life. I’m with you. But this isn’t a game, this is life and death. Give me a reason to follow with you. Tell me your plan. Help me out, here. Do this right and I know we can come out ahead.”

“Really?” Grey sniffled. Iron Heart nodded. “O-okay. I know how we can reprogram the turret.” Grey rummaged in his saddle bags and came back holding a StealthBuck in his hoof.

“O’Rrielly.” Iron Heart looked back at the mare. “What can you tell me about this camp?”

“Canterberry. That’s a great name for a raider camp.”

“Shh Grey! How do you know what this place is called?”

“It says so on my face!”

“Your what?”

“On my face. It’s the spell for this mapping device that O’Rielly gave me. I can see a map of the local area, and a larger map. They’ve got all sorts of names in there. Also, when we enter an area it recognizes, I see the words pop up on my face. I changed the colors, too. You should see them.”

“Hush, I gotta concentrate.” Iron Heart had been flying low. Now, he was lowering on to a rocky hill, trying to find a place to set down. As the cart lowered, Grey worked to untie himself. He had scavenged some webbing from O’Rielly’s bunker and had made a makeshift safety belt. The cart listed to one side and began to tumble. Grey fumbled with the straps, which came loose, and jumped out.

Iron Heart scrambled and twisted, but stayed silent as he fought to right himself. After a tense moment of flapping and adjusting, he turned the cart around, set it down gently, and tested it to make sure it wouldn’t shift any more.

The two stayed low as they reached the crest of the hill and peeked over.

“Damn this’d be a good sniping spot. I could put three or four of ‘em down before they could even react. It’s laid out just like O’Rielly told us. This security barding they gave us is decent, but it doesn’t hold up well, so we have to be careful. What now?”

“We ask nicely.”

“Okay Grey, this is the part where-“

“You’re right, Iron Heart. You always have been. We all need to have all the information we need.” Iron Heart looked at his companion strangely. Grey unfurled the paper he used to layout the compound from O’Rielly’s explanation. He assembled the few explosives they had, checked the communicators they had been given, and looked at the hunting rifle attached to Iron Heart’s new battle saddle. He then pointed to the main entrance facing the rocks, the side entrance, and the turret over-watching everything from the back of the compound. Then he explained his plan.

Grey hunched over, waiting for the right moment. After the guard had passed along the wall by the side entrance, he dashed toward it as fast as his legs could carry him. He dropped what he was carrying and made his way along the wall a little ways to the back. Iron Heart waited out front. Grey said he was ready.

Iron Heart yelled as loud as he could, “Let your prisoners go now, put down your guns, and nopony gets hurt.” There was a sudden commotion from inside the base. After a few moments an earth pony appeared on the battlements. He was clad in armor made from at least three different suits. It was adorned with old medals and spikes. He lifted a speakerphone to his muzzle.

“Who’s there? Show yourself now! I promise you we won’t kill you. Shit, we’ll even keep you as our personal toys!” He laughed cruelly.

“Nice medals!” Iron Heart called back. “Getting ready for Hearth’s Warming?” The earth pony turned to a subordinate and said something. The subordinate nodded, laughed, and ran off. He lifted the speakerphone again.

“I take it back.” A generator hummed to life near the compound entrance. Two doors slid apart slightly. Three ponies ran out. One had a battle saddle with a large weapon attached. The others were toting smaller weapons. “We’re gonna kill you, after we have fun with you.”

“A little closer, come on!” Iron Heart sighted in on the lead pony… until he saw what was on the battle saddle. He smiled. One shot rang out, followed by a second, followed by a third. The three ponies stopped and looked up at the rocks nervously.

“They get any of ya?” the raider with the battle saddle looked at the other two. One of them, a unicorn, looked back, shaking his head. His muzzle dropped open. He tapped the other’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? Hey?” she asked. The other, an earth pony, looked back and started running away. “Hey, where ya going?” She started after him. The one with the open muzzle watched her go. As she moved, a pressurized stream of liquid poured across her vision. Her eyes went wide as she tried to stop. One of the six similar streams brushed on the flamer’s pilot light and erupted. The flames reached up to the tank, causing it to explode.

The explosion mercifully killed her. The unicorn standing in place went down, two new holes adorning his skull. The sound of the shot was all but drowned out by the fireball. The third pony was knocked to the ground and started screaming in agony. His screams became higher pitched as the flaming jelly spread fire all over his haunch.

By the wall, Grey heard a stream of obscenities and orders. Soon after, the side door opened. Three more ponies poured out. They were moving so fast that none of them heard a collection of irregular ticking sounds. Starting with the one closest to the wall, a line of mines exploded in almost instant succession. While raider armor absorbed some of the blasts, the only survivor lay in two on the ground, unresponsive. Grey took his hooves off his ears and activated the StealthBuck.

Outside the wall Iron Heart ducked behind a rock to cycle out his last round and reload. Before he did, the crack of a bullet split through the air as it sailed past where his head had just been. “Sniper, shit!” A shadow passed over his head. He stopped and looked up. A growing shadow was blocking the sun. “With a side order of bucking griffon shit.” As he spoke, instead of reloading he pointed the rifle up just in time to get a shot off and roll. Razor-clad claws barely missed him and bit into the ground where he’d been.

“Hello, beautiful!” The griffon wheeled and sprang on him with a cry. He jumped into the blow, feeling a fleeting pressure on his haunch and a gust of wind as a second griffon landed. He ducked the first griffon’s swing and bucked the second as it tried to slash at him. Iron Heart lowered his head, lunged, and reared. The first was thrown over his back and landed on the second. He heard a flurry of activity as they tried to recover. Staying low, He activated his communicator.

“Grey! There’s a bucking sniper. See if you can spot he-“ Both griffons attacked and he did the one thing that was completely natural that he was trying to avoid: he took to the air. He never stopped moving and spinning. There was another crack as a bullet flew by. Damn, she’s good, he thought. He wheeled upward toward the sun, snorting with the exertion. He didn’t speed up. Somewhere, as if from another world, a whispering voice entered his ear.

“Will do, good sir. But wait, why aren’t you whispering?” A moment of silence punctuated Iron Heart's world. As high as he was, there was nearly no wind. He started to roll away from the sun. The ground looked farther away than it was. For one serene moment, the world slowed down. “That's right Grey! I'm the only one who needs to be whispering! I'm a silly pony.”

A crack split past Iron Heart's ear; the sniper was getting close. He had stalled in mid air. A griffon with razor tipped wings rocketed through the air, a wicked smile across his beak. Iron Heart didn't see the other griffon. The griffon rotated and extended his wings to get in a good slice.

This slowed him down, but not enough. Just before they collided, Iron Heart somersaulted and bucked his hind hooves with all his might. The wing blades cut the air where Iron Heart's heart had been. Iron Heart's hooves connected with the griffon's ribs. There was a wet crunch.

The griffon sneered in pain and clutched his side. He slowed down and tried to keep flying, but Iron Heart grappled him close. The two began to free fall, spinning slowly. The griffon cut at Iron Heart with his wings, but the pegasus was too close. He was just about to swipe Iron Heart's face when Iron Heart found a broken rib, held the griffon close, and punched hard. The griffon spat an alarming amount of blood in the pegasus' face.

Looking up toward the approaching ground with one eye, Iron Heart positioned the griffon in between himself and the sniper. He kicked the griffon away, carefully adjusting his flight to stay level with the falling bird. Shoot, damn you! SHOOT! The griffon reached out. There was a sudden puff of feathers out from the griffon's chest. At the same time, Iron Heart heard the snap of another supersonic round and saw the griffon's stare go blank.

He adjusted his free fall moments before crashing on the rocks. His fall turned into a glide in that instant. His body grunted as something inside him shifted out of place. Iron Heart tried to slow down, but one wing folded in on it's own. He gave a mighty whinny, folded his other wing, and started to tumble. Back on the rocks, a griffon's body came down hard. A long shriek pierced the air, followed by several shorter shrieks.

Up on the battlements a sniper lowered her scope. Her muzzle twisted. She peered back through her scope with a sudden hatred. She was so focused that she didn't notice her saddle satchel open slightly, then close again. She did notice a tacking of the keyboard come from the turret a good distance from her emplacement on the battlements. She drew out a pistol and pointed it over at the terminal. There was nopony there, but the keys were moving on their own. An explosion tore her apart.

“Focus Grey, focus.” Tak-tak-tak the keyboard replied. “Why thank you Mr. Keyboard, how kind of you to recognize your friendly neighborhood maintenance pony. No, I seem to have misplaced my security password. Why yes, I'd be delighted to open up your terminal's maintenance subroutines to take a closer look.” Takkity-tak-tak, the keyboard offered. A compilation of gibberish appeared on the terminal. Amongst the gibberish were ten words, five letters each. “Right again, noble keyboard, I will need to look through these possible passwords for the real one. You'll even give me four chances to input the correct password? How generous!” Grey guessed once. It was incorrect, but the maintenance routine told him how many characters were correct. “Three out of five on the first try? How lucky! And the only word with two different letters is...” Grey entered the word, began to snicker and then laugh out loud. The password he entered was LAUGH. “Ha ha! New targeting parameters? Why me, of course. Why, you'll even add my friends too? You are too kind, Ms. Targeting Spell. No, no, no. Thank you.”

Two raiders rushed to the back of the battlements to see what the explosion was. A gleeful laugh grew louder as they approached the M4A magical energy turret. Looking around for the source, they saw a laughing gray unicorn materialize by the turret's terminal. They also saw the turret swivel on its emplacement and open fire.

When the threat had been duly vaporized, the turret started to track onto something else. “Is something wrong?” Grey asked the turret. It locked and seemed to lose its lock a number of times. A minute later and Grey heard the squeak of a megaphone.

“Come out! All of you, out here now! You can't shoot me, I know it. I've got them. All your filthy, worthless, cattle. Were they worth killing over? How many of us ya think you killed? Huh? Or should I say, how many more of us than them?” A shot rang out. Grey's world suddenly hung by a thread. He huffed along the battlements until he reached the front of the compound.

As he reached the front, he saw an earth pony covered in medals and spikes. A unicorn in spiky, metal armor was next to him. There was a collection of scared, miserable ponies huddled in front of them. The unicorn covered the group with an assault rifle while the earth pony held a gun to the head of a complacent unicorn ghoul. A bruised and bleeding Iron Heart limped toward them. Grey bit back a cry when he saw what was laying in front of the earth pony.

“Drop your gun!” the earth pony cried.

“No.” Iron Heart replied.

“I-I'll shoot another one!”

“Go ahead. I'll kill you, then. You have my attention. What do you want?”

“We go free and I keep this rotten meat as my property. MY PROPERTY!” Iron Heart looked at the battlements.

“W-what are you looking at?”

“Looking for other guards, other threats. Always do. Don't see nothing else.” The earth pony laughed crazily.

“Y-yeah! They're there, don't you bucking worry about it, mother-bucker.” He was getting hysterical. Iron Heart shrugged.

“Go on.”

“You'll shoot me, that's what you'll do. Soon as look at me.”

“Haven't done that yet.”

“Yeah, hah ha! Never will, ya coward, ya shit! You'll never forget the time you let me go. When I'm a slaver king, you'll remember the chance you had to kill me and never did it, hah, ha! The day you let S-” Iron Heart fixed the would-be king with a cold, dead stare. That wretch felt more alive than he did, but at the time he seemed like less of a pony. Iron Heart dismissed him.

“Nah, I'd just let him do it.” The earth pony turned to see a gray unicorn holding his breath and angling a shotgun underneath his head. Grey didn't hesitate. The unicorn's head flew apart with a throaty roar. The unicorn covering the cowering townsfolk lifted his rifle to take down Grey. Iron Heart shot, but his shot went far wide. The unicorn opened fire, but then his head came apart, too.

Grey went down. Iron Heart looked around frantically, but he was exhausted. He galloped over to Grey. “Looks like it's my turn.”

“Iron Heart I, I...”

“Right here, trust me, you're gonna be fine.” Iron Heart stripped off the security barding. He gave a small whinny. “See, armor grabbed most of it.” It was strange, too. Many of the bullets had caught in the armor and were poking through. A few more had gone through, however. “Tell me what to do, Grey.” His friend was breathing hard.

“Must be- hzzuh,” Grey let out a wheeze, “Went through. Normal bullet?” Iron Heart pulled one out of the armor.

“Yeah.”

“Must be magic. Get b-, get b-, them out. Fast as can.” Iron Heart nodded and set to what his friend asked, but Grey clasped his leg hard. “Must be all of it. All of it out. Iron Heart nodded.

As he looked at his friend, he realized that he needed help, he needed supplies, he needed a medic. “Wave? Wave! I need you now, where are you? MEDIC!” Iron Heart blinked. Where did that come from, he wondered. What also came was an earth pony in familiar combat armor. She wore two saddle bags with a cross of pink and yellow on them. Grey saw her approach as the sky went dark. Soon after, so did Grey's vision.

Grey's world blurred its way into focus. There was a constant rush of water and rain coming from outside. Grey made to get up, but lay back down when he felt suddenly nauseous. It was dark but he could make out vague forms. One was sleeping on a cot near him. He shivered, suddenly feeling cold. Cold and nauseous. The only way this could get worse was if... his body gave a lurch. He started to hack and looked around furiously for something, anything. Looking around made his head spin and he vomited over one corner of his cot.

He hugged himself and his teeth started to chatter. “O-oo-ohh-h,” he groaned miserably. “Filthy f-f-freezing furlongs! Look what you did now.”

“It's okay. Reconstituted rations are an easy clean up,” a voice mused behind him. Grey's teeth chattered as he looked over. The form that had been sleeping next to him was now assessing the situation around his cot. Grey stared into two luminescent green eyes. “Hey, you even missed the bed, good work!” Grey gave a toothy, chattery smile. It was actually harder to see the rest of her, now that she was up. She went over to her cot and brought back another blanket that she tucked around Grey. It was hard to see her because her coat and mane were dark, very dark. She jabbed a hoof at Grey. “Hey, watch what your teeth say, I might actually get offended!” Whoever this was, Grey liked her.

“I-I-I'm G-Gr-”

“Grey, I know. My name's Sable Eye. I don't know what you told your friend before you went under, but the information he gave me saved your life.”

“Y-your eyes-” Grey started. This time Sable Eye really did look offended.

“If you're about to tell the combat medic that spent three hours digging lead out of your hide that neither of her eyes are, in fact, sable, then you can go straight to unicorn hell.” Grey managed to shake his head, even though he was shivering.

“V-very p-p-pretty.” The eyes were even pretty as she blinked.

“Oh. Thanks. Sorry, I didn't...” Grey shook his head again.

“W-worth saying.” Sable eye looked at him a moment.

“Hey, I know the Mare even wants to talk with you, but let me get your friend... after I clean this up.” The combat medic turned on a camp lantern and worked fast. She then left the room. It was astonishing to Grey how quickly she had cleaned up the vomit, even leaving pleasant scent. Baraxo Lemon, at least, smelled better than vomit. A few minutes later, Iron Heart came in.

“Hey Grey.” Only Grey's face was showing from underneath all his covers, but he extended a hoof, too. It kind of vibrated on its own as he shivered, giving the effect of a wave, although Grey didn't voluntarily move it. “You're looking better.” Grey chattered in response and drew his hoof back in. Iron Heart came close. “Listen, you've been out of it for about thirty hours. You're sick, I know, but what the buck was in that notebook?”

“Th-the what?”

“I ignored it earlier, but you said something about a notebook yesterday. Something about a translation? You never mentioned it before.” A memory flashed across Grey's face. He nodded in fits and flutters.

“No idea, w-w-why?”

“Well, where'd you get it, at least?”

“Found it on th-the mountain. Couldn't read it...,” he remembered something else, “zebra said she knew-w zebra and pony words. From the Sc-Scarlet Canteen, I think.”

“Here's the deal. After we set out, O'Rielly has a pang of conscience, knew she was a softie, and sends her best recon buck and this crack medic mare. They came just at the end, and well, saved both our hides. They radio back to base and tell 'em what we did. The town goes crazy and this special caravan hauls ass out here. Well, the raiders had been torturin' and killin' some of 'em,” Grey looked down and started to cry, “No no no, don't do that. Hey, come here, look at me. Look at me, that's it. You didn't do anything wrong you lucky-ass insane-o-corn. We did awesome. That shit-head gunning down that colt right at the end, none of us could've stopped that. We saved so many, and that medic mare, she's a miracle worker. Don't you look like that. Stay with me.” Grey fought back some shivery sniffles and sobs. “You okay? You sure? Good. As I was saying. Here's the best bit.

“The caravan's got family and friends in it. There to comfort or grieve, or both, depending. So, who shows up but that zebra friend of yours? She embraces her foal and it's real touching. Then, she insists on getting that journal. Says a promise reflects on her clan or some shit, and that she insists we give her the notebook. She goes crazy. I mean, bucking insane. She shows us a translation and the original, and makes us take her to you. And she did this in, like, five hours. The whole thing. Continues on about about how she'll only give it back to you. We try and tell her you're out like a light, but she's inconsolable. O'Rielly and I kinda get worried, but we agree anyway. So we tag along as security.

“You're out of surgery and she starts talking to you. You don't say anything, of course, but she just keeps talking. She goes on about how you're a demon and how you used her only son to trick her into making a vow. She says that, “It is in your power now. You will do with it what you will. But I tell you to burn it! Burn it and do not loose your soul. Burn it, or the demons will come to claim their own!” She throws the thing on the ground, spits on it and hoofs it outta there. Poor Sable Eye had to clean it all with that Abraxo, or Baraxo, or whatever the shit.

“Now look, the Mare from town is coming. She's coming and she wants to talk to you. Grey, do you have any idea what's going on?”

Grey thought a moment. He sat there and shivered. He opened his muzzle, but then closed it again. After awhile he only shook his head. “I don't know what's in that notebook.”

“Grey. What's going on? Tell me. What is this about? I can't help you if you won't tell me what you're not saying?”

“It's about the promise I made to you. I want to tell you, but I n-need to figure out what's going on. Until I do that, I wouldn-n-n't kn-kn-ow what to say. Hey, d-do you have my stuff?”

“Alright Grey, I know that's what you want right now. But listen, I can't help you if you don't tell me. We all need all the information we need, right?” Grey nodded. “Okay buddy, let me get your stuff.”

After Iron Heart returned, he stacked Grey's things underneath the cot. Sable Eye entered. Grey perked up. “O-o-h! H-hi!” he shivered. Iron Heart looked at her, then at Grey.

“Visiting hours are over, Iron.”

“What's wrong? I was just visiting my friend.”

“Yep, and now you're done.”

“What gives?”

“You keep telling me I'm a miracle worker, but I'm not. You're friend needs rest. He's lost blood, he's sick, and he's cold. Everything's in short supply with the other refugees, and if things keep up like this, he's only going to get colder.”

“So, what?”

“So, you're leaving. Now!”

“Okay, okay.” Iron Heart left the room.

“Finally. Now I can work. Alright, out of that cot, mister.” Grey looked up pathetically. “Oh no, uh-uh, those doe-eyes don't work on me. Besides, don't you trust me?” Grey nodded and climbed out of the bed. It didn't take long for his legs to start knocking without the blankets. Sable Eye pulled the cots together. She suddenly grabbed a rock and hurled it at the window with a sudden ferocity. Iron Heart cursed from outside. Sable Eye put her fore-hooves on the window and shouted out. “Serves you right! Now get the hell out of here!”

She lowered herself back in the room and looked at Grey. All of him, horn tip to tail tip, was shivering. He looked small and sad. “Don't worry, my little pony.” This was the first time Grey got a good look at her. Her mane, her coat, her cutie mark, everything but her eyes were black. She gave him a warm smile.

She then padded the two cots as best she could. “Alright, you go in this one.” Grey hurriedly climbed in. Two blankets were then tucked in on one side of him. She pulled the blankets over gently and turned out the light. She then climbed in on the other cot and tucked the other ends of the blanket underneath her side. The room lay within the newly captured compound. Outside that room the wind was howling. The steady drum of rain turned dirt streets into streams of mud. They lay there for a few minutes. Grey's teeth began to chatter. She let out a sigh.

“I feel bad taking these military blankets considering what so many of the others have to use. The raiders had a good deal of mattresses and things, but they're filthy. Goddess knows what's been done in, on, and to them. We just can't bring anypony back until we're all safe to move. I apologize Grey, I'm rambling on.”

“Th-that's okay, you have a g-good heart. I-it's really nice t-to meet a good pony l-like you. A-and for m-making sure I was okay, ramble on just as long as you'd like t-to.”

Sable Eye moved to be closer to Grey. Her head lay down next to Grey's and she looked at him. He returned her gaze, getting lost in her eyes for a long time. Eventually, he didn't even feel cold anymore.

Morning had come. After the initial confrontation, the compound had become deathly quiet. Now, it was a hub of activity. All of which made it hard for Grey to concentrate. He was levitating the satchel Gash had given him and shaking it. He listened carefully to hear what was inside. “Rrgh!” It was dropped in frustration. “Aw, c'mon. It's like a Hearth's Warming present I can't open.” Grey's ears sagged and the satchel landed with a thud.

“Still can't get that thing open?” Grey looked up to see Iron Heart enter. He shook his head “So, how do you feel?”

“Much better, thanks.”

“After last night, I bet you are.”

“Do you mean to imply?”

“Don't deny it.”

“I deny nothing. I mean, everything, you can't just go around saying-”

“Aannd, you're gonna stop me?”

“I-uh, but...” Grey stammered. This was too easy.

“Just get ready, you've got a lot of explaining to do in a few.” He shook his head and cantered toward the door. Grey had picked up the satchel and was fiddling with it again. “Why would she give you something you can't open?” Shooting up, Grey's magic stopped and the satchel hit the ground again.

“She wouldn't! You're a genius, Iron Heart!” He was already gone. Grey started pulling things out from under the cot, letting them fall on the floor. When there was nothing left under the cot, Grey started digging through the blankets.

“Am I interrupting?” Grey's head poked out from the blankets, which he'd managed to get himself tangled up in.

“Mhm, pleh.” A scrap of paper wafted to the ground as Grey spit it out. “Nope. Just finished discovering the key I need to open my present. It's a piece of paper.” The Mare that Grey had met in town was in the doorway, looking confused. Even though the sky was thick with clouds again, her bright coat was still brilliant; almost as if she gave of a light of her own. Something inside Grey clicked, he couldn't tell what it was, but she seemed familiar. What seemed familiar was deeper than him recognizing a pony he'd met before. Currently, however, she was as confused as she was brilliant.

“Okay?”

“Please, come in Milady. Enter this humble habitat freely.”

“You are very flattering, Grey. Don't look upset, I believe you to be sincere, as well.” She gave a small laugh. “But please, call me Sapphire.”

“Very well, lady Sa-”

“Just Sapphire.”

“My apologies, Sapphire, I didn't mean to offend.” Grey bowed low and looked up at her, troubled. One of his hind legs was stuck to the cot and he was tangled in blankets up to his haunches. Sapphire laughed out loud. The room seemed to light up with her mirth.

“Were did they find you, Grey? Please, do not worry. Come, we have much to discuss.” They made their way to a desk at one end of the room. Sapphire noticed that the paper had landed on two notebooks, stacked together. “First of all, I really must apologize. Between how you and your friend acted on behalf of Trick, and how you avoided a single shot from being fired, after you had been treated so poorly... a simple apology is not enough.

“Further, you two, without promise of compensation, risked yourselves to save ponies you didn't know. You also solidified a special relationship between Kilowatt and O'Rielly's Rangers, I can't tell you how that will help our two cities grow.”

“Two cities?”

“O'Rielly has requested to make the ruins of Canterberry her primary headquarters. Without the ponies required to operate it ourselves, I agreed. With this agreement, she will be able to provide protection and we can establish trade routes. I fear she may be getting the better deal, though, as a number of our citizens have requested to join her ranks.”

“Kilowatt! That's the name of your town!”

“Yes, we have a small dam that we use to provide enough power for our town. Rain is something that has never been in short supply. Now, there are two reasons why I'm here. First of all, we cannot give you a proper reward, except to say that I've asked all of our merchants to give you a discount. Also, you will always be welcome in Kilowatt.”

“I only ask two things from one as lovely as yourself. The first is, a kiss.” Sapphire sputtered and snorted. That was too much.

“Wait, really?” Grey nodded at her as seriously as he possibly could. Sapphire laughed. “I'm afraid I can't. My special somepony wouldn't approve.”

“Oh, I'd never tell.”

“Once again, I must decline.” Sapphire made a show of batting her eyelashes and fanning herself, she stuck her nose up in the air. “My love is just too great. I could never sully our honor.”

“Luna's darkly swinging tail!” Sapphire interpreted that as Grey's laughable attempt to curse. “Alas, she has invoked her honor- the one thing I am powerless to overcome! In that case,” he looked at her with one eye while the other was covered with a hoof in a mock swoon, “how can I get to Paddock Promontory? It's not on my map thingamajig.” Sapphire shifted uncomfortably.

“I take it that is your second request. Interesting, that is also the second thing I needed to talk to you about.” Sauntering over to the window, Sapphire looked back at Grey. “What do you know about the great war?”

“Only what everypony else knows. The ponies and zebra fought an all-out war against each other, unleashing the worst weapons they had. When the fallout settled, the skies were dark because the pegasi cloistered, and the rest of our land was poisoned.”

“That is still more than most ponies know. I only know of Paddock Promontory because of my… affiliations. You only know about it because you read about it. In that notebook of yours. Zephyr is the zebra who translated it for you. She came to me almost hysterical, warning me that you were going to travel west to unleash a dark demon upon the earth. I'm not foolish enough to believe you're a demon, Grey, but I've also known Zephyr long enough to not ignore her warnings. I'm afraid I can never tell you how to get there.”

“Sapphire,” Grey had gone up to her and was now strangely serious, “I believe you. I know that what is there is evil. I know that because of what happened to my friend, Iron Heart. He doesn't feel. Something terrible has happened to him, and he knows it. He also knows that I've been hiding something from him. I need to go there to stop what's done this to him. I need to go there to make sure he can know Celestia's warmth one more time.” Something touched Sapphire.

“You know about us?” Grey looked left and looked right. He nodded to her slowly.

“Wait, know about what?” Sapphire backed up.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Grey gazed at her intently, searching for something in her eyes.

“Sapphire, please, if there's anything you can tell me to help my friend. If there's anything I can do to stop this evil, I need to know.” An internal battle occurred on Sapphire's face. She couldn't look at Grey, couldn't meet his eyes. She went for the door. “Sapphire,” Grey called out, “please.” A final nicker betrayed her intention. A final hoof step betrayed her decision.

“Celestia's Chosen. That is who we are. Guardians of the light. Ever since some were excommunicated from the clouds, they set out to spread her light and her wisdom to every creature alive. They grew quickly. When they found me, I was dying in a gutter in Kilowatt. After I heard their word, I became Mayre of that very city. When I met her light, her love, I was transformed Grey, literally transformed. She made me new. My body, broken and suffering from numerous addictions, was given new life, and her magic was what did it. After, I was taught the spells that allowed me to be her voice in this wilderness. Her voice to her children that had been separated from her for so long.

“I am telling you all this because it is not a coincidence that we met. I do not believe you are a demon,” Sapphire punctuated her point with a neigh, “but rather her agent, as I am. Go. I will send word to the others.”

“Others?”

“You are not the first to undertake this quest. Beware, however, the very forces of darkness await you. My sisters, however, will guide you. Five miles due west is where the ocean meets the shore. On that shore is a small settlement called Seacraft Slip. Meet with my cousin, Ocean Salt, and he can provide you passage. I cannot tell you what to do when you arrive.” The gray on his face turned red as Grey got excited. He jumped, clicked his hind hooves in the air, and came down wrong. His hooves slipped out from under him. “Careful Grey, you umbph!”

“I hope you will forgive me,” he bowed, “for stealing what you could not give.” He rushed out of the room.

Dark clouds did nothing to bring Grey down. He galloped around Canterberry's commons calling out for Iron Heart. He eventually found the stallion helping unload military equipment.

“What's wrong?” Iron Heart asked. “Things go sour with the Mare?”

“”Nope. Sapphire's fine. At least she will be as long as her somepony accepts her apology, and probably mine.”

“Are you saying we've got a jealous stallion to avoid?”

“Probably.”

“What the buck did you do?”

“Kiss her against her will.” At that, Iron Heart started to look angry. “Look, none of that's important. She told me where to go next and how to get there. We can get there right now.”

“So what, right now?”

“That's what I've been saying! Haven't you been listening?”

“I don't know, Grey.”

“I do,” O'Rielly interrupted with a smirk. “Grey’s got this thing in his head, don't think he's gonna give it up. Besides, isn't this a chance to figure out what happened to you?”

“Precisely! Wait, how did you know that?”

“I dunno know why, but I kind of like it this idea. Maybe I’m just going soft. You should definitely go, Iron Heart.” Iron Heart stared at O'Rielly, betrayed.

“But I thought I could join your crew.”

“Sorry, that cloudship's flown.”

“Iron Heart, have you been fraternizing with the enemy? She's agreeing with us! Something's definitely wrong.”

“Yeah have you,” O'Rielly stopped when she realized what Grey said. “Since when am I the enemy?” she yelled. “And when is not agreeing with a psychotic pony a bad thing? One guess who's gonna “need some pony to pull his ass out of the fire,” now.” O’Rielly stomped over. Grey pointed a hoof at Iron Heart.

Iron Heart, as he was so good at doing, stepped into the blow. His shoulder caught the brunt while his muzzle went for a long, deep, kiss. Pulling back, he smiled. “Worth it.” He grabbed onto Grey by the scruff and flew off before O'Rielly could do more damage. He landed a few hundred yards away, unable to carry Grey any further.

They collected their things and went to the bomb cart. By it was a small crate. On the crate the was written:

“Don't open till you're dead, or better yet, wait till you reach HELL.”

“Look Iron Heart! You get a present, too!”

“Seems like it, Grey.” He loaded the crate and strapped it down while Grey got in the cart and strapped himself down.

“And hell is underlined for emphasis, too.”

“Yes Grey, I can see.” He looked back at Grey.

“It's even in all capitwaah!” Iron Heart lifted off as fast and hard as he could, getting no small pleasure out of shutting the unicorn up.

Addendum I:

Field Fleet Report 1024

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Yes. The title is misleading. This is because only those with the proper security access should be allowed to even know the purpose of this report. That is not to say that the fleet status is not related to this report, only that the importance of this report's contents cannot be stressed enough. The Enclave must understand the nature of the conflict they are currently in.

Okay, first the bad news. Every last thunderhead has been brought down. The important thing is how they were destroyed. Once this is known, an appropriate response can be formulated. From the gathered battlefield footage, the dark boxes recovered, all the sensory data that was stripped, sent, and mined, and the analysis provided by our finest unicorns, we have some startling conclusions. What does it take to annihilate a floating city of war, as well as its entire crew?

Obviously, the Balefire detonation at Maripony obliterated one thunderhead. This hidden bomb seems to have been found and employed by agents of Red Eye, who, as far as we can tell, was killed by Colonel Autumn Leaf when his alien power cells detonated during his assault on Red Eye's Cathedral. As a side note, I do not personally believe this story. Why would he do that unless he had the time to rig a bomb, and no other choice. Rather, I believe there is another faction that killed him and rigged his lifeless armor. More on that faction later.

Here is where things get interesting. In this same assault another weapon of mass destruction was employed, bringing down a second thunderhead. This weapon is actually two, the team called Lion and Mouse. Lion and Mouse merged necromancy, chemical warfare, and another form of magic in order to poison, and literally bleed out the ship's entire crew. Throw a cybernetic dragon in the mix and things go from nasty to hellish.

If the name of Lion and Mouse sounds familiar, that's because wasteland hero, DJ-Pon3, has been singing their praises all across the wasteland. This same DJ pony has openly come out against Red Eye's forces in the past. Why is this all significant?

Because of the battle for Fillydelphia. In this conflict, an opposing force detonated a poisoned sonic rainboom, allowing a spell strike of unprecedented power (known to be named Celestia One) to be used against the last two thunderheads engaged there. The source of this spell? Tenpony tower, known to have been used as the central broadcast station for the very same DJ-Pon3. The Enclave has been played masterfully. We have been played against all sides from the beginning.

Now the good news. First, we know who is and isn't our enemy. We can now focus our efforts where they are truly deserved. Second, steps have been taken to ensure that spell will never be used against us again. Failing that, the repercussions on the enemy would be disastrous. Third, these attacks have resulted in such a loss of life that nopony will deny this is a fight for survival. This is no longer a who-shot-first situation. Those outside the Enclave have turned this into a slaughter. No pony can deny the horrors and loss of life. If the zebras weren't content with peace, but happy to destroy Equestria with the very same weapons being used on us, we now have the motivation we need to finish what was started. Finally, and this can never be underestimated, regardless of what erroneous actions were taken in the past, we're on the right side.

The cry from all around is that the Enclave is through. I say we haven't event begun.

LEVEL UP

New Perk: Mare Menace
Wiles, charms- whatever you call 'em, you got 'em.
You get a +10% bonus to damage against female foes. Also, conversing with the opposite sex will sometimes take unexpected turns.

Author's Note

-Ch 3 done, whew!
-Make sure weird weather is weird

Chapter 4: Sink and Swim

All Wet

"Red sky in morning, sea ponies take warning..."
-An old mare's tail

“Like I says, I can't get ye a ship without payment!” Grey nickered, snorted and pawed the ground. The oversized combat armor made him look more hilarious than intimidating.

“Two bits, five shotgun shells and not one bullet more! I might throw in a couple of casings though, because I like you!”

“Gold bits, what would a sea pony like me want wit' them? The shells I can use, but that's no payment fer passage! Hard currency, pony! I need caps!”

“But,” Grey took off his ill-fitting combat helmet, “Sapphire said...”

“Aye, she vouched fer ye both. An' I'll take ye both. I wouldn't make this trip fer just anypony. But ye both still need to pay!” The seafarer took off a worn captain's cap, chewed on his corn pipe, and tapped a table with his hoof. His table stood in the open air on the end of a rickety dock. Two other docks also jutted a small way into the sea. A few scary looking tubs were tied up, some even lay beached on cracked, dry ground. At the end of this particular dock, however, was a wheel boat that was tied up well within the water. It wasn't clean, but it actually looked like it had been taken to sea.

Iron Heart looked at them dubiously. “Relax, Grey. Told you wearing that armor was a stupid idea.”

“But I haven't the caps! All is but lost!” Iron Heart tossed a sack of caps onto the table with his muzzle. Ocean Salt stared down at the sack. A greedy gleam shone in his eye.

“Not so fast. What about our safety?”

“Why, uh. Haven’t lost a passenger over all my years of sea farin’.”

“Okay, this sack for the both of us.”

“Now listen, this is… less than I’d normally...” Iron Heart scooped up the sack in an instant. He turned to Grey.

“C’mon Grey, we’ll just fly.” Ocean Salt looked mortified.

“No, no, no that wouldn’t do, no sir. Even the strongest flyer couldn’t weather that distance.”

“I don’t know,” Iron Heart flapped his wings twice. The sudden gust almost blew the captain’s cap away. “I’m a pretty good flyer.” Ocean Salt looked conflicted.

“Alirght colts, throw in those shells ye have and I’ll get ye to Paddock Promontory. TIE DOWN!” Ocean Salt yelled suddenly. There was a commotion inside of the boat. A stallion strode out from below deck. He adjusted a dirty baseball cap with a hoof and cantered up to the table.

“Afternoon Gentlecolts. I take it we have some new passengers, Salt?”

“Aye, and they seem ta be in a hurry. Get her ready to launch by this afternoon, skip!”

“You’re not our captain?” Grey asked.

“Nay. Tie Down here’ll get ye to Paddock Promontory, though, don’t ye worry none. As I says, never lost a passenger. Now, yer tickets. Be back at dock in three hours. She shoves off then, an' she shoves off with or without ye.”

“Let's see your tickets.” Iron Heart had taken both tickets. After exchanging a look with Grey, he shrugged and hoofed over the tickets. Tie Down took the tickets, punched them, and put them in the blue jean coat he wore. “I'll come get you two when we're ready,” Tie Down smiled.

“Augh! That's not the way it works! Yer gonna ruin me. No respect fer reputation!”

“Don't worry about old Salt here. It's not like we get many passengers, especially to those parts.” Ocean Salt didn't look convinced. “It's not much, but if you don't want something other than two hundred year old canned food before your voyage, you can get something at the Salty Dog in town. Now you may not like meat, but they've got some decent bacon. Didn't think anything could convert me, but after I had bacon, I had to make one little exception. They'll also give you some pills so that you won't even have to throw it back up.

“The best part is the fruit. Can you believe it? They have fresh fruit that other ponies can eat! It's called punga. I don't know what their secret is, but I've been trading with the locals from Paddock for years. I supply the whole area with a fruit that's nutritious and safe, if you can believe it.” Tie Down swelled with pride. “Don't mean to brag, but I'm so proud at the work I'm doing. It's been profitable for these ponies, as well as me.”

After that, all said their goodbyes and agreed to meet when the boat was ready.

Iron Heart and Grey went into town. They found the Salty Dog and sat down for some fodder. “What do you think, Grey?”

“I think I'll try the bacon! Ohh, and some of that medicine, too. Don't want to have to spit out my meal.” Grey turned to Iron Heart. “That sounds delicious, not the spitting up, but the other thing.”

“That's disgusting! We eat plants, don't you know that? Didn't you say you had some medical training?”

“Do as I say, not as I do! That's my motto. And, as my motto, I do say that... but I also say that bacon smells good.” Iron Heart shook his head, he hated talking with Grey.

“Yes, but, look, did anything strike you as odd about Tie Down?”

“Nope, he seemed nice.”

“Are you really that naïve?”

“Sure am, what was I supposed to pick up on?”

“That's it Grey, he's too nice. Ferrying ponies, bringing back a fruit?”

“Ooohh! That's right! The punga sounds good, too. I'll have bacon and punga! Isn't that great?” Grey ordered excitedly. The waitress took the order, uninterested. “Making caps, don't forget the caps. Maybe he'd let us invest!”

“There's nothing wrong with any of that, but have you seen what it's like down here? Something's off. And a clean fruit? No radiation, no taint?”

“But you don't think there's anything wrong with me. Does that mean you think I'm not nice?” Grey's eyes became glassy, his lower lip became pouty.

“Actually, I can't remember all the things I think are wrong with you. But you're genuinely crazy, you don't hide it.”

“Aw thanks,” Grey said cheerily. Grey's food arrived, along with a small bottle. The small bottle had “Digesafe” scrawled on it. Grey started playing with his food, levitating pieces and making them glow with his magic. “Aren't you going to order?”

“I don't think so. We can't be sure that it's safe. Not off of the word of one pony.”

“Come on Iron Heart, Mr. Bacon likes you, see?” Grey levitated over his plate. Two root-like mounds were on opposite sides of the plate. Below them, strips of meat had been laid out to like a crude, oily, disgusting smile. The whole thing was just... it was so childish and disgusting that Iron Heart laughed. He couldn't help it anymore. Grey smiled. “Besides, I already tested it for radiation and taint. There might be some bacteria, but hay, that's good for your immune system, right?”

“I don't think- wait, since when could you do that?” Grey levitated the root like fruit and mangled it in his muzzle.

“Since magic kindergarten. Parents taught me the spells as a way to survive. I already told you, I can do lots of things, weren't you listening?” Iron Heart was quiet for three minutes straight while he tried to figure out what Grey was talking about.

“You mean from when we first met?” The unicorn nodded. “Grey! That was, what, two days ago? How could I remember something like that?”

“You just did.” Bits of baked punga were dripping from his muzzle.

“Deep breaths, Iron Heart, deep breaths.” He called over the waitress to order.

A commotion broke out near the entrance. “Somepony, anypony, please!” A disheveled mare entered the restaurant. Iron Heart's food was put down in front of him. A stallion behind the counter called out to her.

“Ain't seen her today, neither, Cat.”

“I know nopony has. I'm not looking for her, I'm looking for help. Please, somepony, anypony.” Most of the patrons ignored her. A few looked over at her, confused.

“Ain't nopony here that can help you. Scarin' the customers, Cat. Real sorry to hear your daughter took off an' left you behind, but you can't keep coming like this.”

“You don't understand! After the Enclave! After Friendship City, she's all I've got left after m-my husband. She'd send something back, she'd let me know everything was okay. She-sh-she...” the mare broke down. Her body shuddered as she sobbed. With a sigh, the stallion lifted a portion of the counter to approach, but he stopped and sighed again when he saw she was lead outside.

“That's another thing I need to tell you, Grey. You can't involve yourself in everypony else's problems. A lot of things you just can't do,” Iron Heart picked up a punga and held it between his hooves, brandishing it like a weapon. “Like Filthy Janet would say, “A mare's got ta know her...” Grey?” Grey's seat was empty, the food on his plate was gone.

“Now, have a seat, and lay down on the bench. And remember, you can tell your unlicensed therapist with weeks of training all about it.” A notebook and pencil levitated next to Grey. A new pair of spectacles without lenses were on his face. For some reason, they made him look smarter, and Grey knew it. He put on a stupid looking smile. Cat stared at the unicorn. He lifted his head slightly and tapped the bench with a hoof, “Come, come, my dear, nothing to be worried about.” She looked at him, then at the bench.

“Sir, I-”

“Will simply not allow anypony to express their deep feelings unless they're completely comfortable. It's a motto of mine.”

Cat stared at him, looking dirty and tired. A bandage was wrapped all the way around her barrel. Exhausted, she lay down on the bench. She squirmed when Grey lifted up her head and put one of his saddle bags down for cushioning. After she'd settled and confirmed that she was, in fact, completely comfortable, Grey started. “Now, my dear, what seems to be on your mind?”

“Well, you see, uh...”

“Ah, quite right, you can call me Grid, or Grey, if you like.” That didn't answer the mare's question at all.

“Well, Mr. Grid Grey,” Grey's smile widened, “It's my daughter. She-she's run away...”

“Ah ha! Issues with your mother. Oh, not you having issues with yours, but her with hers, which is you.” Cat started to get upset, she looked like she was going to cry. “No no no, dear lady. Please don't cry, this is expected. Young stallions and mares often have trouble with their parents.”

“But do they abandon them and run away? Why would somepony do that?”

“To hit their stride and find out who they truly are! To be themselves and find their fortune. To change the world by working in a heavily guarded military base!” Cat stopped.

“What? No! She did say some of those other things, though.”

“Brilliant! Now that's what I call progress.”

“But I know why she left, she told me!”

“But if you knew that, already, you already made that journey of self discovery. What do you need me for?”

“Because I don't know where she is or if she's okay or what happened to her after that Goddess-forsaken boat and no pony around here is willing to even help me find out!” Snorts were punctuating her breaths. The olive-yellow coat of her face was flushed red. Calmly, Grey nodded as he finished writing, levitated the pencil into the notebook, and yanked out his saddlebag. Yanking out the saddle bag turned out to be difficult. He sat there pulling on the strap with his muzzle for a few seconds until Cat realized what was going on. It came out with a pop as she shifted herself. Grey mustered as much dignity as he could floated everything, including his glasses, in.

“Wonderful! I think we've made a breakthrough today.” He tapped her shoulder reassuringly. Her head shifted. “We finally know what you need.”

“We do?”

“Yes, another therapy session. I promise you my best to find her and convince her to come to our next therapy session together. And if she won't come, then I'll make her write a free form letter explaining we she couldn't, and we can talk about that.”

“You'll what? You will? You will! Thank you so much...” Cat looked away. “I'm afraid, I don't have-”

“Nay,” Grey nickered, “I never ask for payment on the first visit. It's a motto of mine, you see. Well then, off you go, and no more worrying, it's bad for the stomach. Also, have a land potato fruit... thing.” A levitating punga fruit landed on the bench. She looked up.

“Thank... you? Grey marched off. “But don't you need her... name?” He was out of sight.

Grey and Iron Heart stood on deck. Tie Down was casting off.

“What was that all about? Who was that mare?”

“Her name's Cat. Her daughter's gone missing. We're going to help find her, hopefully.”

“Didn't you listen? I said you can't keep trying to solve other ponies' problems.”

“I never listened to that.”

“Yes I did. Huh, what?” Iron Heart stomped on the deck, realizing what he said. “No, look, I said it before, and I'll say it again. Try to help every pony and you'll wind out helping no pony.”

“I can't do three things at once, silly, but sometimes the one thing I do solves two! I told her I'd do my best, and I will. If I don't find her, I'll just be honest.”

“You'll just give her false hope and set us up for failure.”

“Iron Heart, I know I can't do everything all at once. But leaving her begging inside the eatery was going to get her hurt more. Now she can at least live her life in the meantime. Besides, we'll ask around a bit, and if we don't find anything, we can continue doing what we need. Who knows, we might even find something? I'd love just to be able to have her tell her mother she's okay.” Iron Heart's jaw dropped. He stared at the unicorn uncomprehendingly.

“That... that...”

“Yes?”

“That's the most intelligent, most sane thing I've ever heard you say.”

“You mean it? Hooray! Thanks Iron Heart!” Two hooves wrapped themselves around Iron Heart.

“...And you lost it.” Grey hit the deck as Iron Heart brushed him off.

“Say your farewells, friends! Here we go!” Tie Down was at the helm. Two electronic-sounding fog horn blasts broke the air. “See ya skip!”

Ocean Salt was on the dock, shaking a hoof. “Skip? That's not how it works! I'm not the skip, ye are! Ye land-loving yellow...” Tie Down hadn't waited to hear what curses Ocean Salt would hurl at them as they left. All that could be heard now sounded like angry mumbling.

“Ha ha! Isn't this great? I love my job!”

“It sure is! Look at that! The wheel isn't turning, but we're still moving!”

“What? Nah, that's for show! Old Tub here was a touring boat up and down the shore in old Equestria. She would also make regular trips out to Paddock Promontory. That's right, the very same place you yourselves are heading!”

After awhile, all three ran out of topics to discuss. As if channeling ancient tour guides from the past, Tie Down made each mundane topic sound interesting. Iron Heart became bored quickly, but Grey was rapt, even excitedly adding his own questions and comments. Iron Heart secretly despised the way Grey raised his hoof, waiting to be called upon, even though he was practically the only pony that could ask one. As day became night, they all went below for dinner.

“And tonight's fine cuisine is a double feature! “Cheezy Doodlies” and “Blamo! Macn'Cheeze.” It's a regular tour de cheese!” Tie Down set the plates for them. Grey put his hooves together.

“Food! Thanks, Celestia! And please thank Tie Down, too. Thanks Tie Down!”

“Don't thank me, you two paid for it.” Grey was already muzzle-deep in cheese.

“Shouldn't you be driving the boat?” Iron Heart asked.

“Nah, Old Tub's on autopilot, now. I'll still check our bearings regularly, make sure we're on course, but that beautiful system allows me to only take the helm when I want to.

“Right. How long of a trip is this, anyway?”

“Well, off the coast here, we actually get decent weather. Assuming that all goes fine, we'll be there in a day or so. Paddock Promontory's a good ways off the coast, but we can make good time.”

They didn't make good time. A storm rolled in, battering the ocean around them. Tie Down took the helm, maneuvering the boat along the waves. After a few minutes, Iron Heart got sick to his stomach without realizing it. He tried to talk, but his body suddenly let out his supper all over the deck.

“Don't worry about that; rain'll get it.” Although he was yelling, Tie Down could barely be heard.

“Sorry,” Iron Heart called out. “What can we do?”

“Get below and stay safe, if you don't hear from me by daybreak, I've washed over.” Iron Heart and Grey looked at each other.

Long hours crawled by. The motion of the vessel made it hard to think or do anything but wait.
The longer they waited, the more they imagined an empty helm, a destroyed navigation computer, and drifting at sea, lost without knowing it. Neither wanted to risk going on deck.

Grey settled himself underneath the table. Unfortunately, while it was nailed down, he was not. As Old Tub made its way from wave to wave, every pitch and rock sent him pawing and scratching around, trying to get a grip. Seeing Grey scramble around for a grip was entertaining... he would sway this way, just about stop himself, and then he'd start to slide the other... Iron Heart hacked up the rest of his dinner.

“Ugh, why do I keep doing that?”

“You're getting sea sick. Also, smelling that is making me regular sick...” Iron Heart searched the cabinets in a panic. All he found were a few boxes of food. There was a clink of metal as a magical energy pistol fell to the ground. Grey added his contribution to the mess on the floor. “Aww, all that radiation and none of the nutrition, now. Oh well.”

Iron Heart couldn't stand it anymore. “Alright, stay here. I'm going up.”

“Don't do it, think of your children.”

“I don't have any!”

“Well, true, but think of the ones you won't have if you get swept over!”

“If I had kids even remotely like you, I'd throw myself overboard.” Turning around, Iron Heart saw Grey looking down and stirring something putrid with a hoof. “Seriously? Can't you even take a joke?”

“That was a joke?” Grey asked. Iron Heart nickered, shook his head and went over to the cabinet. He found what he was looking for. Grey continued to protest, “But I'll get scared, Iron Heart.”

“Don't worry about that. You'll be busy. Don't worry about me. Aren't you forgetting something?” Iron Heart flapped his wings.

“I don't remember planning to be busy.” That was all the justification Iron Heart needed. He tossed a few rags at Grey.

“Didn't find any cleaner, so do your best.” The boat lurched. Grey flew to the other side, smacking into the wall. Iron Heart lifted off the ground, but he smacked a wall as the boat gave a mighty twist.

Iron Heart looked over at Grey, who was on his head, but moving. After a second lurch from the boat, Iron Heart became worried. “Grey! Stay here. If we swamp, get on something that floats.”

“What? What!” Once again ignoring the useless unicorn, Iron Heart flew to the hatch, bucked it open, and flew into the storm.

It was a nightmare. Old Tub was surrounded by waves, all coming at the boat from at least three directions. The storm he could have handled, however. It was the empty helm, spinning free, that caught his attention. Somehow, a shock of horror reached his heart. His panicked whinny wasn't heard or acknowledged by any pony. That could be because of the rain, but also the fact that nopony was around. Looking around frantically, he spied something in the water.

He rushed over to it. His muzzle just grasped the cloth when he was swallowed by water. All he heard was a low rumble, he couldn't find which direction was up. Something was tugging on his muzzle. Whatever it was, he grasped on to it with his hooves and refused to let go. An eternity passed. Iron Heart's chest started to heave. Starting to panic, he almost let go to try and swim to the surface. Two things stopped him. First, he didn't know how to swim. Second, he noticed what he held was moving in a particular direction (Iron Heart hoped it was the right one).

A sudden roar of water pierced his world. Iron Heart saw sky, or rather, dark blackness. He tried to spread his wings. They started to spread out in the water but floated in place. There was no way he could take off. A wave started to push him, move him away from where he had been. He was starting to get scared. A sudden burst of light came from the other side of the wave.

Hills! These are like hills! Or the SKY is the HILL, and the water, well, IT'S THE SKY. A small orange vest floated away as Iron Heart let go of it. He reoriented himself, finding the sky and making it the ground. He spread out his wings. Slowly, he started to fly and held his breath as his world went quiet again. He beat his wings again. The resistance made it hard, but he had to do it. He had to keep doing it or he'd drown. He narrowed his form, but it wasn't working. Think! Damnit Think! Strong wind, strong current! Have to fly slow, BUT ALSO NARROW! His chest started to heave for air. Instead of his normal cycle of flapping, he narrowed his wings, then extended them again. It pushed him forward. He kept his wings close to his body as he pushed them out, again, Small resistance, strong current, until... NOW! His body gave a cough that expelled precious air and brought in seawater.

A small light blinked and then was gone. Almost if in reply, a much brighter yellow light burst, and then was gone. The sea roared with unfeeling cruelty, sinking its dinner deeper into its belly... and then its belly exploded. One of its wave's back spewed open, giving way to a nascent pegasus, exhumed. A mad whinny broke through the air, but was cut short.

Iron Heart smacked into another wave, noticing he had been up side down. He beat his wings again, refusing to let the water take him. He burst free again, righted himself, and tried to loft higher. A wave approached. He changed to focus on his speed. This time the wave charged at him with furious speed, as if trying to smack him down. As it bore down, he stopped flying, brought in his wings and narrowed his body the best he could. Instead of an explosion, this un-burial was a pin prick. Iron Heart exploded with laughter, which was cut immediately by a series of coughs. Focusing, he gained altitude. Suddenly he was free of the maelstrom. Free to hover and expel his stomach once again.

His stomach heaved, having nothing more to empty. There was a yellow flash below somewhere. His coughs turned racking as he bobbed above the sea. Adjusting his body he tipped his torso forward. His magnificent wings beat off excess water as they continued to keep him aloft. His body made a sound somewhere between a retch and a cough. It continued for a long time as his lungs squeezed out water.

There was a flash of yellow that didn't fade immediately. That wasn't lightning. It looked like a sphere. Following his gut (and its former contents), Iron Heart rocketed down. He flew along the waves and over them, getting a better look. He caught just a glimpse of Tie Down as the glowing sphere started to fade. Iron Heart hesitated a moment.

“Momentum damnit! Keep your head pointed up and keep your bucking momentum! And as for you, you back stabbing, heartless bitch! Take this!” Iron Heart launched himself directly at Tie Down. Iron Heart narrowed as best he could. Just before he hit he arched his wings like a griffon to get the least resistance possible. Tie Down was a unicorn, he realized, as sea swallowed him gladly once more.

The glow had been faint when Iron Heart reached it. He lowered his body slightly and slammed directly into the sinking unicorn. He hit Tie Down dead on and was able to entangle him. Clutching the unicorn close, Grey used his locked wings to turn his shallow angle upward instead of downward. He folded his wings as they slowed. More, more, just a little more! They had stopped. Iron Heart silently screamed. They started to float to the top. They were picking up speed. Iron Heart pulled Tie Down into himself and gave one mighty beat after another, pointing his wings forward before each beat. They were going faster, but he couldn't tell if it was fast enough. Again and again, with only the occasional flash to show them that they hadn't reached the surface yet.

When they breached, Iron Heart let his wings go limp in the middle of a beat. Tie Down and Iron Heart propelled out from the water. They started to slow. Iron Heart's heart jumped within as the pressure from the sea sloughed off his wings without. As most of his wings worked their way free from their wet shackles, he burst the restraints completely with one mighty beat... followed by another, then another. His wings took over as their momentum died. The sea grudgingly delivered once more. This time it was twins!

Iron Hear panted with exhaustion. His body was starting to give and he knew it. Pulling with everything he had left, he and his unconscious partner gained just enough altitude for a hoof to scrape the top of a passing wave. Red invaded his vision, arcing up slowly. He tried to find the source, but it was swallowed up. A strange, electronic, blast echoed. Iron Heart lifted higher, and higher. Tie Down started to slip.

Red flared again. The boat was in a trough! At the point of exhaustion, Iron Heart spread his wings and started to glide in. A wave was approaching. Iron Heart whinnied in fear, if he couldn't see it, he'd probably land in the water. He curled his wings. His muzzle grimaced with pain. The boat didn't get swallowed. Instead, it rode the wave, staying almost in place. Iron Heart beat his wings, trying to slow down. A strange, electronic horn and red flare appeared at almost exactly the same time.

Iron Heart landed on deck hard as the waves brought it up to meet him. He slid into Grey, who cried out. The tiny unicorn started to slow them down. He cried out again, however, when his back hooves went over the side. He reached out. Iron Heart extended a hoof. Grey grabbed on, kicked on the Old Tub, and tried to levitate himself. Iron Heart saw him slip.

Suddenly, the Old Tub hit the back of the wave. Luckily, Grey was on the side facing the wave. As the boat rocked, his hooves met solid, slippery metal. Grey slid, shimmied, and rolled his way toward Iron Heart's hooves.

“Gotcha.” He hugged the unicorn in, and shimmied to the broken hatch, and dumped the unicorns, then himself, inside. Grey motioned to put Tie Down on the table.

“Hatch first, Grey, the ship, why?” Iron Heart groaned and cried out in pain as he lifted Tie Down to the table. Grey looked at him and listened at his chest.

“Beating hearts at the fast marts! Sorry Iron, if we don't act now, his brain could suffer premature decomposition, and death!” Grey opened his muzzle and breathed. “Mighty glowing collapsed throats!” Magic glowed around Tie Down's throat. “Squeeze my sides gently when I breathe.” Grey tried again. He choked and sputtered as Tie Down choked and sputtered. Water was everywhere. “Oh right, the hatch!” Grey clamored to it and latched the hatch. The wind ripped it open again. “Oh right, the hatch!” Grey closed and latched it, this time shoving a dinner fork into the latch. It held. “Iron Heart, can you buck this so it doesn't open?” Iron Heart made to get up but fell back down. “Right, sorry.”

Grey got an idea. Looking through his bag, he found a magical energy pistol. He glanced a beam off the fork and out the window. The fork glowed and warped, but quickly hardened in the cold cabin.

“Grey, the-the boat. It was riding the waves.” Grey nodded.

“I reprogrammed it. There was a new software version ready to be installed, so I did. This autopilot's much better, but I only knew how to keep us in place.” Iron Heart laughed and then groaned.

“Tie Down, hey, can you help me? Iron Heart, was he hurt?”

“N-no-noohh.”

“Great!” Grey rummaged through the medical case in the cabin, pulled out a syringe with his muzzle. He levitated a foam dispenser and spread the foam on Tie Down's chest. Waiting for a dead spot in the ship's motion, Grey levitated the syringe into the foam and pushed down the plunger.

Tie Down jumped awake. Grey levitated the syringe out the port hole.

“Morning sunshine! Feeling awake? I'll bet you are! Now, how about you give me a not-so-crash course in courses. Courses and the autopilot software.”

Tie Down couldn't stop talking he was amazed at how much better the new version of the software was. Ironically, Grey had to keep drawing his attention away from the features to finding a map and laying a course. Tie Down motor-muzzled straight through the instructions as he lay a course and set the ship to “Dangerous Weather Mode.” Grey tried to keep up, but he was left looking confused when Tie Down collapsed, unconscious. With a shrug, Grey stepped over the sleeping unicorn and started to treat Iron Heart.

Old Tub was off course. Although Tie Down had set them on their correct destination again, the sudden, violent storm had taken its toll. “Dangerous Weather Mode” did keep the boat afloat, but it could not resume their course. That required the computer be reset to “Autopilot.”

Iron Heart lay on a bunk bed below decks. “So let me get this straight. You can find a sleeping upgrade, ready for installation, install it, and can have the boat keep from sinking itself... but ya don't know how to have it keep going?”

“Yep. I just can't find the override.”

“Well, hack it!”

“This one's more complex.”

“Are you telling me you can't hack it?”

“Yes. It's strange, really. Somepony threw a really fancy compie on Ol' Tub here, an' she shore 's fanc-ee.”

“Wow Grey. You just proved that you can sound stupider. Talk normally before I have to beat you normal.”

“I wonder who made this computer, anyway.” A small door separated the mess from the forward cabin that housed the computer. There was a locked door at the rear of the cabin. Grey had gone into the forward compartment and was ogling the tower welded to the boat's floor.

The computer looked surprisingly sturdy and shiny, especially when compared to the rest of the boat. “Oh! Look, Iron Heart, I see something!”

“Broken rib, remember?

“Oh, don't be such a baby, I set those and then gave you the healing potion. I'll bet they'd even grow back... nah, they wouldn't grow back.”

“Those, as in more than one? Grey! Ya said there was only one!” Grey sat and thought a moment. He started to count one hoof with the other.

“One, two, … th...ree...” he looked confused at his counting hoof. “One!” he held up the hoof with a smile. Iron Heart made angry, guttural, frustrated, vocalizations. He went to get up but sucked in sharply and grimaced. He lay back down slowly.

“St-able-Tec. Huh, I guess they do make things that last.” A groan emanated from another bunk. Grey made his way over. Tie Down was holding his head.

“How are you doing, buddy?” Iron Heart called up. Tie Down groaned in response.

“Here, I made you some Cheezy Doodlies!” Grey floated up a plate with the snack arranged (or rather, dumped) on it. A fork and knife lay on the plate as well.

“Where are we?”

“The ocean.”

“Grey, is that you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What happened?”

“You drowned.”

“What!”

“It's okay. We got the water out.”

“But where are we?”

Grey trotted over to the computer and rambled off numbers on the screen.

“Hoah! Are we that off course?” Tie Down Rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Grey nodded excitedly, oblivious. “Okay, here's what you need to do. Fist, log in. The password is Caesar.” A few tapping hooves indicated that Grey complied. “Got it? Good. Now, you'll need to change our mode, and enter a few parameters...”

After a few minutes and some re-explanation, Old Tub changed its course and started puttering on its new heading. “So, how long now?” Iron Heart inquired.

“I've never seen a storm like that. Wait, how did I- the last thing I remember was going overboard.”

“Iron Heart was amazing,” exclaimed Grey, “you were all pew-zap, and he was all like fwoosh-splash. I was all like fixy-fixy with this pistol, and Mr. Keyboard was all-” His hooves made a wild gestures that went mostly unappreciated.

“What he means to say is that you went overboard, I went over looking for you. You were teleporting to the surface, and I saw you just long enough to catch you and bring you back. Grey had reprogrammed the boat to stay in one place. After catching you, I brought you back.”

“It wasn't anything like that, it was much more exciting! I like my version better.” Grey's hoof made a tiny “ting” as he stomped on the metal floor for emphasis.

“Too much excitement, I don't want to think about it.” Iron Heart closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

“Well, the important thing is we're all safe and we're on our way, thank Celestia.”

“Thanks for saving me, guys. I'd be dead if it weren't for you two. It was stupid to try and hold the helm by myself. Should have taken you up and got you two to help.” He gave a chuckle. “We could have even gotten some rope to stay safe. You think I would have even remembered my name, at least.”

“But it all worked out okay,” Grey piped. “I guess Celestia's looking down on us, after all!” Iron Heart gave a groan.

“Stow that shit, Grey.”

“What did you say?” Grey lifted a hoof, aghast. Iron Heart got up, grimaced with pain, and came over, one painful step at a time.

“You keep bringing her up. That bitch.”

“Iron Heart. I brought her up twice. And it just so happens that it's true! Do you have any idea how I found out where we need to go from Canterberry?”

“Two times too many. I didn't see Celestia or Luna out there last night. All I saw was water, and look, more water. All of it trying ta bucking kill us.” Iron Heart was starting to loom over Grey. Instead of shrinking, Grey tried to reason with Iron Heart.

“B-But Iron Heart, don't you believe she's with us, how do you think we're all still alive?”

“Me, Grey. You, too.” Iron Heart jabbed a hoof at Grey's breast. “We fought the sea itself, and we came out alive.”

“Because she was helping us.”

“No! Because you and I didn't wait for some bucking celestial hooves to lift us out of that bucking sea. I didn't see anypony out there but you, me, and our friend, there. We stayed alive by my wing tips and your,” he gestured at Grey and Tie Down,“horn tips, there isn't any way around that.” Grey looked like he was being hurt.

“I-I wish you wouldn't curse like that, most of the time I can stand it. But you're talking about Celestia, a-and Luna.” He stamped a tiny hoof down defiantly.

“I'LL bucking say whatever the hell I want, because nopony was there but me. Don't believe me? Look it up! Where were those “princesses,” Iron Heart made quotes with his hooves, “when Cloudsdale got bucking nuked? Where were they, Grey, when you earth ponies got melted alive on the ground? Where are they now? Nowhere! Not- bucking- anywhere. Probably clopping on each other while the world burned, just for fu-” Iron Heart's sentence broke off as Grey smacked his muzzle with a fore hoof. It was meant to be a punch, but it barely moved the pegasus' muzzle. He stopped, however, shocked that Grey would actually punch anypony with his own hooves, let alone him.

“Don't you ever blame them for the evil other ponies do.” Tears streamed down Grey's face. Puffs of air snorted out of his nose. He broke down and made for the hatch. It was stuck. He stifled a scream, took out a magical energy pistol and shot off the mutilated fork. He bucked the hatch open and went outside, towing a few bags with levitation

As Grey left, Iron Heart thought to himself. What's he mean “other ponies?” If the goddesses existed, all this has gotta be Celestia and Luna's fault. Isn't that what all-powerful goddesses are supposed to do, stop shit like this?

“Two days,” Tie Down said sadly. “We were close, but that's how far off we are now.”

Above deck Grey lowered the satchel. He looked for the paper he was given, but couldn't find it. “Hmm. Mind sight? Hind sight?” The satchel sat unamused. “Come on, two words, something scary...” Levitating his possessions out, he figured he'd find the piece of paper. His medical supplies were entirely out. He did still have his instruments, at least. Without any way to sanitize them, though, they would only be able to get used once more.

“Good thing the medical box in the boat was impressively stocked,” he added. His four notebooks, two prewar bits, some casings, and not much else. Iron Heart had taken the cornucopia of weapons and armor they'd gotten from the crate. “Stupid “feel safer holding onto these” Iron Heart, doesn't think I can do the weapon stuff.”

The paper was nowhere to be found. Perhaps playing a game of getting his inventory back in so that they all fit like weird blocks would help him think. “Ugh, this would be much easier with a spell! Then it'd organize this all for me. I can't see what it's like in the bag. It's like I'm blind. Wait, that was it!” Grey clopped his fore hooves together. “Blind sight!” The flap on the satchel came loose.

Upturning the satchel, he spilled everything out onto the deck. He put his head inside the satchel, searching for anything else. He didn't find any.

There were six inhalers, a bunch of papers, and the sound of something rolling. It was a perfectly round sphere. Grey dropped everything and scrambled after it. It was close to the edge of the boat, so he dove for it, making it bounce against a rail and start rolling the other way. Iron Heart limped on deck to see Grey pounce again. This time the orb bounced into Grey's nose and came to rest in his hooves.

“What are you doing?” Iron Heart asked. Grey wiggled his nose in pain. “Can't you just levitate that?”

“Nope, this is a memory orb, it stores pony memories. If I levitated it, it would activate, see?” Grey brought the orb to eye level and fell limp.

To say Grey felt different would be like calling the ocean wet. He was suddenly hurting all over. Muscles and tendons started calling out as Grey recalled the medical names of every individual tissue that was now in pain. There were a lot of them. Grey wondered if he was on fire. If he was on fire, why wasn't he burning? Besides the pain, which was almost unbearable, Grey realized a few new things about himself. There was an odd weight on his head. He wondered if it were hair. It was probably an incredibly styled mane, that or an oddly shaped magical device attached to a pony's head. Either way, he was bigger... and lacking reproductive organs... no, wait... oh. I'm a mare. When did that happen? Shut up, we're watching. No! I'm trying to figure out what's going on! Me, too, shhh! Don't you shush me, subconscious!

From what Grey could see, this pony was on a sandy beach. There was another pony staring at him. This other pony, a stallion, wore a conflicted face of pain and sadness. From somewhere, Grey heard the lapping of waves on a shore. It was hard to focus, though, because of the constant pain he was in.

“Look what he did to you, look!” A slate earth pony in a suit with a black and gray mane started to lift up a mirror in his teeth. Grey reached out with a hoof, smacking it away. Hey! I didn't tell my hoof to do that. Oooohhhh! Oh! I get it now, I'm having the another pony's sensory experience from watching the memory orb. Wait, you're just now realizing that? Sshhhh! I'm watching! Grey quieted himself to pay attention to the five senses he was experiencing from somepony else.

“Don't worry about that. What's important is that I get back. I need you to do that for me, uncle.”

“But why? We need you! We need to stick together. That's what we've always done when those stuffed-shirts said we wouldn't make it.”

“Pepper, you have always been good to me. Please, I am begging you. This is the last thing I would ever want to ask, but I am the only one who can keep the others in check. If I don't, there will be no telling what will be brought back to the mainland. You don't know these ponies.”

“Have you seen what's going on?” the stallion replied. Grey's vision started to blur with tears. Well, his didn't, but the mare's memories he was seeing did.

“Do not make this harder- I love you. This is the only way I know to keep you safe. You do not know who these ponies are!” Grey felt a hoof around wrap itself around the mare. She panicked, putting out her hooves, trying to resist. “No, please no! The radiation!” The hooves didn't back away, but clenched tighter.

“Thanks to you, I grabbed enough RadAway to last everypony here two hundred years. I promised myself,” now Grey felt a sigh come from the stallion as he hugged the mare Grey was feeling the memory through, it was strange, “that I'd never let anypony harm you. I'm sorry I was wrong. But... seeing you, I fear I do know what kind of ponies they are. If you tell me you'll do you're best to stay safe, I'll believe you.” The mare was now crying into the stallion's breast. The crying made the pain more intense.

After a long time, the hooves brought the mare up to look her in the eyes. All Grey could see was a slate blur.

“That's what you've been doing for us all this time. You saved us from the end of the world... and now you're telling me you want to go off and keep looking out for us. I couldn't be more proud. Maybe this can be a new beginning for both of us. I love you, little biscuit.” A gigantic lump formed in the mare's throat as she kept crying. “Bray! Don't just mope around! Get some supplies ready! Also, we need painkillers to take the edge off, and now!” The blurry eyes looked over at what Pepper was pointing to. Grey couldn't tell anything about who Pepper was pointing to, other than it got to its hooves slowly. It seemed to be responding to Pepper's orders, though. “She's getting the shakes, again. We're going out to sea just as soon as I make sure every pony's okay here. Get that slip ready, too! We cast off as soon as possible.” The blob that was talking looked back at the mare. “What he doesn't know is that he's going with you.” The mare opened her muzzle in protest. “Don't argue, this is final. You saved us, but he saved you. You're good, but everypony needs a friend to look out for them, especially if you're looking out for us.

“I know you two are from opposite worlds, but this, all of this, is going to be a new beginning, not an end, okay?” The mare gave a sad nod. “Also, I'm going to need a way to visit you,” that caught the mare's attention, “I'm keeping the boat.”

Grey came back to his own senses below deck. He lay on one of the bunks, the satchel's contents were below him. Shuffling them around, he found the collection of papers and hoped for a clue. Most of the papers had strange writing on them. The writing looked familiar somehow. Rummaging around, Grey found the notebook from the mountain. Zebrican. Gash's papers, his notebook, what did everything have in common? One of the papers was readable.

Can you believe those dumb asses? Salvation bonus my bloody smile. Ask me, they want us to bring in survivors after the battle so they can strip that enclave loot for themselves. I don't give a shit what they say about 'good ponies just like us” They're either dumb as buck, or those asses think they can hold out on us. One guess which. No pay's gonna be worth what we can rip off a couple enclave You in or out, Gash? My crew's ready for some killin' and more of us there are the more killin' we get to do.

About that other thing. You know i love taking all I can get but this plan to get that , what was it A spell or somthin? Don't caree what clues you figured out, your on your own, girl. Im gonna be too busy swimming in caps after we sell that enclave shit. your pal bloodsaw

Grey threw down the paper. Maybe there was something useful in the translated notebook.

“You awake down here?” Iron Heart descended the stairs.

“Hey...”

“Great! You had me worried there, going all limp and shit. Sorry.”

“It's okay...” Grey looked down.

“Anything useful in there?” Grey shook his head. Silence loomed. “Uh... hey. I- um...” Iron Heart swallowed hard. “We almost died. I said some things because of that. They hurt you, I know. That's how I really felt, still do. But, um, I don't...” One of Grey's ears twitched.

“Are you trying to say you're sorry?”

“That's the thing, I wouldn't take back what I said.”

“You're sorry I got hurt?”

“Actually yeah. I didn't want that to happen. I'm sorry it did.”

“Iron Heart, I wouldn't want you to be anything less than honest. But you have to be careful not to say bad things about good ponies that aren't here anymore.”

“Wait, I thought you-”

“I do. But what hurt me was that you'd say something so awful about ponies you don't even know, even if you don't think they're with us today.”

“Yeah. That I shouldn't have done.” Grey wrapped his hooves around Iron Heart's neck, burying his muzzle... and stayed there. There was a nervous cough. “And there you go again, awkward hugs and all. Geez, you really are like a foal.”

“You're ruining the moment Iron Heart,” the nervous cough became a nervous chuckle, Iron Heart went to pull away. “Nuh-uh, this is your apology hug, I get to make it as longer and awkwarder as I want.”

“You can't be-!” Grey couldn't take it any more. He flung himself back, laughing hysterically. “Very funny, oh very funny.” Iron Heart mumbled a few curses and went to leave. One of his hind hoofs bucked the bunk. The bunk and everything in it rattled, including Grey. He laughed harder. “Screw you, ya crazy insane-o-corn.” Iron Heart was trying to stifle a smirk.

“Alright everypony,” Tie Down's head appeared from the computer compartment, “I checked our radar, we've got smooth sailing to the shore. I made something special tonight.” Plates of steaming food floated in. Iron Heart's stomach growled involuntarily. Grey sniffed the air but clutched his nose after, remembering how much that hurt.

“Thab smells goob!”

“Sure hope so! As thanks for saving me, I made you all my special seafarer's stroganoff.”

“I could eat a- well, I could eat a lot.” All three went to the table and sat down.

“Good, 'cause I made a lot.” He motioned a hoof to the other compartment. They all sat waiting, looking at the food. Iron Heart's stomach grumbled again.

“Thanks Tie Down.” Grey almost gave Iron Heart another hug, but he put his hoof out.

They all sat down. Tie Down opened a muzzle to speak and the sounds of chewing came out. Both ponies looked over to see the unicorn stuffing his face. Tie Down gave a chuckle, Iron Heart rolled his eyes. Grey looked up a moment, “InstaMush neber tasted so good.”

“Thanks.” Grey nodded an enthusiastic “you're welcome” and resumed “eating.” “There's also punga in there, too, wouldn't be surprised if the low-level rads are gone already.” Grey stopped eating, mid-chew. A few bits dropped back onto the plate.

“How?”

“Damn, you're disgusting,” Iron Heart added.

“No idea, I just know that a punga property is that it absorbs rads. Not much, mind you, but just one of its many benefits.”

“Ib really if amazing,” Grey added. Tie Down nodded approvingly.

“I usually don't eat my trade wares, but I broke out my special back up supply. Never seen a storm like that.”

“Any idea why?”

“This stretch just hasn't ever been hit with bad weather. You always see the clouds and rain inland. The wind and currents between Seacraft Slip and Paddock Point have always been mild.

“Tell you what, though, I feel like I can truly say I'm a sea pony now. You as well, you can crew for me any day. I sure hope that's the last we ever see on this stretch.”

Grey, still half a muzzle-full of food, added, “Bet it has something to do with those towers on land.”

“The spires? Why?” Grey didn't respond, he was muzzle-deep in food again. “Ah well, we'll be there tomorrow. You can bet I'll be staying onshore longer this time. Make sure Old Tub doesn't need any repairs. Probably a one-time thing, too, I don't think there'll be anything on the return trip. That is, if the past two hundred years are any indication.”

Deep in the ocean, all along the coastline, even reaching inland, a dark storm was forming. The rest of the voyage for the Old Tub, however, passed smoothly. Mid-morning brought the first sight of land by Iron Heart. Grey saw it, too, after looking through a spyglass Tie Down let him borrow.

“It looks beautiful,” Grey exclaimed excitedly.

“It sure does. Paddock Point was started by the Ministry of Morale, just after Pinkie Pie was assigned as the ministry mare. It was supposed to be a place to get away. Instead of it being over the top, local politicians made sure the actual park was more... normal. That allowed tourism to get big, but prevented the Ministry from going crazy. Life continued on mostly normally. That was all before the war. Nopony knows why, but the zebras didn't seem to care about a bunch of residences and a small park.”

“You sure know a lot about this place.”

“Family history. We've been coming here for decades. Don't let that fool you, though,” Tie Down put a hoof on Grey's shoulder, making the pony pay attention, “the bombs didn't actually explode there, but the world left it behind- it's just as dangerous as the wasteland, maybe even more dangerous.”

“Why?”

“One reason or another. Why'd you ponies need to get there, anyway?”

Iron Heart interrupted, “Why should that matter?”

“No reason. Just that...”

“We're looking for a pony,” Grey blurted.

“A what now? You mean Nat?”

“Is that her name? Her mom was looking for her, and I thought it would be super if we could help the family out!” Grey was getting excited again.

“You mean to tell me, you two dumped a boatload of caps, almost drowned, and are going hiking around that deathtrap... because Cat asked you to?” Grey smiled and nodded. Tie Down shook his head.

“Can you tell us anything?”

“I took her there about a week ago, didn't hear anything since. Wanted to go to the place for fame and fortune, make a name for herself. Also said she needed to get away, didn't know from what until I went back and met her mother. I had no idea, tried to apologize, but it never sounded good enough. You want my advice, stay a night or two in a hotel, turn tail and follow me back. Say you didn't find her.”

“I like that idea Grey, that sounds good,” Iron Heart was astonished to find he was actually agreeing with the stallion.

“Nope, already gave her our word.” At that, Tie Down gave another sigh.

“I like you two. Saved my ship and saved me, so at least I tried.”

As the boat pulled into dock, Iron Heart impulsively flew across. He started trotting in place, stretching his limbs, and going for short flights. A crumbling sign read, “Welcome to ”

“Welcome to Phovannah, Iron Heart.” Iron Heart ignored Grey.

“Grey, what is this place?”

“I just said, it's-”

“Look around.” Old Tub had arrived in dock at noon, but now that they were on shore, gloom blanketed the whole area. A fine mist covered everything. Even though the mist seemed to make everything darker, it didn't block vision. Iron Heart could see all the way up and down the ocean front. He squinted up and saw the sun. It was there, but it was as if all its luster was gone. A shudder ran up and down his back.

“Alright, see you sea ponies later!” Tie Down was hitching himself to an empty cart.

“Hope not. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to be back on solid ground. Any directions you could give us?”

“Yeah, ask around. See the sights. Going inland to start trading.”

“Come out to the coast, get together... see the sights.” Iron Heart looked around and snorted.

“Where's Tie Down?” Grey asked, oblivious as always. Iron Heart responded by pointing a hoof. Grey waved excitedly in that direction.

“Eeeeeyyyeeee don't see him.” Grey kept waving.

“Right bucking...” Iron Heart looked down an empty street, astonished. Grey gave a cringe. A small harbor made out of concrete kept Old Tub and a few other, mostly smaller, boats docked. The rest of the promenade along the water front was empty.

“Haunting, isn't it?”

“I swear, Grey. You don't notice Tie Down leaving, but this place gives you the creeps? Me, too. C'mon, let's find a place to stay. Then we can talk about what to do next.”

Both scanned around for anypony at all. After a minute, they decided to wander until they found one. Iron Heart noticed some buildings looked in tact while others had fallen into shambles. Instead of a violent fall, they collapsed slowly. Planks of wood hung loose on one three story building. Half of its wall had fallen off, the planks of wood splintering up a waterfall of time, trying to reach the wall they should have been covering.

Iron Heart and Grey stopped and looked at each other. Iron Heart pointed a hoof at Grey, questioningly. Grey shook his head and pointed back. Iron Heart shook, too. Listening hard, both heard a small of clopping hooves echoing off the streets. Grey broke into a gallop. “This way, Iron Heart!” He kept galloping down one street, taking a random turn, and then galloping down another. Every time he thought he was getting close, he rounded a corner to find the next street empty. “Shoot, I could have sworn I was getting close!” Even at its zenith, the sun barely penetrated the streets.

“Iron Heart? Iron Heart!” Grey's voice called back to him, adding its own echo to the steady clopping of hooves. He was alone.

“Beware... Beware! Danger is there.” A hollow voice echoed off the streets. Grey searched around, there was nopony. He galloped at full speed until he found himself at a crossroads. The town opened up into a small square. At its center was a fountain with a twisting basin. Facing the four corners were four statues. The top half of one was a griffon spreading its wings, sneering its beak and baring its talons. Another looked like a much smaller hellhound with outstretched paws, smiling wildly and showing off its teeth.

Fascinated, Grey stepped around slowly to see what the other statues were. The third was a zebra, madly stomping and trying to bite. Grey noticed each statue's lower half was that of a pony, rearing on its hind hooves. The lower halves were the same, but each upper half... he continued to step around. Grey couldn't identify the last statue. It looked like one set of hind hooves was rearing up and meeting up with another. It looked like it was moving.

“There, there. Danger to stallion and mare.” Grey whinnied in fright. It wasn't just moving, it was talking. One set of hind hooves untangled itself from the other. A zebra that had been standing on its hind hooves, wrapped up in the last statue, back facing Grey, untwisted. A scar cut across the zebra's muzzle.

Grey galloped away in the direction he thought he'd come. As he left the square, he turned back to look at the fountain. The zebra was gone. Grey ran into something with a whump! Staggering, he fought to regain his balance.

“You are right to run, you will become undone!” Grey looked up at the zebra. His eyes went wide. His hooves froze in place. There was a slow, pounding drumbeat in his head.

“P-please don't hurt me! Please, I didn't do anything wrong. I- I know I ran.”

“Beware!”

“No, no NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE ME! I WON'T LET YOU!” Grey's breathing was panicked. The zebra gave Grey a confused look.

“I don't want you.”

“Good! Because you can't!”

“Why? Should I?”

“You scared me!”

“I meant no offense. I merely spoke for your defense.”

“All your sentences rhyme. Do you do that all the time?” The zebra seemed unsure of what to say.

“No.” For some reason Grey couldn't put a hoof on, he was disappointed.

“Um, so, you don't want to hurt me?”

“My time is short, no more should see death's court... at least not today.”

“Aw. Cheer up. You don't look hurt.”

“The wounds go deep. All my magic can't stop death's creep.” At the word “creep,” the zebra squirmed. Grey paced around the zebra, inspecting.

“Oh! You're a girl zebra!” Instead of looking offended, or trying to stop him, the zebra stood there, sullen. “Good news!” Grey came into her field of view. “You're going to be just fine. Other than a small puncture wound in your abdomen, which I can clean for you, you're going to be okay!” She fixed him with a hollow stare.

“You cannot save me, there are none who can. Can't you see I'm damned?” Grey circled the zebra again.

“Nope.” He smiled. “Can't see it one bit.” Grey couldn't tell if the zebra's scar was twitching, or if she was giving the smallest hint of a smirk.

“Come to the fountain at midnight. Then you will see the horror right.” She started to trot off into the mist.

“Sorry, but do you know where we might be able to stay?” Stooping, she brought her head around to look at Grey. It was low. She pointed a hoof and Grey looked to see at what. Down past the street he was on, back in the square with the fountain, there was a building on one of the corners. “Hey, tha... nks?” She was gone.

Iron Heart was staring at the fountain. Aside from giving him the creeps, there was one statue in particular that he couldn't identify. “Hello, beautiful.”

“C'mon Iron Heart, I don't think she can be charmed, even by you.”

“My wh-what? Grey! The hell? Don't sneak up on me like that, and where in the hell have you been?”

“You know, getting lost, talking to zebra, finding you. Actually, I think between your heart, and all of her, you two make a perfect match.” It took a moment for Iron Heart to realize that Grey was saying the statue and he were made of stone.

“I... just... you bucker.”

“And there's our hotel.”

“How do you know that?”

“The zebra, Iron Heart, keep up!” Iron Heart was about to curse at Grey, but the unicorn was already heading inside.

The upper half of the last statue had its head twisted to the side, sporting a confident smile. Unlike the other statues, which were wild and violent, this one had a terrible beauty- and, at the corner of her smile, barely noticeable, was the smallest hint of a fang.

Addendum I:

Field Report- Lion and Mouse

Related Reference- Field Fleet Report 1024

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

They're telling me that this report's going to require decryption too. I keep trying to tell those idiots that everypony needs to read this, not just some damned high-and-mighties. Fine, we'll see if I get enough of a reaction out of those ingrates to merit a response that will leak some of this. Transformation magic, zebra necromancy, dragon magic, enchantment. These are the forces required to allow a pony and a mouse to take down a floating war city.

Lionheart was a pony from Luna's personal guard from before the war. He seems to be a pegasus, but we haven't been able to confirm his species, as there are distinctive traits that set him apart; his strange ears and wings are evidence of this. The effects of the magical chemical weapon known as pink cloud turned him into a ghoul. Whereas a ghoul is any pony exposed to enough magical radiation in just the right amount that instead of dying, they live as rotting ponies. Some go insane and try to kill anything, while others keep their sanity and live in their new state. Anypony that has spent any time in the Equestrian Wasteland is well aware of the risks of approaching an unidentified ghoul, as well as being exposed to so much megaspell radiation that they, too, become a ghoul.

It is essential to note that each magic concentrated and powerful enough to be weaponized has its own form of radiation. Therefore, different spells can, in fact, create different types of ghouls. In this case, the necromantic magic from pink cloud turns some of those exposed into a special type of ghoul. For lack of a better term, we've started calling them immortals. We call them that because they can only be killed if they are dismembered completely, or vaporized by weapons fire. Any damage short of that and immortal ghouls will come back to life, their wounds healed, and continue to destroy any opposition. Yet another reason why every pony needs this information.

Back to Lionheart. He is a ghoul. He is capable at flying. He has years of combat experience. But here's the kicker- he has a PipBuck that emits a necromantic signal. Anypony within range of its magic will die in a matter of minutes. From this tiny broadcaster, the signal can be rebroadcast. Any intercom, radio, or receiver that picks up this signal will itself become an instrument of death. How many intercoms are (or were, rather) there on a thunderhead? Is there any place on that or any ship where a pony wouldn't be able to hear a ship-wide message (if so, then ship-wide messages have misleading names)? This is why the Stalliongrad contingent was wiped out. This is why Dragon bucking Mountain was such a disaster. Anypony can see that in the face of such foes, the only hope for survival is surrender or something better. That bucking balefire at Splendid Valley showed us which one's an option.

How did Lionheart so easily reach and overpower the communications wing of every ship? Easily, by implementing the other half of this equation- Mouse. Mouse is just that, a mouse. However, mouse used to be Canterlot Castle's prized dragon. When the zebras bombed Canterlot with the pink cloud, she ate the enchanted gem at the heart of their weapon and went back to sleep. Apparently hoping to take over after everypony was dead, the zebras didn't take into account a dragon sleeping for two hundred years, breathing that bucking poison instead of letting it dissipate.

Here's where the details are sketchy at best. What we do know is that a powerful transformation magic was somehow enchanted to trigger when a fireworks display was set off. This turned the sleeping dragon into a mouse. We don't know how the spell got there, or how it was connected to the fireworks. What we do know is who the trigger mare was. More on that in another report.

Back to Mouse. She breaths that poison. And, despite her size, she is a dragon, and uses her magic to breath it instead of fire. Lionheart is already a ghoul and Mouse is literally infused with the pink cloud (some have taken to calling her the pink death, a tad morbid if you ask me). And so another piece in this puzzle makes it become all too clear why pegasi have been dying by the truckload. Those defending the communications never had a chance. That is about to change- as our next report will indicate.

How do we know all this? Networks, everypony, networks. A lot of this has been gathered from eyewitnesses, logs, dark boxes, and field footage. I cannot overstate, however, the exemplary efforts of our unicorn friends in hacking and mining many other sources, as well. The one unicorn most responsible for much of this, as well as providing some of our best intelligence personally, must receive the bulk of the praise. By far our most reliable and most trusted source will remain anonymous for their own protection. Don't bucking believe me? Then send one of those council asses out here and they'll be able to confirm all of this, and a whole hell of a lot more. Better yet, just let us bucking distribute this information!

LEVEL UP
New Perk: One Tough Nut
Drowned, shot, bludgeoned, blasted, and you keep going. Just wait 'till the world actually starts trying to kill you.
You receive a permanent +10% bonus to Damage Resistance (DR)

Author's Note

-Ch. 4 done- w007!

Chapter 6: On the One Hoof

Masquerade
“A party where all the ponies look like other ponies? I love a hootenanny as much as the next mare Pinkie, but that's the creepiest thing I've ever heard.”

Peace. He could rest, he was at peace. But why? Was it the absence of struggle? Was it that he didn't have to make choices, or was it that he wasn't responsible for what was happening? No. Not that, anything but that. Being unable to do anything, that was helplessness, that was prison, that was death. That was... brown?

“Slow down, there buck. Calm down!” He heard the mare's voice. He heard her clear as day, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was helpless. No, NOT HELPLESS. I am in control. Not of all that out there, but me. Just me. If not that, then

“...then nothing else. Then I die.” Iron Heart's vision came into focus. There was a mare standing over him, syringe in her muzzle, holding him down with her hooves.

“Ou oggay?”

“What happened? Not that I mind... I kind of like this, actually.” The mare responded by cocking her head, confused.

“Bvah?”

“If you wanted to drug me and have your way, you should've just asked.” He grinned. The mare rolled her eyes. “Wait, no!” She dipped the syringe into him and pushed the plunger.

“We can wait till you're ready to...” Iron Heart's vision blurred as quickly as it had faded in.

The crickets wouldn't shut up. He wasn't aware of much, but he wished he'd had a button to just make their incessant chirping stop. “Oooohhh,” he groaned. This time the world stayed blurry. And the crickets. They were there, too, but he couldn't get them. “Buh? Uh?”

He staggered to his hooves, leaning hard on a table. Clutching his head, he noticed the soft glow of an active terminal. Just when he though he'd had enough of terminals, here was one more. Although he superstitiously wanted to avoid them (bad things happened when he used his last terminal), he was trained to be curious. Curiousty won out in the end. Maybe reading would help the throbbing in his head stop. There were three entries.

A worthy assignment

This world is in such desperation and all they can tell me to do is watch. I took one our Chosen Sisters to Dragon Mountain and we saw what happened there. Our orders kept us from interfering, I almost disobeyed those orders, but what example would my sister have? … Who am I kidding? The magic at work there was too powerful for one pony alone. Even the priestess herself couldn't have handled that.

At least we were able to aid some that were running from the battle. We did all we could in the end, and I guess that means I disobeyed our orders, after all. Only on our return did I realize what our order had been doing in the meantime. Celestia forgive me, I must mention the darkness our order's light wars against.

The Noxicel Souliscavi is on the move once more. Once again it has bathed in the blood of many more ponies. As it continued in its never ending blood lust (I hear through balefire this time), this fiendish tome didn't count on our order paying attention or tracking it. Our order's highest purpose has become seeking this book and destroying it.

My sister and I are charged with that task. We don't know how to destroy it, but at least we have been given the knowledge to secure it, as well as seal it so that we cannot fall prey to its seduction. Well, at least we know that the book is somewhere on Paddock Promontory. We know not how it got here so quickly, only that its magic was easily sensed as it made its way from somewhere in the Equestrian wastes.

Finally, my sister and I have a purpose. Finally we have been given a worthy quest. Too long have we watched as wickedness and death reign. This is the first, most important step in bringing Celestia's light to a broken world.

Shine the light in darkness.

Discouraging

My sister and I have met with numerous trials on our pilgrimage. The population outside of the city seemed disinterested in us at first. When we asked one about the tome of wickedness, however, he turned hostile. While I am inclined to show mercy, this putrid pony, lifted an axe at my sister.

He would have struck her had she not gotten out of the way, and had I not stepped in to stop him. We tried subduing him at first, but he became all the more violent, blocking many of our attempts with a bloated and oversized hoof. The worst part was when he called for help.

A skinny, malnourished stallion approached us, cursing and spouting the most foul things imaginable. He leveled an old shot gun at me and fired. Praise Celestia for blessing my sister with her raiment and such gifted hooves. In the end we killed them both defending ourselves. I did not care but my sister was affected deeply. We agreed to avoid the rural population.

Made our way to the cathedral on the hill. Surrounding the cathedral were numerous totems and markings of a tribal community. The leader approached us, and when we asked him about the book, he reviled us as well. He brokered no violence against us, however, and offered us to join their tribe on “a transcendent journey.” We declined and tried to share Celestia's light with him instead, but he flatly refused.

We are discouraged at these setbacks, but we are not out of options just yet. I have tasked my sister with investigating the old mansion of the hill while I make my way to the city of Phovannah. Celestia is with us, I know it. Regardless of the outcome here, we will remain on this island, faithful to the last.

I have sought to keep my sister strong. We sang a selection from Celestia's hymns and retold our experiences with Celestia's Gift. We have been great encouragement to each other. I think she wants for a stallion, though. I've caught her on more than one occasion... well. It's understandable on such a long, isolated journey. After everything we've been through, and especially with the possibility that we will never come home again, I admit that I myself have wanted the company of another some times. Celestia help me to stay focused on our task.

Celestia's work is never done.

Breakthrough

Praise Celestia! I think we may be close to the information we need. I was in Phovannah today. I had tried asking and talking to the ponies in the city, but none of them even responded to me. Better than trying to kill me, I guess.

The sun was mostly set and the moon had started to shine when I was turning back empty hooved. But then I barely heard an explosion. Taking wing, I scouted for the source but couldn't find it. There was a sudden crash and I saw another pegasus diving from a window. He couldn't seem to take flight, so I raced to catch him, and with Celestia's guidance, I did!

His wounds were grievous, however. There was a magical bullet eating a fiery path through his chest. I used my knife to remove it within seconds. Praise Celestia for her gifting my hooves and mind for medical work. I couldn't simply mend the wound. Instead, I cut away the flesh scarred with magical energy and only then administered my healing cuff. I wasn't sure why I took such risk and spent such a device for a pony that might not be able to help me at all, but now I know it was Celestia's providence.

He survived. I don't know what he's made out of, but it was amazing. As I started to drag him to our camp, some of the things he said convinced me this was Celestia's will. He talked about being brought here to find something, and that he was sent by Sapphire. He talked about needing to find a book. I can't be certain this is the same, but I'll try anything at this point. Not to mention that all this cannot be mere coincidence. I just know that this is all connected somehow.

I can't wait to hear what my sister has come across.

“Step away from that now!” A voice roared from behind Iron Heart. He jumped back in alarm, staggered, and fell. The mare glared down at Iron Heart, furious. Her yellow mane was braided. Her brown coat offset her fiery blue eyes. She wore golden armor that glinted even in the dull light of the tent.

“Look, you were gone and... I”

“Thought you could snoop around! Looking for something to steal?”

“Shit, no! Wait? How do I know you weren't the bucker stealing from me?”

“Oh no,” she started circling Iron Heart, “you are in no position to be blaming me, I saved your life!” Iron Heart started to get to his hooves.

“We just all need to take a bucking moment.”

“What a filthy mouth, too. I thought you were something worth saving, but you're no more than a raider.”

“I say buck and you assume, what? I'm a professional, you know.”

“A professional, eh?” Her eyes narrowed. “Alright then, who are you and what are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I don't know, you're the one who brought me-”

She jumped in close. “You know what I mean. Paddock Promontory.”

“Shit, I don't bucking know. Grey said we had to get here.”

“And why's that?”

“Calm down dammit! What's with the stick up your ass?” A hoof rapped his head. “Ow, dammit!” She hit him again.

“Language!”

“Look you overzealous piece a... pony. Look, I need to find my friend. He's in danger and I don't know where he is.

“Not before I get some answers! Why... are... you... here?”

Iron Heart stopped clutching his head and nodded. “He said, look he said somethin about, I don't know, about finding out what's wrong with me. I can't feel, much of anything.”

“Seem fine to me.”

“Well I'm bucking not, okay, can't remember... hey!” The pegasus seemed to ignore Iron Heart, stomping to the edge of the room, opening the metal door to the tent and spreading her wings. “Where in Celestia's green earth?”

“A believer?” she brightened.

“No! Listen-”

“No matter, we're going to find you're friend, seems to be the only one that knows anything.”

“I don't know where-” she flew off. “Bucking hell Iron Heart,” the stallion said to himself, “You sure know how to pick 'em.” He followed after her.

“Hey! Wait Up!” Iron Heart tried to get the other pegasus’ attention, but she seemed too focused to care. He tried to keep up with her, but the pain in his chest was slowing him down.

It was a longer flight into town than Iron Heart had anticipated. When he finally caught up to the other pegasus, he was out of breath. She was circling the town. He came down on a roof, panting.

“Wh… huff, huff… what now?” Iron Heart asked. She landed next to him.

“You tell me, she’s your friend, after all.”

“Actually, it’s a he. But you don’t… huff… know him like I do. Crazy idiot probably got himself lost, or worse. Especially with what’s in that hotel I jumped out of.”

“You mean the building we’re sitting on right now?”

“What in the buck?” Iron Heart looked around for snipers, assassins, anything to indicate the certain death that must be watching them. “How could you bring us here?” He was speaking in hushed tones now.

“This is the only place I know. Besides, it’s where I found you, remember? Your friend has to be around here somewhere.” The pegasus trotted her way to one side of the building and peered over the edge. Iron Heart rolled his eyes and followed.

“You found me almost dead, remember? Probably looking ta finish the job, too.”

“Are you sure he's not down there?’ Iron Heart barely made a sound as he rushed over to see.

A host of finely dressed ponies was making their way to the statue in the center of town. As they all marched, a bell started to toll somewhere in the distance. The statue had been shifted and split somehow, so that there was a hole slightly smaller than the statue's base. As the small column wound its way down the street, around half of the ponies seemed to be reeling in some sort of muted excitement. All the other ponies weren’t enjoying themselves. The difference was as clear as night and day.

Two unicorns in fine looking dress laughed and smiled, while the escorts in between them slowly plodded along, heads barely off the ground. One of them asked their escort a question, but the pony barely lifted up her head. Instead, she gave the smallest effort of a nod. Such a small effort, in fact, that the nod came as the pony’s head happened to swing that way as she walked. When the bell stopped, Iron Heart had counted twelve chimes.

“What in the buck?” Iron Heart asked. His companion looked at him, furious.

“This stops now!” She yelled in a hushed voice. “And shut your filthy muzzle! There’s no need for it.” She got up and spread her wings, ready to swoop down. Iron Heart grabbed her.

“Stop ya…” he checked himself and gave an exasperated grunt. The other pegasus wheeled on him, giving a bite.

“Get your hooves off or I’ll break every… last… one.” Her voice was low, threatening.

“Fine ya shit head. Go down there. First off, half those ponies have the other half in check- ya really think they can’t handle one more? Secondly, those four,” he pointed out four hulking forms surrounding the statue, “are their elite guard. Stupid as buck, but a full magazine from an assault rifle won’t bring one down, I tried. Third, we don’t even know what their IRF is. They’re this organized, they’ve got ta have one.”

“IRF?”

“Immediate Response Force. The second they get wind of something, any decently organized group is going to have a way to fight back. Small flanking teams, snipers, something. And I don’t see anything, and that worries a recon buck like me.” He stopped short, astonished. He was a recon buck. How did he know that? Why was that important to him?

“You finished?” she replied angrily.

“Yeah.” She gave an over exaggerated look of relief, punctuated with a snort. “No, wait. Four. Go in, take on a procession you know nothing about, fight four bruisers and trot away with between fifteen and twenty captives in tow? What makes ya think that’s any kind of plan? There, now I’m done.”

“It’s a plan,” she growled through clenched teeth, “that doesn’t let them get away!”

Iron Heart peered over again, doing a double take. He looked down just in time to see the statue stop moving. Everypony (and carapaced guard, thing) was gone. Completely gone. He swooped down. “Uh-huh.” She followed. “Wasn't there a defense force or something you were worried about?”

“Yep, still am.”

“So... you're...”

“Trying to find out how to get this open. There's gotta be...” Iron Heart stepped back. “Firelily blossom.” When the statue didn't move, disappointment washed over his face.

“Like babbling at that thing will get it to...” The ground shook. Disappointment gave way to an ear to ear grin. The statue began to move and split open. Iron Heart gave a victory maneuver. Coming down and puffing his chest, he was eager to make the mare eat her words.

“Hah! You were s-” Snapping claws, a strange clicking, and a vaulting carapace cut Iron Heart short. A tuft of dark blue mane floated to the ground. It was only the strands that had been physically cut, but that was because the hulking form had been so far away when it jumped. A second set of claws made to cut Iron Heart in half. He jumped and rolled, losing a tuft of tail this time. “You buckers!” He faced down the hulking thing. It almost looked like a cross between an insect and a crab “Hell, I would've welcomed sni-” The creature lunged at him again. This time he did a wing-assisted jump of his own, leaving the creature short. Three more had come out and started looking around. They looked at the mare. “Get outta of here!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. “I've got 'em distracted!” All of them looked at him. The one that had been attacking him was relentless. It jumped again.

Iron Heart noticed that the thing looked like it had a tiny face surrounded by shell. Instead of running, he stood his ground. He waited until the thing was midway through the air, timing its flight. He gave a small jump and a flap of his wings. It's claws snapped shut, cutting at air. He stayed in place and extended a hoof. His hoof impacted with the face like portion of the monster. It split like a dinner plate. A dinner plate that had a bowl of lumpy green cooked oats under it. A dinner plate with cooked oats under it having a large bowling ball thrown on top of it. Both he and the creature were thrown a number of yards before falling to the ground.

“Weak point,” he smiled. Shards of carapace and cool jelly oozed off his face. Pulling free, he clamored to his feet, excitedly looking for the next creature. Instead of attacking him, all three were surrounding the mare. They jumped at her in unison. “No!”

She jumped, too. A loud “clack” echoed up and down the street as the three ran into each other. Two landed on their feet while the third lay on its back, slowly rocking and clicking wildly. The mare spun in the air, straightened, and kicked her haunch out. A thin, golden rod jumped out of her saddlebag. She bit down on one end, which flattened with a click. She landed farther down the street. The two creatures ran after her.

The mare held up a fore leg and slapped the rod on it hard while still holding the flat end in her teeth. A loud snap was followed by four consecutive clicks. She balanced lithely on three legs, holding the hoof perpendicular to her muzzle. The rod had quadrupled in length. A spear head pointed at the end of the rod, with a hammer below it and a curved spike on the other end. As she balanced, Iron Heart noticed that the rod seemed attached to her hoof, but rotated slightly as she swayed. The bit in her mouth allowed her head to bob freely, still. Iron Heart was surprised at the range of motion the spear-hammer-rod had. He had never seen anything like it. He couldn't remember much of anything more than a few days ago, but he knew he had never seen anything like it.

One of the creatures jumped and she swatted it aside with the hammer. She gave the other a vertical slash as it ran toward her. The creature continued to charge so she took wing. Without wasting a movement, she bent her head down and hooked it with the spike as it jumped. Her foreleg and wings adjusted with the weight and she grunted with effort. The creature she hooked also started clicking wildly. A grin broke out of her partially filled muzzle. She lowered her altitude and smacked the flailing creature with the one on her weapon. The shells made another “crack” as they collided.

She dropped the one she was holding, circled, and plunged the point of her spear into its back. It clicked unhappily as the spear made a sickening crunch, propelling deeper into its inner workings. She fought with the spear and jiggled it around until the creature stopped moving.

“Look out!” Iron Heart flew as fast as he could. The creature that had been knocked on its back had been knocked to its feet as the mare flew by. It was leaping at her now. The mare tried to get away, but she had been blindsided. She whinnied as the creature brought her down. Two claws alternated as they clipped and sliced at her. Iron Heart brought out his hind legs and bucked it at full speed. He went tumbling, but the creature swayed, and fell on its back. This time it clicked twice, seeming to give up.

Iron Heart recovered, but limped. “Shit! How bad?” He started to fly over, but was bowled over by the third creature, which had run back at them. Terror filled his eyes as the faceplate turned to him. The creatures didn't seem to have eyes, just eye holes. The massive weight pinned him down and started to wriggle. A claw came free.

“Noooot yet!” he cried. Iron Heart felt the body shudder. Shockwaves rippled through the creature. He heard the strained cry of the mare as she brought her hammer down on the claw again and again. Iron Heart frantically moved his neck and head out of the way. The dull thuds turned into cracks and then squishes. Bubbles poured out of the face plate as she thrust the spear in between a joint in the plating, pushing it off Iron Heart. It continued to click and sputter as she screamed, bringing the hammer down on it again and again.

Iron Heart tried to get her attention. It didn't work. He almost thought of approaching her, but nervously laughed the idea off. “Hey... Hey? Hey!” She looked at him, murder (and green jelly) in her eyes. “Face plate.” She cocked her head, adjusted her weapon, and brought it down in one smooth motion. A loud sound was followed by bits of goo flying into the air.

“Houldha menchioned fat earller.”

“Huh?”

She bit down on her weapon and cocked her head the other way. The weapon partially retracted. She let go of the bit. “You could have said something.”

“Name? What's your name? That was amazing! I mean, amazing! And I don't even know who you are.”

“Just another sister of Celestia's Chosen.” she managed between breaths. She stood over her quarry, covered in whatever the insides of these creatures were made out of. A smear of blood partly covered in dust ran down her shoulder. She was pretty big for a pegasus. She was definitely strong.

“You look hot like that,” Iron Heart blurted. She trotted over to the third creature, thrust her spear into it, and gave Iron Heart a disparaging look. A hint of a smirk showed, and then faded as her eyes rolled into her head. Her body went limp.

Iron Heart had to think quickly. He didn't know how long the fountain would stay open. Leaving her there in the open... well it wasn't an option.

“Guess I get to return the favor.” Iron Heart gave a grunt as he bent down and lay her across his back using a firemare's carry. “Whoah girl!” His body had a hard time keeping its balance. “Huhph. How much ya weigh?” After much struggling and straining, he made his way down the stairs underneath the fountain.

Though it took a lot of precarious maneuvering, he eventually reached the bottom of the stairs. A low rumble started, making Iron Heart look up. The statue was closing. Tossing her (gently) into the corner, he went to find some place they could hide.

Her body shuddered awake. “Where am I?” Her question was quickly hushed by a hoof. It was insistent, but not harmful. Iron Heart whispered back to her.

“We’re safe, for now. I think most of ‘em are gone.” The two pegasi were laying on some broken down boxes. A small lamp lay between the two. The room was a small storage closet of some kind.

“What happened?” she whispered back.

“When was the last time you ate anything?” She took a long time to answer.

“A mare does not live by fodder alone, but every moment in Celestia’s light.”

“Horse shit.” She tried to kick his muzzle, but he pushed her hoof away easily. “Okay, I get it. Hey, good for your soul or whatever. But ya still need ta eat. What good is that soul of yours if your body’s dead? That’d be a damn shame, too.” Iron Heart produced a punga. “I was thinking of having this myself, seeing how you’ve got Celestia’s light in this dark room an’ whatever.” He put it near his muzzle. Her eyes followed. He opened his muzzle, as if to eat it, but pulled it away suddenly. She put her head between her hooves, trying to look away. Iron Heart had seen this mare single hoofedly take on three armored opponents. They each had massive claws where she had one weapon, albeit a fancy one. Right now, though, she looked pathetic, desperately trying not to take any help. “A bite, maybe?” He extended the hoof away from his mouth and toward her ever so slightly.

The punga was gone before his hoof even felt empty. She was biting and ripping and eating it, skin and all. She was done in a matter of seconds. Her stomach gave a growl.

“Easy,” he cautioned. “Too fast on an empty stomach and you’ll get sick. So,” he looked into her eyes, “How long?”

“Five, maybe six days.”

“Was that so hard?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“My sister and I…”

“So there’s two of you.” She looked away and nodded, like she just let out a great secret under duress. “What I can’t figure is what two beautiful mares like yourselves are doing in a dangerous place like this.”

“Same as you. We’re looking for the book.”

“Book? What book?”

“I don’t believe you’re here and you don’t know.”

“Look, filly, you mind if I call you… no? Good. Look filly, nopony tells me anything, but everypony expects me to help them out.”

“The assistance you rendered? I suppose it is worth a few caps,” she went for a saddle bag. Iron Heart put a hoof on the flap.

“Where’d you come up with such an attitude? You have me figured wrong. Don’t you realize I’m trying ta help? But not you nor this crazy unicorn, nor anypony else is willing ta tell me what this is all about. Believe me or don’t, fine. But I don’t even know your name.”

“You really don’t know?” He shook his head.

“Sun Shower- that’s my name. My sister and I were sent here with few supplies and the most dangerous mission our Order, or any other pony for that matter, has ever undertaken.”

“It was the Nexicol... what now?”

“Noxicel Souliscavi. I see you got that far, at least.”

“Now, I’m the one who doesn’t believe you.” She looked away. “That’s why you’re so into this. You really believe this is that important. And you think there are some really nasty ponies out for this.”

“Not just ponies. Any wickedness of any kind this evil can draw to itself.”

“So, where do we go from here?”

“I’m sorry, we?”

“Look, you and your “sister” have been trying to do this all on your own. At some point you have to trust someone. You have to have somepony else on your side, else you won’t make it.” After he finished, she looked at him, dubious. He let out an exasperated sigh. “You think I couldn’t have taken advantage of you just now? You know how long you were out?”

She still avoided his eyes. “A little blunt, don’t you think?”

“Damn straight I am. And you, your sister, my friend, we’re all looking for the same thing. We’re all on the same side.” He let out a groan.

“What is it now?” His aggravation made its way into her voice.

“Celestia dammit, I’m starting ta even sound like him.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. Grey.”

The mare realized what he just said. “And stop using her name like that, don’t you know Celestia’s…”

Iron Heart tried to tune her out. “Smooth, Iron Heart, real smooth.” There was a snap and a whine. She continued talking, but he rifled through his saddle bags. He brought out the communicator and stuck it in his ear. It was a stallion’s voice

“Hello? Grey? Who is this? Are you there? It is you? Who else was tha-... Who's on this frequency?... Grey? Where are you, you bucker? “Midnight at the statue?” No shit, Sureclop, you even know what time it is? Look, where are you?”

“Are you even listening?”

“Yes, not to you.” Sun Shower looked offended. He pointed a hoof to the communicator. “I just heard him, and some other buck, there was a third voice… Hello? Hello! Return back, dammit.”" Nothing answered back but static. "Guess they’re all gone now. Hello?”

“Shut the hell up and listen smart.” A voice broke through the static. It was smooth. Smooth and sharp. Iron Heart’s ears perked involuntarily. “I do not know who the buck you are, but you are sure as shit going to do exactly as I say.”

If I were a masochist, she would have turned me on with the first four words, he thought.

“The bucker you just heard was Bray. He is mine, and you are going to fetch him. He has gotten himself in a tight spot, and from the sound of it, there is a pony you happen to know with him. I happen to be too busy at the moment to bother with his worthless hide.”

Iron Heart realized that she was just a voice. There wasn’t anything she could do to them where they were. She still sent a thrill through him. “Well now, look who’s learned to use big mare words.”

The curse she responded with was so angry, sudden, and so foul that he would have spit out anything he’d had in his muzzle, and then some. Hell, I could be a masochist, that could work. “Point is, bucker, his ass is mine. Yours is too. Now, be a good little colt… and when you find that friend of yours, bring Bray to me. There is a statue at the center of Phovannah, and under that statue is-”
“Firelily blossom.” He gave a smirk. She didn’t respond for an instant, but quickly came back.

“Well now, look who is not a dribbling idiot.”

“Name’s Iron Heart. And yours is…”

“None of your Celestia dammed business. Now, let me put this in tiny words that your baby little brain can understand. Fetch.” Everything went silent. Iron Heart tried to get her to come back, even saying some things he thought she wouldn’t be able to stand, but there was no response.

“Alright, Sunshine.”

“Shower.”

“Let’s get to work.”

Wherever they were, it was underground. There were no windows, and areas of the room they were overlooking showed evidence of a hollowed out cave. It was arranged like some sort of amphitheater. Rows of ponies sat in the various benches. Some were talking to each other and some were looking at the stage. Iron Heart actually recognized some of the ponies that were there. Some of them were cheery while others bore a hallmark gloom on their countenance.

Things were different, however. A few were crying. There were even a few ponies that were struggling. Of those, two or three were actually starting to break free. Each time a pony got close, however, a mob of other ponies surrounded them. And while Iron Heart didn’t see any actual violence acted out against the ponies, he saw signs of pain followed by submission from each one.

Again, Sun Shower made to intervene. Iron Heart had to throw his weight into keeping her under control. “Not… uph… yet,” he whispered. She glowered. “Soon.”

“I’m holding you to that… every second.” He nodded back.

A hush cut all talking short. On the stage appeared a magnificent white mare with a flowing rainbow mane. As Iron Heart realized who it was, he whirled. Sun Shower’s muzzle widened, Iron Heart wrapped a leg around it. She struggled, uttering words unheard, offering praises to the sweaty joint in his knee. She looked at him, he shook his head furiously. She tried to break free, to say something, to throw him.

He used a submission hold. It tangled his whole weight with hers, and the two of them slowly rocked and rotated onto their back. She continued struggling, even breaking free three times. Each time he held his leg over her muzzle, intertwined their other three legs, and managed to keep them quiet. “Alright now, you gonna be quiet?” She nodded. He ventured a test and removed his hoof.

“Are you crazy? Celestia! Celestia- she’s-“

“The over mare of a meeting where half of ‘em are slaves?” he spit back.

“It- It… you, you just don’t understand! You’re not a believer, you don’t know!” she spat.

“I believe that if Celestia was down there, she’d be angrier than you are!” he returned.”

“No! I… I!” Slowly, her struggling stopped. It wasn’t because she was too tired, but because she was curious.

Sensing her change, Iron Heart let go. She bucked him off and looked.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Celestia started, “From the very first day I made Phovannah my throne, you have shown this to be a worthy decision.” Clopping applause broke out from the crowd. Iron Heart realized that only half the room was applauding. A few of the sad ponies, however, had a new light enter their eyes. Some even got to their hooves. As it died down, Celestia continued, “And what pony could not swell with pride, love even, to see their beautiful princess?”

Iron Heart had to admit she was a sight to behold. Her glory shone like the sun, the stage glowed slightly. Sun Shower seemed awestruck, but remained silent. “And now, my loyal subjects,” Celestia continued, “You are all invited to join me tonight for our feast! Please, enjoy your meals, my little ponies.” Celestia moved off stage and took up a position somewhere in the front row. Soon after, everypony in the room started to change. Some of the ponies turned aggressive toward their escorts, others tried to soothe them. The escorts, however, started to whine and whimper, some even tried to get away.

Iron Heart stared in shock. He expected to see ponies dying, being physically assaulted. This was different, though. The ponies that were overpowered seemed to be suffering, but there were no clubs, no weapons, the ponies weren't even being attacked with hooves. It was worse. Had Iron Heart seen guns, or weapons, or something, he could identify what was hurting them, instead they all were just writhing in pain. The only thing Iron Heart thought he could notice was the color of the room. It seemed off, somehow, but he dismissed that as the lighting of the room. A few groans broke out, and then there was a cry from the middle of the crowd.

Iron Heart did a double take again. This time he looked at the mare standing in the middle of the amphitheater, then down at where Sun Shower was supposed to be, and back at the throng. “In the name of Celestia and her chosen order, I order everypony to stop right now. Stop and turn yourselves over to me!” All the ponies stopped. Some opened their muzzles wide and hissed. Others were approaching slowly. Yet others were looking at Celestia for direction. “I swear in her name that nopony who comes quietly will be harmed.”

“In my name?” Most of the ponies in the room looked over, including Sun Shower. Celestia was speaking “Why, how wonderful! Do, please come and join us. You would be most welcome. Now tell me, are you the only one here?”

“I’m the only one that needs to be here.” She shot a camouflaged glance at where Iron Heart would probably still be. Celestia laughed. Iron Heart had never seen her, didn’t believe she existed, and he still didn’t. Nonetheless, he felt like that laugh was exactly how Celestia would laugh if she were genuinely happy. It was long and mirthful, sweet and gentle. Iron Heart’s body shook with fear.

“Ohh.” Celestia groaned. “Yes, oh yes. That’s it. Confusion, love, fury, ZEAL. My little pony, come to me. Come here, and I will give you the second gift. For tonight I have felt real, geniuine, true devotion. Twice in one night…..” she let out a luxurious sigh. “Come, my dear, and I will give you twice the gift for giving me a second chance to feel what I haven’t felt in centuries... Oooohhhh what a treat.”

Something came together inside Iron Heart. He didn’t like what she was saying. It reminded him too much of another pony he knew.

“Now listen here-“

“No, now you listen! You will not take this from me, you will be mine! MY SUBJECTS,” Sun Shower covered her ears as Celestia’s voiced suddenly boomed, echoing into hidden corners of the room, “BRING HER TO ME ALIVE, AND WE EAT TOMORROW, TOO.” Iron Heart had to clutch his head, too; the sound was deafening.

Hissing filled the air. As one body, the ponies that had looked fine and beautiful in their regalia now twisted, their eyes filled with lust, their faces filled with rage. A few unseen hooves pawed at the ground. “You’re kidding me. Every one of you is serious? You’re going to need a lot more than that to challenge… a fifter of ve Orber!” Sun Shower had kicked out her weapon and bit down on it. It extended once, then twice, and with a final click, she was ready for action. Her tail gave a righteous flick as the room encircled her. “Ome more waming! Serrender or bie!” Iron Heart gave a chuckle at how ridiculous she sounded.

One pony lunged at her. She gave her a buck to the ribs. Another tried to buck her, but she caught him with her haft and sent him sprawling. With one impulse the crowd surged, ponies climbed over each other to overcome her. She stepped on ponies’ heads and faces, even kicked off a pair of unicorns, managing to stay on top of the broil rather than be sucked down by it. Each attempt to put her down ended with a buck to the face, a kick to the side, or even a hammer or haft to a shoulder.

Soon enough, however, she started to become overwhelmed. Despite all her skill, more and more ponies were coming at her all at once. The room had come alive, and its sole purpose was to bring her down. “TO ME, BRING HER TO ME,” Celestia’s booming voice called over the crowd. She whinnied and reared, kicking two more ponies to their backs. Another pony pounced on her from behind, hissing. She was knocked to the ground. The crowd hissed, they spat, and she felt her body shudder, as if it was suddenly becoming weaker. She spit our her weapon and rolled, hoping to box the pony that pinned her with her front hooves.

“Hey sexy.” It was Iron Heart. “The things we could do to each other like this.” The grin on his face was sickening. A pony hissed at Iron Heart, who hissed back, almost matching the tone perfectly. “What now?” he cried in the raspiest voice he could muster.

“Make way! Make way!” The crowd parted, allowing Celestia to get close. She loomed. “Still so fiery,” she sucked air through her teeth like she was getting a deep tissue hoof massage. “Now, she comes with AAAUUUGGHHT! NOOO, NO NNNOOOO!” Celestia screamed. Ponies looked at each other, confused. Iron Heart did too, not having to fake anything this time. “CHAMBERS! Bring her to my chambers.”

“What of the others?” an unseen pony asked. Celestia reared, spread her wings, and flew down to the stage. Questioning murmurs from the crowd went unanswered as she disappeared behind the stage.

“What now?” one pony asked.

“You heard her, to her chambers!” Iron Heart rasped authoritatively. He shoved Sun Shower to one of the nearest ponies.

“What about them?”

“Put them back where they were. We have to wait until tomorrow.” A number of ponies shimmered, some bristled, and more than a few transformed. Their bodies were leafy and green. Each had black eyes. Iron Heart did his best to not look astonished. A pony's shape was the closest thing Iron Heart could relate to. Even that didn’t make sense, though. Grasshoppers don’t have fangs, do they?

“Tomorrow?” the guard challenged. Iron Heart looked around, racking his brain.

“She gave us permission- but only when she was here. Now she’s gone. We have to wait till she comes once more.” Alternating arguments of approval and disagreement broke out. “Ponies need rest,” Iron Heart tried to yell, but the cacophony drowned his attempts.

He tapped the shoulder of two ponies and one of the insects, getting their attention. “If we don’t get the ponies safely out, there won’t be anything left to eat.” They looked at each other, nodding. Each of them brought around two or three other insects or ponies. They started herding and corralling the ponies that were looking miserable.

A series of clicks and hisses preceded the sound of heavy feet approaching. One of the ponies had left and come back with some of the hard shelled creatures. A circle was set up around the corralled ponies. One or two outside of the circle got too close before being snapped at by the guards. In all the confusion, the only pony to notice Iron Heart was missing was the one he had recruited to help restore order. “Sir? Sir!” the guard looked about fruitlessly.

Sun Shower, Iron Heart, and two pony-shaped insects marched their way down a hallway that had been adjacent to the amphitheater. Iron Heart carried Sun Shower’s weapon. At the end of the hall was a large doorway in the shape of a gear. They turned off before reaching that, however, and found themselves in front a much smaller door that opened into a beautiful room. While the ceiling was rough and unfinished, opening to the roof of a cave, the rest of it was arrayed in fine linens and beautiful furniture, all of it shades of green. They entered.

“And now?” Iron Heart questioned. The two insects looked at each other. One held up a hoof to indicate he or she didn’t know (Iron Heart still couldn't tell their gender). The other thought a moment.

“We wait for the Queen’s return,” it said, “She’ll want to handle this persssonally.”

“Just what I hoped you'd say.” Iron Heart flew over to the door and slammed it shut.

The guards looked at each other. One held up a hoof again, showing that it had no idea what was going on. Iron Heart flew, hind hoofs first, into its head, sending it reeling. The other hissed and started to fly, revealing bug-like wings. It, too was knocked to the ground, this time by Sun Shower.

“Alright, we got questions, everypony... and bug-thing gets out of this just fine as long as we like your answers.”

“Iron Heart,” Sun Shower exclaimed, “We need to get back there and save those ponies.” Iron Heart nickered.

“We have to figure out what's going on before we do anything else.”

“What I just did back there, that saved the ponies from getting tortured.”

“And what I did was save your bucking life. Ya can thank me later.” Sun Shower got up and went over to Iron Heart. “The hell ya doing?”

“You think my life is more important than all those ponies out there? You're following me, buck-o, not the other way around.”

Iron Heart's captive struggled. “The other one, moron!”

“Not until you promise we go out there as soon as we're done here.”

“Are you insane!”

“No- I care, you don't. Have fun dealing with them yourself, I think it's time we go our separate ways.”

“THE OTHER ONE!” Iron Heart boomed, genuine concern in his voice. Sun Shower looked astonished and turned her head, just in time to see her charge sink its fangs into her neck. She roared.

Iron Heart's captive bit into his foreleg, sinking its fangs until they struck bone. Iron Heart whinnied furiously. He used his other hoof to beat on its head. To his surprise, it let go and looked up at him. “Her. The mare. You both... tastes ssssoooo... gooood.” It looked like it was happy, euphoric even. Iron Heart didn't know how to tell, other than its unusual moans and the fact that it's mouth was pulled into what resembled a bloody smile.

Iron Heart knew he was getting weaker. He didn't feel it as much as his body started to stop responding. He was moving slow, being drawn to the ground as if a growing weight was being added to his back. He noticed a bright glow from somewhere in the insect's abdomen. Want me to fall? Fine! He gave a mad whinny, reared, and let the full force of his weight come down on one hoof, squarely on the spot that was glowing. It was a good thing that all he had to do was fall. As his body's strength evaporated, he knew he wouldn't be able to do much else.

A crunch was followed by a squeak as the cavity buckled and then caved. The soft glow turned into a bright green as the insect's insides bubbled and issued onto its outsides. A pulsating green filled the room and died away. Iron Heart couldn't tell what the noise was that came next. A squeak trembled into a chirping whine. Iron Heart checked the creature below his hoof. It had stopped doing anything at all. The sound couldn't have been coming from there. He looked around. Sun Shower was heaving in a corner, holding her neck, wide-eyed.

Iron Heart moved his gaze to the other insect. A piece of mangled red meat dangled loosely off of one of its fangs. It stood there, mouth open. The noise wasn't stopping. Iron Heart couldn't see how it was being made, but that didn't matter. He shoved the creature to the ground and galloped to Sun Shower. Blood was everywhere.

“Dammit!” She slumped lower, her hindquarters giving out, the corner the only thing holding her weight. A wave of peace washed over her face. “You don't get to look like that! That's not the way this is going."

He knew there wasn't anything on him, but he didn't know about her. Her lower half had twisted to its side, one side of her flank facing up. He started shifting through her saddle bag that he could access. “C'mon! I know you've got more in here than your sexy, sexy flank.” Something pulled inside him. Not a muscle or a joint, but a memory. Her muzzle worked, trying to say something. He worked faster, putting pressure on her neck and flipping her over. On this side he dug through, coming out with a healing cuff in his teeth. He whinnied proudly. Her left side, the side with her heart, was where the wound was. She looked at him as he strapped the cuff on her left foreleg, which was holding pressure on her wound. Her hoof shook, weakening. As he tried to pull her leg away, she found strength and resisted. “I'm here to help. Believe me, I need you to believe me, right now!” Again, something tugged at him. “Put your life in my hooves.”

She loosened, Iron Heart nuzzled her hoof away, put one hoof below the wound, and went to put his other leg over the wound when something inside him told him to turn. He spared the slightest glance to see the other insect baring its fangs and coming down on him. He lifted a back leg and landed a perfect buck to its chest. It reeled, tried to get up, and collapsed. He turned back to see Sun Shower limp, her wound open, nothing to stop the flow of blood. Iron Heart spared not a single movement other than to activate the cuff. Although that only took two motions, Iron Heart couldn't help feel that was two motions too many.

Addendum I:

Cutie Marks

Report of Findings for Lab 212, Neighvarro

This one should be obvious, right? Every pony has a cutie mark. All cutie marks tell that pony what makes them special, the unique quality that they express that no other pony can. Our lab would humbly submit that the fundamental nature of these marks is not completely understood. That, or this knowledge has been forgotten. Findings from our controlled experimentation indicate there are magical properties and possibilities yet untapped in this field.

Let's start with what we know. Under normal circumstances, a cutie mark will naturally appear on either flank of the coat of a pony. Exactly when and how the mark appears vary between individuals, but the onset of this mark almost exclusively occurs in colts and fillies before they reach adolescence. Only a few extreme cases have been observed where this is not the case; a long term coma is one such example.

The common factor among documented cases, as well as our own trials, denote a combination of propensity, experience, and acknowledgment that result in a pony’s mark. Put simply, once a pony realizes a central virtue (in the general sense of the term) that they posses and apply, it appears as their cutie mark. This is where our understanding, however, begins to shift.

As purposely stated, a pony receives a cutie mark when they realize a virtue. Does this mean that each pony is relegated to one virtue? Furthermore, this virtue can be related to a pony’s personality, or it might be related to a vocation. By way of example of the latter, one filly from our control group (we'll call her Weather Mane) showed us a white cloud with a golden sun behind it, which she exclaimed she got when she learned that she wanted to be a weather pony. By contrast, a colt (we'll call him Sure Hoof) showed us a dark cloud shrouding a gold circle for his cutie mark. Both marks were similar, so we assumed he wanted to be a weather pony, too. However, he explained his cutie mark appeared when he was good at being strong for other ponies.

In order to further understand the difference between these two foals, we initiated an experiment (after parental permission was given, of course). One night both ponies were given a big meal laced with a mild sedative. While they slept, both flanks were shaved and temporary tattoos of the other's cutie mark were applied. When they awoke, they were told that their cutie marks had somehow been swapped and they were given tasks that would make sure their new marks were correct.

Each pony remained convinced that her or his new situation was irreversible. After much comforting and assurance the ponies decided to make the best of the situation and work at their new tasks.

As expected both performed poorly. What we didn't expect was how stubbornly they both insisted on continuing to perform tasks that they were clearly not suited for. The more they failed at each task, the more determined they became to complete them.

At one point Weather Mane, after a fit of crying, exclaimed that she had to go back in and comfort some animals that were scared. When it was explained to her that her attempts were scaring them further, she responded, “But I have to try, it's who I am!” After much coaching and instruction, she was able to refrain from terrifying the animals, and even return them at least to their original demeanor. Her methods were inefficient and crude, however, leading us to conclude that she would make a poor counselor. Sure Hoof fared no better, utterly failing a weather class and accompanying quiz.

The second phase of our experiment started with another soporific meal (a welcome consolation), and included the removal of the temporary tattoos. This time, the children were told that their cutie marks had disappeared. After another round of consolation, they were told that they could pick what tasks they'd like to try that day.

Weather Mane once again became inconsolable. When asked what was the matter, she responded, “Without my cutie mark, I don't know what I should choose!” At this point, many from our staff, the author included, wanted to stop the experiment. We would have, except that we saw Sure Hoof attempting to comfort her. He even went so far as to say the following, “Don't worry, pick whatever you want. We can do it together. Even if we're bad at it, we can try.”

At this, Weather Mane picked a weather lesson followed by a field trip to a spire operations hub. Both ponies attended the class and the following field trip. While Sure Hoof struggled with the initial lessons, Weather Mane excelled at re-teaching the material, enabling Sure Hoof to pass (even if barely) the quiz before the trip. Weather Mane let Sure Hoof know how happy she was that he didn't give up.

Finally, it was time for phase three. It would be a lie if any of us said we weren't touched by the opportunity to send the foals to bed with one final (even lavish, this time) meal. Later we were happy to replace their marks, and ecstatic to let them know that they had re-earned their cutie marks from doing so well the day before. Closing remarks from the foals included mutual assurances of life-long friendship, as well as the promise from both that, as Weather Mane put it, “Now I'm never gonna forget who I am, not never!”

From this experiment's first phase we propose that cutie marks partly work as a sort of reminder of identity. They seem to be a way for ponies to establish who they are without consciously having to do so. This mark is so linked with a pony's identity that simply changing it leads to a state of what can be best described as disharmony not easily resolved. From phase two, we hypothesize that the loss of a cutie mark results in the pony sliding back into their natural state, assured of who they are, once they are able to come to grips with the loss. Furthermore, we believe that the subconscious is somehow balanced against another, more conscious, self-awareness within a pony's psyche.

Finally, we feel that experience is the best teacher of who a pony is, and that, in some way, brings our experiences together. We all got our cutie marks through some encounter that helped us come to grips with who we are. As we discover the world around us, we discover ourselves. As we discover ourselves, we discover greater ability to affect that world; we discover daily how to better shape our world for the better world it will be tomorrow.

We here at Lab 212 would like to remind all those reading this report that while our results are fascinating, further study is required to either confirm or deny our hypotheses. We have merely scratched the surface of understanding the connections that make up a pony. However, rest assured, our findings have borne fruit already. Some of our findings have been critical, for example, in helping returning soldiers deal with the stress of losing their loved ones in, and out, of combat. However, we cannot but look forward with anticipation at what our continued efforts in this field will lead to.

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Savoir Faire
The difference between you and other ponies is simple- you make this look good.
You receive an extra 5% chance of scoring a critical hit while unarmed, as well as an extra 5% chance to pass a speech check.

Chapter 7: On the Other Hoof

The Root of All Kinds of Evil
“No matter how you slice it, it’s still cake… unless it’s a pie, then it’s just pie.”

Grey groaned.

“You are awake? Good. Come on, crazy pony, find us a way out of here.”

Grey tried to move. His hooves weren't touching the floor. As far as he could tell, something was gluing him in place. After a few movements he stopped struggling.

“You stopped rhyming.” Grey could barely see in the darkness.

“That is not important now, pony. I saved your friend, you have to save me.”

“Why?”

“Did they hit your head pony? What happened to you?”

“I gambled and I lost.”

“Where is the pony I met at my lowest point? Surely you cannot be him. That pony was happy.”

“That pony was a lie.”

“No, that pony was real, and I thought he could save me. He inspired me to save myself. I guess you are not him, though”

“No...”

“Hahaha. That won't do, that won't do one bit.” A sinister voice called out through the darkness.

Arcane green flames flashed to life. Sconces holding the flames lined a strange, intertwining wall. A low ceiling blended and molded into the twisted walls. Grey couldn't identify the material, but it was hardened, twisted, and black-green. Metal panels and a few doors showed through the oozing, organic molding where it didn't entirely cover the original construction. Grey didn't take the time to admire the walls' incomprehensible construction, but looked down solemnly.

“I had hoped you would have some fire I could nurse, some last scraps before I leave you,” the deep feminine voice boomed, but didn't echo, as the sickly walls sucked up the sound. Two brilliant green eyes pierced from the darkness where the flames couldn't reach.

“Come on pony, think of something!”

“Yes, please do, else I'll have to feed on the zebra again, and well, I've already had all of her.”

“Fine, whatever you do, do it quick, then maybe I can get some peace and quiet.”

The eyes narrowed angrily. Out of the shadows strode a magnificent terror. She was easily three times larger than anypony Grey had ever seen. Darkened carapace plated her form like wicked armor. Interlocking and complete, Grey saw no bare spots. Blue hair that grew long and luxurious around a crooked horn. She moved with grace and majesty, and as she did her body-plates moved with her in some deep, secret pattern.

“Come now, you were so eager to get to me earlier, what's wrong with you? Don't you love your queen?”

“You're not my queen,” Grey shot, “You're not even somepony I want to see.”

“You would prefer this?” In an instant the head of this new body wore Celestia's guise. Grey looked away. “No? But you were so eager earlier. I want that, oh it was so... tasty.” Celestia dropped back away, the other guise bared fangs and a long, darting tongue. “No matter.”

“Too bad really, you would be beautiful if your heart weren't so ugly.”

“Theatrics? Heroics? You see where that has left you my lover.”

“I am nothing of the sort, go away!”

“Such passion, oh perhaps I am going to enjoy this after all!”

“I told you already! Go! Away!” As Grey yelled, he had to put forward more and more effort. He felt what little anger he had was fading, getting driven from him into somewhere else. “It's you, you're doing this! You all are!” He felt himself fading away.

“Yes, OH YES! That's it. Mmhhmm. Passion, pain, oh I used to stick to love, but there is so much of a pony to savor, I just couldn't choose just one thing anymore. Oh you have no idea how good it is to find one of you with life left!”

“Who are you? What's going on?” Grey demanded.

“Me?” The massive form bowed and returned, muzzle to muzzle. “Call me Chryssssallliiisssssss. And what is going on is that I get to have every... bit... of... you.” Grey turned away as Chrysalis' tongue stroked his face. “What's the matter?” Don't like that, then you are going to love thissss. My, oh my.” Grey squirmed, disgusted and angry, then just disgusted. He couldn't stand how much enjoyment she was getting out of this. It made him... it made him... feel nothing at all. Grey went cold. The plated, putrid face laughed. “And there it is oh... ooohhhhhh. Nothing left, not for you, anyway, me... for me,” she paused. There was a sticky sucking sound as hidden plates shifted. A shiny, long spine poked out from underneath Chrysalis.

Grey struggled. “Don't fight, I've already sucked you dry. I can see it. Why don't you sleep now?” Chrysalis soothed. Grey smirked, screwed his face and spit in hers. Her tongue flitted out, licking the spittle. “That'sss the ssspirit...” Her mouth opened wide, letting out a moaning hiss. The spine shot forward.

Muffled sounds beat on Grey's head. His ears twitched. A sharp pain snapped him conscious. He wanted nothing more than to hold his side, to clutch at himself, to see how bad it was.

“Awake, little pony? Good. I am glad my story woke you. Now you know why I rhyme sometime.”

“Ouchie, ow ow owie! It hurts, get me out!” Grey was fully awake now. Struggling against what was holding him didn't help. “What is this? I want to get out.”

“Calm down. We can get to the ground. But first, are you back pony, or is this side you show me your worst?”

Grey did his best to slow his breathing, to calm down. He groaned at the pain in his side. He didn't know what to do. “For what? I loved those two and they hurt me. I've come all this way, and this is what I came to.”

“I don't know what is worse. That you fought so hard to overcome those two, or that I believed the power to was in you.”

Grey looked down, sadly. “Yeah... you're right.”

“I am, am I? Well then, strip my stripes, they were right.”

“I wanted to live out my life loving them. Even if it hurt me. I guess I still do. I'm just so tired of running, I wanted to run away from my pain.”

“Poor pony, look what feeling sorry for yourself has gotten you. You don't even deserve your friends, too.”

“You don't understand, you don't know what I've been through.”

“Nor can you understand me. But that is a lie. When you found me at the statue, I was ready to die. Now we found each other in the same position, we can see eye to eye. Let me return what you gave me, and for your sorrow the perfect remedy.” In the low light Grey could make out the form of the zebra, attached to the wall by a viscous glue, much like he must be. Suddenly, she was not on the wall anymore. Grey couldn't see where she had gone. “Life is hard, especially for the weak. But it is by struggle we find the strength we seek. Unlearn your self pity. Fight for your survival instead. If you're not worth it, there is not one who is, if you are worth it, than every pony is, even those you do not know. Find yourself Grey. Fight for yourself with every breath Grey. Fight for me.” Grey's bonds began to shudder and shift. He caught a glimpse of the zebra's eyes. They were brown, but somehow, out of the darkness, he saw their fire.

“Now that sure is something!” A gravelly voice also pierced the darkness.

“Who is there, are you a foe? If so, beware.”

“Nope. Matter of fact, I'm a friend!”

“A friend? Prove it!” Grey demanded.

“Okay?” the voice rasped. “I can show you... my credentials? How about a tour of this facility? I can show you where they have their dances.”

“Nope,” Grey replied, “Seen it. The DJ stunk.”

“Or the lab, there's some mighty interesting equipment in there, the gene splicer is amazing!”

“Nah, we're trying to get out of here more than tour it.”

“And there's the radio room! That's where they used to broadcast their music, but now I can broadcast my request for help!”

“Oooh, there! Let's go there! C'mon zebra lady, let's save him, I like him.” Grey's bonds made a sucking, ripping sound and he landed on his hooves. “Thanks.” He hugged the zebra. “Now, where are you?”

“Right here! That reminds me. When I'm free we can stop this place forever, too.”

“Crazy ponies, where do you get such energy?” the zebra mused.

“I don't know, guess I've always had this much,” the rasping replied, “But that's probably because I'm so proud of my home. I know! I'll give you all a tour when we get there, too. That reminds me. You two were amazing! Those bits of interpersonal dialog, and how you stood up to Chrysalis! No pony's ever stood up to her like that.”

Grey moved along the fetid walls, inspecting them. All he could make out was a contorting pattern with no defining direction. Along the wall was a softer section. Grey touched it with a hoof, a goop reminded him of the substance that had been holding him. A body with patchy skin was cocooned in the substance. Sinew and muscle showed where the skin hung loose or where it didn't cover. “Nothing here but a corpse.”

“Well hey there!”

Grey screamed like a frightened filly. The corpse looked down at him and spoke, “I may not be much to look at, but you don't look too good yourself. You should see yourself right now. Looks like you've seen a ghost!” The corpse laughed at his own joke. It was a racking laugh. “Say, I meant to ask you pony folk, how did you get out?”

“Alright, here is the rule... follow it and I won't kill you two.”

“Anything to get out of this hole.” Somehow, the zebra didn't know how, but somehow the talking corpse sounded cheery.

“No talking. Grey, you have too much in common with this ghoul. Break my rule and I'll leave you two. Understood?” Grey made a show of zipping his muzzle shut with a hoof. The zebra looked up at the ghoul. He tried to nod. The zebra pulled out a chemical light, bent it until it made a snap and shook it. The extra light didn't make the décor any less threatening.

The zebra pulled back her lips and bent her head. She used her tongue to part a black and white stripe on her shoulder and gingerly bit a tiny string with her teeth. Grey went to share his astonishment but stopped himself, only managing a muffled, “Hmmm!” A thin, flexible knife appeared. She used it to dislodge the ghoul. His joints made all sorts of sounds as he stretched and popped them. In a particularly gruesome display he dislodged a shoulder.

“That feels soo good. Sorry!” Grey hummed excitedly and pointed an accusatory hoof.

The zebra glared at them both but let it slide. He popped the joint back in place. There was an awkward, terrifying silence as the three looked at each other in the green chemical glow of the resin covered room. “I'm such a foal, you,” she pointed at the ghoul, “where do we go?” The ghoul pony looked around, picked their direction and trotted off. The zebra took the chemical light in her muzzle.

The ghoul stopped at almost every corner and dull door, looking like he desperately wanted to say something. Instead, he bowed his head each time and continued on.

They made their way cautiously, tensely avoiding any unnecessary sound. At some length they came to a metal door not covered or jammed by the gooey resin. He went to touch the control but the zebra stopped him, looking, listening for something, anything. She gave a nod. After activating the control, half-seen gears whirred and twisted. The door dropped away with a clatter. Both of them went inside. The ghoul moved deeper into the room.

“You two can talk in here. That should make our tasks clear.” The zebra looked around. “Where's Grey?” The ghoul responded with a shrug. The zebra said something angrily in a language he didn't understand. She went back outside.

Stalking down the metal walkway a few feet lead her to a wide open room. Grey was standing near the middle, looking at something big. She saddled up to him.

“Where were you,” she hissed. Grey looked back at her, eyes wide.

“Something was familiar about this place, I knew it! Don't know how, but then I realized. This looks like a common room. It's different, though, the cafe is in the wrong place. But I'm sure of it, zebra, we're in a stable... and... and this is a common room... and-and that's not supposed to be here!” He pointed a hoof at what he was looking at.

The zebra held out her chemical light. A large pillar made of the same twisting resin molding that covered the walls stretched from the floor all the way to the tall ceiling. It's base spread out like the trunk of a sickly tree. At the top of the pillar was a similar base, stretching out over part of the ceiling. The plated bark of this tree was comprised with a scattering of pony bodies all the way up. Some poked halfway out, a look of horror molded as a permanent addition. Others were nestled in, their abdomens splayed open. Grey shuddered and whimpered. The zebra put the light away and tried to pull Grey back. He didn't budge so she took him by the tail and dragged him away.

Once inside the room, the ghoul closed the door. It made a surprisingly loud clatter on the way back up. “It's okay,” the ghoul chimed, “we can both talk in here! I found the stuff they took from us, too!” Grey looked up, realized what the ghoul reminded him of and galloped into a corner, shaking. “What's eating him?” The zebra groaned at his choice of words. The ghoul dropped Grey's bags on the floor.

“We must get this running, never mind him. It's time to sink or swim.”

“I'll get right on it!” The ghoul moved to a bank of terminals on one end of the room. A sound of hooves tacking away at a terminal filled the room. “Right, almost... got it! Now, hit those two buttons there. That's it.” The conversation faded away from Grey. He was looking at something on the ghoul. His horror ate its way deeper and deeper. He got up, putting one shaky hoof in front of the other. The zebra heard him approach. Grey looked up.

“You, what's that?” Grey was pointing at the ghoul's side.

“You saw what happened, you have one, too. Bad things happened... to the others. I don't know why it hasn't to me yet.” He ignored Grey and continued to work. Grey bent in and swiped the zebra's chemical light. She didn't realize what was going on until the color of the room turned green.

“That is mine, what is going on in your mind?” Grey smacked the zebra's hoof away. Something was poking out of the folds of skin on the ghoul.

“What are you doing?”

“Shh! Stay still.” Grey pulled out a set of tweezers from his bag on the floor. He stared at the ghoul's side, held the chemical light close and used the tweezers to pull at the poking thing. He staggered back. “Um... what's your name?” The ghoul stopped and looked over.

“Bray, why do you ask?”

“Bray, were you a pegasus before you turned into a ghoul?”

“No, why?”

“B-b-because you have a tiny wing in you.” Grey started to whimper and cry. The zebra bucked him straight.

“What is it Grey? What have you noticed this day? Spirit of fear be silent, and give up your sway!” It still took Grey a minute or two to become coherent.

“W-wings! I-I know what this is now. We, I don't know.”

“What Grey, what's wrong?” he pointed to the zebra's side. She clutched at her side with a hoof, grimacing. “Why Grey, what is it?” He didn't respond. She bucked him again. “Grey,” she looked at him hard, “Tell me what to do or we're all dead.” Grey whimpered, looking about the room.

“I don't know.” He repeated. The zebra had given up. She went to look at the console again. Grey had gotten back up. “But... I know where we can find out. Bray, can you download the stable map to this?” Grey held out his mapping device.

“Sure! Good news everypony, we're on the air!” New sections of the console came to life. A lighted sign read “On Air.” Bray pulled a microphone close. “Come in? Come in! Julia? Julia! I know you're there. Come back, honey mare.” There was no response. “Damn it Julia! I don't care what you told me, I had to come here!” Static.

And then, “Bray? Bray, is that you?” Bray cackled dryly.

“Julia, darling, zap apple! I can't tell you how good it is to hear you!”

“Where the hell have you been? You've been gone a bucking week!”

“It's so good to hear you curse at me, love. That's right, dear, it's my time to play on the radio. My name's Bray, and we're coming at you live from Staaaable Zero!” He reared proudly.

“Stable Zero? Are you crazy? Did you go feral? I thought you were a genius! Shit for brains is more like it.”

“Well, here's the thing, love, I found what we need, what we can do to stop what's going on here. We kind of need saving, though.”

“We? What in the bu-”

“Hello.... zzzzbbphht... there? … on this frequency?” A new voice had broken through. Grey recognized it and stole the microphone.

“Iron Heart! It's good to hear you!”

“SSSsshhhhh... Grey? ….are you, sh... er.”

“That's him alright,” Grey mentioned proudly to Bray, “The statue, Iron Heart. That's the key. They dragged us down here, but the zebra told me it opens at midnight, got it? Midnight tonight!”

“Who the buck is that?” Bray took the microphone away from Grey. Grey looked sad.

“Nopony dear, we're at Stable Zero and we need help. The works. Francine, too. Don't forget her.”

“...nal fading. Look, get out, I'll... transport, but you... skinny ass... surface!”

“Darling? Sugar? Are you there?” Bray tried a few more times but got no response. He looked back and shook his hindquarters. “Would you look at that? She's right!”

“Now what do we do?” The zebra looked at each of her companions.

“Med bay.” Grey said.

“Over stallion's office,” Bray said simultaneously.

“You heard me, we have to get to med bay!”

“You heard Julia, we have to get to the surface!” They did it again. The zebra clutched her side, wincing. She had made her decision.

They moved slowly and carefully. They saw no sign of any life whatsoever on their way to the small med bay. When they reached the door, the Zebra seemed worried. She breathed slowly and looked around, clutching her side.

“Are you okay?” Bray asked.

She nodded in reply. “Our faces are the only creatures I have seen. This makes for an unsettling scene.”

“The door's locked,” added Grey, “But there's a computer terminal we can hack.” Grey and Bray started bickering about who could hack terminals better. The zebra separated the two and bonked them both on the head. She put a knife in her mouth and expertly manipulated a bobby pin with her hooves. One snapped and she spat. Another two were gone before the door's lock made a satisfying click.

All three piled inside. Grey was surprised to see that after all this time, the stable still had some dim lights working. Now that everything wasn't covered in a sticky gunk, he could see them. Grey rifled through the desk and found a note.

Two more today. I'm beginning to wonder if I really am gifted to be a doctor. I hadn't meant to kill them, they just died as soon as the pupae were removed. I need to figure out why. My autopsy hasn't revealed much, these things are barely developed when we take them out. What a disaster. Maybe Cherry can help me tomorrow. I understand she is quite the accomplished botanist. All the ponies coming back sick have two things in common. They've been bucking around near the caves (against all orders, I might add), and they come back with a strange welt on their side. I have to know more, we have to figure out what's going on. I won't lose another one.

-Doc Mayfield

I vowed not to remove any more until we had a better idea of what's going on. I thought we could keep anypony from dying anymore, but... I... lost four more. I try to tell myself that I didn't know, nopony could, but I can't look at Cherry without feeling guilty. We were working together, and it took us some time, but we found out why the first wave of poor ponies died. The pupal stage, it's a defense mechanism, it's programmed in. If the pupa senses any danger, or is shifted too violently, it releases hormones that start a chemical reaction. The egg, the shell, all of it becomes a catalyst for a raw poison... What an idiot! We removed the others thinking we were helping, and I couldn't figure out why ponies kept dying, but we were turning the eggs into venom sacks when we tried to remove them. What an ass! I thought the eggs were underdeveloped, but really they were dissolving while killing my patients!

Cherry swears up and down she doesn't hold it against me. Even told me she'd let me take her to dinner to say I'm sorry. Can you believe it? Almost get the poor girl killed and she's asking me out to dinner. A-mazing. I don't know what to do. I guess I really should say I'm sorry. Who knows? Maybe there won't even be scars.

Rambling again, dammit. Have to stay focused. Cherry synthesized an antidote so we could inoculate the ponies with antivenom. Distributed it to the patients and started removing the eggs. They started breaking down, like we expected, but the poison met with the antivenom. Dammit, she was so good. I should have realized... when we reached the last seven. The eggs had been separating, parting. With each next patient the eggs were different. I... was too focused. So clear now. We saw the pupae morphing into larvae.

Like I said, first three were fine. When we got to the fourth... the stallion was sedated so we didn't notice, but when we opened him up, th-there was sso much blood. We found the larva, doing what larva do. Killed the bucking thing and went to the next pony as quick as we could. It was too late for him, too. Then, shit. The last two- one started convulsing and one of them moaned. DAMMIT. I saw the buckers claw their way out. They ate their way out! Well, they were more developed, and were used to eating ponies...

Cherry got cut up bad, I got a few bad cuts, but those two... things, we put them down, too.

Just got word from security, something big's going on. Extra antivenom in safe, password “mulligan.” Celestia knows I could use one. That's what Cherry is to me, another cha

Grey noticed a pony skeleton in a lab coat. It made him sad. “Anypony see a vault, a locked desk, anything?” Grey asked.

“I don't know about a vault, but there's a safe here,” the Ghoul rasped, “terminal, too. Don't know the password, though.”

“Mulligan.”

“Hey! You're right, look at that!”

Grey pushed past and opened the safe. Inside were ten high speed injectors, as well as some other medical supplies. He dumped everything into his saddlebags except for three injectors, sterilizing them to be safe, and injected him and his friends.

“How long have you been down here, Bray?”

“Can't tell, my best guess is a month!”

“What? Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Is that longer than you?” The zebra nodded.

“Okay, Bray, lie down on the table here and Ms Scalpel will come say hello!”

Bray did nothing for a moment. “Okay!” he rasped and lay down. Grey used his pliers and scalpel to open a thin cut, learning the orientation of the situation as he went. The loose and patchy skin helped.

“Good news, Bray! It's not deep, not even below muscle... and it's... dead?” Grey took some forceps and pulled. He gave a tug and there was a “slortch.” Grey waggled a limp large insect, dripping with a strange ichor which the ghoul's wound also oozed. It didn't move, but Grey separated the head from the body, anyway. He casually tossed the bug away, turning back to his patient. He then quickly stitched the wound shut, tying two eyes on loose skin to make a smiley face.

“All done!”

“Well now, how do you like that?”

“You next, zebra lady!” Grey smiled as he patted the table with a tiny hoof. The zebra got up slowly. Grey knew something was wrong. He helped her to the table, put her on her side and started to work faster, nervous. “You've been awfully quiet, lady. Say something, please?” The zebra coughed, sputtered, and vomited blood. “HOLD HER BRAY!” Bray put is fore legs over her and leaned down.

“Been feeling... for hours... shaman magic... slowed it...”

“Quiet, little zebra, I've got you, I've... got you.” Something pulled free from the zebra, covered in a sticky red. It was wriggling. A small snapping could be heard. “Waa!” Grey dropped it. “Get it Bray!” Bray gave a deathly whinny and started skipping around, trying to come down on the scittering abomination. They danced this way and that, but it scurried away in the end. Bray gave a snort of disgust. He kept looking in the direction it scurried away, however.

“Okay, it's okay, I can fix this...” Grey fretted. There was a lot of blood.

“Potion?” the zebra asked. Grey searched around, but came up empty. “My... chgu.. bag.” Grey was back with it in his muzzle in a flash. She helped him pull out some jars and ingredients. She made him feed her some leaves. She started to chew them becoming more alert.

“There's more blood,” Grey whimpered.

“That jar there, open the wound and pour the dust all over. You know the streams of blood in a zebra? Just like a pony, good. Close off the large streams.” She groaned and whinnied in pain as Grey, though he was scared, deftly did as she commanded. As the powder moistened, it turned into a thick liquid. Grey worked and pasted it as best as he could. The more pain she felt, the more she chewed on the leaves, an occasional whinny still escaping.

“Zebra, zebra lady! It's not all stopping. I can't stop it all!” She nodded in reply, bent over her own limber form, and jammed a hoof full of the powder straight into the wound. She lay flat again with a whinny and a snort, breathing hard.

“Press, little pony, press hard.” Grey did so. She reached a hoof and pulled at the wound. It was sticking shut. Her breath came in short bursts. she spit out the leaves. “Good job, little pony, good job.”

“You're hurt so bad, Ms. Zebra, real bad.” Grey came into view, covered in blood, eyes glistening with tears. She smiled at him.

“I know.”

“What do we do know?”

“Well, I die.” Grey lost his composure.

“Then what was all that for?” he yelled, small streams on his cheeks.

“Time, little pony, the time I need to talk to you.” Grey cried. She reached out a hoof. Sobbing, Grey slowly took it. She hooked his leg and hugged him close. She felt his tears drop on her cheek. She smiled wider. “Look at me, little pony. You are brave, you are beautiful. Be proud of yourself, always be proud of who you are.”

“D-don't leave,” he pleaded, “I... I-I like you. Why do my pony friends always leave?” He fretted, but she held him harder, closer.

“It is good.” Grey looked horrified, but she asserted herself. “Death is part of life, it means I have lived.”

“You said I was going to save you, that's what I was supposed to do!” he whined.

“You did, pony. Spirits. Some are malign, some divine. I had thought I was neutral when I walked among them, when I communed with them. But I was running, running away from the law every spirit abides by. The law of choice. When I ran from that choice, I hurt many. I was running when you found me at the statues, ready to die rather than choose. Had you not come, I would have continued to serve the wicked spirits. You did save me Grey, you showed me to choose the spirits of right. Now, I can go to them in peace. You cannot see them yet, but soon you will, if you hold to your path still.”

Her breath started coming in short bursts. She grimaced, and pointed a hoof at her bag. Grey brought it over, trying to avoid eye contact. “Look at me pony. Look at me.” Grey's ears drooped and his eyes watered, but he looked at the zebra. She opened the bag and came out with a leather bound book. “This I leave to you, if you truly seek to finish what you started to do.”

“F-f-fine! Leave me, too.” Grey cried selfishly.

“I will not. In spirit I will pray to them for you, that someday, you may find your way, that where I am, you may be too. But not for a long, long time.” She gave him a painful smile. Grey could smell the blood all over her breath. Instead of recoiling, he returned her hug, weeping on her neck.

“I- sorry,” his voice hitched, “Didn't mean it.”

“You did, I can see the pain and loneliness in you. I am awake where you sleep. It's okay, you didn't mean to separate us, but keep us close, which is what I try to do.”

“M-mission accomplished. I don't even know your name!” Grey wailed.

“Xhenora. Now my mark I leave upon your heart. Use my story, perhaps we can even meet again soon.”

“Please don't go... I love you.”

“Little pony,” she breathed deep, “my little pony, I love you too.”

Grey leaned into her and kissed her. He didn't see just her stripes or her strangely cropped mane anymore. He saw Xhenora, and he was missing her already. He pushed into the kiss, as if the harder he tried, the closer he came to her.

She flushed and warmed in parts and ways that she hadn't been able to for years. The feeling was intoxicating. She pulled back. “Such... a big...” she shuddered and breathed, “a big heart... for such a little pony.” Her body shuddered and stopped. Grey heard her heart end and felt her body limp. Then, after everything else, Grey felt her die.

A scitter and tiny hiss came from inside the room. There was a flutter, a crunch, and a wet snap. “Got it!” announced Bray. A low, ringing boom echoed from deep within the stable's bowels.

“Did you just-”

“Hear that, or kill the bug? In which case, yes.”

Grey looked at the still twitching form. He trotted over. He looked at Xhenora's body, then back again. Growing angry and determined, he perked his ears, listened closely, and stomped down. This time, the insect made a pop, but the stable made a boom... followed by another, then another. Grey looked to his side, then at the dying insect, then listened to the booming. “Bray, we have to run NOW!” Bray reared and whinnied. Grey opened the door. “Where do we go?”

“The overstallion's office!” Bray called back as they galloped.

“Can we get to outside from there?”

“No, we need something there!”

“Why, can't we run away? I really want to run away!” The booming continued to echo, getting louder.

“We have to stop her, any way we can.”

“Why?” The two ponies ran up a few flights of stairs and into the common room's second floor. Bray lead them across the gangplank and into another room. They were halfway to the other side when Bray turned around.

“Other way!”

“Are you sure?”

“Excuse me smooth coat, but could you give a tour of this whole, fine facility?”

“What's with you and-” The booming turned into loud clanging as something massive galloped into the floor below. Grey and Bray crouched low and hushed silent.

“In here?” A terrible voice teased. “Yes, no? A game of hide and go EAT,” Chrysalis yelled. Neither said a peep, although Grey wanted to cry. There was a sniffing sound. The clanging and booming continued into the other room.

Both ponies stayed low, doing their best to keep from getting noticed as they came back into the common room on the second floor. They saw the massive carapace form of Chrysalis make its way toward the med bay's hall. Grey followed Bray back across the second floor walkway. A wail echoed loudly in the metal room. Neither could tell the direction it was coming from. Bray quickened his pace.

“Not here? Not here! My poor child is here, right here, oh mommy lovvveeesss you so. but not them. They will pay! Where are you, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Bray stifled a whinny and broke into a gallop. The pounding and the wailing ceased for a moment, but started up again almost immediately. The clanging and banging sounded with more fury now.

“Round this corner partner, and we're there!”

A sudden tremor rocked the walkway the two ponies were on. Bray kept his footing but Grey was rocked to his side.

“Muwa-hahaha. There you are. Come back my lovelies. Your queen wantsss you,” the malignant voice seduced. Grey got to his hooves in a panic. “Don't you want me? I want you...” Chrysalis threw her armored body at the walkway again. The walkway partially separated from the wall with a screech. Grey cried out and started to slide down the bent walkway.

Two eyes burned with mad desire on the lower floor. As Grey approached, Chrysalis' expression became more gleeful. Two or three metallic clangs echoed. Grey's lower half slipped over the edge. Once again the tiny unicorn cried out. Then he stopped. He opened his eyes to see Bray smiling down. Grey felt terrible, but both faces frightened him.

“Where do you think you're tryin' ta go? We have to tour the over stallion's office.”

Grey went to say something but heard the sound of something lifting off the ground. Grey's back hooves had been kicking and dangling over the edge. Chrysalis was leaping straight for them, her wide jaw dripping with saliva.

“Let's dance!” Bray cried as he twisted both himself and Grey up side down. Chrysalis' jaws snapped and caught a few strands of Grey's tail. He yowled as the strands were pulled out. Bray kept them both from slipping off by catching his legs between the bent walkway railing. “Swing your partner, dosie do!” Bray's joints snapped and popped as he bent Grey over himself, throwing the unicorn onto a section of walkway that was still attached. He soon followed. Both ponies ran again.

“My pretty pets won't come to me? Very well...” A familiar sucking sound made Grey cringe. The sound was followed by a steady, loud hum. Both ponies made their way into an office just as Chrysalis' face appeared on the second level. Flying? She was flying. Grey stopped, astonished. Something so huge and heavy had wings, and it was coming for him! Bray entered a password into the terminal outside a large office, opened the metal door next to it, and pulled Grey inside. Grey saw that Chrysalis' body wasn't fitting on the walkway, so she left the first floor of the room they had been in.

“Grey, we need some time, how can we seal that door?” Grey looked around the room. There was a large desk with a terminal on it. He rushed over.

“You have the password for this, right?”

“Sorry, no, only the outside.”

“She left, didn't she?”

“Don't worry she'll be here.”

“What do you-” The door to the room bent slightly with a metallic squeal.

“Stairs. We hadn't got to that part yet. This is the stallion's office, there has to be something, I know it!”

Grey sat at the terminal. He started working. “Butter my buns and call me a biscuit! Okay, okay okay.”

“Can you hack it? C'mon.”

“I don't have my tools. Would be much easier then.” Grey's hooves made a flurry of clicks. “Have to enter the maintenance routines manually, have to write the program to call them, and parse the strings...” The banging on the door worsened, parts of it buckled and bent. “If I had more time.”

“Time? We're out of that!” Another sickening screech broke Grey's concentration and made Bray look over. A green eye narrowed through a new hole in the door. Chrysalis pulled her face back, allowing the rest of it to come into view from the small hole.

“Here I am my pets, you've both been sssooo naughty!”

Grey had an idea. But it was a bad one. My parents always said no! I always did, even when the other colts... but if I don't, we'll die. We'll probably die anyway. No! Not true, not true! Shut up you, bad subconscious, I'll show you! Grey opened his saddle bag and pulled out an inhaler. It had a dirty mouthpiece and a red stem. There was a crude rainbow painted on it. It looked disgusting. He hesitated. There was a screech as the metal door's hole widened, Chrysalis' head poked in, mockingly gleeful.

“Sorry mom, sorry dad.” He wrapped his lips around it and pressed down with his magic. A puff of foul tasting gas erupted into his mouth, causing him to gag and he inhale deeply. Nothing changed. All that and it didn't work! Grey growled and threw the inhaler in frustration. It didn't move. At least it didn't look like it was moving. Maybe it was moving very slowly? “What... 's... going...?” Every word wormed its way out of Grey's muzzle like a snail.

It had worked! Grey looked back at the terminal, which was hard. It felt like he was drawing his head through clear mud. When he was looking at the terminal, though, his world became a breeze. His hooves only had to make small motions. Also, he thought, EUREKA! I can add my magic to type with my hooves at the same time! I can double my typing speed. Wait, I could double it again, just press the keys in the right order, magic will be even faster than my clumsy hooves, and I can use them for the spaces and new lines!

Grey's world shifted. In a matter of moments he was doing what might normally take him thirty minutes. New lines, corrections, testing, all of it fell into place. Grey and the computer were working on the same schedule, they were thinking at the same speed, or almost at the same speed. They were cooperating on a whole new level. He was euphoric.

Hello computer! Are you a boy or a girl? Neither? Now that's not any way to talk to your friend! Yes, I do want to be friends. I know I'm a stranger, but I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to run a small program. You don't like it? Nonsense! You're regular user probably isn't around any more, so please, I need to know his password so we can be friends! Isn't it lonely down here, all by yourself? All done. See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Fleur? How do you know her? Better yet, how'd she become your password? I like her, too.

Before the terminal had even finished displaying its primary functions, Grey had seen and selected the option he'd wanted. It had been labeled “Pony Protection Protocol – Anti-Radiation Lockdown.” Grey had already looked at and processed all the entries in the terminal, unlocked the safe, noticed the function labeled “Emergency Evacuation,” and had written a simple program to copy a large amount of data to O'Rielly's map unit. Grey noticed that the terminal seemed to be pulling all the data from another location. While he waited, Grey decided to come up with two or three other ideas for other programs he should write. The world around him continued to inch along.

There were muffled, low sounds of metal starting to buckle and give, vocalizations that were probably coming from Bray, some slowly rotating emergency lights, and a host of other things. What Grey found really interesting, though, was the design of the shutters that started to close on the window overlooking the common area. They were the same dull color of the rest of the stable, but they looked thinner and stronger at the same time. He inched his head along to look at the entrance to the office. A similar set was closing on the door to the room. Chrysalis began to slowly move out of the way. She made it, but just barely.

Addendum I:

Operation Cauterize- Debriefing

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Operation:

Cauterize

Force Size and Composition:

4 Divisions Flight Wings

Reconnaissance Detachments as necessary (at least 3)

3 Raptors (Friendship City)

4 Raptors (New Appleloosa)

1 Raptor (Stalliongrad)

1 Thunderhead; 4 Raptors (Everfree Forest)

1 Thunderhead; 2 Raptors (Splendid Valley)

2 Thunderheads; 2 Raptors (Fillydelphia)

3 Raptors (Dragon Mountain)

2 Raptors Manehattan Hub for the Ministry of Arcane Science (MHMAS)

Mission:

• Establish control of the Equestrian Wasteland

• Eliminate threats to Enclave control

• Threats include, but are not limited to:

• Dashites

• Slavers (Note that this distinction included Red Eye and all his allies)

• Raiders

• Groups and individuals with knowledge of information that are a danger to the Enclave and its citizens.

• These individuals include:

• DJ-Pon3

• Littlepip

• Calamity (also is a known Dashite)

• Velvet Remedy

• Lifebloom

• Xenith

• Homage

• Lionheart (AKA The Demon, Lion)

• Mouse

• Any associates or allies of these individuals

• All various groups and individuals that stand in opposition (armed or otherwise) to the Enclave

Timeframe:

The start and end times for this operation are classified. Once initiated, the battle plan allowed for a schedule not greater than three weeks.

Known Enemy Forces:

Red Eye and allies

Tenpony Tower Shadow Organization(s)

Littlepip’s Guerillas

The Steel Rangers (This faction has split into two, both have declared war with the Enclave)

A number of independent settlements (including Stalliongrad and Friendship City)

Key Terrain:

Everfree Forest

Fillydelphia

Dragon Mountain

MHMAS

Enemy Installations and Strongholds:

Everfree Forest-Violent and inhospitable. Local threats from indigenous life have been partially exterminated due to Red Eye’s efforts. Still use extreme caution as many threats to life and limb still exist. Red Eye’s main installation, the Cathedral, was destroyed entirely, there are reports of the remnants of his forces still operating in the area, however.

Fillydelphia-Aside from Splendid Valley (which is now an irradiated no-mare’s land), the battle here saw the greatest loss of life. The enemies of the slavers and the Enclave used another weapon in their arsenal of mass destruction- the famed spell Celestia One. While thought to have been forgotten, reports confirm the origin of this spell as the MHMAS. It is important to note that the skies needed to be clear at both the target and origin sites.

Dragon Mountain-Heavily fortified and guarded by a fully grown dragon, this site is a key installation for the many forces that have declared war on the Enclave.

MHMAS-Another key installation, the forces here can wield Celestia One as they wish. A heavily fortified installation enchanted with magic to survive the near detonation of multiple balefire bombs.

Miscellaneous:

Abandoned Equipment:

Friendship City 3/3 Raptors destroyed

New Appleloosa 3/4 Raptors destroyed

Stalliongrad 1/1 Raptors destroyed

Everfree Forest 1/1 Thunderhead; 3/4 Raptors destroyed

Splendid Valley 1/1 Thunderhead; 2/2 Raptors destroyed

Fillydelphia 2/2 Thunderheads; 1/2 Raptors destroyed

Dragon Mountain 3/3 Raptors destroyed

MHMAS 1/1 Raptor destroyed

Results of Encounters with Enemy Forces and Local Populace:

No popular support has been expressed for the Enclave in any encounter. Furthermore, all armed encounters have resulted in failure.

Captured Enemy Equipment and Material:

N/A

Total Elapsed Time:

Depends on what is considered the start of the Operation.

Condition of Allied Forces (Include estimate of when allied forces will be fit for duty):

It is difficult for me to gauge the physical and psychological fitness of our forces on this scale. Casualties during the fighting were steep (no less than critically wounded or killed 40% in any conflict), the psychological trauma is more. Recommend all available resources directed to the transport and recovery of the wounded.

Even worse, reports are showing a disturbingly large amount of casualties are occurring after the conflicts. Multiple reports have been pouring in by recovery teams as well as retreating units. Reports include further casualties caused by necromantic magic, irregular units comprised of hellhounds, as well as other. We also have reports of slave camps where soldiers are being held prisoner and used for torture as well as entertainment. These last reports, however, are scattered and unconfirmed.

I have personally volunteered to lead the expeditionary force responsible for getting our daughters and sons home. I will not give any recommendation or estimate for fitness for active duty for any soldier involved in these conflicts until our forces have been secured to my satisfaction. And I won’t be satisfied until recovery has been completed for every last pegasus.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

To what extent was the mission accomplished? If anything, these conflicts have been counterproductive. While enemy combatants have taken losses, there seems to be an alliance between multiple factions that have been working against the Enclave.
Recommended changes in tactics and operational procedures. Operational recommendations are coming in a later report. Strategic recommendations are discussed below.
What additional information is needed in the mission brief? It has become abundantly clear we have been working off of incomplete information.
Recommended equipment changes.
Weather effects on operational capability. See full report on the SPP (access to classified material required).
Is there anything that has not been covered or something that should be highlighted? See below.

I have been given permission to give my personal appraisal. Operation Cauterize has been the best planned and most poorly executed operation I have ever seen. Spanning fronts and involving mobilizations literally unseen since before the great war, the coordination and show of force demonstrated by our forces was unprecedented. However, the forces, but more importantly the weapons, employed against the Enclave were even more unprecedented.

Small groups of belligerents were enabled through guerilla tactics, weapons of mass destruction, or both, to dismantle the full weight of our military might with surprising ease. There were significant casualties on both sides, but these were disproportionate and not in our favor.

Of the multiple errors in the execution of this operation (stretched supply lines, multiple simultaneous fronts, improperly scaled force, incomplete information, the list goes on), inability to adapt is the most damning. The disaster at Splendid Valley should have told us right away something was wrong. If nothing else, Splendid Valley made it abundantly clear that the weapons of indiscriminate death that destroyed Equestria in years past would be used without hesitation by the inhabitants of the wasteland that survived them. That fact alone should have forced us to reconsider our battle plan.

Instead, central command used this event as reasoning to force the timeline forward. This new timeline was established before we had the chance to mitigate risk, re-planned our strategy, gathered missing information, and adjusted tactical approach. The results were disastrous and the message is clear- we need to fight smarter, not harder. A following report will contain a comprehensive plan for tactical and strategic improvements.

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Omnidextrous
Now class, the reason we practice with our hooves is so we don’t have to rely on our horn all the time.
You have learned how to divide up work between your appendages and horn. All AP costs are reduced by 10%

Author's Note

-FM 7-93

Chapter 8: On the Other Other Hoof

A Matter of Trust
“Everypony's got a good pony and a bad pony in 'em. I don't know which one I'm talkin to now, and I don't know which one I'll talk to then.”

The communicator buzzed to life. “Grey? Grey! Where have you... Shut up! Do you know where you are?... Can you tell me how to get to you?... Well if you don't know, how the buck are we gonna get there? … We? Who's we?... PREGNANT? And who's Xhenora?... The one time, Grey, the one time I coulda used you, and you're not here!” Iron Heart couldn't tell how hard he was yelling, and he didn't care. “One reason, give me one reason why... forget it. You and whatever else is with you can sort your own shit out and get to the surface on your own damn leisure time! I needed help and it just came pretty damn clear that I can't expect shit from you!” He tore the communicator off his ear and threw it on the ground.

Thinking better of it, he dusted the earpiece off and tossed it into his bag. He looked at the corner. There was nothing there... except for the blood. He cantered over to the collapsed, leafy form with a cold expression.

“Alright, bucker! Wakey wakey.” He knew he was going to enjoy this. Twisting the fallen form over, it's muzzle seemed to twitch. One of its eyelids was partially closed. “Now. I'm going to ask you questions, and you're going to answer them. Why were you trying to kill us?” He loomed. It didn't seem to react. “What are you?” His voice was angry, his motions were quick. “Where did the princess go?” It twitched as if in pain. “When is she coming back? ANSWER ME!”

There was a hoof on Iron Heart's shoulder. He spun around, nickering. “You need to go to bed, you can't be up!”

Sun Shower firmly pressed down on him. “Not like this...” While her grip was strong, her voice struggled, barely over a whisper.

“And how do ya think we get the information we need to survive?”

Her eyes remained steady. “Not like this.”

“Ya know what? I give up. I keep telling everypony that being a goody little four-hooves is gonna get us killed. I keep trying to tell you and everypony else that this is survival. There's no cavalry, it's us. And you, what the hell happened? Weren't you all hot to trot on killing these filthy bastards ta keep the ponies out there safe? Where's that fire you're always spitting out?”

She wavered, “Celestia's light... shines on us all.”

“And we just saw what that looks like. A city full of these things,” he jabbed a hoof toward the pony-sized creature he had been trying to get information out of, “just itching to bleed other ponies dry.”

“Not Celestia.” Sun Shower growled proudly. She looked weak again. This time, when she wavered, she lost her footing completely.

“Shit.” Iron Heart supported her. “I'm sorry. I'm the one putting you through hell.” He looked at his fallen enemy and sighed. “I'm such an ass. Okay sister, let's do this your way.” He picked up Sun Shower and lay her on the beautiful green bed in the middle of the room. He did so by pulling back the curtains surrounding it at gently lifting Sun Shower inside.

Eating his pride and so much more, Iron Heart lay down next to the creature. “Look...” he didn't know how to continue. The thing had stopped twitching, at least. “Are you dead?” He poked it with a hoof and it moved. “Good. What's wrong? We just want to get out of here we just-”

“She hasn't felt death in over one hundred and seventeen years.” That was new. Iron Heart searched around frantically for the source. “No need to fear, I won't harm her... or you.” The new voice was sad. Seeing nothing else in the room he opened the curtains to the bed, the one place he hadn't bothered to investigate. Two oval eyes glowed green from some hidden core. One was misshappen. “As a matter of fact, she hasn't felt death at all, let alone the death of her mate.” The voice sighed.

Iron Heart pulled back the curtains completely. Sun Shower was barely conscious. But on the far end of the bed lay a beautiful white mare with flowing pink hair. She had been badly mistreated. Open sores and bruises mottled her coat, and her face had been so badly beaten that it was puffy and swollen. The wounds were a strange color, though. They didn't look like they belonged to a pony at all.

“My name is Fleur and I am not here to harm you. Could I ask you to bring her to me?”

Iron Heart looked left and right, and pointed a hoof to his breast, unsure of who she was talking to. She smiled. “Yes you, silly. Do you see any one else capable of doing that?” She gave a small laugh, but quickly grimaced with pain. Iron Heart gently picked up the plant-insect and pushed it toward Fleur.

Fleur gently stroked the creature. “Sshhh,” she soothed. Grey noticed that the creature's abdomen was glowing a dark color, almost black. “I know, I know. You loved him very much.” The creature's head looked at Fleur and made a sound painfully. It was the same sound that Iron Heart had heard when he first put his hoof through the other one's abdomen. “You gave them no choice,” the sound became much louder. “But that's behind us now. They're our allies, they're our friends. None of that matters now. What matters, young one, is that you know I love you.” Fleur held the creature even closer, embracing it fully. “Yes, it's okay, you need to grieve. Share that with me.” The creature's abdomen stopped glowing, but the loud sound continued. “Yes, good, good.” Fleur continued to hold the creature.

After a time, Fleur kissed the creature and the sound became quieter once more. “Rest now,” she whispered quietly at its head. She folded some of the blankets over and swaddled the creature. “Come, you have many questions. I wish to answer them.”

Iron Heart didn't know where to begin. “You're... one of them?” She nodded. “How can you... why do you look like a pony?”

“We're changelings. At least we were, I don't know what to call us now.”

“Aaaannnd I'm guessing that wasn't princess Celestia earlier.” Fleur shuddered when Iron Heart said Celestia.

“No, she is our queen.”

“But why? Why are you doing all of this? What's going on? And why do you look like that? And why did the other ponies in the big room... I'm so confused.”

“Let me try and explain.” Fleur went on to reiterate that she and the creature resting on the bed (not Sun Shower) were changelings. They were able to use transformation magic to look like and bear the body of any pony that they had met. They had left Equestria long ago, settling in Phovannah in the company of their queen.

Their queen came to the city convinced that a certain unicorn could provide her and her subjects with virtual immortality. For the most part, it had worked. The queen had decided to betray this unicorn. She was successful and went on to betray all the ponies in Phovannah as well.

For centuries they had controlled the population and fed off them. Mostly they fed off their emotions, another trait of changelings, but they hadn't needed to do that to survive ever since the unicorn changed them. Every so often, however, the queen would take a particularly strong or beautiful pony and bring her away. The pony would never return, but a new changeling would be born and come back instead.

Iron Heart didn't seem to take any time processing the information. “And tonight was one of those “feasts” you mentioned, where ponies would be selected and fed off of.” She nodded. “Does this feeding kill a pony?”

“No. Well, not directly. Sadly I have done my best to manage this, but it is not uncommon for a pony to die if she is too weak. You see, the feeding sucks the emotion a pony is feeling at that moment and allows the feeder to feel it, instead. This doesn't have to take everything a pony has, it can be a shared meal, but we haven't ever worried about that.” She looked away. “To our shame.”

“And that's just worked?”

“Again, no. Our city is literally dying. At least the ponies in it are. It has been too difficult on them. And we are all suffering the consequences. The ponies have been suffering most of all.”

“Why are you telling me this? Don't you realize it makes me want to kill you all?”

“That is one possibility, yes. But my guards and dear husband would be able to take care of you before you did too much damage, of that I am sure. However, I hoped you might help us. Help us to know what to do, how we can be friends, or else I believe we will all die. Without the ponies, I'm afraid our society will begin to prey upon each other.”

“Good,” Iron Heart said with perfect confidence, “You deserve it.”

“We do. But what will you do? Let all the ponies die and leave us to turn on each other? How does that help either of us? Unless you have a safe home location to house a city, as well as the food required to provide for it.”

Iron Heart groaned. “Shit! Since when did this become my problem?”

Fleur blinked in astonishment. “Surely you could just leave us here... but that would mean I have terribly misjudged your character. Could you do that to us? Leave those ponies in trouble, and my changelings facing a crisis?”

“You must be able to see that this is a real pain in the ass, but don't get me wrong. I'll help, but I have no idea what to do.” Iron Heart looked determined. “I'd never back down from a challenge. Especially when lives are on the line.” He smiled confidently, but that made him sad for some reason.

“Then why were you so opposed just then?”

“I...,” Iron Heart started, but stopped for a moment. His eyes worked, as if he was trying to find some secret hidden in the bed's curtains. “I'm not sure...”

Fleur leaned in closer. “I can feel it. You're confused. And you're so cold.” She looked down at the sleeping Sun Shower, then back at Iron Heart. “I think she'd like to know that you care about her.”

Without thinking, without even feeling the words come out, Iron Heart's muzzle let, “I'm afraid to,” spill out. He looked at Fleur. She was bruised and broken, but still held her head as if nothing were wrong. Iron Heart was jealous.

“You're crying.”

“No, I'm not,” Iron Heart returned.

“Yes, you are,” Fleur asserted. Iron Heart touched below an eye with a hoof. It came back wet. “Enough, of this for now, I want us to put all this behind us so you and her could join us for some shopping. And don't worry about finding a solution, I'm sure you'll find something soon. Only, let her know... let her know before it's too late.” Fleur turned her head away.

“The ponies out there. What about 'em?”

Fleur got up with a grunt and went toward the door. “Coming?” she looked back.

“These two?”

“They'll be safe.” she levitated over a key.

“Won't that one...”

“Your name was...”

“Iron Heart.”

“Hm... very fitting-”

“What the buck's that supposed-”

Fleur's eyes went green and she let out a wicked hiss. “It meansss- that you're going to have to trust somepony, and I'm the only changeling that could even consider assisting you. So you can come with me, or damn us all!”

“... A simple “trust me” woulda worked.”

“Really now? I don't think it would.” Fleur pointed her nose in the air, rounded on her hooves, and slapped Iron Heart in the face with her tail.

“Very strange about her...” Iron Heart whispered quietly. He took another lingering look at Sun Shower before following.

As they made their way through the hall, Fleur's horn started to glow green. As they rounded one more corner before reaching the amphitheater, Fancy Pants burst through the door, his horn glowing green as well.

Iron Heart's eyes narrowed. Fancy Pant's mouth went wide, his monocle unseating itself and swinging freely by his breast. Iron Heart flew, doing a corkscrew around the walls and ceiling that made up the hall, Fancy Pant's horn glowed and a familiar gun appeared. He shot once, grazing Iron Heart's flank.

Iron Heart's maneuver ended squarely in Fancy Pant's chest. When the two stopped rolling and hit the door with a “thud,” Iron Heart started to beat him senseless.

“ENOUGH!” Both looked at Fleur who had recovered the gun and was levitating it in their direction. “One more hoof on him and I'll shoot you...” her tone was easy, almost flippant, “both.”

Fancy Pants and Iron Heart looked at each other in astonishment, then back at Fleur. Iron Heart let go of Fancy Pants, who shuffled out from underneath Iron Heart as soon as he was able. “We don't have time for the two of you to have a pissing match.”

“Wait.” Fancy Pants started, too arrogant by half. “Are you saying this fight is frivolous? I seem to remember you having no end of time for that sort of-” Fleur hurled the gun at Fancy Pant's face with her magic. He ducked just in time, but the gun slammed into the wall behind him and discharged. Iron Heart dove to the ground with a whinny.

“Only when I find it convenient.” Fleur held her nose high once again and strutted past the stallions, and into the amphitheater.

The room was abuzz. While Celestia, to Iron Heart's relief, could be found nowhere, chaos reigned everywhere. Fights had broken out with changeling and pony alike engaged in the melee. Fleur sized up the situation, noticing a strange grouping in one edge of the room.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN IS GOING ON?” Fleur's voice took on a new dimension of authority as she magically enhanced her speech. Most of the room stopped. Those that continued to fight were quickly hushed and stopped as the Mare of Phovannah marched through the arrested chaos. She kept her nose in the air until she reached the group in the corner. It was the circle setup by one of the ponies Iron Heart had commissioned.

“I need an explanation for this, RIGHT NOW!” No sooner had Fleur barked than a changeling stood before her. Seeing she was in pony form, the changeling bowed before her and transformed into the pony Iron Heart had first enlisted the help of.

“Your highness. Our feast… it was cut short when fighting broke out. We had to keep the ponies safe, so we put them under guard.”

“And just what were you going to do after? Let them stay there and be traumatized?” Fleur had never looked timid to Iron Heart, but a growing anger became clear as it worked its way into her voice. “Name?”

“Xiticix.”

“I suppose you should be commended for keeping them out of that disgraceful show of violence, but tell me- what are they still doing here?” Few of the ponies seemed to even notice that they were being talked about, less even cared that they were being talked about as if they were in another room.

“I’ll have them sent away immediately.”

“Don’t tell me about it,” Fleur hissed, “Do it.” An eerie silence fell throughout the room. All fighting had ceased, and both ponies and changelings now had their attention fully on what was happening in the corner with Xiticix and Fleur. Fleur noticed all the eyes that fell upon her. “Tell me something,” she addressed the room, “how can you expect to be loved by creatures that are so mistreated by you, they are forced to stand and watch as you bite and devour each other. Aren’t we a family? If we only fight each other, what are your escorts going to think will happen to them? Disgraceful,” she spat. “No feast tonight, that privilege is forfeit. Go and think of what it means to be worthy of the feast, think on what it means to be a changeling!”

The crowd of changelings looked defeated, unhappy, but mostly ashamed. If any thought Fleur’s cancellation of the party, of the feast, was unfair, none dared say so. However, as if in protest, a wail cut through the silence. It was high-pitched, but fell and rose with a grief well beyond words. Fleur was visibly shaken.

“Who is that? I demand you address me!” She looked through the crowd, but none stepped forward. The wailing continued. “Where are you? Your mare wants to see you immediately!” She scoured the area for a full minute, unable to find the source. The room looked about itself, but still none were able to find cause. The sound lowered into a sobbing for a small time, but it soon broke into a wail again. Iron Heart saw something. After a better look, he got Fleur’s attention.

“Inside the circle,” he whispered.

Fleur approached the corralled ponies and made a sound at two of the guards. They parted and let her through. Some of the ponies got out of her way, others were too tired to even move, forcing Fleur to go around them. And then there it was- the source.

When Fleur spotted the source with her own two eyes, she turned and galloped outside the circle. “Everypony out NOW!” Her horn glowed and her voice boomed with magic at the crowd. “All of you to their home.” The crowd started dispersing quickly. Fleur rounded. “Xiticix, I need you and your guards to stay. Bring me Meddox.”

The wailing grew more intense. Fleur started hyperventilating. “Too much, It’s all too much. I-I can’t…”

Iron Heart saddled close to her, whispering again. “Not here, they’re watching.”

Fleur glared at him, but spared a glance at the guards. Although some were trying to look busy, or were just trying to avoid looking in her direction altogether, she was at the center of attention now. They were looking to her to know what to do. She was working on regaining her composure when a changeling fluttered up to her. His leafy wings collapsed into his side.

“How may I serve you?” He gave a polite bow.

Fleur didn’t answer, but grabbed the changeling by a hoof and dragged it into the crowd of ponies. She stopped where some of the ponies within the circle had dispersed. In the center of the crowd a midnight blue unicorn stallion lay curled around a beige filly. The sound was coming from the filly, an earth pony, but it was a deceptive sound for her size. “Fix this!” Fleur ordered Meddox. The changeling came back to his superior after a cursory examination.

“My lady,” he bowed again. “I am a healer of our race and sought to understand pony healing only in my spare time. I am no expert-”

“Out with it!”

“There is nothing I can do. The father, at least as it seems to be, is beyond my help. I would wager that no changeling or pony would be able to help him now.”

Fleur looked all around her. Her changelings didn't know what to do. After attacking each other and the promise that their feast was at an end, they were getting antsy. Fleur couldn't tell where that would lead.

However, it was the ponies' faces, not the changelings, that she couldn't get out of her head. She saw their misery afresh. They were so defeated, so downtrodden, that the ones that were angry with her didn't fight, they just let their anger burn at her. Even those were preferable to the others. The other faces didn't seem aware of what was going on. Worse, Fleur thought, they don't care. Their state was such that this seemed a matter of fact to them. Their expressions were sad, but their expressions were always sad.

Drab, voiceless faces hoof-deep in death seared their way into her mind. Their stares were deafening. The wailing hit a new level of volume within her soul.

“Enough!” she cried. “Bring her here!” The filly continued crying, looking confused. As a guard started to tug her away, she fought back. The pony hissed at her and turned back into a changeling and got ready to tear the filly away. The filly's cries became scared as she pushed her face into the dead pony's side.

Iron Heart stepped between the changeling and the filly. “I'll do it.” His voice offered no alternative. The changeling gave a derisive hiss, but walked away. Iron Heart turned and stooped to the filly.

“What's your name?”

The filly stopped, turned, and yelled at Iron Heart. “Scary! Keep them away from my Dad! They can't hurt him!”

“You're right. I'll make sure they don't come near him. What's your name? I'm Iron Heart.”

The filly buried her face into her dad's body. “'s a stupid name.”

“Oh yeah? I'll bet yours is stupider.”

“Nuh-uh,” the filly retorted, “Claire's a pretty name! My daddy said so! Don't you daddy?”

A thought occurred to Iron Heart. “Claire, that's not your daddy anymore.” She turned at him, suddenly unsure, almost panicked. “Do you believe in Celestia?” She nodded. Iron Heart swallowed hard. “She... she took him to be with her.”

“You mean like grammy?”

“Exactly like grammy.”

The filly buried her muzzle once more. “Why would she do that? He's not even old!”

This was getting hard, even for Iron Heart. “Be-because,” another swallow, “she knew he'd be happier.”

“Liar! He's happier with me! He loves me!”

“But you believe that Celestia loves you both, don't you?”

“Yes, but...,” Claire's dark, magenta eyes worked, searching for something else to say.

“I know this is hard. I really do, but you have to trust that she knows what's best for you both... like when you're dad would do what's best for you.”

“Like making my sister and I share?”

“Just like that.”

Claire's eyes teared. “But WHHYYY?” she screamed. She galloped into Iron Heart and wailed into his chest. He held her close.

“Is it so hard for you changelings to show a little damn sense?” Iron Heart asked Fleur. Meddox sensed something.

“He's a pony!” he reviled. “You brought a pony here? He must have been with the party, tell me he was part of the feast!”

“No. And that's exactly the attitude that's going to destroy them, and us.”

“All this for a filthy pony brood? And now you bring one to our feast? The queen must know of this immediately.” Meddox made to leave.

“Stop! Don't take another step.” Meddox halted for a moment. “She will know. But look at me, do you think I am afraid of her anymore? This needs to change right now. If not, then we lose our city and every changeling in it.”

Meddox turned away. “Whatever power,” he clicked, “you think you have. It's worthless before her.” He started to fly off.

Fleur made a series of quick clicks. One of the hulking, bipedal guards turned and jumped at Meddox. He didn't even see the large guard jump at him, but he heard the noise. Iron Heart sat down, covered Claire's eyes and brought her head close to him. Meddox tried to fly away, but his effort brought him into the path of the claws, not away from them. There was a sickening snap and crunch.

Small streams of viscous fluid dribbled and trailed Meddox's flight. It went erratic and his landing wasn't graceful at all. To Iron Heart's amazement, Meddox didn't collapse, but got to his hooves and moved back toward Fleur.

“You black-hearted pony,” he cursed, “I knew she should have killed you. And now, you'll bear the full weight of her wrath!” Fleur changed into a changeling an instant. The bruises that Iron Heart noticed on her when she looked like a pony were in the exact same spots as a changeling. Some of her features even looked familiar, if not the same.

She put a hoof under Meddox's chin, giving it a gentle stroke. “Why, whatever have I done? I only defended myself from a fool who would bring the queen here right now. Surely you didn't think I'd just let you seal my death. After I gave you a warning, too.”

“B-b-bitch!” he spit at her. Some of the fluid he had been trailing bubbled out of his mouth. The dark fluid resembled blood, and showed a rainbow sheen as the light of the room reflected off it. He reared quickly and made to strike at Fleur, but as he lifted up, she was quicker. She hooked his wound with her hoof and pulled him off his hooves. There was a snap and a strange hissing sound. Meddox fell and rose no more.

Without even thinking, Iron Heart heard himself go, “Wow.” Claire struggled to see, but Iron Heart still held her to his breast. She planted two tiny hooves in his chest and tried to push away, but he didn't budge.

“Well said, sir,” Fancy Pants added, “She is, after all, my mare.” Fancy Pants had given up on the monocle and stuffed it into his coat pocket. He made some clicks as well, and a guard started to drag Meddox's body away. “What now, my dear?” Fleur was almost overcome. She looked at Fancy Pants, trying to be strong, but he felt her internal struggle. With a sigh, Fancy Pants motioned to Xiticix.

“Yes sir?”

“Xiticix my good arthropod, see to it that these ponies are foddered and watered. None of the meal we normally serve, I know for a fact that the banquet hall is well stocked.”

“Sir?”

“Well I know you're not deaf, so you must be lazy, or did you simply not hear me?” Fancy Pants sneered arrogantly.

“I... it's late sir.”

“And...” Fancy Pants rotated a hoof slowly, indicating he was welcoming any other trite objections Xiticix might have.

“No sir, I mean yes sir, right away sir! I'll see to it that they're brought home after.”

“And I had been worried I'd have to explain everything to you. I see the matter is in your, capable hooves.” Xiticix started to command the guard and ponies. They all made their way toward the exit. “Oh,” Fancy Pants called out, “and do see to it that there are no more “accidents,” you have seen how well my wife reacts to them.” Xiticix looked back, and then quickly away, rushing the work along.

Iron Heart let Claire push away with her hooves now. As soon as Fleur saw this, she changed back into a pony.

Fancy Pants saddled up to Fleur. “I knew I'd picked a real hellion, but this is a new level for you.”

Fleur looked worried. “You... don't need to do this... you could even turn me in... she'd probably even show mercy to you.”

Fancy Pants looked offended. “Don't you know dear? We ponies can't be asked to testify against our family, it's against equestrian law.”

“This isn't a game,” Fleur cried, “you don't have to play anymore.”

Now Fancy Pants' offense looked genuine. His eyes shone blue, and then green, and then blue again. “Two hundred years, and you still don't know?” He raised an eyebrow and put a hoof around her.

“But she'll come and when she does... I can't lose you!”

Fancy Pant's constant, toothy smile faded. “Why, you won't dear, because I'll be with you every hoof step. I know it's what he'd want.” Fleur looked at him teary eyed.

“Now kiss!” Claire cried out excitedly.

Fleur looked over embarrassed, then shocked. She moved to Iron Heart. “Claire? How would you like to stay with me for awhile? I don't know how long, but I'll make it as long as I can.”

Claire pouted. “I want my daddy!”

“I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't do that.”

Claire looked sad, then scared. “What about mommy... and Bare?”

“Bare? Who's that?”

“My-my sister.” Claire pulled into Iron Heart, afraid of what the pony lady might say.

“Is there anypony else in your family?”

Claire shook her head. “'Cept daddy...”

“Then it's settled. Bare, mommy, all your family, you can all stay with me, okay?”

Claire nodded. Fleur held out a leg. Iron Heart passed Claire over. Claire looked up at him, but didn't resist, even giving a tiny hoof wave.

“What happened?” Iron Heart asked.

“Come again?”

“After all this time. Why are you doing this now? What about your queen?”

“I honestly don't know.” Fleur gave a chuckle. “I couldn't stand it anymore. A pony came along who made me remember what real love was like. It'd been so long, and it was so wonderful. For a small day, I was happy.”

Fancy Pants gave a snort.

“No dear, you're wonderful, you really are, but you don't know. You can't know what it's like. It's different than us. It's not bad, what we have, but it's different. When I felt the way he loved me... after so long, it was... I tried to ignore what we were doing, but I couldn't. I was selfish and wanted him for my own, but my queen took him away to... Well, he's as good as dead now... and when she stole that from me, my chance to be happy, she taught me what it is we've been doing this whole time. I couldn't ignore it anymore. I can't. And you, Claire, you made sure I'd never forget it.”

Iron Heart's conversations, his memory of talking with Grey... the fragmented pieces suddenly started coming together. “Which pony? What was his name?” he asked impatiently. He went on without waiting for the answer, “Celestia dammit! The queen? Where would she take him, what would she do? Is he still alive?”

“Potty mouth!” Claire stuck out her tongue.

“I think his name was Grey. Well, if he's alive, he's with the queen.”

“Double dammit! Fleur, I don't know the answer to all this, but we have to get to him now.”

“So much effort, for one pony? Are you sure it's worth it?” Fancy Pants offered.

“Yes. I’m sure. This ends now.”

“I never understood your complete infatuation with,” Fancy Pants struggled, “ponies-“

“You’re right,” Fleur cut him off, “you don’t.”

“But,” Fancy Pants insisted, “Wouldn’t throwing your life away undo everything you’ve striven for up to now? We could leave now. We could escape the queen’s wrath. After all, think of the child and her family.”

“Dying would undo everything, but so would running away. All of this starts all over again tomorrow unless something happens now. Besides,” Fleur posed and lifted a hind leg. “We’re far too beautiful to let that happen, my love.” She got serious. “She showed me what she thinks of me, so I’m going to pay her in kind. I have no intention of letting her get away with that, or of letting her keep her throne.”

Fancy Pants coughed politely. “You have seen what she does to all who oppose her. You do remember how the last rebellion ended. She squashed, literally squashed them all… like… well, insects.” Iron Heart didn’t like the sound of this.

“I hate to agree with anypony that shoots me, especially him,” Fancy Pants ignored the slight,” but he has a point. Looks like your last fight didn’t go too well.”

Fleur smiled and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. I know something she doesn’t. Something none of you do.”

“Now I’m curious,” Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s go friends,” Fleur paused, “You’re all about to witness the end of a dynasty.”

“Where?”

“To your office, my love, where else?”

“In the hotel?”

“Not that one. You’re other office.”

“But there’s nothing there.”

“And that is where you are wrong. First of all, let’s get you somewhere safe.” She looked into the eyes of the filly she was holding. Her body was filthy, but the look she gave Fleur was pure and innocent.

“But I don’t wanna leave daddy.”

“I don’t know what to say... Your daddy isn’t there anymore. But he’s safe now. Celestia will make sure that he is.”

“Uh huh, I saw her earlier.”

“That…” Fleur sighed, gave Claire a kiss, and hugged her close. “Now that you know that, you need to be strong. You need to take care of your family. It’s what your dad would have… it’s what he wants for you.”

“But I’m tired!” Claire protested.

“Well then, let’s get you to bed.”

All four made their way to the green room. Once inside, they found Sun Shower awake on the bed while the changeling next to her seemed asleep. She sprang to her hooves. “Who are all of you?” Iron Heart advanced.

“Don't worry Sun Shower, they're with me.”

“Rather, he's with us,” Fleur corrected.

“Whatever. I need you to do something for me.”

“Buc- . No. You can't just leave me to wake up alone with something that almost killed me.” Her anger burned at Iron Heart as if the others weren't even there.

“There wasn't time.”

“Take your excuses and shove... Point is, I'm done taking-”

“Orders? If you'd listened to me,” Iron Heart roared, “you'd still have about two extra pints of blood in ya. As it is I'm shocked that cuff kept ya alive. You're lucky you're so damned hard ta kill.”

Fleur made to interrupt them, but Fancy Pants held her back, she pointed at Claire furiously. Sun Shower noticed, but Iron Heart's back was to her.

“Point is, Sun Shower I'm trying ta keep you alive ya little zealot, and if you insist on barging in all the time without thinking about your safety, I'll never get the chance ta say-” his sentence was interrupted with a kiss. Claire arched and stretched to see what was going on. She had been scared, but something new was happening and she couldn't tell what it was. Fancy Pants scooped the filly away.

“Come dear, I'll teach you a game I know. The adults need to do some... communicating.” Fleur glared at Fancy Pants as he smiled and made his exit with the filly. Fleur looked at him like she was being betrayed.

Sun Shower pulled back. “I know.”

Iron Heart looked at her. “Why? Why didn't you say anything.”

“I didn't want you to know I loved you, too. You curse all the time, you get angry at the drop of a horse shoe, and I couldn't stand it. But I saw you endure so much in such a short time, and no matter how angry you were, you stopped when I told you. I couldn't help but love you for that... no matter how much I hated you.”

“I... don't believe in Celestia. She's let the worst things happen. Don't ask me how I know, I'm not even sure of that, I just know it's the truth. But you, you believe in her no matter what, don't you?” Sun Shower nodded. “Dammit. I hate that. At the same time I want to protect that, to make sure you never lose your faith, and I don't even know why.” Sun Shower kissed him again, knocking him down this time. She pinned him.

Fleur gave a loud snort. Sun Shower and Iron Heart looked up at her, both were breathing heavily. Iron Heart gave a nicker but looked at Sun Shower. “Right. I need ta go and face Celestia. Well, not her, but the changeling who looked like her.”

“Huh?”

“It's a long story,” Iron Heart half explained. Sun Shower opened her muzzle but he interrupted her. “I'll explain everything when I get back, I promise. Right now we gotta go stop her. I think once we do that everything that's been going on can change.”

“Changeling?”

“That thing on the bed that took a chunk outta your neck. Say, I meant ta ask you-” Iron Heart craned his neck to look at Fleur.

“They'll be fine,” she replied. “I'll speak to her before we go. Sun Shower and the filly will be the only two here. And Iron Heart, we don't have time.”

“I know, just let me talk to her.”

“Aaannnnd that's all, right?”

“Dammit. Yeah, that's all.”

“Just so we're clear.” The look Iron Heart shot at Fleur would have soured her mood if she hadn't let it go. When they were alone Iron Heart started to work his way out from underneath Sun Shower.

“I like you like this.” She leaned more of her weight on him.

“Gotta go.”

“It can't wait?”

“You don't want me to go try and save the ponies you were all ready to bust into a room full of things wanting to kill you for?”

She blinked once. “I was possessed by something else then. It wouldn't be too long.”

“I... promised Fleur to help her face this queen of hers.”

Sun Shower let Iron Heart up. “Alright, let me grab my staff.”

Iron Heart put a hoof on her breast. “That's what I need from you. I need you to stay here and keep the filly safe. She's a sweetheart, her name's Claire.”

“No, I need to come with you.”

“How much blood you lose? The cuff stabilized you, got some fluids back, but...”

“You think I can't take her, even injured?”

Iron Heart kissed her this time, even lingering a while longer. “Call me selfish, but I want you here, and I want you safe. If I ever let you face anything without being ready for it... I couldn't stand that.”

“How do I know you'll... you'll...”

Iron Heart leaned in close. “If you don't know that I'd be willing to take on an army of those things, their queen too, if I wasn't sure I'd come back and keep you safe, then you don't know me well at all yet.”

“Fine.” Sun Shower retorted. “But you're going to have face my righteous anger for this.” She whispered something in his ear. He smiled.

“Shit. You're on.” Iron Heart opened the door, even though he'd rather have locked it. Fleur looked relieved. Claire and Fancy Pants were playing something a little ways down the hall. They stopped when the door opened. “We ready?”

Fleur looked at Fancy Pants, who gave a nod. She gave Sun Shower the key to the room then went inside and talked with the changeling on the bed. Both came out a minute later. Fancy Pants explained to Claire that Sun Shower was going to watch over her while she slept to make sure she was safe. Claire gave him a hug. He was stunned. Sun Shower came over.

“Hello Claire, I'm Sun Shower, would you like to go to bed?” The filly nodded sleepily and gave a big yawn. Sun Shower helped her into the room. With the filly inside, she stopped in the doorway to the bedroom and locked her eyes with Iron Heart's. He stood stupidly, waving a hoof slightly, knowing what he wanted to do, but couldn't... yet. She closed the door and Iron Heart heard it lock.

Fleur had to work hard to get his attention. “Come on lover-colt, we have work to do.”

“Look here, Iron Heart.” Fancy Pants held out a hoof. “I believe we're all on the same side now, how do you fancy that?”

Iron Heart looked at the hoof for a moment. “Hell, if you hadn't shot me, I'd never have met her.” Iron Heart gestured to the door and then took the extended hoof.

Fancy Pants smiled a perfect set of teeth. “Brilliantly said, good fellow. They are why we do what we do, after all, aren't they?” He gave a small nod toward Fleur.

“Damned right.”

“Are you two done?” Fleur turned to the open stable door at the end of the hall. She readied herself, balancing low on three hooves and pawing the ground with her fourth. She gave a confident smirk, “Come on boys, you're about to witness the end of a dynasty.”

Addendum I:

Field Report- The Goddess

Related Reference- Field Fleet Report 1024

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Words like divine, messiah, and goddess seem to be in ever increasing use these days. It’s understandable, considering the state of the world. And while we do our best to protect the good pegasi from the horrors below, many soldiers and families have been turning to religion to find help and comfort. While the Enclave has found no pony or otherwise worthy of the title, there are numerous creatures worthy of being called more than a mere pony. More importantly, some of these creatures have been worthy of being called allies. “The Goddess” is one such individual.

To call her an individual, however, is incorrect. The Goddess as known today was a single pony. She was part of the Ministry of Arcane Sciences (MAS) research that was being conducted at Maripony. When the balefire hit, she was exposed to a catastrophic amount of Impelled Metamorphosis Potion (IMP). While we are not exactly sure what happened in the days and weeks that followed, we do know that she began to swallow up ponies, expose them to the same potion as herself, and bring them out as alicorns.

The consciousness of the absorbed ponies seems to be lost or overpowered by the one over-arching personality that refers to itself as The Goddess. Thus, the resulting army has become telepathically linked and controlled by the central personality; there are notable exceptions, but that is a topic for later.

Please note that while The Goddess’ telepathy was primarily exerted on her followers (see Enclave report on Goddess worship, access to classified documents required) and alicorns, there is evidence that her progeny have been capable of the same link between themselves and, in a smaller measure, other ponies.

The Goddess and Red Eye had been allies for quite some time. Red Eye continued to bring The Goddess unicorns to grow her army with and The Goddess provided his operation with protection. After some time, however, this relationship became strained. It became clear that Red Eye was planning to betray The Goddess, and The Goddess planned to eliminate him. It was at this point that the Enclave went to Maripony in force in order to form an alliance for Operation Cauterize and against Red Eye. A new alliance could have changed the course of Operation Cauterize

Unfortunately, Red Eye had already begun to react. He sent an elite squad, lead by Littlepip (see Enclave report on Red Eye, access to classified documents required), to detonate a balefire bomb in the facility. The operation was successful, killing all in the vicinity of Splendid Valley while enacting the exfiltration of said squad.

Reports are conflicted from here. Some reports state that the rest of the alicorns remain under the control of a personality that has come to dominate the collective in place of The Goddess. Other reports indicate that groups of autonomous alicorns have formed. Still more reports claim that the alicorns, once cut off from The Goddess' consciousness, looked to Red Eye to become their new leader. We all know how that turned out.

This is where a notable exception of The Goddess' former telepathic link becomes important. When advanced teams secured the skies around Canterlot, one team reported an encounter with a small squad of alicorn. When attempting to approach the squad peacefully, the pegasus team was met with aggression. Just before the confrontation turned violent, the lead alicorn remarked, “We know nothing of this Enclave, now die!”

Even if the alicorns had never been to Maripony, the Telepathic link should have connected them to The Goddess. They would have at least known about the Enclave, unless the space, or more likely, the unique (as well as powerfully violent) magic that surrounded Canterlot had severed this link. We speculate, based on the reaction of the alicorns at Canterlot (hostile and violent) compared to that of Maripony (at least open to negotiations), the remaining alicorn population is capable of autonomy.

I see no reason why all of our conflicting reports cannot be correct. All evidence points to the alicorn population remaining in pockets of smaller, isolated communities. Each community has different experiences and attitudes. As the Enclave looks for allies, it will need to approach each group with caution, and by forging relationships with each group individually.

A dead Goddess, a fractured race of violent alicorns, and a secret society of devoted followers: the Enclave’s picture of the wasteland just became much more complex. Perhaps there is a way to turn this difficulty to our advantage. Please see further attached report for my recommendation.

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Savoir Faire (2)
Req: Level 1
Ranks: 3
The difference between you and other ponies is simple- you make this look good.

You receive an extra 5% chance of scoring a critical hit while unarmed, as well as an extra 5% chance to pass a speech check. This effect stacks with other levels taken of Savoir Faire.

Author's Note

-Ch. 8 Done.
-A very good friend's response to The Goddess, "My first thought was that she sounded like an OC generator."

Chapter 9: On the Other Other Other Hoof

The Cleaving
“You do the Pony Pokey, you do the Pony Pokey, you do the Pony Pokey and that's what it's all about. Yeah!”

Grey heard himself panting. His head was pounding. A yellow emergency light spun around quickly, lighting up the room in frenetic patches. A dimly lit, rotting face jumped into his vision. “Lookit that, you're awake!” Grey screamed. “Mighty sorry about that, I always forget not to sneak up on ponies.” Grey's heart was racing.

“Need to... calm...” he managed.

“Oh, okay.” Bray sat on his haunches. “Here we are... just doing nothing... just calming down.”

The peace was shattered by a loud metallic bang. Grey was worried his heart might stop. Other than skipping a beat, though, it continued to race wildly. There were more loud bangs. Grey looked for something to stuff in his ears.

“That's Chrysalis,” Bray shouted, “She's mighty angry that we're in here and all. She gave up for a little while, but I think she heard you.” Grey found a stool. He scraped it across the floor and sat on it, motioning Bray to come close. The banging continued, but both ponies did their best to have a conversation. At points they sounded unnecessarily loud, but they could at least understand each other.

“What do we do now?”

“I have no idea,” Bray replied excitedly.

“Why did we come here, then?”

“For these!” Bray produced a medical tray covered in crimson velvet. There were five syringes, each with colored labels on them. A space existed for a sixth, but it was absent. “I would have had a heckuva time getting them out if you hadn't come along. I may be a genius, but I never was good with computers.”

“A genius?” Grey swiped the syringes away and examined them. He dumped them in his saddlebag, but a number of devices fell into the bag as well. Grey inspected them as Bray continued.

“Yep! Didn't used to be, but I guess being alive for two hundred and thirty four years will do that to ya. That and getting turned into a ghoul!” Bray was so excited and cheery that Grey felt like he was bragging, or exaggerating, or both. Grey got jealous.

“Fine! But what does that have to do with this?” Throwing everything into his bag, Grey put the bag down and started kneading the stool with his fore hooves. They beat an alternating cadence on the stool.

Bray looked at him. “Well, I had to figure all this out. Didn’t you see the terminal entries?”

Grey clutched his head. All the banging, all the information, he couldn’t process it all and his head was starting to hurt. “I… can’t remember. And I can’t think WITH ALL THAT BANGING!”

“Settle down, partner. We can hunker down until she gets tired again. Then we can really talk, or whisper. Either way, it’ll be fun!” Fun was exactly the opposite of what Grey was having.

A few more minutes and the banging stopped. “Whatever these shutters are made of sure are fancy. They’re much thinner than the walls, but just as strong. What an alloy!” Bray admired. He turned to Grey and smiled. The ringing in his ears made Bray’s comment sound like a hiss. The lights inconsistently lighting up the ghoul’s smiling face unsettled Grey. It was starting to feel like a nightmare that he couldn’t get out of. The fact that boxing them in here was the only thing keeping them alive made the sensation worse.

“As I started saying,” Bray whispered, “this whole facility, it was started by a unicorn named Fancy Pants…” Grey didn’t seem to respond. He couldn’t hear, instead he started talking to himself.

“You’re okay, it’s okay. We haven’t been here long.” Grey’s own voice sounded muffled to him. A small hissing sound slowly replaced his muffled world. “Great, now the blood’s rushing to my head.”

“So that’s what that sound is.”

“You can hear that?”

“Sure can.”

“Why can you hear the blood rushing back to my… head?”

Bray shrugged. “Good ears?”

The hissing crackled and popped. Grey rummaged through his saddle bags. He upturned the bag, spilling the contents on the floor. Somewhere in the mess, the hissing continued, only it was occasionally broken by clicks. Grey rummaged through the pile again and came up with a small communicator. He slipped the bud into an ear.

“Iron Heart? Iron Heart! Where have you… No… Yes… I… down here? As in, right now down here? The problem is we’re stuck down- Yes, we... Bray. Only the queen of… well I don’t know what she is. But Bray’s hurt, Xhenora’s dead, and… well I’m pregnant… The zebra Iron Heart, keep up!...” Grey suddenly sat up, surprised. “Watch your language Iron Heart! That’s no way to talk to a pony carrying a child!

“Iron Heart, are you there?” Grey pouted. “He can’t just stop talking to me like that! What’s he expect me to do?” A loud clang echoed within the metal room. “Keep trying, maybe you’ll get through megaspell shielded shutters!” Grey taunted. A constant banging started up and continued for five minutes straight. Both Grey and Bray covered their ears and hunkered down. After it slowed, Grey looked at the shuttered door carefully. “Nope! Not yet!” he yelled at the door and stuck out his tongue. A metal bang echoed inches from his face. He fell back with a cry.

“Say, we could let her in and explain this was all a misunderstanding.” Bray called out.

“I don’t think that’s what she wants. At least that’s what the gooey ponies outside think.”

“But you can’t tell what they think.”

“No, but I don’t think they were trying to make nice with Chrysalis before they got all gooey and dead. At least, I don’t think that’s what they were doing.” Grey considered the possibility. “Well, if they were, it didn’t work out too well.”

Grey trotted to the terminal and looked at it. There were journal entries. “The terminal’s unlocked! Did you do that Bray?”

“No, you did. Don’t you remember?’

“I uh… ow, oohh. I don’t. I have a headache, though.” Grey rubbed his head a little and pulled up the journals.

1-Too good to be true. That’s what I had told myself. Pants you old fool. But things had been going too well. They still have. My formulae are nearly complete. Years of research, and all of it to be hoofed over to a pony that did nothing at all. Well, I guess she isn’t much of a pony…

Must be careful now. I have been doing things in private. Fortunately none of them seem adept at using a terminal. I can’t tell which ponies I can trust and which ponies are one of them… friends, loved ones, society’s finest. Who is real, who is supplanted? I have started to develop ways to confirm their identities.

Of all the gifts I have given her, it has come to this sadly. It was I who suggested the phototrophic benefits of plant life. She more than happily agreed. I even saw to her customizations personally. My reward? A pair of fangs bared at my back. Instead of a fine friend, she has proven to be a masquerading foe.

It is almost complete, however. The process for developing my formulae is nearly perfect. Now, how can I use the tools at my disposal? There must be a way to save anypony left and keep my darling Fleur safe. There is yet hope, but I must work fast.

-FP, One Hoof Step Away

2-I have it! I asked myself, if she has found a way to subvert my ponies, why not subvert them myself? What would possibly stop me from not reverse engineer their genome, we have plenty of samples. It was touch and go for a time, however. I was almost discovered once or twice, but have managed to keep this branch of my work completely safe.

Once I had their genome complete, I only needed to synthesize the virus to enact my plan. Noble will fit the bill. He may be aging, but he has always been reliable. Better yet, they won't suspect him. Instead, all their attention is on myself. Pants, dear boy, you've done it! Now is only to wait, the rest is complete.

When the vials are sent back to me, all that remains is to get close to her. A trivial task when you have in mind what I do.

-FP One Magnificent Bastard

Fwd: Original Message Forwarded to Over Stallion's Private Terminal

My Dear Colleague and close friend,

I come to you in my most urgent time of need. You have supported my endeavors since the beginning. I must inform you that all we have hoped for, all we have dreamed, all of it is in critical danger. I am sorry to come to you like this, but I need you most urgently. Attached to this message are six formulae that I have been working on nonstop these past few days. Please synthesize them into six syringes and add six copies of my newly designed healing devices. Have the package sent post haste to my office. Not the grand one; rather my more humble abode.

I am assured from our recent conversation of two things. Firstly, that you are still, in fact, the same pony that I have known since magic kindergarten. Secondly, that you and I still remain as we have always been: the best of friends. That is why I entrust this task to you. My mentor, my friend, my life is in your hooves. I know that you will, as you always have, live up to your name: Noble.

Your Humbly Devoted Student,

Fwd: Original Message Forwarded to Over Stallion's Private Terminal

Fleur. My dearest love. While I cannot say who, for I do not know, a pony has helped them find my records. They know. I have been summoned to her and they will not allow me to return to my office.

Dearest, in a world of shallow beings, you went deeper than anypony I ever knew. You have been my rock. You have been my comfort, and now you must be my agent.

If I had more to give you, I would. You will know the password to the terminal, I have spoken it to you thousands of times. It is how I know that you are you. Don't think on it too hard, my love, but remember how often I whispered it in your loving ears, and how you told me you loved to hear me say it. I am undone, but you have my legacy in the safe.

Do not be afraid, dear, I believe with my whole heart that we will see each other again. The queen cannot kill me until I have given her the transfusion that will transform her. That is the bargaining chip I will use to stay safe. You are my ace in the hole.

There are six of them, dear. Green will turn their own bodies to poison. It is a defense mechanism when they're young. Their body emits an enzyme that... look at me rambling.

Inject one, any one of them, with the green and the virus will spread to them all. After that, the slightest injury or turmoil will cause their bodies to break down at the smallest level.

Here is part of the problem. You need to get close to them in order to use the green one. Blue will allow you to become one of them. In that case, you will be able to detect which ponies are which. White will allow you to return to your true self. You must transform, find any one, and inject them with green. That will start the plague to kill every last one that has destroyed so many of the ponies you and I have loved. Inject yourself with the white one to transform back to your perfect self. This will keep you safe.

I know this is difficult, but I know the strength that lives within your perfect breast. Your heart, my dear, has always been the strength for both your life and mine. Now I come to what is most difficult. I am told that the process is excruciating. I have included ten of my inventions in the back of the box, behind the six. These will allow you to survive the processes. Simply apply the correct color and one of these inventions to yourself at the same time and all will be well.

The other three are marked black. Do not, at any time, use these. They will kill instantly, but they will only be able to kill one pony. It will take the life of one and leave you found out. Again, you must use green in order to kill every last one of the creatures that have brought us so much sadness.

Soon I will return and be in your loving embrace once more. Then you and I will

The rest of the letter went on to describe a scene of love too racy for Grey's tiny eyes. He flushed and closed the journal. After a few moments he went over to Bray.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean, partner?”

“Don't play dumb. What happened, what's the rest of the story? Tell me! I deserved to know,” Grey demanded.

Bray let out a sigh. “Never made it. Plan didn't work. I can't tell you what I went through to get all this.” Grey went to ask more, but Bray quieted him with a hoof and brought out a TH Tape and inserted in into a TH 751-Recorder/Player on the over stallion's console.

The main screen flickered to life. Grey saw a room with Fancy Pants in it and something that was larger than a pony. In a few moments he recognized it from the statue in the center of town. Bray nodded.

“That's Chryssalis before her transfusion. Seems she was a different species back then. But her support was a key piece of what made the research here possible.

Fancy Pants huffed on the recording. “You wanted to see me, your majesty? I'm very busy.”

“Yes,” the younger Chrysalis cooed. “It seems you have been going behind my back.”

“I don't-”

She wheeled and hissed. “Lie to me again and I'll rip out your false tongue! Now wouldn't that be droll?” Spit glistened from her tiny maw.

“Fine. I've been continuing my research. I will show you everything, let us go to my office.”

“No!” Chrysalis screamed. “Give me what you promised. I need it, now!”

“Who's lying to whom, my dear? It has not been me, but you who's broken our pact! You've replaced much of my staff already! What has happened to all my friends that have changed?”

“You needn't worry, my dear, they have all been most... useful. They are safe, for now. I will release them once you have given me what you promised.”

“We already made promises! And you have kept none of them. Show me that my entire staff is healthy and let them go, or I swear you'll never get anything.”

Chrysalis' face darkened. “You are in no position to bargain! You had no problem as my subjects lined up for your experiments!”

Fancy Pants returned her glare, his face just as fearsome. “Every one was a willing participant. I asked every last one if they wanted to leave. I treated them well, I even gave the ones that survived compensation!”

Chrysalis stepped back, amused. “Do, go on. I find your petty idealism delicious. My subjects at least know how to sacrifice for the good of our hive. It is why we are so efficient.”

“Must also be why none of you can love and are forced to steal it from others! I looked up your history. Had I not been such a fool and done so earlier, I would have never agreed to work with the likes of you!” Chrysalis looked bored. “Enough of this,” Fancy Pants went on, “I have given you everything while you have given me nothing. And that has left me without even the slightest reason to trust you.”

Chrysalis loomed and laughed. “How about this, then?” The recording split into two frames. On one side was the metal room with Fancy Pants and Chrysalis, the other frame held a familiar white mare with a pink mane.

“Fleur!”

“Fancy Pants? Darling? Where are you? What am I doing here? They told me you were going to be here.”

“Let her go this instant!” Fancy Pants was cold, demanding. “Or I'll-”

“You'll what? Oh my, this passion, this hatred. All because of love.” Chrysalis licked her lips. Her eyes lit up with dark green flame. “I was wrong. There must be so much more to a pony that I can eat, so much more to devour and feed to my children. I can have all of you ponies!” Chrysalis let out a trembling sigh.

“I do this,” Fancy Pants spit through clenched teeth, “They all go free.”

“Yes. OH YES! Of course, why shouldn't a queen keep her word?”

Fancy Pants struggled. Fleur cried out in fear. Black creatures that resembled Chrysalis began to encircle her. Seeing this, Fancy Pants yelled at Chrysalis, who had her eyes closed as her horn glowed. “She goes free NOW!”

“Perhaps.” Chrysalis smiled, opening her eyes and fixing Fancy Pants with seductive eyes. “That depends on you.” Fancy Pants produced a small device from his coat. He jammed it into Chrysalis with a hoof. She screamed and writhed... and began to change. Her body tore itself open in increasingly large sections. She stumbled off of the camera's view.

After a minute or two Fancy Pants yelled, “Let her go!” A new voice, one that was more familiar to Grey and Bray, began to laugh. Her laughing continued to a crescendo until it echoed around the over stallion's office that Grey and Bray were in.

“Very well,” the new voice announced, “She is released from my protection!” Her laugh grew ever more hateful and loathsome. On the split screen the forms surrounding Fleur hissed and fell upon her. She cried out and screamed. On the other, Fancy Pants looked in utter horror. A shadow blotted out the camera, laughing all the while.

The tape came to an end. Grey was shaking. He had been too terribly enthralled to look away. Now he put his head on the ground and covered it with his hooves. For a long while nothing moved, and Grey felt his world spinning out from under him. He got up shakily and stared at Bray.

“That's it then. That's what we're doing here. That virus. You want to wipe out the queen and every other living thing that isn't a pony out there. That's why you used me to open the safe.”

Bray looked squarely at Grey. “Do you have any idea what's going on out there?”

“I have some, why?”

“No, I don't think you do.” The ghoul flicked his partially rotting tail. “Slavery. Phovannah actually has a relatively large population. Especially for the wasteland. Problem is, this population is treated as cattle. You know what cattle is, Grey? Meat. This race has fed on the population for nearly two hundred years. You can't know how evil that is. This city's been grown and eaten for generations. You just came alive compared to them. I've seen it every day.

“The ponies are allowed to reproduce in a controlled environment. They live miserable lives, and have nothing to look forward to except one of these options. The bodies are processed to feed other ponies. Do you know what kind of things they have to do to a pony to allow her to be eaten by another herbivore? They almost lost the entire population before they figured it out. Meat, Grey. Ponies eating ponies. Reminds me of what the world was like before the balefire, really.”

Grey was quivering. He stared at the ground. He wanted Bray to stop, he wanted to say something, but it was all so terrible that all he did was sit there and shiver.

“Another option is the feasts,” Bray continued, “There are ponies that even choose this one. I can't see any biological reason for it, these creatures, changelings they're called, are all phototrophic. They don't need to have the feasts, they just like them for some reason. Feasts are where some of the population is brought in. It's said a lot of these changelings go out and hoof pick ponies. They have a big party, a hootenanny like you wouldn't believe. Celestia's even there. At the end of this party, each changeling gets to suck the life out of their escort. They don't literally suck the life out of them, actually. Instead what they're doing is feeding off everything that pony is, I understand love is especially sought prized. If they survive, the pony gets to go home to their family with the promise that they never have to attend another one. I can't tell you how many times that hasn't been true. I also can't tell you how many hearts give out, how many bodies are sent to the meat factories. Suffice it to say that it's a lot.

“Final choice, and I use choice in the loosest of ways, is that their queen uses living ponies to make more hatchlings. You and Xhenora both know what that's like. I would be too, if my body hadn't been so toxic it killed the pupa before it had a chance to hatch. In order to allow the pupa to gestate, it has to be inserted into living tissue. That way, when it's ready, the meal is fresh. That's how these things come alive, Grey. They eat their way out of a living, breathing pony. Did you hear Xhenora crying out in pain? Did you see how scared she was when-”

“Stop it!” Grey was crying again. “No, I didn't all I could see was how be-beautiful she was. Don't you ever say anything about her like that, NOT EVER! Brave, too...” Bray came over and put a hoof around him.

“Of course you're right. We need to make sure her sacrifice meant something. We have to make sure this ends here. I came to do that. I came to release that virus and set these ponies free. If we do that today, an entire city of ponies gets that chance at something their miserable parents never had- a chance to be happy. Julia didn't see it like that. That's why I came alone,” Grey looked up questioningly, “My mare, remember? The one on the radio.” Grey seemed to accept that, looking at the ground once more.

“All of them? You want to kill them all. Why not just the queen?”

“Did you get a look at her, friend? You said it yourself, there's no way we can get close.”

“We... we could try.”

“Sure, you go ahead and try. Even if by some miracle she goes down, they have a hive mind. Each one is able to act independently or share their experiences through an empathic link. I don't fully understand it yet, but in isolated trials, separating one group from another forces another queen to emerge. This gives the changelings a pony to rely on. Another changeling would just take her place, and I'd still have to stop this without you.”

“Genocide.”

“Raiders, slavers, scourges of life, of anything living. Same thing is going on here, Grey. You just need to wake up and see it. You also need to see the chance we have to stop it. Justice demands it.”

“Every. Last. One.”

“Two hundred years, buck. Do you know what it's like to have a heart and see that? To feel responsible for it? And finally, after all this time, to do something about it? What's wrong with you? Doesn't that make you angry? Or sad? Most of my kind would be driven insane, gone feral years ago, at a sight like that. But here I am, ready to do something about it.”

“All of it. It makes me sad and angry at the same time, and I don't know how to handle it.”

“Pick up the tools we have and let's do it! Let's end this!”

Grey stopped again for a long while. When he moved again, he went over to the console, forwarded to the end of the tape, brought a microphone close to his muzzle, and put one hoof on the communicator and the other on a button. The tape started to record more data. “Iron Heart. I don't know if you can hear this, but don't come after me. Things. They just, I can't understand. I'm leaving you a note in the over stallion's office. It contains everything I know. It should also give you enough information to continue where we've left off. Wherever you are, get to the surface, get safe, and do everything you can to contact Bray's friend.”

“Julia,” Bray added with a smile.

“Julia. Bray's friend is Julia. Anything else?”

“Only that my friend here and I are about to be the most awesome thing in all Paaadock Promontory.” He gave a rear and a rasping whinny.

“Yeah,” Grey couldn't help but smile, “I guess that about sums it up.”

Grey keyed some commands into the console. After another minute, static filled the pile near his saddle bags. Grey dug through the clutter and came up with the mapping gadget O'Rielly had given him.

“This is a radio, too,” Grey beamed, “And I also know that everything we did worked, we're getting a broadcast signal already!” Grey was excited. Bray was catching on.

“You just set up an emergency broadcast with my old tape, you're a genius!”

“You figured everything out before I even got here, you're a genius!” The two hugged each other. Their mutual support, however, was cut short by a loud clang. Bray shivered. “I just realized something Bray.”

“What's that partner.”

“Why an over stallion? It's pretty much always a mare.”

“Fancy Pants got Scootalo to build this place, so he felt like he should be able to run it.”

“Scootawho?”

“Just one of Stable-tech's CEO mares.”

“Oh. I thought there'd be some bigger underlying experiment.”

“No, simple as what I said. Why?”

“Curiosity, my dear Trotson, curiosity.” Grey suddenly began to jump around, singing an impromptu rhyme. “You've been trying to get in for so long, I finally figured out what's wrong! There aren't any doors for you to come through, so me and my friend are coming to... you!” Bray danced a little and then stopped.

“Grey, can't we just escape through the emergency hatch?”

“Didn't you say we needed to end this now?”

“Well sure, but I didn't mean now partner.”

“Why not?”

“So we can get a plan together, so we can come back and finish this right.”

“No we can't.” Grey sing-songed. “We have to finish tonight, tonigggghht, otherwise, what will happen to those sad ponies in friiiiggght?”

“But we can't just-”

“Sure we can! We just go over to the door, press these buttons, and voila!” The lights stopped spinning, the shutters opened. Grey was still smiling and pointing at the door when an armored, insane face yelled and poked its head inside. Bray squealed dryly and galloped behind the over stallion's desk. There he remained, terrified. Grey didn't seem to react at all.

Chrysalis' head turned and faced Grey. She gave a snap with her jaws.

“Don't you dare ever do that to me again.”

“Why not,” she smiled wickedly. Grey's horn glowed and he flicked a switch, drawing down the shutters on Chrysalis' armored neck. The massive shutters didn't bend or warp. Chrysalis writhed, she was stuck. Grey's horn continued to glow.

“Because, now we're even. And Bray and I can leave any time we want to.” Grey moved to the terminal and activated the emergency escape command. The main console hissed and shifted. Bray ran for more cover as his hiding spot lifted away on hydraulic stilts. Chrysalis hissed and snapped. Grey hit the switch, raising the shutters, but immediately lowered them again. Chrysalis had tried to pull out of the doorway completely, the shutters had come down on her head. She squirmed and cried and screeched and pulled, but the armored plates only made her more stuck as they wedged themselves on the door. “I told you! Don't you do that. But you did, and now look at you. You're supposed to be a queen, but right now you're being nothing but a big meanie!” Her hissing and spitting continued. Grey looked angry the way a mouse might frown upon a cat invading its home. “How dare you! I thought you loved me!”

She stopped short. In all her years, many more than Grey even knew, she had never heard that before, ever. Sure, ponies had told her that they loved her all the time (although, before tonight, even that had been a long time ago), but none had ever mistaken her intentions for love. Mostly they just whimpered and cried and begged for mercy. A few vermin had even dared to fight her; all those attempts had ended as futilely as they had begun. “How could you even think that a queen would love an insignificant insect like you?” she sneered.

“You're right. You'd kill me without a second though.”

Her tongue licked her lips, “Sounds delicious.”

Grey staggered. “I thought our child meant more to you than that. I guess I was wrong, you're a worse mother than I thought, and you're an even more pathetic lover.”

“How dare you I-”

“Have no problem killing me and our child. And all those ponies who said “they loved you” before, what about them? You chewed them up and spit them out. All that you thought you felt, it all evaporated the moment they knew what you really were.” The look on Chrysalis' face was inexplicable. “You know what that means dear, my disgusting little 'love'?" Grey used his hooves to make air quotes that made it clear how sarcastic he was being. “Not one,” he held up a hoof, watching her every movement, “not a single one ever really loved you. It was the lie they loved, and the truth that scared them, the truth they hated, the truth that disgusted them. You've been trying to get food all this time, but all you've gotten is dirt.”

She screamed. The sound sent Bray reeling. Grey found some paper, spit on it, and stuffed it in his ears. She writhed, she squirmed, she did everything possible to get free, but she was stuck, unmovable. “NOO! Not true, not real! You're wrong, those feelings they were-”

Grey galloped over, “Not for you. For somepony else. Poor Chrysalis. Poor, pathetic, sad little Chrysalis. No one ever loved you. But you needed love,” Grey dripped with mockery, “So you tried to steal love from somepony else, but it was never enough, because it was never yours.” Grey deadpanned. “How many still had feelings for you when they saw what you did to them? Poor creature. Don't you know you need give what you want to get?”

Her breath came in gasps, her eyes wide. She was stuck and she couldn't get away, madness started to take root in her eyes. He was right. She tried to run, to deny it, she told herself it wasn't real, but she couldn't... she couldn't get away. Madness opened the door to her mind and started to make itself a new, comfortable home. Her screams died to a whimper. Her body stopped struggling. She went limp.

“Not a good mother at all. Completely unable to even love her own children.”

“Love? I came when you killed my other child!” She asserted herself, building a new house her mind could live in, that she could defend. Especially now that the regular one was occupied.

“Not to save your child, but to kill us. You know what your child did? She tried to kill us. We were terrified. She even killed my friend, Xhenora, after all she did for your baby. You taught your baby so well about love, that she killed her other mother. Do you mean to tell me you loved her by sending her to kill that zebra? Are you trying to say you loved us? Nope, you just proved how incapable you really are.” Grey bucked over her new house, forcing her out with ease.

Starts and gulps rocked her body. The armor rattled together. It took Grey a moment to realize she was crying. Grey moved his side closer and closer to her mouth. Soon, he was touching her bony snout, right at the mark she had made in his side. Her mouth quivered. She wanted to bite down, she wanted to tear through his flesh... and that meant Grey was right. She couldn't. That was her child. And Grey was carrying her little love inside him. She sensed the little life, she sensed two little lives. Grey and the unborn child.

“That's why you had to stop everypony from moving. Cycle of love? You're nothing but a cycle of death,” he gave a chuckle, “Funny really, you're wearing that mask even now.”

Pain worked its way from her innermost places, brushing across her voice. “Oh my darling. My darling I wish I could talk to you. That you could hear. So sorry.” Groans and cries punctured her speech. “Right, he's right. Mommy's ssssorry. She's sssooo sorry she doesn't love you.” It also took him a minute to realize that she was speaking into his side. “She tried, but she... she...”

“Was blind, but finally sees who she really has been. Now I'll ask you this once, and only once.” Grey moved around her face with a hoof. He brushed away the parts of her massive mane that wound its way around her armor and into her eyes, green and narrow. He looked at her and smiled genuinely. “I love you. I really do. Do you want to love me, too?”

Chrysalis didn't know what that meant. She couldn't tell what it was. But she wanted to, her soul ached to know. A hole was eating its way through her. Rather, it had always been there, but she had taken other ponies and tried to hide it, or at least ignore it. “How? I've never really loved anyone.”

“Do you want to?” Grey met her eyes.

Her massive form looked suddenly small and broken. Her armor didn't seem to provide any protection from her mortal wound. Pinned as she was, she managed the smallest nod. Opening her massive muzzle, she managed the smallest, “Yes.” Bray didn't know what was going on. He was stunned, his jaw hung open and loose. His rotting flesh relaxed. Grey wrapped himself gently around the side of her face.

“Can you feel this, Chryss?”

“Yes.” Her eyes closed.

“Hold onto it. It's for you. I really love the real you.” The black void in her heart had sucked everything she was away long ago. It suddenly started to fill again. Not with malice, but with something else. “Now, don't let go of that, but give me back what's inside your heart, what's from you.”

“But there's nothing there, you showed me-”

“And now I'm showing you that you can choose to put it there.”

Somewhere, something appeared that she forgot was there, or never knew she had. It was the smallest little thing she'd ever known. It was so small she almost laughed at it. But then it grew, and multiplied and soon, everything she'd ever known about herself changed. Just being close to Grey, just feeling him near her, on her, and she was happy. And... for the first time she could ever recall, she wanted him to be happy, too.

“Got it?” Grey asked. Her eyes came open. She managed a nod. Good. Grey smiled, flipped the switch, and she was free. She didn't get up. She could have, but she wanted to stay just as she was. “Good.”

Grey's horn had been glowing from when he first approached Chrysalis, and it glowed a little brighter now. He looked her in the eye. “I need you to know that I'm going to do this because I love you...” his voice trailed off. She looked at him and he kissed her. Leaning gently, she parted her jaws and let him control the kiss so that he didn't hurt himself. It was wonderful. Grey pulled back, his horn still glowing. “...and your kingdom, and our child, the ponies I care about. They all need this. The ponies especially need better.”

“I promise Grey,” Chrysalis started, “from now on-” He hushed her with his tiny hoof.

“Don't promise me anything. Having you is going to be enough. At least it will be once you and your subjects make up for what you've done.”

“I'll do ev-... eh? Whap's vis?” She hadn't even noticed the tiny pin prick in her mouth. But now, she realized that something was there.

Grey leaned in close to her ear. “I'm sorry.”

She stood up fast. “What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO!” Her jaws worked. Her tongue slithered. She spit something out. It was a syringe. The plunger showed that it had been used.

Addendum I:

Field Report- Red "Dead" Eye

Related Reference- Field Fleet Report 1024

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

I hate after action reports. No pony’s going to read this, are they? Even if they did, what could we do about it? My research partner is giving me stink-eye. I guess I should get on with it regardless. Look, slavery is bad, we all know that. Which is why the Enclave never implemented anything like it. We all know that the pegasus race needs to live and work together, else we’ll die alone. I just don’t understand what purpose… oh what the hell. Have to hand it to the dictation software though, it’s pretty accurate.

Just bucking!

Alright already, keep your lab coat on. Look. Red Eye. Earth pony. Kills his entire bucking stable. Every, last, pony, except for a couple of researchers or something. Shithead comes topside and insists on building a “better tomorrow” for his hoof picked favorites. Steals kids or something. Problem is these favorites build their better tomorrow on the bodies of countless slaves. Had a lot of tech on his side. That and a lot of dead ponies.

Oh right, used alicorns for protection. Was trying to become some big alicorn himself. Alicorn queen tried to stop him, but got killed. Notice a trend yet? Everypony who touched him wound up dead. Bad business if you ask me. What? Nopony’s asking? Well buck off! Yeah, yeah, the report.

Red Eye divides his forces to build a big cathedral in Everfree. His forces clash with the Enclave, etcetera until Red Eye gets himself blown up in some freak explosion. End of cathedral, end of Col Autumn Leaf, end of story. Good riddance. Guy was a puss bubble waiting to get popped.

Anything else? What? You want more? Um, well his cult is still around, though he’s dead. Idiots will probably eat each other before too long. That or raiders will tear ‘em apart. What do you mean not helpful? The hell else you want me to say?

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Partial Mediation
Because there are two sides to every bit.

You are rhetorically obsessed. You gain an additional 15 points to the Speech skill.

Author's Note

-End Ch. 9
-Dead is dead, but was it all for nothing?

Chapter 10: Regina non potest peccare

One Hoof in Front of the Other

Fancy Pants and Iron Heart went through the stable door. Fleur stopped at the threshold.

“What's wrong?” Fancy Pants asked. Iron Heart continued into the first room.

Fleur looked all around the massive doorway. It was shaped like a gear. Massive grooves followed into the entry way. A large metal door was rolled away, leaving the metal sarcophagus unsealed. Iron Heart looked over at Fleur.

“Nothing so far. Some panels, I think they operate something, maybe that door.”

“Come, dear, let's enter,” Fancy Pants cajoled.

Fleur's attention had been elsewhere, but she snapped back to Fancy Pants. “So long. It's been so... long. But not that long ago...” she looked scared.

“My dear, nothing is in there. Nothing except the queen. We all know that none are allowed inside her personal chambers.”

“It's not her, it's the ghosts.”

“Don't be preposterous!”

“You're one of them! I'm sorry, love, oh no, don't harm me. I tried,” Fleur started crying, “I tried, but you didn't see. But then the rest joined you! Now you're back! Please no, CELESTIA NO!” Fleur dropped to her haunches, paralyzed and inconsolable.

Fancy Pants changed into a changeling and smacked Fleur with a hoof. Fleur changed, too. “Get a hold of yourself! You're going to face the queen. I promised you I'd follow you. You even convinced me not to run. And this is how you repay me? With the past? What about my...,” Fancy Pants checked himself, shaking his head. “What about our future. Without your courage, neither of us have one. At least we'd have a chance at one if you didn't go on with this foolishness.”

Fleur looked up at him, still terrified. She seemed to recognize who was speaking to her. “Please. Just this one thing. Stay like that until we leave.”

“On my honor.”

Fancy Pants helped her up as Iron Heart looked on. “Second thoughts?”

Fleur looked at Iron Heart but didn't say anything. She stepped through the door and then took a few minutes to steady herself. Resolve worked its way into her expression, washing away her dry terror.

“Make no mistake,” Fleur added sternly, “This is a place where the dead speak.”

The trio beat an uneven cadence on the metal floor. Fancy Pants and Fleur were silent. Iron Heart gave a small whistle. “I've never been in one of these before.”

“Stable 0 was different. He wanted it to be the best of both worlds. A safety he'd never have to use. Planned extra luxuries for us all.”

“Who?”

Fleur was about to respond but she stopped herself. “Nothing, let's keep moving.”

Some of the dim lighting that still worked flickered while the rest of it was barely adequate to light their way. Breathing and the tink-tonk of their hooves were the only things they heard.

After awhile they came to an office. A faded white placard read “overstallion” the bulb still worked, but barely. Iron Heart did notice an unusual scarring on the metal in the area. A gangplank adjoining the office to an overlook of the room had been torn down.

They went inside, Fleur looked up. “Hello Laureate, it's been a long time.”

Fancy Pants looked up and hissed, Iron Heart's head worked as he stifled a whinny. On the ceiling was a pony. His center was burst open and his muzzle was pulled back in a look of terror. A strange substance encased and suspended him to the ceiling.

“He was a good pony, the best, really.” Fleur looked around, sad. She moved over to the desk. She let out a whinny. “It's not here! The escape is open, too.”

“What's not there?” Iron Heart whispered.

“What we came for, it's gone! We have to get out of here before-” there was a loud bang outside. All three looked at each other. They jumped when another metallic bang rang out. Fleur started to make for the exit. She noticed Iron Heart didn't follow. She tugged his shoulder and motioned to the opened safe and then the emergency exit. Iron Heart brushed her off. A loud, metallic scraping started.

Iron Heart started toward the door silently. Fleur started for the exit. Fancy Pants stood still, confused and trying to do his best to be quiet. “Bang!” rang out again.

“We have to go!” Fleur let out as quietly as she could. Fancy Pants looked over at her, then at Iron Heart, he couldn't make a decision. Iron Heart was transfixed, he needed to know what was making the sound. He got to the door. His body shuddered with the sound of another bang.

He tried not to think of the crystallized pony glued to the ceiling as he left the room. He gave a cautious look up and down the hall, then into an adjoining room. It was fairly large and had a partially collapsed walkway that ran around the room, making a second story. Also on this level was a hallway other than the one they'd come from. The collapsed section of walkway had lead from his current location to that other hallway. With an easy beat of his wings, Iron Heart bobbed up and down initially floating in place. He then made his way carefully across to the other side.

Curiosity tugged at Iron Heart to go through the closed doors he passed in this new hallway, but the sound kept coming from further down the hallway. He forced himself to go on. While the bangs and clangs echoed nicely off the metal hall, he noticed he was getting closer to the source because the sound was becoming more clear. The hallway took a turn to the left. He peeked around the corner before bringing his full body into view. Farther down this section was an opening into another room. As he reached the opening, he found himself in a room almost identical to the one with the collapsed walkway. This walkway was fully in tact, but he carefully looked around it for traps, just the same. Iron Heart continued to bob quietly as the lower floor came into view.

Another piercing screech was followed by a bang. A large collection of jointed plates was on the ground in the center of an open room. Iron Heart couldn't exactly tell what he was looking at, but it was big... and it was moving. A bony clunk rang out as the plates shifted and moved with some unseen force. A section lifted high into the air and slammed back down, causing another metallic bang to echo.

Something caught his eye. He quickly flew to another corner of the room, noting possible escape routes along the way. Even with the new vantage Iron Heart had to strain his eyes in the low light to see... a pair of hind legs, and a wiggling flank. “What in the hell?” The hind end of a pony was sticking out of the head of something, the head of something big, and it looked like it was in trouble. “What in the hell! Hold on, I'm coming!”

Iron Heart swooped down, but circled, waiting for the form to wake up, to try and eat him, but there was nothing. Landing, he heard muffled cries for help. He came close, put an exploratory hoof on the muzzle of this gigantic... thing, and pushed. His body strained but nothing happened. He put his back under the massive head, and lifted with all four legs. He couldn't see much, just the occasional kick of a hind leg. After grunting and straining, however, four hooves bound out. He collapsed, panting. As the jaws slid back into place, there was a squeak that reminded him of a squeaky toy.

“Mighty kind of you to let me out, but I think my friend's gonna need help too!” Iron Heart looked up and whinnied (he was beginning to hate how often that was happening) at the rotting face that was looking down at him. He stood back up and got caught on the skull. “That's okay, I get that a lot. Don't you worry, I'm not gonna eat you. At least I'm not planning to.”

Iron Heart stood there, immobilized and panting. A foreleg was lifted and his head was partially turned in fear, so that only one eye was facing the horror. There he stayed for a few moments, unsure of what to do. The set of hindquarters sticking out of this gigantic thing gave a few more kicks of protest, but then went limp- accepting their fate. “I, you,” Iron Heart started. The rotting form skipped around a few times, stretched, and groaned happily as hidden joints popped and snapped. Between the limber, smiling zombie before him, the gigantic form he was caught on, and the set of limp hindquarters sticking out of it, Iron Heart was at a loss.

“Welcome to Stable Zero! That over there's the bar,” Iron Heart didn't bother to look and see what the zombie was pointing to, “this here's the dancing floor,” the walking, talking dead gave a little dance and a proud shake of his rump, “and this here's the dead queen!” His hoof gestured magnificently at whatever it was Iron Heart was stuck on. The words "dead" and "queen" stuck with him.

The happy, excited, undead pony wasn't making any sense.. Two other thoughts clung to his subconscious. One, comething about the dead pony's exuberance and mannerisms reminded him of something... gray. His subconscious seemed to drown this thought with a sudden furor. Two, and this was the thought that bubbled to the surface, Fleur was bucking right, the dead do talk in here.

“And that there's my stuck friend! He almost died!” Iron Heart slowly looked at where the putrefying pony pointed. It was the limp hindquarters. A whimpering cry came from inside the... whatever it was. “Would you mind opening that up again?”

“How can I be sure you won't... eat... me?"

“Now that's plain rude! Didn't your momma ever tell you not to judge a book by its rotting, fleshy cover? My name's Bray, and I'll do anything to get my friend get out of here okay. Tell you what.” The pony hacked and hawked a few times. The zombie pony's whole body convulsed with effort. He worked up enough spit to fling on his hoof and extend it to Iron Heart. “Shake on it.”

Even from where he was Iron Heart could smell and see that he didn't want to be anywhere near whatever sticky substance the other pony had managed to discharge onto his hoof. “No need.” Iron Heart nickered. He lowered himself and came unstuck. Bracing once more, he lifted again.

“Alright now, just a little higher!”

“Trying,” Iron Heart grunted. He extended his knees fully.

“Good. Umph!” There was some more whimpering and the scratching of hooves, followed by a thud.

“Got it!”

Iron Heart collapsed, sweating.

“IRON HEART!” What the painfully familiar voice lacked in volume it made up for in enthusiasm. “You came back for me! My hero!” Tiny hooves wrapped themselves around Iron Heart, who stayed on the ground. He was exhausted and panting, too tired to brush off the nuisance... even though it was nuzzling him.

“That's enough Grey! What gave you the... huff... bucking bright idea to... oh never mind.”

“You haven't changed a bit Iron Heart! Same old pouty puss!”

“So you two know each other?”

Grey and Iron Heart both looked and nodded. Grey did so excitedly while Iron Heart did so with exasperation.

“Well now, ain't that something? Good thing you came when you did, though. Grey and I had been trying to get him out ever since he asked the queen to eat him. I kinda got stuck, too. Oh yeah, why did you do that, anyway?”

More hooves approached.

“Grey? Grey! You're alive! Is that the queen? Is she... oh no.” Fleur gasped. “Grey what did you use? How did you kill her? Oh goddess! Fancy Pants, stay away! Not a step closer!”

Grey looked up. "Fleur! That's your voice, but you look all weird.” Grey put a hoof to his muzzle. “I guess you could put it like that. C'mon Iron Heart, lazy legs, we're opening this up again.”

Iron Heart looked at Grey like a whipped dog. “You're kidding. You're kidding, right?”

“Heck no! Wait I didn't say it right...” Grey contemplated what went wrong.

“Hell no!”

“That's it!”

“Grey, unless you can convince me that there is any bucking good reason to-”

“It's a surprise!”

Iron Heart dead-panned, failing to see how that was supposed to change his mind. “...And...”

“It'll be easier with all of us working together.”

“... still not doing it Grey.”

“Okay!” Grey flopped on Iron Heart and started hugging and nuzzling him.

Iron Heart let fly a string of cursing as he flung Grey off, grunted and snorted, pawed the ground and threw his back against the plates.

Grey added his tiny magic and Bray pushed. “We need more power, Fleur? Fleur!”

“Grey I don't-”

Grey turned around to her. “Do you trust me?”

“I've lived in a hive that survives by implanting its young in ponies that eat their way out. Grey, how could I ever trust you? How could you ever trust me?” the changeling eyed Grey dubiously. Iron Heart cussed and yelled when Grey let his magic drop. He trotted up to Fleur. As a changeling, her size was still similar to what it was when she looked like a pony, and she was significantly taller than Grey. He went on his hind legs and hugged her.

“Because, Fleur is your real name... and you're gonna want to see this.” Both of them looked at each other. She knew what he saw. It wasn't a changeling, it was her. And she was both.

“Darling?" The Fancy bug asked. "What is this?”

She sighed. “It's alright. He knows.” Fleur moved over to the maw and added her magic. The head glowed green. Fancy Pants came up next to her and added his magic. They fed off each other and their magic surged, bathing the room in jade. The jaws lifted higher than Iron Heart and Bray could reach. Deep within the consuming coffin, two emerald jewels came alive. Fleur whinnied.

Grey moved over, sticking his head into the wicked maw. “It's okay, you can come out now.” There was a hiss, but it sounded wrong. “Fine! Stay in there. See if I care!” Grey stuck out his tongue. He turned his back on them. Grey looked over his shoulder, concerned. “You know, we can't keep this up forever. If you stay in there, I can't help you. You'll die.” Concern and sadness worked their way into Grey's voice. The eyes went from defiant to unsure. They looked around. There was a strange, soft sound. “Want me to help you?” The eyes turned to look away, but they looked up at Grey, too. “Okay, I can do that.” Grey jumped in the jaws of death. None could see what was going on. As something was pushed toward the opening, it started to struggle. “Too late now,” Grey laughed. There was the sound of hooves scratching, trying to get away.

With a final push, the thing was within hoof's reach of Iron Heart and Bray. There was a struggle. A scared voice pleaded in a strange, terrified timbre. Grey came out and added his diminutive weight to the effort. A final tug and all four came free of the cryptic crop. The magic imploded. The dead jaws fell shut with a snap. Every eye had to adjust to the low light.

Slowly, the progeny that had resulted came into Iron Heart's view. At first, he thought he saw the figure from the statue again, he even felt a shiver as he recalled the confident form from the stained glass window he'd crashed through. But this wasn't that form. She had all the features from the statue, but they were all conformed, molded, into a different template. She was a pony. She lay on the ground, trembling, weak, and beautiful.

She looked around the room, terrified. Her head bumbled around, unable to focus on any one thing. Even in the low light and spartan furnishings, she looked like the world threatened to overwhelm her. She struggled to get up and steady herself on newborn hooves. Grey came into her view and she cried out and fell. “It's okay, come here.” Grey lay her down with a gentle hoof. He nuzzled and comforted her, even laying his muzzle across her and giving her a few licks. Iron Heart was astonished. He got the distinct impression of looking at a mother and her newborn. “Fleur?”

Fleur came over, speechless. “I need you to help me with something very important. Say hello, Chryss.” The pony put her muzzle into Grey's side, afraid of Fleur's new form. Grey made a sigh. There was suffering in it. He looked back at Fleur, earnestly. “You see, I have two children to deliver tonight.”

All of them made their way to the med bay. On the way, Grey gave something to Iron Heart to guard “with his life.” After making their way slowly (Grey had to help Chryss along), they arrived in the med bay.

Grey directed Fleur, giving her stern instructions and refusing to allow any other pony or changeling to help. Fleur gathered a body bag. For some reason, Grey broke down when she brought over a dead zebra. He talked to the body and coddled it. Fleur had to get his attention.

“Please,” he cried, “just a little longer.”

Fleur gave him a few minutes and came back. “It's time.” Grey had her seal the zebra and a dead fledgling changeling in the same body bag.

“But you bury or cremate them separately. I won't forgive you if you don't. It killed Xhenora. Okay, this next.” Grey motioned to his side.

Grey had Fleur sanitize the area, himself, herself, and a number of instruments. He made it clear to her to be gentle, otherwise the unborn changeling would kill itself and try to poison him. He had her give him local anesthetic. Carefully, they felt for the area below the skin. Grey told her to take a scalpel and incise the skin around it. He twinged in pain suddenly. “Missed a spot. Okay. Oh,” he cried softly, “oh it hurts. Oh no... Fleur, there's a syringe there. Tell me what color it is.” She did. “Med-X, give it to me, please. On the foreleg facing you. Just above upper arm and elbow you should see the vein. Try to follow it with the needle. I'll guide you.” Fleur gingerly inserted the needle as Grey instructed. He had her activate the injector. “Oh good.” Grey's head came down. “Oh Xhenora. Why couldn't we get to you earlier? Oh my beautiful,” Grey sobbed.

“Grey, what do I do now?”

“Okay. Continue the incision, keep it shallow. The mirror.” Fleur showed him. “More. The blood's normal, wash it out.” She showed him again. “That's good. Now pull the flap back, and carefully, very carefully, lift her or him out and put the child in the tray.” After she was done, she came back. “Sterilize with that light there.” She activated a small magical light, holding it over the area for a minute. “Okay, now put the skin back and hold the mirror and bring me the needle and thread.” Grey carefully sutured himself as Fleur held the mirror in place.

He spoke to her. “Don't you dare breathe a word, just listen. One more chance. You all get one more chance. You're not a pony anymore, there's no way you can go back. You have to lead them now. That's the price you pay. You have to lead them both. Chryss is a pony now. She has to live as one of them. You've allowed your own kind to kill your own kind.” Fleur was having trouble understanding him now. “Fleur, if you mess this one chance up. Well, if I ever hear of what's been going on happening again, I'll consider stopping your population to save the ponies. I wouldn't want to, but I'd be responsible for their lives. You and I are responsible for them both, now. And if you won't be responsible for the ponies' lives...” he moved the needle and thread around Fleur's hoof and quickly levitated the needle very close to her eye. She gasped and wavered, but her senses reminded her that she was now tangled in the thread, and the thread was tied to Grey’s flesh. She stayed steady, continuing to hold the mirror. Her eyes changed focus, meeting Grey's. “I will.” Chryss peered over curiously to see what was happening. Grey used another clean scalpel to cut the thread. He tied off the suture's end.

“Done, oh I'm done. I'm so tired Xhenora. My love I... I'm soo...” Grey fell unconscious. The thread and needle came to rest around Fleur's hoof.

Sun Shower almost knocked Iron Heart over. “Aren't I supposed to be the one sweeping flew obf huf pfuf?” While he'd gotten used to talking without feeling much, forming words with two tongues in his mouth was impossible. Her golden eyes reflected a fire deep within.

Suddenly, she had backed up. “That's for coming back okay. This is for lying” A hoof rapped against his head.

“I haven't lied about anything!”

Another hoof beat on his head. “And for denying it!”

Iron Heart grimaced, rubbing his head. He looked up, confused. “I really don't.”

She went to hit him again, but he checked the blow with a hoof. “All right, now I need you to tell me what's going on.

“Claire talked to me while all of you were gone.”

Iron Heart felt a little proud about that. He’d helped the filly and made sure Sun Shower would be safe. “She’s a cutie, huh? She okay?”

“Fancy Pants picked her up a few minutes before you came in. She’s fine.”

“So the problem’s…”

“I’ve heard you swear up and down, and I’ve even heard you take Celestia’s name in vain. But Claire said you told her something very different.”

“I’m not seeing a problem here.”

“You lied. You told her things you didn’t believe to get her to cooperate.”

“…Seriously? Tell me you’re not serious.” Sun Shower’s expression didn’t change. “Shit, you are serious. The kid’s dad was dead. I wasn’t gonna just do nothing, and I sure as hell wasn’t gonna let her stay like that, she needed something to hang on to.”

“So you thought you’d make up some pretty little story that you heard somewhere that you thought she’d like.”

“No, dammit, it’s not like that!”

“Really? Tell me then, what’s it like, because I can’t see myself falling for somepony who’s different depending on the time of day. Either you believe or you don’t, you don’t get to play both sides for your own-“

“I thought you’d be happy!” Iron Heart was angry and he didn’t care. “Buck! Isn’t that what you and Grey and all the rest want? A pure Celestial bucking confession! I thought I’d give her a chance, I thought that after all the times she failed me, I thought maybe that kid could find some comfort. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just tell her that Celestia or whatever the hell else is up there’s just gonna take whatever it can.”

“Are you saying you think that Celestia took something away from you?”

“I’m saying I know it.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Wake… the buck… up. I don’t even know who I am, but I know enough ta see that life sucks everything out of you and leaves you to die.”

Sun Shower was shivering. “Iron Heart, that’s so cold.”

“Yeah, well that’s what’s real. Welcome to my world, all just a matter of time before something comes along and kills everything that you love.” Iron Heart was panting and snorting. Sun Shower fixed him with a stare.

“I’ve seen hellfire fall from the sky. It fell on a small settlement and started killing all the ponies there. No reason, no cause that we knew about. No matter how much we wanted to we wouldn’t go in until the fire rain stopped.” Sun Shower’s muzzle turned into a frown. “I pleaded with the Order Mother to let us go in, but she forbade it. We even had to restrain one of our own. After it was all done, we went looking for survivors. One stallion was all we found. He was badly burned and had a broken leg. Without pulling him from the ashes, without us being there, he’d have died. All we could see was the charred and broken bodies of his friends and loved ones. All he saw was us as guardian angels. We didn't do much, just what was right, and that wasn’t nearly enough. But you know what? He never forgot about those he'd lost. He loved them all the same and talked about them, but never once mentioned how they died. They were taken away and he loved them all the same. We became his friends, his new family, too. He went on to be one of the Order’s great healers.”

Sun Shower came close to Iron Heart and raised her head, looking strong and unmovable as she did so. “Fragility and loss doesn’t make life meaningless, it makes it precious. Celestia’s rare and precious gift is why we fight for every moment, that’s why we do all we can to make every bit good, because when it’s gone, we can see each other in what comes next and say how wonderful a gift it was.” Iron Heart didn’t respond, but something was changing inside of him. “That’s why I want to share it with you.” She smiled. “You’re crying again.”

“No I’m…” Iron Heart patted below an eye, “shit.”

Sun Shower kissed him. He kissed her back. The rest night passed much the same way. Iron Heart tried to go further, but Sun Shower stopped him each time and told him something else from her past instead. Each new story revealed to him a piece of her history that was important to her.

“What are you doing?”

“Come on Iron Heart, there’s more than one way to get close to a pony. Do this for me now, please. We’ll both be rewarded later.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Sex is just one step in making love, and it’s one of the later ones. I don’t want us to put the cart before the pony. Trust me, let’s do this first.”

Iron Heart sighed. His body didn’t seem to mind. At least he didn’t feel it if it did. He wasn’t used to this, it was different. His musings were interrupted by another round of deep kissing from Sun Shower. Maybe it was different in a good way.

“I don’t get it,” he volunteered when they took a break, “This isn’t gonna change what I think. How could you still want this?”

Sun Shower looked into Iron Heart’s eyes. He looked angry, as if there was something that he wasn’t letting go of. “I’ll be literally damned if I don’t try.” After all, she thought, maybe whatever it is isn’t letting go of him.

He was semi-conscious. There was no way for him to get comfortable. Every time he’d shift around something would keep him from falling asleep. There were times where he’d gotten some good rest, but something kept ruining it. “Five more hours,” and other excuses provided no defense against the intrusions. His lips moved but what came out was barely a whisper. “But I’ve been a good… deserve it.”

Something pushed him a little. He swatted at it in his sleep. It brushed against him again. This time it nipped at him. His body was awake enough to retaliate, at least. Whatever it was got a sleepy unicorn wrapped around it. It made a good pillow… as long as it didn’t move… which it promptly did.

“Aww.” He gave a loud yawn. Blinking, the world came into a blurry focus. “Where…” Something black moved. A shock of a blue-green color moved along, too. “Come back my blurry pillow.” He stumbled to his hooves, playing a low speed, high stakes game of cat and fuzzy black thing. Wandering this way and that was only going to prolong things, so he picked a direction. The thing seemed to look one way, then the other, and then no matter how fast he pursued it he didn’t catch it. That is, until it stopped moving. “Gotcha!” He hugged the squishy thing and fell over.

“Stupid pony, get off!”

He yawned again, rubbing his eyes with a hoof. The blurry black fuzz focused into a bristling black pony. She was a unicorn with a jet black coat and a dark turquoise mane and tail. Her eyes were a brilliant green. Certain things were odd about her, however. For example, her eyes were pointy ovals, almost like a cat's. Another difference was the fangs... which she was baring at Grey.

“You can talk!” Grey bounded around her. “You can talk, you can talk, you can talk, you can talk, you can taaaaaalk!” She hissed at him, but it sounded more silly than threatening. “And hiss! You're much better at catastrophic biological alterations than Iron Heart.”

“Of course I can! What kind of a queen can't talk?”

“A pony queen! We've never had one of those, I wonder how the others will take it.”

“Not a pony queen you pest, the Changeling Queen.”

“I'm afraid not anymore, but look at you, you're so adorable!” Grey wrapped his forelegs around the belligerent pony, bowling her over once more.

“I order you to get off!” Her svelte frame writhed as Grey hugged and nuzzled her.

“You're so soft and pony, nothing like that awful shell.” His head popped up. He started to smile like an idiot. “Chryss, oh you're gonna love this! You finally came out of your shell! … Get it?”

Utter disgust shocked her limbs into action. She groaned and let out a cry and struggled to get away from the clutches of this evil pun pony. She reached over and bit him. To her amazement, he bit her back. While her fangs broke skin, Grey's teeth gummed at her coat. The effect still took her by surprise, however, and she let go. Not a single creature had ever been able to approach her, let alone gum her, physically. Very few could even stand her presence. Being knocked to the ground and then bitten were two experiences she couldn't remember ever having.

“You look better than you taste, ptooey! I keep trying to tell you that you can't order anypony around anymore.”

“I keep telling you I'm ordering changelings, not ponies!”

“So either way you still don't get to order me.”

“What? No, I... wait. Not fair pony!”

“No, killing off generations of ponies to suit your reproductive lust isn't fair. And if I remember right, some pony wanted to know what love was supposed to look like.”

Chryss' eyes seemed to lose their luster. She looked at the ground. Grey trotted around her, looked away, then looked back wearing a pair of ridiculous glasses with no lenses.

“Rule number one: you have to give what you want to get. You can't claim to love anything if you're not willing to love it first.” Chryss didn't follow the second part. “Rule number two!” Grey swung around and held a hoof near her muzzle. She backed up a little, staring at the point of his hoof. “Put the good of the person you love above your own.” Grey's face fell. “I loved you, even though you killed my friend. That's why I couldn't kill you back. It wouldn't have been good for you to die without at least knowing what love was supposed to be.” Of all the new things she was experiencing, of all the shock of her transformation, the new feeling in her breast was the most radical, it was one thing she couldn't understand.

Without losing a moment, Grey returned to his authoritative stance, wheeling on Chryss once more. “Rule number three, and perhaps the most important!” He pushed the square, lensless glasses up on the bridge of his snout. “Enjoy being with the one you love.”

Deep within Chryss something snapped. She gave another silly hiss, bounded to her hooves, and pinned Grey. He let out a surprised cry, but offered little resistance. Her horn started to glow. She let out a low hiss, and her eyes grew green with lust. Unsure of what to make of his plight, Grey assumed he was pretty well doomed.

Chryss stared at her prey, and she un-fed. As strange as it sounded, she was feeding, or at least it felt the same but different, too. Normally when she fed, she'd magically eat and tear things out of a creature. Now, she couldn't fight the urge to let that feeling out, to pour it into the pony below her new hooves. That feeling, there was so much of it welling up inside that her chest felt tight, like it was about to burst. Passing all that onto Grey did more than relieve the pressure, it felt good... really good.

Green magic locked onto Grey's horn. His body relaxed and gave a spasm. Instinctively, Grey pushed back with his own magic. The two forces fought with each other.

“Chryss, how are you- what-” Grey panted and grimaced with effort. Something twisted in the way he thought about what was going on. Instead of pushing the magic away, instead of fighting it, Grey let her magic hit him directly. Offering no resistance, Grey worked his magic around hers. Both Chryss' and Grey's magic wound their way past and into the other. Chryss and Grey poured raw magic into the other. It wasn't magic wrought to attack, or ward, or deceive. Instead, Chryss and Grey expressed their magic, one to another. As soon as that happened, Grey stopped. He pushed Chryss away, her magic stopped.

“What is wrong?” Chryss put out a fore leg now, reaching out to Grey. Grey liked the sound of her voice. It had a strange, magical timbre that he couldn't put into words. That made him hate it all the more.

“You killed so many ponies. Xhenora's dead because of you... I can't. I couldn't do that to her.” Grey's expression had fallen again, but this time it was outright miserable. Chryss reached out to him again. “NO!” he smacked her away.

“But. I need you. How else can I learn magic like ponies do?”

“I ignored all of them for you. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?”

“Love.” Chryss looked at him, scared.

“Love? Love! Rrrgh!” Grey gave a childish little grunt like a colt whose mother wouldn't buy him a new toy. “You took mine away from me! I'm sorry Chryss, loving some pony that treats me like that isn't a trick I think I'll ever learn!” Grey stormed out while Chryss looked on alone, confused.

Grey put each hoof down hard as he moved. Each step was angry. After awhile he got so angry at trotting, at the floor for just being there, that he growled at it. He suddenly started pummeling it. “Stupid floor! Stupid hooves!”

Grey kept it up for a full two minutes. He didn't even know where he was, but he hated it all the same. There he sat, alone, while a flutter of tiny dings and clops echoed down the hall. At the end of the two minutes he stopped. He leaned against the wall, huffing and puffing. He forgot why he was angry. A zebra's smile appeared in his mind. “That's right!” he yelled. Making to hit the floor again, he realized how little an impact his hooves had. They hadn't affected the floor at all. Nothing had changed despite his fury.

“Um... Chryss?” Chryss looked in the doorway. Grey stood there, looking up with his eyes. His ears were flat against his head and his muzzle low to the floor. Two tiny luminescent rivers streamed down Chryss' face. A small puddle of softly glowing green pooled below her head. “I shouldn't... I mean...,” Grey swallowed. “Would you... tell me about you? I'd like to know, even though I don't deserve to.”

Everything was feeling strange, different to Chryss. She couldn't understand what was going on. Even though she was hurt, even though she shivered and sobbed, Chryss couldn't help but smile through the tears. Up until then she'd never felt so wounded, so alone. But now that he was back, while she was still angry at him, she had never felt so happy to see anyone.

There was a knock at the door. Soon after the knock, the door opened. Iron Heart saw Grey and Chryss laying on the floor opposite each other.

“…so that’s what it’s like, eating. But I never thought about feeding another, only being fed by them.”

“That’s why you never had enough food for you, let alone your kingdom,” Grey responded.

“Being a pony- I understand that you can do that, but it’s scary. What if the other one won’t feed me back?”

“You only try and feed those you trust. Reach out in that situation, but never stay with any pony who won’t feed you back. Oh, and by any pony I mean any other individual.”

“I thought so. Still a lot to learn.”

“Me too. But thanks so much for showing me-” Iron Heart gave a throaty cough that interrupted Chryss and Grey’s conversation.

“Gotta go Grey.”

“Awww, but Chryss and I just started learning from each other.” Grey pouted.

“What have you to been doing all night?” Iron Heart meant that to imply something, but he was really curious, too.

“Talking.”

“…Just talking?”

“Uh-huh.”

‘And… this talking, involved….”

“Lots of stuff. I told her all about our adventures to get here, and how I found you on the mountain and we fought some ponies and then found a bomb cart and then flew all the way down to that town that was in trouble …” Grey went on and started adding in more and more detail. Iron Heart tried to speak a couple of times, but Grey wouldn’t stop. Iron Heart started rubbing his head, he was sorry he asked. “…Then when it was her turn, she taught all sorts of stuff, but especially-“

“Dammit Grey, nopony cares! Look we have to go.”

“Come on Chryss.”

Chryss got to her hooves, excited. “I don’t think she’s coming with us, Grey.”

“Why not? Besides, we don’t have any say, she does.”

“If by she, you mean Fleur, then you’re right.”

“But… I, we just became friends!”

“Doesn’t matter. We have to go, and she’s not coming.”

“No!” Grey’s voice cracked. “I won’t accept that! She’s my friend and I won’t let her go!”

Grey stormed out of the door, starting down the hall. After a couple of seconds, he stormed back just as angrily and as not embarrassed as he could. Grey’s muzzle opened, but before he said anything, Iron Heart put his hoof in Grey's muzzle and used his other fore leg to point down the hall in the other direction.

“When you get to the intersection, take a left.”

“Thanks Iron Heart. I’m still angry. And I’m still storming off!”

Chryss looked scared, made to get up, but stopped and lay back down.

“Well, go on,” Iron Heart encouraged. Chryss gasped like she’d forgotten something. She bounded to her hooves and galloped out of the room.

“You can’t make her stay. You can’t make me leave.”

Fleur sighed. She didn’t need this now. The tiny unicorn was giving her a headache. He was also smaller than she remembered. “I’d never make you leave Grey. You know you and Iron Heart are more welcome here than anypony I know.”

“But we have work to do, we have to-“

“Which is exactly why Chryss has to stay here.”

“Don’t you think she should be the one to decide that?”

“No. In case you forgot, you’re the one that made me queen. That means I’m responsible for her now.”

“What is she now, some brainless underling that’ll march to your every pull of the string?”

Fleur bristled, bared her fangs and came nose to nose with Grey, “How dare you! You know I am nothing like that.”

Grey met her, nose to nose. “Oh really? From here all I can see is a tyrantapony rex!”

A small gasp failed to garner their attention. What came after it, however, made them both look over. “Chrysa- Chryss is angry. I’m not even your queen anymore. And you use me like I’m not even a pony. You treat me like I’m nothing! Chryss might as well be dead!” Chryss had entered the room. After she spoke, she pulled her head back proudly and closed her eyes.

Fleur and Grey shared a look, realizing what they were doing. Grey was the first to speak. He trotted up to Chryss softly. “I’m sorry Chryss. I don’t want to be separated from you, ‘cause I’m worried I’ll lose you, too. I don’t know if this is right or not, but you remind me of Xhenora.” Chryss turned up her nose and pointed her head away from Grey, giving a proud little “hmph.”

Fleur looked at them both, then she focused on Grey. She came up too. “It sounds like you care about Chryss a lot, Grey.” Grey pawed the ground, looked up, and nodded. “I know she knows it, too.” Chryss tried to make it look like her eyes were still closed, but she cracked them open a little and looked down at Grey. “That’s why I want to keep her here: she’ll be safe, but more so, I need her help. I don’t know how to lead. She’s done it for years.” Fleur looked directly at Chryss, who opened her eyes in response. “Chryss, would you be my second in command?”

Chryss made a strange sound. Her pupils contracted. “You’d have me?”

“Only if the ponies can be treated as well, too. No more factories, they have to barter or farm.”

“I… yes. I do want to spend time with Grey as soon as my- as soon as our kingdom is settled.”

“Deal. How do you fancy that, Grey?”

“Okay… I guess.” Grey still looked sad.

“What is wrong?” Chryss asked.

“Iron Heart and I… we still have to go. I haven’t even left… and I feel like I’m far away. I don’t know why.”

Chryss strode over, purred, and loomed. “Don’t you sseee?” Chryss’ horn glowed. “We were.” Grey’s horn lit up reflexively. He cried out and jumped to hug Chryss. She continued purring and held him close. “Hurry back to me, that your queen might dominate you... and love you.” She gave his head and horn a number of tender kisses.

After Chryss and Grey said some more longing goodbyes, they all met in the town square. Fleur offered them some supplies, but Grey refused (and Iron Heart grumbled), wanting the settlement to have every supply possible for the transition. Grey also relayed all they knew about Tie Down and punga, establishing him as a possible trade contact.

He stopped short, though, suddenly noticing where they were. He approached the statue and slowly reached out a hoof. He wanted to reach out and touch a ghost. And he felt like he almost could.

“I’m sorry. I-I didn’t stay angry. I could have killed her, but I didn’t. Is that okay? When you were gone… I didn’t want people to keep dying. Are you angry? Please don’t be angry.” Nothing talked back to him, so he kept going. “I want you to know I’ll always love you. That won’t ever change. Please, don’t be angry.” He hugged the statue and stayed there.

Behind Grey, Bray spoke up. “Julia’ll sure be happy to hear this place is taken care of. No more Chrysalis, I bet she’ll be cursing for joy!”

“What’s the safest route outta here, Fleur?” Iron Heart asked.

“Now, I don‘t mean to brag, but the east end of the city is simply stunning! Any proud sightseer will certainly admire all of our historic sites, as well as be able to see the eye of Phovannah!”

“Phovannah has an all-seeing eye?” Grey piped. “I want to see the eye too, Iron Heart, can we? Betcha we could have a staring contest!”

Fleur laughed. “Only if you want to stare down a carnival wheel. That’s what we call the main attraction at our boardwalk play land- Phovannah’s Eye. No need to go in, however; our city’s pride hasn’t operated in years.”

“You mean a stable, a massive concert hall and genetic experiments aren’t your city’s pride? Instead it’s a carnival? We have to go, Iron Heart!”

Bray gave a scratchy nicker. “No way partners. If I understood my Julia, there’s something keeping her from coming out here. I know her, and she’s gonna try to handle it all on her own. I have to get back to the mansion.”

Bray got Sun Shower’s attention on the word “mansion.” “Mansion? You’re from the mansion outside of the city?”

“Sure am. Say, you want to come, too? I’d love to give y’all a tour!”

Sun Shower whinnied, took off and circled the square anxiously. “We need to get there right now.”

Grey came forward a few steps, and followed Sun Shower as she circled. He looked like he was stirring soup with his head, only the imaginary soup was above him. “Why is that? Wait, who is that?”

“I am Sun Shower, sister and knight of Celestia’s Chosen.” Sun Shower swooped down, baring herself proudly. Grey’s head pointed in her direction, but continued to spin slowly, as if she were still circling. “My sister and I were sent here on an important mission, and I must see to it that she’s safe.“

“Celestia’s chosen? That means… and you’re here for the… and there’s two of… and you both know… you know…” Grey turned green and looked like he was going to lose his breakfast. He plugged his muzzle with a hoof. His head continued to circle until Iron Heart came over and stopped it.

“Come on Grey, let’s go.” Grey lay down with a light thud. “Get yourself together, I’ll explain on the way.”

“Fleur? Are the ponies going to be alright?” The two came over to Grey.

“I promise, Grey. I’ve wanted to help the ponies of my city for so long… I just needed somepony to give me the opportunity.”

“But they’re so sick, I’m scared that... well, you know, they’ll die.”

Fancy Pants had followed Fleur. “Set your mind at ease my good gentlecolt. I am the one who perfected the way to turn ponies into digestible food.” Grey looked horrified. “You must realize, sir, the fact of the matter is- none of us would dare contradict our queen. Her order forced me to understand the ponies fully.

“The knowledge of their inner workings and biology was once used to harm them. Now that we have a better queen, this knowledge can be used to make them better. I hope that, in some small way, I have followed in the hoofsteps equal to this mask that I wear.” Fleur looked at Fancy Pants, both surprised and touched.

“Perhaps in some small way I can alleviate the burden of my queen?” Fancy Pants gave Fleur a perfect smile. He looked away, though, and started searching the buildings with his eyes. “It is them I worry about. Now that there is a new queen, they will all be anxious to have their feasts. We are all so hungry for love. None of that fear or anything else was ever enough.” Fleur had wrapped a hoof around him.

“I don’t get it. Why can’t you two love each other?”

Fleur’s eyes shone bright green. Fancy Pants perked his head up, shocked. He looked back as if there was a thought that had never occurred to him before, or if something strange and new had taken hold of him. The two ponies looked at each other. Fancy Pant’s horn started to glow and match the color of Fleur’s eyes. She bowled him over and he kicked her off of him.

He transformed into his regular, non pony form. Fleur did the same. They started to wrestle and attack each other, but neither seemed to get hurt. Grey started hearing all sorts of strange sounds as the two of them landed on each other and didn’t come apart again. Grey’s vision suddenly went dark while strange sucking and squeaking sounds continued.

“We’re leaving, Grey.” It was Iron Heart.

“Iron Heart, I can’t see!”

“Good.” Iron Heart started to drag Grey with the same hoof he was covering his eyes with.

“But this is biology in action! No pony’s seen this in at least two hundred years! Think of all the things we could learn!”

“Shit Grey, you’re the last pony I’d expect that out of. Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”

“But… who knows when we’ll get to see this again?”

“I’m not even gonna touch that ya sicko.”

Grey pulled and tugged at Iron Heart’s hoof. He wound up actually being able to see something, too. Coy green eyes darted into view from behind the statue and stared at him. The eyes continued to move and the rest of Chryss came into view. Grey happily waved at her. She lifted a hoof and slowly waved back. Soon Iron Heart, Grey, Sun Shower, and Bray disappeared from the square. While the statue’s eyes hadn’t moved in two hundred years, her unrelated cousin saw the city for the first time.

Addendum II:

Field Report- Red "Dead" Eye- Attachment

Council assures me you all managed to survive basic, but I don't know how. We're in a fight for survival and you buckers at 202 are goofing off. Our daughters and sons, friends and neighbors are dying and all you can do is turn in lazy, half-assed reports with vague mentions of "recommendations"?

I'd have courtmartialled all of your worthless flanks personally if the Council hadn't stepped in. Get serious or damn us all to hell. And get me some answers or I swear I'll come down there and shoot every last one of you for aiding and abetting.

Our people are dying. We're all next unless we can turn this ship around. You know damn well that everypony is calling your team's objective impossible, but this team was sold to the Council as miracle workers- now I suggest you all start working your magic. Get me results, get them now, or go home and wait for our fair cities and beloved people to get starved, raped, and murdered by the dragons at our gate. Need I remind you they're sure as hell knocking now, or haven't you been reading your own bucking report?

You know what your pegasi mommies and daddies were doing the last time dragons came knocking? Hell, maybe I'll come down there to give you all a history lesson. I'm calling for daily status updates from here on out.

-WW

LEVEL UP
Kissed by Luna
Can't see? Give it a few moments, all your senses will adjust and become more sensitive. When that happens, you'll realize that you're more aware now than you ever were before.

A pony blessed by Luna gains +2 to both Intelligence and Perception (up to a maximum of 10). This blessing affects the pony directly, remaining active both inside and outside.

Author's Note

-Ch. 10 Done
-It was so he could give her a health pack
-Okay, even I'm a little embarrassed by tyrantapony

Chapter 11: Fight or Flight...

...or Friendship
“...Let's rejoin our heroines four hooves and sometime later!”

Sun Shower was singing again. Iron Heart hadn’t minded that so much. It was Grey’s singing that made him cringe. It was so… happy. The fact that Sun Shower and Grey had become fast friends wasn’t helping his mood. The rest of the city reinforced it.

The same mist that had blotted out the sun maybe a day and a half earlier still blanketed Phovannah as they all made their way outside the city. There had been a number of ponies and even a few changelings near the center of town, but there was a point in the city when the populated buildings and streets stopped abruptly. Past that point the buildings were far worse off. Wear had caused some of the buildings to decay into doddering skeletons of their former selves; others had simply collapsed and died, forgotten. The atmosphere was oppressive, driving Iron Heart's mood from mildly uncomfortable to thoroughly unsettled.

At least there hadn’t been any deteriorating cloudscrapers. Massive deteriorating buildings like that would be disastrous in a city like this. In passing, Iron Heart wondered how he was familiar with such a concept. Instead of towering high, rotting buildings closed in as the streets narrowed. Ill repair, proximity, swirling mist whenever a soft breeze picked up, the configuration felt perfect for an ambush. Instead of knocking, the close, intimate creepiness had simply let itself inside, where it was content not to say anything to Iron Heart until he realized it had been silently staring at him from the corner the whole time.

Iron Heart almost panicked. The houses themselves seemed to exude a fog that hung close to the ground. He suddenly wanted to break away and fly up. He could rise higher and higher until he broke through fog bank and saw the sun. Doing that would leave most of his companions behind, though. An irrational fear whispered if that were to happen, he might never find them again. He didn’t want to risk that; as he remembered Sun Shower, he knew he couldn’t risk that.

Sun Shower and Grey apparently weren’t aware of their surroundings. As Iron Heart fought the flight reflex, those two had given into a sort of friendship reflex. They started to sing. They were actually singing. To Iron Heart, the whole scene was bizarre. “We’re swimming through a low cloud, and you two are singing?”

Grey perked up, cantering to Iron Heart’s side. “They’re hymns, Iron Heart! I haven’t been able to sing them with anypony else in years!”

“Right… well, quit it! It’ll give our position away… I can’t see if we’re spotted or concealed.”

“Nopony’d be able to see us in this, Iron Heart!”

“They wouldn’t have to, they’d hear us from a mile out… or smell us…”

“Oooohh, I guess you’re right! They could use infrared, thermal imaging, or even echolocation!”

“Look, just keep it down.”

“Well this section of the town’s kinda peaceful,” Bray broke in, “When we leave, now that's when we'll have to be careful.”

Sun Shower joined in, “Let’s keep singing Grey.” Iron Heart stopped for moment, cursing under his breath, as Grey started in again.

“Oh for one thousand ponies to sing,”

“The praises of our mare,” Sun Shower continued.

“Her sun brings life and warmth,”

“To Ponies everywhere!”

Both of their voices came together in unison to sing the chorus,

“And have you known her warmth,

And do you know her love?

For some ponies have never seen her face

Smiling down, smiling down from up above.”

As they continued, they sang the same words, but their voices suddenly split in perfect harmony.

“So sister, so my brother, hear my song,

Listen close to hear her love, and soon you’ll sing along!

Her love for us will never end,

The life she gives ‘s strong as the sun.

If your world is dark and sad turn the bend,

Join our voices in the happy throng!”

Iron Heart was stunned; it was beautiful. It didn't fit their surroundings at all... but that was good.

“What's the matter?” Grey asked. Iron Heart realized everypony had stopped and was looking at him.

“Nothing. Let's keep moving.”

Sun Shower looked at Grey, “That was wonderful Grey. The last time I heard a tenor sing that hymn was in the cathedral, and that was months ago.”

Grey blushed, pawing a little. “I wasn't that good.”

Sun Shower took offense. “Don't say that! You were wonderful.”

“I didn't mean... well, thanks.”

“Don't cut yourself short,” Sun Shower gave a small chuckle, “you're already small enough.” Whatever color gray and red make was the color Gray turned. “I think Iron Heart's right though, let's stay quiet for now.”

It wasn't until they reached the edge of the city that the fog subsided; even then a layer of mist blanketed what lay before them. What lay beside them, to Grey's secret glee, was the entrance to a carnival. It had been long abandoned, yet it still seemed to give off a stoic cheer that clashed with the crumbling city and the new terrain they had entered.

Grey was tugging on Iron Heart's hoof. When the stallion looked at him angrily, Grey put up a hoof and whispered into his ear, “Can we go to the carnival? I wanna see if any of the rides still work! Maybe there's even some old candy.” Iron Heart made to answer, but Bray did instead.

“Sorry partner, I really need to get back to my Julia. I promise I'll take you back once I know she's okay.” Grey's face fell. Iron Heart realized that Bray's hearing was exceptional. “Alright everypony, keep a keen eye. We should be able to avoid any trouble.” Bray's hooves sounded softly as he stepped off the concrete and onto the new terrain.

Where a regular swamp could be described as a low lying wetland, what sprawled before them was hilly, covered in long-dead trees, and made up of mostly solid ground. It wasn't that there weren't low lying areas that were wet, but that the whole area was suffering from some sort of effect (even the hillsides). What lay before them had the effect of a marsh that had been lifted up and spread around the terrain similar to the way one would spread field fertilizer on a field.

Iron Heart looked out. He might have even preferred swamplands; at least then he'd know what the countryside was trying to be.

“Now, it ain’t far, and if we stay low, we should be there in no time.” Bray's hind hooves followed the audible demeanor of his forehooves. The rest followed him into the strange half marsh. Silence and mist hung down on them.

It wasn’t long before Grey wanted to say something to Bray about his definition of “no time.” They left any semblance of a path and started scaling unforgiving hillside that alternated between wet marsh and solid ground. Although Grey wasn’t carrying all that much, he was already sore. Sun Shower and Iron Heart started to flap their wings, opting to fly low over the ground rather than climb the steep hill. Bray balked at them, again telling them to stay low.

Still they wound their way up a hill. Eventually, Grey stopped paying attention to everything but the dull ache in his hooves. Even when the hill softened into a slope, Grey felt like complaining. He sighed sweet relief when the slope died down into a tiny plateau.

He was so relieved, in fact, that he didn’t even notice Bray whispering his name or Sun Shower’s gasp. He did hear a gurgling sound and crackling fire, though. He also heard a brusque voice call out to him.

“Well now. What’s here?” Somehow, Bray had always been able to sound cheery despite his gravelly, harsh voice. This voice wasn’t like that at all. “Seems we have a pony that what’s lost hissway.” It was creaky and crooked.

Another voice added to the dark chorus. “Oui, look at his tiny body. And that mouth, look at that mouth.” A pregnant malignance burdened every word.

“Ay, heh he heeee. You in trouble now, hoo doggie, a colt too,” a final voice mocked. Three forms wound their way around a fire crackling strong in the light of the afternoon.

“He’s got to be hungry, isn’t he poor little colt?” went the first voice. Grey wasn’t at all relieved. Instead, he felt the danger he stumbled into multiply.

Grey swallowed. “I… uh, well… I’m actually a stallion.”

“Just as well, stallion’s got to eata bunch too, that way they grow big. And when they’re big, they’s a special treat for ponies, you know.” The speaker was massive. Grey noticed certain things that told him she was a mare. Some sort of disease seemed to have bloated and stretched any beauty away, though. Her left foreleg was particularly puffed. As she approached, Grey noticed she wore work jean coveralls with a broken strap. Something gleamed in her eye as she loomed over Grey.

“Oui. Hau Hau Hauu. An special treat. You know, we donnot have many visitors. We must roll out the red hospitalite`.” The second speaker didn’t seem to have any physical deformities, he was just particularly fat. Some sort of grease or oil reflected off his coat.

“That ain’t right ‘Mortis. That ain’t how it goes. I keep tellin’ ya!” the last speaker screeched. He was thin and wiry. While his body was quite fit, his head was a grotesquerie all its own. Fiery eyes darted around, always searching. The rest of his head was strangely pressed, almost like it had been partially smashed by something. It didn’t make any sense, though, there weren’t any visible signs of such a massive trauma. His mane showed in whispy patches. A few patches where mane should be that didn’t have any hair at all, not even any coat. “Let me wet my whistle there.” The large pony handed him a brown ceramic jug.

“So,” Grey clopped his fore hooves together and rubbed them, “when do we eat?”

“I must say… this is quite strange, is it not?” the fat one asked. All three shared a furtive glance as Grey walked close to the campfire and started to warm himself. “Well, you must see, we three… we have um, eaten too recently. Yes, we have and so we will eat later.”

“Ain’t ya scared of us stranger?” the thin one creaked.

“My feelings are irrelevant. Whenever anypony extends a hoof of hospitality, it is only proper to accept.”

“See? He’s a smart one,” added the big one, “yes he is, I’ll bet his head-”

“Augh no! His head must be tired. He must have had a long journey. Are you not weary, my friend?”

“Actually, my hooves were getting sore, but warming them by this fire does wonders!”

“Sure does, ain’t nothing like a warm fire. That’s what I’m always saying, heh he. It’s great for warmin, but even better for cookin!” The thin one tossed a piece of meat on a grate over the fire. It sizzled and popped.

“You’re not going to eat that, are you?”

“Oui, later. Why wouldn’t we?”

“Ponies can’t, not unless they...oh.” The fat one had hoofed over a bottle to Grey. He turned it over and noticed a poorly muzzle-written word on it. “D…i, ges, a, f, e!” Giving it a shake, there were a few small rattles. “That’s not enough for all of us. I just couldn’t take any, depriving you all of food. Well, I guess I should get going.”

“Come here pony, don’t pay mean old Clem any mind. I have food for you.” The mention of food all for him brought Grey galloping over to the large mare immediately. She cut a loaf of something in half and gave him one of the halves.

Taking it curiously, he gave a test nibble. It was spongy but still had substance. It was also still too hot for his mouth. He was suddenly huffing and puffing as pain seared his tongue. But the taste, the taste was like nothing he’d ever had before. There was a food he had been missing his entire life, and this was it.

“What is this?”

“Here.” The massive mare put a pat of something on it. Grey felt it had fat of some kind as it melted into the food. Even the smell was intoxicating.

“What is it? Ain’t your pappy ever give ya bread before?” Clem, the thin one, remarked.

“Augh, then you are in for a treat my friend,” Mortis remarked, “just like us. Au hau… hau hau.” He started scraping out the bottom of a pot.

“But this is amazing!” Grey managed between blowing on the loaf and stuffing his face once more. “It's even better with that stuff you put on it!”

“Poor pony, never heard of butter? I'm happy. I'm happy you're happy. It tastes better that way.”

“Huh,” Grey perked, “The bread?”

“Yeah,” creaked Clem, “That's what she said.”

Grey hadn't waited for the response, stuffing his face with the rest of the heavenly food. As soon as he finished eating and licking his hooves, he grimaced in pain and groaned. His stomach was so tiny that it started to ache as what he ate expanded inside him.

“An so, have you had enough my friend?”

“I'm stuffed, literally stuffed,” Grey replied. Mortis' eyes gleamed in the firelight. “I think I'll pop!” Clem leaned in close. “I could die right now and be happy. Well, you all are great, but I must be off.” There was a grunt behind Grey as he backed up into the large mare. She started a lumbering rhyme.

“This little pony got lost in the woods, this little pony couldn't find his way home, this little pony ate our bread and butter, and now we'll eat him to the bone.” Clem broke out in raking laughter. Mortis upturned the pot, bringing out the knife he'd been scraping it with.

“Now look here!” Grey protested. “This is no way to treat a guest!”

“But... you'll be with us forever in our stomachs, you don't have to get lost ever again,” she boomed back. Clem threw another piece of bloody meat on the fire. As it sputtered, the flames illuminated half of a smiling flower. The meat was a flank. The flower was a cutie mark. Grey recoiled. He staggered back, trying to keep all three in view.

“Let my friends and I pass. Promise me you'll never do this again, and I'll let you all live.” Grey spoke the words while his body was shaking as it anticipated some sudden violence.

“An why should we do that?” Mortis shrugged. Clem smiled a rotten, half-empty smile.

“It's time everypony,” Grey puffed up, looking fierce. The others slowed for a moment, half expecting a hidden trick, or perhaps reinforcements. Grey sickened. “...Anyopny?”

“Ain't nopony here, heh he. Just you, and us, and dinner,” whispered Clem.

“I-” Grey dove out of the way of the large knife Mortis hurled. It made a satisfying “thunk” as it sank into a tree. Grey rolled, trying to get up and see how he was situated. Mortis and Clem were grinning. Grey wondered how the large one disappeared. He realized where she was and panicked. He moved forward as fast as he could, but fell down hard. He hadn't felt anything, but he tasted dirt and heard himself groan.

“…still awake,” a far-off voice complained. Grey went limp.

“An how can I cook hem if you split his head? Wait on it.”

Grey felt a massive, squishy hoof nudge him. “He’s so small.” There wasn’t any response. “Maybe it was too hard?” The hoof pulled away. “Mortis? Is that you?”

“A? What is the matter Gertha?”

“I'm gonna kill him Mortis, but I don't feel I should.”

“Are you crazy? Has your head gone squishy? I change my mind, do him like the others. We get the meat we can an that is all. Even if he is shrimpy.”

“He's small Mortis, he's a colt.”

“Merde. Take the pot an scrape him down, Clem. I do this one. He is no colt. An besides, that makes no difference. We had the filly last week.”

There were heavy hoof falls and a squeak as the knife came free. “No Mortis." Protested the mare. "The swamp ghosts are sayin no.”

“You fixin to get into our dinner? I see! You just want him all to yourself! He's mine!” Clem's voice was dangerous. It gave no room for any other option.

“Scrawny shit!" She yelled back. "You can't talk to your sister like that!”

“I sure as hell can! You low life, scum sucking bitch!” A scuffle broke out inches from Grey's fallen form. Mortis was shouting as loud as he could, desperately trying to break up the fight. Somehow, he got pushed backwards into the pot. As he hit it, a solid metallic “ding” rang out. “Mortis? You make that?”

“I don know.” The pot turned over. Mortis scanned the surrounding area carefully. “Down! Ambush!” Three heavy thuds sounded quietly as the ponies hit the dirt.

“Where is she?” Clem asked.

“If I hadn't been stopping you two, I'd know! Now here's what we do...” Mortis started to explain how Clem and Gertha were going to ferret out their attacker. Gertha started to shake her head. She gave a low nicker. After a moment, her head came up. “The swamp ghosts,” she cried, “They coming!”

“An here we go again! Why do you do this?”

“Because they're talkin, can't you hear em? They're telling me we're bad ponies. I can hear them, even now.” Gertha's eyes were wide, convinced of what she was saying.

“Stupid bitch! Shut yer yap while we plan the trap.”

“Yeah Gertha, I want to hear!” Clem and Mortis looked at each other, trying to figure out what was going on. Gertha got to her hooves. Grey's head was twisted at a strange angle. His neck bent in strange ways. Clem and Mortis could only see his back, but Gertha saw his eyes open, a smile appearing on his face. He suddenly frowned, “After I was murdered, I can't hear how you're gonna murder my friends if you're not quiet.” His smile returned.

“YOU'RE THE SWAMP GHOST!” She whinnied madly. The sound was deafening, blocking cries from Clem to have Gertha stay down. She made to step on Grey's body.

The frown returned. “Gertha!” he scolded. “I could still hear if my head's mashed in, but how could I talk?” His expression became contemplative, as if the possibility gave him pause. Gertha reared with another whinny, deciding that was exactly what she wanted. Her hooves didn't reach the ground again.

Something blew the mare backwards. An air splitting crack sounded a moment later. Clem stayed low and reached for a harness of some kind near the fire. Mortis started hurling curses and knives into the darkening woods. “We have him, an we kill him, unless you give up now!”

“He's dead, he's already dead!” Gertha cried. She was on her back, sobbing.

Mortis gave an exasperated grunt. He had lost his patience “An if he is? They don know!” he explained angrily.

Clem gave a cackle. He stayed low, slinking away from the campfire. Gertha got to her hooves, staying low this time. A gaping hole in her swollen leg oozed something foul. “Now, Clem bring them here, you stay, I'll help.” Mortis started to move, but Gertha held him, shaking her head furiously. “Then go! Bring them close an I skewer them!” His sentence was cut short by a crack and a dull ringing as another bullet smacked into the pot. As soon as the shot rang out, Gertha bounded into the forest. Mortis addressed Grey's unmoving form, “Just us now, eh friend?”

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Mortis' stomach made a growl. Whatever had been on the fire was ruined. “I guess I take a small piece.” He licked his lips. “I guess a small piece means a big hunk of you, hau hau hau. I tell them, you were so small. Such is my luck.” Mortis drew up a knife magically, but the sound of pounding hooves stopped him. “Clem? Gertha? Is this you?” It couldn't be. The hooves were approaching from in front of him and there was no response to his call. A greedy smile crossed his face as he drew up to the pot. A form came into his view and he made to strike out. The ricochet of another bullet made him duck.

Mortis had enough. He turned and waited. The hooves got closer. When they were close enough, he roared and bucked the pot as hard as he could. The pot barreled forward. In response, a click was followed by four deep booms, and the pot reversed its course at break neck speed. Mortis was caught in the haunch and gave a howl. Two knives shot past the pot's former resting place and a pony rolled to avoid them. “Come here, you foul foal of a whore! I know you are there, soon you will not be!” Mortis levitated more knives. Bray got up, a long gun strapped to a battle saddle he was wearing.

“Mortis,” He started, “What happened to you?” Mortis was surprised. Bray stood firm, looking sad. Mortis smiled wickedly.

“Well, my friend,” two more knives finished the sentence with a quiet, graceful hiss. Bray rolled again, recovered, and kept galloping in a wide circle, weaving between trees. More knives flew through the air, some landed in trees, some in ricocheting off into the woods. Bray noticed Mortis' horn flare as a cupboard's worth (maybe even two) of knives rose into the air, all wrapped in a sickly blue.

Taking a moment to get a bead on the earth pony, he found the right distance to fire in front of Bray just as the earth pony found a tree. Mortis machinegunned the knives, firing them in bursts instead of all at once. Bray gave a wet grunt as one or two found his side.

Skidding to a halt, Bray let out a cry as he found the tree, stood directly behind it, and put his hooves on it to get as close as possible in preparation for the coming onslaught. Some knives whizzed past it, more sunk into it's bark, while two or three bounced off.

“You cannot hide there forever my friend!” Mortis noticed a hilt sticking directly out of the side of the tree. With a grin, he realized what he was looking at. None of the knives could have gotten stuck on the side of the tree with the way he was using them. One was stuck in something's side behind the tree. “I will bet you are even tired now!” A cry of pain followed another burst of knives. There was followed a soft “clink” as the knife that had been in Bray landed on the ground. A spot of dark red ichor oozed down the tree.

“Now where to,” Mortis continued. More knives peppered the tree. “Not hiding. You are out of spots.” Morits approached and flung a few more knives in Bray's direction. “Are you happy?” He stopped out of hoof's reach of the tree, giving it a few more knives to discourage any flight. Mortis stopped, steeling himself. He then burst the rest of his knives in quick succession, circling the tree at the same time. No pony was behind it.

Confusion showed on his face. He ducked his head to one side, then the other, looking like there was something magical about the tree. “You know what Mortis,” called a familiar voice, “You were always a great talker.” Mortis paled beneath his coat. “Always knew right where to find ya.” Mortis wheeled round, locking eyes with a smiling Bray, whose skin reflected and shined by the fire. Mortis roared, charging. Bray's gun roared for him.

Bray stifled a whinny, however, when the gun failed to produce the body-mangling gashes it usually did. Three, four, five shells made a hollow sound as they were ejected from the gun, still smoking. Mortis reared, Bray fired once more into his belly while almost touching it with the muzzle of his gun, Mortis came down on him with his full weight.

Bray writhed and twisted, struggling and suffocating. Mortis' weight wasn't causing the difficulty, and neither was the proximity of the ground. It was the fluids that he was trying to keep from inhaling. There were sounds of struggle and muffled coughing, and Bray made an attempt to drop low and wiggle his way out backwards. His hooves found no traction. His desperation turned to panic. The body was suddenly lighter, and he could feel something loosen around him. With one more fevered push, Bray started to slide out. Inch by inch he felt the gun harness slip off him and the body slip over him. The slime helped.

Bray gasped air, he savored breath, and for the first time in a long time, he was relieved. Grey still lay where he was, but his eyes were smiling as they met with Bray's. “Tha-”

“You do not ever need to thank me,” came the reply. “You all came back for me. I was so scared.” A number of shots rang out. “I thought you all might leave me, too. Especially just now.” Grey bit his lip.

“Nothing to be afraid of partner, we're with you one hundred percent.”

“Thank you.”

Bray chuckled. “You look ridiculous. What are you still doing like that?”

Grey managed to look offended in that position, “I thought I was doing a good job playing dead.” That made Bray burst out with a dry laughter. More gunfire echoed off the hillside. “You should see yourself! Well actually, you should not. You might get nightmares.” Bray came over.

“Now how do I get you up when you're like that?”

“Just come over and, oh! Owie, oh caref...yipe!” Grey's neck screamed in agony as Bray helped him up. He let out a small whimper. “I pulled... I pulled my neck! I've never done that beforeoooh!”

“How do I help?”

“Just, oh! I have to keep it immobile.” A sudden shifting from the ground brought both ponies' attention to Mortis. Grey actually did cry out, both from shock and the pain shooting through his neck. Mortis was still alive.

The ground was all that was holding his insides in, and it wasn't doing a good job. He tried to say something but only a strange sucking sound and blood made it out of his muzzle. Grey and Bray came into view. Looking between them, Mortis actually looked... happy? Without a second thought, Grey bucked Bray away and breathed heavy as a knife found its way between them. Grey picked up the knife with his magic, and pulled it deep in a half circle around Mortis' neck. A warm, red tide pooled in front of them. Grey looked worried. “That was good, right? I just,” Grey looked sad. “I'm trying so hard to do something good. Is this all I can manage?”

“What are you talking about, partner? You saved my life, you did what you had to, now that's all there is to it.” There was more gunfire in the distance. That caught Bray's attention. “Look, your friends have those two in hoof, I'm sure. But to be safe, we have to setup...Grey?”

Grey doubled over. He couldn't focus between the blood, his neck, the situation, the terrible mistake he made. All wanted his attention. Overwhelmed, he stretched and looked at his back, then at the ground. The sound of his own breathing filled his ears. He wavered and fell over with a soft “thump.”

Grey didn't lose consciousness, but he wasn't aware of the world around him. Vague sights and sounds swam around as he hovered somewhere in between being awake and asleep. Deeper, darker things stirred, realizing their chance to surface. “You can't! That's not me anymore, I'm a new pony. A new pony!” His world changed, though he didn't feel it. Instead, he was only aware of himself, and the blackness that loomed. He struggled and writhed, nothing stopped the blackness from taking over. He was blinded, but still aware... aware and powerless. “I have friends now! Friends that are not going to leave. So do what you want, it won't... change... anything.”

His eyes blinked open. The fire crackled near his head... very near. His face was warm and his neck felt good. He tried to get up, but the pain in his neck stabbed again. It hadn't been gone, only hiding. With a sharp breath, Grey tried a second time, slower. Mortis had long since stopped moving, but his corpse had been moved. Bray's large gun lay on it's side. Bray was on his side, too. Maybe he was taking a nap or... oh no.

Grey grunted with pain as he twisted his head to see Gertha facing him with a distant look. He got to his hooves slowly. Her swollen foreleg was now a bloody mess, but that didn't seem to phase her at all. “Like the swamp ghost said. Find a way. Now I have to kill you again, oh well.”

“No, wait I...” Grey backed up timidly. Gertha showed him her massive tail as she turned around and looked back, ready to buck in his head. Grey considered the size of Bray's gun. His weak levitation would never be able to hold the recoil. Grey reared and focused his magic. Instead of levitating it, Grey planted the gun's butt in the ground and angled it into Gertha's side. A flick of the trigger was all it took, the ground absorbing the recoil. The gun fired. Gertha bucked.

Gertha's hooves lifted Grey off of his own. He crumpled to the ground. Gertha, despite her size, was bodily thrown in the opposite direction. Grey couldn't breathe. His abdomen contorted painfully. With the wind knocked out of him, it wasn't long before he had trouble staying awake. He could feel his body failing. If that happened, if he lost consciousness, Grey probably wouldn't wake up at all. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, something came along to demand his attention and keep him awake... for the moment. Gertha got to her hooves. Grey's eyes went wide.

Part of her side was bleeding badly, the blood running down her hind leg. She just trotted over as if nothing was wrong. Gertha loomed over him. She didn't say anything. She simply lifted a hoof to bring down on Grey. Grey couldn't speak. Two cracks rang out. The first crack followed two holes that appeared on either side of Gertha's head. Her hoof came down. She fell to the side. The other crack was quieter and emanated deep within Grey's chest.

He got his breath back, reflexively breathing in deep. The original pain in his chest exploded. Breath started to come in shorter and shorter gasps. Iron Heart and Sun Shower flew down. Sun Shower went to check on Grey while Iron Heart checked on Bray. “He's out. Doesn't look to be too bad. How's-”

“Iron Heart? Get over here.” Iron Heart landed next to her, looking down at Grey. Grey's breaths came in fits and starts. “How can we help him? I don't know what to do.” Iron Heart rushed in close. He drew upon all the medical knowledge his head could muster and came to one conclusion: it was bad.

“His chest is partially collapsed. There are a lot of broken ribs. His breathing is coming in short gasps, collapsed lung, probably punctured.” Iron Heart looked at Sun Shower honestly. “That's what's wrong, but I don't know how to fix it.”

Grey gasped, “P-pp-p...”

“Pain?” Grey nodded furiously. Iron Heart searched his saddle bags. He dumped out Grey's. Iron Heart was searching desperately when Sun Shower gave him a syringe of Med-X. Iron Heart administered it quickly.

“M-mm-more.” Grey managed. Sun Shower muzzled over another syringe, which was added just as quickly. “Again.” Iron Heart and Sun Shower looked at each other, unsure. “Again!” the dying unicorn whispered. They complied. “You do know how to fix...”

“No. Buck no! I'll chalk this up to ya not knowing how I operate, but there's no way in hell I'm gonna medicate you to death.”

Grey bristled. “Stupid! Know how... in,” he wheezed heavily, “b-bag!” Iron Heart's mind raced. Bag? The only bag I...? Saddle bag! This time, Iron Heart dumped out his own saddle bag... and there it was- the small medical tray Grey had asked him to "defend with his life." He held it up to Grey, who nodded his head at it. There were four syringes. Iron Heart held each one up in turn and each time Grey shook his head furiously.

Iron Heart stopped for a moment. Grey levitated the tray, took the crimson cover off, and upturned the two halves. Five strange devices fell to the ground. Grey started shaking his head, trying to stay conscious. Iron Heart looked at a device. It was made of what looked like a small cylinder, out of which protruded a pin on one end. On the other end was a translucent bulb. There was some sort of mechanism with a few tubes running between the bulb and the cylinder. Reflecting in the firelight, Iron Heart saw a red magical glow faintly penetrating the bulb. Healing potion. The pointy end went in the gasping unicorn.

Grey sucked new life, but his body protested. Grey grimaced, not letting his jaw open lest his clenching chew off his tongue. His caved in stomach started to puff and suck outward. Magic glowed around the area as it healed, Grey performing coarse adjustments so that the flesh didn't mend askant.

When it was finished, however, things were still wrong; a jagged rib poked through his coat, for one. When he noticed it, Grey whimpered involuntarily. Even without feeling the pain, Grey knew his body was going into shock. His vision started going dark. “Wake up Bray, don't let him go back to sleep. I'll probably need more attention. He should know enough for what I need. Now, one more thing.” He smiled, “Dash?” Sun Shower produced a small inhaler. Iron Heart gave her a “where in the hell” look. “I can't see it to well, put it in my muzzle after I say this: when I spit out the inhaler, I'm done. When I'm done, administer another health potion injector.” Sun Shower put the inhaler in his muzzle carefully. With a flick of his magic, the inhaler depressed.

What elapsed in under a minute to Iron Heart and Sun Shower elapsed as a space of hours to Grey. In that time, he mapped out a detailed diagnosis of his flesh and bone. Piece by piece, he pulled and shifted the parts back in place. Even though the dash didn't make him operate faster, he was able to think faster. He had all the time he needed to think, plan, and do without wasting a single movement- magical or otherwise. He couldn't see, but he wouldn't have been able to physically see what was inside, anyway. Magic actually gave him a better picture.

Performing that kind of diagnosis had been his dad's legacy to him. "You can't try to fix anything until you know what's wrong," his dad had said, "that may be half the battle, but it's the first half." He remembered how it felt to watch his father's face when Grey's cutie mark appeared as something not medically related. He suddenly wanted to go and tell them what had happened. He wanted to make sure his parents knew they hadn't failed. He hoped they might even be proud.

Every “hour,” Grey depressed the inhaler again, trying to get every last bit of the drug it had to offer. Bone shifted. Impacted flesh unfolded without mending yet. Vessels were put in their general place where they still leaked.

The hardest part came next,though, came when Grey used his good lung to suck stale air through the inhaler. A combination of magic and air flowed through his body until it met with the blood, bile, and other fluids that had collected in places they shouldn't be. All of it was pushed to the hole in his side, where it started to spill out. Somewhere the sun broke through the clouds, bathing Grey in a warmth he could barely feel. But it was there.

My best Celestia. All I am. It's yours. Thank you for being here. My life is in your hooves. Grey spit out the inhaler. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Addendum III:

Attachment- Field Report- Red "Dead" Eye

AKA Somepony's a pouty puss with no sense of humor.

This kind of rhetoric? Shit. If command doesn't think we're miracle workers, I offer them what is probably the best intelligence job in recorded history. I'd offer to discuss our intelligence and plan with the Council directly, but some of this is so hot, just knowing about it would put any Council member in danger.

I feel it essential to reiterate all of our work has been discussed in detail with our liaison. Nothing has been left out, and I don't know what the hell he is trying to pull reporting up to the Council so negatively. I have no idea what agenda the misguided, willfully ignorant bucker is trying to push, but if there isn't one, that only proves he couldn't find his own ass if he had to take a shit. I am going to re submit my petition to speak with the council directly- perhaps then we could get some real representation.

My team is moving faster than this shitty dictation software can type, so I'll double down on what we've accomplished any day, any time. Some command staff don't know what it took for us to compile all this information and don't care what we're planning to do with it.

In Summary:

Yes my team is informal- we've pulled 123 hour weeks for the past month, and you don't know the half of what we've put together.

Recommendations- if you or any of the Council thinks they can do a better job, come down here, shoot my team, shoot me, and then do the damn job yourself. You're all sorts of piss and vinegar about results- well talk to me in a week.

To our immaculate goddess (aka the "liaison"): Join up or shut up- you can sit on your high horse and bark like an ass, or you can join our team, like I've said a thousand times. Then maybe you'd have one scintilla of value you could add. I don't think your "leadership" qualities are up to the job, however. You just seem capable of giving orders without getting a single damn thing done yourself. I swear to Celestia.

PA (Post Addendum)- Yes, I'm gonna pretty this up before it hits Council, but I'm not going to pretty it up for a single one of you. Either way, damn that felt good to write. Now see here, fillies and colts. In a few days we go live and the commander was right: the casualties we're seeing out there make the place where bad mares go look like Celestia's own bucking gala. I'm damn proud of each one of you and what we've accomplished, but there's still a long way to go; we haven't even implemented yet.

But I'm not worried. No, instead I'm excited. I'm excited because I know what's going to happen. Leading up to it, you're all gonna get squared away and have one helluva party. Come T minus Zero, you're all gonna kick ass and chew bubblegum. At T plus three weeks, you'll all be back here, getting drunk and getting laid- I'm seeing to that one personally. Squee and I are taking care of the arrangements as I speak (don't ask, I'm not telling).

I expect the best and I give the best, so get out there and be the best. Take your objectives and overcome any obstacle. Don't leave a single sky block standing. Each one of you is about to change the face of Equestria forever.

-Penelope

LEVEL UP
Medic Monster
When I shot her, I thought she was going to kill me. Instead, she beat me half to death and saved my life.

When your HP drops below 20%, your Endurance is raised to 10, you gain 25 to your Damage Resistance, and your Medicine skill is boosted by 10 points.

LEVEL UP
Sniper Pony
I never said it was clean, just efficient.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Practice is the father of skill. Your aimed shots are much more accurate (their spread is significantly reduced) with rifles. While this effects pony-packable arms of any variety (standard arms, magical energy rifles), it does not effect explosives or big guns.

Author's Note

Ch. 11 Complete-o
Rigor Mortis, Big Gertha, and Clem

Chapter 12: Home, Acerbic Home

The Quick, The Dead, and The Quickened Dead
"...where seldom is heard an encouraging word, and the mists just keep clouding all day.."

Ten days. Iron Heart could only remember about three week’s worth of his life, but the past ten days had been special. It would have been five days if everypony hadn't been busy sleeping, silently fighting for their life, or getting married.

Convincing the mare of the mansion to marry them had been difficult. Some gentle cajoling, foul-mouthed arguing, and a final round of bizarre bargaining had sealed the deal. Considering she was probably the only captain of a ship left on the island (they’d had no contact with Tie Down and some quick reconnaissance revealed that the Old Tub was no longer at the dock) had made the argument worth the trouble; the way Sun Shower had looked at him ever since he volunteered to fly Grey and Bray back to the mansion made the deal essential. Iron Heart’s heart was soaring no matter how numb his body was.

When they had first arrived, the mansion’s mare had tried to run them off with agitated eloquence and a filthy mouth. Bray, however, wouldn’t back down. Grey was hurt, and Bray insisted their mansion was the only way to get him the attention he needed. Iron Heart admired Bray for that.

And once again, there she was to interrupt his silent thoughts. In the gloom of noon he saw her trotting through one of the mansion’s many halls. Food and rest (after a fashion) had made her a new pony. Her body alone had come a long way in such a short time. Iron Heart had been shocked to see how starved she really was.

Not hungry (that had been an attempt to hide her true condition) she had been literally starving. When Sun Shower had shed her armor, muscles and tendons could be seen moving as her coat clung tight to her skin. Iron Heart could count a few of her ribs. He had sickened when he remembered being offered food in Phovannah. Sun Shower had refused, insisting, “Ponies are sick and dying. Give it to them. We need to save as many as we can.”

He also took notice of how much bigger her armor had made her look. This made him realize two things. First, she was a strong fighter even while weakened. Second (admittedly related), malnutrition aside, she was in peak physical condition. Any flaw in a physical regimen would have caused a collapse long ago.

None of that deterred Bray from practically forcing her into what he called, “A mandatory re-feeding, a veritable tour de force of food!” Bray's idea of a tour de force, to Iron Heart's surprise, involved milk from a two headed cow that was mixed with specific vitamins and minerals. This mixture was given in small amounts that kept getting larger with each meal. If Iron Heart admired Bray for sticking up for Grey, he could have kissed the stallion's rotting face for what he did for Sun Shower.

And so there she was. Breaking up his rhythm, arresting his attention, just being there, just being... herself. Even if the sun was darkened by the fog outside, she was radiant- providing more than enough light for him.

“Hello there sunshine,” Iron Heart looked at Sun Shower. Not the "I just noticed you were there" kind of look. It was the "I can't keep my eyes off of you" kind of stare. She stopped, looking about as if Iron Heart was talking to the candle holder, or perhaps some animal outside the window. “Oh come on! You know exactly who I'm talking to.” She pranced up to him, talking as she went.

“I didn't expect that out of your mouth.”

“You know better than anypony you can expect all sorts of things from my mouth.” He kissed her. “You remember what came out of yours?”

She looked at him, shy and innocent. “You know what I'd have to do to you if you ever told anypony.”

Iron Heart face-hoofed. “Not that. How you convinced me ta marry you after three days.”

“I told you that none of us knows how long we have. I told you that in a world like ours, any day could be our last, so we might as well live like it.”

Iron Heart nodded, bent her head low with a hoof and kissed her mane. “And this has been the longest week of my life. I have to go and see Bray. When I'm done, well... I'll meet up with you.”

“Not if I find you first.”

“It won't be hard-”

“Yes you will.”

Iron Heart stopped for a moment, stunned. Wasn't some goddess worshiper supposed to be modest or something? “...to find you? I don't get you. I like that.”

“I know.” She whispered something in his ear, then gave it a gentle nibble.

“I- uh.. well.” Having left him speechless, Sun Shower just plain left him... standing in the hall... trotting off: considering leaving him speechless an accomplishment. Once she was rounded the corner of the hall they were in, Iron Heart shook his head with a tiny neigh. “Damn.”

“Howdy partner.” Bray addressed Iron Heart as he entered the room.

“Howdy partner!” Grey beamed as Iron Heart entered the room. The tiny gray unicorn sounded a little weak, but hell, consciousness impressive after the beating he'd taken.

“Grey! You're awake. How long, Bray?” Iron Heart moved into the room and near the bed. The bed, the dresser, and end table with a candle on it gave the room a warm, homey feel, despite cracking plaster on the wall.

“Woke up about nine this morning. He's been resting and reading all day.”

“Thanks for being here when I did,” Grey said to Bray, and to Iron Heart, “and thanks Iron Heart for uh... what again?”

“T'wasn't nothing,” Bray answered, “And he flew you and half of me back to the estate.”

“Yeah, that.”

“Friends do that, Grey. No need thank me for doing what I should.”

“But it was still nice…” Grey did his best to look like he needed a hug, stretching out his arms and everything. Iron Heart rolled his eyes, went over, and gave Grey one.

“Alright now, that’s enough,” he pushed the unicorn away again.

“You sure there ain’t a way to combine all those spells into one?” Bray asked. “That was some fancy magic you did. I’m just glad I was there when your heart stopped!”

“There wasn’t any special healing spell, the potions did all that. Everything else was just figuring out what was wrong and putting the pieces back...” realization took Grey, his eyes growing wide, “my heart stopped?”

“How many of them drugs you think you were gonna get away with takin?”

“Oh. I should be dead.”

“You were, for a few moments,” Bray added cheerfully. At that, Grey started to fret.

“Calm down Grey, you’re fine,” Iron Heart neighed.

Grey protested with a nicker. “That’s not the point! I almost wasn’t fine, and I might not be again. If something happened to me, you'd be lost and have no idea what to do next. I can’t keep all that to myself. We have to go, I have to tell you what's next.” Grey was shaking now. Although a brace kept his neck still, the rest of him was free. He tried to get up. The shaking got worse and his hooves started to wobble.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Iron Heart put a hoof on the unicorn. Grey's legs went out from under him. “You’re staying here and... resting!" Iron Heart grunted as he lifted Grey and plopped him back in bed with one smooth motion. He looked over, "Bray, I need to know how long we can stay.”

Ignoring Iron Heart completely, Grey whined, “But we have to go. I’ve been out too long already.”

Bray took a little time before responding, pondering the question. “You ponies stopped one of the greatest threats this island’s known. We don't know exactly how things'll work out yet, but that don't make a bit of difference as far as I’m concerned. You all can stay here, maybe even settle for awhile. Luna knows we'll need a hoof if things go south down there.” A form appeared in the door.

“You’re awake, I’m so glad.” It was Sun Shower. She managed to look relieved without looking worried.

Grey beamed at her presence. “Hi!”

“I was just leaving,” Iron Heart explained, “and you," he motioned to Grey, "were about to get some sleep.”

“Is he going to be alright?” Bray nodded. “Grey, you and I really need to catch up,” Sun Shower assured, "Iron Heart tells me we're looking for the same thing." Iron Heart shot her a look.

“Sure?” Iron Heart and Sun Shower left the confused unicorn, a sagely nodding earth pony, and the room.

They got as far as the earlier hallway before the kissing took over. “Where’s your sister? I thought we were going to meet her.” Iron Heart asked in between kisses.

Sun Shower moved a hoof low and whispered, “I was right.”

“Okay, stop dodging. I need to know.”

“Why? Does it have to be now?” She suddenly seemed indignant. "Thinking of her are you? Maybe I-"

"Hell no! You know that's not it. Look, can't have secrets between each other, especially not now. Your sister keeps galloping off. I've never met her. I'm beginning to wonder if she's even real.”

“Don't worry stallion, she's real. When we first got here, she realized I'd left the camp unguarded, so she left to go protect it. I haven't seen her since”

“I was there. Nothing worth protecting.”

“There isn’t?” She gave a coy smile. Iron Heart reconsidered his position. Now he really wanted to know what she wasn't telling him.

“Look. I need to know. You know about some special book that I don’t, you’re supposed to be here with another sister I’ve never met, and now there’s some special something she needs to go protect? How-” As Sun Shower backed up, Iron Heart felt a change in the wind.

“Shut your muzzle before you say something you regret. I won’t be bullied into compromising the safety of my mission. Would you tell me if I asked you what you were doing here?”

“I told you! I don’t know what I'm doing here! If there's a mission here, let alone any threats, both Grey and you know better than I do.”

“Now who’s got secrets?”

“Not me.”

“Fine." Ever since she first laid eyes on Iron Heart, she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. His skills alone could write scrolls. "Hold onto them. You can lie to me all you want. I know for a fact there's a world of things you're not telling me. You think you're a good liar? Well I can see through you plain as day.”

Iron Heart stomped angrily but kept his tone steady. “No idea what you're implying. As I've said, I can't remember anything past a couple weeks ago. Woke up, found our way here chasing something I don't understand. In a recon unit, you have to be able to trust your allies no matter what. Your life, and more importantly, the life of your unit depends on it. Telling ya that about myself, well it's putting my life in those pretty hooves of yours.”

Sun Shower considered him. "How do you know all that... about the recon stuff?"

Iron Heart looked dazed, as if he a big cloud had been growing in the room the whole time and he hadn't noticed it until it pushed into him. He pawed the ground once, then looked up at her eyes earnestly. "I can't tell ya- I want to," he corrected himself quickly, realizing that had come out wrong, "I have all these things I can do and a way I can think, but I don't know why. Best guess is some of it's me, but most of it's military. Has to be pegasus." He lifted a wing for emphasis. "If I remember anything, anything, you'll be the first pony I tell. All I can say is that this storm cloud growing between us is killing me."

Trust is a funny thing. Some say it's earned, but for Sun Shower, it was given. “A secret. Only known to our order. Our mission to destroy the book was so dangerous, they gave us the biggest weapon we have.” Sun Shower was looking like she was betraying information she shouldn't have. "You haven't met my sister because she's keeping that secret safe until we know where... and how, to use it."

“What kind of weapon?”

“No. No more. What about you?”

“I told you.” Sun Shower didn't look like she remembered, nor did she look convinced. “I don't know. I'm only here because of that unicorn.” Iron Heart punctuated "that unicorn" with a hoof. He gave a sigh and let out some tension from his posture, but more importantly quickly steered the topic away from anything to do with Grey. “I guess I'll just have to interrogate you. I'm pretty good at it, actually.”

“You'll get nothing, we're trained to withstand any torture.”

Iron Heart moved close. Sun Shower didn't back down. “Who said anything about torture?" He moved closer still. "Standard military training prepares anypony for that." He circled as he talked. "Not a single one thinks about pleasure." He came up to her ear and whispered. "I'm going to have to pump you.” Sun Shower's ear twitched at his warm breath.

“I can't tell you why my sister hasn't at least reached out." She moved away "I should go check on her.”

“Oh, now who's interested in her sister?" Iron Heart blocked her way, smirked and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "A threesome? I could go for that." Sun Shower wavered between shock and offense. "You have to get away to call in the reinforcements, though. Right now it's just you and me, you up for that fight?” his eyes narrowed, “who do you think's gonna crack first?”

Sun Shower puffed up at the challenge. “Think you're hot shit, huh? You're gonna be passed out and I'll be gone, making sure you never see what it is I'm hiding.”

“Dirty muzzle,” Iron Heart wiped a hoof off on his breast casually, dusting away imaginary lint, “big promise.”

“I learned from the worst kind of pony, a real bad influence. One guess who that was.”

Iron Heart smiled and kissed her. “But ya see, I already counted on a few things." He slowed his cadence and wrapped her in his hooves. "Things that ebb and flow like the tide.” He kissed her again. “Things that get a hold of you and don't let go.” She kissed him, passionately, her forcefulness stopping him for a moment. “Desires,” he continued, “that shine like... the... sun.” The last three words of that sentence were punctuated with more kisses. “What do you think, Sun Shower, am I getting warm? Maybe hot?”

Sun Shower surprised him by pushing him away dancing back dangerously, lowering to a combative stance. For a moment, Iron Heart was convinced that she would actually going to attack him, that was the stance she'd used to fight the monsters that had attacked them. She scoffed, “Shine like the sun? No.” She drew herself up proudly and bowled him over, eyes dancing with fire. “Desires that burn like it.” For all that afternoon, and then into twilight, and then on a stretch of time until to dawn that lasted forever, Iron Heart even believed her.

“Oh. I am sorry, did I wake you?” A poised voice cut through Iron Heart's sleep. “Here.” Cracked, peeling lips wrapped around Iron Heart's muzzle. Noxious breath invaded his lungs. His body convulsing, his eyes in tears, Iron Heart shook to his hooves.

“What was... that... for?” Iron Heart barely got a few words out in between fits of coughing.

“Oh no need to worry, the radiation shriveling your lungs right now should be minimal.”

“The...”

“Radiation, pollution, quite commonplace, actually. Certainly better than what will happen if you refuse to get up and kill every last one of those miserable fuckers that insist on violating my dear Tara.”

“Who?”

“Right. Buckers, if you prefer. You pegasi always did insist on making up your own special vernacular. Right down to curses. Those buckers, the ponies pouring onto the manor's grounds, simply gleeful to rape, or kill or both, anypony they find; not necessarily in that order.”

“I -” Iron Heart barely spoke a word when a small metal ball landed on the carpet with a soft thud. Iron Heart didn't even guess what it was, just that it had been thrown in the room with the intent to kill them. He spun around and gave a buck, sending the ball rolling back outside the door. It barely cleared the door when the entrance to the room exploded in a shower of splinters and fire.

Iron Heart dove to one side, the pony that had ruined his slumber (he was too busy coughing, tearing, and fighting for his life to figure out who it was) dove to the other. Moments later three ponies rushed in. They scanned the room excitedly, brandishing crude melee weapons.

“Almost too easy.” They looked up at the voice to see Iron Heart dive on the one closest to him.

He was an earth pony, but little else distinguished him. His coat had been dyed a sickly green and his mane had been shaved off. His cutie mark was undetectable below the dye. Another, darker, dye formed lazy swirls around his body in an unusual pattern.

Iron Heart bucked the cruelly sharpened shovel out of the intruder's teeth. The intruder gave Iron Heart a buck of his own. He rolled with the blow, falling to the ground and twisting. His legs wound up swinging around with the twist, sweeping the intruder's fore legs out from under him.

A second intruder, a unicorn mare similarly colored with dye, flung a garden rake who's handle had been sharpened to a javelin. It flew wide of his side, landing in a corner, but still close enough he felt the whoosh of air as it passed. The third was another stallion earth pony who was scanning the room. His head swayed to the left, the right, and up. Seeing nothing, he also turned his attention to Iron Heart when there was a hoof tap on his left shoulder.

His head jerked to the left, but there was nothing there. Jerking over to the right, he again saw nothing. He started to back up, worried. His hind quarter backed into something. Turning around, he saw a ghoul mare, shaking her head, a revolver in her muzzle.

She deadpanned. “Eye homestly gannot beliefe you bid not bover do check your dail.” She was almost comically bored with the situation.

“Found you,” the pony sing-songed. He reared up weaponless, intent on attacking.

“Honesdly!” the mare replied flatly. Tounging the trigger four times, the revolver belched fire with each shot. The earth pony fell back. Two holes had planted themselves in his breast, the third sunk into his head, and the fourth grazed an ear as he fell. The mare trained her gun at the backside of the unicorn, but the earth pony got back to his hooves. “Honesdly?” She repeated. Something was off, and the ghoul mare didn't know whether to be frightened or intrigued.

He charged straight at her, lowering his head. The mare took the opportunity to send two more bullets at it. As they struck home, the stallion's course wavered but he pulled his head back over to correct it. Intrigue gave way to shock as he rammed her. The two tumbled to the floor.

Meanwhile, Iron Heart had been alternating punches and bucks, refusing to allow either opponent to gain a favorable position. The unicorn had picked up her rake and was now swiping and stabbing at Iron Heart. He dodged and weaved, but found himself flat against the ground, surrounded with nowhere to jump.

“Got you,” the unicorn whinnied as she brought the rake down. Iron Heart rolled. There was a wet thud as the rake found flesh, the flesh of her ally. He had galloped at Iron Heart instead of waiting for the unicorn to finish taking her swing, bringing him into its path. He whinnied in pain and she tried to pull it out with her magic. Iron Heart took the opportunity to roll back underneath her and give a buck to her gut. Iron Heart then swept his hind legs out a similar motion that had put him to the ground, but instead leaving himself standing and the unicorn down.

The second earth pony was bucking wildly, trying to expel the garden rake that bucked with him. The unicorn was getting up slowly. The other attacker had the ghoul pinned. Iron Heart took wing and tackled him before he could stomp down on the ghoul. They landed and rolled.

“What's with these ponies? They're tough!” Iron Heart yelled as he grappled for control over the other stallion.

“I have not the faintest idea,” came the reply as the mare trotted up, reloading. As she arrived, her gun belched again. A line of flame mixed into a reddish-orange spray of brain, blood, and the occasional bright glint of skull. “Finally!” The mare sighed as the revolver dropped from her muzzle to her hoof. “I have heard of hard heads-”

“Don't,” pleaded Iron Heart, whose blue coat sported a new macabre style, “Just don't.” When his expression suddenly changed to shock, she reacted by diving in the only direction she knew was safe: further forward. Iron Heart rolled to the right. Half the garden rake sunk deep into wood while the other half bit through a small carpet. Levitation magic started wiggling the rake as the unicorn strained to break it free.

“Here,” the mare offered, “Let me help.” The unicorn looked unsure, failing to even react as the mare picked up her revolver once more and demonstrated her definition of “help.” Injured and outnumbered, the last attacking pony alive turned and galloped away. As he neared the door, he started turning left. The ghoul mare fired the rest of her cylinder, grazing his left side with the last shot. He whinnied in pain and changed his direction, disappearing to the right in the hall.

Iron Heart got to his hooves and started to look for something to clean himself off with. Now that he'd had a chance to catch his breath, he easily recognized Julia: the voice from the radio in Stable Zero and Mare of her Mansion. The ghoul started nodding her head rhythmically, smiling. “Do I even want to know?” asked Iron Heart.

She ignored him, then calmly announced, “Five.” A tremor shook the room.

Iron Heart's jaw dropped. “You missed him on purpose?”

“A trap is useless unless tripped by somepony.”

“Ignoring the fact that you're a sadist, couldn't you have just shot him and saved the trap for later?”

“Serves as a warning.” She strutted to the door, stopped, and looked back. “Besides, you are right, they are tough. Now I am sure he is down. Now I can set a better trap in case they try to claim the body.” Her honesty made Iron Heart uncomfortable. He would have liked it if she'd lied, even a little.

“Isn't that a little cruel?”

She laughed. Her mirth was so genuine it gave him chills. “What is the difference between you and me, buck? What makes a military colt like yourself into a Luna-damned bad-ass like me? The answer is simple. Experience is the best trainer, you ignorant fuck! I have two hundred years of experience in doing what has to be done while you are still learning to fly. Stick by me and you might even learn something.” Hearing her on the radio in the bunker of Stable Zero had turned him on earlier. Of course, that was before he'd fallen for Sun Shower. After getting to know her more, Iron Heart's opinion of Julia had darkened considerably. Maybe her honesty was a good thing, after all. At least it he knew where she stood at any given point.

Back at the main entrance, an impromptu barricade had been set up. Bray perked up at Julia's approach.

“Sweet cakes!”

“Do not call me that, dammit. What is he doing here?” Julia jabbed a hoof at Grey.

“They were gonna kill this colt in his crib.”

“Uh-huh,” Grey added happily.

“I couldn't leave him there after the first wave.”

“Good." She replied. "Now you can earn your keep, or die trying.”

“Yay!” Grey seemed to like that idea.

“Where's Sun Shower?” Iron Heart came to the embarrassing realization that Sun Shower had been right in what she'd told him the night before. The fact the he didn't see her was distressing in a way he couldn't put into words.

Julia poised, making Iron Heart feel like he was going to be sorry for asking a perfectly reasonable question. “How should I know? I would not think a pony could be so stupid that they could lose track of something between their-” her latest obscenity was cut off by an axe crashing through the barricaded door nearest to them.

The manor's main entrance had two levels. There were twin staircases leading up to a landing on the second floor that provided a vantage to the main room it occupied. Their barricade (which was also where they stood) was on the second floor landing. Walkways leading around the room attached to two hallways (one of which Julia and Iron Heart had entered from). Two more hallways on the first floor mimicked the layout of the second, splitting off in directions opposite each other.

At the top of the staircase, on the second floor landing, lay a large, open room. It was opposite the main doors and one floor up. It looked out into a garden behind the mansion with a lighthouse further back in the distance. Sunlight poured onto many pieces of equipment, tables, documents, and weapons. A single magical energy turret hung motionless from the ceiling. A small green light belied any impression that it was inactive. Iron Heart had never been to this part of the mansion and had never seen that room, but he did notice it to be laid out like a sort of control room.

Doors, some open, some closed, lined the first and second floor. The one that had an axe head being pulled out of it was a barricaded door on the second floor, a little ways down one hall.

“Grey," barked Iron Heart, "armor up!”

“Yes-sir!” Grey gave an overly serious salute and levitated barding to all the ponies present.

“Just help yourselves,” Julia mused darkly. Iron Heart's look let her know how constructive he felt she was being.

“And one for the nice lady.” Grey had merrily levitated a set of barding to her when the door was crashed off its hinges by a dyed earth pony. She flung the barding into her path and she tumbled head over tail toward them. She managed to keep control of an axe in her teeth, even as she tumbled. Things started happening all at once.

A whirring sounded from above. More attackers flooded the room. The whirring turned into a pulsing line of pink as the magical energy turret unpacked and opened fire.

“Grey, armament!” Skipping the salute, Grey started floating weapons to his companions.

Iron Heart had managed to don his barding, but couldn't wait for a weapon. He grappled a pony's poleaxe into the floor. It's wielder struggled to get free of the weapon as the turret locked on and continued firing. To Iron Heart's amazement, the pony actually got free of the weapon and continued charging, despite a rain of magical energy that was searing her flesh. She had drawn out a combat knife as she lunged at Iron Heart. Out of options, he put out a hoof to stop her.

She collided with his hoof and imploded. So much energy had been dumped into her body that the ensuing molecular catastrophe left her a flying statue of pony-shaped ash in its wake. The statue wrapped itself around a stunned Iron Heart. All that had once been pony disintegrated into a choking cloud of dust. A dull thud sounded as the knife she had been holding fell to the floor.

And yet, the attackers kept coming. Bray the axe-pony a buck as she started to recover. She rolled into the bannister overlooking the first floor. It gave way and the pony whinnied as she tumbled down to the floor below, along with the section of railing. A strange chant of two or three more voices sounded as the initial wave was replaced by four more ponies.

“Imperfect! Impure! Imperfect! Impure!”

A sudden roar sounded. Iron Heart was knocked to the floor. A unicorn levitating a break-action shotgun had entered the fray and now had the gun open in order to reload. Iron Heart lay, groaning. A brass-sounding ting also rang out as an earth pony fired an elegant rifle he wore on a battle saddle. He seemed to have to cycle the saddle after each shot, but his two shots had been powerful enough to punch straight through the magical energy turret. It started firing wildly randomly and without stopping.

Julia flew into a frenzy herself, cursing and galloping to a control panel. A flurry of blasts rang out from the malfunctioning turret as she fought to deactivate it. Most of the blasts scorched pieces of the wall and floor. One seared the flesh of the an earth pony attacker. Another hit Bray. Julia cursed louder still.

Bray's armor glowed brightly for a moment, and returned to it's former normal color, still smoking. One attacker sent him flying with a sledgehammer. As he did so, Bray's armor cracked with the impact. As he hit the wall with a cruel smack, it splintered entirely.

“Impure!” Bray's attacker strode up to him, levitating his sledgehammer.

“I stick my tongue at you! Neeh!” Bray and hammer-pony both looked up to see Grey sticking out his tongue, pouting disapproval, his unicorn giving off a small, gray light. The shotgun pony had reloaded, the lever action pony leveled his rifle at Grey, and another, wearing a sword clenched in her teeth, looked over.

The turret deactivated with a whine and Julia looked up.

“Grey,” she cried, “NO!” The field of light gray levitation wrapped itself around a small green ball. It was irregularly shaped and emanated steady green light from its center. The green light also trailed from two tiny nobs sticking out of the top of it. At least Grey thought it was the top because that was the side the button had been on that made it start glowing.

All of the ponies watched the beautiful glow from the object as it sailed gently through the air. It fell short of anypony and bounced. Green energy crackled, buzzed, and leaked, more mesmerizing than it's standard glow. Grey noticed the burnt carpet that was left behind as the ball continued onward, coming to rest in the middle of four, mesmerized aggressors and one horrified looking Bray. Grey wondered if he'd made a mistake.

Julia galloped straight for him. Grey panicked, starting to run one way, stopping, then turning around. Her head lowered and then reared up with all her might. Grey was sent flying backwards into the main room on the second floor. He crashed into the wall with a squeak, landing on a table underneath him. Julia had lost a little momentum when she sent him flying, but she was quickly gaining it back. Her tail cleared the threshold of the room as the air on the second floor landing ignited.

Meanwhile, Bray rolled, clutched a fallen Iron Heart in his hooves, and kept rolling. Both disappeared off the second floor landing. Iron Heart's vision was pulsing in and out of focus. Now it was spinning as he looked up at the landing. Dazed, he didn't quite comprehend what he was seeing.

Something like a fire illuminated the ceiling. As a second wave of energy flashed, Iron Heart felt like his coat hairs were standing on end. The room's air, not only from upstairs, but air from the entire entrance way, came alive and rushed toward the center of the catastrophe. After the main detonation died away, the landing floor began to glow.

The mare that had been knocked to the first floor had recovered with a broken leg. Once Bray and Iron Heart landed, she tried to stumble away from them painfully. She kept her attention on them as she limped away, not bothering to look up. She gave a sudden cry. A glowing drop of matter had leaked onto her flank. From the shock, the pain, or perhaps being unsure what to do, she slowed her hobbled gait for a moment. The glow from the landing above turned into a flowing river of matter, the edge of which started to engulf her. Her cries became screams. Iron Heart looked away, not wanting to see what happened next.

“You better not have died! You are still useful to me.” Julia's voice called out, sounding to Iron Heart like it was barely above a whisper. “Bray.” Her face came into view, looking down from the section of landing that was solid and not drippy. As Iron Heart focused, his head spun sickeningly and his ears started to ring. He clenched his eyes and dropped his muzzle into the floor. When he ventured to look again, he saw Julia helping Bray to his hooves. Seeing her like that was unexpected. He never thought anything would give her real concern.

Bray came over. Iron Heart was briefly examined, defrocked, rolled onto his back, and examined again. Bray's rotten face smiled as it looked him over. The effect was mildly nauseating. “Would you look at that? He's in much better shape than I thought.” Bray disappeared from view and came back, spitting out some tiny, red-flecked balls. “Only six or seven buckshot in you! Good thing you're wearing armor!"

"Why are you whispering?" Iron Heart asked.

"Whoah there, pipe down! You're gabbing too loud. Any ringing in your head is shock.”

“Bray? Julia? What was that?” An excited gray face peeked over the landing.

“Hum, yes. Grey? Get down here you little... ” Julia seemed about to let fly with something foul, but Bray gave her a stern look. Julia rolled her eyes. “Grey, darling? Of course knocking you into a wall did not hurt you. It was only a few yards. Please come down that I may remedy that?”

Grey's face reddened. A little pony who was sure he'd done something wrong backed his head up so that only two sheepish eyes, two ears, and a horn poked over the landing. “I'm sorry Ms. Julia, I-”

“Never mind that, get down here now!” Bray looked at Julia again. She ignored him. Slow hoof beats turned into a quick trot as Grey came down the stairs, ears drooping. As he approached, his trot slowed once more.

“Are you sulking? Goddesses, really! A full grown stallion sulking? Stop that and come here!” Grey quickened his pace again, his ears staying pressed low. “Now, I might be angry if you had not deliquesced our attackers so nicely.”

“I did? Wait, what did I do?”

Julia paused to catch her composure before she spoke again. “However, you left us with nopony to interrogate. Also, that wing had been sealed off for.. Well, it had been sealed since we arrived- they must be entering from there somehow. Unfortunately, surveillance seems somewhat lacking in that wing. Furthermore, that was my last plasma grenade. Now it is up to you to make me more.” Grey nodded attentively... and politely waited for her to continue. She sighed. “Bray and I must remain here.”

She grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. A few seconds later she gave Grey a muzzle-written list. The penmanship was perfect. “Take this. It is a list of your tasks as well as the ingredients to make more of those grenades. Your primary objectives are as follows: one, find the breach and seal it. Two, activate any security systems you find in that wing. Secondary objective: pick up materials for new grenades if you find any. I do not know where you will find more casings, though.”

Grey nodded obediently, taking the list. He started lifting his hoof in the air and waving it around to show that he had a question. “Yes?” Julia huffed.

“So you two just got here recently?”

“That is correct. And we found everything as you see it.”

"What makes you think I'll find anything?"

Julia was stunned. “Is that any reason not to look?" She dismissed. "Any more questions?” Grey put a hoof on his chin to consider, then started waving it again. “YES?” Julia snapped. Grey whimpered and stopped waving his leg.

“I, um... forgot.”

“Good. Now,” Julia composed herself, “back to business.”

All of them made their way back upstairs. Grey and Iron Heart grabbed two new sets of armor, and Iron Heart was looking over some weapons Julia had laid out. Meanwhile, Grey looked outside at the early afternoon. Bray interrupted his idleness.

“Hey there.” Grey waved a tentative hello. Bray started shifting and shuffling at the awkward silence. “I know Julia's been prickly lately, it's just she's under a lot of stress.” Grey nodded, not making eye contact. “Lookee here, this should cheer you up!” Bray picked up a large canvas sack and set it down. Inside was a harness and a gun almost as long as Grey. He recognized it.

“That's!”

“Yessir. This here's Francine. Sun Shower let me know how well you two danced together while I was napping,” Bray's flank gave a little shake for emphasis, “So I though you two should get to know each other. Perhaps you can take her when you two go.”

“Aw Bray. I couldn't, she's yours.”

“Nonsense! Besides, I can't have her thinking I'm overprotective and jealous. Though, I'll skin you if alive if you don't bring her back safe.” Grey shrank. Bray laughed loud. Grey gave a nervous chuckle. After Bray had calmed Grey down enough, he continued. “Here, we should be able to tighten her down enough.”

After some Wonder-Cement, a few extra holes in some belts, and some tightening, Grey was battle-saddled. Bray explained that what Grey wore was the “grand mammy of all shotguns.”

“Francine was built to bring to bear firepower that a normal pony can't hold in her teeth, or that a regular unicorn can't simply hold with their magic.” He went on to explain the basic operation. He also showed Grey that the firearm could hold eight shells, and could even load different types of ammunition as long as it was the right caliber; unfortunately, the only shells Bray had on hoof were standard pellets.

"Now caliber's the diameter, you see. She'll take any shells that are the right size. Now, she's specially suited for an earth pony, so she don't need any fancy magic to operate."

Grey's eyes sparkled as he noticed a few gems on the inside.

"Now those are added engineering to deaden recoil, but ignore those for now. Once you had some experience with her, I may be able to tell you about those special enchantments you unicorns thought up."

After all that, Bray became serious. “I ain't gonna lie,” he explained, “there's a knack needed to use any battle saddle, but this one in particular. You have to have a plan at least three full gaits ahead. That way, in a fire fight, you ain't shooting all willy-nilly. You have to see what's going on and figure out which direction to gallop in.”

“But how can I gallop around with something this big?"

“Well, it's a metaphor. Actually galloping would be dangerous with a pony your size if you tried to fire her. Gallop to move, stop, or at least move slow when you fire. It depends on the situation.”

“If it depends on the situation, and the situation changes, won't my three-step plan not work anymore?”

“Now you're getting it!” Grey didn't feel like he was getting anything. Bray tried a different approach. “Alright, well look at it like this: you have to learn to treat it like a part of your body. With this on, you're slower but you're also stronger. You have to relearn how to move and what to move.

"Find yourself a way to bring all that firepower to bear without making yourself a target. Do that, and get some experience with her, and you two will be great partners in no time!”

“Okay.” Grey didn't sound convinced.

“That's the spirit!” Bray gave him an encouraging punch on the shoulder. “Now get out there and seal that hole.”

Grey still had a lot of questions, regardless of what he told Julia. “I need to ask you something.”

“Now what's that?”

“Julia said you two just found the place like this. Was all this stuff really here when you two came?”

“That there's a long story. Tell you what. Come back here and you'll hear all about it. I'll even give you two the full tour. How does that sound?”

“It's a deal.”

“What the hell are you two doing," Julia cut in, "Did you not understand me when I said “back to business”?”

“Sugar plum! I was teaching this fine buck here all about-”

“I do not care if you were telling him what happens when a mare and stallion love each other very, very much. You both have a mission to do, now.” Bray stood his ground, ready to come back at Julia. Grey had started to stutter out an affirmative. An explosion rocked all of their attention away from the conversation. “The front! Bray, on me!”

Julia and Bray wasted no time, disappearing down one hallway on the second floor. Grey was wondering how going that way was going to get them to the front, or even how they knew to go that way at all.

“Let's go,” Iron Heart interrupted, hoofing over a single health potion.

“Is this all we have?” Iron Heart nodded in reply. “Oh good, I thought this was going to be hard.” Iron Heart gave him a puzzled look. Both shared a laugh.

They skirted the section of the landing that was slowly melting away, and went through the broken door. Scorched and blasted wood ringed the previously boarded passageway. While it had not been directly hit, the ground around the entrance was widening after the affects of Grey's explosion.

The passageway was a third hallway on the second floor that had been hidden by the boarded up door. Iron Heart was astonished at how much brighter it was. Although the fog and mist was no thinner outside this wing of the mansion, more windows than the other halls allowed more ambient light in. Iron Heart was seeing the mansion in a new light. Instead of old and rotting, this section had more of a vintage feel. Everything looked brighter, warmer, without being able to point to a single light source.

“Iron Heart, look!” Grey pointed a hoof at a camera. It was strange, seeing such a piece of technology integrated into the old mansion. It didn't look active. Grey stopped and started fiddling with it with his magic. A barricade blocked further passage down the hall. From here they would have to try one of two adjoining rooms. “Hey, Iron Heart? Where's Sun Shower? I wanted to see her.”

“I asked Julia. She told me Sun Shower left a message. Wouldn't give it to me until we get this done. Dammit!”

“You know what? That's the first time I heard you swear since the city.”

“So what? Seriously, you need a thicker hide.”

“Not that, Iron Heart! You stopped swearing. You know why?”

Iron Heart had been looking around. Now he stopped. It was true. “I don't know.”

“I do.” Grey smiled like a foal with a special secret. “All done.” There was a small click and the camera started slowly scanning the hallway.

“What?”

“Loose wire.”

“Not that.” Grey shook his head, refusing to tell. “Ya can't just say that and not tell me.” That made Grey smile wider. He was enjoying his stupid little secret. What was even more annoying was that Iron Heart couldn't stop caring about it, though he was trying.

A cacophony of crunching and splitting shook the air. Muffled, angry shouts echoed confusingly. A loud crack could be heard from one of the rooms adjoining the all. Axes and sledgehammers tore a hole in the room's door to their left, which had been closed and (Iron Heart suspected) locked.

A trio of ponies burst through. They bore the same tribal trappings as the others Iron Heart had encountered. They checked the corners of the door they breached, then the hall carefully, and then moved toward the other room, which had an open door. None of them, however, bothered to look up, and therefore, none saw a delicate, silent ballet occurring just above them.

As soon as he'd heard the initial sound of the door breaking, Iron Heart had dumped Grey on his back, spread his wings, and pushed them both up to the ceiling. Delicate rhythm of his beating wings, as well as constant, minor adjustments kept them balanced near the ceiling.

The first pony trotted into the room below them and on their right. Iron Heart and Grey bobbed silently in the air like they were back on the ocean. The second pony followed the first, not looking a second time. Up, and down, up... and down. Grey, gave a tiny adjustment of his own. No! Stop moving! The third got to the edge of the door and stopped, taking one more look around. She put her head into the next room, asking a question Iron Heart couldn't hear.

Grey started to slip.

Sweet Celestia driving her sun-flaming chariot! As if reading this mental outburst, the earth pony's head came back into view. With her own sister harnessed in front! Iron Heart was starting to have a hard time thinking of something ridiculous enough for the situations. Straight curses weren't crazy enough, oh no! Grey slipped. Eating an idiot ice cream sundae with a stupid grey cherry on top!. She turned back to the others when she didn't see anything. Had Gery wrapped his fore hooves around Iron Heart's neck, he would have stayed on. As it was, Grey pressured his hooves into Iron Heart's barding for traction. There was no traction to be had. Grey fell.

After a loud whomp and an exasperated gasp, Grey wrapped his legs around the tribal pony's neck as he landed squarely on the pony's back. For one, ridiculous moment, she stood there, eyes wide. She dropped her axe and opened her muzzle. Grey smiled weakly at her companions and gave the tiniest wave of his hoof. Grey was sure she would ask "There's something on my back, isn't there?" Instead, she went wild.

“Get it off!” she yelled, bucking madly. Grey held on tighter. A unicorn levitated a weathered hunting rifle at the impromptu rodeo making its way back into the hallway. She fired once, cycled the bolt, and fired again. Two bullets buried themselves in the opposing wall. Just before it did, however, Grey felt a tug at his armor as the second shot glanced off. At least it hadn't punched through. The pony he rode was not so lucky. As she reared, the first bullet had pierced both her fore legs clean through. When the pony landed, she cried out, collapsing forward.

The unicorn leveled her rifle at the pair and pulled the trigger. There was a click. She cycled again, pulling the trigger just as the bolt locked in place. Click. The rifle levitated down to her eyes and she started trying to figure out what was wrong. Her comrade strode past her, the stock of a coach gun between his teeth.

Grey was tangled underneath crippled earth pony, who was still struggling to gain her hooves. Without a clean shot, the approaching pony moved in close. Angling the long shotgun awkwardly, he pressed it against Grey's temple. Grey didn't struggle. His flitted up toward the ceiling.

A flying set of hooves bucked the shotgun, it discharged with a roar, and Grey ducked his head into the pony inadvertently pinning him. Iron Heart soared back above the entryway to deny the other pony a shot.

When the shotgun was knocked out of place, it was no longer held properly his muzzle. His mouth came up a ruin. Recovering quickly and returning once more to the pinned pony, he lifted up a spiked horse shoe to bring down on Grey. A single word wormed through his dripping gums. “Unglean!”

“Green Tree!” the unicorn mare cried out. She was fanatically struggling with the rifle, pointing it to the pony with the broken jaw's right. He looked over, hoof still in air, to see Iron Heart bracing the coach gun against the wall. Green Tree (as Iron Heart now guessed was his name) brought his hoof down. The shotgun Iron Heart had reloaded roared once more. The mare screamed gutturally as her friend was thrown a number of yards, stumbling into the barricade.

She charged Iron Heart, screaming wordless curses. She swung her rifle stock-first like a club. Iron Heart juggled his new coach gun into his fore legs, bringing his to bear like a staff. There was a clean crack as the two stocks collided. Iron Heart was amazingly fast and brought his shotgun around for a second blow. The mare brought her rifle up just in time to block it. However, it hit with so much force that her rifle knocked away. Iron Heart noticed a second aura of blue levitation come into view from behind the mare's back.

The magic made a small twirl. A whipping sound cut through the air. The coach gun caught in a number of leather straps as the mare wrapped her weapon's tendrils around it and pulled. Her levitation was strong. Very strong. Iron Heart let his weapon go. She smiled wickedly.

Iron Heart bobbed in close to strike. A second whipping sound hissed in the air and Iron Heart heard himself whinny. Drips of blood spattered from half a dozen cuts on Iron Heart's neck. He couldn't see what was on the ends of those leather straps, but it was sharp, and they were coming around again. He tackled her down. The cruel weapon whipped at him furiously.

Iron Heart tilted a hoof under the tip of her head as she concentrated on flaying his back. A single stomp and the weapon stopped, dropping to the ground. Iron Heart pinned her down.

“Who do you work for? Why are you trying ta kill us?” Iron Heart bellowed.

“I'd rather tear out your throat and see your impurity dragged to the abyss!” she spat angrily.

He tilted his hoof under her head rather than its broken appendage. Iron Heart also brought his other hoof firmly down on her neck. “Okay.”

Grey cried out. Struggling furiously, he broke free from underneath his wounded captor and galloped over. “What did you do that for?” Iron Heart ignored him and went over to check the other body. Iron Heart was shocked that he was still alive.

“Not ordinary ponies...”

“Iron Heart? She was helpless!” The pony Grey had wriggled out from under was hobbling to her hooves, trying to get closer. Grey was frantically waving his glowing horn over the limp unicorn Iron Heart had left, desperately trying to figure out what to do. There was nothing. Grey hugged her close as she died.

Iron Heart had been talking softly to the wounded pony when the conversation died away. A wet snap wrested Grey’s attention to Iron Heart’s latest casualty. He cried out again.

Two down, one to go. Iron Heart brushed past Grey and loomed over the struggling pony.

“Iron Heart?” Grey’s voice was taking a dangerous tone. “Stop!”

“Not now, Grey,” he sighed. The earth pony’s tribal garments were smeared with red.

“Don’t you dare ignore me!”

Iron Heart grabbed the wounded earth pony by the hooves. She whimpered in pain. Grey was stunned, momentarily speechless. Iron Heart then stood the pony up. She started to breathe heavily, forelegs wobbling, dripping. Iron Heart supported her just enough to keep her standing.

“Name?”

“Ah- ow. Gala Apple,” she blubbed.

“Why am I doing this to you?”

“U-Un-Understanding?”

“Very good. Who sent you?” Grey charged in, but Iron Heart batted him away with a back leg.

“P-p-erfection told us to. We came... for enlightenment.”

“Why?”

“You are all un-unclean.”

“You’d kill me if you could, wouldn’t you?” Grey's magic tugged at Iron Heart's wing, but he shrugged it off, pulling the wing in quickly.

“I m-must... c-c-leanse.”

“So, what did she tell us Grey?”

“Gala needs help.”

“You're right. She's fanatic. So are her friends. What do you want to do Grey? Let her live? Treat her wounds?" He turned to look at the miserable, tiny Grey. "Their only purpose is to kill us...,” Iron Heart stared at Gala Apple. He saw hatred and pain mix with fear and determination. “and ponies will die if you can't see that. Our ponies.”

Grey saw it. Determination. Hatred. It was there, just like Iron Heart had said. He also listened to Gala. She was sincere about all of it, and he needed to know why. “You made your point. Now let me make mine. Let her go. NOW.” Iron Heart let go. Pain and weakness overcame Gala, who collapsed forward again.

Grey came over. “Here, drink this.” Grey lifted a bottle to her lips. It was their only healing potion. Iron Heart put out a hoof to stop him. Grey brushed it away with contempt. “Don’t you see we’re your friends?”

“But you are corruption. You have not ascended.” Maybe he could see. Maybe he could understand through her eyes...

“Gala, does that mean you ascended?” She nodded. “Why would you take that chance away from me? I want to become like you.” Gala brightened. "Can't you see? Corruption wouldn't be nice to you. If there's a chance, help me take it."

“You want your mind to be expanded?” Grey nodded. Gala's expression turned from one of fear to one of excitement. Grey was excited that it had changed so quickly. “We have made a terrible mistake, you are pilgrims, you may still be saved.” Grey upended the bottle into her throat. Iron Heart went to stop him again, but restrained himself this time. Grey waited for the potion to work its magic as Gala's legs started to heal.

“Can you walk?” Grey helped Gala to her hooves.

“You are pilgrims that travel the path of transcendence. I must warn the others.” She galloped away.

“They're strong,” Iron Heart observed, “something's wrong, though.”

"See Iron Heart? We can reach these ponies."

“What's wrong with them?” Iron Heart found the rifle and looked at it. He gripped it with his teeth, cycled it, put it against the dead mare, and pulled the trigger. The gun went off. “What's wrong with you? Now you're desecrating bodies?” Grey complained.

“Shut up. And no, that's Julia's thing. Trust me,” Iron Heart added, “there are some things even I won’t do.” Grey found that hard to believe. “Nothing wrong with this gun.”

“So what?”

“And she,” Iron Heart pointed at the body he'd just shot, “tried to flay me with this.” He'd found the scourge she'd used on him.

“It's got sharp things on it.”

“That doesn't matter.” Grey's empty stare prodded him to go on. “I'm wearing armor. So are you. She got lucky a few times,” Iron Heart rubbed his neck, “but she should have known better when I had her down. Instead, she just went for my back over and over. My back that's covered in armor. I don't care what you think Grey- I don't enjoy killing, I wish she had given up. When I looked at her, I saw one thing: she wasn't going to stop until one of us was dead. I'll do whatever it takes ta keep us safe. In the face of that kind of a fanatic, there's nothing else I can do. I just wish these bunch of crazies figured that out.”

“Huh.” Grey sat down, trying to put together a puzzle he didn't have all the pieces to. “I guess you're right. That is weird. But Gala. I think I got through to her.”

Iron Heart rubbed a temple and sighed. “Everypony keeps acting like I don't know what I'm talking about. We have to keep moving.”

They started off through the next room. "And what, exactly did she say? We're "on the way?" To what?"

"To becoming friends!"

"Did it ever occur to you she may not want to be friends, but use you?"

"For what!" Grey shouted this more than asked it.

"For anything! It could be good, but it could be bad Grey, real bad! And I'm not going to let you or any of us get hurt finding out!" They were halfway through and Grey stopped.

"But if we never try," Grey growled this, but it almost came off comical, "we'll never find," Grey lifted a hoof and stomped it down for emphasis, "out!" Grey's hoof made a snap and a crunch when it struck the floor. Iron Heart turned around to look at him. Grey lifted his hoof, amazed at its newfound power. There was a creak and a groan. Grey looked down. He disappeared in a shower of splinters and planks as a roar of wood split the air. A thud was lost in the other sounds of tumbling wood as he hit the floor below.

Iron heart came down. He started uncovering Grey. “Are you alright?”

“I don't think so." Iron Heart said nothing. "It hurt, but I think I'm okay.” Despite having fallen a full story, the dusty pony looked more excited than hurt.

“Come on ya crazy colt. Hup.” Iron Heart started pulling Grey to his hooves.

“Too bad I can't go again. It was fun!”

“Yeah, I don't think-” Grey did a little jump that Iron Heart wasn't expecting. Between Iron Heart's strength and Grey's springy hooves, the tiny unicorn lifted an inch or two off the ground. He came down and kept going with an all-too familiar cracking and splitting filling the air. Iron Heart instinctively worked his wings, but couldn't get a good grip. Grey promptly obeyed the law of gravity, slipping through Iron Heart's hooves.

This time Iron Heart followed closely behind him, flying down. Even though he was able to push Grey out of the worst of the debris, Grey still landed hard. Iron Heart swooped out of danger himself, then circled back before all the dust settled. He wasted no time in clearing away debris, some of which was from two full floors above.

“C'mon, getup!” Iron Heart coaxed, hoping for a reaction. He started to get anxious when nothing happened. A squeaky wheeze emanated from the pile of Grey.

“I got my wish, Iron Heart! Hooray...”

“You crazy-ass pony, get up here.” He gently helped him to his hooves, looking at the ground for more rotting wood. Voices in the distance made Iron Heart take stock. No wood, just stone floor and walls. They must have fallen clear into the basement. It was well lit for some reason- a number of lighted lanterns lined the wall near the ceiling. The voices sounded far off.. for now.

“I don't think they know... yet.” Iron Heart felt confident he could do a good bit of sneaking. He wasn't sure about Grey. After quickly checking over the unicorn, Iron Heart looked straight up. He saw the ceiling of the room they had been in, two floors up. “Hold on. Don't struggle this time.”

“But what if I have to sneeze again, Iron Heart?”

“You gave away our position back there for a sneeze?" Iron Heart looked down, flabbergasted. Grey cocked his head, looked up, and nodded slowly. "Well, just, don't!” With Grey perched cat-like on Iron Heart's back and a similar bobbing sensation, they started to ascend. A little extra force from Iron Heart's wings meant each bob up was more than the bob back down. More than half way to their destination, having cleared the first hole and on their way to the second. Grey started doing something with his muzzle that looked like chewing. Iron Heart wanted to face-hoof as he noticed clouds of dust falling slowly like snowflakes in the afternoon sun. “Don't you dare!” He hissed Grey let out the smallest “achoo, achoo.”

Iron Heart looked down, surprised that a "full grown stallion" could make sounds that dainty. It wasn't natural. The sudden hoof-steps that came in reply were not dainty at all. It had been slow going with the added weight, but now Iron Heart strained to put on a little extra speed.

With a grunt, he finally lifted into the top floor and dumped Grey onto it. “I'm going to go back down and see if I can distract them for you.”

“But,” Grey looked up at him like a colt whose mother told him to stay in the wagon while she went shopping, “what if I run into somepony?”

“Maybe your “friend” spread word about our pilgrimage or whatever. I don't know Grey. Do what you're good at, make nice with them or something.” Grey looked up at his companion, who flapped his wings, making for the hole in the floor.

“You think so? Okay!” Iron Heart disappeared. Grey recognized the room they had been crossing before the floor gave way and he fell. He blithely trotted through to the other end and it opened up into a dark hallway. Grey started to get spooked, but pressed on. He chose left, noticing he came out behind the barrier that had blocked their way before. It was still there, being a barrier.

“Good job!” He gave the barrier a reassuring pat. He made his way past it and rounded the corner. There was a kitchen, and in the kitchen two ponies, both unicorns, turned to look at him. One carried a cruelly sharpened spade, the other levitated a sledgehammer.

Iron Heart had reached the middle floor, of the first floor. This large room seemed to have been a study at some point. He gave a shrill whistle with his hoof. Voices changed their direction and hoofs stomped their way to him. The hole down to the basement was near the middle here and the entrance to the room was closed. Or it least it had been until the door was stripped off its hinges, coming down with a crash as a pony burst through it, throwing his full weight against it. Surly shouting followed.

“Looks like they heard the message of “love and tolerate” ta me,” Iron Heart snarked. He swooped down the hole and into the basement. Rifling through a saddlebag, his hoof came out with a combat shotgun Julia had lent him. It fired one shell at a time, but could be fired again as quickly as he could use the trigger. As an added bonus, the cylinder sticking out of the bottom carried a dozen shells.

Crouching low, he hid in shadow where the basement's lighting wasn't very good. He waited for the ponies to follow him. Vague shadows dancing on the shadow of the broken timbers and hushed whispers could be heard. When nothing happened, Iron Heart took a moment and used his wings and hooves for a trick that added an extra shell to the gun's load.

Still nothing. The room he was in only had one exit... well, two with the new hole. He slunk over to the door and quietly opened it.

This next room contained a small, oddly shaped hallway that opened into another room. There was nopony in the next room either. Hundreds of bottles were stacked in shelves. Something had rattled many out of place. Some were empty, a few were shattered, but more were filled with... something Iron Heart didn't bother investigating.

He quickly flew back and forth, stacking a number of the bottles on the door he'd closed; he even made sure to balance one on the handle. After that, he lay more of the bottles deeper in the room on a section of floor that was poorly lit, the bottle racks blocking most of the light. The other door lead to a staircase upwards. He carefully moved up the stairs. Having reached the top, he put a hoof on the knob and felt it turn. As the door burst open, he pressed himself tighly against the wall, thankful for the space between the door and wall. Three forms filed in.

They were more than halfway down the stairs when Iron Heart pushed his shotgun into the neck of the last pony in their line.

“Don’t move an’ drop yer gums. Lep me gho an’ he liffs.” He strained to form words past the stock in his muzzle. In the light streaming down behind him, Iron Heart could see that they had no intention of complying. “I faid-”

“We hear you, filthy one, but we will not stop the cleansing,” came the reply.

“Beah, beah. Why gill me voh? Neffer harned ya.”

The pony that answered him, an earth stallion, was farthest down the stairs. “You are imperfect, and therefore unclean. Anything impure must burn.” Iron Heart was getting sick of this. It made no sense to try and kill him for what, existing? He was about to do his best at giving the stallion some choice words when the stallion suddenly smiled. The way he smiled unsettled Iron Heart thoroughly. The stallion he’d leveled his shotgun at also saw the change.

“Will I become perfect, brother?” he asked. Iron Heart tried to understand what was going on and think of a plan at the same time. Neither came.

“Serve him in your perfect body in the next life, as you serve him in this one. Such is the promise for all his servants.” The conversation would have been insufferable to Iron Heart if he hadn’t noticed something even more terrifying. The light bathing stairway from near the top of the stairs and behind him changed.

Iron Heart couldn't fire. Despite his situation, it was a stallion's head at the end of his shotgun's muzzle. He wouldn’t do that to his captive unless the situation changed. He needed Grey to believe that. He needed himself to know that. To his chagrin, the situation changed. Iron Heart recognized the mechanical sound behind him as a gun being charged. He hunched his head forward and tried to make as small a target as possible while keeping his head out of everypony’s sight. One bullet punched through his armor and lodged itself in his body. He reared up and roared furiously.

Recovering and staying low, he boxed his captive, connecting with his jaw. In that jaw was a bit that serving as a trigger on his former captive's battle saddle. A rifle's report echoed violently in the confined space. The intruders lower on the stairs lost their composure when the bullet from the discharged rifle struck one of them. Iron Heart punched his former captive forward with his fore legs and bucked with his back legs as hard as he knew how. His front legs hadn't fully landed on the stairs, however, and that threw him off balance. His buck failed to connect with anything solidly, but his hind legs brushed against a metal tube on their way down, and a third shot rang out from behind him. This shot was sent wild and lodged itself deep into the wall.

Iron Heart turned around quickly, ignoring what happened to his former captive who tumbled bodily down the stairs and into his comrades, propelled by Iron Heart's strong push and helped along by gravity (for as much as he defied it, Iron Heart was happy gravity was coming to his aid for once). There were three shots in rapid succession and a pained whinny coming from below on the stairs. His eyes narrowed as he saw for the first time the mare at the top of the stairwell, the one that had silently approached and shot him.

She was trying to level her gun after his back legs had knocked her aim off. She was almost back, but her eyes met Iron Heart's, completely composed and pointing his shotgun almost at her nose. As they stared for a silent moment, Iron Heart heard shuffling and muffled shouting as the group downstairs sorted themselves out. The mare before him bore all the tribal garments and markings of her fellows. Unlike her body paint, though, her eyes were unique. They shone a deep off-ruby. In the low light they were stunning gems of their own secret fire. They were unsure. He shook his head. The silent message was a deafening “NO!”

The mare lowered her head. Iron Heart took the move for submission, as if a puppy was putting down the stick in her teeth for her master. The stick had a barrel, however, and that barrel drifted back in a dangerous direction, almost reaching Iron Heart. He never gave her the chance. Boxing her gun away, he felt awful about tonguing the trigger. The mare’s head exploded away from the stairwell, plastering the plaster of the hallway behind with a chunky red. It sprayed everywhere else, too. Iron Heart peered into the ruined seat of those two ruby jewels, ashamed. A tiny fountain pulsed black-red liquid onto the carpet as the mare bled out. Iron Heart exited the stairwell, shut the door, took a special stance just past the corner of the door, and sighed. Damn. DAMN!.

“DAMNIT!” He yelled at the door. "GIVE IT UP!"

A calm, mocking voice came back muffled, but audible, “Not until we’ve finished, vile one. Not until this house is purified.”

Great. This again. Iron Heart rolled the body away from the door with a hoof and returned once more to his position. “You know, we don’t have to be killing each other…”

“You’re right, filth, we only have to be killing you.” Dull thumps were followed shortly by splintering, cracking wood. Smoke curled up from the partially ruined door. Silence blanketed all the world. There was some clacking, crazy buckers, two louder thumps, and two more holes in the door. Once again there was silence.

After a long time, muffled hoof-steps plodded up the stairs.

An eye grew in one of the holes of the door, searching. It disappeared. Two strong hooves bucked the door open. Iron Heart boxed it shut directly on the pony that had started to gallop through. Iron Heart fell to the ground on his back, blocking the door with his weight, and kicked himself underneath the trapped pony. There was a revolver in the pony's teeth, which he spat out.

“Hel- BLAM,” were the only things the trapped pony managed to say. The door's eye grew back, looked down, and returned with a double barrel, arching to point down at Iron Heart. Iron Heart spat out his own shotgun. He used the cracks in the door, his legs, and his wings to push himself tail over head and back on all four hooves once again and deny the shotgun its target. He flung the door open, wrenching the gun away.

Inside, a pony's teeth cracked together as his jaws bit down on his tongue, trying to keep control of the gun and use the trigger. Iron Heart appeared in front of the pony, his gun on the floor between them. “Why?” Iron Heart asked. The earth pony, the one that had first replied, went for the shotgun. So did Iron Heart.

They reached it at the same time, but Iron Heart didn't stoop to pick it up. Instead, he simply kicked it in the stunned pony's face. All three, Iron Heart, this crazy earth pony, and the shotgun, tumbled down the stairs.

Some time later the door opened at the top of the stair. “Iron Heart!” a cheerful voice beamed into the darkness. “Remember how you asked me to make friends? Well, I-“ Grey stopped short. One square of light pierced the darkness from the landing. The hallway’s walls were spattered and smeared. Iron Heart stood heaving over a mare’s corpse near the bottom of the stairs. He'd been dragging her body below. Iron Heart’s eyes looked up in the darkness. “Uh oh.”

Two unicorns emerged from behind Grey. One held a sledge hammer in his muzzle while the other levitated a sharpened shovel. They circled around Grey and made their way toward the monstrous eyes. “No wait!” Grey pleaded. The two brushed him aside when he tried to stop them. “Please, I can explain. Brother? Sister!” Nopony answered Grey. Not a single reply came as the two moved down the stairs. Iron Heart's eyes darted away, his form rounding the corner.

Grey tried one more time to get in front of them, maybe even block their way as they descended, but the mare gave him a buck square to his chest and Grey dropped, gasping for air. “No!” He managed between gasps. “I can ex- we can work…” a fit of coughing took over. The mare split into two, and as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her horn flared crimson and she split into four.

Iron Heart was already in a favorable position, hovering to the doorway's side. The second the second mare came into the first room he fired. He didn’t feel concerned about revealing his position, now that the second pony was in the room, he could focus on the lead… What the hell? His mind raced, trying to grasp the situation. There were more ponies than there should have been; a lot more. What was worse, other things troubled his subconscious, but it wasn’t bothering to share.

In his confusion, Iron Heart bobbed in the air. A hammer flew through air and smoke, striking his side. The blow knocked the wind out of him and would have been savage but for the armor covering him. He landed to catch his breath C'mon baby barding blue, hold together! C'mon you stupid pepgasus, think!

A second hammer caught him less unaware than the first, and rolled with the blow. That lessened the impact, but sent him sliding across the floor. The first hammer was waiting, though, and came down on him when he stopped. The second blow landed on his haunch, causing it to seize. Without waiting, he took wing. There was a strange woosh of air that ruffled his feathers. A clank of metal on stone rang out from where he’d just been.

“Vat vhe?” Flying just below the ceiling so as not to hit his head, he became instinctually aware that moving would be a really good idea. A third hammer brushed through his tail as he flew to the opposing corner of the room.

“Bon’t bou... buckers… bie!” A few raining shells and roars from his weapon punctuated his speech. As he hovered, he fired at the remaining three targets. Suddenly the three targets were down to one. Iron Heart saw the second mare drop forward with scattered red dots cruelly pocking her back, but the other two were nowhere. He tounged his trigger once more. There was a click and nothing else. “Bam!”

Iron Heart landed in the center of the room and started furiously working with the gun in his hooves, trying to clear the jam. The mare struggled to get to her hooves, but they buckled underneath her. She panted softly. A number of bottles rattled, shattered, and there was a loud thump. Iron Heart scanned the room vigorously for an explanation. A single bottle, still filled with the unknown liquid bumped against a hoof. As it rebounded lightly, his hooves continued to work while mental pieces started to shift into place.

Some bottles had rolled around as if a pony had slipped on them, others shattered as if a pony had fallen on them. Yet the mare was in the wrong place to run into his trap. His mind and his weapon came together again with a metallic snap. His trap had been tripped. The other thing bothering his subconscious bubbled to the top. Iron Heart brought the gun to bear on the center of his trap. Nopony could be seen. His combat shotgun roared all the same.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! The bottles shattered. Scatter shot ricocheted into the stonework wall, and a slight red mist sprayed and nothing more. Peering close he thought he saw a few red dots appear on the ground. His world buckled and spun. Before he knew what happened, he was looking at the ceiling, while yet another mare (Iron Heart thought it looked like the one that was wounded on the ground, maybe even a copy) was looking down at him, a hammer in her mouth.

He stared curiously at the mare looking down. With a glance the mare on the ground, the first thing bothering his mind surfaced. The mares were all the same. The stallion was missing. Multiple magics were in play, and he finally knew what they were. Iron Heart rolled once more. He sprung to his hooves and used his wings to lift him off the ground. While the room still spun, he kept moving, trusting in his wings and momentum more than anything to keep his balance. He stopped over the mare still on the ground, bleeding. She looked at him, her horn glowing a fierce crimson.

“Please don’t. Stop. Just stop.” His ears worked, straining to hear what he knew was coming. “Stop and this all gets better. I can get you better.” Hoofsteps approached as quietly as they could. Iron Heart still heard them clearly as they worked across the stone floor. “Please.” he pleaded. The mare looked around. Her breathing was labored, her mind looked like it was trying to decide something. The mare fixed his gaze. Iron Heart cocked his head as he noticed the focus in her eyes change. It shifted to look behind him. There it was- her decision.

Diving had become standard for Iron Heart. His experience and practice had been heavy recently, and he put that to good use. A wedge opened up in the mare's flesh and she cried out. A sledgehammer came down on her and the pony holding it disappeared.

“N-n-noooo!” Grey screamed. “Why? Why! It’s not supposed to be like this, it never was!” He was hugging the door frame to the room, sobbing. He galloped to Iron Heart, shoving him away. Iron Heart bumped into something. Or something bumped into him.

“Grey? Grey! Shut up and listen! I can't see 'em. Some kinda.” Iron Heart was knocked a few feet. He fought to keep his balance, unable to tell if the blow broke through his armor. Grey wasn't even paying attention. “GREY!”

“She's dying Iron Heart!”

“I'm about to join her! HE'S INVISIBLE!” That caught Grey's attention. He looked over at Iron Heart, who hobbled across the room (his haunch was still locked), trying to avoid a death he couldn't see, couldn't fight back against, couldn't... couldn't... Grey looked down sadly at the mare by his hooves, his recent friend. He looked at his other new friend, or at least tried to, seeing only empty space. Next at Iron Heart. Why did he have to choose?

“Stop it! Both of you!” Grey squeaked weakly, like he was yelling at an ocean tide to go away, and the ocean wasn't listening. Iron Heart fell, a line of red trailing up from the ground to Iron Heart, to a blade that might as well have been made of air. Angry, confused, Grey's panicked mind settled.

A gray tiny light flared over his horn. It was accompanied by his tiny voice growling low, then rising higher in pitch toward a scream. The light on his horn started to grow, too. Somewhere near the middle of his ascending pitch, it reverberated. While he wasn't very loud, the whole room began to sing along with him. Iron Heart and his unseen attacker stopped, dumbfounded and looked at Grey. Soon the room wasn't just bathed in sound, but in light. An axe, a unicorn, and a glowing magical aura cast a three dimensional shadow. A similar shadow shone around Iron Heart. “There,” called the room in a matter-of-fact tone, “now you're even.”

“Not hardly.” The shadow turned its attention from Grey to the pony at his hooves, a recovered shotgun meeting his gaze. He swung his axe. A shotgun blast roared in the smallish space. The monotone gray of the room softened and died away. A pony did the same.

Addendum I:
The following communique has been censored for administrative review.
-Officer 34
Office of Wartime Intelligence

Attachment to official dispatch containing orders for Cdr ---------
Upon reviewing your reported findings and the quite spirited letter containing your unexpected request, I have been asked by the Council to provide the following response.

Despite your repeated insistence to the contrary, this council can find no legitimate grounds for disciplinary action (or any action for that matter) that would hinder Lt Clnl Penelope or those ponies under her command. And while we appreciate that you have taken it upon yourself to critique, nay, investigate those under a different command, allow us to integrate your own words into this official dispatch of orders: numbers do not lie, and neither do results.

Lt Clnl Penelope has flourished in her current command. Her dedication to the good of the Enclave as demonstrated by her outstanding results is exemplary. The Council is impressed with her progress- and that is not an assessment we take lightly. For the first time since the start of surface integration, the ponies under her command have shown enthusiasm for the progress being made. An enthusiasm, we might add, seemingly absent in other, more defensive, commands.

The success in this sector of our intelligence community, wartime operations, and civilian infrastructure has been a much needed boost for morale. Nopony else seems to have been able to provide the level of dedication or service that she and those under her command have accomplished.

This leads us to the following actions. First of all, as you may have already noticed, 2nd Lt Penelope is hereby promoted to the rank of Lt Clnl. From this time forward she will be addressed and treated with all the rights and privileges pursuant to her current rank.

Furthermore, we have considered and accepted your request for reassignment. Lt Clnl Penelope has been given complete operational control of Operation ------------------. Finally, you are hereby assigned as her liaison to the Council for the duration of this operation. You are to personally report to her headquarters with your new orders immediately.

Who knows, after the loss of Neighvarro and the debacle at Dragon Mountain, the experience of working with Lt Clnl Penelope may even inspire results within your own commission.

Secretary of the Council, written on their behalf

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Breadth of Magic
Your hunger for knowledge has allowed you to learn magic of all kinds. While this versatility is unique, it comes at a price. The number of spells you can learn each level is doubled. Any spells learned above the normal amount have their effectiveness halved.

Who cares about using any of it? I just want to know how it works!

LEVEL UP
New Perk: First, Do Know Harm
You gain a +5% damage bonus when doing damage. Be careful, though, this bonus applies to all damage done by you- including any damage inflicted to allies!

Being good at taking ponies apart does not qualify you for surgery. Surgeons actually put ponies back together when they're done!

Author's Note

-Ch. 12 Complete

Chapter 1: An End to Things

The Second Longest Day

Just 'cause ya plant an apple don't mean the tree that grows'll be any good." -Apple family adage

"YA THINK THEY COULD'VE WAITED A DAY!"

A shockwave split through the air and hurtled toward the reconnaissance wing. Moving at the speed of sound, the shockwave was still too slow for a steel blue stallion. He rolled in mid-air, dove down, and then snapped up instantly. This created a smaller, more intense shockwave. Reconnaissance Wing Steel lay in a dead zone while the air around them was torn apart.

"Wave! Pay attention! What we’re ya yelling about?" the Captain snapped as he flew over.

"What's a matter? Busy showing off?"

"Stow that shit private! That cloud kicker kept your brains from leaking out your ears, not like that would change much."

"Captain, yes sir. Just fighting a hangover and the enemy." The air around the wing split apart again. This time, however, it was the cry of a dragon. Wave piqued. "Did they get him?"

"Naw, it's going to take a helluva a lot more than that. Damn it! Where's our bucking support?" A gold mare flew up to the pair as they argued.

"Um, we're getting new orders! Yes? Right away!"

"Wire? Report!"

"Sir, we're to proceed to the detention block right away. The enemy's hitting us from inside." A fourth pegasus, another stallion, joined formation.

"Good riddance! Let those flying death traps deal with the drag-" the new arrival's head sheared apart. Half of his head launched into the air with alarming speed. Viscera sprayed onto Wave and the Captain.

The reconnaissance armor the wing was wearing was much lighter than normal issue. It was built for stealth and speed. It offered no resistance to the high-powered bullet traveling at supersonic speed. Wire's eyes stared at the place he had been, as if she was still listening to him talking.

Wave cried out, "SNIPER, FOUR O'CLOCK LOW!” He and the Captain scattered in opposite directions. Without even thinking, they shifted into formation and maneuvered to attack. They started to serpentine toward their target when the Captain noticed Wire. She was hovering in place, watching as her comrade's crumpled form loll toward the ground. She'd seen him maneuver through cloud obstacles a hundred times before. He was a magnificent flier. Instead of dodging, though, he hit a cloud with a wet smack, smearing it with red. It was nothing like him. It wasn't him at all.

Wire felt something jerk in her neck as she was tackled. A fore-hoof felt numb and strangely warm as she spun through the air. "WAKE UP PRIVATE, or we're both dead!" The Captain had grappled her through the air as the two dove toward the clouds.

"S-sir, Captain. Gear Shift. He..."

"I know private, I know." Determination filled the Captain's face as he caught up with Wave. The sun was darkened by the form of a dragon. Purple and green wings seemed to glow as the sun illuminated their flesh. Wave continued to dive toward the sniper. A high pitched whine grew louder as he and the Captain charged the plasma arrays on their armor. The air hissed and crackled as Wave, and then the Captain opened fire. Wave interwove his flight with the Captain's. The display of formation and firepower stopped short when the dragon put himself between the approaching assault. The dragon belched a blast of green flame. Wave scattered in the opposite direction, feeling uncomfortably warm in his armor.

"Sir? SIR!" Wire cried out. Instead of avoiding the pillar of flame, the Captain rolled around it, towing Wire the whole way. From the facility, the maneuver looked like solid blue stripes were appearing on a bright green Heart's Warming candy cane. The Captain continued to fire. The dragon snatched up the sniper and took wing. The Captain changed course to pursue. Wire's expression changed.

"Sir?" Wave sounded anxious. "It's the Enclave. They want to speak to you." The Captain stopped in mid-air. As insane as it was, he wanted nothing more than to hunt down the dragon. It wasn't just his superior that was calling, though, it was the Council, the Commanders in Chief.

“What? Yes! No. Yes. I... I understand, ma'am's.” The Captain put down the radio. “Wire? Your radio.” Wire took the pony-pack radio off her back and hoofed it to the captain. He took the strap in his mouth and started spinning in place. After a few turns, he released the pack into the blue void. It cleared the edge of the cloud they were on and disappeared. Wire and Wave looked at each other in shock. “I've been ordered,” he started, but stopped with a sigh. “They want me to send you two into the base to deal with detention. Seeing as I'm RC certified, I'm deemed, “a critical resource too important to the enclave to be put in danger,” and am, “reassigned to active duty as personal guard to the Enclave.” I am to leave you two for Cloudsdale immediately.” Wire and Wave looked at their captain. He face-hoofed “Buffalo shit. That's what I think. Leave you two in this mess. Buffalo... shit. Alright here's the deal. I'm now a Lieutenant. They thought promoting me would make me report immediately. Wave?” The Captain went over to Wave, plucked off his gold captain's badge and pinned it on the stallion. “As acting captain of our wing, I'm now under your command. You see,” he smirked, “I didn't quite hear that promotion bit. I seem to have trouble hearing after our radio exploded. Don't think I'll be able to carry the duties assigned to me as captain for the moment. Now. You going to reassign me and take me out of this?” Wave grinned, too, getting what the Captain was after.

“Whatever for,” he shrugged, “I didn't receive any new orders.”

“But? The Enclave...” Wire started. The Captain and Wave smiled at each other. The Captain trotted over to her.

“Wire?” he put a hoof on her shoulder, “Get some experience and you'll fly straighter than any arrow. I think you'll make a fine officer someday. Right now, our best chance to survive is sticking together as friends. Wherever we're going, we're going together.” He put on his best smile and leaned into her chest. Her heart skipped a beat but then beat double time to make up. The sun made his mane shimmer and his deep, silver eyes made her feel at peace. He leaned in for a long, deep kiss. She returned it eagerly, her wings flapping a few times on their own. After, acting captain Wave took him aside while Wire nervously shifted through her gear, making last minute preparations.

“Oohh, you're in trouble now.”

“Me? Nah,” the Captain grinned at Wire, who noticed and redoubled her focus on the preparations. “'Sides, Wire needed something to help her get through this.”

“Celesia's gift to the mares, huh?” Wave rolled his eyes. “Just saying, there'll be consequences.”

“Yeah, I'll come clean, you know I do. Let's see? One cheater's kiss and my mare's gonna have to punish me.” The Captain started to do mock calculations with his hooves. “That's four spankings for the kiss, around twelve for not telling her...” Wave put a hoof in the Captain's mouth and face-hoofed at the same time.

“Forget I asked. You good, Wire? Great. All right, lead on,” Wave unplugged his hoof from the Captain's muzzle and pointed it at him, “you know the base best.”

All three took formation and then took to the air. The base was abuzz. Sky-tanks, armored pegasi, and other materiel rushed around the base in confusion. All activity was frenzied and rushed. It was if a beehive had been stirred up, but none of the bees knew what they were supposed to do. Steel Wing bobbed and weaved through the confusion like it was a normal day on the base. They approached the detention center just off the ground, weaving between buildings and equipment, looking like they were part of the confusion.

The three stopped short of the main entrance to the Detention center, taking position behind one of the hardened buildings that made up the military base.

“What do we know, Wire?” The Captain knew the mare would be gathering all the information she could, accessing communications local to the base, even if she couldn't listen in on longer-range communications without her pony-pack equipment.

“It's bad, sir. A dead zone has been setup around the block to avoid further casualties.”

“The whole block? For what? Is it an assault force?”

“Reports have been vague. The brass seems to be avoiding directly answering questions. Instead of assaulting with a full force, they've quarantined the area!”

Wave cut in, “That doesn't make any sense, why would they pull everypony back and send us in? What are we up against?”

“They want recon to tie things up quietly,” the Captain explained.

“We could've asked for more details, but the radio's gone dead.” Wave whinnied approval at Wire's comment, the Captain winced.

“Alright you two, stow it. C'mon Wire, give me something I can use. What are we looking at? I know you're hiding something juicy in that suit, you always do. And I don't mean that sexy, sexy flank.”

“Laying it on a little thick, don't you think?” She cut him off as he opened his muzzle, preventing any reply. Wave was impressed Wire was calm enough to joke. She was getting better at dealing with things. “You're right. Initial reports didn't mention a riot or a large assault force. Everything talked about one name before word came from up on high to cut off communication to the whole block. fluffykins.” Wave was taken aback.

“What, no snipers? No sky-tanks? Fluffykins? What does that even-” Wire shrugged him off.

“No idea,” she replied. The Captain shook his head.

“Those buckers! They want us to clean up their...” Wire and Wave turned to him. “Fluffykins was the name of a female hellhound the Enclave captured. She's been their experimental prisoner for years. They had her on one of the thunderheads. Don't ask. I just know. No idea what she's doing here, though.” Wave looked away nervously. “What is it?”

“You said a hellhound?” The Captain nodded. “Sir, an Enclave cell can turn a monster into a... well, I don't know, but it isn't good.”

“So?”

“They can cut a pony in half just by resting a claw on her, even with armor. That and they love killing ponies.”

“You saying we can't take 'em?”

“Not us, Neighvarro’s detention center. No prisoners in there for years. Enclave never wanted to put any threats near their important tech center. Place has been used for training detention recruits. I'm saying if Fluffykins is looking for other fighters to free, she's only gonna find-” The Captain looked around the corner, checked the guard post, and flew straight to the entrance. “Hey, wait!”

Wave went to follow him, Wire pulled on his recon armor. “Don't we need a plan?”

“The Captain's not gonna listen to anypony right now. A particular pony's in there. Listen, Wire, whatever happens, fly straight, stay calm.” She nodded, feeling a little unsettled. She followed Wave as he flew to the Captain, taking some evasive maneuvers as a precaution.

A claustrophobic reception area contained a shelf and chair behind ballistic glass. No pony was in the chair. At the opposite side of the room were two sliding doors. The Captain was furiously pecking at their controls. “Everything's on lockdown, I can't..”

“Let me.” Wire flew over. She was calm, even though the Captain was worked up. “These doors have a manual override. The warden has a set of keys so she can open any door. Problem is, they didn't count on me." Wave admired Wire, she was doing her best to soothe the Captain. The door clicked but didn’t open.

“Great job.” Wave and the Captain trotted up to the door and strained against it. “There’s something… RRHH!” The door gave a little and there was the sound of scraping metal. After The door snapped open with a metallic crunch. An armored head slumped into the room. Wire gasped as a tide of red flooded the doorway.

What was inside showed brilliantly against the eggshell white and clinical lighting of the prisoner processing room. Like the entrance, this room was small. It was higher, however, and had a desk with something on it. Sprays of blood decorated the walls and ceiling. The patterns looked like a pony had been trying to get the kinks out of a gardening hose, and the water had come out in sudden gushes. Only if the water had been blood.

Wire vomited and turned away. “No, dammit, NO!” the Captain roared. Ignoring all else, he started straight for the set of doors on the other side. He stopped when his first hoof inside the room made a splash. Pulling it up, he saw it dripping red. “Eh, how much…”

“Sir,” Wave called out. The Captain looked behind them, then at what Wave was pointing at. Along one wall, neatly stacked, were pony bodies. They were arranged like barrels. More bodies were on the bottom in order to keep those at the top from all shifting and rolling off. They looked even more like pony barrels because all of the heads had been cleanly removed.

“Goddess!” The sounds of Wire’s vomiting subsided into hacking. The Captain flew up to the next door and tried this one, too. He flew back over to Wire. “Soldier? Soldier!” She looked at him weakly. He put a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen up. We have to make sure this stops here and now. It’s bad, matter of fact, this is the worst. It doesn’t get any worse than this. But right now our wing beats as one or it doesn’t beat at all. I can’t get through that door and the only way we make it out of here alive is if we face what’s on the other side together. You with me? Can you do that? Stay with me for right here, right now.” She looked past him into the other room. The Captain wished he was a unicorn. He wanted her to believe. He needed her to believe.

Instead of looking away, and instead of staring into an imaginary sky in the room, Wire’s face changed. She looked at the Captain and nodded. She got up off her haunches and wavered a moment, but only a moment. “This stops here?” she asked. The Captain gave her a single nod. She brushed his hoof off and trotted straight through the horror to the other door. The Captain watched her and waved over his other comrade.

“Wave?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m in love.” Once again, Wave face-hoofed.

“No, just no! I can’t… I just... I’m not even talking to you right now.” Wave flew up to the door, taking a position above one of its corners. “Wait till we’re ready,” he whispered to Wire. She stopped in her work and nodded. Taking position on the other corner, the Captain nodded to Wave, who nodded to Wire. Wave and the Captain each took hold of one of the sliding doors. “We’re stacked,” he continued whispering, “Breach when the door opens. Wire, wait for us to secure the room.” She continued to work. After a quiet click, Wire looked up.

The Captain’s muzzle worked silently as he mouthed, “One, two,… three!” This door offered no resistance as the two pegasi pulled on it. They dashed inside the room, criss-crossing each other’s path. Each pegasus wound up on the opposite side of the room from the corner of the door they had taken.

As they disappeared inside, Wire looked around her and shivered. Something didn’t make sense. Why in the buck, she thought. And where would they go? And, why in the buck? The heads weren’t there, she could see the whole room and they weren’t there.

“Clear! Captain?” came from inside the other room.

“No, we need check the rest.”

Wire perked up, rounded the corner, and trotted toward the middle of the room. She stopped short. The décor of this room matched the other. Cold, white walls, unnatural ambient light, and the macabre. There they were, in the center of the first floor. Set up in a circle, muzzles pointed outward. Both ears on each head had been cut off. Wire turned away. As she did, she froze half way through her turn.

“C-captain?”

“Wire? We're not cl-” the Captain stopped. “WAVE!” Wave flew over the balcony to see. This room was larger than the other two and had two levels. Against the wall on one side of the room stood the figure of a female hellhound. It loomed over Wire, easily twice her height. The gray and white coat had black stripes while the top of the hellhound's head bore fluffy white hair. Two red eyes rested on Wire, who stood frozen. The hellhound's wolf-like mouth pulled back into a sneer, showing glistening fangs. She raised a paw which held an energy pistol. “WIRE! GET OUT OF THERE!” The hellhound pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. “THE SKY!” Wire snapped back to reality and kicked off the ground, taking wing. The hellhound broke into a smooth motion. She coiled on her hind paws and leapt at Wire. Wire had gotten a long way into the room, but the hellhound was flying now, too. Though she didn't have wings, the hellhound easily covered the distance to Wire, swiped at her, and landed in one fluid motion. Wire's eyes went wide as she tumbled to the ground.

“CAPTAIN NOW!” Wave shouted. The Captain and he flew to opposite sides of the room and opened fire. Their plasma rifles did more raw damage than almost all small arms. However, very few ponies preferred them because the projectiles of super-heated matter took time to reach their target. A projectile from a plasma rifle was nowhere near as instantaneous as other magical energy rifles, or even a standard cartridge rifle. The hellhound leapt between the plasma rifle blasts, jumped to the second level, turned and kicked off a wall directly at Wave. Wave panicked and flew low, diving to get out of the way. He felt wet as a single claw glanced his flank. He spun and landed into Wire.

While in mid air, the hellhound couldn't change direction, and the Captain let fly. Blast after blast connected as he followed the motion of his target. Other than landing, the hellhound made no sound. She turned to face the Captain, who was shocked that she didn't go down. Instead, she leapt again from the second floor. The Captain couldn't go any higher. Low and he could still be caught. He backed up as fast as he could with one powerful blast of his wings. He had taken a sliver of time to think and now the hellhound was rocketing toward him, eyes wild.

On the ground Wave looked over Wire. She was still breathing but bleeding badly. She was going to be dead soon.

“NO!” Wave turned around to see the hellhound miss the Captain, but fall straight on him. She raised a claw to add another trophy to her collection. Wave rolled on his back and fired in a frenzy. He saw tiny waves of green energy roll off the hellhound as the blasts met their mark. The hellhound was still moving and a shock of panic took him. The hellhound's red eyes reflected green as he kept firing, adding to his panic. The paw came down and he pushed up his hind legs to stop the blow. The onslaught of weapons fire pushed the hellhound back bodily, so that his hooves stopped the paw, but one had been impaled by a claw. The hellhound roared.

“NOT BEFORE FLUFFYKINS HAS TWO MORE!” The sound was deafening and horrifying. Fluffykins opened her jaws wide and brought them near her prey. Wave hadn't noticed, but his weapon cell had run out of charges and wasn't firing anymore. He didn't notice because there was still the sound of gunfire. He whimpered as the jaws lowered to devour his face.

Fluffykins' horrific visage twisted into a nightmare. Wire cried out, unfortunately still conscious. Her wide mouth suddenly glowed green. The sound of gunfire changed as Wave saw the outline of the Captain move into his peripheral vision. Fluffykins' jaw was knocked to one side as the rest of her head began to melt. Thinking fast, Wave used his free hind leg to prop up Fluffykins, pull his other hoof free from the claw, and push against Fluffykins with both hooves. He wasn't trying to keep Fluffykins from falling, he needed to guide the luminescent, green, dripping mass that now made up half of Fluffykins' head away from Wire and himself. “Captain!” he cried. The Captain was by his side in a flash.

“Th-there's a med box on the desk in the other room.” The Captain was gone and back before he had finished speaking. Getting to his hooves, he worked quickly. Wave had been trained as the combat medic for the his wing, and now he was relieved that he was there. Breathing a prayer of thanks, he carefully lifted out the two healing potions inside. Everything was starting to get to him. Tears started to fill his eyes. He tried to talk out his anxiety as he worked. “Captain! Tourniquets, hind leg, wing, NOW! Leg first. Stay with me Wire, c'mon.” Her eyes were still open, he didn't even take time to check if she was alive. He opened her muzzle and drained the first healing potion. He stopped and looked at her. The longest moment he'd ever known passed.

Suddenly she choked, coughed, and sputtered. “YES! Good girl! Get that outta your lungs! Swallow whatever you can. SWALLOW!” Her eyes were wide, she looked around, confused. Her throat worked and her chest heaved as she drew in breath.

“W-Wave? What's wrong? What's going on? Am I okay? Am I okay?” She started to panic and he knew she was going into shock.

“Wire, I'm here, I'm here! You can't believe what you just did!” He motioned furiously to the box the Captain shrugged, confused. Wave looked back and pointed, instead of gesturing. The Captain looked at what he was pointing at, picked it up and went over to where Wire's head lay.

“What's wrong? What's he doing? Don't let him touch me!”

“Hey hey hey. Look at me. Right here. Right now. Remember? You can't believe how amazing you were.” Wave used his weight and held her down. She struggled, but he held her firmly. Firmly, but gently. “You just saved-”

“No, no we didn't, we're still in danger! You don't understand! She's going to stop us all. Starve us out. The Enclave's done for! And when it's over, oohhh, ow, they're gonna kill us for things we didn't even do! We have to get to the hub it's it's... it's … the … key.” Wave looked up to see the Captain toss the empty syringe aside.

“Okay, good. Great. Good. I need those right there. Damn, I love a good medical box!” Wave was shaking now. The Captain gathered the packet he was pointing to. “Flip her on her back.” The Captain sucked air in sharply as Wire was rolled on her back. Wave took off his armor and then his uniform. He padded Wire's haunch and tail with the uniform. Then he got a closer look.

There was a clean, straight line across her flank and thigh. It was below the haunch. Everything below that line was missing. “You ever seen a cut like that? Buck, no! Here.” He tore open the package, handed some things to the Captain and kept working. “I'm sorry wire, I can't reattach it. Not with only two. You'd probably, ugh!” he strained to twist open a bottle. There was a snap and he turned it over and began squeezing a gel onto the wound. He spread it all around the wound. and what was left of Wire's hind leg.

“Bleed a lot more. Then when we'd move you, it could come out. I'm not taking the chance of you bleeding out while somepony else thinks about getting to you. Base has gone ta hell. No more. Not today. Not losing you too. We just graduated, right? Hold right here. Right bucking here, make sure her upper body doesn't move. Keep her hooves outta the way.” Wave squirted some gel on each hoof, rubbed all over, then swirled his hooves in the air until they dried. “Ah, feather-brained shit-head!” He tore the package open so that the top was completely open. He put more gel on his hooves, rubbed them together, and dried them again.

He gingerly picked up a thin circle from inside the package. He held it in his forehooves and sat his haunches down squarely on Wire's upturned barrel. He peeled one thinner side off the disc. He adjusted one of his hind legs so it lay between Wire's legs. “Sorry girl, I know you're not gonna like this. Captain? The tourniquet.” The Captain got in place. “Not yet,” He leaned over her while holding the disc. “Okay, now.” the Captain released the tourniquet as Wave lightly lay the center of the disc on the stump of her hindleg. He took one foreleg and pushed Wire's stump against his hind leg. He then pressed down. “Okay Captain. Just fold this down. Only touch the top of it.” The Captain came over folded the sides of the disc. Layers inside of the disc started to mesh together and the disc grew thicker. After he had finsihed, the disc now resembled a cast over the stump.

“Now the wing.” The Captain sighed as they turned over Wire to reveal that Fluffykins had sheared off her wing along with everything else. The wing was bleeding a lot less and Wave repeated his earlier process. Only this time, the disc remained a disc with a small budge where the stump of Wire's wing was. Things went much faster.

They both sat down for a moment after everything was done.

“Whoah. You're a genius,” the Captain marveled. Wave sighed.

“Nah. The mare that came up with this is.” He sighed. The Captain came over.

“Yeah, well you're here right now, and you knew enough to save our friend's life.” Wave shook his head. “Just wish we could've stopped this.” He jerked a hoof around the room. The heads were still arranged.

“Wave, I don't know what you're talking about buddy,” the Captain looked over. “We just d...”

“Yeah, hell of a lot of good that did. What's up?” The Captain took off his helmet and dropped it to the floor. His silver eyes narrowed, his dark blue mane was wet with sweat. “Hey, Captain? Captain!” The Captain ignored him, flying to the pile of heads. Stopping over the pile, flew up, rolled, dove down, and then snapped up again. Wave put his hooves to his ears just in time; they were still ringing from the shockwave. “What? What was that for?” he yelled. Trotting up to the captain, he stopped short.

Somewhere from down the hall there was a new voice. The Captain came to rest on the ground so softly that his hooves made no sound. The shockwave had scattered the heads, but there was one right underneath the spot he'd preformed the maneuver. The voice in the hall was getting louder. He sat in place, and picked up the head. Unlike the others, this one was perfect. The ears were still in tact and the pony's expression was peaceful. Two soft, yellow eyes stared at the Captain. He brought it close to his chest and started to wail into the soft, chestnut mane. It wasn't a cry, it wasn't a scream, it was an open-muzzled moan. Wave sat next to him and looked down.

The voice came into clarity, “An' just how can ya be sure she's okay? Yer tellin' me that Spike... yeah, I got that part. An' now ya want me ta just leave her? Well, ahm on mah way right now. Ah'll be there.”

A rust colored blur burst into the room, flying so fast that he almost knocked into the other two sitting in the middle of the room. Wave looked up. A rust colored pegasus with an orange mane floated opposite Wave and the Captain. He wore a black desperado hat.

“Sorry, folks, Ah'll just... Ah'll just.” His sentence stopped short as he looked around.

“Calamity? Calamity! How are you back? No, they tossed you out.” Wave noticed his worn, dirty saddle bags and clothes. “Those buckers tossed you out, I never forgave them for that. You undercover?”

“Wave! I, uh, thank ya.” Calamity didn't know what to say.

“You can't be here. Not unless you're undercover, or wait... is this you? This is you? You're with them?” Calamity rose to the question.

“Listen Wave, this had ta happen. I can't tell ya how bad-”

“This? This! Calamity. Our friends, the people we're fighting for. They're dying.” Calamity sighed.

“Ah know this ain't gonna sound right. But ah ahm fightin, Wave, just as hard, maybe even harder for our other pegasi. Retreatin ta the clouds ain't right, an' tha Enclave, they're just killin' ponies down there.”

“We got something in common? Both fighting for pegasi? Here have her. She WAS MINE, and YOU TOOK HER! WELL, here she is. THIS is what you're fighting for.” The Captain had gone up to Calamity and thrust the head of his lover at Calamity's chest. Calamity whinnied, backing up. “Look at her, LOOK AT HER!” Wave backed up, aghast. Calamity looked away. “Why can't you finish what you started? You took everything else I loved, but your dragon, your bullets, and your GODDESS DAMNED HOUND didn't take me.” Even the full swing of post-graduation reverie, Wave had never seen the Captain angry, never seen him lose his cool. “Get back here! Look at what you buckers accomplished! And take the rest of them too. The bodies are in there!” The Captain pointed to the room behind him. The head dropped and the Captain cried out. Realizing what he'd done, he scrambled over to it and picked it up, stroking it softly. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. You know that, right? I'd never let go...” the Captain's words trailed off into half-sentences and sobs.

“Ah, Ah.”

Wave looked at the floor, defeated. “He's right, you know. The bodies are in the next room.”

Calamity panicked and flew toward the exit. He glanced back out of habit, making sure they weren't going to pull a gun. As he did, he saw the sadness in Wave's eyes and the madness breeding in the Captain's. Without thinking, he lost altitude and splashed down on all four hooves in the middle of the next room. Wave heard a terrified whinny as Calamity saw what was there. Moments later, there was a soft whoosh as Calamity flew away.

Addendum I:

Technology Considerations for Pony Arms and Armor

Research proposal from Lab 212, Neighvarro

While such a clinical title like “Technology Considerations..." may not indicate it, a strong consideration must be made for pony anatomy when designing new technology for military use. While the constant drumbeat of "make it work, and yesterday" often drowns out the clear need for style, we at Lab 212 believe the confluence of the two is the answer to the needs of the military. Form is just as important as function, and those coconut-heads in the upper echelons of leadership would do well to remember that.

Pony anatomy is not conducive to carrying things in their legs and hooves. Over the centuries, we have adapted many different ways and strategies to carry and wield tools. Unicorns, of course, most often aim and activate tools or weapons with simple levitation magic. Earth ponies are more inventive. In the most basic case, an earth pony will hold weapons in their muzzles. Years of practice, or clever earth pony design, allow many devices to be operated with hooves. Indeed, the lances of old (and new, in the case of magical energy lances) were first attached to the back by earth ponies. This ancient tool gave rise to the modern battle saddle, allowing present-day arms to be operated by any pony with the use of a harness and control bit. This last development proved invaluable in the evolution of armor.

For example, battle saddles allowed for much larger weapons to be carried by ponies. Furthermore, simply having to operate a saddle along with any complex targeting mechanisms proved too cumbersome and unwieldly. Why not integrate the battle saddle into a targeting spell, and then, why not integrate both into armor? This way, all any pony would have to do is operate one simple mechanism. The interface between all the others is handled behind the scenes.

The scientists at Sky Lab 212 think this is not enough. Why should any pony need to operate any mechanism at all, when any pegasi could operate their weapon by simply thinking! Why, they could identify, target, and fire faster than any gunslinger could ever hope to achieve the old-fashioned way. And with Lab 212's magical neuoro-interface, nothing less than an across-the board boost in soldier performance is just a thought away! Think of the possibilities of combat-ready pegasi that have done nothing less than made their weapons an extension of themselves!

With trials already complete, this technology is ready for field testing in our Reconnaissance units. Think of us when this year's funding conference is held, and we'll ensure that soldier success is a present-day reality and not just a future rumination!

Author's Note

Ch. 1 Completed.
-Where'd Fluffykins get the energy pistol?
-Medical bandage after Calamity leaves.

Chapter 5: A Shining City In A Valley

Glory Days
“Those days are gone forever, over a long time ago...”

One of the hinges had broken off the door. There was an odd collection of ponies scattered across long benches in a room adjacent to the entrance. Some of these ponies munched slowly on unappetizing piles of mush. Others lay sprawled out on the cafeteria style tables. Not one looked up.

Dim, flickering lights barely held the darkness at bay, even in the noon sun. Iron Heart instantly hated this place. Grey didn't seem to mind, though.

“Yep, that's why we had so much trouble getting in, the hinges are broken, see?” Iron Heart did his best to ignore Grey. Iron Heart trotted up to a counter near the entrance. There was nopony behind it, so he rang the small bell that sat on the counter. Or, he tried to ring it. Pushing the button only resulted in a muffled click.

“Guess it's broken,” Iron Heart thought aloud. He lifted up the bell to look underneath it.

“That's what I've been saying!” Grey looked up from inspecting the lower half of the main door. “Right here, silly. The hinge snapped clean off!”

“What are you talking about? Bells don't have...” Realizing that Grey was not, in fact, talking about the bell, Iron Heart started to say something discouraging and foul, but there was a gentle cough behind him. Iron Heart jumped around, startled. Behind the desk was a unicorn stallion. He wore an air of superiority.

“Can I help you, sir?” Iron Heart approached and put the bell back on the desk.

“Your bell's broken.”

“Indeed.” The pony behind the counter tossed his perfectly styled blue mane. “Can I... help you?”

“If your bell's broken, how the buck did you know we were here?”

“Such language!” The pony did his best to look offended and bored at the same time. “Oh, I don't know. I don't like to brag, but I guess my dull ears were still keen enough to hear all that racket you made when you came in.”

“Yeah, well that's because your door's busted too.”

“Really?” He gave a smirk. “It wasn't earlier. You ruffians must have broken it on your way in.” He wiggled a mustache derisively. Iron Heart was being patronized by facial hair.

“Well, yeah... we didn't. We just came in looking for a room.” The pony raised an eyebrow.

“We usually don't serve ponies of such a low class, but I guess with the state of the world,” he heaved a weighty sigh, “we have no choice but to be generous.”

“Fine! We can find another place!” Grey heard Iron Heart and trotted over to see why he'd raised his voice.

“There are no other places. Not in the entire fine city of Phovannah,” the pony shot back. Iron Heart had had enough, he went to buck the pony, but there was a sudden weight on him. He turned back and glared at Grey, who was holding on for dear life.

“Don't buck him, Iron Heart, we need to stay here.”

“I'm not gonna kill him, Grey! I just uff!” Iron Heart tried to buck Grey off. The pony behind the desk cleaned his monocle on his suit, bored. “Gonna... buck that smirk... right off!” After a solid minute of kicking and bucking, Iron Heart was out of breath.

“You wanna stay... huff... there? huff... Fine!” Iron Heart sat down, trapping Grey. Grey's body let out a squeaky wheeze. “So, how much for a huff... room?”

“Oh I suppose we could fit you in for... say... 400 caps.” Iron Heart got to his hooves and kicked Grey off with one buck. Grey rolled into the door, making it shudder.

“Give me one reason, one reason why I'd even think of paying that much. And what makes you think that's generous?”

“Make it 500 for being rude,” the pony looked at his hoof and clicked his teeth; he started to file the hoof down. Iron Heart was galled speechless.

“Um, mister pony, sir. My name's Grey, and my friend here is Iron heart.” Grey had trotted up to the counter, and now had on the face of a sad, miserable, little unicorn with no place to go. “We're sorry about the door. I fixed it though, when I hit it with my body. We only have 100 caps, and it's so dark and scary outside...” he sniffled and wiped a hoof across his face.

“Ah, a charity, I see. Well, you two should have said so. My master loves charity. As a mattter of fact, it's her favorite kind. Well now, my name happens to be Fancy Pants, dear Grey. Because of your manners, grace, and general likability, I will be happy to let you both stay for 100 caps.” As Fancy Pants said this, Iron Heart scowled at Grey.

“Thank you so much!”

“Not at all. Now, these are your aprons, I'll see you back here in ten minutes.”

Grey looked confused. “What are these for?”

“Why, for working, of course. I can't just let any pony stay in this fine establishment for 100 caps without putting them to work. Word would get out... and then anarchy!” Fancy Pants tapped his counter with a hoof indignantly. “Your room is 203. Now, like I said. Ten minutes.” Grey started upstairs. Iron Heart followed, his scowl deepened. “Don't make me come looking for you,” Fancy Pants called out, “You won't like it if I come looking for you.” Iron Heart grumbled something offensive.

Left Hoof

“Thank you, come again!” Grey nodded politely as he served a scoop of mush. A bleary-eyed pony blinked at him. “Enjoy your 100% fresh made slurry.” The pony looked at his plate then up at the new server, unsure of what to do with the smiling face. After an uncomfortable moment he picked up the tray and joined the others on the benches. A slow moving fan did its pitiful best to circulate air around the room. Fancy Pants approached.

“Good morning, sir! Can I offer you some of this delicious mash?” Grey levitated a scoop toward the white unicorn in his pristine suit.

“No… thank you, Grey.” The scoop floated closer, Fancy Pants Bared his teeth in disgust. “Actually, I was wondering if I might have a word.”

“Absolutely! Mr. Fancy Pants, sir. Thank you again for letting us stay and work for you!”

“Not at all. Now, let me see… how to put this. Our patrons would appreciate it if you would not be sooo… cheery.”

“But I thought our patrons liked my radiant demeanor.” Grey motioned around the room, some lethargic ponies slowly munched on the “food” Grey was serving, others were asleep on the table. “Don’t they look like they could use a good cheering up?”

“No, Grey.”

“Oh…” Grey’s ears flattened.

“As a matter of fact, those are not our patrons. Our chief patron, the fine Mare of Phovannah, will be here any moment for an inspection. And the most important thing she sees is that everything is absolutely normal. Do I make myself clear, Grey? Nothing different at all.”

“Okay, I understand.” Grey looked up sadly.

“Brilliant. I know you won’t let me down, Grey. You are so eager to please.”

As Fancy Pants left the room, Grey told a joke, hoping to cheer up the other stallion’s tail. It didn’t work.

Right Hoof

Iron Heart was working in the basement below. Aside from barely lighting the damp walls, dim lights also reflected off of clouds of dust. Squishy sacks labeled “YEAST” crinkled as Iron Heart stacked them, even though the outside of the sacks were made of cloth. Every few minutes, when there were twenty sacks loaded, Iron Heart pushed a button. A rickety elevator would spring to life and the sacks would disappear.

Iron Heart saw and heard from no other pony other than a slow moving mare earlier. She barely spoke and looked sickly. Her skin had clung tight to her ribs.

“Say, do you know what’s going on here?” he’d asked. She'd responded by looking at him with hollow eyes. She hadn’t looked well. “Here.” He tried to hand her a punga fruit that from Seacraft Slip. She’d swatted it out of his hoof.

“We’re not allowed to have those here.”

“Who says?” He picked it up and dusted it off.

“She does. I mean, not her, but the mare, the mare of Phovannah,” fear crept into her voice.

“I don’t care if Celestia told you herself, you need to eat this.” He offered it to her again. She hesitated, but only for a moment. She grabbed the fruit quickly and started to devour it. Her eyes glistened.

“I’m so sorry you’re here.”

“Why?”

“Because everypony in this city can never leave. We have to stay. She says so.” Iron Heart made to respond, but the mare burst out crying. Other than Iron Heart, nopony heard, or if they did, nopony seemed to care. The mare regained her composure. “Your work starts at the end of this hall. When you start to work, that’s when you know she’ll never let you go.” The mare started crying again. Through the tears, she managed to say. “And worst of all, I like you. That’s…. what I can’t,” a sob split her sentence, “stand. I can’t take what’ll happen if we like each other.” She turned and dashed back down the hall. Iron Heart stood there, dumbfounded, but then dashed back after her.

“Wait! Wait up.” He was catching up, but she turned and slammed a gate that was hiding in the shadows between two small lights on the wall. Iron Heart put a hoof to the gate as she sat and sobbed.

“Tonight, I’ll be back tonight….”

“What’s going on, hey what is this?” demanded Iron Heart. The mare turned tail and galloped away, sobbing and saying “I’m sorry.”

Iron Heart tried the gate. It was locked. He bucked the gate but it didn’t give. He inspected the lock and realized that he had no idea how to get through it. With nothing else to do, he had made his way back, only to find a storeroom full of bags labeled “YEAST.”

A hoof painted sign had read “MAX LOAD: 20.” Iron Heart had loaded twenty five at one time and pushed the button, but nothing happened. He brought the number loaded down to twenty one and pushed the button again. Still, there had been nothing. When there were only twenty, though, the elevator had worked.

Now, Iron Heart had cleared nearly half of the bags. There were no windows and the shaft upwards was blocked unless Iron Heart wanted to try and guess how many bags of “yeast” he weighed. He didn’t. He had already sent most of the bags up when he decided to look in one.

Left Hoof

A beautiful mare entered the room. “Good afternoon ma’am!” Her pink mane seemed to animate as she entered. Her lavender eyes, however, didn’t seem to sparkle or shine. Grey felt her presence fit right in with his dower patrons.

“Hey everypony! Let’s sing a song!” There wasn’t a single affirmation, or dissent. Instead, Grey started to simply sing. “Canterlot, oh Canterlot. How I love to see your good flag wave!” Even if it was dripping with patriotism, Grey added his own special effort and flare in an attempt to get the room to join in. “Pegasi, Earth, and Unicorns, too. Everypony is welcome in you!” Fancy Pants sat cringing.

“And who are you?” The new unicorn addressed Grey.

“Just your friendly neighborhood server pony, ma’am. Enjoy your 100% fresh made slurry!” In response, the mare laughed.

“Fancy Pants?”

“Yes Fleur Dis Lee, my dear.”

“We absolutely must have this pony entertain the others.”

“As you wish, my dear.”

“I take it you know what to do for tonight?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Wonderful dear! Can we please go shopping later?”

Fancy Pants gave a snort. “Dear, we have so much to do...”

“But sugar plum, I do want us to do what we should. But I want to go shopping, too!”

“Oh oh oh,” Grey raised a hoof like an anxious schoolcolt, “Mr. Fancy Pants, sir. That’s a great idea.”

“Stay out of this,” Fancy Pants nickered, “My dear, we haven’t time for this frivolity.”

“Mr. Fancy Pants Sir, there is always time for frivolity. It’s a saying of mine.” Grey put down his serving spoon.

“Nay,” Fancy Pants whinnied insistently, “There isn’t.” Fleur Dis Lee sashayed over to Grey with a defiant grace.

“Well Mr. Pants,” she pouted through pursed lips, “I’ll give you one guess who just forgot who the mare of this beautiful city really is. I’ll also let you guess which pony won’t be accompanying me shopping today, but doing all our work instead. I’ll even give you a hint, it’s the same pony.” Fancy Pants looked shocked, offended even.

“Why you can’t just expect-“

“Oh, I do believe I can, and I believe I just did. Or did you forget that she made ME mare of Phovannah, not you. We can go ask her, if you like.” Fancy Pants looked like he wanted to say something, anything, but no words were coming out. He stopped. His monocle fell to his chest. Fleur Dis Lee stroked a hoof under Grey’s chin. “Now my dear, let us go indulge in some “frivolity”.”

Grey smiled. Then he took a sterner stance and gave a salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am. Your humble shopping slave will be prepared in one minute.”

“Now I must protest,” Fancy Pants protested. As soon as he said this, Grey adorned him with a serving apron and spoon.

Right Hoof

Trial and error. That was the idea that Iron Heart came up with. He stood on the platform, pushing the button, hoping to be lifted up in the elevator. After many minutes of failure, he made a balance beam with some planks of wood lying around. He added sacks one at a time until he started to lift; it didn’t take many sacks, they were heavy.

Iron Heart took off three sacks and pushed the button, still nothing. Holding his breath, he opened a sack and started emptying the half rotten chunks onto the floor. A red, gooey, putrid mess decorated the floor. He pushed the button again to no avail. Apparently his body couldn’t take the smell anymore. His stomach mixed in its contents with the red puddles on the floor. Iron Heart put out a hoof to steady himself. There was the click of a button being pressed. He lost his balance when the elevator started to move upwards.

The grinding gears and screech of rusty metal died as the elevator came to an abrupt stop. Three creatures were dumping sacks into a large grinder. Their bodies looked like a black shell that had been in the sun too long. They had massive shells that covered their lumbering forms. They had been dumping the bags quickly and more efficiently than Iron Heart, despite their size and lumbering claws.

The work stopped. A flurry of strange clicks and buzzes broke out. A flutter of wings brought a green pony-sized creature into view. It had green, leafy skin that shone in the light and black eyes. Iron Heart couldn’t decide if it looked like a plant or an insect. Wings fluttered as it stepped back and hissed. It fluttered away quickly after some more clicking sounds. The three forms rushed at Iron Heart with alarming speed.

Iron Heart drew out an assault rifle. “Please let this actually be a challenge.” One of the forms leapt through the air at him. Taking to the air, Iron Heart jumped away, landing hard and rolling. The one that had jumped came to land on where he had been. “Now that’s more like it,” he smiled. The other two creatures were on him.

Left Hoof

Grey turned down another alley. Fleur Dis Lee, or just Fleur as she preferred, had already accumulated a number of items for Grey to carry. He huffed and struggled, saddle bags stuffed with various things, all of them old, but most of them very pretty. He held one bag in his muzzle.

“Hurry up, Grey! There’s my favorite café! You absolutely must try their dandelion sandwiches.”

“Mhb-pfuffer,” Grey replied. Fleur laughed.

“You’re silly, dear. Come along now, I’m quite tired and need a break.” Grey snorted and rolled his eyes. Serving mush was boring, but at least it hadn’t been heavy. “Don’t be like that, it’ll be worth it, trust me.”

They reached the café and Grey flopped down. A bowling ball came loose. “Two dandelion sandwiches, please. Tea for me and, how about you?”

“Hot cocoa please.”

“But monsieur,” the butler who had come was more animated than the other patrons of the cafe, but he seemed to still have a sadness about him, “it is but summer.”

“But my sewer, it is never too hot for hot cocoa. I try to live by that saying.”

“Very good.” The waiter disappeared.

“Where did everypony come from?” Grey had noticed many ponies now, whereas beforehand Iron Heart and he could barely see anything, pony or not, inside the city.

“Well,” Fleur started, “All these ponies have different priorities. You must understand that they love their mare. So they come out in droves to catch a glimpse of me, their benevolent administrator.” The sandwiches arrived and Grey took a bite.

“But they look so sad and bored.”

“Grey,” Fleur chuckled, “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to eat with your muzzle open?” Grey nodded back excitedly. “You’re funny. You absolutely must join us for tonight. Why, we haven’t seen a pony like you in years.”

Grey looked up from his sandwich and blushed at the compliment. “Really? What about all the fine citizens of Phovannah?”

“Trust me, you’re not like a single one of those ponies.”

“But Fleur, surely there must be one citizen of this city more worthy of your presence. Take that fine waiter of ours, for example.”

“HIM? No Grey, I’m convinced that we need you tonight.”

“Why Fleur, what’s so special about tonight. What’s going on?”

“Tonight is going to be a wonderful soiree for Phovannah’s truly elite. I absolutely must have you there. I can’t tell you how interested my friends and I will be… in… you…” Fleur leaned over the table, smiling. Again she reached a hoof over and stroked underneath Grey’s chin. He smiled and leaned his head into her touch.

“You know, after everything that's been happening, I think I’d like that. I think I’d like that a lot.”

“I’m so thrilled to hear it!” Fleur stood up quickly in her chair. “In that case, Grey, grab our things, we have to get back and get ready for nightfall. Pepper Salt, oh Pepper! Do be a dear and make my drink to go; my friend and I must be off.” The butler returned a few minutes later, two traveling cups readied. Grey had never seen a traveling cup. The idea was novel, luxurious, and foreign.

“They just give you a glass you can take home with you? Don’t they need it back?”

“Of course not, Grey, they’re disposable,” Fleur assured. “Pepper, do be a good pony and put this on my tab.” The butler bowed.

“Disposable? You throw them away when you’re done?” Fleur replied with a nod. Throwing something away after one use astonished Grey. He couldn’t say exactly why, but he was sure it had to do with growing up fighting for most meals, scrounging for one cup and using it again and again. That, however, was a very long time ago. “Why that’s so wonderfully frivolous.” Grey went to follow Fleur when the butler stopped him.

“Madame’s tab takes care of madam.” He held out a hoof expectantly.

“Well, sir, here’s my two bits, then. You should say hi to Bray. I’m sure he misses you, wherever he is.” The butler’s face stayed steady. Grey was disappointed when he didn’t seem to react at all. Seeing his lack of reaction started to make Grey more than a bit curious. Grey dropped two prewar bits into the butler’s hoof. Two eyes looked back at Grey, sullen. Grey waved happily, grunted as he lifted the old, dirty boxes and bags, and reluctantly took one bag in his muzzle again. A gray aura wrapped around one cup as Grey levitated it along with everything else and trotted after the charming mare.

Right Hoof

As quickly and quietly as he could, Iron Heart tried the first door on this floor. It was locked. Cursing quietly, he tried the next door. He could hear a slow plodding sound work its way to this floor. The second door opened. Iron Heart ducked into the room and closed the door.

Sweat poured down Iron Heart’s face. He cleared his vision with the back of a hoof. “Tactical retreat,” he managed between breaths, “good enough.” He went over to a mirror to examine himself. He pulled out the assault rifle and went to reload it, only to notice that it was jammed solid. More than jammed, the barrel of the gun had a gash in it. He tossed the gun aside and looked at the rest of himself.

A few wicked scars cut their way across his armor, marring the shamrock and “O’Rielly” painted on them. He let out a sigh, now he’d need to repair the armor. He hated the armor. It stood up well against damage, but it was made for an earth pony. It clung tight against his folded wings. He couldn’t fly in it, and that bothered him. A strange sound came from the hall outside the door. Iron Heart dove behind a sofa and went silent.

There was a scratching at the door, followed by a slow plodding, and then silence. Giving it a few extra moments, just to be sure, Iron Heart stood back up. There was something on the couch. A sudden chill shivered down his back. Reaching for the lamp, Iron Heart’s hoof came down on something that rattled. Nervously, he flipped the switch.

A sudden set of smiling teeth made him stifle a whinny. It was a pony skeleton. At least it looked like a pony, but something was off. Whoever it was had been lying on the couch and was forever reaching to turn on the light. Iron Heart searched the room. There was a briefcase that he opened. Inside was a pistol that he didn’t recognize. It had a silencer. There were also a few pre-war bits and a note. Iron Heart held the note to the light.

So they sew,

Comrade Xult’an. Your years of integration training have served us well. Consider this your call to wake up, your call to deliver the eggs of our enemy’s destruction into their very heart. We are sending a contingent to you. Make sure they enter Paddock Promontory without detection. See that they reach their rendezvous point with their most holy cargo. After their mission is complete, we will deliver your debriefing. You can retrieve it at the Barnside Bank in town. Access deposit box 3212 and provide the password “firelily blossom.”

After that, you will start your conquest of Paddock Promontory. This second mission is just as important as the first, as Paddock Promontory will become our hoof-hold to continue our necessary invasion. Your task is full of holy fire and blessed with success.

-- Zenn’an, Follower of the Fire

You really should stop underestimating the ministries. Love, J

Iron Heart didn’t know what to make of the extra text at the bottom. It was hoof written whereas the rest of the letter looked like it had come from an old type writer. Iron Heart searched the rest of the room and found nothing. He took a few minutes to try to clear his assault rifle. If the damned thing hadn’t jammed I would’ve had ‘em. After a few moments he got frustrated. Keeping the barrel away from him, he pulled hard on the charging handle. There was a metal snap and a bullet flung across the room. The charging handle snapped forward faster than he expected. He needed to replace parts on the rifle or it’d be useless soon.

Iron Heart turned off the light, doing his best to ignore the skeleton on the sofa. He knew it was still there, even if he couldn’t see it. Cracking the door, he poked his head out and looked right, then left. Before looking left, there was a soft thud on the carpeted hotel floor. He turned, noticing one of the strange creatures flying through the air, swiping a claw at his head. Iron Heart ducked back into the room. How can something so large be so quiet, he asked himself.

The door shuddered as a sudden weight hurled against it. Iron Heart was knocked to the ground by the force. Outside, a series of strange clicking sounds started to grow louder. Figuring that meant there were now more, he braced against the door. A thought crossed his mind. One had been checking rooms while at least one more had watched the hall. They were intelligent. What was worse, they were difficult to kill. Part of the door shattered inward as a claw snapped through the wood.

Left Hoof

By the time Grey and Fleur returned to the hotel, the sun was setting. It was hard to say when day ended and night began. Instead of getting suddenly dark, the sky just slowly gave up its ghostly light.

“Good evening my dear Fleur… and you. I half expected you to not come back,” Fancy Pants sneered as Grey and Fleur came in.

“Ift good do fee yew ptoo!” Grey spat the bag from his muzzle.

“How could you say such a thing about my little Grey?” Fleur scratched Grey under the muzzle again. He smiled wide and a hind leg began to twitch involuntarily.

“Is he your pet now? Well I suppose I could get the doghouse ready…” Fancy Pants instantly regretted his choice of words. At that, Fleur marched over to Fancy Pants and fixed him with a dangerous stare. She saddled close and showed her teeth.

“Bite your tongue or you won’t like who winds up outside in that doghouse of yours,” she hissed. “Besides- dear- it’s me he wants, not you.” Her demeanor calmed and she called around, primping her hair with a hoof. “Isn’t that right, Grey?”

“Huh? What?” A flagrantly large hat twisted around as if it were trying to see. Grey’s tiny body poked out from underneath. “Is that you, Fleur?” The bags and boxes Grey had been toting lay in a lazy heap. One particularly large box had been opened; Grey had seen fit to purloin what was inside. Fleur gave a warm chuckle and looked at Fancy Pants. Fancy Pant’s look told Fleur that he found the gray unicorn’s idiocy astonishing. She gave him a saccharine smile.

“Everything is ready for our soiree tonight, yes?”

Fancy Pants squirmed. “Preparations… uh… had almost been completed.” Fleur’s face went dark. “Dear… you- you don’t understand… his friend- a disturbance.”

“Are you meaning to tell me, that you have one- simple- task- and it’s not done?” Instead of raising her voice, she kept her tone even, but made her words shorter; every word came like a quiet knife. “I guess this just means we’ll have to cancel for tonight.”

Fancy Pants looked distraught. “No, please no! I need that don’t take tonight away. Be reasonable dear! Please.”

Fleur pranced around until her other side faced Fancy Pants. “So I am to take it that everything will be ready?”

“Of course, I will see to it personally.”

“Good, because I needn’t remind you that tonight is important for both of us. Also, there’s one fine guest in particular that you don’t want to have to see to you.”

“Right away dear, I will see to it right away,” Fancy Pants left the room a nervous wreck.

“Um, Fleur?” There was a thud. “Oowww.” The giant hat sat on its gray behind and rubbed its crown with a hoof. “I think this is stuck on my horn… and I’m lost.” Grey’s voice was coming from somewhere underneath the hat. Fleur gave a laugh.

“Not to worry, dear, I’m right here.” The hooves under the hat reached out and started groping at air. Fleur giggled and played a little game, trying to see if Grey could find her. It ended when Grey's hoof found her chest. She smiled and stopped the hat from engulfing it's swallowed perch, revealing Grey underneath. Grey's eyes and muzzle went wide. “Come Grey, you and I have to get ready.”

Right Hoof

The door to the hotel room sheared off its hinges, crashing to the floor. A lumbering shell jumped onto the green combat armor and helmet.

“So long, buckers! Hah ha!” Iron Heart flew just beneath the doorway and into the hall. Another one in the hall angled itself up, trying to see Iron Heart. It jumped blindly. “Not even close!” Iron Heart cried out as he flew down the hall toward freedom. Iron Heart stopped short and flew up the stairs when he saw the shadow of a form making its way toward him.

Inside the hotel room a second form appeared, then a third. One picked up the combat armor and held it close to its face, trying to make mane or tail of the situation. There was a rattle as it picked it up and turned to face its comrades. The three creatures stared at each other as the skeleton’s armored head rattled to the floor. A cacophony of clicking filled the room.

Just before reaching the third floor, Iron Heart met with a green ceiling in the stairway. He could see the stairs beyond and figured it must be some kind of magic. Iron Heart poked a tentative hoof through. Nothing seemed to happen. With a shrug, he flew through, bucking open the door at the top of the stairs. One of creatures, barely fitting in the stairway found its way to the field of green.

It hit the field with a “thunk.” Clicking indignantly, it tried three more times. It was repulsed each time. Two powerful claws scraped and snapped at the field to no avail. There the creature sat, waiting for something to happen.

Dull lights flickered to life. Some continued to flicker, never quite making it. Iron Heart was in a large room. Two sets of doors, one on the wall opposite the entrance and one adjacent, gave Iron Heart some options on what to do next. The contents of the room made no sense to him. Large glass cylinders sat on tables. Some were filled with cloudy liquids while others contained plants of a rainbow of colors that changed as Iron Heart looked at them. Bookshelves and terminals and equipment he couldn’t name, all of it seemed to come together for some purpose he couldn’t name. He shrugged it all off when he didn’t find anything he knew he could use.

Behind one door was a room filled with stable tech terminals. Trying one, he found it required a password. “The one time I could use that idiot.” He went back and tried the other door. It opened into an office. There was a large window, but no sunlight showed through. “Dark already?” He flew over to the terminal on the desk. He was used to a cloud interface, but managed to muddle his way through the keys. There were four entries he could access. Iron Heart chose the first.

Foalish. Brash. Over-reaching. They said I should stay in high society where I belonged, that this venture would not prove fruitful, and that I had no business shoving my muzzle where it didn’t belong. Me? They dared to preach to me about what defines fruitful? They’re the foals.

Years I've been respected in Canterlot. Years until this war started. I've been ignored as a socialite, an outcast. A pony who, “doesn't know the first thing about a real fight.” They have sought to ostracize and isolate both me and my dear Fleur Dis Lee. I cannot take such insults any longer. Not myself, but for my darling must I show their filthy world what true durability looks like. They have laughed at my societal misfortunes but soon they will cry out for a taste of my genius. I will look down at them from across the sea and say, “Nay!”

Already my venture has born fruit. With my other holdings, this hotel, and my influence at Stable-Tech, I now have everything I need to leave them in the dust. Instead of a piteous glitterati, those slack-jaws won’t know what bucked them when my brilliance takes them from nowehere.

-FP, Head Researcher, Visionary, Stallion of Business and Innovation

Iron Heart continued with the next entry.

Better than I’d expected. I have pulled together a stunning lab, the muscle to guard it, and an army of like-minded unicorns to use it to its full potential. Construction is continuing on below, as well. My operation should be finished within the month.

My only concern now is perfecting the virus. It proved difficult at first. There were… regrettable setbacks and more than a few accidents, but I ensured that the families were fairly compensated. As a matter of fact, I offered most of them accommodations in our new society, but they all refused.

I am convinced, though, that the MEP is the key to the next step in pony evolution. Even more, it can provide every pony the durability, longevity, and metabolism required to survive the harshest environments. I have been asking for testing volunteers, but none have acquiesced.

Now if only I could get Fleur Dis Lee to follow. I can hear her now, “I refuse to give up all my friends for that filthy swamp.” I keep telling here that Phovannah is nothing like that and we can make a name for ourselves. Nay, we can own this land. Then she could build all the shops she could ever want. Friends? She could be the mare of the whole city when we’re through. She will come around, she has to.

-FP, A True Gentlecolt, A Stallion About Town, The Stallion of the Future

While it started as interesting, Iron Heart was getting bored. He clicked to the next entry.

Construction is complete! In celebration, I have commissioned Stable 0 with my best champagne. I let Scootaloo know how pleased I was. In our new world there will certainly be a place for her, too. Now I must think of a suitable password. I’m sure I shall think of something poignant.

-FP

Iron Heart selected the last entry out of duty. Duty, and the shred of hope he had that he might actually read something interesting. It certainly was not because he wanted to.

The contagion is complete, and it has surpassed my wildest expectations! I must chronicle my thoughts. Instead of waiting around for who-knows-how-long for nature to take its course, why not understand the process and make it happen? The next step in pony evolution now belongs to us! I cannot write of the endless hours, the tireless nights, or the countless setbacks, the result is too marvelous.

Instead of what went wrong, I shall speak of what went right. In the first, the simple biology provided the inception of the design. Countless examples of flora and fauna adapting exist. Why not understand the process? Why not improve upon it? Why not gain such a knowledge of this that we gain the ability to control it? Why not indeed, when the deed is already done?

However, what could possibly govern such a transformation in such a species? Genetics you magnificent bastard! If we control the gene, we can control our world. Then, all we would need is to take the best genetics from different species and splice it into our own. Trees that live over four hundred years? Easy! I give you a pony who's life span would approach that of the Princesses' themselves. How about an earth pony with wings?

Now, for the final piece: delivery. How can a living, breathing pony go through such radical transformation and come out alive? All one needs is to look to nature, once again, and the answer is obvious! What else is nature's little genetic reprogrammer but a virus? Once we have successfully extracted the genes we need, we can implant them in a virus and let it do its work. This is done too slowly under natural circumstances, and often results in death, so we have magically enhanced the process. Word has spread to the Ministry of Peace... we're expecting a visit from them soon.

In the end it was my collection of scientists, of visionaries, and my dear lovely Fleur Dis Lee who brought me here. Them, and my unexpected partner. Between her magic and the endless stream of volunteers she provided, we have been able to perfect our process.

And here's where those neighsayers come in with their high minded “reservations.” Don't they know the world is ending? Certainly not. I do, and so do those wretched others. Too bad they haven't the answer to our society's survival, unlike myself. I simply wish I was the only one with this ambition.

Two things I must put down. The name of our brilliant discovery: Metamorphous Equine Pathogen (MEP). The password to the Seedpod (my pet name for Stable 0): “firelily blossom.”

-FP Boldly Into the Future

Iron Heart was trying to remember where he had heard that before. There was a creak. Iron Heart looked up quickly. Fancy Pants stood at the doorway to the office.

“Well now, this is interesting. I must say, you are the first pony to ever make it up here.” Fancy Pants wore a smug smirk. He was also levitating a pistol with a silencer on the end. Iron Heart matched with a smile of his own.

“Grinding pony pieces? Viruses? What are you up to?”

“Killing you.” Fancy Pants squeezed the gun's trigger. Iron Heart leapt and unfurled his wings. There was no way Fancy Pants could hit him at this speed, or so Iron Heart had thought. To his amazement, Fancy Pants hadn't aimed at him. To his horror, the desk behind him exploded. Iron Heart tumbled and rolled, coming to a stop in front of a pair of white hooves. Looking up, he saw Fancy Pants still wearing the same smile.

Iron Heart coughed as the dust settled. “H.E.-,” he coughed again, “doesn't that... defeat the purpose?”

Fancy Pants looked down. “This silencer? Oh my dear Iron Heart. That was only the first bullet. I assure you this gun has plenty of magical tricks up it's sleeve.” Fancy Pant's expression became twistedly gleeful as if there was some joke only he was getting. “Now then, let us see if that heart of yours really is made of iron.” The pistol twisted toward Iron Heart. Iron Heart lunged. Fancy Pants fired.

Iron Heart connected and knocked his target, the pistol, away. In a snap decision, he'd figured that attacking Fancy Pants would give the unicorn plenty of time to adjust the aim and fire again. Instead, the unicorn looked surprised and panicked as he searched frantically for the gun; Iron Heart treasured that look.

But something was wrong. A strange light cast itself about the room. Iron Heart heard himself screaming in short breaths, but he didn't know why. Looking down, he staggered. A bright glow was starting to eat its way into his chest. “Goddess! DAMN!” Iron Heart made another snap decision.

Fancy Pants found the gun and twirled both himself and the gun back towards the smoking desk. He saw Iron Heart hurl himself toward the glass window.

Iron Heart hadn't noticed, but he did now. The window was a stained glass window, and ambient light from the moon illuminated it with a soft blue light. Three ponies stood on the top half. At the center was Fancy Pants, to the right was Fleur Dis Lee. To the left was the same figure from the statue that he couldn't recognize. Rays of light poured forth from behind them. Below, in the shadow of the three, was a familiar symbol. From some long forgotten memory Iron Heart recognized Celestia and Luna, sisters of the sun and moon, frolicking in an intertwined circle. It was all wrong, though. Both sisters were rotten, partially eaten away. Dying or already dead, Iron Heart couldn't tell as he flew hoof-first into them, shattering their glass forms. There was a muffled sound of gunfire and the soft tinkle of raining glass.

Iron Heart didn't remember landing, or much afterward. His body faded in and out of consciousness. What he did remember was a form standing over him in the moonlight. She was beautiful, but also concerned. He was being dragged on the stone street. She must have been strong because the world around was passing quickly for one pony dragging another. At one point he'd tried to say something, to get up, but she pushed him to the ground. At another time, he'd recognized a special medical device he had been trained on. He had reached for it, but she had knocked it away. She yelled something, but Iron Heart couldn't understand. The blade of a keen knife had glinted in the moon. Then his world had gone dark.

On the Left Hoof

“We're all ready everypony!”

“Leeeet's spin this shi-!” A white unicorn DJ with a blue mane flipped down her glasses and started a loud song with a deep beat, drowning out the rest of her sentence.

A few flakes of something fell from the cracking ceiling. The function hall was much larger than the hotel and accommodated the guests quite easily, but it was in worse shape. Faded wooden walls connected to a white and cracking ceiling. Dusty red curtains stretched from the floor all the way up to the upper sills of long windows. The dirty carpet was a dark green and was torn in some places. Grey thought it looked old and unsettling.

All the guests there didn't seem to mind, however. The whole function hall had come alive. Almost everypony was well dressed, and many were dancing. Grey trotted around the room, distracted. Some ponies talked about how wonderful their city of Phovannah was, while others were shocked that such boisterous music had gotten popular in Canterlot. Grey even heard one hushed conversation about the DJ.

“Clearly the Ministry recognizes how important Phovannah is,” one stallion explained to another, “I've heard that she's a favorite of the Ministry, and the fact that she's at our party... well, let's just say having the DJ Poney marks a new beginning for us.” Grey thought they looked funny talking to each other with their muzzles up in the air.

While the party was attended by mostly ponies, other species were present as well. Grey saw a pair of griffons standing around the punch bowl, an odd zebra here and... wait a minute, he thought. Grey found himself next to a miserable looking zebra with a scar on her muzzle.

“It's you! How did you get here?” Grey's question caught her attention.

“What are you doing here?” she snapped at him. “Did my warning even catch your ear?”

“What am I doing here? I, uh well...” Grey retorted. The zebra put a hoof to her face.

“Why do you ponies always ignore my warning? Do you have any idea what will happen to you by morning?”

“Well, I did come with a date, so...” Grey put on the stupidest grin he could. “Probably a long... awkward kiss in front of her apartment.” He was blushing. It looked like he was actually uncomfortable. Uncomfortable talking about a kiss. The zebra couldn't believe he was being serious.

“No you foal! You've been in their trap ever since the shoal!” She started to rub her head. “Here I thought you might be able to save me. You're just an idiot with too much bravery!”

“Ah ha! See? You're doing it again! You do always rhyme.”

“What are you babbling about? We haven't much time! Dammit.”

Grey trotted in place excitedly. “Oh oh oh, you're doing it with me now, the rhyming thingy.” The zebra let out a groan. “Dammit. Hush. Don't make yourself known. They'll see you're not local and your cover's blown!”

“Cover? Is this a costume party? If so, I’m completely unprepared.” Grey trotted over to a mare, clothed in a lemon dress, gingerly sipping from a sparkling glass. “I say! What ho fair filly?” Grey started speaking in a terrible accent. “Is tonight’s soiree a masquerade?”

“Young stallion, this is not that kind of party!” she responded, looking offended. “Now shoo, you’re interrupting me.” She brought the glass away from her lips and put a hoof around her escort, bringing the two very close. Her escort was in an equally fancy dress of scarlet, but her expression was sorrowful. Where the one Grey had interrupted was vibrant, her partner’s face was a dower mask. The mare in scarlet looked over at Grey with hollow eyes and extended a hoof.

“Please…” she wheezed. “Pleeaase.”

The one in lemon tried to pull her away. “There’s no need for that, come let’s dance.”

“Not at all fair maiden,” Grey interrupted. “I know exactly what you need. Don’t move, I say!” Grey disappeared and reappeared moments later with an identical looking glass. “Here you are miss, just what you need for that wheeze of yours.” The mare in scarlet looked at the glass then questioned Grey with a look. “I say, no need to be shy, drink up!” The mare looked confused, but took a sip. She brought the glass down, then back up, and drained the glass. Grey took the mare in lemon aside. “Look here, lemon.”

“My name’s no-“

“Your escort is violently dehydrated,” Grey preached, “I want you to make sure she gets enough liquid, but only give her a small glass at a time, forsooth, and nothing too alcoholic, if you catch my drift.”

“Dehydrated?” She looked aghast, which turned to confusion. “What’s that?” Grey returned her look with one of his own.

“Young filly, do you mean to tell me you don’t know about dehydration?” Grey waited an awkward moment. A notepad and pen floated out. The pen started scribbling. “First aid, my dear filly, education, enlightenment!” Grey sounded ridiculous. The zebra stopped shaking her head from behind him and started looking around the room. “Lieutenant Blue Bell has a wonderful class in first aid. To be sure, she is stationed on an Enclave military base at least three days’ journey by sky chariot, but who can put a price on health? Not I, forsooth. Take her card.” A page tore from the notebook floated over. A crudely drawn drill pony frowned down at a cartoonish red cross doing what were supposed to be push-ups. Below was a section labeled “how to fly there.”

“Come, we must go.” The zebra collared Grey toward the dance floor.

“But I don’t wanna!” Grey’s voice cracked back to its normal timbre.

“Dance you idiot, else they’ll know!” The zebra started to dance. Although the music had a steady beat, her dance was slow and serious. She glared at Grey. Grey just orbited around her, bouncing merrily up and down.

There was a change in the music. It became melodic and had a softer beat.

“Grey? Grey! There you are, my dear! Come dance with me!” Fleur Dis Lee was sashaying through the crowd, stopping every so often to jive with the music.

“Fleur!” Grey galloped over excitedly. They met and started to dance their way to the center.

“I just talked to Velvet Rose,” Fleur yelled over the music. ‘She told me what you did. That was very sweet of you.” Grey blushed.

“Oh, you mean Lemon? I just uh… it was nothing you see… the mare needed a glass of water.”

“Not in the least!” Fleur stopped dancing and marched over to Grey. “You saw exactly what that other mare needed when her escort couldn’t. And you made sure she got it.” Fleur leaned in and kissed Grey.

Grey turned red. The beat of the music was drowned out by the beat of his heart, or was that the throbbing in his head? Either way, he couldn’t remember feeling this happy, or feeling this good. But for some reason, he couldn’t hold onto it. Just as soon as the rush came, it went away. The music returned, louder than ever. Grey pulled away suddenly.

Grey looked at Fleur, confused. “What’s the matter?” she asked. “I’m sorry, did- did I do something wrong?”

“No Fleur, that was amazing. It was wow! Just absolutely wow!” Grey jumped, hooves flitting about before landing again. He suddenly looked disappointed. “But it was over so quick?”

Fleur saddled in dangerously close. So close, that Grey heard her whisper in his ear despite the music. “I guess we’ll just have to find some place where we can take our time.” Grey’s red deepened. He started getting hot and bothered. Fleur leaned in for another kiss… but she came up empty.

“That sounds w- w- w-onderful Fleur. Do you usually like to kiss me by the neck?” Grey hardly noticed his hooves dragging across the carpet as he closed his eyes and waited for his kiss. The zebra stomped off, dragging Grey by the scruff of his neck. “Fleur? Fleur! You’re not her.” Stopping, the zebra turned to face Grey.

“You don’t know what’s going on. All this, it’s all wrong.”

“Seems okay to me, everypony’s having a swell time.”

“Not everypony, take a second and look at those around thee.”

Grey looked around. Every pony had an escort. Some were stallions, some were mares, but one half of them were beautiful and gay; the other half were mourning some unspoken sorrow. In each couple there was a portrait of color next to a shade of pallor.

“Why aren’t half the ponies happy Ms. Zebra? Isn’t this a party?”

“Yes Grey, of course it is.” Fleur took Grey by the neck and dragged him into the crowd. “What you did earlier helped that other mare, Velvet’s escort, realize how few were getting the water they needed. About half these ponies are thirsty, as a matter of fact.” The zebra jumped out from the crowd, knocked Fleur away and started dragging Grey in the opposite direction.

“Then why do they look like death has warmed over? Surely you can see this one’s hollow eyes and gaunt shoulder.” Grey and the zebra were stopped as she tried to explain to Grey. The music stopped suddenly. Everypony, sickly and healthy, pony or other, bowed low. Fleur looked around and spotted them. She approached them both to take her escort by the neck once more, but stopped short when she saw who they were all bowing to.

“Too late!” the zebra cried.

“Princess Celestia!” Small though he was, Grey’s voice echoed across the hall. Ignoring all else, he galloped as fast as his tiny hooves would carry him.

The entire room was aglow. Even the eerie red curtains seemed to soften and brighten at the new presence. On one end of the hall two large doors were now open. Just past them stood the radiant Celestia. A white coat almost emitted light itself while her rainbow mane glinted from some hidden light. Her wings were spread wide as she entered, then folded into her side. Celestia wasn't only a pegasus or a unicorn, she was an alicorn. Instead of just possessing a horn or a set of wings, she bore both. Every animal, great and small, was bowing low. Every individual was bowing low except for the zebra and Grey.

A sea of ponies did nothing to stop the tiny stallion from bounding his way to Celestia. He wrapped his fore hoofs around her neck and pressed his muzzle into her chest. He breathed in deeply, even her smell was beautiful. Some of the ponies in the room got up, astonished, a few gasped.

A few armored guards approached, but Celestia waved them off with a hoof. She looked down and gave a warm smile. “Who might you be?” Grey looked up, almost muzzle to muzzle with the countenance of his goddess.

“I'm Grey Grid! I'm so happy to meet you! There's so much I want to say, so much I want to ask you. But, if I could, your highness, could I-I just stay close to you? Even if it's just for tonight?” Grey buried his muzzle back in Celestia's chest. She breathed in deeply.

“Well Grey Grid. This is most... unusual.” Grey was suddenly self conscious. He pulled back, avoiding her gaze.

“I, oh um, you're right. I'm sorry.” Grey looked like he was expecting to be rebuffed further.

Celestia cocked her head. “You have done what no pony else in this room has. Why?” Still avoiding her gaze, Grey looked around nervously. “Do not be afraid Grey, be honest.”

“I... I just love you.” His eyes started to glisten. Celestia breathed in deeply again.

“I'll say this once more, Grey. You have done what no pony else in this room has. I want you by my side.”

Grey's expression changed from nervous to fear to elation. “Really? Really!”

“Really, really,” Celestia nodded. Grey put a hoof around her, hugging her once more. “This is pure, I haven't felt love like this since...” Celestia's chest heaved as she breathed in. She wobbled in place slightly.

“Your majesty?” Fleur had approached and gave a gentle cough. Celestia didn't move, but opened her eyes.

“May I help you Fleur? I trust everything is in order in Phovannah?”

“Fine thank you. I was wondering if I could have my escort back.”

Celestia looked down, Grey was nuzzling her happily. She looked directly at Fleur. “No, I think he is going to stay with me.”

Fleur lifted a hind leg in surprise. “But he came with me, he wants me!”

Celestia looked down and smiled. “Whatever do you mean?” her tone remained measured. “That does not look like it is the case.” Fleur's eyes brightened with an arcane fire. Fleur looked at Grey, then at Celestia. If she weren't so hungry, she might have remained in control. She paced back and forth, back and forth, and back again.

“No? No, no No NO! He wanted me, he loves ME!” Fleur danced close, sashayed, spun, and bucked high with her hooves. Their impact made a deep click.

Celestia's head turned back to face Fleur once more, her smile had grown wider. “Wait here love, I'll be right back.” Grey was so overwhelmed by meeting Celestia that he didn't seem to notice, or do, anything. Celestia moved him aside with a hoof. Fleur stooped.

“I don't... I'm s-” Fleur tried to get her words out, but Celestia loomed over her and came down with two hooves of wild fury. DJ Pon3, as the unicorn DJ's banner proclaimed, grinned as she threw on some rock.

Fleur stumbled back, bruised. Celestia shot raw magic at her. She dodged and fired back. Celstia spread her wings and flew over the blast, rolling in the air to avoid Fleur's attempt to correct her aim. Both hooves came down on Fleur again. She blocked one strike and avoided the other. Fleur whinnied and reared. Celestia prepared for an attack, but Fleur's rearing was the attack. She boxed Celestia's face three or four times, staggering the larger mare. Fleur got her rhythm back. She danced her way to the fallen Celestia, unholy fire in her eyes. Celestia's eyes went wide.

A buck to the face laid Celestia flat. A number of guards struggled and roared to get through. A flock of laughing Griffons held them at bay, cruelly eager to see who the winner would be. Fleur reared again, coming down on Celestia hard. The fallen mare coughed, trying to get her wind back. Fleur laughed, whinnied, and went to cripple her princess.

“NO!” Grey yelled, throwing himself on Celestia. Moments before she smacked Grey, Fleur put one hoof on the floor, checking the blow.

“MOVE!” Fleur whinnied furiously. Grey shook his head madly, but was instantly flipped onto his back. Celestia had flipped him off by extending a wing. In one smooth motion Celestia rolled to her side, danced her head, lit the tip of her horn, and thrust through Fleur. Blood rolled onto her beautiful coat. Celestia retracted and stood tall, regal and victorious. Once again, the music stopped.

“NO NO NO!” Grey screamed. He ran over to Fleur. She staggered and leaned hard against Grey. Her eyes grew sad. “Don't do that, no stay with me! Come on! I love you, I really do!” She smiled at him and leaned in closer.

“I know,” she whispered. Somehow, Grey felt like his love was being drawn into her. It was as if she was internalizing it, making it a part of her. When Grey realized what was going on, he focused and loved her as hard as his little heart knew how. The griffons broke off, the guards rushed in, but Celestia waved them off with a hoof once more.

“Too bad, really,” Celestia brushed herself off as if nothing had happened, ignoring her own bruises and the small splotches of blood that spotted her coat. “You need a reminder of who it is who made you the mare, even if it is the last lesson you ever learn.”

Fleur started to shimmer. “N-no. He loves me this way!” Her form twisted, but remained.

“Idiots! I thought Iron Heart was hard to get along with, but it's you two I can't stand!” Grey rounded, furious. “I loved you both. Can't I do that? Can't you let me have one happy night? Or do you both need to be so selfish?”

“What do you mean? You can't have it both ways,” Celestia shot back bitterly.

“Don't you know there's more than one type of love?” he rounded on the wounded Fleur. “And you! Is it so hard to trust me for a few hours? Didn't you think I'd come back?” Fleur's eyes were drooping. “After all that, the least you two could do is act like the ponies you're pretending to be. That's the one rule of a masquerade, never let your mask go!”

Celestia did a double take. “Grey? What are you talking about?”

“Oh please,” he squeaked. “Do you actually think Celestia would attack one of her own so easily, even when provoked? And you, any gentlepony would never lift a single hoof up against her goddess. I'd have done anything for either of you, but you wouldn't let me pretend for five minutes.” Fleur collapsed.

Grey looked at her, trying to assess the damage. “Please no, please no!” Her breathing slowed. Her form shook, shimmered, and transformed. In place of Fleur was a leafy green body. It was slightly smaller than a pony, and had black eyes; the eyes were mostly closed. As Grey came in close, he saw that the blood showed a rainbow sheen in the light. “Please don't go, please don't!” The zebra stood aloof, trying to judge the situation. She clutched her side.

Grey felt a hoof on his shoulder. The zebra bent close, looked at the creature Grey clutched, and started rummaging through her bag. She dumped the contents on the floor. Looking through them, she picked up some herbs and ground them together. There was a small stand with a glowing stone underneath. Picking it up and blowing on it made it glow brighter. One thing that had fallen out was a healing potion. The ground herbs went into the healing potion and onto the small stand.

“She's part plant. When I fix this potion, giving it to her will be your errand.” Grey looked at the zebra and gave a nod. Celestia left to get the party to continue. Guards surrounded Grey, the zebra, and the unconscious creature that had replaced Fleur.

The potion began to bubble and change color. The zebra gave a nod. Grey picked up the potion and poured it down the creature's throat. He massaged it down. Standing back, Grey breathed a sigh. “What now?”

“I do not know. Whether it lives, only time can show.”

“Very touching, very touching. Unfortunately, however, your time is at an end. I had hoped to have you, Grey, to savor you dry, but you have spoiled my mood.” Grey perked. The voice that had come from behind him was using the words Celestia would have, but it wasn't her voice. “It's not as good, you see, when my meal knows its a meal. No matter how good you pretend.” Grey turned around to face what he knew wasn't Celestia.

“You're right,” he sighed. “But you're good. I would have liked to keep pretending.”

The form of Celestia put a hoof under his chin. “You're not so bad yourself... but I'm afraid your outburst has spoiled my appetite. I'm not ungrateful, though, so you and your friend will have the honor to be a different kind of meal.” She began to laugh deeply. Her eyes glowed with an arcane malice.

Addendum I:

Field Report- Spike

Related Reference- Field Fleet Report 1024

Classified-Access Restricted

Security Authority Recognized......................

Decryption Initiated.................................................................................

Decryption Complete..............................................................................

Dragons. The very word strikes fear into most cadets, and rightly so. Immensely powerful, unable to be tamed, and able to kill a pony without even thinking, these flying harbingers of death continue to be used as brutal weapons in the conflicts that have embroiled the wasteland. Spike is one such weapon, and for reasons unknown at the writing of this report, Spike the Dragon has allied himself against the Enclave. Lion and Mouse may be the first cause of death among our military, but Spike is a close second.

I continue to request these reports be released publicly as our populace needs to know the threats we face. My requests continue to be denied. Spike was a close friend and personal assistant to none other than Twilight Sparkle, the Mare of the Ministry of Magic (MOM). Our best sources suggest that at some point Spike was sent to live in the caves of Dragon Mountain. We say he was sent because our archives turned up a piece of information considered unimportant at the time. Before the great bale fire, Dragon Mountain received a dispersal of resources from the MOM. After that, and still before the bombs, Spike was relocated to the mountain itself.

We remain unaware of what was done or setup in that mountain. It is clear, however, that Spike has remained in control of whatever the MOM built there. While an uneasy peace existed between the Enclave and Spike, recent events have turned a two hundred year standoff into all out war. In the assault on Dragon Mountain (an ill-fated and ill-advised attempt to assault a heavily fortified enemy, I might add), Spike was chief among the defenders.

Furthermore, he has destroyed many of our remaining cloudships with his own claws. Our raptors cannot afford any more casualties, especially if there is nothing to show for it. We need to get smart and we need to be effective. I will attach my recommendations for our remaining raptors in a later report.

How can we fight against such a large foe? I submit that many of our largest threats must be overcome intelligently and cooperatively. Any more foolish shows of open force will not allow us to achieve our goals. The problem is we have employed the same tired tactics again and again; it is no wonder we have failed. What we need in this case, indeed in many of our other efforts as well, is an evolving paradigm. We need adaptive strategies and effective tactics. Continuing to rely on brute force to control the entire wasteland will only end in continued failure.

We have real options, however. Advanced training, improved armaments and armor, augmented intelligence can all serve to support a new, galvanizing force. We need the tried and true tactics established for just this kind of threat. We need the force that has resulted in pegasus victory time and again. I call upon the council to reform the fiercest, and most effective, force in pegasus history: the Shadowbolts. A following report will include my official recommendations as well as the supporting facts.

LEVEL UP
New Perk: Pack Pony
Are all those bags of flour too heavy to carry on your own? Too much shopping? Don't make two trips, get your very own pack pony today! (Pack pony requires a friend willing to help carry anything your whims may desire and is not included).
Carrying around all that extra weight paid off. You can carry an extra 25 lbs of equipment.